#lon smith

[angelamontoo]

A brief glance into o Shaughnessy, Cairo and Spades family tree's

[jewishcissiekj]

more acolyte btssss

[stereogeekspodcast]

[Transcript] Season 5, Episode 2. The Acolyte Eulogy

In crushing news, The Acolyte has been unceremoniously cancelled after only one season. The Stereo Geeks present to you their eulogy for this Star Wars show that was arguably their favourite in the live-action pantheon. But, Ron and Mon don't always agree about what makes the show great.

Listen to the episode on Spotify.

Ron: Hello and welcome to a new episode of Stereo Geeks.

Mon: Today’s episode is a eulogy to the short-lived Star Wars show, The Acolyte.

Ron: We barely knew you! But we will never forget you. I’m Ron.

Mon: And, I’m Mon.

Ron: I’m going to start us off by saying that I’m really angry The Acolyte has been canceled. I’m upset, yes, but I’m mostly furious. This show deserved a second season. People of colour and women deserve to see more entertainment that centres them.

Mon: I don’t know how to feel, to be honest. I feel like we’ve been robbed of a show that’s so smart and so achingly clever, as well as being effortlessly diverse. But, I had my reservations about a second season – I definitely wanted the show to continue, but I had mixed feelings because my favourite characters would likely not be there. 

Ron: Am I the only one on this planet who straight up didn’t notice that the show was “diverse”? I just saw a show with interesting characters. 

Mon: I didn’t think about the diversity either, especially not while watching it. But I couldn’t not notice it when I began writing my review for WWAC, which will be out soon.

Ron: The diversity is impressive! The only people who could have a problem with it are problematic, narrow-minded morons. But more on that later.

Ron: You've mentioned that you weren’t sure about a season two. A lot of amazing characters were lost in season one, but I honestly think another season would have given us even more Jedi to love.

Mon: That’s a positive way to look at things. I guess I really miss the characters, so I am not ready to move on from them. But I know I would have had we got another season. 

Mon: We’re going to head into spoiler territory right now, so if you haven’t seen the show, this is it, this is your chance. 

Plot

Ron: By now, most people probably know the story. I’ll share my first impressions. I was hooked from the opening scene. Carrie Anne Moss as Jedi Master Indara exemplified cool. She is completely at ease against her unknown assailant, dodging every move, predicting the next step. It’s only when she sees who the assailant is that she’s stumped and that’s the end of her. 

The rest of the premiere follows the Jedi as they try to uncover the truth behind Master Indara’s murder. A Jedi murder mystery. How absolutely amazing is that? I was in love. 

Ron: I will say that the entire show wasn’t a Jedi murder mystery. But that wasn’t a bad thing. The Acolyte introduced a ton of lore and built so much more of the Star Wars universe. We got to see the Witches, progenitors of the Night Sisters. The power of two theory plays a huge part in this story, and we’ve seen how Force dyads work throughout the films.

Mon: It took me a minute to warm to the show, mostly because the first episode is one of the weakest, directorially speaking. It’s not paced well, and it promises a setup that it abandons pretty quickly. The story that it abandons the mystery for is really gripping, but I wouldn’t have minded a murder mystery. 

Ron: That’s so bonkers that the first episode felt weak to you. I was enraptured! 

Mon: Wow. We’re usually of the same mind. This is so weird.

Ron: And, I actually do think the murder mystery angle paid off. But the show takes a very long-winded way to solve the mystery, and along with it, we get this whole other story about a Sith lord looking for an acolyte.

Mon: Yeah, that makes sense. Things picked up from the second episode, which is really well done barring the final duel, which again, isn’t well-paced. 

Ron: Wait a second. Why didn’t the episode two duel work for you? 

Mon: The duel says a lot about the characters, but it lacks an urgency that the story suggests should be there. 

Ron: Perhaps I was so taken with the show, the pacing didn’t bother me. I liked that the pacing gave us time to observe and feel the moment.

Mon: So, it’s funny, but, the pacing really bothered me when I first watched it, but the issue was practically non-existent when I rewatched it. This show, and I don’t really know whom to blame, is not made for a weekly rollout; it’s made for a marathon-watch. The structure of the story doesn’t take the ebbs and flows of weekly viewing into account. If you’re on a high from the previous week, you’re going to need something mind-blowing the week after. That’s not how The Acolyte was made, which, I think, may have worked against it. But, when you watch it as a whole, I swear, this is the best thing I have ever watched!

Ron: Fascinating! I do feel like a lot of TV shows are crafted like that. Or, rather, they’re designed as a film that’s cut up into shorter episodes. Hence they make for better marathon viewing and you get episodes where seemingly nothing happens. I didn’t mind, but the crybabies on the internet couldn’t handle it.

Mon: Well, Disney is obsessed with tv shows being one long movie, so the pacing goes awry when you make it that way and then cut it up for a weekly feed. That being said though, even in the episodes of The Acolyte where nothing happens, so much happens. It’s outstanding. The writing on this show is unbelievably good.

Ron: It doesn’t help that people have no patience and get annoyed with a show because they have to wait a week or more to get their answers. An episode like “Teach/Corrupt” feels meaningless to certain viewers but it’s actually packed with character dynamics that set up the remainder of the plot. But you’ve got to have at least a modicum of intelligence to understand that.

Mon: You’re not wrong. How dumb are people that they don’t realize the answers to their questions will arrive in the next episode. This show brought out the worst in people. 

Ron: For me, The Acolyte captured that feeling of watching WandaVision. So many mysteries to solve. So many Easter eggs to find. We’d watch the episode and go online and people would be losing their minds at the newest reveals or a shocking death. That’s what television is all about.

Mon: The intricate details of this show – not taking into account the Easter eggs and references – are so brilliant. The way the clues to the story are littered throughout the show, and how someone is reacting or doing something plays out is really extraordinary. 

Ron: Exactly! Everything matters in this show. The way Sol looks at something. The confusion on Yord’s face. Vernestra not reacting to information. It all matters in the end. But you’ve gotta watch the damn thing for answers!

Fan Reaction

Ron: So, I guess we might as well get the horrid part out of the way. The so-called fan reaction to the show.

Mon: There’s no such thing as a Star Wars fan. They’re just bigoted, racist, sexist AHs. I cannot stand the discourse around anything to do with Star Wars. You and I love Star Wars, but there’s no point in calling ourselves fans, because that is the most toxic group of disgusting luddites that anyone can encounter. 

Mon: I cannot, for the life of me, understand the blatant hate for this show from the first episode onwards. It makes no sense other than the obvious – which is misogyny. It makes me want to scream. Yes, The Acolyte has issues, but this is the best Star Wars live-action show out there, it’s better than Andor, a show that everyone loves, but one I felt really underserved its protagonist, who happens to be Mexican. 

Ron: It’s racism and misogyny. We see it over and over again and it’s unbearable. For us to see a Star Wars show full of people of colour and women. We feel seen for the first time. But despite there being a plethora of tv shows and films with white men in the lead, the fact that there is one show with people of colour evinces this much hate.

Mon: But this hate is causing real damage – we are constantly losing entertainment where the story doesn’t focus on cis white able-bodied dudes. We’re stuck in a cycle that will not be broken because the biggest entertainment companies in the world, like Disney and Warner Bros., will cave to the stupidest common denominator. I just can’t….

Characters

Ron: Enough about those awful excuses for humanity. The Acolyte was filled to the brim with characters that I instantly fell in love with. I want to talk about everyone!

Mon: I wasn’t sure what we were getting into with these characters, but they piqued our interest with little hints to their personalities and their histories. And the writing was well-matched with a lot of great performances that got us invested in these characters. 

Ron: Yord-Horde, what’s up! The instantaneous love for Charlie Barnett’s Yord Fandar gave me life. This Jedi Knight is such a stickler for the rules, he even steams his Jedi robes. What is not to love? I appreciate how quick Disney was to share BTS videos of Barnett talking about Yord and his goofiness. They really made us fall in love with Yord.

Mon: Love Yord. He’s certainly a stickler for rules, and that makes him seem boring, but he gets the job done. On the rewatch, I realized he has a chip on his shoulder – it seems that he hasn’t conquered his fears yet, and the other characters remark on that. It’s the layers to this character that really leave us wanting more. 

Ron: I missed that about Yord’s fear. A Jedi whose afraid? Dang, no wonder he’s so stuck up.

Ron: The character who stole my heart was Jecki Lon, played by Dafne Keen. I was excited to see her again after her incredible breakout role as Laura Kinney in Logan. And she was excellent on His Dark Materials. But Jecki is just a sarcastic ray of sunshine in this show. Every scene, she’s a delight to watch. She’s so mean to Yord, and their relationship was hilarious to watch. But she’s got a soft side to her. The way she talked about becoming one with the Force, it was so wise and comforting. And those lightsaber moves! We’ll talk about the duels in a bit.

Mon: I love Jecki! She’s snarky, but she’s so kind to Osha. I was certain they were setting up a romance between Jecki and Osha – those two had amazing chemistry, and like… Osha takes the time to watch Jecki train before saying goodbye. So adorable! 

Ron: I would have loved a romance between Jecki and Osha. The chemistry was palpable.

Mon: And Jecki had the best fight scenes. That energy, those smarts. I could have watched Jecki in combat forever!

Ron: We have to talk about Osha. And Mae, of course. You go first because I believe we’re going to disagree.

Mon: So… I really struggled with Amandla Stenberg’s performances as Osha and Mae. I felt they were unable to bring any emotion or expression to their characters, and that left me unable to understand who these characters were or how they actually felt. 

Ron: Okay. We’re going to disagree. Do you remember when Arrow Season 1 was out? Everyone went after Stephen Amell because his Oliver Queen was too wooden. And I never felt that because I understood why Ollie lacked emotion.

Mon: Should have known you’d bring that up. I never had an issue with Amell’s performance in Season 1 of Arrow, because it was obvious he was restrained and, honestly, just didn’t know how to fit back into his old life. But that’s the key – it was intentional, or at least came across that way. Here, with Stenberg, I think they’re going for restrained, but they’re all over the place, and they don’t react to anything that’s happening to them. 

Ron: That’s exactly it though. I think Stenberg’s performances are intentional. They’re a huge Star Wars fan and they’ve particularly shared a long-standing fondness for Anakin Skywalker. I believe Stenberg knew when to emote and when not to. It was subtle but there is a very distinct change in physicality between Osha and Mae. I was so impressed by it because the first time we meet Osha, it’s just after Mae’s murdered Master Indara. And I immediately knew this was a different person than the murderer. Osha holds herself so differently than Mae does.

Mon: We’re going to have to agree to disagree here, because I felt that they missed the mark. I’ve watched the show twice now, and they don’t convey their characters’ emotions at all.

Ron: Oh no. I don’t want us to disagree! I really freaking loved Stenberg’s performances. Osha’s far more emotive than Mae is but she’s got that restraint that comes with Jedi training. But Mae’s primary emotion is anger so we don’t get to see her emote anything else.

Mon: Wow! How am I missing this? What is happening? There is a divergence in the Force and it ain’t good!

Ron: Hahahahaha. I think it becomes even more clear as we’re getting to the end of the show. When Osha and Mae switch places, by that point, they’re both questioning their past and their understanding of what happened. And the physicality starts to change but also the way they express themselves. By the final scene, Mae is relaxed and emotional, and she’s crying. But Osha is holding herself up and taut, refusing to let her emotions slip out. It’s like she’s unburdened her lightness into Mae and taken the dark side on. It’s so clever! But perhaps it was just too subtle?

Mon: Subtlety is not lost on me. I just don’t think they did a good job. But you know who did? Lee Jung-jae!

Ron: I think Master Sol, played by Lee Jung-jae, might be one of my favourite characters in all of Star Wars. In just 8 episodes, we got to see this extremely nuanced, flawed, deeply empathetic Jedi master who did something very wrong with the very best of intentions. The kindness on his face when he sees his padawan, Osha, I knew right then that I was going to love this character. He brought the serenity that we associate with Qui-Gon Jinn but with the pathos of Anakin Skywalker. Even knowing what he did, and it’s unforgivable, absolutely, I still love this character. He had an incredible arc. That final scene, when Osha is force choking him and he lets her, he accepts his fate, it was so emotional and moving.

Ron: Lee Jung-jae was phenomenal in this role. He learned English in just four months so he could play this character. To emote so beautifully and effectively in a foreign language. You can see how much he loves this universe!

Mon: Lee Jung-jae is so amazing that words cannot describe how wonderful he is in this role. He carries so much knowledge about his character’s past, present and future in his expressions from the very first episode onwards. It’s honestly mind-boggling. Sol in the first two episodes is written and performed to make you fall in love with him. He is a master like no other. He is a person so kind, so caring, it’s like, why can’t we have such loveliness in our real world? 

Mon: And then the other Mynock drops, and you learn the truth about Sol. 

Ron: There was so much foreshadowing! But I still hoped the truth wouldn’t be as bad. It was worse.

Ron: There are a lot of people who were upset that their new favourite character turned out to be a bad guy. But I think that’s a reductive reading of Sol. Everything he does in the present is to make up for his mistakes in the past on Brendok. He’s constantly working to redeem himself, and that’s what makes him a Jedi, not a Sith. I mean, Anakin Skywalker murdered Sandpeople and Jedi younglings and he still got redeemed.

Mon: What Sol did was wrong, but only because we saw the story from his victims’ points of view first. If we were following the Sandpeople, Anakin is probably the boogie man they tell their kids about all the time. But that’s not the angle we got; with Sol, Indara, et all, creator Leslye Headlund, intentionally wanted to give us a different point of view from the Jedi’s.

Ron: What a clever story decision. To show us the Witches’ way of life, the love that Aniseya has for her daughters and then to show us what the Jedi did to them.

Mon: Over at Soundsphere, I wrote about how the show challenges how we perceive the Jedi, but it doesn’t change our knowledge of them. It’s bizarre that so many people took umbrage to how The Acolyte depicted the workings of the Jedi, when we’ve witnessed, several times, that they have been taking Force-sensitive children away from their families forever, that they have an almost cult-like need for their followers to stay in line, or else they’re seen as a problem. The Jedi are hardly perfect, but while genocide isn’t in their mandate, it’s not like they’re not known to commit atrocities – either as part of the Clone Wars, or when their people go rogue, like Anakin did with the Sandpeople. 

Lightsaber duels

Ron: Unfortunately true. The Jedi are only the heroes of their own stories. But we can all agree that the coolest thing about the Jedi are their lightsabers, right? And that The Acolyte had the best lightsaber duels since the prequels. The energy, the speed, the range of techniques, the ferocity. This is lightsaber duelling!

Ron: Look, I know a lot of Star Wars fans want to move away from the Jedi. We got nine films in the Skywalker trilogy. It’s a bit weird for the fate of an entire galaxy to be tied to one dynasty, whether they’re blood-related or not. Which is why people wanted to move away from lightsaber-wielding Force-users. Then you get films like Rogue One which are mind-blowingly relatable, political and impactful, and there’s not a Jedi in sight. The Mandalorian and Andor also didn’t have Jedi in them – that’s changed for Mando, of course.

But I don’t think the problem is seeing more Jedi. We just need different Jedi, different eras. That’s exactly what The Acolyte gets right. We go a century into the past, the High Republic era, the Jedi reign supreme, no Sith in sight. And bam, now you’ve got Jedi at the top of their game, with skill levels that wowed us during the prequels.

Mon: People are never happy. Lightsaber duels are the best – when done well. We need more! I would love to see more Jedi. And we need a variety of personalities, like we had on The Acolyte. They can be a cult of emotionless monks, and still be interesting. Three trilogies and a bunch of animated shows already proved that was possible. 

Ron: What more proof do people need? But the lightsaber duels in this show are truly to die for. See what I did there? Maybe the fight between Sol and Mae wasn’t as well-paced, but when the Jedi go up against the Stranger? That’s edge-of-your-seat stuff. Jecki’s moves, her quick-thinking. You just know she would have risen up the ranks of the Jedi in no time had her life not been cut short.

Mon: Episode 5 is when I sat up and took notice of this show. I was like, okay, these people are not messing around. They’re doing something different here. They’re making an entire episode one long fight scene. They’re not scared to kill off our main heroes. They mean business!

Ron: What really impressed me is that Star Wars is over fifty years old. And yet, we get The Stranger, with his creepy-as-hell mask, made of Cortosis that shorts out lightsabers, and his moves are unlike anything the Jedi have ever seen. Considering this is the High Republic era where the Sith are basically unheard of, the Jedi must have felt like they were meeting a nightmare.

Mon: Sol even says to the Stranger that you’re using a Jedi weapon but you’re not a Jedi. These are Jedi who’ve mostly known peace, a killer like the Stranger is unfathomable to them. 

Ron: I got chills when Sol said that! And it got me thinking about something. We as the audience know about the Sith, but the Jedi in the show don’t. It’s really difficult to keep up the suspense and the stakes when the audience knows more than the characters. I spoke about this in a previous episode of Stereo Geeks about Dark Matter, the Apple TV show. There’s a reveal to the audience in the first episode that the characters take up to episode three to work out and it was painful to watch. The Acolyte worked from the same playbook but managed to ramp up the tension and build an atmosphere of fear for its protagonists. We keep saying it but this show is so clever. By the way, Dark Matter has been given a second season. But not The Acolyte.

Mon: Where’s the justice!

Twists

Ron: Speaking of the Stranger, what was a bigger twist? That Qimir was the Stranger? Or that he killed the wonderful Jecki Lon?

Mon: Jecki being killed was a bummer for me, so not much of a twist. But Qimir being the Stranger was like whaaaat! And it was so freaking clever, because I remember, we were watching the episode the first time, and I had just asked you if Qimir was still stuck hanging upside down and then pow, he’s the Stranger. I thought to myself, no way!

Mon: Part of me was like, but of course! Why would they cast Manny Jacinto and give him the role of a smarmy supplier? I mean, that can’t be it! Give me a break. They were smart. I didn’t see it coming though. My jaw dropped!

Ron: But Star Wars has cast big names in tiny roles before. Poe Dameron was going to die after two scenes until JJ Abrams realised he was too hot to die. 

Mon: Wait, is that true about Oscar? He was too hot to die? Because he totally was. 

Ron: Okay, so I may be embellishing a bit. But that’s totally what happened. Too hot to die. Yord, sadly, did not get that same treatment.

Mon: I feel you. Yeah, I do wish Yord and Jecki and Sol and Indara had survived. I love these guys so much. Yord and Jecki live on in a YA book. Indara too. Not sure when we’ll see Sol again. 

Ron: After they killed Jecki, I thought to myself, you’re going to let Yord live, surely? We deserve one of them to live. But nope! Yord’s neck saw the wrong end of the chiropractor’s twist.

Mon: Funny. That’s Yord humour, I’m sure of it.

Ron: Thank you. I aim to make him proud. Well, Sol doesn’t make it to the end of the season either. He gets killed by Osha. And Vernestra puts the blame on him for everything. The ignominy!

Mon: By the finale I figured that Sol wouldn’t make it. It was the final blow because I somehow still wanted him to. But, again, the showrunners know that you know what’s going to happen, so the finale is not about his death – it’s about us seeing the bleeding of a kyber crystal, and it’s about the Jedi protecting themselves, to such an extent they’ll drag one of their own through the mud. This show is gut-wrenchingly smart. 

Ron: Was anybody else squealing when the kyber bleeding happened? Because that was such a cool visual. I’ve always wondered about Sith blades, because I like Sith lightsabers, so this was a spiritual moment for me.

Mon: I did not know seeing a bleeding kyber was something that was so important to me, but apparently it was. Apparently, a stolen Jedi weapon is the only way a Sith can own a lightsaber – they must bleed the stolen kyber crystal to wield it. 

Ron: Ooooh, I love these details!

Ron: I will say, I really wanted Sol to live. Not just because he’s my new favourite character but also because I wanted to see him pay for his crimes. That would have been interesting to see. What does Jedi justice look like? Because in all of Star Wars, we’ve seen a lot of justice dispensed via lightsabers.

Mon: That’s such a good point. I agree.

Score and song

Ron: We do mention this a lot but we love listening to film and TV scores. I couldn’t wait to dig into The Acolyte’s score. Mostly because that Power of Two song by Victoria Monét was stellar!

Mon: I love that Power of Two song. When I did my rewatch, that was the one post-credits episode that I watched all the way through so I could listen to the full song. I need to add it to all my playlists. 

Mon: I haven’t heard the score. Just a tune here and there. Is it good? 

Ron: The Power of Two is such an addictive song. But the score itself is lovely. There are some throwbacks to familiar Star Wars tunes but for the most part, Michael Abels has constructed a new score. Part one of the score, episodes 1-4 had a lot of outstanding pieces. ‘Teacher and Student’, ‘An Acolyte’, obviously, ‘Combat in the Courtyard’, and my favourite is ‘Under the Bunta Tree’. I can’t wait for you to listen to this score!

Mon: I’ll give it a listen soon. 

Cancellation 

Ron: Obviously we’re upset by the cancellation because it’s a Star Wars show and we love to spend time in that universe. But for me, while I was watching it, I was so amazed that this show with this story and cast of characters existed in my lifetime. That I got to see it unfold every week for eight weeks and share in the joy and surprise of it with you and other fans. The fact that we won’t get another season, and if the loudmouths have their way, anything else like it, is what makes me feel so gutted. Life is tough and entertainment is our only escape. But that escape is being denied to only select groups, while others have so much made just for them. I know I sound bitter, but that’s how I feel right now.

Mon: I feel you. As I said, I wasn’t sure how I’d approach a second season, because I wasn’t all that invested in the characters who were left, but I was dying to get back in this world. I am so annoyed that anything slightly different from the norm gets squashed. And why? Because the loudest idiots don’t know how a weekly television show works and that women and people of colour love and can create art that’s smarter than these loudmouths? Man, I just don’t have the words for this nonsense. 

Favourite Moments

Ron: Instead of wallowing in sadness, let’s relive some of our favourite moments from the show.

Mon: Some of my favourite moments… honestly, it’s tough, because there are some detailed hints to what’s happening or going to happen, that take this show to another level. But, a few things I loved were:

Sol in the first two episodes - absolutely the kindest, loveliest human being. He will steal your heart.

The Stranger reveal - devastating as we’re still reeling from the murder of Jecki. And the Stranger’s catty comment about Sol bringing a child to a fight that eventually led to her death, gutwrenching. 

The two-part episode directed by Kogonada. It’s divided into episodes 3 and 7, and my word, they are so perfectly directed to give you two completely different storylines. Truly brilliant work. 

Ron: I’m not sure if it counts as a favourite moment but it’s the moment I knew this show would be so much better than I had hoped. When Master Indara was killed. I was sorry to see the end of her but her demise signalled that nothing was as it seemed. I knew I was going to love this show from that very moment.

Mon: Fascinating. Expect the unexpected with this one.

Ron: Other favourite moments would be every time Yord and Jecki were in a scene together. You could see how much they hated each other’s guts. Hilarious. That dynamic would have been a joy to see more of. But we are getting a YA novel, which I’m going to nab the moment I see it.

Ron: So, I mean, I don’t mean to be horny on main here, but the Stranger dipping into the pool while Osha is watching. That’s a universal favourite moment, right? I said it so you don’t have to. But we’re all thinking it.

Mon: You’re hilarious. But you’re not wrong. 

Ron: Would I be cheating if I said all of the finale? Because the entire finale is a favourite of mine. Every single second is incredible, unexpected, and a gut-punch. Love it to the moon and back.

Mon: That’s high praise coming from you. 

Ron: It had everything! Sol’s death, the lightsaber bleeding, the sisters coming together and then deciding to part ways. Vernestra being the worst and putting all the blame on Sol. And we haven’t even mentioned David Harewood’s Senator Rayencourt, who was taking the Jedi to task about their mysterious ways. That scene between the Senator and Vernestra was such an indictment of the Jedi way. I didn’t expect it and I was honestly, blown away by the tension. Also, David Harewood owns every scene he’s in.

Mon: I’m not the biggest fan of Vernestra, but she’s got a good PR brain. Can’t fault that woman’s crisis communications abilities, even if it means throwing her dead friend under the bus. 

What we would have loved to see in a season 2

Mon: Had we got a second season, I would have loved to see more of the Jedi. Maybe some actual investigations and mysteries? I would also have loved to see them veer away from a boring hetero romance between the Stranger and Osha – because, I could not see that, they had no chemistry. Plus he’s toxic and she’s lost – we’ve seen this dynamic before, in the Reylo stuff. That’s a no for me. 

I think the show would have actually been gay if we’d got a second season, as well. But so much for that. 

Ron: A second season would have seen Rayencourt tearing the Jedi to shreds on the senate floor. And then he would mysteriously disappear and it would somehow be Sol’s fault. 

Mon: Yes. Yes. I see it. 

Ron: Also, Master Yoda would be implicated in the cover-up, which would explain why he’s been straight up lying to the Jedi for another 100 years.

Mon: Can you imagine having to remember this many details for 100 years? I’m pretty sure Yoda just deleted this hiccup in his history. 

Ron: Yeah, you’re probably not wrong. 50 years from now he’s like, Vernestra who? What is this Sith you speak of?

Mon: Don’t we know it!

Ron: Okay, I think we lightened the mood, despite the crushing disappointment we feel. I’m going to be happy that we got one season. We got incredible, multi-dimensional characters who made us feel all the emotions and whom we’re going to miss. I can’t remember the last time I fell so instantly in love with new characters. I’m so glad The Acolyte exists and that we got to see it. Bring on the extended universe literature.

Mon: The Acolyte is my favourite live-action Star Wars show, so yeah, this sucks. But at least we have this one season, and hopefully some tie-ins that we can enjoy.

[transitranger327]

Six Shots (an Oshecki Cantina Date)

Day 4: I’ll Look You Up (Cantina Date)

Summary: After they parted ways a year and a half ago, Osha and Jecki finally go on the Cantina date they planned. And let’s just say they’re not here to make friends.

Notes: With all apologies to Sam Smith. This fic is based on their song of the same name. CW for Alcohol Use (but not abuse). Written for @oshecki-week 2024. And no, I won’t explain the backstory. Read it on Ao3 or below the cut.

—

Better with the lights on—We can play my favourite song

There she was. Beautiful, bashful, brilliant Jecki Lon, walking into the Coruscanti cantina like she owned the place. It had been a year…ish(? two?) since Osha had last seen her, and the time had been kind to her. 

“Osha! Glad you found your way here.” Jecki pulled up a stool to the high table Osha was sitting at. 

“Yeah this place is pretty cool. Tucked away but not impossible to find. And the vibes…” Osha made a vague gesture to their surroundings. Neon glow bathed the entire room, dancing on the patrons’ skins, reflecting in the brushed chrome as blobs of color. 

Jecki smiled, “pretty great right?” She motioned to the waiter, then asked Osha “drink preferences?”

“I don’t really care, to be honest.” In truth, she’d only loved one drink, a bottle of Andoan wine she received a comp for a truly harrowing shipment in CorpSec. Most other drinks were just fine. 

The waiter arrived, “hey Jecki, new date?”

“More like an old friend. Can you get us the usual?”

Osha’s heart sank, just a little. 

“Of course.” The waiter left. 

“You have a usual order? For all the dates you have?” Osha was trying to make sense of Jecki’s life as she stared at her porcelain skin, currently tinted blue in the club lights. 

Jecki laughed, “yeah, I’ve been around a few times, met a few girls. Sol gave me a lot more leeway after the incident.”

Looking at me, take one shot, two shot—Hit deeper, taste sweeter

The waiter brought over a flight of shot glasses—whiskey, by the look of it. 

Jecki lifted one up and toasted, “to life.”

Osha followed suit, “to the light.” 

The two women drank. 

“Wow, it’s been a minute since I had Chandrila.” Maybe it was the atmosphere, maybe it was the company, but Osha actually enjoyed the sweet heat. “It’s good.” 

“Glad you like it.” Jecki savored the moment. An aching eternity stretched between them, and she hoped to bridge it.

Good but it feels wrong—I can last so long

As the conversation continued, Osha let go of the tension she was gripping. “So what have you been up to lately?”

“You know, some typical Jedi business. But I was involved with a missing ship investigation.”

This intrigued Osha. “Oh? Can you tell me more?”

“Did you hear the news about the Free Enterprise?”

“Yeah, big colony ship from Eriadu, got lost in hyperspace. We still get news out in CorpSec.”

Jecki leaned in, “Tasi and I found evidence of sabotage.” Almost a whisper now, “The Techno Union transferred large amounts of money to a few crew members before the voyage left. Then they showed up to the destination and started their own mining operations.”

Osha and Jecki were now inches apart. Osha absentmindedly placed her hand on Jecki’s. “So what happened?”

“One of the Techno Union’s board members resigned and is currently awaiting a sealed trial.” Jecki’s face dropped. “We couldn’t find the colony ship.”

Osha lifted up Jecki’s chin, “Hey, you found the people responsible. Sometimes you can’t save everyone.”

“Yeah, but it still hurts.” Jecki was taking in Osha’s smile, “I don’t think they’re dead, just in a different place. Someplace we haven’t looked.” 

Looking at me take three shot, four shot—Throat heat up, get sweeter

Jecki leaned back, suddenly aware of how close they were. She picked up another shot glass. “To the Free Enterprise”

Osha followed suit. “To lost ships.”

The two women drank.

The cantina atmosphere caught up with them. Jecki, despite her best efforts, continued to stare at Osha. 

“What?”

“Your braids, I love how they change colors in the different lights.”

Osha blushed, “Well that’s the nicest thing anyone’s told me lately.” 

“That bad out in CorpSec?” Despite her initiative, Jecki was still more than happy to deflect.

“I just don’t get off ships much.” 

It's so hard babe, loving me—I'm like a whiskey, you can feel it Hit so strong but taste so sweet—There's no loving me, no way

“Must be lonely then.”

“It’s fine. I do my job, I get paid. No complications, no attachments.”

Jecki chuckled, “I’m pretty sure that’s not what you were supposed to take from the code.”

Osha felt like she had to defend herself. “Look, I’m not good with people.”

“You’re pretty great with me.”

You say you need me, but you don't know me—I'm the dark type, forever lonely Hit so strong but taste so sweet—There's no loving me, no way

“If you were gonna flirt with me like this, why’d you call me an ‘old friend’?”

“I didn’t know where we stood.” Jecki didn’t want to lose the moment. “I didn’t want to presume…”

“Jecki, I asked to get drinks with you at a cantina, and let you pick where. I thought it was obvious.”

Now Jecki was turning a bright shade of pink. “Well…” she started smiling, “…good, I hoped so.” 

I know you know what it is—I can tell you know it hits

“Can you tell me something you like about me?” Osha still wasn’t sure she even deserved a date like this.

“You’re gorgeous and resourceful. I feel like I could talk to you about anything.”

With that, any façade Osha still had left crumpled around her.

Let your feelings go, you've been working so hard Put the week down—Pray in a space with me, hand on my heart now

“Jecki…I…I don’t deserve this.”

“No, no, no, you’ve lost so much, you deserve just as much joy.” She reached out and intertwined her fingers with Osha’s.

“It’s just, you’re beautiful and a Jedi and successful and—”

Jecki cut her off, “—I’m everything you wish you were.”

“Yeah.”

“Well that’s Bantha-shit, because you’re everything I want. Well traveled, beautiful, resourceful, better-connected to the galaxy.” Jecki paused, then leaned in. “We can stop envying each other’s lives for a night and just enjoy the company.”

A thought, almost a whisper from Osha, “Stars, I need to kiss her.”

Jecki pulled her in and whispered back, “My lips are yours.”

The first moments were a quiet sonata, wholly different from the techno beats around them. Then it swelled into a jam session, an impromptu melody accompanied by tight harmony. Then it became a rock opera, a wall of sound drowning out the universe.

And the two women were stars.

Oh beat it up—I know how to mix it up Let your body go with the slow as we grow with the weekend—Take five shots, six shots, oh

As the kiss broke, one of them inhaled “stars, she’s good.”

“Want more?” Jecki teased.

“Please.” It was the neediest voice Osha had ever used.

Shot glasses were grabbed. The two women drank.

As the symphony of kisses continued, they began dancing to the cantina’s music. Bodies pressed together, moving to the thumping bass line. Osha traced her hands up and down Jecki’s curves. Jecki draped her arms around Osha’s neck.

They were utterly enthralled with one another.

The song drew to a close. After kissing Osha’s neck and cheek a few times, Jecki whispered, “can I come back to your hotel room?”

“Follow me.” Osha grabbed Jecki’s hand and pulled her out of the bar.

It's so hard babe, loving me (It's so hard)—I'm like a whiskey, you can feel it Hit so strong but taste so sweet—There's no loving me, no way

The two ran, hand in hand, a few blocks along side streets. Osha’s room was up one flight of stairs from the hotel entrance. 

Clothes started coming off before the door even closed. 

“I need you right now. You’re incredible, Osha.”

“Jecki, already? You haven’t even experienced half of me yet.”

Osha fell into her bed and pulled Jecki down on top of her yet.

You say you need me, but you don't know me—I'm the dark type, forever lonely Hit so strong but taste so sweet—There's no loving me, no way

[moviesandmania]

THE ALLIGATOR PEOPLE Reviews and free on YouTube

The Alligator People is a 1959 sci-fi horror film about a woman in a hypnotic state who recounts a terrifying experience from her past life that began with her husband’s mysterious and sudden disappearance. Directed by Roy Del Ruth (The Terror; Phantom of the Rue Morgue) from a screenplay by Robert M. Fresco, Orville H. Hampton and Charles O’Neal. The 1952 Bridey Murphy media sensation presumably…

[meazalykov]

redirection; prologue

esmee brugts x barcaplayer!R

summary: a girl realizing that a huge rejection lead her to the best redirection possible

most of the 2022-2023 season, i’ve been working hard within the tryout camps to get a spot on the united states women’s national team roster for the world cup. i played for the washington spirit in the nwsl as a striker.

most people in my circle believed that i would’ve had a spot on the world cup roster due to my overachieving skills. i had high hopes about accomplishing my biggest dream. however, when i got the facetime call from the uswnt coach, letting me know that i wouldn’t be on the world cup roster, that belief was crushed. 

my emotions were all over the place when the facetime call ended. the tears in my eyes ran down my dimpled cheeks for hours. my breathing was rigid and i couldn't think straight. it got to a point where my bestfriend, trinity rodman, comforted me on a facetime call. she made it on the roster and my happiness for her was distracted by the disappointment for myself.

“i feel like my skills, hard work, and motivation goes unnoticed.” i cried on the facetime call to trinity. i pulled the black sleeves of my adidas hoodie up and wiped my tears. to be honest, i felt like clicking the red “end call” button and falling asleep. i didn’t want trin’s happiness for herself to drain away due to my rejection from the world cup. 

“there’s so many people in the world that recognize your talents, y/n. everyone is disappointed too. just know that your time will come and you can use this as a bigger push for the 2024 olympic roster.” trinity commented. she was right, but the disappointment and rejection was too big to have optimistic thoughts currently. 

after the facetime call ended, my imessage notifications were blown up with most of my washington spirit teammates, family, and non-soccer playing friends apologizing to me when they didn’t see my name on the roster that was posted. they gave me reminders of how good of a player i still am. many of my uswnt teammates, including my close friends sophia smith and emily fox, expressed how disappointed they were because i wouldn’t play in australia with them. 

currently, i have seven caps with the uswnt. as a nineteen year old, this is a normal amount of appearances. so i had developed relationships with some players who consistently appear on the team. 

alex morgan is an example. she is my inspiration as an american striker myself. i’ve seen many people compare us and how we play. i scrolled on the 433womenfc instagram comments on the uswnt roster post and a particular comment stuck out to me, 

“washington spirit’s y/n l/n should’ve had a spot over alyssa thompson. she could’ve been a good sub for alex morgan since they’re both strikers and she has more international experience. uswnt missed out.” 

the tears in my eyes poured down my face again but instead of calling a friend or family member to talk to, i placed my phone on the charger and went to sleep. 

three months later: 

the uswnt was eliminated from the world cup after a penalty shootout with sweden in the round of 16. this broke my heart when i watched the match in my apartment last week. the uswnt won the 2015 and 2019 world cup and a three-peat would've broken records. 

currently, i sat in the backseat of a fancy black van as i headed to a fancy restaurant in downtown dc. my agent wanted to talk to me about my next career move, since my contract with washington spirit expired right before the world cup. 

i am assuming that my next move will be within the nwsl, many clubs contacted my agent during past transfer windows for a possible move. however, spirit rejected those transfers since they saw me as an important striker. trinity wanted me to stay at washington spirit and sign a new contract. i didn’t because i felt lost. i knew my heart belonged somewhere else. i loved the club i've been with since i was sixteen, but i needed to move on. 

the dark green pants and black long sleeve on my body was comfortable for the early-august weather. you’d expect the weather to be hot but it’s 8pm and the breezy air made for a perfect temperature.

i sat down in a booth across from my agent, heather. she held a blue ipad in her hands and already ordered water for us, which i took a sip of after we greeted each other. this meeting would determine my next career move.

two hours later, i walked out of the restaurant in excitement and shock. heather let me know that many clubs in many leagues contacted her as they needed a goal scoring striker. 

wsl clubs, such as chelsea and manchester united, were the first to contact my agent. in fact, they’ve wanted me since the last transfer window. i wasn't opposed to chelsea, since a few of my american friends played there. nswl clubs such as san diego wave, houston dash, and portland thorns wanted to offer me a contract too. 

when my agent mentioned the last club that offered me a contract, my jaw dropped to my feet. liga f club fc barcelona needed a striker and their coach was impressed by my goal scoring abilities from last season. barcelona was my dream club and heather saw my eyes light up in admiration and disbelief. 

as the dinner ended, i told heather that i'm looking forward to joining barcelona. she told me that she will let joan laporta and the sporting director know about my commitment. i wanted to cry in joy, i am moving to spain soon to join my dream club!

(pretend you’re trinity rodman) 

433womensfc

Liked by salmaparalluelo, and 21,613 others

tagged: @y/n.l/n

OFFICIAL: 🚨 19-year old American Striker y/n l/n from Washington Spirit signs a 3-year contract with FC Barcelona on a free transfer. She will be the first American to sign for the Liga F club 🇺🇸🔵🔴 

comments

y/nstrikes_ barca fans she will not disappoint! 💙❤️

esmeebrugts 🔥🔥

wosofan23 aitana bonmati and y/n l/n link on the pitch should be illegal 😭

        leahwilliamsfan67 i agree 

lekkerbrugts esmee ona and y/n joining barcelona?? barcelona is unstoppable. 

cghlover55 this is so crazy 😍🔥

randomuser4789 she was too good for the nwsl, can’t wait to see her compete in europe.  ❤️

   16 replies 

(pretend you're ona batlle)

fcbfemeni and y/n.l/n

liked by esmeebrugts and 93,973 others

our american star has arrived 😍💙❤️🌟

comments

aitanabonmati ❤️

ingrid_engen 😍😍

graham95 niceee🤩

y/nhive THIS MAKES ME SO HAPPY

felixfan14 SAME 😍

trinity_rodman SO HAPPY FOR YOU *nickname* 😭💗🎉

lindseyhoran10 woohoo!!!

uswnt 😍

alexiaputellas 🥰

*esmeebrugts started following y/n.l/n*

next chapter: redirection I

a/n: this is my first woso fic! this is the first chapter to this series and I'll write more for other players as well :D I hope you enjoy!

[chatter-crow]

alright yall im bored and need to yap sOOO

last name hcs for the chain

sky: given the last name Skyson at birth because he had no parents and was thus the son of the 'sky'. changed his last name to Hyrule after marrying Sun/his Zelda since he doesn't like being reminded of the fact that he doesn't have parents. plus he just loves his wife :)

four: Smith. he works as a smith as does his grandfather and the fsa is.. dubiously canon so minish cap is really the only source i have. plus historically last names *have* been based on professions so it makes sense.

time: Lon. there aren't enough kokiri for them to need last names so he took Malon's when they got married for legal purposes

twilight: doesn't have any last name but goes by Ordon if he needs to. he's an orphan so he was never given a last name and ordon village is small enough that there was little chance there would ever be another link in his lifetime

wind: similar logic to twilight in that outset is small enough that there wouldn't be another Link, but if he needs to clarify which link he is outside of outset he uses Outset as a last name.

legend: technically his last name is hyrule cause fable + legend siblings (my headcanon at least) but there aren't enough people in his hyrule overall that he needs a last name. he's just link, but if he *really* needs a last name he goes by Alfonsson, since his uncle alfon is the one who raised him and was the closest thing he had to a father figure.

hyrule: no last name by birth but he considers aurora + dawn to be his sisters so he sometimes uses hyrule as a last name, making him hyrule hyrule when with the chain

warriors: ishida. i hc him to be at least half-sheikah so he gets a sheikah sounding last name. he goes by mintz in the army to avoid racism

wild: celandine, which is a plant that represents 'joy to come' in flower lanuage. changed it to hyrule-celandine after being married to flora/his zelda

[salvadorbonaparte]

2024 in Films - Part III

I watched a lot of stuff again, some even for grad school.

August

Lola Rennt (1998) - banger soundtrack and editing

Vertigo (1958) - the most boring of the Hitchcock films I've seen so far

A League of Their Own (1992) - makes me want to watch baseball

White Men Can't Jump (1992) - did not expect jeopardy to be so important in this film, also loved the fashion

The Fall Guy (2024) - my mum loves the original series so we had to watch this and I had an amazing time

Blinded by the Light (2019) - the dialogue is strange at times but a banger soundtrack (obviously) and some amazing editing, very uplifting and I watched this on my flight to the US btw

Good Will Hunting (1997) - I watched this during my first week in Massachusetts before starting grad school here

Alien3 (1992) - this film says so much about gender, actually

Deaf Smith & Johnny Ears (1973) - taking lots of liberties with Texan history and also surprising homoerotic subtext

September

Causeway (2022) - a film that I originally only found meh but then kept thinking about all the time

Nosferatu the Vampyre (1979) - equally blood libel as the og with an added bonus of cycle of violence, might write an essay about this

Sleepaway Camp (1983) - another horror film that says so much about gender and I could write an entire essay about it

My Best Fiend (1999) - Werner Herzog must be studied under a microscope

We're All Going to the World's Fair (2021) - not as good as I saw the tv glow imo but asking some important questions about online communities and reality

Jacob the Liar (1974) - the film felt a little too empty but I also don't want to say something negative because I am still angry about a bad review I saw

Chris Grace: As Scarlett Johansson (2024) - absolutely transformed the way I think about stand up comedy

All Quiet on the Western Front (1930) - the old lie dulce et decorum est pro patria mori

The Shock (1923) - as ableist and racist as you expect from the 20s but with a great performance from Lon Chaney

Trap (2024) - I actually really enjoyed this, even though I was waiting for an even crazier plot twist

Don't Think I've Forgotten: Cambodia's Lost Rock and Roll (2014) - a documentary that nearly made me cry

Hudson Hawk (1991) - technically a rewatch but I need to speak my truth and it's that I like this film

All Quiet on the Western Front (2022) - I have so many issues that this would take an entire post or even conference paper

The Russians Are Coming! The Russians are Coming! (1966) - had me in stitches half the time, I love a good cold war comedy

The Bone Collector (1999) - spooky!

Monkey Shines (1988) - also horror and gender but also silly

Death in Venice (1971) - boring :/

October

UPSIDEdown (2013) - I watched this one twice, once with the director, also had lunch and coffee with him, I had an issue at first with how child protection service is portrayed but that part is apparently real, also he cast a neurodivergent kid, which is awesome

The Master (2012) - I love when men are also poorly trained attack dogs, also can you imagine sending that guy to the cult from Midsommar? Also still haunted by Philip Seymour Hoffman

Like Stars on Earth (2007) - neurodivergent kids need neurodivergent role models!!!

The Lost Honor of Katharina Blum (1975) - I have so much to say about this tbh

Farewell Disco (1990) - at first I found this kinda boring but then I was also enchanted by the inclusion of Sorbian culture

The Kangaroo Conspiracy (2022) - just read the books

November

Srikanth (2024) - fairly standard biopic, meanders a bit but solid soundtrack and performance

Innocent Witness (2019) - this one impressed me so much I recommended it to multiple people, also I'm an autistic person who is besties with my lawyer so bonus points for that, I could talk a lot about this too

Hunt (2022) - Probably less confusing if you know more about Korean history, fun plot twist and imo some homoerotic tension

Scarlett Innocence (2014) - tbh I didn't even watch the whole thing because I don't go for erotic thrillers, I just watched the scenes where Jung Woo Sung is a poor little meow meow

Inseperable Bros (2019) - some dialogue was a bit awkward but that might have been the translation, I like that this was about interabled platonic relationships

Remember You (2016) - the first plot twist is predictable as hell but the second one hit me in the face like a brick

The Childe (2023) - Kim Seon-ho has the range (creepy and babygirl) (covered in blood and coughing up blood)

The Good The Bad The Weird (2008) - not only the best western I've ever seen but also one of the best films I've seen this year at all

Sympathy for Mr Vengeance (2002) - very unsatisfying, but in a good way

As We Were Dreaming (2015) - the German answer to banlieu films, a film about the reunification of Germany from a different perspective than you're used to, despite living decades later and in the west I feel like I know these characters

Transit (2018) - the anti Casablanca, a double exposed picture of past and present, a Kafkaesque limbo of bureaucracy and loss of identity

Berlin Alexanderplatz (2020) - long, confusing, too smart for me and I still couldn't stop watching it. There's something very queer about this film too.

Wicked (2024) - I haven't seen the musical but went to see the film with my friend (and her family) and physically went 👀 to her every time something gay happened. I'm sorry I doubted you Ariana Grande.

[my-name-is-mine-to-know]

If the chain had to give last names:

Sky - Link Gaeporabairnastra (an unholy mishmash of languages to say "step-child of gaepora." Could also be Link Skyloft for the same reason as wind, but I headcanon Skyloft as a very family-oriented island, so sky would put family relations as part of his name, not location.)

Four - Link Smith (profession)

Time - Link Lon (married in)

Legend - Link Orchardist (familial profession)

Hyrule - Link Silvason (child of the forest; would be Faeson but he doesn't want people to know he's a fae)

Twilight - Link Ordon (hometown cuz orphan and therefore son of entire town)

Wind - Link Outset (hometown cuz not enough people on island to necessitate last names)

Warriors - Link Tailor (familial profession (headcanon))

Wild - Link Wildeson (child of the wild)

[ixtaek]

Brain itchy, crossover time - LU Chain as Pokemon Trainers

Sky: Ace is Pigeot (the first big bird Pokémon!). Also has an Sir Fetch’d and Morpeko (Master Sword/Remlits). The Legendary he would bond with in the inevitable movie would be Mew or Cressalia!

Four: Ace is a Rotom (which has several different forms/types and is also tiny and mischievous). Also has a Tinkaton and Sableye (smithing/Shadow, plus Four is mischievous I feel it). His legendaries would be Registeel or Zygarde.

Time: Ace is a Gallade (expert fighter that is also attuned to emotions and highly loyal). Also has a Miltank and Alolan Marowak (Lon Lon Ranch/Hero’s Shade). His legendaries would be Celebi and Ogerpon.

Wind: Ace is an Alolamora (caring sea creature that, in spite of looking like a Pokemon from a previous gen, is not related, just like he isn’t related to Time). Also has an Orthworm and a Wailmer (trains/Ocean King, plus it’s funny to give the kid giant Pokemon). His legendary would be Tornadus and Latias!

Twilight: Ace is a Lycanroc, Dusk Form (Yeah I think you can guess why). Also has a Mudsdale and Tauros (Epona/I know Tauros is a bull not a goat but it also links him to Time’s Miltank). His legendary would be Zacian and Giratina!

Legend: Ace is Flapple (Apple themed and jumpy but sweet deep down). Also has a Cinderace and Musharna (bunny/Koholint). Strikes me as the type who has actually caught every Pokémon. Legendary would be Lugia and Dialgia.

Hyrule: Ace is Pikachu (the original! plus they both know Thunder). Also has an Audino and a Riombee (Life/Fairy). Legendaries would be Keldeo and Shaymin.

Warriors: Ace would be a Lucario (noble, able to use Focus Spirit, strategic). He would also have a Falinks and a Kangaskhan (soldiers/caring for his little brothers). His legendary would be Reshiram and Solageo.

Wild: Ace would be Houndstone (loyal Pokémon who returned from death). Also has an Octillery and Alcremie (ranged fighter/cook). His legendary would be Suicuine or Rayquaza.

[companion-showdown]

Family Feud Masterpost

Who is the best family in the whoniverse?

this tournament was suggested anonymously

GRAND FINAL

Mott-Noble-Temple vs Smith

SEMIFINALS

Paternoster vs Mott-Noble-Temple

Smith vs Pond-Williams

QUARTERFINALS

Paternoster vs Tyler

Khan vs Mott-Noble-Temple

Jones (Martha) vs Smith (Sarah-Jane)

Lethbridge-Stewart vs Pond-Williams

previous rounds under the cut

ROUND 3

Paternoster vs Leela, Andred, Veega and Rayo

Tyler vs The Adipose

Khan vs Nyssa, Tremas and Kassia

Faction Paradox vs Mott-Noble-Temple

Cooper-Williams vs Jones (Martha)

Summerfield vs Smith (Sarah-Jane)

Lethbridge-Stewart vs Chesterton-Wright

The TARDIS and Lolita vs Pond-Williams

ROUND 2

Paternoster vs O'Brien-Sinclair

Leela, Andred, Veega and Rayo vs Bel, Vinder, and their as yet unborn child

The House of Lungbarrow vs Tyler

Who vs The Adipose

McShane vs Khan

The Wu Diaspora vs Nyssa, Tremas and Kassia

The Family of Blood vs Faction Paradox

Jovanka vs Mott-Noble-Temple

Pollard vs Cooper-Williams

Jones-off (Jo's family vs Martha's)

Summerfield vs Sinclair (Helen)

Proctor vs Smith (Sarah-Jane)

Lethbridge-Stewart vs Owens

Sunday vs Chesterton-Wright

The TARDIS and Lolita vs The Slitheen

Chenka vs Pond-Williams

ROUND 1 (Group Stage)

Group 1

Foreman-Campbell

Chesterton-Wright

McCrimmon

Waterfield

Jones (Jo)

Leela, Andred, Veega, Rayo

Group 2

Adric and Varsh

Nyssa, Tremas, Kassia

Jovanka

Turlough

McShane

Group 3

Little House of Cwej

The House of Lungbarrow

The House of Dvora

The Wu Diaspora

The House of Witforge

Faction Paradox

Group 4

Obiefune

The TARDIS and Lolita

Who

Summerfield

Miller

Schofield

Group 5

Pollard

Chenka

Sinclair (Helen)

Forrester

Proctor

Munmeth and Muthmunna

Mesh Cose, Lon Shel, and Julian White Mammoth Tusk

Group 6

Tyler

Smith (Mickey)

Harkness

Jones (Martha)

Mott-Noble-Temple

Group 7

Pond-Williams

Oswald

Potts

O'Brien-Sinclair

Khan

Lewis

Sunday

Group 8

Lethbridge-Stewart

Smith (Sarah-Jane)

Langer

Jackson

Chandra

Jones-Davies

Cooper-Williams

Group 9

Slitheen

Isolas

Family of Blood

Redfern-Smith

Shafe Cane

Adipose

Group 10

Owens

Gillyflower

Paternoster

Swarm and Azure

Bel, Vinder, and as yet unborn child

Links to previous tournaments

[brokehorrorfan]

Tod Browning's Sideshow Shockers will be released on Blu-ray and DVD on October 17 via The Criterion Collection. The set collects three films directed by Tod Browning: Freaks, The Unknown, and The Mystic.

Freaks (also known as The Monster Story, Forbidden Love, and Nature's Mistake) is a 1932 horror film written by Willis Goldbeck and Leon Gordon. Wallace Ford, Leila Hyams, Olga Baclanova, and Roscoe Ates star.

The Unknown is a 1927 silent horror film written by Waldemar Young. Lon Chaney, Norman Kerry, Joan Crawford, and Nick De Ruiz star.

The Mystic is a 1925 silent drama film written by Browning and Young. Aileen Pringle, Conway Tearle, and Mitchell Lewis star.

Freaks has been digitally restored in 2K with uncompressed monaural sound. The Unknown has been digitally reconstructed and restored in 2K with a new score by composer Philip Carli. The Mystic has been digitally restored in 2K with a new score by composer Dean Hurley.

Raphael Geroni designed the cover art. Special features are detailed below.

Special features:

Freaks audio commentary by film scholar David J. Skal

The Unknown audio commentary by film scholar David J. Skal

The Mystic introduction by film scholar David J. Skal

Interview with author Megan Abbott about director Tod Browning and pre-Code horror (new)

Freaks archival documentary

"Spurs" - Reading of Tod Robbins' short story on which Freaks is based

Freaks prolgue, added to the film in 1947

Freaks alternate endings featurette

Freaks portrait video glalery

Essay by film critic Farran Smith Nehme

The most transgressive film produced by a major American studio in the 1930s, Tod Browning’s crowning achievement has haunted the margins of cinema for nearly one hundred years. An unforgettable cast of real-life sideshow performers portray the entertainers in a traveling circus who, shunned by mainstream society, live according to their own code—one of radical acceptance for the fellow oppressed and, as the show’s beautiful but cruel trapeze artist learns, of terrifying retribution for those who cross them. Received with revulsion by viewers upon its initial release, Freaks effectively ended Browning’s career but can now be seen for what it is: an audacious cry for understanding and a singular experience of nightmarish, almost avant-garde power.

The most celebrated and exquisitely perverse of the many collaborations between Tod Browning and his legendary leading man Lon Chaney, The Unknown features a wrenchingly physical performance from “the Man of a Thousand Faces” as the armless Spanish knife thrower Alonzo (he flings daggers with his feet) whose dastardly infatuation with his beautiful assistant (Joan Crawford)—a woman, it just so happens, who cannot bear to be touched by the hands of any man—drives him to unspeakable extremes. Sadomasochistic obsession, deception, murder, disfigurement, and a spectacular Grand Guignol climax—Browning wrings every last frisson from the lurid premise.

A fantastically atmospheric but rarely seen missing link in the development of Tod Browning’s artistry, set amid his favored milieu of shadowy sideshows and clever criminals, The Mystic provides a striking showcase for silent-era diva Aileen Pringle, who sports a series of memorably outré looks (courtesy of art-deco designer Erté) as Zara, a phony psychic in a Hungarian carnival who, under the guidance of a Svengali-like con man (Conway Tearle), crashes—and proceeds to swindle—American high society. Browning’s fascination with the weird is on full display in the eerie séance sequences, while his subversive moral ambiguity extends surprising sympathy to even the most seemingly irredeemable of antiheroes.

[milkyplier]

Here they are!! The boys and their new last names:

Time - Link Lon Lon (He keeps his name obviously)

Twilight - Link Lon Lon Jr. (Being Time’s son, he gets Time’s last name—and I’m tossing that junior on there because it’s funny. The nickname “Twilight” comes from Legend—the two grew up together and played a lot as kids. Having the same name, they did what kids do and gave each other nicknames that ended up just sticking.)

Warriors - Link Knight (He and Wind are half brothers—the same mom, but different dads. Warriors has their mom’s maiden name.)

Sky - Link Skyner (I decided to give some of them names that would easily lead to their nicknames. Sky is one of them.)

Legend - Link Rodland (The nickname “Legend” comes from Twilight—the two grew up together and played a lot as kids. Having the same name, they did what kids do and gave each other nicknames that ended up just sticking.)

Wild - Link Wilder (I decided to give some of them names that would easily lead to their nicknames. Wild is one of them.)

Hyrule - Link Hyrule (I had no idea how he would end up with the nickname Hyrule, so I simply made it his real surname. It also lends to some amusing dialogue swap—“Name?” “Link Hyrule.” “…Wait as in—“ “Yes as in our country.”)

Four - Link Smith. (Generic, but lends to the nickname “Smithy.” He gets the nickname Four from his right hand—which only has four fingers. He lost his pinkie in a smithing accident, and afterwards earned the name Four, and has kept it ever since.)

Wind - Link Windle (I decided to give some of them names that would easily lead to their nicknames. Wind is one of them. He and Warriors are half brothers. Wind has his biological father’s last name. Warriors has their mother’s maiden name.)

[trippygalaxy]

Modern Jobs Headcanons

What jobs would The Chain have in a modern au! (dont ask, i came up with it while in the shower)

Wild was definitely a police officer or some sort of military personnel before he had a near death experience and lost his memories. After being discharged, Wild got a new job as a ranger/camp counsellor!

Warriors is also another military soldier! But unlike Wild, he has spent quite some time raising through the ranks and became a well respected captain.

Four would work as an apprentice at his grandfather’s forge! Even though Four is already a talented smith, he really enjoys working alongside his grandpa.

Legend works along side Ravio at a pawn shop! Neither of them own it but they both enjoy working there.(even if Ravio tries to scam people) And Legend gets to take some items home if their been on the shelves for too long

Wind...doesn’t actually have a ‘real job’ BUT! He does help around the neighborhood! Sometimes you could find him mowing the lawns of elderly neighbors or walking dogs! 

Hyrule has a couple of jobs actually. Some days you’ll find him working at the local floral shop while other times he’s tutoring kids at the library.

Twilight is obviously a ranch hand, but you’ll most likely find him working more with the cattle/animals than the crops. It’s also not uncommon to see him helping at the Lon Lon Ranch and making deliveries for the owners!

Time, (the milk man) the main delivery man for Lon Lon Ranch! During the day you can see glimpses of him as he runs/drives around town but at night he hosts self defense classes! And when ever he has some spare time, you can see- or well hear him giving ocarina lessons!

Sky is kinda hard to pick for.. I can totally see him as a wood carpenter but I can also seem him as pilot for the air force! Hmmmm...

[elvisqueso]

the thing about john smith in disney's pocahontas is that the people around him only really know him by reputation. like, thomas even says right out the gate that there's 'amazing stories' about him that even a lil guy like tom coming in green would have heard. and, like, john is aware of this. he's painfully aware of it. he doesn't go up the gangplank like everybody else, he hops on a cannon getting loaded and swoops up over the crew like the film is physically establishing right away for us this mental and social separation between smith and everyone else. and maybe part of it is having to be In Charge of the crew, so he has to be friendly but distant to be effective as a leader, or maybe he just really doesn't relate much to the others.

whatever the case may be interally, the outward action is that captain john smith will sometimes openly acknowledge the disparity and then brush right by it again, as if to say: 'i know you all admire and even like the idea of Captain John Smith, but we both know he's not actually me.'

like, he saves thomas's life and his hat, then answers the praise he gets with 'of course, you'd all do the same for me' said in such a pointed way that it can't be anything other than a chastisement of his own position.

and he doesn't initiate conversation or banter with the crew. he only ever talks to thomas regularly because thomas is constantly trying to talk to him. all the rest of his interactions with the other settlers are him maintaining a somewhat aloof yet amiable persona who does what he's supposed to until he can get away and do what he really wants to do, which is run around in the woods and breathe life in.

fuckin the first being he talks to in this film of his own volition, in a non-official capacity, is MEEKO (or possibly percy, if you count his quick 'hi-ya, see-ya' from earlier). but like, he has a whole-ass conversation with meeko the racoon.

i'm also thinking about how, following the colors of the wind segment, when thomas asks john why he's been 'awfully quiet the last few days,' john doesn't answer. lon answers: 'he's just mad he missed out on all the action!' his reputation answers for him and he balks at it bc 'oh my god that is what i'm known for, isn't it?' and so, almost immediately, he fucks off to find pocahontas again bc that's such a distressing thing for him to be confronted with now that he knows better that he needs to be around someone who doesn't see his reputation as him. someone who only knows him as himself, and, therefore, probably more completely than anyone else in his life until that point. someone he's maybe possibly wanting to know completely right back.

[the-daily-male]

Preliminary Bracket Masterpost

SIDE 1

Shuichi Saihara vs Yu Narukami

Jack Conte vs Jade Harley

Mads Mikkelsen vs Santino D'Antonio

Tyr vs Aurélien_Sama

Lon Hammond Jr. vs Jason Voorhees

Dave Strider vs Michael Stipe

Tim Drake (Red Robin) vs Barack Obama

Prince Henry of Wales vs Sandiction

Rekrap2 vs Russel Ziskey

Logan Howlett (Wolverine) vs Andreas Maler

Dark Cacao Cookie vs Galad Damodren

SIDE 2

Zeemyth vs Bela Lugosi

Kieran Culkin vs Corc Brady

001/Henry Creel/Vecna vs Eijirou Kirishima

Horus Lupercal vs Na-Hun

Remnan vs Godric Unicorn

Xornoth vs Matthew Murdock (Daredevil)

Papa Emeritus vs Lightsong

Johnnie Guilbert vs Ringo

Fitzwilliam Darcy Esquire vs Mark Bonnar

Dr. Andre Lee vs Martin "Marty" Steiber

Joseph Oda vs Albert Einstein

SIDE 3

King Magnifico vs Starlight Glimmer

Charles Smith vs SB737

Toya Todoroki/Dabi vs Richie Tozier

Saundor vs James McAvoy

Qifrey vs Paul David Hewson/Bono

Vampire!Milkman vs Gustav Elijah Åhr

Orpheus vs The Traitor Lord

Matrim Cauthon vs King Mendanbar

Cyrus Pynn/Cydeshow Cy vs Jake Webber

Hikaru Nakamura vs Mortimer

SIDE 4

Happy Chaos vs Commander John Shepard

Sawyer vs Chris Bumstead (CBum)

Ludwig Ahgren vs Bonnie Prince Charlie

Edgar Allan Poe vs Caine

Miles Edgeworth vs Michael Carpenter

Qibli vs Yusuke Kitagawa

Lance Crown vs Man O' War

Lord Huron vs Hiro Mizushima

Link vs Roman Torchwick

David Bowie vs James Spader

Oswald Cobblepot/The Penguin vs Mask

SIDE 5

Thomas Raith vs Pete (the plug) Conlan

Totoro vs Colonel Hugh Pickering

King Arthur vs Scott Lang/Ant-Man

Hector of Troy vs Giovanni

Beast Boy (Garfield Logan) vs Soichiro Yagami

Nagito Komaeda vs Chris Colfer

Todd Chavez vs Preminger

Jordan Fisher vs Yo Yo Ma

Oscar Wilde vs Mephisto

Ulfric Stormcloak vs Ian Dury

Will Arnett vs Leonard Nimoy

SIDE 6

That Chief Guy vs Colby Brock

Hugo Vega vs John Lewis

JayMoji vs Spartacus

Billie Joe Armstrong vs Black☆Star