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The Hoop-Dee-Doo Musical Revue: Exploring Disney's Wild West | Recorded 2013 | Full Show
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#fort wilderness show#hoop dee doo musical revue show#Walt Disney World#strawberry shortcake#disneys fort wilderness#fort wilderness#hoop dee doo revue#hoop-dee-doo musical revue#fort wilderness campground#hoop dee doo#new hoop-dee-doo musical revue#hoop dee doo review#disney hoop dee doo revue#pioneer hall#fort wilderness resort#hoop dee doo musical revue full show#disney dinner show
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Bucky and gale being on the Bremen mission together and going down together would be such chaotic angst. Like imagine Bucky in his own plane like absolutely losing his mind at losing sight of bucks plane and trying to navigate his fort and crew while also screaming “where’s buck?!” Like similar to the one scene we did get where he had a similar experience of worrying about buck while flying
Yes, chaotic angst is a good way to put it. When he finds out that Gale’s plane is going down, he asks if his men see any chutes, but they either can’t see or they don’t have time to reply, because Bucky's plane is also hit.
Immediately upon making it to the ground, Bucky has to make a choice about which way to go. Towards where he thinks Gale could be or in the safest direction? (We all know what he chooses.)
What if he's captured, then a Russelsheim-like scene happens, but he manages to escape (maybe in a slightly better condition than in the show, but still hurt). He’s bloody and dirty when he finds Gale somehow, and Gale points his gun at Bucky at first, not only because he’s on edge, but also because it takes him a second to recognize him.
Imagine the two of them alone, trying to make it back together. Cleaning each other's wounds, hunting, sleeping pressed together with one of them on watch. Gale's experience in the wilderness of Wyoming comes in handy, and Bucky is surprisingly good at making sense of where they are on a map. The fact that they're not alone may just be the factor that gets them back to Thorpe Abbotts.
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Adventure: Countess Ledrick's (Re)Doubt
You were warned about bandits in your travels through the Kingsfault mountains, but you didn't expect them to be such gracious hosts. It's about after your third stein of ale at their leader's high table that you start to think they might want something from you more than coin.
Even monsters can change, or so thinks Ledrick as she wipes the blood of her latest kill from her blade. A little over a decade ago she was at the vanguard of a mercenary force pillaging through the land clearing the way for an invading army. After the fighting was done while most of her companions were either going home or turning bandit she decided to take over the keep of a minor noble she'd help to butcher.
It was mostly a joke, a commonborn killer like her declaring herself a countess and presiding over a court of outlaws as they drank a dead man's wine. Presiding turned into setting down rules for her gang, which turned into negotiating for food with nearby villages in exchange for protection from monsters and whoever didn't want to follow her rules. Fast forward eight years and Ledrick's being cheered by the people she once came to conquer as she stands between them and and ettin looking to break down their village gates.
Time has a way of changing everything... grudges are buried, children are born, and necromantic cults of dragon worshippers emerge from their tomb sleep... all part of the great cycle.
Adventure Hooks:
Tracking a bounty into the mountains leads the party to the countess's court, where their quarry has thrown himself on Ledrick's mercy as someone who fought alongside her in the early days of securing her lands. Lendrick will let the party plea their case, but conflicted between a soldier's honour and wanting to be a lawful lord will instead send them out searching for the local priestess of Tyr, god of hardwon peace, who has offered the countess wise council in the past and has been missing of late on pilgrimage to a shrine in the wilderness.
The party may also fall into Lendrick's company after their quest or patron sends them to defend against a threat lurking in the mountainous wilderness, where they'll use her fort as a forward operating base. Learning to live alongside the Countess and her retinue of semi-retired killers may take some getting used to, but if the party can win their trust they'll have no truer allies when the threat comes calling.
There have always been drakes roosting in the Kingsfault mountains, but in recent months the countess's domain has seen more attacks than it has in the past twenty years. Something is driving these beasts to attack, and the former merc has put out a call for aid to , knowing herself ill equipped to investigate the causes and that her people would be better served with her managing the monsters.
Background: It was a little over a year ago when one of Ledrick's old warbuddies came calling, a battlemage named Hess who in recent who's post-retirement delving into the more esoteric side of magic has led him down a dark road. Showing up all smiles and grand stories of their shared suffering, Hess convinced the countess to let him and his acolytes apprentices delve an old ruin in her territory, promising to share some the riches they unearthed as repayment.
Hess was good on his word, tribute to the countess's court arrived after just a few weeks of delving and maintained at a steady trickle ever since. Part of this tribute happened to be a cursed idol that unless properly contained attracts the violent attention of dragonkind. Hess neglected to include care instructions when he sent it along, hoping to use the countess's defence of her lands as a means of harvesting drakeflesh under the guise of helping to search for reasons behind the attacks.
Further Adventures:
Several of Ledrick's underlings are beginning to fall under Hess's sway; sure the drakes have killed a few dozen peasants but merchants are willing to pay for their horns and teeth hand over first, to say nothing of the drakescale armor some of the more gifted armorers have been knocking together after their hunts. Would they really let all this stop to all this just because some do-nothing farmers got hurt?
Behind his jockular attitude and harmlessly crass jokes, there's something deeply wrong with Hess. War left wounds in his psyche and now something festers beneith his scars eating away at who he is, driving him to delve deeper into the tomb and unlock its secrets. Pretending to help with the party's investigation, he'll send them on a wild goose chase into the mountains towards a dangerous ruin claiming it as the origin of whatever's causing the drakes to attack.
By the time they realize the deceptio Hess and his followers will have cleared out of the ancient tomb, leaving behind a series of spells that will lock the party inside and reactivate all the traps and guardians the cult spent months disarming. Perhaps most dangerous of all is a construct of Hess's own fevered design; built of drakebone and sinew grafted into armor, a half finished war machine that will stalk the party through the darkened halls.
Art 1 Art 2 Art 3
#low level#cultists#ally noble#d&d#mountain#bounty#monster hunt#dragon#villain cult#villain mage#bandits
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SHILOH ROSETTE'S MASTERPOST
It would be so much to me if you took the time to donate even $1. I am broke living with my conservative parents and my only income is from random house sitting jobs. I don't have a steady income and want to do art for a living. Anything is appreciated <3 I have tiers for monthly supporters but you can also do a one-time donation.
MY STORIES
❖ That Which We Call Beast - A Victorian-era Beauty and the Beast retelling. Has been described by some of my readers as: "If Jane Austen wrote Beauty and the Beast". Ongoing. First installment in the That Which We Call Beast trilogy.
❖ A Tale of the Shapeshifters - My first ever complete novel. A Beauty and the Beast retelling set in early 1900s Ireland. Two shapeshifters do their best to hide their secret from one another, but that soon becomes the least of their worries as the past unfurls itself.
❖ Demon x Reader (unedited) - A sexy, fun, romantic story of a woman who never realized she wanted anything other than her plain, vanilla life with her husband in the suburbs---that is, until a perverted demon steals her away.
Chapters 1 - 3
Chapter 4
Chapter 5
❖ When Lilies Pierce Thorns - The second installment of the That Which We Call Beast trilogy. Has not been written yet.
❖ Melisande - Upcoming prequel/midquel to the That Which We Call Beast trilogy. Focuses on our dearly beloved evil queen herself and her villain origin story.
❖ Raphael - Upcoming sequel to the That Which We Call Beast trilogy. Focuses on our favorite wet pathetic man and his redemption arc.
❖ Tyler & Alaca - Childhood friends to lovers, with some werewolf and vampire shenanigans to make things interesting. Twilight and Castlevania lore but more original than fanfic.
❖ Forte-Piano - A Beauty and the Beast: The Enchanted Christmas prequel. Forte is determined to become the castle composer, but will this ambitious young pianist get in his way? BxB
❖ Shark x Mermaid story (title tba) - A young mermaid is desperately in love with a human, but has been betrothed to a mer-prince. In the midst of her predicament, she meets a were-shark who annoys her to no end and challenges her entire worldview, but that she can't stay away from.
❖ Donatello x OC TMNT fic (title tba) - Donnie has always loved April from the first moment he laid eyes on her. Even though April is now dating Casey Jones, and he and his brothers have become friends with a new outsider girl--Serafina--Donnie can't help but still harbor feelings for her. When he starts spending more time with Serafina, will he let his old feelings go or will he make a mess bigger than anyone could have ever imagined?
❖ In the Garden of the Witch - Completed short story. Hedy is so ready to be married to the love of her life, Bruno. Even if he is a beast, he has the soul of a man. But one day, something changes in him, and he leaves her. Will she be able to find him as she travels through the wilderness? Will Bruno recapture his humanity? Or will a conniving witch mess everything up for the two lovers?
❖ Dandelion - Completed short story in the middle of edits. Dandelion does not know what it means to have a family or to love another person. So what will happen one night when two people who say they knew her parents randomly show up asking for her help?
❖ He Who Dares Not Grasp the Thorn Should Never Crave the Rose - Beauty and the Beast one-shots and short stories for all versions. From the original myths, to Madame Villeneuve's novel, to Jean Cocteau's film, to Disney's movies, and beyond! Feel free to commission or request a piece.
❖ My Fair Ladyhood & Other Short Stories - Incomplete collection of short stories I've written and will continue to write.
Includes My Fair Ladyhood, an imitative memoir I wrote for a class: Southern Women's Literature. This is an extremely personal piece that explores my relationships throughout my life thus far, as well as my issues with body image and eating disorders.
And Nolan's Flood: Charlotte McPherson is the only girl—and one of the only people—in the town of Roadsdale who can read. This makes her particularly interesting to the local doctor and part-time Sunday school teacher, Mr. Nolan. Although they don't know each other well, the two make plans to marry. But how long will this courtship last in the face of tragedy?
COMMISSIONS
Tba
EDITING/REVIEWING SERVICES
Tba
#beauty and the beast#writing#writblr#fantasy#novel#masterpost#romance#historical#fairytale#writeblr#batb
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idk whose post this is originally and i know this moment was kinda played for laughs in-show but like. they are good enough at hunting animals to find and kill food to eat on a new fucking planet.
they are …. So calm in this situation. they each have their tasks and jobs and they complete them in an orderly fashion, barely even having to talk, like they have a routine for being alone in the middle of the woods. we don’t ever see them doing this, but they must’ve done it before.
at which age do you think john winchester decided his sons needed to learn how to fend for themselves in the Real World and left them in the woods with bows and arrows and knives and said “i’ll be back in 4 days.” cause i’m gonna say 10 and 14? dean might’ve been out on his own before that, with the vague excuse of “training” given to sam to explain his brothers 2 day absence. it was a semi-frequent, maybe quarterly thing throughout their childhoods. obviously not on a Schedule so they never knew when to expect it, but they were always kind of waiting for it. it was just A Thing They Did, just like everything else. a way to prove they were retaining all their training. this was the winchester version of a camping trip. for the first couple years, sam didn’t even know this wasn’t what camping normally meant. he just knew he really hated camping.
one time, john got distracted by a hunt and left them in the alaskan wilderness in october for almost two weeks. one time, john forgot it was sam’s birthday and dean spent any spare time he had looking for cool rocks and leaves to give sam, and promised he’d give him his real presents when they got back. one time, dean got attacked by a goddamn cougar in colorado and sam patched him up and wondered what the tentative friends he had made last week were learning in their tenth grade class. and he hated john but almost cried with relief when he came to get them. dean did almost all the hunting because the very first camping trip, sammy shot a rabbit in the leg and sobbed as it slowly bled to death, and dean never wanted to see that type of anguish again. he hated killing the animals too, but he could do it, because sammy had to eat. he knew john would question it if sam hadn’t improved his skills, so they would set up makeshift archery ranges to practice. and in his reports to john, dean would always give half the kills to sam.
over time, as they got more skilled, john would give them less and less supplies, until at the end they only had a couple weapons each, rope, matches, and a first aid kit. and bobby thought when the boys spent one summer building a fort but refusing the tools he offered them, they were finally being regular kids.
#maybe this is why they wear so many layers….#ready for any weather without warning#the first time sam goes camping. and he’s freaking out but dean is so calm#and he realizes that deans been doing this#and then he’s just. happy that he’s here now too. and tries not to think about how scared he would be if he was alone#and he becomes the Most helpful little camping buddy. doesn’t let dean see how freaked he is#and pretending to be ok actually helps him#but mostly it’s ok because dean is here. his big brother smile assuringly and drops stones in a path to the closest berry bush#‘don’t wander off sammy’ and sam rolls his eyes because he’s supposed to#but he just thinks. where would he wander to? why would he?#and they develop whistles and call signs#and sometimes… on the days when it’s not raining… sam thinks he doesn’t mind this so much#im emo about them#anyway#samdean#teenchesters#raised by wolves#mars.txt#ouroboros#hc#pre series
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Green Eyes
Chapter 17: An Audience With Mister Shelby
War was coming - the only question was who would fire the first shot. Sensing trouble in the air, the residents of Small Heath retreated into their homes, locking their doors and boarding up their windows. The factories closed early, the legions of workers trudging home in subdued silence. The police were conspicuously absent, knowing that their best option was to let the gangs tire each other out without interference. The streets which normally bustled from dawn until dusk entered a state of limbo, an unnatural hush falling over the shops and pubs.
The city was holding its breath in expectation of the inevitable plunge.
A chilly morning found the offices of Shelby Company Limited on high alert, wary eyes watching every rooftop, window, and alley. Thomas had gathered up a posse and driven into the wilderness in search of caravans, hoping to enlist reinforcements from among their travelling kin. John and Arthur had been left holding the fort.
John had just hung up the telephone, concluding a call to Sergeant Moss, when he heard Arthur’s voice calling from outside.
“Hey, Johnny. Come take a look at this shit.”
John stepped out onto the street to see that Arthur and a handful of Peaky Blinders had gathered, their attention focused on something in the distance. He followed their gazes to see that Alec Cobb was standing at the far end of the street, motionless. He’d been waiting to be noticed.
“You’re fucking joking,” John muttered.
“Should we scare him off? Fire a warning shot?”
“Nah, let’s see what he wants.”
With their hands near the holsters, John and Arthur walked out to meet him. Alec fidgeted nervously as they approached, shifting his weight from leg to leg, hands clasping and unclasping in front of him.
“You got a death wish or are you just fucking stupid?” John greeted him as they drew closer, “Tommy warned you not to show your face again. Did you fucking forget already?”
“I don’t want any trouble,” Alec assured them, “I just want to talk.”
“Cobb got you delivering messages now? He’s too gutless to come and talk to us himself, so he sends you instead?”
“No. Nobody sent me. Mister Cobb doesn’t even know I’m here.”
“Is that right?”
“I swear.”
“We’ll see about that. Open your coat.”
Alec hurriedly undid his buttons, holding open his coat to show that there was no weapon holstered inside. Up close, they noticed that his clothes were uncharacteristically plain and shabby, and too thin for the cold season. There was a red mark on his right temple from being struck.
“Cobb didn’t take kindly to you coming back, I see,” John said, “Arthur, check him.”
Arthur nodded and ordered: “Hands up.”
The young man obeyed.
“Don’t fucking move,” Arthur warned him, and began a rough pat-down, turning all of his pockets inside-out.
“Anything?” John asked.
“Nothing. He’s unarmed.”
“Fine.”
With eyes full of threat, John closed the distance between them, causing Alec to take an instinctive half-step backwards, avoiding his gaze. His hands instinctively lowered to protect himself, but then he thought better of it and raised them again.
“What the fuck do you want?” John demanded.
“I’d like to see Mister Shelby, please. It’s important.”
“Why?”
“I…I need to speak to him.I need his help.”
“His help?” John echoed, “You lied to him, betrayed him, and now you want his help?”
Alec drew a deep breath to steel himself, and began to recite an entreaty which he’d clearly been rehearsing.
“I know I’ve wronged your family. I know I’ve got no right to ask anything from any of you, but - ”
“Maybe we should tell Cobb you’ve been sneaking around, visiting us behind his back,” John interrupted, “I’m sure he’d be interested to know.”
“No, please don’t. He’s already angry with me as it is. He blames me for what’s happening.”
“Well, you won’t have to worry about him much longer,” chuckled John. “Cobb’ll be dead soon.”
Despite everything - despite the years of exploitation and abuse - the prospect of his father’s imminent death only deepened Alec’s visible distress. Perhaps in an attempt to de-escalate, Arthur interjected.
“How’s the kid?” he asked.
Alec didn’t answer, but a look of wild desperation entered his eyes.
“Let me guess,” said John, “She’s sick and you need money, right? That’s always how it goes. Always some sad story.”
“She…” Alec hesitated, glancing over his shoulder as if half-expecting to find Cobb standing behind him. “…She needs help. I need help.”
“That’s too bad.”
“Please. Your brother loved me once. And he loved my daughter. I know he did. He’d want her to be looked after.”
“And wherever she goes, you go, right?” John scoffed, “That’s all she is to you, isn’t it? A free ticket to a cosy life.”
“No, that’s not true. I love her. I love her more than anything. I - ”
“Hey, lads!” John interrupted, raising his voice to draw attention. “Cobb Junior is here, and he wants an audience with Mister Shelby!”
The nearby Peaky Blinders laughed. Alec winced, but offered no retort, perhaps hoping that by enduring John’s mockery without complaint, he would earn some goodwill.
“So, will you let me see Mister Shelby?” he ventured.
“Tommy’s busy. Your boss started a war with us, in case you forgot.”
“Is he here?”
“No.”
“Will he be back soon?”
“Maybe, maybe not.”
Alec had lowered his arms to his sides and unconsciously begun to wring his hands.
“Will he have time to see me?”
“How the fuck should I know?”
“Can I wait for him? Please?”
“Suit yourself. You make one wrong move, we’ll put a bullet in you. And don’t be surprised if Tommy has you chased out of Small Heath.”
“Thank you.”
Alec perched uncomfortably on a low brick wall nearby. They left him sitting there, his hands clasped timidly in his lap, his green eyes darting anxiously up and down the street. And there he stayed for the rest of the day, under the distrustful eyes of the Peaky Blinders.
As time crawled on, they found their hostility gradually fading. The longer he sat there, polite and patient, the harder it was not to feel a measure of pity. Judging by his pale face and the condition of his clothes, life without Thomas wasn’t being kind to him. Being forced to return to poverty and prostitution, after having experienced luxury and safety for the first and final time, couldn’t have been easy.
Hours passed, yet still he waited. The hope of seeing Thomas slowly left him, until he was slumped, his head bowed. He no longer looked around, but down at his lap.
“Look at the state of him,” Arthur muttered to his younger brother as they looked out of the window, “Moping about like a whipped dog. Should we bring him inside?”
“Nah, let him stay out there.”
“We can cover his eyes. As long as he’s in the
“Fucking hell, you’re soft. Let him stay out there.”
Suppertime came and went, darkness falling quickly, but Alec didn’t move from his spot. By now, he was shivering, and his clenched hands were pressed tightly between his legs for warmth.
“Fuck it,” John finally said, “We’ve put up with this long enough. Time for him to go.”
At the sound of approaching boots on the cobblestones, Alec lifted his head. Seeing the Shelby brothers approaching, he rose to his feet, looking both nervous and hopeful. Arthur was first to speak.
“Right, off you go,” he said.
“But what about Mister Shelby? I don’t mind waiting - I’ll wait all night if I have to.”
“He won’t be coming by tonight.”
“What about tomorrow?”
“Tomorrow neither.”
“But - ”
“Look,” Arthur sighed. “It’s getting late. After dark, it won’t be safe around here. Hell, it’ll never be safe around here. Not for you.”
Alec attempted to step around them, but they blocked his path. He craned his neck desperately, trying to catch a glimpse of Thomas, who was nowhere to be seen.
“Mister Shelby!” he called out.
“Don’t fucking bother,” John said, “He’s not here. He can’t hear you.”
“Mister Shelby, please!”
“Give it a rest. You look like a fool.”
John grabbed his arm and bundled him away from the premises. Alec resisted weakly.
“Don’t make a fuss,” Arthur cautioned him, “You don’t want to get on our nerves.”
“But what about my daughter?”
“She’s your business.”
“Please, just let me see Mister Shelby. Just let me speak to him! That’s all I want. I won’t cause any trouble, I promise.”
“Look,” Arthur sighed, “Come back another day and maybe you’ll get lucky. Maybe you’ll catch him in a good mood.”
“I doubt that,” John cut in, “Don’t give the boy false hope, Arthur. It’s best he doesn’t come back here at all. In fact, if he knows what’s good for him, he’ll leave Birmingham altogether.”
Alec swayed beneath the weight of despair.
“Please,” he said, making a last-ditch effort. “I know you have kids too. If they needed help, you wouldn’t want people to turn away, would you?”
Rather than sympathy, the mention of his children only roused a protective anger within John.
“Fuck off,” he snapped, giving Alec a forceful shove. “Don’t you talk about my fucking kids. After everything you did, you’re lucky we don’t kill you on the spot.”
Defeated, Alec began to walk slowly away. He hadn’t reached the end of the street when a harsh voice stopped him in his tracks.
“Oi!”
Alec turned to see Arthur striding towards him. The Shelby brother held out his hand, causing Alec to flinch backwards. Between Arthur’s thumb and forefinger glinted a pound coin.
“There,” said Arthur, “Take that and buy yourself a new shirt. Or some supper and a taxi home. Whatever the fuck you want. Just don’t come back here again.”
Alec looked down at the coin.
“I don’t want money,” he said, “I want to see Mister Shelby.”
“Well, he doesn’t want to see you. And trust me, it’s a good thing he wasn’t here today. He would’ve had you tarred and feathered, or worse. Take my advice and get out of Birmingham.”
“But I…”
“Just go. It’s better off this way.” Arthur’s gruff voice softened ever so slightly. “Go home to your kid. Worry about her, not Tommy.”
Pain crossed Alec’s face. Without taking the coin, he turned and limped away down the road. Arthur watched him go until he was lost amid the stones and smog of Small Heath, and doubted that he would ever see him again.
#fanfic#aneurin barnard#cillian murphy#peaky blinders#tommy shelby#thomas shelby#smut#gay#romance#TW prostitution#TW abuse
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The Duality of Martin
Over the years, let's not dwell on how many, I've found that a lot of people's problems with The Patriot lie with its main character, and most of those lie with his inconsistency. Benjamin Martin doesn't support the war, but then changes his mind when the very things he predicted come to pass. He loves his children, but he abandons them multiple times. He's a devout Christian who spends most of the film's plot pursuing vengeance. He has and eats his cake like a certain queen of France, but without facing similar consequences, of course. All this contributes to a character who is meant to be complex but is instead incredibly frustrating to watch. So, this rewatch, I wanted to think about how he might actually be made interesting.
Commentors I have much respect for have suggested that just acknowledging that Martin is not a paragon of moral virtue would go a long way. I agree, but I think acknowledging that there are two different Martins would go further. There is one man who is genuinely concerned for his family and wants to keep them from harm, and it is this same Martin who plans to return to his children after burying Gabriel. It's possibly even the same Martin who declares that his men will, henceforth, spare any wounded or surrendering British soldiers while nearly standing on a pile of dead ones. Then there's the other guy, the one who arms his children and takes them to a massacre where they collectively kill twenty men, punctuated by him hacking a fleeing soldier into mincemeat. It's not just that Martin has a temper when provoked, because the same Martin who does this, who ordered the atrocities at Fort Wilderness, also believes what he does is justifiable.
While watching over Gabriel's corpse, Martin asks, "Why do men think they can justify death?" Well, Benjamin, let's rewind to just about twenty minutes or so earlier when you said, "As long as your officers target civilians, I will order the shooting of officers at the start of every engagement." I mean . . . if you don't know . . .
Wouldn't it be so much better if the violence, and the justification for it, belonged to one part of Martin's psyche and the awareness of guilt and consequences belonged to the other, and the central conflict of this film was between these two parts? It would mean giving up Colonel Tavington as an antagonist, which would be a wildly different film, but just hear me out. If Martin's main conflict was internal, there would be opportunity for genuine reflection and change. Martin could actually deal with his past instead of just shutting it up in a trunk and hoping everyone forgets about it.
The story we have spends about a quarter of its screentime setting Martin up as this humble, peace-loving father, but that characterization is quickly overshadowed by the violent, sanctimonious one and only trotted out when needed to do damage control for the second characterization's antics. Instead of actually giving Martin complexity, the narrative relies on Tavington as a foil to show what a bad war criminal looks like. That this contrast minimizes Martin's atrocities is probably unavoidable.
Martin's choice of violence in this film is, initially, a response to British violence. I'm not saying the British wouldn't commit atrocities in the version I imagine, but that could be accomplished without a British main antagonist. Let's say a British officer does order Gabriel executed, burn the Martin home, and murder the Continental soldiers and Thomas. But then we never see that officer again. Let's say Martin and his sons carry out the massacre in the woods, but rather than having Martin say "I have done nothing, and of that I am ashamed" after he's done . . . THAT, let's make THAT a relapse he deeply regrets. Let's have him endure the fear in his children's eyes for more than just one (1) night. Let's have Martin. not Gabriel, be the one to flip out over his men shooting surrendering British soldiers. Martin claiming to be traumatized by his own actions at Fort Wilderness nearly twenty years ago would carry a lot more weight if he hadn't committed similarly extreme acts just months prior that are never referenced again. Let's acknowledge the horror of Martin's violent actions and let his better nature prevail.
I'm not saying this would be a better movie than Roland Emmerich's The Patriot (2000), but I could sympathize with this version of Martin far more than the one who gets to enjoy all the benefits of violence without facing any of the consequences (at least not himself). This has been an intellectual exercise. Obviously. the version with Tavington is more enjoyable because . . . Tavington!
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Fanciction One Piece
Lingua (Language): Italiano (translatable with google translate) Autore (Author): Innomined Pubblicazione (Publication): AO3 Titolo (Title): Resta con me (Stay with me) Genere relazioni (Relationship genre): Yaoi Relazioni (Relationship): King x Queen - Kaido x King Genere (Genre): Amore (Love) - Porno (Porn) - Azione (Action) - Avventura (Adventure) - Dramma (Drama) - Umoristico (Humorous) - Thriller - Horror
FANFICTION CON (WITH) FANART! ATTENZIONE Vietato ai minori di 18 anni Capitoli contenenti: Linguaggio scurrile - Stupro - Sesso - Violenza - Omicidio - Abuso di sostanze stupefacenti - Alcool
WARNING Forbidden for children under 18 Chapters containing: Foul language - Rape - Sex - Violence - Murder - Drug abuse - Alcohol
LINK PER LA FANFICTION COMPLETA (COMPLETE FANFICTION LINK):
INTRODUZIONE:
ITALIANO (introduzione):
Dopo il grande concerto di Uta, i cantanti più famosi iniziano ad organizzare degli eventi per mettersi in gioco.
Queen, parte per mettersi in forma e partecipare a Grandorchestra (il talent shows più importante dove si sfidano i cantanti più famosi).
Dopo aver ottenuto un corpo invidiabile, Queen, diventa popolare, ma King non sembra prenderla molto bene (inizialmente).
ENGLISH (introduction):
After the big concert in Uta, the most famous singers start organizing events to put themselves on the map.
Queen, leaves to get in shape and participate in Grandorchestra (the top talent shows where the most famous singers compete).
After getting an enviable body, Queen, becomes popular, but King does not seem to take it very well (initially).
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Ecco un piccolo pezzo di quello che succede (little piece of the story)...
ITALIANO:
Queen: (Iniziò a scatenarsi muovendo il corpo a ritmo della batteria, iniziando a cantare con più adrenalina) THIS IS A MAN'S WORLD!!! BUT IT WOULDN'T BE NOTHING!!! NOTHIIING!!! WOOOWWW!!! NOT ONE LITTLE THING!!! WITHOUT A WOMAN OR A GIRL!!!
Tutte le donne pirata presenti al locale gridarono per come Queen stava dando importanza al loro sesso gentile
Gifters [donne]: QUEEN-SAMA!!!
Queen: HE'S LOST IN THE WILDERNESS!!!HE'S LOST IN BITTERNESS, HE'S LOST LOOOST!!! OOHHH!!! YEEEEEAAHHH!!!
King: GHH!!! (Sentì l'aria diventare bollente ed il suo fiato affannare più forte... Cazzo! Da quando il suo collega era così bravo a cantare? Era lì! Difronte a lui! Ancora sul tavolo a danzare... praticamente gli stava sculettando ad un metro dalla faccia... i capelli biondi di Queen erano sempre più disordinati e la pelle chiara stava brillando per il sudore) H!! «Merda!» (Deviò lo sguardo dal corpo umido, non capendo: Come? Perché quella vista non gli stava dispiacendo? Cercò di affogare quella confusione nell'alcool, perché era così complicato staccargli gli occhi di dosso?! Si trattava di Queen! Perché non sentiva più il ribrezzo di sempre?!) «Ma che diavolo mi sta succedendo?!»
ENGLISH:
Queen: (He started to go wild, moving his body to the rhythm of the drums, starting to sing with more adrenaline) THIS IS A MAN'S WORLD!!! BUT IT WOULDN'T BE NOTHING!!! NOTHIIING!!! WOOOWWW!!! NOT ONE LITTLE THING!!! WITHOUT A WOMAN OR A GIRL!!!
All the female pirates at the club screamed at how Queen was giving importance to their gentle sex
Gifters [female]: QUEEN-SAMA!!!
Queen: HE'S LOST IN THE WILDERNESS!!!HE'S LOST IN BITTERNESS, HE'S LOST LOOOST!!! OOHHH!!! YEEEEEAAHHH!!!
King: GHH!!! (He felt the air getting hot and his breath getting louder... Damn! Since when was his colleague so good at singing? She was there! In front of him! Still dancing on the table... she was practically shaking her hips a meter from his face... Queen's blonde hair was getting messier and messier and her pale skin was shining from sweat) H!! "Shit!" (He looked away from her wet body, not understanding: How? Why wasn't that sight bothering him? He tried to drown that confusion in alcohol, why was it so hard to take his eyes off her?! It was Queen! Why didn't he feel the same disgust as usual?!) «What the hell is happening to me?!»
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Grazie per aver letto questo post... Spero di avervi incuriosito
Thanks for checking out the post... I hope I've intrigued you
#one piece#one piece fanfiction#one piece wano#one piece fanart#King x Queen#Kaido x King#king the wildfire#queen the plague#kaido#beast pirates#fanfiction#fanfom#yaoi#art#lunarian#science#funk#songs#lovers#fanart#Arbel
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Log 13: Concerning Wolves
Sitting in Jame's office is a strange mix between having a candid conversation with an older friend and being in trouble I'm the principal's office.
"Young lady, I trust you know that you're about to embark on a rather tumultuous experience right?", his drawl was a bit more serious than usual. "This ain't like the movies where you know how things will turn out either.....things can go so far down south right into hell now that the Astartes are involved."
Remembering what had happened the night before, the circumstances of Grandpa's murder, and what I've seen, I had no excuses to ignore the dangers. "Yeah, I can see...... listen if it's about Jeff....and Fjord tossing the patrol car, he was trying to protect me. I didn't ask him to throw the car at Jeff a-", Jame's eyebrows arched up.
"He did what?", apparently he hadn't been told about that.
"Fuk. Well anyway....Jeff pulled his gun on me thinking I was someone trying to attack on him or something and Fjord reacted to protect. He was just doing his duty.", I could tell James was already going to reiterate the responsibility. A heavy sigh slide through his lips once more.
"It's ok, however Fjord's going to have to be kept on a tight leash and control himself around folks or he's gonna have to stay home. Do you understand me?", his tone felt like there was something else underneath.
"Ok...I understand sir....also....how....long you've known about all of this?", I ask only of curiosity...if he wasn't willing to tell me than that fine too.
James relaxed his seriousness and mellowed abit, taking out a photo album. "They've been here far longer than I have kid, in fact Aldercon was my great grandfather's Astartes. Way back when folks had come here for free land. He told me that Aldercon had come from the sky, landed squarely in the heart of the Wyoming wilderness. He was shellshocked, covered head to toe in blood and dirt....I remember stories of my grandfather and Aldercon, as wild as the tales of Paul Bunyan and Babe. The two had become folk legends out in the ol' West."
He opened the book to show me the first page, it was a collection of aged, photos from the late 1800's. One of the pictures was of Jame's grandfather, he really did come from an American lineage of cowboys. He was far more rugged than James however... I glanced at the tall, stockier man in a much more humble looking uniform, same black fist on his pauldron too. "Holy shit, this can't be him...for one he's smiling, and second, I thought -", I could see James giving me a look that said 'but you didn't '.
I could see a tiny difference between him from this photo and now. I can tell his hair was darker, I can definitely see that thousand yard stare of a man who's seen war, and his armor was slightly different from the Marines back at the fort.
James turned the page, this was one was a genuine surprise. "Even your great grandfather, had one.", next to him was a man fresh off the boat from Eastern Europe, my Great grandfather, dad for some reason or another was reluctant to tell me his real name...he kept calling him "Big George", after the Butcher Boy George from Hungarian folk lore. Then right next to him, probably helped bag a rather ominous looking bear, was Sten. That white stripe on his head wasn't present, he didn't change as much as Aldercon. This picture was even more older than James's granddad's photo.
"You see Lorey, they've been around for a while now....lord knows for how long though.". He began to reminisce about the past.
The implications of these Marines having been around is giving my inner history buff a massive concern. "Well....it would be extremely stupid to try to bargain the fact I thought they joking, but I'm starting to see...I take it this will be more complicated?".
He looks up at me, "Yes ... because just like with basic folks like us, there are bad folks....that big black one your grandpa wasn't lucky with....is one of them...there seems to be at least five or so kinds out there based on my sources.....one of them is out there right now reeking havoc near highly populated campsites..... Aldercon told me Sten and Toke will be in disposed of for the next week.... meanwhile have Fjord keep a sharp nose out for that one...it's the fastest I've seen of these ones....I'm not too familiar with the either...so I'm giving you a very special assignment. I need you to put your research training to go use."
He handed me a small leather bound journal.
"Keep track of them, now....let's go have some grub.", he gets up from his chair and pats my shoulder.
I sat there feeling something complex in me, I'm....going to catalog them? I open the journal and I SWEAR James has been screwing with me at least to this point....this journal aestheticly looked a DnD character sheet of it focused on identifying and profiling. I place it in my inner jacket pocket. "What the shit....", I still wasn't too sure of my role in all of this....I could understand why now.
I'm just part of a lineage of....marine handlers? I don't know.....
As I leave the room, I see the Fjord was getting a lesson in paper football from one of the volunteers.
James takes the desk bell and rings it to call the attention of everyone in the center. "Ladies, Gentlemen and folks. I would like to make an announcement, as of now. Be on high alert for any unusual activity. Anything and everything in regards to disappearances of livestock and or people, property damage of unexplained or unusual nature, and any purported sightings of creatures of unknown origin...I.e...NOT BIG FOOT.... We'll have to be reported to me, Lorey and Ronnie for the time being.
I figured Ronnie also got the information, I look at him and he was a little more on edge than I was.
Fjord, definitely knew what this whole deal was about.
With a ringing of the doorbell to the nursery, Shelly has brought in some new little guests.
"Oh guys come and see! The babies are opening their eyes!", Shelly, Ronnie and I have been researching the local wolf packs in the area and monitoring their behavior. One of the females under our care have recently gave birth a few days ago.
I check in the box as Shelly laid it on the table, 5 beautiful cubs. In their state, they're roughly two to three weeks old. As helpless as human babies. "Fjord, would you like to see them?"
He was a little curious, he walked over to see the five cubs. ".... they're so....small.... they're...just wee little things...".
I could see he was trying to piece together something....not certain what, but from my perspective he was wonder struck.
As the cubs peeped and whimpered, as all cubs do, one has just opened it's eyes. Showing a pair of smokey blue irises. Than, Fjord did something I wasn't expecting him to do. He gently placed his hand next to one of the cubs. "... interesting...."
"Oh careful please, they're fragile little ones.", Shelly had all the right to worry. These may have been wild animals, but even young wild animals need to be treated carefully.
His finger alone dwarfed the cub, he was so still and so focused. By this point I completely lost in what could he be possibly thinking. A little cub wiggled right on top of his finger, using it as a heated pillow.
Fjord, let out a soft but eerily convincing howl, low enough that it could be considered an indoor voice, but it was very real. All the cubs let out their first howls, right there, all with varying skill and ability. But every single one had howled for the first time in their lives.
The room was quite, understandably, this was extremely weird for everyone.
Anderson decided to break the moment, "ugh...yeah I'd like to report something.".
"Anderson hush.", James to the rescue. "Fjord seems to understand these pups pretty well.
Shelly was mesmerized, "Oh my gosh, they all just did that at the same time. In all my years here, I have never seen something so amazing before."
I kept looking at Fjord, if I could read minds, this would be a great time to use it.
After a few hours of everyone enjoying their food, drink and few games. I sat with Fjord in the back of the room.
I sipped the last of my ginger ale, I still couldn't get his expression out of my mind. "Fjord. That thing you did with the howl ....can...you explain that to me?"
He sat there, lips wrapped around a rib bone. "Oh, that....it just...why are yeh wolves so small? I mean, I seen some out there in the forest and yonder ....I'm use to the wolves back home. Ferocious and mighty beasts, equivalent to Astartes! Strong enough to bare us and ride into battle. The cubs from thosd wolves are just a wee bit smaller than your fully grown ones. They're born with their teeth already out. These ones.... they're.... just wee bairns...".
I still didn't really get it. "Ugh, you mean...you're confused on why they're small.....?", I ask.
He takes out the bone from his mouth, "I mean....why do they remind me of mortal children? Small, helpless.... fragile...".
The tone he took had felt familiar, it was the same tone I used when my expectations would be challenged. "Wait...are you telling me you're disappointed by our wolves?", I satirically question him.
"No lass, it's just.....they remind me of....well....me... before I became an Astartes. The wee one ....it had blue eyes....I ....use to have the same eyes.", that last comment took me a little to figure out he was actually feeling.
It was self reflection. I just gave this guy a massive 'thing' to think about.
"well, all wolf pups have blue eyes when they're born, than as they grow, they change colors... mostly to yellow, amber or green.", looked to the room watching everyone enjoying themselves.
I suddenly felt him gently pull the side of my jaw, making me face him directly.
"Interesting....you have green eyes.", he bluntly stated.
I could feel my heart pounding by this point, we just both intensely looked into each other's eyes. I didn't know what it was, but something about the way he kept looking at me, just burning into my soul, felt strange...yet I liked it...it wasn't human either....
"ugh....this feels a little bit....um.", I didn't want to be mean about the situation by calling it 'cheesy' or 'corny'.
"----Hey you guys want t-", Jonas broke the tension for the both of us. "oooooh you two were?", she gave a cheeky grin.
"Jonas! You scared me.", again I had no idea what to say but hey it was something.
Fjord snapped out of his stare and looked to Jonas, "oh hey lass, to do what?"
Jonas chuckled a little, "it's almost time to close up the station and let the night crew in. We're heading down to the bar tonight actually. Why don't you bring your kegs too, Franky doesn't mind it."
I had completely forgotten about those two kegs, if Fjord sticks to the. He could save me a little of money.
"Ah I could use a drink, I've been parched for some for a little while lass.", he looks to me as a way of asking for approval by this point.
"ok fine.", I lean in to whisper in his ear. "Please behave yourself, Aldercon's orders."
He looks at me was a smoldering look, leans into my ear, "I'll do my best.".
I have no idea why, but the way he whispered into my ear shot the best feeling in the pit of my being.
End of log 13
@kit-williams @barn-anon @egrets-not-regrets
@gallifreyianrosearkytiorsusan @walking-natural-disaster
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@starfrost740
#space marine husbandry#warhammer 40k#space marine#survival log#space marines#space marine husbandry sentience#space wolves
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Chapter 5: The First Time Jason Gets to Pass Out
Jason had nearly forgotten about what started all this that morning. The Grand Canyon debacle and Percy’s fit over those books seemed as far away as the bottom of the ocean, but still as they flew low over and circled around in confusion before banking off to follow an actual road, it all came trickling back.
Porkpie was following leisurely behind. An unpleasant feeling, like the ghosts they’d left that weren’t on that white stallion were sneering at this detour, but he knew that was all in his head. The only ghost he’d known before Alex and Magnus was his own mother.
There were others though. He’d felt it as he looked upon the battlefield, then off to where Mount Othrys loomed in the far distance. Alex and Magnus had been buried with honors, but it never felt like enough when all you wanted was one more moment before it was all too much and you couldn't even look anymore.
Percy nor Blackjack seemed particularly sure of where they were going from the one sided argument they could hear, and with no satyr at hand it seemed they were only going to find this Wilderness School to start looking for Piper and Leo by a combination of sheer dumb luck, their steeds insisting the kids would be found at the nearest donut shop, and a few logical leaps. The usual.
After a few towns and a dozen donuts each (Will had sweet talked the cashier while Percy and Annabeth broke in the back of the store and made sure to note the name of the palace to send a few apology dollars to later), they finally found it mid-morning. Phone books still existed if you asked the right sleazy hotel, who knew?
A building that had once been an old asylum had been converted to ‘a school.’ There were bars on every window, most of which looked half broken or shattered anyways. Three stories tall of eroded brickwork stood the test of time through sheer stubbornness in an empty lot way out on the outskirts of a dusty town in Nevada nobody knew existed except the people who lived there. Messily painted over graffiti smothered the lowest floor. An abandoned ladder and a few empty cans showed another already in progress in hot pink. The parking lot was nearly empty, the snow falling in light dusty dirty patches filling in where people must have recently been trying to have snowball fights and build forts, but had clearly been abandoned when it all turned to mud. The sign outfront had the words ‘Where Kids Are the Animals’ scratched in red underneath the name.
They landed on the roof, a huge open space they were sure was the nicest part of the building just for being untouched. Even the lock on the door had a fine layer of dust.
“Kids have died here,” Nico stated in a way only he could. Jason personally hoped he meant some crazy cult thing among mortal teenagers they might walk in on that would make it the police’s problem, not monsters, like Dylan tossing kids off this roof for funsies until he showed up; but he’d brace himself for anything today.
Percy pulled his pen out of his pocket and uncapped it without further question. He looked as healthy as the dying grass. They knew he’d tried to catch some sleep on Blackjack with his girlfriend and the pegasus keeping him supported, but it hadn’t been nearly long enough to recover from exerting all that energy, and Nico wasn’t looking any better, the darkness thrumming around their feet like a hungry mouth waiting politely to chew and swallow.
“Will and I will scope the place out and look for them,” Jason decided.
Percy opened his mouth to protest, “I’ve been kicked out of more places like this than you can name! I should-”
“You two should rest,” Will agreed with him. Nico hadn’t even drawn his sword, nor was he looking at Will. He just slid off Zeta, then the rest of the way to the ground, shadows dancing around him merrily as if happy to have him join, but that’s all they were doing, for now. He stayed on the cold roof and went back to looking up at the sky while Will’s heart lodged in his throat.
“Leo and Piper might already have false memories of me.” Jason reminded. “If they don’t, it won’t matter who finds them, they’ll think we’re nuts and we’ll need backup if Dylan and those storm spirits are around. Will whistling is the signal that everything’s gone to hell, but until then, just,” he didn’t need to finish, Percy’s fist knotted up in Blackjack’s mane and Annabeth’s hand on his shoulder was all that was keeping him upright until he nodded and slumped to the ground too.
Annabeth’s eyes alone promised she’d watch the two as they went to the door. It was locked, but Jason just gave his coin a flip without care. It came out a sword, and he slipped it in with a silent ‘shnick’ through the crack of ice. With an easy pop of his wrist, it cleanly cut through the lock and the door swung open.
“Subtle,” Will nodded in approval as he began following him down the stairs. It was a rickety thing that felt about as safe as the laval wall at camp, every creaking step they made was sure to alert someone of their presence. Will was clinging to Jason’s back a little too much, knowing if he slipped down through a rusted grate it would only be this guy to stop him hitting the bottom.
The first floor they found seemed to be dorms, but every room they checked was empty, and depressing. Few had decorations up, most of them had at least one piece of broken furniture each, nearly all of them had flickering over hang lights embedded into the ceiling with bolts that were sure to give someone tetanus just by looking at them too long. The shiny new, industrial locks on the outside of each gleamed. The beds were deeply tempting, but neither of them suggested they should rest here for the night, nor would the others agree. Not a place where they already knew monsters had lingered. Not when home was still so far away.
The second floor was clearly the place for classrooms, but to call them that felt generous. Four doors cut into walls that were sectioned off by giant pieces of thin plywood, as if this area had all once been hollow. The noise would be disastrous cramming on either side of it, with half cobbled together desks, chairs that had nails poking through them, and chalkboards with spelling errors and wrong math equations on each half, along with at least three states that had the wrong capitals labeled on an old map on the hall. Nobody was there either.
There was yet another set of stairs heading farther down as they reached a clamor of voices, and Will was kind of disturbed he hadn’t seen any bathrooms yet. What kind of medieval plumbing did they have down in the basement?
Finally as they neared the next floor they heard sounds of life, Will saw Jason look back at him in hesitation, probably regretting bringing him along right now. He had no weapons, and Alex and Magnus’s deaths were doubly his fault. This guy probably thought him useless at worst and a useless door watcher at best.
He seemed to be waiting on something though, so Will nodded he was ready for whatever. Jason went to the door and eased it open, peaking out.
Will could only see a sliver over his shoulder, but he could tell it was much the same as the other floors. Whatever walls had once been here had been knocked out, the place was open so no trouble making could be had behind any unwatched corners. There was a meshed off gated area where a line of phones were. It was some mash of shelving for office supplies and security weapons and lunch tables crammed into the far side where all the kids seemed to be now.
Coach Hedge was there, Will’s heart instantly leapt with relief. He was leaning on his cudgel and chewing on a block of cheese on a stick smothered with hot sauce. As they watched he took a mega goat bite and polished off half, stick and all.
There were only two security guards on each door that had metal detectors, leaving both boys to wonder if Jason’s sword would be a problem, but neither looked very interested on keeping an eye out for trouble with their nose in their phones. Will’s heart did stutter in fear for several moments as he spotted the holsters on their hips, but then realized they were taser guns. Hopefully. At least it looked more like the one Travis had given Connor for his birthday than the old fashioned kind Will liked to clean in the weapons shed.
There were no other teachers around. Jason’s eyes clearly clocked the parking lot out one window and the empty ‘wilderness’ out the other as likely exit points, his sword would cut through the bars no problem. Will was studying the kids. Like Jason had once described, they all seemed normal. Any one of them would have blended right in at camp. They were laughing, one boy had a flower crown on his head and was shoving cheese cubes up his nose. He couldn’t imagine what wretched crimes they all would have done to be at a place like this.
Jason kept his sword out, clearly relying on the Mist as he kept it low to the ground but close to his hip as he eased into the room further, eyes scanning with excitement among the three dozen or so ‘students.’
They spotted Leo first, chattering with someone in a cluster. Some odd looking colored chips were exchanging hands among the group as Leo’s nimble fingers blurred through something to do with a whisk and a cheese grater. Piper was only harder to distinguish because she was one of the few not in the crowd, but alone off to the side, pushing her cheese cubes around on her tray without interest and staring listlessly at the gouged out table like Hedge had been using them for snacks.
Dylan wasn’t in sight, Cowboy jersey or otherwise, so they began cautiously edging towards Piper with hope this could work out, as Hedge’s eyes landed on them. He sniffed the air, then narrowed his eyes curiously, but didn’t intervene as he studied Will with vague familiarity in his eyes, his Camp shirt clearly coming in handy right now.
Whatever Leo was doing caused a spark, and then somehow Hedge’s pants were on fire.
Hedge bellowed, swatting at the small flames while cheers and groans alike filled the room when Leo jumped on the table and took a bow. Hedge beat out the smoke and then reached out, yanking him off his pedestal and dragging him towards the stairwell, shouting about detention for life and ignoring Leo’s half-hearted protests about them being on winter break as the kids left behind laughed and finished collecting their winnings from the losers.
Piper watched though. Her head whipped up to follow his progress with dark circles under her eyes and a concerned frown.
They figured he was in safe hands for the moment as the two went up and carefully over to Piper, who didn’t even look around in all the excitement as the other students began taking their seats, just two more now in the crowd as they sat across from her.
She did look at that, and her eyes narrowed in instant suspicion, but obvious curiosity as she took them in silently. There wasn’t a trace of recognition as she looked upon Jason. A part of him was disappointed in that. A part of him was relieved. He had a good feeling which would win in the end as he thought of his friends and the books, an answer he could pick for himself.
“Is it true you asked for that BMW and they just gave it away?” Will asked pleasantly.
Piper stared at him with her mouth open.
“Listen,” Jason whispered urgently, “will you come and talk with us on the roof. It’s about your dad, kind of.” He still had his sword out, there was something of an order in his tone that prickled Will’s inner teenager against being told what to do.
Her eyes went from shrewd suspicion to outright anger as she hissed, “go away! No you can’t have an autograph! Why does everyone think I just carry those around-”
“No, no, nothing like that,” Will cut in patiently, giving Jason a very stern ‘please stop helping’ look. “Look, we know something weird happened at the Grand Canyon and you’ve been having nightmares. I’m kind of an expert on weird and we just want to talk about some options outside of this place, I promise.”
She looked from one, then the other with those wondrous kaleidoscope eyes of hers. That book had really undersold how beautiful she was, and Jason hadn’t exactly been stingy with the compliments. There was something about her that exuded a desire to be near her, some confidence buried deep under that ragged jacket and cutaway hair hiding half her face. One of those out going people who could have smiled and made you comfortable with ease if she wanted.
She clearly didn’t want to now.
But she also looked at where Hedge had just dragged off Leo, then her uneaten lunch, and something of all this had clearly gotten through to her enough that she nodded and stood up to follow them.
“I don’t think I’m very good with people,” Jason decided as they began climbing back up the stairs, glancing hesitantly over his shoulder at Piper like he expected her to run.
“I think you’re too blunt sometimes,” Will shrugged. “Relax a little, talk to her like you would Percy, or maybe not him exactly. Look, try not to stare random people down like you’re going to chop them in half,” he managed to say it as a gentle joke, enough that Jason gave him a grateful smile and another apologetic look at Piper, who was still following with pursed lips and keeping five stairs behind them with her eyes on that golden sword.
When they got back to the roof, Piper took in the empty space and pitch dark night, somehow unphased by Leo already astride Porkpie and bouncing eagerly to get a move on. Will got the impression he didn’t really care where he was going next so long as it wasn’t here and he wasn’t clapping erasers in detention.
Piper balked at everyone gathered around, then threw out her voice in a way Jason never could to tell them, “I’m not going.”
Will lost all expectation of her returning to Camp with them. He turned away as if this were a done deal and went back where Nico was and had jumped back on the pegasi before he realized it was a strange thing to be doing without Hedge and Piper astride their own.
Annabeth shivered as if chasing off a cold chill that had nothing to do with the sharp breeze and nodded of her own will. “Of course, nobody’s going to force you. We just wanted to explain your options, I promise.”
And so she did. Piper listened in silence as Annabeth explained being a demigod, Camp, and Hedge going to California to check in on her dad. She was so precise and candid, they were pretty sure she’d been practicing that speech in her head the whole way here.
“I want to go with Coach Hedge. I want to go home,” Piper said firmly, her eyes flickering from Leo to Annabeth. Leo was still on Porkpie, his smile slipping for the first time.
Annabeth was clearly trying to make herself weigh this as an option and explain to Piper how dangerous it could be, but the words seemed to be getting lost on her as determined as Piper was.
“It should be safe enough,” Jason said. “I think the whole thing about you guys in California is just some Greek nonsense anyways,” he said with a pleasant enough smile and an obvious look at Annabeth, who’d spent months out there with her dad with nary a monster sighting.
Piper seemed to think the matter was decided and stalked back down the stairs, shoulders stiff. She hesitated and looked back at Leo, who gave her an understanding nod and a finger gun salute. Her grin was reluctant, but her chin held high as she departed. She hadn’t asked a single question about half-bloods and only gawked at the pegasi for the first few seconds.
Only when she was gone did they all exchange perplexed looks at what just happened.
Of course she wouldn’t be thrilled to go to Camp if she was still considering betraying them for that voice that could easily whisk her dad off again. Just because they’d defeated one giant didn’t mean more weren’t going to be ready to take their place all too soon.
“I’ll keep an eye on her,” Hedge promised as he followed to the doorway, but pausing there to look back at Annabeth. “I’ll get a hold of camp at the first sign of trouble, I scared off those cupcakes once and I’ll do it again!” Nobody bothered to correct him on their theory as their eyes darted to Jason and away. They were pretty sure nobody had been attacked because they were waiting to get the jump on Jason. The black clouds gathering above them now was only reinforcing that. “The gym equipment sucks here anyways.”
“Thank you,” Annabeth nodded, “and when she’s sure her dad is safe, try to convince her to come again. I don’t know why she still hasn’t been claimed or what else could be coming.”
“I’ve got an idea,” Jason said grimly as he jumped onto Guido’s back as the storm spirits began descending. “Let’s get out of here guys.”
“Porkpie, get Leo to camp,” Percy snapped as he whirled around onto his steed.
The largest stallion took off, Leo babbling in protest that he had no idea how to work this thing, keeping a chokehold on the poor animal until he was a white speck.
Hedge yelled in delight and hefted his club, but the wind slammed the door shut in his face. Will wasn’t quite sure if it was Dylan or Jason, but he was grateful either way as he took Nico’s hand and hefted his weight into place again. Percy and Annabeth were just as ready to go when Jason slammed his heels down and cried, “heya!”
His sword cut through three of them before they’d even finished corporealizing, and it made the cloud take chase of them at once, not a single speck left over the Wilderness School.
The wind tried its best to unseat them and Jason tried his best to counterbalance while swerving, using his pegasus’s fancy flying to its best use slashing at any of the demons that got too close to them. Even when the venti began to retreat the demigods were hesitant to break off and run, or these things could still decide to circle back for Piper and Hedge.
Will and Percy easily took charge of the horses, steering and corralling Dylan and his friends wherever they wanted them as Jason cut through the wind on horse and sword like he was living the thrill of a lifetime. Percy tried how he could to help, but the celestial bronze only speared through the back of two, and they quickly learned not to turn their backs on him for anything, until Jason swept in and killed them anyways.
Annabeth was doing what she could to be heard in the torrent of noise when and where another one was taking shape. Nico didn’t draw his sword, he kept his hands tight in their mares mane and was chanting something under his breath that kept giving Will cold flashes but was clearly making it harder by the moment for the shapes to become anything less than solid as Will put the anemoi thuellai through their paces riding them down, the celestial bronze horse hooves coming in occasional handy.
The concentration broke into a wild grin on Jason’s face as the last three wailed something lost to the wind. He shouted back in Latin and sent down volts of lighting that hit each target, dispersing two into wisps of nothing like so many smaller fish scattering in the sea of the sky, but the last clung stubbornly to its four legged form trying to retreat.
Jason leaped off Guido right towards it, the atmosphere itself bending around him for a moment. He didn’t land, he seemed to melt with the miniature tempest swirling in a vortex of hatred. It should have been terrifying, but it wasn’t. Jason wasn’t being spun around, he was doing the spinning. The creature wasn’t bucking, Jason was saddling him, and before their eyes, he was astride a spirit of pure dark wind, lightning still crackling from his flank in sparks of fury, but docile beneath Jason’s heaving breaths and proud smile. Four legs, blazing pools of red where eyes should be like dying stars, the mane and tail were an essence of power that only clung to the horse-like shape without even wings for support, the body’s shape there through pure will of the rider.
He gave his new little friend a pat on the part where his neck was, mostly.
Then his eyes rolled into the back of his head, and he passed out from exhaustion as the horse dissipated into the darkness of the night with a soft whinny that almost sounded like an apology.
Guido dived, doing an excellent job keeping him balanced on his back while Annabeth braced herself and lept from one to the other like a hop across a puddle. The poor horse grunted, but Annabeth promised him extra sweet oats as she gently settled Jason more safely in place.
“I warned him!” Percy groaned.
“You know better,” Annabeth told her boyfriend fondly as she gently brushed away sweat and caked in mud from Jason’s eyes and mouth. The act felt maternal, she was doing it as much for Thalia who wasn’t here as she was for her new friend. “Wait until he’s awake for the I told you so’s, I thought I taught you better.”
Percy wasn’t looking much better, his hands shaking in Blackjack’s mane as he told him, “take us home.” Nico passed out against Will before they’d even finished gathering speed.
#pjo#Percy Jackson#Annabeth Chase#percabeth#nico di angelo#will solace#solangelo#Jason Grace#Thalia Grace#grace siblings#HoO
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Didn't Wanna Feel Older in 2024? TOO LATE!
So long, 2023! You have been a weird-@$$ year to say the least. Between by having to repair old thumb drives, purchase a new printer, finding out I'm susceptible to anxiety attacks, trying out dating for the first time, getting my Discord and Steam account hacked, starting a new Discord server since said account was never unhacked, opened myself up to commissions, managed to post art for Halloween, got Covid, summoned more Kaijus to play an elaborate game of poker, and had a merry enough Christmas. Here's hoping 2024 will prove better. At the moment I have no new goals, since I just want to relax after four months of constantly being active. There's a mile of books, movies, and TV shows I need to get caught up on! My opinions on all of them will be given in future Giraffe's Eye Views, but for now let's get to what you all came here for: yet another unnecessarily long list of things celebrating major milestones this year!
You all loved it when I did this last year. In fact it got more attention that anything else I posted, including the original art I put way more effort and time into. Nah, that didn't sting at all. Seeing my sketches get ignored is so much fun. Passive-aggressive joking aside, I do still love making these lists, so let's get started with some major stuff this year.
Thanksgiving wasn't too long ago, so why not mention that the Macy's Thanksgiving Day Parade turns 100 this year? I know, that's insane! Watching this festive event has become a seasonal staple in my house and is the only reason I've ever signed up for Peacock. Thank goodness in all those years it hasn't been smashed by a giant monster.
Godzilla turns 70 freak'n years old this year! How crazy insane is that? Here's hoping his old age won't slow him down when he teams up with King Kong this April. Even if it does, Gojira will continue being cinema's coolest character!
Contrasting with the King of the Monsters, Mary Poppins turns 60 years old this year. This movie, considered to be Walt's last masterpiece, has aged considerably well even after all this time.
Oh yeah, and Mickey Mouse enters the public domain this year. Still not entirely sure how that works, but whatever. What I do know is...
Anything from 1974 turns 50 this year. That includes-
The Fort Wilderness Resort (January 1st)
Happy Days (January 15th)
Blazing Saddles (February 7th)
"Waterloo" by ABBA (March 4th)
“Sundown” by Gordon Lightfoot (March 25th)
"Rikki Don't Lose That Number" by Steely Dan (April 25th)
Herbie Rides Again (June 6th)
"Sweet Home Alabama" by Lynyrd Skynyrd (June 24th)
America Sings (June 29th)
Gone in 60 Seconds (July 28th)
Hong Kong Phooey (September 7th)
Shazam! (TV series) (September 7th)
Little House on the Prairie (September 11th)
Wolverine debuted in The Incredible Hulk #180 (October)
Arkham Asylum makes its first appearance in Batman #258 (October)
The Texas Chainsaw Massacre (October 11th)
Phantom of the Paradise (October 31st)
Earthquake (November 15th)
The Year Without a Santa Claus (December 10th)
Young Frankenstein (December 15th)
The Godfather Part II (December 20th)
Winnie the Pooh and Tigger, Too! (December 20th)
The Island at the Top of the World (December 20th)
An Adaptation of Dickens' Christmas Carol, Performed by The Walt Disney Players
“Bennie and the Jets” by Elton John
"Hooked On A Feeling" by Blue Swede
“The Loco-Motion” by Grand Funk Railroad
Anything from 1979 turns 45 this year. That includes-
Captain America (The TV movie) (January 19th)
The Dukes of Hazzard (January 26th)
The Warriors (February 9th)
John Carpenter's Elvis (February 11th)
Hair (March 14th)
"In the Navy" by the Village People (March 17th)
The Bad News Bears (March 24th)
Phantasm (March 28th)
"We Are Family" by Sister Sledge (April)
Nickelodeon (April 1st)
"Boogie Wonderland" by Earth, Wind, & Fire (May 6th)
Alien (May 25th)
Rocky II (June 15th)
"My Sharona" by The Knacks (June 18th)
The Muppet Movie (June 22nd) - THIS MOVIE SLAPS!
The Apple Dumpling Gang Rides Again (June 27th)
The Amityville Horror (July 27th)
"Highway to Hell" by AC/DC (July 27th)
Apocalypse Now (August 15th)
"Don't Bring Me Down" by Electric Light Orchestra (August 24th)
Big Thunder Mountain Railroad (September 2nd)
The Bugs Bunny / Road Runner Movie (September 14th)
Scooby-Doo and Scrappy-Doo (September 22nd)
Spider-Woman (TV show) (September 22nd)
The Black Stallion (October 17th)
Atari's Asteroids (November)
The Fish That Saved Pittsburgh (November 6th)
Pink Floyd's The Wall (November 30th)
Star Trek: The Motion Picture (December 7th)
1971 (December 14th)
The Jerk (December 14th)
The Black Hole (December 20th)
Mickey Mouse Disco
Anything from 1984 turns 40 this year. That includes-
The Kid Who Collects Spider-Man (January)
Night Court (January 4th)
"Rock You Like a Hurricane" by Scorpions (February 3rd)
Footloose (February 17th)
Nintendo's Punch-Out!! (February 17th)
"Eat It" by Weird Al Yankovic (February 28th)
Splash (March 9th)
Children of the Corn (March 9th)
Run DMC (March 27th)
Romancing the Stone (March 30th)
The Toxic Avenger (April 11th)
Friday the 13th: The Final Chapter (April 13th)
My Little Pony: Rescue at Midnight Castle (April 14th)
"We're Not Gonna Take It" by Twisted Sister (April 27th)
The Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles Franchise (May)
Marvel's Secret Wars (May)
Spider-Man's Black Suit debuted in The Amazing Spider-Man #252 (May)
"What's Love Got to Do with It" by Tina Turner (May 1st)
WHAM!'s Make It Big (May 14th)
Indiana Jones and the Temple of Doom (May 23rd)
Once Upon a Time in America (June 1st)
Star Trek III: The Search for Spock (June 1st)
Bruce Springsteen's Born in the U.S.A. (June 4th)
Ghostbusters (June 8th)
Gremlins (June 8th)
The Karate Kid (June 22nd)
Prince's Purple Rain (June 25th)
Conan the Destroyer (June 29th)
The Last Starfighter (July 13th)
The Muppets Take Manhattan (July 13th)
The NeverEnding Story (July 20th)
The Adventures of Andre & Wally B. (July 25th)
Dragon's Lair (TV show) (September 8th)
Voltron (September 10th)
Muppet Babies (September 15th)
Miami Vice (September 16th)
The Transformers Franchise (September 17th)
Murder, She Wrote (September 30th)
Thomas & Friends (October 9th)
Fist of the North Star (anime) (October 11th)
"We Belong" by Pat Benatar (October 16th)
The Terminator (October 26th)
"Like a Virgin" by Madonna (October 31st)
A Nightmare on Elm Street (November 16th)
Supergirl (movie) (November 21st)
Beverly Hills Cop (December 5th)
Hydlide (December 13th)
Starman (December 14th)
Frankenweenie (December 14th)
Breakin' 2: Electric Boogaloo (December 19th)
The Country Bear Christmas Special (December 19th)
Anything from 1989 turns 35 this year. That includes-
The Arsenio Hall Show (January 3rd)
Gotham by Gaslight (February)
SimCity (February)
LJN's Friday the 13th for NES (February)
Bill & Ted's Excellent Adventure (February 17th)
The Toxic Avenger Part II (February 24th)
"Like a Prayer" by Madonna (March 3rd)
Quantum Leap (March 26th)
The Jim Henson Hour (April 14th)
Ranma 1/2 (April 15th)
Pet Sematary (April 21st)
Nintendo's Super Mario Land (April 21st)
Tom Petty's Full Moon Fever (April 24th)
Dragon Ball Z (April 26th)
Disney's Hollywood Studios (formally Disney-MGM Studios) (May 1st)
Disney's Pleasure Island (May 1st)
The Trial of the Incredible Hulk (May 7th)
Konami's Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles for NES (May 12th)
Road House (May 19th)
"Bust a Move" by Young MC (May 22nd)
Indiana Jones and the Last Crusade (May 24th)
Typhoon Lagoon (June 1st)
Dead Poets Society (June 9th)
Star Trek V: The Final Frontier (June 9th)
Tales from the Crypt (June 10th)
Ghostbusters II (June 16th)
Roger Rabbit in Tummy Trouble (June 23rd)
Honey, I Shrunk the Kids (June 23rd)
Tim Burton's Batman (June 23rd)
The Karate Kid Part III (June 30th)
Do the Right Thing (June 30th)
Weekend at Bernie's (July 5th)
Seinfeld (July 5th)
Lethal Weapon 2 (July 7th)
When Harry Met Sally… (July 14th)
Splash Mountain (July 17th)
UHF (July 21st)
Friday the 13th Part VIII: Jason Takes Manhattan (July 28th)
Kiki's Delivery Service (July 29th)
A Nightmare on Elm Street 5: The Dream Child (August 11th)
"Pump Up the Jam" by Technotronic (August 18th)
Saved by the Bell (August 20th)
"The Best" by Tina Turner (August 21st)
Little Monsters (August 25th)
LJN's Back to the Future on NES (September)
G.I. Joe: A Real American Hero (September 4th)
The Super Mario Bros. Super Show! (September 4th)
American Gladiators (September 9th)
Captain N: The Game Master (September 9th)
Beetlejuice: The Animated Series (September 9th)
LJN's Who Framed Roger Rabbit for NES (September 14th)
Capcom's DuckTales for NES (September 14th)
Doogie Howser, M.D (September 19th)
Janet Jackson's Rhythm Nation 1814 (September 19th)
Baywatch (September 22nd)
Family Matters (September 22nd)
Penn & Teller Get Killed (September 22nd)
Capcom's DuckTales for NES (October)
Neil Young's Freedom (October 2nd)
Prince of Persia for Apple II (October 3rd)
Halloween 5: The Revenge of Michael Myers (October 13th)
The Little Mermaid (November 17th)
All Dogs Go to Heaven (November 17th)
Prancer (November 17th)
Back to the Future Part II (November 22nd)
The Toxic Avenger Part III: The Last Temptation of Toxie (November 24th)
America's Funniest Home Videos (November 26th)
National Lampoon's Christmas Vacation (December 1st)
The Wizard (December 15th)
The Simpsons (December 17th)
Konami's Castlevania III: Dracula's Curse on NES (December 22nd)
Fester's Quest for NES
Anything from 1994 turns 30 this year. That includes-
You're in the Super Bowl, Charlie Brown (January 18th)
The Critic (January 26th)
Roger Rabbit's Cartoon Spin (January 26th)
"Baby, I Love Your Way" by Big Mountain (February 1st)
Green Day's Dookie (February 1st)
Sega's Sonic the Hedgehog 3 for Genesis (February 2nd)
Ace Ventura: Pet Detective (February 4th)
Where on Earth Is Carmen Sandiego? (February 5th)
Aladdin: The Series (February 6th)
The Busy World of Richard Scarry (March 9th)
Naked Gun 33 1/3: The Final Insult (March 18th)
Nintendo's Super Metroid for SNES (March 19th)
Food Rocks (March 26th)
Thumbelina (March 30th)
Final Fantasy VI (April 2nd)
Space Ghost Coast to Coast (April 15th)
All That (April 16th)
Doom II for MS-DOS (May 5th)
The Stand (May 8th)
Weezer's Blue Album (May 10th)
The Crow (May 13th)
The Return of Jafar and Disney Direct-to-Home Sequels as a whole (May 20th)
Beverly Hills Cop III (May 25th)
The Flintstones (May 27th)
Speed (June 10th)
The Lion King (June 15th)
Forrest Gump (July 6th)
Angels in the Outfield (July 15th)
True Lies (July 15th)
Black Beauty (July 29th)
The Mask (July 29th)
The Little Rascals (August 5th)
"Cotton Eye Joe" by Rednex (August 12th)
EarthBound for SNES (August 27th)
VR Troopers (September 3rd)
Street Sharks (September 7th)
The Magic School Bus (September 10th)
The Tick (September 10th)
Quiz Show (September 14th)
Léon: The Professional (September 14th)
Tekken (September 21st)
Friends (September 22nd)
The Shawshank Redemption (September 23rd)
Ed Wood (September 27th)
Earthworm Jim (October)
Spider-Man's Infamous Clone Saga (October)
A Troll in Central Park (October 7th)
Pulp Fiction (October 14th)
Wes Craven's New Nightmare (October 14th)
Sega's Sonic & Knuckles for Genesis (October 18th)
Clerks (October 19th)
Aaahh!!! Real Monsters (October 22nd)
Gargoyles (October 24th)
Gullah Gullah Island (October 24th)
Killer Instinct (October 28th)
Mortal Kombat II (November)
Mary Shelley's Frankenstein (November 4th)
In Search of Dr. Seuss (November 6th)
The Santa Clause (November 11th)
Rare's Donkey Kong Country for SNES (November 18th)
Miracle on 34th Street remake (November 18th)
Star Trek Generations (November 18th)
The Swan Princess (November 18th)
Spider-Man: The Animated Series (November 19th)
Disney's Greatest Hits on Ice (November 25th)
Wing Commander III: Heart of the Tiger (December 12th)
The Land Before Time II: The Great Valley Adventure (December 13th)
Dumb and Dumber (December 16th)
Richie Rich (December 21st)
Rudyard Kipling's The Jungle Book (December 25th)
Anything from 1999 turns 25 this year. That includes-
Ed, Edd n Eddy (January 4th)
Batman Beyond (January 10th)
The Sopranos (January 10th)
Jon Stewart becomes host of The Daily Show (January 11th)
Disney's All-Star Movies Resort (January 15th)
Nintendo's Super Smash Bros. for N64 (January 21st)
Zenon: Girl of the 21st Century (and a crap load of other Disney Channel Original movies for that matter) (January 23rd)
Zoboomafoo (January 25th)
"My Name Is" by Eminem (January 25th)
Family Guy (January 31st)
Square's Final Fantasy VIII for PS1 (February 11th)
The Planet's Funniest Animals (February 17th)
October Sky (February 19th)
Office Space (February 19th)
Konami's Silent Hill for PS1 (February 23rd)
Batman: No Man's Land (March)
The League of Extraordinary Gentlemen (March)
Pepsiman for PS1 (March 4th)
Test Trak (March 17th)
RollerCoaster Tycoon (March 22nd)
Doug's 1st (and only) Movie (March 26th)
"Livin' la Vida Loca" by Ricky Martin (March 27th)
The Matrix (March 31st)
"I Want It That Way" by The Backstreet Boys (April 12th)
"What's My Age Again?" by blink-182 (April 13th)
Mickey Mouse Works (May 1st)
SpongeBob SquarePants (May 1st)
The Mummy (May 7th)
"Genie in a Bottle" by Christina Aguilera (May 11th)
Aliens Versus Predator (game) (May 13th)
Star Wars: Episode I – The Phantom Menace (May 19th)
The Many Adventures of Winnie the Pooh (ride) (June 4th)
Disney Sing Along Songs: Flik's Musical Adventure at Disney's Animal Kingdom (June 8th)
Smash Mouth's Astro Lounge and their hit "All Star" (June 8th)
Austin Powers: The Spy Who Shagged Me (June 11th)
Tarzan (June 18th)
South Park: Bigger, Longer & Uncut (June 30th)
Wild Wild West (June 30th)
American Pie (July 9th)
The Blair Witch Project (July 14th)
Muppets from Space (July 14th)
Eyes Wide Shut (July 16th)
Inspector Gadget (July 23rd)
Deep Blue Sea (July 28th)
Rock 'n' Roller Coaster Starring Aerosmith (July 29th)
The Iron Giant (August 6th)
The Sixth Sense (August 6th)
Rocket Power (August 16th)
Who Wants to Be a Millionaire? (the American version) (August 16th)
Dragon Tales (September 6th)
Law & Order: Special Victims Unit (September 20th)
The West Wing (September 22nd)
Capcom's Resident Evil 3: Nemesis for PS1 (September 22nd)
Freaks and Geeks (September 25th)
Alvin and the Chipmunks Meet Frankenstein (September 28th)
Tony Hawk's Pro Skater (September 29th)
Journey into YOUR Imagination (October 1st)
The Adventures of Elmo in Grouchland (October 1st)
Spider-Man Unlimited (October 2nd)
Scooby-Doo! and the Witch's Ghost (October 5th)
Fight Club (October 15th)
Namco's Pac-Man World (October 15th)
The Amanda Show (October 16th)
The Nuttiest Nutcracker (October 19th)
Grand Theft Auto 2 (October 22nd)
Ubisoft's Rayman 2: The Great Escape (October 29th)
Insomniac's Spyro 2: Ripto's Rage! for PS1 (November 2nd)
Mickey's Once Upon a Christmas (November 9th)
Courage the Cowardly Dog (November 12th)
Square's Chrono Cross for PS1 (November 18th)
Tim Burton's Sleepy Hollow (November 19th)
Nintendo's Pokémon Gold and Silver for Gameboy Advance (November 21st)
Toy Story 2 (November 24th)
Fantasia 2000 (December 17th)
Stuart Little (December 17th)
Wakko's Wish (December 21st)
Man on the Moon (December 22nd)
Galaxy Quest (December 25th)
Asia at Disney's Animal Kingdom
Anything from 2004 turns 20 this year. That includes-
Winnie the Pooh: Un-Valentine's Day (January 6th)
Teacher's Pet: The Movie (January 16th)
The Butterfly Effect (January 23rd)
The Lion King 1 1/2 (February 9th)
50 First Dates (February 13th)
Power Rangers Dino Thunder (February 14th)
"Somewhere Only We Know" by Keane (February 16th)
Clifford's Really Big Movie (February 20th)
Nintendo's The Legend of Zelda: Four Swords Adventures for Gamecube (March 18th)
Eternal Sunshine of the Spotless Mind (March 19th)
Scooby-Doo 2: Monsters Unleashed (March 26th)
Home on the Range (April 2nd)
Danny Phantom (April 3rd) - Screw Butch Hartman, but this show still rocks!
Hellboy (April 2nd)
Ella Enchanted (April 9th)
Kill Bill: Volume 2 (April 16th)
Nintendo's Pikmin 2 for Gamecube (April 29th)
Super Size Me (May 7th)
Van Helsing (May 7th)
Shrek 2 (May 19th)
Harry Potter and the Prisoner of Azkaban (May 31st)
Marvel Knights: Spider-Man (June)
DC's Identity Crisis (June)
Garfield: The Movie (June 11th)
Napoleon Dynamite (June 11th)
"My Happy Ending" by Avril Lavigne (June 14th)
Dodgeball: A True Underdog Story (June 18th)
Phil of the Future (June 18th)
The Notebook (June 25th)
Spider-Man 2 (June 30th)
Anchorman: The Legend of Ron Burgundy (July 9th)
"Breakaway" by Kelly Clarkson (July 19th)
Nintendo's Paper Mario: The Thousand-Year Door for Gamecube (July 22nd)
Catwoman (July 23rd)
The Bourne Supremacy (July 23rd)
Harold & Kumar Go to White Castle (July 30th)
Justice League Unlimited (July 31st)
Blue's Room (August 2nd)
Alien vs. Predator (film) (August 13th)
Foster's Home for Imaginary Friends (August 13th)
Mickey, Donald, Goofy: The Three Musketeers (August 17th)
Brandy & Mr. Whiskers (August 21st)
The Batman (show) (September 11th)
Ned's Declassified School Survival Guide (September 12th)
Higglytown Heroes (September 13th)
Sly 2: Band of Thieves for PS2 (September 14th)
Super Robot Monkey Team Hyperforce Go! (September 18th)
Star Wars: Battlefront (September 21st)
Green Day's American Idiot (September 21st)
Lost (September 22nd)
Shark Tale (October 1st)
Drew Carey's Green Screen Show (October 7th)
Surviving Christmas (October 22nd)
Grand Theft Auto: San Andreas (October 26th)
Saw (October 29th)
Insomniac's Ratchet & Clank: Up Your Arsenal for PS2 (November 2nd)
The Incredibles (November 5th)
Mickey's Twice Upon a Christmas (November 9th)
Halo 2 (November 9th)
Naughty Dog's Jak 3 for PS2 (November 9th)
The Polar Express (November 10th)
The Sims 2 (November 14th)
Stitch's Great Escape (November 16th)
Turtle Talk with Crush (November 16th)
Kangaroo Jack: G'Day U.S.A.! (November 16th)
Vampire: The Masquerade – Bloodlines (November 16th)
Metal Gear Solid 3: Snake Eater (November 17th)
Half-Life 2 (November 18th)
National Treasure (November 19th)
Hi Hi Puffy AmiYumi (November 19th)
The SpongeBob SquarePants Movie (November 19th)
Howl's Moving Castle (November 20th)
Nintendo DS (November 21st)
World of Warcraft (November 23rd)
Christmas with the Kranks (November 24th)
Star Wars Knights of the Old Republic II (December 6th)
Kingdom Hearts: Chain of Memories for Gameboy Advance (December 7th)
PlayStation Portable (PSP) (December 12th)
Lemony Snicket's A Series of Unfortunate Events (December 17th)
The Life Aquatic with Steve Zissou (December 25th)
Shaun of the Dead
Anything from 2009 turns 15 this year. That includes-
Hotel for Dogs (January 16th)
Wolverine and the X-Men (January 23rd)
Paul Blart: Mall Cop (January 16th)
Coraline (February 6th)
Friday the 13th (remake) (February 13th)
Halo Wars (February 26th)
Sega's Sonic and the Black Knight for Wii (March 3th)
Capcom's Resident Evil 5 (March 5th)
Zack Snyder's Watchmen (March 6th)
Power Rangers RPM (March 7th)
Race to Witch Mountain (March 13th)
The Secret of Kells (March 19th)
Monsters vs. Aliens (March 27th)
Batman: Whatever Happened to the Caped Crusader? (April 2009)
Special Agent Oso (April 4th)
Parks and Recreation (April 9th)
Dragonball Evolution (April 10th)
Iron Man: Armored Adventures (April 24th)
X-Men Origins: Wolverine (May 1st)
Plants vs. Zombies (May 5th)
Star Trek (remake) (May 8th)
Terminator Salvation (May 21st)
The Boys: The Sherman Brothers' Story (May 22nd)
Night at the Museum: Battle of the Smithsonian (May 22nd)
Up (May 29th)
The Tonight Show with Conan O'Brien (June 1st)
The Sims 3 (June 2nd)
The Hangover (June 5th)
Indiana Jones and the Staff of Kings (June 9th)
"I Gotta Feeling" by Black Eyed Peas (June 15th)
Ghostbusters: The Video Game (June 16th)
Transformers: Revenge of the Fallen (June 24th)
Ice Age: Dawn of the Dinosaurs (July 1st)
"Fireflies" by Owl City (July 14th)
Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince (July 15th)
G-Force (July 24th)
(500) Days of Summer (August 7th)
District 9 (August 14th)
The Time Traveler's Wife (August 14th)
Inglourious Basterds (August 21st)
Batman: Arkham Asylum (August 25th)
Rob Zombie's Halloween II (August 28th)
Disney buys Marvel for $4 billion (August 3st)
Waking Sleeping Beauty (September 6th)
Dinosaur Train (September 7th)
Walt & El Grupo (September 9th)
9 (September 9th)
The Vampire Diaries (September 10th)
Marvel: Ultimate Alliance 2 (September 15th)
Cloudy with a Chance of Meatballs (September 18th)
Jennifer's Body (September 18th)
Kingdom Hearts 358/2 Days (September 29th) - Still the dumbest name ever 15 years later.
Zombieland (October 2nd)
Where the Wild Things Are (October 16th)
Borderlands (October 20th)
DJ Hero (October 27th)
A Christmas Carol (November 6th)
Fanboy & Chum Chum (November 6th) - BOO! This show was the actual worst!
Fantastic Mr. Fox (November 13th)
Lego Indiana Jones 2: The Adventure Continues (November 17th)
Left 4 Dead 2 (November 17th)
Assassin's Creed II (November 17th)
Planet 51 (November 20th)
The Twilight Saga: New Moon (November 20th) - YUK!
Turtles Forever (November 21st)
Big Time Rush (November 28th)
Phineas and Ferb Christmas Vacation! (December 6th)
Prep & Landing (December 8th)
The Princess and the Frog (December 11th)
Avatar (December 18th)
Alvin and the Chipmunks: The Squeakquel (December 23rd)
RuPaul's Drag Race
Minecraft
New Super Mario Bros. Wii
Anything from 2014 turns 10 this year. That includes-
True Detective (January 12th)
The Lego Movie (February 7th)
South Park: The Stick of Truth (March 4th)
Mr. Peabody & Sherman (March 7th)
The Grand Budapest Hotel (March 7th)
Dark Souls II (March 11th)
Muppets Most Wanted (March 21st)
Jim Henson's Creature Shop Challenge (March 25th)
Captain America: The Winter Soldier (April 4th)
Rio 2 (April 11th)
Last Week Tonight with John Oliver (April 26th)
The Amazing Spider-Man 2 (May 2nd)
Chef (May 9th)
Godzilla (May 16th)
X-Men: Days of Future Past (May 23rd)
Seven Dwarfs Mine Train (May 28th)
Maleficent (May 30th)
Edge of Tomorrow (June 6th)
The Fault in Our Stars (June 6th)
Phineas and Ferb Save Summer (June 9th)
How to Train Your Dragon 2 (June 13th)
Shovel Knight (June 26th)
Transformers: Age of Extinction (June 27th)
Dawn of the Planet of the Apes (July 11th)
Angry Video Game Nerd: The Movie (July 21st)
Phineas and Ferb: Star Wars (July 26th)
Tom Petty and the Heartbreakers's Hypnotic Eye (July 28th)
Guardians of the Galaxy (August 1st)
Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles (movie) (August 8th)
Five Nights at Freddy's (August 8th)
P.T. (August 12th)
BoJack Horseman (August 22nd)
Destiny (September 9th)
Gotham (September 22nd)
Disney Infinity: 2.0 Edition (September 23rd)
Black-ish (September 24th)
How to Get Away with Murder (September 25th)
My Little Pony: Equestria Girls – Rainbow Rocks (September 27th)
Middle-Earth: Shadow of Mordor (September 20th)
Star Wars Rebels (October 3rd)
Annabelle (October 3rd)
Gone Girl (October 3rd)
Alien: Isolation (October 6th)
The Flash (October 7th)
BİRDMAN or (The Unexpected Virtue of Ignorance) (October 17th)
The Book of Life (October 17th)
John Wick (October 24th)
Taylor Swift's 1989 (October 27th)
Sunset Overdrive (October 28th)
Interstellar (November 5th)
Big Hero 6 (November 7th)
Assassin's Creed Unity (November 11th)
Far Cry 4 (November 18th)
Penguins of Madagascar (November 28th)
Toy Story That Time Forgot (December 2nd)
Peter Pan Live! (December 4th)
The Hobbit: The Battle of the Five Armies (December 17th)
Night at the Museum: Secret of the Tomb (December 19th)
Wow, that took forever to type. Chances are I missed something, so if something you enjoy is hitting a major milestone this year, leave it in the comments below!
MAY THE GLASSES BE WITH YOU!
#didn't wanna feel old in 2024?#Ghostbusters#The Lion King#Godzilla#Mickey Mouse#Mary Poppins#Transformers#Dawn of the Planet of the Apes#Avatar#The Little Mermaid#Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles#Spider-Man 2#The Macy's Thanksgiving Day Parade#Batman#arkham asylum
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me when i survive fort kah’lin just to immediately be killed by a rancor randomly showing up in the wilderness
#this is a joke ofc i didn’t literally break the table with my controller#mentally i did tho#as fun as this game is it’s also infuriating at times#jedi survivor
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WBAP-TV station in Fort Worth, Texas to accompany a news story about actors Gilbert Roland and Rory Calhoun arriving in Dallas to promote their film, "Treasure of Pancho Villa."
[Transcript] Hollywood actor Gilbert Roland arrives in Dallas--Another of a host of motion picture notables due in Dallas on picture promotions during the next few weeks. Roland is part of an entourage to promote the opening day showing of the picture, "Treasure of Pancho Villa." A second star of the RKO Superscope production --Rory Calhoun -- arrives with his wife, the former Lita Baron, who didn't play in the Pancho Villa movie but is helping promote it. The visit by the movie celebrities coincided with a celebration marking the opening of Vistavision facilities at the Palace theatre in Dallas. (September 30, 1955)
The book Gilbert Roland is holding is, The Wine of Youth by Robert Wilder (1955)
#1930s#1910s#1920s#1920s hollywood#silenst film#silent comedy#silent cinema#silent era#silent movies#pre code#pre code hollywood#pre code film#pre code era#pre code movies#vintage hollywood#black and white#old hollywood#slapstick#gilbert roland
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A sneak peek of the planned Survivorguy Fic
Featuring weird formatting, script-style (for interlude chapters, don't worry, it won't be the whole thing) and lots of neato shit.
Enjoy this while I go reread the SAS survival guide.
Spoilers and unedited rough writing under the cut!
XBCRAFTED VOICEOVER:
“Hello. My name is xBcrafted, otherwise known as Survivorguy. I’m an explorer, an adventurer, and a former soldier. I’ve climbed K2 and crossed Antarctica, and I’ve made it my life’s goal to survive in the harshest environments on earth, to show you what it takes to make it out alive. I have no camera crew. I have no backup. Everything you see is filmed by myself. For the next ten days, I will be stranded in the wilderness. Follow with me, and find out what it takes to be…Survivorguy!”
[The screen blurs to show a montage of xB climbing cliffs and wading across waterfalls, and stuffing a cricket into his mouth. The theme tune plays over a modified title card. It reads: SURVIVORGUY: MEN VS NATURE SPECIAL!]
XBCRAFTED VOICEOVER:
“Tonight on Survivorguy, we’re answering a question many viewers have asked before. We get letters and emails and tweets, and we see you. You’ve seen me surviving alone in the wilderness, and you want to know: what about others? What if you have to take care of other people? Well, tonight, we’re going to find out!”
[The camera cuts to an overhead shot, looking down at three men with their arms folded in an empty room. xB is in the middle, in his usual clothes. Beside him, his brother Hypno, wearing a bandanna and his usual black getup. Keralis stands to the left, wearing his pilot’s uniform.]
XBCRAFTED VOICEOVER:
“Tonight, I’ll be trying to survive in the brutal and unforgiving Canadian wilderness, with two guys who barely have any survival experience at all.”
[The screen cuts to a shot of Keralis at the controls of a plane, directing it to taxi; it cuts to another shot of a completely different airplane, rolling down the taxiway.]
[NOTE FROM KERALIS: THAT IS AN AIRBUS A320 I WAS FLYING A 767 WHO DID THIS????]
XBCRAFTED VOICEOVER:
“This is my partner Keralis, who you might know from the heroic rescue of flight 1515. He’s an accomplished pilot who thinks the best way to start a fire is to pull the switch beside the fireplace. Ex-military, like myself, Keralis had some basic survival training in flight school…several decades ago. Apart from one or two camping trips and one questionable landing, he’s greener than your lawn.”
[The screen cuts to show Hypno at a computer, fiddling around with some code and opening a photo editor to tweak some colours. He glances at the camera, and blinks all three of his eyes, including the one on his cheek, before turning back to his work.]
XBCRAFTED VOICEOVER:
“And this is my brother Hypno. Hypno lives in Fort Lauderdale and is a skilled graphic and website designer. I think we went camping once when we were kids. Other than that, Hypno thinks that ‘roughing it’ is when the hotel wifi is patchy, and he absolutely hates the cold. Seeing as we’re going to the Yukon, this should be…interesting.”
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Helloo!! For the ask game: 11 and 27 for Daniel, 17 and 31 for Barbie, and 15 and 28 for Aren
Hehehe thank you SO much for giving me a chance to wordvomit about these three 😊
Cpt. Daniel Hart: NPC from homebrew(ish) zombie apocalypse ttrpg, Tiny Living Dead
11. What would it take to break them?
Oooh, what a fun question, what a super fun question that does not fill me with dread in the slightest!
I think it would break Daniel to be shown that who he has become and all he has done in the name of protecting Fort Wayne was for nothing. If the city fell, if the people turned on him, if he were used and discarded and ultimately deemed replacable...that would crush him. Without getting into spoiler territory (because I know for a fact one of my players will see this), Daniel came so close to breaking a cycle, to being his own person, and once the Fury outbreak happened he snapped right back into line because he felt he "had" to.
But if he didn't? If Daniel was shown that it was all in service of nothing and no-one? It would destroy him.
27. Opinion on kids - would they like to have them someday?
Before the outbreak, Daniel assumed he would start a family, because it was part of the conventional role laid out for him. It was never anything he had strong feelings towards in either direction, it just seemed....inevitable? He grew up watching fathers head overseas and took it for granted that he would eventually be one of the many.
After the outbreak, Daniel would never bring a child into this world. One, he thinks it's far too dangerous, and two, it's simply not a priority.
However, in a nicer AU world free of the expectations he's surrounded by/feels restrained by, and free of the zombie apocalypse? I think Daniel would like to have kids someday. This *might* be light spoilers, but he's good with children - they let him tap into his goofier side that he doesn't often engage with.
Barbella 'Barbie' Khazgur: Paladin, Oath of the Ancients, Werebear PC from ongoing Critical Role campaign
17. What phrase would a loved one have to say to crush them?
Barbie is happily estranged from her biological family, so for the sake of this question I am taking the party members as her loved ones.
Barbie spent a decade in isolation, living in hiding deep in the wilderness. The (original) party members were the first people to show her kindness, and to accept her for who she is - werebear and all. Barbie sees them as her friends, and if they were to turn around and contradict this - if they were to tell her that they don't care about her at all, actually, and have just been putting up with her this whole time - that would crush Barbie's spirit.
All she's ever sought is true and meaningful connections. She believes she's finally found that, and if her friends were to squash that belief? Barbie would be devastated.
31. What stops them from functioning to the best of their abilities?
Deep down, Barbie doesn't feel like she is good enough to be the Wildmother's Champion. This stems from essentially being raised to be sold to the highest bidder by her family - her sense of her own worth is tied up in how 'useful' she can be to other people. Hence why she took an Oath of the Ancients in the first place.
So! Barbie's lack of belief in herself and her worthiness as a Champion is the main obstacle in her way, right now.
Aren Douglas: Cyberpunk 2077 OC, Nomad + Solo
15. What are their communication skills like?
Aren is a solo, and therefore is used to advocating for themself 24/7 against fixers, clients, co-workers and rivals. Their communication is very direct, some might even say blunt. What they lack in tact they make up for in clarity - people always know where they stand with Aren. They thrive in conversations that involve straightforward transactions and a bit of quid pro quo. In Aren's experience, nothing is free. People always want something from each other. They are comfortable in situations that align with this worldview.
However, when it comes to more emotional, nuanced comversations, Aren struggles. They have repressed a lot of their own emotions and are keeping a Litany of secrets for their own survival and also because they Do Not Want To Talk About It. So unfortunately, Aren would be extremely uncomfy with someone leaning on them for comfort. And they would really struggle to provide that comfort, if indeed they even want to.
I can very much see them just Nope-ing out of heavier/more personal conversations, the other person be damned. The echo of a certain someone in Aren's head would tell them that everyone has to look out for themself in this world.
28. What makes them feel vulnerable?
Aren survived very intense and very much unwanted body modifications when they were young, and as a result they carry a lot of physical and mental scars as well as cybernetic augmentations. So, they feel most vulnerable when their body is on display, hence why they usually cover up with heavy clothing.
It would take a lot for them to even be that vulnerable with someone in the first place. At it stands, they haven't found someone they have that level of trust in.
#thank you for asking ira!#barbie the werebearadin#daniel hart#aren douglas#oc ask#this was so fun teehee
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Robbing a bank is easier than conversation (The Gap Years part 14)
June 22nd 2019
Las Vegas, NV
I don’t love this one. However, I want to write this chronologically and literally no one cares if it’s bad. Huzzah for tumblr.
…………
When Marin says that the human race doesn’t stand a chance against his world, he isn’t trying to be rude. It’s just the truth. Marin and Zerada steal a million dollars from a secret Vegas vault with all the difficulty of tired parents walking into a pillow fort. Between her mind control and his illusions, no one notices when two striking young adults follow a staff member into the vault and start shoving money into the voidspace within his messenger bag. They follow the same staff member back out, leaving absolutely no evidence other than a stolen hundred dollar bill slipped into his belt. (Zerada has lived for nearly a decade by manipulating wild humans, but she has standards).
That being said, Marin still has a lot to learn about the human world. He’d thought that just recruiting rich humans as his companions would cover the issue of capitalism, but it turns out that money is complicated! Just because the adult Brackens and Shepards are rich enough to buy entire nations doesn’t mean that their kids have access to much of it, and apparently money can be tracked by those freaky computers. So he and his companions have been limited to using a non-suspicous amount of money for non-suspcious purposes in non-suspicious locations. They still have more cash than any kids taking a gap year should, but it’s not enough to take them across the country and into restricted areas. It’s not enough to buy power. So Zerada led him by the arm on a bank heist, something she has down to a science.
Zerada grabs him again and shoves him behind a huge stone pillar. Marin checks himself, but his illusion is still up and stable. Why are they hiding?
Zerada whispers “Two Eight-Points ahead. I know them, but they’ll report you”.
The indigo auroch is the symbol of Genus Mercuralis, but their whole aligned faction are represented by an eight-pointed star. They were the allies who fought back when Lazarus Sondaica tried to take over the world. He won.
“Why are they here?” he asks desperately. Hadn’t she said they would be safe here?
“Can’t say. Stay down. I can handle it”.
And with that Zerada sizes up the two elves with a glowing orange stare. They have no vambraces, and their eyes glow muted colors. They’re probably commoners who just work for the nobility. He imagines Ishtar and her allies spending years gathering supporters. How had his mother not heard anything? (Had Marin been raised as an heir, he would know how every coup in history gathered its soldiers. He was not raised as an heir.)
“I’ve already robbed these wilders blind. Go find someone else to bother unless you want them waking up”. She speaks English, not Lazarin, and her voice is full of malice.
The commoners look at each other and they look at her. They say toothless insults, that Zerada is lucky to be alive or that she’s a drunkard who’s only free because nothing in this damn desert matters.
She smiles “It’s good to have somewhere for the deadweights. Keeps them from bringing down the gene pool, yes?”.
One commoner stutters and the other elbows him in the side. “This whole city is going to rot, Vixen. You’ll rot with it”. Then they’re walking a bit too fast past her and into the deeper parts of the building.
“It’s the dirt or the void, Ulric!” She waves at the commoners as they leave.
Marin blinks. “Oh, you knew them, knew them”.
“He tried to fight me. It was right after the coup and I guess he didn’t get that the Auroch wanted to keep us alive.”
That has been strange to him. “The casualty list was so short. I can’t stop wondering what she wants”.
“She had a son with a spark, Mari. She’s as much of a reformer as Lazarus was. Probably wants to sway us to her side as a show of progress”. She shifts her shoulders back. “I beat him soundly”.
“How’d you get the list?”
“From Ulric. After I beat him soundly”.
They walk in silence back to Zerada’s massive suite in one of the hotels. The two elves draw looks on the street from passers-by. Neither of them bother with illusions to hide their ears here, but its the rest of their appearances that draw attention. Well, her appearance. Marin is a graceful boy with long black locs, but that isn’t anything too special. The woman who seems to be his girlfriend is a statuesque goddess with bright amber eyes and the perpetual sense that all of this is beneath her. It is, of course. These are her gap years. In five years she’ll be at the Conservatory with the best and brightest of their world, and for all Marin knows, she might win.
The humans of the city (prey animals, though they won’t admit it) flow around the pair. Zerada clearly loves this city, the glamour and the power and every sort of vice, but Marin is feeling a bit sick. The whole place is artificial to its irradiated bones. His mother brought him to the human world a lot when he was young. There was a music festival in a park, a carnival somewhere further south, some huge gathering in their capital city that Emer had watched, invisibly, from the roof of a monument. That felt different though. The music was foreign and the people were strange, but he wasn’t in a city of plastic trees. Marin remembers the descriptions of the void and how a mind stranded inside might manifest an entire imagined world. These painted skies and windowless halls are just as disorienting as the place outside of time and reality. Also the smoke is going to give him cancer.
Detour to the humans’ room first. Zerada plants a foot on a chair and dumps the bag of money onto the table. A deck of cards and a few pens also tumble out of the void space. Brian picks up a stack of hundred dollar bills. Clay folds his arms and glares through his glasses.
“You robbed a bank?” Sierra asks cautiously.
Zerada sits on the bar with her arms behind her. “Sure did”.
Sierra looks back to the boys for reassurance. The deep red magic in her veins has started to creep down her shoulder. The tremors have gotten worse. Zerada is strong enough to break the spell, but she doesn’t know what it is. Countering unknown magic can be dangerous for the victim. Clay begins counting the money, and Brian fidgets with a rubber band. She rolls her eyes and turns back.
“Alright. You robbed a bank. What do we do now?” Clay says.
That’s a great question, and Marin doesn’t know. They should figure out what happened to Sierra. They should find more allies. They should learn why there’s so many elves with strong political leanings in the city.
The always-skeptical human sighs “You don’t have a plan, do you?”
Marin shakes his head “Honestly, I didn’t think I’d get this far”.
Zerada actually laughs at that. “Mari, you can’t say that”.
“Then you make the plan!” She raises her eyebrows. “Fine. Well. We need to figure out why there’s so many elves here who actually care about noble politics,” he decides.
The nobility live and die for their bloodlines and their honor, but commoners rarely care. Vegas especially should be full of elves who couldn’t care less about a coup as long as they’re allowed to stay in the city. For Zerada to see Ulric and his friend, and for them to both immediately try to kill her, is pretty strange.
Brian has balanced several hundred thousand dollars in a neat stack on the table. “The last time we went into an elf town, Sierra got cursed, and the time before that, Clay got brainwashed. We need a better plan”.
“You only had Marin then. Now you have me,” Zerada adds. “My suggestion is that Marin, Brian, and I go exploring, while the two of you stay back”.
Brian blushes red. “Why me? Clay’s better… at talking to people”.
“Yes, but you act less suspicious.”
“I was the reason the whole car chase even happened! I tried to defend Marin and got brainwashed!”
“It was my fault,” says Sierra. “I was staring at the soldier. You were just…obviously human”.
“And I am still obviously human!”
Zerada raises her voice. There’s magic in it, but Marin isn’t sure if the humans can tell. “Brian, elves here travel with human escorts. Clay is too skittish and Sierra is cursed. You are the best option”.
Brian looks like a trapped animal. She smiles at him. “If someone tries to charm you, I will stop them. All you need to do-“
“Is sit there and look good. I get it! I’ve been doing that my whole life,” he snaps, but stands up from his chair. The stack of money falls over.
“I’ll go put on a suit”.
…….
The suit isn’t tailored right. Marin’s seen styles change over the decades, but Brian’s pale gray jacket is a little too tight over the shoulders. It has to be deliberate, like how the Eburos wear their clothes loose to not damage them when they rage. Did he make that choice? If not, then why bring it on the trip? Is that really all he has? Marin is the son of the Apex. He’s a link in a four thousand year long chain, and that was supposed to be it. He’ll mess around for a decade, attend the Conservatory without making a fool out of himself, and then have a few kids with Zerada who might actually make a mark on history.
Marin adjusts his tie and sits down at the bar. He wears a subtle illusion, but it’s simple enough that his glowing irises are hardly noticeable. He’s changed Brian’s appearance too, just to make sure that his family doesn't find out about this. The boy is essentially bait. Brian is the sort of broad and strong that elves never are. He’s more attractive to elves than he is to human society, and that’s saying something. His job is to play decent blackjack and flirt with elves. Brian doesn’t have any reason to worry though! An individual can only be charmed by one person at once, and Zerada is more than strong enough to break any opposing spells.
There’s far more elves here than there should be, and few of the elves milling around the casino floor look like the Vegas type. They’re put together and dignified, with cheap formal wear or the faint shimmer of clothes created by illusions. The elves seem more like businessmen stopping by the city for an evening than elves that have devoted their lives to the game. Conversations go silent as Zerada, high elf prodigy, moves from table to table. She casts the entire room into her shadow.
She confirms his suspicions. “I’ve been in Vegas four months now. There were not this many elves when I arrived”.
“Were there this many before the coup?”
She shakes her head, then continues looking around the room. “I think most of them are shift workers too”.
Elves live for centuries. They have humans to do the undesirable work and live on a planet that has been all but mastered over ten thousand years. The concept of a “work week” hasn’t been the elven norm in millenia. But sometimes things have to happen on a schedule, and that means that civil servants and a few types of workers punch in and out like humans do. Conveniently, it is the elven weekend at the moment.
“I’d been thinking that, but…”
Zerada gets a short glass of something furiously alcoholic from the bartender. Another very human thing to do. “But you didn’t want to insult me by implying that I’m a lazy slacker?” She lifts her glass for emphasis. “I know, and I am”.
“But why would civil servants come here?”
They both notice at the same time that Brian has wandered off. Thankfully, the boy’s pale jacket stands out from the crowd. He’s at a different table, playing cards against a few humans and a too-pale elf in a suit. Brian’s eyes are a normal, uncharmed, shade of blue, which means that either everything is fine or that the elf is much better at magic than he thought. Does Brian know what he’s talking to? Marin stalks closer.
Brian laughs after his turn. The human boy says that he could never handle organic chemistry, “bio-chem majors are insane”, whatever that is supposed to mean. The elf he’s speaking with looks like a human in his early twenties, so Brian asks where he went to college. Marin stands nearby and hopes that he isn’t being suspicious. The other elf is so pale that he can easily see the veins under his skin, and his eyes are a haunting, pallid green.
The elf says a name that means nothing to Marin, “I’m actually working in Vegas this summer. Lab work”.
“I didn’t know there was lab work happening in Vegas” Brian replies. Marin suspects that he does know he’s talking to an elf, because Brian backs away from the question, “I don’t know much about the city though. I’m just passing through”.
The elf smiles. “There’s so much more to the world than you know”.
Marin looks over at Zerada. Lab workers certainly would work on a schedule, and he can guess the details from there. The list of casualties blamed a few on Gullin Eburos, lord of Genus Eburos and the face of the endless war against genetic mutations and antibiotic-resistant disease. Nuclear bombs were tested here once, but no one would be monstrous enough to use those for conquest, even if elves are resistant to radiation. Ishtar Mercuralis needs a new weapon, and like his mother before her, she has chosen plague.
…he should probably grab Brian.
………
An elven week is nine days long. Six for work and then a three day weekend. The nobility love the number nine.
“Pallid green” is my little riff on the greek word khlōros (χλωρός) which is often translated as pale, but can also mean ashen or yellowish-green. It is also the color of Death’s horse in the original Greek description of the Four Horsemen of the Apocalypse. pretty neat!
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