#i think he has like a full trilogy of books worth of lore for every world he makes and yet he barely ever has to look at his notes

[lgbtlunaverse]

I think any modern au meng yao would really benefit from being a dungeon master. Elaborate plans and setups for encounters to pour over to give his high-speed brain something fun to do for once, he can use his acting skills on truly immaculate roleplay, and as a bonus he gets to kill everyone in his social circle except he doesn't actually do anything wrong and they can't get mad at him for it. It's not his fault you didn't roll better, da-ge.

For all that he speaks very well Jin guangyao is never a monologuing/grand speech villain. He is just so dependent on everyone else's opinion of him he never truly gets to let go, but I think he deserves to monologue over a dead body, actually. And ttrpgs are the perfect place to do it with zero consequences.

[bloodgulchblog]

Have you seen that YouTube video where some guy reads every Halo novel back to back and then reviews them? If so what did you think

The Brian David Gilbert one? Oh yeah, all my friends showed me it when it came out. (It was honestly kind of cute seeing how many people thought of me immediately.)

Rewatching it to refresh myself because it's been a couple years and a full-novel reread for me since the last time...

High fiving BDG because the Master Chief parts of The Flood were definitely the most boring parts.

He didn't have anything to say about First Strike which I think is a shame because I think it's better than The Fall of Reach and actually has A Theme I Find Interesting.

Rightful recognition of Contact Harvest as pretty damn good.

Rightful recognition of the Forerunner Trilogy as dense oldschool-style SF with deep worldbuilding. (Also the San'Shyuum thing.)

I disagree with him about, and have significant problems with, Kilo Five. He is correct that Kilo Five actually delves into some of the dark places in Halo in a way it really needed, and I would even say that its writing is extremely engaging by Halo novel standards. However, while he does notice the obvious parallels between what ONI is doing post-war and the kind of shit the CIA has pulled again and again irl, I think he misses some of the subtext I see where it feels like it justifies some shit a liiiiittle too much if you know the author's irl politics re: the military. He also doesn't seem to notice the character assassinations (particularly of Catherine Halsey) that I and a lot of other fans see/object to in those books. I kind of gaze into the middle distance with a haunted expression at the suggestion that these are the ones to read if you don't touch any of the others just because they are, ironically, so heavy-handed and feel like they treat certain kinds of evil as inevitable in a way that actually feels way worse to me than the excuse plot offered by the earlier/lighter Halo novels. (But idk, that's me? Nobody is committing a crime if they disagree with my frenzied insane person red string diagrams about Kilo Five.)

I'd swap Pariah for Dirt in the Evolutions anthology if it were me, but I think these are solid standouts.

Broken Circle is neat but really nonessential he's not wrong.

A one-sentence review of New Blood is probably not enough space to get into how fucked up the Spartan-IV program is, but yeah. New Blood is fun if you don't find Buck's first person narration annoying. (It comes and goes for me in that one.)

BDG you're an absolute sweetheart, I think Hunters in the Dark is kind of goofy in a way I cannot in good conscience ignore if I'm gonna review it. But it really really is so much fun and I love that one a lot anyway. The "it's like Halo 3... 2" observation is solid.

High fiving him again because I also found Last Light disappointing. And it is also a me problem.

Fractures!

Hell yeah these are all good pulls from Fractures, I would say Shadow of Intent is the pick of the litter in that anthology for me. Interesting that as a Kilo Five enjoyer he didn't single out Rossbach's World, which is the last we've heard about Osman and Black Box. (Also, that one is good.) I think Oasis is worth an honorable mention because I'm an Envoy stan, and the Forerunner stories are interesting but I wouldn't go for them if you don't already have a healthy interest in the trilogy.

This tangent is so fucking funny now that we know more things:

Oh BDG, oh buddy, it's really not for the people like you and me huh. (Disclaimer: I have no idea if BDG likes the Halo tv show or not and I have no desire to dig up evidence about it.)

Also, while you're here, this is the bloodgulchblog origin story:

Smoke and Shadow is fun so it's a little sad that when he ends that sentence with "whatever," I can't actually say he's wrong to. (Sorry Rion your part of the lore just.... hasn't... touched anything that touches anything else anymore.)

ENVOY IS GOOD AND EVERYONE SHOULD CARE ABOUT IT okay okay I'm cool I'm normal, anyway. Envoy is the Halo novel that restored my faith in reading Halo novels and reminded me that authors can care and know how to do nuanced, interesting themes in this space. It's great. Everyone in this book has war refugee trauma (except the Spartans which have Spartan trauma) and that's incredible to me. Please care about Envoy if you have spare room in your heart for Halo side characters.

I am cheered to see someone indifferent to the Veta Lopis stories, but I still feel petty for feeling it.

I don't have a lot to say about Legacy of Onyx here but it's always so fun seeing someone else suffer and care.

Bad Blood, the Blood is Bad now is a fun joke but lol yeah. It does have this very vital moment where Chief and Arbiter talk, though. For the first and only time in years.

PROPS FOR NOTICING THE YA NOVELS they're actually pretty nice.

"The Master Chief is the protagonist and boy does he shoot some people" is most of how I feel about Silent Storm and Oblivion too, I know they have their fans but Troy Denning's Chief books don't do much for me personally.

Renegades hadn't had its followup Point of Light yet but yeah, Spark stuff is interesting.

I had to remember that oh yeah, there are multiple books now that didn't exist when this was made. I wonder if he read them?

OKAY I THINK THAT'S ALL I HAD TO SAY as always if y'all want specific book opinions, I might have a tag for them. Or just yell in my ask box, I'm sure I can scrounge up some thoughts.

[angieschiffahoi]

Ok, alright. I finished Harrow. 

First off, I have to give it to this series: this is the first time in I don’t even know how long I have started - let alone finished - the second book in a series. And, unless things change in whatever time left before Alecto comes out, I am planning to finish the series. Something that hasn’t happened since I was still in the good side of my twenties (I mean, I don’t think Homo Sacer counts as a series, does it?). 

Now. To the review! Haha, just kidding. Probably just yelling and incoherent mumbling. 

Obviously, spoilers. 

The writing: As I already pointed out in some of my posts, this is a more mature novel and it proves that the author wasn’t just throwing in slang because she couldn’t commit to a writing style. This is a fantasy space opera which mocks Greek tragedies, so it had to have a unique style. I have to admit, though, that the leap from book 1 to book 2 is... quite ambitious. The first is a 400 pages book that feels like it’s 200 and this one is a 500 pages book that feels like it’s 900. It’s mostly because it is pretty confusing and it is not a light summer read. There’s great attention to detail in the writing and, therefore, there must be great attention to detail when reading. I should have marked stuff with post-its but I was reading on my Kindle. I probably should’ve bought a hard copy as well, because I really wanted to go back and read some bits, but on the Kindle it is not as easy (for example all of those notes by Wake Harrow kept reading). It was very clever to write in third and second person, both for sentimental reasons and comprehension purposes. It was a bit jarring when we switched to first person in the later chapters, but I got used to it. It is a style that sometimes pulls you out of the story, it is ambitious, sometimes a bit tedious (especially during the fights that drag on), but I don’t mind when authors finally break those rules that make all new novels identical. This is a writing experiment and I enjoyed it. The “Miette” joke, while funny in a fanfiction, may have been a bit too much even for me, though. 

The plot: I was a bit disappointed with the final reveal. The whole book I kept saying “Nah, Gideon’s not the Emperor’s daughter,” because it was a bit cliché. I really was hoping she was the lovechild of two Lyctors, but the “Hi, I’m Not Fucking Dead. I’m Dad.” was worth it. Now can I start referring to Gideon as Hercules? And, no, she’s not Heracles. She’s obviously Disney’s Hercules (except that she has a “mortal” mum). Also, while the last few chapters of Gideon wrapped up all of the mysteries nicely and kept some stuff for the sequels, ending this on three cliffhangers was a bit too much (for me). But second installments in trilogies tend to do that. I’m just afraid I won’t remember half of the things I will need to understand Alecto and I really hope the narrative in that will be a little simpler than in Harrow. The question was never “will I finish it?”, because it is a compelling book, but “how exhausted will I be?” And I kind of was. I got to admit though that, as usual, all of the plot twists felt earned and it feels like a thoroughly planned trilogy. I still can’t understand half the lore, though. I don’t know if it’s because I was a bit tired while reading, but I couldn’t really picture the Resurrection Beasts and the “planet killing” subplot (it didn’t feel like main plot). The Ortus/Gideon Prime trying to kill Harrow every fifteen minutes was a bit silly and, yes, it added tension and drama, but it was a bit too much (not unnecessary, because of the link to the Emperor trying to fix her, but it played a bit cartoonish).

The genre: while Gideon was hardly sci-fi and this one is far from being hard sci-fi, it was nice to see more space elements. The first book had a fantasy, mystery, thriller feelings (up to the main battle at the end, which felt like a boss battle in a fantasy video game). This one was way more science-fictiony but with Greek tragedy elements and it had a lot more horror and gore. 

The characters: I missed Gideon so much. Even in the chapters she was narrating, it didn’t really feel like her, mostly - I believe - because the author wanted to maintain the mystery of who the narrator was. But I feel it was a bit of a disservice to Gideon, because she has such a distinct voice that it didn’t feel like her, until she showed up in Harrow’s body. I loved seeing all of my faves from the first book and I have a feeling we’ll see them again. Especially, Palamedes who’s clueless in his bubble. I’m glad Camilla is alive and Abigail Pent is the MVP. Took me a while to get who Commander Wake was and I still don’t really understand her connection to the Emperor and the Lyctors (and how she got the name? I mean, it’s funny, but you have to explain that). Ianthe was... interesting, but I really don’t want her near Harrow. She may have a crush, but she’s manipulative and doesn’t really know how to act on it. Harrow really became her own character and I’m glad the two protagonists now are fully explored. I liked the Emperor. John Gaius is my dude, I’m sorry. Maybe he’s evil, maybe he’s not but he makes dad jokes and I love him. Mercy, Augustine and Ortus/Gideon were... a bit forgettable honestly. A bit of a caricature, but they reminded me a lot of petty Greek gods. Nobody touch Ortus Nigenad. He’s my baby, too. The Sleeper (in the River bubble) was a very creepy character and it reminded me of Russel T. Davis era Doctor Who antagonists. 

All in all, there were a lot of great moments. It isn’t a book for everyone and I understand that. I still feel like the people criticizing the series are doing it for the wrong reasons and focusing too much on the writing style, while there is something that does not fully convince me, but it’s not the writing. I think people - especially in fantasy - are getting too used to third person limited. Using different points of view is fun and more writers should experiment. There are a lot of compelling books written in first person and terrible books written in third person omniscient. The talent of a writer isn’t in how “by the book” they are, but if they make a well written, compelling story with three dimensional characters. The Locked Tomb, so far, has all three. 

I may have missed something, but the book was very full and I’m not very good at remembering things. 

[wits-writing]

Star Wars: The Rise of Skywalker (Movie Review SPOILERS)

Star Wars: The Rise of Skywalker, directed by J.J. Abrams with a screenplay by Abrams and Chris Terrio, has the most fun being a capital-A Adventure movie of any Star Wars movie in a while. The majority of the movie’s first two acts is comprised of a treasure hunt for a Sith artifact. The main trio, Rey (Daisy Ridley), Finn (John Boyega) and Poe Dameron (Oscar Isaac) are in a race against time before Kylo Ren (Adam Driver) and the First Order launch their final strike, with the artifact being the one thing that could help the Resistance strike first. That part of the story, on a pure visuals and spectacle level, has some of the best action beats in all of Star Wars, including a speeder chase to rival the classic one from Return of the Jedi.

Enhanced by Dan Mindel’s cinematography and John Williams’s expectedly excellent score, if that quest was all there was to the movie, I’d be more than happy to call this a satisfying movie and conclusion to the story that preceded it in The Force Awakens and The Last Jedi. However, that’s not all there is to it and what else there is takes away from what does work in favor of a more convoluted narrative. One that I find more frustrating the more I’ve thought about it, even as I tried to enjoy what I could from it as it played out. To explain why, I’ll need to go into some spoilers, but I’ll save the big one for the end of the review.

[Full Review and SPOILERS Under the Cut]

The Rise of Skywalker had two possible directions for how it could close out the story that was set into motion back in 2015:

Focus on being a finale to the Sequel Trilogy itself

Focus on being a finale to “The Skywalker Saga” as a whole

While doing a bit of both was unavoidable in a situation like this, TROS defaults to the Door Number 2. It gets in the way of closing out the narrative of characters that aren’t as directly connected to the Jedi/Sith conflict that drives the “Skywalker” narrative. It’s a problem that goes back to this movie’s central hook, a move I’ve been skeptical of since the first trailer dropped; the return of Emperor Palpatine.

One smart thing about Sheevy-boy’s presence in this movie is that they don’t treat it like a twist. In fact, it’s the first thing seen in TROS’s title crawl. Everything that comes after that is where things start to come apart at the seams in irrevocable ways. He doesn’t have a real dynamic with any of the new characters, to the point they retcon in connections. McDiarmid doesn’t seem particularly awake, he’s been brought back to serve as a glorified lore-delivery service and to artificially escalate a conflict that didn’t need it. He shows up, gives Kylo Ren the “Join me and we can rule… etc.” spiel and exposits the previously mentioned retcons about how he’s been the true puppet master all along. If you’re framing this story as the end to the nine “Episode” movies, the Emperor who started this whole thing by pulling strings from the shadows coming back to reveal he was still doing that in these new movies makes a little sense. Taking this only as an extension of The Force Awakens and The Last Jedi, two films I feel work as wonderful companion pieces, it’s clumsy and reductive.

When it comes to the journeys of the characters that have been here for the previous movies, it’s a mixed bag. Poe’s been going through a sort of crisis of faith since the last time we saw him. Watching the First Order overtake the galaxy between movies, he’s lost his belief that the Resistance was ever worth being a part of if no one’s willing to stand up alongside them. He goes through this doubt as the story takes the audience into a look at his background. We meet an old friend of his, Zorii (Keri Russell), who resents him for ever joining the Resistance in the first place. Her scenes with Poe put his internal conflict of what he thinks versus what he wants to believe in place. The way this internal conflict gets to resolve makes Poe’s story feel the most complete of the main trio in this movie.

On the other side of the spectrum, Finn’s story feels emblematic of the movie’s problems, similarly split between two focuses. One of them is a barely present arc about his connection with Rey. There are multiple points in the movie where he says he “needs to tell her” something and it never resolves. Between those moments the only scenes between Rey and Finn are her rebuking his offers to talk about her problems. It’s a disappointing display for two characters whose friendship has been a motivating factor for both since The Force Awakens. The other side of Finn’s story comes late into TROS’s runtime, the discovery of other Storm Trooper deserters. Getting to not feel alone about what he did anymore would have been a great starting point for his story in this movie, but it’s introduced so late in the game that it feels tacked on to introduce the, admittedly cool, leader of the deserters, Jannah (Naomi Ackie). Nothing about Finn gets to coalesce by the end of this movie, he’s left with two loose threads and nothing tied up.

The good stuff from Poe and Finn’s arcs gets sidelined throughout the movie to focus on new wrinkles added to the story between Rey and Kylo Ren. A lot of my problems with Palpatine’s involvement in this plot most heavily effect this part of the story. After taking his place as a Supreme Leader, de facto head villain of this trilogy, by the end of the last movie, Kylo’s arc goes backwards and he’s someone else’s attack dog again. Promises from Palpatine to rule over a “Final Order” if he’s able to deliver Rey to the Emperor drive him. We replace a villain like Kylo, who’s been choosing the Dark every step of the way despite “the call to the Light”, with a mustache twirler. All of this to serve the start of a redemption for him and a retcon to Rey’s backstory that feels more in service of the “Skywalker Saga” than her personal narrative.

[Major SPOILER after this point]

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Rey begins the movie in the middle of Force training based on the books she found in The Last Jedi, frustrated with her inability to connect with the full legacy of the Jedi. It’s all framed under this idea that she’s somehow “afraid of who she is” and that’s before the full retcon… er, reveal.

[Final SPOILER warning, for real!]

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Rey is revealed to have been Palpatine’s granddaughter the entire time. This decision from Terrio, Abrams and everyone else credited with the story for this movie shifts the focus of her story. She’s no longer uncertain of her place yet ready to forge it for herself, but instead she gets to be conflicted about the potential for falling to the Dark being in her blood. I was willing to give this a chance, like everything in this movie, but there’s nothing more there beyond the same temptations to the Dark Side we’ve seen in the Star Wars movies before. The final fight between Rey and Palpatine works overtime to add dramatic heft and make it feel like a culmination of nine movies, while utterly failing to be the culmination of this trilogy or just The Rise of Skywalker.

I’m frustrated while writing this, because I can acknowledge strong points to The Rise of Skywalker, some scenes on their own are the best put together in the history of this series. But I keep coming back to how what got shoehorned in for this final entry in the Sequel Trilogy left me feeling empty.

If you like what you’ve read here, please like/reblog or share elsewhere online, follow me on Twitter (@WC_WIT), and consider throwing some support my way at either Ko-Fi.com or Patreon.com at the extension “/witswriting”

[themoonandotherslikeit]

What the Rain Can’t Wash Away- Chapter 8

*FINAL PIECE IN THE LOOK IN HER EYES TRILOGY*

Sixteen years after Lucifer rose, and Dean lost his wife he finds himself with a teenager, a Nephilim, an angel, and his brother living out a Full House rerun with some seriously dark undertones. How will he be able to raise his daughter, fight monsters, and deal with the loss of the love of his life? Sometimes moving on is the hardest part, but with the Winchester’s there’s always something harder around the corner. Isn’t there?

Chapter Eight, You’re the One

Ella 

Seeing my mother standing in front of me, living and breathing was keeping me awake. I rolled over in bed to stare at the ceiling. "You're restless," Claire said with a yawn. "Turn out the light, babe." She reached over and ran her finger along the bridge of my nose.

"I can't."

"What's on your mind?"

"Other than the obvious?" I laughed dryly.

"More like, what’s on your mind specifically."

Clementine groaned in her sleep between us, and I reached down and scratched between her ears. She purred happily in response and cuddled closer to me. "More specifically... I have so many things bouncing around inside of my head." I rolled onto my side to look at Claire in the darkness. Her blue eyes seemed to glow in the darkness. "My Mom is back."

"She is."

"It's all I've wanted my whole life. I've wanted to know her."

"Now you get the chance,” she said quietly, pushing my hair behind my ear. "So what's really bothering you?"

"Things are never easy for us, Claire. Never. We don't get to just have happy endings. Micheal is still inside of Dad, and honestly, I don't know anything about Mom. What if she's a nightmare? You remember what it was like when Grandma Mary came back... How disappointed Dad was."

"You're worried she won't live up?"

"Kind of. Or that I won't live up won't live up to what she expected me to be."

"You're the best person I know, Ella. You don't need to worry about that."

"But I do," I said quietly, my voice breaking. "This has been my birthday wish my whole life. To see my Dad happy. To have a Mom, and fuck... what if it doesn't fix everything?"

"She's just a person, El. You can't put that much pressure on her. She probably won't fix everything, but that doesn't mean that you can't have the things you want. Plus, I know she will love you. If not, she's probably missing her soul."

"You're a pretty big softie, for a badass hunter."

"Yeah, yeah. You do that to people." She smiled widely. "It's hard not to be all gooey around Eleanor Winchester."

"Gross don't say my full name. I feel like I'm in trouble."

"Oh, sweetie, you are in trouble." Claire grinned, wrapping her arms around me. She pulled me to her, taking my lips against hers in an urgent kiss. She was warm, and soft. She was present. It was hard to feel like anything could be wrong in the world when I was this close to Claire. Her lips were still minty from brushing her teeth, and I breathed her in. My fingers tangled in her curls as I ran my tongue along her bottom lip.

"Mmmm. Punish me then."

"I wonder if this is what your parents are doing," Claire mumbled against my mouth, causing me to yank away from her.

"What? Gross! I can't believe you. Just said that!"

She busted up into laughter. "What did you expect to happen, Nel? You thought they were just going to hold hands? I'm sure that's why they're locked in that bedroom. What did you think they were doing?"

"Honestly? I don't know... talking. Figuring their shit out. God, you think they just jumped into bed?" I didn't know why the thought was so disturbing to me. Claire was right, it was what I wanted. I wanted my Dad to be happy, but more than anything I wanted him to have the love of his life back. I wanted him to have what I had with Claire. I just hadn't considered sex, not really.

"I don't know," she admitted, opening her arms back. "Don't think too hard about it."

"It's all I'm going to think about now," I complained. "You planted a seed."

"Aw, stop, you little perv." She smiled and wiggled her fingers in a come here way.

I rolled my eyes and cuddled back into her arms, back where I felt safe. "God, I can't believe you brought up my parents having sex."

Claire shrugged. "I don't know. I think it's kind of sweet."

"Maybe, but still really fucking gross."

  Dean

I wanted to kiss her. Fuck. I wanted to kiss her. I wanted to take her into my arms like she never left, and memorize her body all over again. I wanted to kiss her, but it wasn't about what I wanted. The playing field wasn't level. It was like we were meeting for the first time all over again. She was Ava. She was a fucking angel, beautiful, perfect, and I was a fuck up. I was some old guy that'd been through his fair share of shit storms in the last decade and a half. She deserved to know it all before she was back back.

"I...I've missed you, Ave. More than I thought I could ever miss another person, but I think you deserve all of the facts before you decide."

"Decide? What is there to decide?"

"If this is what you want. If I...fuck, I'm not the same Dean Winchester you left. I don't even know that guy anymore," I admitted through clenched teeth. "I just don't want you to feel obligated. To me, I mean. You have to see Nel... she's a fucking gift. Best thing I've ever done, Ave. You're gonna love her."

"So, what? You're going to lay out all the cards and then we just decide if we are going to stay married or get a divorce?"

"We've both been legally dead a few times over, Sweetheart, I don't think a divorce will be necessary."

"What do you want, Dean?" She asked me seriously.

"It doesn't matter."

She smiled slightly and rolled her eyes. "You say you're different, but you seem the same to me." She took my hand in hers. "It matters. If I want to stay and you don't want me to then I won't. You're not obligated to me, either."

My eyes met hers. A sea of blue. An endless sky. Looking at her was a fucking summer's day at the lake with Nel. Sammy teaching her to catch fish while I finish of a twelve pack by myself. It was s'mores in the night and stories dancing around the fire. Castiel telling us about the creation of the fucking world. Her eyes were home.

"I'm not obligated to you, Ava, I'm in love with you."

"After all this time?"

"What time?" I reached forward and brushed her cheek. "Time stopped when I lost you."

"It didn't stop, Dean. No time has passed for me," she murmured, her lips barely moving. "But for you... you've had an entire life without me. I want to know all about it."

"Okay." I ran my thumb across her cheekbone. "Fuck I don't even know where to start."

I caught a tear as it escaped her eye. "Start with Nel."

I smiled widely. "That's a pretty damn good place to start." I pressed my forehead to hers. "Come to my room?"

"Dean Winchester, are you trying to seduce me?"

"Actually, no." I smiled a bit. "I just have some things I think you'd like to see."

"Okay," she murmured, putting her hand in mine. I lead her through the hallway and opened my bedroom door.

"Welcome to my humble abode."

"It's..." She ran her fingers along my plain red comforter. "It needs a woman's touch." She turned and smiled at me. "Its very Dean."

"Thank you?" I raised an eyebrow.

She lowered herself onto my bed in a seated position. "What did you want to show me?"

I crouched down in front of the book shelf against the back wall and pulled out the baby books. "I tried my hand at scrapbooking," I explained with a dry laugh. "I sucked, but Cas was weirdly good at it. So... well we got this." I handed her one of the books and sat down next to her.

 Ava

I couldn't say the words out loud. It was like I blinked. I blinked into another world. There I was, running my fingers over the front of a scrapbook that Dean Winchester put together. I wondered if the monsters knew that he cut letters out of patterned paper. I opened the book and sucked in my breath. "Oh, Dean."

Photos of me and Sam the day Eleanor was born.

Every page tore at my heart a little more. Hand written scribbles next to photographs of Dean holding a toddler Eleanor with teeth poking through her pink gums. Tiny pigtails and perfect braids. Bows in her hair.

"Is this the bunker?" I asked, looking at a picture of Eleanor sitting on Sam's shoulders with her arms in the air in front of a weird building that was half under ground.

"Yeah," he said quietly, his thigh brushing mine. "It's weird, but it's home."

"How did you find it?"

"It's a weird story, actually." He laughed dryly. "We came across a demon... a Knight of Hell actually and along with her came my Grandfather. Like through a portal." He raised an eyebrow.

"Weird, but not that weird for us. Go on."

He nodded. "Apparently back in the day there was a group of guys called The Men of Letters, kind of like hunters, but instead they read a lot of books. Kind of like Sammy."

"And this was, what? Their headquarters?"

"Basically."

"So you thought you'd move in?"

Dean shrugged. "Seems like as good of a place as any. It's safe, full of lore, in a good school district." He offered a bright smile.

He looked so good.

"What else?" I smiled, peeling my eyes away from him and back to the book. I flipped the pages. Stickers of angel babies, ketchup stains, Eleanor's kindergarten graduation. "What do the pictures not say?"

"She has a girlfriend."

I raised my eyebrows and met his bright eyes. "A... girlfriend?"

"Yeah. Cute little blonde."

"Huh. Is she nice?"

"She's great. Strong. A little edgy. She's a hunter."

"Dean Winchester!" I gasped, hitting his arm with an open palm. "You let her date a hunter? Are you fucking bananas?"

"No? Ow. Ave, she is your daughter. I can't stop her from doing anything. She's stubborn."

"She's a Winchester," I agreed with a sigh. "She would always be stubborn."

We looked at each other. There were years worth of pain behind his eyes. Pain that I wasn't sure I could heal. "Our girl is all grown up."

"She's amazing," he said quietly.

I pressed my lips together, trying to find the words. "Lacey was a demon, and I trusted her. It's all my fault that she got that demon blood, Dean. Has it..."

"Yeah. Yeah it has. Just manifested, actually. She's sort of... psychic, I guess. She can read minds sometimes. She pulled me out when I was stuck in a delusion."

"So she isn't..."

"Dark side?" He shook his head. "The exact opposite. She is the light, Ave. She's all light."

I covered my mouth to let out a sob that had been bubbling up inside of me. She's okay.

"Hey, shh." He pulled me against his chest, and I let it all go. Snot and all. "Ave, what's wrong?"

"She's okay... She's healthy, smart, happy. I'm so happy." I was heartbroken for missing her childhood, but Dean was a good father. He was everything I knew he could be. "I'm so glad she has you."

He kissed my hair gently, like he used to. "I was glad to have her. I think I would've lost it if I didn't have her to take care of."

"I know the feeling," I admitted, looking up at him. "You keep saying you've changed. That you aren't the same man I knew, but... But I know you, Dean. You're the same."

"I've just been through some shit, Ave."

"What shit?"

He let go of me and looked away. I could see the muscles in his back tense under his shirt. He was struggling. I reached forward and touched his shoulder, he flinched in response. "You can tell me," I murmured. I already knew what he did in Hell, what could be worse than that?

"The short version? I started the apocalypse, let Lucifer out of his cage, let him posses Sammy... Sam tossed himself into Hell to protect the world from Lucifer. He came back, with his soul gone. Fucking gone, Ave. He wasn't Sammy anymore. Cas went looney tunes a time and again. There were all of these Leviathan creatures that we had to take out. When we cut off the head, metaphorically, Cas and I got blown to Purgatory."

My head was spinning. "The Purgatory?"

"It was awful. I was there for a year, and Sam was here, playing Dad to Nel. That's probably the most normal her life ever was, but she was still pretty young."

I swallowed hard. "Are you okay?"

"It's been awhile,” he said with a smile that told me, no. He was not okay. "Then... then uh..."

There's more?

I tried to hold it together, and wait for him to gather his thoughts. "I got the Mark of Cain. Which made me this horrible killing machine..." His hands curled into fists as he tired to level his breathing. "I did it to kill Abaddon. The demon that came in with my Granadad?"

I nodded slowly and reached my hand out to him.

He took it willingly, and gave it a squeeze. "And then... then I died." His eyes flickered to mine. I didn't move. I remained emotionless. He died, but he was in front of me.

"What was the catch?"

"The catch... I woke up as a demon." He winced.

"You're not... now right?"

"No. Sammy cured me."

"A cure? For demons?"

"That's what you're stuck on?" He laughed and ran his fingers through his hair. "Yeah, theres a cure for a lot of shit that we didn't know about before."

"Okay, we can come back to that later." I exhaled a shaky breath. "Is that... it?"

"No. I got rid of the Mark of Cain, and it let out darkness... which is Gods sister. Oh shit, Ave. You remember Chuck?"

"The guy who wrote the Supernatural books?"

"Yeah, him. Well... funny story... he's God."

I couldn't control my face anymore. "Like God God. The God?"

"Yup."

"What the actual fuck?"

"Yup."

"He was ridiculous! He was wearing a bathrobe when we met him."

"Sure was."

"You weren't kidding." I shook my head. "Wow, So wait. God has a sister?"

"Yup. She was locked away in my arm making me fucking bananas. So when Rowena, this bad ass witch we know, got the mark off of me it sent the darkness out into the world. It was pretty touch and go for awhile, but turns out that her and Chuck just needed some sibling bonding time."

"Okay?" I raised an eyebrow, feeling like he had to be downplaying all of that.

"She had a thing for me."

"The darkness?" I asked, and he nodded with a shrug. "Of course she did."

"So she gave me something when we got her back with Chuck." I watched his Adam's apple bob in his throat as he swallowed. "She brought my mom back."

I stared at him. I tried to take in everything he was saying. His mom. "Mary?"

"Yeah." He smiled wide. "She's staying at Bobby's cabin right now, for some R and R."

"Bobby! How is he?" I asked, brightly. "I bet he's feeling older than ever after all of this..." My eyes landed on Dean's. His jaw was tight and at the mention of Bobby his eyes were red along the edges. I knew that look. "He... he died?"

"I'm so sorry, Ave. During all the Leviathan shit. It's... it's been a long time."

"But your mom is at his cabin?"

"Oh... well shit, there's more."

"More?" I felt sick to my stomach.

"Not much," he promised, quietly. His forehead was wrinkled. He could see right through my skin. Into the cracks that hide below the surface. I feared that he knew I was about to break. "Lucifer had a child. A Nephilim, is what they call them. A half human half angel."

"The antichrist?"

"That's what I thought, but no. The kid is good. He came out as a full grown teenager." He laughed dryly. "Weird little fucker, but we are trying to raise him. Nel is such a good sister to him. It's pretty incredible."

My eyes flickered to him. Another child. "How old is he?"

"Two."

"Hmm."

"When he was born it ripped a hole in our world. Into another version of earth. One that I never existed in... one where Dad died a long time ago. Before he ever met my Mom. Mom got stuck over there with Jack, the kid, and when we got them out a bunch of others came through with them. An alternate Bobby, and a few others that we lost in our world. It's kind of bonkers, but I just didn't want you to be surprised when you saw him. He's not your Bobby."

I nodded and ran my tongue along my bottom lip. "What else?"

"That's it," he said, sucking in his breath. I could tell he was waiting. Waiting for the other shoe. Waiting for me to run, but I think he forgot, after all of this time, that I am a Winchester. We don't run.

"That's a lot," I admitted slowly, my eyes trailing from his lips, nose, eyes. I locked my eyes to his. "I know what I want, Dean."

"And?"

"You. You fucking idiot. It's always been you." I grabbed his face in my hands. The scruff on his cheek scratched against my palm. "You've aged. You have scars that I don't recognize, but I'll learn them. I've memorized your body before. I've memorized your soul. I will memorize it again." I couldn't get enough of him. There was no more childishness in his face. He was a man, and fuck was he beautiful. "Thank you for staying alive. For waiting for me to find you again, because I believe that I will find always find my way back to you. Through distance, and through time. I'm here. I'm back, and nothing can keep us apart. Not anymore."

—————

Chapter Nine, Never Let Me Go

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[briangroth27]

Goosebumps 2 Review

I liked the new Goosebumps film a lot, but I did feel like it fell a little short of the first film. I think it’s that a few characters could’ve been more fully utilized and the frights could’ve been scarier, but it wasn’t enough to hamper the fun I had watching it. 

Full Spoilers…

I liked the new cast! Madison Iseman (Sarah) was great and very likable as a very different type of teenager than she played in Jumanji Welcome to the Jungle, which was a nice surprise. I definitely expected her brother Sonny (Jeremy Ray Taylor) and his best friend Sam (Caleel Harris) to drive the movie with her being dragged along as an annoying older sister, but that wasn't the case at all. She has agency, we know what she wants out of life, and her arc is all about achieving those goals. It’s true that her quest to find something to write about for her college essay was a little cliché, but I liked that the adventure the film takes her on gives her more than an essay: it gives her a career. She also gets to be an active player in the climax, which was great. One of my few notes about the first movie was that while Stine's (Jack Black) daughter wasn't passive or a damsel exactly, she also didn't offer many ideas when she easily could've instead of the guys. Goosebumps has never been afraid to feature kids regardless of their gender or race, so it was awesome to see that continue with Sarah being so active here.

Sonny & Sam felt like true Goosebumps protagonists and I liked how Sonny’s science experiments and knowledge played into Slappy’s plot (making Slappy something of a twist on Sonny’s personality too, just like he’s Stine’s dark side). Sonny, Sam, and Sarah's problems being solved (initially) by Slappy felt like the first act of a classic Goosebumps novel (and the bully they boys were dealing with (Peyton Wich) felt like he was pulled right from those books), while all three kids readily accepting that Slappy was in fact a living dummy was a nice and realistic beat given what they’d seen. I liked both Sam and Sonny, but it would’ve been nice if Sam had more to do: after his moving/cleaning business gets them to Slappy and Sarah’s brought into the loop, it felt like he faded into the background somewhat. Maybe this is just because Sonny’s technological skills and Sarah’s growing writer identity were more integral to the ongoing plot, but I wish Sam had a role to play in the climax that was specific to him as well. Of the characters that weren’t used to their full potential, his felt like the biggest loss.

Wendi Mclendon-Covey was great as Sarah & Sonny's mother Kathy and I thought she brought a perfect awkward/embarrassing yet caring "mom" vibe to the role. Chris Parnell’s Walter, possessed by the iconic Haunted Mask, was unfortunately underwhelming. He got a few funny lines and I liked his awkward chemistry with Kathy, but didn't the mask in the book make the wearer meaner, not sillier? Mr. Chu (Ken Jeong) was a fun character, but I feel like they could've done more with him, particularly his excitement to be living a Goosebumps story. Send him out into the chaos to casually soak it in while everyone else is running and screaming in terror or something! I thought it was a little odd he had so much time to make the kids costumes in the middle of the crisis, but I guess the existing costumes might've been brought to life, so maybe there's internal logic to them not just using pre-made disguises (ultimately it doesn’t bother me either way, though). 

I liked Jack Black's return as RL Stine here (though I wish he also voiced Slappy again, even if Mick Wingert sounds enough like Black’s Slappy for it to not be jarring at all). Stine worked really well as a mentor/inspiration to Sarah, even though he didn’t have a lot of screentime (they definitely made the most of his time here). His return to his hometown—forcing him to face his monsters in the place that created so many of them for him—was well done (if not elaborated on). More of that definitely would’ve been appreciated, but I’m content with what they did give us. I'm also definitely down to follow the story where Slappy leaves it, with Stine locked in Slappy’s book (also making the dummy a dark mirror for Sarah, if they want). Maybe Stine's been put into Horrorland? If they're about to take us into the world of Goosebumps after letting it invade the real world twice now, I'm all for that! It would be awesome if the younger casts of both movies teamed up to save RL Stine and wrap up this trilogy! He does have a daughter who used to be a character in one of his books; combine that unique experience with Sarah taking up the writer torch and I think we’ve got a rescue party forming.

I liked that this felt like a lost Goosebumps story (whereas the first movie was more of a meta-celebration of the franchise) and Slappy’s twisted desire for a family worked really well for me. He’s a great villain and forcing people to be his family was a nice, understated tie back to his implied status as Stine's evil alter ego (Stine himself having been a lonely kid according to the first movie). I wish they’d played that up more, though. Using Slappy's incantation to bring all the Goosebumps monsters to life was a fun twist on the lore and made it feel like a sequel to “Night of the Living Dummy.” Slappy using Nikola Tesla's technology to achieve his goals was a nice touch too…and a possible reflection of Stine and his status as an ignored genius in comparison to his rival Stephen King (this features a great IT joke, btw!)? As for the rest of the Goosebumps monsters, it’s always nice to see them, but aside from being recognizable as the franchise’s villains, these monsters could’ve been any thugs. If they’re going to keep bringing every monster in, I’d like to see more Goosebumps-y twists on the classics with defined abilities and unique scares instead of mobs of essentially interchangeable creatures. The ravenous gummy bears were a real threat, but also a lot of fun (and cute!); they’re a good example of an original Goosebumps twist on monsters. I did like that these monsters seemed to be mostly practical costumes/makeup rather than CGI creations this time out.

I think the biggest drawback was the same as in the first movie: I wish these films were more concerned with putting more actual scares on the screen. Slappy does get a bunch of creepy moments, though, and Kathy has an extremely unsettling moment as a human ventriloquist dummy, but I wish it had gone on longer and/or amounted to more. The Goosebumps books and TV episodes had actual thrills and scares alongside Stine’s humor, so I wish the movies would dip their toes in frights just as much as they exist in the “horror adventure” space. Despite me wanting more scares, however, the comedy here landed more often than not and there's no denying that it's a great time at the movies.

I love Danny Elfman's theme and score, but I do wish they'd include the TV show's theme song at some point in this franchise too. The CGI was really good: there was only one shot that looked a little dodgy (when the pumpkins took flight), but otherwise I thought it was convincing. While not explicitly scary, there is a fun spooky vibe here that makes for an enjoyable watch. The pacing’s also on point and moves the story along at a brisk pace.

Goosebumps 2 is out in Blu-ray this week and I'll definitely be picking it up! I'm excited to see it again and it's definitely worth a watch if you're looking for a fun Halloween adventure. Whatever they do for the next movie, I love this series and hope it continues!

Check out more of my reviews, opinions, and original short stories here!  

[seyaryminamoto]

What do you think about the plot of Smoke and Shadow? And what do you about Azula's role in it?

I don’t like the plot of Smoke and Shadow, and I like Azula’s role in it even less than the plot :’D do you want me to go fully in depth? Because… that’s gonna be very, very long.

The plot of Smoke and Shadow may be one of the worst in the comics so far. While I hear people complain about The Promise and how it handled many serious topics, it literally picked up after the show to answer a question everyone kept asking: what happens now that the Fire Lord was defeated? How does this world start to be peaceful after 100 years at war?

There are key problems to the whole execution, yes, there’s the whole conflict everyone has had with how colonization was handled, the whole subplot with Aang and the Air Acolytes was very annoying, especially with the first group of girls who were appropriating his culture just the same, but even more disrespectfully than the ones who did it later, and yet Aang somehow lashed out at the second ones but not the first… and there’s even more problems, but yes. The Promise has issues. But it was a story that at least felt worth telling.

The Search has SO MANY EXECUTION PROBLEMS… but it was the story everyone wanted to hear. It was worth telling, even if what they told was… really disappointing. I take issue with most everything in the Search, I’m not going to lie, but the idea of explaining Ursa’s mystery is still good and worth exploring.

But then we get to the Rift. And the Rift has a problem the first two stories didn’t have: it feels irrelevant. It didn’t really achieve something important for characters, you could have simply had a short comic with Toph coming home, her parents are still reluctant to accept her, something bad happens, she saves them again, they see her with her students, they realize she’s really that strong and that they should be proud of her. There. Takes less than 10 pages. But instead we took an entire trilogy to have Toph doing basically what I just summarized, only with a spiritual crisis in the middle, and a bunch of subplots that weren’t all that interesting. The subplots are especially useless because their ties to the future of the Avatar world seem to be comic exclusive: if you said Satoru is the father of one of Toph’s kids, he’d be relevant. But he hasn’t been confirmed as such. Is he that important in her life? Her refinery partnership with her dad sure shows she fixed her relationship with him: such refinery or partnership have no effect in her character or legacy in LOK as we know it. Why did it matter?

This is the same thing that happens to Smoke and Shadow. It introduced and then resolved a lot of problems, but the trilogy opened and closed while leaving the very same ends untied at the end: we don’t know if Mai and Zuko are officially together again after she broke up with Kei Lo. Kei Lo also wasn’t a serious obstacle until this comic begins (in her comic book day story, she only dates him once and ends everything with him because he’s with the New Ozai Society, so it wasn’t like she was with him all along after ending with Zuko). So, the whole problem of this love triangle really is only relevant in this trilogy because it was introduced and resolved within the comic’s allotted page count, just the same in the Free Comic Book story.

Azula? She came and went, was last seen in the Search running into a forest and wasn’t found again, Smoke and Shadow we have Azula causing a problem, then running away at the end just the same. Her situation remains the same, generally speaking. Ozai’s conspiracy? Got nowhere and in the end barely seemed a threat for Zuko’s rule because the entire focus changed to fighting Azula.

The situation of the Fire Nation did not change at all. You are not shown a crowd of people who trust and believe in Zuko at the end of it, everyone is solemn and it simply looks like everyone will just keep waiting and hoping he won’t mess up in the future. He sorted out this problem, but did it by acting in a way they didn’t like. He did not come off as a stronger leader for what he did, nor for his apology. In conclusion: the Fire Nation is the same as it was, if not worse because people might distrust Zuko more.

So, what was the point of S&S? On the large scale of things, what was the idea, the purpose of this trilogy? Were we supposed to see how Zuko lost himself because he doesn’t know how to act as the kind Fire Lord he wants to be when the stakes are high? Oh, wait, that was the Promise’s subject too. How about that. Were we supposed to see that there’s Fire Nation people who doubt Zuko? Ah, yes, remember Kori Morishita? Remember Zuko’s decision to side with her, which showed he cared for his people in its own weird way? Well, there’s no such a development in this story, as he starts locking up people, forbidding them from leaving the mainland, and in general only earning everyone’s anger for what he’s doing. 

How was that resolved? Allegedly by an apology that doesn’t really make me think anyone’s happy about Zuko. No cheering, no smiles. Just eyes watching him, wary of his next mistake. So… what really ends up being the purpose of this comic in the end? Why is it relevant? Why was this story oh so important? Because it introduced Azula’s new group? Yeah, considering they actually did not bother introducing them for real, we could have actually used a whole comic trilogy of exploring this team (even if just as villains) rather than a single panel of the group where only one of their names was mentioned. They all look like interesting people, so why not have a storyline that made them more important as characters instead of using them as mere plot devices to bring Mai and Zuko together to save their siblings, while fighting these mysterious, apparently unknown masked enemies?

Maybe S&S was only a tunnel, maybe it will lead us to something that is actually worthwhile. Maybe it is indeed the first step towards Azula’s redemption, but was everything that happened in this comic essential for that purpose? Azula behaves as a terrorist, who sure, helped take down the New Ozai Society but then assured Zuko she was going to be Fire Lord through him (which is quite a direct confession of still wanting the throne and wanting to use him as her puppet). What was the takeaway for Azula in this comic? She has a brand new group of allies and… we only know the name of ONE of them. We barely know anything about them. They work together. Why? They all came from an institution. How did they ally with each other and what are their motivations? What is the purpose of this team?

As I said earlier, in my personal opinion, I didn’t need S&S to introduce this group of people to me, I would rather have had a comic about a completely different subject where that could happen. You could have every introduction of the characters along with their skills, along with one or two pages to explain their partnership with Azula, and then you move on to plot. This could have been done as they helped to take down the NOS, which should have been a better threat against Zuko’s rule. Or maybe they could have been disconnected from Fire Nation politics, and instead had something to do with a search for dragons, who as we know, were somehow around again in LOK. If Azula and her gang found dragon eggs, maybe? It’d be plot relevant. It’d be important. It introduces a factor that will have actually play a part in the future of the Avatarverse. 

The Kemurikage, as we saw them? What did they do for the Avatar World? They were part of Yang’s unnecessary rewriting and contradiction of already existing Fire Nation mythology, that merely ended up enhancing and furthering the image of the Fire Nation as a warring nation (which it presumably wasn’t until Sozin went bonkers, going by the spiritual lore that was established for the Fire Nation before). Why do I like the idea of the Fire Nation being spiritually guided, same as how the Air Nomads were? Because this way, when the Fire Nation sets aside all spirituality and becomes a warmongering country, balance breaks in the world. It’s part of the symbolism and logic of the original show. 

If their history was all that filled with wars and conflict, why would Sozin want to hide it away as he apparently did? If the Fire Nation was mainly peaceful and spiritual until he arrived, it would make a lot more sense for him to hide history, so people would be led to think they were always out for war because of his rewriting of history. That’s what a dictator would do. If a nation’s history is full of blood and violence and heroes and war, the dictator gladly clings onto that history to say he’s the new hero, following on the footsteps of the warmongers before him. So even for Yang’s purpose of saying Sozin was hiding Fire Nation history, it makes more sense for them to have been spiritually inclined all along as the original Fire Nation lore established.

So, this entire thing was really just another of Yang’s trademark spirit nonsense, that comes out of nowhere, and that has nothing to do with genuine spirituality. And of course, it annoys me because this did nothing to enrich the Fire Nation as we know it. Absolutely nothing. Even LOK’s comic’s tidbit of information about same-sex relationships did more for the Fire Nation because a least it didn’t contradict anything that already existed.

Long story short, Smoke and Shadow, to me, felt just as irrelevant as the Rift. The New Ozai Society deserved to be a genuine threat, rather than a smokescreen for Azula to become a terrorist behind a mask. The New Ozai Society COULD HAVE BEEN exploited and turned into a serious problem for Zuko, because as we’ve seen, there’s a fair amount of people in both Fire Nation-centric trilogies who are displeased with his rule. This Society could have grown wider and served as a foil for him, as proof that changing the Fire Nation’s ways is not that easy, but it also could have allowed for other complex groups to be born, such as groups of people who don’t like Zuko’s current MO, but disapprove of Ozai and of New Ozai Society’s methods all the same. People who want peace, but not at the cost of feeling their Fire Lord is more connected with outsiders than to his own nation.

Zuko’s disconnection with the Fire Nation as it is, his role as their leader, needs to be explored. He needs to be shown as more than just a military figurehead. A Fire Lord who’s advocating for peace should be shown working on furthering the Fire Nation’s other regards, rescuing their former cultural values, fixing their flawed education, for instance, rather than always being at the center of a military problem. Is it not that epic? Oh, why, I beg to differ. If Zuko reforms the Fire Nation’s education, it would bring about a ton of enemies who want Ozai’s rule to come back. It would be a way to introduce people who refuse to let change come. But it would also introduce a ton of allies who believe in Zuko and the future he’s trying to bring. A story like this would allow him to find his own connection with his people, so that it no longer feels like he’s being the Avatar’s proxy in the Fire Nation.

Basically, if Zuko gets another comic trilogy it should be about showing us how the Fire Nation is genuinely changing for the better under his rule, and how much his nation means to him. Not about how many people want to kill him because he’s not Ozai, just so the topic of why Zuko is being rejected by some people ends up buried and forgotten because “these people who don’t like him are all so baaaad!”.

Uff. Okay, so, my opinion on Azula’s role in S&S is something I already stated but I’ll state again that I dislike it because it turned her into a terrorist. Nothing she had done in the show or even in the Search was ever quite as fucked up as what she did in this trilogy. Why? Because she never attacked her nation. Because her nation was not means to an end for her. Because she wanted to be a great leader for the Fire Nation, that was the last goal we ever heard her stating outright in the show.

When she’s out to kill her mother in the Search, it feels forced and wrong to me (as she’s suddenly paranoid and unreasonable, holding her mother responsible for everything that went wrong in her life despite the fact that this is not something she ever did in the show). But it’s a personal thing. It’s Azula fighting her inner demons in a very bad way that is only making her sink deeper into their web. She’s not doing this for some crazy scheme: she’s doing it because she has no idea what else to do to stop the madness that has taken over her. She knows she’s out of control, knows she’s not fine, and wants to resolve her problem by her own hand. All that’s good, the fact that she was led to think her mother was the source of everything was what was fucked up and unreasonable to me, but anyways, it’s not entirely wrong for her to act the way she did in the Search if you’re also based on the premise that she’s mentally ill and misunderstanding her entire reality.

But in S&S? She doesn’t limit herself to attacking her family, which fine, we accept as a possibility from as early as her first appearance in the show, because her relationship with her family is absurdly complicated. But no, now she attacks her nation. She kidnaps children. She says she wants nothing more to do with her father but acts with the same lack of reasoning and contempt/disrespect for her people and everyone else as Ozai did. She is shown still pursuing the throne, even if no longer in a direct manner.

So honestly, I dislike her appearance in S&S entirely because it’s yet another disservice to her character. It’s plain wrong in my opinion that a girl who had priorities is now setting the throne as her only goal, and she doesn’t seem to care about who she runs over on the quest for absolute power. And it’s BEYOND fucked up for Yang to code this sort of Azula as “healed” Azula, as an Azula who is no longer attached to her father: he’s basically saying that the terrorist, that the kidnapper, that the manipulative criminal, is what Azula would become even without her father’s influence. 

What everyone thought would turn her into a better person apparently had the entire opposite effect: she wasn’t a terrorist, EVER, while working for Ozai. Her problems with Ty Lee, with Chan, with Zuko, with anyone she hurt in the show, wasn’t damaging her nation as a whole. She had personal issues with them, and she didn’t resolve them by targeting the whole nation just to get back at them for what they’d done. She was harsh, but never what she was in this comic.

So I do hope Yang can excuse me for feeling that his idea of a healed Azula is utterly disturbing and repelling. I’d choose show!Azula any day: as flawed, immoral and manipulative as she was, she made a complex, interesting character whose goals and motivations made sense, as opposed to his version of Azula who is no longer as complex, yet more immoral, and more manipulative (yet less efficient about it) than her original counterpart, while being a terrorist on top of it all.

Whatever she achieved in this comic, however she helped Zuko, the two things I took away from this trilogy are those I’ve stated over and over: 1. She’s become a terrorist and a public menace. 2. She still, STILL, has not given up the throne and I don’t understand why so many people refuse to see it. Saying Zuko belongs in the throne and then saying “Ah, but I’ll shape you into being a leader I approve of because THAT WAY I’LL BE FIRE LORD ANYWAYS” means she’s not done with the throne: it means she wants to be his puppet master. I know it’s beyond unpleasant to admit it, but it’s true. I see no reason to excuse what she’s done in this comic, absolutely none. Her motivations and actions have reasonable explanations in the show, heavily related to her past, to her growth, to her priorities, to her flaws: here, everything regarding her motivations has been reduced to the goddamn throne. And that pisses me off a lot.

So… is that endless rant enough to explain my feelings about S&S? In conclusion, I don’t like where Yang is taking Azula’s character, and I don’t like how utterly irrelevant this trilogy felt in the long run. There’s a ton of stories still worth telling about Zuko’s tenure as Fire Lord, and yet Yang has managed to waste an entire trilogy in one that yielded nothing for his character or for the Fire Nation.

[lgwhatculture]

Star Wars: 10 predictions for the future of the franchise

Star Wars has been moving at full speed under the guidance of the house of mouse, and as we enter the fifth year of Disney’s ownership (yes, five. Can you believe it?) the promise of more Star Wars has really come true. With a number of projects either out of the gate or in development, I’m going to predict what everything means for the future of the franchise and how these many stories in a galaxy far, far away will turn out. We’ll be looking at both the big picture and the smaller story details in the new Canon.

All images belong to Lucasfilm / Disney.

10 - Han Solo will be the weakest Disney instalment yet.

Not to start on a negative note, but let's get this out of the way. Did we really need a solo Han Solo movie? Is it really that important to see how Han and Chewie met? Or how Han won the Falcon? Not really. In a galaxy far far away, there are limitless stories to be told, and we can't help but feel like this is unnecessary. Plus, with an A-List cast on-board, it's not quite captured that same feel as the other films, which usually cast unknowns and shoot them to fame. Donald Glover and Woody Harrelson are sure to do great, but Danerys herself, Emilia Clarke, is especially hit-and-miss outside of her title role. Here's hoping I'm wrong, but I don't believe the film justifies its existence or cast.

Don't even get me started on Katherine Kennedy’s comments on Han ‘gaining his name’. If Han Solo is simply a title, then we'll be in the unique position where a film actually detracts from the original instead of enriching it.

9 - Episode VIII will be unique and take the lore in a new direction

Now onto a more positive note, The Force Awakens was a great start to the new trilogy no-matter what you thought of it, and there’s plenty of questions fans are asking in regards to the excellently titled eighth instalment, The Last Jedi. If the very-vague trailer is anything to go by, There’s something happening with the classic Sith/Jedi dichotomy. See Luke’s ominous quote:

“I only know one truth. It’s time for the Jedi to end.”

So, there’s a change coming, and with VIII showing a more spiritual Luke, I can only imagine the more religious side of the Jedi will be discussed, and perhaps the actual meaning of ‘balance to the force’? The ‘chosen one’ and ‘prophecy’ are concepts we are familiar with, but the actual idea of Anakin or Luke bringing balance to the force makes little sense as both obliterated their respective opposing team. Not really, you know, balance. Perhaps the future lays in the idea of ‘Grey Jedi’. Previously a Legends concept, but one could argue it was brought into the new Canon with Ahsoka in Rebels. A Grey Jedi aligns to either side of the force, and perhaps Luke’s new mission is to bring the two warring factions together rather than apart. Kylo Ren certainly could be pulled over to the light side, so maybe we are seeing a paradigm shift in the franchise, towards more nuanced performances rather than outright good and bad. If Disney wants to continue the franchise for a long time (read: forever) then good vs evil is going to get pretty dull pretty soon.

8 - Rebels won't end with the cast dying

Star Wars Rebels replaced the beloved Clone Wars, and at the time the general consensus was that the latter show was going to be a more ‘fun’ show by comparison to the darker Clone Wars. Fans were soon wrong when the series became universally loved, and even served as a sequel to Clone wars in many ways. The show has gotten darker, and approaches it’s final season this year.

The problem we are faced with is that the core cast do not appear in anything beyond the show they have been created for. This was also a problem when we were introduced to the Rogue One cast, and [spoilers ahead] they are now all dead. Yeah, forecast isn’t looking too sunny for the crew of the Ghost. So the likely option, especially since the Ghost is seen in Rogue One, is that the characters are killed in a sacrificial act just before A New Hope begins. Even though show-runner Dave Filoni stated the battle of Scarrif wouldn’t be shown in rebels, we’re not sure we believe him.

Despite the likeliness of death, we think the characters all being killed off is not going to happen. Something more interesting. We believe Zeb, Chopper and Rex are easy enough to blend into the existing universe without dying, and for it to not feel strange that they never appear again.The theory that Rex is the bearded rebel soldier in Return of the Jedi works perfectly as a nice retcon for a fan-favourite character to tie Rex into the story. The others we are not so sure about, though Ezra and Sabine are both young enough to be carried over to the next show, much like Ahsoka. ‘Next show?’ you ask. Well. Cue next point.

7 - The next animated show takes place between episodes VI and VII

With Rebels ending, another show is bound to take it’s place, and no better slot is left to explore that the gap between episodes VI and VII, in other words, the gap between the classic and new trilogies. It’s a murky period ripe to be explored, and there’s no better opportunity to explore this period than through a new show. While Clone Wars was an anthology, and Rebels an ensemble, perhaps the new show will have a single protagonist to follow to set them apart. If this is the case, there is no better person to follow than Luke Skywalker himself, starting with the end of Return Of The Jedi, and following the opening of his new Jedi academy. Looping back to the last point, this is maybe where we could see Ezra return to the fold. Not only that, but we would see the development of Ben Kenobi into the Kylo we see in The Force Awakens. It’s actually a crime that this period has not been seen outside the books, and it’s only a matter of time before light is shed, especially in the wake of Episode VIII likely revealing all the key secrets that are keeping a series like this from being made.

If many of the questions from Episode VII are not revealed in VIII, this is a great place to answer them to give fans peace. How did Maz Kanata get Luke’s sabre? Who are the Knights of Ren? Answering questions like these would automatically put this show in the good books.

One final point, were this to happen, Mark Hamill is a renowned voice actor for animation, and with his respect to the fans, he’d be sure to be on-board for voicing Luke. Make it happen Disney!

6 - Battlefront II will fix most of the problems of the first, but will still not be as good as the PS2 original.

Bias aside, the original Battlefront game was great. It’s sequel, legendary. The 2015 reboot, not so great. It was shiny, and looked amazing, but fancy visuals don’t exactly make up for a bare-bones experience that included less than the 2005 masterpiece. The sequel looks to be fixing this. All three eras. A story mode, many more heroes, and the promise this is ‘three times bigger’ than the 2015 game means hype is pretty high Dice and Co can deliver on the promises and pull through on the evident potential of the 2015 game.

Despite all these big claims, we can’t help but feel like there’s going to be a ‘spark’ missing. All too corporate and perfect, not enough fun factor. Can a game be perfect and still not be fun? Yes, but maybe that’s a problem with the video games industry more than the game itself, or Star Wars as a brand. Only time will tell. Moving on.

5 - The next spin-off will be an Obi Wan movie, with Ewan McGregor.

Stay with me. There has not been a ‘star wars story’ [still don’t like that subtitle] announced since originally way back when Disney told us their plan to dominate the world. The Josh Trank Boba Fett movie fell through, so there’s currently a blank space after Episode IX, sitting at a 2020 release window. At this point, Ewan McGregor will be 49, and while it’s still a little young, makeup can surely get him ready for filling in the gaps between III and IV, documenting the life of Obi-Wan Kenobi’s years in hiding, and how he became Ben Kenobi.

We’re thinking a smaller, more personal films. Kenobi is one of the most well-rounded characters, and seeing a more character based story on Tatooine would be great to see. Why the name ‘Ben’ is used is a story that has not been discussed in-canon, and maybe it’s a story worth telling. Logan showed how a big franchise could make a western-inspired, quieter character piece, so perhaps it’s only a matter of time before McGregor and fans alike get their wish.

4 - Doctor Alpha will appear on Rebels

If you are unfamiliar, Dr. Aphra is the new hit character of the Marvel Star Wars Comics. Originally appearing in the Darth Vader comic, she now is in her own comic, the first original character to have their own run since the canon purge.

Aphra is a rogue archaeologist, hired by Vader to find Sith artefacts. After the two parted ways, she is now on solo adventures. Whether you like the character or not, she is a nice new creation for the comics, and falls very much in line with Marvel’s current marketing push for a younger, more diverse cast of characters.

Given Rebels is ending soon, perhaps we could see this character appear in another medium? Disney’s new canon has been spectacularly watertight when it comes to feeling like a ‘connected universe’ through and through, and a comics crossover would show how much Disney care about their franchise on every level. Comic tie-ins are frequently forgotten about, so tying two mediums together would help both and show more people a great new character.

3 - More legends material will become Canon

Just to clarify -

Legends - the old, pre-Disney continuity, otherwise known as the Expanded Universe (EU). It featured lots of content, and thousands of characters, most of whom now no longer exist in Star Wars. Many fan favourite moments and stories were erased, but then Disney started listening. Rebels re-introduced the most popular EU character of all time, Grand Admiral Thrawn. The blue boss has been a huge success on the show, and now the floodgates are open for an array of other characters and stories to be re-canonised into the new lore.

While some characters have already been used for influence, such as Jacen Solo into Kylo Ren, there’s plenty of other fan-favourites who should make the jump. Take one look at anywhere Star Wars related on the internet, and you’ll find fans are very passionate about the very long lineage of the sith. Darth Revan is perhaps the most wanted character for sheer awesomeness, but almost any great villain would be a valuable addition to the canon.

One wildcard would be Luke’s partner, Mara Jade Skywalker. A partner to Luke indicates he may have a child (Rey) but the inclusion of Mara Jade also means there’s a big explanation to do as to Mara being hand to the emperor and a sort-of bad-guy. Yeah. Lots to fit into a movie, so maybe she’s best left to the EU.

2 - Forces of destiny won't do great

With more Star Wars things going on at once that any sane person can keep up with, you may not have heard about the other animated Star Wars show: Forces of Destiny. It’s a 2D miniseries with a lighter tone, featuring multiple characters from multiple eras, all on lighthearted adventures. It looks like a more simple version of Star Wars than we’ve seen before, but Rebels and Clone Wars ex-show-runner Dave Filonni is running the show, so maybe there’s more to be seen here than meets the eye.

Perhaps the biggest point of debate so far is that the show has only shown female characters in it’s trailers. It’s not a problem, as Star Wars has been a very white, male franchise, so diversity is great, but focusing only upon female characters as the trailer implies, makes it seem like this may be ‘Star Wars for girls’. Star Wars can and does appeal to girls, especially now more than ever because of it’s growing cast of strong females, with Jyn, Rey and Aphra only arriving in the last three years or less. Having female characters is not the problem, pandering to an audience is. People, regardless of gender, will watch Star Wars, because it’s Star Wars, and changing the tone to fit a demographic never goes well, especially when things like Jar Jar or the Christmas Special happen for exactly that reason. Perhaps not, perhaps we haven’t seen enough to judge, and perhaps I’m wrong. Discuss your opinions in the comments below.

1 - Luke and Leia will die in the Last Jedi.

Episode VIII. Bring the tissues.

Okay, just look at that title. The LAST Jedi implies either my earlier assumption that a big change to the lore is coming, or Luke will bite the dust. Maybe both. The problem is, for the hero to complete their journey over the trilogy, they have to lose their mentor and be forced to go it alone. It happened in Episodes I, IV and VII. While it would be nice to have a change in that pattern, the story just doesn’t work as well, and it’s important to remember the original cast are not getting any younger, as my unfortunate next point demonstrates.

In December 2016, the world lost Carrie Fisher, and Star Wars fans mourned for the passing of their hero Princess Leia Organa. It leaves an awful problem for the future, for Carrie has filmed two of three films in the trilogy, with two options for what happens next. She either is written out of the next film, or she dies in this one. Either option is awful, but Lucasfilm being pretty calm and collected after her death, and the comments about not needing CGI re-creation makes it all too clear that she most likely dies in The Last Jedi. It’s going to be a hugely emotional performance as her last, but to watch her character die, possibly alongside her brother, means the film could be an emotional sucker-punch, tainting the film’s reputation for all the wrong reasons.

What do you think in regards to any of the points? What next for Star Wars as a whole, or any of the projects mentioned. What are you looking forward to the most? Let us know in the comments.