#empires FANS however are the ones who sent me up on that stage to get my ass kicked in the first place

[pyrosomatic-metamorphosis]

scott smajor dragging me into the empires fandom via the unsettling and continuous Threat of being the one to destroy everything he loves with an eternal frost that he can't control

[scope-dogg]

Super Beast Machine God Dancouga: Final Thoughts

“It’s complicated” can be a big of a copout when you’re weighing up whether to recommend something or not. In the case of this show and its trio of follow-up OVAs, it genuinely is kind of complicated. There was a lot I already liked about Dancouga even before I started watching - several of its soundtracks have had pride of place in my music playlists for years now, while the robot itself has been one of my favourite super robot designs for just as long, that being mostly fuelled by the machine’s status as a long-time Super Robot Wars stalwart. The same series made me a fan of the head pilot Shinobu Fujiwara and his trademark warcry of “YATTE YARUZE.” That said, I already went in with my expectations tempered by other opinions I’ve seen the generally weren’t quite so favourable as my expectations might have been.

Well, now I’ve seen it. In many ways, I really did enjoy it - the music is even better in its proper context, it’s cool to see where all the moves that Dancouga busts out in SRW came from, and Shinobu and the rest of the cast are as entertaining as I might have imagined in the primary material. Above all else, it surprised me by throwing in some ideas that were pretty original by the standards of its time, and some that are unique even compared to the rest of the genre as a whole. I really did enjoy a good amount of genuine enjoyment from the experience.

That doesn’t mean, however, that I’m going to recommend it. In fact, I just straight up don’t.

You see, there’s a lot of bad to go with the good in the show’s original anime run, to the degree that calling it “a mixed bag” would be too disingenuous. A promising start with some pretty great animation and production values quickly gives way to a level of quality that ranges from mediocre to shockingly poor, not only by today’s standards but those of the time. I don’t know the behind-the-scenes story of the show’s production, but it’s blatantly obvious that they found themselves out of money hilariously quickly, and they end up limping along on a shoestring budget. Stock footage abuse, animation errors, and just cheap and shoddy-looking artwork in general pile up until the result is a production that looks genuinely amateurish at times.

It’s a shame, because it’s a disservice to a show that’s actually fairly interesting in a lot of ways. The premise of Earth being invaded by an alien empire isn’t new, but typically shows of this setup from this era of anime follow a predictable pattern - a squad of hot-blooded youngsters is promptly assembled, thrown into the show’s resident giant robot, and sent off to fight off the aliens for as many formulaic monster-of-the-week style episodes as necessary. Here things aren’t so simple - there is the requisite squad of plucky youngsters, but it takes time for the team to properly assemble and to master their machine - in fact, they don’t even combine into Dancouga until the show’s halfway in. That’s actually more interesting than it sounds, because it means that the individual machines that make up Dancouga get a lot more screentime than they otherwise would in a show like Combattler V, for instance, which is cool because each of the four different ones has a vehicle form, a bestial animal form, and a humanoid configuration. 

It also allows for the setting to be more interesting - humanity’s war against the Muge Zorbados invaders is more interesting than conflicts of this nature tend to be in old super robot shows. Instead of sending one gimmicky monster or robot at a time, the invasion comes in force, and the enemy takes over much of the world while the heroes of the Cyber Beast Force are still building themselves up. The war ends up being more of an asymmetrical war of resistance involving all of mankind rather than hinging solely on duels between the protagonists and the monster of the week. The invaders themselves are more interesting than usual as well, as the egos of each of the invading generals clash with one another. By far the most interesting villain is Shapiro Keats, a fellow member of the academy that the leads Shinobu, Sara, Masato and Ryo attended, whose megalomania leads him to betray mankind and defect to the aliens in a bid to elevate his own power and prestige and fulfil his own delusions of godhood. A lot of the challenges that the CBF face in the early parts of the show come more from Shapiro’s treachery and clever planning rather than gimmicky alien technologies.

However, while it has interesting ideas, the show never seems to be able to pull them off to their full potential. Ironically it’s Dancouga’s long-awaited and heavily-hyped arrival that heralds the death of much of the interesting elements to the story. In addition to being the biggest casualty of the show’s animation budget, Dancouga’s not implemented in a very interesting way in the show’s original anime run - whereas before battles were a test of the protagonists’ skill and strategy, Dancouga’s overpowering nature trivialises much of the action. It doesn’t help that its repertoire is limited to punching, shooting lasers, and on special occasions shooting a really big laser. As a result, the show loses momentum as it enters its final stages, as Dancouga just bulldozes over Muge Zorbados’ armies. It’s also around this time that the writers lose touch with what makes Shapiro Keats an interesting villain. He was compelling because of his sheer lack of redeeming features and total megalomania, yet more and more focus gets pushed onto his past romance with Sara, the show’s female co-protagonist. It seems like we’re meant to sympathise with him and her because of this lovers-to-anime arc, but Shapiro never ends up being anything less than a vile piece of shit with no redeeming features that leaves you boggling at what Sara could have ever possibly seen in him, and rolling your eyes whenever she’s shown to be struggling with having to fight him. Ultimately, the plot culminates in what must have been an awfully unsatisfying cliffhanger at the time.

However, that wasn’t the show’s real end, because it went on to spawn several OVAs. The first is Requiem for Victims, which portrays the final confrontation with Muge Zorbados. This is an immediate improvement in many ways, getting many things right that the show got badly wrong. First of all, the animation is far superior, as you might expect from an OVA - the difference is beyond night and day. Furthermore, it gives Dancouga some more interesting weapons and attacks to work with, and explores more of what makes it special as a machine beyond just being big and powerful. In spite of this, it also features the most fraught and exciting fights that it ever takes part in. Overall, it’s a massive improvement.

The peak, however, is probably the next OVA in line, God Bless Dancouga - taking place some time after Requiem, it’s got the best production values of anything with the Dancouga named attached. The story isn’t anything to write home about if I’m being honest, but it’s not bad either - if all you want is to see the characters interact with one another, then it ticks all the boxes. The animation is absolutely superb the whole way through, and while Dancouga doesn’t actually have a great deal of screentime, it makes it count big time when it does - chances are if you saw it use a cool attack in an SRW game, it got used first in this OVA.

I was really hoping that the OVAs could go three for three and pull off a great conclusion that’d make the time spent worth it, but that sadly wasn’t the case. Blazing Epilogue is a 4-parter that starts off promisingly plot-wise, but the production values are for the most part not up to the standards set by God Bless Dancouga or even Requiem for Victims - it’s not as bad as the original series, but it’s not especially good by the standards of 1990 when it was released. Worse is the fact that while the plot’s pretty good in episodes 1 through 3, it lets itself down for the finale, wrapping things up in an abrupt way that ended up making the whole exercise feel fairly pointless. It’s a total anticlimax and a weak way to wrap things up.

Of course, that wasn’t the absolute end, as the show got a modern sequel in the shape of Dancouga Nova in the 2000s, but I’m saving that for another day - it features all-new characters and is by all accounts very different from the original. As for the original Dancouga saga, like I said to open - it’s complicated. Personally, I think I enjoyed myself more than I didn’t - but I also don’t think that’d hold true for most people. I came to this already endeared to the robot, characters, and certain aspects of its presentation to the degree, and that helped me to power through a lot of the rockier moments in this so that I could see them in their original incarnation. For other people who aren’t super robot addicts like me, I just think the lows are too low and the highs aren’t high or numerous enough to warrant it being worth most people’s time.

[shadowofthelamp]

What would you think of a tak zim and dib ship? I actually considered writing a fic about it cause I had a point where it sounded like a good ship, still does, but I find it really difficult to understand, but I wouldn't really be sure how to write them, actually how do you write the zim dib and keef ship?

So, fun fact: When I first got on tumblr at 12-going-on-13, I actually liked DaTr more than ZaDr! However, I was never really much a fan of ZaTr- I guess I just couldn’t find the appeal yet. More under the cut because this got weirdly long and I talked myself into liking it, OOPS. Mostly about Tak bc y’all already know how I like ZaDr. For my analysis for kazadr, you can just go into my kazadr tag, it’s pretty short atm and I don’t have a ton to add to the analysis posts in there yet. (The ‘aip dad keef au’ one is longer and has more, but has aip stuff like mpreg, depends on if that floats your boat or not.)

I think she’s only fun if you play into the fact that she’s objectively defective too- she spent SIX MONTHS traveling to some backwater hellhole just to ruin the life of a guy who didn’t know she existed and who the Tallests themselves sent her, no matter how much she insists it isn’t ‘about revenge’. She had to know Zim’s mission was fake if she even knew where he was, especially considering her comment about how the Tallests don’t consider Earth valuable. She’s desperate and clings to her own ideals and is in denial about her own defects because she’s actually competent- she’s sort of like Zim in that way, in that she’s sure what she wants is what’s better for the Empire, no matter what everyone else says she should do. In her case, she’s probably right, but she’s still clearly more ruled by emotion than she’s willing to admit considering she didn’t just take her job on Dirt.

The Empire works against both of them, but in Zim’s case, it’s all his own fault because when he IS trusted it never works out, but in hers, it’s frustratingly out of her hands. Zim just brushes aside when he isn’t supposed to do things because surely whatever he does will work out because he’s Zim, she knows full well that she’s going against orders but overprepares so it will be considered impressive enough to forgive the transgression. They’re kind of on the same scale, Zim’s just unaware of the possibility of failure while she knows it all too well.

She relates to him more than she’d like to admit- or more than he’d realize. It’d infuriate her to know that, though- she’s Tak, she’s not a defect like him! But his distaste of her comes mostly from her trying to steal his mission- if they were able to find a way to meet without aggression and she actually had to sit down and listen to him, really listen and strip past all the pomp and idiocy, there’s sparks of genius down there that she unwittingly would admire a bit. Likewise, he could admit that there’s something to be said for her plan and her skills, skills that the Empire was basically wasting. Like his! They might be a good team, if she apologizes for trying to take his mission!

Huh. I think I just talked myself into not minding it.

Anyway, as for all three of them: I liked DaTr both because they disliked Zim and because by the end of the series, Dib’s attitude of ‘well, no one is going to respect me, but at least I can do this to feel half-decent about myself and because no one else is competent enough to’ would dovetail nicely with the resignation she’d probably have if she was stranded on Earth or otherwise kept from rejoining the empire. The Membrane family are the only humans she half-respects because they proved themselves capable of standing up to her tech and figuring out her plan, so she ends up sort of studying him as a potential tool. Most likely she pretends to have a truce and uses it to study his weaknesses for future betrayal but finds a kindred spirit in the process. 

Whichever one she ends up with first, they basically come as a package deal, so she’s got to get used to both of them. Maybe they all end up bonding over working on machinery together? She cobbled her own SIR together, after all, probably out of literal trash- she’s likely quite a good mechanic, so having partners prove they’re good at something is a good step. 

Even more than Zim, she’d resist and resist HARD the thought that love and affection is something that she can experience. She’s not like Zim, she’s a normal irken, and those things simply don’t exist for someone like her... right? Nevermind how she treats MiMi, nevermind how she abandoned her post to seek out someone who’d already been considered adequately dealt-with by the Tallest themselves. She’s never been quite comfortable just being an interchangeable piece in the machine. A piece, sure- she was eager to become a soldier, and one of the most important soldiers- but not an interchangeable one. She was going to help propel the Empire to greatness even if she had to bend a few rules to do it, and hearing her own thoughts echoed out of Zim’s mouth just drives her hackles up, because how dare he try and pretend they’re the same? 

She doesn’t know how to process that affection when she’s given it, and it probably has to start with them gaining her respect before she even considers letting them close enough to have the crisis over affection. It’s an awkward, fumbly thing- Dib’s no good at this, Zim’s even worse, and she just freaks out at the realization that she actually kind of does want this??? Maybe??? DID THEY SOMEHOW GET INTO HER PAK AND INFECT IT WITH GOOPY WARM THINGS, WHAT IS THIS.

They’d have to start with mutual understanding and truce first- it’s very much an enemies to friends to lovers over the enemies to lovers speedrun I kinda like with ZaDr. It’s only when they spend so much together because none of them are particular fans of humanity and only feel like the others understand them that they begin to bond, and then as Dib ages, his feelings get mixed up, and it ends up dragging the other two into that with him as they’re the only two that he really spends much time with and enjoys the company enough to like and begin fumbling through the first stages of an actual romantic relationship with. 

[rvdispatch]

EPISODE TWO SUMMARY

Episode Two aired on May 7th, 2021, on MNet. 

Episode Two gave us our first big challenge, dividing the trainees into teams and getting them to learn nine songs-- which songs they would be performing, however, wasn’t up to them. The goal of episode two was to see the trainees bonding, tensions rising, and to show how the trainees acting under significant pressure, seeing as this turned out to be the biggest challenge in the history of all three seasons. But little did they know, so much more was about to happen.

The episode started with the trainees waking up in the dorm. Shots were shown of various trainees getting ready, be it alone or in groups. Then producers lead them to the main stage, so they can be given their next challenge. Before that happens, however, each grade group votes for their team leader, with the results being Hwa as A grade leader, Ilhoon as B grade leader, Hope as C grade leader, and Minah as D grade leader.

When the challenge is announced, most trainees meet the description with a look of confusion– to help the viewers understand, MNet provides step-by-step graphics on how the episode play out. And then the teams are made. They are all are assigned a laptop with the songs, lyrics and choreography loaded and a room to practice in for the week, with many trainees noting in their confessionals that they had been given these songs to practice before the show started-- some of them revealing that they perfected the songs, and others revealing that they hadn’t practiced at all. 

All the groups watch the nine performances together in their respective rooms, with competitors ranging from excited to focused to scared. The trainees from Liberty, in particular, seem especially stressed about learning so much choreography so quickly.

In Team One, Hyunjoo takes the reins as the natural leader of the group. Not only did he compete on the previous season, where they had a challenge much like this one, but he and Eunyeol are the only trainees in this group that aren’t foreigners, and Eunyeol is a Liberty trainee. Despite how Hyunjoo typically comes off, he is a very helpful and patient leader to his teammates, going the extra mile to re-coordinate choreography formations so everyone gets a part that they know somewhat well. 

Team Two is definitely a little more split-- While Ilhoon, Minsuk and Inho all are familiar with working with each other, it leaves the other two trainees feeling a little left out. Ilhoon does his best to keep everyone included, but when the choreography is being put together, it’s clear that there’s a disconnect between the Higher trainees, and the other two.

Team Three skews particularly young, with Haebi, Kahoru and Shiyin all being underage and fairly new to being a trainee. With Hwa being primarily a vocal trainee, a lot of the pressure falls on Hope to lead, which adds added difficulty with the language barrier. All five members of this team seem very eager to do well, and after some big bumps in the road, they manage to figure out how to communicate efficiently. 

Team Four is very split from the beginning. It’s clear that Mirae wants to take control, and in confessionals, Minah and Yoora both agree that Mirae is the most qualified, as she is the highest rank, however Taeri seems to fight her for control, causing Mirae to snap and tell her off. Tension are very high for the entire time they are rehearsing.

And then the show comes screeching to a halt. Many confessionals are shown of the trainees explaining what happened and why production shut down, as well as how they coped with it. And, whether or not they thought the show would return at all. The trainees get back to work, though, and it’s easy to see which trainees kept practicing during the break, and which ones gave up and are rusty. Finally, however, shots are shown of the audience filling into the building for performance day, and Adonis (as host) taking the stage.

The teams are all brought onstage. The host spins a wheel, and it picks Team One to go first. It is spun again, and Team Six is set to go against them. All teams are sent back to the dressing room to get ready for their respective first stages, and the host reveals that Juliette’s Lion Heart is first on the docket. 

Team One performs first, and their hard work is apparent. Hyunjoo did a great job making sure any wobbly parts are hidden. This team has the vocals to pull this song off, too-- despite Hyunjoo’s voice being a little too deep and standing out a lot, this team does very well. Some of them fall into the trap of making feminine choreography a bit of a joke, but most of them try their best. Team Six does a fairly good job as well, however their vocals aren’t strong enough to do the song justice.

Teams Two and Three are picked to go next, with Team Two out to perform first-- their song being Merci’s Lady. Inho in particular really stands out; despite being the youngest competitor, he has a lot of confidence and charisma, and does Jiae’s part well. Team Two has the right attitude for the song, however they don’t have the vocal power-- the whistle note in particular being hard for their vocalists.

Team Three had the opposite issue-- with none of them being rappers, and most of them having language barriers, the rap parts left a lot to be desired. However Hope did a very good job carrying the chorus, with Yihwa proving once again that she is one of the strongest vocalists in the competition.

Team Four and Five are the last to perform, with their first song being Pirate King. Team Four has some trouble with choreography, with many of them noticeably lagging behind Mirae, who for her part, did the song very well. Team Four’s inexperience and lack of synergy overall brought the song down. Team Five wasn’t memorable, but they put in a solid effort.

None of the winners of the matchups are shown– MNet keeps that footage until the end of the episode, to build suspense. While in real time, the trainees got to watch their stages after the first day, it is edited so that all nine matchups are first, trainee reactions are second, and the rank and matchup winners are last.

The editors continue as if it were the same day, and Team Four and Team One await onstage as their song is picked– Love Me Right. The production team has a fun time squaring up trainees against each other, with Mirae and Hyunjoo competing, as well as Eli and Mint. Team Four performs first, and while the choreography still seems a little out of some of their leagues, they have an easier time with this one than on day one. Thet has some trouble carrying the song, however Mirae nails the vibe of Love Me Right and gives an engaging performance. Team One does equally well, with the hosts calling this one one of the most even matchups yet. Hyunjoo, like Mirae, seems to fit the song very well, and his extra work with the formations shines through once more-- while the choreo is clunky, it’s disguised.

Team Two and Team Six both perform Venus’ Breakthrough. Adonis comments that this is one of the least well-known songs on the docket for this week, which could prove to be difficult, seeing as the other songs might be ones trainees practiced at their companies for evals.

Team Two goes first. While they do a very good job and their choreography in particular is top notch, Eda critiques Inho specifically, telling him that while he is a very good rapper, he went too hard for this song, and that beign a good rapper also includes tone and knowing when to go hard and when to be softer to suit the music. In a closed-door meeting between the judges, She comments on how she personally thinks a bit of unintentional misogyny is at play, with Inho not wanting to sound too feminine, or thinking this style of rap isn’t good (though she clarifies that she’s just speculating). Team Six is full of Venus fans, and while they do a good job, they get a little to excited, and their stage is a little sloppy

Team Three and Team Five compete with Empire’s Bang Bang Bang. In a confessional, Hope says that this was the song she wanted to do the least, since Kyuyeol and DK were both judges, and would be nitpicking people doing their own song. Team Three notably shifts the line distribution around, splitting both Prince and DK’s parts so that Yihwa gets the power notes and Hope gets the lower difficulty ones, and it works to their favor, with this team performing a near perfect stage. Team Five does well, but they had a particularly hard act they had to follow.

As for day three, the performances start with Team Two and Team Four performing I Am The Best by Reign. This is Team Four’s best stage, with Yuan commenting that it’s likely because of the less difficult choreography. Kyuyeol states that they had the right sort of confidence for this stage, and for this song in particular, that was what was most important. As for Team Two, the boys from Higher do well, but the other two lag behind. Adonis comments that since they are from Higher, they’ve likely had to perform this song before, and that it showed-- their performance came out a little hollow.

Team Five and Six go head to head with Inferno’s Devil next. Both performances are mediocre at best.

Finally, to finish off the performances, Team One and Team Three perform Haze’s Electric Shock. This is Team One’s best performance-- it’s the easiest choreography they’ve had to do yet, and while Hyunjoo’s voice is a touch too deep for the song, they all seem to be having a lot of fun. It’s a tight race, though-- Team Three has the same amount of fire and bubbliness to their performance, with DK mentioning that this one is going to be a photo finish.

MNet plays the shots of the trainees watching their own performances back, and then more random clips are thrown in too. The trainees are gathered in the Main Stage area with the coaches and the host, to see who won each match up. The votes for each trainee are to appear on the screen one by one, and then at the end, the overall tallies, to indicate who won. 

For Lion Heart, Eli got the most votes, with Team One winning the match. For Lady, Hwa gets the most votes, however Team Two brings home the win. For Pirate King, Mirae gets the most votes as well as the win for Team Four. For Love Me Right, Mirae gets the most votes once more, but Team One wins. For Breakthrough, Minsuk gets the most votes and Team Two bags another win. For Bang Bang Bang, Hope gets the most votes and the win for Team Three For I Am the Best, Mirae once again is voted the highest, and Team Four wins. For Devil, Xueying gets the most votes, and Team Five gets their first W For Electric Shock, Hyunjoo gets the most votes, however Team Three wins.

The ranking is then revealed to the trainees and the audience, and the episode ends.

[raphidae]

AliHaku for the ship meme! OwO

I’m honestly so stoked that you sent me this ask, I have missed Alihaku and will do my best to do them justice!

Who’s the werewolf and who’s the hunter?

Alibaba is the werewolf, and Hakuryuu is the hunter.

Alibaba lives with a small pack in Balbadd with Kassim, Mariam, Hassan and Zaynab, and as of the beginning of the tale has no idea he’s the prince of Balbadd.

Hakuryuu is the youngest prince of the Kou Empire and has no chance at the throne, so he has unofficially been given the title of royal supernatural hunter and been assigned to investigate and contain (however euphemistically that means depends on the means of containment Hakuryuu is told to utilize) whatever supernatural forces occupy the lands they conquer. 

He resents the job, and the brothers who have assigned it to him, more than he can say.

Kassim, of course, will always have that revolutionary spirit to him, so when Hakuryuu notices the local werewolves begin to whisper of an uprising against the Kou Empire, he is told to contain it with extreme prejudice.

However, the first werewolf he actually speaks to ends up being Alibaba, who saves him from another werewolf from a rival pack, and Alibaba, being the friendly and naive sort, welcomes Hakuryuu into his home while they both nurse their wounds.

Over the weeks it takes for them to recover, they get to know each other and genuinely fall for each other… and then Hakuryuu finds out two things: one, Alibaba’s the leader of the revolutionary forces rather than Kassim, who he initially suspected, and two, Alibaba is the lost prince of Balbadd.

Also, as it turns out, Kassim had turned the young prince Alibaba into a werewolf to save his life after Al-Thamen’s initial attack on Balbadd five years prior to the beginning of this tale (and the werewolf bite had the unfortunate side effect of amnesia).

After calling Kassim out for not telling Alibaba of his true heritage, Hakuryuu learns from Kassim that Al-Thamen is a still a strong presence in Balbadd and would have killed werewolf!Alibaba within the week had Alibaba returned to the palace.

Therefore, Hakuryuu allies himself with the revolutionaries, and they eventually overthrow Al-Thamen and create a far more equitable alliance between the Kou Empire and Balbadd… one bound by a wedding between Alibaba and Hakuryuu.

Who’s the mermaid and who’s the fisherman?

Hakuryuu’s the merman prince, and Alibaba’s the fisherman who stumbled upon this prince in search of revenge.

Hakuryuu has to nurse his wounds after a failed attempt to retake his kingdom from his mother, who’s possessed by an evil spirit within the ocean.

Alibaba nurses him back to health, finding a cavern Hakuryuu could hide in and chatting with him during a pit stop he takes every day. 

They fall deeply in love with each other, but Hakuryuu is told that in order to gain an alliance with the country Alibaba is from, he must marry their royalty.

Alibaba promises to help any way he can, but is taken away by the guards before he can do anything.

The guards drag him to the palace, and Alibaba expects to be executed, only to find a glimmer of happy recognition in the king’s eyes: turns out Alibaba is King Rashid’s illegitimate son.

Alibaba asks his father if he has specified which royal would marry Prince Hakuryuu of the Deep, and Rashid says he hasn’t; Alibaba immediately volunteers for the position, and Rashid sighs in relief; he hadn’t been looking forward to asking either Ahbmad or Sahbmad to part with their lovers for an arranged marriage.

Hakuryuu is resigned to killing either the royal he is assigned to marry or himself rather than gaining the alliance through a loveless marriage, so imagine his shock when the royal he’s to be wed to is the fisherman he had fallen madly in love with.

After a joyous reunion, they are swiftly wed, and Alibaba and Hakuryuu work together to regain Hakuryuu’s kingdom and even save Hakuryuu’s mother from the evil spirit that had been possessing her.

Who’s the witch and who’s the familiar?

Hakuryuu’s the witch, and Alibaba’s the familiar.

Alibaba’s a familiar who can shift into various animals, most often either a cat, a salamander or a golden retriever.

Hakuryuu specializes in life magic, and he uses his powers to create various remedies and prosthetics for people.

Alibaba’s dog form is often used as a therapy dog, and he is beloved by all Hakuryuu’s patients.

Alibaba’s human form, however, is most beloved by Hakuryuu himself.

Who’s the barista and who’s the coffee addict?

Hakuryuu’s the barista, Alibaba’s the coffee addict.

Being a barista is Hakuryuu’s first job after graduating college, and his family has pointedly told him to use it to improve his social skills.

Hakuryuu does come to like his job, especially when he’s allowed to bake some pastries for the shop, and especially whenever one of the regulars shows up.

Alibaba comes to the coffee shop every Monday through Friday at 2:47pm on the dot, near the end of Hakuryuu’s shift.

Much to Hakuryuu’s surprise, it’s the one thing on Alibaba’s schedule that he religiously follows (he’s generally late to everything else on his schedule, but never for Hakuryuu’s coffee and final batch of fresh madeleines for the day).

Turns out Alibaba is an up-and-coming wholesaler for fabrics and other decorative items for clothing, and Hakuryuu is shocked by the world Alibaba speaks of and brings him into afterward.

They eventually find themselves chatting after Hakuryuu’s shifts end (at 3:15pm), and Hakuryuu sees to it that Alibaba better manage his time, while Alibaba helps Hakuryuu loosen up and make friends.

Eventually they recognize their feelings for each other and ask each other out. Eventually.

But wait… there’s more!  Under the cut, of course!

Who’s the professor and who’s the TA?

Alibaba’s the professor, Hakuryuu’s the TA.

Alibaba is a brilliant but scatterbrained international economics professor who regularly goes off tangent with stories of “the absolute best muhammara I have ever tasted in this small restaurant in Syria”, soldiers who could carry a tune better than most opera singers he knew, and of course his many romances with people around the world, all embarrassingly failed.

Hakuryuu is the equally brilliant but extremely disgruntled TA who has to keep Alibaba on track.

Much to Hakuryuu’s surprise, Alibaba and his classes remain extremely popular even with his ramblings. He initially suspects that it’s because he’s an easy A, but after the first round of graded essays that resulted in only 1 A and 2 A- in a class of 100, Hakuryuu’s mind is changed.

Alibaba helps Hakuryuu with his doctoral thesis from time to time, and Hakuryuu learns why Alibaba consistently rambles in his classes (and why even though he’s only a year older than Hakuryuu he’s already on the brink of getting tenure): he tells the stories to remind the students that yes, we are dealing with international economies, but there are people, real life human people, at the center of them all.

Hakuryuu and Alibaba fall deeply for each other, but they don’t date until after Hakuryuu finishes his doctorate and becomes a fellow professor.

Then they become rival professors… and hilarity ensures.

Who’s the knight and who’s the prince(ss)?

This can honestly go either way with the two of them, especially since they’re both princes in canon, but I think for the sake of this ask, Alibaba’s the knight and Hakuryuu’s the runaway prince.

Hakuryuu and Alibaba ran from their country once Hakuryuu’s father was violently overthrown, and they end up taking care of each other on the road.

They find their way to Alibaba’s home country, where they recover with the help of Prince Kassim and Princess Mariam (they both love Alibaba as a brother).

Hakuryuu initially clashes with Kassim, but eventually they come to an understanding and an alliance, which helps Hakuryuu retake the throne a few years later.

Alibaba is torn between his love for Hakuryuu and his love for his home country at one point, but that ends up being resolved when the terms of the alliance between their countries are laid out: Hakuryuu and Alibaba are to be wed, and if Kassim finds out that Hakuryuu has hurt Alibaba, war will quite literally ensue.

Alibaba then chides Kassim for being an overprotective king.

Who’s the teacher and who’s the single parent?

Alibaba is the teacher, and Hakuryuu’s the single parent.

Hakuryuu and Morgiana were previously married, but after having their daughter Ymir, they came to the realization that their marriage was more lavender in nature than either of them anticipated. 

Therefore, they divorced on the most amicable of terms, and Hakuryuu gained primary custody of Ymir (Morgiana and her girlfriend Myron happily see Ymir on weekends and holidays).

Alibaba is the drama teacher at Ymir’s high school, and the plays he puts on are… extremely ambitious for the funding they get.

Ymir is a very talented albeit very shy actress, and Alibaba is one of the only people who can bring her out of her shell. The friends she makes in her drama class are the only other ones who see her outside her shell.

Hakuryuu initially doesn’t see the point in her taking drama as an after-school elective when mock UN, mock trial, or any sport at all would get her noticed more quickly by better colleges, but Alibaba angrily insists he sit in on one of their rehearsals.

Hakuryuu is pleasantly surprised to watch an expressive, passionately talented, and most of all happy Ymir rehearsing on the stage.

“You notice it too, don’t you? Your daughter is an excellent actress, and I think she could make it big with the right support.”

Ymir and the students also notice something… a possible spark between the drama teacher and Ymir’s dad…? Cue the fan fiction.

The whole class cheers when after Ymir graduates senior year with a full ride to Tisch School of the Arts, Alibaba and Hakuryuu finally get together.

Who’s the writer and who’s the editor?

Alibaba is the writer, and Hakuryuu is the editor.

Alibaba originally got discovered through his excellent Adventures of Sinbad fan fiction, and Hakuryuu is there to “help him transition from fan fiction writing to original writing”.

“You do realize that I know how to write, right?” “I wouldn’t be here otherwise, Alibaba.”

After tense beginnings, they eventually get comfortable with each other, and they also grow fond of each other.

Hakuryuu helps Alibaba with his world-building and time management, and Alibaba helps Hakuryuu with editing his other projects from time to time… Alibaba’s character work is excellent, after all.

Alibaba’s novels are eventually published to rave reviews, and Hakuryuu is saddened at the prospect of having to let him go… at which point Alibaba immediately asks him out on a date and all is well.

[arxaris]

Reincarnation AU drabble

*Related to my gladiator fic

Thanks @let-me-wander for this adorable idea and that last little bit with Kirishima that I absolutely had to include ❤️

* * *

“Let’s go on a graduation trip, Katsuki!” Kirishima said, his stupid pretty eyes shining bright. “I wanna see other parts of the world before we start working!”

“That’s dumb,” Bakugou growled out. “We should be training, moron.”

“Pleeeeease, Kat? It’ll be fun, I swear!” He pleaded.

Bakugou, the masochist that he was, had grumbled out a reluctant agreement. And that’s how he ended up in Rome, waiting in line to tour the Colosseum with his best friend.

His best friend, who also happened to be the love of his life.

A fact that was seriously complicating the ‘fun’ Kirishima had promised him.

Well, sort of. He was still having a good time, because how could he not be? Having Kirishima all to himself, being the only one graced with the sight of his eyes lighting up and his mouth hanging ajar as they took in the beautiful ruins and sculptures and fountains of Rome, getting to share bottles of wine with him over dinner and watch his cheeks turn the prettiest shade of pink as they neared the bottom.

However, along with all that came the obscene way he ate his gelato, licking it straight from his hand as it dripped in the Roman sun; the soft moans he would let out at the first bite of every delicious meal; the private budget rooms that never had a second bed; and the fact that Kirishima slept near naked, apparently determined to kill him as he fell on top of the covers in only his boxer briefs.

Yeah, Bakugou was dying, and it had nothing to do with the July heat.

He jumped at a pressure on his forearm. Kirishima, grabbing onto him unnecessarily to get his attention, as always. Add that to the list of reasons Bakugou was certainly going to die an early death.

“Come on, the line’s moving,” he said excitedly.

They made their way through security and were finally set free to explore. Kirishima flitted around excitedly, as he always did, while Bakugou made his way methodically out to the fighting area on the first floor, taking in the giant arches of the outer wall, only half of it left standing, a ghost of its original grandeur.

In addition to his jumbled feelings about his friend, Bakugou had been plagued by a sense of unease all morning, since the Colosseum came into view. The disintegration of such an amazing structure made his heart ache for reasons he couldn’t explain, the holes in the exterior stone and the crumbling bricks causing his vision to blink red in anger.

He rounded the corner and the arena came into his sights. Or, what was left of it anyway. The floor of the stage had given way, revealing the maze of the cellars beneath it and leaving only a reconstructed sliver of the sandy fighting ground in its place. Bakugou’s fists clenched at his sides.

Who let this happen? He thought in outrage. It used to be so beautiful.

Bakugou stopped in his slow stroll around the perimeter of the pit.

What?

He shook his head to clear the strange thought away and resumed his step. Lifting his camera, he snapped picture after picture to distract himself from his odd emotional response, from his very personal-feeling offense at the destruction of the amphitheatre. He hardly flinched when an arm wrapped around his shoulder.

“Isn’t this crazy?!” Kirishima said, voice bubbling with excitement and wonder. “This place feels alive, ya know? Man, I wish we could spar in the pit!” He laughed.

Maybe everyone had strong feelings towards the place, then. Important history and all.

“I’m gonna go find the entrance to the arena!” Kirishima exclaimed, pointing towards the reconstructed semicircle of stage. And then he was off again, running around the edge of the stage and away from Bakugou.

Normally, Bakugou might have followed him, but as he looked around, he felt himself more drawn to the second level. He wanted to see how the pit would’ve looked from above, what the spectators would have seen.

Bakugou meandered up the stairs to the second level, finding himself in a small museum exhibit that curved its way around the part of the outer wall that was still standing. The pieces were showcased in chronological order. He enjoyed the first part, from the Roman Empire, immensely. He must have stood in front of the bits of engraved stone, seat markers for the upper class’s reserved spots, for five full minutes, staring and taking photos.

The fractured stone that said ‘Caesa-�� sent chills down his spine. He didn’t even know which Emperor it belonged to, as the name itself had broken apart from its title long ago. Perhaps, he supposed, it was simply knowing that such an important figure had sat directly under the engraving that made him react so strongly to it.

When Bakugou reached the end of the Roman Empire era, however, and the exhibit began to focus on what had happened to the Colosseum since Ancient Rome’s fall, he found that he couldn’t continue to read. The harvesting of lead and iron for Catholic construction, later troops using the structure as fucking target practice. He was shaking with anger by the time he jerked away from the text display. He practically ran through the rest of the exhibit, heaving a sigh of relief when he burst into the interior and back into the sun.

Bakugou walked robotically along the railed path, but he felt himself relaxing quickly as he took in the view of the pit. Frankly, it was beautiful, even with the metal scaffolding and most of the floor missing. The curved walls, lined with their beautiful arches, made him feel oddly safe and protected for housing an arena where countless people were brutally murdered.

Bakugou reached a terrace that stretched out over the pit, and his breath caught in his throat. He turned into it and beelined toward the edge.

Was this where the Emperor himself would have sat, watching the games from a marble throne as his servants fanned him with palms, Bakugou wondered. Was this the spot from which he would have pardoned injured gladiators from fighting, or have them put to death, based on the whims of the crowd? Connecting with his people through the enjoyment of theatrical bloodshed?

Bakugou threw himself at the flimsy railing when he reached it, leaning over it and feeling it shake beneath him. The couple taking photos next to him shot him annoyed glances, but he couldn’t care less. His heart was beating hard in his chest, his eyes scanning the pit, frantic, searching.

Braids, he thought manically. Braids. Where are his braids?

And then Bakugou found him, a giant smile on his face as he play-fought with a pair of kids, no older than seven or eight, using plastic swords from the gift shop. Bakugou’s heart swelled in his chest, and none of it was correct because these were children and Kirishima’s braids were nowhere to be seen and he wasn’t supposed to be wearing a shirt, only his arms were ever armored, but he looked so happy that Bakugou couldn’t bring himself to care.

Gods, he loved him.

His heart ached in his chest; he wanted to tell people, but he couldn’t.

Bakugou shook his head to dispel the odd thoughts; of course he couldn’t tell people, Kirishima himself didn’t even know.

Kirishima fell to the ground in a dramatic fake death, laughing all the while, and Bakugou’s head felt like it was splitting. Anger and joy, past and present, he was seeing and feeling double, pain lancing through him like a spear at the image of Kirishima on the ground while he reveled in his happiness all the same. Bakugou clung to the railing for dear life.

Kirishima, still lying on the ground, handed the plastic swords back to the kids and said his goodbyes with a smile. Then he pushed himself back up and looked around. He seemed like he was searching for something, too.

And when his eyes landed on Bakugou’s face, it was clear as day that he’d found it. A smile stretched over his features and he raised a hand to the sky, waving openly at him.

Bakugou’s heart stopped. His breathing stopped. Time itself must have stopped. One second he was watching his friend waving cheerfully at him, the next an image of him, standing dirty and bloodstained and victorious in that same spot, raising a fist to salute him.

His smile was no longer carefree, but determined, brave, and feral.

Bakugou hurried to throw a fist up as he returned his grin with the same intensity.

And as fast as it happened, it was over, leaving Bakugou hanging over the railing with a raised arm for no apparent reason. The tourist couple scurried away from him as he lowered his hand slowly. He would feel like an absolute idiot, if only Kirishima weren’t blinking up at him, fist still in the air, looking dazed and confused.

Bakugou wasn’t exactly sure where his courage came from, but he suddenly hopped down from the railing and started running from the remains of the Emperor’s box. To find Kirishima.

To tell him.

Kirishima was his, and it was about damn time that he knew it.

He met him halfway up the stairs, and Bakugou felt as surprised as Kirishima looked as he heard himself blurt out a confession with all the confidence in the world.

However, Bakugou’s nerves barely had time to kick in before he was being met with such an adorable and uncharacteristically shy smile that his heart threatened to burst out of his chest.

* * *

When their allotted time was up, Bakugou and Kirishima left the Colosseum hand-in-hand, both still unable to hide their happiness. They strolled down the Piazza del Colosseo, talking and walking, no real destination in mind.

“God,” Kirishima sighed. “I’m so happy we don’t have to hide our relationship anymore.”

Bakugou’s brows knit together in confusion.

“Hah? The fuck are you talking about?”

Kirishima stopped in his tracks, looking as confused as Bakugou felt. He blinked at Bakugou, and then laughter bubbled up out of his throat.

“I have no idea,” he said. “Sorry, today’s been a little weird for me.”

Bakugou squeezed his hand even as he called him a moron. He could certainly empathize with that.

[ask-de-writer]

DARING DO and the ADVENTURE of the X'IBIAN VASE! : MLP Fan Fiction : Part 6 of 21

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DARING DO and the

ADVENTURE of the X'IBIAN VASE!

by

De Writer (Glen Ten-Eyck) @ask-de-writer​

And

Carmen Pondiego @askcarmenpondiego​

Cover Art by

Doctor Dimension

52630 words

© 2020 by Glen Ten-Eyck

Writing begun 08/26/15

All rights reserved.  This document may not be copied or distributed on or to any medium or placed in any mass storage system except by the express written consent of the author.

//////////////

Copyright fair use rules for Tumblr users

Users of Tumblr.com are specifically granted the following rights.  They may reblog the story.  They may use the characters or original characters in my settings for fan fiction, fan art works, cosplay, or fan musical compositions, provided that such things are done without charge.  I will allow those who do commission art works to charge for their images.  

All sorts of fan art, cosplay, music or fictions is actively encouraged.

///////////////////////

Daring Do, being a pegasus, really had little magic.  It was all small and strictly practical. Truth testing, safe grip that allowed the picking up of cracked or damaged things without losing any parts or causing further damage, fast read (handy but you had to know the language fairly well first) and a few other spells of that sort.  They were all Non Equine Magic learned from the Non Equine University.

Truth testing was simple and unobtrusive.  First, it showed her that what they saw was real.  She could have sworn it was staged for effect!

“I am Captain Getsthere, of the Sea Sage.  Ship’s a bit obsolete, mixed sail and steam paddle wheeler.  She is sound, though, and will get you there.  I hear that you want to get to the Chineignese Empire.  Main port at Singapone and then up the Dunn See river to Cantrot.”

The Guardian said quietly, “Not to cast a doubt on your honorable self but all the docks are occupied by ships with Lading Deposits.  None are loading, however.”

Captain Getsthere smiled, showing yellowed teeth, some with gold or silver crowns.  “Legal trick there, Honorable One.  If we have cargo to load and a paid Lading Deposit, the Harbor Master HAS to move a vessel that is not loading out to the roadstead and let us have the dock space.”

Daring Do invited Captain Getsthere to sit and said, “Order what you wish.  We have the Lading Deposit in Gold and the cargo is in Dock Warehouse #4.  So, you can get us to Singapone?  What about river barge connections to Cantrot?”

The Captain was briefly busy with the waiter and then replied, “Sea Sage is shallow enough draft that we’ve been up to Cantrot six times.  At low water, too.  Make that whole run for you without transshipping once.”

Truth testing passed him completely, to Daring Do’s amazement.  She saw Cy nodding approval. She reached into her saddlebag and pulled out the bag of gold that was the deposit for the previous vessel.

Captain Getsthere carefully counted it out.  He shoved back a substantial sum.  “Sea Sage’s Lading Deposit is well known.  Won’t overcharge you first thing.”

Daring Do considered carefully. “Make us a proper receipt. Make us another for any refits that you think good.  We want the ship under us to be as sound as possible.”

At that he nodded acceptance. “I can do that.  Got a list, in fact.  Was going to use the deposit money to get it.”

He left to make arrangements with the Harbor Master and order his refitting supplies from the chandlers.

The group of them were sitting outside, watching the gulls fly and the coming and going of smaller boats.  The docks were full of idle ships.  Most of them had the wisp of smoke at the stack that indicated operational steam up.  That was required by the Royal Maritime Commission.  It let docks be cleared quickly for emergencies, a precaution that had paid off handsomely in the past.  

“Look!” Cy exclaimed.  “They are bringing up a tug to Dock and Warehouse 4!”

The Guardian said softly, “The Rising Whale does not have steam up as required.  They are pulling her out.  Her captain is protesting.  From the looks of the longshore ponies with axes to cut the hawser lines it will be a useless protest.”

He was right.  The captain had to get a gig to catch up to his idle ship, being towed out to the roadstead.

The Sea Sage was in place and ready to load in only a half hour or so.  Maneuvering a ship, even a smaller one, near a dock is tricky business and has to be done with care.

Their supplies were being loaded and the Sea Sage was taking on coal while they watched.  Daring Do called on her Magic Net mirror.  Looking up, she explained, “We will have three others from the Royal University joining us in a short time.  I sent them ahead and told them where to wait.  They are all experts in conservation and collection of delicate artifacts.”

Sure enough the three came trotting up in a little while.  One, a pale mauve pony, introduced himself, “I am Senior Graduate Student Horace.  These others are Jeremy, the orange guy there, and the big white mare is Soree Bea Shann.  She is a Saddle Arabian exchange student.

“I don’t know why they are along.  Jeremy barely made the cut for the program and HER?  Her folks back in the desert are RICH.  Her only qualification.”

The two were about to protest when Daring Do cut in, “THEY are along because I personally sent for them.  YOU muscled your way onto the team without my consent.  I am most curious as to WHY?”

Cy simply pounced.  She used a right foreleg thrust to the side of Horace’s neck.  He was not only knocked down, he was driven over a meter from where he had been standing a fraction of a second ago.  Cy was sitting on his neck to keep him down while she explained, “Horace, here, is in ROT’s pay. He was smart enough to demand gold up front and no written contract.

“His job is to report your expedition’s progress and the exact location of the tomb.  ROT will then swoop in and steal anything of value.  If a few ponies have to die, including you, Doctor Do, no big deal, as he sees it.  He will have money and perhaps fame.”

Daring Do considered for a moment.  “How can you know these things?  I have noticed other times that you knew what you really had no way of knowing.”

Going perfectly serious, Cy replied, “That is a matter of ERIS Supreme security, Doctor.  The Guardian knows.  In a private setting, he may tell you what he deems fit.”

With a pluck of her sleeve, the Guardian led her inside the Rusty Barnacle.  Looking about to be sure of not being overheard, he told her, “You have seen her eye and mane.  More was changed in her inheritance after the Mage Weapon Blast of two generations past than only her body.  The Watcher of the Most Exalted One can read minds.  More it is unwise to say.”

Daring Do, thinking back saw answers to many things.  “Her precise combat moves.  She knows were the enemy is without looking.  The trick with the sewers and fire fighting mains.  She was near enough to somepony who knew it!  I am glad that she is a Watcher for Eris.  So many try to harm her.”

They went back out where Cy was passing time by lightly popping Horace’s head against the ground. She looked up brightly as Daring Do approached.  “Can I?  Please? We know everything that he is aware of about the plot.  I would love to kill him!”

The eager puppy look to her single eye left no doubt about Cy’s sincerity.  Daring Do hated to disappoint her.  “I am afraid not, Cy.  I do believe you.  One test, though.  How was he to communicate with ROT?”

“Empty his left saddle bag. There is a hidden flap on the inside.  Lifting it will reveal the pocket holding a World Wide Magic Net mirror.  A small one but with plenty of reach.  We at ERIS cracked that algorithm about two years ago.  That type of mirror was still in development when we got it.”

Horace sort of gave up.  “Those are supposed to be totally private.  You heard my signals when I called them to say we were going to the ship.”

Cy looked down at him. “Something of that sort.  I waited to be sure that I had what you knew before I moved, that is all.”

Slumped even flatter, Horace asked, “Since I am not going along, can’t you just let me go?  I can’t hurt you now.”

Serenely digging out the mirror, Cy poked some codes.  “Hello, are you Mister Robber or Mister Overthrow?  Oh, you are Mister Tyrrany!  I am Cyrene Clopes.  I work for ERIS, Inc.  I just wanted you to know that we have taken your spy for Doctor Do’s expedition.

“What?  No.  We are letting him go for now.  The Royal Road Police will be handling the charge of Criminal Taking of Royal Funds.  We thought that since you are a law firm and have him on retainer, that you would likely want to defend him in the courts.

“This was purely a courtesy call, you understand.  Good bye.”  She closed the mirror and handed it back to Horace.

“Do be so good as to pack your things and leave, young pony.  We really don’t want you along.”

As Daring Do watched Horace go, she had a pang of conscience.  She turned to Cy and said softly, “They will kill him, won’t they?”

Cy smiled calmly, watching gulls wheel overhead.  “Almost certainly, Doctor Do.  I might have handled things differently if this was the only bad thing that he has done.  It is not.  He has cheated and trampled others for most of his life.”

Soon they were all picking staterooms aboard the Sea Sage.  They all rushed up to the deck to wave good bye to Cy, staying behind on the dock as the ship was towed free and the huge, nearly antique paddles began to churn the harbor’s water.  Her big whistle let loose a piercing scream and crewponies worked to unfurl the sails.

Heeling gracefully, the Sea Sage rounded the breakwater and swept out onto the swells of the open sea.

Soree, the Saddle Arabian, who had never been to sea before, was happily trotting all over, looking at all of the wonderful new sights!  She drew in deep breaths of the amazing salt air, the scent of smoke and lubricants from the massive two cylinder walking beam engine and the pitch on the rigging ropes.

Poor orange Jeremy was hanging his head over the rail and wishing that his heaving tummy would stop. It was emptied long ago!

Daring Do and the Guardian had a low table set up on the poop deck and were happily playing Mah Jongg, to the rattle of dice and the clacking of tiles.

Daring Do felt a deep contentment.  She was on the way; another expedition to find the unknown and learn the secrets of the ancient past.

The weather, which at sea, was native and wild, untamed by Cloudsdale or any other such authority, held fine.  Jeremy got over his sea-sickness.  Both he and Soree began to learn the ins and outs of Mah Jongg.  It is an excellent four hoof game.

The weather did not prove to be a problem.  The pirates, on the other hoof …

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[bountyofbeads]

I Worked for Alex Jones. I Regret It. https://nyti.ms/2PiTeFr

This piece by former InfoWars "video reporter" (?) Josh Owens reveals all the insanity you'd expect but also the pathetic sadness of those who continue to enable, peddle, and profit from his malicious lies.

Confession is good for the soul, but I'm trying to get my head around the fact that the author continued to work for Alex Jones for several YEARS after the latter made his vile claims about Sandy Hook.

Josh Owens was drawn to #InfoWars while "vulnerable, angry & searching for direction"; after 4 years w/Alex Jones, he saw "virulent nature of his world." Read if you can stomach Jones' deeply disturbing behavior. This model has infected right-wing media.

Josh Owens is a seriously good writer. Too bad he didn't make the subject of this piece himself. Why was he angry, why did he stay with Jones so long, how did he feel as he did his work? These unexamined questions are the heart of the story, not how disturbed a plainly disturbed man Jones is.

"Owens admits that his personal mental and emotional issues led him to Jones. We should be glad for him, that he found the strength to recognize it, address it, and walk away from a bad situation. Owens shouldn't be vilified for his past mistakes, but celebrated for his return. Prodigal son, no? But forgiveness does not imply absolution."

"This can't be the end of the road. As he is responsible for a lot of anguish and grief. Is he even an accessory to murder? The pain that he enabled will live on in families for decades and become part of our national fabric. How does he intend to make amends? This written catharsis is a good first step, but it's only a first step. Is he the little girl in the airplane, seeing the world for the first time? What does he intend to do with this revelation, and fix the damage he has done?"

"At 23, Josh Owens quit film school to work as a video editor for Alex Jones. This is his account of the years he spent within the Infowars empire." /1

"At first, he found it easy to brush off Alex Jones’s fever dreams as eccentricities and excesses. But he eventually found that he had his limits." /2

"Once, at a private ranch, Owens said, Alex Jones picked up an AR-15 and accidentally fired it in the writer’s direction. The bullet hit the ground about 10 feet away from him, he recalled. Jones claimed he had intentionally fired the gun as a joke, he said."/3

“Over time, I came to learn that keeping Jones from getting angry was a big part of the job, though it was impossible to predict his outbursts,” he writes."/4

“There was a time when I shared his anger. In fact, I was still angry. But this is where we differed: I wasn’t angry with others; I was angry with myself. And once I realized that, it was easier to walk away”/5

I WORKED FOR ALEX JONES. I REGRET IT.

I dropped out of film school to edit video for the conspiracy theorist because I believed in his worldview. Then I saw what it did to people.

By Josh Owens | Published Dec. 5, 2019 | New York Times Magazine | Posted December 6, 2019 |

On Election Day 2016, I sat in the passenger seat of Alex Jones’s Dodge Hellcat as we swerved through traffic, making our way to a nearby polling place. As Jones punched the gas pedal to the floor, the smell of vodka, like paint thinner, wafted up from the white Dixie cup anchored in the console. My stomach churned as the phone I held streamed live video to Facebook: Jones rambling about voter fraud and rigged elections while I stared at the screen, holding the camera at an angle to hide his double chin. It rarely worked, but I didn’t want to be blamed when he watched the video later.

Four years earlier, Jones — wanting to expand his website, Infowars, into a full-blown guerrilla news operation and hoping to scout new hires from his growing fan base — held an online contest. At 23, I was vulnerable, angry and searching for direction, so I decided to give it a shot. Out of what Infowars said were hundreds of submissions, my video — a half-witted, conspiratorial glance at the creation and function of the Federal Reserve — made it to the final round.

Unconvinced I could cut it as a reporter, Jones offered me a full-time position as a video editor. I quit film school and moved nearly a thousand miles to Austin, Tex., fully invested in propagating his worldview. By the time I found myself seated next to Jones speeding down the highway, I had seen enough of the inner workings of Infowars to know better.

Before we left the office, Jones instructed me to title the video “Alex Jones Denied Right to Vote” when uploading to YouTube. He knew before we left that they wouldn’t let us walk into a polling location with our cameras rolling. I don’t think Jones even intended to vote. Rather, he hoped to turn this into a spectacle, an insult to him personally, another opportunity to play the self-aggrandizing victim.

“Look at this great city shot,” he said pointing out the window at Austin’s skyline. As soon as I pulled the camera off him, he reached for the white Dixie cup. Is this really how I’m going to die? I thought to myself, imagining the scene: Jones veering too close to the guardrail, ranting about George Soros and Hillary Clinton. Sirens echoing in the distance, flashing lights reflecting off oil-soaked pavement as he grabs the camera and utters his final words, “Hillary ... rigged ... the car.” His listeners would have believed it. Years earlier, I would have believed it.

Fortunately, there were no sirens or flashing lights, and I was relieved when “Vote Here” signs began to appear. A line stretched out the door of the polling place, in a local strip mall, by the time we arrived. As I expected, Jones was told multiple times that he couldn’t film at a polling place, and he decided to leave. Walking back to the car, still taking sips from his white cup, he began noticeably slurring his words. A friend of Jones’s who tagged along — for “security purposes” — offered to give me a ride back to the office. Jones revved his engine, tires squealing as he sped out of the parking lot.

I began listening to Jones’s radio show — the flagship program of what is now a conspiracist media empire with an audience that until recently surpassed a million people — in the last days of George W. Bush’s presidency. The American public had been sold a war through outright fabrications; the economy was in free fall thanks to Wall Street greed and the failure of Washington regulators. Most of the mainstream media was caught flat-footed by these developments, but Jones seemed to have an explanation for everything. He railed against government corruption and secrecy, the militarization of police. He confronted those in power, traipsed through the California redwoods to expose the secretive all-male meeting of elites at Bohemian Grove and even appeared in two Richard Linklater films as himself, screaming into a megaphone.

But it wasn’t the politics that initially drew me in. Jones had a way of imbuing the world with mystery, adding a layer of cinematic verisimilitude that caught my attention. Suddenly, I was no longer a bored kid attending an overpriced art school. I was Fox Mulder combing through the X-Files, Rod Serling opening a door to the Twilight Zone, even Rosemary Woodhouse convinced that the neighbors were members of a ritualistic cult. I believed that the world was strategically run by a shadowy, organized cabal, and that Jones was a hero for exposing it.

I had my limits. I can’t say I ever believed his avowed theory that Sandy Hook was a staged event to push for gun control; to Jones, everything was a “false flag.” I didn’t believe that Hillary Clinton and Barack Obama smelled like sulfur because of their proximity to hell or that Planned Parenthood was run by “Nazi baby killers.” But it was easy to brush off these fever dreams as eccentricities and excesses — not the heart of the Alex Jones operation but mere diversions.

Once I started working there, however, it became obvious that one was impossible to separate one from the other. Soon after I was hired, Jones’s Infowars-branded store — which sells emergency-survival foods, water filters, body armor and much more — introduced an iodine supplement, initially marketed as a “shield” against nuclear fallout. Still learning the ropes, I was tasked with creating video advertisements for the supplement, which he ran on his online TV show. One of these ads started with a shot of the Fukushima Daiichi nuclear power plant as it exploded. I doubled the sound of the explosion, adding a glitch filter and sirens in the background for dramatic effect. Jones stood over my shoulder as I edited. “This is great,” he said. “See if you can find flyover footage of Chernobyl as well.”

Shortly after Jones began selling the supplements, someone posted a video on YouTube holding a Geiger counter displaying high radiation readings on a beach in Half Moon Bay, Calif. The video went viral, stoking fears that radiation from Fukushima was drifting across the Pacific Ocean. Jones saw an opportunity and sent me, along with a reporter, a writer and another cameraman, to California. We had multiple Geiger counters shipped overnight, unaware of how to read or work them, and drove up the West Coast, frequently stopping to check radiation levels. Other than a small spike in Half Moon Bay — which the California Department of Public Health said was from naturally occurring radioactive materials, not Fukushima — we found nothing.

Jones was furious. We started getting calls from the radio-show producers in the office, warning us to stop posting videos to YouTube stating we weren’t finding elevated levels of radiation. We couldn’t just stop, though; Jones demanded constant real-time content. On some of these calls, I could hear Jones screaming in the background. One of the producers told me they had never seen him so angry.

We scrambled to find something, anything we could report on. We tested freshly caught crab from a dock in Crescent City, Calif., and traveled to the Diablo Canyon nuclear plant in Avila Beach, asking fishermen if we could test the small croakers they caught off a nearby pier. We even tried to locate a small nuclear-waste facility just so we could capture the Geiger counter displaying a high number. But we couldn’t find what Jones wanted, and after two weeks of traveling from San Diego to Portland, we flew back to Texas as failures, bracing for Jones’s rage. (Jones did not respond to detailed queries sent before publication by The Times Magazine.)

Over time, I came to learn that keeping Jones from getting angry was a big part of the job, though it was impossible to predict his outbursts. Stories abounded among my co-workers: The blinds stuck, so he ripped them off the wall. A water cooler had mold in it, so he grabbed a large knife, stabbed the plastic base wildly and smashed it on the ground. Headlines weren’t strong enough; the news wasn’t being covered the way he wanted; reporters didn’t know how to dress properly. Once a co-worker stopped by the office with a pet fish he was taking home to his niece. It swam in circles in a small, transparent bag. When Jones saw the bag balanced upright on a desk in the conference room, he emptied it into a garbage can. On one occasion, he threatened to send out a memo banning laughter in the office. “We’re in a war,” he said, and he wanted people to act accordingly.

I also saw Jones give an employee the Rolex off his own wrist, simply because he thought the employee was mad at him. “Now, would a bad guy do that?” Jones asked as he handed over the watch. Once, when I went to interview a frequent guest of Jones’s, I was sent with a check to cover a potentially lifesaving cancer treatment. A few times I came close to quitting, and like clockwork, just before I pulled the plug, I received a bonus or significant raise. I hadn’t discussed my discontent with Jones, but he seemed to sense it.

Jones often told his employees that working for him would leave a black mark on our records. To him, it was the price that must be paid for boldly confronting those in power — what he called the New World Order or, later, the deep state. Once my beliefs began to shift, I saw the virulent nature of his world, the emptiness and loathing in many of those impassioned claims. But I was certain that after four years working for Jones, I would never be able to get another job — banished into poverty as penance for my transgressions, and rightly so.

When Jones wanted to blow off steam, we would travel to a private ranch outside Austin to shoot guns. Among other firearms, we would bring the two Barrett .50-caliber rifles he kept stashed in the office. Because we never missed an opportunity to create more content, we also brought along cameras to turn whatever happened into a segment for his show.

I remember one trip in particular. It was the summer of 2014, and I rode to the ranch in the back of a co-worker’s truck, surrounded by semiautomatic rifles, boxes of ammunition and Tannerite, an explosive rifle target. A few of us left early in the morning, arriving before Jones to film B-roll and load magazines; he had no patience for preparation. When he came hours later, after eating a few handfuls of jalapeño chips, he picked up an AR-15 and accidentally fired it in my direction.

The bullet hit the ground about 10 feet away from me. One employee, who was already uncomfortable around firearms, lost it, accusing Jones of being careless and flippant. This was one of the few times I saw someone call Jones out and the only time he didn’t get angry in response. He claimed he had intentionally fired the gun as a joke — as if this were any better.

I stood by silently, considering what might have happened if the gun had been pointed a little to the right. After a while the upset employee let it go, and no one brought it up again. We cracked open a few more beers, filled an old television with Tannerite and blew it up.

One weekend, a few people from the office went hunting at a game reserve. On the following Monday, I was handed a hard drive full of video files and told to edit them for Jones to air on his show later in the week. “There are clips in here that are pretty bad, things we don’t want to get out, so let me take a look at this before we upload it,” one of my managers said.

The first video I clicked on came from a cellphone. The camera pans across a blood-covered floor in what looked like a garage. Dead animals were scattered about: eyes lifeless, tongues hanging from their mouths, crimson streaks splashed on their fur.

In another video, a bison grazed quietly in the shade of a large tree; it reminded me of a tableau at the American Museum of Natural History. Then the camera panned over to Jones, maybe 20 yards away, holding what looked like a handgun. Jones began firing at the bison, tufts of hair flying with every hit. The animal remained standing as Jones shot round after round. Finally, the hunting guide yelled at Jones to stop and handed him a high-caliber rifle. Jones took a moment to make sure the cameras were still recording and fired a few more rounds as the animal finally collapsed.

I shared a large room with three other employees, and Jones often walked into our office after he wrapped for the day. His first question was always “How was the show?” If anyone said it was great — someone, if not everyone, always said it was great — his response was the same. “Really?” he would say, moving over to their side of the room. “Did you really think it was great? What did you like about it?”

Working for Jones was a balancing act. You had to determine where he was emotionally and match his tone quickly. If he was angry, then you had better get angry. If he was joking around, then you could relax, sort of, always looking out of the corner of your eye for his mood to turn at any moment.

Late one night, after an extended live broadcast, Jones walked into my office shirtless. This was normal; he removed his shirt frequently around us. He pulled out a bottle of Grey Goose from a storage cabinet and filled his cup. He stumbled into his private restroom, changed into a clean black polo shirt and stepped back into our office. “Hit me,” he said to an employee in the room. When the employee refused, Jones got louder, his face redder. “Hit me!” He kept saying it, getting closer each time. Finally, knowing Jones would never relent, the employee gave him a weak tap on the shoulder.

“Oh, come on,” he said, “hit me harder!”

The employee punched him hard in the shoulder. Jones grunted on impact, seeming to enjoy the pain. Then, it was his turn. Smirking, he planted his feet, reared back and lunged his body weight forward as his fist connected with the man’s arm. I could hear the dull thud of impact, then a wincing sigh. They traded a few more punches, each time seeming less playful. Jones became wild-eyed, spit flying from his clenched teeth as he exhaled. On his last hit, the sound was different. Wet. I thought I could hear the meat split open in the employee’s arm. Jones roared as he punched a cabinet, denting the door in. A few weeks later, I heard that Jones had broken a video editor’s ribs after playing the same game in a downtown bar.

Having aligned himself with Donald Trump during the 2016 presidential race, Jones might now be considered a version of a conservative, but his perspective is much more complicated than that. Infowars was like a lot of digital-media outlets, in that we reported on the things our top editor thought would go viral. But because our boss was Alex Jones, this was a peculiar process. Assignments were often handed down live on the air during his show. We were to have it playing throughout the office, always listening for directives. Ideas for stories mostly came from what other news outlets reported. Jones wanted us to “hijack” the mainstream media’s coverage and use it to our advantage. If it fit into the Infowars narrative, it played.

When I wasn’t at the office, I spent much of my time traveling for Jones. I inhaled the tear gas in Ferguson, Mo., during the Black Lives Matter protests, retching as I hid with protesters, corralled by cops in riot gear. I stood next to armed cowboys and ranch hands as they faced off against the Bureau of Land Management to retrieve Cliven Bundy’s cattle in Nevada. I had dinner with the leader of the Nation of Islam, Louis Farrakhan, at his home in Phoenix and spent a weekend at the compound of Jim Bakker, the televangelist who spent time in prison for fraud. Jones’s instinctual desire to distance himself from the mainstream led us to unusual and sometimes dark places.

In December 2015, the day before Jones interviewed Donald Trump, still a candidate at the time, on his radio show, I made my way to upstate New York on assignment, along with a reporter and second cameraman. We were sent to visit Muslim-majority communities throughout the United States to investigate what Jones instructed us to call “the American Caliphate.” After the California Geiger-counter debacle, we had meetings with Jones before trips in order to ascertain exactly what he wanted. If we “hit some home runs,” he said, we would get significant bonuses.

We landed in Newark at 12:30 p.m. on Dec. 1, 2015. The first stop was Islamberg, a Muslim community three hours north of Manhattan. It was founded in the 1980s by mostly African-American followers of a Pakistani cleric named Mubarik Ali Shah Gilani, who encouraged devotees of his conservative brand of Sufi Islam to establish small settlements across the rural United States. Gilani was suspected of association with the organization Jamaat ul-Fuqra, which was briefly designated as a terrorist group by the State Department in the 1990s; Gilani has denied any connection to the group. His followers in Islamberg had no record of violence, and some of them had denounced the Islamic State in an interview with Reuters earlier that year, saying they didn’t believe Islamic State members to be real Muslims. But unfounded rumors circulated around far-right corners of the internet that this community was a potential terrorist-training center. Jones, who thought the media consistently ingratiated themselves with Islamic extremists, believed them.

We pulled in, unannounced, to a dirt drive leading to the community, stopping at a flimsy cattle gate guarded by two men. The reporter, wearing a hidden camera, approached the entrance as we filmed the interaction from the vehicle. The men were calm and polite, if a little suspicious — reasonable given the circumstances. They denied our entry into Islamberg but took our number and told us we could return after they verified who we were.

It was only later, after listening to the audio from the reporter’s hidden camera, that I heard what he told the two men guarding the gate. “Basically, what we do is, we go around, and we do videos debunking claims of stuff,” the reporter said. “The word is, people say this is some kind of training camp, so we wanted to come in and get some footage and kind of put that whole rumor to rest.”

He gave them his real name — a name that, with a quick Google search, would lead back to Infowars, with its headlines like “Inside Sources: Bin Laden’s Corpse Has Been on Ice for Nearly a Decade,” “Special Report: Why Obama Brought Ebola to U.S. Exposed” and “VIDEO: ‘Demon’ Caught on Camera During Obama Visit?” Those headlines could be described by many words, but none of them would be “debunking.”

Because of the conspiracy theories about the place, Islamberg was a constant target of right-wing extremists. That April, a Tennessee man was arrested and later convicted of plotting to raise a militia to burn Islamberg’s mosque to the ground. Only days before we arrived, the F.B.I. issued an alert to law enforcement to be on the lookout for a man named Jon Ritzheimer, the leader of an anti-Muslim movement in Arizona who posted a video threatening violence against Muslims less than two weeks earlier. In the video, he brandished a handgun, saying: “I’m urging all Americans across the U.S. everywhere in public, start carrying a slung rifle with you, everywhere. Don’t be a victim in your own country.”

So the phone call we received later that night from a law-enforcement agent shouldn’t have come as a surprise. The officer who contacted us said he simply wanted to verify who we were after receiving a concerned call from someone in Islamberg. We told Jones about it, and he chose to believe the call was a veiled threat, an attempt to intimidate us into silence. To him, this verified that we were onto something. He even went so far as to include Michael Bloomberg, the former mayor of New York City, in the purported conspiracy, claiming he wanted to abolish the Second Amendment — and that somehow intimidating us would achieve that.

Jones told us to file a story that accused the police of harassment, lending credence to the theory that this community contained dangerous, potential terrorists. I knew this wasn’t the case according to the information we had. We all did. Days before, we spoke to the sheriff and the mayor of Deposit, N.Y., a nearby municipality. They both told us the people in Islamberg were kind, generous neighbors who welcomed the surrounding community into their homes, even celebrating holidays together.

The information did not meet our expectations, so we made it up, preying on the vulnerable and feeding the prejudices and fears of Jones’s audience. We ignored certain facts, fabricated others and took situations out of context to fit our narrative, posting headlines like:

Drone Investigates Islamic Training Center

Shariah Law Zones Confirmed in America

Infowars Reporters Stalked by Terrorism Task Force

Report: Obama’s Terror Cells in the U.S.

The Rumors Are True: Shariah Law Is Here!

Our next stop was Hamtramck, a Muslim-majority city embedded within Detroit that alarmists in neighboring communities called Shariahville. As we headed west, my phone vibrated, and a news alert appeared on the screen. There were reports that a mass shooting that week in San Bernardino, Calif., had been perpetrated by Islamic extremists, making it at the time the deadliest Islamic attack in the United States since Sept. 11.

I knew that when the details emerged, they would substantiate the lies we pushed to Jones’s audience. It didn’t matter if the attack took place on the other side of the country or if the people in Islamberg had no connection to the perpetrators in San Bernardino. Jones’s listeners would draw imaginary lines between the two, and we were helping them do it.

I quit working for Jones on April 7, 2017. When offered another job, an introductory position with a 75 percent pay cut, I jumped at the opportunity. Instead of giving two weeks’ notice, I left in three hours. Jones had gone home for the day, so I didn’t speak with him in person. I said goodbye to co-workers and managers, handed over my company credit card and hoped that would be the end of it. Two nights later, I received a call from Jones: “Let me tell you a little secret,” he said in his gravelly voice. “I don’t like it anymore, either.”

“What do you mean?” I asked.

“I don’t want to do it anymore,” he said, “and I got all these people working for me, and you know, then I feel guilty. I don’t want to do it. You think I want to keep doing this? I haven’t wanted to do this for five years, man.” I sensed that he was pandering, but I couldn’t help thinking that for the first time since I started this job, Jones and I finally had something in common. Sure, there was a time when I shared his anger. In fact, I was still angry. But this is where we differed: I wasn’t angry with others; I was angry with myself. And once I realized that, it was easier to walk away. When I left, I tried to put myself in his shoes, to figure out why he said and did the things he did. At times I saw a different side to Jones, one that was vulnerable, desiring validation and acceptance. Then he would say something so vile and callous it became impossible to look past it.

Even though I was no longer beholden to Jones for financial security, I couldn’t be honest about how I felt. I was to blame for my actions, unequivocally, and yet I resented Jones for creating an environment of rage, fear and confusion that diminished discernment, increased self-doubt and left me feeling as if my brain had short-circuited. I wanted to say these things to Jones, but I didn’t.

He offered to double my pay, suggested I work remotely and even proposed funding a feature-length film of my own. I said it wasn’t about money and turned him down. To this day, I still don’t know why he wanted to keep me around. He said it was because he cared about me, but if I had to guess, I would say his main concern was losing control.

The next morning, he called numerous times, and then again that evening. I let the calls go to voice mail.

There wasn’t a single moment that persuaded me to leave, but there was a turning point: a moment that stuck with me long after it happened. I thought of it as I sat next to Jones speeding recklessly down the highway on Election Day, when I walked out of the office for the last time and when I decided to sit down and write this article.

It was early morning, and we were headed back to Austin after the trip that began in Islamberg. As we boarded our flight, I took my window seat close to the rear of the plane. An older woman wearing a hijab sat next to me. With her was a young girl, giddy with excitement, who bounced in the middle seat, holding a bag of pretzels. The woman leaned over and asked if I would let the girl sit by the window. “This is her first time on a plane,” she said. I agreed and moved my bag from under the seat.

I thought of the children who lived in Islamberg: how afraid their families must have felt when their communities were threatened and strangers appeared asking questions; how we chose to look past these people as individuals and impose on them more of the same unfair suspicions they already had to endure. And for what? Clickbait headlines, YouTube views?

As I sat on the aisle, the plane now lifting up into the pale blue sky, I glanced over at the little girl staring out the window in wonder, her face glowing from the light reflecting off the clouds. She was amazed, joyful, innocent, carefree and completely unaware of the world beneath her.

Josh Owens is a writer living in Texas. This is his first article for the magazine.

[brokehorrorfan]

Event Report: Rhode Island Comic Con 2018

Rhode Island Comic Con takes place in the smallest state, but the show gets bigger every year. Its seventh incarnation took place November 2-4 at the Rhode Island Convention Center, the Dunkin Donuts Center, and the Omni Hotel in Providence, RI. While the congestion of people between buildings during peak hours is seemingly unavoidable, this year's updated layout across the three locations (all connected to one another) proved to be the best use of space yet.

When not browsing the massive vendor room full of cool geek memorabilia, I spent a good chunk of the weekend in the two panel rooms at the Omni, listening to various celebrity guests discuss their storied careers. Between the gregarious speakers, the considerate fan questions, the enthusiastic hosts (some of whom were celebrities themselves), and the overall energy of the convention, every one one of the eight panels I saw over the course of the three days was supremely entertaining. The first one I attended was with Tim Curry, who received a standing ovation from the adoring crowd, moderated by voice actor Charlie Adler (who worked with Curry as the voice director on The Wild Thornberrys). Curry proudly remarked that it has been almost exactly 50 years since he started his acting career as part of the original London cast of Hair in 1968.

Although a 2012 stroke left the beloved actor in a wheelchair, Curry is still quite sharp on the microphone. The audience went wild when he briefly broke into his sinister Pennywise voice from It as well as his smashing accent from The Wild Thornberrys. When asked about his thoughts on the new It, Curry defiantly responded, "I didn't like it very much." He shared anecdotes about many of his beloved roles, including The Rocky Horror Picture Show (his favorite scene is the floor show, "Because it was all about me. It was very sexy!"), Clue, Legend (for which the makeup took 10 hours to apply the first time), Muppet Treasure Island, and even The Worst Witch (he admitted to getting so drunk on an actress's homemade gin that he later had to re-shoot his big song). He also revealed a few fun facts, such as how he was almost in Alien as John Hurt's chest-bursting character, Kane, which is what eventually led to him being cast in Legend. "I just thought Ridley Scott was the most amazing director," he remarked. He also loved the script for The Silence of the Lambs and was interested in the role of Hannibal Lecter.

Four members of the Loser's Club from It (2017) - Jack Dylan Grazer (Eddie), Chosen Jacobs (Mike), Wyatt Oleff (Stanley), and Jeremy Ray Taylor (Ben) - reunited for a panel that evening as well. The young actors noted that they had immediate chemistry upon meeting before filming and that they are very similar to their characters, which was apparent during the Q&A as well. The camaraderie is palpable when the friends interact with one another with youthful exuberance. Everything except Taylor watched the original It before filming, although he's now coming around to horror movies. Although they were unable to speak much about It: Chapter 2, which just wrapped production, they noted how surreal it was to meet their older counterparts. Friday evening concluded with a rousing screening of the Rocky Horror Picture Show featuring a shadow-cast by local favorites RKO Army.

I anticipated kicking off Saturday with an Elvira panel featuring the Mistress of the Dark herself, but Cassandra Peterson was unfortunately feeling under the weather and was forced to cancel. Thankfully, the session's guest host, Brian O'Halloran (Clerks), was willing to become the subject of the panel instead. He discussed working with Kevin Smith at length. They are mere weeks away from shooting the new Jay and Silent Bob movie, which he promises will be fun and cameo-heavy. Not unlike his character from Clerks, an audience question about Star Wars sent him on a humorous tirade about the franchise. His personal top three Star Wars movies may surprise you: The Empire Strikes Back, Rogue One, Solo.

It was fun to see Danny Trejo - known for playing tough guys in the likes of Machete, The Devil's Rejects, Desperado, Heat, Con Air, and Sons of Anarchy - cracking jokes and being so jovial during his panel. "I play a badass, but I’m not," he remarked as he recounted some of his surprising upcoming projects: the live-action adaptation of Dora the Explorer, a comedy titled Grand-Daddy Day Care, and an AMC sitcom, Food & Familia. He shared stories about the conception of Machete, which dates back to Desperado and then Spy Kids, the time he autographed a living tortoise in tribute to his Breaking Bad role, and his recent branching out into the food (with his Trejos Tacos restaurants) and music (with his newly-launched label, Trejo Music) industries. Perhaps the most interesting moment, however, was when he shared the story behind his signature chest tattoo, which involved being worked on by the same artist in three different prisons after being arrested for armed robbery at 14. It's truly inspiring to see how he turned his life around.

The Office reunion panel with Kate Flannery (Meredith) and Creed Bratton (Creed) was among the most highly-attended of the weekend. It took place in the smaller of the two panel halls, causing a long line of fans to be turned away. Those who were lucky enough to make it into the at-capacity room were treated to a lively conversation that was as funny as watching the show. Flannery was vivacious, while Bratton, true to his character, was dry and straight-faced. In addition to recounting their favorite moments in the series' nine-season run, they expressed their willingness to return for a Christmas special or other such revival if the writers can find a way to make it work and the rest of the ensemble cast is on board.

The Rocky Horror Picture Show panel was an unexpected highlight. Barry Bostwick (Brad) and Meat Loaf (Eddie) needed no moderator; they were old friends having an open conversation with one another. The first 20 minutes were essentially a comedy routine, with Meat spinning a fictitious story about the origins of his stage name while Bostwick occasionally interjected with a question or a dry quip. There was nary a mention of Rocky Horror until they opened up to the crowd for questions. When asked about screenings during which the audience talks back to the movie, Meat was brutally honest: "I wouldn't go to that to save my life." He went on to say that he loved seeing fans dress up, but he found it disrespectful to the movie and those who worked on it to speak out during screenings. Bostwick was quick to add that he believed such screenings are why the film has had such longevity. Meat also relished the opportunity to roast the audience. The actors' remarkable rapport caused the panel to go long, but, since it was the last of the evening, no one seemed to mind.

Rhode Island Comic Con put together a worthwhile after-party on Saturday night. After 90 minutes of DJ Darth Fader spinning music, dancing, cocktails, and mingling with some of the celebrities in attendance - including James Murray (Impractical Jokers), Joey Fatone (Nsync), Bam Margera (Jackass), Bai Ling (The Crow), and Spencer Wilding (Rogue One: A Star Wars Story) - it was time for Epic Rap Battles of History. The creators of the viral YouTube channel, Peter "Nice Peter" Shukoff and Lloyd "EpicLloyd" Ahlquist - took the stage to perform many of their fan-favorite rap battles live, full of energy and the occasional prop. They performed such favorites as Goku vs. Superman, Rick Grimes vs. Walter White, Terminator vs. Robocop, and Zeus vs. Thor, in addition to medleys with verses from various battles. They occasionally invited fans on stage to perform verses, and in the middle of the set they made their way into the crowd to perform a few songs, including a freestyle created on the spot by audience suggestion: Spider-Man vs. Christina Aguilera. Although they haven't released a new video in nearly two years, Shukoff and Ahlquist clearly haven't missed a beat. They concluded their hour-long set by revealing that they have a new video featuring Elon Musk coming in December.

Sunday kicked off for me with a panel featuring Impractical Jokers' James "Murr" Murray and Nsync's Joey Fatone. While no one was entirely sure what to expect, it was a standard - but highly entertaining - question-and-answer session, with Fatone essentially serving as moderator and occasionally offering his input. Fatone first bonded with the Jokers over their mutual love of Superman. He quickly befriended the gang, then appeared on the show before becoming the host of the Impractical Jokers after-show, After Party. Murr teased the upcoming Impractical Jokers movie, which is due in theaters next year. He said that it's a road movie, with a scripted beginning and ending, but the rest of the film features the guys pranking one another around the country. While Fatone revealed he makes a cameo in the film, Murr told the crowd that it features "the most embarrassing moment of my life," which left him in tears. He also shared plenty of fun stories from the show, including showing off his driver's license photo with no eyebrows.

Later in the day, the Stranger Things panel with David Harbor (Hopper) and Noah Schnapp (Will), and moderated by Clare Kramer (Buffy the Vampire Slayer), capped off the weekend on a high note. They have one week left of shooting the hit Netflix series' third season. They were unable to speak much about it, but Harbor called it "the most Spielbergian thing we’ve ever done," while Schnapp remarked, "It's even bigger than season two." Harbor revealed that we'll see more of Hopper's backstory as a Vietnam veteran and a New York City police officer, while Schnapp hinted that there may be a love story between Will and Eleven. Hopper also discussed his titular role in the upcoming Hellboy reboot. Filming in Bulgaria proved to be difficult, and the three hours of make-up each day wasn't a lot of fun, but he promised lots of practical effects and a storyline that would be closer to the comic on which its based. He also shared a funny story about a run-in with a wild bull during shooting.

In addition to the numerous celebrities mentioned above, Rhode Island Comic Con's exceptional guest list included Hayden Christensen (Star Wars), Gwendoline Christie (Star Wars), Kiefer Sutherland (The Lost Boys), Jason Patric (The Lost Boys), Lance Henriksen (Aliens), Tom Felton (Harry Potter), Natalia Tena (Harry Potter), Zachary Levi (Shazam), Tom Welling (Smallville), Michael Rosenbaum (Smallville), Alan Tudyk (Firefly), Finn Jones (Game of Thrones), Billy Boyd (Lord of the Rings), Tony Danza (Who’s the Boss?), Levar Burton (Star Trek: The Next Generation), Michelle Trachtenberg (Buffy the Vampire Slayer), Dylan McDermott (American Horror Story), Michael Rooker (The Walking Dead), Sarah Wayne Callies (The Walking Dead), Laurie Holden (The Walking Dead), Jenna Elfman (Fear the Walking Dead), Zach Galligan (Gremlins), Morena Baccarin (Deadpool), Ice-T (Law & Order: Special Victims Unit), Billy Zane (Titanic), Dee Snider (Twisted Sister), Jason David Frank (Power Rangers), and many more.

Although all comic conventions have slowly become more of pop culture expos and celebrity autograph shows over the years, Rhode Island Comic Con stays true to its roots by inviting many comic writers and artists. This year included Deadpool co-creator Rob Liefeld and Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles co-creator Kevin Eastman, among others. I had the pleasure of meeting Eastman, who graciously signed one item - complete with a quick sketch of a Ninja Turtle - for free for everyone throughout the weekend. He was very personable, striking up a brief conversation with each fan who waited in line. In addition to dozens of comic creators, aspiring artists were invited to have their portfolios reviewed.

While the headlining guests were the main attraction at the Dunkin Donuts Center, I was very excited to see an It (1990) display, curated by John Campopiano, writer-producer of the upcoming Pennywise: The Story of It documentary. The crown jewel of the collection was one of Tim Curry's actual, screen-used Pennywise costumes, of which fans were allowed to take photos, but he also had many editions of the film and Stephen King's novel from around the world, among other memorabilia. I was disheartened to hear, however, that two props were stolen from the booth during the event, and as a result the collection will no longer be displayed at conventions. I hope the missing items surface, because the display was a real treat for Stephen King fans.

Impressive costumes - from movies, TV, comics, anime, cartoons, video games, wrestlers, pop culture figures, and mash-ups - could be found walking around the showroom floor throughout the weekend, but many of the best cosplayers competed in a costume contest on Sunday evening. Everyone's efforts were extremely impressive, but the cosplay celebrity judges ultimately awarded the winners in three categories. Eleven from Stranger Things (complete with a Demodog) won for beginners, a group dressed up as Mighty Morphin Power Rangers villains shared the prize for intermediate, and a female Pennywise from It (2017) was selected for the master class. But it was a couple dressed as The Sorceress and Battle Cat from Masters of the Universe who were awarded Best in Show. It was a fun way to end the weekend.

In addition to the celebrity guests signing autographs and taking pictures, celebrity panels, cosplaying, and hundreds of vendors with anything a pop culture nerd could ever want, Rhode Island Comic Con includes exclusive merchandise, fan panels, film screenings, geek speed dating, kids activities, live tattooing, and more. It's impossible to experience it all in one day, so I recommend springing for the weekend pass when next year's event rolls around on November 1-3, 2019.

Click here to see all of my Rhode Island Comic Con 2018 photos.

[dynared]

If you could write the last season of Voltron how would you end it? Like you had to still had to have all the events of the series (Shiro dies and comes back/ Keith still joins the Blades). how would you want the series to end? For me the first thing I would do is kill off Lance (cause I really hate the character). And I wouldn't kill him off in a cool heroic way either, just in a stupid way, maybe because of his own arrogance.

Shiro will probably live because he’s already died and it didn’t stick. Pidge and Hunk will live because they’re awesome. I would have Hunk marry Shay (just cause I think that pairing is cute.) Corran and Allura go off to space to find a new Altea. And I think I might kill off Keith in a very heroic sacrifice the ends with the supposed destruction of Voltron. Any suggestions? What would you do? How would you end the series?

—

If I could write it?  Well, it depends on a few factors, at least for me.  Is there any possible chance of a sequel or should we pull out all the stops now because there won’t be another opportunity?  Will I actually be allowed to stage a mecha battle without having to reuse assets and focus on hand to hand fights?

Well, the first thing I’d do is establish Lotor as the final villain of the show.  He returns from the void, kills Haggar (a homage to GoLion and probably the logical end of Lotor killing Zarkon, who Haggar/Honerva still loved), and returns with an army in place, the Mirror Alteans.  Who have a fleet of giant robots ready to rain hell on Earth.  It’s unfortunately way too late to introduce a new mastermind (for example, an idea bandied about when I still had hope for the show was that Emperor Zeppo existed in the void as a dark god/eldrich horror in the vein of Muge Zorbados from Dancougar), and the fact is, Haggar as the final villain would be a massive letdown.  The drama is with Lotor.

I wouldn’t actually go into the full-scale war until the second episode, with the first episode acting as setup for it.  Earth is rebuilding, Allura is prepared to call her allies to her, and mop up the rest of the Galra.  And that’s when Lotor strikes, causing dozens of planets to fall and the United Altean Empire to be introduced as the final villain of the show.  Full on villain, obsessed with Allura who he believes must be his queen to restore their people.

Since there isn’t going to be a sequel, and you introduced those Garrison pilots for a reason, the first few episodes hint at Earth creating something with the help of their new allies, but consistent jokes are made about how it’s not ready, or that people want to see it right away, and the wait is causing the Paladins and the Coalition to become frustrated and annoyed (like how every mecha fan felt about the show before dropping it).

Lotor’s united fleet, the Fleet of Doom, is sent against Earth and Voltron’s allies, and the combination of Galra and Altean tech pretty much hands the coalition its ass.  Until finally the show corrects its greatest mistake.

No, not Jeeg.  Vehicle Voltron, fighting alongside its lion counterpart, laying waste to the fleet that was supposed to spell Voltron’s doom, before a final badass pose.

Unfortunately, we can’t end the series here, because Lotor, while his Fleet of Doom has been defeated and Earth has been saved, is still waiting on a new flagship meant to replace the old base Zarkon had.  In keeping with his growing insanity, the Earth nicknames it Castle Doom.  Realizing they need to take Lotor out, both Voltrons journey to Castle Doom to defeat Lotor once and for all.  Lotor meanwhile, realizes Allura’s mastery of Quintessence as an Altean can seal the wormholes and derail his ambitions if she’s left free, so after one operation, she’s captured.

The problem here is that the final duel doesn’t make sense between Lance and Lotor, because Lotor would hand Lance his ass.  It also doesn’t work between Shiro and Lotor because their rivalry is a rather impersonal one.  So it would have to fall to Keith to duel Lotor.  

This is where everyone turns against me.  It’s been the theory of a lot of viewers @remains-of-stardust is one example whose metas inspired this) that while Lance has improved for Allura, there’s no true foundation for a relationship there since what do they really have in common?  During Season 8, he would find himself slowly questioning if he was in love with her, or just wanted her because she was the princess.  Keith meanwhile, realizes that he may have had deeper feelings for the princess than even he had realized, feelings Shiro is all too happy to tell Keith to follow.  One cooldown episode (prior to the capture) has the pair confront these feelings during a wacky scenario, and at that point it’s spelled out, Lance doesn’t truly love Allura, but Keith…

So now we have the table set, one final duel between Lotor and Keith while the Lions and Vehicle Voltron struggle against Lotor’s ultimate Robeast.  Of course this leads to a final duel with Lotor at the helm vs Voltron, as Keith tells them to combine (FORM FEET AND LEGS!  FORM ARMS AND BODY!  AND I’LL FORM THE HEAD!)  If possible, get the original music back for one reprise.  If not, well, make new music that fits the moment and not the lame muzak they’ve been using.

However, whether Lotor wins or dies, it’s revealed that the only way they’re going to stop the march of the Mirror Alteans and the Shadow Beasts (remember them from the flashback episode?) is to close the wormhole permanently, which is assuredly a one-way trip.

I would kill off Lance or at least tease it, but it wouldn’t be a senseless sacrifice.  If he dies, he has to die in a way that would actually be noble and courageous.  He confronts Allura one last time and drives a spaceship into the wormhole to close it from the other side.  His end is the opposite of his introduction, noble, with purpose.  If he dies, he’s remembered as far more than a mere “boy from Cuba”.  If he lives, he realizes he was never the least of the group and finds happiness with someone else.

Voltron survives because as a symbol, it’s better still together than destroyed, and if the show does get a follow-up, like a video game, you want to bring back Peter Cullen to do his old monologue.  I just feel like destroying it would be a final slap in the face to any fan of the original.  

I want Shiro to start dating, but marriage?  Hold off a bit, OK?  Do establish in the epilogue he’s seeing someone who isn’t Roy Fokker (what the hell leakers?) and prepares to go into space to explore the rest of the galaxy with Vehicle Voltron.  Allura and Coran, along with Keith, leave Earth to find a home for the remaining Alteans, to fix the mistakes of their forefathers, and to bring peace to the cosmos.  Lance, if he lives, stays on Earth, along with Hunk and Pidge, as peace settles upon the cosmos.  The end.

[momorabu]

Ensemble Stars! Event Story - Reminiscence * Sentimental Liars /  Guilty of Perjury

Sorry for the really long hiatus since it’s been like 3 weeks since my last translation ><” Things cropped up after my trip, therefore, I still haven’t had the chance to really sit down and finish reading the next event story I was going to translate… TWT

However, on April’s Fools, Happy Elements released a short story showing the teachers’ side stories again, in a similar fashion like last year. Since it was pretty short (only 4 chapters), I decided to read it and translate it. (Helps that it was fully voiced so I could understand it better - wish it was like this for all of Ensemble Stars’ stories~)

PS: This event story happens after the event story from last year’s April fools, though I don’t really think there’s much in relation so it’s okay if you’ve not read it yet. (If not there’s probably some translation floating around somewhere) I currently have no plans to re-read and translate that story yet, but if you really wish for me to do, please give me a shout through my ask box~

Anyway as always, the summary of the story can be found below. Translation may not be 100% accurate due to my poor Japanese skills~

通行止めの天國 / Impassable Heaven: Chapter 1

The story starts whereby one day “I” went to the sickbay and found Sagami Sensei asleep on the desk, and thus went onto waking him up. Sagami wished “I” didn’t wake him up since he was really having a nice nap, but then he also realised that it’s bad practice to fall asleep in the middle of the job =w=“ Rather than waking him up normally, he wished that “I” do it in a more “cute” way like “Please wake up~ Sensei~” while hugging him XD (No way “I’m” going to do that though…)

It was quite a busy time of the school year, as Sagami Sensei said it’s not fun looking after the these “not cute” kids at all as he probably has to help with taking care of some matters (I guess…)

The reason “I” went to the sickbay was to hand in the duty roster diary, which Sagami Sensei said that it’s not really needed for him to check it so “I” could just leave it on the desk and didn’t have to wake him up. (Just sounds like he doesn’t want to check it though…) He said that even if something was to happen in class, the teacher may not know about it since student could always choose to omit information and not write it in the diary, but realising that he was referring to “me”, he quickly changed his tune and said that of course he trusted “me”, to the point he totally don’t even need to check whether there’ll be false information at all… (How ironic =w=“)

Another reason he doesn’t want to check would be his failing eyesight, making it difficult to read small words…

Just then, Akiomi Sensei appeared, saying that he has something for Jin (which is Sagami Sensei). Noticing me at the sickbay, Akiomi wondered if I’m feeling unwell, saying that being in a different environment suddenly might cause one to fall sick easily, as “I” had just transferred to this academy at the time of this event story. Akiomi has noticed that “I” seems to be suffering a lack of sleep recently, and gave advice that “I” really should make sure “I” have proper sleep~ (Aww~ Akiomi is smiling while giving out such advice, I can’t help but say “Yes Sensei, I’ll listen to you”, though he said “I” might die at this rate if I don’t get enough sleep =w=“)

However, towards Sagami Sensei, Akiomi has a different attitude towards him, demanding him why on earth is he taking a nap during working hours XD He also dissed him that if he slept for too long, his brain cells will start dying and Sagami Sensei will become someone more like a zombie =w=“

Sagami Sensei just coolly rebutted it though, saying that he has no use for his brain cells anyway and he’s alright in just letting them die~ OWO

Sagami Sensei didn’t like how Akiomi is always nagging on him, like a mum indeed. He even teased that perhaps Akiomi wanted to be his bride (a.k.a wife) which is why he’s so naggy on him XD (He even played along his surname with Akiomi’s name, saying that it’ll have two “mi” since the whole name will be Sagami Akiomi if Akiomi took on Sagami’s surname ^^;)

In the end, Akiomi has to ask him to cut it off since it’s very embarrassing to talk about such stuff in front of the student (which is just “me” only actually ^^;)

Sagami Sensei couldn’t even remember what he has asked Akiomi to help him with, which is why Akiomi came to look him for. Turns out that Sagami Sensei has received a videotape that he can’t play (no video tape player), and thus requested the help of Akiomi. Akiomi has used all his network to finally track down on someone who was able to extract the video files from the videotape and burned it on a CD-R. And thus he was here to pass the CD-R to Sagami Sensei.

Akiomi was more curious on the sender who sent this videotape actually since he was Sagami Sensei’s rival back then when they’re still idols and wondered if it’s some dangerous message and content in the video files. (Seems like Sagami Sensei has alot of enemies from his old idol days back then, where there’ll be people sending him threatening letters OWO”)

In the end, they decided to play the CD-R to view the videos and got out a laptop to play it. Sagami Sensei was afraid it might be a curse video (where one will be cursed if he watched it? XD) Akiomi has to comfort him and that Akiomi will be the one watching it anyway, and Sagami Sensei could just close his eyes and not watch if he’s that scared XD Also there’s a letter/note that came with the videotape, saying “Liar!”, which nobody understood what that means.

通行止めの天國 / Impassable Heaven: Chapter 2

The video brings us back to the old days where Sagami Sensei was an idol. (Shall call him Jin now that he’s younger XD) During a concert, Jin announced to his fans regarding a certain event that happened and affected him greatly, which is that his older brother has passed away due to cancer recently.

He talked about things that he had done when he was at the hospital visiting his brother, like drawing on the walls. He also mentioned things that his brother had told him to always do in life: to always greet people, to not bring trouble to other people, to sleep and wake up early. Jin confessed that he does feel lonely now that one person who has always been supportive of him had left.

But most importantly, he felt that he wanted to thank his brother and that he loved him, as a very important member of his family. And thus he will dedicate the next song to him, as thanks~

At the end of the live concert though, Jin felt extremely exhausted and also guilt towards his brother, since he knew that he’s using this sad tale of his brother passing away to gain sympathy from his fans and thus increasing the sale of his CDs.

This is what his company has ordered, and so Jin felt that he’s really just a by-product, and that idol is just something to be sold and thus has no right to say anything.

He wondered if it would have been better if he had become a doctor instead (maybe guiltily thinking that he might have helped to save his brother’s life that way?) Jin’s family was actually against of him being an idol, with his dad being right in saying that idol is just a product (at that time), that his brother was the only one who supported Jin’s dreams. Jin’s brother is really encouraging and supportive towards him, and that’s why Jin felt that his brother would definitely be able to go to heaven when he passed away. As for him, Jin thinks that he won’t be able to go to heaven and thus will descend into hell, where the demons might just pull out his tongue…

(This whole part just sounds so depressing and shows how dark the idol world can be on the inside… TAT TAT It also showed that it’s hard for one to keep on working hard to become an idol, especially if one suffers from objection from his family and there’s no support from them.)

Just when Jin was thinking whether he has really become “someone he wants to be” and whether “super idol Jin” is someone he wanted to be, his thoughts got interrupted when Akiomi and his unit came on stage and asked him to get off XDD

Jin looked over at his junior Akiomi and praised him that he has finally able to become an idol by himself. However, Akiomi frowned and said he would never be, since Jin will be the last “Super Idol”, as now companies are releasing units instead of solos, with the concept of idols changing again with time. (Now it’s gradually heading towards to era of groups and units~)

Sensing that Akiomi doesn’t seem to feel happy about it, Jin wondered whether Akiomi doesn’t get along with his “comrades” / unit members. Akiomi denied that they’re his comrades, stating that they’re just people who happened to be “sold” as a set.

(Wah…. Akiomi is suddenly so dark and realistic, I remembered in the last story, he was all Kira Kira about wanting to debut OAO” Guess this is what happened when you’ve stepped into the industry and realised it’s not what you’ve envisioned?)

Akiomi felt sad about letting Jin go (probably meaning that he’ll retire from the idol world), and that he really wanted to be able to sing and dance with him. He felt sorry that even after so much practice and even support from Jin, Akiomi has not been able to become the “Super Idol” like Jin in the end…

通行止めの天國 / Impassable Heaven: Chapter 3

After the concert, Jin found Akiomi still practising in his performance outfit. Akiomi shot him back by saying that Jin was also the same as he was wearing his performance outfit too. But Jin just smiled and explained that he has been busy after the concert since he has to attend interviews and such that he doesn’t even have time to change actually.

He went onto asking Akiyomi to save him from the evil empire, as everyone is robbing of his sleeping time ^^; Akiomi just coolly asked him to feedback to his manager though, as it’s no help that he’s complaining to him. For Jin, his schedule can be pretty terrible since he said that sometimes he can only rest when the doctor forced them to stop his schedules when his body is at quite a critical condition… (What a terrible management company Jin is in OAO”)

Seems like Akiomi was still feeling down that he has not been able to become a Super Idol like Jin, where Jin said he has already warned Akiomi before (that the idol industry won’t be a pretty place). Akiomi gets it since it’s actually pretty similar to how the model industry works, as he’s in it too. However, it’s still pretty crushing knowing that what you’ve seen on TV and has imagined an idol would be, is actually quite different in reality…

Jin was being sarcastic and said that being an idol is kind of similar to working in a religion, where one can actually accumulate lots of wealth by “selling” a certain concept for people to believe. (I don’t really think Jin wanted to insult religion that way but I guess he’s just referring to how religion cults gain believer’s donation when they spread the religion thinking out =w=“)

Jin, being a solo has to sell an image of “love” to fangirls, saying that almost all of his songs are love songs and that he always refers to his fangirls as “you” instead of “you guys”. This is such that each and every fangirl will feel entitled that the solo idol is giving them a one-on-one treatment, pretty much like an imagination boyfriend kind of image.

Jin even sarcastically said that he feels like he’s cheating the girls of their love and money, similar to how those who cheated the other party by saying that they’ll get married and yet ran off with the money =w=“

But things are going to change now that people are realising what the idol industry is exploiting, and now units like Akiomi’s are going to rule and save the idol world, even though it’s probably going to take some time for the public to get used to the new system~ As for Jin, he knew he’s going to retire, along with all these lies that he’s been weaving over the years, and even asked Akiomi to step on him as he likes…

Jin’s still glad that towards the last remaining time of him glowing as an idol, he still had a chance to perform with someone else like Akiomi, as Jin has always been performing alone. He asked Akiomi to come to him if he ever encountered any trouble in the future, as he has treated Akiomi as a very good friend of him~ (Ahh~ What a nice way to end the chapter in their past)

通行止めの天國 / Impassable Heaven: Chapter 4

And back at the present, Akiomi watched the video and realised it’s a video that’s taken secretly during one of Jin’s live. During live concert, it’s actually not allowed to take videos at that time but seems like some fans still did it secretly, and these videos turn out to be very precious and even cultivated a market at that time.

And why does Akiomi knew about this? He was actually a fan of Jin at that time, but he knew that he should abide by the fan club rules and thus he doesn’t do that (as in filming Jin’s performance), but he also knew all these dark behind-the-scenes secrets in the fan club +W+ (Kind of cute seeing how Akiomi admits to being Jin’s fanboy even when they’re both adults XD)

Jin used to be really popular that he has alot of fans, which is why it’s not weird that some of the fans can be weird or too crazy in general to break the rules. However, looking at Jin now, Akiomi could only think the past is in the shadow… (I like how there’s this new animation as Akiomi is just side-eyeing Jin that way XD)

Jin knew that everything is just a trend and thus he, like many others will just be passed over when they’re not in trend anymore. However, he wondered why on earth does this videotape is sent to him now? It has been many years since he has retired from the idol industry… And what is it about the note that said “Liar!”

Upon watching the video again, Jin recalled that it was filmed during a time he was VSing another idol on a TV broadcast. The other idol was placed as Jin’s rival on the management companies’ decision, and as expected, he was beaten very badly by Jin’s performance and popularity.

Jin remembered how badly the idol had cried as he had worked very hard yet still lost and has asked Jin to continue his dreams of being an idol. Jin felt very bad for trampling on yet another idol’s dream at that point in time.

However, Jin’s dreams of being an idol did not last long as he soon retired from the idol industry. And since Jin didn’t keep the promise to become an idol forever which the other idol asked him to, he probably thought of Jin as a liar.

Jin wanted to contact this old rival of him to apologise and to clarify the past with him, but at the same time, he’s afraid that the other party is bearing a grudge on him and might end up getting his children (if they’ve followed their father’s footstep in becoming an idol) or his students to come to take revenge on him by targetting his students ^^; (This is why you should not have made so many enemies in the past… OAO”)

In the end, Jin gets so worried that he’s afraid that he might not be able to sleep well tonight. Akiomi just laughed and said it’s just nice that he doesn’t sleep since he has already slept so much in the day so it’ll balance out XD

Realising that “I’m” still there listening to their tale, Akiomi Sensei urged me to go home, and even offered to drive me home. (I’m… I’m so touched Sensei~ ^///^)

Even though the past forms the present, what’s important is the future. And thus Akiomi Sensei wished that “I” would be someone who could support the idols in the future.

(So cute that he just want me to go home and soon and sleep warmly~ Sensei is so nice to me that I want to cry already TWT TWT)

And that’s the end of this short story. I’m glad that Ensemble Stars has taken this chance to let us know the back stories of the teachers more since we hardly got any chance to see them shine in the event stories.

Even though this was quite a sad and dark story showing the ugly side of the idol industry, it was still pretty interesting to see things from another view since I do read up on idol industry, scandals and backstage stories in the past in kpop (though not all of them are true). Therefore, I’m glad that they decided to show a more realistic side of being an idol here since generally Ensemble Stars stories doesn’t talk much about the dark side of being an idol much as they’re still pretty much focus on showing the good side of idols and showing how idols enjoy singing and performing etc~

Jin looks really handsome in the past which is why I find it a shame that he has become lazy shagged ojisan who doesn’t shave ^^; Akiomi grew up to be even more handsome now, my heart fluttered when he was so nice to “me” in the story though~ And I definitely thinks he looks good in glasses +W+

After reading all 4 chapters, players would be able to receive these two cards in their card album. As the teachers have already retired, we can’t take them out, unfortunately. I didn’t have any spare jewels to bloom them so I guess they shall remain unbloomed in my album ^^; (I need my jewels to level up other cards Orz)

Oh, and Ensemble Stars are going to release an album/song of Jin and Akiomi in their younger days as idols, which I’m kind of looking forward to ^^ The preview sound really nice when I listened to it, just shame that it ended just when we’re getting to the good parts ><”

[sharknadoslutt]

pwease write this novelesk multyparagraph doohickey because i love sugar and honestly this sounds cute

👀👀👀👀

Well, if you really wanna know the cringe love story that is Eli and Vayriel

Well I already talked about how they started ‘dating’ in another post, but to re-cap.

Sugar, at this point was at the top of her game. She was hot. An idol. A literal phenomenon. However, she had also started aiding the Rebellion on the down-low. So, as a means of keeping up public appearances (Ya know, all hail to the Emipre and all that jazz) Sugar starts publicly dating Imperials.

Nothing big, just a little arm candy. She’d be seen with a General on Shore leave on the islands of Glee Anslem. Or seen accompanying a simple cadet to a military call on Coruscant. Little shit like that to keep the public dumb and unsuspecting of her true dealings. 

She dates a whole spectrum of Imperials however she bores of them easily (Not that she’s trying to find a long-lastin relationship but the way she see’s it, if she’s gotta pretend to date someone at least let them be interesting)

So, ya know… being a successful blue alien she starts hearing about the rising star known as Commodore Thrawn!  At the time she assumed he was Pantoran (Because Chiss isnt a widely known species in the core/mid worlds) and she decides “I’m going to date that man”

So she calls up a friend of hers, who comes from a high-class military family based in Corscant and is like, “Do you know Thrawn? Can you set up a meeting? He’s gonna be my new man” - So, being the royal friend Fiame is she does. She makes it so Thrawn is supposed to come to Sugar’s Coruscantian apartment but Fiame would be there for the introduction.

Sugar is like. Fuckign excited. She’s so used to dating humans at this point, and she’s never really dated another Pantoran.

Well, she was disappointed on a few fronts. 

Firstly, Thrawn was not Pantoran. Wasn’t a big deal, they had discussions about it because Chiss and Pantorans have similar circulatory systems and whatnot. However she was even more disappointed when Thrawn brought Lieutenant-Commander Eli Vanto under the pretense “I thought this was a casual social gathering”

Well Sugar’s friend, Fiame, is an artist. So. Thrawn is just more interested in speaking about art and Fiame’s career.

Sugar gets bored.

And notices this adorable skinny boy at the end of her dinner table, trying to pretend like he’s not literally staring at her. This positively precious brown eyed man with the same essence of a puppy, is just so nervous. So Sugar is like,

“Hey, Eli, want a tour of the apartment?”

So while Thranw and Fiame are talking or whatever Sugar takes this boy to her practice room, plays the melodium for a while (Which, from my own personal headcanon, Eli’s mother played so he’s like. lulled by her playing) and she just kind of drops her ‘dumb alien girl’ persona that she takes on when she’s on stage or with fans, and is herself for a while.

And they just instantly click. she just finds his nervous self adorable. He attempts to play a little melodium song his mother played when he was a child and Sugar climbs on top of the flat of the instrument, spreads her legs and is like, “Wanna fool around?”

And, bam. She turns this boy into her bootycall. Literally. No Shame.

It’s not even a public bootycall, these two are just genuinely fuck buddies.

Feelings dont really start to form (Not admitted feelings) until Eli finally gets the balls to be like, “Hey, um, Vayriel.. Wanna join me at a fancy ball on Empire’s Day?” 

Sugar goes as his date hoWEVER she dances with Thrawn. Like, one of those really fucking dramatic ballroom dances and FUCK. THAT CAUGHT A LOT OF ATTENTION. A LOT. OF FUCKING ATTENTION. Tabloids everywhere, across the galaxy just being like,

“Is Sugar dating Imperial Superstar Thrawn? Read ore to find out!”

or the more racist ones like,

“BLUE!? The color of love! Spicy holos of the sweethearts shared dance from Empire’s day to come!”

Sugar thinks this is fucking hilarious and in an interview about the whole thing she’s just like, “Me, dating Thrawn? I dont kiss and tell, sorry.”

This breaks Eli’s heart. His heart was kind of broken ever since the event in which all eyes were on his girl and his best friend. He felt like nothing. So when Sugar nonchalantly glosses over the possibility that she and Thrawn have a romantic history.. It just hurts him, ya know?

So, Eli decides to be a man and next time Sugar invites him over or whatever and is just like, “Vayriel, if we keep doing this I want it to be official.”

She’s kind of caught off guard by this shit. Because. Well, this is her bootycall. Granted, they’ve gained this great friendship and she does really care for him, but at the end of the day he’s still part of the Empire. He serves this evil that she’s really against. And honestly, she’s not sure she can keep up this facade with Eli much longer before she starts to REALLY catch some feelings. 

She asks him for sometime to think on it, and he agrees. He goes home, and they dont bang. (That sounds lame for me to say, but considering how their relationship has been one of a sexual nature until now it’s relevant) 

Next time they see each other is after that whole debacle with Eli and Thrawn discovering that the Empire is using Wookiee slaves. And honestly, Eli is kind of a mess. He’s distant, his eyes are dark. That innocent light they used to wield is what made Sugar interested in him to begin with, and it’s gone.

So she cups his cheeks and is like, “Eli, what’s wrong?”

And he breaks and tells her what happened, but in as little details as possible. 

They have this big heart to heart that ends in them staying up all night and talking about things that had happened in their lives. Vayriel tells Eli about what happened to her as a teenager (In another post I talked about WHY she serves the Empire - Long story short, her college group was taken hostage by a desperate Wobani refugee camp and when the empire came to get the students they slaughtered the village, man, women, and children).

The talk brings them closer and whatnot but in the morning Eli wakes up to find Sugar gone. However she sent him a message to check her space instagram (Listen, there has to be an equivalent, i just dont know what it is called ya fools) 

And there’s a simple close up picture of her mouth over a microphone, but she’s grinning like a fool. It’s captioned, “It’s hard to work when you cant get your boyfriend out of your head”

From there it’s a year of just legit dating, ya know inbetween military and performing schedules. During a 3 week shore leave they publicly vacation on Naboo and man oH MAN IT THE MEDIA DONT EAT THAT SHIT UP.

Im working on the rest from there. There’s some heartbreaky shit that happens because, ya know, the boy leaves the Empire to go be with the Chiss Ascendancy so I’m waiting on Alliances to figure out exactly whats going on. so. um. yeah. Here is the story that literally 1 person asked for.

[agoddamnbeautifulidiot]

Flicker of Hope 

Chapter Two: O2 Sheperd’s Bush Empire

 Dublin had been amazing. Niall was a force of nature on stage and you’d had a hard time coming down from that high. Of course, there’d been work the next morning and a trip to London to deal with, so you’d had to move on very quickly. Coming back to London was what you were looking forward to. London had always been one of your favorite places. 

 “So where ya going to now?” Niall asks from the couch in your room, eyes on the tv as he catches up on his golf news. 

 Rolling your eyes, you slip your foot into your boot. “The girls and I are going to get tea and just be girls before the show. You got a problem with that, Horan?” He glances up at you, eyebrow lifting at your sarcasm. 

 “I thought ya were here to hang out wit me, love, not the girls,” His sarcasm warrants a pillow thrown at his head. “Oi! Ya’re bein’ a violent one lately. Anyting you want ta talk about there?” This time when the pillow flies towards him, he catches it and lets out a big laugh. “Have fun!” All he gets in response to that is your middle finger as you walk out the door. 

 Ellie meets you in the hallway right outside your door. “Is Niall in there? Apparently Gerry was looking for him.” 

 “Yeah, he’s watching golf.” You reply, as you guys reach the elevator. “I think he said they were all gonna meet up in his room in a bit before they head to the venue. Tara and Ree meeting us downstairs?” 

 Ellie nods, checking her reflection in the mirrored doors before they open. “Yeah they’re already in the dining area. I had them go ahead and order some food cause I knew Niall would make you late.” She laughs at the face you make to that and grabs your arm to guide you in the dining area where Tara lifts her arm up to signal to the two of you. 

 “Alright, now that it’s just us girls,” Tara says once the tea has been poured and sandwiches have been divvied. “Y/N, tell us what’s going on with you and Niall.” 

 You pause, cup halfway to your mouth before you finally understand the question. “I’m sorry, what?” The girls share looks. “Ok, seriously one of you needs to fill me in.” 

 Ree just shakes her head. “As if we all haven’t noticed the way you two act around each other.” You look at the three of them, trying hard to feign innocence. “Spare us the act ok? We know you like him.” 

 “And we’re almost 100% certain he likes you.” Ellie adds, earning a sharp look from you. 

 You take a calculated bite of your sandwich as they all watch you closely. “Two things,” you point a finger at each of them. “One, that whole me liking Niall thing stays at this table.” They each nod, smiling at the confession. “And two, I’m not listening to anything else you guys say because no one knows how Niall feels but Niall. And that’s the end of that conversation so please, let’s move on.”  

All three girls note your slightly desperate tone and Ellie breaks the tension. “So what’s with that damn porn-stache Gerry’s got growing on his face?” The table dissolved into giggles and you’re glad the conversation has moved on. 

 “This place is so great, Niall!” You exclaim, bouncing around on the stage, enjoying the emptiness of the theater before you. Niall chuckles slightly before reaching up to adjust his mic. 

“Glad ya like it, pet. Ya gonna stick around for sound check?” You continue to dance around the stage, ignoring him in favor of the background music playing through the speakers. 

 “…love it when you go crazy, you take all my inhibitions, baby there’s nothing holding me back. You take me places…” Dancing around, you sing to each of the boys as they check their instruments. 

 Gerry gets up from his seat behind the drums and joins you to dance around Niall. He grabs you and spins you around before dipping you dramatically. You laugh loudly, grinning up at him when he pulls you back up and bows to you. 

“Alright, alright,” Niall says loudly, your eyes finding his flat stare aimed at Gerry. “Ya ‘bout finished dere mate? Got a sound check to do.” Gerry just shrugs and shoots you a dramatic wink before going back to his drums. “We gotta sound check to do, love?” Niall’s slightly off tone gives you pause, but you let it go and make your way backstage where Mark stands in the wings to watch. 

 The band gives an enthusiastic sound check, but Niall still seems out of sorts when he comes off stage. 

 “Hey,” You grab his arm as he walks by. “What’s with the Mr. Grumpy Gills act? You were fine like thirty minutes ago.” 

 He huffs, pulling his arms in to cross over his chest, eyes flicking to his band mates as they pass by, lingering on Gerry as he makes his way down the hallway. “Don’t know whatcha talking about. I’m fine. Just gettin’ in da mindset for tonigh’. Did ya need something?” 

 That stung slightly and you almost recoil from him, body moving back several inches against your will. “No, uh, I’m good. I was just making sure you were ok. I’m just going to go hang out with the girls for a while I guess.” Niall nods before following where his band had gone, leaving you confused and feeling left out. 

The show that night was good. It was always good when Niall performed. But there was something that felt different about it. Standing in the wings of the stage, your energy was off. 

 Niall rocked it. No matter what was going on with him, he would never give the fans less than 150% of himself on that stage. But he was less cheeky with the band, he sent no silly faces your way in between guitar change outs. He just seemed…not himself. 

 Mark had mentioned that everyone was gonna go hit a pub once the night was done, so you figured you’d have some sort of opportunity to figure out what was going on. His mood change had been like going from zero to sixty and the fact that he didn’t want to talk about it bugged you more than anything. Watching from the wings, you swore to yourself that you’d figure out what it was and make it right. No matter what. 

 “To a helluava second night!” You cheers your glass with everyone else’s when John shouts out. The pub was relatively small and thankfully you guys were really the only people inside. The tension from before the show was mostly gone, only slightly noticeable several hours later. Judging by the way Gerry and Niall were acting towards each other, they’d hashed out whatever problems they’d had after the show had ended. 

 “And may the rest of da tour kick some serious arse!” Gerry added, bumping his glass with Niall’s, who just laughed and took a sip with a small smile. “It will be great, man. Especially if you can get your head outta your butt and—“ Niall put his glass down on the table with extra force, eyebrows drawing down as he glared at Gerry. Gerry, however, wasn’t put off at all and his grin only widened as he turned to you. “What’d ya say, love? Think he’ll be more fun once he drops da grump act?” Rolling your eyes, you ignore Gerry in favor of pouring Niall another glass. 

 “Danks, love,” He says quietly, and it sounds like an apology almost. Scooting closer to him in your chair, you bump his shoulder, and he lets out a long sigh. “Look, I dunno what was wrong wit me earlier. Just got a lot goin’ on in me head and I let it get ta me. And den I took it out on you and dat’s someting I never wanna do.” You don’t respond, you simply watch him, waiting for him to look up at you. When he does, his eyes are a little sad. “You’re not mad at me, are ya?” 

 You take a minute to answer, simply watching his face as he waits. Playfully, you push his shoulder. “As if I could ever be mad at your dumb face, Horan.” 

Niall laughs, sitting up fully to cheers his drink with yours before reaching over to pull you under his arm. “And dat’s why you’re me best girl, Y/N.” Your heart clenches tightly and you take a long sip of your drink to hide your emotions when he removes his arm to put his hand on your knee. “Now who’s got da next round?!” 

 The table all cheers, lifting their glasses high, but you only have eyes for Niall, who has yet to remove his hand from your knee.

CHAPTER THREE

[bookbabe92]

Are We Out of the Woods Yet?

      There’s just something about being in the woods surrounded by tall trees that I love, it just evokes some inner peace (or inner wildness) in me being in the cool shade of trees with very few people around. Hiking is something I have always enjoyed and as a child I always dreamed about running away to the woods (okay, okay I STILL dream about it)! One of my favorite books as a kid was My Side of the Mountain by Jean Craighead George, and I still love books about living off the land, hiking, etc.

Thirst: 2600 Miles to Home by Heather Anderson

     For the most part I really enjoyed this - not only was Heather attempting to hike the Pacific Crest Trail (PCT), she was also attempting to set the fastest time for it. However, it’s not only about her trying to set the fastest trail time. It’s also exploring how her life had completely fallen apart; work, personal, and married life, and why she only felt happy out on the trail. There were some instances where I did feel frustrated by Heather’s emotions and experiences but that’s alright. It’s impossible to empathize with someone all the time, especially because everyone is at different stages of their life.

4/5 Stars

Wild by Cheryl Strayed

     A great introductory read for those who are unfamiliar with trail hiking, it explains some of the history of the PCT, trail angels, the importance of taking good care of your feet, and the power of endurance. Cheryl impulsively decides to hike the Pacific Crest Trail after the death of her mother and the dissolution of her marriage. Struggling with these emotions, and walking the trail without training has Cheryl at both highs and lows, a great memoir about perseverance. This was also one of the earliest memoirs that I actually enjoyed. Normally, I am very much a fiction reader but this is definitely a great example of narrative nonfiction.

Other Similar Titles: Along the Inca Road: A Woman’s Journey into an Ancient Empire by Karin Muller, Ruthless River: Love and Survival by Raft on the Amazon’s Relentless Madre de Dios by Holly Conklin Fitzgerald

4/5 Stars

     I’m also a fan of thrillers or spooky books set in woods… because you’re never entirely sure what is out there... Here are some that I enjoyed that feature the woods or evoke the feeling of being lost in the woods:

Uprooted by Naomi Novik

     Agnieszka, lives in a small town on the border of The Wood, where evil things live, and it is not safe for anyone to enter. There is a sorcerer who is the Lord over Agnieszka’s town and several others, and protects them and the kingdom from The Wood, from whence monsters come. Every ten years, the sorcerer chooses a girl from one of the villages to live with him as his servant and everyone knows that Kasia, Agnieszka’s best friend, will be chosen for she is the most beautiful and best at everything. Except being an untidy mess and being the best forager – those belong to Agnieszka. Kasia and Agnieszka have been preparing their whole lives for being separated. When the time came, their bond of friendship and love cannot be broken even by distance, magic and the evils of The Wood.

     This book had been recommended to me many times before I finally picked it up (I’m stubborn). I read until 3 am that first night, got up the next day and finished it, and then immediately started re-reading it. That had never happened to me before or since! Is there ever a book that you wish you could delete from your memory so that you could read it for the first time again? This is one of those books for me!

Other Titles by Naomi Novik: Spinning Silver, His Majesty’s Dragon

5/5 Stars

We Went to the Woods by Caitie Dolan-Leach

     What started off as a group of friends who decided they would attempt to live more off the land in a communal space in a remote area of the woods quickly turned from delightful into nightmarish as the bonds of trust between the friends disintegrated and suspicions arose about people’s motivations. This eerie book is perfect for a late fall read in my opinion. Cozy up under a blanket as it rains while you read for some truly atmospheric enjoyment.

Other Titles by Caite Dolan-Leach: Dead Letters

4/5 Stars

The Death of Mrs. Westaway by Ruth Ware

     Hal lives on the edge of destitution in a cramped flat that is always freezing. She barely scrapes enough money together every month by doing tarot readings on the boardwalk in the same stand that was her late mother’s. One day she receives a mysterious letter in the mail informing her that a relative, Mrs. Westaway has passed on and that she is named in the will. Hal knows that this is a mistake, she has no relatives left but she is desperate and thinks that her cold reading skills could maybe help her pass just long enough to get the money. When she makes it to the estate, Hal learns that she should have stayed home as her stay gets weirder and weirder. Forced to stay in the maid’s room in the attic because every other room is full with Mrs. Westaway’s descendants, Hal plays her cards close to her chest and reveals as little about herself as possible but it seems that someone knows her secret…

Set in England during a rainy and cold Autumn this book sent shivers down my spine while I was reading it. Wrap up with an extra sweater and a cup of hot tea while you enjoy this book.

Other Titles by Ruth Ware: The Woman in Cabin 10, The Turn of the Key, In a Dark, Dark Wood, One by One, The Lying Game, Snowflakes

4/5 Stars

[the-master-cylinder]

SUMMARY Dr. Edward Pretorius is a scientist who has developed the Resonator, a machine which allows whoever is within range to see beyond normal perceptible reality. His assistant, Dr. Crawford Tillinghast, activates the machine and soon sees strange creatures in the air. When he is bitten by one of them, he urges Pretorius to turn off the machine. The crazed Pretorius refuses. Crawford panics and flees. When the police arrive, they find Pretorius decapitated. Crawford is subsequently arrested and accused of murder.

Crawford is committed to a psychiatric ward, where he is treated by Dr. Katherine McMichaels. After Crawford gives his account of Pretorius’ death, Katherine orders that Crawford undergo a CT scan, showing that Crawford’s pineal gland is enlarged and growing. Convinced of Crawford’s innocence, Katherine has him released to her custody, and plans on taking him back to Pretorius’ house and the Resonator. They are accompanied by Detective Bubba Brownlee, who investigated Pretorius’ death.

Upon returning to the house, Katherine and Crawford rebuild the Resonator. Crawford reactivates the machine which causes more creatures to appear along with a severely deformed Pretorius. His consciousness having taken control of the creature that devoured his brain, Pretorius tells the trio of a world beyond that is more pleasurable than normal reality. A panicking Crawford shuts off the Resonator, making Pretorius and the creatures vanish.

The next morning, Katherine insists that the Resonator could shed light on the victims of schizophrenia, as well as possible treatments and suggests that they turn the machine back on, but Bubba and Crawford disagree. While Bubba and Crawford are asleep, Katherine gets back up to feel the pleasure from the machine and turns it back on, bringing forth a worried Crawford and the now-almost unrecognizable and mutated Pretorius. Bubba enters the scene as Pretorius grabs Katherine, preparing to eat her mind and take her to the world of beyond. Crawford and Bubba go down into the basement to shut off the power, but encounter a giant worm like monster. Bubba succeeds in shutting off the power, rescuing Crawford and Katherine and sending Pretorius away.

When Bubba decides that they should leave the house, all of a sudden, Pretorius somehow returns and the Resonator turns back on, as all three of them run up into the attic to deactivate it. Katherine and Crawford are attacked by little beelike creatures, and as Bubba pushes them out of the way, he is devoured to the bone. Crawford fights off Pretorius and succeeds in freeing Katherine, but then his enlarged pineal gland pops out of his forehead. Katherine short circuits the machine by spraying it repeatedly with a fire extinguisher.

She then takes Crawford back to the hospital, where she is evaluated for insanity and schizophrenia, since her story was just like Crawford’s. As Katherine is being prepared for shock treatment by a sadistic staff member, Crawford has developed an overwhelming hunger for human brains and kills Katherine’s superior Dr. Bloch. Katherine escapes and drives back to the house with a bomb and a crazed Crawford following her.

Katherine puts the bomb on the Resonator and goes to leave when Crawford attacks her. As he is about to eat her brain, she bites off his pineal gland, reverting him to his senses. However, Crawford is pulled away and has his brain eaten by a completely deformed, mutated Pretorius. Before he can do the same to Katherine, Crawford’s consciousness begins to fight for control within Pretorius, the opposing consciousnesses tearing their shared body apart. Katherine finally escapes through the attic window just as the bomb explodes, killing both Pretorius and Crawford and destroying the resonator.

Landing outside, Katherine breaks her leg and the neighbors gather around her as she suffers a complete mental break, saying “It ATE him!” while bursting out in mad laughter.

Stuart Gordon Behind the Scenes From Beyond

DEVELOPMENT/PRE-PRODUCTION Stuart Gordon, whose 1985 debut Re-Animator, a modernized adaptation H.P. Lovecraft’s short story, was a landmark of excess that made an instant genre icon of its star, Jeffrey Combs. Seeking to duplicate its success. Gordon, alongside Re-Animator producer Brian Yuzna and screenwriter Dennis Paoli. again turned to the Dark Prince of Providence for a more ambitious follow-up feature. But when their plans for Dagon based on the Lovecraft story The Shadow Over Innsmouth – were shot down by Empire Pictures head honcho Charles Band, they turned to a much slighter, though no less strange, Lovecraft tale for their next feature: the 1920 short story From Beyond.

The script, co-written with playwright/screenwriters Dennis Paoli and William J. Norris, Gordon observed, “This was a much more difficult adaptation than RE-ANIMATOR because it was just the setup and we had to come up with the rest of the movie. Lovecraft’s story is only five pages long.”

“I would say Katherine in FROM BEYOND afforded me the greatest opportunity to play a wide range of emotions in the course of 90 minutes. I went from being a repressed Psychiatrist to a yearning, sexually charged and awakened woman to…being a hero! It was quite a journey and one where Jeffrey (Combs) and I almost reversed roles from what we played in RE-ANIMATOR.” – Barbara Crampton

Lovecraft’s “At the Mountains of Madness” inspired Gordon and his screenwriters conception for the film’s monster. Explained Gordon, “We came across a creature, the Shoggoth, which were the slaves of the Old Ones that once populated the earth. The Shoggoth is a kind of protoplasmic ball fifteen feet in diameter, which has the capacity to change itself into anything it needs to be. If they needed arms, they’d just grow arms. Somehow, they also gained intelligence.”

Observed Gordon of Lovecraft’s constantly-evolving Shoggoth, “One trouble with horror movies is that once you see the monster, the movie’s over. This idea allowed us to have the monster changing constantly-just when you think you’ve seen it as bad as it can get, it gets worse.”

After a tentative budget for the film had been fixed, Yuzna contacted New York-based writer Dennis Paoli to come up with a screenplay. That script was heavily revised by the producer and Gordon. Major changes were made in the design of the special effects. Comic strip artist Neal Adams was brought in to work on the storyboards. Adams eventually teamed up with Gordon on the task, eager to capture a unique look for the creatures. The script described them as both shapeless and erotic at the same time. Adams and Gordon worked very loose, without worrying about how the creatures would be made to work. They strove for a striking EC Comics look.

The production hired special effects coordinator Michael Muscal to determine whether effects could be filmed according to the storyboards. Muscal was joined by supervisors John Naulin and Tony Doublin, who worked with Gordon on some of the visual concepts. Gordon decided to avoid opticals as much as possible and create effects live on camera.

According to Shostrom, Dennis Paoli’s screenplay was open concerning how the creatures looked. “Stuart has an artistic background,” he adds, “so he was able to come up with some great storyboards showing what he wanted, like Mr. Bubble (the first-stage Pretorious transformation). He had seen some sketches I’d done for a film a few years back where a person had a large membranous sac attached to his neck, an idea which he liked. He did some illustrations that took it further. So, Stuart had much to do with the final image.”

SPECIAL EFFECTS John Naulin and Tony Doublin started designing the effects for FROM BEYOND. Based in California, Naulin supplied all makeup and mechanical effects. Tony Doublin took charge of the optical and mechanical effects. Naulin got the assignment of the graphic makeup effects. He also designed the pineal gland and the mechanical lamprey eels. John Buechler created the phase one Pretorious effects. Mark Shostrom was brought in for the later Pretorious transformations, known as “Mr. Bubble.” Pretorious, the central character of FROM BEYOND, gradually evolves into a protoplasmic, shapeless entity.

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In Buechler’s key transformation, Pretorious’ head gruesomely splits open and a pair of rotten hands shoot out to grab a terrified Barbara Crampton (dressed in black leather). The movements were entirely mechanical. A small replica of actor Ted Sorel’s torso was sculpted at Buechler’s lab in California, then sent over to Italy, as were most of the effects props.

“The first transformation was done with a bunch of appliances,” said Michael Deak, who assisted Buechler in Italy. “The muscles actually came off his face. Then we switched to a puppet for the split open scene. We had the help of Dave Kindlon and Rob Kurtzman (of Mark Shostrom’s crew), who were coordinating Pretorious arms. Bill (Butler) and I were pumping out a sort of gelatinous slimy stuff.”

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The MTSD crew additionally provided the S & M and splatter material, subsequently removed for the R-rated release: whipping, nipple spiking, tongue piercing, eyeball sucking, and brain eating. Of course, there were basic wounds-cuts, bruises, burns-but also Bubba Brownlee’s (Ken Foree) death scene when he gets eaten by insects. Greg Johnson, along with the rest of the crew, built Bubba’s lower body, while John Criswell sculpted the torso; Anthony and Therese Doublin created the tiny insects.

“Those “insects’ were really millions of polystyrene balls,” explains Doublin, “blown around by a huge fan. Actually, one of the crew kidded me that Stuart wanted tiny eyes painted on each ball. I said fine, get me 500 prisoners,” he laughs.

We also did what could be called the secondary creatures, the non Pretorious related stuff,” Naulin elaborates. “The giant lamprey eel, for example, that sucks off Jeffrey Combs’ hair. Also, the psuedojellyfish and wriggling snake-eels that are present when the Resonator is switched on.

“There was an interesting crossover since part of those effects are optical, created by using rod puppets in a tank of water, matted in to give them the necessary degree of fluidity of motion. Tony Doublin developed the water aspect. John Criswell and I built the snake-eels and jellyfish.

“We used different puppets on set for the biting sequences,” Naulin continues. “There were two of each: one fully mechanically and radio controlled, the other physically operated in part. Those were less sophisticated stunt versions.

“We had a problem coming up with a design that would work with an optical that obviously would not be added until much later,” Naulin observes. “The eels used out of the tank were different because the mechanisms had to be covered up, made to look like innards. For the close-ups, one of the main elements used were latex condoms, which were thin and flexible yet translucent enough for the back-lighting to show through.”

Both FX supervisors consider From Beyond to be a good test of their skills, one they enjoyed. However, an aspect of Italy neither found pleasant was the sub-zero temperatures experienced during shooting as Rome was plunged into a rare, deep snowfall. This aside, Naulin and Doublin praise the Italian crew who provided their backup.

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Mark Shostrom luckily missed the bad weather, but remains frustrated that he could not supervise his creations on set due to his Evil Dead II responsibilities. In his place, he sent animatronics expert David Kindlon and makeup artist/technician Robert Kurtzman. “I was quite distraught that I couldn’t get over to Z monitor what went on,” confesses Shostrom. “But Robert is the best person I know to oversee that kind of situation. He’s an excellent artist. as is David Kindlon. With him troubleshooting the mechanics, I could sleep nights. I’m enormously pleased with the way it turned out on screen.”

Shostrom joined the production during its early inception. “I had lots of discussions with Stuart and showed him my sketches, which were quite surrealistic monsters. But it basically came down to having a design because we suddenly got a green light, so I sculpted a couple of maquetes, small sculptures for the final creature, and the Pretorious monster.

As for the final creature seen in From Beyond, Shostrom tried to go beyond his budget. As he puts it: “We were pretty ambitious there. I told them what it would take. Brian Yuzna said Empire couldn’t afford that. We tried anyway. I sculpted the maquete of the creature, trying to give it a look that was unusual, yet would fit within the story. Creating it really drained my budget, but the key thing was the animatronics designed and built by David Kindlon, who really bit off a lot to chew on that one. He had to make radio-controlled heads and arms all by himself, although his work was essential to the creature’s success.

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“The reason why we all went full steam ahead on this film,” he relates,”was simply because it was such a neat project. That, and the desire to create a really memorable monster, to make it better than it should have been on the given budget.”

The Pretorious creature emerged as the end result: big, complicated, difficult to manage due to its size. “We need several things we hadn’t obsessed with the machine. He shows her what it can do because he cares, but he’s a victim. He is then transformed, his whole life is changed, Crawford is a man who runs away every time there is danger. But he learns to stand his ground. It’s almost a moral message.”

From Beyond was a very difficult movie. I’m kind of schizo about it. It involved a lot of makeup. I counted it up once, it was 30 days in that hideous, bald-headed, dog-dick-out-of-my-forehead thing. I hated it. It was so uncomfortable. And yet on the flip side of that, it was shot out of Rome, Italy, and I got to spend a glorious eight weeks in one of the world’s greatest capitals. It was good. I feel like Charles Dickens: It was the best of times, and it was the worst of times. But I also felt like the role in From Beyond was so polar-opposite to what I had done in Re-Animator, where I played a strong, driving personality that pushed the action forward. Here, I was really—for all intents and purposes—being a victim. Someone standing there going, “No!” So I felt like some of the tools in my kit were being taken away from me. That was a bit frustrating, too. – Jeffrey Combs

From Beyond was shot in Italy with an Italian crew in order to save money. Gordon says that the film would have cost fifteen million dollars to make in the United States, whereas the foreign production enabled him to hold costs to approximately two and a half million dollars. It was shot on a soundstage called Dinocitta just outside Rome. Dinocitta was originally constructed by Dino DeLaurentiis, but was seized by the government for nonpayment of taxes, and then sold to Empire Studios. From Beyond was one of the first films shot at that venue during its period of ownership by Empire.

Dinocitta Studios are located to the south of Rome, a 50-minute drive from the city center. This industrial estate clashes with the surrounding lush countryside. It is here, in studio three-a huge concrete hangar the weird and wonderful reality of From Beyond is being created.

The entire soundstage has been transformed into a large mansion, both interiors and exteriors. The set, created by Giovanni Natalucci and built at a cost of several thousand dollars, it is a large gothic style New England house.

This time around, Yuzna and Gordon have an eight week schedule in which to work their cinematic magic, twice the length they had for ReAnimator, and double the budget: the first Lovecraft adaptation cost $2 million to make; From Beyond’s budget is $4.5 million, primarily because of the enormous amount of special FX required. In this gothic picture, the action starts on page one of the screenplay and doesn’t let up until the explosive climax that promises to be truly stomach-turning.

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“This is a far more ambitious film than Re-Animator,” Yuzna explains. “But we’re under much less pressure because of the time we have. It’s taken an awful lot of organizing, but you’ll see the results on screen.’ Producer Yuzna has nothing but praise for the director. “Stuart has advanced in leaps and bounds-he’s getting terrific. He’s already brilliant as far as I’m concerned. A couple more pictures though, and he’s going to be tremendous. He’s one of the best directors I’ve ever come across who really works with actors. But, Stuart’s greatest gift is he knows how to tell a story. He does it the old way. The oral tradition; fairy tales stories where wild, crazy things happen. And people relate to that. It’s human storytelling.”

CAST/CREW Directed by  Stuart Gordon Produced by  Brian Yuzna Screenplay by Dennis Paoli Story by Brian Yuzna Dennis Paoli Stuart Gordon

Based on “From Beyond” by H. P. Lovecraft

Jeffrey Combs as Dr. Crawford Tillinghast Barbara Crampton as Dr. Katherine McMichaels Ted Sorel as Dr. Edward Pretorius Ken Foree as Bubba Brownlee Carolyn Purdy-Gordon as Dr. Bloch Bunny Summers as Neighborhood Lady Bruce McGuire as Jordan Fields

Makeup Department Bruce Barlow … shop crew Giacinto Bretti  … additional effects makeup: Italy Roberta Cozzo    … assistant makeup artist Gilda De Guilmi  … hair stylist (as Ida De Guilmi) Giancarlo Del Brocco … makeup designer Rita Innocenzi   … hairdresser Mark Shostrom    … special makeup effects Alfredo Tiberi   … assistant makeup artist Bill Forsche … special makeup effects artist (uncredited)

Neal Adams   … conceptual artist

Special Effects by Bruce Barlow … fabrication crew: Mechanical and Makeup Imageries Gabriel Bartalos … fabrication crew: Mechanical and Makeup Imageries (as Gabe Bartalos) John Blake   … effects technician: Mark Shostrom Studio (as John Blake Dutro) John Carl Buechler   … special effects creatures and transformations designer and supervisor: Mechanical and Makeup Imageries (as John Buechler)

William Butler   … location supervisor: Mechanical and Makeup Imageries / special effects makeup

John Criswell    … assistant to Mr. Naulin: More Than Skin Deep Gino Crognale    … modeler: Mechanical and Makeup Imageries Michael Deak … location supervisor: Mechanical and Makeup Imageries / on-set effects supervisor

Mitch Devane … modeler: Mechanical and Makeup Imageries (as Mitch De Vane) Joe Dolinich … fabrication crew: Mechanical and Makeup Imageries Anthony Doublin  … physical and photographic effects supervisor: Doublin EFX Theresa Harding Doublin   … production effects assistant (as Therese Harding Doublin)

Thomas Floutz    … fabrication crew: Mechanical and Makeup Imageries (as Tom Floutz)

Greg Johnson … special effects makeup assistant: More Than Skin Deep Crit Killen  … effects technician David Kindlon    … animatronics: Mark Shostrom Studio Robert Kurtzman  … effects technician: Mark Shostrom Studio Peter Mark   … post-production effects assistant Ralph Miller III … animatronics: Mechanical and Makeup Imageries Michael Muscal   … special effects coordinator

John Naulin  … optical water tank creature creator: More Than Skin Deep / special effects makeup and creatures coordinator: More Than Skin Deep

Shayna Naulin    … special effects makeup assistant: More Than Skin Deep Greg Nicotero    … effects technician: Mark Shostrom Studio (as Gregory Nicotero) Salvatore Passanisi  … special effects assistant: Italy Steve Patino … effects technician: Mark Shostrom Studio Gregor Punchatz  … effects technician: Mark Shostrom Studio Mark Shostrom    … pretorius creatures and body prosthetics designer and supervisor: Mark Shostrom Studio Aaron Sims   … effects technician: Mark Shostrom Studio Giuseppe Tortora … special effects technician: Italy Gino Vagniluca   … special effects technician: Italy John Vulich  … fabrication crew: Mechanical and Makeup Imageries Drex Reed    … special effects crew (uncredited)

Visual Effects by Linda Drake  … optical compositor (as Linda Obalil) David Zen Mansley … designer and creator: resonator (as David ‘Zen’ Mansley) Mark Shostrom    … Pretorious creature effects

CREDITS/REFERENCES/SOURCES/BIBLIOGRAPHY film.avclub Cinefantastique v16n04 Cinefantastique v17n01 Fangoria#56 Fangoria#59 Fangoria#64

From Beyond (1986) Retrospective SUMMARY Dr. Edward Pretorius is a scientist who has developed the Resonator, a machine which allows whoever is within range to see beyond normal perceptible reality.

[artificialqueens]

Just Tonight #7 (Shalaska) - BABE

AN: Alrighty, I never thought I’d be back here. It’s been a rough few months and every time I sat down to write I drew blanks. When I was motivated, I couldn’t get my laptop working and now that I have, I’m back. I’m keeping to my original plan for this story and hope the fans that were with me so many months ago are still there. I love you all so much and I’m sorry for not being around to write this story. Keep it foxy x

“We were staying in Paris to get away from your parents and I thought, ‘Wow, if I could take this in a shot right now I don’t think that we could work this out,” Alaska sang quietly as she sat in her seat on the airplane. Roxxxy sat to her right and could barely contain her excitement while the blonde didn’t have much excitement at 6 o’clock in the morning. It was the first day of spring break and Alaska knew that she should be sleeping in right now but she had a bigger mission to accomplish – seeing Sharon for the first time in two weeks. Of course, they’d been using Skype and Facetime and Sharon was quite good at using Snapchat (for many reasons, Alaska noted) but it would be nice to have her in her arms again. There were small things, like the way her hips tingled when Sharon kissed her, or the goosebumps that covered her arms at the lightest of the girl’s touches that Alaska missed, but the thing she missed the most was just how warm the older girl was. With her headphones in her ears and the plane up in the air, Alaska found herself slipping into the depths of sleep, knowing that in an hour or so, Sharon would be back to her.

An hour later, Alaska stirred to her the sounds of the no seatbelt sign going off and announcements that they were arriving in New York at any minute. The city intrigued her, she had never been but all of the idealistic ideas that had been presented to her in late night reruns of Sex and The City made her believe that it was the most magical place on Earth. Plus, being here with Sharon in one of the coolest cities in the world was a bonus.

“I’m so excited to see Dee,” Roxxxy was babbling beside her. She was rambling about how long it had been since they’d seen each other and how lonely she’d been, feelings that Alaska related to but couldn’t handle. The one hour nap could only help the blonde tolerate the other girl’s pep.

Roxxxy’s voice was in her ear all throughout leaving the plane, luggage collection and the coffee that she had purchased from Starbucks to keep her awake. It was only when two familiar figures came into Alaska’s vision that Roxxxy was speechless. Without a second thought, the dark haired girl dove into Dee’s arms, accidentally knocking her to the ground. It caused a scene in the airport as many onlookers watched the public display of affection. Sharon and Alaska, however, both tiredly embraced, their lips meeting each other’s passionately but sleepily. It was their good morning kiss, one that they’d mastered because neither were morning people.

“I missed you,” Alaska whispered, a small smile on her lips.

“I missed you too.”

The ride from the airport to the three star hotel was spent sleeping in Sharon’s arms, only to be awakened by the older girl when they got to their destination. Alaska felt bad for not saying hello to Jinkx and Ivy first but Sharon took their younger girl straight up to their room, herself tired from the lack of sleep on the tour bus the night before. There, they skipped conversations, they skipped niceties, they even skipped the reunion sex that both were dying to have. All that Sharon and Alaska did was get into their bed and sleep for the day, Sharon’s arms wrapped tightly around Alaska’s waist.

This is what they missed the most.

———————–

Alaska woke up to the sound of pounding on the door, realising that Sharon was no longer in bed. She groggily looked at the clock’s time and was shocked to find it read 2:37 pm, which was a lot longer than she’d planned to sleep for, especially since the band was in New York and she’d wanted to explore the city. As she tiredly stumbled towards the door, Alaska was relieved to look through the peep hole and find that it was Roxxxy. Opening the door, she grinned.

“Hey, Rox,” she greeted, letting the girl into the room. The other girl looked completely fresh and prepared while Alaska’s hair was a mess and she was still in her clothes from the airport. “Do you know where Sharon is?”

“Yeah, they’ve gone to sound check,” Roxxxy replied, her voice fully of her normal energetic attitude. Alaska noted that the girl’s excessive excitement had lessened after seeing Dee for the first time in a couple of weeks. “I was talking to the tour manager, Michelle, and she said that the girls would have to do sound check at 2:30 for an hour, then they’re free until dinner at 6 and concert at 7. This shit is legit, Lasky. They’ve got a tour bus and roadies and all that jazz but the performances are still in clubs and small venues, it’s like having the best of both worlds. Anyways, get ready. We’re meeting the band in an hour and you look like a mess. No offence, girl.” Roxxxy sat down on the bed, puffed out after her excessive rambling while Alaska rushed around her room, trying to get ready. She somehow felt an immense pressure to look good for Sharon, something she hadn’t really had before. She showered quickly and brushed out her knotty hair while Roxxxy told her all about her and Dee’s afternoon. Lucky for Alaska, there were no sordid details, just shopping and chilling in Central Park which sounded delightfully like them.

In her mind, she knew that their day wasn’t as good as hers.

—————————-

The first day was a complete blur to Alaska, one that made her feel all fuzzy and warm at the end of the night. She remembered some pieces – trying to navigate the crazy streets with Roxxxy and getting completely lost, having to be bailed out by Michelle and making it to the sound check only to see that their check had been over half an hour ago. Sharon looked relieved to see Alaska, pulling her into a hug and whispering “I’ve got a big surprise for you” in the blonde’s ear. She held a picnic basket out of Alaska’s sight and took her hand and led her out the door.

Sharon’s big surprise had been the Empire State Building. Alaska had never been anywhere so high and the height and Sharon’s goofy smirk and the smell of the rose bouquet and the champagne made her dizzy. She was drunk on love and never wanted it to change. The girls clung to each other as the day turned colder, the spring air unusually chilly.

“A moment like this should never end,” Alaska murmured wistfully as they linked hands. Sharon grinned in reply, humming to Just Tonight, Alaska singing as they grasped hands. The two danced as people passed them for what felt like hours, until they were the only people there and they realised that they’d skipped dinner and were almost late for the gig. Alaska took one last look at the blanket of lights that covered the city and took in its magic, hoping the magic would stay with the couple as long as they lived.

Luckily for Sharon, the couple arrived back at the venue with enough time to change for the concert. Alaska stood side stage and watched on admirably, knowing that she’d be called on stage to sing The Only Exception like she had weeks ago, it had become Anarchy Rose’s most popular song. It was exactly the same as it was last time and gave her the exact same rush.

“Up until now I had sworn to myself that I’m content with loneliness, because none of it was ever worth the risk,” the two sang, as if nobody was watching. It was a beautiful end to a perfect day.

When the other bands went on, Alaska watched them from Sharon’s arms. Nothing could ever go wrong, she thought.

—————————-

Unfortunately for the two, a lot could definitely go wrong.

It started off as tiny tensions – Alaska wanting to spend lots of time with Sharon, who was too busy trying to write new and amazing songs for a potential album. The bus became too cramped for the people staying on it and Alaska often either felt overwhelmed or isolated. As the bus travelled from each city, things changed for the couple. The dates like in New York started dwindling, the romantic PDA that they had not been afraid of felt like a foreign concept and Alaska would go hours just curled up in the bus with her headphones in her ears. Everyone noticed it, it was making everyone uncomfortable.

In Boston, things spiralled out of control.

Alaska stood side stage, waiting to be called onto the stage to sing The Only Exception. It was a chore now, but it was still her song. Someone’s footage from New York of the two singing it had gone viral, and the added exposure sent Sharon back into her rocker persona. Now, she was drunk and the opening bars of the song were playing, but Alaska was not invited out onto the stage. Hell, she wasn’t even given the credit.  It wouldn’t have been a huge deal if they hadn’t felt the distance that they had been feeling.  As she watched a song that was her baby being sung to a crowd, she felt herself getting emotional. Not wanting to cause a scene, she ran outside, letting the tears spill from her eyes.

When Sharon strutted off the stage, she was expecting Alaska to be there with the amazement with her eyes like she used to show, but was shocked to see the blonde nowhere in sight. Roxxxy pointed to the door where Alaska ran out of wordlessly, a glare on her face. Sharon, confused by the look and the amount of alcohol she had consumed, followed the gesture. Her confusion increased as she saw a crying Alaska in the alleyway. Mascara starting to drip down her cheeks.

“Lasky,” she started, placing a hand on the girl’s shoulder. “What’s wrong?” Alaska stopped crying as she shrugged Sharon’s hand away, their eyes locking together.

“I can’t do this anymore,” she barely whispered, her voice cracking. New tears were threatening to spill from her big eyes. “We’re not the same couple as we were in New York and I don’t know why. What happened to us? Why does it feel like you’re a thousand miles away all of a sudden?”

“I don’t know what you’re tal-“

“Quit the bullshit, Sharon. I know you feel it too,” Alaska’s tone was much harsher than Sharon expected.  “Sometimes we don’t talk. I see Jinkx and Ivy all coupley and we’ve barely even cuddled in days. I feel so fucking isolated from you!” She took a breath as her voice grew with volume. “You’re living your dream, congratulations. But it feels as if I’m not part of that dream anymore.”

“Lasky, please…” Sharon started, but Alaska had already started to walk away. She spun on her heels, vulnerability in her eyes. It was something so new and so scary, even as months had passed for them.

“I understand that you still love me, but I need time. I’m going home, talk to me when you’re back in Pittsburgh.” With that, Alaska had disappeared from her view, and Sharon wanted to break down so badly. Instead, she held it in, pulled out a cigarette and tried to calm herself down. If she couldn’t have Alaska, then it was as if she was back to square one.