#glory seems to be the better introduction character here as the odd one out

[the-owl-tree]

started wings of fire and while im still only in the beginning of the book i dont understand why glory isn't the protagonist of this book instead of clay

[bookshopkat]

Asian Fantasy Novels for the Lunar New Year

Photo by Thyla Jane

Happy Year of the Ox!  The Lunar New Year, or Spring Festival, is a major celebration in many Asian countries.  Marking the first new moon of the lunar calendar, this celebration lasts for days and is a time for family and friends, lantern festivals, dragon and lion dances, gifts of money, fireworks, and feasts.  There’s something enchanting about the Lunar New Year, with its bright lanterns lining every street and its sparkling starbursts lighting the night sky.  At its heart is tradition, cultural beliefs, and a mixture of mythology and magic.  Simple charms are used to bring good luck and drive away evil.  The supernatural has a firm place amid the celebrations, from shoe-stealing ghosts in South Korea to Vietnamese kitchen gods to the lion-like monster Nian in China.  As such, this holiday presents a marvelous opportunity to both celebrate various Asian cultures and conjure a sense of wonder.  So, to celebrate the Lunar New Year, here are four fantasy novels rooted in Asian culture and lore.

Jade City by Fonda Lee

On the island of Kekon, jade grants those with the ability to wield it special powers, but promises pain and death for anyone lacking the right genetics who tries to use it.  As a result, jade smuggling is a profitable business and those families with the capacity to use the mineral, called Jade Bones, make up the highest class of society. But now ordinary citizens are somehow gaining the ability to use jade, and it is throwing the society of Kekon into turmoil.  As suspicion fuels inter-clan warfare among the noble class, the future of the island nation hangs in the balance.  In the midst of this chaos stands three siblings. Kaul Lan, the new, young, peace-loving leader of his family, finds himself faced with the uncomfortable necessity of bloodshed as he tries to steer his clan through these uncertain times.  Lan’s brother, the hot-tempered and passionate Kaul Hilo, is like a warrior straight out of old tales: honorable, protective, and hungry for battle and glory.  Their sister, Shae, is an independent modern woman who chose to cast aside her jade along with her traditional roles in favor of freedom and marriage to an outsider.  Added to this cast of characters is Wen, Hilo’s forbidden lover, who is burdened by the combination of coming from a disgraced family and being a rare Stone Eye, a supposedly cursed person completely immune to jade.  All four have their differences and disagreements, and the tension between them mirrors the growing strain in their homeland at large.  It will take them all, however, to find out who is responsible for the dangerous drug allowing non-Jade Bones to wield the sacred stone before it is too late.

This is a novel that bridges high fantasy and urban fantasy, weaving a tale of heroism, betrayal, and intrigue against the backdrop of a thoroughly modernized enchanted society. Lee’s narrative is intricate and interesting, her world building is exceptional, and her magical system is comprehensive and intelligent.  Running throughout the entire tale are elements of Chinese myth and culture, with folklore concerning gods and monsters playing a vital part.  Complex, well-written, and engaging, Jade City is grand and unique fantasy adventure.

Tears of the Wind by Phung Lam

This collection of short stories is a touching as it is magical.  Taking place on the fictional Island of Wishes, each tale explores human nature and the deepest desires people harbor in dark corners of their minds. From a lonely heart seeking solace to a soul hungry with ambition, this anthology explores the not only the power of wishes, but the question: what would people do if the one thing they truly wanted most could be theirs?  It’s basically impossible to find an English version of this book, and I had to rely on the Smart Book translation application for the ebook format.  That led to some odd phrasing in portions of the text, but the collection was nonetheless enjoyable. That is because Lam writes not only with imagination but also with a keen understanding of humanity.

The narratives are dreamlike, the content somewhat akin to magical realism and the tone ultimately surrealistic.  Ranging from heartrending to horrifying, Lam weaves stories about the darkest parts of ourselves, when we harbor wishes we dare not name, as well as about the unforeseen and often terrible consequences of getting exactly what we think we want.  The author explores the nature of love, the power of longing, and the baser side of our very nature. It’s an engaging collection that seems, and its core, to turn upon one basic thought: be careful what you wish for.

The Ghost Bride by Yangsze Choo

Set in late-nineteenth-century Malaya, on the island of Borneo, this novel sparkles with folk beliefs and superstitions.  Li Lan is a spirited girl and only child from a family wrapped in what can only be called genteel poverty.  Her life is certainly not perfect—her mother is dead, her father, although loving, has allowed his grief to lead to opium addiction, and her marriage prospects are extremely limited—but things aren’t so very bad.  Apart from occasional longings for beautiful new clothing such as she sees other wealthier girls sporting, Li Lan would be reasonably content if it weren’t for one thing: her father has asked her if she would like become a ghost bride.  He says it almost as a joke, but the moment he speaks the words, the wheels of fate start to turn. The rare tradition of ghost brides is meant to mollify the spirits of wealthy young men who died without marrying, and it presents both tempting and terrifying prospects. While accepting would mean financial help for her aging father as well as a place for Li Lan herself in one of Malacca city’s most affluent households, it would also mean giving up any dreams of love, passion, or children of her own.

Li Lan, of course, refuses, especially when she starts to develop feelings for another decided living man.  But the choice may not be as easy as the thinks.  She finds herself haunted by Lim Tiang Ching, her spectral suitor, and he is determined to have her.  Tiang Ching, the young woman soon learns, was selfish and cruel when he was alive, and death hasn’t improved him. Desperate, Li Lan seeks the help of a local wise woman, and unwittingly finds herself embroiled in a supernatural struggle where ghosts are all too real and her only hope hangs on a mysterious young man who may be more than he seems, and who is most definitely keeping secrets.  On top of that, she begins to realize that the Lim family is harboring some dark secrets of their own, and one of them may be deadly.  

Choo’s narrative is imaginative as well as brimming with cultural folklore and traditions.  A blend of mystery and fantasy, it is engaging from start to finish.  Many of the characters are interesting and a little quirky, although a couple feel less well developed and there were a few moments when I felt the protagonist was a bit too flighty for my tastes. Nonetheless, this is a fun, entertaining fantasy book, perfect for an evening of light reading with a cup of tea or coffee at your side.

When You Trap a Tiger by Tae Keller

This is a truly wonderful novel blending together magical realism, mythology, family drama, and a deeply touching coming of age tale. It’s a beautifully written and imaginative narrative where opposites don’t so much collide as they do interweave in a complex dance.  Dreams tangle with reality, childhood blurs with adolescence, Korean tradition intersects with modern America, folklore mingles with daily life, and stories become solid enough to touch. Through it all runs a profound understanding of emotion and the human spirit.

Lily has always loved visiting her Korean grandmother, catching stars to learn what stories they hold and listening to traditional tales from their ancestral homeland.  This, however, is different.  Now Lily, along with her mother and her sister, are moving in with the old woman because Lily’s grandmother is sick, and isn’t getting any better.  A new city, a new school, and new fears about her beloved relative would all be difficult enough, but Lily has another problem: upon arriving, she sees a tiger straight out of one of her grandmother’s tales.  This is both a metaphor for many things: words unsaid, terminal illness, fear, and long-ago mistakes.   It is, however, also an introduction of the magical real.  Upon informing her grandmother about the big cat, Lily begins unraveling the old woman’s greatest tale yet, and takes the first step in a personal journey to discover family secrets and leave her childhood behind.  As marvelous as it is heartfelt, When You Trap a Tiger addresses conflicts between generations and cultures, as well as the reconciliation of the past, through the lens myths and storytelling. At its core, this is a novel about the power of both love and stories, as well as about one girl finding herself.

Perhaps one of these books will make an excellent companion over the next several days as celebrations of the Lunar New Year progress. Blending Asian folklore with a sense of the fantastic, these works may prove to be the perfect way for those not immersed in these festivities to still capture a bit of the season’s spirit.  Readers hungry for an interesting narrative that is a little out of the ordinary will likely find any one of these to be a feast for the imagination, as well as a wonderful way to start of the Year of the Ox.  Happy Reading!

[zachsgamejournal]

PLAYING: Final Fantasy VII Remake

I love it. Done. Just Kidding. Final Fantasy VII is one my top 10 favorite games of all time. My first play through was over 99 hours, and I didn’t feel like I was “done”. I just beat the game to beat it. I’ve restarted the opening Midgar section a hundred times. I love it.

I don’t know why, but when the PS2 came out, I heard rumors of FFVII sequels...but then FFX got a sequel. I didn’t really care for that one...Why did it get a sequel? Then PSP had Crisis Core and Advent Children. While Crisis Core was an action packed revisit to FFVII’s world, it wasn’t exactly a remake. And while I enjoyed watching Advent Children a 100 times...it wasn’t exactly a film-adaptation, or even an EPIC-Quality sequel to the game. When the PS3 Demo teased a remake, I became desperate. I needed this REMAKE. When the PS4 Remake  was announced, I couldn’t believe it was real!!!! But then it turns out, it was only going to be the first section and that there would be “changes”. While I’m ok with the game ditching the turn-based combat, I didn’t want a game so revamped that it was unrecognizable. And the fact this was only the first section, I was worried that a. they were filling the game with fluff, and/or b. they wouldn’t bother making the rest... Doesn’t matter now. It’s in my hands now, and I can’t wait to play! FFVII’s opening is possibly my most favorite opening of any video game. How the stars of space turn to life-stream embers, and Aerith steps out of an alley to reveal a bustling city. The Camera pulls back to reveal Midgar, our new home, a huge ominous tower surrounded by planet-killing reactors. Then as the camera pushes in, there’s quick cuts of a train--building the tension and pace of this slow, elegant reveal. And boom: the bombing mission begins! In contrast, the remake starts with a vast desert landscape in daytime. For a moment, I thought it was meant to mirror the desert Red XIII visits at the end of VII...maybe it is. But then we see Midgar, reimagined to new glory! It was strange, but not offensive. Until we cut from day to the familiar image of Aerith looking at Mako energy. She’s prompted to leave the alley by someone...or something. And we pull back to see Midgar, as in the original. And while I’m glad we’ve remade this perfect scene, it is sabotaged by the new day-time opening. The city has been introduced twice. Revealed twice. And one is clearly more impactful than the other (the original). Ah well. Now we’re in the familiar train station. I think they’ve added some sections to give more combat opportunities for the player. It works. The combat is fun enough. I’m glad that I can “strike” as much as I want without delay, unlike Crisis Core. Maybe it’s because I played CC for hours that I’m so satisfied with this action-combat? Limiting the item and magic use to a timer was a bit awkward. I would often forget to use them. I’m still quite confused about when to use special moves like Braver. Shinra soldiers are no sweat. The graphics are great and the lighting perfectly captures the original’s style. It was fun to play a modern game with 90s aesthetics. Because the camera is now over the shoulder and not overhead, like the classic, I almost missed how many times they took the original game’s environments and reworked them for the remake. I was impressed when I discovered it and absolutely thrilled. They’ve also done a good job reworking the enemies into the game. The dialog/story is a little hit or miss. But that’s just kind of where Japanese games live, for me. In the 90s and early 2000s, most games didn’t have good writing, even if they had good stories and ideas. So Japan’s non-western style didn’t stand out that much, and they were usually cutting-edge for cinematic games and storytelling. Now that Western Games have improved so much, it’s harder for me to tolerate Japan’s eccentric style. The original game was very succinct and clear: Barret was an angry, militant rebel who saw Shinra Corp as a threat to the world. He explains clearly how the reactors are sucking up the planet’s energy. The stakes were clear. Cloud’s cool indifference was an interesting foil. Usually you’re the hero, now you’re just a jerk. While the remake did a good job showing that Cloud was specifically brought to do the fighting, proving his worth to the team, when we get to Barret’s speech about the reactor--it’s somewhat unprompted and...unspecific? It’s so over the top, I hardly realized this was “the speech”. If you’ve never played FF7 before, I’d imagine the point would be lost on you. If you have played, then you get the joke that Barret isn’t exactly an environmentalist--despite his impassioned posturing. I think this is a misstep.

But they did give side characters more of a voice in this mission, especially Jessie. They basically sacrificed Barret’s presence to give the others more talking opportunity. This works because we’re gonna get to know Barret over many, many more hours. But it also gives Barret a more solemn presence that works for his character.

Getting to the iconic scorpion bot fight, I was impressed by the challenge. The original game is still trying to let you win at this point. The only way to lose is to attack when the tail is up, unleashing a devastating laser attack. But this game really pushed me. Maybe it was meant to challenge the player and force them to experiment with different attacks and strategies. I had to heal a lot!! Also, it seemed like my dodge was worthless. Occasionally the boss would launch a barrage of missiles and when I tried to roll-dodge, I always rolled right into a missile. By the end, I just didn’t bother dodging or blocking, cause they don’t seem to do anything...maybe I suck.

Then it was time to escape. This was fun, but they introduced a new “shock trooper” or something. These guys are fast, strong, and a pain in the ass. I couldn’t dodge, I couldn’t block, and I couldn’t land a hit. I hate these guys. It seemed odd to put such a challenging enemy into the game at THIS timed moment. But maybe they assumed I’d be better at combat by now?? The biggest issue with FFVII is that you start the game as terrorists and that’s never really addressed. Sure, you’re stopping an evil corporation, but you’re doing it at the expense of innocent lives. The remake makes a smart decision here and establishes the bomb as small and insignificant. But then President Shinra orders the reactor to be destroyed--causing a huge explosion that causes a great disruption to the civilians. I assume this is an effort to paint your team as terrorists and enemies of the people. I think it’s a good twist that corrects the original’s problematic points.

After escaping the reactor, the team is faced with the aftermath of the explosion. They’re confused by the amount of destruction, but also try to rationalize the importance of their goal. While I think they were mostly trying to stretch playtime, there’s an interesting sequence of having to face the fruits of your labor: burning buildings, crashed cars, injured people receiving emergency care, displaced citizens, and complete chaos. Even though I know, as the player, that Shinra is the true cause--it’s a good beat to have the player/characters facing the consequences of rebellion.

This leads into a new take on Aerith’s introduction. This is where Japanese “styles” don’t meld with me. Aerith is fighting off invisible spirits--and it looks ridiculous. Most people would give this flower girl a wide berth, and likely not purchase her products. But Cloud is just like, “Hey, what’s up?” after blowing up a reactor... Anyway, Cloud also sees these ghosts: hooded creatures. This is new--but I wonder if it’s related to Sephiroth clones/alternatives?

Aerith runs off, and we’re treated to a vision of Sephiroth. This seems to be addressing another issue with FFVII--what is this all about? In the original, Shinra is the main enemy within the early 2-5 hours, and Sephiroth is lightly referenced. It’s not till Shinra is found murdered that we really see Sephiroth as a potential threat--let alone the “final boss”. It’s a weakness in the storytelling, for sure. But having the vision of Sephiroth appear and bring Cloud back to the fateful day seems like a real attempt to focus the narrative.

And then I had to do a lot of fighting. It was fun, and didn’t quite feel like “stretching”, but it was funny to reflect that this 30+ minute sequence was about 5 minutes of gameplay within the original. So--I’m around chapter 2 of an 18 chapter game. These chapters cover about the 5 hours of the original’s plot, but I’ve already put in 1:43 hours.

Final Fantasy VII spends so much of the early game in Midgar, it really starts to feel like home--as much as it’s meant to represent the dangers of capitalism and fossil fuels--it really becomes a part of you, like the Mansion and Police Station in Resident Evil 1 and 2. I’ve always wanted to see more of it--so I’m hopeful that this game has taken the time to really build Midgar.

[doomonfilm]

Ranking : Marvel Cinematic Universe - The Infinity Saga (2008 - 2019)

Outside of the Star Wars or James Bond franchises (or maybe even the longstanding BBC series Dr. Who), I am hard pressed to think of a bigger, more intricately connected set of films than those created by Kevin Feige for his Marvel Cinematic Universe (better known as the MCU to most people).  With the help of numerous established and upcoming stars, a vast range of directors, and a rich history of characters and events the studio could play fast and loose with, Marvel Studios spent roughly a decade transforming “comic book” films from gimmicks into legitimized artistic storytelling, forcing many studios to attempt and emulate the success of a connected “cinematic universe” without laying the groundwork needed to do so.

With WandaVision in motion on Disney+, and the release future of Black Widow still up in the air, the trajectory in which the MCU will move forward is still a mystery, but these properties firmly close the door on the initial three phases of Marvel Studios releases, collectively known as The Infinity Saga due to their connection to Thanos and the six Infinity Stones.  Individually, many of these pieces had impact, but as a whole, the overarching story that they tell is an epic feat yet to be matched. 

But enough preamble, I know what everybody came here for.  So, based solely on my opinion and nothing else, here is The Infinity Saga, as presented by Marvel Studios, ranked from least to most favorite...

23. The Incredible Hulk (2008) It’s a shame that my favorite Marvel character seems to be a conundrum when it comes to giving him a solo movie.  With a decent slice of these characters, it’s about casting the “normal” version of the character, and in the case of this film, as great of an actor as Edward Norton is, I am not sure if he can play enough self-sabotaging behaviors to believably provide us with a Bruce Banner that audiences can connect with.  As a result, The Incredible Hulk left us with an isolated protagonist (literally and figuratively) forced to carry audiences between long stretches absent of Hulk in his green glory.

22. Thor (2011) For a time, it seemed as if Thor was going to be the realm of the MCU where gravitas resided.  The Shakespearean approach to mythic heroes adapted by Marvel was fresh at the time, as Iron Man, The Incredible Hulk, Black Widow and S.H.I.E.L.D. were around, but certainly more relatable.  Bringing Thor, Odin, Loki and a host of other legendary Asgardians into the fold broadened the world, but with the entire picture of this stretch now laid out in front of us, it is clear that Chris Hemsworth had not yet found his voice as Thor.  We knew he would have to earn his worthiness and his title as King of Asgard, but I doubt anyone anticipated Thor would become one of the consistently funniest aspects of the MCU... sadly, that was not yet developed in his first film, and as a result, his introduction falls to the lower realms of the list.

21. Ant-Man and the Wasp (2018)

20. Ant-Man (2015) It was not my intention to lump the Ant-Man movies together, but in all honestly, they do work best in that capacity.  The events of both movies, for the most part, seem to satellite around the bigger nucleus narrative, and up until Avengers : Endgame, and appearance made by Ant-Man in the other films was cursory or meant to “balance the scales” (as in the case of Captain America : Civil War).  Don’t get me wrong... Paul Rudd is a fabulous addition to the MCU family, and listening to Michael Peña tell stories never gets old, but when it comes down to the big picture, Ant-Man and his two films are not the largest puzzle pieces on the table.

19. Captain Marvel (2019) The possibilities for an epic film were all there... Krees and Skrulls would finally get a chance at the spotlight, we were being teased going back in time without realizing how it would play into the resolution of our Infinity Saga storyline, and the final moments of the film made us question everything we’d been presented with up until that point.  Sadly, however, Carol Danvers turned out to be an extremely overpowered and dangerously self-unaware character, resulting in a lack of stakes or emotional connection ever really being established.  While Captain Marvel does have fun elements to it, much of the work that managed to stick was undone by her forced and underwhelming appearance in Avengers : Endgame.  Of all the properties in the MCU, this one seems to have the most whispers and rumors surrounding it in regards to its production and future within the MCU moving forward, but I will be curious to see how time treats this film.

18. Iron Man 3 (2013) Up through Phase Two of The Infinity Saga, Tony Stark was always positioned as the loner of the group.  With that in mind, it does seem a bit strange to me that his final solo film, and the first solo film after Marvel’s The Avengers, would find Tony back in isolation mode so vigorously.  In all fairness, War Machine is there (during his brief stint as The Patriot), and Pepper Potts is given the most room to play out of all three films, but as interesting as the antagonist structure for the film is, the convoluted nature of having at least three tiers of villainy almost begs the inclusion of at least one more Avenger.  Ultimately, the film does move Tony closer to the rest of the camp, but it’s odd that more Avengers weren’t involved in the actual film. 

17. Captain America : The First Avenger (2011) Of all the characters fans were presented with in the MCU, it’s hard to argue against the fact that Captain America received the most rewarding arc of any character in The Infinity Saga.  Every journey needs a starting point, and simply because it was the origin story, Captain America : The First Avenger was never destined to be the best of the MCU.  Visually, the MCU was still figuring a few things out, so some of the scrawny Cap scenes look awkward, but by the time this film is all said and done, all of the honor, character and heart needed to propel Cap forward was present and accounted for.

16. Thor : The Dark World (2013)

15. Iron Man 2 (2010) Maybe it’s a recencey bias thing, but I really enjoyed Thor : The Dark World and Iron Man 2.  Up until deciding to make this list, I’d not seen either of these films, and it was largely due to the negative reactions I’d heard from most fans and critics.  Thor : The Dark World gave us brief glimpses of where the Thor character was headed, it was a great look for Jane Foster (who is seemingly on her way back into the mix), it opened up some mystic doors that we will likely be exploring moving forward in the MCU, and due to these mystic elements, we may have seen the beginnings of S.W.O.R.D., who is already making its presence felt in Phase Four.  As for Iron Man 2, we are given the polar opposite Tony Stark from his introductory movie, and due to his seemingly unstoppable mission to erase himself, War Machine is given autonomy, and the beginnings of the Iron Legion are built.  Perhaps its a bit of a revisionist lens as well, hence these two being grouped together, but time seems to have been very kind to these two films, despite their flaws.

14. Spider-Man : Far From Home (2019) Avengers : Endgame would have been a perfect place to close the door on The Infinity Saga, but that monumental task was appointed to Spider-Man : Far From Home.  Perhaps it was that implied burden that made the film feel a bit buried under the weight of expectations.  There are certainly calls to a post-Tony Stark snap present throughout the film, but Mysterio’s plan runs seemingly independent of any previous events shown.  The mid and post-credit scenes certainly tease big things for the future, but even before COVID-19 flipped the script on the industry, it was uncertain where things where headed as the new phase unrolled.  This film was enjoyable, but almost feels like a stand-alone trapped on a bridge between two worlds of narrative.

13. Iron Man (2008) The one that started it all.  I’ve never been the biggest Iron Man fan, but I can certainly respect the large risk that Kevin Feige took by kickstarting his empire with a character seemingly caught between fame and obscurity.  Tony Stark has enough Bruce Wayne in him to make him an intriguing character, but Iron Man and Batman could not be more different from one another, which immediately gave the MCU a fresh feel in light of them using a Silver Age character.  The pool of household name talent was limited, as Sony was sitting on Spider-Man, the X-men and the Fantastic Four in 2008, but ultimately, Iron Man was a roll of the dice that paid off in a major way. 

12. Spider-Man : Homecoming (2017) Spider-Man is such an iconic character that it is sometimes hard to believe that he was not always involved in The Infinity Saga.  Tobey Maguire was the definitive Spider-Man to many fans, and Andrew Garfield was starting to build a cult following, but after a bit of legal ping-pong, Captain America : Civil War went from being an anticipated mess to possibly a shadow of its comic book counterpart when Spider-Man appeared in the trailer.  Tom Holland brought a pitch-perfect voice and sensibility to the character, and Spider-Man : Homecoming drove those feelings home (no pun intended).  It wasn’t like Spider-Man needed a boost in tandem with his entry into the MCU, but his introductory movie did most everything right (including assuming we were WELL AWARE of his often repeated origin story).

11. Guardians of the Galaxy (2014) Out of everyone that the MCU has introduced to the masses, it is safe to say that I knew the least about the Guardians of the Galaxy... in fact, my closest tie to knowledge of their existence came in the form of Howard the Duck, who shares that section of the Marvel comic universe with them.  Marvel Studios had already made me enjoy films about Thor and Iron Man, two characters I did not consider myself a fan of prior to their films, so I went out on a limb in hopes that Marvel could sell me on characters I had zero connection to.  Guardians of the Galaxy did provide another set of colors in the Marvel spectrum, and it helped open the door to Marvel’s space-centered stories, but it wasn’t until the sequel that I went back and really found an appreciation for Guardians of the Galaxy, which I will expound later.  That being said, Guardians of the Galaxy is another Marvel film that has been benefited by time and revisitation.

10. Marvel's The Avengers (2012) The main pieces had found their way to the board by the time Captain America : The First Avenger was released, and it only seemed like a matter of time before the big players would cross paths.  Rather than build to a mass collaboration via smaller duos and groupings, Marvel went all in to close Phase One by locking in The Avengers as the collective stars of The Infinity Saga.  Loki found new agency as their protagonist, but he was really just a smokescreen for the big bad of the entire saga, Thanos.  The entire run of 23 movies can be summed up or represented by the iconic shot that rotates around our heroes when they stand shoulder to shoulder for the first time, staring up at their enemy emerging from the sky.  There was no turning back at this point, and this is largely due to the wonderful execution of one of the MCU’s key films.

9. Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 2 (2017) I’m really not sure why Guardians of the Galaxy didn’t connect for me initially, but after watching Vol. 2, I felt a deeper understanding of Peter Quill, the relationship between Gamora and Nebula, and I came to love Groot and Drax even more (who didn’t immediately love Rocket Racoon?).  Kurt Russell was the evolved mirror to Chris Pratt that I didn’t know I needed, and the soundtrack contained more songs that spoke directly to me than the first film.  Some of the set pieces were downright beautiful in this film, I lowkey became a big fan of Mantis, and Yondu’s story culmination may have been the first time the MCU brought a tear to my eye.  Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 2 may deceptively be the most emotionally powerful of all the MCU films, short of Avengers : Infinity War, and for that, it must be respected, considering it all came from a little known band of upstarts.

8. Captain America : Civil War (2016) While Marvel’s The Avengers may be the first true “event” film in the MCU, the first major “event” attempted in terms of historic Marvel stories was the infamous Civil War run.  A weird mix of anticipation and fear existed in the time preceding the film’s release, as a number of key players from the comic book storyline were either not available to the MCU or had not yet been introduced into the MCU.  Speculation between who would be emerging, omitted and adjusted flew back and forth, but in the end, we were not only presented with a riveting triangle of emotion between Tony Stark, Steve Rogers and Bucky, but Spider-Man and Black Panther stepped into the spotlight (with a little dose of Ant-Man thrown in for good measure).  Had the MCU waited for a different phase, there’s no telling how many heroes and villains could have ultimately been involved, but considering what they had at the time, the MCU definitely exceeded expectations and created their own iconic version of a Marvel narrative hallmark.

7. Black Panther (2018) Outside of the final two Avenger’s, there wasn’t a more anticipated or well-received release (to my knowledge) than Black Panther.  After bursting onto the scene in Captain America : Civil War, it seemed everyone was ready for more of King T'Challa, Black Panther and Wakanda.  Chadwick Boseman became even more of a fan favorite than he already was, and Black Panther became the first MCU film to be nominated for Best Picture at the 2019 Academy Awards.  Marvel presented Wakanda, and Africa in turn, with the utmost cultural, historical and social respect, and short of a slightly underwhelming finale in terms of visual effects, it was hard to hang a complaint on Black Panther.  If the MCU had to pick a single film that they were most proud of, I would not be surprised if this was the one that was chosen.

6. Doctor Strange (2016) As a fan of science fiction, mysticism and overall weirdness, I was incredibly hype for the announcement and release of Doctor Strange.  Of all the active characters in the MCU at the time, Doctor Strange was the most obscure that I was already familiar with, and his introductory film did not disappoint.  The visual representation of the mystic arts was brilliant, casting Tilda Swinton as The Ancient One was a stroke of genius (despite many that voiced reservation to the choice), and the introduction of different dimensions and realms to the MCU hinted at the future that was to come.  With Doctor Strange and the Multiverse of Madness coming in sooner than later, it is almost certain that I will be revisiting this film, and I hope that as time goes by, it finds a bigger audience with a deeper appreciation for it. 

5. Thor : Ragnarok (2017) If I think about it hard enough, I can probably find a character that will contradict this statement, but I’m hard pressed to think of a character than took a bigger personality jump between individual films than Thor did between The Dark World and Ragnarok.  We got shades of a new Thor in The Dark World, and he was really starting to come out of his shell in Avengers : Age of Ultron, but I’m not sure if anyone expected for Taika Waititi to not only turn Thor into possibly the most loveable Avenger, but make his third film a psychedelic masterpiece of fun.  Thor and Loki have never had better chemistry, Cate Blanchett was surprisingly well cast as Hela, and most everyone’s favorite MCU iteration of the Hulk came to life (not to mention a brief nod to Beta Ray Bill being present for keen viewers).  It may not be the best film in the MCU, but Thor : Ragnarok is almost certainly the one viewers gravitate towards if they make a quick selection.

4. Avengers : Endgame (2019) How do you end a story arc that spans more than 20 films?  Well, for starters, you bring every character to the table, collect every expectation that fans have for them, and then kick all of those expectations to the side and forge a completely wild, new and unexpected path.  For a large portion of Endgame’s runtime, it is tonally and stylistically different than any other Avengers film, but near the end, when the rubber hits the road, Thanos and his legions of followers take part in one of the most epically satisfying stands against our heroes already present, only for the world of the MCU to open up and rain the most enjoyable and acceptable fan service ever to be captured to film, including the most iconic Captain America moment of all time.  

3. Avengers : Age of Ultron (2015) For a long while, this film stood as my clear-cut favorite in the MCU.  I didn’t even know I was a Vision fan until he emerged from his chamber, and the introduction of Scarlet Witch has brought me nothing but joy.  David Spader brought some of the best antagonist personality in his powerful portrayal of Ultron, and the party scene provided one of my favorite non-action sequences in all of the MCU.  The interactions between the Avengers had the best balance of all their collaborative films during Age of Ultron, and Scarlet Witch took each of our heroes to the darkest corners of their mind.  Perhaps people had other ideas in mind when they learned that Tony and Bruce’s murderbot was due for a screen appearance, but for my money’s worth, Age of Ultron was the first Avengers film that blew my mind, and still stands as my personal favorite of the Avengers movies.

2. Avengers : Infinity War (2018) Easily the most epic of all the MCU films, Infinity War set the stage for a truly iconic struggle between the Earth’s mightiest heroes and the seemingly unstoppable Thanos that had been promised over many, many films, and in the opening rounds, Infinity War delivered.  For all of the combinations of characters we’d been provided, we’d yet to see Tony interact with Doctor Strange or Star-Lord, and each of those meetings yielded hilarious results.  The stakes had never been higher prior to Infinity War, and the costs had not been greater up to this point.  I personally remember people in theaters being nearly moved to tears when their favorite heroes (especially Spider-Man) began turning into dust, like they were watching Schindler’s List.  If the MCU collectively raised the bar for comic book movies, then Infinity War raised the bar for the MCU. 

1. Captain America : The Winter Soldier (2014) The MCU has more than a handful of classic films under their belt, but Captain America : The Winter Soldier is probably the sole film of the MCU that feels like a proper action/adventure suspense-thriller, like it was penned by John Grisham.  The connection between Bucky and Cap is kinetic in its swings between impending hope and tragedy, and the level of combat and action in the film is second to none.  This was the film where the Cap that the masses know and love stepped into his own as a hero and a leader.  Of all the directors that Marvel Studios has tapped, the Russo Brothers seem to have the secrets unlocked to make a great MCU film, and Captain America : The Winter Soldier is the pound for pound best they’ve offered yet.

[falkenscreen]

Eurovision Song Contest: The Story of Fire Saga

There’s bad, there’s good, and there’s Eurovision.

The European ‘Song’ Contest, to which this film for many will serve as introduction, neither sits at any apex of cultural achievement nor the ironic bulwarks of saccharine kitsch to which many entrants aspire. Rather, amidst its longevity and oddly unique role in cross-border co-operation, the competition, to which Australia is specially beholden, marks its own measures of success and brands of cultural height.

Tied not necessarily to any independent form, skill or recognisable ingenuity, appeal relies on brazenness, melding of styles and a nakedly single-minded, utterly shameless pursuit of shock-filled fun. To this end, it’s amazing Will Ferrell and Adam McKay haven’t mined these depths already.  

Reportedly a huge fan of the show, Ferrell, committing as always, is regretfully on auto-pilot for whole lengths, drawing on the manner and storylines of his underrated Blades of Glory and early success Zoolander as regards the relationship between his Lars and the characters’ “extremely handsome father;” Pierce Brosnan having some fun with comedy for change.

The story is of the broadest if heart-warmingly familial strokes elevated by its novel focus on the tournament; anyone who’s seen more than one Ferrell comedy (Old School fans should recognise one of the gags) will be across these stylings; complete with a Blades-esque MacGuffin in the form of an unreachable note. We’re all familiar with the follow your dreams against all opposition arc and even if it can get tired it doesn’t get old.

With Ferrell persistently glaring at the camera ala his Mustafa and reminding everyone that he’s here to make them laugh, McAdams, unsurprisingly, is best in show. Her reactions to a pro forma troupe of yet unseen backup dancers invading her solo and her negotiations with a group of elves, yes elves; pure gold. Viewers seem to be constantly finding out that the severely underappreciated comic performer can put in turn after turn like this and unlike Ferrell nails the balance of earnestness, knowing self-seriousness and tactless flamboyance central to Eurovision’s greatest hits.

There’s a caveat that has to be given before anyone watches this movie and that is you are only going to enjoy this if you are moderately familiar with and endeared by Eurovision. The film does not serve as a primer for the uninitiated absent proper grounding in the dynamics of the competition and those unbeholden to its unique stylings will likely feel as unimpressed by Ferrell’s tonally similar antics.

For those most dedicated decades-long Eurovision fans who wake up at 5am every year to watch every Semi-Final live, this author among them, you will get many a high off of this and more so for our having sadly missed the contest in its traditional form this May past. To the filmmakers’ great credit, they picked Iceland as the focus and amidst many playful digs at the nation, the treatment of the Icelandic Government being a highlight, managed to nail the effective winners of this year’s non-tournament.

And it would not be a Eurovision movie without being (in respects) avowedly self-referential, with the film taking some time out of proceedings to address that this is in no small part a group of North Americans behind and in front of the camera. Taking the mickey via another appropriately parodic band of US tourists who have only just landed in town, it’s some of the tightest scripting therein as every line hits the mark. Itself landing on Netflix, Fire Saga is probably best served by a platform where the most well-attuned fans can discover this and return for repeat viewings at their leisure and as they might otherwise have tuned into the annual tradition.  

The varied numbers (and song titles) which form the lead-up to and actual competition are successes not just for their catchiness and necessary originality but for effectively satirising one of the hardest things to mock and exaggerating that which barely bears exaggeration; generating in the process what would typically be Eurovision bangers in any given year. Graciously recognising that Belarus are invariably stand-outs, there’s a classy Lordi reference alongside years-old highlights and fair acknowledgement of the pivotal (if often biased) roles respective countries’ commentators play. The hark-backs  to classic Eurovision numbers will have any fan beaming and the elapsing of the first Semi-Final, encompassing one of the great Eurovision props, is uproarious while speaking to the extremely sincere ethos of the entire escapade.

The blocking of the stage performances, akin to how the broadcasts are typically handled, are too coyly deferential and situate us amongst this extravagance better than a more highly stylised or numerous camera setup which would have likely faltered.

Stars of past, clearly having the time of their lives in this reunion, welcomely make appearances, among them Alexander Rybak (“trust us, bring a violin”), though the best and most welcome surprise comes from a winner of recent years lovingly reciting one of Eurovision’s very best numbers on Edinburgh’s streets.

On this, there are varyingly hilarious interpretations as to why the competition was set in Edinburgh. It could be acknowledging that the British are least likely to win this and if so even less likely to relegate the fanfare to Edinburgh, though with the Russian entrant (Downton Abbey’s Dan Stevens) explicitly lampooning the Isles’ standing in the tournament its more likely the filmmakers’ subtle advocacy of the longstanding hope that Scotland will one day get their own highly competitive place.

As to Stevens’ contender, it’s a well-known problem that many of the countries which participate have appalling records on human rights and LGBT welfare. Amidst a more dramatically sensitive reckoning with this matter, his performance, Stevens’ best to date, is outright hilarious as Lemtov lion-tames extremely scantily-clad men about the stage in typical Eurovision fashion.  

Lovingly landing jabs on the annual extravaganza, infamous for its nondescript, heavily generic slogans, the tagline ‘Perfect Harmony’ for the in-film comp shows that we’re dealing with real fans here, as does moreover the exclamation, as to why there are no cars on the road, that everyone’s  “at home, watching Eurovision.” The film too acknowledges the constant push for and joy when singers indeed sing in Indigenous languages or emphatically about wherever they’ve ventured from with several seemingly throwaway gags, including a great one centring on whales, happily coming full circle.

Absent the voting process, this is too a stickler for Eurovision lore and procedure; though Sweden did have seven performers on stage and should have been disqualified.

Finally, there’s an odd tone at the centre of this film which arrests it from the heights of greatness to which Eurovision otherwise transpires. Co-produced by Jon Ola Sand of the European Broadcasting Union who makes an appearance here and in every Eurovision, even if, and it would be fairly speculative and unusual if so, full creative and parodic freedom were permitted alongside the name’s licensing rights and co-operation, a parody, even a loving one, just isn’t the same when the subjects and stalwarts are so in on the joke and stand to so outwardly benefit.

Yes Eurovision relies to some extent on being self-referential ala ‘Love, Love, Peace, Peace’ but it was only one year among many where the hosts winkingly outshone competitors; the platform otherwise persisting on a lifeblood of entrants’ own (and self-professed devotees) earnest if outlandish skewering. Regular commentator Graham Norton’s true to life cameos are notably distinct and illustrative in this regard; his mawkish if impassioned demeanour emblematic of the tone pursued herein, just like a local townsman declaring “we know they’re awful, but they’re our awful!”

It’s why Trey Parker and Matt Stone refused celebrities the opportunity to voice their own marionettes in Team America, and why Zoolander 2 never worked when all the fashion icons wanted to show they could poke fun at themselves as well. Sure it meant a lot of the gags here might not have happened, but if they’d called it almost anything else the same niche audience would have lined up and there’s no way the winners past wouldn’t have joined the festivities for what turned out to be our collective annual dose of insanity.

‘Eurovision Song Contest: The Story of Fire Saga’ is now streaming on Netflix

[inkdrinkershadowsinger]

Thoughts/ Background The Deathly Hallows Part Two

The introduction music is so haunting. The castle in all its glory is haunted by dementors and fog. Snape is solitary. Everything is singular and empty on the grounds. The only color we see at Hogwarts during this time is during the final battle when McGonagall pushes Harry out of the way, and we see that flash of fire from her wand. That’s when you know stuff is about to kick off.

Griphook sounds so lost as to why Harry would bury Dobby. The divide between creatures and wizards, between goblins and wizards has gotten so great that neither side even thinks to assume that the other possesses even the smallest hint of kindness or humility. This is a fic all in itself.

What are the goblins stake in the sword? What is with the mention of the tiara in the books? I feel like Rowling had more to say about this topic, but for some reason she didn’t.

I hate that Fleur seems to be so meek in this movie. I want her to be this badass fighter chick, the kind of person who the Goblet of Fire would chose once again to play one of the most challenging games ever, the kind of person who would leave her country and family for an amazing opportunity and adventure, but her character wasn’t given much time or space to be free to show itself in that manner.

Wandlore is super fascinating. Is there a book about wandlore? Like a companion book like Quidditch Through the Ages? I feel like there should be.

It looks like that is a quilt patch behind Harry’s head. It would have been a gift from Mrs. Weasley.

It always bothered me that Luna was just like, “Yeah, I’m going back to school.” They just locked her butt up in the dungeons, and then she decides to go back to a school where the people who locked her up are currently in power and could torture her for information about the whereabouts of Harry Potter, the person she literally just escaped with. I think, that’s why this scene was cut from the final cut of the basic DVD versions.

Ron is so quick here to be like, “They suspect us. They suspect us.” But the silence doesn’t go on for that long. It feels like someone with such an iron gut gets antsy really quickly, and not antsy like sweating a bit, but antsy like he’s about to start crying. It just seems weird. One of the basic security measures to the bank might be that they have like a gas that leaks through that makes people feel paranoid or something like that. You want to get 200 galleons out, but what happens if you get robbed on the way out the door? Better to only get 100, thus keeping money in the bank under the goblins eyes. It would help keep out thieves as well, petty and otherwise.

None of the other goblins think that something is off with the behavior of this one goblin who seems to be in a positon of authority?

Goblins are keyed into the various vaults? Which means that they could seal them at any time as well, right? Is this in the books?

Hermione, baby, your Gryffindor is showing, and it is SEXY!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! Lol

Those goblins are like, “Assume the fire breathing position.”

You can see how deep down they are. And I know this isn’t real, but to think that that dragon would have only had that small opening of real light shining down on it all that time is truly depressing.

Litearlly, they all deserve to bite it after what that dragon was put through.

“And he’s homicidal.”

“We plan, we get there, all hell breaks loose.” I feel that.

I always assumed that Voldemort when to Gringotts and killed the goblins. But no, he summoned them to Malfoy Manor, and then killed them. Why would he do it like that?

That mirror is rectangular, but I always envisioned the mirrors as being circular.

Why does Aberforth tell them that the Order is finished? He knows that it isn’t. This whole speech of his is very demoralizing. But Harry dgaf…..

This, “I trusted the man I knew” attitude is why Harry named one of his children Albus Severus.

Hermione is the one who asks questions of Aberforth, and yet, he directly responds to Harry. I always thought that was odd.

And Aberforth has been helping them the whole time? Then why the speech?

Neville badass Longbottom.

Another nod to the books.

I wanted some more information about what was going on in Hogwarts while Harry, Ron, and Hermione were on the run. I wanted to hear more about what Dumbledore’s Army were getting up to while the others were hunting horcruxes. There were tasters of it in the book, but I would have loved to have had more of it tbh.

Fact: Neville’s plant from five is the mascot for the Hogwart’s resistance.

“She gots lost of those, hasn’t she?” This line from Seamus at the very beginning of this movie just made it so perfect. This movie is a gosh dang masterpiece.

Snape had such a hard job. I mean, I know people hate on Snape, and I can understand their reasoning, but I have a soft spot for the man. Maybe I read too much fanfiction because fanfic!Snape and canon!Snape are two very different individuals.

Harry’s name among these students is the stuff of legend. The way they all look around and start talking carries that spark of hope that good rumors sometimes have.

Harry, “Perfect timing group.”

People back up when Harry faces Snape. People move the hell out of dodge when McGonagall draws her wand.

Snape takes out the two Carrows behind him before he apparates out of the school.

Padma gets zero dances at the Yule Ball, and then Voldemort invades her mind. Great.

Pansy, my darling, there is a time to speak and there is a time to stay silent. Read the room.

Filch, ditto.

Why do all of the magical, “evil” Slytherins allow Filch, a squib, to lock them up?

Even the portraits are getting out of there.

All the kids in the background are completely flummoxed.

“Boom!”

Say that five times fast. No, say it once without messing up and you get to be bff’s with Maggie Smith.

This spell is sick, this music is sick, McGonagall is a queen. When I saw this in theater, my skin got goose pimples. “Do your duty for our school!” It is just so amazing, and iconic. This whole scene makes me feel so empowered, and pumped like I’m about to head into battle, like I’m about to defend my home and my life.

My thoughts on the diadem and the other founders objects can be found in a post that I made. My thoughts are strong, and though they aren’t canon, they are still unspoken canon.

Voldemort is like, “I was about to monologue. Why you speaking to me?”

“You okay, Freddie?” Don’t come at me like that, writers.

We all died laughing in the theater when Ron said that. “Harry talks in his sleep.” Harry only speaking parseltongue when around snakes theory is still enforced when you think about the snake Pettigrew sneaking around the whole time.

Exactly why the fuck does Remus need Tonks more than her small child? I never understood this line, and I never liked them as a couple. Thought the book version was creepy, and the movie version unrealized.

Some movies really don’t need to be split into two for the ending *Divergent trilogy* but this one really benefitted from having two films. I wouldn’t want this huge battle scene and character plot and humor to be lost.

No one thinks to cast a spell to catch Neville??? This is like the first flying lesson all over again.

Go, Mr. Weasley, you are on fire.

Kingsley, whip their arses with that fancy shit. LET’S GO!!!!!!

Harry reached out to Ginny first. This movie is so lacking in any real chemistry between these two actors and characters that it is almost painful. This is one instance, that I never noticed before, that makes all of their other interactions less cringey to watch.

Neville almost died on that bridge. He might as well tell Luna how he feels. I love this and can fully ship canon book couples with canon movie couples at the same time. Thank you very much.

That kiss between them is so weird. I just can’t.

Hermione in this scene is proof that men rattle your brain with smooches. Lol

So, if you are using the room of requirement for something, and someone who already has been in that same room, and wants it for the same reason that you do, they can get in as well? But not if they want it for the same reason, which is why Umbridge couldn’t be get it in Order of the Phoenix.”

There are so many Easter eggs in this scene in the ROR. You can see a chess piece from 1, pixies from 2. It just enforces my headcanon that the house elves use the ROR as a sort of dumping ground for the random stuff that they find at the school.

Harry is so gosh dang blasé about seeing Draco again. He’s just like, “What’s up, dude?” He is not concerned in the slightest that he has three wands pointed at him right now. They are just causally chatting about whose wand each other has got.

The statue of the pig right behind Harry and Hermione. It would make sense Voldemort would try to totally remake Hogwarts, and I think that would go into removing those odd little things that make the castle a bit quirky. The castle looks bleak and unnaturally bland compared to the other movies. It would make sense that he would want statues of hogs also taken out.

You see the lanterns that Slughorn had at his Christmas party.

Why is the fire morphing into different animals? The phoenix attacks Draco, Blaise, and Goyle, the tiger chases Ron and Hermione, and then the snake goes after Harry. And then they all converge on the trio? Why make it animals? Is there any significance to this? I never noticed that they were actually animals before.

Finding the brooms perfect. Saving them perfect. Killing the horcrux then kicking it into the flames. Perfect.

The music while the trio are fighting to get to boat house is so haunting and lovely and it’s like it calls to every nostalgic atom in your body.

Really, death eater, you’ve got time to stop and cast the cruciatus on someone in the middle of this warzone?

I love that Hermione was the one to blast Fenrir away from Lavender. So touching.

Aberforth, Mr. IT IS ALL GOING TO END HORRIBLY WHY EVEN TRY, has enough hope and good memories to cast away that many dementors. Yeah, he’s fake.

Voldemort just doesn’t like that Snape is taller than him.

I just wanted a touch of the friendship that was expressed between Lily and Snape in the book. Harry understood it, and said it perfectly at the end of book seven. I wanted some of that to translate to screen. It wasn’t just because Snape had some weird crush on her it was because they were friends, best friends. Ron and Harry and Hermione friendship. The next time someone comes at me with that bull I’m just going to refer them back to the facts.

This is probably the first time that Snape had ever been allowed to really look at Harry as a person rather than someone who is supposed to hate him. It is the first time that he could be unguarded around him.

Snape hired more healers. Why else would they be there? He knew that with the group in charge that as in power, that they would be needed.

I can’t stand this barrage of lost souls. It is painful, and I get flashbacks from when I read the book for the first time, and the pages were covered in my tears.

It doesn’t look like Snape even has anything in this office. It looks barren. He knew he had no time to get comfortable in his position.

That tree is beautiful.

I love their friendship. I will always love their friendship.

Look at Snape and all those books. Lily and Snape, the studious, top of their year duo with the Marauders who eschew libraries but still manage to succeed. I don’t need to think hard to imagine the rivalry. In fact, I did imagine it, and wrote some down in the thing, message me if you would like part of the thing.

Hermione knew, or at least, strongly suspected that Harry was going to have to do what he sets off to accomplish, for sure.

I love that when Harry walked into the forest to face down death that he had these people, these guardians, these people who at one point or another swore to protect this boy with everything that they have get to be the ones that are with him at the end just like at the beginning. Things are different for them, and different from how they thought it would be when Harry was born into this world, but they still kept their promise.

“Does it hurt?” This is something that a child asks. We forget that Harry, here, is only supposed to be 17 years old, that’s a kid. Added to that, you have the very real

“We’re here, you see?” Perfect.

“Stay close to me?” “Always.”

My thoughts mean nothing in the perfection of this scene.

Hagrid is still looking out for Harry’s best interest. He is the only adult worth a flip in more than half of these films.

“The boy who lived come to die.”

I know Dumbledore is like, “The man” here, and the mentor or whatever, but I would have really have liked to have the person who met Harry at Kings Cross had been Snape especially after harry had just learned the truth. Way more dynamic.

Narcissa straight up lied to the most dangerous wizard ever. She deserved that pardon for her family. All she wanted was out, and to take care of her son, and I respect that. Don’t give a dang for the rest of the world when they would gladly let you burn. Take care of number one even when number one is a group instead of a single entity.

You hear that noise when Neville picks up the hat, and if you read the books, you know what he just found. He was out there preparing and scouting for another battle, and Hogwarts rewarded him.

Hagrid carrying in Harry’s body was so painful to watch. Visually, there little death parade plus the music just puts you in this anxious state. Pinpricks.

The acting by Bonnie Wright here is superb. The lack of chemistry is not equally weighted on her shoulders.

Luna looks at Draco like she is sick. Then like she is sad. I hate it. She was wishing for something else there for sure.

The way Dean Thomas looks at Voldemort in this scene is the way that I feel about that weird af hug.

Voldemort has to restrain himself from killing Neville on the spot for interrupting him.

Neville has never in the course of these movies failed to speak when needed. He stood up to the trio in 1, and he spoke up against Seamus and nearly everyone else in the common room in Ootp. Neville stands up for what is right.

All of those death eaters are like, “Fuck! This boy came back to life again? What are the Dark Lord’s AK’s broken? Nevermind, fuck this shit, I’m out.”

That music when Neville regains consciousness. YES!

See, if Voldemort didn’t play with his food, he might have won.

NOT MY DAUGHTER YOU BITCH!!!! When I say people cheered and screamed in the theater when Molly said and did this epic shit I ain’t kidding. IT WAS AND STILL IS ONE OF THE MOST ICONIC HP QUOTES OF ALL TIME!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! ONE OF THE BEST, MOST EMPOWERING QUOTES!!!!!!! We all want Molly Weasley to have our backs like this.

The whole ending of this movie is LEGENDARY!!!! I went to the midnight showing for the release of this movie with a bunch of other diehards, and seeing Neville cut the head off of the snake, and watching Harry finally beat Voldemort with the elder wand. I mean, we were literally just in such a state of excitement and yes and hallelujah, it was insane.

Neville and Luna. I see y’all.

Percy is talking to Arthur, reconciling.

That guy behind Cho is definitely about to shoot his shot with someone.

Filch, bless his heart.

Ron and Hermione. Harry knows. Harry blesses this union. Harry has been the number one ship captain this whole time, and now he is rewarded.

I like that Harry snapped the wand in the movie. See, if book Harry had snapped the wand, the Cursed Child would have never graced our consciousness with its heteronormative agenda. Scorbus is life. Fight me.

This series has had such a serious impact on me. I love it. I spend hours upon hours inside of this universe every day as beloved fanfiction writers play inside of it’s territory. It made me a reader. It helped me when I wasn’t sure what was next for me in life. It gave me entertainment and enjoyment, and still does. I love it, and I hope that I always will. We cling to the thought of magic because we hope that it is really, we hope that like in this world where there is magic that cannot be easily be explained exists. We hope that in our world, too, there is that same kind of magic that can wrap itself around us.

I think that kind of magic is real. I just think that we have to look for it, remember it, talk about, cherish it, and spread it around for others who have forgotten to look for it themselves. And great literature, like this series, helps us to do that.

That is why it will be remembered for generations to come. At least, if I have anything to say about it.

[clairen45]

Digging into Rey and Kylo’s Spotify Playlists- part 1: episode 7 songs

The Shut Up and Dance with Me post really pushed me to go through the songs from the Spotify playlists and give you the lowdown, as I see it. That these lists even exist is beyond me! And, just to be clear, these lists have been released in 2015 pre-TFA. With no modification, even pre or post TLJ. No added material. If anything, they actually removed some songs from the lists: 2 for Kylo and 3 for Rey. I don’t think the changes necessarily meant that the songs were too revealing or, on the contrary, didn’t fit the characters anymore. It might just be copyright or legal issue or some artistic differences or god knows what. But again, the point of these lists were to get to know the characters a little better. Some characters we already knew of course, the big three ( Luke, Leia, Han Solo), but also Obi-Wan and Yoda, a list for Anakin and a list for Vader, Padmé, Mace Windu, Bobba Fett, Chewbacca... Lists for new characters: Finn, BB8... surprisingly no Poe Dameron. By the way, I think the Dark Side’ list is super interesting! And of course Rey and Kylo. Rey’s list is full of pop, girl empowerment anthem kind of songs, with a few romantic ballads, which already meant something. Kylo’s is of course full of angsty rock. I don’t want to comment on the genre. My mission was less on the musical genres than on the lyrics and how they can shed some light on the characters and their fates. Because, sure, a team chose these songs to let us know about the characters but, honestly, guys, I think somebody let them in on the rough draft of the whole ST. Because post TLJ it is obvious that a lot of songs apply to what happened as far as Rey and Kylo are concerned in this movie. And since we have our bunch of ep 7 songs, and a bunch of ep 8 songs, well, it appears a bunch of songs don’t fit either and could very well give us key information about ep 9. Before I get accused again of “reaching” (LOL), let us be honest: I think they put a lot of care into those playlists. So no, I don’t think coincidences are accidental. And yes, I think it’s fair to speculate about episode 9 looking at the songs. So let’s take the journey and crack these songs together.

There are 53 songs for Kylo (I am excluding the original soundtrack every time) and 54 for Rey. Rey’s playlist also has tunes in common with Padmé, Leia, and Luke. 4 songs in common with Padmé, quite a lot: Smoke and Fire, Rich Girl, Fighter, and Bulletproof. With Leia: Smoke and Fire, and the fact that they both have Love is a Battlefield, except that Leia is Pat Benatar’s song, and Rey’s is Jordin Spark’s song. Same title, different songs. This marks Rey as the “heiress” to these two heroines, which is not surprising. I think it is quite remarkable that she shares so many songs with Padmé, as regards the Anidala inversion we always talk about. Rich Girl, in particular, because Padmé was a Queen, so yes, the rich girl, whereas in Rey’s case the song is ironic. Rey also shares 2 song with Luke: Wild by Troye Sivan (I honestly don’t get what this song does on Luke’s playlist, so that must mean something potentially), and Adventure of a Lifetime. With Luke as a mentor to Rey in ep 8, that would kind of make sense that they would share something. I honestly merely skimmed through all the playlists, but Rey and Kylo seem to be the only one who share  songs with other characters (if I am wrong, please correct me). Kylo shares 3 songs, 1 with Anakin (and NOT Vader), Bored to Death, 1 with BB8, Destroy the Map, and one with Mace Windu on You want a Battle (Here’s War). Interesting also. I won’t necessarily comment on that today, because there is a lot to go through, but these are thoughts to save and process later maybe.

Some songs can also fit two, maybe the three, episodes. And also, I have noticed something very interesting in Rey’s playlist: a lot of songs that feature in her playlist seem to be more from Kylo’s POV (like Shut up and Dance). They should normally feature on his list but because they would break away from the others in terms of genre, it is probably how they ended on Rey’s list. I found on Kylo’s playlist 1 song that, to me, should rather feature on Rey’s list, but again, would seem odd in terms of genre.

1.KYLO’S LIST/ EPISODE 7

Kylo’s list also seems way more descriptive about his character, angst, inner conflict, feelings of pain and revenge, than Rey’s list. There is a lot of songs talking about past abuse and family conflict. Sweet Dreams by Marilyn Manson is a good example: “ Some of them want to use you/ Some of them want to get used by you/ Some of them want to abuse you/ Some of them want to be abused”. References to dreams and nightmares in Kylo’s playlist are also quite noteworthy because they tie in with Rey’s visions as described in TFA: she hears voices in her dreams, and when she first sees Kylo, she knows that she has seen him before “in a dream, in a nightmare”. We can also find some parallels with the plot in episode 7: the Jakku massacre, meeting Rey, killing Han... Recurring themes are, without surprise, fire, death, suffering, dreams and nightmares...

This Means War (Avenged Sevendold). That song is packed with so much about his feelings and his introduction in the ST. It goes on and on really. I could quote the whole thing. But here are the highlights :

Hide my face again, harbor in the shadows (duh!) Feel this weight of sin hammering away Die, with the guilt of a thousand AWOL soldiers (The pull to the light) Die, watch the scythe usher me astray (Lor San Tekka’s execution)

The ugly side of me is strong

Carry me to nowhere  (Jakku is nowhere!) Lie!Mask the pain Of a child who's forsaken Lie! To myself Praise the new regime (honestly, did they write the song for Kylo?)

I left me long ago Reasons you'll never know No one to miss me when I'm gone With no more words to say No argument to stay. Another post I don't belong (Lor San Tekka: The First Order rose from the dark side. You did not)

No home to call my own No finding someone new No one to break the fall No one to see me through No name to carry on No promise for today No one to hear the call (Oh hon, hang on, the girl is coming!) Buy into the fear (Rey: You are afraid!) My serpent blood can strike so cold (Murderous snake! again) Another thought I can't control (Force bond much?)

Elements of TFA Plot:

Legion of Evil (OFF): “Break down houses”, “ Mystery crews on a murderous spree” (the opening on Jakku, with his mysterious identity) but also “Retaliation against horrible gods/Treasonous snakes with gentlemen's lies/ Waving a false flag to sell the deception” which of course are reminiscent of his line to Rey about the Resistance: “ You mean the murderers traitors and thieves you call your friends ? “. But can also ironically evoke Snoke’s influence on him: he is the treasonous snake with gentlemen’s lies. Or even to him as seen from Rey’s POV in 7 and at the beginning of TLJ: “a treasonous snake”/ “murderous snake”/ “liar”...

The Red (Chevelle) and Evil Eye (Franz Ferdinand), both emphasize the color red, which is Kylo’s color theme.Thunder and Lightning (Motorhead”, “ Maybe you'll die, maybe you'll fly/ Fire in the sky, thunder and lightning”.  Heart of Fire (Black Veil Brides): “ I feel alive inside I won't be terrorized, I'll take all the blame/This heart of fire is burning proud/ I am every dream you lost and never found/ This heart of fire is stronger now”. Also the attack on Jakku.

The Map plot: R2 where are U (Flying Lotus): it takes both BB8 and R2 to find Luke’s hideout. This song is also on BB8′s list by the way. Destroy the Map  (36 Crazy Fists). Obviously the title is interesting because Kylo gives up on the map and gets Rey instead. The song presents some other interesting points: something that could evoke Starkiller base “ And the clouds don't break when the sun is on empty” , and also something that seems to fit straight into TLJ: “You couldn't hold your mouth to stop the sound/ With all these riches on the tip of your tongue/And I was trying to dampen it all out/You were talking louder than I should here/Producing nothing but all these mirrors”, “ Where the baptized drown/We used to breathe” (Rey in the cave) “This time, our time, we have, we'll last”. So gain some songs can actually fit more than 1 episode.

Failing on Starkiller: beaten up by Rey, never got the intel about Luke... At least I’m known for something (New Found Glory): “ I've figured out my situation/ I am an endless source of useless information/ Give me bad news could be something expecting/ I let my front down/ And I know I will regret it/ /But you don't know that and I'm the one to blame for it/'Cause I'm destined for failure“. More Starkiller: My own Summer (Deftones): “ Hey you, big star/ Tell me when it's over”.

Family and Han:

Refusing his legacy. War on the Palaces (Refused):

I carry history with me I carry hope   (I see you Ben You are My Only Hope Solo!!!!) All the nameless faces before us Let's carry them all

I wanna carry the dead (his attachment for Vader instead of the living members of his family) Wage war on the palaces

Bored to Death (Blink 182): “ And it's a long way back from seventeen/The whispers turn into a scream/And I'm, I'm not coming home/Save your breath, I'm nearly/ Bored to death”. Mene (Brand New): “ My father spoke of prophecy/ To think that I believed is self-centered of me/There was something I was trying to say/ But then I choked on it and now it's getting kind of late” (@madandmisquoted did a meta on how Kylo mumbles “I love you dad”+ “It is too late”). Indestructible (Rancid): “ It's so fake now, everything I see right through/I'm ashamed now to say I ever know you” evoke his scene with Han. I don’t wanna Hear It (Minor Threat): “ I don't want to hear it/ I'm sick and tired of all your lies/ I don't want to hear it/ When are you gonna realize.”. Family and mommy issues: Down With the Sickness (Disturbed): “ It seems what's left of my human side/ Is slowly changing in me”, “ It seems you're having some trouble/ In dealing with these changes/ Living with these changes / The world is a scary place/ Now that you've woken up the demon in me”, “ No mommy, don't do it again/Don't do it again/ I'll be a good boy/I'll be a good boy, I promise No mommy don't hit me/ Why did you have to hit me like that, mommy?”. 

Conflict

Got the Life (Korn): “Hate, something, someway, each day, dealing with no forgiveness/ Why? This shit inside/ Now everyone will follow/ So give me nothing just feel/ And now this shit will follow/ God begs me, the more I see the light, who wants to see?”. Strife (Trivium): “ I reach for calm/ I starve for a balance unknown/ This burden tortures me deep in my soul” ; “ Guilt buries me alive/ In a coffin criticized/ I shouldered the blame and dug this hole for me to lay in”. Duality (Slipknot). The title says it all, but it definitely applies to the scene with Han: “ You cannot kill what you did not create”;  “Pull me back together/ Or separate the skin from the bone/ Leave me all the pieces, and then you can leave me alone” (Can apply to “I’m feeling torn apart”, “I killed your son, he was foolish and weak” ).

The Girl

I know that’s what you’ve been waiting for. There are 2 major songs about Rey in that list and one them has been removed, A Cross and a Girl Named Bless (Evans Blue). That song presents some elements that stretch all the way to 9. I’m including it here, because of the obvious reference to the way they meet on Takodana:

She's holding out for weapons to kill the ghosts inside (She shoots at a ghostlike figure in the forest)

Or at least kill the thoughts she has of killing her mind (Get out of my head!)

She says "I love you" with her hands (TLJ: Smut Hut)

She says "I hate you" with her eyes (You have that look from the forest..)

There's a pretty girl somewhere with a pretty name (What girl?)

But I could never let you know how much this means I swear we'll end this war, because we both know

It wasn't worth fighting for  (Major episode IX spoiler)

She, she said to me I will be driving in the wrong direction Did you ever think that maybe your life

Is heading in the wrong direction, baby? (Throne Room Scene)

There's a cross up on the wall See from the corner of your eye When you're down on you knees...and she's begging please So go and lay back down tonight Because you won't know who you are

Until you're down on your knees...your begging please (End of TLJ, Crait)

The other big song is The Answer (Savages):

Wish me luck This was a hard year And I can't see No brighter future Wish me luck I saw the answer It was a girl (What girl?) Will you go ask her  (Interrogation scene, the girl is all we need) I saw the answer Will you go ask her Love is the answer

Evil (Interpol): “ Heaven restores you in life/ You're coming with me/ Through the aging, the fearing, the strife/ It's the smiling on the package/ It's the faces in the sand” (the abduction, Rey is literally a face in the sand, the smile...), “You're weightless, semi-erotic/ You need someone to take you there/Sandy, why can't we look the other way?/Why can't we just play the other game?” (he carries her in his arms like a feather, You need a teacher!).

There is also a song there that is all about Rey’s POV on Kylo in TFA. Headstrong (Trapt) screams Rey during the interrogation scene. But, again, they couldn’t have put it on her playlist so it features on his instead.

Circling your head contemplating everything you ever said (getting in HIS head) Now I see the truth I got a doubt  (You... are afraid you will never be as trong as Darth Vader!) A different motive in your eyes and now I'm out (escapes the interrogation room) See you later I see your fantasies You wanna make it a reality baby paved in gold See inside, inside of our heads yeah Well now that's over

Back off I'll take you on (Forest duel) Headstrong to take on anyone (Come on, that is SO Rey!) I know that you are wrong Headstrong we're Headstrong Back off I'll take you on Headstrong to take on anyone I know that you are wrong This is not where you belong (Trying to turn him in 8)

I can't give everything away (I won’t give you anything!) I won't give everything away

2.REY’S PLAYLIST/EPISODE 7

JAKKU

There are songs about Rey’s life conditions on Jakku. Poverty in Rich Girl (Gwen Stefani): “ If I was a rich girl/ See, I'd have all the money in the world, if I was a wealthy girl/ No man could test me, impress me, my cash flow would never ever end/ Cause I'd have all the money in the world, if I was a wealthy girl”. Of course the morale of the song is “All the riches in the world don’t mean anything without your love”. To remind us that if Rey has dreams it’s mostly about finding love and belonging. Interesting that she shares this song with Padmé who had the riches + the love and still didn’t get her happy ever after, but more on that later...

New Americana (Halsey) about survival of the fittest, the daily struggle of poverty, social divide. That one is also interesting because of its reference to James Dean: “ Young James Dean, some say/ He looks just like his father”. There is also the big reveal about Kylo being Han’s son.  I  think it’s probably how they first imagined Kylo, as a hypersensitive, rebellious, angsty youth, a character from East of Eden (another reference to Eden). The character played by James Dean, in Elia Kazan’s adaptation of Steinbeck’s famous novel, is Cal, a rebellious son who believes his father does not love him and sees him as evil incarnate. Kylo much?

Daylight (Matt and Kim) can also be about home and Jakku: “I miss yellow lines in my roads/ Some color on monochrone”, ‘Cause the daylight anywhere feels like home”. In TFA she wants to go back to Jakku. Rey is also used to having to fight for her survival: “ Murder lives forever/And so does war/ It's survival of the fittest/ Rich against the poor/ At the end of the day/ It's a human trait/ Hidden deep down inside of our DNA”.

Some songs talk about Rey’s dreams and her feelings of loneliness.Chandelier (Sia): “I'm gonna live like tomorrow doesn't exist/ Like it doesn't exist/ I'm gonna fly like a bird through the night,/ Feel my tears as they dry”. How she lives on a day to day basis and feels lonely all the time. Wake Me Up (Avicii):  

Feeling my way through the darkness Guided by a beating heart I can't tell where the journey will end But I know where to start They tell me I'm too young to understand They say I'm caught up in a dream Well life will pass me by if I don't open up my eyes Well that's fine by me (stuck waiting on Jakku)

So wake me up when it's all over When I'm wiser and I'm older All this time I was finding myself And I didn't know I was lost

I tried carrying the weight of the world (Literally her job as a scavenger) But I only have two hands I hope I get the chance to travel the world And I don't have any plans I wish that I could stay forever this young Not afraid to close my eyes Life's a game made for everyone And love is a prize

THE FIGHTER

Of course songs about Rey, the independent girl, the fighter... Fighter (Christina Aguilera): “ 'Cause it makes me that much stronger/ Makes me work a little bit harder/ It makes me that much wiser/ So thanks for making me a fighter/ Made me learn a little bit faster/ Made my skin a little bit thicker/ Makes me that much smarter/ So thanks for making me a fighter”. Another song shared with Padmé. I know the song is about a guy that cheated on the girl and lied to her, but rather than about Kylo, this song can apply to a lot of people in Rey’s life: her parents, Unkar Plutt, and all the people she’s had to deal with since childhood. There is Run the World (Beyoncé) that could also be foreshadowing for episode ix. Kelly Clarkson’s Miss Independent, with the perfect title for Rey’s episode 7, but the message about love in this song actually fits better episode 8. Roar (Katy Perry): empowerment anthem, plus Rey looks like a lioness at the end of TFA, baring her teeth and snarling at Kylo. Possibly Piece of Me (Britney Spears).

Confident (Demi Lovato) fits well with Roar. That one screams end of TFA with beating Kylo down.

It's time for me to take it I'm the boss right now Not gonna fake it Not when you go down 'Cause this is my game And you better come to play

I used to hold my freak back

Now I'm letting go

I make my own choice (accepting the saber)

Bitch, I run this show So leave the lights on No, you can't make me behave

So you say I'm complicated

That I must be outta my mind But you had me underrated Rated, rated

What's wrong with being, what's wrong with being

What's wrong with being confident?

 There is the teaser song about Rey’s origin. That’s Not my Name (The Ting Things). Well, in TFA everybody is asking about her identity, about “the girl”, wo that would make sense to have this song. Rey might not even be her name after all, though she is old enough when her parents sell her to remember it; Does it mean we will l get a new name in ix? Maybe. Or just Rey Solo. I think the song is really there for the fun about the possible identity of Rey...

THE ESCAPE

Songs about Rey leaving Jakku and becoming a pilot. Obviously: Starships (Nicki Minaj) because “starships are meant to fly”. Boom Boom Pow (The BEP): “ I'm on that supersonic boom/ Y'all hear the spaceship zoom”. Alive Tonight (Grace Potter), for these lines: “In the dark of the desert/  I saw a man with a sign, it said/ People get ready, 'cause it's all over/ It's all gonna end tonight, well” ( On Jakku, Lor San Tekka is the man with the intel about Luke promising that “this will begin to make things right”, and eventually this sign gets to Rey through BB8 at dusk in the desert). I also like these lines: “ You wanna get in on the action, you want/ Everyone to listen to you, oh/ You're just living in a prediction/ And that don't, that don't make it true, no” which fits the fact that things will not be as simple as Rey thinks. Also about the end of Rey’s time on Jakku, The Dog Days are Over (Florence+ the Machines): “The dog days are over/The dog days are done/ The horses are coming so you better run”.  These lines are great: “Leave all your love and your longing behind you/ Can't carry it with you if you want to survive”, about giving up on Jakku and close to Maz’s line about “the belonging you seek is not behind you”.

MEETING KYLO

Now, with songs that reflect on meeting Kylo... There is Gibberish (Max): “ But then I caught you creepin'/ Secrets that you were keepin”, which could fit the interrogation scene. Or the title could just refer to the fact that Rey seems to understand every language she meets (BB8, Chewie...). LOL. Obviously, the beautiful Yes Girl (Bea Miller):

I got you figured out, you need to have control You think that I don't know you, I know you, I know Trying to tell you now, I've been doing what you want But I won't be your yes girl, no, not anymore

And these even better lines: “ And now you're my favorite sin, oh/ Cause I'm either on your side or you're a mile away” (which fits TLJ better). There is Focus (Ariana Grande): “ I can tell you're curious/ It's written on your lips/ Ain't no need to hold it back/ Go ahead and talk your shit/ I know you're hoping that I'll react/ I know you're hoping I'm looking back/ But if my real ain't real enough/ Then I don't know what is” (again, mood for the interrogation scene). Also like that line: “ Let's find a light inside our universe now/ Where ain't nobody keep on holding us down”. 

That one seems really more to me from Kylo’s POV when Rey leaves for the MF at the end of TFA. We Come Running (Youngblood Hawke):

Headed for the open door Tell me what you're waiting for (Rey is coded as the waiting one) Look across the great divide   (the ground falling apart between them) Soon they're gonna hear The sound, the sound, the sound (Boom goes Starkiller) When we come running Never go where we belong (obviously, they parted ways when they should be together) Echoes in the dead of dawn  (Force bond foreshadowing echoes?) Soon they're gonna know The sound, the sound, the sound When we come running

And also that one: Force of Nature (Bea Miller). That one really fits Kylo in TFA as he starts falling for Rey during their duel on Starkiller: I don't know why but my hands are shaking I can see you coming and I stand here waiting (Didn’t put up much of a fight, honestly) Yeah I get tongue tied in the conversation (Lost the interrogation scene fight) It's an F'd up, bad, sick situationI tried to tie my heart down, board up all the windows Oh but it's too late now (Too late is classic Kylo) I let you get too close (like inside my head) I know I should take cover, hide inside these four walls But baby I surrender, it all'Cause you're a force of nature (Marry Me Face) Look at what you've done I can taste the danger but I don't wanna run So pull me to the ground and I won't put up a fight (End of the fight) I'm a caution taker, but baby you're a force of nature Baby you're a force of natureI feel your lips move in and they take me under (The Force? Mesmerized in looking at her) You know just what to do, how to make me want you And I know I'll be broken when it's over Oh but I can't help but pull you closerI'll be here 'till we collide I don't care if I survive So crash into me one more time

Say what you want, but this beautiful ballad is all about Kylo’s feelings for Rey!

BONUS: THE INVERSE ANIDALA SONG?

There’s an intriguing tune in Kylo’s playlist. Incorporeal (Tiger Army).

I’m gone I died long ago but my spirit still roams (Incorporeal) Unwanted in heaven, forgotten in hell as on earth (Incorporeal) I don't want to stay here, it seems that I'll never be free Oh can you hear me? (no) And so It has come to be that I must wander forever (Incorporeal) Many things I have seen, empires that rise and then fall (Incorporeal) A life you live long is simply a moment to me A tiny drop of water in the sea of eternity There's no place for me everywhere that I go Only seems to bring upset and harm There's one thing that I want and one thing only Release into the great beyond Don't want to remember when I was alive When I held my true love in my arms For like you I once was, and like me you shall be When you Feel a chill in the night perhaps it's me saying hello (Incorporeal) You're so much like my love though she lived in a long ago time (Incorporeal) I long to see her, the day when my soul's laid to rest The peace that I can not find in life, I can find in death

Honestly, this song makes me want to scream!!! Heavy reincarnation theme. Especially when you cross that with Rey sharing 4 songs with Padmé. And with the fact that Anakin (not Vader) and Kylo share a song. And the song  I mentioned, Rich Girl. Rey is the inverse Padmé already, right? She’s the younger one in the couple, and she is poor with a low status. Again, Padmé has everything (the riches and the guy) and didn’t end up happy. By sharing songs, it might be another hint that Rey will succeed where Padmé didn’t.

This is it for 7, guys. It is quite a beast. 34 songs left to go through in Rey’s playlist, 25 for Kylo.

[greencrusader13]

All Were Innocent Once: Chapter 2 - Greylam Cormat

We've got one more character introduction after this before things get really underway, so I apologize if the fic seems meandering right now. I've also been uploading to FanFiction.net under the username cloverlord13, so you can check this out there too if you’re so inclined. I’m not sure if anyone’s been reading, but if there is anyone out there, I hope you’ve been enjoying this.

There is no emotion; there is peace.

The child exhaled, his eyes lightly sealed shut as he focused on becoming completely attuned with his surroundings. Near from the bench on which he sat cross-legged a stream flowed through the meditation gardens within the Jedi Temple. Fish swam through the gentle currents, and Greylam could feel them through the Force, tranquil within the clean waters. The air felt cooler in here, more so than in any other place within the temple. It was a paradise unto itself.

There is no ignorance; there is knowledge.

The gardens had been in the Jedi Temple on Coruscant for centuries, built by masters far older and far wiser than he could ever hope to aspire to. Countless Jedi had meditated among the foliage before him, and traces of their presence still lingered along the stone pathways, within the sand and against the bark of twisted trees. There was history in this place, not one of glory and Republic triumph, but one of seclusion and wisdom.

It was where he usually spent his mornings, before most other Jedi or initiates woke. Sometimes he'd take a holopad with him and read beside a nearby brook; this particular dawn he'd brought an archeology datapad for study, even though he hadn't gotten around to actually reading it. He preferred to meditate in solitude. He'd have plenty of time for study later. Greater truths were found in quiet contemplation.

There is no passion; there is serenity.

Calm, completely calm. Greylam inhaled through his nose and let the feeling wash over him.

There is no death; there is the Force.

It was the binding constant that held the galaxy together. All beings were tied to the Force, and became one with it upon death. One day, he would as well. Everything would. It was nothing to fear, as so many thought. There was no greater peace.

Greylam opened his eyes and looked skyward. Through the windows overhead he saw Coruscant slowly brighten as dawn arrived, the golden gleam of sunlight igniting the sky with an orange-tinted hue. Morning would herald more instruction, more opportunities to learn the ways of the Force from his teachers.

He uncrossed his legs and started to rise. A pair of birds not far from where he sat fluttered away at his movement, vanishing into the ferns. It was a shame to have to leave: the gardens truly held so much life. The Force was in true splendor here, and Greylam could feel the ways in which it all connected the beings within it. Here, more than anywhere, he felt peace.

Perhaps it was because of where he was from, Alderaan, considering its reputation for possessing beautiful flora and fauna. At one point an instructor of his had told him that his eyes were the same color as that of Alderaan's lakes, supposedly beautiful during the summers. He wasn't sure, though, and in fact he could not even recall what Alderaan looked like from personal experience. As with all Force-sensitive children, Greylam had been adopted into the Jedi Order before he could develop any attachments to his parents or any other potential loved ones. At seven years old – only five years since the Order brought him in – he couldn't remember the sound of their voices or any other notable features about them.

Greylam knew well enough that a child outside the Jedi would've felt saddened by that fact. He didn't. It was better this way after all. Attachments led only to emotion, and such emotions could lead down the path to the dark were they to become volatile enough. One's mind must be clear and vigilant, lest it give way to temptation.

Pulling gently through the Force, Greylam brought his boots to his feet and guided them on to his feet. He had already dressed himself in the standard beige garb of a Jedi Initiate, similar to the ones full-fledged Jedi wore under normal circumstances. It was better than having to return to his dormitory to change out of pajamas in order to start his day.

No sooner had he placed them back on did he feel a ripple through the gardens as someone entered the space. Far away he could hear the door open and close, followed by steps that came towards him. Greylam reached out through the empty space with his mind, letting himself feel the new presence, finding it familiar.

By the time Instructor Rel had turned the corner Greylam had already risen, waiting for him attentively. Greylam gave him a polite bow. "Good morning Master Paddoq."

A faint smile crept onto the old man's worn and weathered face. His dark brown skin bore the scars of many battles long past from his days as a Jedi Knight, and his beard had greyed over time. It was a deceptively intimidating look, but the man was nothing but kind to all others. He was a figure present throughout all of Greylam's life, his presence preceding Greylam's own memory.

Rel Paddoq's chestnut-colored eyes studied Greylam for a moment. "I had a feeling I'd find you here," he said, his voice deep and crackling like embers on a hearth, "Why aren't you asleep little youngling? It's still early yet, and you should be getting what rest you can."

"I just wanted some time to meditate before I started my day."

"Most children your age don't approach meditation with quite as much eagerness as you do Greylam. I'm usually hearing how much they want to build a lightsaber or learn sparring."

"I'll learn to fight when it's decided that I'm ready. Fighting should only be used as a last resort, not while striving for glory. Many children don't understand that."

He paused, and Greylam couldn't tell if his response had troubled the instructor. "That being said I'm happy to see that you understand its importance. You have a natural connection to the Force."

"You humble me Master."

There was another gap of silence between them. Then Instructor Rel ruffled Greylam's short ashen hair, gave a gentle wave of his hand, and turned to leave the gardens. "Allow me to walk you to the refectory. I'm sure that you'll want something to eat before your instructions become underway."

Now that he had mentioned it, Greylam noticed his own hunger, a sensation he'd managed to dull during his meditations. He followed close beside Instructor Rel, but kept his focus ahead. Rel was considerably taller than him – taller than most others as well – and Greylam knew it would be hard to stray from the giant man's side. Becoming a Jedi Shadow was likely out of the question even in his younger years.

Rel lead Greylam out of the meditation gardens to a hallway that led to the atrium of the ziggurat. Red carpets with golden embroidery lined the marble flooring, stretching wide across the interior. By now the Jedi Temple was awakening; the clear sky outside allowed the sun a particular shine that slipped through the windows on the far side of the mezzanine across from them. When Greylam had left for his meditations, the chamber had been empty save for the usual temple guardsman. They were not far from the dormitories, and he knew that other parts of the temple likely weren't as populated in the morning hour.

"Tell me Greylam," Instructor Rel said suddenly, "Are there any other younglings at the temple that you would consider your friend?"

Greylam cocked his head at the instructor's question. "Friends?"

"I ask only because you seem more solitary than the other initiates here. You are often sitting or eating alone when you're not meditating. Believe me, you're excelling at your classes, but you have trouble communicating."

"Forgive me Master, but I don't wholly see the relevance," Greylam started, "Our purpose here is to learn the ways of the Force and the teachings of the Jedi. Isn't that what I've been doing?"

Instructor Rel nodded, though his eyes remained grave. "You've become quite familiar with texts and philosophers key to our order that is true. I have little doubt of your intellectual capacities, but there is more to being a Jedi than our philosophies. A true Jedi must know how to communicate with others, know how to deescalate situations before the need for fighting ever emerges. It is the application of our philosophies that is important, not just the words themselves. Flowers do not grow from the concept of rain alone.

"And it is there where I have concern for you, Greylam. While you have a great understanding of the Force at such a young age, I fear that you have little talent for communication. For example, what if, one day when you're a Jedi Knight, you have a padawan who expresses confusion over one of the Order's teachings? What would you tell them?"

"I would explain it to them again until they can remember it."

"Ah, you misunderstand me. This hypothetical protégé of yours knows what this teaching says, but fiercely disagrees with it. How would you go proceed?"

Greylam raised a perplexed eyebrow. His teacher's line of questioning seemed odd, as did their whole conversation. "B-but why wouldn't they? The teachings are straightforward. There isn't much room for any confusion of that sort."

"And yet some still fall to the dark, even great Jedi once known for compassion and mercy." Rel turned towards a nearby balcony and gestured for Greylam to join him. Down below the atrium teemed with life, and he felt the Force alive and connecting them all. "It is not impossible to think that we may have a future Sith down there," Rel continued, "Those not trained to calm their emotions will give in to them if they are not careful. But it's nothing to fear, not if you can help others through their pain.

"Your mind is like a still pond Greylam: placid. Not everyone's is. I want you to reach out, feel the emotions of those around you."

Greylam did as he was instructed, closing his eyes as he went to touch the minds of the other students and Jedi. Many were neutral, as he would've expected, but he sensed other things as well: joy, excitement, hope. They were those who were truly happy to be on Coruscant, possibly new arrivals. Greylam felt one presence in the crowd though, one whose feeling seemed muted, intentionally so, as though he was restraining his mind from broaching the subjects it was subtly cognitive of. He reached further, parsing through the student's different emotions, deeper towards the ones he kept at the back of his mind. Jealousy. Envy towards his companions and their superior skills, frustration towards their mentors for feeling held back in his lessons. Greylam released himself from the student's thoughts and opened his eyes.

"What did you feel?" Rel asked.

"Tumult. To continue with your water analogy, it was as though a turbulent river," Greylam replied. Pain ebbed at the sides of his forehead as he furrowed his eyebrows. "I don't understand Master. Why would he feel anger in not being at the same place as his peers? Isn't it more important that he learns as opposed to the speed at which he learns it?"

"Many people don't think like that. Too many are blinded by ambition, and we live in a great big galaxy where many place their ambition paramount to everything else." After another pause Instructor Rel continued, "What would you say to that student, if you could sense his disturbances through the Force?"

Greylam shrugged. The teachings were clear, with no room for doubt. The student should know better than to ruminate on frustrations beyond their control. It was the way of the Sith to believe in such foolhardy ambition, to seek to dominate the Force's will. Peace, within and without, came from acknowledging the simple fact that one cannot. It was baffling that the student in question couldn't understand that lesson; it was such a simple one.

"I can sense your confusion Greylam. The fact that you cannot think up an answer is the source of my concern in the first place." Rel did not sound upset with him, and his tone remained even. "Your words can be more powerful than any lightsaber if you allow the Force to move through them and ease the pain of others. We have an incredible gift, being able to sense what most can only guess at. Being a Jedi is just as much about compassion as it is keeping peace in the Republic and galaxy at large. Do you understand what I'm telling you?"

"I…I think so," Greylam said tentatively, still thinking on the instructor's words. He felt a twinge of guilt, regret that he'd failed his master before he'd ever even known of the lesson. Greylam then cringed, realizing that he was letting his own emotions get the better of him.

"Breathe," Rel said suddenly, "I can feel your distress it is not wrong to have emotions, only to let yourself feed on their darker impulses. Now, I want to teach you an exercise that was taught to me when I was young. Close your eyes again."

"Okay," Greylam said, complying with Rel's command.

"Imagine that you are carrying the entire weight of your anxiety in your arms. It's heavy, and you strain as you try to carry it. Most cannot carry such a burden. Now picture your fears, your anger, your sadness, all of it shrinking in front of you until it's nothing more than a smooth grey pebble in the palm of your hand. Anyone can handle a pebble."

Greylam conjured the image in his mind, seeing himself with a massive boulder as Rel had stated. Then, bit by bit, it seemed as though the wind whittled shavings off the large rock, breaking it down until it was an ovular grey shape that reflected the sunlight around them. In his mind Greylam saw himself tilt his palm to the side, allowing the pebble to fall from his hand. When it hit the ground, the floor seemed to ripple as though water, and Greylam opened his eyes. To his surprise he felt lighter than before, and his distress – however minor – was gone.

"Thank you Master," Greylam said with a dutiful bow, "And forgive me for letting my anxiousness cloud my thoughts. It was unbecoming of me as your pupil."

"There's nothing to forgive little one."

"Master," Greylam continued, meeting Rel's eyes with renewed confidence, "How might I seek to better myself in conversation?"

"As I said before, make friends, talk to people," Rel said, "Granted I'm not saying to go as far as leaving the academy and work on becoming a senator or anything." He cracked a dry smile. "We have too many politicians as is if you ask me. It's going to be the downfall of the Republic. But in all seriousness, I want you to reach out to some of the other initiates here. I sense the potential within you to become a great Jedi, one who could leave a great impact on the Order.

"We have a number of Jedi out right now searching for potential recruits across the galaxy. The war with the Sith is steadily taking a toll on us, and we'll need more Jedi once it's over to maintain the Order's role as peacekeepers of Republic. Most of the new initiates they find will be close to your age. Befriend them. Help them as they grow into the next generation of Jedi. I sense within you someone who is worth following."

Greylam nodded. "I'll try."

"No."

"What?"

"Either succeed, or fail. Allow the Force to guide you, but in the end, you will either succeed or fail. There is no trying," Rel said, "A saying I heard once, or at least something to that effect. Do not fear what may pass, but approach every challenge with all that you have."

"You'll help me, right?"

Rel closed his eyes and shook his head. "Unfortunately this is something you must brave on your own. In three days' time I will be traveling to rendezvous with other Jedi at Ord Radama. There's been some Republic intelligence that suggests the Sith are going to make an attempt at reclaiming it, and I've been asked to assist some of the preparation for its defense. I'll be gone for a little while."

"Oh." The thought of his instructor heading into a warzone filled Greylam with unease, but then he focused on the exercise Rel had just taught him. A pebble in his hand. That's all his concern needed to be. Anyone could handle a pebble. It was light, and he could let it go without difficulty. "How fares the war? Will the hostilities persist much longer?"

A smile cracked at the edges of Rel's mouth. "That's not something a child such as yourself should have any concern about." Rel waved him along, and Greylam matched him stride. "I've talked your ear off long enough. You've more than earned something to eat."

They walked in amiable silence through the Jedi Temple's halls towards the refectory, during which Greylam reflected on the initial question Rel had poised to him. It was true that he lacked close peers whom he considered his friend, but he wasn't friendless. The notion made him smile, and for Rel he would try harder. As they ate breakfast Greylam spoke of the things he'd learned in various codex entries: history, geology, engineering, and so forth, all while Rel listened in sage silence.

It wasn't until months later that he understood the importance of that final lesson, and that Rel probably knew it was the last time Greylam would ever see him alive

[pumpkins-s]

Interpersonal Mathematics

Read On AO3 Here

“Really?” She looks to him in askance, the odd edges of nerves leaving her expecting more. “That’s it?” He shrugs, looking bemused, and she snorts. “…Did you seriously have no idea that entire time?”

Lance throws up his hands, waving them about in a dramatic fashion. “I mean I knew something was up with you, but I didn’t necessarily think it was a gender thing! A person can have like...multiple things going on at once. And I was right! There was something—I just didn’t expect it to be as big as your family being kidnapped by aliens and you faking your entire identity, y’know?”

Pidge rolls her eyes, ignoring the panging clangs that never quite go away of your family, your family, where is your family, Katie? “Yeah, alright. Fair enough.”

(Or, in which Pidge is trans, damn well knows she's trans, Lance has no idea what he is, and they both learn to handle the complexities of gender identity, friendship, and each other, in that order.)

Fandom: Voltron: Legendary Defender

Relationships: platonic Pidge & Lance

Characters: Pidge, Lance

Written for the @voltrans-zine, with permission given to post the full piece now that preorders have closed. 

Pidge would like to consider herself a fairly decisive person.

She would argue it’s part of her nature as a scientist. Outside of the realm of actual possibility (which, admittedly, has greatly expanded since entering Voltron), she’s not prone to daydream or fantasy. Why waste time considering things that could never feasibly happen when you could work towards a goal that was relatively graspable, after all? It’s just far more sensible.

Regardless, she’s never been much of one for dilly-dallying or the like when it comes down to it.

She is a scientist. A programmer. A paladin now, too, she supposes. And yes, a woman.

She was one of the quote-on-quote “early bloomers” in that particular discovery, as it might be called (or perhaps it might be better referred to a soul-searching type of decision? She supposes it depends on whom you ask, and their experience with the matter).

Either way, she’s always known what and who she was fairly quickly— from the time she was seven or eight, in the crawling, creeping sensations of yes, this is what I’m meant to be, and the rather memorable occasion not long after where that young, dauntless, and stubbornly optimistic version of herself (before she grew up, before she saw the world) had marched out to Matt in the shoe store during their annual back to school shopping trip with bright purple, sparkly Velcro tie sneakers strapped firmly to her feet, and Matt had looked down and giggled in amused confusion. “I think those are meant for girls, buddy.”

“But I am a girl,” she’d said firmly, and Matt had blinked, just once, considering.

“Alright.” he’d said, and that’d been the end of it.

(Well…no, obviously, that wasn’t the end of it, more like the beginning of an extremely long, arduous, and complicated process, but it makes an interesting marker point in her personal mental autobiography, if she does say so herself.)

Intellectually, of course, Pidge is vey much aware of the fact that some people are not so well decided and utterly sure in themselves. Such people waffle on their even most confident knowledge at times, their faith in their skill sets, on their own identity. They may be unwilling to decide such things permanently, or may lack faith in their own judgment, or simply not come into themselves in that capacity until much later.

It is not, however, a problem she has ever had much at all, excusing a few circumstances.

She simple does not have the time, she thinks, to be so unconfident in her own abilities, her own instincts. Not then, as a child, when the world was young and new and fresh and she’d needed all the time she had just to explore it. And not now, when the very concept of the metaphorical world, or perhaps more accurately universe, is vast and wide again in a whole new way, and there are so many people relying on her to keep her head on straight.

...Especially given some of those people are her own family, and they don’t even know it yet.

Similarly, Pidge would consider herself a fairly quick judge of character. She can be surprised at the capacity of a person even yet, naturally, but she often finds her initial assessments are not incorrect. A decent example of this might be Allura: the princess has certainly grown on Pidge over time, and she’s come to appreciate what Allura offers in bravery and reckless strength in the face of her cause, but none of her acquired fondness of the princess has negated her initial assessment of an ice- cold warrior queen in training running away from her own past.

(She may not be royalty herself, or as in control of her emotions as Allura can be, but Pidge can with the utmost certainty recognize someone else fleeing from their own memories of what they have done, what they have let happen in their unplanned negligence. Allura let Altea burn while she slept, no matter how unwillingly, and Pidge had let her family be lost while she was thousands of miles away and could do nothing to prevent it. She can respect that they, at least, have that much in common in the unwanted guilt that rests on their shoulders.)

Point being, she can learn more about people like any other fallible being, but it’s additional data points, not a revision of her original hypothesis. No matter how much her teammates may grow as people and she may, in turn, grow to understand them, they are still at their cores at least in part what she started out with— Shiro is still a boy-scout-hearted inspiration to everyone who looks at him, Keith is still a hotheaded maniac with an obsession for speed, and Hunk is still a well-meaning teddy bear with the come-and-go intellect of a genius when he’s interested in a subject.

…With…one exception: Lance. The outlier to the average of this little equation.

No matter what she does, Pidge cannot seem to figure out the enigmatic puzzle that is Lance, in all his odd-edged, hyperactive glory.

Really, it’d almost be insulting, if it wasn’t weirdly interesting in a kind of bored fascination way.

…If Pidge is being honest, her first impression of Lance is that of somewhere between an idiot and, as the so delicately crafted term goes, a fuckboy.

Admittedly, her focus at the time isn’t exactly on breaking into the deep and meaningful parts of her teammates psyches. Or…much on her teammates at all, actually, but she thinks either way Lance’s attempt at something like a smooth and cool introduction wouldn’t have gone over well.

She simply isn’t a person for that kind of posturing—pretending such things is all in good fun, but putting on a false suave attitude in seriousness just makes something look stupid, in her personal opinion.

(She is sure Lance would disagree vehemently with that statement, but her point still stands.)

Over time, in being stuck with him in the close quarters that come with being a part of the same team at the Garrison, she reluctantly stretches her opinion of him to include a sentiment of something along the lines of not overall a bad person, former points not withstanding, but it isn’t until Voltron that her feelings on the matter change much beyond that.

Finding Lance after the explosion that destroys the castle’s crystal is…a shock. A data point incongruent with her previous knowledge of him, which had never displayed such an aptitude for... Well. She’s not sure whether to call it self-sacrifice or a suicidal streak. Another one of those cases where it depends on who you ask, she supposes.

That said, pretty much everything up until that point is a shock. The entirety of rescuing Shiro, subsequently finding the Blue lion, arriving at the castle, and most everything that comes after it is one big no-sleep, adrenaline-run rush of this can’t be real it isn’t feasibly possible but that hardly matters, survive this, move past this, they’ve got Matt and Dad you’ve got to survive this.

And of course, in the aftermath, in turning the castle into her battleground and losing Rover and watching Haxus fall to his death and realizing that yes, she has just killed someone to save her own skin and she’d do it again, it is easy to forget, to shuffle aside the anomaly of Lance in favor of so much new information to categorize, to reflect on.

(It is…odd, to look at her own picture of herself, in between the pieces that make up hacker and fighter and sister and all the other little snippets, and add killer to that image. She’s always rather easily conceptualized humans as just giant strings of something like computer code, what else is DNA, after all, and to filter through her own and find the pieces of programming necessary for that kind of thing is an experience, to say the least.)

She doesn’t really give Lance a second thought until well after all that, after they’ve seen him out of the cryopod and plied him with food, and she realizes yes, now, this is the moment. She bares the hidden parts of her metaphorical code and corrects an assumption she’d let lie, even encouraged, to protect her identity as Pidge Gunderson over Katie Holt.

Me. Pidge. Katie. Paladin. Woman.

On the one hand, their reactions are a relief. To have that assurance that, yes, they assumed she is a girl regardless, because body and voice and all the things not yet in her control do not define her. That her heart, her being, is woman, and that is enough.

One the other, it’s frustrating. To know for all her work, all her sacrifice, all the times her skin itched and crawled and she wanted to shout this was wrong, wrong name wrong pronouns wrong life, was for naught. They saw through her ploy anyways.

In a way, Lance’s overdramatic reaction is gratifying. At least someone had bought her disguise. Her efforts had not entirely been in vain. It isn’t until after that Pidge feels the numb worry in her tingling nerves and clammy hands as Lance side-eyes her on their walk back to their rooms, and that she wonders if his loud reaction had been for that reason.

(It is, admittedly, incongruent with what she knows of Lance, even admitting to the crueler aspects of her assessments of him, but fear is a curious thing, born from trial and error and superstition, and it is not always logical.)

“So you’re like—a girl?” he says, brash and unassuming and all the things that give Pidge a headache at the best of times. “A legit girl or…?”

She twitches, almost wanting to snap at him to define a legit girl, but restrains herself. “Yes Lance, I can assure you I’m one hundred percent girl.”

“...Huh.” Lance blinks. “Alright. Cool.”

“Really?” She looks to him in askance, the odd edges of nerves leaving her expecting more. “That’s it?” He shrugs, looking bemused, and she snorts. “…Did you seriously have no idea that entire time?”

Lance throws up his hands, waving them about in a dramatic fashion. “I mean I knew something was up with you, but I didn’t necessarily think it was a gender thing! A person can have like...multiple things going on at once. And I was right! There was something—I just didn’t expect it to be as big as your family being kidnapped by aliens and you faking your entire identity, y’know?”

Pidge rolls her eyes, ignoring the panging clangs that never quite go away of your family, your family, where is your family, Katie? “Yeah, alright. Fair enough.”

“...I thought you might be trans, honestly,” Lance says after a pause, squinting at the ground. “Like you were clearly uncomfortable getting changed around other people and you were so tiny for a dude so—“

“I am trans,” Pidge says before she can think about it, and only afterwards doubles back and properly registers that Lance had meant he thought she was a trans man, followed by the rather jarring realization that perhaps she hasn’t exactly made clear to the team that she isn’t…well. Cis. “I mean...”

(It isn’t technically their business, either way, she supposes, but she had wanted to tell them. Had wanted to be honest in this very crucial piece of what made her herself.)

“Oh.” Lance stops in the hall. “…Oh! Okay, yeah, that…that makes sense, in retrospect.”

“...Yeah.”

“So is everyone in your family just short then?”

She punches him in the side, ignoring his squeals of delighted laughter, and chases him down the hall yelling empty threats. And somewhere, in the mental files and folders of Pidge’s brain, the section on Lance reorders itself ever so slightly without her permission, straying somewhere into not bad, not bad at all, maybe even good.

...Somehow, Lance becomes a regular part of daily life after that.

(Arguably, the same thing might be said of the other occupants of the castle, given there are only seven of them on board and they see each other day in and day out, but she digresses. There is a fine line between housemate/teammate, and friend whom you relinquish semi-consistent time and attention to, and somehow Lance burrows his way into being both the former and the latter.)

He attaches himself to her with vicious, hard-won, blind enthusiasm, much as she has seen him do with Hunk, and despite her hesitations, she lets it happen. There is no Garrison to hide from anymore, no secrets to keep, and having friends here will not risk compromising her cover or intervene with her ability to search for her family.

Lance is odd in a very distinct and individual way. He is sharp edges and loud words and all the things that Pidge is not. If her mind is a computer, she thinks, then his is something of a cluttered chess game with loud music blaring in the background.

But he is smarter and kinder than she originally gave him credit for, and he accepts all the odd-shaped remnants of her without question, and so he grows on her.

He does dumb things (and learns from them, amazingly) and picks fights he can’t win to make himself look cool and robs a space mall fountain with her just to help her buy a video game instead of doing something he fancied instead, and he is…no longer an annoyance or hindrance, but an expectation of fun and excitement.

Lance makes no sense in the general order of things, really, because Pidge is decisive, truly and practically. She formulates opinions of people and they do not waver and they do not change, ever, and yet Lance does. He somehow rapidly spirals from problem to acceptable to friend, and Pidge is left floundering in the wake of exactly how this occurred without actually regretting any part of it.

And yet even then she cannot close the file. She sits with all the disjointed pieces of Lance and tries to arrange them into a complete human equation and is left with gaps. There is always a persistent feeling of something missing, of knowing it’s there and still not being sure of what, and it leaves her wondering if this is what Lance felt like all the way back in the Garrison, when he looked at her and knew there was more to find but didn’t know what.

(Gender and identity and Kerberos and all the little pieces—in retrospect, the fact that Lance even guessed there might have been multiple things she was hiding was pretty impressive, given how much of herself Pidge had tucked away.)

“Do you miss not having girl’s stuff? Like…dresses and cheap lip gloss and the ugly hairbands and all that?” he asks her once, long after the video game is bought and the wiring issue is solved, controller tucked in his hands as he squints at the screen, and she blinks and wonders if this is a case of a question being a whim or a long time coming. Maybe both.

“Yes and no,” she says, pondering the answer slowly. “I liked some of those things, yeah, but I don’t need them. They were nice when I was younger and first transitioning, because they made me feel more sure of myself, I suppose, but it just…feels different now. I don’t need to look feminine or dress as such to know I’m a woman. I just am.”

“Weirdly eloquent response there, Pigeon,” he answers after a long moment, and she blows up his character on the TV screen in retaliation, grinning widely at his loud exclamation following.

“Why did you even ask, anyways? It’s a bit of an out-of-nowhere question.”

Lance shrugs, nose scrunched up and the first inklings of uncomfortable crawling across his face. “Just thinking.”

“...Alright.”

“I think I would miss them,” he says loudly. “If I were you. But—y’know—I’m not you so…”

Pidge pauses her game and wonders if this is one of those times the ever-expanding folder of Lance needs to be edited upon. “You can tell me anything, you know.” And what a trip that is, to repeat the same words she’d heard her parents say, after Matt had brought her home from that shoe store with those purple Velcro sneakers and had spoken to them unsurely in a low voice as she played with her toy cars spread out over the living room floor, and a million little things had come together for her family to finally make sense of Pidge properly for the first time in her life.

She’s probably not the most emotionally competent person for this sort of thing, and definitely isn’t an expert outside of her own experience, but she’s all Lance has got out here, if this is what she thinks it is, so she’ll have to do.

“Yeah, I know,” Lance says, not meeting her eyes. “I’m fine, Pidge. It’s nothing.”

And she lets it go, because some people are decisive and fast moving and know who they are almost immediately, and others aren’t. Pidge is an early bloomer and a scientist and pragmatic. She knows what she wants out of life and she takes it with as much certainty as she can guarantee.

Lance is wide and open and fluid and changeable. He’s the kind of person to demand an audience when he wants to and then duck into the corner to avoid stepping on people’s toes if he deems it necessary.

He is not her, and that is fine.

It’s a rapid escalation of little things then, once it has her attention. Tiny data points picked up from observation and plugged into the half-finished equation of Lance in the interest of completing the puzzle. A silent pondering of not like me, very much not like me, but maybe like me yet still. She knows these signs, can point to them in her own history, but Lance is the anomaly to all her patterns, and it leaves her wondering on the potential surety of her findings.

Because Lance is everything—he is loud and brash and boyish, and quiet and thoughtful and mature. He makes terrible, flirty jokes, and then on occasion wrinkles his nose and walks away from the boy’s talk. He hangs off Allura like she’s a goddess and then sits and compliments her outfits and offers to do her hair with innocent enthusiasm. He is blurred lines and complexities in so many ways she too was and is, and Pidge isn’t sure he even knows it yet.

(Then again, the same things might be said for her. She is a woman in sure identity and mind still living in her little boy disguise that is a stolen mockery of her brother. An example of mind over matter in its finest, the physical losing value in the face of circumstance and confidence in what makes her herself.)

Lance gets the start of his own purple shoes moment, so to speak, in the inevitableness of the tiny things coming to a head all at once in an unexpected occurrence that seems plain on the surface, much like her own. These aren’t enormous revelations, sweeping statements clawed in panic and triumph (no, those come after). These are the little ticking-over happenings, the quiet, mental, oh, here we go, seeping slowly to the surface.

Self-discovery is not fast and dramatic, it is a crawling, sleeping, wondering thing, filled with questions and contemplations long before decisions or revisions, even Pidge knows this much.

They end up on a planet, on one of those semi-impromptu departures from the usual Galra-fighting schedule to assist a planet in need with its own problems, with a sacred temple that men are not allowed to enter.

(They come across a lot of amazing alien cultures, Pidge will admit, but the matriarchies, even the hyper-religious ones, are pretty damn cool.)

It’s a breathless relief, following an unwanted fear that they will somehow burrow their eyes beneath her skin and claim she is not woman enough, when they let her in after Allura without question. She is a woman. She is welcome here, in these alien eyes that hold no concept of human demands that state she is not quite right.

And then they usher in Lance after them, pulling the temple doors shut on the boys’ confused faces as they lead Lance inside and push him into place with her and Allura, and Pidge is left watching Lance’s wide eyes and wondering if aliens see more than she gives them credit for, after all.

Afterwards, when Keith and Hunk knock Lance’s shoulders gently and tease him in good fun about all his beauty regimens making aliens mistake him for a girl, Pidge watches Lance’s unsure grin, his shaking fingers, and keeps her mouth shut.

(It is quite possible they saw in Lance what he does not yet see in himself, and this is not her place, to tell Lance’s story for him.)

Because the thing about Lance, Pidge thinks, is that he is one of those people who do not know themselves quite yet—who trip over their own insecurities and easily succumb to questionings of their feelings. He is as she is, she suspects, she knows, in the itching feelings of not quite right, not quite yet, in this thing they call us, but otherwise he is nothing like her. Pidge knows her mind, her body, her (albeit likely metaphorical) soul, because in this world where everything is unsure and dangerous, the only thing she can truly rely on once her teammates are gone is herself. Lance is a rapidly spiraling game of impromptu and anomalies, the only file she ever had to completely rewrite, and he is still learning himself as much as she is, if not more.

Later, much later, he comes to her room, arms crossed and feet shuffling, and she turns on the video game console without a word, handing him a controller and fighting back a pleased grin as he patiently waits for her to get set up so that she can be player one, as always. He is so much more giving than she ever credited him for, in the beginning, and it is only fair she returns the favor.

So she considers it, and she gives him her waiting silence, because a person like Lance just wants a friend, someone willing to hold the pause until they are ready.

“...I don’t think I’m a boy,” he says eventually into the steeping silence of the simulated nighttime of the castle, and Pidge pauses the game. “I don’t think I’m like…a girl, either, but—I guess it was always there, y’know? Since I was a kid. It all felt…off. But after you, I started thinking about it, and then I couldn’t stop, and…and…”

“Alright,” she says, repeating his pointedly simplistic answer from a long time ago, and shrugs, smiling unsurely when he looks to her, which he mirrors.

“Yeah?”

There are still things to consider after this, so many things. Questions of pronoun experiments and preferences, of terms of address and potential appearance changes desired, of the long discussions she has already been having with Coran about programming the med bay to manufacture the hormone doses she was on before leaving Earth that Lance may now want to be a part of.

(...But there is time for all that later.)

For now, this is Lance’s beginning moment. His own foray into the first speaking of it as the way he and the world perceive him reorder themselves slowly. He will not suddenly wake up tomorrow and find everything makes sense all at once, but there will be the first prickling of knowing, of awaited change, and that is good.

They have time for the logistics, for the science and the decisions and the rewriting. For once in her life, Pidge bids herself patience, to let the both of them figure out the complexities of being in peace.

They have all the time in the world. In the universe, even.

(Somewhere in the recesses of her mind, in between the bits of Katie and Pidge and Paladin and Team, the file on Lance, idiot and annoyance and friend, rewrites itself slowly once more, filling in the gaps with completed lines of ah, there it is.)

“...Yeah.”

[mistyandmatt]

Kauai Arrival to the not so big island of Kauai!!!! What this island lacks in size, it definitely makes up in character! We arrived to gusty winds and cloudy skies. I say this as to preface the next thing that’s coming. Unfortunately, although our big jet from the Big Island made it in fine, it was decided that our little plane tour/lesson was probably best left for another day lest we get bounced around and stare into the clouds for two hours. We rescheduled for two days later which turned out to be a much better idea, so we then had two days to explore the island before our sightseeing adventure from the sky. We promptly picked up our little convertible from Enterprise and then went back to the airport to retrieve our bags (in reverse order you see, due to the quick switch over to our next flight, our bags ended up on the next flight over. Since we knew we may be touring the west side of the island with friends in the coming days, we decided to knock out the north/northeast side of the island from Lihue until the road ends at the Na Pali coast. In case this is your first introduction to the Na Pali coast, this is an area that does not have passable roads through it, much like the Darien Gap in Columbia. It is possible to cross on foot, but not by car, the terrain has provided a formidable opponent to the earthmover. We ventured to the last beach at the end of the road (see attached photos) and got a couple of great shots of this amazing topography. As we made our way back towards Lihue, we stopped at a couple of dry caves along the way. We ventured in for a few photos and continued on to Hanalei Bay. We walked out on the lone fishing pier and saw several people learning to surf on the smaller waves that had been subdued by the shelter from the open ocean. Our next stop was the Kilauea lighthouse where the price of admission was covered by our national park pass. It would have been worth double just to see the waves break on the large pockets they had scooped out of the cliff sides over the previous millennia. This is a great point to bird watch and whale watch. We saw several species of birds there which seemed quite different from anything I’ve seen in Oklahoma. Although I must admit I’m not much of an aviary connoisseur, this was pretty impressive. We also saw whales playing a ways off shore, but no breaches this time. As we continued around the island, we passed many awesome beaches and resorts including Princeville, which we understand is the more “uppity” part of the island (read: golf courses & private runways, which is a bit odd since I don’t know of anything that will land on that small of a runway that will make the pacific crossing, but who knows??). As we rounded the east side we stopped by our hotel, dropped off our bags and made our way to the Gaylord Plantation to take part in the ultimate Hawaiian touristy party, the luau. We attended the Luau Kalamaku, which we were told is the best luau on the island to go to. The luau takes place in a large open tent like structure and given the rainy weather, it kept everyone dry. I was pretty impressed with the whole show as it seemed as though everyone was genuinely having a good time, including the performers. I always hate going to events where I feel like it’s a bit of a sideshow/exploitation of cultures, but this seemed more like a big party that was enjoyed by all. I can’t say I learned a ton about Hawaiian culture there, but in hindsight, I don’t think this was the point. The luau is really just a big dinner party with a cultural show that contains a bit of Hawaiian history and context. Misty even got up on stage and tried to learn how to do a hula dance of some sort. Saturday started with our rescheduled plane ride around the island, as we arrived at the airport, we met our pilot, Doug McDuff. Low and behold, Doug was a 1970 graduate of Putnam City High School and entertained us with stories of his football glory days. Real nice guy, good tour guide as well. The skies were still a bit cloudy, but looked reasonable on the northeast side of the island (around the Na Pali coast) where our goal was to be able to see the shoreline of the impassable parts of the island by air. After going through the clouds on the southwest coast of Kauai, we made our way slightly into the Waimea Canyon. We weren’t able to fly too close to the waterfall that is known for it’s appearance in the movie, Jurassic Park, solely because the clouds kept us as bay. Around the west side of the island we passed the Kauai Coffee Plantation (FYI-this plantation grows almost 60% of all coffee sold in the US, who knew?) and continued up the west coast until the Na Pali coast was visible. This was the view we were waiting for and it did not disappoint. Seeing the serrated mountains from the top of the island through the clouds and all the way into the ocean, all untouched by most of civilization was pretty breathtaking. Our journey in the small plane ended as we rounded the last point and made our landing around 2 p.m. local time. We highly recommend anyone who visits Kauai to take a plane ride (not a helicopter tour) to see the entire island. We used Wings over Kauai (I had researched these folks for months before we decided to go with them) and the experience was top notch. Bruce, one of the flight instructors at the school isn’t a big fan of Facebook (self disclosed), so he likely won’t see this, but we wanted others to know the experience was excellent, definitely 5 stars! Around the south end of the island we decided to make a stop at a couple places to sample the local cuisine for lunch before we went to a few landmarks on that side of the island. We stopped at the Koloa Fish Market for the Hawaii staple, Poke. Let me tell you....this stuff is awesome. It’s basically a sashimi salad. I tried two different varieties, a spicy Poke and a Korean style Poke. The spicy definitely won that battle, but both were amazing. I only wish it were available back at home. Misty wanted to go and try Puka Dog, a strange hot dog place she had scoped out on Facebook. It’s basically a hot dog sized pig in a blanket with special local sweet and savory mustards and sauces. It’s definitely worth the stop as it’s another must eat, but it’s not quite to the level as “I NEED THIS AT HOME” as the Poke is. We forged ahead to Poipu and Shipwreck beaches where there were some spectacular views, partnered with sea turtles and monk seals. The local wildlife conservation groups stand guard for the napping seals on the beach and tether off small sleeping areas so gawkers don’t get too close and bother them. Unbeknownst to me, the specific seals on the Hawaiian islands are a species specific to the island and are endangered. After the wildlife viewing and a bit of hiking to get to the great views, we ventured up to Spouting Horn, and areas where the waves have carved out a small cave with a hole in the top. When the waves crash into the shoreline this unique formation creates what looks like a geyser coming out of the rock. It’s a pretty neat thing to see, I’ll add a few photos here so you can see it as well. As Misty has noted, she’s been in recovery mode of this crazy sickness she had for several weeks now. Unfortunately, when we visited Mauna Kea on the Big Island, she started to have some sharp back pain (like you get with pneumonia) when we went to higher elevations, likely culprit, pleurisy. So for four days she pushed through the pain and carried on, but no trip would be complete with one last trip to the urgent care to make sure all was well (and to verify I didn’t need to quickly trade her in for a different model to make the rest of this international trip with). She survived, no trade in needed. While she was in the urgent care, I made a short run around town to find a Hawaiian shirt, I noticed that the little convertible we were in may also be in need to some “urgent care” as it was starting to smell a bit like syrup, and I didn’t have any pancakes on hand at the time. I proceeded back to the Enterprise by the airport, also not far away at this point, and dropped the car back off for repairs. Seemed as though a water pump seal had seen better days, but not to worry, they had a little Jeep to give us in exchange. on us so that we could continue our journey the next day. As the evening set in, we had the chance to meet up with a previous co-worker of MIsty’s at a restaurant in town. Huge shout out to The Oasis on the Beach restaurant, let me tell you, this place has ridiculously tasty food and drinks. First we sampled their house made Mai Tai, which was the best we’ve had yet! We then moved on to a main course of local, freshly caught fish and island-raised steak, both were just amazing. Between the Poke at the fish market and the fish and steak at this upscale eatery, we have definitely been culinarily spoiled by the island of Kauai!!!! We will be coming back to this island, guaranteed! As we settled in for the night, Misty’s friend offered to give us a personal tour (by car) around the west side of the island the next day, taking us to all the greatest spots only known by locals. On that note, off to bed in preparation for another day filled with new sights to see and great experiences to be had!

[webcricket]

Nudge Theory

Characters: CastielXReader, Dean Winchester, Sam Winchester

Word Count: 1465 (Act IV - Part I)

A/N: A five act mini-series. The reader and Castiel must work together to solve the curious case of the missing Winchesters. Fluff, smut, and a plot for kicks. Whatever happened to Sam and Dean Winchester anyway? Act IV is conveyed from the brothers’ perspective – their whereabouts and mischievous plotting revealed as the tables are unexpectedly turned. Action-packed fluff-filled conclusion coming your way next week!

Completed Series Masterlist:

webcricket.tumblr.com/post/162181272535/nudge-theory-masterlist

(X)

Nudge [verb] –

·       “Coax or gently encourage someone to do something.”

Act IV - Part I

“Y/N sounded pissed,” Dean snickered, tone not at all apologetic for the wild goose chase he and Sam sent you running on for the last couple of days. Driving up to the motel you and the angel were staying in, he set the Impala’s parking brake and smoothly released the clutch.

“Yeah, well Cas didn’t sound too pleased either,” Sam pointed out, groping blindly for his bag in the backseat, “you of all people know he hates being dicked around with. Well-meaning intentions aside, that’s exactly what happened here.”

“And there’s the real beauty of it Sammy,” Dean grasped his brother by the shoulder, “their shared anger will bring them even closer together. Real bonding material! Besides, how many times has Cas up and disappeared for days or weeks without so much as a word? No way in hell I’m feeling guilty about this one time, especially if it means he gets past this whole Debbie Downer shtick he’s been hung up on lately.”

“Right Dean. How totally selfless of you,” Sam smiled incredulously, shaking his head at his brother’s hair-brained scheming as he exited the car into the breezy night air. The metallic clatter of an ice bucket buffeted about the asphalt parking lot by the wind momentarily caught his attention. He dismissed it as a trivial detail.

Dean could barely contain the triumphant swagger threatening to burst forth from his person at any moment in the form of a victory dance, his green eyes flashing firework sparks in the pale artificial light as he hopped the small decorative fence in front of your motel door.

Setting you and Cas up to work a case together as a pre-text for meeting and falling hopelessly in love had been his idea. He’d known you for a good long while, appreciating your spunky but patient personality (spunky, but patient enough to endure his goofy shenanigans with a laugh and flat-out ignore any advances he made). He’d called you in on a few cases here and there over the years, keeping in touch with enough regularity to know you were still single and a little bit lonely as most hunters of your indomitable ilk tended to be. He also remembered your keen interest in hearing detailed accounts of his friend Cas, so much so you asked after the angel you’d never laid eyes upon every occasion you and Dean spoke, with Dean more than obliging in recounting (and frequently exaggerating) their unbelievable adventures – expounding Cas’ virtues like he was some fairy-tale prince for you to pine after. A supremely competent wingman, Dean laid the groundwork for your amorous inclinations toward the angel long before he knew what he was laying the groundwork for.

One caseless evening, teetering at the precipice of drunken insentience over a half-empty bottle of whisky with his mopey angelic friend planted dejectedly across the table droning on and on about bees or failure or some such nonsense to Dean’s disinterested ears, Dean’s inebriated mind divined the genius idea that you and Cas would be perfect for one another. Lord knew Cas needed someone spunky to inject some fun into his existence and show him the lighter side of life, someone patient and willing to listen to his endlessly odd meandering contemplations, to deal with his lack of hobbies beyond shadowing the brothers and the increasingly annoying 24/7 angels-don’t-require-sleep pacing of the bunker halls. Sure, Cas was family, but even family had its limits.

Cas likely would have brushed off Dean’s idea with nary a second thought, except for once Dean managed to kept his notoriously bombastic mouth shut. Sort of – he’d passed out, a thin string of spittle flowing over silent loose lips and cascading across the freckled back of his hand to pool on the table. Cas noted Dean did some of his most sincere listening whilst peaceably unconscious – mostly because the lack of voluntary muscle control severely hindered his ability to roll his eyes at the angel’s absurdly random musings.

Unlike Dean’s typical drunken theories, the notion of hooking you and Cas up still seemed absolutely brilliant when he awoke the next morning, head throbbing, cheek stuck to hand in turn stuck to table. Luckily, the first person he laid eyes on and enthusiastically spilled the proverbial beans to was his brother. Over a greasy diner breakfast to absorb whatever alcohol still circulated in Dean’s system and to avoid Cas’ innocently snooping angelic ears, Sam agreed to go along with the plan, primarily because Dean clearly wasn’t going to drop it any time soon and it was the fastest way to shut him up about it. Sam argued one caveat. He knew neither you or Cas would go along willingly on a traditional blind date. He also knew his brother would be unable to function in any kind of a normal and not overtly meddlesome capacity if you all simply worked a case together as an introduction. No, you had to be gently nudged in the right direction, free will and all being of utmost import – you and Cas had to choose each other, or at the very least have the illusion of choice.

Constructing a believable farce of a case (the best lies are based on truths – what better truth than a real case), setting the stage (leaving just enough clues in the bunker and bread crumbs in town to pique your interest and persistent concern), pulling the strings (ensuring you and Cas would both be at their beck and call at the same time and be compelled to help), and getting the logistics of the charade in place (easy-peasy when your late father, John Winchester, is something of a minor celebrity in the incredibly small town of Clifton Springs, NY where he saved the life of a perpetually grateful mayor’s son and his betrothed 13 years prior – all the folks in town practically tripping over each other to play their part in the strange production) – that was all 100% Sam Winchester. Yet despite Sam’s innumerable contributions without which none of this would have happened, and because the effort appeared to have been a resounding success based on Dean’s earlier phone call to Cas wherein he learned you and the angel evidently had gotten to know each other as intimately as possible, Dean Winchester intended to take full responsibility as match-maker extraordinaire.

Stationed before the motel door, fist poised to knock, Dean squared his shoulders and cleared his throat, donning a somber expression as he prepared to bask humbly in the glory of your everlasting gratitude.

Rolling his eyes, thoroughly done with the drama, Sam reached a lanky arm around his brother and thwacked a knuckle on the door – the door swung ominously inward without resistance.

Satisfaction stolen, Dean glowered at his brother before stepping jauntily across the threshold into the darkened room.

Intuiting something amiss, Sam’s bag dropped to the ground with a dull thud, his fingers instinctively reaching for and withdrawing the knife tucked discreetly inside his brown corduroy jacket. “Dean,” he warned in a hushed tone, yanking his brother stumbling backward by the coat collar.

“What?!” Dean whined, swatting Sam’s hand aside, ego too puffed up to recognize the blatant signs of a violent struggle before him.

“Dean, seriously?” Sam snorted, setting his jaw in the harsh manner that sufficed to belay both his worry and derision. He flicked the switch by the door, shedding further light on the situation.

Dean dispassionately examined the room – focus gliding over the unmade bed, overturned chairs and busted table, smashed picture frame, and random spattering of vivid red viscous fluid on the dingy carpet and multiple walls. He shrugged, snorting in retort, “Like I said, what?”

Sam’s square jaw threatened to dislocate just then under the gnashing force of teeth required to bite his tongue.

“Look, they’re just trying to get back at us,” Dean strode forward, picking up a snapped bloodied stump of table leg, using the pointed sliver of crimson painted wood to motion grandiosely around the room, “play us at our own game. The whole thing’s obviously staged.”

Wits undamped by over-inflated ego, Sam’s eyes alit on a wrinkled piece of pale beige toned mottled oddly familiar point of something vaguely flesh-like protruding out beneath the disjointed bed. Closer examination revealed the thing to be a crudely severed finger. And judging from the knobby rheumatic knuckles and age spots decorating the amputated bit, the severed finger of someone apparently elderly in years.

Dean could find no feasible way to explain this detached digit away as part of an elaborate payback hoax. You and Cas were indeed missing – really, actually, genuinely, and concerningly missing. Fortunately for everyone involved, Dean retains the remarkable ability to transition from jester to bad-ass hunter faster than anyone else in the known universe.

Continue Reading Act IV - Part II:

webcricket.tumblr.com/post/161871554020/nudge-theory

[mtgstories]

Review of Judgment (5-17-2017)

(Original article: http://magic.wizards.com/en/articles/archive/magic-story/judgment-2017-05-17)

WARNING: Spoilers below.

It’s quite the barn burner I’ve chosen to kick my reviews off with. In this week’s article by Doug Beyer and Alison Luhrs, we come to the climax of the Amonkhet action. Last week, we finally learned about what made Samut as heretical as Thalia. As the second sun approaches its final resting place, things look grim for our newfound heroine. 

The story starts off innocuously enough. With our previous story also being pointedly Gatewatch-less, I was pleasantly surprised to see the Samut/Djeru plotline be the focus of this story. It is refreshing to see that the Creative team at Wizards is listening to the community; it would be relatively easy to tell more (or most) of this article from the viewpoints of our intrepid (and increasingly stale) protagonists, watching as they continue to fumble about a new plane, trying to piece together a mystery that Samut herself has been gnawing on for around a decade. The concession of the Creative team to the fact that, ultimately, it is the denizens of a plane that deserve to have the acting power in their own narrative is a breath of fresh air, especially after the events of Eldritch Moon, where the sole actions of Jace and Liliana delay the total assimilation of the plane of Innistrad by Emrakul (who is honestly my favorite alien threat in recent pop-culture).

Even on Kaladesh, the success of the rebellion is largely dependent upon the cooperation of five suped up mages who happen to show up, even if one of them is native Kaladeshi (Kaladeshian?) Chandra. Personally, I believe the rebellion would have succeeded without the interference of the Gatewatch, but hey, I suppose they need to feel important every now and then.

Back to Amonkhet, the writing style starts off fluid and descriptive, a nice tempo and dialog drummed up that carries through the first segment. Lines from Samut and Djeru are natural and difficult to misinterpret, and the first author even manages to fit in a Chandraism (patent pending):

“Maybe he would ... ask her forgiveness - that was possible, wasn’t it? She managed to believe that for three entire seconds.”

The second segment of the story continues the well-wrought wordplay between Samut and Hazoret, easily the most characterized of the gods we’ve seen so far. We are given a hint that the gods, as they existed pre-Bolas, still exist, buried within, as we learned during Nissa’s battle with Kefnet. We also learn of the alternative roles the gods presumably held before the culture of Amonkhet was turned to the gladiator-like striving for eternal glory. It is interesting that even before Hazoret thought of herself as the chosen-daughter of Nicol Bolas, she was seen as the mother of the citizens of Amonkhet, or at least of Naktamun. After the Heliod-lead pantheon of Theros, it is intriguing to see the red-aligned god hold what we can assume is the highest position among the Amonkhet five (and even possibly the eight that were before).

The dialog between Samut and Hazoret is entirely believable, the tortured pleas of one longing to believe falling on the deaf ears of the indoctrinated. The least believable part of this segment is Samut’s utter shutdown following Hazoret’s dismissal. As a fiery warrior, it is strange to see Samut simply allow herself to be taken away, though perhaps in the presence of what we can assume is the speedster’s patron god, she was unwilling to actively dissent.

We come, finally, to the third segment, the portion that proves this was a two-person job. I’m not sure who wrote which parts of this story, but the sudden shift in writing style, and honestly, the increase in errors proves that the story changes ownership here.

As Samut is imprisoned within the gruesome sarcophagi alongside other dissenters, we have a shift from the consistent past-tense storytelling to a singular slip-up, as:

"I think we'll be the last," says the one to Samut's right. "The second sun is hours away from its zenith."

Sure, something that proofreading should have caught. But less than a dozen lines later:

They'll come in the morning. They'll take her to the arena. She'll finally convince Djeru, they'll leave alive, and the two will fight off the trespasser that ruined their world in the first place.

This paragraph jerks us unceremoniously into the future tense. Even if this was Samut’s inner monologue (which, if we’re following the style of the rest of the article, should be in italics), I would personally have still used the past tense, e.g. “They’d come in the morning, etc.”

The remainder of this segment feels rushed and barely structured; entire introductions and sharing of knowledge are glossed over in summaries of dialogue. When we finally do return to quotations, it is simply to restate facts that should have been included in the glossed over dialogue, and then, of course, to give the Gatewatch its limelight, as the group gets rightfully annoyed with Liliana and Jace for hiding Razaketh’s presence on Amonkhet. We end the segment with the arrival of the pantheon, summoning the dissidents to stand as the final trial for those who would ascend to eternity.

As we open on the final trial, we get some meaningless mind-talk between Jace and Nissa, I guess just to remind us that Nissa, a newly blue mage, is already better than Jace at controlling magic? The few lines of dialogue are instantly shown to be pointless as the cartouches immobilizing them simply fall off. Sometimes, less is more.

Another thing - the stands are supposedly filled with the Anointed. Just where did the remainder of Naktamun go? I’d imagine the Trial of Zeal is a very publicized thing, as none of the contestants leave alive, and everyone seems to know what happens there. Yet there appear to only be a bunch of mummies in the crowd. Odd...

The fight sequence is actually some of the better combat writings I’ve read in a while. There is a nice tempo and simplicity to the phrases, and the lack of complete sentences mirrors the rushed moves all combatants take part in. Yet another momentary tense lapse after Hazoret hears Djeru’s prayer:

The battle magic dissipates.

If the next two lines had been present tense, as well, I could have understood it as the artistic representation of blood-rushed senses returning to normal. As a single sentence, it sticks out like a sore thumb.

Directly following that, a cringe-worthy use of “was” over “were”:

Around them was spatters of blood, the bodies of three initiates (head turned sideways, throat parted, thrown body discarded into the crowd). 

Again, something I caught the first time I read the story, something any proofreader should have noticed, as well.

The next bit has Djeru crying like a baby after Samut sort of saves him from being impaled (Gideon does a Gideon thing and manages to end up in front of the pair before Hazoret realizes), Hazoret rethinking her life choices (which is awesome and a great move, continuing to humanize the character that I’m sure will play a pivotal role in Hour of Devastation), and the Gatewatch standing around waiting for something to happen.

As the sky begins to darken and six of the seven mortals dash for the Luxa, we are given quite a treat - prophetical plot development! Not only that, it is given to my personal favorite member of the Gatewatch, Beefcake - I mean, Gideon.

The last few lines are simple, powerful, and sent a shiver down my spine the first time I read them. For a mortal who literally face-tanked Ulamog’s assault (I want the name of who signed off on that, by the way), being told, simply and directly, “You are no god” is an uber powerful way to foreshadow what I predict will be the downward spiral and ultimate doom of my favorite Planeswalker (minus potentially Ugin, if he ever does anything again). I love you, Gideon, but I love the Magic story more, and the death of its most noble hero is exactly what it needs.

I’ll end this review with arguably my new favorite one-liner, a fitting end to the story of Amonkhet:

The indestructible man felt only a bleak and empty horror.

[thephonecops]

Episode Notes | S1E1, Pilot pt. 1

Here we are, at the beginning of these proper episode notes! It’s worth- well, noting, if you’ll pardon the redundancy, that in these early season one episodes… I believe it’s the first eight or so- things are a bit rocky. We’re going to talk about that a fair bit, as we come to these situations, but the important thing is to note that a lot of the character notes I make in these early episodes are merely going to be speculative, because the characters change a lot in these early bits. Also worth noting, is that this early section of season one is not an ensemble show. It’s starring Gordon Jump and Gary Sandy, and everyone else isn’t even in every episode. They also feature the long revered but admittedly lengthy opening credits, which you can watch here, if you don’t happen to have the DVDs on hand as some of us do.

I will also try to mention what music is playing when, if I know it, but even though I listen to a LOT of classic rock, I’m afraid I’m not the greatest at recognizing it when I don’t already know it and the great “identify the song that’s playing” feature of my phone can’t help me when there’s dialogue over the music. SO. I will do my best but no promises.

OKAY. SO. Pilot episode, part one.

This would be an opportune time to discuss the history of the creation of WKRP, but I kinda wanna save that post for another day. It isn’t really something that’s part of the episode notes anyway, so we’ll skip that bit for now. Instead, we’ll talk about just the episode itself and the introductions of the characters and the overall plot.

The plot here is that the worst radio station in Cinci has hired (yet another) program director, who is Andy Travis. He is coming in for the first time today. And of course, he is the straight man to all the nuts at the station, the normal guy from the outside, and the original plan was to have him be our eyes to the station, to tell the stories from his point of view- which is of course, a mistake, and why the show later became officially an ensemble situation.

This is a typical sitcom plot where we have a new person, and they go around and meet everyone in the new place- an overused but very useful (and I feel still very useable) trope for meeting the characters of a new location or show or what have you.

We open on this one, on Jennifer tending to the plants in the lobby. While I believe there are always at least some plants in the lobby (I guess if I’m wrong we’ll find out in the future now won’t we), I don’t think Jennifer is so into them in later episodes. I don’t even think there are any plants in Jennifer’s apartment. But in these early season episodes, she is very protective of the plants and she spends a lot of time…..with them, if I may word it like that, and I honestly think that the writers not quite knowing what to do with Jennifer begins here on day one.

Also, the music the show opens with (not the theme, I’m talking when Jennifer is tending the flora and fauna), is perhaps the least WKRP sounding music I’ve ever heard in my life and it’s honestly sort of amusing. But also weird.

Herb is introduced second, in all his sexist glory, and I must say how clear it is that he developed a lot in this first season. He is played very stereotypically sleazy in this episode, especially, and his clothes- while still in bad taste, are actually pretty classy. For Herb.

For a man that wears a giant blue and white checkerboard suit with a matching tie later in the series.

(Click the read more to view the full notes for this episode!)

They also establish that he’s married here, and it almost feels like they did it just for the laughs- once again, he’s played sleazy here, not totally but definitely more so than later in the series, and it seems apparent to me that they didn’t plan on analyzing why this married man can’t bring himself to cheat on his wife, as they (sort of) do in later episodes.

Also, “would you like to meet Bert Convy in person”. Herb's concept of impressing women is by introducing them to game show hosts. Need I say more?

Next up, in walks our temporary star, Andy. His stereotype is also immediately enforced, as is everyone’s on this show. He’s a cowboy, from Santa Fe, and the Big Guy hired him on the phone.

Speaking of the Big Guy, another bit of odd characterization is Jennifer’s last descriptor- “the jerk who runs this place.” Now, we all know Mr. Carlson and we all know that is a very unfitting description of the man. Regardless, I think it is a simple joke. I don’t think the plan was ever for it to describe Carlson, because for all the off character traits of the early episodes, that is not one of them.

Les is also immediately established, with a character trait that sticks with him forever- “award winning farm reports”. I think this is a joke about Cincinnati, but it will of course very quickly become a joke about Les and his obsession with hogs.

We also learn a crucial bit of information- “the last program director lasted 30 minutes before the Big Guy fired him.” Yet another strangely harsh precursor to the Big Guy’s entrance, because regardless of what people say about him, he is never played like a jerk.

Jennifer sets up the idea that Herb is “dying for some steamy one night stand”, which I think is interesting because as we will learn later… he isn’t, not really, but perhaps she just uses him as something to bounce the idea off of to test Andy.

I still don’t get the setup from the other characters, who surely know better, but it seems like Mr. Carlson is perhaps putting on airs to try and seem like “the jerk who runs this place” so that if he has to fire Andy, maybe it’ll help him have the guts to. But I wouldn’t think Jennifer, Herb or Les would be fooled, and I also don’t think Les would be capable of doing a proper job of acting to convince Andy. So. Not sure about that stuff, but as for the Big Guy himself, you can see his act fall away when he says, “Ooh! Do you think that’s wise?” in response to Andy telling him he quit his job in Santa Fe.

The introduction of Mama being verbal, but not having her in the first half of the pilot, is an interesting choice that allows the imagination to run rampant, and I like it.

Then of course, comes the immortal introduction of Johnny Caravella- Johnny Midnight, Johnny Duke, Johnny Cool, Johnny Style, and Johnny Sunshine- But not yet Johnny Fever. The coffee keeps in sharp as a tack.

I do find Johnny’s failure to realize who and where he is and to stay awake, is an odd thing, because it goes away in the second episode. Perhaps we are to believe that he’s cured of that with the format change- but he does it one more time at the end of this episode, so perhaps not. Either way, that’s another character trait they didn’t keep.

And now the farm thing with Les quickly becomes a hog thing, as he shows up fresh off the air with the hog futures. (“hogs have futures, I don’t”) and in comes another trait for Les that I don’t remember him as having, and which I honestly don’t think he keeps after the pilot: Being a suck up. Of course, Herb is always a suck up, because he’s Herb, and we see that in this scene too, but the reason is, they were both up for Andy’s job.

Speaking of Andy’s job, what better poster could he unroll that would make the audience release a collective gasp, than a KISS poster? It’s no secret what he’s planning to do.

The next character we meet is Bailey, in the booth with Johnny, where we get to see Johnny Caravella in action- and then the format change.

Johnny thinks he’s a little too old for this rock n roll stuff. He wants andy to find someone “about fifteen years younger.” He sees himself as past his prime, and he seems to have accepted it. But being convinced of the idea, and doing it, elicts an incredible change in Johnny- it’s like watching him come to life. And, of course, the moniker of Dr. Johnny Fever is born.

We’ll probably discuss this more in later episode notes, but Johnny was a breakout character, and MTM had to do some damage control to keep him from taking it over, because by then they had decided the show would do best as an ensemble piece and that’s how it would stay.

Another interesting thing I want to note before we get to the action packed wrap up of this half of the pilot, is the ships. We know right away that the NoTP of the show is Jennifer and Herb, but possible OTPs include Johnny and Bailey. However, it does seem that they’re lowkey pushing an Andy and Bailey thing here too. Kinda like they were thinking of some kind of triangle situation. Which, obviously that is never realized, but I do find it interesting (and it is worth mentioning that it’s not hard to find Andy/Bailey fic around lol).

SO. The wrap up. In bursts Mr. Carlson, ready to promote Herb (Herb and Les bail on Andy right away to support the Big Guy, back to that I-knew-Herb-was-professional-butt-kisser-but-why-is-Les-behaving-this-way thing) and fire Andy because Mama Carlson heard the station three days in and she is upset.

Mrs. Carlson is played by Sylvia Sydney here, but for some reason after the pilot she is always played by Carol Bruce. Now, I love Carol Bruce, but of course she is a less believable age if Arthur is indeed over 40, as he proclaims in a later episode.

Regardless, Mama comes in, demanding to to know what is going on, and the Big Guy is generating all sorts of stories for her. But the sway of money and the first sign of a backbone she’s ever seen in her son, convince her to allow the hijinks to continue- “for a while.”

The final introduction- Venus Flytrap comes in just in time to elict one of the biggest eyerolls I’ve ever seen from Mama Carlson. He’s presented as, and pardon my use of the possibly inappropriate term, a bit of a jive turkey in early episodes like this one, and it’s played straight. But when Hugh Wilson, creator of the show, sat down with Tim Reid (who plays Venus) to work on this stuff, it is later revealed that it’s mostly an act from Venus, who is far from that stereotype.

We close on a beautiful shot of Mr. Carlson not understanding kids these days as he and his briefcase wander somewhat forlornly down the hall, past the booth, and Venus does his inaugural nighttime show.

All in all, I say this is a good pilot, and if I just….. Saw it and nothing else I think I would be interested to see more. I’m not sure if this is the pilot for the same show we all know and love, as I said, because so many small details are going to change very rapidly, but such is the way with pilots.

I’d rate this, keeping in mind that it’s a pilot, a solid 7/10.

Stay tuned for more (hopefully shorter) episode notes as we get farther into the world of WKRP!

[placetobenation]

**I was born in 1990 and became a wrestling fan in 1996. Shawn Michaels was my first favorite wrestler, and I watched every minute of the Attitude Era religiously. Needless to say, 90s WWF is my wrestling foundation. I have heard about the mythic era of the NWA and the territories, (and of course I’ve seen bits and pieces) but never truly steeped myself in all its glory. Follow my fresh/ignorant breakdown of classic wrestling!**

Mid-Atlantic Championship Wrestling—October 17, 1981

Bob and Davy preview the show, which features the usual cast of characters, aside from one new face–Jimmy Valiant. According to Davy’s wonderfully Southern phrasing, Mid-Atlantic just “keeps getting on better and better!” The WWE Network has a gap in episodes, so we have skipped a few weeks ahead.

Jake Roberts, who seems to switch partners weekly, is now chasing the tag titles with Jay Youngblood. Jake calls out Ole over the fact that the NWA Tag Team Championship has not been defended in 60 days, (30 days overdue) so he will either have to get Gene out of retirement or find a new partner to give them a fair shot.

He throws it to Youngblood, who gives a complete mess of a promo. His bloodshot eyes suggest he may have just smoked a joint. He stumbles on his words, and at one point, completely turns his back to the camera. Jake even seems to be snickering at him in the background. (Maybe Jake just likes to pick partners that humor him.) They just send guys out there and let them do what they do on the mic, for better or for worse. I can respect that.  

Piper walks up to Youngblood and just tears into him, going on a breathless tirade about how he will fight Youngblood and his entire “squaw” family. He says they could fight have a deathmatch, until each literally cannot fight any longer and looks as if he might spontaneously combust at any second. In an unexpected turn, David steps in to tell Piper that the stipulation has already been made for this match, and his partner, Abdullah the Butcher, has been suspended, so he better just accept it. As David explains, it’s just a “regular match.” Youngblood comes back to fire back at Piper with the line, “you better not mess with any Indians…or any of these fans.” Yeah I’m pretty sure he’s stoned.

Youngblood cannot even come close to matching Piper’s intensity and really looks weak here. He has to have, of all people, David squeak something out to defend him against Piper’s ranting. Still, you get a face and heel confrontation to set up a good match later in the program, and Piper raving like a lunatic about deathmatches is fantastic.

Before we get to any matches, David and Bob are excited to show us some footage of Jimmy Valiant, and it might be the greatest montage ever spliced together at a TV studio in North Carolina.

Here are the highlights:

a.) The same clip of Handsome Jimmy strutting around ringside in a glittery hat with a cigar in his mouth. This clip appears about three times total from what I counted.

b.) Some short clips of him in ring punching people in a tiny tv studio illuminated with various colors of the rainbow. Also, the ring doesn’t even have a damn apron and looks to be on the verge on imploding with every step the wrestlers take. Really, I have seen better rings in backyard wrestling.

c.) Jimmy rocking out, though not necessarily singing, with his band in a foggy haze.

d.) Jimmy emerges from a limousine wearing a blazer with no shirt at what appears to be a smoky jazz bar.

e.) Jimmy beats up a man dressed in blue tights and diaper.

As Bob tells us, we now know “a few of the things Jimmy Valiant can do.”

Jimmy Valiant vs Jim Nelson The match consists mainly of Valiant bopping around the ring and landing the occasional strike or toss on Nelson. There really isn’t much else to add.

Match Notes The match basically served as an introduction to the entertaining Valiant and his mannerisms, including the way he constantly bounces from side to side. He’s a pretty cool character. If Santa Claus joined the Doobie Brothers, he would look like Jimmy Valiant. I’m looking forward to some Handsome Jimmy promos.

Winner: Jimmy Valiant via pin Rating:  ½*

 Roddy Piper vs Jay Youngblood The match broke down into three distinct segments that all made sense. In the early going, the two tie up, and Youngblood wins nearly every exchange, managing to toss Piper out or work him into a hold. Piper heads outside after each of these exchanges to regroup and do some quality pissing and moaning. Eventually, Piper takes control, works the back, and gets the sleeper locked in, only for Youngblood to get the ropes. Piper continues to work Jay over, but makes a crucial mistake of hitting his own head on a vertical suplex. When the two regain their strength, they trade big strikes back and forth until time expires. The pace ebbed and flowed nicely, and the narrative was rock solid.

Match Notes There were so many great little elements that made this awesome. I loved how they used Piper’s earlier comments about wanting a deathmatch to build heat on him. He wanted this brutal deathmatch, yet complains every that Youngblood’s every move is cheating. By turning into a normal match, it allowed the two to build to a time limit draw through an awesome last sequence where both guys were groggy and just nailing each other until time expired. Youngblood’s chops (one in the early going especially) were just lethal. The pace was super quick early, but slowed as both guys wore down, building to the dramatic punchdrunk finish.

I love the use of the “critical mistake” as a storytelling device in many of these matches, and the guys really do a great job of executing it. When Piper hits his head on the suplex, it completely changes the momentum of the match and allows Youngblood to get back in it. It helps to transition between different sections of the match. 

Finally, it was a little uncomfortable to hear Bob call Youngblood “this Indian” so many times. “This Indian can really fight, David!” Piper proceeds to beat Youngblood down after the match until officials pull him off. Amazing that as legendary as Piper would become, some lucky folks in the Carolinas got to see him work great matches like this in a tiny venue for 80 people. 

 Winner: Draw via Time Limit (10 minute) Rating: ***½

After the break, we cut to  a completely different studio for a promo from Blackjack Mulligan Jr. (a super young Barry Windham), Johnny Weaver, and Paul Jones. Junior has an issue with Kevin Sullivan, while Jones and Weaver will face the Russians (along with their manager Lord Alfred!) and it might end up in the parking lot. This promo came out of nowhere, but regardless, you can check out all the action at the National Guard Armory in Ronceverte, WV. All I could focus on was Weaver’s gaping mouth through the entire promo.

The Great Kubuki vs Charlie Fulton After some lengthy histrionics and unmasking, Kubuki nails Fulton with a stiff chop, a kick, another chop, and then pins him. That’s it.

Match Notes Illustrated that by their fears that he may use a samurai sword in the match, Bob and David are completely befuddled by Kubuki. 

(Kabuki unmasks)David: OH GAA

Bob: (Deadpan) Heck, I still don’t know who he is.

Even though there wasn’t much to the actual match, I can’t completely thrash it because Kabuki did grab my attention and his theatrics at the start built some suspense around what he would actually do. He’s fully into the character, so I can appreciate that. Also, that first chop was vicious. Lots of quality chops on this show. Between Kubuki and Handsome Jimmy, more and more colorful characters are being introduced that I would have expected. 

Winner: Great Kubuki via pin Rating: *

Next up, the promo carousel! Wahoo Mcdaniel is up first to run down Piper. In a nice touch, Wahoo’s forehead still looks purple from the slaughter by Abdullah a month ago. Jake steps up next to once again call out Ole for not defending the tag straps. Both of these guys have a more reserved promo styles that really draws you in. 

Bad Bad Leroy Brown and Jake Roberts vs Rick Harris and Ali Bey   Despite his power, Leroy finds himself in his opponents’ corner until he manages to escape and tag Jake. Jake starts fast and furious, but eventually finds himself in peril. He finds a way to sneak to his corner to tag Leroy, who then rams Harris into his stomach a few times, then hits the big splash for the win. Solid, logical, and nothing spectacular.

Match Notes On the surface it seems like an odd pairing, but Jake and Leroy make a pretty cohesive team. Jake can use his quick fiery offense and be face in peril, then Leroy can clean up with his big power moves.

Winner: Leroy Brown and Jake Roberts via pin Rating: *1/2 

Announcer Aside This might be the first time on these shows that the announcers all but ignore the action in the ring to discuss other wrestlers and angles. They still can’t get over Kubuki’s alleged purple tongue or the dastardly actions of Roddy Piper.

I’m starting to see that the focus remains on the in ring competition, but they still like to bring in wild characters and personalities. Still, even the odd characters are presented in a fairly serious way.

We get some more promos for the Armory show. Young Kevin Sullivan looks like a total stud (or a jacked up Owen Wilson) and will take on Blackjack Mulligan Jr.  Also, cool moment as we get to see a glimpse of Lord Al playing a smug British heel managing the Russians. A great one too, turning his nose to the cretins of Roncerverte who “quaff beer.” He is an entirely different character, far from yucking it up on TNT, and I can only hope for more Evil Al. Many of the older guys from the territory days can just transition seamlessly from face to heel.

US Heavyweight Champion Sgt. Slaughter vs Frank Monte Monte tries to stave off Slaughter with some desperation blows. However, that does absolutely nothing, and Sarge beats on his midsection and lower back relentlessly, then locks in the cobra clutch for the win.

Match Notes Slaughter deserves this championship because he has been nothing short of great on these shows. Like Piper, he fills the gaps with so many great heel moves, like screaming the Marines’ Hymn while Monte loses consciousness. He also delivers the third brutal chop of the show.  

Winner: Sgt. Slaughter via submission Rating: *

We close with more interviews. Slaughter goes on a wild tirade about how he is best, and in the process, calls out Leroy Brown, Jim Crockett, the cameraman, the tape, and, of course, that blonde haired maggot whose the World Champion. Slaughter kills it here as always and has even more gusto after winning the US title.

Ivan Koloff shows up for the first time in a while, and Bob looks sincerely afraid that Koloff might bite him. He calls out Steamboat and then does some other general growling.

Finally, Ole  vehemently denies making excuses and says he will defend the title when he gets a partner. Ole always does a good job of showing that he really does see himself as a reasonable, respectable guy, when we all know he’s nothing of the sort.

The credits roll over a shot of Slaughter murdering Frank Monte.

End of Show Notes

MVP: Roddy Piper Piper always brings the goods with his promos, but on this show he brought it in the ring as well, in the best match on these Mid-Atlantic shows so far. Go out of your way to watch this match.

If You Only Watch One Match: Roddy Piper vs Jay Youngblood

Best Nonwrestling Segment: “Handsome” Jimmy Valiant montage

Overall Impression: This was a strong show down in the Carolinas. You have the excellent Piper/Youngblood match, the fun Jimmy Valiant montage, and solid performances from Jake and Slaughter. Anytime you get a match between two featured guys, you savor it. And least we forget about the mysterious Great Kubuki. I’d call this the best so far.

Rating: 8/10

So long for now!

[theawesomesource]

Charting the many origins of Marvel’s Wall-crawling Web-head

Everyone loves a good origin story, and comics have some of the best in the business. They’re so good in fact that people can’t seem to leave them alone. Aside from the fact that they were first told anywhere up to 80 years ago, classic origin stories have been told and retold so many times that it’d be easy to get confused. Batman has one of the most successful retelling with “Batman: Year One”, and just a few years ago Scott Snyder retold his version in “Zero Year“.

In the last few years the Amazing Spider-Man has had two series attempting to fill in some of the gaps of his early years. Firstly there was 2014’s “Volume 1.1: Learning to Crawl“ by Dan Slott and Ramon Perez which, much like its numbering suggests, sets out to fill in the gaps between the early panels, pages and issues that cover the origin of everyone’s favourite wall-crawler. It’s aim was to flesh out one of the more famous origins in comics while still remaining faithful to the original. Nothing is getting rebooted here; everything that happened has happened, but as the introduction insisted, “you don’t know the whole story”.

More recently was the ongoing series from 2015 -2016 (because yes, ‘ongoing’ these days at Marvel means ’12 issues’) “Spidey” by Robbie Thompson and Nick Bradshaw. Much like an earlier, (and most would acknowledge more successful) series called “Untold Tales of Spider-Man“, “Spidey” attempted not to retell any stories but to weave new tales between the existing ones.

So all of this is great right? This way the early years can be explored and retold in a way that doesn’t invalidate anything that’s come before it, plus you get to squeeze in extra stories. It’s win-win. Except…except these aren’t the first times Marvel’s done this. Hell, it’s not even the first time Marvel’s done this with Spider-man. There have been a number of books that have ‘filled in the gaps’ of those early days of Peter Parker, so I’m going to highlight some of the more prominent ones. I’m going to focus specifically on the origin itself, and see if they all complement one another nicely, or contradict one another completely. After that we’ll try and sort out some kind of timeline, because continuity is fun!

Honourable mention – “Spider-man: Chapter One” (1998-99)

Back in the glory days of the late nineties comics were rarely better. OK, I couldn’t write that with a straight face. Unfortunately the nineties weren’t very kind on our superheroes, and while a lot of good came out of that era, a lot of terrible things did too. Take “Spider-Man: Chapter One“.

Written and drawn by John Byrne, this was a retelling unlike any other. Designed to be a revamp for new audiences before the reboot of the main “Amazing Spider-Man” title, Byrne cherry picked his favourite parts of the origin story –

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Like the covers…

– and completely disregarded the rest. The worst offenders? Well apart from updating the way people spoke and dressed:

Yeah girl, the Stones are… cowabunga…or something.

He completely changed the setting. Did you catch that subtle change above?

He’s heading where for what now?

Yep, turns out Peter’s fatal spider bite happened not at a Midtown High Science Exhibit: Experiments in Radio-Activity (Room 30) –

Myeh. Thought I was making that up didn’t you?!

– it was actually in one of Doctor Octavius’ Great Radiation Chambers, in a crude attempt to link their destinies.

Pictured Above: Epic Superior Foreshadowing.

Obviously things go wrong:

Many arms make terrible chamber ventilators.

And the rest is history. Horribly rewritten history.

“His recovery is…amazing…spectacular…even sensatio- ok I’ll stop”

That’s not all John Byrne changed. Wanting to reboot the burglar’s origins (you remember, the one that shot Uncle Ben? Keep up), he has it so that the reason the burglar broke into the Parker residence is because he saw Spider-Man leaving…

“He must be robbing the place! ONLY LOGICAL CONCLUSION.”

…and assumed he was ‘casing the joint’.

The start of a beautiful friendship

It’s only an honourable mention on this list because for all intents and purposes it’s been completely erased from history. It didn’t even get a convoluted Mephisto handshake – it’s just quickly and quietly been brushed under the rug as a sort of awful dream…

The Amazing Spider-Man: Parallel Lives (1989)

Ah yes. One of the more famous retcons in Spider-Man’s history, ‘Parallel Lives’ is a Marvel Graphic Novel from 1989 and follows Peter Parker and Mary Jane’s lives in tandem as they grow up in the same circles.

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These truly are…Parallel Lives.

Again it goes over Peter’s origin –

Pictured Above: Drama.

Yet apart from the odd phrasing there are no real changes to the birth of Spider-Man. For the most part, Peter’s side of things is a fairly faithful adaptation of the source material. There’s even a great page that recreates and expands on two panels from AF #15 –

With great power, comes great feels.

Most of the new material comes from Mary Jane’s side of things. Her back story gets fleshed out some more in order to change her from Party Girl into Party Girl…with emotions.

Because no one is allowed to be that much fun. NO ONE.

The major retcon however comes about a third of the way through the book…

Wait for it…

Say whaaaaaaaaaaaa??

Yep. Turns out all these years – before they married, before Gwen died, hell before they even officially met – MARY JANE KNEW PETER WAS SPIDER-MAN.

Wowsers

This was a pretty huge change in the Spider-Man mythos at the time and one that caused quite a bit of controversy. People could accept that MJ could suppress years of family tragedy, but ask people to believe that she knew all along about Peter, even when she was stood there at the door –

With her thighs thicker than her waist. What a dame.

– That seemed like too much for a lot of folks. Thing is though, aside from having to view those early interactions differently, it doesn’t really affect anything else too seriously. In the long run it also adds a lot of depth to Mary-Jane that wasn’t there before, and helped her become one of the best supporting characters in comics. So for that reason it’s slowly just been accepted that yeah, she always knew. Onto the continuity pile it goes!

Spider-Man: With Great Power… (2008)

Now here is a strange miniseries. Writer David Lapham (of Stray Bullets fame) attempts to fill in the gaps between two panels in Amazing Fantasy #15, namely this one…

Face front True Believer! Excelsior! etc

…and this one…

He never mentions that award. So humble.

It’s a great idea in theory. It’s always confused me how Spider-man goes from being the ‘sensation of a nation’ to a superhero seemingly overnight, and no one ever mentions his wrestling career again. Clearly things get glossed over. So this is where ‘With Great Power…’ comes in. Set after the spider bite, but before his Uncle Ben’s death, this mini suggests there was about… a week and a half maybe?… where Peter kind of bumbled around becoming a flash in the pan success, all the while moping over Liz Allen and receiving the gift of a car from Uncle Ben. Which he promptly sells, along with his wrestling money to buy a better car, just to impress Liz Allen.

Was he really this obsessed with her?

Anyway, the whole point is he has all the power but no idea what it means to be responsible.

Then this happens.

And with eyes like a chameleon, so she can watch two different Cute Darlings at once!

Like a mid-eighties Cher mixed with a mid-nineties Cher, Tiffany Lebeck enters Peter Parker’s world and for some reason she’s his perfect woman?

Stupid Parker! You could have been the next Sonny Bono! (Ask your parents)

As the story progresses we see the usual plot points get hit – he becomes a wrestling star:

There’s that rhyming phrase again. So nice you’ve seen it twice!

…annoys Jonah…

It’s here that Parker realised “J.J.” is a better nickname than “Sheepy Mcsubtle”

…plus it also covers the infamous scene with the burglar, because that takes place between those two panels in AF #15…

He’s wearing a beanie in this version? CONTINUITY RUINED.

The series ends with a news report telling of that same burglar still on the loose, in a typically ominous fashion.

WUH-OHS.

Overall it’s an odd series. I get the point that it was going for: there was a gap in the story that needed filling, but five issues was way too long, and the characters were in sort of a holding pattern. Peter couldn’t really learn anything because that had to happen when his Uncle died. Besides, back in AF #15 before Ben is killed Peter is kind of a jerk, so all the way through this Peter is also a jerk, and whiney to boot.

Ergh. GET OVER YOURSELF.

It does have some interesting ideas. Jameson’s editorials brandishing Spider-Man a menace start to annoy his promoters…

…so they’re the ones that encourage him to be a hero, in order to clean up his personal image. Ok, that’s a strange angle to take, but not entirely unbelievable. Peter doesn’t take too well to it though…

Even Cher can’t take his whining.

So yeah, I get it. Even when given the opportunity to be a hero on a plate, Peter can’t handle it because he hasn’t had that one hard lesson yet.

There’s that speech.

Oh that reminds me! After he got his powers, but before he became a superhero, Peter Parker wussed out on helping the Fantastic Four in stopping a monster invasion, and wound up indirectly killing a man:

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Ok, not really, he tried to help him but just sucked really hard at it.

So yeah, not a great series this, and while the premise was good the execution was pretty awful. If it wasn’t Spider-Man it’d be a great examination of a teenager taking on the responsibilities of a superhero, but for Peter Parker? It just doesn’t sit right. It just further reinforces the notion that Peter Parker isn’t inherently good or heroic, and that unlike other heroes like Superman, he needs one of his family members to die before he learns the “hard” lesson that helping others is the right thing to do? Still, it doesn’t actually contradict anything that’s come before, so I guess it goes in the pot.

Amazing Fantasy #16 – #18 (1995)

Extremely similar to “Amazing Spider-Man 1.1″ in both premise and execution, these 3 issues aimed to fill in the gap between “Amazing Fantasy #15″ and “Amazing Spider-Man #1″. Here’s where we’ll potentially have troubles, because there are discrepancies between this and “Learning to Crawl”.

Written by Kurt Busiek (the writer of previously mentioned “Untold Tales of Spider-Man”) in 1995, with art by Paul Lee, these are three standalone stories that all deal with the themes of power and responsibility: the first issue sees Peter fight a ring of scam artists that pick on widows and widowers (including Aunt May):

Wolf of Wall St up in here

…the second deals with a fellow teenager Joey Pulaski who also has superpowers –

His first superhero meeting…?

But uses her powers to help the mob target select buildings to destroy, so they can reap the benefits in insurance and construction.

All the power, none of the responsibility. LESSONS, PEOPLE.

The third issue takes a similar tack, pitting Spidey against a villain called Supercharger who charges himself up in a super way –

Electro’s dad AMIRITE LOL

Overall this is a pretty awesome, if seemingly forgotten series. There’s a definite feel of “Marvels” about it, which Busiek also wrote:

The artwork is very cool too.

…and because it’s Busiek it’s extremely faithful to the source material. Anyone who’s read “Avengers Forever” knows how much he loves his continuity. So because of that there’s nothing here that really contradicts anything that came before it. Spidey’s manager is called Maxxie Shiffman here instead of Monty Caabash in “With Great Power…” but with a little artistic license you can easily see these stories fitting together. Just about.

Different name, same Jerkweasel.

Spidey has never experienced ‘Spidey Sense’ before either, and gives the sensation its name in these issues.

“Some sort of – Arachnopathy? Web-Brain? Tarantulovision?”

There are a few other things, like apparently he’s never met Jonah Jameson before –

FORESHADOWING

…and Busiek shows you Uncle Ben’s funeral…

Popular fella.

…both of which get contradicted by later storylines. The Jameson thing in ‘With Great Power…’:

Although Jameson being knocked out gets around that particular continuity knot I guess so you know, GET OVER IT

…and Uncle Ben’s funeral gets shown again in Amazing Spider-Man 1.1 Learning to Crawl, which we’ll get to shortly. In either case they’re stories that came after Busiek’s issue, so if anything they contradict his work and not the other way around.

Amazing Spider-Man vol 1.1: Learning to Crawl (2014)

 Now, as much as people may lampoon Mr Slott, there’s one thing he’s good for and that’s continuity. He knows this character inside and out, so a flashback to Peter’s early days shouldn’t be too much of an issue for him, and this story is no exception.

Picking up literally one second after Amazing Fantasy #15… (seriously, check it out:)

Here’s the last panel of AF #15…

…And the first of ASM 1.1. Neat huh?

…this series aimed to fulfil the same promise that Busiek’s issues did, i.e. fill in the blanks between “AF #15″ and “ASM #1″. So the question is, can there possibly be enough room between those books for another 3 issues?

Slott gets the agent’s name right at least

This book covers a lot of ground that’s already been covered in the books mentioned above. For example, as mentioned earlier, here’s Uncle Ben’s funeral…

He’s more popular now at least

…Jameson’s beef with ol’ Webhead…

“rasser-frassing-grumble-my son’s an astronaut-grumble”.

…as well as introducing a fellow teen who is like Peter but not…

In this case a fanboy rather than a kid with actual powers

All in all though it’s not bad. It doesn’t majorly contradict anything continuity wise –

Not at first. Unless you count ‘With Great Power…’ which I’m sure no one is at this point.

… so there’s no reason it can’t sit alongside everything else in that regard. Plus the art is just gorgeous. Ramon Perez is fantastic and it’s clear he loves the source material.

Love the Ditko dots in Spidey’s eyes.

So yeah,  I think it’s fine to go on the continuity pile! The trouble comes when you try and make one coherent whole however…

Piecing it all together.

So. Now that we’ve seen all the various attempts at filling in the blanks, do they all come together to form a coherent story? Well, if we put them in order…

“Amazing Fantasy #15” is first, at least the first part up until he starts to become famous. Then we cut to

“With Great Power #1-5″. Taking place between the panels before cutting back to

“Amazing Fantasy #15″ where we find out what happens after the burglar shoots and kills Uncle Ben. As Peter leaves his bedroom at the end of the third page of part 2 however we jump over to

“Amazing Spider-Man: Parallel Lives”, where we see (Shock, Horror!) Mary Jane catching him leaving and figuring out that (Horror, Shock!) Peter Parker IS Spider-Man! Back to

“Amazing Fantasy #15″, and right as it ends, it gets picked up in

“Amazing Spider-Man vol 1.1: Learning to Crawl” (Can you see now why the numbering is stupid?) Then

“Amazing Fantasy #16 – #18″ which would then take us up to

“Amazing Spider-Man #1″. The first one. The first number 1. Ergh.

So that’s it. Does it make sense from a continuity stand-point? Meh, I’m going to go with a solid “Just about”. Does it make sense on a story-telling perspective? Probably not. If you read them all like that, you’d end up with a bit of a mess. Peter learns, then forgets, then re-learns – twice – that with Great Power there must also come Great Responsibility. Plus reading them this way means he has a tendency to forget people and places, meet people for the first time twice, and be surrounded by characters that change names and motivations.

Apart from Flash. Good…

…old…

…faithful…

…Flash…

…Thompson.

If I had to choose, I’d say you could probably remove ‘With Great Power…’ (Sorry Mr Lapham, love your other works!), and then most everything else sort of works itself out.

Ooh I forgot to mention Silk! She also gets bitten by the radioactive spider in “Amazing Spider-Man (2014-2015) #1“:

  – but seeing as her story doesn’t effect Peter’s origins in any way and rather just runs parallel to what I can only assume is Peter running off to immediately fall in love with Cher, we can just acknowledge it as a fun extra.

So what do you guys think? Was there anything I missed? Let me know below, on Twitter or on the Facebook page!

From Amazing Fantasy to the modern day, charting The Many Origins of Peter Parker, The Amazing Spider-Man Charting the many origins of Marvel’s Wall-crawling Web-head Everyone loves a good origin story, and comics have some of the best in the business.