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dukeofonions · 4 years ago

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Puppet vs Video Games (The Gimmicks of Sanders Sides)

If you’ve followed me for awhile (meaning the short amount of time I’ve been running this blog) then you’ll probably be aware of what my opinions are of the “gimmicks” that have been making themselves prevalent in recent Sanders Sides episodes. Now just to make things clear, almost every episode of Sanders Sides uses some kind of gimmick.

Well, besides the first one, which consists entirely of talking with no added effects.

And I, being the faceless entity that sits behind a computer screen judging an online web series, am going to rant about that because this is my blog and I do what I want. So let’s begin…

The Prologue

As season one progresses we see things like location changes, a song, Thomas’ friends making several appearances, simple editing tricks (like putting text or pictures on a screen) minor costume changes (Logan and Patton dressing as Sherlock and Watson) split screen effects, and even an episode featuring an animated segment.

At the end of Season One we were introduced to the concept of “Rooms” which added a whole new layer to the story and got people excited to see what the other rooms would entail. Still, up to this point, the gimmicks remained mostly in the background as small ways to sprinkle in some extra storytelling while the dialogue continued to be the main thing carrying the series.

Then Season Two began with Fitting In, which featured a few more props that served to signify each of the Hogwarts houses. This made sense seeing as that was the focus of the video, and for fans of Harry Potter, it would be fun to see the characters wearing things from the different houses.

After Fitting In, we got Moving On which featured the introduction of Patton’s room. Like with Virgil’s, a lot went into designing his room. There is a lot to look at, who knows how long it took to find all the stuff they showcased in the background? On top of that they also had the filter they used to give the room a dreamlike quality, and my favorite detail, the pictures that continue to change throughout the episode depending on what the characters are talking about.

It remains one of my favorite set pieces from the series just from the amount of detail they put into it, and it felt like a step up from Virgil’s room (which I also love) and it makes me excited for the rest of the rooms that have yet to be revealed.

However! I am not here to discuss the rooms. Even though I already did…

After Moving On, however, is when things start to change with the series.

During the 12 Days of Christmas, the Sides are each given their own custom Christmas sweaters, but that’s only part of the gimmick. The centerpiece for this episode is, of course, the song sung by all four Sides. This moment is pretty significant as it marks the first time all four of them appeared on screen together at the same time.

This was just the tip of the iceberg for what was to come…

Immediately following 12 Days we get Can Lying Be Good? Which featured a new location where the video spent the majority in, using quick cuts with the cameras to give off the illusion of Roman pretending to be Joan (including clever uses of audio) and of course, Deceit himself. The makeup and costume was unlike anything we’d seen in the series yet. Throw in some more split screen to show two Sides on screen together, as well as some clever costume choices for character Thomas, makes this episode (in my opinion) the best at utilizing its effects and filming techniques to tell its story.

And then, things start to shift again….

The next episode we get is Why Do We Get Out Of Bed In The Morning? Which took some time to produce, coming out in April after CLBG? Was released in February. Still, good time considering what was to come.

This episode had some mixed reviews once it finally came out, but I plan on tackling that later. The reason this episode (which was really just a longer, drawn out version of Losing My Motivation but starring Logan and Roman) was the use of animations.

For Logan, his arguments were displayed via “Stop Motion” writings of graphs and charts which he used to explain his points. And from a short behind the scenes video, each of these were drawn by hand and took hours to make. From what I understand, all of Roman’s bits were animated on a computer, though I don’t have much info on how they were made.

Within the episode, these different types of animations were used to help Roman and Logan illustrate their points. And while on their own they’re quite adorable, they aren’t necessary for the telling of this story. One thing this episode was criticised for was how the writing felt off. Everything seemed rushed and none of the characters felt in character, and while I don’t recall anyone outright saying it, it’s likely that perhaps the team felt pressured to get this video out on time, and thus might have skipped out on other elements in order to make up for the time spent working on the animations.

Whether that was writing the script, filming, or editing, we don’t know. All I know is that the general consensus for this episode was that it was just okay. As a Logan and Roman fan though, it was kinda disappointing for their first episode with them taking the spotlight together to just be viewed as “okay” and isn’t a favorite of mine.

Things picked up a little after Crofters: The Musical was released only a few days after WDWGOOBITM (that title is a monster to type no matter how ya do it) and it featured a song as its gimmick. The mood was a bit lighter, we got to see Logan having fun, and hey we even got our first main Roman angst foreshadowing! Good thing that wouldn’t be dragged out for several episodes, right?

All in all, things were definitely looking up for Sanders Sides. From the looks of it, we were going to start getting more frequent updates!

Then the Drought happened and we had to wait almost six months for a new episode.

At least that would be the longest we ever had to wait for something.

Before I get into the beef of this post I wanna bring up three more episodes, Embarrassing Phases, Selfishness vs Selflessness, and Dealing With Intrusive Thoughts.

Like the other episodes throughout Season Two, each of these episodes have different gimmicks. In Embarrassing Phases, it’s the Halloween costumes. In SVS, it’s a location change plus costume change, and in DWIT we get the introduction of Remus along with a musical number and a few props.

I’d say each of these episodes does a good job at incorporating their gimmicks into the story. Embarrassing Phases involves them talking about Halloween and using costumes as metaphors or something like that (This may be one of the few times I say something positive about this episode don’t get used to it)

With SVS, thanks to some clever acting, we can see Janus get the idea of using the courtroom scenario to try and get his point across. He first does this by suggesting that Thomas may not be as innocent as he seems, and after Patton defends him, that’s when Janus switches to the courtroom in order to put Patton to the test and literally defend Thomas as a lawyer.

Then in DWIT, given that Remus is a very outgoing character, it makes sense that he’d use a song to explain who he is and make a dramatic entrance. Plus, the series has used songs before so it’s not surprising to see this here. And seeing as Remus is creativity, it’s only fitting that he’s able to conjure random things throughout the episode. Okay, that was a long prologue, onto the actual reason most of you probably clicked on this post. Part One: The Puppets

Learning New Things About Ourselves also does a good job of handling its gimmick and incorporating it into the story. Like the three I just mentioned, there’s a set up and a pay off. We get an idea of what’s to come with this moment:

“I don’t feel content,”

“With my content.”

Which is obviously a reference to some random children’s educational program (most likely Sesame Street) by showcasing how two words that are spelled the same can have different meanings. Great now I sound like some educational children’s program.

Then later on, we get the actual set up that comes from Thomas becoming frustrated that he can’t figure out what the problem is that’s causing this whole dilemma. He says, “We’ve got an issue. Something that I’m not aware of yet, something that may be unlocked with the right question. This is like... fundamental learning!”

After he says that, he gets an idea and asks the others how he used to learn things and each one responds accordingly:

Logan: Textbooks!

Roman and Virgil: Mistakes.

Patton: Puppets!

And of course, initially, Thomas questions this and no one really understands what Patton means by this. But he explains and makes a case for it, “Thomas used to learn all kinds of new and helpful things from puppets when he was younger! Like how to count and his ABCs. Maybe it’ll be easier to work through issues when puppets are involved.”

We see Thomas consider the idea, and then Logan sets up a joke with him saying Thomas has outgrown that kind of stuff only to have him express his love for the idea.

After that, the Sides (excluding Logan) change into their respective puppets and continue on the episode.

One important thing to note (which I will bring up later) is that this scene takes place around the 15 minute mark. At least by that point, everyone except Logan has changed into a puppet. With the video being 38 minutes long, this is about halfway through the episode, and by the 31 minute mark the Sides begin turning back to normal.

Which means the puppets roughly take up only about 15 minutes of the video, slightly longer if you count Logan’s puppet, but you get the idea.

Also I’m bad at math so if I got this wrong sue me. There’s a reason I’m sitting here writing this instead of doing something with my life.

From then on, the conversation continues with everyone still trying to figure out what the question they need to be asking is. Of course, plenty of references to other educational kid shows are thrown around, but that now makes sense seeing as they’re fully embracing the puppet idea. Patton furthers the conversation along by finally getting Thomas to start asking “Why” and uses another reference to do so, which starts the next part of the conversation and brings us the next major conflict in this episode, Logan.

He gives his opinion, stating that no one takes Thomas seriously and that he should switch careers in order to obtain that status instead of devoting his time to making silly videos.

This of course, causes dissension within the group, and leads to Roman once again insulting Logan before realizing that he’s been going too far. After being prompted to apologize, Roman attempts to express his feelings to Logan and say sorry, but it doesn’t exactly help him feel any better which is when Patton suggests he try a different way.

And, Roman being Roman, decides the best way to do this is through song. A song that’s reminiscent of those one might hear on Sesame Street (there’s probably others but I’m rolling with this one) so it fits with the puppet thing. Again, it’s justified.

The episode ends with Logan finally understanding where the others are coming from and Thomas finding the right question to ask, which he is able to answer and it solves the dilemma.

Logan turns into a puppet, there’s another Sesame Street reference, and Roman is finally gonna start addressing his issues!

Good thing that won’t be brushed under a rug by the other characters for three more episodes right?

All in all, in case you couldn’t tell, I adore this episode and it still remains one of my favorites to this day. It doesn’t beat you over the head with the references, which are used cleverly and in a fun way that also keeps the story moving along. The designs for the puppets are cute and match each of the characters, and the puppetry is amazing!

Plus the song is an absolute bop and it still makes me emotional sometimes.

Which begs the question, was the sixth month wait worth it? Well, after hearing all that went into making this episode and seeing the final result, I’d say it was worth it.

It’s also nice that we got a behind the scenes video where we got to see the full story on how this episode was made and all the difficulties Thomas, Joan, and Talyn faced when trying to make it a reality. Did they need to use puppets? No, but what matters is that they were able to take the idea and incorporate it into a story in a way that was fun and felt justified for existing.

Not saying this episode is perfect, there are a few problems here and there, but overall this remains one of my top Sanders Sides episodes and one I’ve watched repeatedly since it came out.

Now that all that positive stuff is out of the way, let’s get to the fun part….

Part Two: The Video Games

I’m gonna be blunt, Putting Others First does not do as good of a job with incorporating video games into its story like LNTAO does.

However, I can’t exactly talk about this episode without talking about the extremely long wait we had in between episodes. The last official episode (that follows the main storyline, so not Asides) came out on June 25, 2019. POF came out May 1st, 2020.

Almost 10 months, the longest we’ve ever had to wait for an episode. And if you wanna go further, remember that POF was meant to be the follow up to SVS, a part two if you will, SVS came out March 31st 2019, so by the time POF came out, it had already been a year since this set up the conflict for wedding vs callback.

By that point, some people were no longer interested or as excited about the new episode, but that changed briefly when a trailer for the episode dropped after a new Bloopers video was released a few months before POF was finally released.

Keep in mind that up until this point, we weren’t entirely sure what the hold up was for this episode. We’d only gotten the vague answer of “There’s a special sequence for this episode and we’re working with another artist in order to make it, which is why it’s taking so long.”

Okay, fair enough, and the trailer revealed what exactly that sequence was, animation!

Now I’ve already explained in another post why I have problems with how vague Thomas and co. are when it comes to giving information about upcoming videos, so I won’t get into that here.

What I am going to bring up since it relates to some of my points is this, remember when they said it was a “special sequence” they were working on? Well, after the video is released we find that it isn’t one, but 10.

I’m not counting each time a sequence was used (For example, the opening segment which is later followed by Roman imagining a different outcome in the same style or every single one of Logan’s low-down’s, and the two trolley problems are counted as one sequence for this post specifically) because I really don’t wanna go through and count every single time Logan popped up on screen, but tell me, why in the heckity heck did they feel it was necessary to include 10 of these animated segments?

And okay, there’s actually 12 (maybe 13? The Pokemon reference uses two different styles) but why are there so many? How are they necessary and what is their reason for being in this episode?

Remember earlier when I mentioned that the puppet stuff didn’t start until the 15 minute mark? Well, POF literally begins with a video game sequence, and then the game references just keep coming. The intro gets a retro remix along with the rest of the music, and once Thomas enters the picture his curse words are covered by a gold coin and the “mario coin” sound effect.

And then, not even three minutes in, we get yet another video game sequence recapping the last episode, after we already had a recap of the last episode less than a minute ago!

To be fair though Rhythm Redux is a bop and I’m not sure why they felt the need to include a “flashback” after the intro when they were going to include this song anyway since it does a better job at explaining things than the random shots and dialogue from SVS.

With LNTAO, none of the “puppet bits” began until after the Sides changed into puppets, besides that one bit of foreshadowing with the “Content with my content” line. There was no change to the intro’s music, nothing besides that one bit to foreshadow the puppets coming into play.

Another thing LNTAO does that POF doesn’t is establish a set up, and pay off for the video games. Right off the bat, we get the video games, then later we get Patton’s line about how “Life isn’t like one of your video games” just a few minutes before the next video game sequence takes place, which just felt out of place to me the first time I watched it and I felt like that line was put in there just to remind the audience “Oh yeah, this is a video game themed episode!”

Which, okay, there actually was some bit of set up before this back in SVS. Thomas mentions that he planned to spend his time at the wedding playing “Word Crush” on his phone, then as POF begins, that’s exactly what he’s doing.

And there are certain instances where the sequences work.

The beginning sequence ties back into Thomas’ comment from SVS and, in a way, sets up the video game thing (even if it does make me somewhat cringe but that’s mostly Lee and Mary Lee’s characters) and I wouldn’t have as much of a problem with how “Rhythm Redux” was incorporated if they hadn’t included the flash back after the intro. Again, why did they need two different recaps? They only needed one and it did a good job of explaining everything on its own.

I will also say the Trolley Segments work due to the discussions being held, they’re talking about “Morality” so why wouldn’t you bring up one of the oldest moral dilemmas out there? It also ties in with my favorite part of the video, the “Final Boss” fight with Lilypadton vs Janus. I was not expecting it, and adding Janus’ reveal on top of that just made everything even better. It was dramatic, and I loved how the health bars that were used for Patton and Janus changed to represent Thomas’ deteriorating mental health.

All in all, there was potential here with the video game theme, and there were scenes where it was used well. But all the others that I didn’t mention? They just felt forced and out of place to me and honestly, took me out of the moment.

Another episode I want to compare POF to is Logic vs Passion (I am not typing either the title or the acronym out again) where they both incorporate their gimmicks in a similar way.

Logan and Roman both use their respective animations to illustrate their points of view, and throughout POF all the characters use different video games to illustrate their own points.

The issues I have with these episodes is that these conversations could have been had without the use of any of these things. The Sides have had discussions and used examples to elaborate their points in the past without the use of visuals.

Now, can visuals help with storytelling? Yes, and I mentioned several instances where POF does this. But honestly, the whole video game theme seemed out of place for this particular video. Compare it to SVS which only had a location change, the episode focused almost entirely on its dialogue and still manages to be dramatic and engaging. You can easily follow along with the discussion without the need for fancy visuals.

With POF, it seems like they just try to rush from one video game reference to the next, leaving little room to breathe in between before another video game is thrown into your face. What could have been a simple discussion like in SVS (which still managed to balance humor with its more serious themes) we got a rather bloated middle section which, honestly, I don’t remember much about.

I’ve watched the video several times and without fail, I always find myself spacing out throughout a good chunk of the middle until the whole Lilypadton scene takes place. That’s when I became interested, especially when Janus entered the picture to bring in his points and act as a bit of an “anti-hero” in the whole thing.

I simply believe this video could have been a lot simpler, and probably more cohesive if they’d left a lot of the video game stuff out. The last thing I want to be when consuming any type of media is bored, and honestly if it wasn’t for me making all these analysis posts on the episode, I probably wouldn’t have watched it again save for my favorite parts.

Not only that, but we waited 10 months for this episode because of the video game sequences, and again you have to ask yourself, was the wait worth it?

I have to say, unlike with LNTAO, it wasn’t worth it to me. They could take the video game sequences out altogether (even my favorite ones) and I wouldn’t really care. This episode just doesn’t need them, they don’t justify their use in this episode. Whereas in LNTAO, I love the use of puppets and if they were to be taken out, I would miss them.

Now is this to say I hate the episode? No, there’s actually a lot I like about it. Patton’s development, Janus, and the ending with Roman are all amazing on their own. But really, who’s to say Janus couldn’t have confronted Patton in person instead of a video game world?

Logan didn’t need to appear via little “Pop ups” and could have been called upon by Patton for help only to be brushed aside when what he says doesn’t help his case at all. Then when things start getting out of hand, “Logan” comes back to try to fix things but it doesn’t work, which is when he reveals himself only this time everyone, including the audience, fell for it because Janus has stepped up his game when it comes to disguising himself.

Of course, the same could be said about LNTAO, they didn’t need to be puppets, right? Well, considering that the message of the episode was that you can use unconventional methods to express different ideas using different mediums, and Logan spent the whole time seeing the puppets at nothing but silly and childish only to come to this realization himself, it makes sense why puppets were used.

However, you can actually apply that same message to POF, where they used an unconventional method to get their points across.

The only problem, like with Logic vs Passion, was that the gimmicks alone couldn’t carry the episode.

Logic vs Passion wasn’t as good as other episodes (and I may do a full review of this in the future) and in POF, it just felt like there was too much being crammed into this one episode. We went from discussing different types of morality and why people do good things to Janus suddenly beginning his “acceptance arc” with Roman having a breakdown at the end. Honestly, the point where Janus enters the conversation feels like a completely separate episode from what we’ve had thus far. Not only that, I have my own issues with how Janus’ character seemed to suddenly do a 180 (which I already talked about in another post) so while I love the ending scenes on their own, I admit that maybe they should have been handled differently.

Of course, at the end of the day, all of this is just a matter of opinion. Lots of people loved the video game segments, and others didn’t like the puppets. Some people love all the gimmicks used in the videos, others wish for things to go back to the simpler formats of the older episodes and honestly, I agree.

It seems like with every new episode the team is trying to outdo themselves and take things up another level each time, which is something I can admire, but it is something that can be overdone. Just look at Sanders Asides, it was supposed to be this simple little thing, but it might as well just be another episode. There’s nothing to distinguish it from any of the other main episodes, and if the rest of Asides is going to be the same way, then what’s the point of making it a separate series at all?

Now, Thomas and Joan have said that after this episode, they’re going to start using more practical effects and make things simpler, which I take as a sign of them learning to step back from all the gimmicks they use and just let the characters shine on their own for a while. Which, if that is the case, good on them.

We don’t come to this series for the effects and flashy scenes, we come for the characters. They’re what we love and want to see more of. If you want more proof, just look at what people mostly took from POF, they took the character moments. It wasn’t the video game references that resonated the most with people, heck, people outright seemed to ignore the fact that Leslie Odom Jr. made a cameo.

What do you think that says?

Not saying people didn’t love the video game references, because a lot of people did, but it wasn’t the main thing people responded to.

It’s okay to explore different mediums for storytelling. But sometimes, as a creator, you have to stop and ask yourself, “Is this really necessary for the story?” And believe me the hardest thing to do is cut out something that I spent hours working on because, when I viewed the story as a whole, that particular thing just wasn’t necessary for the story. Maybe I enjoyed it, and perhaps others would too, but at the end of the day, I’d be glad that I made the decision for the betterment of the story.

Okay, now this got way longer than I meant for it to be (how ironic) but you’ve all been waiting for this post for awhile and I didn’t want to postpone it further.

I do hope you enjoyed reading this jumbled mess and, as always, feel free to let me know what your opinions were! Regardless of whether you agree or disagree, and I’ll see y’all next time!

#sanders sides #dukeofonions #episode criticism #patton sanders #logan sanders #roman sanders #virgil sanders #janus sanders #remus sanders

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2old4kpop · 5 years ago

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15 Underrated Girly Kpop Songs That Make Me Go Absolutely Feral

When it comes to girl groups, more than anything I am a Blackjack and Blink. I like to listen to girl songs that make me want to murder men (and believe me, that blog post is in the works). But I’m also a ONCE, as TWICE are my sweet darling babies, but they’re about as girly as I can tolerate. I’m not one for the super girly concepts. I mean, did you guys ever see MINX? Occasionally I ironically jam to Shakey Love Shakey Shakey Shakey Shakey Love, but it was an absolute blessing from the K-pop gods to rebrand them as Dreamcatcher. It’s really only the A-list girly songs I tolerate, like GFriend or Oh My Girl. Everything else below them just seems really cringy.

Except for a few chosen few that are so good that they make me absolutely lose all of my shits. And I’m talking about songs that nobody seems to know like at all. Either these songs came out when the groups were still under the radar, before they had their big smash hits, or they just never seemed to rise to the top. But they are still valid and important. Videos are linked in the song names, since Tumblr won’t let me add more than five videos, but here we go.

15. April- Dream Candy

April is one of those rare groups that pull off the girly concept so well but don’t ever seem forced, like they are just truly naturally sweet and pure and precious. Honestly all of their songs are great, and it’s tragic that they haven’t had a comeback in 2019. But their debut, Dream Candy, is the one that really gets deep in my soul to that animal part of my brain that makes me scream this god damn chorus. But only really at the end. I never really listened to this song until it came on shuffle one day when I was walking home in the rain, and thought, why not listen to this awkward girly song, and then the last chorus hit and OH MY GOD. It’s a good one guys.

14. Momoland- Jjan! Koong! Kwang!

So this song comes out by some unknown group called uh, Momoland?, with a title that is just a bunch of sounds that don’t exist in English, and I felt like I was the only one on Earth that was like, “This is fine.” I was honestly in some I Am Legend universe where instead of me being the only living person on Earth, I was the only one that liked Momoland’s debut. As time went on Momoland started putting out what is pretty much some of the worst K-Pop that exists (I mean, have you SEEN the video for Wonderful Love? Try not to cringe challenge) and sadly enough this group just faded into obscurity and never had any huge, Earth shattering hits or anything.

13. DIA- My Friend’s Boyfriend

On paper this song is awful. I mean it’s a song about being a petty bitch who has decided to steal their friend’s boyfriend, hence the title. Also the song ads cute little quirks like *squints eyes to read this metaphorical paper closer* coughing. Also the video has an unnecessarily long intro. But believe me when I tell you that this is an absolute slapper.

12. Gugudan- Wonderland

It’s a crime that Gugudan has never really hit it off, even with two I.O.I members. Their debut has this amazing Little Mermaid concept and believe me when I tell you that this chorus is best when screamed at the top of your lungs. After all the screaming I am basically in a manic state by the la la la’s.

11. LOONA 1/3- Love&Live

You’ll notice that the main theme of this list is that the choruses are absolute fire. But this one comes in and basically knocks the wind out of me with sweetness, like some kind of aegyo Kool-Aid man. It’s really the music that does it for me in this one, along with the melody, along with Heejin’s perfect high note. If this song doesn’t make you smile then you are a robot, like ViVi.

10. Shannon Williams- Why Why

If Ant and/or Dec were here, they would hear this song and definitely say that Britain’s Got Talent. Shannon is the British IU,hands down, undeniably, I will not be taking questions at this time. But it’s very sad that her career was nonexistent after this came out. Was it the fact that this features a sixteen-year-old grinding against faceless boys? Or that this video widely revolves around her intensely stalking someone? It can’t be the song because that is perfect.

9. AOA- Bingle Bangle

Okay so some history for those non-Elvises out there. AOA was THE HOTTEST girl group for a good minute, with so many timeless collaborations with the Brave Brothers that really changed the shape of female K-Pop for a while. And then ChoA left the group. And without the only member who could actually sing the face of the group, AOA kind of went quiet, save for a few Jimin solo songs. Then AOA came back with a new sound, and while everyone else thought it was terrible, I thought it was a bop! And I love the video and the concept! And the dance for this is so fun. Bingle Bangle is a real yes for me dawg. It’s only too bad that they lost yet another member and their concept was handed off to FNC’s new girl group. Speaking of which...

8. Cherry Bullet- Really Really

Yeah so they literally gave this entire “girls in a video game but it’s fun and cute” concept to Cherry Bullet, and they hit the ground running with it. This comeback in particular is my favorite of theirs because it hits one of my favorite pop music tropes: Having A Funky Instrumental Chorus, Only At The End To Put Words Over The Music. It ticks all my boxes.

7. Rainbow- Whoo

If you ever wanted to hear a song that made you scream “RAAAAIIINBOOW AAAAAAAAHHHHHHHHH!” then this is it. At this point in this list we start to hear the songs that make me truly insane, and this song absolutely destroys me. It’s really sad, however, that this is basically Rainbow’s swan song, as it was their last song before disbandment.

6. Matilda- Macarena

I bet you haven’t even HEARD of Matilda. I bet you didn’t even KNOW that MATILDA just DISBANDED a FEW MONTHS AGO because ALL THEIR SONGS WERE BAD except for THIS ONE which is just full of CHAOTIC GOOD ENERGY and if you don’t ENJOY THIS then GET OFF MY LAWN.

5. Berry Good- Angel

Berry Good was destined to be one of those girl groups, like Matilda, that came from a tiny company and was just given bad songs and were set up to fail. So they crowdfunded, and somehow made two incredible comebacks, Don’t Believe (which is a whole other story that we won’t get into today, but it’s an amazing song that you should check out) and prior to that, Angel. I don’t even know where to begin with this song because it literally makes me forget who I am and why I exist. It’s a banger?? This song starts off so soft and pure and jumps right into a chorus that makes you bang your head and scream “I TAKE A CHANCE, YOU NEVER KNOW” as loud as possible. And right when you think you can’t take it anymore, that you are gasping for air because you are drowning in perfection, THEY GO EVEN HARDER. Like, girls, you did not need to go that hard. Holy shit. They go full IU in Good Day. I don’t know why we were blessed with this, especially since after this all their other songs have been garbage, and they’ve been so unsuccessful that they lost their strongest member and they’re heading for disbandment. But we have this gem, and I’m thankful for it.

4. 4Minute- Heart To Heart

Back when 4Minute was just another 2NE1 clone, trying to compete in the market of “Girls Who Look Tough But Are Actually Sweet” 4Minute, aka The HyunA Group, put out this. Third Geners, this is what Second Gen was all about. This is the meaning of Christmas, Charlie Brown. This song is everything. It’s perfect. And it’s too bad that 4Minute didn’t really stick with this sound, but also not, since with their more mature concept they wound up getting pretty famous once Park Bom... I mean, we’re not gonna talk about it.

3. Hyolyn- Bae

Okay so I know that Hyolyn as an entity is not technically considered underrated, but her entire solo career is being slept on and I don’t understand. With Sistar gone, and now Red Velvet carrying the torch for summer anthems, Hyolyn doesn’t necessarily have to give us one of the best summer songs of all time but she did. Every second of this song to me is perfect. And yeah okay I’ll admit it, I am a Gay, I am attracted to women, and Hyolyn is a lot of. A lot of wow. She and HyunA are exactly my type, and this video is a lot. But the SONG you guys. It’s so much that I told even regular people who listen to English music to listen to this song. They didn’t, of course, because the world doesn’t appreciate Hyolyn like I would, I mean like I do as a fan and nothing else. This song was my summer anthem in 2018, Power Up wishes it was this good.

2. BESTie- Thank U Very Much

One of the things that really got me into K-Pop during the Second Gen was that it sounded so much like pop music from my youth. This is gonna sound weird, but I grew up in a Wiccan Neo-Pagan household where 90% of the music we listened to was traditional Celtic or New Age, and if it was ever anything else it was like The Beatles (my Mom and her sisters were one of those screaming and fainting Beatles fans, the trait that was clearly passed down to me, based on what happened when I saw G-Dragon live, but that’s another story) or ABBA, or any kind of British/European pop/rock from the 70s or 80s. So once I was old enough to really find out what kind of music I liked, I dived deep into cheesy pop songs like S Club 7, Britney Spears, and the like. But I always had a soft spot for ABBA. The melodies, the music, the strange lyrics that didn’t really make sense or weren’t quite grammatically correct but it worked. I feel like that love for obscure pop, along with the 90s and early 2000s bubblegum pop, pushed me right into the K-Pop scene. And this song is the best example of that kind of weird melody with oddly used English words, but it works in the best way. The chorus of this song sounds like it was written by ABBA. The ending of this song is transcendent. Tell me you can’t picture a Korean Meryl Streep in overalls singing the ending of this song while dancing on a beach. This song makes me lose all my shits. But I do have to say that this video is uh, Not Good, especially compared with how amazing the song is. But these underrated bottom of the barrel groups don’t have much to work with in the first place, so we can’t really fault them. This song holds up, and is going to hold up for a very long time. I stan.

1. Laboum- Shooting Love

So like I said before, I don’t typically like the super sugary, super tacky, super girly girl concepts. BUT I LOVE LABOUM. ALL their girly sweet songs are AMAZING. They somehow get everything right, in their own unique way. They’re not at all like “Oh, they’re like GFriend”, “Oh, that’s like Lovelyz” or anything, if you get what I’m saying. Laboum had their own cheesy yet perfect style of girly. Aalow Aalow: A CLASSIC. Journey To Atlantis: A CLASSIC. Hwi Hwi: A CLASSIC. Only U: YES YOU GUESS IT, CLASSIC. Sugar Sugar: DON’T MAKE ME SAY IT AGAIN. I could have made this whole list with just Laboum songs. So I made myself pick one by listening to as many old Laboum songs as I could before I would become an absolutely menace to society, as I am not responsible for my actions after listening to so much girly perfectlon at once. If I was arrested and went to court for I dunno, causing distress and mayhem to the citizens of my city, my lawyer would call it “the Laboum defense.” “You see, Your Honor, my client listened to a lot of Laboum songs, and lost control of themselves and became an entity, a ball of energy, a comet destroying everything in its path while screaming cheesy Korean lyrics.” And I would be set free, of course, because who wouldn’t lose themselves completely to the power of Laboum? But anyway I picked Shooting Love, as it puts me in a manic state from the very intro until the last second. And let me just say now that I deeply mourn this old Laboum, as they came back in 2018 with a new concept that makes them sound lobotomized compared to their old sound. Like slow R&B is fine, but compared to this it’s drab and slow and dull and I hate it. I Hate It. Bring back cute Laboum in 2020, or at least study Apink if you want to see how to properly change an aging cute group into a mature group. I could go on, but now I have the urge to listen to more Laboum. You’ll see me on the evening news tonight, I’m sure.

anyway 안녕

#kpop #laboum #loona #hyolyn #aoa #momoland #A List

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metalshea · 5 years ago

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Let's Talk About Alcest... and Agalloch... and Behemoth… and Racism

A couple months ago, I wrote an article about Alcest and their second single, "Sapphire", ahead of the release of their latest album, "Spiritual Instinct". It was building off a previous post I had written about the use of space in metal music.

I never published it.

Nor did I publish my year end list because—spoiler—I list “Spiritual Instinct” on it.

I've been struggling with how to square the circle that is my love of the Alcest's music with the thorny problem that is Niege's history performing in the racist band, Peste Noire, and the ties he appears to maintain to racist black metal and national socialist black metal (NSBM). It didn't feel right publishing that article when I knew the history of the band but hadn't yet addressed it.

To that same end, it doesn't feel right discussing black metal on a public platform without addressing some of the ethics of consuming the genre.

This is my attempt to do that.

For the uninitiated, Niege (née Stéphane Paut), is the musical mastermind of Alcest, one of the premier blackgaze bands in metal music today. They are the genre's quieter, more contemplative yin to Deafheaven's cacophonous yang. Alcest frequently use spacy and atmospheric effects, midrange tempos, and ephemeral vocals in their music, and contrast these with more typical black metal musical tropes like blast beats and shrieked vocals to create dynamic, haunting, intense, and beautiful songs. Lyrically, Alcest is a vehicle for Niege to transcribe and memorialize visions that he had as a child of a distant, far off fairy realm. As an act, Alcest are distinctly focused on bringing this artistic vision to fruition, and from what I've seen, I have to say they are pretty much laser focused on that task. Niege has also been hugely influential to the development of the blackgaze genre as a whole and has participated in other successful backgaze acts, such as Les Discrets, as well as collaborated with Lantlos and Deafheaven.

However, Niege and the other members of Alcest have very troublesome histories and connections to Europe's white supremacist music scene. Niege was previously a member of the French anarcho-racist band, Peste Noire, for 8 years before being fired. During that time he performed on an album titled "Aryan Supremacy" and even holds writing credits on one of the band's songs off of their album, "Folkfuck Folie". More troubling, the band members that make up Alcest's studio and live bands have similar resumes, and a number of them did time in Peste Noire.

As the black metal music scene has rightfully come under increased scrutiny for its racist associations, Niege's time in Peste Noire has similarly found itself under the microscope. In a 2011 statement, Niege specifically addressed criticisms around his past in Peste Noire:

"I never was involved in any way with any political, racist or xenophobic ideologies. I was just a musician in Peste Noire, most of the time session musician, I never took part of the lyrics or philisophy [sic] of the band. At the "Aryan Supremacy" period I was 15 years old and I didn't think about the consequence of recording some music with that band, it always was just musical participation for me. Alcest has NOTHING to do with any hate-based philosophy like racism and as a person I am absolutely NOT into nazism, racism and such ideologies." [emphasis Niege's]

In an interview with Avantgarde Metal in 2011, Neige said about his time in Peste Noire:

"Oh, that was a long time ago now… Don’t even ask me about the concept behind it, it is very complex. It was basically the exact opposite of Alcest: love for evil, but in a real way. In any case, I was only a guest on his project as I played drums for him, but I did/do not share his views at all."

Finally, an article on stereoboard.com dated October 2019 quotes Niege as saying:

With hindsight, Neige dubs this tenure as one of his biggest regrets. Peste Noire are less well-known for their music than for their far-right views and racist imagery, which Alcest have since publicly disowned. “I was never into the ideas of the band,” Neige clarifies. ��I was naive enough to think that just being a musician in a band like that didn’t mean anything. But, that really does mean something, and that was my mistake. I was a teenager when I joined, but it’s still a big regret that I have.”

Alcest is at the absolute pinnacle of their career. They recently signed to Nuclear Blast, have a new album that has earned a number of year-end honors, and have honed a distinctive sound that is very much genre-defining; but in the face of all the accolades, Niege's explanations of his time in Peste Noire are still problematic.

Why does he still associate with other musicians from Peste Noire?

Why doesn't he specifically denounce Peste Noire or it's broader racist project?

If he was just a session or "guest" musician, how does he account for his writing credit?

If the timeline that Niege paints holds up, he was 23 when he was fired, certainly old enough to know better about Peste Noire's project and intentions. Why did he spend 8 years in the band if he didn't ascribe to its philosophies? Why didn't he leave Peste Noire voluntarily? Why did he have to be fired?

Neige may indeed have very rational answers to any and all of these questions, and, to give Niege some credit, his statements are far more direct than similar statements from other artists that have found themselves in the crosshairs of concerned fans. It's also probably worth noting that in comparing this statement to those from unabashedly racist artists, who fully make use of the opportunity to spout their atrocious beliefs on a public platform, Niege does the exact opposite by distancing himself from hate-driven ideology and publicly declaring his regrets. But even still, it's hard to simply dismiss Neige's time in Peste Noir, and his participation in spreading that band's racist philosophies will forever be a stain on Alcest.

After the release of The Faceless', "In Becoming A Ghost", I had a conversation with my wife around whether it would be moral to stream or buy the album. Shorlty after the album's release, Michael Keene's drug addiction struggles came to light and were pasted all over the metal music press. While I firmly believe that artists should receive financial benefits when others enjoy their creative output, I also believe that educated consumers should absolutely question how that material support is going to be used by the artist. I don't want to fuel Michael Keene's addictions. I didn't buy the album. I streamed it once. I haven't listened to it since. I probably won't see The Faceless perform again until I'm sure that Keene has cleaned up. Maybe he has, I haven't followed him that closely to know for sure.

I'm in similar straights with Alcest. And Behemoth. And Agalloch. And black metal more generally.

In the case of Behemoth, Nergal's disgusting position on an apparent sexual assault, his murky ties to the NSBM scene, and his continued defiance in the face of such disgusting behavior and views makes my decision about supporting Behemoth a no-brainer: I'm not going to spend my money on their albums anymore, I won't see them live, I won't buy their merch, and I'm not going to promote the band's output on any of my platforms. I was wrong to do so in the past. I know better now. I'm not doing it any more.

But Agalloch was trickier: John Haughm stuck his foot in it when he made disgusting anti-Semitic comments in a facebook post. However, the former members of the band quickly denounced him for it (as did his bandmates in Pilloran). I'll certainly listen to the now defunct Khorada and whatever projects the non-racist members of the band move on to. And, hey, Haughm apologized, so there's that.

But there are still some serious questions about Alcest that need to be wrestled with, especially because of Neige's ongoing relationships with musicians also "previously" connected to white supremacy. Which begs the question: is it ethical to support or promote the artistic output of a band that on the face of it appears non-controversial, but when the views of the actual artists are themselves questionable?

Roland Barthes, in "The Death of the Author", once wrote:

“The modern writer (scriptor) is born simultaneously with his text; he is in no way supplied with a being which precedes or transcends his writing, he is in no way the subject of which his book is the predicate; there is no other time than that of the utterance, and every text is eternally written here and now.”

I have some issues with Barthes. As I see it, a text is inherently subject to the influences and views of the author. The creative force that is ultimately responsible for the artwork itself is inherently subject to the whims of the artist, and it is forever tied to the creator. However, artistic output can be siloed such that the created art can simultaneously stand separate from the completed whole that makes up the artist. That is to say that while the artist as a person can be complicated or even problematic, the work that is created is an offshoot that is not necessarily subject to the full scope of experiences or biases of its creator. This siloing of the art from the artist means that a project can exist as an entity that can be examined on its own merits, when appropriate, rather than only within the framework of the creator.

Agalloch as a project was concerned with nature, death, the seasons, and nihilism. While John Haughm has been proven to have some despicable views, his collaboration with the other members of the band resulted in an output that seems fully divorced from his views on race. It feels wrong to punish the other members of Agalloch for Haughm's views, especially after they so thoroughly denounced him for it.

In the case of Alcest, I have found zero evidence that the band represents a racist project. Its lyrics are decidedly apolitical, ephemeral, and esoteric. They are an exercise in poetic worldbuilding and a sort of musical sleep diary for Niege's childhood dreams and visions. In contrast, Peste Noire is an unabashedly political and racist project that is a direct extension of its creator's views and philosophies. Peste Noire's vision and project is to enable a world underpinned by racial supremacy, structural deconstruction, and personal elitism. There's a damned big difference between Alcest and Peste Noire and how their respective creators utilize the bands as thought vehicles, even though personnel have been shared between the two bands.

So, what to do about Alcest? I'm certainly not going to be person that goes out and says: absolutely you should go out and buy their records. The past associations of Niege and his compatriots means that Alcest will forever have an asterisk next to its name, and every consumer of their music should certainly take time to consider the ethical ramifications of supporting the band.

Niege asserts that Alcest is not rooted in hate-based ideologies. Over the course of numerous albums, this has proven true over and over again. At a certain point, you have to judge someone for their current actions while informed by their past. Niege will have to continue to reckon with his time in Peste Noire and his current choice of musicians. But Alcest as a vision has fully matched his assertion: there is no evidence that I can find that Alcest is itself a racist project. I remain open to being swayed to the contrary, but at this point in time, the evidence simply does not exist.

I also believe we need to reward to people when they perform actions that are themselves moral and correct. I reject that we should condemn a person in perpetuity while they still retain the ability to seek forgiveness. I enjoy Alcest's music; I appreciate that it's apolitical; I want Niege to continue to make music that fits the vision he has laid out for Alcest; and I want to tie Niege's successes and the success of his compatriots to a benign project like Alcest.

As a consumer, the only real way that I can have an impact on someone like Niege is through my wallet. Capital becomes a vehicle for my opinions and my voice. Boycott is one way to do it; providing material support is another. Had I not known about Niege's history in Peste Noire, I would have had no idea that Alcest had this adjacency to hate. And that's kind of the point: because that connection is so opaque and so irrelevant to Alcest's music output, it actually makes some ethical sense to materially support Alcest as a project. It is the equivalent of rewarding my dog with a treat when he sits on command even though he used to gnaw on my socks as a puppy.

Above all else, though, we also have to have room to allow people the space to regret, feel contrition, and atone for their past actions. Niege's statements seem clear: he regrets his time in Peste Noire, and he's worked hard to keep Alcest as distant as possible from Peste Noire's agenda. If Alcest continues on as it is--a veritable sleep diary--and Niege and crew continue to distance themselves from their previous associations with white supremacy, then I think that it is moral to continue to buy Alcest's music, as it is to listen to Agalloch, and for similar reasons.

There are still numerous bands in the black metal genre that have instead doubled down on their racism when confronted by fans, instead blaming PC culture and Antifa when really they are the ones that need to look in the mirror. It is unfortunate that as consumers we need to research the bands we listen to so thoroughly. But in our world of extreme information sharing, we do have to tools to do so, and indeed we should. After all, it is the fans that truly hold the power to encourage and denounce such despicable bands, if through no other means than our wallets.

\m/

#alcest #agalloch #Behemoth #racisim #black metal

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fortunatelylori · 6 years ago

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Let’s talk about the trailer ... because what else are we going to do on a Wednesday afternoon?

youtube

I was reluctant to write a meta on this trailer since there isn’t much in terms of narrative to analyze but since I don’t think we’ll be getting much content aside from it, let’s strike the iron while it’s hot, shall we?

The first thought I had upon finishing this was that this is most likely a collection of shots and scenes from the first 3 episodes. There is not one shot in this trailer that I couldn’t comfortably place within what I believe the first 3 episodes will be about: namely the White Walker war.

It’s also a suspicion that is given even more credence in my mind by the EW article that was released a day prior in which the vast majority of coverage is on the white walker battle and the struggles of the production crew, actors and director Miguel Sapochnik with one of the most grueling night time shoots I’ve ever heard of in my life (55 days of exclusive night shoots! 55!).

Considering that I assume the reason why they spent 55 nights filming is because the Long Night will actually descend upon Winterfell with the arrival of the White Walkers outside its walls, I feel pretty confident in going even further in my speculation regarding the trailer and say that most of the scenes we see in this trailer are from episode 1 and 2.

That being said, it’s rather difficult to make out what could happen in those 2 episodes because we get a lot of different, seemingly unrelated shots of the principals without much of a hint in terms of the narrative conflicts that will undoubtedly occur during what I assume will be 2 drama filled episodes.

As a general conclusion, I believe there are three narrative strands that the trailer blends in, namely:

The White Walker threat

Cersei and the Golden Company

Jon/Dany and the dragons

The interesting thing about the White Walker conflict is that we are first introduced to it in the trailer not by Jon, who up until this point has been the public face of the Human Race defense squad, but Arya.

Seeing this opening:

Followed up with this:

And coupled with Arya’s VO:

Arya: I know death. He’s got many faces. I look forward to seeing this one.

Feels like it gives me a pretty good grasp of what Arya’s arc will be thematically. Incidentally, Maisie already hinted at it in the EW article and this trailer just comes to confirm that:

Maisie Williams: “There’s this split with Arya between trying to be who she wants to be — getting back to that naiveté and innocence with her family — and her unfinished business.”

This opening seems to emphasize this vacillation between Arya’s vulnerability and humanity and her Faceless Men training. It also brings up the possibility that the Faceless Men will be making a come-back in her arc, which would make sense considering it was never truly concluded.

We are then thrown into Bran’s VO who is conspicuously absent from this trailer, which is disappointing. I think this is in part because whatever role he is going to play in the War for the Dawn is something that the Ds most likely want to keep hidden but also, and I’m sorry to say it, because his physical disability would impede them from showing the type of dynamic, action filled shots that they use a lot of in this trailer which frankly shows a lack of creativity and a blatant lack of interest on their part for his character, two issues that has plagued Bran for seasons now.

Out of all the VOs, Bran’s is probably the most generic. People have speculated that this is something he will say to Jon and that’s a possibility but I have to say that while I was watching the trailer, I assumed he was saying it to Arya, as a way to help her reconcile the struggle between the two sides of her personality.

Bran: Everything you did brought you to where you are now. Where you belong. Home.

But really it could be about any of the Starks and it could also be about everyone in the show. Essentially, what this VO conveys is the journey all these character have been on and what led them to reach the place they are now. And it’s placed over images that show that:

We have the Golden Company arriving. As well as confirmation that Tormund and Edd are alive! Yay. We’ll just ignore Beric, shall we? He’s just a bonafied torch as far as I’m concerned We also get establishing shots of King’s Landing and Cersei.

Then it gets more specific and focuses in on Winterfell. This VO is mainly used as exposition for all of these separate entities coming together in the North for the Great War:

These shots are among the most beautiful and sweeping of the trailer. They’re breathtaking actually. But I can’t help but feel the same amount of apprehension that Sansa has plastered all across her beautiful face. And that’s because it also feels a little bit like a home invasion of sorts. Jon and D*ny are advancing towards Winterfell in the midst of a huge army. Sansa watches from the battlements as the dragons begin circling her home. This is not all together uplifting, optimistic imagery if looked at from her perspective and her perspective is really the only one we get in these shots since Jon and Dany are presented from the POV of the people that have come out to watch the procession, namely this kid:

Hello potential food for D*ny’s dragons. How’s medieval life treating you? Ready for some nukes to destroy your hut?

Also this marks the first transition from Jon/Dany to Sansa in the trailer. It’s not the last.

Then we jump into Jon’s VO:

Jon: They’re coming.

Jon: Our enemy doesn’t tire.

Ok, a bit unfair. Jon’s VO is patently about the White Walkers. However if the shoe fits, you can’t help yourself from walking in it

I won’t deny it. Seeing D*ny in the Winterfell crypts is uncomfortable for me. Not least because once again it feels like she’s breaching Jon’s personal space without being invited. She seeks him out. She gets near him while he looks down and broods, which is something he does a lot of when she’s around him.

Just like Sansa seeing the dragons fly over Winterfell and the Winter Town kid watching D*ny’s armies marching, this, once again, feels like an invasion as opposed to the benevolent savior coming to protect the North.

The VO continues with images of Gendry forging weapons and Jaime fighting:

Jon: Doesn’t stop. Doesn’t feel.

The feel bit is interesting because we get this:

Jon and D*ny are supposed to be the epic love story on this show and yet the only kiss we get is for Missandei and Grey Worm?!?

It also marks these two as the doomed couple that will die a doomed death this season so sorry about that, Missandei/Grey Worm fans.

However, the entire sequence doesn’t actually end there. It continues with various quick shots, only to end on this:

I don’t know about you guys but this indicates to me that the trailer is setting Cersei apart from the enemies that Jon is talking about. Of course, that makes sense on a surface level simply because Cersei is human unlike the White Walkers. But why go out of their way to make Cersei sympathetic since aside from the Night King, she’s supposed to be the Big Bad? My guess is because she isn’t and her story this season is about something else than another villain Jon and D*ny will slay with their epic love.

The last VO we have is from Jaime. This trailer is very VO heavy and Jaime feels like an odd choice. What he says is very much in line with his season 7 finale sentiments, so not many surprises there:

Jaime: I promised to fight for the living. I intend to keep that promise.

However, you know who else made such a promise? One that was reiterated in season 7?

Jon Snow: I am the shield that guards the realms of men.

I probably wouldn’t have made this association if the trailer didn’t make sure to link Jaime’s VO with shots of Jon:

Jon in front of the Heart Tree ... you know the same type of tree where he first made his pledge to protect mankind, back in season 1.

Jon Snow running through a field of fire, looking remarkably similar to his Night Watch self.

Jon Snow walking towards the creatures he bent the knee for and almost died trying to acquire in order to save the world.

This last shot is fascinating for 2 reasons:

It marks the first time Jon is actually in the same shot as Rhaegal. And he’s positioned right in front of him.

This gives me so many Dance of Dragons vibes, I can’t even begin to fully describe them. To make things clear, I don’t think this scene will end with Jon riding Rhaegal. This is probably Jon and D*ny visiting with the dragons or inspecting that they are in optimum shape for the battle. However, the hint is there visually nonetheless.

Coupled with a VO that talks about fighting for “the living” it’s even more disturbing to see the graveyard of bones littered all around those creatures.

To clarify, the choice of having those bones there could be entirely avoidable. Jon and D*ny could come upon the dragons just sitting there, without charred bones all around them. Or if the scene absolutely demands that bones be there, they could have just not included the shot in the trailer at all. But they did.

Also:

Hello, Sansa! What are you looking at? And why do I want to hug you right now?

Obviously I doubt these two scenes follow each other within the context of the actual show but in terms of the transition, once again the idea of a love triangle is inserted, albeit in a very subtle way.

Miscellaneous thoughts:

Cersei and Sansa’s reunion:

Firstly, let’s just all stop for a second and bow to the brilliance of Lena Heady, shall we? Just look at how much she conveys with just a few seconds focused on her face. I LOVE THIS WOMAN!

Anyway, because Lena is so brilliant and I feel like I have so much access to Cersei through this expression, I’m going to speculate that the reason why Cersei is brimming with barely concealed satisfaction and contained savagery is because in this scene she is actually being presented with a kidnapped Sansa. That’s where my mind went the moment I saw the shot and I’m sticking to it.

Ascots:

I HATE THE ASCOTS! HATE, HATE, HATE THEM! For all that is holy, Clapton, release Sophie and Emilia’s necks from the neck chokers of DEATH!

Dothraki? What Dothraki?

There are no Dothraki in sight! Not during the arrival at Winterfell. Not during the scene of Missandei and Grey Worm kissing. Not during the final shot of the Winterfell army getting ready for the White Walker attack.

Where are they? I’m willing to bet something happens to at least some of them along the way.

White walkers and the Night King:

These are supposed to be the ultimate Villain that all the good guys are going to band together and fight. This trailer is nominally about them. And yet all we actually get of them is this:

There’s actually no reason to hide the White Walkers from sight. We know they’re coming, we know what they look like. A few shots of them marching isn’t going to spoil anything.

However, the trailer seems far more interested in showing the struggles and hinting at conflicts and tribulations between the characters, namely those stuck together within the confines of Winterfell.

Because, of course, it is. This series has never been about the White Walkers. It’s about: “the human heart in conflict with itself”.

Bring it on, show! Bring it on!

*none of the gifs are mine. thank you to the artists!

#got season 8 trailer #got season 8 speculation #dance of dragons 2.0 #anti-jonerys #jonsa #house stark #arya stark #cersei x sansa #anti-daenerys #jon snow #sansa stark #bran stark #cersei lannister #jaime lannister

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ladyseaheart1668 · 7 years ago

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Endless Summer Fan Novel (Book 3, Chapter 6)

...Music is filling my ears. Piano music, a classical melody, familiar and cheerful. Mozart, I think...one of the sonatas. Underneath it is the ticking of an old-fashioned gear clock. As the image of Uqzhaal in his fearsome skull mask tumbles into my mind, I inhale sharply, my eyes flying open. I'm lying on an overstuffed couch in a treehouse room crammed to the gills with bizzare objects. I feel pressure on my right hand, the touch of a familiar calloused palm on my cheek.

“You all right there, Princess?” Jake brushes stray wisps of hair off my forehead, studying my face with worry in his eyes.

“I think so,” I mumble, feeling languid. “I'm a little groggy, but I'll live.”

I roll my head cautiously to the side to take in my surroundings. A Vaanti woman leans over a worktable. Her clothing is Anachronist, her hair dyed half pale lavender and half bubblegum pink and partially twisted into a topknot. She sets down her tools and wanders over to peer down at me through a pair of steampunk-looking goggles.

“Well, well. Still functioning.”

I feel my heavy tongue start to loosen, and I start to babble. “Look...I'm not the Endless! I didn't have anything to do with betraying the Vaanti or...” I trail off as her words register. “Wait...what's still fuctioning?”

“Your internal clock. Woke you up at just the right moment.” The Vaanti wanders over to a boom box sitting on the shelf along one wall and turns it off. The Mozart sonata cuts off. “You'll find that most of us aren't too interested in the Endless or the Catalysts. You had a hand in our story, certainly, but for us, that was quite long ago.”

With the hand that Jake isn't clutching, I reach up to rub the side of my head, still aching savagely from my fall.

“...What the hell was in that drink?”

“Liquified time crystal. Harmless to us, but extremely toxic to others. Seems the shaman had it out for you.” She leans over me, flicking a set of magnifying lenses over her goggles. “No symptoms other than drowsiness, though. You're very lucky. Or perhaps...different.”

I scowl, swatting at her with my free hand. “Hey, back off! I didn't come here for a physical.”

“No.” She straightens. “You came here seeking help. Our help. With the Island's Heart. Your friend Zahra told us.”

“Zahra? Where is she?” I look anxiously at Jake. “Where are the others?”

“They're nearby. They're fine. They just spent the night elsewhere in the city.”

“Fortunately, no one else consumed what you did,” the woman remarks.

“...And Uqzhaal?” I ask, bitterness creeping into my voice.

“On his way to Mount Atropo to stop the Endless, I presume. I pointed out to him that one can't be held accountable for the actions of an alternate self.” She pauses a moment. “Oh...you're probably wanting a name to call me. Clockmaker will do.”

“What's Jumanji planning to do?” Jake mutters. “Beat up Moon Man with his stick?”

Clockmaker sighs. “I'm afraid his words have managed to inspire a few of us who'd grown restless.”

“Restless about being trapped in the past?” I ask.

She shakes her head. “Restless while waiting for Vaanu to depart.”

“...I'm not sure I follow.”

“We don't simply revel for hedonism's sake, you see. It's a farewell party. At some point, an eventuality may occur where Vaanu is finally able to continue on its journey. Then, at long last, our party will end.”

“Wait. The island is going somewhere?”

“Not the island, but the life force that created it. Our ancestors worshipped the former, but it's the entity at the heart of La Huerta who we call Vaanu. Vaanu's arrival on Earth tore its body into hundreds of fragments. And when it broke, space and time broke too, trapping Vaanu here.”

“Sounds like some kind of alien...” I murmur thoughtfully.

“Stories speak of a bright light. Visions. A faceless angel guiding those in need.”

Jake's grip on my hand tightens. “That's our guy!”

“But I still don't understand why it would want to help us...”

“Perhaps Vaanu is hoping you might help it in return,” Clockmaker suggests. The ticking clock begins to toll the hour, its bell low and musical. Clockmaker picks up a small desk clock and delicately turns back the hour hand. “As for me, I can get you into Rourke's facility in exchange for an answer to one, simple question.”

“This oughta be good,” Jake mutters.

Clockmaker takes a seat in an odd-looking chair placed conspicuously in the center of the room and casually folds her arms.

“What is time?” she asks.

Jake raises an eyebrow. “...Seriously?”

“Like...the abstract concept of time?”

“Yes. What does it mean to you? Answer carefully.”

I am quiet for a pregnant moment. I close my eyes, trying to picture time. Trying to imagine forever. I start to feel dizzy again. Visions and memories tumble through my mind. The visions of the twelve idols. Memories of conversations I have had on this island, or things I have heard people say.

Time is inevitability, the Endless said.

Marking the passage of time is a fruitless effort, Varyyn said. It is time that marks the passing of us. Every end is a new beginning. Except the last one.

We are all slaves to time.

Time is a largely superficial construct.

We are all temporary, I said to Quinn. Every last one of us is a physical thing that eventually weathers away...killed by the very thing we were trying to keep alive.

Two-thousand one-hundred thirty-nine loops. Loops. Circles. An endless spiral of seasons and years that spirals up and out and moving ever onward as the lights of souls on its path are born and flicker out. ...Spiraling like...a DNA helix....

“...Time is inevitablity,” I say softly. “There is no escaping it. ...It always wins in the end...”

Clockmaker seems disappointed by my answer. “An interesting perspective, and an informed one. It is also the perspective of the Endless.”

I look up sharply. “I already told you, I'm not--”

“Not now. Not yet. But you are starting to think like her.” She sighs and rises. “In any case, you have answered my question, and now my end of the bargain is owed. Come.” She opens a sliding metal door and beckons for us to follow. Jake helps me to my feet, supporting me until I find my balance.

We emerge into hazy daylight onto one of the upper walkways. Anachronist Vaanti are still carousing on every level of the city.

“Alodia!” I turn to see Zahra approaching unsteadily, her arm wrapped around Craig's waist, a bundle tucked under her other arm. She hiccups sharply, making Craig snort with laughter.

“Yo, you got the hiccups again.”

“No I...hic...don't!” she protests. I bite back a smile, trying to look stern.

“Have you two been up partying all night?”

They exchange a blank look and immediately dissolve into giggles.

“You say that like you're surprised,” Zahra snorts, hiccupping again.

“Oh, crap, Z!” Craig suddenly yelps. “Don't look now, but there's a mouse by your foot!”

Zahra yelps, looking around wildly. “Where?! Where is it?!”

“Boom,” Craig replies. “Hiccups cured.”

As Zahra glares reproachfully at Craig, Michelle wanders out of a nearby building, rubbing her temples. Her hair is tousled, her make-up smeared.

“How does anyone sleep around here with all the noise?” she complains.

“It's not 'noise,'” one Vaanti informs her haughtily. “It's EDM.”

“Whatever,” Michelle grumbles. The others are emerging behind her, looking varying levels of rested. Diego immediately rushes over to me.

“Allie! Are you all right?”

“I'm fine. No permanent damage. Just a slight headache.” I ruefully rub the tender spot on the side of my head. Diego sags with visible relief.

“Morning, Alodia,” Kele calls.

“What's up, doodlebombers?” Raj greets us. He immediately finds a warm place to lie down and closes his eyes. Clockmaker clears her throat.

“Alodia, when you're ready, I can open a rift here in Quarr'tel. It will take you directly to Rourke's compound beneath the Observatory, going back to a time before he'd expect you to arrive.”

“Oh, whaaaaaaat?!” Craig crows. “I like this already!”

“So...you're going to help us?” I ask incredulously. “Just for answering a question?”

“That question matters much more than you may realize,” Clockmaker replies. “As does the Island's Heart.”

“Hey, Alodia,” Zahra says. “If you're gonna be a freaking time ninja, you've gotta ditch the pirate look.”

I look down at the shirt and breeches I'm still wearing. “...I do?”

Zahra rolls her eyes. “Yes. Desperately. Here.” She takes the bundle out from under her arm and deposits it in my arms. “I grabbed some sick gear last night. Put these on.”

“Oh, fine, if you insist.”

I duck into the nearest building to strip off the shirt and breeches and replace them with Zahra's outfit choice instead. I pull on a purple, black, and navy blue dress of leather and silk with a low-cut bodice and a poofy, ruffled miniskirt. There's also a pair of strategically ripped black tights, sturdy black boots, and a pair of fingerless black leather gloves. I have to admit, it looks good. I'm not sure what I'd call the style. Steampunk? Cybergoth? Gothic Lolita? All three? I emerge, grinning.

“Okay, Zahra. I admit, I kinda like this.”

“What's not to like?” Zahra replies blithely. “You look like a rock star.”

Michelle whistles. “I feel like I need to create a new Pictogram account just to document that outfit.”

“Hell yeah!” Craig lifts a hand. “Gimme five, Alodia!”

I raise my own hand to comply, and he starts to pull his hand away. Suddenly, everything seems to be moving in slow motion, as if Craig is moving through syrup. I clap my palm against his, and he returns to normal speed.

“Too slow!” As the tingling in his palm registers, he stops and blinks. “Wait, what?”

I smooth the silky ruffles on my skirt. “...Woah...was that...?”

“Are we ready to go?” I glance over at Sean, who has pulled Raj to his feet. Raj is still blinking blearily, but he looks conscious enough.

“I think so.” I look over at Clockmaker, who nods. She takes a stopwatch from her pocket, and adjusts a few dials. The gathered Vaanti back up as she clicks the button on the top.

“Xiaoxin!” Clockmaker shouts. The air in front of me ripples and implodes like a burning film slide. A glowing wound opens in the skin of reality, surrounded by pulsing rainbow light.

“Oh, god,” Diego groans. “Is this where some guy in a demonic bunny suit tells us to 'wake up'?”

“I'm awake! I'm awake!” Raj yelps. “...Am I awake?”

“We'll try to maintain it until you return,” Clockmaker says. “Don't dawdle.”

“Time for deploy,” Jake murmurs, looking over at me. “You ready, Princess?”

I nod. “Let's go turn the tables on Rourke.” I take a breath and run headlong into the rift. The voice of an Anachronist follows me.

“They don't stand much of a chance, do they?”

“May Vaanu guide them,” Clockmaker replies.

We land in an immense, high-ceilinged industrial room, lined with monitors and technical equipment, far too advanced for me to make any sense of it. Lights flicker and flash, machinery whirs. Zahra looks around, her eyes wide with wonder.

“Dang...I could spend some time in here.”

Jake holds up a hand in a sharp gesture that we've all come to recognize. Everyone freezes, quieting. He jerks his head at a lanky, pale-haired figure standing at a computer terminal.

“Malfoy,” he whispers. “Three o'clock.”

Aleister's back is turned to us. He connects a cable to a hovering drone, and then turns back to the monitor.

“Mother? Can you hear me?” I can just make out Iris' face on the screen. “Mother, it's me! Please, I need your help...”

“Access denied,” Iris chimes. “User is invalid.”

Estela grabs my arm. “Someone's coming!”

A small group of Arachnid soldiers are suddenly rushing at us. Mike is leading them, and it's already too late to hide.

“Intruders!” Mike growls.

Aleister starts, whipping around to face us. His eyes widen. “Wha--? No! Stand down!”

The soldiers hold their ground. Aleister disconnects the drone, and the monitor goes blank. His eyes lock with mine.

“Aleister!” I growl. “Give us the Heart, and we'll leave.”

“You must be really out of ideas,” Zahra mutters.

“Aleister, you don't need the Heart,” Sean says. “Rourke's gonna trash the island if he keeps using it.”

Aleister's eyes never leave my face. “...You shouldn't have come here.”

“Permission to capture the intruders?” one Arachnid soldier asks as if having to ask is deeply irritating. Aleister rounds on the troops.

“Just...leave!” he growls through gritted teeth. “I have the situation under control!”

“You're lying,” Mike says flatly. Jake takes a step towards Mike, but Sean grabs his arm, holding him back.

“Mike!” Jake cries plaintively. “Fight it, dammit!”

Aleister turns to a terminal and enters a series of commands. Mike freezes in place.

“I said leave!” he snaps.

“...Yes, sir,” Mike answers after a moment. He turns stiffly and walks off.

“Wait!” one of the soldiers protests. “We're just gonna--”

“We're moving,” Mike snaps. “That's an order.”

“...Copy.” The soldiers reluctantly follow him down the hall.

“You're controlling him?!” Jake cries, a hundred emotions flickering in his eyes as he looks at Aleister.

“Don't be ridiculous,” Aleister mutters, rolling his eyes. “I merely adjusted his memory of the last few minutes.”

“Where's the Island's Heart?” I snarl.

Aleister sighs, and gestures vaguely behind us. “...There.”

We turn. On the far wall, gleaming out of the shadows, is a giant red robotic form surrounded by wires and scaffolding. It's a mecha suit, straight out of Transformers or Power Rangers.

“Good god...” I whisper.

“...It's inside the Omega Mech,” Aleister sighs.

“What in the Sam Hill?” Kele breathes.

“...We...are...screwed,” Craig groans.

“Nice knowing you, dudes,” Raj agrees.

“Allie!” Diego cries weakly. I turn to see him leaning over a surveillance monitor. His face is pale, his hands shaking. I glance at the screen and my stomach drops. It's a feed from a security camera, showing Varyyn restrained on a lab table. He isn't moving. I know the room he's in. I saw it once when I touched the idol of Canis. In that room, my best friend was gunned down.

“Oh, no...oh, nonono...”

“Oh, god,” Quinn whispers. “Are they experimenting on him?” Diego wrings his hands, breathing hard.

“We have to help him,” he whimpers. “Allie, please say we'll help him...”

Michelle is scanning the monitors beside him. “Grace must be here, too. Why don't I see her on any of these monitors?”

I whirl on Aleister. “Where are they keeping Grace?”

“You should leave the way you came, Alodia,” Aleister says softly. “This is only going to end badly for everyone.”

This time, I'm the one Sean has to hold back as I lunge at Aleister. “Tell me, you little--”

“Easy, Alodia!” Sean says firmly. “We have to move quick. Do we go after Varyyn first, or the Heart?”

I settle, still quivering with rage. “...We go for Varyyn first. And Grace. We'll need to get out of here quick after we have the Heart, and we're not leaving them behind.”

“Our friends come first,” Quinn agrees.

“As it always should be,” Estela says firmly. Diego pulls me into a hug.

“Thank you, Allie.”

Aleister turns back to the terminal keyboard. “I warned you. Now you've left me no choice but to—ungh!”

He slumps against the terminal and sinks to the floor. Estela stands behind him, brandishing the blunt end of her spear. She tips her head, popping tension out of her neck.

“Been wanting to do that for awhile now,” she mutters.

Craig grabs a power cord and begins tying Aleister's hands behind his back. Sean watches mournfully.

“I can't believe we have to do this, but it's better to not take any risks at this point.”

With Aleister secured and his limp body concealed in the shadows under a terminal, we make a break for the elevators.

* * *

After a bit of searching, we make it to the Observatory lab. Varyyn is there on the cold, sterile table, wrists and ankles pinned by mechanical restraints. Diego rushes to his side, leaning anxiously over him and stroking his face.

“Varyyn! Varyyn, can you hear me?”

Varyyn moans, his eyes fluttering. “...Diego...I had hoped to see your face one more time...” His voice is weak. “They ambushed me...Too many...I couldn't...”

“Shhhh. I know. I know.” Diego kisses his forehead. “Just hold on. We're gonna get you out of here.” Jake and Sean are already struggling with the restraints.

“Damn things won't budge!” Jake growls. Sean manages to create a tiny gap in one of the shackles before it snaps shut again. Diego turns to a workstation, where Zahra is already peering at the screen.

“Piece of cake,” Zahra says. “All we need to do is release the--” The workstation abruptly goes dark. Iris' hologram flickers to life in the center of the room, projected from a pedestal on the other side of the lab.

“I'm sorry, Zahra. I can't let you do that.”

My blood runs cold. Diego isn't alone this time. But I know what happens next. “We need to leave,” I say lowly. “Fast.”

“Iris, you've got to let Varyyn go!” Diego pleads.

“Negative,” Iris replies. I can almost whisper her next words with her. “This specimen will remain in custody for the duration of the procedure.” I cast my eyes to the wall near the ceiling at the same moment that the panels open and the machine guns descend, attached to robotic arms. A camera drops down with them.

“Are you kidding me?” Craig cries.

“Defense sequence initiated,” Iris says calmly. “Final warning...” I dive under the table. The others follow my lead, except Diego, who stays beside the table, clinging desperately to Varyyn.

“Diego!” I cry, my voice shrill with terror. The fear in my voice must be enough to move him, because he finally ducks down beside me, tears in his eyes. I pull him into my arms, feeling on the verge of tears myself. For a moment, all is quiet.

“...No hostiles within range,” Iris finally declares. “Defense sequence suspended.” The tension rushes out of me in a heavy exhale, leaving me weak and trembling.

“We gotta do something about that camera,” Jake murmurs.

“Eye in the sky need taking out? Leave it to me.” Kele produces a slingshot from his pocket, along with a rock. He takes aim, and sends the rock flying. With a clang, the camera detatches and drops, smashing against the floor. Kele grins. “Bingo.”

I peek out cautiously, and see a wisp of smoke rising from the destroyed camera. Diego chokes on a sob, scrambling out from under the table and rushing back to Varyyn's side as the rest of us emerge behind him.

“How do we get him out?” Quinn asks. “We have to get him out!”

“Surveillance lost in Cloning Lab,” Iris says. “Alerting proper channels.”

“Wait!” I cry. As my eyes flick to the smashed camera, a crazy idea occurs to me. “Iris! We've got Rourke at gunpoint!”

The others look at me as if I've grown a second head, but Jake nods approvingly.

“If you don't release Varyyn, Rourke here gets a bullet in the head!” he says sharply. “What's it gonna be?”

Iris' hologram scans the area, but she's been blinded by the loss of the camera. “Data inconclusive...Everett Rourke was not seen entering the Cloning Lab.”

“Just try and test me, Hallie 9000!” Jake retorts.

Iris is still for a moment. “...Threat level too high,” she says at last. “Complying with hostiles' demand.”

Iris vanishes. With four metallic pops, Varryn's restraints fall open. Diego clasps his newly freed hand, kissing it and weeping with relief. Michelle rushes to Varyyn's other side, quickly checking him over for injury.

“Doesn't look like he's hurt. Not beyond a few bruises, anyway. But he may have been sedated.”

The piercing blast of a siren rips the air apart, making us all jump. Zahra swears under her breath.

“That little piece of holographic shit! She activated a fucking alarm!”

“We gotta move now!” Sean snaps. “Come on!”

Diego and Craig brace Varyyn on either side, keeping him propped upright. Varyyn struggles to keep his feet under him as we rush for the elevators, his chin dropping onto his chest. He lets out a weak croak.

“What was that, Varyyn?” Diego asks.

Another blast from the siren makes my heart spasm painfully. Every cell in my body is quivering with alarm. My breath comes out in shallow gasps. Varyyn raises his head with tremendous effort, nodding at a door on the other side of the lab.

“Grace...” he whispers.

A glance and a nod pass between us. We change course, heading towards the other door. We exit the lab at the meeting point of three hallways. Varyyn nods toward the left. The siren blasts a third time. As it fades, the sound of heavy footfalls approaching reaches my ears. Several Arachnid soldiers suddenly round the corner into the central hallway. Leading them is a hulking brute of a man with a shaved head, and two mechanical fists.

“Found yoooooooou,” Tetra sings, leering.

“Give yourselves up!” one Arachnid barks. “Or we'll have to use force.”

“Fuck you,” Jake replies coldly.

“Hey, Jakey-wakey,” Tetra sneers. “Wanna hear a good joke?”

Jake sighs. “Do I have a choice?”

“Why did the wolf cross the road?”

Jake edges back towards the rest of us, inclining his head. “On my signal,” he murmurs. “Princess, Ariel, Short Stuff and Big Guy, you take Papa Smurf and head left.”

“Uh...are any of those people even here?” Kele whispers back. I just pat his shoulder reassuringly. Tetra snarls impatiently.

“I said...Why did the wolf--”

“You got me, pal,” Jake cuts him off.

“He didn't. Somebody ripped his guts out first!” Tetra laughs uproariously, reaching toward Jake. His mechanical limbs stretch out like snakes, rapidly closing the distance between them.

“They rebuilt him!” Quinn gasps.

“Now!” Jake shouts.

Quinn, Diego, Craig, Varyyn, and I make a break for it down the left hallway. The rest of the group hold their ground, facing off against the Arachnid troops. I glance back over my shoulder and see Jake narrowly dodging Tetra's writhing limbs. The mechanical fists slam into the walls again and again, sending chunks of debris flying.

“Jake!” My cry is plaintive to my own ears. I don't want to leave him.

“Alodia, get out of here!” he shouts.

“Go!” Sean agrees. He, Jake, and the others take off down the opposite hallway. The Arachnid soldiers swiftly pursue. Tetra turns and notices me frozen in the hallway. His furious gaze shakes me from my stupor, and I turn to run.

“Oh no you don't!” I turn to see an arm of serpentine steel surging down the hallway towards me. I grab the handle of the nearest doorway and swing it open, ducking behind it. Tetra's mechanical fist smashes through the thick steel, becoming stuck halfway through, his mechanical fingers clawing the air inches from my face. I recoil, pressing my back against the door jamb. It's all I can do to keep upright, to keep myself breathing.

“Hell yeah, Alodia!” Craig whoops. I wonder how he can be cheering me when I'm trembling like a goddamn leaf.

“Stupid sneaky kid!” Tetra roars furiously. He forcibly retracts his arm to try again, but Quinn leaps in between us.

“Back off!” she growls. “Or I'll mess you up all over again!” She stares him down, raising her hands and waving her fingers as if preparing to cast a spell. Tetra shrinks as he suddenly remembers who she is.

“N-no! Get away from me, you freak!” He retracts his arm and turns to flee down the hall with the rest of his group.

“Never underestimate the power of jazz hands,” Diego quips.

“It's about all I've got at this point,” Quinn replies with a rueful smile.

“Grace...” Varyyn croaks. “...She...is there...” He nods toward a door at the end of the hall. Craig and Diego, Varyyn still braced between them, head toward the door. Quinn reaches out and slips her hand into mine, giving it a squeeze. She studies my face intently.

“...You all right, Alodia?”

I force a smile. “...I'm fine. Let's get Grace back.” But I grip her hand hard as we follow the others down the hall. On the other side of the door is a cramped interrogation room. An observation window looks in on a tiny cell. Grace is huddled in one corner of the cell. Her hair is matted, partially covering her face. What I can see of her expression, despondant and weary, makes my heart squeeze. She stares blankly into space.

“Grace!” I cry.

“Grace, can you hear us?” Quinn calls through the glass.

Grace raises her head. “...Alodia? ...Quinn? You're here, too?”

“We all survived, Grace,” I assure her. “We've come to get you out.”

Her gaze drops again. “Don't bother. You're better off without me.”

“What?” Diego yelps. “Grace, I don't know what the hell has been going on here, but we're gonna get you out!”

“We are here to help,” Varyyn agrees. He is starting to look a little steadier and more alert. A door into Grace's cell stands in the wall beside the observation window. Diego eases Varyyn into a chair and goes to the door, turning several latches. But when he pushes on the door, it still doesn't budge.

“I got this,” Craig says, putting a hand on Diego's shoulder and easing him aside. He takes a running start and body slams into the door, but it still doesn't give. He winces, leaning against the wall.

“I think there's something jamming it from the other side!” Quinn exclaims.

Grace curls towards the wall. “Just go away, you guys. They'll only catch you if you don't.”

A horrifying possibility creeps into my mind. What could Rourke or his Arachnid mercenaries have been doing to Grace that she jammed the door on her side to keep them out? I taste panic at the back of my throat.

“Grace, please! Open the door!”

“Why?! What's so good about being out there?! ...I'm better off where no one can get to me.”

A familiar light manifests on one of the walls inside the cell. The ghostly figure steps out of the cinder blocks, its faceless gaze regarding Grace curiously.

“They're baaaaaaaaack,” Diego sings without mirth.

Grace recoils. “Oh, no...I'm hallucinating again...”

“Grace!” I call. “That's Vaanu! It wants to help us!”

“No joke, Grace!” Craig agrees. “That thing's legit!”

“Just take whatever it gives you!” Diego adds.

Vaanu reaches inside of itself and pulls out a framed display containing colorful butterflies preserved behind glass. I press my palm to the glass of the observation window. Will she still see the visions if I'm not touching the object as well? Will I still see them? Grace reaches out a shaking hand towards the ghost. I close my eyes and let my forehead come to rest on the glass. Please...please let it still work...

A white light blooms behind my eyelids.

I am on a balcony overlooking a bustling city. The sky is the deep blue color of evening, but the soft glow of lights along the walkways and streaming from the glass-walled building behind brighten the balcony. On the other side of the glass is an upscale gallery. A large crowd is gathered inside, murmuring as they gaze at vibrant paintings featuring elaborate geometric patterns. The door to the balcony opens and Grace emerges. She is dressed in a bohemian skirt and blouse with a jeweled butterfly brooch. Her long hair has been woven into dozens of tiny brains, twisted off her face and held in place with a gold barrette. Michelle is beside her.

“I can't decide which one I like best,” Michelle is saying. “Really, Grace, they're all amazing!”

Grace beams. “Thank you! Just let me know if you do see one you want and I'll set it aside.”

The door slides open again. An elegant woman in a dark blue business suit, her hair flawlessly coifed and curled, steps out onto the balcony. I know in an instant who she must be. In spite of the stark contrast between Grace's gentle bohemian style and the woman's sharp, snappy business attire, Grace is the spitting image of her mother.

“Hello, Grace,” Blair Hall says pleasantly. Grace's eyes widen.

“Mom...w-what are you doing here?”

“Grace, what a question!” Blair laughs. “I've always supported your little hobbies.”

“'Little hobbies'?!” Michelle echoes indignantly.

“Mom, please don't try to embarrass me.”

Blair looks genuinely surprised by the accusation. “Never, darling! I just, well...I did notice that some of these designs of yours are a little lackluster...maybe some more splashes of color here and there to spruce things up, you know?”

“You're...missing the point,” Grace mumbles.

“I just don't understand why you don't take up something you're actually good at, sweetheart.”

“Okay, that's it!” Michelle snaps. “I'm sorry, Mrs. Hall, but shut the hell up!”

“Excuse me?” Blair scowls at Michelle. “You watch your mouth, young lady!”

“Tell her, Grace.”

Grace inhales and sets her jaw. “Mom, all of these paintings were generated by calculations and assigned geometric properties. The whole point of fractal art is to display the beauty of mathematics! It's not about being flashy or impressive, it's about celebrating the intrinsic patterns of the universe.”

Blair shifts a little. “Of course. I knew that.”

“No, you didn't. You've never taken anything I've done seriously, especially the things I'm passionate about.”

Blair's eyes pass from Grace to Michelle and back again. “...I see. I'll...just be going.” She turns on her heel, and stalks out with all the dignity she can muster. Michelle puts a hand on Grace's shoulder.

“You all right?”

Grace blinks in astonishment. “You know what? That...felt really good!”

Michelle grins. “Good! I think she will actually get it, by the way. Seeing how talented you are, she probably just feels threatened. Anyway, she's got about seven gushing art critics to get through on her way out of here, so I think it's gonna sink in.”

Grace chuckles a little, then sighs. “You know, when I was little, she gave me this glass box full of butterflies. Beautiful specimens in every color of the rainbow. It was my most prized possession. And then I started to realize that's all I was to her. A precious thing to keep under glass and hide away.”

“Grace, it's up to you who's really in your family and who's not,” Michelle replies. “Don't let the ties that bind you be the ties that break you. Okay?”

Grace smiles. “Okay. You're right.” She sighs again, but this time it sounds like a release. She straightens as if a weight has been lifted from her shoulders.

“Now,” Michelle says with a grin, “I think it's time for some of that champagne!” She links her arm through Grace's, and the two of them head back into the party...

… I open my eyes again in the interrogation room. Grace stands at the center of her cell, eyes wide. She lifts her gaze to meet mine.

“Alodia...I think I just saw...”

“Your future,” I finish, smiling. Behind her, Vaanu fades into the wall, its light vanishing. Grace moves to the door. There is a series of clicks, and the cell door swings open. Grace stares at us, clutching the framed display.

“...I'm ready to go now,” she says with a soft smile. I rush inside to pull her into a hug. She holds me back. “...It's good to see you, Alodia.”

“You too, Grace. So good...”

She's back. Our swan is back. My family is almost complete again. If only we can draw the snake back to our side.

* * *

Back at the entrance to the lab, I approach to see the others clustered around Sean, who sits against the wall, clutching his left leg. His breathing is labored, his jaw tight with pain. As I get closer, I see the shine of fresh blood on his pants.

“Sean!” I cry out, rushing to kneel at his side.

“It's fine,” he growls. “I'll make it.”

“What happened?” Grace asks anxiously.

“Got grazed by a bullet,” he mutters, letting his head drop back against the wall.

“It isn't a graze,” Michelle says flatly. “It's a wound, Sean. The bullet is inside your flesh. I need you to take it easy and not put too much pressure on it.” She pulls off her backpack and begins searching through for her med kit. Jake shakes his head.

“There's no time for that, Maybelline,”he says grimly. “We barely lost Tetra and his grunts back there. They're gonna find us again if we wait much longer.”

“Can you walk, bro?” Craig asks anxiously. Sean nods.

“I'll manage. Let's just get out of here.” But he can't hold back a groan as Michelle and Raj help him to his feet. As we start back towards the surveillance lab, Zahra pulls a cylindrical device from under her arm and presents it to Craig with a grin.

“Lookie what we found.”

“The laser cannon!” Craig gasps. “I thought I wasn't gonna see this again!” He takes the harness eagerly and begins strapping it to his shoulder.

Zahra's grin widens. “Just try not to get too trigger-happy.”

We make our way to the elevators to return to the floor we arrived on. The Heart is our next objective. But I'm starting to get nervous again. Sean being wounded puts us at a disadvantage.

We make it back to the surveillance lab and creep over to the Omega Mech. Michelle and Raj ease Sean down against the wall while the rest of us stare up at the towering machine.

“It's...everything!” Zahra breathes.

“It's something, alright,” Kele concedes.

Jake scoffs. “Leave it to Daddy Weirdbucks to paint his doomsday device mid-life crisis red.”

I shade my eyes as I stare up at the thing. Erratic flashes of light hit my eyes from a compartment near the Mech's torso.

“There. I think the Heart's up there.”

“Cool,” Zahra says. “I'll check it out.” She hoists herself up onto an elevating platform and starts it up. It rises slowly, gears whining.

“Wait up, Z!” Craig jumps at the platform and hooks his fingers over the edge. He laboriously pulls himself up. “We used to watch Gundam together, remember? It was our tradition.”

Zahra laughs, slipping her hand into his. “I remember, ya doofus.”

The platform finally comes to a stop next to the compartment with the flashing light. Michelle suddenly grabs my arm.

“Did you see something moving over there?” Michelle points to a cluster of desks, where I see a vague shimmering.

“I see it,” Diego confirms. “I think it's the ghost.”

“No,” I murmur. “It's not the ghost.”

Fiddler turns off her cloaking, appearing in front of us, a sickening grin on her ruby lips. “You should've asked permission before dropping in, sweeties.” she purrs. “Now I'm gonna have to kick you out!”

A dark katana comes whirling through the air towards my lower body. My friends cry out in alarm. I grab a flat monitor off a desk and hold it up like a shield, even as I grit my teeth and brace for the pain. I'm thrown off balance as the blade crashes against the heavy plastic and clatters to the ground.

“Oh, god, too close!” Quinn gasps. Fiddler scoops up her weapon from the pile of shattered glass and plastic on the floor. Raj and Jake rush to my side and pull me to my feet.

“Shouldn't her blade have cut right through that?” Raj asks. He's right. But there's no glow of heat around Fiddlers katanas.

“What's the matter?” Jake sneers. “Lundgren replace your toys with hand-me-downs?”

“Shut up, Wolf!” Fiddler snarls. Jake steps away from me as Fiddler levels her blades at him. High above, a flare of light catches my eye. Zahra meets my gaze. She holds out the Island's Heart, preparing to drop it on Fiddler's head. Jake steps towards Fiddler carefully, keeping his eyes on her face. My heart wedges in my throat as he slowly closes the distance between him and her blades.

“You missed your opportunity to backstab me a second time, Jeanine,” Jake says lowly. “But if I get half the chance, I'll make you pay for what you did to me and Mike.”

In spite of herself, Fiddler retreats a few steps as Jake approaches, putting her squarely beneath Zahra. “Business, Jake. Just business. But then, you always did mix up work and pleasure...”

“What'd you do, Fiddler?” I ask. “What'd you do to them?”

She pulls herself up haughtily. “Jake didn't like what Lundgren was up to.” She lifts her blade, bringing it up to Jake's throat. “And I didn't like Jake. When he told me he was going to expose our commanding officer, I did what anyone would have done. I let Lundgren know exactly what kind of scum he had working for him.”

“Really. Sounds like you forgot to tell him about yourself.”

Fiddler turns towards me, clicking her tongue. “I do not like that mouth of yours, little blonde brat. How about I cut you a new--”

She is cut off by a loud thunk as the half-sphere of heavy crystal crashes down on her head. Fiddler crumples, unconscious. Diego quickly scoops up the still-intact Heart as Craig and Zahra cheer from the platfrom, high-fiving each other.

“Pass completed!” Craig crows. “Nice assist, Alodia!” Zahra starts the platform back up again, and they slowly begin descending. Jake grins up at them.

“Nice shot, Skri--” The word seems to get caught in his throat. He grimaces, clutching his ribs. My blood sizzles with alarm.

“Jake? You okay?” He starts to cough, slumping against the crimson leg of the Mech. I cry out. “Jake!”

I hurry to brace him, easing him gently to his knees as the coughs tear from his chest, rough and painful. Michelle is at his other side in an instant.

“It's his lung,” she says grimly. She places a hand on his back as he spasms violently. “Nice, slow breaths, Jake. In through your nose, out through your mouth.”

Jake struggles to follow her instructions. He trembles violently, his features twisted with pain. I stroke his face gently.

“Just stay with me, okay?” I murmur. “I know it hurts, but just stay with me. Just keep breathing.” In a moment or two, he has managed to get his breath back. He stands unsteadily, giving me a shaky smile when I try to support him.

“I'm all right,” he says hoarsely.

“We need to get out of here now,” I murmur. “You and Sean both need to get someplace safe to rest.” If such a place even exists on this godforsaken island, I don't add.

We start across the room, passing the still-unconscious Aleister as we go. At least, he still appears to be unconscious. I can see the rise and fall of his shoulders as he breathes, but he isn't moving. Sean looks mournfully at him.

“...I had hoped he would see the light by now,” he says softly.

In the darkness under the terminal, something else catches my eye. I bend down and withdraw a piece of paper. I unfold it carefully and cast my eyes over a note written in elegant, looping script.

My dearest Grace,

I know we will never speak again, but I wanted you to know how much I regret everything. I caused you so much suffering and for that, I'll never, ever forgive myself. I hope only to live long enough to redeem myself in your eyes.

Yours respectfully,

Aleister

“Yo, Alodia. You coming?” Craig calls. I hastily stuff the note into my pocket. I'll show it to Grace once we're safe. This isn't the time.

“Yeah. Sorry.” I jog to catch up with the others.

“How are we going to escape?” Grace asks uncertainly.

“Same way we came in,” I reply. “Don't worry. We've got a portal that's gonna take us far away from here.”

Zahra abruptly stops short. “Problem,” she hisses. “That Arachnid jerk's in our way.” I look towards the rift on the far side of the room and see Mike standing guard, rifle in hand. His eyes search the shadows for any trace of us.

“That didn't go very well for you last time.” The voice comes from across the room, dryly admonishing. “Step blindly through a door, and you'll suffer whatever consequence lies on the other side.

“Wh-who's voice is that?” Estela whispers.

“It sounded like it came from...” My heart drops as the cockpit of the Omega Mech suddenly floods with light.

“Stay, my friends,” Everett Rourke sneers from within. “And witness history in the remaking.”

“We have the Heart!” Craig taunts, scowling up at him.

“That you do,” Rourke replies. “And I have its power.”

Conduits on the floor flare to life as blue-white energy flows through them, flooding into the Mech. One massive red foot lifts and plants itself ahead of the other, shaking the earth as it lands.

“Everyone run!” I scream. “To the portal! Now!”

“Father!” Beneath the terminal, Aleister has abruptly come around. He struggles against his bonds, staring up at the Mech with horror in his eyes. “Father, what are you--”

“Be silent!” Rourke snarls. “Sit and watch while I do what Prometheus could not! For the fire of the gods is now mine forever!”

A sphere of roiling blue energy hurtles out of the Mech, streaking towards us, expanding as it goes. I close my eyes and throw my hands up in front of my face, instinctively diving. Electric energy stings my skin and sets every hair on my body on edge as a flash nearly blinds me, even through my eyelids. I roll onto my back and pop to my feet. But when I whirl around, I realize that I was the only one who made it out of the way. Jake, Diego, Estela, Sean, Quinn, Raj, Craig, Zahra, Grace, Michelle, Varyyn, and Kele are trapped inside a pulsing, crackling bubble, apparently frozen in place.

“No!” I sink to my knees, my arms wrapped tightly around my own torso as if bound by a straightjacket. It's the only way I could possibly resist the urge to throw my fists against the wall of energy that keeps me from them.

“You're much too concerned with the material, Alodia,” Rourke sneers. “The fleeting. Allow me to liberate you as I've been liberated!”

Within the sphere, my friends are flickering. Fading. The Omega Mech is erasing them from time. One by one, they start to disappear. An inhuman howl of agony and fear tears from my throat.

“Stop!” I double over, sobbing. “Don't do this, Rourke! Please!”

“Grace!” Aleister cries.

“Not to worry,” Rourke purrs. “If you want them back, all you'll need is the rest of the Island's Heart. You see, Alodia, with the Heart's power, time is our plaything. You could not only save your friends, but anyone you wish, once, twice, a thousand times over.”

But I already have...I've already done that...this was supposed to be the last time, the loop that broke the cycle... Suddenly, a more horrifying thought occurs to me. He knows. Rourke knows. He knows who I am. Who I once became. He knows that I am the Endless...

“Imagine it,” he continues, his voice a hiss. “A savior is born!”

Somehow, a frantic clacking breaks through my own screaming thoughts. I turn sharply to see Aleister freed from his bonds and typing frantically into a terminal, a snake-hilted knife clutched in one hand. In front of the portal, Mike abruptly goes limp, slumping to the ground.

“I deleted his programming, Alodia!” Aleister shouts. “Go! Go now!”

I should do as he tells me. But I'm frozen, rooted to the spot. How can I leave without the others? How can I go on alone? Wasn't that why I became the Endless in the first place? ...Is this where it happens?

“Ah, my son,” Rourke purrs. “My greatest mistake. Does it give you a measure of solace to see your father triumph?”

“You were never a father to me!” Aleister snarls. “I ruined everything I cared about trying to make a connection with you! You're no god in the machine! You're just a scared, petty little man hoping to bend the world to his whim!”

“Divide and conquer is the family way, Aleister.”

Aleister's fingers tighten around the knife in his hand as he looks down at the energy conduits. His breath comes out through gritted teeth, each one a hiss.

“...So it is.” In one swift motion, Aleister raises the knife and dives forward, driving the blade into the terminal. A shower of golden sparks erupts from the wound. Wild arcs of blue-white lightning course across the Omega Mech from the damaged conduit. Rourke screams inside the cockpit and his son screams at the console as electricity surges through them both. A burst of energy throws Aleister onto his back, where he lies twitching, a trail of smoke rising from his body. At that same moment, the blue sphere dissipates, and my friends reappear. All of them are unharmed, all of them are returned. They look around, disoriented. I choke on a sob and throw myself at Jake. He catches me and holds me.

“What the hell just happened?”

“Everyone get to the portal!” Diego shouts. I pull away from Jake and push him toward the rift.

“Go! Everyone go!” We make a break for the rift. Jake stops, seeing Mike unconscious on the floor. He hoists his friend onto his shoulders in one swift motion.

“C'mon, you bastard. You'd better be alive after all this.” He vanishes into the rift. I stand beside the tear and guide my friends in one by one. Jake, Sean, Estela, Quinn, Raj, Craig, Zahra, Michelle, Kele... I turn back to look at Aleister. He moans, turning his head towards me. Our eyes lock.

“You idiot!” Grace screams. I look sharply at her and realize she's looking at Aleister. “You could have died!”

Aleister raises a shaking hand and gestures at the portal. “Go...go while you still can...I'll...hold them off...” As he struggles to turn himself over and get to his feet, Grace grunts in frustration and runs to help him.

“Get the hell up and come on!” she snaps. “We're not leaving without you!”

“Grace...”

“Come on!” She pulls his arm over her shoulder and braces him. They limp together over to the rift and disappear inside with the others. Diego ushers Varyyn through. He is about to go through himself, but he stops and reaches back to grasp my arm, anxiety in his eyes.

“You're coming too, right? I swear to God, Allie, if I lose you again...”

“I'm right behind you. Promise. Now go!” But just as Diego steps into the wavering portal, I hear Rourke's voice behind me.

“Soon you will understand what you must do, Alodia. But in the meantime, how about a parting...gift?!”

A blue aura bursts to life around the rift. For a moment, I can still see my friends. Then the image begins to distort like a funhouse mirror. The edges of the rift widen to engulf me, and I fall through, my own cry echoing in my ears.

La Huerta

The Eastern Coast

Seraxa, war chief of Elyys'tel, walks purposefully along the strand under the moonlight. On one side of her walks a blue-skinned child with pale, curly hair. On the other, a massive golden-brown feline with fangs like daggers. Seraxa strokes the child's hair gently.

“You and T'kal play on the beach until I return.”

“But I want to go diving!” Taari protests. The sabertooth growls deep in his throat, and it sounds like a sigh.

“Taari,” Seraxa says warningly. Taari sighs, rolling his eyes.

“Fiiiiine. Come on, T'kal.”

“Stay on the sand. Do not go past the cliffs. Do you understand?” Taari picks up a long rope of seaweed and flicks it back and forth over the sand. T'kal drops into a crouch, reaching out with a paw to swipe at it. “Taari! Did you hear me?”

“Yeeeeeees,” Taari sighs, pouting. “I'll stay on the sand, but Seraxa better be safe too!”

Seraxa purses her lips, watching them for a moment. Finally, she sighs, and wades slowly into the water. She lets herself breathe slowly and deeply as the water laps its way up her legs, to her hips, her belly, and finally, her chest. She draws in one more deep breath, and dives. She descends swiftly into sea trench, propelled by her powerful legs, her cat-like vision cutting easily through the dark water. Arriving at a patch of oyster shells along the trench wall, she pulls out her knife and begins carving each one free. She does not rush. She has trained for many years to be able to hold her breath for an impressively long time, even for a Vaanti. She works carefully, her emerald-green warrior braids drifting lazily through the water about her head, floating on the warm currents.

A faint green glow begins to bloom on the trench wall. Seraxa ignores it at first, struggling with the last pair of oysters. She stabs at their bases in irritation, and the motions sends vibrations pulsing through the water. The glow on the trench wall is growing stronger. Seraxa suddenly freezes, her nerves sizzling with a warning. Slowly, she turns.

Three heads loom before her. One blue and angular, with horns and glowing slits for eyes. One scarlet with bulging eyes and a lower jaw full of needle-sharp teeth. One green and finned with a snout like an eel. Three heads on three necks that descend onto one scaled, serpentine neck that descends down into the abyss. And each head is at least three times Seraxa's size.

Half her held breath rushes out in a scream smothered by the water. A flood of bubbles drifts towards the surface. The three-headed Cetus roars from his scarlet head, shaking the trench walls. The remaining oysters tumble into the darkness. For once in her life, Seraxa finds herself paralyzed with fear.

Please, she silently begs. Endless....anyone...preserve me...

The three heads bob in the dark water, three pairs of green eyes contemplating their prey. Slowly, they pull back into the abyss, until even the eerie green glow of their eyes is swallowed by the inky blackness. Seraxa wastes no time in kicking to the surface. She breaches with a greedy breath, turning her eyes towards the shore. A fresh knot of cold fear settles in the pit of her stomach.

The beach is empty. Taari and T'kal are nowhere to be seen. Seraxa rushes ashore, dropping her bag of oysters.

“Taari?!” she cries, desperately scanning the treeline. “Taaaaaaaaaariiiiiiiiiiii!”

Mount Atropo

Several hours earlier...

The Endless kneels stands beside a blazing lava pool, a blue-green glow flickering across her weathered face.

“Don't worry,” she murmurs. “We're going to return your core to you. Isn't that what you want?”

A voice rises from the pit, echoing off the cavern walls. “All is broken...Broken...all...” The taletell click of a gun being readied comes from somewhere behind the Endless.

“Freeze, Red Riding Hood.”

The Endless sighs, a rueful, bitter smile curving her wrinkled lips. “Rex Lundgren. I'd say it was a pleasure, but...”

“I've heard about you,” Lundgren growls. “I've got a rifle trained on your head, so no tricks, or I will end this conversation real quick.”

“What do you want, Mr. Lundgren,” the Endless asks wearily.

“Seems the Island's Heart is incomplete. Where's the rest of it?”

“Scattered...” replies the voice from within the pit. “Lost...”

“I said no tricks!” Lundgren barks.

The Endless curls her mechanical fingers, extinguishing the ball of fire that hovers over her palm. She raises both hands placatingly.

“I don't know what you're talking about,” she says calmly.

“Like hell you don't!” Lundgren swings his rifle, slamming the butt against the side of the elderly woman's head. The Endless grunts in pain, sinking to her knees. Gasping, she crawls towards the pit, towards the safety of the magma. Lundgren's hand shoots out to grasp her by the hair on the back of her head. She groans, gritting her teeth.

“Lundgren...”

“Alodia's bringing it to you, isn't she?!” he snarls. “Tell me!”

A spectre materializes beside Lundgren, a pale, gleaming figure, with a dark ball of energy stirring at its heart. The darkness spreads through the limbs of the ghostly entity until it glitters like the night sky. Vaanu takes Lundgren's head into its ghostly hands. Lundgren's eyes go wide. His fingers go stiff and straight, releasing the Endless.

“B-but they're dead. I killed them. All of them!” He whimpers, struggling. “I don't wanna see this...Make it stop, dammit! Make it--”

His voice rises in a scream as he pulls away and flees down a tunnel. Vaanu's arms lower to its sides. It turns an eyeless gaze onto the Endless, still curled on the hot ground, struggling to catch her breath. She looks up at Vaanu, blinking.

“...You...”

The spirit fades, leaving the Endless staring into empty air. She turns to cast a glance behind her at the gleaming pool of magma. Something like remorse flickers across her face. She turns sharply away.

#Endless Summer #Diego Ricardo Ortiz Soto #Jake McKenzie #sean gayle #Craig Hsiao #aleister rourke #raj bhandarkar #estela montoya #quinn kelly #michelle nguyen #grace hall #zahra namazi #play choices #choices stories you play #pixelberry choices

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