#captain so what youre saying in that monk is also your wife?

[mr-stottlemonk]

when the captain goes about "he thinks he owes me" regarding the time he was there for monk post-trudy's death there's a tone there that says 'i wish he didn't' and 'i did it because i want to' but specifically 'he doesn't owe me a thing, i did it because i cared and still do'

[blorbologist]

Power Word Pain Brjeaus?

33.Power Word Pain

"You speak a word of power that causes waves of intense pain to assail one creature you can see within range. If the target has 100 hit points or fewer, it is subject to crippling pain. Otherwise, the spell has no effect on it. A target is also unaffected if it is immune to being charmed."

[I don’t think a CR character has ever cast this, so I’m just going with ~vibes~ instead of the spell]

“Mother - fucking - coward!” snaps Beauregard. Or, Fjord suspects she would, with her usual sharp tongue, if not for how absolutely hammered she is.

How the fuck are they going to get home? Let alone with enough time to sleep this off before the wedding? Which is tomorrow. Gods. He hopes Jester has a spell for this.

Whoever said it’s a Captain’s duty to be the best man is a pigfaced liar. 

“To be fair - completely fair,” Fjord points out mildly, adjusting his hold on the drunk monk, “you didn’t invite him!”

“Well, yeah.” He thinks Beau might grumble as he tries to crabwalk them out the door. The tavernkeep is watching them with barely restrained amusement. “Yeah. But! Doesn’t mean I didn’t want him to - fuck, I don’t know.”

“Know? Ow,” she echoes a little dumbly when she knocks her shoulder into the doorframe. 

Fjord is very glad for the lapse she finds herself in as he faces down stairs. He really wishes they were both more sober - especially Beau. Bets she could dope monk shit her way down no problem.

“How about -” he tries the first step, nudges Beau after him. She takes two at a time, leaving him stumbling to keep them upright. “How about we leave this until after we’ve reached the bottom in one piece?”

Beau nods. Bobs, more like it. “Sure. Yeah. Can do, Capt’n.”

She actually listens, which saves them at least three falls. Between the both of them - Expositor of the Cobalt Soul, Captain of the Hein Heroez - they actually manage to defeat some rickety steps with only a yelp between them. 

He thinks Beau has forgotten what they were discussing, while he sorts out the right way to her house. It’s not as packed as you’d expect, given Caleb simply summoned the Tower inside. Fjord actually forgets all about it, wondering just how many rooms the man could fit in there, if they had a larger wedding party, when-

“Man, I just fucking wanted ‘im to try, you know?”

“Beau,” Fjord says, “are you alright?”

“Yeah. Duh.” She sniffles. 

“You are crying.”

This one comes out shrill. “Am not. You’re not my fuckin’ mom.”

“I am your best man,” he replies. “And I don’t think you should be crying about anything the eve of your wedding.”

Beau’s steps have slowed to a stop. She sways - into his side, far too heavy for how small she is, only to careen away as he struggles to not drop her. “Could cry ‘bout how beautiful Yasha is. Myyyyy wife tomorrow!”

The gravel purrs underfoot.  “Yes,” he agrees, “but you’re not really crying about that, right now.”

“What if I am?” There’s a pause as he tries his best to convey how little he fucking buys that. “What if you’re right. Maybe. And I just… wish he’d tried tuh - to reach out. Ask why he didn’t get one. Beg, maybe. Say he’d change.”

Fjord starts coaxing them towards a tree. They’ll be in late anyways - he figures they should sit down for this. He’s not the most steady on his feet either.

“I hope you’d say no. If he did ask.”

“Of course,” she agrees. “And I’d cuss him out and tell him he’s - fuck. It’s stupid.”

“No it’s not.” He gently eases her around a truly impressive pothole and into the roadside grasses. “You, stupid? Often, yes, but not now.”

“Well - fuck you too.”

A glance out the corner of his eyes tells him Beau is making a great effort to watch where her feet go. He’s sure if he gives it enough time, she will keep - “Wanted the chance to say no. Tell him to fuck off and for it to actually hurt. For it to actually be something he wanted. But he - he never wanted me enough to think this is important. Worth it.”

He sighs through his nose. “Beau -”

That sigh morphs into something like a scream as his foot catches a root and they come crashing to the ground. Which is nothing, to a man who has been through as much as Fjord, but the Wildemother has a sort of humor tonight. His boot holds fast, or the root holds faster, and his ankle twists into sharp pain on the way down.

“Fuck!” At least Beau rolls out of the way on instinct, because he hits the ground hard. “Balls - mother of shit! That hurts!”

“Ah fuck - sorry Fjord.” He hears Beau shifting. Does not see, really, because he’s clutching his foot. The pain almost pulses through his shoes, his nice shoes, and up his calf.

She slumps gratefully into the tree, almost dragging her down with him. Maybe it would be easier if she had - in the moment Fjord can’t quite figure out how to sit in the tangle of roots. “I’m - ow, my - owwwwww.” He gets distinct rubbing her sore ass feelings from that familiar groan.

“We’re going to die out here,” Fjord wheezes between sways of his rocking. Fuck, ow. “And our fiances are going to have to haul us home.”

“It would be a hot as fuck though.”

He feels himself flush something almost blue. “Yeah - yes.” In all likelihood, once he’s over his pity party, once Beau has sobered up a bit, they’ll endure the great migration home. Maybe the pain will help, once he can walk.

“Can you walk?” Beau echoes. 

“Too soon to tell.” He exhales sharply as he tries resting the ankle against a root. That’s not great. Settles for leaning back on his palms. “Well. We have time. The wedding can’t happen without you, anyways.”

Beau nods. “Veth could Disguise Self to look like you,” she says. Can’t seem to suggest who would pretend to be her, though, and so mulls it over.

Fjord… cannot think much, as the pain heaves through him, tugged through by corded ropes in his muscles. But Beau’s earlier hurt - pain, just as real as this - nags at him.

“Aha - I’ve got it.” Beau squints at him. She doesn’t have her goggles on, so he doubts it helps much. Fjord grins broadly, in the hopes the moonlight catches and conveys cheek more than distress. 

“Of course your father couldn’t come - he’s scared to death your wife will kill him!”

Perfectly rational explanation.

[darksideofparis]

I can now provide a possible solution to your "threat at Sarah Jane's funeral" thing, a submission post later about our view of The Doctors arriving at her funeral (cos he doesn't come in the official Farewell Sarah Jane!!?)

So when Sarah Jane died, Luke, Rani and Clyde were all around the world. Luke was with UNIT, Clyde at an artists convention and Rani investigating (i believe). And everyone attended, Tegan and Nyssa, Mickey and Martha (and their son August!), Ian and Barbara, Ace, Ben and Polly, Jo Grant, Kate Stewart, Dodo, Dr Grace Holliway, Liz Shaw, Victoria, Captain Jack who turns on the outskirts and salutes. It's beautiful

But there's a threat. The Trickster and his servants called The Jackals of The Backwards Clock, infiltrate the wake and plan to swap Earth with "a foul copy from the septic dimension" The guests unite and lock The Trickster in a chest at the bottom of The Atlantic Ocean for 1000 years. Could work and having The Doctor actually show up would probably mean a lot to Luke. Plus Alex meets K9

Anyway, I also have more questions!

1). How does Alex react to suddenly having a wife?

2). What happens in Prisoner of The Judoon? Does Alex stay with 13 and RuthDoc or end up with Jack (who is her son in law at that point?)

3). Additionally, what is Alex's reaction to finding out there's so many lives her wife can't remember?

4). How do Alex and Karvanista react/interact? Is Karvanista happy for his old old friend?

5). Will Alex regenerate in Pros and Cons?

6). When does Daffy happen?

7). How do Alex and 10 interact in the 50th anniversary?

8). Adding on to 7, how does Alex fit into the 50th anniversary cos I can see 2 ways. 1 where she takes Clara's place and stops 11. The other where she puts her hand on The Moment too and says something like "this time you ALL don't do it alone"

9). Does Alex take a Time Lord name? Like The Doctor, The Rani, The Master, The Monk, The Corsair etc etc?

10). How does Alex react to 15 just breaking into song on The Goblin Ship?

11). Was Alex always a Time Lady? Just trapped in a fob watch? Did her parents ever really exist?

12). How does Yaz's crush work with 13 and Alex being married for a LONG time by the time she joins the team?

13). Will Alex be trapped in The Confession Dial too? Will she stop 12 or join him and go too far and lose her memories too?

14). Will Alex find out The Doctor's name?

15). Would Alex ever kill?

Very interesting! The events of 'Farewell, Sarah Jane' could definitely work in regard to what I'm thinking of doing, just with a few changes and details put in. We'll have to see if that's what I end up doing!

Now, on to the questions!

Alex is, admittedly, slightly startled by 12's regeneration into 13, but she very quickly accepts her husband now being her wife, no worries there.

So far, I've got Alex staying with 13 and Ruth!Doctor in 'Prisoner of the Judoon'. I also have Jenny appearing with her husband, Jack, in that episode, but I'm not sure Jenny and Jack will interact with Alex and 13 outside of what happens in the episode.

Alex is stunned but, once she really thinks about it, not too surprised. Bit of a spoiler here, but I'm going to be leaning in the Season 6B fan theory, which does suggest that the Second Doctor worked for the CIA (Celestial Intervention Agency) and the Time Lords before his forced regeneration, and subsequently had much of his memories wiped. The idea I'll be going for is that the Ruth!Doctor is from that time, a regeneration between 2 and 3, so in that context, it isn't too surprising to Alex that her wife would have a life that she couldn't remember. The Timeless Child stuff, however, really takes Alex aback.

I'm not sure how Alex and Karvanista will act towards each other. I can see Karvanista reacting to her with the same hostility he shows towards the Doctor, but we'll have to see if that's the direction I end up going in.

Alex will regenerate in The Pros and Cons of Silence. Possibly more than once. And the regeneration might not be a normal regeneration either. . .

Daffy is conceived during the Doctor and Alex's time on Earth guarding Missy's vault and her first proper appearance is in 'The Pilot', where she's a student at St. Luke's.

Once 10 realizes Alex is his future wife, he's pretty flirtatious towards her, and the feeling is very much mutual . . . much to 11's annoyance, lol.

Now that you mention it, I feel like Alex might very well place her hand on the Moment and quotes her and the Doctor's wedding vows, specifically the part about "for better or worse". I still want Clara to be the one who actually stops them, a little bit of a contrast to Alex, who has long since accepted the ultimate demise of the Time Lords.

Alex doesn't take a Time Lord name. She doesn't see any reason to, nor does it ever occur to her that she could.

I think Alex will be kind of like "What the hell?" at first, but quickly go along with it, lol. And she will sing a little bit!

Alex is descended from a Time Lord. A couple centuries ago, a Time Lord, ahem, became involved with a female member of Alex's family, who gave birth to a part Time Lord, part human child. The Time Lord gene has been passed down Alex's matriarchal line, with the gene getting progressively weaker with each passing generation. As the Doctor states, had Alex had any children before Demons Run, the gene likely would have died out with them. But Kovarian managed, with a lot of manipulation, to kick-start that gene into transforming Alex's body from primarily human to primarily Time Lord (hence the term the Doctor uses, genetically manipulated Time Lord). So, no, Alex hasn't always been a Time Lady, nor was her essence ever trapped in a fob watch, and her parents were 100% real and did exist.

In my version, Yaz will not have a crush on the Doctor, so it's a non-issue between her, 13, and Alex.

Alex will join 12 in the confession dial, yes. I think she will join 12 in trying to save Clara but come to the realization that it's hopeless sooner than him. Either way, I don't intend to have Alex lose her memories (with her mind, it's doubtful the process would even work).

Yes, Alex will find out the Doctor's name. Specifically, when they get married.

Yes, Alex will kill. When she does make her first kill (which will take place in Pros and Cons) it will be a deliberate parallel between her and the Doctor.

[therealaves-blog1]

I want the void to hear my takes on Star Trek: Coda

Part 2 of Book 2.

Sisko comes up the road to Jake’s house on Bajor with his wife and tells him to run fast, easily passing a good dad skill check to convince him. Jake’s wife seems to be the same lady he married in the alt future of The Visitor, one of the most heavy DS9 episodes (which is saying something what with the war and such). The DS9 Bois: Bashir, who everyone notes looks like crap; O’Brien, what the fuck are you doing chief engineering out here, you should be on earth with your wife; and Nog, now first officer on a california class ship (hey! thats the one from lower decks, neat!) all arrive to drink Dax off and then plot some shit. Sisko tells them about some vision shit and they go to find Kira.

Spock is meditating and gets woken up by Savik (Special Guest Star Kirstie Alley) who says he was sleep walking which is confirmed by the whole in the middle of a monk room thing. She offers aid to find out who’s brain is going wrong and they go brain diving to discover: its Worf! and his brain isnt bad its actually being attacked by echos of itself from other realities. Spock decides to go help him out, and also maybe contribute to this whole prevention of temporal doomsday thing. I guess Riker is getting possessed by his own ghosts from dead histories? and its making him an asshole?

Sisko meets with Kira and is a lil worried about how many people are all doomsdaying it up (there is apparently a prophecy for this which of course there is lmao, why wouldnt there be). He meets with Kira and they’re very much same vision as they do the Predator shake. He gives her a comm badge so she can discreetly leave to not cause a panic (she’s apparently a big deal on account of being the Emissary’s pal and being possessed by that Prophet that one time). Picard and Co wait for the search to thin out before they resume course for the wormhole, Data thinks its the point the Devidians are getting in to this reality through and thinks its worth considering destroying it to buy more time. Fucked up. Weird space dudes live up there. Sisko’s mom is up there.

A ship finds them and its Spock who wants to help out. they ask him how he found them and he just says some bullshit that can be summarized as ‘Spock is the smartest in the galaxy.’ Why not just say he did some mind meld tracking bullshit, or felt his way there, or some shit like that. You got the distance telepathy use it. He tells Worf the good news and they go into his brain and Worf tells his ghosts to fuck off and die with honour, which works and they leave him alone. they go for bajor with spoke seconding the wormhole toasting. Picard slips into Deanna’s dms to try to tell her about the whole possession by time ghosts (different ones) thing but Riker traces it and comes down and is all pissed. Picard sends the data at least and Riker sets course for Bajor.

The ds9 crew beam up thanks to Quark who smuggles them aboard (he also took their cash mid transport lmfao). Apprently he’s dating Ro Laren who is captain of the station. That feels...weird. Odo appears, apparently hes doing security again? I guess he fixed the fucking dominion already and went back to DS9 instead of Kira’s house? Ro comes down and prepares to arrest them but the wormholes all fucky so she takes all the help she can get. Nog is on his ship when Time snakes attack the outermost planet in the system and he tells the captain about whats going on so they can try killing it. It doesn’t work and only one snake is kind of annoyed while the rest age the planet to nothing. They get hit and its bad, Captains dead and Nog prepares to call evac but then the good old Aventine flies in and kills the snakes saving the day. Yay! 

Jake and wife meet Keiko and Yoshi (Molly is on earth with the grandparents) and the transports aren’t leaving and people are getting antsy, especially when they hear about the planet getting got. Jake pulls the son of the emissary card and does a dad impression which gets them to start launching people, On DS9 more snakes attack as they agree to take out the wormhole by ramming the station down it and self destructing. Sisko takes the Defiant with Worf and a few others, Picard grabs Aventine with Bowers, and Nog takes his ship to defend the refugees. Things go tits up pretty quickly when the snakes eat a moon and damage Nog’s ship, but he rams them and uses his own warp core breach to injure them enough that Aventine and the Defiant can hold em okay. RIP Nog, wish you got to stick around.

The battle goes poorly and even the help of Wesley grabbing time copies of himself out of alt history's to pilot runabouts doesn't really help much. the snakes adapt to their attacks and cripple the Aventine pretty bad. On DS9 Ro and Quark go to slow down the mini versions of the snakes currently invading and go out blowing themselves. a deck, and the snakes to space hell. Kira and Chief start the self destruct as they cross into the wormhole but the snakes break into ops. Chief sends Kira through and locks the hatch behind her, dying to buy time. Rip Chief, you were more than a hero, you were a union man. The refugees get away and Kira gets a vision where a prophet wearing her mothers face hands her something and tells her to look after it. She escapes in a ship as DS9 goes up and takes the wormhole with it. The Aventine picks up Kira who they find praying over the cool hourglass crystal part of the orb of time, now dead and black. She’s partially catatonic.

No one knows where Wes or the Defiant are and before they can start a search, old mate Riker arrives, more unhinged and demands Picard’s surrender or he starts cutting up the Aventine, christ, how is that not relieved of duty worthy? Picard beams over, but its not Picard, its Odo. Hey! He got better at faces. Good for him!. Picard is beamed over to the Defiant which has its cloak back apparently, where everyone tells him its been a few hours and they got the characters that matter over (Bowers stayed behind with the Aventines crew to buy them all some more time. Data points out they’ve bought time but now need to stop them final styles, which everyone agrees to. Needing a hiding place, Bashir suggests the mirror universe because he apparently knows someone or some shit.

Fucks sake, now I need to read up on the state of the mirrorverse in the novels.

Last thing we get is a shot of very old man Wes on the Devidians intertime planet o’ doom. He scans it with his cool time tricorder and the they send their time ghosts and time snakes after him. He realises that he’s out of fight so he jumps into the timestream and sets course for home, landing on the beach in front of Picard and Bev and Rene back in book 1. Loop complete. Well, at least the way there is locked up in his cool tricorder somewhere. Im sure making it a stupid puzzle will have a good reason why he didnt just fill it with pertinent info and like, how to build guides for his cool ultra future tech.

Enjoyed this one more than the first, despite its higher body count of beloved characters. Some choices I don't get, like why make Ro Laren part of the DS9 umbrella, she never interacted with them? Also RIP Based Chief, the most important man in starfleet history. You went out doing the good fight, but should’ve been on Earth. Like him retiring to teach was great, and after the war no way in hell he’d want to put any child on a DS9 ever again. Bashir and he dont get much time together which sucks, nor do he and Nog, or he and Kira, or he and Sisko, which is a bummer. 

Space Heaven got a couple new Angels today, and also Quark died.

What happens next? Idk, but the Defiant is our girl once more. MVP of the Fleet, she’ll take us home. Or at least let Sisko go down swinging.

[kaypeace21]

The theme with “time” this season makes me think of the phrase, “wanting to turn back the clock.” And I then think of Will never wanting to grow up and wanting to go back to the old days of playing dnd in Mike’s basement.

And then I think of Will’s (speculated) reality altering bending powers. So could there be a possibility that Will may use those powers to “turn back the clock”?? Maybe rewrite how things happened? Maybe it would be after Mike’s “death” like you speculated earlier. Since he thinks Mike is “dead” he wants to go back, and that’s what he does accidentally.

ALSO, Hopper tells joyce that he was trying to runaway from his "past" trauma with sara- before he says that line in the letter about wanting to turn back the clock and then saying it's not possible to do so . (And that life life hurts you but eventually you get out of that cave and life goes on ). Similar to Will he wants to turn back the clock to better times, but a part of him isn't ready to accept his entire past/ the tra*uma that comes with that- in order to move on and heal for the future .

Like robin said about back to the future "he's stuck in the past .But he needs to get back to his time which is the future!"

HOWEVER- I DON’T THINK THERE’S ANY REAL TIME TRAVEL!!!!

I’ve mentioned  my time-theory many many many times- in relation to my DID theory.  even if my did theory is completely wrong (aka Will has powers so his alters/split personalities/innerworlds come to life)- 

We also see how memories are explored in a supernatural way in st - it’s not literal timetravel just El using her powers to explore tra*matic memories of others (Terry/Billy so far). Like NO TIME TRAVEL PLEASE-THAT’S JUMPING THE SHARK. I really don’t want it lol. XD I think hopper and Robin's lines allude to the theme that will be addressed: confronting the past/times that harmed you but overcoming it for the future because time goes on 'whether you like it or not '.

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In reference to my time-did theory. Look at the st s4 movie inspirations. In ‘what dreams may come”  a guy explores a heaven like world influenced by a painter’s emotions/created via immagination.We also have the movie ‘inside out’ -which involves “memory islands” (distinct worlds based on a child’s memories) which are influenced negatively by the kid being depressed she moved to California. The characters traveling to these memory islands are constructs of  kid’s mind -and 1 of them also has a guide helping them explore the ‘memory islands’.  Welcome to marwen- has an artist (attacked for being perceived as gay) imagining an abstract world based off his art- where the characters he made experience their own adventures (loosely based off the artist’s trauma). ‘The cell ‘ has characters explore the mind of a guy whose father ab*sed him- and the different alternative fantasy-worlds they explore are based off his memories. The cop exploring these memory-worlds, was also implied to be se*ually ab*sed by his dad . Also,in  Inception a guy says he’s a construct of a guy’s mind ( the guy who created the dream worlds that are like alternate dimensions/levels- also hates his dad). And leo’s character says he needs to help him escape the many different levels of the dream world of the mind. Movies like inception, total recall, the cell, enter the void, wizard of oz, Peter Pan, hellraiser 2, dream warriors, bill & ted’s bogus journey, the labyrinth,and welcome to marwen, all allude to this: because they involve entering simulated abstract worlds usually created/based on happy& traumatic memories/fears. While truman show/matrix are more about realizing your reality isn’t real. While in bladerunner 2044/total recall it has the theme of false implanted memories… probably relating to hopper/el realizing they’re alters of Will’s-and their memories were technically created by him.

Something some DiD suffers have are “innerworlds” .When someone has DID there can be multiple “innerworlds” that are separate from one another (and look very different from one another) .And are usually very abstract worlds that are based on the child’s memories (good &bad) . These worlds are usually created at different times and almost act like alternate dimensions (and the inhabitants -npcs/alters of those worlds usually don’t interact with one another) . So they can almost resemble alternate dimensions like how Scott Clarke mentions “Hugh Everett’s many worlds interpretation.” Russia where Hopper is- is probably one of those innerworlds.

HOPPER THEORY: 

tw:ab*se/r*pe. In s2 Nancy asks Steve how his “grandpa’s time in the war is a metaphor for your life?” And steve compares the mf to the germans in the war. Dr owens mentions Will has ptsd like “ (vietnam) soldiers’, Hopper saying he had buddies like Will . “In the 70s there was a study that compared the post-traumatic stress symptoms in Vietnam veterans and adult survivors of childhood s**ual ab*se. The study revealed that childhood s**ual ab*se is traumatizing and can result in symptoms comparable to symptoms from war-related trauma.” Hopper isn’t actually in Russia -but in one of the innerworlds (after he jumped through the rift of the machine- into Will’s mind). We’ll see flashbacks but also present circumstances of his imprisonment echo Will’s past with Lonnie (if the movies indicate anything)- being starved, guards getting payed in order to let other prisoners  r*pe a gay prisoner (than claim incorrectly because of his sexuality he wanted it) , as well as a gang of sadist men who r**e others and a warden using that as a threat to be compliant , being thrown in a dark room of solitary confinement and starved when they didn’t obey the warden, the warden being religious, etc. And the American soldiers (in Vietnam) in the movies aren’t much better and do similarly horrific acts to civilians like r**e and bragging/ happily k*lling women, children, and the elderly. The drill sergant in vietnam calling them homophobic slurs & women, and chocking one of the soldiers with one hand (like the mf/russian), slapping one for not believing in christianity. Tying up a soldier in a bed , gagging him, beating him and saying “remember it’s just a dream.” Only praising them when good in fire arms.(movies : fullmetal jacket, papillon, shawshank redemption, platoon, welcome to marwen, etc ) . My assumption is flashbacks of his life-  hints about him being an alter -the boxes in the basement are “vietnam” ,“dad”, and “ny” (and these are the memories of his we’ll see).or after escaping the prison he’s stuck in diff innerworlds of memories. And some of the bad characters in said stories will also parallel Lonnie . Like how in  the s4 film ‘peterpan’- the young girl Wendy imagines netherland and the villain -captain hook- is based off her father ( in the movie they have the same voice actors/while in all stage productions the 2 characters are always played by the same actor). Similar to the other s4 film- ‘wizard of oz’ where the wicked witch of the west from the mythical land of Oz (is played by Dorothy’s real life mean neighbor in the real world/kansas).Or in ‘the cell’- all the alternate dimensions of the dream world that were created by a guy with a ab*sive h*mophobic dad -had the same actor play the villain in each very different dream dimension. ”Not sure if they’d use Ross Patridge (actor of Lonnie) in this way . But it would be very interesting if (In makeup) Ross played many negative people in Hopper’s life.  

Also, in  s2, Jonathan mentions Indiana writer Vonnegut- In his book ‘slaughterhouse 5′- Vonnegut begins the story of Billy (William) Pilgrim, a man who has “come unstuck in time”. (time ref of Hopper saying he wants to ‘turn back the clock.’ or’ runaway from his memories.‘It accounts of Billy Pilgrim’s capture and incarceration by the Germans during the last years of World War II (Hopper captured by the russians), and scattered throughout the narrative are episodes from Billy’s life with his dad, and his own wife and kids.Billy is forced to be part of the war and similar things against his free will. The moments start from his childhood when his father throws him in the water to teach him how to swim. He was unwillingly drafted into the war. Later, he is kidnapped by Tralfamadorians  (aliens that are implied to be caused by his mental health issues/trauma) against his will. Therefore, he realizes that this concept is just an illusion.in bladerunner 2044/total recall it has the theme of false implanted memories… probably relating to hopper realizing he’s an alter and his memories are technically ‘created’ . Like in total recall- the bad ass spy is told all his memories: his wife/ years of marriage,  his name, are just implanted memories. And she says “you’re life is a dream.” We also have ‘Arrival’ -the parent’s daughter died young cause of terminal cancer- and the mother later realizes time is also just a abstract construct (a thing she can experience differently than others), but she still finds meaning/happiness in those memories/times.

I also talked about how sarah as an alter could come back and the 2 would explore the “innerworlds” of Will’s mind together (you can read the details there). 

El and Will theory 

I’m thinking of the s4 movies and 1 matrix scene comes to mind that could be an obvious hint to Did (and Will’s importance). Mr smith (the suited calm villain/ who is a literal computer program of the matrix world -cough alter/npc of Will’s) kidnaps/ ties up Morpheus to a chair (like Will in s2), injects him with drugs in the neck ( like s3 steve/ will’s arm in s2).  Then Mr smith says as everyone leaves the room “I’m going to be honest with you. I hate this place, this prison, this reality or what you call it.” (grabs Morpheus’ head and glares) “ I need to get out of here! I need to be free! And this mind is the key.”(referring to morpheus).morpheus also translates to ‘god of dreams’. Also Morpheus was wearing head gear similar to El in s1/Will in s2 . or in 12 monkeys the guy sent to psych ward -starts believing he’s just “crazy” and says “i created a world with those people in it.” “It’s not real .I’m just mentally ill, like you said ” when you know- it is all real,cause of the supernatural angle involved. in 12 monkeys a patient even tells him the fictional world he created would dissappear once his mental health was in order.

Then there’s the El stuff.  Hellraiser 2- has a normal psych hospital, but the basement floor has an evil psychiatrist experimenting on teens to open a portal to another reality. assasains creed/dream warriors -  has the psychiatric facility be similar to the s1 lab with sensory deprivation tanks, cameras, solitary confinement in dark rooms.The doctor experiments on them- and forces a character to go into the memories of another individual (we know El has memory powers).The dr reveals how the character’s reality/whole life isn’t what they think it is (and that the memories they saw with their powers-was their past life and they are that person’s reincarnation) . Aka Will is the host- and El is an alter (alters can see memories of other alters/the host irl-aka billy/terry were also alters ).

In assasain’s creed there’s 2 psychiatrists- one bad / one who is good (but influenced by the bad dr). One dr annoyed at the lack of progress, says about the patient “he doesn’t want to remember his father.” While one dr doesn’t want to rush the therapy/ the other dr wants the patient to go back into his memories regardless of how it affects him. (which could be Brenner & maybe Owens referring to Will’s dissociative-amnesia and not remembering all the ab*se Lonnie did. And Owens not wanting to rush it/hurt el by making her go into said memories …but Brenner not caring.

also other hints : Cough s4 using the movie wizard of oz refs “we’re not in Hawkins (kansas) anymore”-hint at russia. David on instagram posting st stuff and captioning it with and quotes, pretending to be dorothy from the film. Hopper in s1 saying hawkins lab was “emerald city” (referencing El- it’s also why they reference El entering our world in ep 1 and the alice in wonderland song plays) . Murray says about the supernatural “no one wants to see behind the curtain” (what was behind the curtain in wizard of oz-was a wizard aka Will). Or you know right before Will sees the mf for the first time -a clock turns rapidly/ he  has goosbumps at the back of his neck. Which he later grabs/states  are from “memories” he can’t remember that are like a “dream”. 

If i’m right-not sure how much of this may happen in s4 vs s5, though. But I think something like this is possible.  For all we know-Will/El being trapped with Brenner while Hopper escapes ‘russia’ could be how the season ends? The timeline i’m a bit iffy about-tbh.

[king-gob]

What’s a good comic that doesn’t involve superheroes?

oh buddy. pal. friendo. I’ll limit myself to books currently running to keep this only a single mile long. Note that depending on how loose your definition of “superhero” is will affect this. I’ve seen people call John McClane a superhero so yeah.

Something is Killing the Children

by James Tynion IV and Werther Dell'Edera (Boom! Studios)

Kids have been going missing in a sleepy woodland town. A strange woman named Erica arrives, determined to do something about it. She partners with a young boy who claims to have seen the thing stalking the town, and things quickly spiral further out of control. Well-written characters and fantastic art. Easily my favorite book running right now.

The Department of Truth

by James Tynion IV and Martin Simmonds (Image)

Cole Turner is an FBI agent who specializes in conspiracy theories and the deleterious effect it has on the minds of people obsessed with them. Unfortunately for him, he is about to discover that there is more going on under the surface than he realized and belief is far more powerful than he could ever imagine. Tynion is quickly becoming one of my favorite writers, and Simmonds’s art is even better here than it was in Dying Is Easy (which I also recommend). This series has one of the best first issues I’ve ever read, and I was hooked instantly. A definite recommend if you are as interested in conspiracy theories as I am.

Fire Power

by Robert Kirkman and Chris Samnee (Image)

Owen Johnson is a regular dad in the suburbs. He has a great wife, two kids and a job working at his father-in-law’s antique shop. What sets him apart is that he had spent years of his early life in a Shaolin temple, mastering martial arts, including the legendary Fire Power, the ability to generate fire from his body. He has long since turned his back on his order and the responsibilities they demand, but his former life is not ready to let him go. Written by Robert Kirkman, creator of The Walking Dead and with art by the great Chris Samnee, Fire Power is a great martial arts comic, recommended for fans of Street Fighter or anyone who likes seeing monks and ninjas beat each other up. I definitely recommend starting from the “Volume 0″ prequel trade. It’s not ESSENTIAL but I believe the story flows much better with it that way.

Fear Case

by Matt Kindt and Tyler Jenkins (Dark Horse)

Two Secret Service agents are investigating the Fear Case, the Service’s oldest open case. All agents are put on the case, but are only given a single year to investigate, as the case has the tendency to ruin the lives of those who get too close. Winters and Mitchum are in the last three weeks before they have to turn the case over, but they are closer than anyone has gotten in the history of the Service to getting their hands on the legendary box. But the closer they get, the more bodies they seem to find, and the duo’s mental and emotional limits are stretched to their breaking point. Everything Matt Kindt writes is worth reading, and this series is no different. Recommended for fans of the X-Files and other supernatural mysteries.

I Breathed a Body

by Zac Thompson and Andy MacDonald (Aftershock)

Telling too much about this comic would honestly be spoiling it. In the not-too-distant future, the biggest social media influencer in the world posts something horrific and the macabre lengths his PR team go to to handle it. The art is extremely good at showing the body horror involved and while I do recommend the comic, be warned, it is *extremely* fucked up. Excellent horror comic.

Once and Future

by Kieron Gillen and Dan Mora (Boom! Studios)

Terrorists resurrect King Arthur in a bid for power, but it turns out that the english legend is not what they thought or bargained for. Now, a retired monster hunter and her archeologist grandson must turn back the tide of returning myths before the world is irreversibly plunged into darkness. But their family history has plenty of shadows of their own. Really great book from two of my favorite creators, and really love the way they play with the metatextual nature of the myths and legends involved. Very fun.

Seven Secrets

by Tom Taylor and Daniele Di Nicuolo (Boom! Studios)

A clandestine order protects seven briefcases which hold seven secrets. However, a betrayal from within threatens to reveal those secrets, and Caspar, the son of two former protectors of the Seven Secrets, must discover the truth before all is lost. Tom Taylor is a fantastic writer that makes everything he writes infectiously fun, and with Di Nicuolo’s great eye for action scenes, this is an adventure book worth checking out.

Stillwater

by Chip Zdarsky and Ramón K. Pérez (Image)

A promise of a substantial inheritance brings Daniel West and his friend to the quiet town of Stillwater. However, they quickly realize the town’s sinister secret: in Stillwater, nobody dies. And as the marketing for the book says, that’s not just a promise, it’s a threat. Good writing and an intriguing mystery. Highly recommended.

That Texas Blood

by Chris Condon and Jacob Phillips (Image)

The murder of his brother brings an aspiring writer back to the Texas town of his youth, and puts him on a violent road to his own undoing. Fantastic writing. If you’re like me and love dark neo-western and crime stories, then I honestly can’t recommend this book enough. Look elsewhere if you want happy endings.

We Only Find Them When They’re Dead

by Al Ewing and Simone Di Meo (Boom! Studios)

Captain Malik and his crew pilot an autopsy ship, so named because they harvest meat, metal and other materials from the fresh corpses of dead gods that appear on the edge of space. Malik wants to see a living god, and is willing to do whatever it takes to make that happen. But the ghosts of his past haunt him, and until he confronts them, making history won’t be easy. Fantastic cosmic sci-fi story with gorgeous art by Di Meo. Recommended for people who love stories set in space, and also for people who love long panels.

American Ronin

by Peter Milligan and ACO (AWA Upshot)

In a future where supercorporations rule everyone’s lives (I know that may be hard to visualize but try to imagine it), war is fought not by nations, but by enhanced operatives carrying out all manner of assassinations and espionage. But when one unnamed operative breaks his programming and goes on the hunt, the entire sick system is about to be violently brought down. Really interesting protagonist who has a great ability. Hunt down his targets by ingesting their DNA to learn how they think, and then using that empathic ability to get inside their heads. The cat and mouse games are really fun, and I highly recommend for anyone who likes superspy stories or seeing complex plans pay off.

Casual Fling

by Jason Starr and Dalibor Talajić (AWA Upshot)

Jennifer Ryan is a successful lawyer with a loving family and a great career, but a bad decision (that is, cheating on her stay-at-home husband) made on a whim has disastrous consequences. Saying much more would be spoiling, but there is definitely something sinister going on beneath the surface. Made in the style of erotic thrillers like Fatal Attraction and Eyes Wide Shut, this book features very well-written, realistic characters and importantly (to me anyway) refuses to condemn the protagonist while not shying away from the destructive results of her mistakes. I picked this book up because I liked Jason Starr’s previous book, Red Border, and enjoyed it a lot more than I thought I would. Recommended.

Bitter Root

by David F. Walker, Chuck Brown and Sanford Greene (Image)

In 1920s Harlem, a long-standing family of monster hunters is splintering. Tragedy and conflicting worldviews are tearing them apart, and they’re going to need to stand together if they want to save New York City from the darkness that’s coming. Hate is a powerful thing, but also a cancer, and it’s about to metastasize. Really great worldbuilding and immediately likeable characters. Despite having a lot of themes about hate and prejudice (and utilizing them particularly well, in my opinion), the book is an exceptional action story. David F. Walker is a favorite writer of mine (See: Shaft, Nighthawk, Luke Cage) and Chuck Brown wrote the incredibly fun On the Stump (also highly recommended). The issues also feature essays from black scholars who expand on some of the historical events and themes that are present in the book, if you’re into that sort of thing (which I am). I’m not sure if those are in the trades, though.

Honorable Mentions/Books that I am too tired to give the full treatment to right now: Babyteeth (Aftershock) Chained to the Grave (IDW) Dead Dog’s Bite (Dark Horse) Decorum (Image) Deep Beyond (Image) Dryad (Oni Press) Family Tree (Image) The Goon (Albatross Funnybooks) Killadelphia (Image) Nocterra (Image) Neil Gaiman’s Norse Mythology (Dark Horse) Orcs (Boom! Studios) Orphan and the Five Beasts (Dark Horse) Outcast (Image) Proctor Valley Road (Boom! Studios) Redneck (Image) Sea of Sorrows (IDW) Second Coming (AHOY Comics) Silver Coin (Image) Tartarus (Image) Two Moons (Image) Undiscovered Country (Image) Undone by Blood (Aftershock) Vampire: The Masquerade (Vault Comics) Wynd (Boom! Studios) Year Zero (AWA Upshot) Honorable Mentions/Books that have ended but you should check out: A Walk Through Hell (Aftershock) American Born Chinese (First Second) American Vampire (DC Comics) Animosity (Aftershock) Archangel 8 (AWA Upshot) Bad Reception (Aftershock) Basketful of Heads (DC Comics) Black Science (Image) Blacksad (Dark Horse) Chew (Image) Dark Ark (Aftershock) Dark Red (Aftershock) Daytripper (DC Comics) Dead Day (Aftershock) Devil’s Highway (AWA Upshot) The Dollhouse Family (DC Comics) East of West (Image) Folklords (Boom! Studios) Gideon Falls (Image) God Country (Image) Grendel, KY (AWA Upshot) Hotell (AWA Upshot) Infidel (Image) Knights Temporal (Aftershock) Locke and Key (IDW) The Low, Low Woods (DC Comics) The Man Who Fucked Up Time (Aftershock) Midnight Nation (Image) Nailbiter (Image) Orc Stain (Image) Pestilence (Aftershock) Plunge (DC Comics) Preacher (DC Comics) Pride of Baghdad (DC Comics) Red Border (AWA Upshot) The Red Mother (Boom! Studios) The Replacer (Aftershock) Scalped (DC Comics) Scott Pilgrim (Oni Press) Strange Skies Over East Berlin (Boom! Studios) Tokyo Ghost (Image) Transmetropolitan (DC Comics) Unholy Grail (Aftershock) The Wicked + The Divine (Image) Y: The Last Man (DC Comics)

[riversofmars]

The Doctor finds an ally in the Monk. Perhaps he can help her escape but where could she possibly run to?

Chapter 5: The Flipside

“When we turn right in a minute, behind the alcove, there is a tunnel to the outside, do you know it?“ The Monk hissed to the Doctor as he urged her along. He looked around to see if anyone had heard him, there were a couple of guards walking their way so the Doctor focused on moving forward without looking around.

“I- I think I know what you mean, how do you…“ She didn’t know what to say. Was he actually trying to help her?

“You follow that path, into the city. Way down below, where not a flash of sunlight reaches, someone will be waiting to pick you up.“ The Monk mumbled and fell silent as the guards came within earshot. The Doctor carried on walking, holding her breath, hoping the guards didn’t suspect anything.

They walked past without a word and the Doctor took a breath again, relieved.

“Someone? Who’s someone?“ She asked looking around when the guards were gone but he manoeuvred her to the right, ignoring her question, they didn’t have the time.

“It’s now or never, Doctor.“ He looked around quickly. “Please make it look believable, if they guess I was in on it, they will have my head so please.“

“Does Clara know about this?“ The Doctor couldn’t help but ask. She was still reeling from her encounter with Clara and trying to figure out how much - if anything - she told her was true.

“No. Of course not. She might be torn but… not enough to risk what she has on a whim. And not without considering her own advantage.“ The Monk explained quickly as they came to a halt by the alcove he had referred to.

“What about you.“ The Doctor asked trying to wrap her head around what was going on. In the same way as it was difficult to regard her friends as the very opposite, she also couldn’t quite bring herself to trust someone she considered a foe.

“You are the first glimmer of hope we have seen in years.“ The Monk answered with the faintest smile, an expression of hope and encouragement she had never seen cross his features before. It shook her, almost more than the startling encounter with Clara moments ago. “Do it now, Doctor, or we will miss our chance.“ The Monk looked around again. “There are guards coming our way and they will hunt you down. You know the way?“

“Yes.“ The Doctor nodded.

“Then go.“ He insisted and taking a deep breath, the Doctor punched the Monk in the face. Hard. She had to make it look believable, she didn’t want him to have to pay for his kindness with his life. She wondered for a moment what he was involved in, who and how she might find help in this place but it made sense. While all the people she loved and trusted stood against her, someone she had always considered untrustworthy and a criminal, stood up for her, facilitated her escape. This truly was a mirror of her life.

“Stop right there!“ A voice called from way down the corridor.

The Doctor bolted. She knew exactly where she was going. She had used the escape route many times when she was at the Academy and her and the Master had snuck off skipping class.

“Send word right now!“ She heard the guards shouting behind her. “Stop!“ The Doctor threw herself against a panel that she knew would give way and it did. She found herself on the top ledge of a steep staircase. Quickly she slammed the door shut behind herself and used her sonic to seal it. Taking two steps at a time, she sprinted down the stairs, if she knew of this passage, likelihood was, so did the Emperor. She had to hurry.  

——

“What the hell is happening here?!“ The Emperor yelled and Amy, Rory and Clara looked around in surprise. The heavy door she had pushed open smashed into the wall with a crash making them jump. River entered the room right behind her, her expression concerned, particularly when she realised the sort of showdown they had just walked in on.

“Clara!“ The Emperor thundered and instantly, the tattoo on Clara’s chest snapped back into shape. “What do you think you’re doing?!“

“Just a little disagreement over being interrupted while having a chat with the Doctor.“ Clara answered quickly taking a step away from the Ponds to appear less threatening. She gave the Emperor an apologetic - yet sweet - smile which made River’s expression harden. She stepped up to her parents to ensure they were okay.

“Can’t really call it a chat, it was more of a close physical examination.“ Rory pointed out as he put his sword away.

“Couldn’t really speak with her tongue down her throat.“ Amy added and looked to her daughter.

“Clara?“ The Emperor growled exasperated.

“I was gaining her trust and it was working too until these two interrupted!“ Clara exclaimed jabbing her finger at the Ponds. She didn’t take kindly to her methods being questioned. She shot them a deadly glare knowing full well she could kill them in a heartbeat. “You know I always get results, if they’d just let me…“ She looked back to the Emperor hoping she would redirect her anger accordingly.

“Why are you even here?!“ The Emperor snapped at her in-laws growing more and more impatient.

“Well, we…“ Amy looked to River for help who promptly intervened.

“I don’t really think this is important right now.“ River stepped up and put her hand in her wife’s shoulder.

“Do not tell me this is because you were fighting again!“ The Doctor looked to River, then to Clara and back again. “River, please, my love, we have talked about this at length!“ She groaned thoroughly annoyed by the whole situation.

“I’m not the problem here.“ Clara pointed out crossing her arms in front of her chest, she couldn’t keep herself from smirking a little for seeing River in hot water for once.

“I beg to differ.“ River shot back, giving her a withering glare.

“You need to stop, both of you.“ The Emperor interrupted. “River, for the one thousandth time, I trust Clara.“ She turned to her wife and took her hands in hers, reassuring her.

“Fuck knows why.“ River huffed, annoyed, though she silently delighted in the display of affection in front of Clara.

“And Clara, you better not have fucked this up for me, please tell me I am not wrong about trusting you with this.“ The Emperor turned back to Clara regarding her with a stern warning. “Where is she? Have you gotten anywhere?“

“Your Honour!“ A guard appeared at the door, clearly looking for Clara, freezing upon seeing the Emperor herself. “Your Eminence, I’m sorry, I…“

“This better be good.“ The Emperor growled, annoyed to be interrupted.

“It’s the prisoner… they’ve escaped.“ The guard didn’t know how to best phrase it so he just blurted out with it.

“WHAT?“ They all exclaimed in disbelief.

“The Monk, he… was attacked, she fled down one of the emergency passage ways.“ The guard elaborated going very pale at the expression on the Emperor’s face.

“YOU BETTER BE MISTAKEN.“ The Emperor was upon him in a flash going straight for his throat. She knocked him against the wall on the other side of the corridor baring her teeth at him.  

“I’m not, I’m so sorry.“ He croaked barely able to speak. “I was just trying to get help.“

“How did this happen?!“ She barked as River, Clara, Amy and Rory joined her on the corridor exchanging worried glances. None of them dared interrupt. More guards were flooding the corridors now, frantically looking for the prisoner. Yaz, Ryan and Graham hurried towards them expecting instructions.

“W-We found the M-Monk unconscious… I don’t … I don't know what h-happened…“ The guard stuttered bringing his hands to her wrists trying to pull her off. The Emperor let go of him unceremoniously and he slumped to his knees catching his breath. She turned, as if she had already forgotten about him.

“What happened?“ She focused on Clara who tried her best to hide her anxiety.

“The Monk was taking her back to her cell while we sorted this out.“ She explained trying to stay calm despite all eyes on her. “He must be in on it.“ Her mind was reeling at what could have happened, how this incredible fuck up could have happened on her watch. Her immediately instinct was to place blame on someone else. Particularly as parts of her conversation with the Doctor - if anyone else had heard it - would surely make her look suspicious, no matter how obvious her lies were to everyone else.

“The Monk was knocked out cold, she broke his nose and cheekbone.“ Yaz interjected having gathered the information already.

“I underestimated her.“ The Emperor growled virtually shaking with rage.

“We will find her.“ Amy spoke up.

“You better.“ The Emperor snapped addressing everyone around her. She couldn’t believe the level of incompetence. She couldn’t believe the Doctor had managed this by herself, Clara had been right. Someone had to be in on it. River could see the suspicion on her face, watching her eyes dart around, assessing them all.

“Darling…“ She said softly reaching out for her shoulder but the Emperor pulled away.

“If I find out any of you are to blame for this, all the gods in the universe can't save you.“ She growled, her eyes lingering on Clara, Amy and Rory. Their fight had allowed for this to happen, whether it had been intentional or not. She didn’t want to entertain the possibility that one of her closest friends might be willing to betray her, but she couldn’t discount the possibility either.

“Find her. Bring her to me. Whatever it takes, Captain.“ She raised her voice, for the guards to hear and looked to Yaz who was quick to nod.

“Yes Emperor.“ She gestured to Ryan and Graham and they all saluted before departing.

“And you.“ The Emperor looked around to the guard who had been the bearer of the bad news. He tensed up under her gaze. “Bring me the Monk.“ He was the most likely culprit and she already had a very clear idea on what to do about it.

——

The Doctor didn’t stop running until she reached the outskirts of the Citadel, well below where the well-to-dos of the timelords dwelled. The Doctor remembered coming down here during her academy days, running from the teachers and even during the Time War, when the council sought after her, she would sometimes seek refuge down here, away from everything.

What she found was in no way better than what she had seen in the Time War. The streets were dirty and dim, even with two suns in the sky, the light didn’t reach this far down. The old fashioned lamps meant to light the walkways were weak and flickering, as if something was draining them.

There were more people than she had expected to see, hanging around in doorways or surrounding some simple stalls on a sort of make shift market square. A lot of people just sat on the ground, around small campfires and as she looked further along, tents had sprung up among the dirty streets. A whole city within a city. The Doctor felt a lump forming in her throat, she had been all over the universe but she had rarely seen such poverty and sorrow.

She started walking slowly, remembering the Monk’s words, someone would be waiting for her but how would she recognise them? It wasn’t exactly like they had the opportunity to chat before her escape. She felt a lot of eyes on her.

“There it is.“ A loud voice cut through the oppressive atmosphere. “That’s the exit of the tunnel.“ The words were enough to make her dive into a doorway, clearly someone had followed her.

“Hey, what are you doing?“ A man huffed, giving her a little shove as she bumped into him.

“Sorry, I just…“ She didn’t have to carry on, the atmosphere was changing, growing more agitated, there were unsettled murmurs and curses being thrown around at the arrival of a set of guards.

“Alright folks, no need to panic, has anyone seen someone coming out of there.“ One of the guards called out, addressing the crowd around.

“They after you?“ The man guessed leaning in the doorway, glancing out as the Doctor pressed herself against the wall. There was something familiar about him but she couldn’t quite place him.

“I’ll be out of your hair in no time, just please…“ She whispered and he gave her an amused smirk.

“Don’t worry, we don't snitch to that lot.“ He took a few steps out of the doorway, walking past her as if she wasn’t even there.

“To what do we owe the pleasure of this delightful visit.“ He called out, drawing their attention.

“You can fuck right off.“ Another man called and there was laughter.

“A reward for anyone who can tell us where they are. And anyone who tries to hide them will be killed so make your choice quickly.“ One of the guards announced displaying his rifle for emphasis.

“For God’s sake…“ The Doctor mumbled, she just couldn’t catch a break could she.

“You’re not welcome down here.“ The man close to her called. “You have no power here.“

“Everything to the dirt you crawl in belongs to the Empire!“ The guard spat. “We are here on orders of the Emperor herself, you will show some respect.“

“Fuck the Emperor.“ A woman to the other side of the road called and there was more laughter.

“You really don’t want to do this.“ The other guard shot back threateningly.

“Maybe we do.“ The man next to the Doctor replied and she froze up when she heard the sound of safeties being taken off guns.

“Don’t…“ She breathed to the man but he either didn’t hear her or ignored her as he stepped further into the road.

“Last warning.“ One of the guards called and the Doctor took a deep breath, she couldn’t be responsible for anyone getting hurt on her account. These people had done nothing and they had been dealt a terrible hand already, she couldn’t be responsible for causing them more trouble. She had been so close to escaping…

“Wait!“ She called out and stepped out of the doorway but before anyone could so much as lay eyes on her, everything went dark around them. All the lights were drowned out, it was almost as if the darkness was alive, a protective cloud around them, engulfing her first and flooding the street. “What the…“ The Doctor couldn’t see anything, it was pitch-black around her and yet she could tell there was something in that darkness. It was abuzz with life and held her close like in a tight embrace, not cold and frightening but warm and reassuring.  

“I can’t see anything.“ It was impossible to make out where the guard’s voice was coming from now.

“Ouch, what the…“ The Doctor couldn’t be sure whether it was the darkness itself or the people around - in cover of darkness - going for the guards but something was happening.

“You’ll regret this!“ One of them shouted and the other called:

“We will be back!“

“What is going on here?“ The Doctor breathed. She knew she should be frightened for her complete lack of bearings but somehow she wasn’t. “What are you?“ She spoke to the darkness as if it was a breathing living thing and somehow she knew it was. She reached out, feeling soft vibrations against her fingertips.

“That was a close call.“ The voice of the man from the doorway spoke close to her. All of a sudden, that voice seemed a lot more familiar as it was all she had to focus on.

“Do I know you?“ She asked softly.

“In another life perhaps.“ He answered. “You must be the Doctor?“

“Colonel Manton?“ The penny dropped. It had been several lifetimes since Demons Run.

“I’m no Colonel.“ He chuckled. “Not here, anyway.“

“Right…“ The Doctor said softly as the darkness lifted at last. It was almost as if it was retreating, returning to the shadows as the lights around flickered back on. It’s what’s in the dark, what’s always in the dark… “Vashta Nerada… but how is that possible…“ She mumbled, her eyes widening as she marvelled: “Polar opposites… This is remarkable.“ There seemed to be good in this world after all.

“Are you okay, Doctor?“ He asked with genuinely concern in his voice and she looked back to him, giving him soft smile.

“Yeah, fine, sorry… it’s just… this place is so different.“ She couldn’t very well tell him that in her universe, they would have all been picked clean off the bone now, so she settled for a shrug and an awkward grin.

“I’m sure it must be.“ He gave her a smile in return. “Let’s get you away from here. If those guards come back, you’ll stand out like a Christmas tree in those clothes.“ He chuckled.

“Yeah, right, okay…“ The Doctor looked down herself and around them, she really looked rather out of place as they started walking. Some of the people gave them a little wave and a nod of appreciation. The Doctor felt her stomach tighten as a sense of uneasiness and guilt overcame her. How could she possibly ignore the suffering of these people? She couldn’t just leave. She had to do something. “Did the Monk sent you?“ She asked. “Who else is in on this? Maybe I can help.“

“We were really hoping you would say that, this way…“ Manton smiled, leading her into the tent city.

——

“What’s taking so bloody long.“ The Emperor growled pacing the room, she eyed the spread of food on the coffee table with displeasure.

“I was trying the carrot seeing as the stick didn’t work for you.“ Clara was quick to explain before she could question it.

“And how did that turn out for you?“ The Emperor shot back angrily and with a swipe of her hand, half the plates and bowls smashed onto the floor. Clara and the Ponds jumped a little while River stepped closer to her wife.

“They will find her in no time.“ She tried to reassure her. She ran her fingers through her hair which always seemed to calm her.

“They better.“ She huffed. She shot the others angry glances, as if blaming them personally. Clara was just about to speak up when the guard finally returned with the Monk.

“Apologies for the delay your Eminence.“ The guard remained by the door and shoved the Monk inside. He stumbled forward coming to a halt at a respectable distance, for his own safety more than anything else.

“Your Excellence, I’m so sorry…“ He started mumbling, pressing an icepack to his swollen face.

“What happened?!“ The Emperor barked, her anger resurfacing as she stepped towards him.

“She just… I was taking her back to her cell when she attacked me, she must have known her way around the palace to know where she could escape to.“ He tried to sound convincing, reciting the story he had rehearsed many times in his head. He knew his life depended on this.

“And you expect me to believe that?“ The Emperor chuckled. “You expect me to believe she overpowered you?“ She actually started laughing.

“You’d be able to overpower him…“ River reminded her.

“SHE’S NOTHING LIKE ME!“ The Emperor burst out. She had had enough of constantly being reminded of their similarities. She didn’t dwell on it long, instead she turned back to the Monk, her voice low but clear in the tense silence. “You want to know what I think really happened? I think you told her how to escape and tried to make it look like you were the victim.“

“I’d never…“ He started but she interrupted him sharply, she didn’t want to hear any more.

“Yeah, yeah, I know, you’re just going to deny it and we will walk around in circles. You’ll end up with more broken bones and I’ll get even more irritated than I already am. Unfortunately, we haven’t got time for that right now, so I’m going to cut to the chase and we make this really easy. Clara?“ She looked around and Clara was quick to respond.

“Yes?“ She took a little step forward.

“Put a chronolock on him, 24 hours should do it.“ The Emperor ordered with a sense of excitement. The Monk went incredibly pale and looked to Clara, knowing full well that pleading and bargaining would do no good. Clara just nodded and obeyed quickly without second guessing her.

“No, please, Emperor…“ The Monk’s eyes widened in shock and fear but it was too late, the tattoo materialised on the back of his neck. He gave a strangled sob, knowing his fate was sealed. Had his actions been worth it? He could only hope so.

“Shush and listen or I will rip your tongue out for good measure.“ The Emperor growled and stepped closer to him. “You have 24 hours to bring her back to me. If you do, I will spare your life and you will have proven your loyalty.“ She gave him an encouraging pat on the shoulder with a patronising smile. He flinched back and she smirked, delighting in his fear: “If you don’t, the Raven will find you, and I will assume you died screaming amongst your traitor friends. When you see the Doctor, you tell her from me: I will turn this city upside down, kill every man, woman and child with my very own hands until I find her. And I will make a spectacle for all the universe to see of everyone trying to hide her. Is that understood?“

“I will bring her back…“ He said weakly, trying his best to keep up the pretence for a moment longer, touching the tattoo on the back of his neck.

“You better.“ River gave him a little wave. “Off you go.“

“Do you really think the Monk is in on it though?“ Amy asked watching him leave.

“Probably just as well we make an example of someone so no-one gets the wrong idea.“ River shrugged.

“It doesn’t matter if he was or not. Death makes for a fantastic incentive.“ The Emperor mused.

[readbythestarlight]

c2e84

Wow, that was a surpassingly normal ad!

Oh boy here we go lore drop!

Therizdune the chained oblivion who is chained at the bottom of the abyss

"He’s basically the boogeyman" if the boogeyman was a HORRIBLE ELDRITCH MONSTER

...IS the boogeyman a horrible eldritch monster?! Oh god.

[[MORE]]

This is great and awful like terrible abyssal eldritch things that can creep into the world through gaps and rifts encourages people to be violent and awful

Also I’m so satisfied that the chains actually ended up being significant

Okay so Yussah knows a guy who we know knows Trent, so... that’s not cool. I mean o totally trust Yussah now it’s not that, it’s just can we trust Ormid?

So not all the Cerberus assembly is bad re: Yussah. But like he’s basically a hermit living in his tower, yeah? Who doesn’t go into the Empire? So like how out of touch is he?

"Trent seems just creepy" that’s putting it mildly

Money? Ball bearings? xD

Oh nice some of the Halas money

Oh Nott honey

Fjord being like "Nott? Caleb please talk to your goblin."

And they’re just all discussing it in the background

NOTT DO NOT

oh boy don’t like that

Oh dear...

"Your FACE is stupid" oh Nott

Lock the gem away somewhere

"You’ll still work at it and try?" Oh honey of course he will

I like how they handled that. They didn’t put Nott down, they gently reminded her that Halas can’t be trusted.

Oh I hope that doesn’t trigger Caleb

And I hope that didn’t just fuck them over with Halas maybe

Cad’s like "can we not?" and then just silencing everyone who keeps trying to talk to him

Y’all need to call your OTHER wizard friend (aka HOTT BOI) to let him know you’re fine and not dead or anything cause this is probably the longest he’s gone without hearing from you

"Everything’s been smoothed over" I wonder if Dairon had anything to do with that

I wonder where she is...

Also this is late cause he said it like ages ago but I love Cad’s little bits of homely wisdom, like the whole holes in a bucket metaphor.

PLATINUMMMMMMM

A WHOLE SATCHEL

TIME TO BUY A KEEP Y’ALL

Kidding I like the xhorhaus

Holy SHIT

21,000 gold??

That puts them at 350 platinum which is like 3,500 apiece NICE

Please def check in with Orli I miss him

I’m gonna insist they all get either matching M9 tattoos or Captain tusktooth tattooes

ORLIIIII

Oh my

Yeah a charisma bump is a good choice Nott xD

YOU ALL BETTER GET MATCHING TATTOOS

"chaos crew" lol

Imagine the stories those "new faces" have heard of the M9 from the older crew

1312 gold not bad!

Fuck y’all I love Orli! I missed him. I hope Fjord retires and goes back to sailing with Orli and the crew someday.

F: "Can I ask, how painful is this... procedure?"

O: "oh-ho-ho! Quite."

Oh lord

B: "Is that infected? Is that infected?!"

O: "No, he’s just a.....................Pansy."

Girls day!

Ohhh I like that idea Nott! Can’t wait to see the new art of that.

I like the start of the idea but the "like the Traveler’s hugging me" is slightly creepy to me. Idk.

BeauJester shippers just got a gift xD

Oh... Molly’s all seeing eye tattoo. My heart. Taliesin looks really touched.

Omg a nat1

Ouch fuck Matt you didn’t have to describe that

Matt’s like "here’s your pretty tattoo Nott, here’s your very lovely tattoo Jester, here’s your TOTALLY BOMBASS tattoo that goes all the way up the BACK OF YOUR SKULL Beau"

like I’m not saying Matt plays favorites but his wife’s character definitely got the coolest tattoo

Boy talk over fish and chips heck yeah

Mmm gonna get some deep talk from Caleb?

Caleb expressing that he feels like maybe they’ve been brought together for a purpose <3

Cad telling him he’s believed Caleb was meant for something important since the beginning

Caleb the green bean farmer

"The god’s plant us, plant their will and their desire, and we move towards the fruit we’re meant for bear for them." Aw that’s... sweet, Cad.

Fjord being like "idk man I’m still figuring it out" what a mood

Caleb admitting he feels like he should run away

"I have started to forget what it was like not being with you people. And we are missing one, I am stuck on the fact that we are still missing one."

I wish I was fast enough to transcribe word for word this conversation because it’s excellent

I like Fjord’s question of "when you know, do you run away or do the right thing knowing it could kill you"

C: "You two are alright."

Cad: "We’re getting better."

F: "So are you, you know, you should give yourself credit."

C: "Mm..."

Cad: "I know... just think about it."

(Wow my old Widofjord feelings just came back with a vengeance.)

Cad adding in his own encouraging words about how Caleb is growing and becoming better made me happy too

C: "I hate tattoos."

Nott in the distance: AHHHH

C: "they’re just not for me."

Cad: "they’re frowned upon in my family."

And then they go see the girls

"We brought fish and chips—what they fuck"

All the Jester ships are eating well tonight

I’m so glad Jester finally got her cool tattoo

Y’all don’t want to see mom and Yeza and Luc?

lol Jester "I didn’t tell my mom about the tattoo"

"I’ve seen parents find out their kids had tattoos literally at the funeral"

I literally could not tell if that was Cad or Taliesin sharing

You guys didn’t even say bye to Orli! YOU MONSTERS

Boy that talks blurb with Brian talk about Caleb is GOOD SHIT MAN

No Brian don’t stop please go on and on about Caleb

lol Matt getting himself in the face with the paper

I knew Dairon was the one who got them out of trouble <3

EXPOSITOR OUTFIT AYYYY

just got new official art and now Beau gets a new outfit and the girls get tattoos xD

B: "I apologize"

M9: "wwwwwoooooaaaaahhh"

And library access again yay!

HEYYYY DAIRON

Beau gets to be a role model now lol

Oh yikes... selling out the Kryn to the King... don’t like that

Vence... NewTHEYLESS??

I don’t like that

Everyone: *excited freaking about Beau’s expositor room*

Cad, a good 10 seconds behind: "You had a monk bunk."

Dairon admitting she realized her prejudices against the Kryn were wrong. You know what that is? Growth.

They’re all so proud of Expositor Beau

Caleb trying to do "normal" accents is amazing lol

I don’t want him to be split from the group but I definitely understand his concern

Scary world ending lore oh boy

Oh god I forgot about the gentleman being here...

YES NO DO NOT GO ALONE that’s a dumb idea honey Jester please

N about J: "well she convides in everybody. Just says whatever she wants to say all the time."

This whole Beau and Nott conversation is amazing xD

Fjord and Jester: talking

Beau and Nott: talking

Caduceus walking along and enjoying the group communicating and sharing their feelings

Is he an earth genasi?

That’s the second time another wizard has called Yussah a fool, poor guy

I like how Ormid’s like "who the fuck are these people" but he also trusts Yussah enough to listen to them that’s nice

Hmmm I don’t like that’s awfully suspicious

WHISPERSSSSS

He keeps coming back to the beacon and I don’t like it

So like.. what if he is in on the whole thing and is trying to steer them away from looking deeper into the beacon?

Jester honey why you go and name drop Trent?? Like fuck.

Also interesting that both the King and his council have been more aggressive and pro-war lately, and the Bright Queen is also bent on the conflict in a way that I’ve personally felt doesn’t seem to quite mesh with her character, it definitely lends towards the idea that they’re being manipulated

Ormid’s a bit of a dick, although I guess I can understand, they’re not explaining themselves super well

Hng idk how I feel about Ormid and I’m not sure that I like that he now knows Dairon is working to get an audience with the king

But then again I’m bad about telling which NPCs are trustworthy and which aren’t.

Ormid’s face when they mentioned the cat OH MY GOD

okay fine god now I have to trust him

"I know we are talking about very important things but" I’m dying

Y’all fixing to get a symbol of the Cerberus Assembly damn

I don’t necessarily LIKE Ormid not entirely trust him but he’s already

Insight check on Sprinkles to see if he wants to go back with Jester aw

lol getting pet advice from him maybe I like him a little bit

PUMAT SOOOOL

it’s been so long!

PUMAAAAT SOL

Guys I have missed Pumat so much he just brings me so much joy

Fetch quest for Pumat DO IT PLZ

Oh

Wait

Basilisk oil that’s maybe not a great idea

GO SAILING TO THE ISLANDS

They gotta go to islands for Traveler Con right is that close?

"Let me get it from CritRole stats" lol

Oh thank god health potions

Armor boost oil is neat (plus 1 to AC isn’t bad) but ouch it’s pricy

I love that they CANNOT keep money they get it and then they spend it. It’s #relatable

Uh.... what’s happening to my boy?!

Caduceus?!

MATT WHAT ARE YOU DOING TO MY BOY??

45 pats slashing??

WHAT IS HAPPENING

CADUCEUS

oh NO

fuck no

Is there a rift near?!

WHAT THE FUCK

The Inevitable End?

WHAT IS HAPPENING?

Evil assassin person??

45 points of damage fuck

This is bad

Sam: “WE’RE SHOPPING MATT” MOOD

23 doesn’t hit?!

Oh they’re in trouble

God DAMN I’m freaked out omg

Does he have The Invulnerable Vangrent as a map??

God what a cliffhanger

[mistyparadise]

3, 6, 9, 13 because it's Payback Time, 19 because I want to know about your many dice

ok ya got me

3. Your favorite side quest

This is only sort of a side quests but in my Saturday night game one of the players decided he had to have his wedding RIGHT NOW so we all had toreal quick get ready for a wedding and there was a shopping montage for buying outfits and we had to get a bird in a suit and out dwarf fighter gave a speech full of drunk best man jokes, it was great.

6. Favorite death (monster, player character, NPC, etc)

Umm I do not know what I killed but it was a bigger boy that I rolled my sorcerer chaos magic to kill and bc I am full of ramdom things it rolled to be high damage but a damage type he was either immune or resistant to so it would’ve been moot. BUT I used a magic item for the first time, a cord that lets me change any rolls related to my spells, so the image of Larissa frantically tugging on her belt and the spell changing types halfway to hitting the monster and juust MURDERING him/ 

9. Your favorite thing about D&D. 

I really like the relationships formed in it? Like real talk I have made like 5 friends this year bc of D&D and it’s great and I could never have imagined That. 

Also I like that I can enjoy it and play it without having to learn everything about it? Like I am Bad at lore but that doesn’t stop me from having fun!

ALSO I LOVE DOING FUCKING MAGIC

13. Introduce your current party.

Oh boy you got me here. I’m going from newest to oldest.

FRIDAY - The mess! We are not a very united front and we don’t really know whats going on. You’ve got Darcy, a very normal alchemist who is maybe also an illegal arms dealer who makes bombs out of her house. She is tired and isn’t sure if she even really wants to be doing Any of This. Eliza the Rogue, who eats only bread and paper (she has eaten every note we’ve ever gotten. Destroy the evidence) She hates bad people and guns and wishes she didn’t like dummies as much as she does. Roman the shadow cleric who wears a fedora but we don’t talk about that anymore. He lives in a literal hole in the ground and likes playing tricks on people and is real big into shadows I Guess. Connor, the pretty snake boy Dex Fighter who only has one arm. We think he may have been a pirate captain but he says he isn’t. He has bad morals and won’t tell us anything about himself. And finally It the Goblin and his buddy Handrew. It tried to pretend to be a gnome for all of 10 minutes. He is trying to figure out Secrets and also Handrew is literally just a hand who is his friend. None of us really like each other but we are doing our best.

SATURDAY - Technically we are called the Solar Hawks and it’s a dumb ass name. A fairly normal party, but it’s in the dessert. Zauzel, the Blood Cleric. He is dramatic, pale cursed which is a plot point I still don’t fully understand, and can identify you by the taste of your blood, which, gross. He is MARRIED to Aisha, the half drow glamour bard. She likes flirting and music? And she’s pregnant right now. It’s most likes Zauzels but there is a chance it isn’t! She was queen of the underdark for like a day. Shawn Tootle, human wizard and a little bit of grave cleric who just wants to study ancient artifacts, read for spells, and protect his favorite magic girl bc he is projecting his dead daughter onto her (which YIKES) That magic girl is Larissa, the wild magic sorcerer who just wants to blow things up and not get in trouble for it. Her most redeeming quality is her Perfect Boy Nelson the shadow blink dog who has gotten me out of so many sticky situations I love him. Sirik, the aarakocra ranger and his raptor Hes. Dumb as all heck but so lovable. He likes all animals more than any person. He has a small dragon thing as a pet now. And finally Fick, the dwarven fighter. He’s trying to make the Best Beer, all of his family is Dead, and his sister lives inside a magic gaunlet now. He’s the most racist. 

WEDNESDAY - oh boy. Oh man. ok.

Pierce, the fighter with like a sorcerer archetype? He’s an asshole, pacted with a demon who wants him to kill some people, and is TOTALLY whipped for our wizard.

Korona, the theurgy wizard. Smartest BY FAR, just wants to study and for no one to die. Gets upset about all the death and bad things we seem to keep doing. Doesn’t like SOME of our party members but seems to like others a whole lot if you know what I mean.

Wren, the half hexblade half paladin. Has gone through so much shit, used to be much more of a happy go lucky dumbass but not is more Sad. Likes to drink a bit, and had to fight his brother and it went poorly. Learning how to be a holy boy, and of course he had to pick a god that’s illegal, so it’s not going great.

Zod, the good good monk! He’s the best punch boy. He’s the soft boy but also he can just murder you with his hands so. This is a Bad sentence but I once described him as having the softest big dick energy ever? It’s true but I didn’t have to say it.

Gabriel, the bone knight fighter. Look. I don’t know what I can say about this. He’s a sad boy. He’s out for vengeance because everyone in his town got killed, including his Wife (which, yikes) so he’s trying to fix that and now he’s with us and whoops now he maybe is like a little in love with my bard I don’t know how this happened either but I do know that he would die for her and always wants to do the right thing and help people.

and to round it out…

Katri, the lore bard. She’s…a lot. She ran away from home, bc she wanted to be free from their mental abuse. She has a lot of anxiety but is overcoming that. She mostly wants to do the right thing but recently that’s been harder and harder. She’s one with the void bc she stared into it for a while fighting a mind flayer. She is hopelessly in love with Gabriel and will do a n y t h i n g to keep him alive. She canonically has no fear now.

19. Do you or your party have any dice superstitions?

So I never actually get to roll my dice but I do roll them once I open them and I believe that the first roll does set the tone for that set.

[lordandladybridgerton]

The Angry Tide - Chapter Eleven

What really went down on the trip home to Cornwall...

Major book spoiler under the cut

Part III

Torrential December rain flooded the road near Marlborough, and Ross and Caroline’s coach was held up for a day.  Sunday the 8th they spent in Plymouth and they knew that tomorrow they’d be home. 

They had dined together each day and supped together together pleasantly each evening and had talked of many subjects from the insanity of the Czar to the tax on horses; but they had kept off personal issues.  Ross found Caroline an agreeable companion, witty when she talked but economical of speech. She didn’t have Demelza’s small conversation. 

They were sleeping at the Fountain Inn, and dining in one of the comfortable boxes with the red plush sheets and walnut table; and eventually it was Ross who for the first time drew aside the polite veil that existed between them.  He reminded Caroline of the meeting he had contrived between Dwight and herself at the inn. It was scarcely more than six years ago, in fact. 

‘It seems half a lifetime’ said Caroline. ‘And must seem more still to Dwight, covering as it does not merely his captivity in France but four years of marriage to me!’

‘I have often wondered,’ Ross said, ‘at my arrogance in bringing you together almost by force, at my supposing I knew better than you and he whether you should become husband and wife’. 

‘The trouble is, Ross’ she said ‘that you’re an arrogant man. Sometimes it is a great virtue and sometimes not’. 

‘Well, which was it on that occasion?’

She smile.  She had changed for supper into a gown of cool green velvet, her favourite colour, because it contrasted with her auburn hair and brought out the green in her eyes, which could often with other colours look plain hazel or grey. 

‘A virtue,’ she said. ‘Dwight is the only man I’ve ever wanted to marry… Though perhaps not the only man I’ve ever wanted to bed.’

Ross cut up a piece of the mutton on his plate and added some caper sauce. 

‘I don’t think that makes you so unusual,’ he said. 

‘No… we all look elsewhere from time to time. But then we glance away.’

‘Usually…’

She ate a little, picked at her meat. 

She said abruptly: ‘Dwight and I, you and Demelza; do you realize how moral we are by the standards of today?’

‘No doubt.’

‘No doubt at all. So many of my friends in London… But forget London. This county we live in.  Add up the number of affairs that are going on, some secret, some blatant, among our friends, or their friends. And the same, thought perhaps to a different pattern, among the poor.

Ross took a sip of wine. ‘It has always been so.’

‘Yes. But also there has been a small core of real marriages existing amongst the rest - marriages in which love and fidelity and truth have maintained their importance.  Yours is one and mine is one. Isn’t that so?’

‘Yes.’

Caroline took a long draught of wine, half a glass as against Ross’s sip. She leaned back against the red plush.  ‘For instance, Ross, I could lie happily with you tonight.’

His eyes went quickly up to hers. ‘Could you?’

‘Yes. In fact I’ve always wanted to - as perhaps you know.’

‘Do I?’

They looked at each other. 

‘I think so.  I believe you could take me as few other men could take me - matching my arrogance with your own.’

There was silence between them. 

‘But…’ she said.

‘But?’

‘But it could not be. Even if you are willing. I have the instinct of a wanton but the emotions of a wife.  I have too much love for Dwight. And too much love for Demelza. And perhaps even too much love for you.’

He raised his eyes and smiled at her. ‘That’s the nicest compliment of all.’

The colour in her face came and went.  ‘I am not here to pay you compliments, Ross, but only - I’m only trying to say some things that I think you should hear.  If we got rid of Ellen - as we easily could - and spent all night making love, and if then the first time I went to Nampara I told Demelza about it, do you think she would be hurt?’

‘Yes.’

‘So do I.  But I am a good friend of hers now. We are deeply attached to each other.  Perhaps in time she would forgive me.’

‘What are you trying to say?’

‘I’m trying to say that if I told her what had happened between us she would be hurt. But no more so, I believe, than you hurt her in London.’

Ross put down his knife. ‘I don’t understand at all.’

‘You killed a man because of her.  Oh, I know it was his challenge.  And I know the quarrel was about some seat in the House. And I know you disliked each from the start. But it was really because of her the you killed him, wasn’t it?’

‘Partly, yes. But I don’t see-‘

‘Ross, when you fought Monk Adderley, it was not really him you were killing, was it?’ 

‘Wasn’t it?’

‘No… it was Hugh Armitage.’

He took a gulp of wine this time. ‘Damn you, Caroline, it was a plain straightforward duel-‘

‘It was nothing of the sort, and you know it! You killed him because you couldn’t kill Hugh Armitage, who died anyway.  But Hugh was a gentle, virile, sensitive man - the only sort Demelza would ever have, could ever have felt deeply drawn to. You must have known from the beginning that she wouldn’t have spared so much as a thought for a wild worthless rake like Monk Adderley.’

‘Sometimes one doesn’t think these things out.’

‘Of course one doesn’t think them out - that’s the trouble! Yours was a totally emotional act.  But you were fighting the wrong man just the same.’ 

Ross pushed his plate away and put his fingers on the table. 

‘And don’t get up and leave me,’ she said ‘for I should consider that a piece of very ungentlemanly behaviour.’

‘I have no intention of getting up and leaving you. But I can listen better to your lecture if I am not eating.’

‘The lecture is over, so you may enjoy the rest of your supper in silence.’

‘After than I’m not sure that I want to enjoy my supper either in silence of in seasonable conversation.’

‘Perhaps I should not have spoken.’

‘If you believe it, then you should.  I am trying to think hard of what you’ve just said, to be - rational about it instead of emotional.  D’you know your the second person in two weeks to accuse me of making emotional decisions.  You’ll never guess who the first was. But so be it. Let me think…’

She toyed again with her meat for a few moments, broke a piece of bread with her long fingers but make no move to eat it. 

He said: ‘There may be some truth in it. How am I to be sure? Certainly I’ve felt a lot, and thought a lot, about Demelza and Hugh these last two years. When I first found out about Demelza it was as if I had lost some belief - some faith in human character. It was not so much her I blamed as - as something in humanity.  You must not laugh at me for sounding silly and pompous.’

‘I’m not doing so. But if-‘

‘It was like finding an absolute flawed.  If something has drive me of late, there may be jealousy in it but it is not just jealousy.  At times I have discovered a new lowness of spirit, a new need to revolt, to kick against the constraints that a civilized life tries to impose.’  He stopped and regarded her.  ‘Because what is civilized life but an imposition of unreal standards upon flawed and defective human beings by other human beings no less flawed and defective?  It has seemed to me that there is a rottenness to it that I have constantly wanted to kick against and to overset.’ He stopped again, breathing slowly, trying to marshal the complexities of his own feelings. 

‘And this has all come — this has derived from your estrangement from Demelza?’

‘Oh, not in its entirety.  But one and the other. One and the other. You called me an arrogant man just now, Caroline. Perhaps one aspect of arrogance lies in not being willing to accept what life sometimes expects one to accept.  The very feeling of jealousy is an offence to one’s spirit, it is a degrading sensation and should be stamped on.’ He tapped the table. ‘But so far as Demelza and Monk Adderley were concerned, I think you do me some injustice.  Demelza did give him encouragement, of a sort.  She was always exchanging asides with him, making another appointment - or at least permitting him to. And she allowed him to paw her -‘. 

‘Oh, nonsense’ Caroline said. ‘It is Demelza’s way to be friendly - to flirt a little out of sheer hight spirits.  Whenever she goes out, as you well know, some man or another is always attracted by her peculiar vitality and charm.  When she is enjoying herself she can’t resist giving off this - the challenging sparkle..  And men come to it.  And she enjoys that. But in all innocence, Ross, for God’s sake! As you must know. Are you going to challenge Sir Hugh Bodrugan to a duel? He has made more attempts on Demelza’s chastity than any two other men I know. What will you fight him with - walking sticks?’

Ross half laughed. ‘You must know that jealousy flares only when there is a risk.’

‘And do you seriously think that Monk Adderley constituted a risk?’

‘I … thought so.  It was not as simple a choice as that. And in any event he challenged me, not I him.’

Caroline shifted her position, and stretched. ‘Oh, that coach has tired me!… One more day and we shall be home.’

The waiter came and took away their plates but left the knives and fork for use again. 

Ross said quietly:  ‘Yes, I could sleep with you.’

She smiled at him. 

He said: ‘And for the same reasons will not’. 

‘Thank you Captain’. 

He said: ‘You’ve always been my firm friend - from so long ago. Almost before we knew each other well at all.’

‘I believed I fancied you from the beginning.’

‘I believe it was something more important than tat, even then.’

She shrugged but did not speak as the waiter came back. When he had gone again she said: ‘Perhaps I have been hard on you tonight, Ross… What a thing to say! Hard on you!  Strange for me to be in this position I’ve never before dared!  Well, I understand - a little - how you must have felt about Hugh and Demelza.  It has been - irking, festering in your soul for two years.  And the rest too, if you will.  I don’t deny that a single disillusion, if deeply felt, can lead to a general disillusion.  Well… But now the blood is let.  Even if it be the wrong blood. Let us not discuss any more the merits or demerits of your quarrel with Monk Adderley.  It is over and nothing can revive it. Well, so is your quarrel with Hugh Armitage. So should be your quarrel with humanity. And so should you quarrel with Demelza. She has been desperately affronted by what happened in London. The rights and wrongs of it do not matter so much as that you killed a man because of her, and that you risked everything, your life, her life - in a way - for a senseless quarrel which to a well-bred person may seem the ultimate and honourable way of settling a difference, but to a miner’s daughter, with her sense of values so firmly and sanely earthy, looks like the petulance of a wicked man.’

‘God,’ said Ross.  ‘Well, I will keep that in my heart and let that fester a while.’

‘You spoke to me straight six years ago, ‘ said Caroline.  ‘I speak to you straight now.’

‘Out of love?’  he asked. 

She nodded. ‘Out of love.’ 

[pamphletstoinspire]

A Padre Pio Inspirational Story __________

“Let us always keep before our eyes the fact that here on earth we are on a battlefield and that in paradise we shall receive the crown of victory; that this is a testing-ground and the prize will be awarded up above; that we are now in a land of exile while our true homeland is Heaven to which we must continually aspire.” – St. Pio of Pietrelcina __________

Memories of Padre Pio

Joe Peluso was an American soldier who was stationed in Italy during World War II. One day he received a letter from his mother and she told him that there was a holy priest named Padre Pio living in Italy. She did not know what part of Italy he lived in but she wanted Joe to find out and to visit him. Joe asked the military chaplain on the base if he knew anything about Padre Pio. The military chaplain started laughing and pointed to the mountain that was directly in front of them. “Padre Pio lives right on that mountain,” he said to Joe. Curiosity got the better of him and Joe decided to make the short trip to see him. It was October 6, 1944.

Padre Pio loved the visits of the American soldiers and always greeted them cordially. His counsel to the soldiers was unique. He used simple and childlike words when talking to them and giving them advice. Sometimes he would pat them on the head in a paternal way and simply say, “Be a good boy.”

Over the next ten months, Joe was able to visit Padre Pio many times and they became very close. Often he was invited to eat with the Capuchins at the monastery. While everyone else enjoyed their food, Joe noticed that Padre Pio simply pushed his food around on the plate. His daily intake of food would only fill the cup of his hand. He once said, “I need very little of this world’s goods. I need just a little bit of food, a little sleep and few possessions.”

It was Padre Pio’s habit to give each visitor a religious medal when they came to the monastery. Because of the war, religious medals and rosaries became scarce and almost impossible to acquire. Padre Pio felt very bad that his supply of medals was exhausted and he had none to give his visitors. Mary Pyle and Joe talked about it and Joe wanted to help. He decided to take the 220-mile trip from his military base to Rome to try to obtain the medals. Padre Pio and Padre Pio’s brother Michael both gave him letters to deliver to their sister, Sister Pia. She was a nun of the Order of St. Bridget and lived in the Brigittine Convent in Rome.

When he arrived in Rome, something prompted him to follow a road leading up a hill. As he drove up the hill, he saw a large sign, Cloistered Motherhouse of the Benedictine Nuns. Joe remembered that the St. Benedict medals were a favorite of Padre Pio. Joe knocked on the door and the nuns were extremely happy to give him a large supply of medals for Padre Pio.

Once Padre Pio asked Joe to select a name for his guardian angel. “Pick a name for your guardian angel and call him by that name always,” Padre Pio said to Joe. “When you send him to me, he will come instantly.”

One day Joe asked Padre Pio if he would accept him as his spiritual child. Padre Pio readily agreed. Then he asked him if he would accept his wife as his spiritual child and he agreed as well. Realizing the wonderful opportunity, he then asked Padre Pio if he would accept his daughter. Joe’s aunts and uncles then came into his mind. Somehow, the way the conversation was going struck both of them as funny. Joe and Padre Pio began to laugh. They laughed so hard that tears were rolling down their faces.

Suddenly Padre Pio became very serious and said to Joe, “Joe, when the war is over and you return to the United States, tell the American people, that for those who would like me to be their spiritual father, my answer is yes. I accept all Americans as my spiritual children. I only have two requirements — that they lead very good Catholic lives and that they regularly receive the sacraments. And please, tell them never to embarrass me in front of Jesus and Mary. You must tell them, Joe.”

Joe felt that it was an impossible request. He lived in a very small town in Pennsylvania. He was not an important person. He did not know many people. How could he tell all of America what Padre Pio had asked him to? Nevertheless, when he returned to the U.S. he tried to do what was asked of him. He made a slide show presentation of Padre Pio’s life and over the years he showed it to thousands of people. Joe died in 1996, after having spent 50 years sharing the message of Padre Pio with more people than he could have ever imagined.

“Remember, I accompany you always and everywhere.” – St. Pio of Pietrelcina ______________________________

A Letter from Padre Pio to Padre Benedetto

Padre Pio wrote the following letter to his spiritual director, Padre Benedetto Nardella, concerning a vision he had regarding World War I. This divine visitation seemed to signal the approach of peace.

“In one of the visits I had from Jesus recently, I asked Him more insistently to have pity on the unfortunate nations so sorely tried by the misfortune of war and to let His justice give place at last to His mercy. Strange to say, He made no reply except a sign with His hand which meant, ‘Slowly, slowly’ . . . What on earth does this mean, dear Father? I myself cannot tell you. However, I can tell you this, that whenever I had spoken to the Lord previously about the war, He gave me no sign that I can recall, but always kept complete silence . . . Does it mean that He himself means to intervene to calm this worldwide upheaval? May He be pleased to do so without delay.” – Letters I, December 19, 1917 ______________________________

Maria Pompilio who was one of Padre Pio’s spiritual daughters, left this testimony.

“At the end of Padre Pio’s Mass one morning toward the end of 1919, a number of people gathered around Padre Pio. By my side was a man who looked fixedly at Padre Pio. He said breathlessly, “Oh God, it is him, truly him. I am not mistaken.” The man began crying and fell to his knees. He said, “Padre Pio, thank you for saving me from death! Thank you!” Padre Pio put his hands on the man’s head and said, “You must not thank me, my son. Thank our Lord and the Virgin of Graces.” They spoke together in an undertone for a few minutes. Padre Pio then went to the choir to pray.

Several men who were nearby questioned the man about the words that Padre Pio had spoken to him. I was also present and the man told us the following story: “I was a Captain in the infantry, and one day on the battlefield, during a terrible hour of fighting, a little distance away from me, I saw a delicate, pale friar with beautiful, expressive eyes. He was not dressed as a chaplain but as a simple friar and he hurriedly and gently called to me saying, “Captain, move away from that place. Come to me quickly.” I ran toward him and had not even reached him when, in the place where I had previously stood, a grenade exploded, opening up a pit. If I had been there, my body would have been blown into the air in shreds. I wanted to thank the little friar who had called me, but he was no longer there. He had disappeared without my realizing it and even though I looked around for him I never saw him again.

On the same day that my life was saved, another person told me that a beautiful monk had saved him from death as well. Other soldiers at the Italian base said they had seen a friar among them who looked toward Heaven and prayed. One of these soldiers said that the priest who had been on the battlefield was Padre Pio who lived in San Giovanni Rotondo. I wanted to come here and see if he was the friar who had saved me as his face remained imprinted in my mind. Now I know that it was him. You can imagine what gratitude I feel toward this holy priest. I am happy to have been able to thank him personally and to kiss his hand.” – Maria Pompilio ______________________________

My name is Jim Cunningham. I was born in 1924 and was in the military during World War II, stationed in Foggia, Italy. I was assigned to a photo reconnaissance squadron and I heard about Padre Pio from the townspeople in Foggia. One day I decided to visit him so I took two other G I’s with me and drove a military jeep up the mountain to the monastery. It was in 1945 and I was twenty-one years old. I attended his Mass and felt very fortunate as all of the soldiers that were present were invited to sit right up on the altar, very close to Padre Pio. I was able to clearly see the wounds on his hands. Seeing his devotion at Mass was a very moving experience. He celebrated Mass in such a way that I was able to comprehend the sacredness of the Mass. His whole being inspired me.

Padre Pio was a very humble man and at the same time he was open and friendly. I had learned that Padre Pio liked grapefruit juice, so on my second visit to San Giovanni Rotondo I brought some juice. I was able to go to San Giovanni three times to see Padre Pio.

Mary Pyle, Padre Pio’s secretary, invited me to lunch at her home. She told me that she had come to Italy from the U.S. just for a visit. Shortly after she met Padre Pio, she decided to stay permanently. Her esteem for him was such that she had a great desire to be near him. She stayed in San Giovanni Rotondo for the rest of her life. Mary’s life was one of complete dedication to Padre Pio. She helped him in so many ways.

Meeting Padre Pio and attending his Mass truly changed my life. It was a great blessing. I have never met anyone in my life who had such a great devotion to God. On a number of occasions I have been invited to church groups to speak about Padre Pio. Today I am 82 years old. Many years have gone by, but my wife and I still feel his presence with us. It is overwhelming. ______________________________

Father Joseph Pius Martin – who assisted Padre Pio for a number of years, received the following testimony from Kevin Patrick Fitzpatrick.

Kevin Patrick Fitzpatrick who worked in Manchester, England in 1947 became acquainted with a man who had been a soldier in the British Army during World War II. During their advance against the German Army, this soldier and the others in his company came to the area of San Giovanni Rotondo. For some days British artillery had been firing into the areas surrounding the friary, but to their amazement none of the shells were exploding. When British Intelligence officers questioned the local Italian people, they were told that this was not to be wondered at since a very holy priest, Padre Pio lived at the friary.

One of the British Army officers was staying at the friary. One night he heard a voice constantly calling out. He went to investigate to see where the sound was coming from. When he came to the door of Padre Pio’s cell, he heard Padre Pio praying the Glory Be to the Father. He repeated the prayer slowly, over and over again. The soldier was deeply edified. ______________________________

A Grace in Time of War

My brother was serving in the army and had been sent to Viet Nam. Every night our family prayed for his safe return. I carried Padre Pio’s photo with me and prayed to him often for my brother. I felt Padre Pio’s presence with me and shortly after that, my brother wrote to say he would be coming home. When he did come home, he was a different person. After that terrible war he became more quiet and serious. We never asked questions about his experiences and he never spoke much about it. He did mention one experience which seemed very peculiar to him. He said that one day his company was sent ahead of the others to check for the Viet Cong. They were looking through the bush with their guns, when suddenly all of the soldiers smelled the fragrance of roses. They kept saying “Where are the rose bushes? It sure smells good out here.” They never did find the rosebushes and were sent back to camp. Another company was sent out to inspect the same territory. How tragic to say that the company was ambushed and not one survived the attack. According to the calculations, the Viet Cong had been there lurking in the bush all along, when my brother and the others in his company were in that area. But for some strange reason, they were not attacked and they very easily could have been. I know it was Padre Pio who saved my brother’s life. – I. Ahmadzai ______________________________

A Letter from Padre Pio to Padre Agostino

“We are passing through a solemn hour. Up to the present we have not been involved in this grievous war which has now gone on for a year . . . We must all cooperate for the common good and make God’s mercy propitious to us in this difficult time, by humble and fervent prayer and by the amendment of our lives.

We must not be down-hearted, dear Father, or lack the filial confidence we owe to our God just because He appears to be angry with us. If it is to come to pass again today that he looked around at them with anger ( Mark 3:5) let us fully understand this. God still loves us, He is still merciful toward us. His looking around with anger, Father, is the language of His sorrowful love; this is the expression which comes from His sorrowing heart at the sight of our wickedness. These are the artifices to which His mercy resorts in order to stop us on our way to perdition. . . .” – Letters I, May 31, 1915

[corbierretheraven]

Overwatch: Backfire – Chapter V: An Eye for an Eye

Previous chapter: Beginning of the End Tumblr, AO3, Wattpad

July 14, 2070

It had been over an year since Overwatch was exposed, Amélie disappeared and Gérard was killed, his murderer was still unknown, but everyone was sure it had been his wife and, somehow, Talon was in the mix. Jack was able to come with an agreement with the United Nations to keep all activity going during the investigations. The people, however, were hunting his head. The hate for Overwatch had spread across the globe, people would even call us criminals… It was hell for me. All this time passed by and me and Jack still hadn’t the courage to exchange words. We were also able to finally arrest Akande, keeping him on one of the world’s most secure facilities. Talk about a tough year.

There was an ongoing field mission on Egypt, lead by Captain Ana Amari with her own strike team. In a sniper duel with a Talon enemy — whose identity I would learn later — Ana was seriously injured in her eye, and all her team perished.

As time went by, we did not hear from Ana anymore. We sent search groups to Egypt for about two weeks, they couldn’t find anything related to her. She was gone.

Confirming to her daughter, Fareeha, that her mother was presumably dead was the toughest part of the process. She was, yet, a tough girl, who was proud to follow her mother’s legacy. Although not able to join Overwatch anymore, Fareeha would still fight for peace the way she was able to, in honor of her mother.

August 5, 2070 United Nations Headquarters, USA

Shortly after the search group for Ana was disbanded, the UN summoned a meeting with Overwatch officials — including Jack and Gabriel — to give their verdict upon the future of Overwatch.

They introduced the Petras Act: a document suspending all Overwatch activity worldwide. It was still going to be decided if the agents were going to be prosecuted.

The entire world was following the meeting, broadcast live on every screen of the planet. I will never forget the anger, yet guiltful, face Jack had while trying to defend Overwatch’s existence, while Gabriel was just… there, accepting what was happening.

August 6, 2070 Overwatch Headquarters, Switzerland

The Overwatch members who had just arrived from New York were greeted by a crowd protesting in front of the HQ. They were all holding signs asking for the immediate disband of the organization, cheering about the United Nations’ recent decision.

The orders were clear: evacuate all Overwatch facilities and cease its activities. Of course Jack would resist. When he came back from the United States, he formed a resistance group, occupying the Swiss headquarters, not giving up their connection to the organization. Other agents, including Jesse, Genji, Reinhardt, Torbjörn and Lena, decided it was better for them to quit.

I felt particularly bad for Genji. He never wanted this life Overwatch forced him to have — yet that’s partially his brother’s fault. He would live through constant pain and conflict with himself. After departing, he told me he was going to find peace with a monk he had met once in a mission back in Nepal. His name was Zenyatta, one of the follower’s of Mondatta, a great peace leader. I could only hope he was, indeed, going to find peace.

Another Overwatch facility, Watchpoint: Gibraltar, was lead by Winston, a genetically advanced monkey who is also a brilliant scientist. Everyone there decided to leave too, while he decided to stay, but, unlike Jack, Winston wasn’t creating a resistance. That was just his home.

Moira and Gabriel decided to keep their positions, while I was still unsure about giving up mine, but I felt it was the right thing to do, so I decided to finally talk to Jack properly after all this time... and resign.

As I was about to enter his chambers, Moira stopped me.

— Dr. Ziegler! May I have a minute of your attention?

— Moira… Hi. Um, I’m about to do something… important. Could you wait?

— Don’t do this, Angela — I didn’t know how to reply to that. Did my face gave away that easily I was going to quit? — Trust me, remaining a member of Overwatch might come in handy for you in the future.

— What do you mean? — She kept talking to me on that weird tone, I honestly didn’t know how to react, she was trying to lure me into something.

— Why don’t you come with me?

Everything felt weird about that conversation. I insisted I was busy, but she wouldn’t take no for an answer. As I turned my back to her to open Jack’s door, she shot me with a sleep dart.

— Maybe now you’ll listen to me, Ziegler? — I heard from Moira as I tried to regain consciousness.

As I opened my eyes, I could see Moira and Gabriel standing right in front of me. Blackwatch logos on the walls, I was still at our headquarters, tied up to a cold metal chair.

— W-what is going on here?

— Angela — Gabriel started — we think it’s time for you to learn the truth.

— Before edgelord here says anything, I want to personally thank you, Ziegler. If it wasn’t for you, we wouldn’t have come this far so easily.

— “We?” — I questioned, confused.

— Angela… — I could feel the slight tone of regret on his voice. — We are with Talon.

As Gabriel’s voice echoed into my ears, my entire body started shaking in fear. I was helping the enemy this entire time? And the enemy was… my friend?

— What are you… What?! — I couldn’t even finish a sentence. I mean, I always felt something was wrong, especially after that day after the Uprising, but would never guess it would go this far.

— We need you, Ziegler — Moira continued. — Well, not need, need you. But you would be a welcome resource — how touching. — You will fly with us to Venice — she turns her eyes to Gabriel — where we shall discuss the final part of our plan.

— What plan?

She replied with a subtle laugh.

Gabriel and I exchanged looks, he was slightly ashamed, while I was terrified. As Moira shouted his name, he escorted me to Blackwatch’s orca ship.

Next chapter: Suicide Squad Tumblr, AO3, Wattpad

[ratherhavetheblues]

ANDREI TARKOVSKY’S ‘THE SACRIFICE’ “Don’t be afraid. There’s no such thing as death…”

© 2021 by James Clark

     Having tested the waters of the mysterious Andrei Tarkovsky, by way of his film, Solaris (1972), I feel obliged to settle matters that could test the patience of those seriously intent upon appreciating processes of great merit. Braced by the sophisticated genius of the work of Ingmar Bergman, Tarkovsky has chosen to maintain a mysticism—far from supernatural—but clinging to (perhaps confusing) tinctures of mainstream devotion. In the film, Solaris, he takes his directions from Bergman’s films, The Devil’s Eye (1960) and All These Women (1964), where the force of nature pertains to pathos. Not satisfied to contest the weakness at several points of science, Tarkovsky, by way of a form of sleight of hand, installs dead victims of a violence becoming life-like to those now-touched by guilt. A perhaps questionable (though intense) means of challenging the brutality of wayward captains of a small planet. An unbalanced touch in the service of deep pathos should not become a song and dance. Bergman, the kudos notwithstanding, would not be a fan.

Our second selection, here, namely, The Sacrifice (1986), mercifully desists from fantasy, though its cast of players tends to whimsy. (I’ve chosen this film, being Tarkovsky’s final work, a work by way of the young maestro’s  being stricken by fatal cancer, because this film administers most effectively the artist’s campaign, leaving the other films to supplement the rigors. Our study today recalls all those pedantic, bourgeois targets whom Bergman regarded as travesties. Whereas being “educated” appears to virtually everyone’s sense of virtue, Bergman [and now Tarkovsky] want us to see a very different form of action, and thereby a form of problematic reflection never being saliant, because the educational history of the planet has throttled a crucial aspect.)

  Our film begins with one, “Alexander,” (an echo of the affluent Alexander of the Bergman film, Fanny and Alexander[1983]), planting by the sea, a fragile tree. This tree does not become décor, but instead a statement, a statement of recognition that, by way of study of not only Japanese culture but Eastern Orthodox culture, he has reached the comprehension of treasures of the depths of life itself. Along that shore, he includes his young son, Little Man, and attempts to introduce him into the life of understanding. “Once upon a time, long ago, an old monk lived in an Orthodox monastery. His name was Pamve. And once he planted a barren tree on a mountainside, just like this. Then he told his young pupil, a monk named Ioann Kolov, that he should water the tree each day until it came to life. Anyway, early every morning Ioann filled a dipper with water and went out. He climbed up the mountain and watered the withered tree, and in the evening when darkness had fallen he returned to the monastery. He did this for three years. And one fine day he climbed up the mountain and saw that the whole tree was covered with blossoms! Say what you will, but a method, a system, has its virtues. You know, sometimes I say to myself, if every single day, at exactly the stroke of the clock, one were to perform the same act, like a ritual, unchanging, systematic, every day, at the same time, the world would be changed… Yes, something would change… It would have to… Beautiful, eh? Like Japanese Ikabana.”

   On the other hand, Alexander, and his sidekick (the latter desultory to a mountainous degree), describe  scenes from the mid-century play, Waiting for Godot, by Samuel Beckett. (The withered tree, the withered land, the withered bid.) You’ll recall, I hope, that the repetitious pedantry there was not “beautiful.” In fact, that that work was aptly ensconced within what was called, “Theatre of the Absurd.” His disciplined dialogue going for naught. On another note, however, it’s Alexander’s birthday and new maturity would be a nice gift (except that the maturity needed seems only derived from the bidder alone). The gardening barely mustering enough rocks at the base to keep the statement from crashing. Along comes Otto, the cyclist/ mailman with a card for the dreamer. Not having brought his reading glasses, it is the job of the postman to deliver the joy. “Happy Birthday, dear friend. STOP. Mighty regards, great good Prince Myshkin. STOP. God grant you joy, health and peace. STOP. From your loyal Richardians and Idiotists. STOP.” Alexander remarks, “Friends and their jokes…. That’s not half bad.”

Taking up the matter of God, in the card, Alexander brags that his relationship to God is “non-existent.” He adds, “It could be worse.” (It could be, that he not, as his “Mighty” clique prefers, treat the matter of willful incoherence like a child. All those stops unheeded.) Otto, happy to be invited to the birthday party later, pays homage to his friend. “Here you are, a famous journalist, a theatrical and literary critic, who lectures on aesthetics for students at the university and produces essays… But you’re so gloomy. You shouldn’t become tangled with something vaguely arduous. You shouldn’t be waiting for anything…”/ “Who says I’m waiting for something?” His friend insists, then, utterly inarticulate, “We’re all waiting for something.” (And yet!) “All my life, in fact, I’ve been going around waiting for something.” (Godot?)  “And I’ve always felt as if the living I’ve done, so far, hasn’t actually been real life… but a long wait for it… a long wait for something real, something important… What about you?”/ Alexander, not long ago a maven of the immutable, comes across with, “Yes, if that’s what you mean. I just never knew you were interested in that kind of problem.” Our protagonist veers away with, “Do you really think that mankind could devise a universal concept, a model, so to speak, of Absolute Truth? Why, it’d be like trying to create a new universe!” Alexander, on this wave of speculation, adds, “Look here my boy, we’ve lost our way. Humanity is also on the wrong road.”

   Here our leading man rallies somewhat, concerning the day he and his wife, driving along this stretch, discovered their Dream House. “I knew that if I lived there, I’d be happy until I died.” Quickly dismissing the situation of death in the mix, he tells her, “Don’t be afraid. There is no such thing as death. No, there’s the fear of death, and that is an awful fear. Sometimes it even makes people do things they shouldn’t. But how different things would be if only we could stop fearing death.”

Somewhat like the wiggle room of Hari, in Solaris, we’ve backed into a very unique and placid form of death, without disclosure of its corollary. Why? Surely, as with the hatchet-job toward superficial science, there is an animus against mainstream sophistication. Tarkovsky, aware of course, that modern life thrives upon inconsistency, overdoes that matter, to the point of absurdity. Why? I’m betting on his unspoken carrying of a vision of cogency so hard and so joyous which works only within a transaction between a solitary and nature itself. The fervid melodrama to come would function as a sort of barren mountainside to discern, and not only survive, but to delight as far as one’s life reaches, with its inconsistencies and solace, and then to disappear. (During the concern about a missing motif [the whole action being well described as a tone poem], Little Man had attached a rope between Otto’s bike and a tree, with a result of the postman’s being dumped. All in good spirits! All in good Beckett.)

Before the birthday party convenes, Alexander faints, after being surprised by the boy, who receives a bleeding nose in the melee. During that moment he calls out, “Dear God, what’s wrong with me?” Cut to  a black and white “documentary,” of a city in panic. Following that haunting portrayal, we see Alexander at home, appreciating a book of ancient Christian imagery, before the hoped-for festivity.

The first arrivals are Adelaide, a former actress and a former mistress of Alexander, in his days as a theatrical actor, and Victor, a medical doctor and lover of Adelaide. Victor, after opening by, “I had a rotten day today. Or rather, a day I lost control of…” adds, “Have you never felt that your life was a failure?” Before coming in, the doctor had protested, “I don’t like his (Alexander’s) monologues… Moreover, there is the uncomfortableness, in the air, that I’ll soon be leaving for Australia” (where I’ve been offered a clinic). Their twentyish daughter, Marta, asks, “Are you serious?” (That the dialogue is stagy here relates to the flimsiness of the sensibility.) Someone very intent is the next visitor, Otto, now appearing with a large, ancient, framed map of Europe, as a gift—a form of discovery. He had striven with the weight, pushing his bike. (The others brought a bottle of wine in their chic car.) Someone from the earlier group teases him, “Julia [the in-house servant], your beaux’s coming  calling.” Julia helps Otto with the heavy picture. The others declare it a reproduction; but Alexander ascertains it to be genuine. “It’s too expensive, Otto,” the man of the night scolds gently. The alert working man argues, “I know it’s a sacrifice, but why shouldn’t it be? Of course it’s a sacrifice!” (Victor looks at the map once again.) Otto, having been set up by the world of diplomas, pushes back, “Every gift involves a sacrifice. If not, what kind of gift would it be?” (The pride to reach a form of validity. And also, though, the flagging veer of advantage.) Quick on the draw, Adelaide, not a nostrum of rare sensibility, blurts out, “But I liked being the great actor’s wife.” This, then, elicits from the patrician/ intellectual, the idea that the gift “looks like Mars” (a conflict). “It has nothing to do with truth. But people lived then.” Otto adds, “And not badly, either.” The postman, not wanting to seem naïve, picks a fight about Alexander’s interest in “truth.” “What truth? You keep going on about truth. Truth, what is truth? There is no such thing! Here comes a cockroach!” But Victor lunges, “A fantastic map! It’s a first-class chart…”

Then the party, running all the way to the morning, begins in earnest. Active Victor opens the theatre by asking more about Otto’s having more time for his interests, due to a very slight caseload. “I’m sort of a collector, a collector of incidents. Things that are inexplainable but true.” The largely sanguine and generous soul proceeds to reiterate the bizarre function of pathos concerning a dead victim becoming active on the basis of, once again—as in the Tarkovsky film, Solaris—being a figure of reflective singularity. “Are you pulling our leg?” Victor sneers… “And you see fit to joke with us, Mister Postman?” In the glare of ridicule, the metaphysical overkill creates a fainting spell (the second philosopher in the day, to fall). On coming to, he explains, “Only an evil angel…” Otto, not pleased, declares, “There’s nothing to joke about here.”

A few minutes later, a more comprehensive trouble appears. The political powers that be, fake a nuclear crisis, and a nuclear  blah. “The only dangerous enemy in our midst at the moment is panic. It’s contagious. Order and organization, and nothing less, good citizens… Only order… order… order…” Soon Adelaide is overcome with the notion of imminent death, and requires a strong needle. (One of countless impetus to emigrate.) With panic in the room, the others acquit themselves with sangfroid. A rolling passion. Will it frequent the house? Even more challenging is the yard. An infrequent, supplementary servant, Maria, perhaps being impossible to frighten, turns up by way of Alexander’s need for vision. The vision she delivers is not promising. She’s asked, by the only too-facile inquisitive, “Who made that [fuss]?”/ (Ask a stupid question, and you get a stupid answer.) “Little Man.”/ “Really! But what is it?”/ “He made it for you. It’s his birthday present to you. It was he and Otto the postman who built it together. Don’t say that I told you, Mister Alexander. I’ll go now.” She turns back for a minute, “Happy Birthday.” He replies, “Go home now. It’s so damp out, like a battlefield.” (The exquisite hat she wears, infused with visions of wild, stunning foliage, brings a focus upon something exciting. Though her Bohemian appearance drew the lose-cannon, Adelaide, to avoid looking at her, the free-lancer undertakes her chores, preparatory to a feast that never occurs,  unfailingly in her sense of dignity. “I’ll put the plates to warm at once… Can I go now?” The rude bourgeoise plays cat and mouse. Maria asks, “Is there something more?”/ “Oh, one more thing! Would you put the candles on the table. Then you may go… You have opened the wine, haven’t you?”/ “No.”/ “Well, open it. Then you won’t be needed…” More testing in unintentional form, by Otto: “We’re neighbors, she and I… We’re acquainted. She came from Iceland a few years ago. She is very odd.” / “Who?” Victor asks, with a smirk./ “Maria… Yes, Maria. Sometimes she scares me…” Adelaide makes a point of snubbing Maria. Near the end of this cataract of a film, with the house ablaze, Adelaide is not only missing, but forgotten.

Now the singularities come in twos. With seemingly, anything goes, Alexander thrills, “I’ve waited for this all my life. My whole life. My whole life has been one long wait for this! With Otto cringing before the “gloominess” of Leonardo’s print of the painting, “The Adoration of the Three Kings,” he seeks to strike a confederacy with Adelaide, the routed (seemingly part of that black and white visitation). The postman listens to the now tranquillized screamer. “I have loved one man and married another… When two people love each other, they don’t love in the same way. One of them is strong, the other weaker. And the weaker is always the one who loves without reckoning, without reservation.” (Her flakiness nailing down Hollywood melodramatic “women’s films,” from the Depression-era and beyond. “Meaningful interaction” being astoundingly difficult because there has been no concentration upon what a human is—the church and science having been the worst of candidates.) Plowing ahead, she imparts, “It feels now as if I’ve awakened from some kind of life. For some reason, I always offered resistance. I fought against something. I defended myself, just as though I’d had someone else inside me, saying, ‘Don’t give in to anything… don’t go along with… anything… or you’ll die!’ But God, how foolish we are anyway!” (Bathos, bathos, bathos…) In the same collapse, Otto tells her, “It’s good that you finally understood that…” She adds, “I’ve finally understood,  even though it’s a bit late. But what shall I do now?” She tries to stand up. Otto says, “Easy, easy…”

Alexander opens a valise and takes out a gun. Does he imagine himself to be a lawman? He spends a short time observing Little Man asleep, while luxurious curtains create alternate brightness and darkness. The boy has a cloth, covering his throat. Perhaps a slight injury from the collision. Domesticity and violence. (The renowned  cinematographer, Sven Nykvist, as with his stellar career with Bergman, brings a quiet powerhouse of discompose.) Next step for the unpredictable protagonist, is a cognac, and then many cognacs. Over to the Leonardo. He chants the Lord’s Prayer. The gunman turns to his own rhetoric. “Lord! Deliver us in this terrible time. Don’t let my children die, nor my friends…my wife.” (Yes, he apparently does have a wife, but she’s not a good communicator. Lives leaving, lives hoping to embrace.) “And Victor… All those who do not believe in Thee, because they are blind, those who haven’t given Thee a thought, simply because they haven’t yet been truly miserable. All those who, in this hour of our lost hope, their future, their lives and the opportunity to surrender to Thy will. All those who are filled with dread, who feel the end coming closer, who fear, not for themselves but for their loved ones. All those whom no one, except Thou can offer protection. Because this war is the ultimate war. And after it, there will be no victors and no vanquished, no cities or towns, grass or trees, water in the sky.” (A smog of cliches.)

“Waited for this, all my life…”/ Show time! “I will give Thee all I have. I’ll give up my family, whom I love. I’ll destroy my house and give up Little Man… I’ll be mute, and never speak another word to anyone. I will relinquish everything that binds me to life, if only Thou restore everything as it was before, as it was this morning and yesterday. Just let me rid of this deadly, sickening, animal fear…” (An anatomy of a coward.) “Yes, everything, Lord! Help me. I will do everything I have promised Thee.” (The thrust of so-called “animal fear” surpassing, by far, in dignity the ways of humans who cover their sensibility as in a tailspin positioned upon a rollercoaster.) On hands and knees, toward the Leonardo. Then outside, and sludge down to the ankles. We see the integrity of a stand of pine trees.

Back home, he’s dressed like a priest. Otto tells him, “There’s still one last chance, one last hope… Engage in coitus with Maria. Maria can do it… You must go to her, and convince her.” Both of them become drunk. Otto begins to obsessively come his hair. He tells the biblical scholar, “I’ve gathered evidence. She is a witch… There is no other alternative. I’ve left the bike for you down by the shed.” (Mood aplenty; but going nowhere, because sludge fails to dig deep enough.)

Surprisingly enough, this leg of the crash (Alexander having fallen off the bike and being left with a limp to the denouement)  has a hope. At the door of Maria’s place, in the middle of the night, a small flock of sheep run back and forth. (Sheep being a violent crisis point in many Bergman films.) Ill at ease, our protagonist is at a loss for words, in the semi-darkness.  “Why don’t you say something?” she asks, knowing he’s wildly overrated. (He gazes at the gas lamp, a source of energy to her, but no such thing to him.) She notices his dirty and bleeding hands. In cleaning him up, she says, as if to a child or an idiot, “You mustn’t go about with dirty hands.” The tiniest of crosses on the wall, suggesting that much more effort be expended upon matters of vision than matters of demand. He rallies with charming, media articulation. She has a small organ in the room and he’s quick to play a passage. “As a child, I played this prelude. My mother loved it years ago. I often went to visit my mother in the country… Her cottage was surrounded by a garden, dreadfully neglected and overgrown. Even then, my mother was very ill. She almost never left the house. Still, in its way, it was beautiful. (Maria sheds a tear. She had been touched by the music, and touched with the calculations of a not to be long in this world modest appreciation of nature. The rest of the haunting would not create a tear. He admits that his bid to improve the garden was heavy-handed , leaving the lady with a sterile failure to look away from. [A slightly clever performance of bathos. In The Devil’s Eye, a man conscientiously feeling guilt for slighting his long-dead  mother, impresses the women he wants to make love with, and a performance of passionate pathos ensues.]) Alexander piling on another show of “heart,” pertaining to his father being cruel to his sister, and subsequently crying in guilt, would measure clearly the mediocrity having invaded. Out comes, “Could you love me, Maria?”/ “Go home now,” she tells him. He counters with, “Don’t kill us. Save us, Maria!” On his putting the gun to his head, she rushes to him, saying, “You poor, poor man…” (Don’t, though, for a second, think, at this juncture [Maria not amused], she’s not had to contemplate the crosshairs of a nasty devastating scandal.) She plays along to shut down the drama. “Who has frightened you so?” (She’s the only one around not fooled by the politicians.) Calm down, calm down… I understand, I know [that I could be run out of town, or worse]. I know [Alexander’s elusive wife is wicked]… Don’t be afraid of anything… Everything’s going to be all right…” [in bed]. Using the phrases, “You poor, poor man… there, there,” the connection, as it were, adopts a slow carousel, lifting off a few feet toward heaven. “Nothing will happen to you here,” she assures the critical sleuth. “Don’t cry, don’t cry…”

Cut to the black and white city, and its load of gamers, its load of pedantry and its load of advantage. The power comes back at the Dream House, and Alexander has changed his priestly garb in favor of a black shawl with a Japanese insignia. On avoiding the alfresco breakfast which included the presence of a loud and argumentative wife coming on board (having, it seems, that she preferred to snub the entire joy in one of the upstairs rooms), Alexander, biding his time at the shed until the party marches off for their constitutional, ramps up his short wave upon Japan and its music and proceeds to burn down the Dream House. Soon the party rushes to confront a singularity failing to shed light. A bathetic melodrama. The cosmopolitan dresser announces, “I did it. Listen to me. I’ve got something very important…” Falling to his knees, he demands, from out of his gross lostness, “Say nothing! Ask nothing!” His wife holds him and rocks him as if a baby. Rushing away, he encounters Maria wondering, perhaps, where her finances stand. He falls to her knees. Victor tries to move him away. “Come, Alexander! You can’t stay here!” They drag him away, but he rushes back to Maria, only to be dragged away again. The woman with a capacity for pathos, tells the mob, “Let him be! What are you doing to him!” The violent wife attacks, and Maria backs off. Though she subsides in the finale, Maria is the one to watch, the one transcending “normality,” the one grown up. (How many lone figures like this have we seen in the films of Bergman?)

An ambulance arrives. The family marches toward it. Then he’s off again, leading a contingent, a picture of Theatre  of the Absurd. Otto holds him, but both of them are captives of “a long wait for something real,” the cosmetics of lucidity, in lieu of the real war and its arduous days. The critic races in the direction of the inferno, and the House of the Leaders is reduced to smoke. Maria bikes across the fields to catch up to the ambulance and the last of his madness. On the rude path toward her bivouac, the quiet distances manage to be remarkable.

Little Man is watering the pedantic tree. Even worse, he mentions, “In the beginning was the Word… Why is that, Papa?” The tree, panning upward against the sun and sea, is doing very well by itself. An operatic snippet also seems a bourgeois touch, even funerial.

Many initiatives come our way here. Skillful film artists can reveal much about the life around us and ourselves. They add up, however, to be, a job for the viewer/ reader, the viewer /reader’s gut. Beyond cinema, there is a universe of intentional sensibility, which can never fully deliver on the screen. No matter how evocative, the crucial topspin of major films might reach, their tactile creativity, their full-scale drama will fail to complete the realization. It comes as a shock, to those practitioners, that the very most contentious historical powers in film are off limits to the screen. When strong filmmakers want to fully think what is so wrong that religion and bourgeois-technical-science are paramount in our life, they become tongue tied.

For all his film career scanning 60 years, Ingmar Bergman would send hordes of images of hands and fingers in play in his works, being not quite germane because the force in play is intimate. Moreover, another standby would be dialectic positioning, hoping for synthesis that only individual carnality could essentially deliver. The seas of such creativity would require a unique rostrum indeed. A paradox to ponder.

[pingou7]

A car, two cops and a stardust — a RebelCaptain road trip fic 

by @pingou7 pingou  for @thestarbirdfromtheashes Starbird

(aka the Road trip fic Diego Luna’s filmography made me write)

Notes : I blame the RebelCaptain fandom (especially you, @runakvaed) as well as Diego Luna's movies and his brotherhood with Gael Garcia Bernal, let that be said. This is based on a prompt given by @thestarbirdfromtheashes, so I dedicate this story to her.

Read and enjoy, and please consider leaving me a few words.

Summary:

As the dusty roads criss under Kes Dameron's old car, Cassian Andor lets the wind mess with his hair through the open window. Dust, sunshine, laughter, its easy to recapture the taste of days long gone.

(...)

At a gas station near Corpus Chirsti, when they climb back after taking a piss, both jump out of their skins as a random brunette, eyes thunderous, hisses dangerously from the backseat :

"Just pretend I'm not here."

More on AO3  (or under the cut)

Part 1

As the dusty roads criss under Kes Dameron's old car, Cassian Andor lets the wind mess with his hair through the open window. Dust, sunshine, laughter, its easy to recapture the taste of days long gone.

Kes is singing slightly out of tune "Quiero qué me quieras", his fingers tapping the stirring wheel rhythmically and it's easy to forget the decade and half that has passed since their first road trip, freshly eighteen in the mountains of Mexico. Only there's less cigarettes and better booze — if quite the same amount of junk food.

Shara didn't want to go with them, so they were told to have their Buddy time, since she couldn't handle them getting all cranky and shit, her son being enough already. So Cassian handed his life's keys to Kay, and both kissed her goodbye before they hit the road.

At a gas station near Corpus Chirsti, when they climb back after taking a piss, both jump out of their skins as a random brunette, eyes thunderous, hisses dangerously from the backseat :

"Just pretend I'm not here."

She is dirty, has a split lip that is still oozing blood, but her green eyes are burning with the wilderness of desperation. Kes frowns, but before the guys can say anything, people pass in front of them — three men who have a few nasty bruises on their faces, one with a baseball bat, a female cashier and a cop — and inside she has crouched down between the seats.

The group looks like they're going out for blood — hers perhaps — so when Cassian signals silently to Kes to start the car and get out of here, he does.

Several minutes pass in silence, until Cassian tells the intruder that the coast is clear. Kes tells her to put on the seatbelt or get out (fatherhood made him a bit stricter on security rules) and they hear the telling click in return. Outside the world is still moving but you could cut the air with a knife, until Cassian feels more than she hears her exhaling her thanks. Eventually curiosity gets the best of Dameron, and he addresses the stranger as the car goes on the highway up to San Diego as if she didn't disrupt their plan:

"Even if you're not highjacking our car and just want to hide from law, you might have chosen a better one."

No acknowledgement from the backseat at all, but he sees her looking at them from the review mirror, so Cassian elaborates, much to his brother's amusement:

"For starters, the thing is a shit, Dameron here is only keeping it running for sentimental value. Also, his wife kept the proper car."

"You're the one to talk, you left your decrepit convertible under Kay's custody," Kes grumbles.

"I didn't have much choice," the woman snaps guardedly, their usual banter doing nothing to put her at ease.

"I suppose not, but then you didn't know we're both cops, did you?"

"Shit, stop the car, I gotta go," the woman panics, the hand already on the handle.

Cassian doesn't know why he turns to her, reaching out across the seat to touch her wrist. From the corner of his eye, he sees Kes rising an eyebrow, but there's a tingling feeling that makes the skin of his arm dance.

"Listen here, we're cops, but we're also going on vacation. If you're on the run, we won't report you. We'll leave you in San Diego if you wish, no question asked."

"You will?" she asks dubiously, freeing her arm from his grasp.

"We will?" Kes echoes in Spanish.

"Yes," Cassian replies sharply, glaring at his so called best friend until he nods. "C'mon, she needs help. How many girls have you known to pop up in your backseat?"

"Usually, they're relatively undressed. And far more eager to please than this one."

"Don't let Shara hear of that, Cabrón, or Poe's gonna be an only child for sure."

"Who says she's not aware already? I may be married, but you're the one living like a monk. At one time you knew how to use the restricted space of a backseat."

"Not with each other I hope," the girl chimes in dryly, while Cassian feels the tips of his ears go hot with rising blood.

"Sorry to disappoint," Kes replies with a smirk, "but we're brothers in all but blood, no that you have any business knowing that, Miss Pretend-I-don't-exist."

She purses her lips, and tries to get comfortable. Not the talkative type then. Cassian lets the radio fill the silence and tries to shut his brain off. Surely they ought to hear more about her, gather information? They are bloody detectives, for Fuck's sake.

He offers her a tissue from the glovebox and a bottle of lukewarm water for her to clean herself. She takes them, and their fingers touch slightly. The sensation is still far too potent considering the briefness of the contact, and reflexively he stares at her face, looking for an hint in her green eyes freckled with gold, but finding none. There's blood on her puffing knuckles too.

"So, did you get in a brawl with the guys there?"

"Would you believe me if I said I have nothing to do with them?"

Neither cops dignify that with an answer and she sighs. A few seconds pass once more as Kes takes a turn, then her voice graces their ears again:

"Look. D'you have a phone I can borrow before you drop me off? Sorry to bother you, but I'd like to call somebody. It's important."

A boyfriend? The possibility struck Cassian like a thunderbolt, and he feels numb from the force of it. Not because he'd care about her romantic status, but because usually he's not one to jump to conclusions. Her bruised fingers may sport no rings, it doesn't mean she's unattached though.

He hands his phone, reasoning he should have her contact in the phone memory just in case. She dials a number and Cassian doesn't even pretend he's not eavesdropping as he turns down the volume of the latest bachata tune. Kes really has a shitty taste, but it's a rule that the driver picks the music, and besides, it's not the point.

"Bodhi, it's me."

"Jyn! Jyn, where are you, are you okay? Jyn, talk to me please, tell me you're fine."

The hysteria of the man carries up to them and even sunny Kes frowns back at the woman in the rearview mirror. Cassian feels in his guts like something is really wrong, this is no hitchhiking business, or someone who stole some stuff at the gas station and didn't wish to be caught.

"Bodhi, for Heaven's sake, calm down, it'll do me no good to have you panicking over nothing. I'm fine, I got out okay, you hear me?"

"You're safe?" the man — apparently named Bodhi — asks in a tiny voice, almost childish, which puzzles Cassian a bit.

"For now I am, they're not going after me. I got a drive to San Diego, I'll search for help there, and I'm going to get you next."

"No! No it's too soon, you gotta stay under the radar, they'll be looking for you, just, just keep on moving. Just for a bit, please, don't, don't stop to San Diego or anywhere yet, just drive around, drive so they won't find you —"

Even without the speaker on, the panicked rant and the hyperventilation that seems to go with it is plainly audible in the car. The nagging feeling is back full force and Captain Andor and Sergeant Dameron look at each other over the console, knowing they've already heard too many things to retain any semblance of frivolity.

"Wait, what do you mean, drive around? I can't just stay on the move for the sake of it, I have to go and see you at some point!"

She's clearly aggravated now but a different voice, gruffier, older, calmer, feels the line suddenly, and the sound of it seems to relax the fugitive.

"Little sister, Bodhi will be okay, Chirrut and I are looking after him. It's you that needs to be careful. They are looking for your father."

That piece of information gave her an unexplainable sense of dread, clearly echoed on her features, and Cassian gets the urge to hold her hand again, to show support or something. Kes has stopped the car completely, pulled it over for now, and all his attention is focused on her distressed face too.

"It's ridiculous, I don't even know what he's up to, let alone where he is!"

"We know that, and Bodhi told them as much, but still. Stay hidden until we can pick you up, not the other way around."

Then the woman — Jyn, his mind supplies automatically — get hung upon, having received all the instruction she needed, or so the man on the other side of the line thought. Jyn is deeply troubled as she hands him the phone back and her scowl doesn't mask her shining eyes.

"I can tell the phone call hasn't gone as well as you expected then... Jyn."

"Obviously, good cop, or whatever your name is. There's not much privacy in that old piece of junk, is it?"

"Hey, I resent that!" Kes exclaims.

"Beg your pardon, it's true that beggars can't be choosers... Does fine specimen of vintage car sounds more respectful?"

Kes snorts as he turns the contact again, resuming their trip, but even as her blatant sarcasm brought a fleeting smile to Cassian's mouth, his best friend clarifies:

"You mistake my meaning, my car is a piece of junk but I'm offended because you thought Cassian was the good cop. Usually that's me! Not to mention I've driven you around so far, I think this is pretty nice of me."

"True," Jyn concedes with a nod, "and it you seems like good enough blokes, as far as cops go, but soon I'll be out of your hair. I must get going, find other ways to move further than San Diego for a few days. I guess you already knew that from my conversation, right?"

"Ignore him," Cassian says pointedly, searching for her conflicted gaze. "Whatever threat you're under, I’d be happy to help, if you think it's necessary. You're also welcome to join us, if you're put in a higher danger when traveling alone."

"Don't you mind him, he's got a hero complex. And he's paranoid," Kes interrupts at her surprised expression.

"I can tell," she mumbles, swiftly putting it back against her full lips — to hide a smile?

Cassian feels offended but doesn't say so, knowing it would just give Kes a topic to rant about, likely revealing a few intimate details to their ungrateful guest in the process. He had just wanted to do the right thing and somehow he's the one being criticized, yet again.

Dameron sees him brooding and after a heartbeat or two of uncomfortable silence, it's him who asks:

"So do you agree? Whoever is chasing you would never catch you as long as you're with us. We're rooting in a tiny village near Mexico City for a week, if you're on the run until someone reaches out, it's a sound plan."

"What would you get from it? For all you know, I might be a criminal, a thief or a murderer."

"We already know you're not above borrowing cars and getting into fistfights. And that someone likely dangerous is looking for your father. We know the name you use, your physical description, the phone number of someone named Bodhi and if needed, there's blood on the tissue. I'd say we're all better off sticking together then, keeping an eye on you, don't you think?"

Kay would have been horrified by Cassian's bluntness, disclosing the assets at their disposal like this, but he trusts Jyn and Kes isn't overly concerned either. Finally Jyn must have thought the offer worthwhile, because she nods, leaning back on her seat and reaching out to a bag of crisps next to her.

"So, where are we headed?"

"Bernal, a pueblo magico three hours away from Mexico City."

[the-master-cylinder]

SUMMARY In 1906, Saxton (Cristopher Lee), a renowned British anthropologist, returns to Europe in the Trans-Siberian from China to Moscow . With it he carries a box containing the frozen remains of a primitive humanoid creature he discovered in a cave in Manchuria. He expects it to be a missing link in human evolution. Dr. Wells (Peter Cushing), Saxton’s friendly rival and his colleague at the Royal Geological Society, is also on board but traveling separately.

Before the train leaves Shanghai, a thief is found dead on the platform. His eyes are completely white, without irises or pupils, and a spectator initially confuses him with a blind man. A Catholic monk, Father Pujardov (Alberto de Mendoza), spiritual advisor to the Polish Count Marion Petrovski (George Rigaud) and Countess Irina Petrovski (Silvia Tortosa), who are also waiting to board the train, warns that the contents of the box that wants to move Saxton is threatened by a prophecy, something that Saxton rejects as a superstition. Saxton’s eagerness to keep his scientific discovery secret awakens the suspicion of Wells who bribes a doorman to investigate the contents of the box. The humanoid that is inside (Juan Olaguivel), the result of defrosting, wakes up and murders the goalkeeper and then escapes.

The humanoid, while traveling the train, finds more victims on its way. Each new victim has the same opaque and white eyes. Autopsies suggest that victims’ brains are draining from memories and knowledge. When the humanoid is shot by police inspector Mirov (Julio Peña), the threat seems to have been eliminated. Saxton and Wells discover that external images are retained by a liquid that is found inside the eyes of corpses that reveal a prehistoric Earth as seen from space. They deduce that the real threat is somehow an amorphous extraterrestrial being that inhabited the humanoid’s body and now resides within the inspector. Pujardov, feeling the presence within the inspector and believing that it is Satan’s, renounce your faith, promising loyalty to the entity.

Russian authorities get news of the murders. An intimidating Cossack officer, Captain Kazan (Telly Savalas), tackles the train with a handful of his men. Kazan believes that rebels are being transported on the train and is only convinced of the alien’s existence when Saxton turns off the lights and Mirov’s eyes shine, revealing that he is the alien’s host. The alien has absorbed the memories of Wells’s assistant, a train engineer and other victims on board, and now seeks the metallurgical knowledge of the Polish count to build a ship with which to escape from Earth. Kazan shoots and kills Mirov, and the alien is transferred to Father Pujardov.

Passengers flee to the freight car while Pujardov kills Kazan, his men and the count, depleting all his memories. Saxton rescues the countess and stops Pujardov at gunpoint. Saxton, after discovering that the bright light prevents the alien from draining minds or transferring to another body, forces Pujardov to enter a well-lit area. The alien Pujardov explains that it is a collective form of energy from another galaxy. Trapped on Earth in a distant past, after being left behind in an accident, he survived for millions of years in the bodies of protozoa, fish and other animals. You cannot live outside a living being for more than a few moments. The alien begs to be saved tempting Saxton with his advanced knowledge of technology and the cure of diseases.

Saxton and the Countess flee but the alien raises all their victims as zombies. Battling down the train Saxton and the countess finally arrive at the tail van where the rest of the survivors have taken refuge. Saxton and Wells work desperately to unhook the tail car from the rest of the train. The Russian government sends a telegram to an intermediate station, ordering them to destroy the train by diverting it by a cut track. Believing that the war has broken out, the station staff starts the maneuvers. The alien takes control of the locomotive. Saxton and Wells, finally, manage to separate the tail van from the rest of the train. The alien tries to stop the locomotive but fails to do so, crossing a barrier of spurs, and plunging into a deep cliff. The tail van rolls precariously at the end of the track before stopping a few inches from the cliff. The survivors leave quickly while Saxton, Wells and the countess contemplate the ravine and witness the explosion that surrounds the train and its supernatural inhabitant.

DEVELOPMENT Pánico en el Transiberiano better known as Horror Express, stars British horror icons Peter Cushing and Christopher Lee, Greek-American Telly “Kojak” Savalas, Argentinean Jorge Rigaud and a host of well-known Spanish actors. The director, Eugenio Martin explains how his first full-blooded horror movie got off the ground: “When I made Horror Express, I was under a three-movie contract with Phil Yordan, although he had somebody else (Bernard Gordon) fronting this project, and the picture was made as an Anglo-Spanish co-production.”

The inclusion in the distribution of the two icons of the British producer ” Hammer Films “, Christopher Lee and Peter Cushing , helped to give more prestige to the production. Both had a separate contract to film a movie with Yordan, so he thought it would be a good idea to put them together in a film. The duo ” Hammer ” was joined by Telly Savalas , very popular at the time for ” Kojack “, the well-known detective TV series, which he accepted without hesitation, since he was joined by a certain friendship with Eugenio Martín . “Suggested to unite the two and everything was on wheels. The script was sent to the two actors, it was also talked to Telly Savalas who had just worked with me on ‘Pancho Villa’. We got along very well and then we gathered three great stars .

Different sources variously credit the final screenplay of Horror Express to any or all of the following: Martin himself, Arnaud D’Usseau and occasionally to Julian Halevy (a pseudonym of Julian Zimet, who also cowrote Psychomania with D’Usseau). As becomes clear from the synopsis, the end result of these scribes’ efforts is a veritable patchwork of themes and styles, verging on pastiche.

Much of the film’s technical team was Spanish. The reason for the inclusion of native professionals was purely economic. The Spanish technicians were very competent, and did not charge large sums of money for their work. They were not imposed by the director. “No, more than an imposition of mine, that was the result of an economic approach by Philip Yordan and Bernard Gordon. They just had the idea to say; ‘As in Spain, the cost of filming is cheaper, there are good technicians … what does Spain need? International figures in the cast. Well, I take international stars and employ national technicians. ‘ Even as a director, he spoke with several people he knew in Spain and at that time I was well placed because he had made a film that had worked. You already know that in the cinema a director is up or down according to the last movie he made, and mine made money and my name sounded right away and also the circumstance occurred that he could speak in English, not perfectly but he defended me, and we had a meeting and we understood each other very well. By the way, Gordon spoke a little Spanish and asked me: where have you learned English Eugenio? And I told him the truth, that he had learned doing some courses at the University of Granada. And your Spanish?; In the tavern, in the tavern!  And that told me that this guy had more talent than me”

“For the opening scenes,” Martin recalls, “we used a real locomotive filmed at Madrid’s main rail terminal, dressed to resemble the Chinese station at the turn of the century. For the interior shots, we constructed a number of cars in the studio. To get the effect of movement, we built them on rocking hydraulic platforms. We’d run through the rehearsals with the carriages in static mode, and once the camera started to roll, we’d set them in motion. There was a revolving backdrop to achieve the effect of scenery flashing past the windows, and we used the usual dry ice machine to simulate steam and fog. It was all perfectly simple and straightforward. We intercut these scenes with long shots of the model train, and I think the final effect was pretty convincing.”

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“Anyhow,” Martin continues, “the producer had got a hold of this marvelous large scale model train which had been used in the movie Nicholas and Alexandra (1971), and he came up with the idea of writing a script just so he would be able to use this prop. Now at that time, Phil was in the habit of buying up loads of short stories to adapt into screenplays, and the story for Horror Express was originally based on a tale written by a little-known American scriptwriter and playwright

Beyond its first-rate technical qualities, Horror Express is superbly acted by all involved. Martin has nothing but fond memories of his three “foreign” stars. “Working with Peter Cushing, Christopher Lee and Telly Savalas was an absolute delight,” he says. “Apart from being wonderful people, they were tremendously responsible and professional. I found Telly to be the more “emotional’ one as an actor, while Peter and Christopher were rather more rational, so to speak. I mean, if we occasionally strayed from what was written on the page, they seemed to be at a bit of a loss, whereas Telly was always more open to improvisation, to playing it by ear, so I’d say that from my personal point of view, Telly was more fun’ to direct in that sense. But the three of them gave perfect performances; they were magnificent.”

“From the beginning the casting was Telly Savalas who had just shot with us. Christopher Lee and Peter Cushing had a principle of agreement to shoot another film. They were sent the script, it seemed good and they accepted. Martín says that Cushing, depressed by the death of his wife, did not want to work. The grief and loneliness I felt were very strong. It was his partner Christopher Lee who had to convince him to continue in the film. ” It turned out that as Cushing did not want to work because he had an obsession that he felt very lonely, that he wanted to leave and it was Lee who told Bernard Gordon and me; Quiet and do not worry and leave it to me that tonight I talk to him at the hotel. I think it was a day or two before filming and Christopher Lee told him; ‘Well Peter, tomorrow we were to go together to the filming in the car and such’, and Cushing stared at him and did not say anything and they started the movie . ”  Despite feeling very affected by the death of his wife, Cushing, he behaved at all times with great education and professionalism. ” Exquisite. In the first place he was a man who dragged his recent pain over that death. But it is also that his way of being and behaving was so polite and helpless that we all appreciate it immediately in a unique way . “

“Alejandro already had a great experience when he made this movie. He was a very fast man in his work. It was a standard type of photography, but using the standard word in the best sense. I mean, it was a pretty American photograph, where you could see everything and there was always a lot of volume, many shadows, many shades between lights and shadows that gave a tone to the film very similar to the American ‘B’ series films, which is what we wanted, and in that sense he did it very well and very quickly. I am very happy with Alejandro’s photography . – Eugenio Martín on Cinematographer Alejando Ulloa

Director Eugenio Martín

Horror Express is just one of your many fantastic pictures. When did you realize that you wanted to spend your life in cinema? EUGENIO MARTIN: When I was a child. After the Spanish Civil War, we had no money to go to movies. But every time I was lucky enough to see you, I just went to the street, surrounded by other poor children, to tell you about the picture of the first. I succeeded in getting my “audience” enthralled that I supposed I was a jester, a buffoon. Telling tales suited me.

The film was produced by Bernard Gordon and written in part by Julian Zimet (as Julian Halevy) and Arnaud D’Usseau, three expatriate victims of the McCarthy witchhunts. Do you think any socialist politics ever made their way into the storythe creature’s persecution, perhaps? EUGENIO MARTIN: Well, first of all, Arnaud D’Usseau actually did not write anything for the script at all. In order to use the train we had left Pancho Villa, D’Usseau and Gordon sent him away. The actual authors of our script were Zimet, Gordon and myself. We understood each other so well on a human level, we got so nicely, that there was no need to actually discuss any political leanings. Anyway, I have so much their situation, the exile situation. It was very difficult for them. Whether or not any of that is in the film. who’s to say? You can find many underpinnings in almost all good stories if you look hard enough. But we never did that kind of writing on purpose.

Horror Express What the first movie Peter Cushing made the death of his wife Helen, and he almost did not do it. What are your memories of him? EUGENIO MARTIN: Peter was not only a marvelous professional, but also a very sweet person. He touched his fingers, made him feel more vulnerable, so he loved him on screen and off.

How about Christopher Lee? EUGENIO MARTIN: He was very easy to direct, a perfect professional as well. He never missed a line, never made a wrong movement. As an actor and as a human being, just terrific. He was very happy making the picture, I might add, and used to sing opera arias and Russian folk songs all the time on set God

I understand the commercial need to put on an international cast in thesis sorts of films, but having a bald , Savalas in the movie was opening an eccentric touch. What is some of that performance improvised? EUGENIO MARTIN: Oh yes, I gave more freedom to Savalas because of his having had a bit of baroque madness thrown in. It was a nice contrast with the mannered English of Cushing and Lee, and his performance is a highlight of the film , As far as the rest of the cast, the Spanish actors in the film spoke enough to manage, so it all worked well.

Jon Cacavas’ score is just great, all based on that eerie whistled refrain we hear almost as soon as the movie fades in. EUGENIO MARTIN: You’re right-it’s a brilliant piece of work. The sinister whistle of the creature! I could not work with Cacavas did much Either in pre- or post-production, Because we were solving many production problems elsewhere, so I just entrusted the music to him, and it paid off. Actually, we ran a great risk with him. INITIALLY. He was a good musician and a good friend of Savalas, but he was new to movies. When Savalas proposes him to Gordon, he asked, “Salary?” And Savalas replied: “He does not get any money.” He is a beginner in film. This pleased Gordon, of course, who gave him the job!

Did you treat the movie as “product” while making it, or did you aspire to greater heights? EUGENIO MARTIN: It seems to me that you use the word “product” in a sort of negative way. This film is a simple and beautiful adventure story with no pretensions, but with fantasy and subtle humor in its narrative, and that’s perfectly fine. It’s never needed to be anything else. I’m sure that if we had attempted to introduce an original theme or tried to make a movie, the result would have been false. Let’s remind you of David Mamet’s words that I think are very true: “For centuries, people have tried to change their lives, to influence them . ” I concur.

PRODUCTION/SPECIAL EFFECTS In charge of special FX was Pablo Pérez, who, like Martin himself, had worked on a number of movies during the heyday of Hispano-U.S. co-productions; he subsequently handled the FX on Paul Naschy’s Dracula’s Great Love in 1972 and Amando de Ossorio’s Templar opus Night of the Seagulls in 1975. “Pablo had done a lot of work on American productions, and in fact, the materials he used when we made Horror Express were stuff left behind when the Samuel Bronston outfit packed up their operations in Spain.”

The special makeup for the creature’s victims consisted basically of bright red blood flowing from eyes, mouths and noses and grotesque, bulging blank eyeballs like the eyes of boiled fish,” as one character remarks. To achieve the desired effect, chief makeup artist Julian Ruiz had special contact lenses made by Madrid opticians Óptica Collet-all white ones for the corpses and red ones for the bodies possessed by the alien.

Pablo Pérez helped with his ” FX ” to make the film’s tricks credible, and the makeup artist Julián Ruiz frightened a whole generation with his ” Zombies “”, The hominid creature found by Lee at the beginning of the film, the brain dissection of the key-keeper and the fluorescent red eyes. This effect was achieved by placing a few tiny bulbs to the red lenses of the prosthesis placed in the eyes of the actors. The bulbs were charged with a small battery powered by the actor himself. More complications brought the white lenses of the ” Living Dead “. A Madrid optician made them in exchange for the establishment’s name appearing in the credits, but the desired effect was not achieved. After two months of testing, it was possible to create white contact lenses through which nothing could be seen. The actor was totally blind.

“The most important effects were those of the contact lenses because at that time there were no means and we had to do a lot of tests before starting the shooting, we even got to establish a kind of contract with an optics house, one of the main ones in Madrid at that moment. An agreement was reached to sign the name of that company in the film. With this company we spent two months doing tests but that did not work. It was very difficult and in the end it worked on the basis that the actor was blind because with the lens he was wearing he could not see anything, then of course, the actor could not be told to perform a long or complicated scene because he did not see anything. It was the hardest thing to solve. It is good but at that time a problem that did not have to be, gave us problems to solve it.”

When the actors were totally blind when the contact lenses were placed, they had to walk with great care for the decoration. ” There was always a previous test. In the trial the actor already knew what he had to do. I had to walk five steps … be careful with a small table on the left … Always with a little trial and error. It even seemed to include a bit of mystery . ”

Let’s talk about the creature created by the make-up artist Julian Ruiz and let’s uncover the mystery. Who interpreted it? ” He was played by a very big guy, very clumsy. Juan Olaguivel, was a beast. It was hard to explain things to her because it was very closed. We took it, not only because it was already a monster , but because it had this aspect “.

The American composer of Greek origin John Cacavas , recommended by Savalas himself, was the author of the famous main theme. A simple melody that takes center stage when listening to the conductor interpreted by Victor Israel while he whistles her during his chores. ” The musician brought Telly Savalas. He was a friend of his from Greece and Telly wanted to give this musician a chance. He made the proposal to me and to Philip Yordan and then he gave us to listen to some things about him and I liked them a lot. I passed a report to Yordan and he asked me, “How much does it charge?” , and since I was going to charge little I accept and in effect, it was a success. I think it was very good . “

CONCLUSION ” Panic in the Trans-Siberian ” sold very well all over the world . In the Spanish billboard had a moderate acceptance. Martín blamed the little repercussion at the box office on the political climate that Spain was experiencing in the first half of the 1970s. “In America, in England … Everywhere. It worked much better than in Spain. Here it premiered at a very bad time. It was the end of Francoism and it was a time when in Spain or you made a film that supported anti-Francoism or you were a pariah, you were nothing in the cinema. At that time, making a fantastic movie had no interest for Spanish critics. Then the time has passed and they have said … ‘Hey, well, if it turns out that this movie is okay’, but they have had to spend many years ” .

At present it is a film very appreciated in great part of the world. His director is invited to Festivals and shows to talk about the most remembered film of his entire extensive filmography. ” Yes, I notice it because sometimes they invite me to talk about her and I tell them, but do you really want to talk about something that was done so many years ago?  Sometimes I do not explain it, but in finish. Bernard Gordon has told me; ‘You cannot imagine what they asked me. I go to universities and places to talk about this film ‘and I have been amazed, really . ”

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In his autobiography, Lee recalls his dissatisfaction with conditions at what he calls the “unspeakable, ghastly studio.” Although the Studio 70 complex had only recently been inaugurated, with a mere four films being shot there prior to Horror Express, it appears that the quality of the food and dressing rooms, among other things, were far below Lee’s expectations. Fortunately, a gentle reproach from Cushing brought him down to earth, and Lee gave another fine performance despite his off screen tribulations. The old magic evident in most Lee/Cushing collaborations is clearly present here, as in the scene where the pair sets off to track down the creature’s latest human host. The wary Inspector Mirov protests, “The two of you together. That’s fine. But what if one of you is the monster?” Cushing and Lee exchange a look of indignation, and the former delivers the priceless retort, “Monster? We’re British, you know!” Horror Express proved to be a big success, both financially and critically, almost everywhere-except in Spain. “Yes, it went down really well abroad, but nobody thought much of it here,” sighs the director. “The Spanish critics reviewed it following their usual negative criteria, writing it off as nothing more than a throwaway commercial sub-product for mass consumption, and as such unworthy of serious attention. Actually, I was a bit surprised myself at the film’s popularity overseas, but it didn’t really do a great deal for my subsequent career.”

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CAST/CREW Christopher Lee as Professor Sir Alexander Saxton Peter Cushing as Dr. Wells Silvia Tortosa as Countess Irina Petrovski (dubbed by Olive Gregg) Telly Savalas as Captain Kazan Alberto de Mendoza as Father Pujardov (dubbed by Robert Rietti) Helga Liné as Natasha (dubbed by Olive Gregg) Alice Reinheart as Miss Jones (dubbed by Olive Gregg) Julio Peña as Inspector Mirov (dubbed by Roger Delgado) Ángel del Pozo as Yevtushenko José Jaspe as Conductor Konev George Rigaud as Count Marion Petrovski Víctor Israel as Maletero the baggage man Faith Clift as American passenger (credited as Faith Swift) Juan Olaguivel as the Creature (credited as Juan Olaguibel) Barta Barri as First telegraphist

Production Design Ramiro Gómez (as Gomez Ramiro)

Set Decoration by Ramiro Gómez

Makeup Department Rafael Berraquero assistant makeup artist Fernando Florido makeup artist Romana González assistant hair stylist Julián Ruiz makeup supervisor

Special Effects Pablo Pérez special effects Fernando Pérez special effects (uncredited) Visual Effects by Brian Stevens optical effects

CREDITS/REFERENCES/SOURCES/BIBLIOGRAPHY Monsterworld No. 2 September 2007 Famous Monsters of Filmland#105 Fangoria#186 Fangoria#305 Starburst Magazine 419

Horror Express (1972) Retrospective SUMMARY In 1906, Saxton (Cristopher Lee), a renowned British anthropologist, returns to Europe in the Trans-Siberian from China to Moscow .

[animeride-blog]

The Importance of Every Supernova https://animeride.com/blogs/6130/the-importance-of-every-supernova/ #11Supernova, #BasilHawkins, #CaponeBege, #EustassKid, #JewelryBonney, #Killer, #Luffy, #ScratchmenApoo, #SuperNova, #TrafalgarLaw, #Urouge, #XDrake, #Zoro

New Post has been published on https://animeride.com/blogs/6130/the-importance-of-every-supernova/

The Importance of Every Supernova

After the 2 year Time-Skip and the subsequent affiliations of Supernovas with Yonkou Crews and the less screen time  i thought Oda had given up on these Supernovas or didn’t intend to deliver on the hype he once promised. But that changed with Chapter 837 with the shocking revelation of what Urogue did in WHI and later on Capone which meant Supernovas were coming back in the game and it made me realize their importance to the story. This is me King, The Pirate King, with a discussion and speculations on these Supernovas.

Mad Monk Urouge

If you’re caught up with the Manga, you will know the stock of this man has risen from a nobody to one of the most favorite and one of the most hyped up Worst Generation Members at this point of the story. He seemed to be lost in the in the middle of all the spotlight the other Supernovas were getting but Oda made sure to give him one moment that was enough to divert the fans’ attention towards him, taking down a Sweet Commander of Big Mom Pirates. He managed to gain a feat not even Kidd could pull off and this is clear induction Oda has big plans for him. He was there when Kaido was first introduced and it won’t surprise me, in fact it’s likely that he will join his fellow Supernovas in the war against Kaido, which seems to be the only way Kaido could be taken down. With the power of all the Supernovas.

X Drake

Although neglected, there are some fans who realize he is a special case. First off, he is a former marine now turned pirate, quite similar to his father. That already makes him intresting as it can open up the possibilities of him being a spy of marines, sent to spy on pirates, especially on Kaido. As we now know, it’s not impossible that there can be World Government presence among the Yonkous with chapter 871. He could be giving crucial info to Marines for all we know. Moving away from that, he was the first of his generation to make a move against Yonkous and although he did end up joining Kaido, because what other choice you can have against him, it’s almost a certainty he will turn on Kaido when he sees others of his generation going against the monstrous creature. Though he may not turn on Kaido till the very end if he isn’t a spy since he seems to be fine working under Kaido. He will see a right opportunity and then make his move.

Basil Hawkins.

This one is a strange case, he hasn’t done anything noteworthy nor his power seems to be that impressive. His future seems to be not so bright at this moment but Oda can always give him some spotlight like he has given to others. He was last seen when confrontations by Kaido and it’s unknown what happened to him. Although i’d prefer if he died to make the story more intriguing but we know that won’t happen so i atleast hope he got beaten down badly before he escaped or he could’ve joined Kaido as well like the next person on this list. His prediction skills are very handy and if i have to guess, it might have to do with Observations Haki or that and a combination of his DF powers. In which case, expect him to get an upgrade in the future that may blow our minds.

Scratchmen Apoo

Apoo so far has come off to me like Blackbeard in the sense that he knows when and against who to pick his fight. He will sacrifice others if necessary and do anything to get out of harms way. He more than likely joined Kaido out of fear of his life with the intention of backstabbing him anyways if the right opportunity presents itself. Which should be the war against Kaido where he should do something impressive but i don’t see him going far afterwards. While others may have bright futures ahead of them, i see Apoo and Hawkins aa characters who can either be killed or caught after Wano is over. But having said that, i can see Hawkins being an ally to Luffy and helping him out in the Final War. His Prediction skills will be very helpful and add the needed drama when the story demands it.

Capone Bege

This man went from one of the most despised Supernovas to one of the most liked and maybe one of the respected ones in the space of one arc. He may still be an ass but he has shown he cares for his family and subordinates at the very least which is why i have overlooked his actions again Pekoms earlier in the arc. He was given a good amount of spotlight and featured prominently in the current arc and hope he can be a part of Wano as well because Strawhats need as much firepower as they can have. With his wife with the Strawhats currently, a door of possibility has opened up for it if he his wife leaves WHI with Strawhats and he chases them to Wano, finding himself involved in the fight against Kaido and his army. Expect him to be featured prominently again in Wano if that’s the case.

Monkey D Luffy

We all know who he is, what he has done and what he will do so there isn’t much to explain here but here’s hoping we can see the full extent of his power in Wano as evidence suggests not only we have yet to see the full power of his Gear 4th but he seems to be hiding something even more powerful than Gear 4th if you look at his conversation with Rayleigh. As much as i want it to be Gear 5th, it likely won’t be because Rayleigh has taught him this power so it maybe Haki related or some type of technique he can use against Kaido as the finishing blow. I can already picture each of the Supernovas dealing their finishing blows to Kaido to weaken him, after which Luffy delivers the final blow.

Roronoa Zoro

We can all agree Wano will be Zoro’s arc in terms of character work. He is bound to get a backstory or if not, develop some type of bond with the Samurais and end up gaining the respect of all of them when it’s all said and done. Expect there to be a possible conflict over the Shisui Swords as the Samurais may possibly want it back or let him keep it by the end of the arc when he earns their respect and proves himself worthy of the sword. It’s also possible he will give them the Shisui anyways and be awarded with some other high grade sword or a fire sword since Zoro wants one.

We should finally see him go all out and hopefully be able to 1v1 a commander or the Shougan by showing what he learned over the 2 years of training with Mihawk. Who knows, maybe we will see him open his eye too.

Eustass Kidd

This guy needs to do a lot of work for himself to get back the lost respect of the community if and when he escapes Kaido’s hands. He was shown to be a savage before Timeskip even having a higher bounty than Luffy and presented as his Rival. He was attacking Big Mom’s ship then planning to kill Shanks before being manhandled by Kaido in chapter 795. Even though he got a big loss, expect him to bounce back from it in Wano and be a big factor in the fight against Kaido. Even after that, he will grow more stronger possible pull of feats that will gain him more recognition among Pirates and Marine’s alike. Even though i may not like him much, he could end up being an Admiral level character by end of story.

Killer

Another big mysterious character. Other than Zoro he is one who is vice cptain and part of the supernovas. We have last seen killer when Kaido jumped to their base. Along with Hawkings, Apoo and Kid he was present there. But if you are a Manga reader , you now know the fate of Kid and Apoo. Hawkings and Killer just vanished. I can speculate for Hawkings , that he may be allied with the Beast pirates out of fear, but Killer most probly didn’t. His captain was ass kicked by Kaido and he was very loyal to Kid. Two of the big possibility being Kid ordered him to flee and ask for help or he himself escaped to help Kid in some other ways. But he will play a big role in Wano. That’s for sure !

Trafalgar Law

Law could possibly have one of the biggest roles in Wano if not the biggest if we go by the foreshadowing and whatnot. Without a doubt he will be one of the major contributers in Kaido’s defeat, maybe he can deal a similar devastating blow like he did to Doflamingo, weakening him in the process. There all sorts about him sacrificing his life in the battle to save Luffy as thanks for defeating Doflamingo for him. Seeing as he is a D, keeping in mind all Ds have a tendency to sacrifice themselves, it’s not beyond the realm of possibility so him do it. But if there is a chance he may survive, we can see him grow up to be a true monster in terms of power by the end of story. He can also help take on Admiral Greenbull in the Final War if that honor doesn’t goes to Jimbie or Usopp.

 Jewelry Bonney

She has the interest of majority of fans if not all by now and has one of the most talked about and mysterious backgrounds. Once an afterthought, she now has incredible importance to the story leading to some mind boggling speculations like she is keeping the Gorosei Younger, She is Whitebeard’s child or even Ace’s lover. Some have even gone as far as to say she is related to Akainu, possibly his daughter. Whatever it maybe, it’s no secret that she is very important to the WG and they can not afford to lose track of her as Akainu himself stated “it sent a chill down my spine when i heard you escaped”. Be prepared to get your mind blown away with some in classic Oda Style whenever the revelation happens. Could be as soon as Wano as she is the 1 of the 3 Supernovas who have yet to join the Wano War, if majority of them are there, these 3 may as well be to for an epic clash!!

So what are your thoughts regarding this ? Comment your opinions below !