#i just really. in this case. like my take on henry and hans a lot. they feel good to draw this way

[asvidema]

of chamomile and marigold

[thegeminisage]

soundtrack for the ossuary

sometimes i put music suggestions in my fic notes, but i didn't make an exhaustive list, so i decided to make a tumblr post of what songs i listened to while writing or editing any particular selection. this is mostly so i don't forget but partially so if anybody else wants to feel insanely authentic about it they can. some of these choices are really embarrassing, so if you read it, you have to pinky promise not to judge me, ok?

reapify - desolation - listened to this while writing the prologue. i'm big into "music that sets a strong tone without having a specific melody or lyrics that can distract you" and this is the first of many such cases. it's got a slow build that lends itself well to that "something is about to happen" feeling.

atrium carceri - leviathan - i probably beat this one up the most while writing this fic. specifically, the is the music i played when writing lucanis waking up underwater, but i also played it a TON throughout other scenes with quiet moods when i couldn't decide on something more definitely. it's haunting and creepy and aquatic and even has ambient background noises. could not have asked for a more perfect ossuary song. i haven't played the game this is from, but i'd like to one day!

hans zimmer & lorne balfe - down, but not out - this is from veilguard's ost! i played it while writing the first escape attempt, where lucanis ran into the qunari prisoner, and the fight scene with zara. the part where it picks up is perfect "wandering the halls but very quickly" music.

the allergorist - dark forces (robert koch rework) - this one was for lucanis getting tossed back in his cell after the escape attempt, realizing what's happening, and being told to eat the horrible thing. sinister and dramatic!

steve roach - void memory 3 - for most of chapter 3, where lucanis is forcefed spite. it's very sinister and creepy and definitely lends itself well to an atmosphere of being trapped in a tiny room with the object of your own demise. also listened to this during the scary ch5 torture scenes.

daniel licht - void theme - this was what i listened to while doing the actual forcefeeding scene; it's a great song to introduce spite, as it introduces the outsider in dishonored 2. also listened to this during the scary ch5 torture scenes.

øneheart - this feeling - when lucanis wakes up to discover he is, shockingly, still alive and not a monster.

beauty & the beast's "prologue" - one by moisés nieto and one by diana dream - it's a song that lends itself to a "trapped in a tower" feeling. i added them to my playlist after the fic writing process had already been finished, but i listened to them while editing a lot of the quieter scenes where lucanis is Still Stuck In Prison, and especially the mid-scenes of chapter 4.

hiræth - whiteout - for the scene where lucanis finds out spite has wings, and correctly guesses his name. interestingly, this one is melodically similar to the song i listened to at the beginning of the chapter.

hans zimmer & lorne balfe - from a trickle to a flood - another one i listened to this during the scary ch5 torture scenes. it's just got a creepy feeling of dread around it!

henry jackman - taking a stand - okay, now we are getting to the embarrassing choices...this is what plays during the elevator fight in, um, the w*nter s*ldier. i was writing an elevator fight in the escape attempt at the end of chapter 5, so... ¯\_(ツ)_/¯ actually, i listened to this a little bit too hard. without having seen the movie in a very long time, i accidentally choreographed my action scene so that it matched the movie perfectly. i had to go back and edit it, lol.

nikola zolkiewska - smoothness - didn't hit on this one until i got to the editing process, but it made perfect music to edit the "nyrys" scenes to. it's very sad and intimate, which fits the mood, until, you know. and uh, for the "you know" scene? total silence. just so we're clear.

philip steele - another rain - for the beginning of chapter 8, after lucanis has been brought to his lowest and is being affected by the desperation demon. i've loved this song for many years, and i actually had a spotify playlist with nothing but covers of it, but this one seem to match the mood i wanted the most.

hans zimmer & lorne balfe - love and ashes - another one from the game. this is actually what i listened to while writing spite and lucanis's...mind meld? flashback? after spite kisses him (in a very buffy/faith way...check the fifth gif) to snap him out of the desperation demon's hold. the flashbacks from spite's pov, the reveal that he cannot leave lucanis's body, and his stopping lucanis from committing suicide were one of the first parts of this fic i dreamed up (along with the assault scene), and it just so happened that i was dreaming them up in the 40-minute car ride to and from work, and the dragon age soundtrack was what i was playing on loop. the lucanis/spite relationship may not be overtly romantic in this fic (though it probably will get closer to that in the sequel), but this is, to me, more or less a confession scene: it is when lucanis and spite realize they love each other. i got myself pretty choked up writing it!

marlene t - safe & sound (piano version) - i happened to come across a fanvid with a piano cover of this song in it right as i was writing the dream with illario in it during chapter 8. i'm not sure if this is the same cover, but it has the same vibe. definitely misted over writing this scene too; this is such a warm, tender song, which is how lucanis thinks of illario, who he misses so badly...And Yet.

henry jackman - fury - is it my fault the w*nter s*ldier soundtrack fucks? not only can i tell you that this song is what plays when lucanis opens his eyes, fights off the venatori, and flies to the artifact, i can tell you that in the movie in my mind, the wings flap open right after the drop at 1:56. it's got such great rising tension, it's so action-y, it's the perfect tone to take us out of that emotional dream sequence.

hams zimmer & lorne balfe - sea of blood - theee iconic lucanis theme song, this does of course play in his intro in the game, so it's what i listened to while writing him being dragged to the crystal prison and escaping it to finally meet rook.

nima fakhrara - crossroads (connor) - another slightly embarrassing choice. i am a little biased by, unfortunately, being familiar with the game and soundtrack this song is from (and i have quite a few more ambient songs from it on my very big general writing playlist - mixed feelings on the game but NOT on the music), but it plays in an incredibly tense moment where a character has to make a huge choice with high stakes, and the preceding conversation has another person basically talking him down off a ledge. this is more or less what happens to lucanis after he stops the elevator and accuses rook of being zara, so it fits perfectly. rook and neve have to talk him down from the very justifiable fit of crazy he's having so he doesn't just kill them all before they can escape. it was a scene that gave me a LOT of trouble, but well worth it - it wound up being one of my favorites.

amtrac - intermission - i listened to this while writing both the first and final scenes of the last chapter - the scene where lucanis recalls the warning he gave zara, and the promise illario and he made to each other, and the scene where he watched the ossuary slowly shrink into the distance until it's gone forever. the quiet anticipatory feeling of this song makes it one of my all-time favorites.

birdy - keeping your head up - if this fic was a movie, this would be the credits song. spite literally kept lucanis's head up, and now they're out! i'm picturing the credits rolling over the iconic treviso skyline as the rowboat shrinks slowly into the distance, lol.

[fishylife]

Street Dance of China, Season 4, Episode 4

- I’ve had issues with Tumblr not saving my posts again v.v I’ll just save often and hope that that does the trick.

- Latrice and Ibuki reenacting HB’s performance haha. From the behind the scenes clips I’ve seen, Ibuki does speak English, so I like to think they are now friends :D

- Hilty & Bosch have known each other since they were six years old T_T That’s cuuuute. Apparently they don’t get into arguments a lot because they always keep a distance between them XD Good strategy.

- San’er’s performance was great! He definitely brings the entertainment in his creativity (including incorporating a story line), but he doesn’t forget about the technical parts of dancing (the popping).

- Bouboo cheering on Rochka when he challenged Jianyan :P

- This spinning move he did was neat

- 不咋�� is going to be the recurring inside joke between Yibo, Rochka, and Bouboo ^^;;

- Yixing singing the SDOC theme song again XD With his super low energy voice XD

- Yibo was tipping the bench which was why Yixing and Henry were like, rocking back and forth at the same pace lol.

- Admittedly George vs. C-Lil was kind of rough. George tried to include Chinese elements in his performance, but he was injured, so he couldn’t really showcase them, and the latter part of his performance became just a typical contemporary dance. C-Lil’s performance was alright, but I think the judges were expecting something more impressive. While break dancing is very impressive to watch, I am starting to see the limitations of it, because if a dancer is not impressive, they are just kind of mediocre. George and C-Lil weren’t able to bring anything superbly impressive, which I think it was difficult for them to vote. Yibo abstained, and C-Lil got two votes, so C-Lil advanced.

- Zyko was incredible as always. It fascinates me how he’s mostly performed with these ballad type songs that don’t really have a beat. Also his flexibility is insane. I’m glad he got through with four votes because we need to see him more.

- I really liked Chika’s performance! I feel like women’s dancing is sometimes a bit limited in the mainstream because people just expect them to look sexy. It isn’t as much the case on this show because all of the ladies on this show are dancers and not idols or pop stars. But anyway, I just love seeing women dance without their bodies being sexualized. Chika’s dance showcased not only control over her body, but POWER. I loved her big movements. Compare the power that she shows vs. the power that say, Ibuki shows. Ibuki is a much smaller lady and it shows in her proportions, so how she expresses power looks different from how Chika expresses power, and Chika’s is the sort of power that I’ve really looked forward to seeing.

- Rochka fanboys over everybody, I love it. Keep spreading the love, dude.

- Ok, Xiaoji’s performance was pretty entertaining. I am not kidding when I say my jaw dropped, at the same time that all the captains went OH SNAP. But this guy definitely has charisma and stage presence. His confidence made up for his lack of ability to improvise XD I was CACKLING when this guy thought the song was done and Yibo was like “bro there’s more” and Xiaoji had to come up with something to end it off lol. I wouldn’t say his challenge was as good as Xiaohai’s, mostly because he hadn’t memorized the music like Xiaohai did. In terms of technical stuff, his performance did seem more impressive than Lai Wei’er’s, but he also did less “stuff” (like, there were a lot of pauses in his dance probably because he didn’t now the music). But Xiaoji’s was definitely more entertaining, though that may just be because of who he is and not his dancing. (By the way, Xiaoji’s real name is 林森. I thought the name 林木森 was just a joke because of how much wood was in it. I never guessed that someone would name their kid 林森 X’D Guess his 八字 indicated that he had a weakness in wood or something lol)

- Have some laughing captains, it’s good for the soul.

- Acky-san acknowledged that he’s probably not going to beat the younger dancers in terms of technique, so what he brought instead was style. The “robot” style of popping is pretty old, but no one else has done it in this competition probably because it’s so old school, and he definitely delivered in a way that only he could.

- Henry singing Frere Jacques with the French contingent X’D

- Thoughts on Han Yu vs. Boris. I can imagine what Han Yu was going for in his original performance, but I don’t think it worked. I don’t have the vocabulary to explain it, but basically the way his performance was choreographed just didn’t really impress. As Yibo mentioned, Boris was impressive in his dance to Han Yu’s music, but his dancing didn’t suit the song as much as Han Yu’s did. So the original dance + challenge was a matter of impressiveness vs. whether the dancing suited the music. Han Yu shone in the battle. I think he seemed a lot more impressive when back in a hip hop sort of groove, music that has a lot of major beats, compared to the piano music that was less grand an epic. As for Boris, I think that seeing a few of his performances in succession showed that his toolbox is a little limited in comparison to Han Yu. It hate to see Boris go because I loved his battle against Zyko but alas. I also wanted him to stay because he’s one of the few non-Chinese contestants who speak Mandarin relatively well. He had no issues speaking in Mandarin with most of the Chinese people on set. The ending was hilarious, when he was asked whether he had any last words, and Boris was like “well, I’m literally going to see these guys in two seconds when I’m back in the audience, I’m not dying” lmao.

- I don’t know how I feel about how the show has decided to deal with the last 29 contestants, of which three would be chosen to join the 49 dancers advancing. They’re competing fairly with the other contestants that haven’t performed yet, but they’re at a disadvantage compared to the previous contestants that were judged individually. For example, what if the fourth best dancer was better than a dancer that had already entered the 49? It would only be fair if the judges were allowed to take out people from the 46 contestants that had passed. It would’ve been a bigger problem if there were still a lot of big names to go though. Most of the best dancers have already secured a spot for themselves, so I think that’s why I’m not like, the most perturbed.

- I was low key waiting for Xiao Jie’s performance because his audition performance during episode 1 was so amusing. I thought his individual performance was fun! He managed to add some creativity and story telling (Chinese dude getting drunk) but also showcase some of his specialty skills (locking).

- I forgot to mention this before, but it amuses me that so the editing team will so diligently put in a “don’t try this at home” warning message whenever a dancer does a dangerous move haha.

- So the captains are doing a dance battle for the reborn event, but I’m not really sure how this is all gonna work. I’m digging Yixing’s look for the battle btw.

- Anyway, pre-battle hugs for all.

- KRUMPMASTER. Also I think he did some of the routine that he did back in Season 3.

- Not gonna lie, I wasn’t super impressed with Han Geng’s first dance but his second dance was pretty hype.

- Lol Yibo feels most comfortable challenging Yixing during his battles. He did move where he dropped onto his back right after Yixing did it (i.e. being like you can do it but I can do it better). Based on what I saw of season 3, I think Yibo would call out Yixing in his performances then too.

- Yixing was definitely heavy on the krump side, though I actually thought his first performance was really interesting because there was barely any krump in that one. He mostly stuck to other elements. As we got through the other rounds, he became more krump heavy, and I think he lost a bit in terms of variety there.

- The thing about Han Geng is that he’s no longer as athletic, so he relies more on power and control, but he needs to make sure he does the right moves that showcase that.

- I think Yibo impressed me the most. He had a lot of variety in his arsenal and he was very entertaining. He is also quite athletic, so as long as he can imagine it, I think he can do it haha.

- As others mentioned, Henry was extremely creative. He used a lot of dance moves to show a certain action, like tugging a rope or playing pool and such.

- Anyway, big hugs.

- Baby needs a nap.

- Yibo won the most points in the four rounds of the battle. This hug with Han Geng is uwu. Anyway, Tony Gogo mentioned that Yibo interpreted the music very well.

- Of course, Tony Gogo as well as the Gogo brothers praised Yixing for his krumping energy

- Philip said that Han Geng had a really good ear, and that was how he was able to take advantage of the best moments to unleash certain dances.

- The five contestants that were saved were A-wei, Boris, George, JC Jun, and Kelo & Uwa. I definitely think the editors purposely showed us more clips of them so that we’d grow attached lol. The only one of these five that I don’t quite remember is A-wei though. Anyway, very pleased that Boris is back haha.

- Pouty boi

- Yibo, Henry, Han Geng, and Ibuki getting really into 煞科 lol.

- I think next episode is going to have some team performances, which I think will be fun. Some of these teams are STACKED.

- Previews for Hot pot!

- They were talking about songs they listened to in their childhood. Han Geng started singing a song about an Office Black Cat? XD I’m guessing it’s a cartoon haha. Yibo listened to Leehom Wang and Jay Chou. Henry mentioned that he looked up to Leehom because he was also an overseas Chinese, plus he played a lot of instruments (just like Henry). As expected, Yixing looked up to Jay Chou (after all, Jay Chou was one of the earliest artists to popularize using Chinese elements in pop songs). Yixing said he also liked Leehom Wang, JJ Lin, and Khalil Fong (I legit have not heard the name 方大同 in a long time so that took me by surprise lol).

- Yibo mentioned Li Ronghao and Yixing was like OH WAIT YEAH HIM TOO. We know from Idol Producer that Yixing and Li Ronghao are bros haha. The captain says “不榮藝 組合” which pronounced the same as “不容易 組合” which is something like “unlikely duo,” except the the 榮 is from Li Ronghao’s name and the 藝 is from Zhang Yixing’s name lol.

- The robot spilled all the tea! Bad bot!

- I think they later played a listening game that Henry kept losing? lol

[ajay-benitez]

Friday Night Blues || Dylan + Adrien

@dylan-meir​:

ajay-bennett​:

[Most people mistake Adrien for a social creature; himself included. For the most part, he enjoys company when he has it, he’s easy going when it comes to meeting new people, and he’s pretty outgoing. 

That said, he spends an inordinate amount of his personal time on his own. For a while there, he’d sort of convinced himself it had something to do with the klepto thing. A nifty side effect of being a Bad Boy. But that was definitely a lie to make himself feel cool and suave and debonaire (although not really), because it was definitely a lot more to do with the Being-Trans Thing and the Social and General Anxiety thing. T-to-the-fuckin-M. 

Anyway, he doesn’t mind his time alone or anything. Half the time he doesn’t even notice. It’s just, when he thinks about it, he supposes it’s a little weird. He’s like a… lone wolf. He wanders the Colony on his own until someone crosses his path (accidentally or accidentally on purpose), for him to bother (he’s not an evil wolf, just an irritating, marginally lonely one). But he wouldn’t say he seeks company. Just… stumbles across it from time to time and enjoys it. He could look a little deeper into why he still hasn’t made any deep, lasting connections at the Colony, or even in his life, especially post D-Day but he…. won’t. Maybe Dr. C will force him to at some point but that’s… Future Ajay’s problem. 

He’s solo-wandering again this evening (let’s call it Han Solo Wandering because that’s automatically cooler, right?) and he’s definitely drawn towards the kitchen at the smell of baking bread. Ugh. UgghhHhHhhhh. Nothing like the smell of fresh bread. And they smell it so rarely these days. Not that it’s even hard to make fresh bread. It’s one of the basics. The Prairie People had bread, they ground their own wheat for fuck’s sakes so, they could totally have fresh bread now at the Colony every day if they were so inspired—as long as no one goes and fucking contaminates hundreds of pounds of flour again, mind you. 

But they eat a lot of canned stuff these days, and frozen stuff, and whatever meat they bring in from the hunting trips (which have seemed painfully sparse lately). He figures the lack of fresh bread thing is honestly just plain laziness. The fuckers. (Though, has he done anything to change that personally? Of course not. He’s a lazy fucker, too.) 

He doesn’t know what he’s expecting to see or find, but he’d definitely not been expecting just one, pouty looking girl and an offer to join her. He’d figured some sort of stealing or abuse of his power would have to be involved. But this is much simpler.

He grins, stepping forward, stomach already rumbling.] Um, does a bear shit in the woods?? [He pauses, winces a little.] Sorry, horrible Dad Joke I got from my father. I never even laughed but he said it so many times it’s like, stuck in there like a fucking sliver, [he intones, gesturing loudly at his head.]

[He approaches the counter she’s standing at, flopping into one of the stools.] So what inspired this? If you’re offering it to me, some nosey rando, I’m assuming it wasn’t a special occasion? I’m Adrien, by the way. But you can call me Ajay, if you want. Most people do. 

___

[One of the reasons Dylan has always loved Friday nights and, in close relation, challah was their ability to bring people together. When she was little, playing out in the fields with her cousins, the smell of challah against the setting sun would always bring them running back inside. When she was on the road, on a drive with her aunts and uncles or, after D-day, running supplies between colonies, she’d bring a chunk with her. Even stale and without any of the usual trappings, it tasted like home.]

[The man in the doorway sounds like home, too. Not in any identifiable way- he couldn’t be less Australian, and he doesn’t sound like any of her relatives. But the way he answers so automatically, with that cheesy joke all father-figures are almost legally required to make. It’s such a familiar song and dance, Dylan knows it by heart. ‘What time is it? Time for you to get a watch.’ ‘I’m hungry. Hi Hungry, I’m Uncle Henry.’ His answer, and her own memories, are enough to make her smile with all the warmth of the steaming bread.] I know exactly what you mean. And most people call me Dylan. It’s short for Dylan.

It’s kind of a special occasion. Shabbat. It’s been a while, but since the holidays are coming up… but we used to do this every week, and my aunt would drag in anyone who happened to be at the house, so I think it’d be worse if I didn’t offer you any. Besides, do you really need an excuse for fresh bread?

☀

[It takes him a beat to realize he hadn’t misheard her—she’d just made a very quick and dry joke. The kind that’s not really a joke as it doesn’t have a punch line, so much as it is a quippy and wry remark, playful but subtle. Ah, good. He likes a gal with a sense of humour. And an affinity for baking and sharing those baked goods. 

He shifts her an amused look and a grin.] Cool. Alright then, Dylan. A comedian too, I see. [He smirks, but his mouth waters as the smell of the bread wafts even closer, and his stomach actually growls. Oh hell yes, this is gonna be good.] But no, you’re right, definitely need zero excuses for fresh bread. Bring on the good stuff. I could stuff my face with fresh bread all day. In fact, throw me a beret and call Jean-Pierre, because I could live off this shit. [He’s clearly not a comedian, but in his defence, her ‘not-joke’ hadn’t been that funny either. But the point of ‘not-jokes’ are to be a smart ass, not to be funny. At least, in his books, that’s the case.] 

What holidays are in March? Or is that what you mean by Shabbat? Forgive me my ignorance, but I’m not exactly up to speed on religious holidays. At least not outside the commercialized ones with the Hallmark overlords, [he adds with a grin.] 

[callunavulgari]

Scrapbook 2021 | Part II

For anyone that’s new to this, this is how I keep track of all of the things I enjoy and/or create throughout the year. I have literally been doing this since I had a livejournal. I think the first one was 2011? Maybe? In which case, woohoo, ten years of scrapbooking!

It’s a nice little snippet of my life and helps to organize my brain.

A reminder:

Normal font - Indifferent/Neutral Italicized font - Enjoyed bold font - Loved with an asterisk* - All time favorite (bracketed titles) - Re-watches/Re-reads strikethough - Disliked

Goals are: read 80 books (as of today, i am at 31 books, which sounds not great but goodreads assures me that it’s only 1 book behind schedule), finish five video games (at two at the moment... mostly because I keep dragging my feet on actually finishing P5R), write more than 20 fics (at... 6) or something larger than 20k (negative), and write either an original short story or start a novel (i have started plotting for the novel? does that count?)

Past Years

MOVIES

May

Mortal Kombat

(SW: The Phantom Menace)

(SW: Attack of the Clones)

(SW: Revenge of the Sith)

(SW: Rogue One)

(SW: A New Hope)

SW: Clone Wars

Enola

Wonder Woman 1984

Dark Phoenix

(Lord of the Rings: Fellowship of the Ring)

June

(Princess Mononoke)

Sailor Moon: Eternal

In The Heights

Wish Dragon

July

Luca

(Thor: Ragnarok)

(Doctor Strange)

(Guardians of the Galaxy)

Black Widow

Space Jam 2 Electric Boogaloo

August

The Green Knight

Godzilla vs Kong

(Harry Potter and the Chamber of Secrets)

BOOKS

May

These Violent Delights | Chloe Gong [Fin]

The Midnight Library | Matt Haig [Fin]

The Galaxy, and the Ground Within | Becky Chambers [Fin]

Unconquerable Sun | Kate Elliott

People We Meet On Vacation | Emily Henry [Fin]

The Soulmate Equation | Christina Lauren [Fin]

June

Unconquerable Sun | Kate Elliott [Fin]

September Love | Lang Leav [Fin]

One Last Stop | Casey McQuiston [Fin]

The Chosen and the Beautiful | Nghi Vo [Fin]

Lumberjanes, volume 2 | Noelle Stevenson [Fin]

For the Wolf | Hannah Whitten [Fin]

The Sandman | Neil Gaiman [Fin]

Mister Impossible | Maggie Stiefvater

July

Mister Impossible | Maggie Stiefvater [Fin]

TAZ: The Crystal Kingdom | The Mcelroys [Fin]

She Who Became the Sun | Shelley Parker-Chan

A Psalm for the Wild-Built | Becky Chambers

The Universe of Us | Lang Leav

August

She Who Became the Sun | Shelley Parker-Chan [Fin]

A Psalm for the Wild-Built | Becky Chambers

The Universe of Us | Lang Leav [Fin]

Lumberjanes, volume 3 | Noelle Stevenson [Fin]

Lumberjanes, volume 4 | Noelle Stevenson [Fin]

PODCASTS

May

The Penumbra Podcast, s3-END

June

The Magnus Archive - Fear Winners 1 & 2

July

Gods of Appalachia, Eps 1-6

(Wolf 359)

Janus Descending

August

(Wolf 359)

Mabel

(Zero Hours, ep 7)

Time:Bombs

TV SHOWS BY SEASON

May

Watcher Entertainment, Are You Scared?

Castlevania, s3, s4 [Fin]

Word of Honor [Fin]

Buzzfeed: Kelsey in Control?

Demon Slayer, s1

June

Demon Slayer, s1 [Fin]

Kim’s Convenience, s4

Leverage, s5 [Fin]

Watcher: Too Many Spirits, s3

Loki, s1

Lucifer, s2, s3, s4

Trese, s1

(Buzzfeed Unsolved: True Crime, s3, s6?)

(Buzzfeed Unsolved: Supernatural, s1)

Sweet Tooth, s1

Love, Death & Robots

July

Loki, s1 [Fin]

Watcher: Too Many Spirits, s3 [Fin]

Watcher: Dish Granted, s3

Shark Week

Lucifer, s5

Masters of the Universe: Revelation

August

The Owl House, s2

Watcher: Dish Granted, s3

Watcher Weekly+

Buzzfeed: Ruining History

Star Trek Discovery, s1, s2, s3

What If..., s1

VIDEO GAMES

May

Monster Hunter Rise, 12 hours

Mass Effect 1: Legendary Edition, 25 hours

Pokemon Go

June

Mass Effect 1: Legendary Edition, ? hours

Pokemon Go

Animal Crossing: New Horizons, ??? Hours

Persona 5 Royal, ??? hours

July

Persona 5 Royal, 167 hours

Pokemon Go

August

Persona 5 Royal, 167 hours

Pokemon Go

Ori and the Blind Forest [Fin]

DELIGHTFUL FIC

May

The word is help. by spqr | Star Wars | Din/Luke | 9k | In a flash, Fett has his blaster out and pointed at Luke’s head. “You’re right,” he says. “Turnabout’s fair play. So maybe I oughta shoot you.”

Don’t be afraid. by spqr | Star Wars | Obi-Wan/Anakin | 12k | “Padawan Kenobi,” Yoda says, after a moment. “Complete your training, Master Skywalker will.”

who carried the hill by spqr | Star Wars | Din/Luke | 22k | Din’s about to head up the ramp onto the newly-repaired Razor Crest when a string pulls taut around his heart and yanks him into the sky.

Tapestry by spqr | Star Wars | Obi-Wan/Anakin | 8k | In March, Obi-Wan drags Anakin to another faculty party, where Anakin gets all sorts of wrong ideas about Quinlan Vos and decides to fellate Obi-Wan in a coat closet about it.

wonderterror by peradi | Star Wars | Leia/Han/Luke | 6k | Anakin Skywalker is the son of the Force.He’s half human and half something monumental.What does that make his children?

Xen Gardens by denimwrapped | Buzzfeed Unsolved | Ryan & Shane | 1k | Shane Madej saves the day.A strange man comes to congratulate him.

A Series of Better Decisions by SassySnowperson | Star Wars | Padme/Obi-Wan/Anakin | 9k | "Kill him. Kill him now!" Chancellor Palpatine hissed, as Anakin held the two blades against Dooku's neck. "No," Anakin said. "It's not the Jedi way."

Futurus (-a -um) by cadesama | Star Wars | Padme/Anakin/Obi-Wan | 60k | Cracked hyperdrive? No problem. Just hold it together with the Force. Time travel? Well. That could be a bigger problem.

Comfort in Wartime by Rosbridge | Star Wars | Padme/Obi-Wan/Anakin | 4k | Obi-Wan is exhausted, drunk, and just about out of fucks to give.

spark me up, i'm a firework (i'll burst into light) by coffeeinallcaps | FATWS | Bucky/Sam | 7k | "You know how the super-soldier serum makes everything, well, super? I guess you could say that's what happened to my sex drive."

Thaw by spqr | Star Wars | Din/Luke | 6k | That’s what hope does to you, Luke remembers now. It lingers at the back of your mind, whispering maybe, maybe, so that knowing a plan is stupid isn’t enough to keep you from trying it.

Christ in Repose by spqr | Din/Luke | 8k | More on this story as it develops. Subscribe to HNN’s JEDI WATCH newsletter for instant updates on Jedi sightings throughout the galaxy.

Insufferable by perkynurples | Word of Honor | Wen Kexing/Zhou Zishu | 3k | Wen Kexing asks a question. Zhou Zishu only hesitates to answer for a little while.

parasitic, parasocial by brawlite | The Untamed | Song Lan/Xiao Xingchen/Xue Yang | 45k | Xue Yang stumbles upon the channel of Fuxue, a popular videogame streamer, and immediately becomes completely and utterly obsessed with him. Unfortunately, Fuxue has a boyfriend -- but that's fine: Xue Yang loves a challenge.

Aaron Burr has Hamilton's RSI and he isn't pleased about it. by DragonBandit | Hamilton | Hamilton/Aaron Burr | 3k | Aaron knows 2 things about his soulmate: The first is that they're angry about everything. The second is that they need to fucking sleep.

dinluke lawyer au by spqr | Star Wars | Din/Luke | 31k | At 1:18 a.m., just when Luke is starting to think he might’ve gotten away with something, Biggs Darklighter shows up on the other side of his desk and says, “I can’t believe you called in sick to get shotgun married to a Mando.”

like, comment, subscribe by DeHeerKonijn, Roselightfairy | Lord of the Rings | Gimli/Legolas | 90k+ | Legolas meets Gimli for lunch - unfortunately, he meets someone else, too.

a jackal; a thief by brawlite | Word of Honor | Wen Kexing/Ye Baiyi | 11k | This is not the first time Wen Kexing’s body has been poisoned like this.

you're the trouble that i always find by sundiscus | Word of Honor | Wen Kexing/Zhou Zishu | 27k | “Do you know him?” Jin Wang asks.The ringing in Zhou Zishu's ears gets louder. “No, Wangye,” he says.At Zhou Zishu’s voice, the prisoner freezes.

vampire!wwx threadfic by sundiscus | The Untamed | Wei Wuxian/Lan Wangji | ??? words | in which vampires exist in a modern cultivation au, lwj is investigating a string of strange deaths, and wwx is a vampire he can’t seem to kill.

Velle by DeHeerKonijn, Roselightfairy | LotR | Gimli/Legolas | 29k | Velle (Latin): to want.

June

May All My Wounds Be Mortal by hansbekhart | Word of Honor | Wen Kexing/Zhou Zishu | 10k | Peeled out of his many robes, Wen Kexing’s body reveals itself to be mostly leg. He strips eagerly, grinning up at Zhou Zishu as if this is another joke between them. See? Wen Kexing’s body seems to say, I have no secrets from you.

drop by brawlite | The Untamed | Song Lan/Xue Yang | 4k |  Xue Yang has had this dream before.

Splenda by Tierfal | FMA | Ed/Roy | 19k | WIP | A sugar daddy AU that barely even qualifies as a sugar daddy AU, because these two can't do anything right.

From the Ashes by blacktofade | Buzzfeed Unsolved | Shane/Ryan | 3k | “This doesn’t need to leave this room,” Ryan had said that first time. “Casual is my middle name.”

Whale Songs by denimwrapped | Buzzfeed Unsolved | Ryan/Shane | 2k | It could be humming, he thinks. Some distant angelic humming. What it’s humming about, he’d have to find out the hard way. All he can hear in his mind’s ear is come closer. There’s so much more in the depths than you’ve ever known.

A Good Bargain by Neery | Word of Honor | Wen Kexing/Zhou Zishu | 11k | The Window of Heaven captures the Ghost Valley's master. Zhou Zishu is put in charge of interrogating him.

So Why Not Crack Your Skull When the Mind Swells by greenteafiend | The Untamed | Lan Wangji/Wei Wuxian | 13k | Or, Wei Wuxian is cursed to feel terrible pain when he and Lan Wangji aren’t touching.

the agony and the irony by arostine | Buzzfeed Unsolved | Ryan/Shane | 44k | WIP |  Ryan has a lot on his plate right now. He’s one of three members of his species employed at BuzzFeed, and the only male omega, and his boss keeps asking him to do videos about being an iterant ‘to educate the humans,’ when what he really wants to do is videos about ghosts.

the rest of your life by bestliars | Buzzfeed Unsolved | Ryan/Shane/Sara | 30k | MYSTERY DISAPPEARANCE IN THE MIDWEST! The year is 2034. Successful video producer Ryan Bergara uproots his whole life to take care of his friend’s children.

sit in my circle and hold my hand by soda_coded | Buzzfeed Unsolved | Ryan/Shane | 14k | Ryan and Shane work for the metaphysical department of the LAPD, fool around and get cursed.

Idle Hands (Do the Devil's Work) by ma_malice | Buzzfeed Unsolved | Ryan/Shane | 4k | In which the only upside to being a demon stuck in a seasonal Chicago snowstorm is the ability to abandon your body and possess your boyfriend in LA.

Shell Game by Giddygeek | The Magicians | Quentin/Eliot | 20k | Or, Quentin can’t believe he never thought to ask if there was a magical time in Fillory when people swapped bodies with the last person they slept with.

Contention by hollybennett123 | Word of Honor | Wen Kexing/Zhou Zishu/Ye Baiyi | 3k |  The Zhou Zishu of ten minutes ago, who first agreed to the whole thing — the evening’s conversation and general bickering over drinks taking an unexpectedly filthy turn — had been thinking only about the imminent pounding on offer and not, well, everything else that might come with it.

Necrocafé by etothey | Locked Tomb Trilogy | Gideon/Harrow | 2k | Harrowhark Nonagesimus isn't sure which confounds her more: the new boxes of bones she is to animate, or the hot redheaded courier who brings the boxes.

simple man by spqr | Loki | Loki/Mobius, Loki/Loki | 6k | “Tell you what,” says Mobius, shortly after the Timekeepers have sentenced Loki to death, “why don’t I take care of this?”

(Un)disclosed desires by Springandastorm | Loki | Loki/Mobius | "That's not how I see you at all, Loki." Mobius said, unexpectedly earnest. "We all play roles sometimes." 

sources of light by brawlite | Word of Honor | Wen Kexing/Zhou Zishu | 3k | Zhou Zishu makes a difficult choice in order to save Wen Kexing's life. The morning after is not an easy one.

warm company, cold nights by janonny | Word of Honor | Wen Kexing/Zhou Zishu | 23k | He gave Zhou Zishu a lingering look from beneath his lashes. “Your virtuous wife will accompany you of course.”

July

the potential of broken things by icarusinflight | Harry Potter | Drarry | 11k | "Can you feel that? Some things want to be what they once were. The original spell is still there, and it wants to work again. All it takes is a little push and then"—Draco clicks his fingers of his free hand—"snap, everything will go back into place."

little beast by brawlite | The Untamed | Song Lan/Xue Yang | 7k | Payback's a bitch.

you, undeniable you by returnsandreturns | Brooklyn Nine-Nine | Jake/Amy | 1k | “Are you sure you’re okay with this?” Jake asks, for the fourth time. “Because we can just ditch that thing, toss it out a window, do it missionary like the founding fathers intended.”

Car Talk by drunkbedelia | Loki | Mobius/Loki | 1k | ‘When I pruned myself, I thought I might be able to find Loki,' Sylvie said.

one too many by sarcasticfishes | Watcher | Ryan/Shane | 1k | “Stay here,” Ryan says, just casual enough, “I’ll drive you home tomorrow.”

Tencent and Chill by quoth_the_ravenclaw | The Untamed | Nie Huaisang/Nie Mingjue | 2k | “Da-ge,” Huaisang whines, all for show, as much a performance as the actors on screen. He wiggles his toes. “My feet are so sore, you worked me too hard.”

The House at the End of the World by Hopetohell | Loki | Loki/Mobius/Sylvie | 1k | What will they do, now that they can do anything?

moderate the middle by ElisAttack | Loki | Loki/Mobius/Sylvie | 9k | People only smiled with their eyes when it was real. Unless they were a Loki. No matter the differences between the variants, their tricky grins were a constant as much as they were indiscernible.

Lost and Sound by snack_size | Loki | Loki/Thor/Sylvie | 5k | “Sylvie, did you help my brother defeat the Time Police?”

push the button (and let me know) by dinosuns | Loki | Loki/Mobius | 5k | “How about this?” hands folded on the table, he watches Loki intently. “If you tell me why, I’ll answer.” 

We're (not) all villains here by sir_not_appearing_in_this_archive | Loki | Loki/Mobius/Sylvie | 19k | WIP | Alone and friendless (once again), Loki has to find a way to set things right, or at least right enough he can comfortably sneak off into the sunset, which starts with one thing: saving Mobius's lost memories.

what remains by dinosuns | Loki | Loki/Mobius | “You’re no analyst.” Mobius sounds stunned. They are not aligned, they are not in tandem. But there are wistful glimmers of what is now agonisingly out of reach.

worth a shot by thereyoflight | Loki | Loki/Sylvie | 2k | When Loki and Sylvie are moments away from being cornered on the train in Lamentis, they resort to desperate measures.

Bug Problems by xorabbit | Marvel | Grandmaster/Loki | 7k |  Loki ends up on Sakaar, of course, with just that many more schemes to scheme. However, the Grandmaster is not altogether too terrible--a bit of fine luck, for once--and perhaps it's all right to have a better-natured fling while one works out what's next.

our way, no takebacks by dinosuns | Loki | Loki/Mobius | 20k | "Nice speech," Sylvie drawls, but the sarcasm doesn't land.

August

Vennen min by spqr | Loki | Loki/Mobius | 12k | The day they let Mobius out of the infirmary, Loki gets assigned to a new handler. This, Mobius is pretty sure, is where the trouble starts.

new terms by dinosuns | Loki | President Loki/Mobius | 21k | For the first time in his life, Loki triumphs. How fitting then, for the end to swiftly barge in unannounced.

Icarus by Waako | Loki | Loki/Mobius | 5k | When Mobius got pruned, he expected two different outcomes. Either eternal peace or eternal emptiness. He certainly didn’t expect a grey sky, ruins of old buildings looming over him, and a Loki variant watching him like he was a piece of fresh meat.

Stress Relief by spqr | Loki | Loki/Mobius | 3.5k |  “Let me read you something,” Loki says. He rifles through the pages, clears his throat, and Mobius puts a hand over his eyes because he knows what’s coming before Loki even reads the first word—“Pēdīcābō ego vōs et irrumābō—“

just like the weather by sarcasticfishes | BFU | Shane/Ryan/Sara | 6k | “Y’know,” Ryan shrugs. “Friends have kids together sometimes. Like if a same-sex couple has a friend surrogate for them. Or sometimes people just co-parent.”

Woodash and iron and leather by iffervescent | The Witcher | 9k | Jaskier is the only person Geralt's ever been around who doesn't smell of fear

Food of Love by tanktrilby | The Witcher | Geralt/Jaskier | 22k | I brought a dead princess back to life through the power of song is the kind of thing that would have got an eyebrow raise even from the stone-faced Geralt of Rivia, so it's a good thing he and Geralt will probably never see each other again.

If The Morning Light Sets In by nagia | Castlevania | Sypha/Trevor/Alucard | 45k | Save the Belmonts, save the world.

halfway by ivelostmyspectacles | Castlevania | Sypha/Alucard/Trevor | 12k | Vampire attacks are happening again. Unprovoked, strange, humans and vampires dying alike. A disease. Alucard assures them that he isn't susceptible.

lonely lonely heart by spqr | Loki | Loki/Mobius | 7k |  Mobius looks down at the paperwork, gets a sort of flustered farmboy look on his face, looks back up at Loki and says, “You offered to give a cop fellatio in the middle of Central Park.”

Bedrest by Lise | The Untamed | Xiao Xingchen& Xue Yang | 3k | Xiao Xingchen's newest patient is causing him problems. He just won't stay put.

too little, too late. by raisesomehale | Miraculous Ladybug | Adrien/Marinette | 6k | WIP |  “Ladybug.” Chat’s voice cuts in like molten steel.

DELIGHTFUL FANVIDS

May

Jesper Fahey | 99 Problems

Jesper Fahey | OLD TOWN ROAD

Kaz & Inej | I Can't Pretend

human | kaz brekker

bucky barnes || humble

The Mandalorian || Warriors

The Mandalorian | I'll See You Again

Hope is the light.

►Zhou Zishu & Wen Kexing | Beautiful mess

Kaz & Inej | I Can't Pretend

versailles at night | alina & the darkling

look what you made me do | the darkling

Bucky Barnes | Rasputin

Obi-Wan || dirty work

Blood in the water [the Witcher]

MARVEL || Astronaut in the Ocean

Enola Holmes || Unstoppable

Shadow & Bone || Fire Meets Fate

Mo Dao Zu Shi Season 3 AMV/Trailer - Teeth

Kylo Ren | STAR WARS

June

MARVEL || Rasputin

MARVEL || Astronaut in the Ocean

i dont enjoy hurting people | Loki [1x01]

loki laufeyson • unsteady [⚠ 1x01]

MARVEL || Levitating

Shadow & Bone | Paint It Black

Glitter & Gold | Jesper Fahey

Shadow and Bone | Levitating

wen kexing ✘ zhou zishu | put your lips on mine

Erik Lensherr - Magneto

The Crows || Circus

The Crows | Thrift Shop (Shadow & Bone)

Zemo & Bucky — RASPUTIN [tfatws]

Cruella | Feeling good

Percy Jackson || Watch Me

THE KILLING KIND || The Magnus Archives Animatic

LOKI || Glorious Purpose

The Darkling | Black Heretic

Sam x Bucky || Handclap [HUMOR]

Loki || Lovely

Doctor Strange || Dystopia

Loki & Sylvie || I’m not your friend

Loki || Hate Me

MARVEL || River

Loki & Bucky || Paint It Black

Wanda Maximoff || The Scarlet Witch (WandaVision)

Play With Fire || MARVEL || Loki Doctor Strange Scarlet Witch

MARVEL || Warriors

Loki || God of Mischief || You Do You

(Marvel) Loki | You Will Never Be A God

Marvel's Horror Cinematic Universe

community gardens || the magnus archives PMV

July

Thor || Rise

Loki & Sylvie - Demons in my head [ep.3]

//HUMANS// THE MAGNUS ARCHIVES

Loki | Lost

A Quiet Place

Loki & Sylvie || Strange Birds

Loki & Sylvie "I won't let you down" | (+1x05)

♚ Loki & Sylvie | If You Love Me (1x04)

Loki & Sylvie | If our love is wrong [Loki +1x04]

Loki and Mobius | Hold On [Loki +1x05]

loki laufeyson • in the end [+ 1x04]

Loki and Sylvie || Feeling Good

Marvel || Black Widow - Counting Stars || Natasha Romanoff 

Cruella || Little Wicked

MARVEL || This is My Time || Shang-Chi Trailer Music

Sylvie | Unstoppable (Loki +1x03)

Loki and Sylvie (Lady Loki) || Play With Fire

Wanda and Vision || Dancing With Your Ghost

Wanda Maximoff and Loki || You Should See Me In A Crown

Loki and his Variants ⚔ King of Space [ep.5]

Loki & Sylvie ❤ This world is slowing down [ep.5]

Sylvie || Confident (+1x04)

•Loki x Sylvie ⱠΞⴼ King and Queens•

Loki - In The End | Marvel

Loki & Sylvie ❤ Out of Control [ep.4]

Loki & Mobius | Dynasty [LOKI/+1x04]

Loki & Sylvie ❤ Love War [ep.6]

(Marvel) Loki | Glorious Purpose

(MARVEL) Loki | Chaos

Loki | In The End [+1X06]

Loki x Sylvie | Another Love

Loki & Sylvie | Arcade [ Loki +1x06]

MARVEL || The Assembled Universe (c/w ASTrix UI)

August

Natasha & Yelena || Do It Like A Dude

Black Widow || Smells Like Teen Spirit

MARVEL || Uptown Funk

MARVEL || 1 in a Million

MARVEL/DC || Dies Irae

Doctor Strange in the Multiverse of Madness TRAILER #1

MARVEL || Loki 

DELIGHTFUL MUSIC

May

The Wild One - Suzi Quatro

What’s So Funny ‘Bout - Sharon Van Etten

Levitating - Dua Lipa

The Underground - Meg Myers

You Won’t Find Me - Narrow Skies

Elixir of Life - Leah

Salt and the Sea - The Lumineers

ERROR - Niki, Kradness

Runaway - AURORA

Butterfly Water - Pastelle

Close to the Sun - Porcelain Pill

Selkie-boy - The Lost Words

Good Riddance - Annapantsu

Die Anywhere Else - Julia Henderson

Heat Waves - Glass Animals

Down - St Vincent

Word of Honor OST

Welcome to the Pleasuredome - Frankie Goes to Hollywood

Shy Away - Twenty One Pilots

Follow You - Imagine Dragons

I’m Not That Girl - Kerry Ellis

Meant to be Yours - Ryan McCartan

Ex Wives - Six

Euphoria - BTS

Walls - Cher

96,000 - In the Heights

Sun Goes Down - Lil Nas X

Enough For You - Olivia Rodrigo

Brutal - Olivia Rodrigo

Ziti E Buoni - Maneskin

Shum - Go_A

Loco Loco - Hurricane

Space Ghost Coast to Coast - Glass Animals

The Horror and the Wild (whole album - The Amazing Devil

Chant - Hadestown

Titans - Major Lazer, Sia

Bones - Galantis

Golden Dandelions - Barns Courtney

Le Nozze di Figaro - Hybrid

Save Your Tears - The Weeknd

Psycho - Post Malone

Gold Lion - Yeah Yeah Yeahs

Close to Me - Ellie Goulding

And So It Went - The Pretty Reckless

help herself - bbno$

Fire For You - Cannons

Twist the Knife - Chromatics

He Said She Said - Chvrches

Face Down - The Red Jumpsuit Apparatus

Campus - Vampire Weekend

Your Power - Billie Eilish

Reach - Eternal Eclipse

1 Last Cigarette - The Band Camino

Insertion - Hans Zimmer

from the edge - fictionjunction

The Devil Is a Gentleman - Merci Raines

Meet Me In The Woods - Amarante

Fire - Saint Mesa

Smells Like Teen Spirit - Saint Mesa

Appetite - Casey Edwards

All Things Devour - aeseaes

Throne - Saint Mesa

Witchcraft - Vian Izak

June

The Shrine / An Argument - Fleet Foxes

It’s Tricky - Run

Darjeeling - Barrie

Hollywood Forever Cemetery Sings - Father John Misty

Picture Me Better - Weyes Blood

Loch Lomond - Mackenzi Tolk

Punta - Matzzy

Touch It Clean - DJ Raulito

Oh No - Kreepa

Ancient Dreams in a Modern Land - Marina

Sofia - Askjell

The Boy - Shannon & the Clams

First Steps - Lena Raine

The Power of Balance Rearranged - Rush Garcia

And So My Heart Became a Void - Ursine Vulpine

Paper Mache - Iris Lune

Catch Me If You Can - Desert Belle

Darkroom Double - Moon & Pollution

Serotonin - girl in red

In the Air Tonight - Natalie Taylor

When Your Heart Is a Stranger - Friends In Paris

Moon Effect - Sailor Moon Eternal OST

In A Black Out - Hamilton Leithauser

Forever - CHVRCHES

Way Less Sad - AJR

Helter Skelter - Detention

The Devil You Know - X Ambassadors

TVA - Natalie Holt

Honeybee-The Head and the Heart

Home All Summer - Anthony Ramos

In the Shadows - Amy Stroup

My Way - Lucifer Cast

In the Air Tonight - Jon Howard

The Beast - Old Caltone

The Beast - Delta Rae

Freak Like Me - Adina Howard

Only the Good Die Young - Billy Joel

Winds of Change - Scorpions

good 4 u - Olivia Rodrigo

If I Could See The World - Patsy Cline

Ends of the Earth - Lord Huron 

The Killing Kind - Marianas Trench

Bones - Wens

Kiss Me More - Doja Cat

How Not to Drown - CHVRCHES

July

Dark Moon - Bonnie Guitar

Free Smiles - Tia Ray

Sundown Blues - Joanna Levine

Citta Vuoto - Mina

If You Love Me - Brenda Lee

Very Full - Tom Hiddleston

Loki Green Theme - Natalie Holt

Wrecked - Imagine Dragons

The Wolves - Cyrus Reynolds

Cure For Me - Aurora

Theory of Light - Eternal Eclipse

Fate of the Clockmaker - Eternal Eclipse

Potential Breakup Son - Aly and AJ

transparent soul - travis barker

My Love Will Never DSie - AG, Claire Wyndham

Happy Together - King Princess

Atomise - Temple

Darkside - Oshins

Someone to Watch Over Me - Lucifer Cast

This is Ours - Peter Sivo

Love and War - Fleurie

Take Me To Church - MILCK

Devil I Know - Allie X

East of Eden - Zella Day

Shadow Preachers - Zella Day

Losing My Religion - BELLSAINT

Hard to Kill - Beth Crowley

Dark Side - Blind Channel

Tanz Mit Mir - Faun

My Jolly Sailor Bold - Ashley Serena

Stuttering - Fefe Dobson

August

Monsters and Fairies - Savannah

Chosen - SVRCINA

IAN HA 3BYK - GO A

Freya - Verdandi

Sick on Seventh Strett - Sarah and the Safe Word

Tarah - Sae Sae Norris

Suspicion - Sherwood Roberts

Fjorgyn - Osi and the Jupiter

Fight to Make It Up - Takenobu

The Edge of Dawn - Rozen

Innocence - Cannon Diviision

A Stray Child - .Hack//Sign

The Kiss - Luigi Rubino

Any Kind of Dead Person - Ghost Quartet

The Great Unknown - Dominique Gilbert

Smells Like Teen Spirit - Saint Mesa

over the rainbow - misterwives

Fireflies - Cullen Vance

My mother Told Me - Nati Dreddd

Athetosis - Crywolf

Major Tom - Shiny Toy Guns

Novacaine - 10 Years

Right Here Right Now - Jesus Jones

NDA - Billie Eilish

Trouble’s Coming - Royal Blood

Completing the Circle - Gareth Coker

There’ll Always Be Another Monster - Brian D’Oliveira

POSTED FIC

May

take my hand and i'll drown you with me | Star Wars | Rey & Ben Solo | 2,157 words |  “You brought this upon yourself,” the creature told her, its voice serene.

June

keeping me restless and whole | Loki | Loki/Mobius | 1,584 words | Mobius was very young when he encountered his first Loki.

July

feed me lies until i'm dead | Loki | Thor/Loki | 3,476 words | “Don’t you think we should talk about it?” Thor asks.

the ghost of us can linger here | Loki | Loki/Mobius/Sylvie | 4,432 words | “So, how do you crazy kids want to do this?” Mobius asks them in a stage whisper, mouth twitching. At her back, Loki laughs, burying the sound against the curve of her neck.

there's a whisper in my bones | Loki | Loki/Mobius/Sylvie | 2,794 words |  “All right,” she says. “Fine. Let’s make things more interesting. Take off your clothes.”

east of eden | Loki | Loki/Mobius/Sylvie | 2,202 words |  “How long have you been fucking him?”  Mobius asks, stroking his fingers against the place where leather meets skin.

Triptych in C Minor | Loki | Loki/Mobius/Sylvie | 1,647 words | Pt 1 | There is a house at the end of time, past the last storm, pushed up against the very edge of the unknown. It is a castle, a manor, a fortress - all depending on who inhabits it. But one thing that it never is, is a home.

August

N/A

WIPS | UNPUBLISHED | ORIGINAL

May

2k of Reylo mermay fic

June

N/A

July

1k+ of Xue Yang being a slut for Song Lan and Xiao Xingchen

300 words of vampire Song Lan

7k of Green Knight AU

August

10k of Green Knight AU

1.5k of hair dye shenanigans

FANMIXES/GRAPHICS

May

yearning: a playlist for the heart

June

the chosen and the beautiful: a mix for jordan baker

July 

kings & queens of the ruckus: a mix for loki and sylvie

August

N/A

[sonyabllade]

Han-geki.com Park Euntae special interview part. 1

translated JP-EN by h-ngkwangho.tumblr.com

original text, originally published 2014.03.22 

The first special interview by Han-geki.com is with Park Eun-tae, one of the most popular and talented young actors in the Korean musical world. The interview will be divided into two parts: Part 1 and Part 2 (english translation of part 2 HERE).

In this year's most talked about musical, "Frankenstein," Euntae plays the dual roles of Dr. Victor Frankenstein's friend Henry Dupre and the "monster" that Dr. Frankenstein creates. The degree to which he fits into his roles is uncommonly wonderful, and it is no exaggeration to say that this is the production to see Park Euntae in. First, let's take a look at the first part of our interview just before the opening of the play, in which he talked about his thoughts on the play.

Interviewer: I was surprised when I found out that you would be playing the dual role of Henry/the monster in "Frankenstein”. How do you feel about actually playing the role?

Euntae: It's very hard to play a monster. In the original story of Frankenstein, Dr. Victor Frankenstein creates the monster, right?　But in this musical, the creation of the monster is the story of the second act, while the first act is the story of Dr. Frankenstein and Henry. And the second act is the story of why the monster had no choice but to take revenge on the doctor and humans. That's the story.

I: I heard that there is a dueling scene in the second act.

E: I sang a song called "I Am A Monster" at the press call, right? I wasn't even acting at the time, and I didn't know what kind of condition I had to be in when I sang it. But when I actually sang the song while acting, I could never sing it like that. It's not a song (laughs). Actually, I wanted to sing it at the concert in Japan (April 26-28, "MUSIC MUSEUM") and the song can only be experienced by singing it while acting in the play. Singing the song alone is not enough to fully express it. If the work is ever performed in Japan, I would like to show you the scene itself. So I'm not sure if I should sing it or not.

I: Is it really that different from the press call?

E: No, no, no, no! It's different! I can't even control myself. It's a song that I sing while shouting. So I think the rehearsals will be a time to see how far I can go, and the performance will be a time for me to be able to control (the singing and acting) as I want. But it doesn't work that way. I feel so sorry for the monster that I get caught up in the role. I need to be more objective in my singing, but when I'm on stage, I can't get out of the role.

I: Like Jesus in "Jesus Christ Superstar"?

Euntae: It's even harder than Jesus. Although, Jesus was also very hard. The format is the same for both. Jesus says to God, "Take this cup away from me, For I don't want to taste its poison" (note: this is a verse from the song "Gethsemane")*, and the monster asks his creator, "Why did you create me? (note: a line from a scene in Frankenstein). But even though the subject is similar, the content is different. In the case of Jesus, he says, "I will accept (the poisoned cup)," but in the case of the monster, he says, "I will kill you”. Of course Jesus cries and is sad, but after he accepts this reality, he prepares his heart and then passes away. The monster, on the other hand, goes as far as revenge, so he has to change even more. In the second act, the story of the monster's journey to revenge unfolds.

I: It's going to be kind of an epic story. I might be moved to tears.

E: I'm sure I'll cry a lot (in the musical). If the audience sympathizes with me, they will be able to cry too. But Victor is also Victor, and there is a sadness that he cannot escape his responsibility. That's why I'm half worried that the audience will have a hard time watching it. I'm half worried about that. There are often artistic films that are so real that it's hard to watch, right? What if people think, 'I don't want to see that again'? (laughs) It's very hard for us, too. Especially for Victor and Henry, I think it's a very difficult role.

I: How do you feel about the characters of the three seniors who are playing Victor?

E: All three of them are so different. My impression of all three of them is changing every moment as we perform together. They all have different images to begin with, but they are living with their characters and exploring new expressions, so I think I will be able to grasp their characters a little more clearly when the show starts. It's the same with my character.

I: Are Han Ji-sang and Euntae, who play Henry/monster, also completely different?

E: Yes, they're very different. Jisang’s is more powerful. Jisang’s monster is also very attractive.

I: What do you want the Japanese fans to see in this musical?

E: I wish there were Japanese subtitles, but there's a lot of sadness in the dialogue, and the monster seems to be more philosophical than any other character. For example, "Who am I? Why was I born?” The key point is, in the first act, "Why did Victor have to do this?” And in the second act, why did the monster have to take revenge? The highlight is the scene in the arena in the second act, where everyone plays a double role. In that scene, the monster looks like a human and the people in the arena look like monsters, and that's when the process of the first birth of life turning into a monster is depicted.

I: In the official materials, there is an explanation that it "expresses the dark side that is originally hidden in human beings.

E: Yes, that's right. In the second act, Victor becomes Jack (the owner of the arena) and Ellen becomes…… Jack's wife, Eva. In the arena, people who are ostensibly aristocratic and pure become villains who torment monsters. I think that's the charm of the story. It's not about the concept that monsters are actually kind… but about the process of a monster destroying a human being (Henry), even though it's a single life. It seems that the process of tormenting Henry was made quite ruthlessly. The story of revenge against the doctor in the original is classic and wonderful, but in the musical, they created a more direct approach, which I think makes it easier to understand. If you understand that, I think it will be more interesting and you will feel the weight of the work.

When he started talking about the monster, Euntae was so enthusiastic that it was as if the role had just come to him. If you read the points of the play that he told us about, I think you will be able to enjoy "Frankenstein" more deeply.

In the second part, we ask about Euntae's autobiography and about the musical concert "MUSIC MUSEUM" (April 26-28 at AiiA Theater Toyko in Tokyo), where he will perform as a special guest. There will also be a special gift, so stay tuned for the second part!

English translation of the second part of this interview

Notes:

*I wasn’t entirely sure which line it was referring to, since it was a translation of an english song, into the korean song for production, into the Japanese quote in the article, then back to english. There are only 2 lines with ‘cup’ in the english lyrics so I put the first one here.

[marybeatriceofmodena]

TFW when you try to do Anastasia but you also suck at your job: A Master Class by The Rise of Skywalker

Okay. So, I promised you guys a TROS review, and it’s coming, I promise… except I’ll be making two “spin-off posts” about specific issues just in order to clear up some stuff, mainly because in my mind, those issues are important.

First post is going to be, of course, about Rey’s parentage.

So. After TFA, it would have been possible for Rey to have been the kid of “someone”. However, TLJ made it impossible to do so, unless you’d have some serious, bullshit retconning going on – which is exactly what happened.

I know this is a VERY controversial thing to say at this point, but post-TFA, Rey Palpatine “could” have been possible. Okay, maybe not have her be Palpatine’s granddaughter, but more of a descendant of his.

This said, I “tried” making an origin story for Rey Palpatine that “works” for the purposes of this meta, on a hypothetical basis, while making it consistent with canon (something JJ Abrams and Chris Terrio clearly couldn’t be bothered to do, LMAO). I had plotholes no matter what. I do think I could have eventually found something with a little bit of brainstorming, but truth is, IT’S HARD, and a lot of exposition would have been for novels/comics only.

From a thematic perspective, though? It wouldn’t have been a bad idea. For this to work, though, you would have needed to go on full-blown Romeo and Juliet mode with sprinkles of Anastasia, though. I mean, The Lion King 2 did something similar, so why the fuck not. Because, yeah, Ben Solo, the grandson of Darth Vader, son of Han Solo and Leia Organa, the last prince of Alderaan, who falls in love with the last Imperial princess Rey Palpatine while they’re on opposite sides of the war but not the ones you’d think of is the stuff of fairy tales and star-crossed romances, except this one would have a happy ending and brought peace to the galaxy.

Truth be told, I still really enjoy fanfics who go for that story and find a way to make it work in canonverse or in AUs – because it’s genuinely fun. But in canon itself, as I point out earlier… it’s not easy.

So, we have Rian Johnson who said he made a list of potential origins for Rey while he was working on TLJ’s script. You bet Rey Palpatine was on that list. However, he came to the conclusion that Rey Nobody was the best way to go, and whatdyaknow, he made the right call.

Why? Rey Nobody requires minimal exposition. Storytelling-wise, you don’t have a lot of brainstorming to do, and it’s easy to have Ben revealing it, and easy to present it as a repressed memory of Rey’s. On a thematic level, that puts Rey on the same level as Jane Eyre or the main character from Rebecca: she’s a nobody from nowhere who is thrown into a family drama, and since she’s the glitch in the matrix, she must stop the story from becoming a tragedy.

See? Simple. You got your easy exposition, you got your thematic coherence, and you got the literary call-backs.

So, JJ and Terrio decided to retcon this shit because, as they said, they thought it was boring. I think Colin Trevorrow probably thought it was boring too, because I have my reasons to think a lot of TROS is from him (but more on that in my main review). But thing is, it’s not it’s “boring”, it’s literally that they didn’t know what the fuck to do with Rey. No, more than that, they don’t understand her, and frankly, they can’t be bothered to do so. She’s an empty vessel they can toy with at their ease, and in the process, turn her in a Mary-Sue. Because yes, TROS!Rey was a Mary-Sue, whereas TFA/TLJ!Rey was not. So, what I say above regarding Rey might be a bomb for some, considering how people are (understandably) defensive when it comes to that statement. I promise I will elaborate more about it in the main review, once again.

So, with the lineage aspect addressed, it’s time to talk about Rey’s parents themselves.

It’s hilarious how HARD JJ and Terrio tried to make Kylo’s explanation work – because as much as they butchered the shit out of him, they said: “Well he’s a bad liar, right? Gotta keep that in mind.”

Although, I don’t think it was a case of them being concerned with Kylo’s characterization – they’re not that graceful. They had to figure out QUICK why the hell Kylo wouldn’t have known Rey was a Palpatine from the get-go, because the Force is a great DNA test and shit, and I guess that’s how Palps located Ben’s Mighty Skywalker Blood™. Except that still doesn’t work because Palps couldn’t even locate his own goddamn granddaughter, but I digress.

Seriously, why would Kylo lie to Rey about her being a nobody instead of her being a Palpatine? It makes no sense, because if you’re going to roll with the theory Kylo just wants UNLIMITED POWAH, the Palpatine princess is not only a great asset (since marrying her legitimizes your claim to the throne in the eyes of the Imperial Remnants, I mean, that’s literally why Henry VII married Elizabeth of York), it’s also the one argument she needs to hear in order to sway her to your side. So I guess JJ and Terrio’s one shared brain cell kinda flicked a bit at that moment.

This said, getting the Palpatine princess on his side is clearly Kylo’s intention in TROS (which, again, makes no sense with what was set up in TLJ but that’s something I’m keeping for another post), except they trip all over themselves by having Kylo say he didn’t lie to Rey in TLJ. Except…

So, what Ben said in TLJ was the following:

Her parents sold her for drinking money.

They’re dead and buried in a pauper’s grave somewhere on Jakku.

Rey is related to no one.

Here’s what Ben reveals to Rey in TROS:

Her parents sold her for her protection.

They died on another planet, while being hunted down by a guy working for Palpatine and instructed to bring Rey back to them.

Rey’s dad is a Palpatine and Rey’s mom is Villanelle (nah, for real: the actress who plays Rey’s mom is Jodie Comer).

So, um, yeah, it’s the EXACT opposite of what Ben said in TLJ. Just say Palps was fucking with Ben’s mind-reading or Rey’s memories instead, JJ. Not that “Oh Ben was telling the truth, but he didn’t have the whole story”, because that’s not it.

For the latter, once again, it would have been feasible: the one thing, for me, that was possible to be added was that Rey had killed her parents accidentally, by having their ship to leave Jakku crash down with the Force: that’s what made her Force powers go dormant for all those years and provoked her trauma. It would also make sense that Ben would willfully not bring that back to her memories, because she’d understandably not be able to cope with the truth, which is often what happens to a lot of trauma victims. THAT was the theory I had pre-TROS, because that’s the only answer I could come up with when it came to JJ saying that there was more to Rey’s past. I guess I expected JJ to be, like, actually able to write, lmao.

I even wonder if that was actually in the cards, considering we see Rey in TROS bringing down a transport that supposedly has Chewie in it… but I guess they deemed that to be “too dark” for their heroine. Except the bullshit that comes instead is actually… much worse.

To make things simple, I’ll just take the above points and develop them.

Rey’s parents sold her for her protection.

Okay, so, Rey’s parents need to hide her to make sure Palps doesn’t get his hands on her. Fair enough. This said, why did it have to be Jakku and not, like, ANYWHERE ELSE? Especially that Palpatine had interest in Jakku at some point and that maybe having Rey anywhere close to that place would not be a good idea?

But let’s play the game and say that Jakku is the only place they can hide her because… I don’t know, it’s hard to find someone there with the Force. Whatever. Even then, why the fuck would they think Unkar Plutt is a proper guardian for a tiny little girl? You know they could have walked a few miles more and found a nice old man who likes the Light Side of the Force and the Jedi and all that shit called Lor San Tekka? Hey, why not even try to find a guy like Luke Skywalker who’s like, a Jedi and shit, and have him take care of their little girl and protect her? 

Even then, why the hell doesn’t Rey’s mom stay with her daughter? Her husband is the Palpatine, not her. All Rey’s mom has to do is find a nicer hiding place for her and Rey somewhere on Jakku, like, not Niima Outpost (again, Tuanul is just a few miles away), and just let Dad hide somewhere else. He’s a grownass man, he can take care of himself and he just has to hide on Nar Shaadaa or some shit. Fuck, why don’t all three of them hide on Nar Shaadaa? Or in the Coruscant undercity? ANYWHERE ELSE?

Also, wouldn’t Plutt clearly see two desperate parents as a business opportunity? Like, if you want to do a Les Misérables comparison here, he wouldn’t “buy” Rey from them, he’d try to get money for them à la Thénardier with Fantine. Except Rey’s parents make Fantine look like frigging Einstein because at least she had the excuse of thinking Madame Thénardier would take good care of Cosette since Éponine and Azelma seemed well-cared for.  

Again, a creepy-looking alien who exploits the outpost’s inhabitants for portions in exchange for junk, who asks you to pay him to take care of your kid should be a big fucking red flag – unless you want to involve blackmail, but that’s a whole other can of worms.

Seriously, why the hell would Rey’s parents even ACCEPT money that comes from selling their own child? Were they really that desperate? Fuck, even if I had no other way of getting off Jakku, I wouldn’t even THINK of using money that comes from selling my own child. Any parent who’d even CONSIDER doing that is automatically a godawful parent in my book. Shame on you. And shame on JJ for trying to make me buy them as saints, because THEY’RE NOT, JUST BY THAT SINGLE ACTION.

They died on another planet, while being hunted down by a guy working for Palpatine and instructed to bring Rey back to them.

I didn’t notice it until Jenny Nicholson pointed it out in her TROS review, because it SOMEHOW completely escaped my notice, but… Rey’s mom saying Rey is DEFINITELY NOT on Jakku is like the worst fucking lie I’ve ever seen in a film because it’s so hilariously bad. Congratulations, Space Villanelle, may you be forever remembered for this line.

Also, it’s stupid af that Oshi (that’s his name, right? Can’t be bothered to Google it, might just call him Barney the Bounty Hunter from now on) just kills Rey’s parents, because HE’S EVUL MUAHAHAHAHAHAAHAHA, because he literally creates a dead end for himself. He still has no fucking clue where Rey is, and he just killed off his only leads. CONGRATULATIONS BARNEY THE BOUNTY HUNTER, YOU SUCK AT YOUR JOB.

Rey’s dad is a Palpatine and Rey’s mom is Villanelle.

So, Rey’s dad looks like he’s in his early thirties at most, right? Maybe a little younger than Luke and Leia, then. So, unless he got frozen in carbonite at some point, that means Palpatine fucked at some point while looking like this:

Anyway, I sure hope Sly Moore was Grandma Palpatine because she’s pretty much the only person who’d be game to smash raisin ass. Which leaves me with extremely disturbing pictures of Palps and Sly having sex, so I’ll spare you the more graphic details of my twisted mind that’s screaming for an end to this misery. 

I sure hope having Rey’s mom as Jodie Comer isn’t a clue that we’ll get spin-offs with those two (GOD PLEASE NO), but while I crack jokes about how Rey’s mom is Villanelle and Palpadad kinda looks like Ramsay Bolton… I find it fucking hilarious they dressed Rey’s mom in BLUE. LIKE, SEE? SEE? SHE’S IN BLUE, LIKE THE VIRGIN MARY, BECAUSE REY IS SPACE JESUS!!!! GET IT??? GETIT???? PLEASE TELL ME YA GET IT, OKAY???? *gross sobbing* I knew we should have had Rey born in a manger, that would have made the artistic intentions clear *wipes tear*

All right. There’s a lot more that could be said about Rey’s lineage, but I’m keeping that for my main review because what’s left to say ties up to the bigger picture. What I tried to point out with this preliminary post is that while Rey Palpatine *could* have worked, in different circumstances, it couldn’t have had post-TLJ… and we’re left to see a mutilated horse who was dead on arrival. And that’s tragic.

[headlesssamurai]

Has everyone asked you about Jupiter Ascending?

@godzillaapproved

Yo, I ought to apologize to you for taking hella long to properly respond to this. It’s holiday season over thisaway, sure, but I ain’t nearly vain enough to assume just anybody gets why that can suck up a dude’s time. Reckon I’m sure there’s tons of national celebrations all over the world I’d never know about otherwise. Bah, I say! Going out and socializing is one of the few things more overrated than all those shitty Apple products. But yeh, in my case it was less the celebratory spirit of holiday festivities and more a sudden spike in workload, so my mental energy was roughed up by that, plus I was doing a new workout at the same time. Thus, whatever free time I had left was spent obsessively hammering away at the Steam sale items I’d recently bought. It’s like a coping mechanism. Well, that and cheap wine anyhow.

Regardless, regardless—holy shit what an obnoxious fucking way for me to open this up—this Ask of yours came at an unusually coincidental time. A friend and I have been meeting up every weekend to watch like semi-recent crappy movies just as a way to enjoy a bad drink and a good laugh. She likes to laugh, and I like to drink, so it works out. After working our way through every Transformers film by Michael Bay, then Cameron’s Avatar, Terminator: Genisys, The Amazing Spider-mans, Spielberg’s Crystal Skull, Ready Player One, and some of the more abysmal DC films, our last escapade into nonsense was the estimably hilarious Gods of Egypt, which reminded me of one of those excremental quicktime-event video games. You know, like Detroit Becomes Human or some shit like that (Oh wait, is it Detroit Coming of the Humans? Meh).

As luck would have it, like, the day before you asked me about it, the next film at which I suggested we take a crack was the Wachowskis’ own Jupiter Ascending, which my friend had not seen at that time. Nor had I, since first viewing it in theaters.

>>SPOILER WARNING: IF YOU CARE ENOUGH TO, UH… YOU KNOW, CARE

I was intrigued to give this movie another go. It’s struck me that I’ve got an odd streak of pleasantly enjoying movies a lot of people can’t seem to stand, or which some people even hate with utter vileness on the verge of hunting down the producers with a roll of duct tape, power tools, jugs of petrol, and a matchbook. I’ve enjoyed, for instance, Hardcore Henry, Elysium, and Joseph Kosinski’s Oblivion, all of which not one person I know in real life could offer a single word of kindness. After my first viewing of Jupiter Ascending, I was left to consider whether or not it was the sort of movie I should enjoy and allow others to hate and disparage, or if it just wasn’t that good. I recalled leaving the theater with a sort of “Hm” sound, and not much else. But given my history with rooting for an underdog, was I wrong? Is this movie actually good, or cool in some way? I couldn’t defy the sensation that I’d missed something.

The answer, it seems, is more complex than a simple yes or no. Then again, as Mason and Goat Han Solo often remind us, “there’s no nuance on the internet”, so even my assertion there about complexity may be in gross error.

For the unfamiliar, Jupiter Ascending is a science fiction tale with vibes of less-cliché aesthetic choices for its visuals, some cool references to UFO conspiracy theories, and aims at a more expansive universe that would no doubt have been further explored in sequels had this film been better received by audiences and critics. I’ll say outright, it’s a disappointment to me that we weren’t given the chance to see more films in this mythology, because there’s some really cool stuff going on in this weird, imaginative universe. The story centers upon the character of Jupiter Jones (Mila Kunis), an average working-class young woman in Chicago who is shocked to discover not only that aliens exist but that she happens to be the reincarnation of a galaxy owning empress, which entitles Jupiter to ownership of a large portion of the cosmos, the least part of which is Earth itself. But as the Aussies say, something’s a bit suss about the whole affair, and the wondrous glamour of this technologically advanced universe is concurrently party to a dark truth.

An immediately intriguing element of Jupiter Ascending is its attempt to set-up something which, while perhaps greatly inspired by a few other fictional works, is an original property, not a sequel, reboot, adaptation of an existing work, nor a spiritual successor to something else. Rather than merely being intrigued by this fact, I also respect it, because high-concept science fiction films aren’t something a studio likes to go for unless they have a preexisting audience, like adaptations of a book series or something. So it’s always bold when someone can cobble together the resources to really take a chance on something like this, even if it isn’t well received. After all that’s how films like The Matrix, The Terminator, Ridley Scott’s Alien, George Lucas’ Star Wars, and John McTiernan’s Predator come to be in the first place. Another example, I didn’t quite enjoy The Last Witch Hunter, but I recall respecting that film’s risk in its attempt at a new property for similar reasons.

Irrespective of your own personal tastes as a moviegoer and consumer of science fiction, it can’t be denied that the Wachowski’s are measurably talented filmmakers. Their doubtless skill at framing shots, blending effects with reality to present an integrated experience, and choreographing action sequences with such lethal precision it’s always incredible to watch; all of these things can’t be argued, and this attentiveness for the craft is all very present in Jupiter Ascending. Toward the beginning of the movie, there’s an aerial chase sequence that promptly accelerates into one of the most engaging, gripping action sequences in memory, heavily fantastical sci-fi elements intermixed with almost Fast and the Furious levels of insanity. The sense of gripping speed alone as two characters cling to the outer hull of a spacecraft was helplessly intense and left me quite keen to see what else the movie had to offer further down the line.

Additionally we have some awesome art design and stylistic choices regarding the look of this sci-fi universe, both the appearance of aliens and the design of their technology was familiar and unique at the same time. There are beings referred to as “Splices” which are intermixes of humans and various animals, giving some people bestial characteristics which are just weird enough to be cool to me without verging over the edge into absurd territory. There are cybernetic enhancements, gravity boots, phalanx style energy shields, neural synthetic wings, motherfucking jet-bikes of course and, though I never would have dreamed, motherfucking lizardmen! That blew me away, dude. Others may think it’s stupid, but lizardmen are one of my favorite sci-fi/fantasy creatures of all time, and they look so badass in this movie it was unbelievably awesome to realize I was actually seeing a proper lizardfolk on screen. With lizardmen and jet-bikes, Jupiter Ascending quickly marks two-out-of-five on my Generally Awesome Things I Like To See In Science Fiction list. It’s a real list, in my head, I swear.

The starship designs were inspired by art deco architecture in cities like Chicago, lending Jupiter’s cosmos a feeling more of Herbert’s Dune-iverse than something like Star Trek, which I appreciated since we don’t see that type of style quite as much. Top all that off with a fantastic score from Michael Giacchino and you’ve got some great tools to tell an awesome story.

So the thing is, it’s not just skin deep either, while the film does lean heavily on its visuals and action set-pieces, this is a genuinely interesting universe. Michael Bay’s Transformers, for instance, also has cool visuals, some passable action scenes, and dazzling special effects, but is it interesting? The answer is no. Because Bay’s movies, while briefly entertaining, are ultimately hollow. There aren’t any subdermal layers beneath the facade of spectacle. But in Jupiter Aescending there’s clearly something else going on, the touch of true filmmakers for one, yet also the potential for so much more. The groundwork, the craftsmanship and attentiveness is all here. It’s really what they choose to do, or not do, with that potential which ends up disappointing. Not, as in the case of Bay’s movies, the utter lack of potential for greatness from the start.

Though some fandom-card carrying ideologues may acerbically disagree, an acceptably comparable film whose potential for greatness was also mostly wasted for middle-of-the-road mediocrity is the recent Solo: A Star Wars Story, by Disney Interactive– I mean, by Disney behind the appropriated guise of Lucasfilm. Whatever else you think of that film, and while I agree from a mythological standpoint its very existence was in extremely poor taste, the talent, the production value, the mark of the craft was there. None of this was, however, capitalized upon to create anything truly profound. Jupiter Ascending’s unfortunate drawbacks are of a similar form.

I’d like to state emphatically however, I’m not trying to punish the film nor act as its apologist. Reckon I always end up saying this, but I am really just some dude. Sure, I read a lot of books and stuff, but that doesn’t appoint me some grand authority on the subject of fiction. These thoughts I try to convey in my write-ups are meant merely as opinions, framed in the form of investigating the quality of a film or game or whatever. To that end, I’m compelled to side with most folks in that, whatever else its got going for it, there’s some major deficiency holding back Jupiter Ascending from rising to a higher form of entertainment. So if the production values are high, where’s the casus belli all the angry critics are seeing here?

To puzzle that out, we ought first to determine by what criterion a truly good story is shaped. In that regard it’s likely the wisest to begin by reckoning what sort of story we’re dealing with here. Most people are wont to jump straight to the whole Hero’s Journey every dickhead YouTube reviewer read about in some sparknotes book while using the shitter at Barnes & Noble. But Joseph Campbell’s mimetic architecture isn’t the only sort of story that exists, not even in science fiction. Consider, for instance, anything written by H.P. Lovecraft, Darren Aronofsky’s The Fountain, Kubrick and Clarke’s 2001: A Space Odyssey, Jonathan Glazer’s Under The Skin, Philip K. Dick’s various works, Andrei Tarkovsky’s Stalker, Stanisław Lem’s Solaris, Alex Garland’s Ex Machina, or Christopher Nolan’s Interstellar. These stories, while very sci-fi in their scope and measure, are far more introspective, and very contemplative when contrasted against fiction of the more traditional heroic adventure genre. Hell, even Paul Verhoeven’s Starship Troopers while appearing a mindless war movie on its surface is fundamentally a cautionary allegory. While conquering adversity is certainly a theme of its own within each of these stories, the breadth of that adversity’s effect on the narrative varies wildly, as well as the nature of adversity each character must face. Other heavier components, like displacement, post-humanism, philosophical allegory, are also usually present in such stories.

All of this likely seems a bit excessive to point out, but I promise it’ll get relevant later. But, uh… yeh. The next time some liberal arts asshat tries to tell you there’s only one real way a story can go, you can be safely justified in telling them to get bent. I mean read, yeh, tell them to read more shit, and watch more movies. That’d probably be more productive. But also tell them to get bent, the fuckers.

There can also, however, be stories that blend styles. The 2004 rebrand of Battlestar Galactica incorporates several philosophical elements, self-reflective, and meditative thematic ideas into its narrative of what would otherwise be a fairly standard science fiction conflict in outer space. The Wachowskis’ own The Matrix is a perfect example of a classic hero’s journey which also incorporates introspective themes into its lore, plot, and mythology, wherein the internal conflict of the protagonist is just as important as whatever external adversity he is meant to overcome. Where Battlestar Galactica 2004 uses its thematic material to craft a sci-fi adventure story, The Matrix uses a sci-fi adventure story to explore its thematic material. Seen in that light, I think the Wachowskis wanted Jupiter Ascending to have similar weight to its narrative, but they ended up recycling a sort of “human harvest” idea already seen in The Matrix (and arguably done in a more engaging way).

Jupiter Jones herself is a catalyst for an inter-familial conflict within a wealthy interstellar hierarchy. Though alien races do exist, the most dangerous aliens happen to be humans themselves, extraterrestrial humans of course. In Jupiter’s universe, it turns out that the wealthy and powerful have the ability to live forever (an idea also explored in the Neftlix adaptation Altered Carbon), but only by seeding countless worlds with humans, then harvesting these humans like crops and breaking these millions of people down into a sort of primordial youth serum by which the lives of the affluent may be extended.

Advanced genetics in Jupiter’s universe are the highest form of technology, and it is stated in all the cosmos the most sought-after resource is time. This is the reason these advanced humans out among the stars are able to splice human and animal genes, essentially creating entirely new races, and the reason why Jupiter herself is seen as a reincarnation of a woman who once owned countless stars and planets. Genes, to the wealthy and powerful, have a near spiritual significance. Jupiter is referred to as a Recurrence, a person who is long dead but whose gene-print inconceivably reappears in someone who is born centuries or even millennia later. This is seen as a near miracle, and thus is recognized by interstellar law as a legitimate reincarnation, giving this new person the same rights and privileges, and inheriting all the property previously held by the deceased person whose gene print they share.

And that’s where the conflict comes up. Jupiter is sought out by three siblings of the Abrasax family, one of the most elite and powerful families in the universe, of which she is the reincarnation of their mother and thus entitled to re-inherit all of their resources and capital which they currently control. The kids are Kalique (Tuppence Middleton), the well-to-do, but compassionate one, Titus (Douglas Booth), the more two-faced of the three who acts innocent but is clever as a viper, and Balem (Eddie Redmayne), the stereotypical villain of the piece who seems to have nervous ticks and an inability to raise his voice above a certain octave except in times of extreme stress. Of course, since Jupiter’s now meant to control everything they currently own, none of the three Abrasax kids can be fully trusted. Jupiter doesn’t have to face these three one-percenters alone however. She is accompanied by Caine Wise (Channing Tatum) an ex-soldier and wolf-splice, known as a Lycantant, who is hired by Titus to safely retrieve Jupiter from Earth before his siblings can get to her. Caine’s former commanding officer, a bee-splice known as Stinger (Sean Bean) also appears from time to time, as well as officers of the Aegis, an interstellar law enforcement agency.

If you are having a hard time following the characters here, it’s probably because there just isn’t much to any of the characters other than what I’ve already written about them. And therein lies the primary flaw with this film. The characters aren’t interesting, and the greater tragedy is that the characters are written to be uninteresting. Where a ton of care and attention went into crafting the look, feel and depth of the wider universe acting as the story’s setting, the characters within this story are criminally underwritten.

Earlier, I went to great lengths to illustrate the wealth of variety throughout genres of science fiction, just how many different types of stories we might get within this narrative framework. The purpose of explaining all of that to such a degree was meant to show you that not everything has to follow the same narrative flow. Sometimes stories can be more abstract, less character driven, less action heavy. In that regard, a story exemplar like Blade Runner doesn’t really need to have strongly written characters because the interpersonal aspects of its journey are less important than its atmospheric setting and stylistic momentum. The gravitas comes from a different place than in stories which are more character driven.

However, if a story does want to give us something more conventional, then it’s extremely important that the characters are strongly defined, well established and, even if not likable, at the very least interesting. Though a bit out of this wheelhouse, Fitzgerald’s The Great Gatsby is notorious for featuring a dramatis personae of terribly vain, horrible sociopaths, but many of these characters are still written in a way that makes them interesting. Jupiter Ascending fashions itself as an epic space opera, a stylized adventure journey which goes from scrubbing toilets in Irving Park to rocketing through a wider spectacular galaxy. Within that story structure, the characters need to be given their proper attention, especially the protagonist. Only, this is not the case with this movie. In fact in Jupiter Ascending, the characters almost appear as afterthoughts, which is most unfortunate.

Despite being the protagonist’s love interest, Caine seems to have been given the most depth, as a literal lone-wolf personality, an orphan of a sort, a former soldier disgraced for an act of savagery, who longs to regain his military status as a Skyjacker, and was sprung from a prison called Deadland to rescue Jupiter from the clutches of filthy rich egomaniacs, a class of people he seems to utterly despise. Yet even Caine’s various portions of characterization are never fully explored, and he mostly serves as a vehicle to come dashing in and pluck Jupiter out of trouble over and over again. Secondary characters, other than Stinger (more on him later), are hardly there other than to function as a taxi service or exposition dump where appropriate, which is a shame since some of them have a great look but nothing else going on in the writing department to make them memorable. The Abrasax siblings are basically three different flavors of the same smug Soylent privilege, though Kalique seems to exist only to explain things for the benefit of the audience, and Balem seems to be accidentally memorable thanks to Eddie Redmayne’s unusual performance. Titus has some cool psychotic vibes with his underhanded motivations, slippery silver tongued bastard that he is, but even his role as the trickster doesn’t get its due in the end.

Stinger, Caine’s former commanding officer who is now an Aegis Marshal, is also written slightly deeper than even the Abrasax siblings. He took the fall for Caine’s misstep in the military, so he also lost his wings and was disgraced for it. Despite this, he is willing to help Caine and Jupiter throughout the story, and though begrudged he seems genuinely good at heart. Stinger’s point of interest however comes from his traits as a Splice between human and bee DNA. Yes, this leads to a funny line of dialogue, but there are some great examples of show-don’t-tell with Stinger, in that having bee instincts he seems superhumanly able to anticipate motion and react to it ridiculously quickly compared to most people. This ability gives him an edge in everything from fistfights to navigating massive fields of hunter-killer mines. This is hardly important to the plot, but I thought it was cool since it’s never stated outright, just displayed through his actions. Another example of a great idea that’s mostly left adrift.

Jupiter herself starts out as a typical protagonist for a Hero’s Journey. She’s a Jewish Russian immigrant who leads an unglamorous life cleaning bathrooms and tidying fancy homes for her family’s housekeeping service, apparently has bad luck with romance, and hardly ever has time to really do anything she enjoys. Typically, once these elements are presented, there will also be a revelation of something more intimate about the protagonist, her dreams and ambitions, something she longs to one day achieve, her hobbies or personality, perhaps a personal drawback or fear she wishes to overcome. But the most we get about Jupiter is that she wants to buy back a telescope which was once stolen from her astronomer father by the same thieves who murdered him (which we see early in the movie in an awkwardly directed scene). It’s not made clear if Jupiter herself has a genuine interest in astronomy, nor even what any of her interests happen to be.

This becomes a recurring problem throughout the film. Since no real internal conflict or personality of any kind is established for Jupiter, she isn’t led through any personal journey or self-exploration, nor anything which allows her to grow or evolve as the narrative opens up and accelerates. She’s basically just along for the ride, one of those wrong place wrong time sort of things. Her journey is entirely surface level, external forces dragging her around the stars without her having any real say in the matter nor agency of her own. She as very little idea of what she wants or who she is, from what we can tell, because we have no idea of those things either. Mila Kunis does a fine job with the material she’s given, but the material just isn’t much to run with, and if there is a drawback to her performance as an actress I promise in this case the fault is not with her.

The terrible lack of characterization hurts everything in the movie from its ethical conceits, plot momentum, all the way up to the romance subplot which only feels forced and lacking chemistry because the two leads aren’t properly written. They could have had chemistry, but its difficult for archetypes to interact without endowing them with personality. It’s a fundamental flaw from which all other flaws of the film stem because the personality, the character of the protagonist in this type of story is a fundamental element from which many other elements of the story stem.

Even towards the end, when Jupiter is forced into dangerous heroics and aggressive bravery it doesn’t feel like much of anything because for all we know she was brave all along, or maybe she wasn’t. We’re never given the chance to find out. Her larger moment of heroism comes not in a violent action of conquering the badguy (though she does beat him with a pipe later... in self-defense of course), but in refusing to compromise to Balem’s ultimatum, either resign her ownership of Earth or allow Balem to murder her family. It’s interesting to note that instead of rocking up and blowing his head off with a blaster, she just tells him to get fucked, which is a cool idea, non-violent protagonists are few and far between. Though the climax would have been far more satisfying had we gotten to know Jupiter much better before she gets to this point. Ultimately, the lack of strong characters make the progression of the movie feel awkward, and the denouement seems to come out of nowhere. It’s really too bad, since many facets of this film’s setup seemed to bear promise, and it’s more tragic than infuriating, leaving an audience with a countenance more in sorrow than in anger.

Like Jupiter herself, thematic elements are also only half-explored. The idea that genetics have advanced to such a point that life-regeneration has become a reality within this star-spanning civilization (albeit a reality exclusively available to the filthy, insanely wealthy) is an interesting idea, and there’s a lot of potential for the ethical quandaries related to that sort of technology, and what makes it possible. Yet little of this is given attention beyond the horror of Jupiter discovering the Abrasax family regularly kills billions of people for longevity and profit. Is their life-extending operation the only one out there? Or is it an industry? Are there black market dealers who develop and trade their own youth serum off the books? It’s all kind of muddy and little of it is given any explanation or nuance.

As we’ve established, Campbell’s hero’s journey isn’t the only way to go about a sci-fi story, but in Jupiter Ascending it’s like half-started without any of the follow-through, and the characters which should be the heart of the story are greatly lacking any depth. The film’s been compared to a Disney-style princess story, and even references Cinderella at one point, though it does seem to be aiming higher than this. Yet, the lackluster character writing and flat dialogue all make the story somewhat impotent, whatever its aim, leaving the movie looking like a majestically beautiful gild-feathered eagle, which just happens to be blind. Fun to look at, but has absolutely no idea where it’s going. I can’t articulate enough what a shame this all is, since there really are some cool ideas and sci-fi content here. I truly wish, as a sci-fi enthusiast, that Jupiter was truly able to ascend.

I’d recommend it as a fun romp through an intriguing galaxy, but it’s more useful as an example of how to get everything right with a movie, everything other than the thing that really holds it all together: a well-written protagonist. Still, I’m no intersectionalist, but it’s nice to see the girl get the guy at the end of the story, the way guy protagonists get to get the girl at the end of all their stories. That was a pleasant feeling, even if it wasn’t quite earned with everything come before it. Plus, you know; lizardmen, and jet-bikes. The Wachowskis are generally great at what they do though, just maybe have a tough time channeling it. Here’s hoping they can get back to us with something truly badass in future because the level of commitment to the craft seen in this movie is extraordinary, even if the reach exceeds the grasp in this particular case. 

                     侍    headless                                     

[eddycurrents]

For the week of 22 April 2019

Quick Bits:

A Walk Through Hell #9, like many issues before it, does its damnedest to break your mind. Garth Ennis, Goran Sudžuka, Ive Svorcina, and Rob Steen continue to deliver one of the best horror stories every month that just seems to get stranger and more complex with each subsequent chapter. This issue yanks the rug out from under us.

| Published by AfterShock

Action Comics #1010 raises a million and one more questions as to what’s actually going on with Leviathan and whether some things are supposed to be clues or if Brian Michael Bendis is just changing continuity. Maybe a little of both. Stellar art from Steve Epting and Brad Anderson who continue to deliver a solid mood and atmosphere for this espionage-heavy story.

| Published by DC Comics

Amazing Spider-Man #20 changes the game a bit as Black Ant reveals more of what Kraven has planned. Wonderful art from Humberto Ramos, Victor Olazaba, Edgar Delgado, and Erick Arciniega.

| Published by Marvel

Amber Blake #2 has some incredible artwork from Butch Guice as this action-packed thriller continues. Some interesting twists that ultimately are going to be crushing when they come to light.

| Published by IDW

Ascender #1 is pretty damn great. Jeff Lemire, Dustin Nguyen, and Steve Wands kick-off this follow-up to Descender with what feels like a complete counterpoint to its hard science fiction. This delves deep into a universe taken over by magic and vampires, with technology either gone or kept under strict control. Even the art has shifted tone, from the dark inkiness from before to a greater reliance on white spaces here, to give it a different visual aesthetic. 

| Published by Image

Avengers #18 is a single issue story, tying in to The War of the Realms, spotlighting Coulson’s new Squadron Supreme of America (it’s unclear as to whether these are new versions or existing ones being manipulated, but there’s shadowy shenanigans), from Jason Aaron, Ed McGuinness, Mark Morales, Justin Ponsor, and Cory Petit. Marvel’s Justice League analogue just got their Max Lord.

| Published by Marvel

Bad Luck Chuck #2 sees Chuck recount some of her cases and a bit of how her “powers” work, while forces around her conspire to bring her down. Nice character building from Lela Gwenn with some great artwork from Matthew Dow Smith and Kelly Fitzpatrick.

| Published by Dark Horse

Batgirl #34 begins “Terrible”, the three-part finale to Mairghread Scott, Paul Pelletier, Norm Rapmund, Jordie Bellaire, and AndWorld Design’s run on the title. Some nice detective work here as the Terrible Trio hatch a new plan.

| Published by DC Comics

Black Panther #11 builds off of last issue’s shock turn and the direct involvement of Bast as we get some answers about the Intergalactic Empire of Wakanda and some of the machinations that are unfolding. The art from Kev Walker, Marc Deering, and Java Tartaglia continues to be a highlight.

| Published by Marvel

Coda #11 gears up for next issue’s finale as Murk unveils another stage in her plan and Hum does something incredibly stupid. This has been one of my favourite series over the past year and the build to the conclusion is wonderful. Absolutely phenomenal work from Si Spurrier, Matías Bergara, Michael Doig, and Jim Campbell.

| Published by BOOM! Studios

Criminal #4 tells a haunting single issue story of a very messed up day in the life of Ricky Lawless. I love the mosaic that Ed Brubaker, Sean Phillips, and Jacob Phillips are crafting out of these different time periods, building something larger out of an already sprawling world.

| Published by Image

Dark Red #2 takes an interesting turn as Chip is given a pitch to become the face of a new American heartland vampire nation. Interesting to see how racism also extends through to vampires. Very entertaining stuff from Tim Seeley, Corin Howell, Mark Englert, and Marshall Dillon.

| Published by AfterShock

Detective Comics #1002 continues “Medieval” with some really great art from Brad Walker, Andrew Hennessy, and Nathan Fairbairn. There’s a weight and gravity to the art that elevate the story nicely. Also, it’s interesting to see an antagonist who thinks that he’s a hero above Batman, especially as he goes about trying to recruit Damian. It should be interesting to see who Arkham Knight is under the mask.

| Published by DC Comics

Dial H for Hero #2 is probably even better than the first issue, and the first issue was one of the most fun debuts I’ve read in a while. Sam Humphries, Joe Quinones, Jordan Gibson, and Dave Sharpe capture a zany energy amidst the real, emotional drama that the kids are experiencing and it leads to some highly entertaining storytelling. Also, the art is phenomenal. Quinones is really stretching his artistic muscles, throwing in incredible different styles as the heroes emerge. This issue gives us pastiches of Dragonball Z and Gundam Wing and the transformation is amazing, the entire creative team perfectly capturing the style.

| Published by DC Comics / Wonder Comics

Doctor Strange #13 continues to force Galactus into the world of magic, delving further into some familiar faces from Strange’s past, in the second part of “Herald Supreme” from Mark Waid, Barry Kitson, Scott Koblish, Scott Hanna, Brian Reber, and Cory Petit.

| Published by Marvel

Fearscape #5 concludes what has been a highly ambitious, inventive series from Ryan O’Sullivan, Andrea Mutti, Vladimir Popov, and Andworld Design. Sadly, Henry Henry doesn’t get punched in the dick, repeatedly, but there are some tragic twists that change the landscape.

| Published by Vault

The Forgotten Queen #3 delivers more of Vexana’s history, revealing she’s responsible for Dracula in the Valiant universe, along with a few other twists. I’m really liking Amilcar Pinna and Ulises Arreola’s art here. The odd angles adding something unique to the feel of the story.

| Published by Valiant

Invisible Kingdom #2 sees G. Willow Wilson, Christian Ward, and Sal Cipriano continue to build a richly developed, intriguing world essentially founded upon a bedrock of an Amazon analogue, both in support of and opposition to. Gorgeous artwork from Ward.

| Published by Dark Horse / Berger Books

Justice League Dark #10 outlines the Lords of Order’s plans for the multiverse and magic and why they’re initiating an assault on all of the magic wielders. James Tynion IV is doing some rather impressive world-building and story seeding all throughout his work, but it really comes to a head in this series. Also, the art from Alvaro Martínez Bueno, Raul Fernandez, and Brad Anderson continues to be impeccable.

| Published by DC Comics

KINO #15 begins a new arc, tackling some messy current events throughout Europe in a rather interesting fashion. Alex Paknadel, Diego Galindo, Valentina Pinto, and Jim Campbell did some amazing things reinterpreting KINO in the last arc, delivering an intriguing thriller, and that doesn’t seem to be letting up any with this new arc. The politics and the manipulation are at an all time high and this is something you really don’t want to miss.

| Published by Lion Forge / Catalyst Prime

The Lollipop Kids #5 is the final battle between the kids and Morgan Le Fay and her army of monsters for all the lollipops. This has been an imaginative series from Adam Glass, Aidan Glass, Diego Yapur, DC Alonso, and Sal Cipriano with consistently some of the most beautiful art in comics. There’s a hint of what’s to come and I hope we see more of this story in the future.

| Published by AfterShock

Punk Mambo #1 is another great debut of a limited series for Valiant spotlighting one of their less used, but highly interesting characters from Cullen Bunn, Adam Gorham, José Villarrubia, and Dave Sharpe. The set up for supernatural intrigue delving into Voodoo belief is very entertaining, with some impressive artwork from Gorham and Villarrubia.

| Published by Valiant

Queen of Bad Dreams #1 is another highly imaginative, impressive debut for Vault. This time spotlighting a world where dreams can jump from the mind of the dreamer into the real world. Danny Lore, Jordi Pérez, Dearbhla Kelly, and Kim McLean offer up some interesting, fleshed-out characters in Daher and Viv, that elevate this from just a unique take on a police procedural to greater interpersonal drama. Also, a mystery that’s going to hook you immediately.

| Published by Vault

Spawn #296 features some absolutely stunning artwork from Jason Shawn Alexander, FCO Plascencia, and Greg Menzie for this first part of “History of Spawn” as the march to the 300th issue gets closer and the stakes get raised as the powers that loom through Spawn’s life gather to try to put an end to him. 

| Published by Image

Star Trek: Year Five #1 to me feels like it has perfectly captured the spirit of the original series, delving deep into Star Trek lore and pulling forth a captivating story that showcases a lot of what made the television show great. Jackson Lanzing, Collin Kelly, Stephen Thompson, Charlie Kirchoff, and Neil Uyetake are off to a great start.

| Published by IDW

Star Wars: Galaxy’s Edge #1, like Tie Fighter from last week, is a tie-in to some of the new stuff in the broader Star Wars universe with some new characters and locations. In this case it ties in to the new attraction opening at the Disney theme parks. This first issue introduces us to the seedy underbelly of the world shortly before The Force Awakens, from Ethan Sacks, Will Sliney, Dono Sánchez-Almara, Protobunker, and Travis Lanham, weaving in an entertaining flashback with the familiar faces of Han Solo and Chewbacca. 

| Published by Marvel

Stone Star #2 is as impressive as the debut issue, developing a couple more complex characters and spinning forth a political situation that makes the arena world of the Stone Star itself a bit more suspect. Jim Zub, Max Dunbar, Espen Grundetjern, and Marshall Dillon are telling a tale here that really shouldn’t be missed.

| Published by Swords & Sassery

Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles #93 is part one of “City at War” from Kevin Eastman, Bobby Curnow, Tom Waltz, Dave Wachter, Ronda Pattison, and Shawn Lee. It’s mostly a gathering storm as the forces prepare for the oncoming onslaught, with an absolutely harrowing spark to kick off the conflict.

| Published by IDW

Thanos #1 begins a new mini from Tini Howard, Ariel Olivetti, Antonio Fabela, and Joe Caramagna that offers up a look at the formative years of Thanos raising Gamora, along with other bits of early history. This first issue paints a rather intriguing picture of Thanos as a deranged serial killer, building his own Winchester House out of his space station, which certainly is a different take.

| Published by Marvel

Wizard Beach #5 brings an end to this fun series from Shaun Simon, Conor Nolan, George Schall, Chad Lewis, Meg Casey, and Mike Fiorentino. It’s wonderful to see Hex learn and grow these past couple of issues and we get an interesting resolution to the nefarious schemes that were popping up on the beach.

| Published by BOOM! Studios

Other Highlights: Black Widow #4, Books of Magic #7, Delver #3, Dick Tracy Forever #1, Elvira: The Shape of Elvira #2, Fantastic Four #9, Fight Club 3 #4, Firefly #5, The Flash #69, Freedom Fighters #5, Ghost Tree #1, Ghostbusters 35th Anniversary Special: Extreme, GI Joe: Sierra Muerte #3, Goddess Mode #5, Hardcore #5, Invader Zim #42, Ironheart #5, Jughead: The Hunger vs. Vampironica #1, Little Girls, Mae #12, Marvel Comics Presents #4, Mighty Morphin Power Rangers #38, Princeless Book 8: Princesses #1, Punks Not Dead: London Calling #3, The Realm #13, Redneck #19, The Replacer, Rick & Morty #49, Runaways #20, Sex - Volume 6: World Hunger, Sharkey: Bounty Hunter #3, The Silencer #16, Star Trek Waypoint Special 2019, Star Wars: Doctor Aphra #31, Star Wars: Vader - Dark Visions #3, Superb #19, Superior Spider-Man #5, Turok #3, Venom #13, The Warning #6, The Wicked + The Divine #43, Wonder Woman #69

Recommended Collections: Aliens: Dead Orbit, Backstagers - Volume 3, Black Order: Warmasters of Thanos, Despicable Deadpool, Dick Tracy: Dead or Alive, Exorsisters - Volume 1, Fissure - Volume 1, Full Bleed - Volume 3, Jessica Jones: Purple Daughter, KINO - Volume 3: The Man in the Iron Mask, Livewire - Volume 1: Fugitive, Marvel Action: Avengers - Book 1, Marvel Knights, Scarlet - Volume 1, Shuri - Volume 1: The Search for Black Panther, Supergirl - Volume 1: The Killers of Krypton, Unstoppable Wasp: Fix Everything, Venom - Volume 2, The Warning - Volume 1

d. emerson eddy likes lemon cranberry muffins.

[huffleporg]

By Starlight - A CS AU

Chapter 1 - The Dowager | 1/20? | T | Ao3 

Princess Lessons and Astronomy were two classes Emma Swan had not planned to take, but these days surprises are far too common in her life.

Ships: Captain Swan, Frozen Swan friendship, Outlaw Queen background

Characters: Emma Swan, Killian Jones, Regina Mills, Elsa, Robin Hood, David, Mr. Gold, Neal, Anna, Liam Jones

---

It felt like the alarm went off earlier and earlier each day, and each day it was easier and easier to hit the snooze button. Emma stared at the red digits through a curtain of tangled blonde hair and swore. She had been sure that she had only hit snooze once, but already it had turned 6:50.

Emma pushed herself up slowly. “Another day,” she mumbled, as she reached for her thick glasses on her bedside table. “Another potential disaster.” She threw the covers off and slunk out of bed and to the closet. She grabbed the first flannel shirt her hand made contact with and tugged a pair of used blue jeans out from under a sleeping tabby cat. “Sorry, Henry,” she said, giving the now disgruntled cat a pat. “Got a social studies presentation today. Need all the help I can get.” She wasn’t superstitious, at least, but if the jeans she wore when she had passed the driving test and when she had gotten that “A” on her Bio final last year could help, she was going to wear them.

Taking the rest of the clothes she would need with her, Emma hurried into the bathroom to quickly change. After a less than a minute of undressing and putting on her clothes, she ran a comb through her hair and pulled it back into a ponytail. She gave her reflection in the mirror only the briefest of glances before saying, “Good as it’s gonna get,” and turning around to leave the bathroom. On her way out of her room, she grabbed her red backpack from her desk chair.

Walking into the kitchen, Emma saw her father’s back at the stove. “No time for pancakes!” she said, opening the cabinet. She took a silver wrapped pair of pop-tarts out of the box. “Got to run.” She rushed over to give her father a goodbye kiss, only to find him staring disapprovingly at her choice of breakfast.

“I’d really you’d rather have something proper to eat,” David Swan said. “If not pancakes, how about cereal.” He went over to the cabinet to where the boxes of cereal were kept.

Emma shook her head. “I’ve got to meet Elsa. I’m already running late.” She knew that Elsa and Anna wouldn’t mind her being a couple of minutes late for their carpool, but Killian Jones was another story entirely.

Defeated, David took a banana from the fruit bowl and handed it to his daughter. “To put my mind at ease that you’ll at least have something healthy.”

Emma rolled her eyes but took the banana from her father. “Fine. Bye,” she said, starting to head to the front door.

“Don’t forget,” called out David after his daughter, “your grandmother wants you to go and see her after school.”

“Step-grandmother,” corrected Emma, popping her head back into the kitchen. She wasn’t even sure if she ought to call Regina that. In the past seventeen years, Emma doubted that she had even seen the woman seventeen times, and on none of those occasions had she behaved the way a grandmother - step or not - ought to. As far as Emma was concerned, she had one grandmother - Grandma Ruth - and one stranger who had married her grandfather, who was also very much a stranger to Emma. “Did she say what she wanted?”

David went back to mixing pancake batter. “I didn’t ask. But she’s family, and she wants to see you.”

Emma let out a sigh and fiddled with the tightening strap of her backpack. “Fine.” She didn’t really have time to argue with her father.

“And be nice,” he added with a sigh. “She just lost her husband.”

Emma glanced up at her father, suddenly getting why her father was suddenly so sympathetic to a woman he otherwise considered odious. Though Emma saw no similarities between her father and step-grandmother, she could see how her father might somehow feel that Regina’s situation was like the one he had been in sixteen years ago. Unexpectedly without a spouse. Alone and grief-stricken. The comparisons could be drawn, Emma admitted. But her mother’s car accident at the age of twenty-six leaving behind a baby and loving husband hardly seemed equal in tragedy as her grandfather dropping dead from a heart attack at seventy-seven.

“Okay,” she said, offering her father a reassuring smile. “I’ll be good.”

The father and daughter exchanged parting nods before she opened the door. As quickly as possible in combat boots, Emma ran down the three flights of stairs and out into the mid-September day. She ran to Elsa’s blue prius, not bothering to check her watch to see just how late she was.

As she opened the car door, she was greeted simultaneously with a, “Morning!” from Elsa and Anna, and a, “Finally” from Killian. Emma said, “Sorry I’m late,” and slid into the backseat across from Killian.

“No worries, we’ll be right on time!” said Elsa, starting to back the car up out of its parking space.

“Unless the construction on Fifth Street is still going on,” countered Killian, looking up from his copy of The Strange Case of Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde to give Emma an annoyed look.

“Ignore Mr. Grumpy,” suggested Anna brightly from the front passenger seat, as she finished applying her lip gloss.

Emma let out a laugh and said, “Oh, I do.” She gave Killian a smirk before buckling her belt, glad that she could sit and not hurry for the next twenty minutes. Of course, Killian had already gone back to reading his book, so he completely missed her look. While some people in the minutes before the school day might trying to skim over pages they should have read the night before, Emma knew Killian well enough to be confident that this was a book he was reading for his own enjoyment. No doubt whatever book the seniors were reading in Honors English was one that he had read years before.

Realizing that she had been staring at Killian for several minutes lost in thought, Emma looked to the front of the car, trying to catch up to the conversation the two sisters were engaged in.

“--And I know it’s fast,” Anna was saying, cheeks turning pink, “but he wants to meet mom and dad.” She let out a sigh and leaned back against the back of her seat. “Oh, Elsa, I really do think I’m in love with Hans.”

Emma’s eyebrows rose. It wasn’t surprising that Anna, the girl who watched romantic comedies almost exclusively, had found someone to fall in love with less than two weeks after starting high school. What was so surprising was the person Anna had become enamored with.

Without even taking her eyes off the road, “You can’t be in love with someone you just met,” said Elsa matter-of-factly. She turned into the school parking lot and began to search for an empty spot.

Nodding in agreement, Emma leaned forward and said, “You don’t really know each other yet.” Emma barely knew the senior, and she couldn’t stand him. Emma struggled to understand how Anna could not see beyond the boy's charming exterior to realize that everything underneath it was all just an act.

Unexpectedly from the backseat, “Hans is a cad and swarmy worm. You deserve better,” said Killian, putting his book away.

Emma turned to glance over at the person she had thought was even less aware of the conversation the sisters were having than she was, surprised that he was even offering an opinion, much less support of Anna. Emma supposed that years of being neighbors and a year and a half of carpooling two and from school with her sister might have made Killian feel protective of Anna, but she hadn’t even thought before today that he cared much for the talkative girl.

The car slowed as Elsa pulled into a parking spot.

There was a click of belts being unbuckled, and Anna practically leapt out of the car, cheeks burning before dashing off towards the building.

“And look,” said Elsa with a sigh, “Hans is waiting for her.” She shook her head and got out of the car. “I don’t like him at all.”

Emma and Killian followed suit stepping out of the car. “He’ll show his true colors eventually,” said Emma softly, “and you’ll be there for Anna with hot cocoa. I’ll bring the cinnamon.” She didn’t understand how people could drink hot chocolate without cinnamon. It seemed so completely bland to her.

The three started to walk to the school building.

“Oh, Elsa, before I forget,” said Emma, “Regina’s in town, and she wants to see me, so don’t wait around for me after school.” She knew that her step-grandmother would be sending a chauffeur to pick her up, like she always did.

Elsa gave Emma a sympathetic smile. “Okay. Text me when you get back home.” As they entered the building, Elsa caught sight of the clock on the wall. “See,” she said turning to Killian with a teasing smile, “eight minutes to spare. Told you I’d get us here on time.” She gave Emma and Killian a wave before heading to Physics on the second floor.

Before Emma could part ways with Killian and go to her locker, he said softly, “So… what’s so fascinating about me this morning that you couldn’t stop looking at me.”

Emma faced him, annoyed to see his smug expression. She folded her arms. “I wasn’t looking at you. I was looking through you while thinking about my presentation. Sorry. Next time I have to stare off into space, I’ll make sure my gaze isn’t directed anywhere near you.” She could feel the back of her neck growing hot, but she wasn’t about to let Killian think that she had been staring at him and thinking about him. That would only go to his head.

“Oh, I’m gutted, Swan.” He clutched his hand to his heart dramatically. “Completely and utterly gutted.”

“You’ll live,” muttered Emma, turning away from him to head to class. She didn’t have time to deal with Killian and his antics, and she was fairly sure that he had better things to do than annoy her. As she turned the corner, she quickly glanced over to see Killian’s retreating form. She bit her lip. She didn’t have time for this.

***

The nausea still hadn’t abated by the time that the black Lincoln Town car pulled up in front of the student pick-up area at three, drawing a few stares and murmurs from her school mates. Even during prom season, limos of any variety were a very rare sight in Storybrooke. For the second time today, embarrassment washed over Emma. As if it wasn’t bad enough to have gotten sick while trying to give her presentation, a black limo complete with magnetic little flags saying “diplomat” had to pick her up barely over an hour later. Not wanting to stand around on the curb hearing people’s confusion and speculation in the background for a minute longer, Emma threw open the door and climbed inside, cheeks burning red.

“Good afternoon, Emma,” said the man in the front seat.

“Hey Robin,” she said to her step-grandmother’s personal assistant. “Didn’t know you moonlighted as a chauffeur.” All the other times that her grandmother had had her get picked up, a professional driver had been the one to do it.

“Your grandmother wanted me to drive you myself,” explained Robin, looking at Emma’s reflection in the rearview mirror.

“Huh. Cool,” she said, not really all that interested. She leaned forward, resting her elbows on the back of the front seats. “Say, do you have any gum?” The water from the fountain at school wasn’t going to cut it when it came to washing the taste of her failure out of her mouth.

Robin opened the glove compartment and rifled around for a few seconds. “Best I can do is a mint.” He held out the red and white striped peppermint to Emma.

“It’ll do,” she said, taking it from Robin’s hand. Emma leaned back in her seat and began to unwrap the candy. As the limo started to pull away from the curb, Emma popped the mint in her mouth. The school began to vanish from sight, obscured pine trees.

The next half-hour passed largely in silence, though it wasn’t for a lack of trying on Emma’s part. Every question she asked Robin was answered with only a few words or a nod. Only when she asked if he could turn the radio on did she get an actual answer - he disliked American music. If she had been traveling to any destination other than a visit with her step-grandmother, Emma might have been relieved when they pulled up in front of the fancy, gated building in Portland perched up on a hill, but instead, Emma was ready to get back in the car and endure another half-hour with Robin.

Regardless, Emma got out of the limo and followed Robin down the entry way and into the elevators to the top floor of the building. As the elevator ascended several floors, Emma fiddled with the button the sleeve of her shirt, looking down at her scuffed boots. In a building where everything was gilded, it was hard not to feel shabby, even in the elevator.

At the top floor, she let Robin show her to Regina’s suite, even though there was only one suite on the whole floor. She had found that out the last time she had been brought to see Regina. Before Robin and Emma reached the large red door, it swung open, revealing a smartly dressed man in black. As they entered the suite passing by the man, Emma caught sight of a walkie-talkie clipped to his belt. Before she could ask just who the man was, she was already being ushered into another room with a large window looking out over the city.

“Your grandmother will be in in a minute,” a voice said.

Emma turned around to see a thin man with salt and pepper hair sitting at a desk.

The man got to her feet and walked over. “I’m Sydney Glass,” he said. “Your grandmother’s personal assistant.”

The teenager blinked. “I thought Robin was her personal assistant,” she said, glancing around the lavishly decorated room to see that Robin had vanished.

Sydney let out a soft laugh and shook his head. “No, that’s my job. I’ve been her assistant for years. I’m sorry we’ve never met before, Emma.” He offered her hand. “Truly an honor.”

“Thanks?” Emma said, cautiously reaching out to shake the stranger’s hand. “So that makes Robin…”

“Her bodyguard.”

Instantly, Emma’s eyebrows rose. Before she could ask Sydney if she was pulling her leg, she caught sight of Regina standing in the doorway that led deeper into the suite.

“Emma.”

Emma hated how Regina said her name, annunciating every syllable, dwelling over her name. “Grandmother,” she said, barely managing a smile. “Been a while.” She laced her hands together awkwardly. “Um… like… two years?” She dragged her boot against the floor, desperately trying to think of what she should say. Should she comment on Regina’s pant suit? No, that would probably spark either a long discussion about some designer Emma had never heard of or else prompt Regina to comment on Emma’s own choice of wardrobe. Anything involving clothing was not a safe subject. The weather? No, that would only cause Regina to wax poetic about how beautiful it was in Misthaven this time of year - it was supposedly beautiful in Misthaven no matter what time of year it was, according to Regina - and how terrible it always was in Maine. That would just be annoying to hear again.

“Yes, it has been a while, hasn’t it,” said Regina, coming into the room properly. She held herself high and strode gracefully over to a table set out in the middle of the room with a white, lace tablecloth. She smiled at Emma. “You’ve grown. Almost a woman.”

Not sure if she ought to join her step-grandmother at the table, Emma stood where she had been by the window. “Umm… well I turn seventeen in October.”

Sydney felt no such hesitation and went over to pull the chair out for Regina to sit in.

“October 23rd,” Regina said. “Just a few weeks away.” She sat down and glanced at her step-granddaughter as Sydney scuttled away out of the room. “Surprised I remember?”

Did the woman want an honest answer? “The birthday card did come a little late last year,” she said, “but no… I guess not.” It wasn’t like she was always on top of making sure things were in by the deadline. She had submitted far too many papers after the day it was due for anyone to think that she was punctual when it came to work.

“I was there when you were born,” continued Regina. “Well not in the room. But I was there. Met you when you were less than an hour old.”

Emma frowned and took a couple of steps closer to the table in the center of the room. It had been years since she had asked her father about the day she had been born, and what she remembered from the story - a young husband and wife so happy to be becoming parents, and her so eager to meet them that she hadn’t waited for the hospital - didn’t feature her step-grandmother coming in.

“You were actually born in Misthaven. Did you know that?”

“Um, yeah, actually,” she said. “To get my driver’s license I needed my birth certificate.” She had known before then, though she couldn’t remember her father ever actually telling her about it. It had just been something she had always known. A good part of the first year of her life had been spent in Misthaven, the country where her mother had grown up.

For a fraction of a second, Regina looked disappointed, but before Emma could ask why she was mentioning all this now, Sydney returned to the room, pushing an antique tea cart.

As Sydney set the teapot and teacups on the table, Regina said, “Do sit down, Emma. And please avoid scuffing up the floor with your boots.” It came out almost as a sigh.

Emma didn’t wait for Sydney to pull the chair out for her. She interrupted the man as he reached to take the chair out and help her sit down, the way he had helped Regina. She sat down and scooted the chair forward. The resulting scrape was enough to make her step-grandmother wince.

Sydney started to pour tea for the both of them.

“None for me,” said Emma, putting her hand over the cup that was clearly meant for her.

“You don’t have to drink it, Emma,” said Regina with a patient smile, “but it’s polite to accept it.”

Emma took her hand back, and Sydney finished pouring the tea. Emma accepted the cup that the personal assistant offered her, wishing it were coffee.

His task done, Sydney left the room.

Regina picked up the cup and brought it to her lips. She sipped almost soundlessly.

Emma swirled the tea in her cup.

“You look quite like your mother, you know,” said Regina suddenly.

Emma looked up. “I’ve been told.” Though her coloring took after her father, from the pictures she had seen of her mother, she was a dead ringer for her.

“How much do you know about your mother, Emma?”

“She met my dad in college. She was studying Environmental and Political Sciences. She came from Misthaven. She and my dad got married shortly after graduation,” Emma said, not sure what Regina was getting at.

“So you know about her life as far as it concerned your father.”

“I guess.”

“How much do you know about her childhood? About her family? Your family.”

With a shrug of her shoulders, Emma said, “Not all that much?” Her voice raised a little high, uncertainty creeping in. “Her mother died when she was still in elementary school. Her father married you not long after.” Her father hadn’t exactly told her much. She had asked, but she had never really gotten any answers, and eventually she had just learned to stop asking. She knew it pained her father to talk about her mother, and she didn’t like to see him in that kind of distress. Besides, there were so many questions she wanted to ask about her mother that Emma knew her father couldn’t answer.

“So hardly anything,” said Regina, straightening up. The smallest smirk displaced the scar on the older woman’s lip.

Emma picked a sugar cube out of the sugar bowl and put it in her mouth. Even if sugar was supposedly the Devil when it came to health these days, Emma knew that it would be better than one of those dry, crumbling tea cakes her step-grandmother insisted on serving every time she came over.

“Would you like to learn about her?”

She made a sharp intake of breath that left her coughing. For a several dry, agonizing moments, Emma coughed, feeling her eyes watering. Seeing no other way out, she reached for the tea cup and took a sip. Though the liquid hurt going down, it was better than coughing on the sugar cube. Taking several unobstructed breaths, Emma set the cup back down on its apple blossom patterned saucer.

“I’ll take that as a yes.”

“Yes, but…” Emma voice trailed off. Her father had told her many times before that her mother and Regina hadn’t gotten along well at all, which made Emma wonder just how accurate anything Regina said could be. Certainly anything that her father said would be closer to the truth, even if it was just a guess.

“I shouldn’t have to be the one to tell you about her,” said Regina. “You should have grown up knowing your mother.”

Emma bent her head, staring at the reddish-brown tea, suddenly finding the apple blossom and buds at the bottom of the cup much easier to look at than Regina. She had thought that herself so many times over the years, but somehow hearing Regina say it made her want to squirm.

“It is a terrible shame that the accident took her away from us… from all of us.” Regina let out a sigh. “She was a beloved princess, and they say she would made an exceptional queen.”

Confused, Emma frowned, trying to follow Regina’s logic. She searched the older woman’s expression for some kind of hint, but finding no other explanations for Regina’s word choice, all Emma could do was ask, “Metaphorically?”

“No, Emma,” said Regina. “You should have been told years ago. Your mother was the crown princess, heir to the throne of Misthaven, a kingdom her family - your family - has ruled over for hundreds of years. A kingdom that is now rulerless.”

Dumbfounded, Emma stared at her step-grandmother, squinting hard. There was nothing she could manage to say or do other than just gape. It was as if her brain had run full force into a white wall thirty stories tall and wide. Sheer shock immobilized her.

“Given how easy it is to find out information these days, I must admit that I am a little bit surprised you weren’t aware. All it takes is a few clicks and you have more information than anyone could ever possibly want about any topic, including your mother and her family.”

Unable to process what Regina was saying now, instead Emma spluttered, “Seriously?”

Regina fell silent, finally giving Emma a minute to think.

“You can’t expect me to believe that,” said Emma, finding herself speaking out loud. “That my mother was a princess. Are you filming this?” She glanced around looking for cameras, her stomach suddenly turning over as a fresh wave of nausea hit her. “Is this some kind of prank?” There didn’t seem to be any cameras, but that didn’t mean that there wasn’t some kind of prank going on.

“It is the truth,” said Regina. “Your mother was a princess, the only child of King Leopold and Queen Eva. The only child of King Leopold for that matter.”

The words were ones that Emma had learned long ago, but she struggled to find any sense in them. “I don’t,” she stammered. “That’s not-”

“Mary Margaret was supposed to take over the throne when her father died,” continued Regina, as if oblivious to her perplexed step-granddaughter, “but as you know, your mother died young, and your grandfather, my husband, had no other heir. Now that he’s gone, that leaves you.”

Emma blinked, leaning back in her chair, “Me? Why me?”

Frustration wrinkled the woman’s unnaturally young forehead for a moment. “Because, you’re the last Blanchard.” Each word seemed to be holding back something. Anger? Annoyance? Emma was well beyond being able to tell. “You are the only princess left of Misthaven, and when you come of age, you will be our Queen.”

Slowly, Emma shook her head, mouth hanging open mutely.

“Emma.”

“No. You’re wrong,” Emma protested.

Regina let out a shallow laugh and shook her head. “Believe me, if there were another viable option for my country, I would be having tea with them, and not you, but unfortunately, the ruler must be of royal blood.”

“I’m not a princess.”

The dowager queen gave a small, smug smile and said, “Your ancestry disagrees.”

Without any warning, Emma could feel it coming up, bubbling to the surface. She shot up from her chair. “I am not a princess,” Emma repeated. “Either you’re delusional, or you’ve got a sick sense of humor. And I don’t want any part of that.” She took a step backwards, knocking over her chair. As it clattered to the floor and Regina flinched, Emma saw her chance. She ran.

The entry room was a blur of gold and confusion as she hurried out. She threw all of her weight against the heavy doors leading out of the suite, ignoring the shouts behind her. She was past the point of caring. Knowing better than to wait for the elevator allowing herself to get stopped by one of those men in suits and be dragged, Emma headed straight for the stairs. She dashed down several steps at a time, her footsteps echoing loudly in the stairwell. A couple of clatter-filled minutes later, and Emma was opening the door to the atrium and Italian marble floors. She hurried past the front desk. The revolving door slowed down her escape, but only for a moment.

Breaking out into the cooling evening air, Emma started running again. She couldn’t run all the way home, she knew, but if she put in enough distance between herself and this insanity, she could call Elsa. Elsa would come and find her, wherever she was. After dashing through several city blocks and crossing a couple of streets after barely looking to see if any cars were approaching, Emma began to feel the sharp grab at her side. “Fuck,” she wheezed, slowing her sprint down to a slow limp. She had no idea how far or how fast she had run, but she was fairly sure that it was further and faster than any gym teacher had ever been able to convince her to go.

She rubbed her side and took a few deep breaths, glancing around. When she spotted the bench at the bus shelter, Emma walked over, wincing as she went. She sat down heavily on the blue metal mesh bench and pulled out her phone from her flannel’s front pocket. With a few clicks, she brought up Elsa’s contact info. “Come on Elsa,” she murmured as the phone rang. “Pick up.” Uncharacteristically, the phone kept ringing until finally, “I’m sorry that I can’t come to the phone right now, but if you leave a message, I’ll get back to you shortly!” played.

Without any hesitation, Emma redialed Elsa, only again to find the same pre-recorded message instead of her friend. “Elsa, where are you?” she whispered. Usually, Elsa was the sort of person who picked up immediately. Even though only a handful of people had her number and she was rarely contacted on her phone by those select few, Elsa rarely left texts unanswered for longer than a couple of minutes or let the phone ring for long.

Call me ASAP Emma texted. I need your help.

When she looked up from her phone, she jumped a little. Parked right where a city bus should have been was a black limo, driver’s window rolled down to reveal a bearded face peering out at her through black sunglasses.

“You followed me,” said Emma accusatorily.

“I protect the royal family of Misthaven,” Robin said. “Following you is part of my job now.” He gave her a small, sympathetic smile. “And you forgot your bag.”

Emma got to her feet, wincing as her side protested. She walked slowly to the curb. “Look, I’ve had enough about this royal thing,” she said. “I’m not going back there. And I don’t want to hear anything about princesses or kings or--”

“Please,” Robin interrupted, holding out his hand. “I’m not going to take you back to the Queen. I’m here to take you home.”

Tucking her chin down to better stare through Robin’s sunglasses, Emma frowned. His face was honest. It didn’t look like he was lying to her, but Emma had been wrong before. “If you make the turn to go to her instead of to the highway, I’m calling 9-1-1 to report my kidnapping,” Emma said after several moments of considering Robin’s expression. “In fact-” she brought up the dial pad on her phone and pressed nine before showing it to him, “just a precaution.”

Robin blinked. “Do I look like a kidnapper?”

“I could see your face on a wanted poster,” Emma said simply before opening the front passenger door.

“Princess-”

Emma held up a hand. “I don’t want any of that. No ‘Princess’, no ‘your Majesty’, no--”

“Your Highness is the appropriate term for a princess.”

“Really? What did I just say?” Emma glowered at her step-grandmother’s body guard. “It’s Emma. Just Emma.” Whatever titles her step-grandmother and her minions insisted that she had, Emma knew that none of them applied to her. American girls in combat boots and thick glasses didn’t come with titles. Titles of books they needed to read for English class or maybe titles of term papers that were a few days overdue, but nothing akin to “Princess.”

“Of course,” he said, pausing, “Emma.”

Emma wished she had the energy to offer him a smile in gratitude for giving her this much and for helping her, but all she could manage was a small nod as she climbed into the front seat.

Author’s Notes: Hello and thank you for clicking on this fic that I have been working hard on since October-November 2017! Hard to believe that I'm finally at the point of posting it! 

This story has been beta'd by @katealexandra26. 

It was originally meant to be a CS Big Bang fic, but I withdrew, which means that I can post this fic a little bit sooner than I thought I would be able to! I do have to thank the CSBB community for helping me with this fic, whether it was sprinting to write it, or coming up with suggestions, or encouraging me to write it at all. A huge shout out goes to the mods of the @captainswanbigbang who worked with me, even if ultimately it didn't work out.

Thank you so much for reading, especially the author's notes. Please let me know what you think!

[asvidema]

i end up sounding selfish, and i really don't want to be, but i really appreciate what i do sometimes. art wise and character design wise. lmao

[merry-maker-of-marks]

Random Rant about Return to Oz

This is going to be a suuuuper random post for this blog, so sorry everyone, but this is another thought that’s been bothering me that I just have to put somewhere, so here we go. 

I really really really really really really really wish that somehow, someway, someday, someone will make a movie based on the Oz books that is as good as, if not better than, Return to Oz. 

I don’t know much about movie making, so I can’t speak to the exact quality of this movie. I more mean the movie’s representation of Oz. 

I feel like nowadays most of the inspiration for Oz media comes from either the 1939, MGM movie, or Wicked, and while both fine in their own right, I don’t think any movie has truly captured Oz as well as Return to Oz. 

Return to Oz gets just dark enough to convince me they’re in Oz, and just weird and whimsical enough, also to convince me they’re in Oz. As magical and wonderful a place Oz is, it’s freaking weird, and kind of messed up in some places. In the first book, The Tin Woodman chops off the heads of a bunch of wolves on their way to fight The Wicked Witch of the West. 

The Tin Woodman is the Tin Woodman because an evil witch enchanted his ax to shop all his limbs off and a Tin Smith made him new limbs until he was entirely tin. 

There are people who keep their brains in cans. There’s a Hungry Tiger (that’s his name) who has the unwavering desire to eat fat babies (he never does because he knows it’s wrong, but still) There’s a queen who wears different heads (she’s in Return to Oz, but she’s given a different name) 

As cool and magical and wonderful as Oz is, it can be a sort of disturbing place. It’s a strange, different kind of fantasy, fairy land, that doesn’t really resemble old fairy tales like Grimm's and Hans Christian Anderson, which it came after. But it also doesn’t resembled Narnia, or Lord of the Rings, which it came before. 

Which is part of the reason why I think people honestly have no clue what the hell to do with it. 

But what the hell to do with it, is to keep it the same. Which is why I love Return to Oz so much, because it kept so much of it the same, while combining elements in a way that worked and made sense. It’s one of the best blends of two books I’ve ever seen. 

(This is getting so much longer than intended.)

I’ll get to the main points now. Return to Oz is based on the second and third book in the original Oz series written by L. Frank Baum. The Marvelous Land of Oz and Ozma of Oz. 

Now it’s been a while since I read the third book, but I remember enough from it to make my points. 

1. Return to Oz has Oz as a real place, which in the books it is. Unlike in the MGM movie where it’s supposed to just be a dream. 

2. In Return to Oz Dorothy is a little girl, which she in the books she is, and continues to be, especially after she goes to live in Oz (Because in Oz you don’t age if you don’t want to) 

3. In Ozma of Oz, Dorothy gets carried back to Oz after somehow washing off a ship her and Uncle Henry were on. She is accompanied by Bellina, the hen, and (if I’m remembering right) does end up in the Deadly Dessert, the dessert that surrounds Oz and turns any living thing that touches it into sand. 

4. While the context of Dorothy’s journey across water with the hen is different in Return to Oz, the rest of the above is what happens in the movie. 

5. In Ozma of Oz and Return to Oz, the first adversary Dorothy faces upon entering Oz are the Wheelers. A terrifying, but cowardly group of strange creatures who act a lot meaner and tougher than they are. 

6. In Ozma of Oz, she ends up in a different land first (I think Ix??? But I can’t remember. Ev or Ix) where in Return to Oz she ends up in Oz. But this makes sense because trying to introduce a whole other land in a movie that takes place in an already well known world wouldn’t make a ton of sense. 

7. The second adversary she meets is Mombi, who is a character from the second Oz book. In the movie she is made into the queen who has more than one head and wears them like a wardrobe, who is a character from Ozma of Oz, the third book. 

8. While the queen is never really a threat in the third book, making her one of the villains with the name of the villain in the second book is another change that makes sense because switching your head is sort of terrifying 

9. And in any case, Mombi does still hold Ozma captive, like she did in the second book (tho in Return to Oz it’s done differently) 

10. Ozma is still the creator of Jack Pumpkinhead, even if Jack doesn’t remember that. In the second book Ozma (in the form of Tip) created Jack to scare Mombi. 

11. The characterizations are all good, in my opinion. 

Tl;dr: This is getting long, I have so many more points, but I won’t go over every second of the movie. I suppose I say all this to say that, while not perfect, the original Oz books were a well realized, interesting, and unique world. And most of the time when people try to portray it they do so in a way that makes it no longer recognizable as Oz. Return to Oz is distinctly recognizable as Oz. 

One last note: This is also not to say that different takes on Oz are bad, and that the books are the only good and reliable source when making Oz movies and shows. Original ideas and content can be good. It’s just that Oz, as it was created, is a really interesting and cool place and I feel like a lot of times when people makes things in Oz they entirely ignore the source material, which is a real shame because they have so much source material. 

[davidmann95]

May I please ask which realisation of Superman's costume on-screen is your favourite? (also how would you rank the other takes on Big Blue's eponymous threads relative to your favourite?).

9. The Superman Returns/Smallville Suit

I seriously respect what this number’s trying to do in adapting the real suit into a modern sensibility as closely as reasonably possible, but in practice it looks washed-out and rubbery, with the oddly unnecessary revisions to the S-shield managing to botch a design that in theory should be the essence of iconic simplicity. It looks more like a Superman Halloween costume - albeit quite a well-done one - than an actual suit that guy would wear.

8. The DCEU Suit

Much like the last one, I really do respect what the designers were going for here, attempting to translate the most iconic aspects of his suit into a first contact/alien invasion blockbuster aesthetic, and for the most part they succeed. I’m not sure I buy that’s alien super-fabric and not rubber, and the built-in sixpack feels pretty ridiculously overcompensatory when it’s already Henry Cavill wearing the thing, but the colors pop on the rare occasion it’s filmed in decent lighting, the symbol, cape and boots are great, and even those little wrist-cuffs are - I think - an inspired little callback to his Golden Age look. But then you get to the waist and…Jesus, man. I get removing the trunks even if I by no stretch approve, but the half-belt and the webbing and the…gahhhhhhhh. The designers knew good and goddamn well that the look’s incomplete without something being in that area, but they didn’t have a single decent idea as to what to replace it with, so they just threw some noodly shit on top and called it a day, spoiling what would’ve otherwise been a reasonably inspired reworking.

7. The initial DCTV Suit

There’s lots of details I’m not wild about - those gauntlet-like upper halves of the boots, the cape attachments and the look of the cape itself - but I feel like it comes together as a coherent package in a way its big-screen cousin doesn’t quite manage, the texture isn’t trying nearly so obnoxiously hard, and that perfect s-shield ties it all together excellently. As far as suits that aren’t the real one go, this is probably about as good as we can reasonably hope for.

6. The Lois and Clark Suit

I kinda wavered on where to place this one; frankly, between the shield clearly being pasted on after the fact rather than really being sewn into the costume, and the nylon look of the trunks and belt, it comes across as kinda cheapo when you take a good look at it. But much like the last two it looks noticeably better in motion, and the color scheme and general vibe are too good to overlook.

5. The Kirk Alyn/George Reeves Suit

I was uncertain about this one for the same reason as Dean Cain’s, but I decided that while some aspects of it seem pretty off-the-rack, it works for this version of the character: simple and woolen, almost sweater-ish, it looks comforting, the version of the Superman suit I can most easily believe his mother made for him, which definitely works for me. Part of me thinks it should go higher, but the next couple take chances and succeed, while I can’t say there’s much about this that my #1 pick doesn’t do better.

4. The Superman & Lois Suit

The muscle padding is a little much and it shows in some shots - it feels like overcompensating for people ridiculously claiming Hoechlin isn’t jacked enough for the part - but otherwise it’s a fairly spot-on realization of the basic Superman aesthetic into the modern pleather/super-textured modern live-action supersuit standard. A minimum of fuss or muss for what it is, which shouldn’t be particularly laudable but has turned out to be a hell of a needle to thread across the last decade and a half of adaptations.

3. The Kingdom Come Suit

I described the Superman & Lois suit as spot-on for what it is, but this is spot-on period. The texture does the absolute minimum to conform to modern standards without sacrificing that it should still look like a cloth costume, the colors pop, and serves as the definitive proof against any reasonable argument that the classic suit doesn’t still work now.

2. The Superman & Lois ‘original’ suit

Seems to be using the Kingdom Come suit as a base, but I put it ahead for three reasons:

* Maybe it’s just how it was filmed or has to do with the recoloring, but it really does look completely like cloth, and has a bit of that homemade feel I mentioned with George Reeves suit in the process.

* It has a touch more yellow thanks to the border around the S.

* Look, we all knew we’d see live-action Kingdom Come someday, but who was expecting live-action Flesicher?

If in a subsequent flashback he slaps the classic S on this and puts on a yellow belt it may well be our new #1. But for now...

1. The Christopher Reeve/Superboy TV Show Suit

This is Superman’s costume. You know this. If you have a right-thinking bone in your body, a singular fiber of your being that recognizes the fundamental truths of the world, you acknowledge this to be the case even if you might personally prefer something else. Actual, literal babies are aware that this is what Superman wears, and even disregarding the tryhards who want to bleach out all the color and mangle it with seams and rubber and tear off the underwear for the same basic underlying reasons they want Batman to shoot people? That grown adults are arguing the point on this after 79 years because ‘no one would dress like that!’ is embarrassing on a level that can only be appropriately measured against the likes of someone whining that parsecs are unit of distance rather than time and therefore Han Solo making the Kessel Run in under 15 makes no sense, or a cursory glance at Neil deGrasse Tyson’s Twitter feed whenever a new sci-fi movie comes out. Yes, we’re all aware this basic staple of fantastical pop culture seems a touch odd or unbelievable by real-world standards. Go cry about it into your TI-84, nerd. This is Superman’s costume. He’s got the s, the cape, the trunks and belt, the bodysuit, the boots, the all of it, and it looks right and it looks consistent. This is what Superman wears.

[citizenscreen]

Only a handful of movies have been announced for the 2018 Turner Classic Movies Film Festival (TCMFF), but excitement builds anyway as tickets are scheduled to go on sale in just a few days. The 2018 festival is scheduled for April 26 – 29 and many of us have been waiting for 2018 passes since this year’s event concluded. It’s a vicious cycle we enjoy perpetuating. In any case, mark your calendars for 10AM ET. on Tuesday, November 7 if you’re a Citi member for the exclusive pre sale and for 10AM ET. November 9 for the public sale. Get all of the details you need at TCM. You’ll note, by the way, that passes for this festival are not cheap and overall expenses can be prohibitive, but if you’re a classics fan and have never attended TCMFF it’s a sacrifice worth making at least once. You can read any number of posts about past experiences by many bloggers to know why. Now to 2018…

Along with the anticipation of the festival itself is the yearning for our favorite movies to be screened. I’ve yet to be disappointed with a screening in the five years I’ve attended the festival, but that doesn’t mean I don’t have ideas about what I would love to see. This year is no different. The chosen theme for TCMFF 2018 is Powerful Words: The Page Onscreen, which is intended as a “celebrating the representation of the written word on the silver screen.” When you consider that all movies start out as written words the possibilities for screenings are endless. That said, I still have had specific titles swirling around in my head since the dates and theme were announced and I’d like to share those recommendations with you. I should mention that I planned the list to contain 10 suggestions, but as you’ll see I failed miserably at limiting the list to so few. In fact, it was a strain on my heart to keep it at a svelte 21.

These are not listed in order of preference and I also did not take into account whether any have been screened in previous festivals. I don’t think that should necessarily be a deterrent. You’ll also notice my choices are from varied eras, allowing for the greatest number of guests possible. I’ve highlighted the guests I’d like to see in a few instances to make it easy for TCM to know who they should extend an invitation to. You’re welcome! Also, while I don’t mention the inclusion of writers they would no doubt enhance any presentation. Here we go…

My TCMFF 2018 Recommendations

Powerful Words: The Page Onscreen

Alan Crosland’s The Beloved Rogue (1927) starring John Barrymore and Conrad Veidt gets the most votes in my mind. This film, about French poet François Villon, had been thought lost for decades. According to legend, The Beloved Rogue is the John Barrymore movie the star watched with a large audience who didn’t know he was in attendance. The story goes that Barrymore was standing at the back of the movie palace and, dissatisfied with his own performance, said, “what a ham…”

It would be fun to have Drew Barrymore introduce this movie with Tom Meyers of the Fort Lee Film Commission. Tom and his team have several Barrymore-related projects in the works in Fort Lee. The Barrymores have strong ties to America’s first film town. I believe the TCMFF crowd would appreciate some early film history added to the introduction of the great Barrymore in a silent movie.

  Another movie I am really rooting for is William Dieterle‘s The Life of Emile Zola (1937). This movie has a memorable supporting cast, but it’s the film’s star, Paul Muni, who would make this special. He was my father’s favorite actor, which means a lot to me right now. Plus I’ve never seen him on a big screen. This biopic of the famous French novelist, which won Best Picture of the year, would be the perfect opportunity for me to do so.

  Rouben Mamoulian‘s 1931 screen adaptation of Robert Louis Stevenson‘s Strange Case of Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde is another one I’d love to see. Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde stars Fredric March, who won the Oscar for his portrayal of the main character(s), and Miriam Hopkins who is always enjoyable to watch.

  Curtis Bernhardt‘s Devotion (1946) starring Ida Lupino and Olivia de Havilland as Emily and Charlotte Bronte should be a strong contender. The movie also stars Paul Henreid, which means Monika Henreid can be on hand to introduce the movie. Monika has just completed Paul Henreid: Beyond Victor Laszlo, a documentary focused on her father’s career.

  Based on John Steinbeck‘s Pulitzer Prize winning novel, John Ford‘s The Grapes of Wrath (1940) is as essential as it gets among book-to-film adaptations. It would be terrific to have both Jane Fonda and Peter Fonda on hand to introduce this movie, which features one of the greatest performances from their father’s legendary career.

  Based on a collection of stories titled The Jungle Book by Rudyard Kipling (1894), Disney’s 1967 animated classic of the same name directed by Wolfgang Reitherman should be considered a bare necessity. (Pa rum pum.) But seriously folks, wouldn’t it be fun to watch this animated classic together?

  Norman Taurog‘s The Adventures of Tom Sawyer (1938) would be an enjoyable screening. This movie features a stellar cast and we can have the added attraction of Cora Sue Collins in attendance to discuss the making of it. Cora Sue plays Amy Lawrence in the movie and she is sure to enchant the TCMFF crowd with her stories.

  The perfect vehicle to follow Tom Sawyer is Irving Rapper‘s The Adventures of Mark Twain (1944). This movie is not without its flaws, but it’s no throw away second feature either. After all Twain, born Samuel Langhorne Clemens, was one of – if not thee – greatest humorists the world has ever known. His story deserves the kind of actors cast in this picture including Fredric March, Alexis Smith, Donald Crisp and Alan Hale leading a terrific list of supporting players. To introduce this one we can have any number of Mark Twain Prize winners including Carol Burnett, Carl Reiner, Billy Crystal, Tina Fey, Bill Murray, Eddie Murphy, Whoopi Goldberg and on and on. Just sayin’.

  Sidney Franklin‘s The Barretts of Wimpole Street (1934) starring Norma Shearer and Fredric March focuses on the difficult early family life of poet Elizabeth Barrett Browning. This is another one I’d love to see with the TCMFF audience. The cast alone is worth standing on line for.

  The lovely Barbara Rush should introduce The Young Philadelphians (1959) in which she co-starred with Paul Newman. Directed by Vincent Sherman, the movie is based on a 1956 novel by Richard Powell. Plus, I happen to be very fond of it and its terrific cast, which includes Alexis Smith, Brian Keith, Robert Vaughn, Billie Burke and a few other classic greats of note. I’d have Illeana Douglas interview Barbara Rush, by the way.

  Rob Reiner’s Misery (1990) is memorable thanks in large part to Kathy Bates’ extraordinary performance as the fan from hell. The fact that the movie is sure to chill even the most ardent horror fan is a side benefit. With Reiner, Bates and James Caan, (who’s also great in the movie) in attendance the experience would be absolutely unforgettable. Jot that down!

  Based on the novel Wuthering Heights by Emily Brontë (1847), William Wyler’s 1939 movie of the same title would be a treat on the big screen. I have to admit I’m not a huge fan of this movie because of what I think is a sell out ending. However, I also think it would be an immersive experience watching Wuthering Heights with a TCMFF audience.

  Lumet’s criminally underrated Fail-Safe (1964) starring Henry Fonda, Walter Matthau and another impressive list of players is one of the greatest thrillers of all time. Directed in the style of 12 Angry Men, Fail-Safe is based on the novel by Eugene Burdick. With an ending that leaves one speechless this is sure to be a hit with the TCMFF crowd. Again, the Fondas could introduce it along with Charles Matthau.

  Phil Karlson’s Scandal Sheet (1952) starring Broderick Crawford and Donna Reed is a fantastic film noir choice. I know Reed’s daughter, Mary Owen, does appearances for screenings of her mother’s films. It would be great to have her introduce this movie, which tells the story of a newspaper editor who commits a murder, alongside Eddie Muller.

  George Cukor’s version of Louisa May Alcott’s novel would be fantastic to see on the big screen. Little Women (1933) features an impressive cast any number of which can be well represented for an introduction. To name just two ideas – Tom Meyers would do a swell job of representing the Fort Lee-born Joan Bennett and Wyatt McCrea can discuss the movie and Frances Dee’s career.

  Fred Zinnemann’s Julia (1977) is based on the story by Lillian Hellman and both of the film’s two stars, Jane Fonda and Vanessa Redgrave, deliver affecting performances. It would be a huge attraction to have them both in attendance for a screening of this memorable film.

  Peter Brook’s 1963 adaptation of William Golding’s Lord of the Flies is a must. I had to read the book in high school and I will never forget the effect it had on me. The same goes for Brook’s naturalistic and truthful telling of the disturbing story. Any member of the cast and/or the director in attendance to discuss the making of the movie would be great.

  Charles Vidor’s Hans Christian Andersen (1952) starring Danny Kaye is my favorite of his movies. Beautiful to look at, wonderful to listen to and with all the charm of its star, Hans Christian Andersen reminds us fairy tales can come true. Who doesn’t want to share that with like-minded classic movie fans?

  An Odets/Lehman screenplay based on a Ernest Lehman novel – that’s what big money screenings are made of. Oh yeah plus Lancaster, Curtis and a memorable supporting cast. That’s what makes up Alexander Mackendrick‘s Sweet Smell of Success (1957) and its cynical world. I would love to see this introduced by Jamie Lee Curtis and Eddie Muller.

  Any number of movies based on the writing of W. Somerset Maugham would be treats at TCMFF. For personal reasons, however, I’m going with William Wyler’s The Letter (1940), which is based on a 1927 play by Maugham. Given this movie’s power of seduction (who can look away after that opening sequence) it deserves an introduction with serious clout. My plan would be to ask either Susan Sarandon, since she narrates the TCM original documentary, Stardust: The Bette Davis Story, or Meryl Streep who narrates the terrific Tribute to Bette Davis on the network. Both of them in attendance talking about Davis before we watch one of her greatest films would be a dream.

  I was going to end my recommendations list with Wilder’s Sunset Blvd. because what better example of writing for the screen is there? But then I couldn’t in good conscience include Wilder’s masterpiece and leave out the movie that beat it at the Oscars, Joseph L. Mankiewicz’s All About Eve (1950), which I also love. Of the two I had to admit Mankiewicz’s movie is the better choice due to the fact that the writer of the short story, The Wisdom of Eve, on which the movie is based does not get screen credit. TCMFF 2018 is the perfect occasion during which to honor the writer’s work officially this many years later. Of course either Sarandon or Streep would do quite nicely introducing this movie alongside Ben Mankiewicz.

Mary Orr’s The Wisdom of Eve was originally a 9-page short story that appeared in Cosmopolitan magazine in May 1946. Orr later expanded the story, in collaboration with Reginald Denham, into a successful play. 20th Century Fox later paid Mary Orr $5,000 for all rights to The Wisdom of Eve. What resulted is one of the all-time great motion pictures, which also deals with the importance of writing to a star’s career – stage or screen.

  Those are my 21 choices. I know acquiring all of the movies I mentioned is not possible and I know that some may not even be in good shape, but maybe I made note of a few that hadn’t occurred to anyone before. If not, then at least I enjoyed giving serious thought to how I would schedule the festival myself if I had great powers. Also, in case anyone’s interested, I have quite a few ideas for panels and Club TCM presentations. For instance, Illeana Douglas can moderate a group discussion about Pioneering  Women Screenwriters and Victoria Riskin can discuss her father Robert Riskin’s many contributions to films. Let me know if you want to hear more of those ideas and what your movie recommendations would be. Here endeth my post.

Hope to see you at TCMFF 2018!

  The Page Onscreen: Recommendations for #TCMFF 2018 Only a handful of movies have been announced for the 2018 Turner Classic Movies Film Festival (TCMFF)

[acousmetre-blog]

My Top 10 Film and TV Soundtracks of 2016

So I realize this is hella late. But I’ve had this list sitting on my computer since the beginning of 2017, and some of these films might get an in depth analysis in the future so you might as well know they’re my favorites first.

To get it out of the way, here are some of my honorable mentions: Luke Cage, Jason Bourne, Rogue One, Deadpool and Moana. I loved a lot of movies (and TV) in 2016 and technically my favorites list keeps going, so the music in these mentions was amazing, just not as impactful as my top 10. Also, my least favorite film music of 2016 was in Fences. It was poorly mixed and not timed well with the action or emotion on screen.

10. Nerve

Last but not least - inventive action flick, Nerve, directed by Henry Joost and Ariel Schuman with original music by Rob Simonsen. Simonsen added a fresh electronic pulse that sounds like 80s synth keyboards with a remixing taste that takes this soundtrack to present day.

9. The Neon Demon

Directed by Nicolas Winding Refn, this arthouse film is also full to the brim of electronica. But this tops Nerve because Cliff Martinez’s electronic world is just as lush as the bright blues and pinks of Refn. There is a breadth to his music, an intimacy to a single wavering note or a heavily reverbed music box melody, which is contrasted by a beating, full sonic spectrum experience matching the laser show on screen.

8. Hidden Figures

So I wouldn’t normally include a film score with Hans Zimmer’s name in my top ten (I might explain this point at a later time), but Hidden Figures earns this high spot for the work of Pharrell Williams, with Janelle Monae and Alicia Keys. The timing of the inspirational and happy pop music in the film makes Hidden Figures feel like a documentary: the audience paid attention to the important dialogue and then rejoiced with Pharrell’s catchy tunes as the strong women stride forward.

7. The Secret Life of Pets

This score by Alexandre Desplat felt like a return to a more classic style of animation, a Mickey Mouse era where music was considered more important than dialogue or sound effects. In The Secret Life of Pets the music perfectly hit every leap and laugh, without feeling overdone.

6. Jackie

This doesn’t happen often enough. Female composer, nominated for an Oscar and a BAFTA. You bet I was there opening weekend to hear the music of one of my favorites, Mica Levi. Jackie is a subtle and intimate film and her music reflected that with beautiful, close mic-ed chamber strings.

5. Kubo and the Two Strings

Among top Hollywood composers I think that Dario Marianelli as the widest range of styles. In opposition to Secret Life of Pets very happy score for a children’s movie, Marianelli’s music in Kubo and the Two Strings shows that an animated film can be just as serious and dramatic as any other film. Most of the score centers around Kubo’s magical instrument, and the lush accompaniment Marianelli creates around it. The inclusion of both Japanese and Western instruments and melodies and the combinations they create in the score gives a new musical color to an already colorful film.

4. Fantastic Beasts and Where to Find Them

Want to return to the land of witchcraft and wizardry, but have all the Harry Potter movies and soundtrack memorized? Fantastic Beasts and James Newton Howard’s score will fill your Potter-void. A blend of Patrick Doyle’s Goblet of Fire score and Aaron Copland, perfect for the new American magical adventure. My favorite moment of music and visuals coming together was when we are first introduced to the awe inspiring Macusa building. Amazing.

3. Westworld

Ramin Djawadi’s score for Westworld manages to carry the emotional weight for all the complex story-lines that happen in Westworld. I loved the show and I very much loved how intricately the score wove in and out. The score fits well using recurring, repetitive themes that change as characters discover their own storylines. Ramin Djawadi used more synthesized sounds in the control room areas and more orchestra, western sounds out in the park. And the player piano!

2. La La Land

So I will 100% admit that I wrote this list while I was still swept up in the La La Land craze. I will not admit to how many times I saw La La Land in theaters because it’s outrageous. I will say that after many months of time away from the craze, Justin Hurwitz’s music stands up as a musical for the young creative. The music is catchy without being formulaic, and the lyrics are extremely emotive. My favorite song is “Audition (Fools Who Dream)”. I know there are many naysayers who wanted something else from this movie, but for me it was exactly what I needed.

1. Arrival

The up-and-coming combination of director Denis Villeneuve and composer Johann Johannsson can’t do much wrong in my book. Johannsson’s music for Arrival is more synthesized and ethereal than his music for Sicario, a better fit for the stand alone sci-fi. Also the use of a small chamber choir with many different melodic lines mirrors the importance of language in the film. Johannsson is really in his element with the combined electronics and live chamber groups, orchestrates both together beautifully and his synthesized sounds are equally expressive. Arrival’s score perfectly matched the impressive and interesting cinematography.

Well there you have it, a very late list. My last thought as I wrote out all these descriptions was how most of these do not have the full Hollywood blockbuster orchestra. I’m more fascinated by great uses of electronics/synthesizers chamber groups and pop (in the case of Hidden Figures and La La Land, kinda). There certainly were plenty of films out in 2016 with full orchestral scores but will there be a shift in the Hollywood sound? If so, I’ll be here commenting and analyzing.

[thesupergamercorpus]

Today I wanted to write about one of my ‘heroes’ or inspirations. The way I look at them is somewhat like this quote:

“Trophies and great men are not only to be gazed upon, but also inspire to do the same.”

I will write down one of the best stories I have read about John von Neumann. But first of all, this is the list he is known for. I will make the ones I think are most popular bold:

Abelian von Neumann algebra, Affiliated operator, Amenable group, Arithmetic logic unit, Artificial viscosity, Axiom of regularity, Axiom of limitation of size, Backward induction, Blast wave (fluid dynamics), Bounded set (topological vector space), Carry-save adder, Cellular automata, Class (set theory), Computer virus, Commutation theorem, Continuous geometry, Coupling constants, Decoherence theory (quantum mechanics), Density matrix, Direct integral, Doubly stochastic matrix, Duality Theorem, Durbin–Watson statistic, EDVAC, Ergodic theory, Explosive lenses, Game theory, Hilbert’s fifth problem, Hyperfinite type II factor, Inner model, Inner model theory, Interior point method, Koopman–von Neumann classical mechanics, Lattice theory, Lifting theory, Merge sort, Middle-square method, Minimax theorem, Monte, Carlo method, Mutual assured destruction, Normal-form game, Operation Greenhouse, Operator theory, Pointless topology, Polarization identity, Pseudorandomness, Pseudorandom number generator, Quantum logic, Quantum mutual information, Quantum statistical mechanics, Radiation implosion, Rank ring, Self-replication, Software whitening, Sorted array, Spectral theory, Standard probability space, Stochastic computing, Stone–von Neumann theorem, Subfactor, Ultrastrong topology, Von Neumann algebra, Von Neumann architecture, Von Neumann bicommutant theorem, Von Neumann cardinal assignment, Von Neumann cellular automaton, Von Neumann interpretation, Von Neumann measurement scheme, Von Neumann ordinals, Von Neumann universal constructor, Von Neumann entropy, Von Neumann Equation, Von Neumann neighborhood, Von Neumann paradox, Von Neumann regular ring, Von Neumann–Bernays–Gödel set theory, Von Neumann universe, Von Neumann spectral theorem, Von Neumann conjecture, Von Neumann ordinal, Von Neumann’s inequality, Von Neumann’s trace inequality, Von Neumann stability analysis, Von Neumann extractor, Von Neumann ergodic theorem, Von Neumann–Morgenstern utility theorem, ZND detonation model

Cellular automata → this one appears to function and replicate like DNA. Cellular automata preceded the discovery of the structure of DNA.

Decoherence theory (quantum mechanics) → quantum states get continuously ‘pushed around’ by external influences (like being observed e.g. the double-slit experiment), which can change their original state. A quantum state resides in a ‘superposition’. Superposition simply means a state where two or more ‘states’ are combined, like an up and down state simultaneously. When that is the case, a quantum system resides in coherence. When observing that system, decoherence, or wave function collapse happens e.g. the original quantum system both had an up and down state simultaneously, but after being observed, now only has either an up state or a down state.

Merge sort → see the chapter 08/31/2019—Top-down, bottom-up thinking, sorting algorithms, and working memory where I discuss this computer sorting algorithm and combine it with top-down and bottom-up thinking.

Self-replication → a machine replicating itself. If machines are also able to upgrade themselves with each replication, a so-called technological singularity can occur (Google it).

Von Neumann architecture → essentially how our computers are built.

Now onto some stories of him. Most information is taken from Wikipedia.

Examination and Ph.D.

He graduated as a chemical engineer from ETH Zurich in 1926 (although Wigner says that von Neumann was never very attached to the subject of chemistry), and passed his final examinations for his Ph.D. in mathematics simultaneously with his chemical engineering degree, of which Wigner wrote, “Evidently a Ph.D. thesis and examination did not constitute an appreciable effort.”

Mastery of mathematics

Stan Ulam, who knew von Neumann well, described his mastery of mathematics this way: “Most mathematicians know one method. For example, Norbert Wiener had mastered Fourier transforms. Some mathematicians have mastered two methods and might really impress someone who knows only one of them. John von Neumann had mastered three methods.” He went on to explain that the three methods were:

A facility with the symbolic manipulation of linear operators;

An intuitive feeling for the logical structure of any new mathematical theory;

An intuitive feeling for the combinatorial superstructure of new theories.

Edward Teller wrote that “Nobody knows all science, not even von Neumann did. But as for mathematics, he contributed to every part of it except number theory and topology. That is, I think, something unique.”

Cognitive abilities

As a six-year-old, he could divide two eight-digit numbers in his head and converse in Ancient Greek. When he was sent at the age of 15 to study advanced calculus under analyst Gábor Szegő, Szegő was so astounded with the boy’s talent in mathematics that he was brought to tears on their first meeting.

Hans Bethe on von Neumann

Nobel Laureate Hans Bethe said “I have sometimes wondered whether a brain like von Neumann’s does not indicate a species superior to that of man”, and later Bethe wrote that “von Neumann’s brain indicated a new species, an evolution beyond man”.

Edward Teller

Edward Teller admitted that he “never could keep up with John von Neumann.”

Teller also said “von Neumann would carry on a conversation with my 3-year-old son, and the two of them would talk as equals, and I sometimes wondered if he used the same principle when he talked to the rest of us.”

George Dantzig

George Dantzig is the mathematician who thought that two problems on the blackboard were homework. He solved them and handed them, albeit a bit later, so he thought they were overdue.

Here’s the plot twist: They were two famous unsolved problems in statistics with which the mathematics community struggled for decades.

When George Dantzig brought von Neumann an unsolved problem in linear programming “as I would to an ordinary mortal”, on which there had been no published literature, he was astonished when von Neumann said “Oh, that!” before offhandedly giving a lecture of over an hour, explaining how to solve the problem using the hitherto unconceived theory of duality.

Johnny as a student

George Pólya, whose lectures at ETH Zürich von Neumann attended as a student, said “Johnny was the only student I was ever afraid of. If in the course of a lecture I stated an unsolved problem, the chances were he’d come to me at the end of the lecture with the complete solution scribbled on a slip of paper.”

Nobel Prizes

Peter Lax wrote, “To gain a measure of von Neumann’s achievements, consider that had he lived a normal span of years, he would certainly have been a recipient of a Nobel Prize in economics. And if there were Nobel Prizes in computer science and mathematics, he would have been honored by these, too. So the writer of these letters should be thought of as a triple Nobel laureate or, possibly, a ​3 1⁄2-fold winner, for his work in physics, in particular, quantum mechanics”.

von Neumann as a teacher

Von Neumann was the subject of many dotty professor stories. He supposedly had the habit of simply writing answers to homework assignments on the board (the method of solution being, of course, obvious). One time one of his students tried to get more helpful information by asking if there was another way to solve the problem. Von Neumann looked blank for a moment, thought, and then answered, “Yes.”

Henry Ford

Henry Ford had ordered a dynamo for one of his plants. The dynamo didn’t work, and not even the manufacturers could figure out why. A Ford employee told his boss that von Neumann was “the smartest man in America,” so Ford called von Neumann and asked him to come out and take a look at the dynamo.

Von Neumann came, looked at the schematics, walked around the dynamo, then took out a pencil. He marked a line on the outside casing and said, “If you’ll go in and cut the coil here, the dynamo will work fine.”

They cut the coil, and the dynamo did work fine. Ford then told von Neumann to send him a bill for the work. Von Neumann sent Ford a bill for $5,000. Ford was astounded – $5,000 was a lot in the 1950s – and asked von Neumann for an itemised account. Here’s what he submitted:

Drawing a line with the pencil: $1

Knowing where to draw the line with the pencil: $4,999

Ford paid the bill.

David Blackwell

Blackwell did a year of postdoctoral research as a fellow at the Institute for Advanced Study in 1941 after receiving a Rosenwald Fellowship. There he met John von Neumann, who asked Blackwell to discuss his Ph.D. thesis with him. Blackwell, who believed that von Neumann was just being polite and not genuinely interested in his work, did not approach him until von Neumann himself asked him again a few months later. According to Blackwell, “He (von Neumann) listened to me talk about this rather obscure subject and in ten minutes he knew more about it than I did.”

von Neumann was the only genius

Von Neumann entered the Lutheran Fasori Evangélikus Gimnázium in 1911. This was one of the best schools in Budapest, part of a brilliant education system designed for the elite. Under the Hungarian system, children received all their education at the one gymnasium. Despite being run by the Lutheran Church, the majority of its pupils were Jewish. The school system produced a generation noted for intellectual achievement. Wigner was a year ahead of von Neumann at the Lutheran School. When asked why the Hungary of his generation had produced so many geniuses, Wigner, who won the Nobel Prize in Physics in 1963, replied that von Neumann was the only genius.”