#first appearance star wars adventure journal 15

[swtechspecs]

Vohai Unirail (Kuat Drive Yards Model 10-T Monorail)

Source: Galaxy Guide 9 (West End Games, 1993)

[oh-no-eu-didnt]

Shards were a sentient species of crystals native to Orax, in the Outer Rim. Resembling large (but not abnormally so) cylindrical crystals, the Shard communicated via complex translation devices, and could animate droid bodies they were installed in.

Source: Alien Encounters (1998)

First Appearance: “Alien Encounters: The Shard” - Star Wars Adventure Journal 15 (1997)

Read more on Wookieepedia.

[disneynews10-blog]

Stream Disney, Marvel, Pixar, Star Wars, Nationwide Geographic

Additionally, there are plans for 10 Marvel series, 10 “Star Wars” series, and 15 Disney and Pixar collection and features for Disney Plus in the coming years. Disney’s position as a number one, world streaming service pressure might be, as “Avengers” villain Thanos put it, inevitable.

The sequence is predicated a small squadron of barely-defective clones whose imperfections were used to reinforce their combating skills, and begins just as Emperor Palpatine takes control of the galaxy by committing genocide in opposition to the Jedi.

Since their imperfections maintain the Batch from the receiving orders via the implanted hive mind, they're confused when they see Jedi generals executed by their fellow clones, and suddenly uncover they work for an empire as an alternative of a republic.

This allows us to assist our website and continue to offer you the freshest leisure and streaming content material. Our staff prides itself in providing objective news, critiques, opinions, and other related content material to teach our readers so you may make informed selections.

The model will provide "thousands of hours of tv and flicks" from Disney’s inventive studios, together with Disney Television Studios, FX, 20th Century Studios and twentieth Television.

The app for streaming bins, like Roku and Apple TV, can also be designed to briefly flash a logo telling you the format that you simply're watching; it seems within the higher proper nook of the display for a number of seconds when a video begins to play.

Disney Plus has original documentaries, reality shows, competitors sequence, behind-the-scenes options, nature and adventure titles, animated programming -- the list goes on.

It's a place for Disney to point out off short movies from throughout the firm, like through its Launchpad incubator program designed to elevate opportunities for filmmakers from underrepresented groups.

Each account can decide an avatar of a Disney, Pixar, Marvel or Star Wars character, with more than 200 avatars available. Phones and TVs running on Android working techniques, as well as Chromecast streamers.

In September as a $30 add-on to the service's common subscription price. Disney Plus' strong footing also spurred the corporate to take away its seven-dayfree trialsfor new members, as of June 2020. and a discount in contrast with Netflix's cheapest tier, which is $9 a month.  Disney+ news

Tmera studied journalism at Utah State University where her profession started as Senior News Writer for the campus publication.

After a couple of stops alongside the way, her love of writing and media led her to Cord Cutters News where she stories on breaking headlines, device updates, programming highlights, and extra. 

For a few of its forthcoming films, Disney is simply switching movies originally deliberate for theaters to be Disney Plus originals as an alternative,skipping theatersentirely.

These Marvel authentic collection are a part of Disney's standard catalog, so anyone who's a Disney Plus subscriber can watch them. You can sign up for Disney Plus instantly at disneyplus.com, or you can do it via the Disney Plus app on a variety of gadgets, like Android telephones, Apple's iPhone, Roku streaming devices and others.

Disney Plus' US value deeply undercuts the $14 month-to-month fee forNetflix'smost popular plan in the US, which helps you to stream to 2 different gadgets concurrently in excessive definition.

Disney Plus allows all subscribers to stream to 4 units and entry 4K content material at no extra cost -- features Netflix expenses $18 a month to unlock on its premium tier.

Many of the streaming service presents that appear on cordcuttersnews.com are from firms which can also present our web site with compensation.

Premiere Access requires subscribers to pay an additional $30 payment to unlock entry to these huge new motion pictures, usually changing into obtainable the same day that the movie debuts in theaters.

The corporate hasn't clarified a plan for streaming other megabudget films set to come out later this year, likeShang Chi and the Legend of the Ten RingsandEternals.

Even as cinema restrictions ease and extra individuals feel secure crowding into movie theaters, it's unclear if Disney Plus will proceed to offer Premier Access for brand spanking new films. (That's about the identical size as Netflix's price range now.) Disney Plus itself is going to get $8 billion to $9 billion of Disney's total streaming budget.

March 19 - The Falcon and the Winter Solider premiere episode, the service's second Marvel unique show. New titles on Disney Plus usually are available to stream at 3 a.m. Black Widow is first up, and it's nonetheless slated for theatrical release on May 7.

Disney has but to touch upon when Marvel fans can count on the film to be out there to stream. And it's all the time potential Disney pays by way of the nose to claw again the rights to those films so they can keep on Disney Plus. That deal meant Netflix was the go-to put for the biggest US blockbusters of these years.

Another extremely anticipated May release comes on the 28th when the reside-motion Cruella hits the streaming service simultaneously with its theatrical release. During Disney’s Q1 earnings call inFebruary, Disney CEO Bob Chapek famous that giving some films same-day streaming debuts was a chance, saying that the corporate was remaining versatile with its plans.

The computer-animated Bad Batch tells the story of a gaggle of mutated clone troopers with distinctive skills who turn to mercenary work after the Clone Wars.

“Our work with Disney extends beyond Disney Plus as we convey the facility of 5G Ultra Wideband know-how to the entertainment trade via thrilling initiatives with Disney Innovation Studios and within the parks,” he added. More of our content material is being completely logged via blockchain technology beginning [10.23.2020].

In October, the corporate began restructuring its media and leisure divisions to focus more on Disney+. On Tuesday Disney CEO Bob Chapek revealed the streaming service surpassed the benchmark in simply 16 months since its launch.

July 2 - Monsters at Work, an animated sequence primarily based on Pixar's Monsters Inc. that picks up six months after the events of the original film.

to start streaming all of Disney's theatrical releases about six to 10 months after their massive-display screen debuts. It's a paid subscription without any advertising, and it provides customers entry to an unlimited library of Disney's and Fox's legacy content in addition to new, exclusive TV shows, movies, documentaries and shorts. But starting with 2019's releases, all of Disney's new theatrical films stream solely on Disney Plus.

[transformers-art-showcase]

P.A.T.C.H. #06: "Life After the Big Bang"

There’s a common rule of thumb when it comes to comics: you can jump in when you see a new #1 on the cover. If not, be wary –you’re not gonna get it, you’ve skipped episodes, you’re missing out. Well, you know what? Nuts to that! We here at P.A.T.C.H. like to stick it to common sense and provide a halfway decent explanation for it! So here we are, presenting a story from possibly the most popular “Transformers” comics title ever that is not a number 1 and provides a satisfying, complete story with connections to more! Enjoy! ... No, seriously, did it take us that long to talk MTMTE?!

“LIFE AFTER THE BIG BANG”

“The Transformers: More Than Meets the Eye” #4-5 (2012)/ “Transformers: More Than Meets the Eye” Volume 2

Written by James Roberts, pencils by Alex Milne, colors by Josh Burcham, letters by Shawn Lee The amazing sogn for this wondrous edition of P.A.T.C.H.: https://youtu.be/tvqlt7OWTOk https://open.spotify.com/track/4p82pfEa4cayPqXLN6Rhzm

SO WHAT’S IT ABOUT? After receiving a cryptic, worrisome message, Autobot medic Ratchet, turncoat Autobot Drift and bad luck magnet Pipes land on the medical outpost of Delphi on the planet Messatine to investigate. Faced with a motley crew of doctors and patients and a deadly epidemic, our heroes have to rush both against unexpected enemies and their own worsening health... Oh, and Tailgate and Red Alert aren’t doing so hot on the ship, either. WHAT DO I NEED TO KNOW? The opening blurbs mostly fill you in on everything: the recent end of the Autobot-Decepticon War, the proposal to search for the fabled Knights of Cybertron (“Death of Optimus Prime” one-shot), the open invitation by captain Rodimus into the starship “Lost Light” and its disastrous launch (“More Than Meets the Eye” #1). Other than that, the rest are character threads picked up from previous issues of the series and can be ignored for now, to focus on the stand-alone nature of the thing. Still, let’s go over some major ones. In terms of pre-existing character development, the most pressing issue would be Drift’s dramatic arc(s). Although he first appeared in “All Hail Megatron” #5, he already had a pretty long history behind him, mostly outlined in the first “Drift” mini-series. In those four issues (written by Shane McCarthy, penciled by Alex Milne, colored by Josh Perez and lettered by Chris Mowry), it was revealed that Drift started out as destitute and homeless before the War, and so the Decepticon vision of equality appealed to him greatly. (Not to mention giving him an outlet for his pent-up rage.) He was renamed “Deadlock” and garnered a reputation of cruelty and efficiency. That is, until a disobedience episode, an escape attempt and a brief stint with the Circle of Light, a group of pacifist warrior-scholars, changed that. Following that, he bumped into the Wreckers (“Spotlight: Drift”, written by Shane McCarthy, penciled by Casey Coller, colored by Joana Lafuente and lettered by Chris Mowry) and started associating with the Autobots, with whom he stayed for the next few years, up to the second confrontation with the Dead Universe forces (“Chaos”, written by Mike Costa and James Roberts, with art by Livio Ramondelli and letters by Chris Mowry, which we’ve briefly talked about here). One near-death experience later, he emerged as a cheerful spiritualist, much to one famous medic’s annoyance. Just this once, Ratchet’s wrong –this latest rendition of the character is one of his most popular ones, and even if you’re not interested in his pre-history, you can go by what is said about him easily. Though Tailgate is (rather famously) one of the breakout stars of the series, it’s not he who has the more extensive history, but his roomie Cyclonus. An ancient warrior and comrade of deranged megalomaniac Nem-, excuse me, completely stable individual Nova Prime’s, he was an undead creature under the sway of the Dead Universe for a long time (“Revelation”, written by Simon Furman and drawn by various artists). He later joined fellow Golden Age survivor Galvatron and his reformed army against Cybertron (“Chaos” and “Heart of Darkness”... I think so, at least). Following the betrayal of his commander for the love of his home planet, he joined the “Lost Light” after a misunderstanding (and beating up Whirl, but that’s perfectly normal). He’s been warned at least one on his violent tendencies by Rodimus and has expressed his doubts over the entire War; can he really make a fresh start with these people? Finally, and although that could be considered a bit of a spoiler, certain details –locations, characters, even phrases– first appeared or were mentioned in “Last Stand of the Wreckers”, and specifically its trade paperback editions. Click here to get there immediately and (hopefully) get a few good reasons to check out the book yourselves! WHERE DO I GO FROM THERE? To all of “More Than Meets the Eye”, obviously! These two issues, apart from being stand-alone, plant the seeds for so much more down the road, it’s dizzying! Keep up with the series, where all the characters mentioned here receive further development, and when you’re done, be sure to jump in on “Lost Light”, its continuation. If, however, you want to go to specific arcs from the first season of the series based on individual elements (most by the same team as this issue), I’d suggest “Shadowplay” (issues #7-9 or Volume 3) for Ratchet’s past with Drift (and Red Alert’s troubles), “Remain in Light” (#17-21 or Volume 5) for the comeback of Ratchet’s antagonist, “Before and After” and “Cybertronian Homesick Blues” (#12 and #13, both in Volume 4) for Cyclonus and Tailgate’s continuing development and “Under Cold Blue Stars” (issue #15 or Volume 4) for Pipes’ shining moment. Reader discretion is advised: at least one of these stories is known to cause intense pain in the feels. Don’t say we didn’t warn you. Finally, make sure to pick up the dual 2012 Annuals for “More Than Meets The Eye” and “Robots in Disguise” (both contained in Volume 3 of their respective trade collections). Both are split in two. One half of their stories are the adventures of the present cast interacting with a Titan, a huge Transformer from the distant past. The other half, drawn by artist Guido Guidi (who also colors his work) in the style of the old Marvel “Transformers” series (as well as various “cosmic”, high sci-fi titles of the publisher), provides added world-building and backstory for the entire universe. While seemingly unrelated, the origin stories explain a few holes in the pasts of key characters (Cyclonus was young once?! And he knew Dai Atlas, too?!) and become vital later on, especially in the finale of “Lost Light”. IS IT ANY GOOD? It was a satisfying mystery that showcased how unique this world and its characters are. It featured the evolution of a true master artist. It introduced about a trillion things in 44 pages. It provided us with proof that Ratchet is, and shall forever be, one of the greatest things we have ever produced in this miserable world. WAIT, WHY DIDN’T YOU SAY ANYTHING ABOUT DRIFT?! Oh yeah, he’s there, too! Did I forget that? Never mind, song, playlist, go!

AND YOU THINK YOU'VE FIGURED OUT EVERYTHING | PLOT AND DIALOGUE While the format of this story isn’t unfamiliar, even for this feature (this is our third mystery, after “Windblade” and “Punishment”), what separates this one is how dense it is. Within the first three pages of the story, we’re introduced to three characters, one location and an impending threat, all unrelated to the main cast so far. Various techniques –unreliable journal narration, dialogue insertion, two-page spread– are mixed to give everyone as much character as possible and make everyone suspect for what’s going on. And the onslaught of detail doesn’t stop there. This is the kind of story that would’ve been impossible with any other type of property, even a sci-fi one: the very idea of transformation is integral to how it works. Alt-mode details, in-universe cultural views, even having the ability to change shape are used both as world-building and clues for the mystery. This is the kind of story that makes the casual, vaguely interested reader into a devotee and forces them to go back and reread it to get all the foreshadowing. This applies to the dialogue, too. Roberts’ language, which we’ve seen before here, has been praised as snappy and quotable (Ratchet and Drift here, full stop), but it also shows a deep appreciation for all “Transformers” lore. The famous joke on the best names being taken, for example? Done at the expense of an obscure character from a previous generation reusing the name “Prowl”. If there’s one downside to all that, it’s that some scene transitions can be a little clumsy (Red Alert’s scenes, though important for later, come a bit out of left field), but it’s a small price to pay for the excellence on display.

Hark! What is that I see? A vessel is leaving the port! The sirens of the “S. S. Dratchet” are blaring! All aboard! FEELING SPACED BREATHING OUT LISTERINE | ART And speaking of excellence, the team of Alex Milne and Josh Burcham are on fire here. The amount of detail, fluidity and expressiveness on all pre-existing characters is incredible, but the new designs are a triumph on their own. Most will be distracted by Pharma (I know I was!), but it’s Ambulon’s story-important form that’s the real star here. In general, however, there’s incredible synergy between the art and the story. Background details (First Aid’s badge collection) and actions (again, First Aid’s fiddling in the second issue) are as important as anything else to solve the mystery, so make sure you read slowly and pay attention. In general, Milne’s able to pack an incredible amount of information into very tight pages. The best example is probably Drift attacking another character and transforming in a single, enlarged panel and a few mini, inserted ones. Lastly, the backgrounds need to be highlighted. The arrival to the outpost and the climax excluded, all scenes are set indoors, but the art doesn’t feel constrained by them. Instead, it has two different approaches to interior spaces. Everything in Delphi looks used, dented, past its prime –even the very walls feel grimy. This makes it the polar opposite to the brightly lit, spacey rooms of the “Lost Light”, full of inviting light blues and pinks (the violent outburst in Cyclonus’ room is the exception). Burcham’s richly textured work favors faded browns, sickly greens and rusted reds –the liquid of the mysterious disease looks eerily much like blood. Two flashback-montage sequences (Tailgate’s narration and the final explanation for the outbreak of the epidemic) are much freer in panel construction and dreamier in color pallet, but are once again tight and informative. Add to this some splashes of robo-gore and the unobtrusive lettering (Pharma’s silent speech bubble and use of a laser scalpel is another small miracle) and this is an artistic five-course meal.

Pssst. Nobody tell Pipes “corpse-pile” isn’t an actual game. Let him figure it out on his own. YOU'D KILLED THE BETTER PART OF ME | CHARACTERS AND THEMES But, if you’ll let me get personal for a moment, despite all the above gushing, my favorite element in this story is still its protagonist. Ratchet’s arc in IDW has been one defined by his old age, not a unique element in the franchise –same goes for his “Animated” and “Prime” incarnations, after all. Where this medic separates himself, however, is how he’s tied to the larger themes of reconstruction and moral grayness. The characters of this universe are no strangers to morally questionable actions –we have already seen one such early demonstration from the Autobots on this feature–, but the culprit behind the Delphi disease really takes the cake. He claims all sorts of survivalist justifications for his criminal actions, but the one that rubs the worst are his similarities to Ratchet –he calls attention to them to buy time and out of a need to show off, in traditional “baddie” fashion. And that hurts. After all the effort to end the war, there’s still rot, (literal and figurative) disease and evil. How long can anyone hold onto their ideals in such a world? Won’t these ideals be corrupted, sooner or later? Why not just copy the bad guy’s tactics? If such violence is justified, why not snap and kill the bastard already? Why remain selfless and sacrificial –isn’t it tiring? The villain’s charm and Ratchet’s moral dilemma play off of each other wonderfully through Roberts’ snarky dialogue, and the final stinger remains uncomfortable. In the b-plot, this theme is further emphasized with Tailgate and Cyclonus’ scenes, where the senior bot berates the younger one on choosing a faction knowing little of their world. The younger characters introduced do offer another view –that there can be hope for the future-, so there really is no final closure offered. Instead, I wish to end this paragraph with the words of another great author: “Life persists”.

Even beaten down, rusting from the inside out and minutes before death, Ratchet is still cooler and more presentable than all of us at our best. BUT I CAN'T STILL FOCUS ON ANYTHING | FINAL THOUGHTS While reading this story again for this feature, I had flashes of my first time reading it a few years back. At that point, I hadn’t been completely sold on “Transformers”, but processing the facts and the details and the character beats here, I started seeing that there was something great about them. “More Than Meets the Eye” is a special book, the perfect gateway to a rich, complex, beautiful universe and introduced me to one of my faves. This wasn’t the story that blew me away (that might come up later), but it definitely was the beginning of a beautiful friendship.

[helloworlddemo1122-yahoopar-blog]

Summer Film Preview: 27 of the Most Anticipated Movies of the Season!

Among ET's 90 top picks for summer are our 27 most anticipated films of the season.

Every summer, there is no shortage of new films to blow audiences away at theaters -- and blow away records at the box office. This summer, things are looking especially massive. Blockbuster season kicks off in a huge way with the highly anticipated back-to-back releases of Deadpool 2and Solo: A Star Wars Story, ushering in an onslaught of franchise films with new installments of Jurassic World, Marvel's Ant-Man, Mission: Impossible and The Purge.

Not everything is a sequel, though. Of the originals is the eagerly awaited adaptation of Crazy Rich Asians, marking the first time a major studio has produced an all-Asian-led film since The Joy Luck Club; Spike Lee's latest, BlacKkKlansman; and -- because it wouldn't be summer without one -- a shark attack flick, The Meg, starring Jason Statham.

But no matter what you’re looking forward to, there's plenty to choose from among these 27 sure-to-be hit films.

Deadpool 2 (Out Now)

The Deadpool sequel is bigger, louder and packed with more violence and superpeople, dick jokes and fourth wall-breaking meta-ness than the original X-Men-adjacent movie. And while that all sounds like a recipe for a bloated case of sequelitis, Ryan Reynolds and co. not only pull it off, but top the first.

Directed by: David Leitch | Written by: Rhett Reese, Paul Wernick and Ryan Reynolds Starring: Ryan Reynolds, Josh Brolin, Julian Dennison, Zazie Beetz, Rob Delaney, Leslie Uggams

Solo: A Star Wars Story (May 25)

Forget everything you think you know about the legendary smuggler and prepare for the unexpected. That's the best advice we can give you about Star Wars' latest anthology installment, which, sure, features the Kessel Run and Han Solo and Chewbacca's origin story, then blasts off for so much more.

Directed by: Ron Howard | Written by: Jonathan Kasdan and Lawrence Kasdan Starring: Alden Ehrenreich, Donald Glover, Woody Harrelson, Thandie Newton, Emilia Clarke

American Animals (June 1)

The Orchard / MoviePass Ventures

According to the minds behind American Animals, while most movies are based on a true story, this one is a true story, about four college students who plan "one of the most audacious art heists in U.S. history." It also marks the first appearance on this list by the true star of the summer movie season: Ann Dowd.

Directed by: Bart Layton | Written by: Bart Layton Starring: Evan Peters, Barry Keoghan, Blake Jenner, Jared Abrahamson, Ann Dowd

Hereditary (June 8)

A24

Following its screening at Sundance earlier this year, Hereditary was hailed as the scariest horror movie in years -- if not of all time. As for what actually transpires in the film, well, that is best left vague. Brace yourself for hypnotically unnerving tongue pops and flashbacks to Toni Collette's iconic turn in The Sixth Sense.

Directed by: Ari Aster | Written by: Ari Aster Starring: Toni Collette, Gabriel Byrne, Alex Wolff, Milly Shapiro, Ann Dowd

Ocean's 8 (June 8)

This year's Met Gala might as well have been early promo for Ocean's 8, which centers on another heist-happy Ocean, Debbie, who assembles a team of women to help rob a fictional Met Gala. (If you do some simple math, it seems Anne Hathaway's mark is one of the eight, too.) Unfortunately, Rihanna will likely not be dressed as a sexy pope.

Directed by: Gary Ross | Written by: Gary Ross and Olivia Milch Starring: Sandra Bullock, Cate Blanchett, Anne Hathaway, Mindy Kaling, Sarah Paulson, Awkwafina, Helena Bonham Carter, Rihanna

Won't You Be My Neighbor? (June 8)

Focus Features

If you were a child in the '60s -- or '70s, '80s, '90s, the aughts, really, if you were a child ever -- then Won't You Be My Neighbor? will be a nostalgic return to your younger years, a look at the long-running and formative TV series Mister Rogers' Neighborhood and the man behind it, the late Fred Rogers.

Directed by: Morgan Neville

Hearts Beat Loud (June 8)

Gunpowder & Sky

This gem of an indie is for anyone who has ever wished Nick Offerman could be your best friend, your dad or both: Kiersey Clemons plays Offerman's daughter and reluctant bandmate as they navigate fame and family in Hearts Beat Louder. Sprinkle in a queer romance and an earworm-y soundtrack, and what more could you ask for?

Directed by: Brett Haley | Written by: Brett Haley and Marc Basch Starring: Nick Offerman, Kiersey Clemons, Ted Danson, Toni Collette, Sasha Lane, Blythe Danner

Hotel Artemis (June 8)

Global Road Entertainment

Read this logline: "Set in riot-torn, near-future Los Angeles, Hotel Artemis is a high-octane action-thriller starring Jodie Foster as The Nurse, who runs a secret, members-only hospital for criminals." Now re-read that sentence over and over and over until you go insane and this becomes your most anticipated movie of the year.

Directed by: Drew Pearce | Written by: Drew Pearce Starring: Jodie Foster, Dave Bautista, Sofia Boutella, Zachary Quinto, Sterling K. Brown, Jeff Goldblum

Incredibles 2 (June 15)

Walt Disney Studios Motion Pictures

It has been well over a decade since the original Incredibles arrived in theaters and, even now, under the looming threat of superhero saturation, that first film remains one of the best superhero movies period. Finally, Mr. Incredible, Elastigirl, Violet, Dash and Jack-Jack are back, with Frozone and, of course, Edna.

Directed by: Brad Bird | Written by: Brad Bird Starring: Holly Hunter, Craig T. Nelson, Samuel L. Jackson, Catherine Keener, Sophia Bush

Tag (June 15)

Warner Bros. Pictures

This is a movie about tag -- as in, the game in which you tag someone and they are then "it." Specifically, Tag is about a group of childhood buddies who have been playing tag one month out of the year, every year, for 30 years. If you are wondering, Where do they come up with this?!, it was a Wall Street Journal article.

Directed by: Jeff Tomsic | Written by: Rob McKittrick and Mark Steilen Starring: Jeremy Renner, Ed Helms, Jake Johnson, Jon Hamm, Hannibal Buress, Isla Fisher, Leslie Bibb

Damsel (June 22)

Magnolia Pictures

If you hear that Robert Pattinson is starring in a Western, you probably have a notion of what that film is. Damsel is not the movie you're imagining, guaranteed -- unless, of course, you pictured a screwball comedy about a pioneer who voyages west with a drunkard and a miniature horse named Butterscotch.

Directed by: David Zellner and Nathan Zellner | Written by: David Zellner and Nathan Zellner Starring: Robert Pattinson, Mia Wasikowska, David Zellner

Jurassic World: Fallen Kingdom (June 22)

In the colossally successful Jurassic World, the dinosaurs destroyed the park, as dinosaurs are wont to do, and now Isla Nublar is threatening to destroy the dinosaurs. Thus, Claire and Owen are enlisted to help save the dinosaurs from a second extinction -- and that's only the beginning of this adventure.

Directed by: J.A. Bayona | Written by: Colin Trevorrow and Derek Connolly Starring: Chris Pratt, Bryce Dallas Howard, Jeff Goldblum, James Cromwell, Justice Smith

Under the Silver Lake (June 22)

A24

Something about those hot summer nights must make us itch for a mystery, because this is yet another noir-y flick arriving in cineplexes, albeit a very modern take on the genre. Andrew Garfield plays a stoner Angelino who begins sleuthing when his dream girl disappears in the middle of the night without a trace.

Directed by: David Robert Mitchell | Written by: David Robert Mitchell Starring: Andrew Garfield, Riley Keough, Topher Grace, Jimmi Simpson

The First Purge (July 4)

Universal Pictures

There's something almost comforting about knowing that every (sometimes every other) Independence Day brings a new installment in the ongoing Purge franchise. Who knew a nutty little murder flick could have so much steam? This one goes back to the beginning and the invention of a government-sponsored killing spree.

Directed by: Gerard McMurray | Written by: James DeMonaco Starring: Lex Scott Davis, Y'lan Noel, Luna Lauren Velez, Joivan Wade, Marisa Tomei

Ant-Man and the Wasp (July 6)

Consider the Ant-Man sequel a respite for those still reeling over the ending of Infinity War, a plucky comedic romp about heroes who shrink, supersize and now fly, too, which probably won't leave you frantically wiping away tears as the theater lights come on. Also, Michelle Pfeiffer plays a superhero!

Directed by: Peyton Reed | Written by: Chris McKenna, Erik Sommers, Andrew Barrer and Gabriel Ferrari and Paul Rudd Starring: Paul Rudd, Evangeline Lilly, Michael Douglas, Michelle Pfeiffer, Hannah John-Kamen, Michael Peña

Sorry to Bother You (July 6)

Annapurna Pictures

There is original, and then there is Sorry to Bother You. If a stranger, more out-there film has ever been made, I haven't seen it. I've never seen anything like this, a satiric tale about a telemarketer who uses his "white voice" to get ahead that feels at once painstakingly plotted and completely free-associated.

Directed by: Boots Riley | Written by: Boots Riley Starring: Lakeith Stanfield, Tessa Thompson, Jermaine Fowler, Steven Yeun, Armie Hammer

Whitney (July 6)

Whitney is not the first documentary to turn the lens on Whitney Houston in the years since her 2012 death, but it is the first to be endorsed by her estate, featuring interviews with loved ones of Houston who had never spoken publicly before and bombshell revelations that made news ahead of Whitney's official release.

Directed by: Kevin Macdonald

Eighth Grade (July 13)

A24

You know how adults always say, "I'm so happy I didn't grow up when there was social media." Watch this Sundance drama, comedian Bo Burnham's directorial debut, and feel that tenfold, alternately a cringey and heartwarming look at what it means to be coming into your own -- yes, with YouTube and Twitter.

Directed by: Bo Burnham | Written by: Bo Burnham Starring: Elsie Fisher, Josh Hamilton

Mamma Mia! Here We Go Again (July 20)

Is Meryl Streep's character still alive for the Mamma Mia! sequel? Supposedly. We do know that we will see a younger version of Donna (played by Lily James) as the ABBA singalong jumps back in time to show the Dynamos' origin story, while in the present, Donna's daughter is pregnant with a baby of her own.

Directed by: Ol Parker | Written by: Ol Parker Starring: Amanda Seyfried, Meryl Streep, Christine Baranski, Julie Walters, Lily James, Colin Firth, Cher

Mission: Impossible - Fallout (July 27)

Paramount Pictures

After successfully completing five other supposedly impossible missions, whatever Ethan Hunt is tasked with in Fallout should be considered mission: pretty difficult but manageable. Still, Tom Cruise continues to up the ante in insane and preposterous ways, like jumping out of a plane at 25,000 feet, for one.

Directed by: Christopher McQuarrie | Written by: Christopher McQuarrie Starring: Tom Cruise, Rebecca Ferguson, Alec Baldwin, Simon Pegg, Ving Rhames, Henry Cavill, Angela Bassett

Christopher Robin (Aug. 3)

If you enjoyed last year's period drama Goodbye Christopher Robin, about the real boy who inspired the creation of Winnie the Pooh, then you are sure to enjoy this, too, Disney's less historical, more fantastical tale about grown-up Christopher Robin and how Pooh and the rest of the Hundred Acre Wood gang help him rediscover his imagination.

Directed by: Marc Forster | Written by: Alex Ross Perry Starring: Ewan McGregor, Hayley Atwell, Jim Cummings, Chris O'Dowd, Brad Garrett, Toby Jones

The Spy Who Dumped Me (Aug. 3)

I would pay money to watch Kate McKinnon read the phone book. Thankfully, she gets much more to do in this action-comedy, in which Mila Kunis plays the unwitting woman dumped by a spy. McKinnon plays her bestie, and the two quickly find themselves in over their heads trying to stop a terrorist group and save the world.

Directed by: Susanna Fogel | Written by: David Iserson and Susanna Fogel Starring: Mila Kunis, Kate McKinnon, Sam Heughan, Gillian Anderson, Justin Theroux

BlacKkKlansman (Aug. 10)

Focus Features

Spike Lee is back with his latest joint, the so-crazy-it-must-be-true saga of Ron Stallworth, the first black police officer in Colorado Springs, and his undercover operation to infiltrate a local Ku Klux Klan chapter, which was so successful that he eventually became its head.

Directed by: Spike Lee | Written by: Spike Lee, David Rabinowitz, Charlie Wachtel, Kevin Willmott Starring: John David Washington, Adam Driver, Topher Grace, Laura Harrier

The Meg (Aug. 10)

Warner Bros. Pictures

No summer is complete without a silly shark attack movie, and for the summer of 2018, The Meg fits that bill and then some. First of all, the shark in question is a megalodon, which basically just means a REALLY BIG F**KING SHARK, and hopefully Jason Statham will punch it at some point, right?

Directed by: Jon Turteltaub | Written by: Dean Georgaris, Jon Hoeber and Erich Hoeber Starring: Jason Statham, Ruby Rose, Rainn Wilson, Bingbing Li, Cliff Curtis, Masi Oka

Crazy Rich Asians (Aug. 17)

Based on the bestselling novel by Kevin Kwan, Crazy Rich Asians is about a Chinese American professor who travels to Singapore to meet her boyfriend's family and discovers they are -- you guessed it -- crazy rich! Hijinks ensue. This is also the first Hollywood movie with a majority Asian cast in 25 years, i.e., crazy overdue.

Directed by: Jon M. Chu | Written by: Peter Chiarelli and Adele Lim Starring: Constance Wu, Henry Golding, Awkwafina, Gemma Chan, Michelle Yeoh, Ken Jeong

To All the Boys I've Loved Before (Aug. 17)

Netflix

Here's one YA fans have been waiting for. Based on the bestselling novel by Jenny Han, the title refers to letters our heroine, Lara Jean Covey, writes to her past crushes, love letters they are never meant to see -- but do, after they're accidentally mailed out. You don't need to head to the cinema to swoon over this one; it's streaming on Netflix.

Directed by: Susan Johnson | Written by: Sofia Alvarez Starring: Lana Condor, Noah Centineo, Janel Parrish, Emilija Baranac, Israel Broussard, John Corbett

The Happytime Murders (Aug. 17)

Nothing says summertime like puppets snorting ecstasy and soliciting sex. The Happytime Murders -- no lie, from the same director as The Muppet Christmas Carol and Muppet Treasure Island -- is about police partners, one felt and one Melissa McCarthy, investigating who is shooting the stuffing out of puppets.

Directed by: Brian Henson | Written by: Todd Berger Starring: Melissa McCarthy, Elizabeth Banks, Maya Rudolph, Joel McHale

MORE SUMMER PREVIEW:

Summer TV Preview: 26 of the Best New and Returning Series to Watch!

Summer Music Preview: 17 Albums We Can’t Wait to Hear

Summer Theater Preview: 11 Must-See Broadway and Off-Broadway Shows

Summer Book Preview: 9 Beach Reads by Bill Clinton, Emily Giffin, Lauren Weisberger and More!

[padawanlost]

SW Books & Comics: Anakin Skywalker

List of all the books comics about Anakin Skywalker. All books below are set before the end of ROTS. This is list is also available here.

BEFORE ‘THE PHANTOM MENACE’

Books

Darth Plagueis by James Luceno

The Life and Legend of Obi-Wan Kenobi by Ryder Windham

Jedi Apprentice Special Edition: Deceptions by Jude Watson

Jedi Apprentice Special Edition: The Followers by Jude Watson

Secrets of the Jedi by Jude Watson

The Rise and Fall of Darth Vader by Ryder Windham

Episode I Adventures 5: The Ghostling Children by Dave Wolverton

Episode I Adventures 6: The Hunt for Anakin Skywalker by Dave Wolverton

Episode I Adventures 7: Capture Arawynne by Dave Wolverton

Episode I Adventures 8: Trouble on Tatooine by Dave Wolverton

Anakin's Fate (children's book) by Marc Cerasini

Comics

Knights of the Old Republic 25: Vector, Part 1 by John Jackson Miller

SWInsider "The Tenebrous Way"—Star Wars Insider 130 by Matthew Stover

Urchins—Star Wars Tales 14 by Stan Sakai

Star Wars Adventures Volume 3: Endangered by Delilah S. Dawson (Canon)

Podracing Tales by Ryder Windham

 ‘THE PHANTOM MENACE’

Star Wars: Episode I: The Phantom Menace novel by Terry Brooks

5-Minute Star Wars Stories by Brooke Dworkin, Calliope Glass, Trey King, Elizabeth Schaefer, Andy Schmidt, Rebecca L. Schmidt (canon)

The Prequel Trilogy Stories by Ivan Cohen, S.T. Bende (canon)

Star Wars: Episode I: The Phantom Menace - The Golden Book by Courtney Carbone

Star Wars: Episode I: The Phantom Menace junior novelization by Patricia C. Wrede

Star Wars Episode I: The Phantom Menace script facsimile by George Lucas

Star Wars Episode I Journal: Darth Maul by Jude Watson

Star Wars Episode I Journal: Queen Amidala by Jude Watson

Star Wars Episode I Journal: Anakin Skywalker by Todd Strasser

Episode I Adventures 14: Podrace to Freedom by A. L. Singer

Star Wars Episode I: Anakin's Race for Freedom (children's book) by Alice Alfonsi

Jar Jar's Mistake (children's book) by Nancy Krulik

Anakin's Pit Droid (children's book) by Justine and Ron Fontes

Podrace!  (children's book) by Lara Bergen

Anakin to the Rescue  (children's book) by Cecilia Venn

Episode I Adventures 15: The Final Battle by A. L. Singer

Star Wars Episode I: I Am a Pilot (children's book) by Marc Cerasini

Comics

Star Wars: The Prequel Trilogy – A Graphic Novel by Alessandro Ferrari (Canon)

Star Wars Episode I: The Phantom Menace PhotoComic

Episode I: Queen Amidala  by  Mark Schultz

Episode I: Qui-Gon Jinn   by Ryder Windham

Star Wars: Episode I — The Phantom Menace 2 by  Henry Gilroy

Episode I: Anakin Skywalker by     Timothy Truman

Episode I: The Phantom Menace ½  

Star Wars: Episode I — The Phantom Menace 3 by  Henry Gilroy

Star Wars: Episode I — The Phantom Menace 4 by Henry Gilroy

Episode I: Obi-Wan Kenobi by  Henry Gilroy

BEFORE ‘ATTACK OF THE CLONES’

Books

Rogue Planet by Greg Bear

Jedi Quest: Path to Truth by Jude Watson

Jedi Quest: The Way of the Apprentice by Jude Watson

Outbound Flight by Timothy Zahn

Jedi Quest: The Trail of the Jedi by Jude Watson

Jedi Quest: The Dangerous Games by Jude Watson

Star Wars: Zam Wesell by Ron Marz

Jedi Quest: The Master of Disguise by Jude Watson

Jedi Quest: The School of Fear by Jude Watson

Jedi Quest: The Shadow Trap by Jude Watson

Jedi Quest: The Moment of Truth by Jude Watson

Jedi Quest: The Changing of the Guard by Jude Watson

Jedi Quest: The False Peace by Jude Watson

Jedi Quest: The Final Showdown by Jude Watson

Star Wars Adventures 1: Hunt the Sun Runner by Ryder Windham

Star Wars Adventures 2: The Cavern of Screaming Skulls by Ryder Windham

Star Wars Adventures 3: The Hostage Princess by Ryder Windham

The Approaching Storm Alan by Dean Foster

Anakin: Apprentice by Marc Cerasini

Anakin Skywalker: A Jedi's Journal by Scott Ciencin

I Am a Jedi Apprentice by Marc Cerasini

Comics

Star Wars 11: Outlander, Part 5 by Timothy Truman

Star Wars: Obi-Wan & Anakin by Charles Soule

Star Wars 13: Emissaries to Malastare, Part 1 by Timothy Truman

Jedi Quest comics (4 issues) by Ryder Windham

Star Wars: Poison Moon by Michael Carriglitto

A Jedi's Weapon—Star Wars Tales 12 by Henry Gilroy

Star Wars: Republic: Honor and Duty by John Ostrander

Full of Surprises by Jason Hall

Practice Makes Perfect by Jason Hall

‘ATTACK OF THE CLONES’

Books

Attack of the Clones (Golden Book) by Geof Smith (canon)

Star Wars Episode II: Attack of the Clones novel by R. A. Salvatore

Star Wars Episode II: Attack of the Clones junior novelization by Patricia C. Wrede

Comics

Star Wars Episode II: Attack of the Clones Comic Book Adaptation by Henry Gilroy

BEFORE ‘REVENGE OF THE SITH’

Books

Boba Fett: The Fight to Survive by Terry Bisson

Boba Fett: Crossfire by Terry Bisson

Storm Fleet Warnings by Jude Watson

Shatterpoint by Matthew Stover

The Cestus Deception by Steven Barnes

The Hive (Mentioned only) by Steven Barnes

Changing Seasons (Star Wars Insider #76 and #77)  by Timothy Zahn

Jedi Trial by David Sherman

Yoda: Dark Rendezvous by Sean Stewart

The Clone Wars: Decide Your Destiny: Crisis on Coruscant by Jonathan Green

The Clone Wars: Decide Your Destiny: Dooku's Secret Army by Sue Behrent

Star Wars: The Clone Wars novel by Karen Traviss

Star Wars: The Clone Wars junior novelization by Tracey West

Star Wars: The Clone Wars Official Movie Storybook

The Clone Wars: The New Padawan by Eric Stevens

The Clone Wars: Operation: Huttlet by Steele Filipek

The Clone Wars: Anakin in Action! by Simon Beecroft

The Clone Wars: Battle at Teth by Kirsten Mayer

The Clone Wars: Decide Your Destiny: Tethan Battle Adventure by Sue Behrent

The Clone Wars: Decide Your Destiny: The Way of the Jedi by Jake Forbes

The Clone Wars: Meet Ahsoka Tano by Kirsten Mayer

The Clone Wars: Secret Missions 1: Breakout Squad by ryder Windham

The Clone Wars: Wild Space by Karen Miller

The Clone Wars: No Prisoners by Karen Traviss

Clone Wars Gambit: Stealth by Karen Miller

Clone Wars Gambit: Siege by Karen Miller

The Clone Wars: The Holocron Heist by Rob Valois

The Clone Wars: Children of the Force by Kristen Mayer

The Clone Wars: Darth Maul: Shadow Conspiracy by Jason Fry

MedStar II: Jedi Healer by Michael Reaves, Steve Perry

Boba Fett: A New Threat by Elizabeth Hand

Boba Fett: Pursuit by Elizabeth Hand

Dark Disciple by Christie Golden

Forces of Destiny: Daring Adventures: Volume 1 by Emma Carlson Berne (canon)

Catalyst: A Rogue One Novel by James Luceno (Canon)

Labyrinth of Evil by James Luceno

Comics

Star Wars Episode II: Attack of the Clones PhotoComic

Machines of War by Jason Hall

Most Precious Weapon by Jason Hall

The Lesson—Star Wars Tales 14 by Adam Gallardo

Republic 50: The Defense of Kamino  by John Ostrander, W. Haden Blackman and Scott Allie

Star Wars: Republic: The New Face of War by Haden Blackman

Republic 53: Blast Radius by Haden Blackman

Star Wars: Clone Wars PhotoComic  by Bryan Andrews, Darrick Bachman, Paul Rudish, Genndy Tartakovsky

Star Wars: Clone Wars Adventures Volume 1  by Haden Blackman

Star Wars: Clone Wars Adventures Volume 2 by Haden Blackman, Welles Hartley, The Fillbach Brothers, George Lucas

Star Wars: Clone Wars Adventures Volume 10 by The Fillbach Brothers, Chris Avellone, Jason Hall

Star Wars: Republic: The Battle of Jabiim Haden by Blackman

Republic 59: Enemy Lines by John Ostrander

Republic 61: Dead Ends by John Ostrander

Republic 62: No Man's Land by John Ostrander

Jedi: Yoda by Jeremy Barlow

Republic 67: Forever Young by Randy Stradley

Star Wars: Republic: Dreadnaughts of Rendili by John Ostrander

Star Wars: Clone Wars Adventures Volume 4 by The Fillbach Brothers, Justin Lambros, Ryan Kaufman, Haden Blackman

Star Wars: Clone Wars Adventures Volume 7 by Matthew Fillbach, Shawn Fillbach, Ryan Kaufman, Chris Avellone, Jeremy Barlow

The Clone Wars: Shadowed (webcomic) by Pablo Hidalgo

The Clone Wars: Covetous (web comic) by Pablo Hidalgo

The Clone Wars: Shipyards of Doom (web comic) by Henry Gilroy

The Clone Wars: Shakedown (web comic) by Pablo Hidalgo

The Clone Wars: Procedure by Pablo Hidalgo

The Clone Wars: Agenda by Pablo Hidalgo

Star Wars: The Clone Wars Comic UK by Andrew James

The Masked Racer—Star Wars Comic 3

Under the Hammer—Star Wars Comic 6

Yoda Uncovered—Star Wars Comic 8

The Clone Wars: Transfer by Pablo Hidalgo

The Clone Wars: Bait by Pablo Hidalgo

The Clone Wars: Switch by Pablo Hidalgo

The Clone Wars: Crash Course by Henry Gilroy

The Clone Wars: Act on Instinct by Pablo Hidalgo

The Clone Wars: The Valsedian Operation by Thomas Hodges

Star Wars: The Clone Wars: Hero of the Confederacy by Henry Gilroy and Steven Melching

The Clone Wars: The Wind Raiders of Taloraan by John Ostrander

The Clone Wars: Hunting the Hunters, Part III by Pablo Hidalgo

The Clone Wars: The Starcrusher Trap by Mike W. Barr

Star Wars: The Clone Wars: Slaves of the Republic by Henry Gilroy

The Clone Wars: The Sith Hunter by s Henry Gilroy, Steven Melching

Star Wars: Obsession by Haden Blackman

Wat Tambor and the Quest for the Sacred Eye of the Albino Cyclops by Michael Murnane

Brothers in Arms by Miles Lane

Sithisis Derek by Thompson

Kanan 7: First Blood, Part I: The Corridors of Coruscant by Greg Weisman (canon)

Darth Maul—Son of Dathomir, Part Three by Jeremy Barlow (canon)

‘REVENGE OF THE SITH’

Books

Revenge of the Sith (Golden Book) by Geof Smith

Star Wars Episode III: Revenge of the Sith novel by Matthew Stover

Star Wars Episode III: Revenge of the Sith junior novelization by Patricia C. Wrede

Comics

Star Wars: Episode III — Revenge of the Sith by Miles Lane

PS: Anakin Skywalker doesn’t necessarily appear in all of these books (sometime he’s only mentioned or it’s flashback/vision). A lot of them are for young readers. I’m still working on the Darth Vader stuff, but i’ll post it when it’s done.

[buttermybooks]

Happy Holidays!

This year we decided to do something a little different over here at Buttermybooks! Shopping for friends and family can be a little tricky so this year we wanted to help you out! Our theme this year is “wanderlust” and we have asked our favorite bloggers to share the items that they consider a “must-have” while traveling. This list is incredible and I am so excited to finally be able to share it with you! Let me know which item you are most excited for! Be sure to follow all of our lovely guests and share with your friends! Happy Reading <3

@IFREAKINLOVEBOOKS | CLICK TO SHOP BOOKBEAU

Carol is a 27 year old bookstagrammer and blogger, she can be found crying over Outlander or rereading The Infernal Devices for the 1000th time. Don’t spoil Game of Thrones for her unless you’re prepared to die.

Follow Carol: instagram | tumblr | twitter

@VILMAIRISBLOG | CLICK HERE TO SHOP BENEFIT

Vilma Iris Gonzalez is a marketing professional by day, book and lifestyle blogger by night, and working mom always. Since 2013 she’s been focused on building a community of people who love to be on trend and in the know—whether it comes to books, style, home or beauty.

Follow Vilma: instagram | twitter | facebook

@BUTTERMYBOOKS | CLICK HERE TO SHOP SUDIO SWEDEN

A twenty something from Tennessee, Summer Webb is an avid adventurer and pizza connoisseur who loves bad horror movies, good books, hot coffee.

Follow Summer: instagram | twitter | tumblr | facebook

@BOOKBARISTAS | CLICK HERE TO SHOP SERENGETEE

Natasha →  penguin by day | blogger 24/7 -- just a book person recommending you hot drinks & hotter reads!

Follow Natasha: instagram | twitter | tumblr

@STORIESFORCOFFEE |  CLICK TO SHOP OSIRIS AND CO

 A 20-year-old Cuban-American girl studying journalism. When she’s not writing articles for her classes, you can probably find her devouring a novel or watching a classic film.

Follow Liv: instagram | youtube | tumblr

@VOYAGESOFMINE | CLICK HERE TO SHOP YETI

Aside from the occasional trip out of state, Haley really began traveling for the first time at the age of seventeen. She has always had a strong desire to explore places that are new and exciting. She also enjoys revisiting some of her favorite areas that she has been to thus far.

Follow Haley: instagram | twitter | facebook | blog

@ALEXBRACKEN | CLICK HERE TO SHOP TRAVEL JEWELRY BOXES

Alexandra Bracken was born and raised in Arizona. The daughter of a Star Wars collector, she grew up going to an endless string of Star Wars conventions and toy fairs, which helped spark her imagination and a deep love of reading. After graduating high school, she attended The College of William & Mary in Virginia, where she double majored in English and History. She sold her first book, Brightly Woven, as a senior in college, and later moved to New York City to work in children's book publishing, first as an editorial assistant, then in marketing. After six years, she took the plunge and decided to write full time. She now lives in Arizona with her tiny pup, Tennyson, in a house that's constantly overflowing with books.

Alex is a #1 New York Times bestselling and USA TODAY bestselling author. Her work is available across the world in over 15 languages.

Follow Alex: instagram | facebook | twitter

@URSULA_URIARTE | CLICK HERE TO SHOP TRAVEL JOURNALS

30- something. Pearl Jam Fan. Metal head. Mom. Liberal. Traveler. Photographer. Will work for Tim Tams.

Follow Ursula: instagram | twitter | tumblr

@ZORAIDASOLO | CLICK HERE TO SHOP PLANNERS

Zoraida Córdova is the author of urban fantasies The Vicious Deep trilogy and the Brooklyn Brujas series. Her short fiction has appeared in the New York Times bestselling anthology, Star Wars: From a Certain Point of View. Zoraida’s most recent release, Labyrinth Lost, won an International Latino Book award, was named a Best Book of 2016 by Paste Magazine and has been optioned by Paramount Studios.

Follow Zoraida: instagram | twitter | website

@JUSTINEBOOKISH | CLICK HERE TO SHOP MAKEUP TRAVEL KITS

Justine is the owner and creative mind behind The Bookish Box. She is an avid coffee drinker, mother, and kickass boss lady!

Follow Justine: instagram | twitter | facebook

[ryttu3k]

Let’s do the whole thing because why not XD

For the asks I got: @ladynorbert​ asked 15, 35, and 40, and @lumaphoenix​ asked 9, 26, and 38! Italicising those questions!

1. First things first, did you have a good year? *wiggly hand gesture*

2. How old did you turn this year? 31. Right near the end, though.

3. Do you feel your age? Man, with my collagen I feel 81.

4. Did your appearance change in anyway? My hair grew about an inch?

5. Post your favorite selfie. Nah.

6. If you traveled, where did you go? Went down to Sydney for a concert and stayed overnight. It’s about an hour and a half away.

7. Which fashion trends did you love? b o t a n i c a l s

8. Which fashion trends did you hate? The rest of them.

9. What was your favorite article of clothing this year? Post a pic if possible? Flowery space smile shirt!

10. What song sums up this year for you? Pick one, haha.

11. What album came out and has been on heavy rotation since then? The Breath of the Wild soundtrack!

12. What was your favorite movie of the year? Rogue One came out late enough last year that it counts, I think.

13. Did an actor/actress catch your attention for the first time this year? First time? Nah, but I continue to adore the Star Wars cast <3

14. Favorite new TV show? The Librarians :D I mean it’s not new new, but it’s new to me this year!

15. Which new ship/fandom has taken over a lot of your time, attention, and tears? There was that brief but very enthusiastic DDADDS surge! But then back to business as usual with Zelda, Pokemon, and Star Wars, yeah. BotW is a new subset of Zelda fandom, at least!

16. What food did you try for the first time? I discovered furikake seasoning (without fish). I love it.

17. Did you make any big permanent changes this year? Nah. I started regularly dislocating my wrist in my sleep, though!

18. What was one nice thing you did for someone else? If I say, it doesn’t count any more!

19. What was one nice thing you did for yourself? Lush baths. Good shit.

20. Did you develop a new obsession? Bullet journalling, like, right at the end, haha.

21. Did you vote? Yup, just a local council election and in the marriage equality survey.

22. Did you move? / 23. Did you get a job? / 24. Did you get a pet? Nope!

25. Do you regret not doing anything? Researching tomatoes more. We attempted to grow them and lmfao fail.

26. Do you regret doing something? Apologies for the weak-ass answer, but not really!

27. Have you done anything that scared you? Not enough.

28. Did anyone/thing make you so mad it stayed with you for days? God fucking politics.

29. Did you lose anyone close to you? My paternal grandmother died, but we weren’t close (I hadn’t actually seen her for a couple of years), so I’m not sure that counts...

30. Did you fall in love? / 31. Did you fall out of love? / 32. Did you start a new relationship? / 33. Did you go through a break up? / 34. Did you have to cut ties to someone? Nope!

35. Who was important to you this year but wasn’t important last year? Some of the friends I’ve made, maybe?

36. Who wasn’t as important to you this year as they were last year? I’m drawing a blank here.

37. If you could have a do over on one thing you did, would you take it? Nah. I don’t fuck with causality that way.

38. What was the best moment of the year for you? Symphony of the Goddesses on a personal note, marriage equality finally passing in Australia on a broader note!

39. What was the worst? *lies down on the floor*

40. Did anything happen that you were sure would change you as a person but it really didn’t? Oh, hmm. Nothing really comes to mind, I’m afraid.

41. Did anything happen to you that you were sure wouldn’t change you as a person but it did? Again, nothing comes to mind. Sorry!

42. What are you most proud of accomplishing? Finished first drafts of the entire Synth trilogy!

43. What have you learned about yourself this year that you didn’t know in the years prior? More health shit, haha. Also, how far my patience can stretch with my grandmother, I guess? (She has dementia.)

44. Did your opinion of anyone change for the better? There were a lot of cool people this year!

45. Did your opinion of anyone change for worse? ...And a lot of shit ones, yes.

46. If you make resolutions, did you complete them this year? / 47. If you make resolutions, what will your resolutions be for the coming year? Nope :D

48. If you could go on an adventure during the remaining days of the year, where would you go and what would you do?  Who would you go this? There’s five and a quarter hours left of the year, not really doable!

49. What do you wish for others for the coming year? Peace, happiness, stability.

50. What do you wish for yourself? Sure, let’s go with the above, haha.

[zippdementia]

Part 68 Alignment May Vary: City of Ghosts

Situation: Roger Krisp leads the Hell’s Rebels from aboard his mighty airship, The Ark, which he has parked over the ruined cityscape of Maladomini, one of the Nine Cities of Hell which was destroyed during Hell’s previous election cycle when civil war broke out (Imoaza doesn’t like the cold and curls up around the ship’s walls, which are heated). His plan, which he and his council of five tell the players over a feast, is to find a way off of Hell and to take his rebels with him. Ultimately, they want to find a way back to their home world of Faerun. While the player’s sleep and clean themselves (and Aldric gets a little dirty with a trio of Goblin women), Krisp sends a team out to find the players’ crashed spaceship. He discovers it is repairable, but that it cannot fly without being repowered. The only thing that can repower it are Crystals. Alyss has mentioned these as being responsible for ushering souls to Hell, and we know the Surveyor used them to pepper worlds with life. We know the Jade Statue was one, and contained some of the power of a Dark One, a Star Spawn from beyond the Void. Turns out Mammon has a ton of him in his Trump-esque tower of Minauros. The Rebels have been trying to get the crystals for years, because they are the only thing that can power a ship enough to leave Hell’s atmosphere. To break into the vault, Alyss devised a plan. There is a Demon who can help them, but it needs to be freed from its Archdevil master first, an ancient devil known as The Yellow King. Alyss learned the Demon’s true name and was bartering with a devil named Puck in order to gain an item that can free the Demon. Alyss intended to use the Demon as a distraction to let her and the rebels break into Mammon’s vault. Now the players have to take her place and meet her contact, Puck, in the City of Ghosts.

Twist: Just as Krisp finishes speaking, the whole airship shakes and the alarm is called. “Under attack?” Krisp asks incredulously. “Out here in this wasteland? Nothing comes here, though I have been saying this place is RIPE for a water theme park.” It turns out the devils are very intent on catching the players and have tracked them to Maladomini. White Dragons ridden by Ice Devils swarm the airship and the crew mans guns and other futuristic weapons to take them down.

Combat: The players fight an Ice Devil on board the deck of the airship, while attacks from the Ice Dragons occasionally interrupt combat in spectacular ways, keeping the players on their toes. It is an interesting combat, where the Ice Devil casts ice walls around the players to try and block them off to fight one at a time. Everyone holds their own, perhaps none so much as Carrick, who uses his anti-matter rifle to turn the tide of combat, blasting away a good chunk of the Ice Devil’s health, and who then survives being encased in an icy Iron Maiden of the Devil’s Construction. Aldric finally forcibly bursts through one of the ice walls to engage the Devil in melee. As he stabs through the Ice Devil’s heart, Aldric discovers a hidden power of Mist Reaver, the sword belonging to his old company, that lets it suck up elemental energy and reproduce it, turning his blade into a chill weapon. The Dragons are driven off, and combat is successful!

Notes: 

The Council of Six is made up of a new character, Star the Tiefling, and four of the adventurers who were in the Tomb of Horrors campaign I ran several years ago and also journaled: Tinia the fat elven Cleric, Geth the gothic rogue, Ikbaldi the huge boistrious barbarian, and Otto the Warlock (Chad the Bard was already dead, so his soul didn’t go to Hell with the rest of the party). Also, technically Ikbaldi’s soul was trapped by Acererak, but cannon would state that Ikbaldi later escaped this prison, though was killed soon after in his weakened state). The council helps during the dragon battle, running all over and displaying their various, impressive level 15 abilities.

When the players try to sleep, Aldric pairs up with three goblin wenches and they have loud loud loud sex in the room next to Imoaza (edit: the player informs me that one of the goblins, at least one, was definitely male. I didn’t look close enough at that tangle of limbs to verify, so we’ll take his word for it). Her meditations deeply disturbed by Aldric’s antics, Imoaza goes to find Carrick’s room in another part of the ship and the two bond a little bit simply by enjoying each other’s relative silence. Carrick himself is ruminating on what Roger Krisp told him about the Surveyor, because it turns out Roger Krisp knows that legend.

The Surveyor, Krisp tells the party, is an ancient being who once traveled the stars, spreading life to other planets. It’s unknown whether there is one Surveyor or many, but he was said to be immortal. His motivations were unclear and he seemed to be nomadic in nature, never staying in any one place and never returning to it after his initial visits and experiments with the crystals. He had no equal in technological prowess and his research seemed especially focused on using souls to power things or to reconstruct life. The Crystals are conduits for channeling souls into energy. No one knows what happened to him (except the players now do).

Roger Krisp asks the players advice on a new catchphrase. He’s developed a sugary cereal, see, Krispy Krisps, or Captain Krisps, which funds the Hell’s Rebels operation (”Sales this quarter are surprisingly good, ever since we added buttloads of sugar!”)and he thinks the whole Hell’s Rebels organization needs a cool branding phrase to not only go along with the cereal but to usher them into adventure! Something they will call out before each mission. Some contenders are, “Get Krispy with it!” or “It’s Krisp Time!” or “Krispy does it!” or “Krispy is as Krispy does!” They settle on “Let’s Get Krispy” and head off for the City of Ghosts, where the devil Puck resides.

Situation: The players have to sneak into the accursed City of Ghosts, the place where creatures who have lost their last bit of soul end up wandering, cast away shells of their former selves. They have to find Puck here, while avoiding getting lost in the city’s perpetual fog (straying into the fog, they are warned, will slowly drain them of their powers and souls). Trolls who have completely infested the city are also on the prowl for fresh meat and soul power draws them like a beacon. The players are going to have to be quick. To help them, they are offered Jacobs as a guide, as he survived on his own in the City of Ghosts for nearly a week, longer than any other person has done... at least, and emerged with their soul intact. He tells them they are looking for Viam Autem Dominin Reprobi, which is ancient common for “The Path of Fallen Lords.”

Twist: Technology will draw the attention of all the Trolls in the city, so Jacobs, a dark skinned warrior who died on Faerun long long ago before the Time of Troubles, takes his flying car and parks it on the outskirts, then shows the players the entrance to a sewer which they can use to get inside the city unnoticed. Only, as they traverse the sewers, they encounter a Hydroloth, from Mordenkainen’s Tome of Foes. It eats Jacobs memories and leaves him a confused, speechless, husk who aimlessly follows Carrick. The party gets into an intense fight with the Hydroloth on its home turf. The best part of the fight is when the Hydroloth charms Aldric and Imoaza tries to break the charm by ALSO charming Aldric.... which is a super bad ass idea even though she fails her battle of wills. The battle over Aldric’s mind ultimately ends in a victory for the Hydroloth and poor Aldric experiences the mother of all migraines as his brain is turned into a battlefield. Despite this, the limitations of Crown of Madness (which the Hydroloth cast on Aldric) catch me off guard: it is a reaaally limited spell, limited to forcing a creature to make melee attack against a creature within reach at the beginning of their turn before moving. That sucks unless the players are grouped up and too stupid to not stay bunched up after they see a mother-fuckin’ crown of GODDAMNED THORNS appear around the head of their heaviest hitter (”Get the hell away from that guy!”) At first I thought the spell had useage at least as a “retain your own personal bodyguard” spell, holding the party’s big hitter in reserve until he could break the enchantment, and threatening anyone who gets close, but no--the madness doesn’t function if the target isn’t forced to attack someone on their turn. Seriously, what is this bullshit? I’m sure I’ve played this wrong in the past just because this makes no sense. Alright, end rant. Short story is, the players do manage to defeat the Hyrdoloth, though it ends in quite a freaky way, as the beast dives into deeper water and then uses illusions via phantasmal force to make Aldric think it has morphed into a huge tentacled creature. Carrick eventually finds it in the water and defeats it. But Jacobs’ memory does not return.

The Debate: A furious debate rages over whether they should leave Jacobs or not. Aldric feels he should be left behind, as he will be a burden. Imoaza thinks that they should take him... to use him as bait for monsters in the city. Carrick feels they should kill him and put the dude out of his misery... or use him as bait. This is Carrick leaning back towards his darker side and when he prays to his good god for guidance, he is given the extreme cold shoulder and realizes, with shame, that he is not adhering to his promised path in life: to do good to balance out the evil he once did as Carrick the Conqueror (as some of the small folk had named him).

“Do you know no spell which can reverse this memory loss, fix broken memories?” Carrick asked Imoaza. The snake woman looked at him curiously, her slit eyes unblinking and unreadable. “No. Of course not. If I had, I would have cast it on you long ago so we could retrieve your past life as The Surveyor.”

Carrick felt a tug on his arm. He turned to see Jacobs standing next to him. The man held up his hand and showed Carrick that he’d found a single gold piece. Carrick sighed.

“He’s my responsibility, then.”

The players find a ladder past the Hydroloth’s pool and exit into the City of Ghosts.

Situation: The players are lost in the City of Ghosts. With Jacobs, er, indisposed and unable to guide them, they have to wander the fog-filled streets looking for the Path of Fallen Lords (Aldric fails a survival roll badly, points in a random direction and says “this is west,” then leads the party onward). This means rolling on a random encounter chart I’ve worked up for this session, chock full of trolls and odd encounters. If they pass this, they will find Puck in a tavern he has filled with the illusion of merry hustle and bustle. Puck wants to make a contract with them, to “ride with the Hell’s Rebels until they reach their final destination.” The limits of the deal stipulate that no Hell’s Rebel can harm him or allow him to knowingly come to harm during this time. In exchange, he will lend them a weapon capable of destroying the bonds that hold the Demon Train to its master, the Yellow King.

Twist: Once the deal with Puck is made, the party is interrupted by a gunship (think Samus Aran’s ship, from Metroid) landing outside the tavern and the entrance of its pilot, a mercenary who has been searching for Puck. 

The doors to the tavern bang open and thin wisps of fog blow in from the outside, followed by a lithe but strange shape. It is a humanoid, only the bottom half of the creature ends in a large snake’s coils. The beast slithers into the tavern and points one of its arms, which has been replaced with something resembling a small cannon, at the impish Puck crouched on one of the tables.

“Puck! You’ve been evading Mammon for longer than he thought you could. But the gig is up and now it’s time to...” the mercenary, whose voice is feminine with a hard edge to it, trails off as she catches sight of the three companions crowded around Puck’s table. “Mother?” she hisses.

The mercenary turns out out to be none other than Hecate, who lost her life (and her hexblade) after using her hexblade to follow Imoaza into the mayhem the team had caused in the underground Yuan Ti temple. Found almost immediately by the beast the team had released there, she was ripped in half and her soul rejected by the Snake Goddess, landing instead in Hell, where she has become one of Hell’s most tenacious mercenaries. Still, she has never forgotten her hatred for her Mother, Imoaza, and her desire to murder her has only intensified due to the circumstances of her demise.

Combat: Imoaza has no interest in parleying with her wayward daughter. She thinks of her as less than dirt, a daughter who never proved her worth and is far too emotional to be considered a true snake. Imoaza isn’t surprised the goddess rejected her and tells Hecate as much. Flying into a rage, Hecate immediately summons a venom troll and attacks the players using a variety of weapons, most notably an ability to turn invisible using a technological device and her gun arm, which launches blasts of varying power and effect at the players. It’s a tough fight: Imoaza leads with a critical hit against Carrick, who gets in the way of her and Imoaza--Carrick gets a huge knife embedded in his chest as her throws himself in front of Hecate’s attack, after she climbs up then leaps from the tavern’s balcony towards Imoaza. Aldric, meanwhile, gets caught up in fighting the Venom Troll, which turns out to be a rough situation, as fighting the thing at close range exposes Aldric to lots and lots of poisonous blood.

In order to bring down the troll, Aldric calls upon the help of his Green Company again, using his special horn to call them. The Green Company arrive and leap to the task given to them.

Charging through the tavern door suddenly are figures from Aldric’s past. He recognizes Three-Fours, the mercenary whose name refers to the number of fingers he has left on each hand; Bungo, the vivacious female Halfing whose girth is matched only by her strength and loudness in battle; and Susan, the mostly ineffectual cook who nonetheless swings a mighty battleaxe in combat. “Looking good, commander!” Bungo yells as she bounds towards the huge, pus-filled troll. The nasty creature turns to face her as she comes and uses one huge yellowed nail to tear into its own stomache, spilling venomous stomach fluid out in a geyser across the charging berserkers. The three cringe as the liquid hits them but they do not slow their charge, tearing into the creature with Aldric at their side, all of them shouting “FOR THE COMPANY!” as Bungo’s dual blades shred flesh, Three-Fours stabs downward with his cutlass, and Susan misses spectacularly with his great axe. Soon the tavern is sprayed left and right with the poisonous blood and Aldric falls, his skin smoking from where the blood has soaked him.

Carrick and Imoaza try to focus on bringing down Hecate and things look bad for a moment as they struggle to find her, but finally Hecate messes up, knocking over a chair as she moves invisibly through the room, and Imoaza immediately launches several eldritch blasts at her using Drosselgreymer. The back and forth continues for a while before Carrick finally manages to blast Hecate with his anti-matter rifle and then close with her to deal more damage with his blade. Hecate responds by teleporting out of the tavern, back to her ship, and leaving behind several neutron bombs.

Aldric is down, the Green Company is fighting the troll. Carrick runs from the tavern, calling to Imoaza to get out! Imoaza looks to Aldric, her snake like brain reasoning that Aldric’s is going to be needed for the group to survive the dangers of Hell. She feels something light on her shoulder: it is Puck. “I’ll help you!” he says, and enhances her strength.

And so it is that the party dives from the tavern, Aldric’s slung over Imoaza’s shoulder, just as it erupts into a ball of flame behind them. Even then, their challenge isn’t over. Hecate’s ship takes off as they run outside and blasts away into the sky. But the players are left facing a pack of trolls, who are rushing from the fog towards the commotion. Puck waves his hands and the fog ahead of them lifts and a path is shown that leads straight from the city. At the end of the far sprint, they can see The Ark fly in, ready to retrieve them via ladders.

The players heal Aldric and all of them run, Puck on Imoaza’s shoulder, Carrick grabbing Jacobs, who is lingering around numbly. They have to roll a quick chase scene, with the trolls right on their heels! They just make it... Imoaza actually has a troll grab onto her leg as she leaps for one of the ship’s ladder and she almost goes down to its bite as it tries to rip apart her leg. She has to blast it in the face with an Eldritch blast to force it to let go, and then they are all away and finally safe.

Notes:

Wandering through the city, the group comes to a huge town square with over seventeen streets leadign off in jumbled directions from it. Here they encounter an odd mummer’s show being put on by grim jesters with skulls for masks. They are catering to a group of shadowy beings who, when caught out of the corner of an eye, seem to have the shape of people and humanoids. But when stared at directly, it is hard to determine what exactly they are. The group tries to sneak around them, but Aldric’s armor is too loud and they are spotted. Trying to salvage the situation Aldric pretends to be a performer himself and decides to sing a bawdry song from his mercenary days. But he rolls a critical fail on his performance check and the shadows and jesters begin to move in on him to tear him apart and add his soul to their procession. That’s when Carrick leaps into the middle of the crowd and blasts them all with a dose of his Paladin-given holy power, combined with an incredible intimidation score. He frightens the crowd of shadows and the Jesters soon follow their flock, disappearing into the mists.

The weapon that can destroy the bonds is none other than Heartcarver, the third legendary weapon the team recovered from White Plume Mountain (seems like ages ago) and which was lost when Nysyries lost her life in the mountain passes. Puck says he traded a Goblin magical power in exchange for the weapon, which means Nysyries’ body was scavenged by goblins. Aldric recognizes the weapon. There is also a brief conversation about the power of Aldric’s Rod of Storms, but it seems dormant for the moment.

The conversation with Puck is fun: he tries to pull a fast one with the contract the players sign and they catch him out on it and even force him to add an addendum that he will help them restore Jacob’s memory. For his part, he words the conditions very carefully and makes it clear, too, that the Heartcarver axe will be LENT not GIVEN. I love the conversation because there is a time limit (Puck warns them the city is becoming restless due to their presence) and it is a moment that gives a great opportunity for me to play a devil like a sneaky lawyer, definitely a potential ally, but an ally with an angle. The fact that we get to roleplay out creating the contract, even though it is a brief moment, is a fun challenge that relies purely on roleplaying and not dice. A nice moment comes too when Puck doesn’t trust the players know Alyss and Aldric proves they do by showing her miniaturized bike. Just a nice use of a player acquired item!

In the next session, the players may get to suplex a train. Keep reading!

[cosmosogler]

hello i am here. i took a break from pokemon today except to check up on the pelago for about two minutes while i was waiting at the doctor’s office. and i guess i’ll do the daily stuff in fifteen minutes.

i have been having weeeeird dreams again. i think it’s the birth control... i very rarely have dreams like that when i’m NOT on birth control. it involved me watching a let’s play of sonic adventure 2′s two-player thing and the players couldn’t figure out what to do despite the directions showing up on the screen. i wanted to scream. 

then i was looking at sky scrapers. i recognize them in retrospect - they’re in the Big City. i am not usually up that high to see the top of the buildings. there was a family-owned sub sandwich place with a big sign that read “We Cater!” in yellow cursive. it was on top of a radio tower. i mistook it for a billboard until i leaned over and saw the counter with the meat and bread and stuff. there was absolutely no room for a kitchen or tables and the restaurant, or room, was about 10 by 10 feet with glass walls and the sign over the door. i asked “how did this happen?” out loud and then i woke up.

the early part of the dream was me wandering around in the fog on a dock that was also a college campus. i had to get an ark down from the mountain. because i needed more bible symbolism in my dreams? there was some kind of party going on, because every now and then people would appear from the fog wearing bright colors and carrying balloons and prize bags and kazoos and stuff. i think they spoke simlish, or something i didn’t understand very well. i ended up getting the ark down by doing a weird optical illusion thing. i was standing far away from it, so it looked small, so i just picked up the small ark between my thumb and finger and put it in the river. then when i got close it was big again. i think that’s where they were playing the video games. it was in a wooden room at least.

the thing that makes these dreams weird is that they are even more disorienting and mashed together than usual. generally there’s some kind of theme connecting my dreams, like the colors or mood or some phrase or motivation. or i will deliberately try to leave one dream if i don’t like it, and once i leave i forget what i was doing and have the new dream. there’s nothing particularly sexual or anything in these dreams, as you can see, but :/

i don’t like it at all.

i felt that disorientation all morning. the shower was a haze, and right after i washed my hair i couldn’t remember if i’d washed my hair yet or not. there was still soap in my hair so i figured it out. when i left to drive to the doctor’s i forgot the garage door was broken. then when i was driving i started dissociating really bad. i was trying to watch the road, but i was also like observing myself driving and everything looked really far away and it was hard to focus. usually when i’m driving and something like that happens a million alarms go off in my head, and that happened, but it was also hard to care. i made it to the doctor without incident though. when i checked in i noticed they had monsters inc on in the corner and there was a little kid watching it with her mom and that cheered me up a little bit.

the doctor changed up my birth control prescription, so hopefully i won’t be so sore and sick all the time next month. she also recommended that i start keeping a food journal to see if there are patterns in what makes me sick and less sick. so i will make more of an effort to write down what i ate and how i felt afterward. i totally forgot to take my anti nausea meds twice today but it was ok.

i was ok driving home. i put on some music i like. i decided to hold off on picking up the new meds until tomorrow to see if my other prescriptions are ready by then. i still have some time left before i need to get more wellbutrin and stuff, so hopefully if there’s a problem i can get a refill from my doctor on monday.

for lunch i had my leftovers from manuel’s. a spinach enchilada and some espinaca con queso. it’s a pretty cheesy meal, but i did ok. i felt just as sick as yesterday and i ate roughly the same amount, which was about three quarters of what i had rationed myself. after that i was doing something on the computer... i don’t remember what it was. i think i was looking at some videos i didn’t have time to get to yesterday and when i finished that, my brother and dad had moved all the bookcases out of the hallway and into my sister’s unoccupied room. so dad asked me to clean the floorboards. so i took a rough cloth and wiped off the dirt. dad is going to paint the hallway sometime in the near future. i was going to say he didn’t need to bother, but, thinking about it, it really needs it. there’s still crayon markings from when my brother was a toddler a few years after we moved in.

after that i called the outpatient hospital thing that my therapist recommended! i am going to be “assessed” on monday. it meets for like nine hours a week. i am hoping i get in, and i am hoping it will be helpful, although i am not sure what it entails or how many weeks i will theoretically be attending. i will have to remember to ask those questions on monday. i also looked up some reviews online and there weren’t any comments on being “treated like an animal” or “left in the waiting room for 7 hours” so i am hoping it will be good. they also take my insurance.

after that i bummed around on tumblr until i realized it was too late to also call the school about my tuition. maybe tomorrow...

dad and i went to thai food for dinner. i started feeling really sick about halfway into my soup but i forced myself to continue eating because thai food is my favorite. like, i have liked almost every thai dish i have ordered at any restaurant. this one doesn’t make the very best food, but it is very good, and they also do vegetarian soups which are magnificent and i can’t seem to find any other thai place that makes them. so dad and i go to this one. i decided to try something new and got “spicy noodle.” which was basically black pepper with some noodles and broccoli. it was pretty good!

dad was too tired to go to the game store to play terraform mars so we went home after dinner. i set up onitama and got him a beer and we played a round of that. it took like 25 minutes, while with asher they usually took 10 to 15 minutes. dad ended up pulling a very unexpected win in literally the last turn after i’d put pressure on him since turn 3 or so. it’s like chess except more crowded and fewer options. it’s hard to explain without the board and pieces in front of me.

after that i sat and thought for a while. my sister used to have a very similar problem to the one i am having now. constant stomachaches, feeling nauseous, stuff like that. that started when we were very young, like “eating solid food now” young, and seemed to still be happening when i left for high school. when i see her next, probably on easter for the family gathering, i will ask whether or not that ever stopped or if she just started hiding it better. i think she started feeling better after having a nose surgery... so it might not be the same problem. i have a much wider nose and don’t have a lot of breathing problems except a weird respiration cycle that probably developed because of my heart problem.

after that i was talking to asher and i brought up that game where you find a young teenager with like a sparkledog oc and you draw it and make the kid happy. an artist named coral did that for me once when my secret santa was a no-show one year. i was 14. it blew my mind! i spent so much time after that trying to draw like her. my style is much different from hers now, but i think i am about at the same level technical wise. i have never been a popular artist but i think having someone with practice draw your first oc is kind of magical regardless.

so i spent like two hours combing through the internet looking for goofy ocs made by kids. i noticed that my little pony and five nights at freddy’s is very popular. i don’t know much about those... but i found a few examples of “baby’s first character” so i will try to at least do some sketches tomorrow evening. maybe it will help me start drawing again.

i wanted to go to bed at 11:30, but now it is 12:30, because i am dumb and said “i’m just gonna write something really quick” at 11:30, which is when i ran out of resources to find mostly unironic eye-searing sparkledogs.

also in one of the “young artist” groups on deviantart there was tentacle porn and i don’t know how to feel about that. (it was... pretty vanilla actually.) and some vaguely sensual shirtless photo realistic paintings of star wars fan characters. and there was one folder with pages upon pages of ms paint anime drawings by one person from 2010. 

i don’t miss being a kid.

i’m going to try to sleep and hope my hellacious dream torment ends soon.

[thecreativityofthinking]

The Truth of The Labyrinth

Title: Percy Jackson & Olympians “The Battle of The Labyrinth”

Author: Rick Riordan

Published by: Mizan Fantasi

Genre: Mystery & Fantasy

ISBN: 978-602-1606-19-3

Total Pages: 443 pages

Language: Indonesia

Praise for Percy Jackson & The Olympians “The Battle of The Labyrinth”

“Bravery, an amazing battle of the sword, and wonderful speed will make you screaming!” – Publisher Weekly

“One more time, Rick Riordan successfully create wonderful book with amazing action, humour, and charming intrigue” – David Goodale, Voya

“Perfect dialogue, humour and charming action, in the head of battle between Titan and God….. no reader couldn’t be more satisfied with read only one series. Don’t seek for replacement for Harry Potter, meet yourself with Percy Jackson as million fans did.” – Kirkus Review

“A wonderful plot and strain ending will make the reader wait the last book with hold their breath away!” – Tim Wadham, School Library Journal

“The fans will enjoy the new adventure of their favourite characters and for the new reader, they will definitely in love with this magical world.” – Amie Rose Rotruck, Children’s Literature

Author Biography

Rick Riordan has 15 years as a history and English teacher in public and private schools in San Francisco Bay Area and Texas. Even in 2002, she was awarded the Master Teacher Award by Saint Mary's Hall school. Her adult fictional ever won three national awards in the mystery genre, Edgar, Anthony, and Shamus. His short fiction was published in Mary Higgin Clark Mystery Magazine and Eller Queen Mystery Magazine. Rick Riordan is now a full-time writer and lives in San Antonio with his wife and two sons.

The first Percy Jackson series, The Lightning Thief, was the New York Times Notable Book in 2005. The widescreen film has aired in February 2010. The Sea of ​​Monster follows in 2013, The Titan's Curse, The Battle of Labyrinth and The Last Olympians is other series that have been published.

Want to know more about this series or the author? Catch up with him on his site  www.rickriordan.com and www.percyjacksonbooks.com

Synopsis

Percy Jackson isn't expecting freshman orientation to be any fun. But when a mysterious mortal acquaintance appears at his potential new school, followed by demon cheerleaders, things quickly move from bad to worse. In this fourth installment of the blockbuster series, time is running out as war between the Olympians and the evil Titan lord Kronos draws near. Even the safe haven of Camp Half-Blood grows more vulnerable by the minute as Kronos's army prepares to invade its once impenetrable borders. To stop the invasion, Percy and his demigod friends must set out on a quest through the Labyrinth - a sprawling underground world with stunning surprises at every turn.

Review

Characters:

-          Percy Jackson

-          Annabeth Chase

-          Grover

-          Tyson

-          Rachel Dare

-          Dionyus

-          Chiron

-          Quintus or Daedalus

-          Hera

-          Poseidon

-          Clarisse

-          Chris Rodriguez

-          Luke Castellan

-          Janus

-          Eurytion

-          King Minos

-          Icarus

-          Hephaestus

-          Anteus

-          Ethan Nakamura

-          Juniper or Grover girlfriend

-          Calypso

-          Kelli (monster)

-          Kampe

-          Telekhine

-          Paul Blofish

-          Sally Jackson

-          And other many monster

Setting of Place: Labyrinth (mostly), San Francisco, Half-Blood Camp, Colorado Springs, Goode High school, Mexico and other places

Point of view: Percy Jackson’s

This is the best book of this series YES! Can I gave them 10 stars rather than 5 or 7 or ya anything? I think I get excited as the title said “The Battle of The Labyrinth”. Because The Labyrinth game is my favorite game after all when my family and I hang out at some game arena.  It was begin with ya as usual Percy got into new school and he ended up blowing it up because he was attacked by monster. And yes it happen in every new chapter of the book series.

Anyway the conversation of this series is quite happening in the daily world. And the humour and everything in it made in love with this new magical world I never been before. It just a few stories about Greek Mythologies not like before but it still worth it with the whole story of this book!

I am glad he met Rachel and the beginning of the story is started with Annabeth JEALOUSY how could it not be more addicting? Her jealousy is the best and worst maybe because I can see it as the reader or feel it ya whatever. Quintus, new character and I was curious about him probably. Because who is he? Should we trust him? Is he one of Kronos army? Or yeah a lot of questions on my mind at that time when I knew about Quintus. He is not bad actually, he paid his price because he did something bad or wrong (I really do not want spoil you guys please I beg you not to tell me everything, please?).

Do you guys remember Bianca? I am glad she helped Percy by giving him Iris Message and show what Nico does (okay, I’ll admit it. I gave you one spoiler). Yes, she is the one who gave Percy the truth about what will Nico does. And I like her more, you know. She do something brave and wisely even though she is one of Hades daughter but I kind of admire her.

I learn the truth about Hera, she said to Percy something not nice and her son (Hephaestus) said the other wise. But I guess I can see the truth on Hephaestus story because even God had some tricky trick to blind us (aren’t they?). I never admire her actually but I did not hate her too but after what she did to Percy and she was like showing it off I kind of hate her.

Percy and Annabeth love stories (can it be categories as love story?) but Rachel can feel how Annabeth feel for Percy and boys will always be boy, won’t they? They do not realize it. But I guess Annabeth still have feelings for Luke because she still defend Luke. Do you know how I can imagine they are? They were like Harry, Hermione and Draco (Grover is Ron I guess).  Well, Luke is afraid and Kronos take advantages on him it was like Voldemort and Draco Malfoy without Draco show off his father. Otherwise, Luke hate his father so much.

Calypso, my favourite stories about her is yeah whatever she said it was like so much painful. Because she was cursed and you have to read the whole stories if you will angry with me if I spoil you guys. I do not hate her but I do not like her either. She is like Arwen in Lord of the Ring movies (I do not read the book yet, fyi). But, what she said is kind of true. Here it what she said about her father-Atlas and what will you do to your family even when they do bad thing. I have same thought with her for now.

Tyson, he is the hero because he can convince The old Cyclops to fight along with them and I am starting to like Tyson more and more! What made me want to read this book fast enough to finish it because Percy already knew how to defeat the Labyrinth at the first place and it made me guess for sure. Grover found what he is looking for you know even though it’s painful because the truth about it but I think it’s the right thing to do!

The last chapter of the book is my favourite, the conversation between Poseidon and Percy as always is my favourite. Paul ask permission to Percy (I presume you knew what kind of permission it is, am I right?). And about the end of the book as always, Nico appear and he wanted to made a deal with Percy which is confusing a little bit because it is the end. Why it’s always hang it on something really important? Damn it. But I like it when Percy remember Calypso and he made his promises to her.

Thanks for read my long review about this book.

Don’t forget leave a not please?

Lots of Love EL.

[dulwichdiverter]

Life before Hornblower

How the streets of East Dulwich became an unlikely inspiration for CS Forester’s peculiarly English brand of noir crime fiction  

By Mark Bryant

It’s 80 years since the skilful yet self-doubting seaman Horatio Hornblower first entered the public consciousness via CS Forester’s famous naval novels series. 

The author, who died in California in 1966, lived in East Dulwich for more than 16 years and published almost 20 books during that time.

Forester was born Cecil Louis Troughton Smith in Cairo, Egypt, in 1899 and was the youngest of five children. His father was an English teacher working at a British-style school in the city, and his mother also taught.

Forester claimed his ancestors included a master woodcarver who had worked on the pews in St Paul’s Cathedral; a mathematical instrument-maker who had made Isaac Newton’s telescopes; and the part-owner of the rights to Welsbach’s bestselling gas mantle, which was used in public and private lighting until the introduction of electricity in the 1900s.

In 1901, after 15 years in Egypt, Forester’s mother came back to London with her children and settled at 37 Shenley Road, on the border of Camberwell and Peckham. His father remained in Cairo but regularly returned on leave.

Here he was looked after at first by the family’s maid, who became cook to the Cardinal Archbishop of Westminster, and later followed his siblings to the nearby Lyndhurst Grove School.  

His oldest brother Geoffrey went on to Alleyn’s School, Hugh won a scholarship to Christ’s Hospital School (where he was a contemporary of the poet Edmund Blunden) and his two sisters went to Aske’s Hatcham School in New Cross.

While at primary school Forester bought a bag of gunpowder from a local shop, poured it into a socket for holding a clothes-line post in a friend’s back garden, stuck the post in the socket and lit a homemade fuse.

Describing “The Big Bang” in his memoir, Long Before Forty (written while he lived in Dulwich), he wrote: “Underneath that clothes-line post was about as much powder as was used to charge a 32-pounder in Nelson’s day.” The resulting explosion blew the post into a garden two doors away and shattered numerous windows in the neighbourhood.

Forester later attended Alleyn’s School where he was a near contemporary of  the future short-story writer VS Pritchett. While at Alleyn’s he also met his future first wife, Kitty Belcher (then at James Allen’s Girls’ School and living in Hawarden Grove, Herne Hill),  who was  the younger sister of a schoolfriend.

At this time the family still lived in Camberwell and every day Forester walked to school from Shenley Road (two miles each way) along what is now Green Dale. However, in 1915 they moved to 58 Underhill Road, off Lordship Lane in East Dulwich and in September that year he  entered the sixth form of Dulwich College as a boarder.

Deemed unfit for military service in the First World War due to his weak heart, he followed his brother Geoffrey and cousin Harry and enrolled as a student  at Guy’s Medical School in  October 1917. However, finding himself unsuited to a medical career, he left in his third year.

In 1920 he told his family he had decided to become a writer and immediately set about writing 6,000 words a day for a fortnight. When he had  finished, a friend, Gladys Roberts,  typed up the manuscript. She suggested the pseudonym “Cecil Forester”, possibly after Mrs Cecil Forrester, a character in Conan Doyle’s The Sign of Four. He changed it to CS Forester and sent the book off to a publisher.  

After it was rejected a number of times he wrote another novel, The Paid Piper, in six weeks. Then, while these two books were still doing the rounds he wrote a third novel.

Set during the Napoleonic Wars, as the later Hornblower series would be, A Pawn among Kings appeared in 1924 and was his first published book. He was then commissioned to write, in two months, a non-fiction book about Napoleon which was well received and led to a companion volume on the Empress Josephine.

At about this time his father returned from Egypt for good and settled down at 58 Underhill Road for the remaining 23 years of  his life. However, although Forester was now an established writer, he still had to take on casual jobs to make ends meet.

Then came his critically acclaimed crime thriller Payment Deferred in 1926, which was set in south London. Theatre and film versions appeared starring Charles Laughton, and Julian Symons later included it in his Sunday Times list of the 99 best crime stories.  

He married Kitty Belcher in August that year and, backed by his publishers, bought a 15-foot-long motorised dinghy to go on a boating trip to France and later Germany, resulting in two travel books.

It was in 1927, while he was preparing for their French trip, that Forester bought a set of three bound volumes of The Naval Chronicle (1799-1818) for his library on the boat. After studying these journals he came up with the idea for  the Hornblower series.

The character’s name itself may have been inspired when he visited Alleyn’s School in 1922 for the unveiling of an honours board to those who had fallen in the Great War – one of those listed was Private Edward S Hornblower.

After their travels Forester and his wife lived in the attic of 58 Underhill Road and their first son John was born in the house in October 1929. He would later attend Alleyn’s School.

That same year Forester published another biography, Nelson, and his first naval story, Brown on Resolution – the only one of his books to be filmed twice. The first version, in 1935, starred a young John Mills.

In the autumn of 1930 Forester and his family moved into a flat in Gothic Lodge, on the corner of Mount Adon Park and Lordship Lane. The house was once the home of William Henderson, the brother of the newspaper proprietor, James Henderson, who built Mount Adon Park (see The Dulwich Diverter, November/December 2016).

The same year he published his second crime thriller, Plain Murder, which, along with Payment Deferred, was praised by the Guardian in 2011: “These two short novels establish Forester as the improbable pioneer of a very English form of noir crime fiction – domestic, darkly ironic and as hard as a hanging judge.”

The last book published while he was living in Dulwich was Death to the French (1932), a novel of the Napoleonic Wars which directly influenced Bernard Cornwell’s Sharpe books (its hero, Matthew Dodd, even appears in Sharpe’s Escape).

Forester moved to Sydenham at the end of 1932, where he wrote The African Queen (1935) and the Hornblower series, beginning with The Happy Return in 1937.  

However, though many of his most famous books were written elsewhere, he gained his first success as a writer – as well as his pseudonym – while living in Dulwich. In all he published nearly a third of his total output while in the area, including biographies, crime thrillers, travel books, historical fiction, drama, verse and short stories.  

Before moving to the USA during the Second World War, Forester often returned to Dulwich, especially when his parents were still alive and living on Underhill Road.

His son John even remembered visiting his grandfather’s house and sailing homemade model boats on the old boating pond (drained in the 1960s) situated below the bandstand in the gardens of  the Horniman Museum nearby.

In an article for Holiday magazine in 1955, Forester acknowledged the influence of his early years in Dulwich and Peckham on his work. To paraphrase slightly, he wrote: “No writer ever quite escapes his own childhood. I have gone back to that part of London again and again in my books for events, for people, for stories, for tiny details, for settings and houses and furniture.

“When we left Peckham, we moved to a house in Dulwich; halfway between these two homes Mr William Marble of my Payment Deferred later buried a corpse in his back garden, and not far from there Randall (of The River of Time) spent his married life.

“It was while I wandered along those same quiet streets much later on, in the 1920s, that plots formed in my mind; Rifleman Dodd went through his adventures one evening as I walked along Court Lane, and The Gun played its part in the Peninsular War in Spain as a result of watching workmen removing a fallen tree down towards Herne Hill.

“These books were written in all sorts of odd places in the world, but that was where they had their start.”

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Dr Mark Bryant is a former secretary of the London Press Club and lives close to Forester’s house in Underhill Road. His wife attended Lyndhurst Grove School, Forester’s primary school in Peckham.