#not that it's confirmed that the sequel takes place a notable period of time after the first one

[saviourkingslut]

oh my god what if hades ii new zagreus design to show time has passed since the last game

[ghostbustermelanieking]

postcards slipped under the door

Summary: Mulder finds his life disrupted when activity similar to the work of the New Spartans reappears nearly two years later. 

note: this is a pine bluff variant sequel set in season 7. i got this idea last fall for a prompt that i never actually finished. i wrote a little bit of it and more or less left it behind, and then i couldn’t stop thinking about it, so i picked it back up and finished it. 

warning up front for violence, deaths, references to major character death, and suicidal ideations.

---

It all starts with a postcard, because how the hell else is it going to start.

If he's being really accurate, it started two years ago when he spoke in Boston, since he got a mysterious phone call inviting him to take down the federal government. But he thought it was over two years ago. He'd thought he could leave it behind, forget about it.

Or, no, that's not true. He tried to tell himself it was over. Scully had always insisted it was over. But now, he doesn't think he ever really believed it. Somehow, he always knew the New Spartans would be back.

He just always thought they'd come for him. Not her. Never her. He never really thought it'd end like this.

---

Technically, calling them the New Spartans may be a little inaccurate. They apparently have a new name. But the flesh-eating biotoxin has shown up again, little spurts of activity up and down the East Coast. Mulder had noticed, of course, suspected that the government is up to its usual disgusting methods again, but Scully hadn't wanted him to look any further into it.

The first time he noted it was in the uneasy period between Scully's venture with the smoker and his trip to England, before things seemed to fall into place for them and everything seemed okay. She had simply fixed him with a scalding look that said everything when he told her he wanted to look into it. “Mulder, no,” she said immediately. “The last time you got mixed up in this stuff, you were almost killed. They tortured you, Mulder, they almost killed you, and whatever members of that group are left… they know you were a mole. If this is the same group, then digging into this could be incredibly dangerous. There's a good chance they could have held this grudge, and this is their attempt at revenge.”

If it'd been two years earlier, he might've fought back. He might've argued the point that innocent people could be dying and he might be the only one who can stop it. But the combined fear from memories of his time undercover, and fear at the thought of losing Scully (he had been angry at her, but now the anger had mostly faded into regret and apologies he didn't know how to say) was clogging his throat. He thought of the biotoxin eating away at flesh, gun metal at the back of his head, the pleading eyes of a stranger in a bank floor. The old, muted fear rose higher in his throat like bile. “This is very likely activity by our government, Scully,” he said quietly. The most he could bring himself to fight. “On innocent civilians. I can't just ignore it.”

“So pass the information on.” Scully was looking at the ground, but he could see her jaw clenched anxiously. He suddenly remembered the way she had hugged him when she had brought him back to his apartment, leaning over the center console, her fingers digging desperately into his shoulders. He remembered that it was hard on her, too. “This isn't your responsibility, Mulder. You've more than paid your dues here, and you should never have to go through that again.”

Her eyes were soft, pleading; the softest they'd been since this whole ordeal with the smoker. He couldn't find it in himself to say no. He couldn't bring himself to let her down again.

So he passed it on to Skinner. Every possible inkling of activity in the news or the crimes flowing into the Bureau that sounded vaguely like the New Spartans, he passed it on. And every time he passed it on, he got no response. He didn't know if they were investigating or not, and he tried not to care. He went to England, and he came back, and Scully came into his bedroom and slipped and the covers next to him, kissed him so hard that it would've knocked him off his feet if he'd been standing up. Things gradually became okay again. They went to North Carolina, and he almost died from tobacco beetles burrowing into his throat, and Scully stayed in his apartment with him while he recovered, stroking his hair and laying beside him on top of the comforter with her hand in his.

And then the biotoxin appeared in a government lab. Several employees gruesomely dead, suspicions on the rise. And that was when people began to pay attention to Mulder's claims.

---

He's gonna keep thinking about it. He's gonna play it over and over again in his head, like a wheel churning in water. It starts up again in the back of his mind, like a fucking movie he's not going to be able to turn off, and he swallows back nausea. He was hysterical last night, and he's sure he'll be hysterical tomorrow (he's cold, he can't get warm, he can almost hear Scully diagnosing him with shock), but tonight, he needs to focus.

He should've known that it would happen like this. He should've fucking known. It's his fault, just like he always suspected. His fucking mistake. The fucking New Spartans.

He drives, the fact of this situation hard and icy in his brain like a metal spike. He wants to vomit. He clenches his teeth and swallows it back and stares at the map on the seat beside him. The creased map he studied repeatedly last night before making a decision; he knows it like the back of his hand. He drives, his hands hard on the wheel, his mind solidly and singly determined. Replays the whole thing in his mind again.

---

Scully was the one who found the postcard. She'd been at his apartment for a solid two and a half weeks, she was practically living there, and she'd gotten up to get some coffee, and she saw the postcard stuffed under the crack.

She hadn't touched it. She'd called his name warily from the living room. When he came out, she was retrieving plastic gloves from under the sink. “Scully, what is it?” he asked, confused, his hair sticking up at the back and his eyes gritty with sleep. His mind wasn't completely awake yet.

“Someone sent you a postcard,” Scully said softly, pulling the gloves on. “No, no, no—don’t touch it,” she added quickly as he drew closer. “I'm afraid it might have the biotoxin on it.”

“Why would you—” He stopped cold in his tracks when he saw it. The symbol scribbled in Sharpie over the painted image of the Liberty Bell. The one he was unfamiliar with two years ago, when it may have been important, but one that he knew now, from reading files on August Bremer, who notably dropped off the grid right after the whole ordeal was over two years ago. Bremer's symbol, the one he used to leave at crime scenes years before he supposedly created the New Spartans. Mulder had thought that Bremer was something of an ally (as much of an ally as he could be when the government was supposedly behind the biotoxin in the first place), but the symbol had popped up again, in the labs where employees turned up dead. It was practically a confirmation of Bremer's involvement. And here it was on his doorstep.

“Bremer's symbol,” Scully said grimly, picking up the postcard in her gloved fingers.

“I thought Bremer was on my side,” Mulder said, his stomach suddenly churning with nauseousness. He didn't want to do this again. “He… he saved my life.” But he was thinking of the cavalier way that Bremer betrayed him when he could've let him walk away, killed that man in the bank even after he stopped Mulder from doing it, killed Haley and the gimp without blinking.

She turned the postcard over and pinched it between two fingers. Lifted her head and gave him a gentle, comforting look with just a tinge of fear in it. “It just looks like a street address,” she said softly, holding up the postcard so he could see the scrawl. “No city, but I think it's safe to assume that they mean Philadelphia.”

He rubbed a hand over his eyes, blinking hard. “Do you think it's some kind of trap?” he asked. “Or…”

“I don't know, Mulder. I honestly don't. Will you get me a Ziploc bag?” He retrieved it from the drawer and held it open for her so she could drop the postcard in. “It could be a trap...” she said gingerly, “or it could be information that the FBI could use. It could be an actual lead.”

“You think so?” he said with surprise, sealing the top of the bag.

“Think about it,” Scully said, peeling off her gloves and dropping them into the trash can. “Your last encounter with Bremer was when he let you go. The assumption was that he was working against his own group. He could still be undercover. He could be using this to reach out, to expose them.”

Mulder stared at the postcard through the plastic. “You think they're in Philadelphia?” he asked softly.

“I think something's in Philadelphia.” Scully finished disposing of the gloves and reached out to touch his shoulder. “I think we should pass this on immediately,” she added. “Your involvement doesn't necessarily have to go further than that.”

He was still looking at the postcard, feeling the slight weight of it dangling from his fingers. Thinking about that bank robbery, the man he was ordered to kill fearful and bleeding on the carpet in the last few moments of his life; the bone in his finger snapping like a twig, black fabric and stale air and the white-hot pain; gun metal grazing his ear and the gunshot not meant for him; the terror of hearing Scully's voice on that tape, thinking that they'd kill him and go for her. The innocent people who died painfully, the more that might still die. “Yeah,” he said, his fingers numb, his hands cold with sweat. “Yeah, I'll call Skinner.”

---

It didn't end at giving the postcard to Skinner. They had to take it to the lab to examine it, and Mulder and Scully had to explain their theory to Skinner, and then again to the leaders of the task force created to track down whoever used the biotoxin against the government employees, and then Mulder had to recount his time undercover to the task force. It went on and on until they finally conceded, finally agreed to send agents to the address in Philadelphia—apparently it was a warehouse, which would make sense for a home base or a storage facility of some kind—to check it out. But they weren't going to let Mulder go with them.

Scully looked astonished, at first, when he said he wanted to go, but she hid it well. He explained it over and over again—he knew the New Spartans, or whatever their name was now, better than anyone on that task force, he had firsthand fucking experience; it was him who Bremer supposedly wanted to contact, so it must be him who they wanted to come to the warehouse.

“And that's exactly why we can't let you go,” Skinner said in a hard voice. “Mulder, if they're gunning for you, we'd be playing right into it. We don't truly know Bremer's allegiance, or why he let you go in ‘98. It's too much of a risk to you and to the task force to let you go.”

He looked at Scully immediately, and she was nodding along. “It's too dangerous,” she said. “We still have no idea if that postcard had biotoxin on it or not, much less why Bremer sent it to you. If he's looking to hurt you somehow, it'd probably be in everyone's best interest if you weren't there.”

He looked between them helplessly—helpless to argue, after what he'd been through; helpless not to argue, when he knew what they were capable of. For some reason, Bremer had contacted him. For all he knew, he was all that was standing in between that biotoxin and innocent civilians. Was it possible that some of the men still carried grudges against him, that Haley had died but he'd gone free? He had thought the group was gone.

“You can work the case from here, Mulder,” Skinner said, a little kinder this time. “And Agent Scully can go to Philadelphia.”

He looked between them again, this time in disbelief, but Scully was nodding at that, too. “They don't know who I am,” she said. “But I've had… more access to your side of things than most people, as your partner. It makes sense.”

He wanted to protest that these people operated dirty and it was dangerous, but there were other people going, too. He wanted to insist that he wouldn't let her go alone, that they were partners and he was supposed to have her back and he fucking hated it when they did shit like this. “Sir, I can be more of an asset in the field,” he said quietly. “I can recognize their traps. I was this group, once.”

“You're too close to this case, Mulder,” said Skinner. “That's the end of it. We'll make sure you have active communication with the task force in Philadelphia.”

He should've argued. That's what he kept thinking, that he should've argued harder. It would've pissed Scully off, but he doesn't care about that. He'd do anything to have her pissed off and here, instead of the other way around.

But he didn't. Scully reached out and squeezed his arm comfortingly as they discussed details, right in front of Skinner, and he found he couldn't argue. Scully could take care of herself, he reminded himself; Scully could probably manage to stop whatever their plan is. He didn't want to let her go alone, but he knew neither one of them would budge. So he went along with it, even as nervousness ate away at him. He really had thought this was over.

---

They went down to their office in the space before the briefing. They were quiet on the walk to the elevator, standing shoulder to shoulder as they stepped inside, but as soon as the door closed, Scully's hand was on his back gently. “You okay?” she murmured, her voice soft with concern.

He worked his jaw back and forth, nodded carefully. “I… I really did think this all was over,” he said quietly. “And I never thought that… that I'd be sending you into the midst of it.”

He'd expected her to be angry that he was being protective, but her eyes softened as much as her voice. “You're not sending me,” she murmured. “I’m choosing to go. I want to end this, for you, and for everyone else that has been hurt by them.”

He exhaled deeply, his shoulders drooping. The elevator beeped, and the doors slid open as they reached the basement. “I wish I was going with you,” he whispered.

She rose on her tiptoes and wrapped her arms around his shoulders, even as the doors slid closed again. “I'm glad you're not,” she said softly. “I saw what they did to you the first time; I don't want to give them the chance to do it again.”

That was the reason he didn't want her to go. He thought involuntarily of the gun at the back of his head, of Scully's cool fingers on his injured hand in the dark. He kissed the top of her head, holding her tight. “Be careful,” he mumbled into her hair, and she nodded. She squeezed him hard before slipping out of his embrace, pressing the Door Open button.

In the office, they gathered the file Mulder had put together on the New Spartans, which was really just photocopies of the information from the official New Spartans file, aside from some information that Mulder and Scully had added themselves. Scully gave him a small smile over the pile of files; he could see some mix of worry and affection in her eyes, reassurance.

He should be going instead of her, he had thought, over and over again; it was his case and his responsibility, and they had sent the postcard to him. It's what he'd thought then, and it's what he thinks now. It should've been him. But at the time, somehow, he was able to reassure himself that it'd be okay.

At the briefing, someone else was speaking about previous activity by the New Spartans. The postcard was blown up on the wall, the symbol enlarged. Mulder and Scully stood shoulder to shoulder in the back of the room, the way they usually did, until they were called up to add in their statements. Mulder summarized his experience undercover as briefly as he could, and the activity he'd been noticing, ending with the postcard. He skated over the details of Scully having found the postcard first, saying that he called her when he saw the symbol. The agents laid out the plan, and Mulder listened despite himself. He was thinking of Scully, thinking of making one last, pathetic bid to go with her; they were partners, after all. He tried to catch Skinner on the way out, and he shook his head tightly.

---

If there's any particular part he keeps playing and replaying, it's of his goodbye with Scully before they left. His last moments with Scully, ever. It makes him sick just to think about it, and he has to swallow hard and clench his jaw just to overcome the nausea, to keep driving.

She was about to get in the van, already dressed in tactical gear and not looking the happiest about it—it was a long drive to Philly. She tipped her head up to say goodbye to him, offering him a grim smile as if to reassure him. “If things go well, I'll be back tonight,” she offered, her voice soft so that none of the other agents would hear.

He'd touched her shoulder, squeezing it gently through the gear. “Call me when you get out,” he told her. “Or as soon as you get a chance.”

“I will.” She offered him a small smile. “This is all going to be over soon. Maybe even tonight.” She reached up to touch his arm, gently, her eyes soft. And then she turned around and went to the van. He thought about calling Be careful! after her again, but he didn't. He was thinking about her rule on public displays of affection, and he didn't want to embarrass her. So he just watched her go.

Now, he regrets not kissing her, not wrapping her up tight in his arms. He regrets every single thing he didn't say to her, not telling her that he loves her. Regrets not insisting that he go with her. Regrets not begging her not to go.

The images are too bright behind his eyes, of her face, her eyes, the way she looked at him. He pulls off sharply on the side of the road, buries his face in his hands, and lets himself cry.

---

He had tried to wait out news in the bullpen, but the wait was entirely too long, and he felt like people were watching him, wondering what he'd been through before with the New Spartans, wondering if he was up here waiting for news about his partner who he may or may not be fucking. He couldn't stand the pitying looks across the room from Skinner, so he slipped downstairs to their office and shut the door, read over the New Spartans file again and again. He couldn't figure out what was happening, why they wanted to talk to him. He flipped through photos of the places the symbol had been left, trying to find some kind of link, but he found nothing. Research on the address yielded nothing, either; it seemed to just be a perfectly normal, definitely abandoned warehouse. After a few hours, he trailed, restless, up to the bullpen.

He found several agents, including Skinner, crowded around a television turned to a news channel. He drew closer, his eyes narrowing in an attempt to see the screen, and his stomach seemed to drop out from beneath him when he saw the headline: Explosion at abandoned warehouse in Philadelphia. His breath left him, his limbs weakening, and he stumbled a few steps closer to the TV before Skinner saw him. He turned to Mulder immediately, his hands held out in some semblance of warning or comfort as he said, “Mulder, we don't have very much news yet, but we've been in touch with the leader of the task force, and he's saying that it looks like everyone got out…”

Mulder turned away, striding across the bullpen as he pulled out his cellphone with trembling hands. He could feel his heart thudding in his chest; it felt as if his ribs were splintering under the pressure. He hit 1 on his speed dial and listened to the rings, silently urging her to pick up, pick up, goddamnit Scully. But nothing happened. The phone just rang and rang until it clicked emptily to indicate that she hadn't answered. He let out a painful breath, pressing his palm flatly to his furrowed forehead. He tried to tell himself that it didn't mean anything, that she was fine, but he couldn't reassure himself. His stomach was churning; he felt as if he was going to throw up.

He turned back to Skinner, crossing the room again, as he tried Scully's number again. “She isn't picking up,” he said tightly, clutching the phone too hard. Some of the other agents were staring, but he didn't care; he stared at Skinner with a pleading sort of look.

“I'm sure it's fine, Mulder, she might not even have her phone with her…” Skinner started, but the phone began ringing before he could get the thought out. It felt like the cannons signaling an execution; it seemed to cut Mulder right to the soul.

Skinner, casting a weary look over the gathered agents, picked up. “Yes,” he said tightly, indicating he knew who it was. “Oh, I'm glad to hear from you… yes. What?” His jaw seemed to be tightening. “Goddamnit,” he said softly, inflections of emotion in his voice, and Mulder knew immediately what had happened. He didn't want to know it, but he knew it.

“Are you sure?” Skinner was asking, his voice full of his own grief. “Are you positive? Because I want you to be fucking sure before we deal with this.” Mulder couldn't breathe. He was nearly swaying on his feet, dizzy. He started across the room, reaching for the phone, but Skinner turned away, a hand held up. “Well, once everything is under control, I'd like you to fucking figure it out,” he said evenly before hanging up. He hung up the phone, hard. He paused, rubbing the bridge of his nose.

Mulder couldn't breathe. His chest was tight, his throat was shut. He asked, so softly he could hardly believe it, “It's her, isn't it?”

Skinner rubbed his nose again, his eyes, the glasses bumping up on his forehead. He turned towards him, speaking carefully, beginning, “Mulder…”

“Was it her?” He was shouting now, his voice cracking. “Was she inside the warehouse?”

Skinner looked as if he didn't know what to say. “They… they haven't been able to find her…” he tried. “T-they… they think she was inside…”

Everything seemed to go red: a red sheen over his vision, tiny dots behind his eyes. A roaring in his ears. Everything was blank for a moment, a blank space in his mind. He shouted something. He didn't know what it was, but it made his throat hurt. The next thing he knew, he was charging at Skinner when someone caught him and held him back. Two other agents. Skinner was looking at him with some sort of acceptance, as if he'd known he would react this way. He was still shouting, his fingernails digging into the skin of the other agents, and he was finally able to make out the words; he was screaming, “Why did you send her instead of me?”

(Looking back, now, it was a nonsensical thing to shout. It wasn't Skinner's fault; Scully wouldn't have stayed back if she was told to because that wasn't the way Scully was. But still, it was the way he felt. It should've been him. He'd give anything for it to have been him.)

Skinner was shouting something too. He yelled, “I didn't have a choice, Agent Mulder!” and it sounded like he was crying. “I didn't have a fucking choice. Agent Scully would've been furious if I had sent you.”

Her name seemed to hit Mulder like a weight of bricks. He stunned away from the other agents as if he had been burned. He staggered towards the door as if he was drunk, broke into a run. He reached the bathroom just in time, hitting the ground so hard it felt as if his kneecaps cracked, and vomited hard into the toilet. He was shaking, shivering, and he was sobbing. It was hitting him, all at once, that he was never going to see her again.

He doesn't remember much more after that.

---

Skinner, he thinks, picked him up off the floor. Skinner drove him home, and Skinner, sounding inches away from his own breakdown, offered to sit with him. He refused, unable to look him in the eye. He went upstairs and deadbolted the door and fell into a heap on his empty bed, thinking that it was inevitable that he'd lose everyone important in his life, his mother and his sister and the love of his life. He curled into a ball on the bed, around the discarded t-shirt Scully had shed this morning. Pressed his nose to the collar and inhaled her scent and tried to pretend that she was here. Dissolved into sobs again, clutching the shirt to his chest like a child's blanket and thinking, again and again, that it should've been him, it should've been him. They were looking for him all along; why else had they sent him that postcard? They wanted to kill him. And he had sent her.

And he was stumbling to his feet and rushing to the bathroom, and he was retching again over the sink, dryly, shaking and shaking on the floor. He stumbled to his knees, nearly bent in two, his forehead against the cool of the porcelain. He felt as if he was splitting in two. He curled into a ball on the floor, his spine hitting the wall. He was crying again, the tears cold on his face. He stayed like that, curled into the smallest possible space, for a long time. He was thinking about Scully and thinking that maybe he shouldn't be; he was thinking about the way she looked the night before when they were falling asleep: curled on her side, over his arm that was slowly falling asleep, her hair falling across her face, her expression peaceful. He loves her so much; he loves her with everything in him. And sitting there then, scrunched up under his bathroom sink hugging his knees and sobbing so hard his throat hurt, he couldn't remember if he had ever told her.

---

He didn't know how long he had sat there, curled up on the bathroom floor, but when he finally got up, his knees ached. He shuffled slowly into the living room, thinking almost involuntarily of his gun sitting in his office. Just sitting there in the holster. He walked through his dimly lit living room, and that was when he saw it: another postcard shoved under his door, lying peacefully on his rug.

He went to it quickly, landing so fast and hard that his knees burned. It looked strangely bulky from where it lay on the floor, as if something was taped to the back of it. Greetings from Pennsylvania, it read, and the same symbol was scribbled in Sharpie over the front. Bremer's symbol.

He scooped it up immediately, cradling it in the palm of his hands, wondering too late if it had been sprayed with the biotoxin. He remembered Scully the morning before, holding up the postcard with gloved hands, and he winced. But he didn't feel any sting, any sensation that might've hinted his skin burning away. And besides that, this didn't seem important. This postcard may have come from the man who killed Scully.

He flipped it over and felt something flop away from the postcard. It was a map, he realized, folded up and taped to the back of the postcard. He yanked it off and unfolded it, smoothing out the creases. It was hard to make it out, but it looked like a map of the East Coast.

It looked like someone had outlined a route heading north from DC, into Pennsylvania, in bright red marker. Has written an address in smeared red letters, overtop a woodsy rural area drawn in green.

---

The map is sitting in his passenger seat now. He is driving; he has been for hours. He's following the route on the map. He has no idea where it goes, but he isn't sure that he cares. He's sure of one thing: it leads to the men who killed Scully, and he is determined as hell to find them. He's not going to let them get away with it this time, with all of the dirty work they've been doing, everything they've done. He's going to end it, once and for all.

He doesn't know what happens next. He doesn't want to think about what happens next. He doesn't want to think about the next day, or the day after that, or the years and years that may hollowly follow. He has no family left; they took his mother and his father and his sister and now they have taken Scully. (Someone might point out that the New New Spartans, or whatever the hell they're calling themselves now, aren't necessarily the same as these bastards that tore his family apart, but if Bremer was government and the men who took his sister were government, then they are one and the same to him.)

Maybe he'll go to Canada. Maybe he should've gone to Canada a long time ago, but that wouldn't work, would it, because they have a hand everywhere now. Maybe he'll go to the farthest reaches of the Earth, where no one can ever find him again, because he doesn't have anyone worth staying for at this point. If he even survives any of this, that is; he's almost to the point of not caring about that anymore. It should've been him yesterday.

He drives, as the sun sinks low in the sky, as the traffic slows to the point where he is very nearly the last person on the road. He drives until he begins to see signs for the exit, the one that whoever sent him the map—Bremer, he assumes—had started. His hands almost unnaturally steady, he exits at the appropriate moment. He is thinking of whoever has done this to Scully. He is thinking of gunpowder; he can almost taste it on the back of his tongue. He exits the highway smoothly, merging onto the quiet country road. He is gritting his teeth. He is trying not to cry. He is thinking about the map and about silly revenge that Scully would undoubtedly advise him against or scold him for, and he is thinking about Scully, and his eyes are burning. He has the address memorized, lodged solidly in the back of his head, and he scans the mailboxes for it until it lands on the correct one. He checks the map again just to be sure; he's in the right place.

He parks on the side of the road and climbs out of the car. He checks for his gun in his holster, a lump beneath the tail of his shirt. He thinks of Scully once again.

He begins to trudge up the dirt road winding up past the mailbox into the woods.

---

It's a long walk, through a surprisingly murky heat. It's heavy and cloaking in the air, and all uphill. His back is coated in sweat. He is exhausted and grieving, his eyes wet, his limbs loose, his mind back on Scully. He thinks this is why he doesn't hear the man coming up behind him, the dead leaves and twigs underfoot, until there's a click behind his head. The click of the safety being taken off a gun. Mulder freezes in place.

“Special Agent Fox Mulder,” a voice that is a little familiar—not too terribly familiar, but a little bit—intones from behind him. “I didn't think I'd hear from you again, after you killed my friend and ran off like a yellow coward to rat us out.”

The gimp, Mulder remembers, that bastard that Bremer shot. He must've told them that Mulder was the one who killed the guy, to maintain his cover. This guy must've been one of the men they robbed the bank with. Which means that he is in the right place.

Thoughts shoot through his mind of the innocent man that died in that bank, and of that gun to his head, and of Scully, Scully gone because of them. He moves on instinct, his hand shooting towards his gun, and the man grabs his arm and shoves him forward, pushing him into a tree. He grunts in pain as the bark bites into his cheek, as his head spins. The guy twists his arm behind his back, pulling it up sharply until Mulder is whimpering in pain, and snatches the gun from his holster, tossing it into the wood where it lands with a dull thump. The guy's gun presses against the back of Mulder's head as he yanks his arm up harder. “I am very glad you came back,” he breathes in Mulder's ear, pressing the muzzle of the gun hard against his skull. “I've been waiting for this for a long time.”

Mulder tries to steady his breath, bites back another whimper. “Was… was it you?” he growls. “Are you the one that made that bomb?’

The guy laughs, yanking him away from the tree and giving him a hard shove. “Walk that way, FBI man.”

“Did you make the goddamn bomb?” Mulder snarls, trying to turn around to look at the man. He shoves Mulder again, so hard he almost falls this time. He catches himself roughly on a tree trunk. “Are you the one who fucking killed her?” he nearly bellows.

“You fucking rat,” the guy growls, grabbing Mulder's shirt in his fists and pushing him along at a slogging pace. “What the fuck are you talking about?”

“There was a bomb,” Mulder says slowly, unsteadily, “that went off at a warehouse in Philadelphia yesterday. A woman was in there. Was that you, you goddamn bastard?”

He is smacked with the muzzle of the gun, on the side of his scraped, bleeding face, so hard that his head spins and he sees a rush of stars. “You got a smart mouth, you know that?” the guy snaps. “I dunno how we didn't see right fucking through you from day one.”

“Was it you?” Mulder shouts, twisting in the guy's grasp, and he gets smacked across the face again. He stumbles forward dizzily, groaning, as the guy forces him to his knees, presses the gun against his head once more, and Mulder really is going to be sick again, he doesn't want to die this way but he doesn't know what he's going to do without her. He's nearly crying, shaking with fury, and he tries to turn around to face the asshole, but he's shoved around to face forward again.

“Whether it was or it wasn't,” the guy whispers with a sort of sick fucking glee, “it feels a little fair, doesn't it? You murdered my friend. You killed him in cold blood. So if I killed your little friend… that feels a little appropriate, doesn't it?”

Mulder takes a tremulous, furious breath. He hates this man with a burning passion, and he's angry and frightened and missing Scully so much, and he tries to get to his feet again, but he's shoved back down. The knees of his jeans are brown with mud. “I'll finish what Bremer shoulda finished two years ago,” the man mutters disapprovingly. “I'll show you what we do to rats around here, Special Agent Mulder.”

Mulder shuts his eyes, shaking and shaking, thinking that he should've fucking ignored those postcards, should've ignored the recruiter who came looking for him two years ago. Here he is again with a gun to his head, just like he was two years ago. All he wants is to see Scully again, and he thinks that maybe if that gun goes off, he will. But he doesn't want her to be dead, and he doesn't think he wants to die. He shuts his eyes and bites back a sob. He never should've gotten involved. All he wants is another chance.

For a moment, he thinks he is hallucinating, because he thinks he hears Scully's voice. And then he realizes that he is hearing Scully's voice—a high, panicked, “Mulder!” echoing through the trees. He opens his eyes and jerks his head to see two dark figures standing above them on a small ridge.

The guy with the gun mutters, “What the…” just as a gunshot is fired. Not by the asshole beside him. By one of the figures up on the hill. It hits the guy beside Mulder, who hits the ground with the same dull thump as the gun, and Mulder winces, scrambling away from the body without standing, without taking his eyes off of the figures on the hill. He's still quivering in place, tears in his eyes.

One is moving towards him, footsteps thudding over the dead leaves and sliding through the mud, stumbling as she approaches. As she draws closer, he can see who it is, and it's impossible, it's impossible. But he's always believed in impossibilities, and he sure as hell wants to believe this one.

Scully lands on her knees before him, her hands cuffed before her, reaching up awkwardly to touch his face. “Mulder?” she whispers nervously, her fingers hovering over the scrapes and bruises on the side of his face. “Are you okay?”

He can't breathe. His ribs have shrunk, everything is too tight. He cannot believe she's here. “Scully?” he murmurs, and she nods, her eyes full of tears. She lifts her cuffed hands and loops them around his neck in a makeshift hug; he wraps his arms around her tightly, tugging her into his lap, and presses his face into the side of her neck. “Oh my god,” he gasps, biting back sobs, his nose pressed to her pulse point. “Oh my god.” She is alive, she is alive. He presses a tender kiss to the side of her neck, under her jaw.

“I'm so sorry,” she chokes out. He draws back in astonishment and looks at her; her face is sheet-white and full of guilt.

“Sorry?” He ducks out of the circle of her arms, reaching out to push hair behind her ear. His vision is blurry with tears; he smiles shakily, pressing a hand to her cheek. “Scully, what the hell do you—”

“This is all very touching, Agent Mulder,” a voice says solemnly from behind them, “but I'm afraid we have some business.” The second figure has approached them, and Mulder can tell who it is now: August Bremer. He is standing over the two of them, his hands folded over his chest, and Mulder is suddenly reminded of the moment when he killed the gimp, just like this. Just like now. Scully is tense next to him, poised protectively on the ground.

“Did you do this?” Mulder snaps, a hand on Scully's shoulder. “Did you do—what the fuck is this, why the fuck do you have her cuffed?”

“You should be grateful, Agent Mulder,” he says solemnly, taking Scully by the arm and pulling her to her feet.

She swipes at her eyes, her face taking on a stony expression as she stumbles in place; Mulder gets to his feet and draws close to her in an instinctive, protective manner, a hand on her elbow as they step back from Bremer nearly in unison. His voice tinged with anger, still quivering with the tumult of emotions, he replies stiffly, “And why is that?”

“I've very likely saved both of your lives,” Bremer says, his expression blank.

It's tempting to trust him, considering the fact that he's saved Mulder's life twice now and apparently has kept Scully safe, but Mulder isn't ready to be that kind of trusting, not with Bremer. He's killed before without hesitation—the civilian in the bank, two of his own men, Haley and probably the people at the movie theater in Ohio. He told Haley that Mulder was working for the Feds without a second thought, even though they were apparently on the same side, and whatever's happening with Scully, she doesn't exactly seem to be with Bremer of her own free will. He's not very trusting of Bremer at the moment, all things considered. He draws closer to Scully and snaps, “How the hell have you saved our lives? From what it looks like to me, you put a bomb at the location you tried to lure me to and almost killed my partner! And now you've lured me here only to have a fucking gun put to my head?”

“Mulder…” Scully murmurs cautiously.

“If you'll remember, I just shot the man who was trying to kill you,” Bremer says coldly. “And I never intended for you to die in the bombing. Others certainly did, but I didn't. That was why I took your partner from the site. I desperately needed to talk to you, and I believed that was the best way to get your attention, by making your partner go missing.”

“You motherfucking bastard,” Mulder hisses.

“There is a hit out on you, Mr. Mulder. Many people who want you dead for trying to expose our activity. For the same reason those people died in a government lab.” Bremer's eyes narrow, looking them both over. “Our work has shifted in the past few years, Mr. Mulder, but our goal is essentially the same. We've been attempting to mobilize the biotoxin I know you're familiar with. To weaponize it further, essentially, and learn how to make it airborne. We'd been testing it, as I'm sure you guessed, in small waves up and down the East Coast. But one of the drones employed in the labs doing our work in changed his mind. Decided the work wasn't moral enough for him.” Bremer smiles wolfishly. “Do you understand what happened next, Mr. Mulder?”

He understands all too well. He squeezes Scully's elbow, her shoulder bumping against the side of his chest. His heart is pounding too fast, his head aching with fury.

“Once that was over with,” Bremer continues, “my superiors decided on damage control. And considering the whispers about a certain former member who was recognizing our activity and making reports to the FBI… your name made the short list, Mr. Mulder.”

Scully seems to stiffen at this, going rigid next to him. He still can't believe she's here, that she's okay, and all he wants is to get her out of here. To get out of here himself. He's annoyed with the entire thing, his anger thick in his throat. “Guess I win a medal then, huh?” he snaps. “So why am I not dead yet?”

“Mulder,” Scully whispers chidingly, taking a wobbling step closer to him. He rubs a thumb over her arm, resists the urge to hug her again. His eyes are still hurting from all of the crying he has done; his heart is still pounding too hard.

“You're not dead yet, Mr. Mulder, because I believe you might be an asset to us,” Bremer says simply. “The same way you were an asset earlier, even unintentionally.”

“How the hell could I have been a goddamn asset? I was a mole!”

“Put in place by one of my superiors.” Bremer grins dryly. “You weren't a mole, you were a pawn. And I believed you were more valuable alive than dead, whether it was a willing usefulness or not.”

“Go to hell,” Scully snaps, squaring her shoulders, standing nearly in front of him.

Bremer shrugs. “My intention was to fake your death in the bombing, but I think saving your partner gave me an even greater advantage. It got you here.”

“You're insane if you think I'll help you, after everything,” he says coldly. “My partner and I are going home.”

“You're insane,” Bremer says slowly, and lifts the corner of his shirt to reveal the butt of his gun, “if you think I'm giving you a choice.”

Scully's elbow presses into mulder's stomach as she steps even closer to him, her jaw set in a hard line. Bremer lets his shirt drop, crossing his arms. “We're at war, Mr. Mulder. I am giving you the chance to save yourself, and to save your partner. With what she knows, there is no way they will let her live.”

Mulder winces on instinct at that. He's already lost her so many times; last night, he'd thought he had lost her for good. He won't risk losing her again. She is standing right there, stiff and determined and protective despite the handcuffs, the bruises on her wrists and the small burns on her arms and face, the way she'd looked after Ruskin Dam. She must have been close to the explosion. He thinks that he would do anything for her, to keep her safe; he had thought he would never see her again.

He says, unflinchingly, “I'll stay.” Scully turns to him in astonishment, but he doesn't look at her. He's looking at Bremer. “I'll stay,” he says slowly, “if you let Scully go.”

“Mulder,” Scully hisses, shaking her head.

“You heard me before, didn't you?” Bremer says with amusement. “They'll kill her, too. They'll kill her if they find out she's alive.”

“You can't keep her here!” Mulder shouts, his fingers cradling the delicate bones of her elbow.

“I can keep her here.”

“Mulder, don't do this,” Scully whispers. “Please. Please don't do this.”

“Let her go,” Mulder says again. “If you want anything from me, you need to let her go. She has a life, and people think she is dead. Do you know what this is doing to her family?” His voice breaks as he speaks. Scully shakes her head, turning slightly to look at him. Her eyes are wide and pleading.

“Do you think I care?” Bremer asks coldly. “You're not in a position to be making requests. I've saved your life twice now, Mr. Mulder. You owe me. The both of you do.”

“Look, I am not going to let you…” he starts, but breaks it off when he sees someone moving through the trees. Someone standing on the ridge above them, moving through the woods. He freezes immediately, his heart pounding; Bremer clearly doesn't want him or Scully dead, but there is no indication that the other people here don't. He steps even closer to Scully, her shoulder bumping against his chest again. She looks at him again, nervousness and anger, meant for Bremer, mixing in her eyes.

“What… what the hell is going on?” Bremer snaps, noticing his uneasiness. “Is there someone…” He starts to turn around.

“Freeze!” a voice bellows from the ridge, and Mulder sees the figure on the hill raise a gun. “Hands in the air. August Bremer, you're under arrest.”

Mulder gasps out a sigh of relief, his hands on Scully's shoulders now as the agent stumbles down the hall towards Bremer, his gun aimed. Bremer is looking at him with something like admiration or shock. “So you really were a mole this time,” he says softly, as if impressed. “You realize that this will put an even bigger target on your back.”

“Shut the fuck up,” Scully says fiercely over her shoulder.

Mulder hadn't been involved in this, actually, he has no idea what they're doing here, but he doesn't care. “Handcuff key, he has a handcuff key,” he blurts to the agent cuffing Bremer and taking his weapon. He grabs Scully's hands almost earnestly. “We need that over here!”

“Mulder…” Scully whispers, her eyes watery and wide. He wraps his arms tightly around her, and she clutches at his shirt tightly. “Mulder, I'm so sorry,” she whispers, and he draws back to look at her in astonishment.

The agent tosses him the keys to the cuffs, and he fumbles to unlock them. “Scully,” he whispers, nearly stammering, “Scully, what are you talking about? What are you sorry for?”

She clenches her jaw to steady her chin, shakes her wrists hard as they're freed. “I tried to call you,” she says, “to… to tell you I was okay. I really wanted to call you.”

Her words hit him straight in the chest as he realizes what she is saying. That she is harkening back to an argument they had months ago, over her trip with the smoker, and he is so astonished he sways a little on his feet. “Scully…” he whispers.

“Bremer wouldn't let me. I swear, I insisted I needed to call you as soon as I figured out what happened… when I knew that you probably thought I was dead…”

As soon as he sees the agent turned away from them, moving Bremer down the road, he leans down and kisses Scully hard, fiercely. He's crying again, tears dripping down his face, and he kisses her again and again, rests his forehead against hers. “I don't care,” he breathes, cupping her face in his hands. “I don't care that you couldn't call me… Scully, you're here. I thought I'd lost you.”

She sniffles. She leans up to kiss his forehead, her hands clutching at his hair, his shirt. “I didn't want you to have to go through that,” she whispers. “I wanted you to know I was okay.”

“It's okay,” he whispers back. “It doesn't matter now.” He brushes a thumb over her lower lip, wipes a tear out of her eye. Smiles at her, kisses her cheek again, her temple, and presses his nose to her hair. He doesn't ever want to let her go.

“You could've gotten yourself killed,” she mutters furiously, cinching her arms tight around his waist, her cheek to his chest. “Jesus Christ, Mulder, that man had a gun to your head… and you were trying to bargain with Bremer to let me go…”

“Didn't have a choice.” He buries his fingers in her hair, holding her tight.

“You're an idiot, Mulder,” she says, and it sounds like she's about to cry, too.

They stand there for a long time, until Skinner finds them and guides them back to a car. He gives Scully a hug before letting them into the backseat. He doesn't say a word to Mulder about why he's here, or the fact that he probably tracked him here, but whatever Skinner is feeling about this whole situation, Mulder isn't going to complain. Skinner keeping tabs on him has probably saved them both.

They sit together in the back, silently. Scully uses a small first aid kit to put ointment and Band-Aids on his scraped cheek, her fingers cool on his cheek. When she's finished, she sags into his side, her head on his shoulder, and he wraps an arm around her. They curl together in a desperate sort of way, their bodies weak with relief.

---

Skinner takes them to a motel near Philadelphia. “We're going to sort things out,” he tells them, “think about getting you two to somewhere safe until things calm down, but I want you two to get some rest. You've been through a lot.”

They don't argue. Of course they don't argue. They go to the front desk and get one room. Scully clasps his hand in hers and passes the card Skinner had given them across the counter. They get a room quickly and slip down the breezeway to their room, Scully unlocking the door with her free hand. Mulder just holds onto her other hand, his fingers locked with hers. The adrenaline is beginning to wear off, and he's left with a sense of shock. Of shock and gratefulness and patched grief; he cannot believe she is here, and he's unbelievably thankful, but he feels like grief is still pushed in the back of his throat, like he hasn't shaken off the way he felt curled up on his bathroom floor the night before.

He lifts her hand as they slip into the room, pressing his lips to her bruised knuckles; she turns towards him and meets his eyes, her own wide and somber. He holds her gaze, his nose pressed in the space between her fingers. He feels his eyes growing damp.

She slips closer, rising on tiptoes to slip her arms around his neck. She kisses his cheek gently, clinging to him tight. “Come here,” she whispers, taking his hand.

They fall together onto the bed. She pulls him against her, his head falling to her shoulder, her arms around him. He seizes a handful of her shirt and doesn't let go. He is suddenly embarrassed of the night before, the way he clung to her t-shirt, cried helplessly on the bathroom; the grief was horrible, and he's sure Scully can understand that kind of grief—she’s experienced some form of his death more than once now—but it feels silly now, now that she is here and she was all right the whole time. He feels as if he should've known that she was okay, should've come for her sooner. He bends his head, lifting her hand from where it clutches at his side and kisses her bruised wrist. “I'm sorry, Scully,” he whispers, not for the first time. “They never would've taken you if it hadn't been for me.”

“Mulder, I was deep in the building when Bremer found me. He yanked me out the back just before the bomb went out. If I hadn't run into him, I probably still would've been inside when the bomb went off,” she says, and he shudders. She kisses the top of his head. “It doesn't matter,” she murmurs. “It’s not anyone's fault, okay? It was not your fault.”

“I didn't know what I was going to do,” he says, and he feels like he is going to cry again. “If I lost you… I didn't know what I would do.”

“I know. I know.” She presses her lips to his forehead, her hand heavy on the back of his neck. “I'm so sorry you had to go through that.” He sniffles, wiping his eyes, and presses his face into the side of her neck. She rubs a hand up and down his back. “Mulder,” she whispers, “I… I was worried when I saw you… with that man with the gun to your head… I thought he was going to shoot you. You… Mulder, why were you there?”

“I had to find them,” he mumbles into her skin. “I-I had to, Scully. I didn't have a choice.”

She makes a choked sound, her fingers knotted in his hair. “Oh, Mulder,” she whispers. “Oh, Mulder, I…”

“I'm sorry,” he blurts, interrupting her. He pulls away to meet her eyes, lets her wipe the tears from his cheeks. “I'm sorry, Scully, I just… I didn't know what else to do. I thought they'd killed you, and I-I couldn't stand it.”

“It's okay,” she whispers. “Mulder, I don't know that I would've done much better if I'd been in your place. I-it's just…” She bites her lower lip, wiping tears from his eyes again. “I don't want you to get yourself killed for me, okay?” she says gently. “If… if anything ever happens to me… I don't want you to get killed on some crazed revenge quest, okay?” He squeezes his eyes shut instinctively—the potential reality of everything that has happened is still too fresh, he can still remember what it feels like to lose her—and she presses her forehead to hers. “If anything ever happens to me…” she starts again, unsteady, “I want you to be okay.”

“Scully,” he says with a self-deprecating little chuckle. “Scully, please, don't talk about anything happening to you, okay? I-I can't go through that again.”

“Okay, okay.” She knots her fingers with his and squeezes, rubbing his knuckles with her thumb. “Just… please,” she whispers. “Please, try to promise me, Mulder.”

“I'll try,” he says, sniffling. He wipes his eyes, and then hers. “I'll try to promise, but Scully, I… I don't want to think about losing you. Not after this. I… I thought I'd never see you again.”

“Mulder, listen to me.” She presses a hand to his jaw, making him look at her. “You will never lose me,” she says solemnly. “Not if I can help it. I'm not going anywhere.”

He shuts his eyes again, brimming over with tears. He leans over and kisses her softly, her lips wet with tears. “I love you,” he whispers. “So much, Scully. Love you so much.”

“I love you, too,” she says, her voice thick. She leans her head against his. “Thanks for coming for me.”

“Always,” he tells her.

She curls up in his arms, and he holds her tight. He never wants to let go.

---

In the morning, Skinner arrives to escort them to some kind of safe house. They go together, their fingers intertwined between them. They're together and they're going to stay together, until this is all over.  

[scoutception]

Final Fantasy Type-0 review: Depression central

If there’s one Final Fantasy subseries whose fate gets me feeling down, it’s the Fabula Nova Crystallis series, a novel and ambitious concept based around various games and stories of different settings and casts of characters, but sharing common themes and mythos, putting them in different contexts in each. While a fascinating idea, it ran into nothing but trouble with each of its entries, with Final Fantasy XIII and its sequels being very divisive, to say the least, Final Fantasy Versus XIII running into an infamously extended development hell, only to finally emerge as Final Fantasy XV, now almost completely separate from its original concept, and the final big entry, Final Fantasy Type-0, vanishing until 5 years after its announcement in 2006, as a PSP exclusive that only came out in Japan, a rarity for the series when it comes to its higher profile spinoffs. Thankfully, in 2015, Type-0 got a remaster on the PS4, Xbox One, and PC, finally allowing other audiences to enjoy it. Was it worth the almost 10 year wait? Well, that’s something we’re about to find out now.

Story:

Final Fantasy Type-0 takes place on the world of Orience, divided into 4 great nations blessed with Crystals: the Dominion of Rubrum, a place for the study and teaching of magic granted by the Vermilion Bird crystal, the Kingdom of Concordia, a female led monarchy able to communicate and control monsters and, more importantly, dragons, and home to the Azure Dragon crystal, the Militesi Empire, a technologically advanced state able to produce great machines of war known as Magitek Armors, or MAs, through the power of their White Tiger crystal, and the Lorican Alliance, whose citizens are much larger and powerful than any other in Orience thanks to their more direct connection to their Black Tortoise crystal. Orience is, unfortunately, not a place of peace, with each of the 4 crystal states wishing to unite Orience under them, and making plenty of attempts to in the past. The motive behind this is the legend of the Agito, a messiah said to appear during Tempus Finis, an apocalyptic event prophesied in the somewhat dubious, yet widely believed, Nameless Tome, with every crystal state seeing it as their divine duty to create Agito, to the point of Rubrum training so called Agito cadets from its brightest and most magically adept citizens.

The story opens with yet another war being started in the year 842 by Milites, whose emperor has been deposed by the brilliant and ambitious Imperial Marshall Cid Aulstyne (Final Fantasy games have a tradition of having a character named Cid somewhere, and finally, he made it as main antagonist), who immediately sets out to attack Rubrum. What would otherwise be a “normal” invasion quickly turns disastrous for Rubrum when Milites unleashed a new device called a crystal jammer, which cuts Rubrum’s legionnaires from their connection to the crystal, rendering them helpless before the Militesi invaders. Even worse, Milites also deploys a l’cie, a human chosen by their nation’s crystal to become its direct servant, in exchange for immense power and near immortality, the use of which in warfare was mutually banned by each of the 4 nations. Just when Rubrum seems doomed, the mysterious Class Zero arrives, 12 cadets who are unaffected by the crystal jammer, raised by Rubrum’s even more mysterious archsorceress, Arecia Al-Rashia, who proceed to liberate the capital, Akademia. Now, with the addition of two promising but otherwise normal cadets, Machina Kunagiri and Rem Tokimiya, Class Zero becomes a vital part in Rubrum’s efforts to reclaim their lost land and defeat Milites, once and for all.

To just come out and say it, the story’s biggest weakness is the cast, or, more specifically, its use of the cast. While the playable cast alone is certainly large, at 14 characters, and the supporting cast only grows from there, almost nobody gets proper focus. The main 12 members of Class Zero, named after playing cards, consists of Ace, Deuce, Trey, Cater, Cinque, Sice, Seven, Eight, Nine, Jack, Queen, and King, and despite being the “proper” members of Class Zero, they all only have a few character traits each. Trey is a knowledgeable type that tends to ramble, Sice is an arrogant loner, Nine is a violent muscle head, Cinque is nice, but downright weird, and so on. While after a while they all grew on me, it’s still pretty unsatisfying, especially when Ace, the face of the game, gets neglected just as badly. The supporting cast gets it even worse, as outside of Arecia and Class Zero’s commanding officer, Kurasame, most of everyone else that’s notable either has minimal at best story presence, or doesn’t show up in the story, period, being relegated to sidequests. Ultimately, the most focused on characters are the two “normal” people in Class Zero, Machina and Rem, which kinda makes sense, giving a more grounded air compared to off how putting the others can be to begin with, but even they don’t work out quite well. While Rem is fine, she doesn’t do very much interesting with the time she gets, while Machina, on the other hand, is very, very unlikeable to the point of hurting the story, whether it be his own cold attitude or broodiness to put the usual RPG protagonist stereotype to shame, he ends up way more unsympathetic than near anyone else in the story, even most of the antagonists. While the cast overall is definitely flawed, though, they’re definitely entertaining at a lot of points, whether they come from the main cast, mostly Trey or Cinque, or from some of the side characters, mainly the extremely greedy Carla and, most memorably to me, the paranoid, bombing throwing Mutsuki.

Since the story doesn’t focus on the characters very much, the main focus is instead the war itself. While it definitely has a few twists and turns, especially starting in chapter 4, overall, the battles and events of the war aren’t the most interesting subject by itself. More interesting is the elements around the war. This is by far one of, if not the darkest game in the franchise, and it doesn’t shy away from showing just how messed up Orience is. Rubrum’s main strength comes in the form of its Agito cadets, meaning, teenagers, as young as 14, at that, and the tactics the military uses means they tend to die in droves. Even when it’s technically pragmatic, between magic proficiency peaking at teen years and decreasing with age, plus not having many other means to resistance, it’s still very uncomfortable, and keep in mind, this is what the good guys, or the relative ones, get up to. Milites, meanwhile, is all too happy to deploy superweapons, such as literal nukes, and its soldiers are disturbingly fanatic, being more than happy to massacre towns, and even refer to Class Zero as demons. Class Zero themselves were raised to be soliders, and feel almost nothing in battle, and Rubrum’s leadership are paranoid and petty, to the point of the military commander actively trying to get Class Zero killed out of pure spite. Eidolons, extremely powerful monsters able to be summoned by mages, demand the lives of their summoners, and there are outright suicide squads of cadets who are only meant to summon more powerful Eidolons. Additionally, a very important plot point is that the crystals automatically erase the memories of anyone who dies from everyone’s minds, to the point Rubrum’s citizens need to wear dog tags just so it can be confirmed they even existed after they die. While they try to justify it as a blessing from the crystals that allows people to move on and not be held back by the dead, all it’s done is completely desensitize Orience to death, and having characters casually talk about being informed of their friends or family dying, and not feeling a single thing, is pretty disturbing, especially when it’s named character involved. It does a very good job of showing how constant warring and lack of reverence for the dead has corrupted this world, even when many of the characters affected still remain sympathetic.

Unfortunately, the biggest flaw of the story to me is that there simply isn’t a lot of it to be found, at least in regards to the main story. While the game is comprised of 8 chapters, that’s more than a little inaccurate, as half of those consist of a short introduction and a singular mission, rather than the 2 or 3 missions in the rest of the chapters. The story only really gets moving in chapter 4, and even then, many important points aren’t addressed until chapter 8, which is a downright bizarre and sudden change of subject and tone compared to the rest of the game, to the point a second playthrough is required because of how many holes are left otherwise, and even then, it can be a bit difficult to figure out just what is going on. The biggest achievement of the writing, on the other hand, is the lore of the setting. Orience is a fascinating world, with a detailed history of each nation, plenty of info to find on the various characters, and examinations of the various enemies of the game, all stored in a book in the hub called the Rubicus. It’s also quite interesting seeing the perspective flip compared to Final Fantasy XIII; instead of l’cie “merely” being granted the use of magic, and quickly going through their usefulness, at least by their masters’ consideration, along with the main cast being comprised of them, l’cie in Type-0 are near demigods who often live hundreds of years, and are just as fearsome to the party as to everyone else, for instance. Overall, though, while there are certainly many problems with the writing, I can’t help but say it works quite well regardless. Even with the limited time for both the story itself and the characters, it still builds a cast worth rooting for throughout the horrible situations, and an effective atmosphere that’s quite good at leaving you feeling somber. Moments like the entirety of the opening chapter, showing the utter devastation inflicted on Akademia in a mere three hours, and the various costly, large battles are very effective moments, and the ending is easily one of the saddest endings I’ve seen in a video game, for all the right reasons. Even the final chapter, odd as it is, has a lot of cool revelations and setpieces to me, at least now that I comprehend it.

Gameplay:

Type-0 is an action RPG that has you control the 14 members of Class Zero on various missions, each one possessing a different weapon. Ace uses cards, Deuce uses a flute (I swear they aren’t all this weird), Trey uses a bow, Cater uses a magic infused pistol, Cinque uses a mace, Sice uses a scythe, Seven uses a whipblade, Eight fights with his bare hands, Nine uses a lance, Jack uses a katana, Queen uses a longsword, King uses dual revolvers, Machina uses dual rapiers, and Rem uses dual daggers. Each one possesses a vastly different moveset and playstyle, such as Cinque being slow, but strong and tanky, Sice encouraging an aggressive hit and run style of play, even getting stronger for the more enemies she defeats while taking minimal hits, Trey excelling at range to a much degree than anyone else, while being near helpless up close, and Deuce being more of a supporter, having great support abilities, while her attacks are fairly weird to get used to, though effective on their own once you understand them. Despite the huge amount of characters, they’re actually fairly well balanced, all of them having important strengths and weaknesses, and while some can definitely be better than others, with Trey in particular coming to mind, possessing absurd range and the ability to charge his shots, it’s never quite game breaking. You can have up to three characters in your party, though their AI isn’t exactly great. They can certainly distract enemies well, and will make sure to heal you if your HP gets low, they don’t tend to be aggressive, and are terrible at avoiding the attacks of most enemies more complex than your average imperial trooper, and are near guaranteed to die to bosses. Speaking of which, the main wrinkle is that, while it varies, overall, your characters are not very durable, and in fact take hits about as well as wet toilet paper when faced with most enemies. This is balanced by the sheer amount of people you have. One person dies on a mission, don’t sweat it, you’ve got 13 backups. Of course, this also encourages training them all up and learning to play them as well, which is complicated by only characters in the active party gaining experience. Leveling up, in addition to granting the usual stat boosts, also grants ability points, which you can use to purchase or upgrade command or passive abilities and moves.

While just attacking enemies normally is decently effective, it can put you in unnecessary danger, and while you do have items like potions you can use to restore your health quickly, the most efficient way to fight is to use breaksights and killsights. Every enemy has at least one attack that leaves them vulnerable for a short time either before or after using said attacking. Hitting them during this period will trigger a break, or, if their health is low enough, killsight. Breaksights take a good chunk of their health away and stuns them, giving you a chance to attack them freely, while killsights just kill them outright. This one mechanic adds a lot to the gameplay, encouraging you to learn enemy patterns and attacks to see when they are vulnerable, and getting the timing down can make otherwise fearsome enemies easy to take care of. Of course, some enemies won’t take this very well, and may counterattack or even go into berserk states after recovering from breaksights, so you still have to be careful. Every character has 4 commands: regular attacks with their weapons, 2 slots that can either hold abilities or offensive magic spells, and a defensive command, whether it be the cure spell to restore health, putting up a magic wall to nullify some attacks, or just flat out blocking, which, while still causing you to suffer damage, prevents being knocked down, letting you score breaksights easier than if you were to simply dodge. Magic can be upgraded by harvesting phantoma from dead enemies, coming in various types like red for fire magic, green for defensive magic, and purple for unique spells. While powerful, magic usually takes a large chunk out of your magic points, meaning it’s better to save it for more dire situations, though harvesting phantoma restores small amounts of MP. As for equipment, aside from weapons, you have access to accessories that do things such as increasing HP by a certain percentage, giving immunity to status effects, or raising defense, though everyone can only have 2 accessories at a time. You also have three different squad commands: triad maneuver, which simply causes the party to do 3 powerful, rapid attacks, Eidolon, which summons an Eidolon you can control for a short time, in exchange for KOing the character that summoned it, and Vermilion Bird, a powerful spell that, to actually become powerful, has to be upgraded using crystal shards, which, while fairly easy to get most of the time, aren’t very numerous.

Type-0 uses a mission system, throwing you into various locations to complete objectives, though it usually equates to to reach the end of the area and kill an enemy commander. Most locations are pretty linear, though they all have a few side areas you can go to, usually for more items. You get graded based on how fast you completed the mission, how much phantoma you harvested, and how many party members got KOed during the mission, with getting the best rank on all three categories getting you an S rank, which gives a bonus item. Beating each mission on a difficulty above easy also unlocks other bonuses, whether they be additional items up for purchase or unlocking new spells or Eidolons, or just flat giving you a rare item. Completing missions also gives you money, with more the higher the difficulty and the higher your rank. Speaking of difficulties, there are 4 of them: cadet, which is just easy mode, officer, normal mode, Agito mode, which is a hard mode that makes every enemy 30 levels higher than on cadet and officer, and Finis, which is only available after completing the game once, and is, just plain absurd. All enemies have their levels increased by 50, they’re in permanent rage mode, causing them to move twice as fast and hurt twice as much, and you’re restricted to only being able to use one person per mission. It’s not much worth the effort. Aside from completing missions, your main source of items, magic, and Eidolons is from completing special orders, optional objectives that can pop up in various areas. While there’s various generic, white orders that only give items at the end of the mission for doing stuff like not getting hit for 30 seconds or not using magic for a few minutes, there are also specific, red ones with more specific objectives like taking out certain enemies, that give out better rewards. The main problem with accepting them is that, if you fail to complete them, you risk instant being killed over it, though you can avoid it you’re fast enough, as it’s delivered through portals on the ground.

In between missions, you’re allowed to explore Akademia, chatting with NPCs or party members, or engaging in “free time events” which are either conversations with random people, or cutscenes that tend to have much more interesting information. You only have a limited amount of hours until the next story mission starts, with each event taking two hours away, though time doesn’t pass just running around and talking to people without events. While a neat concept that could easily be like Persona, in practice, it doesn’t add much. While you can get some interesting information at times, and doing events also gives you items, it’s not very in depth otherwise. Even the sidequests with the more prominent side characters just consist doing their events whenever they’re available and doing a sidequest for them, eventually getting admittedly very good bonuses at the end of their little storylines. The other thing you can do with your free time is go out into the world map, where you can visit extremely small towns, get into random encounters, visit dungeons, and... not much else. While the world map isn’t tiny, there’s just not much to find. While there’s many towns, they are, again, tiny, only consisting of a single small area with a shop or two, a sidequest, and a little unofficial side quest to get a l’cie stone, which can be traded into a certain NPC to unlock lore entries in the Rubicus. There’s just not much of interest, and you’re very heavily restricted in where you’re allowed to even go on the world map, only being able to go to areas officially reclaimed by Rubrum, or that are the destination of the current story mission. Only in chapter 7 do you finally get some kind of freedom, to the point of being able to gain an airship to allow easy traversal of the world. Plus, most dungeons aren’t even meant to be explored on a first playthrough, with only about one or two being reasonable at that point, not that there’s even much to find besides l’cie stones and a chance at a rare item, emphasis on chance, since they’re always in a specific chest at the end that can only be opened once without reloading your save, and the chance of getting the most valuable item from them is rather low.

As for other activities, you can train in the arena, for downright piddly gains, or take on sidequests, most of which just contain of going out and defeating a certain amount of specific enemies, giving over items, and so forth. Most rewards aren’t great, but a few, namely from the more notable characters like the leaders of Rubrum, Kurasame, and Arecia, give very notable rewards. Sidequests don’t take time to do, but often require you to leave Akademia, meaning you need to weigh the time lost going out to do the quests against the time you could use doing events, which is difficult when you don’t know just what rewards either give out. When it comes mission time, though, you gotta venture out on the world map to your next destination. Speaking of the world map, along with the regular missions, there are also RTS style missions, where you, controlling a party member on the world map, help the dominion army reclaim forts and towns by taking out enemies and having units generated by controlled areas weaken said areas until you can invade them in a regular mission style. Instead of being graded on phantoma harvested, you’re instead graded on objectives completed, as occasionally you’ll get orders to do stuff like defend a fort for a specific amount of time or taking out a large enemy. While technically optional, you get bonuses for completing them beyond mission grade, such as access to “hero units” and direct control of certain areas. There’s a decent amount of these missions in the game, and they do make for an interest change of pace, but they aren’t much notable. You’re even allowed to skip participating in them, though obviously you miss out on rewards.

The highlights of the game are, rather sensibly, the end of chapter missions. Not only are they much longer than typical missions, they have much more unique settings, and, of course, bosses. This game has some very enjoyable, if difficult, bosses, ranging from the giant mech Brionac that is more than capable of wiping you out in a single attack, to the highly mobile mech of Qator Bashtar, Cid’s second in command, to several fights with the near invincible Gilgamesh (another recurring character in the series). My personal favorite is the boss of chapter 5, the dragon Shinryu, which is also all too happy to instantly kill you with most of its attacks, even more so than Brionac, and spend most of the fight enveloped in the darkness surrounding the arena you’re in, only being visible by the lights of its glowing red eyes. It makes for an amazing setpiece, and losing to it is almost more enjoyable than winning simply due to the failsafe implemented since the devs expected most players to lost, the details of which I simply cannot spoil. Finally, on a second playthrough, two new types of missions are available for you: expert trials, and Code Crimson missions. Expert trials are optional missions you can do during your free time, which you’ll likely have a lot of since events you see on a previous playthrough can be viewed again at no time cost on repeat playthroughs. While technically available in the first playthrough as well, they are way too difficult for the average player, i.e who isn’t insane like me. Code Crimson missions, on the other hand, are replacements for the end of chapter missions, consisting of you going off to do other stuff. While an interesting concept, in practice, they aren’t anything special, especially when they’re replacing the most interesting parts of the game, and they barely give any more story context either. The chapter 7 mission is the one exception, being very short, but an interesting concept and adding a bit more to the story. Plus, completing them all on one playthrough unlocks an interesting alternate ending, so that alone makes them worth a go.

As for the hardest challenges to be found, they’re a bit lacking. Aside from the regular optional dungeons, there’s one notable bonus dungeon and two notable superbosses. The bonus dungeon is the Tower of Agito, which can only be reached by airship, which consists of 5 floors where you need to fight 100 specific enemies, such as tonberries and behemoths, with plenty of chests to open in between, ending off on an extremely disappointing end boss that is just a Malboro that happens to be massive. While it certain sounds difficult, and pretty much everything is capable of one shotting you, once you get into a good pattern, it’s really just boring. Most of the time, they just spawn so slowly, and while after a while more of them come out at a time, it takes about an hour and a half at best to get through even if you’re otherwise efficient. As for the superbosses, there’s Nox Suzaku, only available in a second playthrough and onward, who has a chance of appearing whenever you harvest phantoma, stealing everything you try to harvest until it decides to go away. Aside from making it go away on its own, you can beat it up, which is quite a doozy. Instead of fighting you directly, it summons phantoms of various enemies to fight you, and while you could just defeat them all, this doesn’t do anything to Nox itself. Instead, you have to let the enemies defeat you, causing Nox to appear for a short time, allowing you to attack it until it retreats. Rinse and repeat, it’s not that difficult, and the rewards aren’t that great, so the main reason to beat it up is just to make it go away, because it stealing your phantoma is extremely annoying, especially when it can show up during missions, since you can’t just leave to fight it, and it’s entirely possible for it to flat make it impossible to get an S rank on that mission it decides it doesn’t want to leave. Not exactly a fun mechanic. The other superboss is, per tradition, Gilgamesh, in a stronger form than in the story. He only shows up on a third playthrough, at a few different locations on the world map, in the form of a portal. Entering said portals causes him to randomly select one of your characters to challenge. If you win, you get that character’s ultimate weapon, but if he wins, he steals your character’s current weapon. The ultimate weapons are kinda underwhelming, especially considering you may well have everything else done after a second playthrough, and it’s annoying getting specific people picked, but it’s actually a fun and fair fight, if easy to figure out.

Overall, Type-0 has some of the tightest gameplay among all the Final Fantasy spinoffs, and is the main thing that holds it together. It has a fast, hectic pace to it, interesting enemies to tackle, and a wide variety of people to try out. Really, the main criticism I have is the actual missions you have with which to try them out. The other main story missions aren’t much to look at, and same goes for the expert trials and Code Crimson missions. I’m sure this is at least partially due to originating on the PSP, and having to deal with its limitations, something that’s about become a theme in this review. Overall, though, it’s still more than satisfactory.

Graphics:

The visuals of Type-0 are a very mixed big, unfortunately leaning more towards negative. More than anything else, they make it very apparent that Type-0 was originally a PSP game. While the members of Class Zero themselves have decent looking models, if rather unemotive, everyone else, except a few important characters like Arecia, are much lower quality, especially the faces. Here’s a comparison between Ace and Carla.

The textures don’t fare much better, looking very blatantly stretched and blurry, especially on the world map, where bridges are just one long, hideous texture. Most locations outside of, again, the end of chapter missions don’t look anything special, and so many areas are just reused over and over. You go into a town, it’ll look like every other town, at least of that region. You invade a fort, it’ll look like every other fort. Repeat for almost every mission in the game. Thankfully, the big story missions look quite impressive and creative, my favorites being chapter 5′s, taking place on frozen clouds that end up near breathtaking, and especially the setting of the very final mission, which is, to avoid anything too specific, downright insane, in a good way. Another positive are the enemy designs, more specifically, the actual monsters, with enemies such as bombs and flans resembling their earlier FF designs much more than most modern entries. Unfortunately, there’s just one problem: the actual variety of enemy designs is rather lacking, with the majority of enemies being slight alterations or palette swaps. It’s a more minor point than most, but still something. The original enemy designs are quite inventive though, and overall, this is a game that excels more in general design than actual fidelity, like the spiraling Concordian capital surrounded by a sea of clouds.

Sound:

The music of Type-0 is plain great, as is usual for the series. The boss themes especially are fantastic, along with the main theme, The Beginning of the End. It also sounds quite distinctive compared to most of the rest of the series, having a greater focus on metal, fitting the more modern aesthetic. The English voice acting, on the other hand, isn’t quite great. It’s pretty obvious the dub was a rush job, considering Type-0 lacked the simultaneous localization process of the main series games, resulting in it being very lackluster overall. There are some notable voice acting names in it, like Cristina Vee as Cinque, Bryce Papenbrook as Machina, Danielle Judovits as Carla, Cassandra Lee as Mutsuki, and even Matthew Mercer as Trey, and they all do good jobs, but the rest of the cast varies, especially Class Zero itself. Ironically enough, the side characters tend to have much more solid performances, with special props going to Steve Blum as Cid, giving a very menacing perfomance, as well as other characters like Aria, Class Zero’s orderly, and Kazusa, the resident mad scientist. Corri English as Sice and Heather Hogan Watson as Queen also fair quite well. Beyond that though, the performances can be rather forced, like Nine and Cater, or just weak overall, like Rem and Deuce. This is not helped by the normal, in game cutscenes themselves, with their structure causing many long, awkward pauses nearly every sentence. It does, however, improve as the game goes on, to the point of the final cutscenes not being hurt by it near at all.

Conclusion:

Overall, this is a solid recommended by me. Even with the weakness of elements like the graphics and the short, underdeveloped story, the core gameplay just holds up that well, and there’s quite a bit to enjoy in the weaker elements even beyond that. Overall, this is one of my favorite Final Fantasy spinoffs, and the fact that it will most likely never get a sequel due to the departure of its director, Hajime Tabata, makes me very sad. With that unneeded note, this shall be the last of the Final Fantasy spinoffs I play in some time. The next time the name Final Fantasy pops up as the subject of one of my reviews, it shall be about the main series. Till next time.

-Scout

[whimzililly]

Anna is NOT going to be pregnant in Frozen 2

This has been a popular theory going around because of the mom-hair connection, but guys...unless this was a serious time skip or Disney was going crazy it’s NOT going to happen, for three main reasons.

ANNA IS 18 WHEN FROZEN ENDS. This would mean, even if it’s like 3 years later, she would still be college age. I really don’t think Disney would let the main character of their most financially lucrative franchise become pregnant that young. Not only would it likely piss of MANY parents, but it makes Anna a lot less accessible to the target demographic. It’s been 5/6 years since Frozen came out. That’s a long time! But not THAT long. The 6-10 year olds that made Frozen so successful are STILL KIDS. Older kids, sure, but still kids. They don’t necessarily want to see Anna’s first real big adventure outside of Arrendale be bogged down by morning sickness. It also eliminates the possibility for any further sequels that wouldn’t at least partially focus on Anna being a young mother. Because if 20 year old Anna goes off on adventures to fight badguys and discover magic and all that while leaving her 2 year old at home with Kristoff, some parents are going to be PISSED.

COLLEGE AGE ANNA WOULD BE PREGNANT OUT OF WEDLOCK!! To have this plot work we would either need to completely skip Anna and Kristoff’s wedding entirely, including all of the development that took place in their relationship that led them to thinking they were ready for marriage (one of the huge themes of the first movie), OR Disney is going to have Anna, the star of their most lucrative and popular franchise, GET PREGNANT BEFORE SHE GETS MARRIED. Which Disney...would not do. If it was the plot of it’s own totally original movie, maaayyyybeeee. But they wouldn’t just throw that plot into Frozen, ESPECIALLY with the cast and crew actively pushing Disney to let them make Elsa gay. ESPECIALLY especially in a movie where there’s going to be even MORE focus on Anna and Elsa’s relationship. Remember, the Let It Go of Frozen 2 has been confirmed to be a duet between Anna and Elsa. That means the two characters who are most involved in the pregnant plot (because that can’t really be a removed B plot) are Anna and ELSA, not Anna and Kristoff. Even if Anna keeps it a secret from Elsa, the focus is still on what Anna thinks ELSA would feel about her pregnancy. With the ‘lesbian incest sisters’ thing still big in the 1 Million Moms crowd, the crew and cast of a movie WHO WANT ELSA TO BE GAY/BI would NOT risk feeding into that whole mess.

IT LIMITS THE ADVENTURE/COMEDY POTENTIAL. Yes, there’s a lot of story and drama potential in this idea, but it also means that Anna can’t get seriously injured. Anna, the super slapsticky, impulsive, charge into danger for the ones she loves main character constantly surrounded by super dangerous and fairly volatile magic CAN’T GET HURT. Every time she falls off of a ledge, or gets hit by a blast of magic, or rushes in front of a bad guy to protect someone, the first thought will ALWAYS have to be the baby. She literally CAN’T put herself in harm’s way for the people she cares about while pregnant. To a lot of parents (and even some kids), that won’t be seen as brave or selfless anymore, that would be seen as prioritizing the life of her sister or husband over her child. The only way to circumnavigate this is by Anna shoeing that she believes the lives of others alive around her are more important to her than the potential for a life that rests in her first trimester pregnancy, but Disney would...NOOOOOOOOT DO THAT. Hahahaha, no. Or maybe they could have it be that Anna needs to learn to be more responsible with herself for the sake of her unborn child, but Jennifer Lee wouldn’t do that. She wouldn’t make Anna’s second film appearance be her learning that she can’t adventure and fight and explore the world like she dreamed of her whole life because she has to take care of a baby now. With an already born child, that’s not an issue. Because her doing all that fun stuff wouldn’t literally directly endanger the life of her kid every second. But with Anna still pregnant, that’s the message the above story arc conveys, even if Anna literally turns to the camera and says “This is only until my child is born and done breastfeeding. THEN I’ll do all that stuff you want to see again!”. And that brings me to...

4(B). WHAT HAPPENS TO ANNA’S PREGNANCY IF SHE GETS HIT WITH AN ICE BLAST. This is SUCH a glaringly obvious question that it literally cannot be glossed over without hurting the story. Anna getting hit by ice blasts is what makes the story and characters happen in the first movie. Without Anna getting hit by an ice blast, the plot doesn’t happen, and Anna and Elsa’s characters don’t happen. The fear of hurting Anna with her magic isn’t just going to disappear from Elsa’s character in Frozen 2. Which means that, no matter how the writers phrase it, at some point Elsa will have to worry that she might cause Anna to have a miscarriage because of her magic. And that is... You know, I like when Disney goes darker and more mature. I Ioved the addition of canonically suicidal Elsa in Frozen the Musical. But Disney, Jennifer Lee, Idina Menzel, please don’t make that a thing that happens in Frozen 2. Please. Please don’t make Elsa stress about causing her sister to have a miscarriage because of her neurodivergance metaphor. Please.

And that, folks, is why Pregnant Anna isn’t going to be a thing in Frozen 2. And...do we really want it to? There’s a LOT of great story potential in the idea of Anna having a child (especially if that child has magic), but not yet. This is only the second movie, and all of the leads are so young and sheltered. Having a baby, even just physically being pregnant, doesn’t mean you can’t adventure and grow anymore, but it is still a HUGE shift in your life, and makes it a lot harder to explore and adventure and heal from past traumas when you don’t have a solid foundation of life and experiences to help you transition. Maybe if Anna grew up in a band of traveling adventurers who interacted with hundreds of colorful characters and had tons of children and tasks Anna had to watch over from time to time, a baby at 19-21 would be fine for her. But she’s not. She’s a sheltered princess who didn’t leave her home from ages 6-18 and probably NEVER left her country, who has had one real romantic relationship, no real parental figures from 15 on, and is only just starting to rekindle a deep connection with her sister. She’s only beginning to understand herself and the world and complex interpersonal connections and having serious responsibility. Kristoff is a lot better with that stuff, but even so. We’ve also only seen literally FIVE DAYS of Anna and Kristoff’s relationship (3 in the movie, 1 in each special. I know the specials time skip but Anna and Kristoff only share a few lines in each and those lines are intentionally written so that you can watch Frozen 2 without having watched the shorts and missed basically nothing.). It doesn’t matter how much we time skip in the sequel, ‘show don’t tell’ is an important rule in cinema for a reason. If the audience didn’t see Kristoff and Anna go through huge character arks involving their relationship to get them to the point of being ready for a kid, it doesn’t matter how they act or what they say in the sequel, the audience won’t buy it. “You can’t marry a man you just met” transitions really easily to “You can’t have a kid with someone who’s last notable interaction with you was him asking for permission to kiss you for the first time after meeting for the first time and becoming a couple that week”. Let’s face it, if these characters existed in the real world, Anna, Kristoff, and Elsa would have a long sit down discussion about the pregnancy, ending with Anna deciding to get an abortion/give her child up for adoption. That’s where their characters all are right now. That would be the decision that implements the lessons Anna learned in the first movie. Why do we want a story where Anna learns to deal with something she would handle an entirely different way in the real world? The lessons in these movies are useless if they can’t be applied to the real world as it is now. The only way to circumnavigate this is if Anna and Kristoff we’re actively trying to have a child, but that wouldn’t happen period. Not ‘it wouldn’t happen in the real world’, it just wouldn’t happen. The whole message of the No Instant-Love plot was don’t rush headfirst into things you’re not ready for because you think it will bring you happiness based on the idealized fairytale version of it in your head. Anna and Kristoff (and Elsa, because it would affect her too) are not ready for a child right now. They wouldn’t make the choice to have a child right now, because they (especially Anna) learned that lesson the hard way. When Frozen 4 comes out, I’m all for some kids. But based on everything we know about Disney, the people working on Frozen 2, and the characters/story itself, Pregnant Anna will have to stay in AUs until then.

[aion-rsa]

Amazon’s The Lord of the Rings Series is Focusing its Massive Budget on Huge World-Building

https://ift.tt/33EDNPe

When reports first surfaced back in early-2018 that Amazon’s untitled The Lord of the Rings television series bore a budget upwards of $1 billion, the entertainment industry and its fans did a collective double-take. Remember, this was two whole years before pandemic-era logistics—and heavy-hitting newcomers like Disney+ and HBO Max—elevated the status of streaming platforms from luxury to essential, and seemed like muscle-flexing by the retail giant to instill fear into the Netflixes and Hulus of the world. While the show’s price tag remains surreal to this day, Amazon Studios’ boss is reaffirming the wisdom of the decision.

Amazon Studios chief Jennifer Salke participated in a shared interview with some of the industry’s most influential women for THR, in which she fields a key question about the bountiful budget of The Lord of the Rings, which was preemptively renewed for a second season back in 2019. While it is unclear if the series—which will adapt lore from author J.R.R. Tolkien that predates the main novels’ setting by thousands of years—will be canonically connected to director Peter Jackson’s Oscar-winning The Lord of the Rings film trilogy and subsequent The Hobbit prequel trilogy, Salke believes the price tag is justified by its massive world-building scope. Moreover, she believes that the move has aged well compared to current strategies of the company’s competitors, notably Netflix, which dropped a whopping $469 million for exclusivity over two Knives Out sequel films.

“The market is crazy, as you saw with the Knives Out deal,” explains Salke. “This is a full season of a huge world-building show. The number is a sexy headline or a crazy headline that’s fun to click on, but that is really building the infrastructure of what will sustain the whole series.” Indeed, Salke’s validation of the company’s cutting of a sizable check occurs after more light was shed on The Lord of the Rings’ financials, revealing that the currently in-production inaugural season alone rung up to around $465 million; a notion that lines up with claims from the 2018 report that additional expenses for the exorbitant New Zealand-located production would raise Amazon’s initial bill from around half-a-billion to (perhaps even past) the $1 billion mark, cementing the project’s place as the most expensive television series ever made.

Indeed, the world that The Lord of the Rings intends to build—with Amazon’s immense coffers—will be vast, despite the fact that we’ve seen a substantial amount of it in Jackson’s beloved films. That’s because the series will take place during an unspecified time period in Middle Earth’s Second Age, which spanned 3,441 years of history for the planet Arda. Yet, despite the array of possible storylines that fit the wide-spanning age, the setting confirms that the show will take place at least 3,000 years before the storyline of Tolkien’s main novels, which started in 2941 of the Third Age with The Hobbit. Indeed, world-building will be necessary to bring about concepts confirmed for the series such as the southern island kingdom of Númenor, on which a race of long-lived humans (of which Aragorn is a descendant,) existed in apparent sublime splendor until the corruption of Sauron incited a resentment-wrought rebellion that angered the Valar (the Olympians of Tolkien lore), that culminated in the entire island sinking beneath the sea. Indeed, with Amazon having spent years teasing the plot with era-revealing maps of Middle Earth, a lot of work needed to be done to create this rendition of a familiar land that’s archaic to the era of the iconic main novels and films. Whether it proves to be billion-dollar-level work remains to be seen.

So, how does a company—even a borderline global retail monopoly like Amazon—get to a point in which the decision to drop around $465 million at the outset for a project seems like sound business? Well, according to Salke, such decisions are often incited by sentimental fever pitches, which, much like the stock market, can abruptly drive prices to stratospheric levels. “[It] is a crazy world and various people on this Zoom, mostly Bela [Netflix’s Bela Bejaria] and me, have been in bidding situations where it starts to go incredibly high,” confesses Salke. “There’s a lot of wooing and we have to make decisions on where we want to stretch and where we want to draw the line. As for how many people need to watch Lord of the Rings? A lot. (Laughs.) A giant, global audience needs to show up to it as appointment television, and we are pretty confident that that will happen.”

Read more

TV

Does The Lord of the Rings Series Have a Hidden Title?

By Joseph Baxter

TV

Amazon Prime Video New Releases: May 2021

By Alec Bojalad

Contextually, HBO’s Game of Thrones, which was by far the most popular television series of the quasi-medieval genre, made headlines in 2019 for the $90 million it spent on the abbreviated, six-episode-spanning eighth and final season, which made it the most expensive television series in history on a per-episode basis (although, the ten-episode-spanning Season 6 cost $100 million). Yet, the onscreen woes of Westeros were never long for that title, since the story of Amazon’s gestating billion-dollar show was already a year old by the time Thrones aired its finale. Additionally, Amazon’s $465 million for The Lord of the Rings Season 1 even triumphs in an apples-to-apples comparison with the highest-grossing movie of all-time, 2019’s Avengers: Endgame, which worked off a $356 million budget, but went on to gross $2.8 billion globally. One has to wonder if Salke and her cohorts at Amazon Studios believe that Rings—widely beloved as the franchise may be—has an earnings potential that’s even remotely close to that.

That question, of course, could be answered—at least partially—as soon as the last quarter of 2021, which seems to be a feasible window for Amazon to premiere The Lord of the Rings pilot, which, under the direction of Jurassic World: Fallen Kingdom’s J.A. Bayona, was completed several months ago. However, fans remain concerned over its appointment of an untested pair of showrunners in J.D. Payne and Patrick McKay; a notion exacerbated by recent reports of behind-the-scenes tumult over clashing visions for translating Tolkien to television. In what has become a red flag to fans, the once-auspicious tenure of Game of Thrones writer Bryan Cogman came to an abrupt end even before the pilot wrapped, and key consultants like renown Tolkien scholar Tom Shippey reportedly left in an uproar. Additionally, March’s controversial exit of cast member Tom Budge might have left a dent in its nevertheless-impressive onscreen ensemble as production continues on the series.

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Regardless, fans of the beloved IP remain excited to see how Amazon’s spendthrift habits will make The Lord of the Rings manifest in streaming small screen form. As of now, the company has yet to even reveal a proper title for the series, much less unveil a trailer or drop a release date. However, as we head to the middle of 2021, a surprise on this front seems destined to occur soon enough.

The post Amazon’s The Lord of the Rings Series is Focusing its Massive Budget on Huge World-Building appeared first on Den of Geek.

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[britesparc]

Weekend Top Ten #384

Top Ten SDCC 2019 Predictions

Every year when I do this sort of thing, it gets harder. Like I said before with E3, it feels a bit like my nerd tastes have narrowed, and I have a lot less free time to enjoy the plethora of nerdy things out there. Plus, it feels like these big multimedia showcases have expanded to the point where announcements are made over a period of a fortnight or so as companies hold their own side-conferences, or smaller players wait until there’s more oxygen in the room once the big guns have had their say. Add to this the fact that Sony skipped E3 entirely this year, and DC is more or less doing the same with SDCC (at least as far as movies are concerned), and you have a recipe for me just making stuff up. I could have done an E3 Top Ten just about Xbox rumours, and I could have done this about the MCU (when do we think we’ll see the X-Men in an Avengers movie?!). Maybe I will!

Regardless, we amble once again towards a San Diego Comic Con. This year is probably going to be most notable for Marvel’s contributions; sadly with no comparable DCEU panel we won’t get any more info out of Batman, Wonder Woman, or Harley Quinn. I’m a little bit out of the loop with what the Big Two are planning comics-wise, and anyway, SDCC isn’t quite the hotbed of comics news it once was. But with a few exciting-looking panels, I’m sure there’ll be lots to talk about.

Usual caveats apply: I’m not insider, I know nothing, these are all guesses, some more educated than others. Sometimes this turns out to be a wishlist. Let’s see how wrong I was, eh?

MCU Overload: now Endgame is out of the way, I think Marvel will be a lot less cagey about their future. I predict release dates and official announcements for most of Phase Four (Black Widow, Eternals, Shang-Chi, a few sequels); the surprise tease of some Black Widow footage; something we really weren’t expecting (Squirrel Girl, perhaps, or a Captain Marvel sequel featuring Kamala Khan). In short, I think Marvel will seriously dominate all the headlines and get us thinking eagerly about what we’ll be watching this time in 2024.

Avengers Re-Assemble: there’s going to be a couple of Avengers retrospectives, and I predict we’ll see a repeat of the 2011 SDCC when the cast of The Avengers/Avengers Assemble (delete as regionally appropriate) appeared on-stage together for the first time. This may very well turn out to be Robert Downey Jr’s last panel appearance to discuss Tony Stark (funnily enough, however, I don’t think it’s the last we’ve seen of Chris Evans as Steve Rogers…). This will be a big event, and rather melancholic, too.

Disney Plussed: as well as all the Marvel film shenanigans – most of which are still too deep in pre-production to offer juicy morsels to the faithful – I think we’ll see loads of stuff about the MCU Disney+ shows. A proper, full trailer for Loki (which I think is the first to film), as well as oodles and oodles of info and maybe even footage from whatever’s lining up next. I think we’ll see Tom Hiddleston, Anthony Mackie, Sebastian Stan, Elizabeth Olsen, Paul Bettany, and Jeremy Renner all on stage. We’ll get proper synopses for all of these shows. And, yes, I think Falcon and Winter Soldier will still be called Falcon and Winter Soldier, and it will sort of be about Sam Wilson’s journey into becoming Captain America.

Making it So: okay, moving reluctantly away from Marvel, I think the Star Trek: Picard panel will be another highlight. Jean-Luc himself, I believe, will be on stage, alongside some of the cast, and one of the show’s directors: Jonathan Frakes. They will release another, fuller, trailer for the show, and a release date too. And maybe – just maybe – we’ll even get a tease for the next season of Discovery. Engaging!

Top TV Trailers: keeping things on the small screen for the moment, there are a few panels dedicated to upcoming genre TV. TV shows which, to be honest, I probably won’t find the time to watch. But even though production has only just started on some of these shows, I still think we’ll see some footage. The Witcher, the Netflix book/game adaptation starring latter-day Superman and best-case-scenario moustache model, will have a full trailer; meanwhile, the as-far-as-I-know-still-untitled Game of Thrones spin-off will have some kind of Con-exclusive sizzle reel or teaser. I’m way, way behind on Thrones anyway so the spin-off doesn’t really interest me, but I do hope I can find space in my busy schedule for The Witcher.

Continued Transformations: the new Transformers comic feels like it’s taking a while to build, and moves a mite slowly at times, but it is building a new and compelling world, amazingly finding a unique spin on the 35-year-old franchise. A spin-off mini-series focussing on the Constructicons has already been announced, but I think SDCC will see the unveiling of another mini; maybe a prequel detailing the war with the Threefold Spark? Alternatively – if the core series is not expanded – maybe we’ll get another crossover. My personal preference would be Rodimus and Megatron’s Lost Light crew winding up in Equestria. What? A guy can dream!

Teen Titans Go! Straight to Video: after the My Little Pony movie a couple of years ago, I thought a sequel would make its way to our screens before the series wrapped up; I was sort-of right, but the second MLP movie is going straight to Netflix. I wonder if something similar will happen with my kids’ other favourite movie based on one of their favourite shows, Teen Titans Go! Maybe it’s early doors, but I think a sequel movie to the utterly fantastic Teen Titans Go! To the Movies will indeed happen, but it’ll wind up on the DC Universe streaming platform rather than go cinematic.  

OG Titans FTW: sticking with superheroes too young to drink, and again following on sorta-kinda from Teen Titans Go! To the Movies, I think as a SHOCKING TWIST we’ll get official confirmation – but no other information – about a revival of the original Teen Titans cartoon. Just a teaser trailer, and a “COMING SOON”… but this would really, really make my SDCC.

She-Ra’s Sibling, Take a Bow: so the new season of the excellent She-Ra and the Princesses of Power is coming next month; this we know. There’ll be a panel about the show, and given that it must be essentially completed, we’ll get a nice full-fat trailer. But. Here’s the thing. I think we’ll get the barest – barest – tease of a wider universe beyond Etheria, perhaps by the merest suggestion of She-Ra’s brother. I don’t actually think we’ll see He-Man in season three, but I think She-Ra will perhaps learn the word “Eternia” and discover that she may, indeed, have family out there. I imagine – and hope – that they want to keep the focus on Adora and her friends, and not drag the show’s centre of gravity off in the direction of a big, strong, and more famous male character.

Yesterday’s Agents: finally, we go full circle, back to the MCU… sorta. Because at this point, can’t we all agree that any Marvel TV show – apart from, presumably, Agent Carter – takes place in an alternate but very similar universe? I mean, there’s no way the characters from Agents of SHIELD or the Netflix Defenders series exist in the mainstream MCU without their being called up during the whole “On your left…” bit in Endgame. But regardless: Agents of SHIELD. A show that has had mixed fortunes but which, on the whole, has been really compelling and entertaining. I’ve just started on season six but so far it’s been great. But like many great things, I think it must end. Season seven is coming, but – unless they do eight at more or less the same time – I think that’s it. You had a great run, with some cracking stories and wonderful characters that I’m going to miss. But with the whole Disney+ thing, I feel we’ve seen the end of, well, all other Marvel shows. And this is what they’ll announce at SDCC.

So there you go. Not necessarily a vintage year but enough to get excited about. For me, really, it’s all about the MCU! Let’s, shall we?

[bharatiyamedia-blog]

Spider-Man: Far From Residence early reactions — 'Pretty companion piece to Avengers: Endgame'- Leisure Information, Firstpost

http://tinyurl.com/y28har9w Spider-Man: Far From Home holds excessive stakes on the field workplace, particularly because it takes the narrative ahead in a world sans Iron Man (Tony Stark, performed by Robert Downey Jr). Put up-Avengers: Endgame, Spidey (Tom Holland) is left to cope with his mentor’s loss. Thus, Peter Parker ventures into new territories, removed from house, in Europe. Nick Fury (Samuel L Jackson) recruits him mid-vacation to work for Mysterio (Jake Gyllenhaal) to fight what appears to be apocalyptic elemental monsters. With its official launch nonetheless just a few days away, early screenings of Marvel’s newest superhero providing have introduced within the first reactions. Whereas most time period the movie as the right follow-up to Endgame, just a few have additionally famous how Holland has developed into arguably one of the best Spidey determine. Gyllenhaal’s efficiency has been unanimously appreciated as properly. Listed below are a few of the greatest reactions A response tweet: #SpiderManFarFromHome is fantastic. It’s humorous and intelligent and full of sensible twists. (It additionally made me have extremely visceral recollections of sophistication journeys of yore.) I didn’t depart the theater unhappy! I’m not frightened about superheroes’ emotional states! Zendaya!! — Kate Erbland (@katerbland) June 19, 2019 I did not count on to snort so laborious at a film that offers with the emotional and world fallout of Avengers: Endgame. I actually, actually loved #SpiderManFarFromeHome (favored it a smidge greater than Homecoming), and thought it completely succeeded when it handled human-scale tales. pic.twitter.com/Cy985w2NeV — Terri Schwartz (@Terri_Schwartz) June 19, 2019 #SpiderManFarFromHome! What a enjoyable, stable sequel. Tom Holland so extremely charming, will watch him in any/all issues. Jake Gyllenhaal will get far more to do than anticipated, clearly had a ball doing it. Additionally nonetheless loving Zendaya’s MJ. — Kara Warner (@karawarner) June 19, 2019   I had an enormous dumb smile on my face by way of all of #SpiderManFarFromHome. It makes for a stunning companion piece to Endgame, but it surely’s additionally a top-notch Peter story. Oh, and Jake Gyllenhaal is clearly having the time of his LIFE. — Devan Coggan (@devancoggan) June 19, 2019 #SpiderManFarFromHome is the coda we wanted after Endgame, a glimpse of how the world appears now that the mud has settled. Might perhaps have gone a bit more durable on P’s emotional arc, however bursting with heat and humor and awkward teen romance. 💕 Additionally: Jake G = excellent casting. — Angie J. Han (@ajhan) June 19, 2019 #SpiderManFarFromHome is not fairly as fantastic as Homecoming, but it surely’s a extremely sturdy, endearing sequel that delivers some glorious moments in its second half specifically. It commendably furthers Peter’s story whereas laying groundwork for what’s subsequent in a notably deft method. — Eric Goldman (@TheEricGoldman) June 19, 2019 Completely beloved SPIDER-MAN: FAR FROM HOME. I’m an enormous Mysterio fan and Gyllenhaal nails him. Additionally the film could be very intelligent (and humorous) the way it handles the fallout put up ENDGAME in explaining how this world works now. — Mike Ryan (@mikeryan) June 19, 2019   I’ve been studying Spider-Man comics continuous since 1995, so I all the time breath a large sigh of aid when his films are good. I haven’t determined if Far From Residence is healthier than Spider-Verse but, but it surely’s definitely one of the best stay motion outing. #SpiderManFarFromHome pic.twitter.com/nqI4W5TKqx — Sean Keane (@SpectacularSean) June 19, 2019 Didn’t LOVE #SpiderManFarFromHome as a lot as Homecoming but it surely’s nonetheless a rad tackle bearing the load of nice expectations and a enjoyable ode to teen romance. Tom Holland continues to be superb, Zendaya’s MJ is simply as cool as Shuri and Jake G’s an impressed selection for Mysterio. pic.twitter.com/nnu7BPjcFO — Brian Truitt (@briantruitt) June 19, 2019 #SpiderManFarFromHome: far superior to its predecessor & actually pleasant, w/a terrific theme of belief well-threaded all through. Might say extra, but it surely’s spoiler-laden, stuffed with enjoyable secrets and techniques, so watch out who you observe and what they are saying. Jake G is nice #SpiderMan #FarFromHome — Rodrigo Perez 📽🎞📺 (@YrOnlyHope) June 19, 2019 completely beloved #SpiderManFarFromHome. Captures the spirit of the comics and mixes in some superb film magic. The second the movie ended I needed to observe it once more. #JakeGyllenhaal is unbelievable as Mysterio. pic.twitter.com/4ZYaS0L8mf — Steven Weintraub (@colliderfrosty) June 19, 2019   #FarFromHome non spoiler ideas: most comedian booky film marvel has put out. Second and third acts are excellent. The 2 put up credit score sequences are going to stay in my mind for a L O N G time. I can not wait to see this film at the least three extra occasions. — Preeti Chhibber (@runwithskizzers) June 19, 2019 #SpiderMan #FarFromHome is an absolute house run. It’s SO a lot enjoyable. It’s enormous in itself and for the way forward for the MCU in probably the most stunning methods. Tom Holland, Jake Gyllenhaal, only a deadly, superior combo!! I can not wait to see this film once more. And once more. pic.twitter.com/0hYJvKkdjN — Brandon Davis (@BrandonDavisBD) June 19, 2019 #SpiderManFarFromHome is humorous, thrilling, romantic, goofy & follows HOMECOMING in being this sensible ground-level have a look at Spidey’s world & how the occasions of #AvengersEndgame impacted on a regular basis life. Plenty of twists & turns, plus some lovely summer season romances, too. I am an enormous fan pic.twitter.com/NUX0f8YFM0 — Erik Davis (@ErikDavis) June 19, 2019 #Spiderman #FarFromHome is SUCH a great film! Jake Gyllenhaal fits up & utterly embraces his function in its entirety & he’s clearly having a blast. That is such a refreshing movie after the heaviness of #EndGame. The post-credit scenes are a MUST WATCH & will blow your dang thoughts! pic.twitter.com/wcTh9iHaYq — Maude Garrett (@maudegarrett) June 19, 2019   I like that #SpiderManFarFromHome is all sleight-of-hand. It begs to be seen a number of occasions. pic.twitter.com/nwIX24L8WH — Jason Guerrasio (@JasonGuerrasio) June 19, 2019 FAR FROM HOME has dethroned Sam Raimi’s Spider-Man 2 & is now favourite Spider-Man movie. What’s insane is that I can’t even inform u why I’m so in love with this movie as a result of it might be a spoiler. Gyllenhaal is unbelievable. Holland re-confirms as one of the best Spidey thus far. Wonderful. pic.twitter.com/pbynxYIEyQ — Kevin McCarthy (@KevinMcCarthyTV) June 19, 2019 #SpiderManFarFromHome had the troublesome activity of following two epic Avengers films AND Spider-Verse and succeeds by telling a smaller, classical story about Peter Parker caught between what he desires and what accountability calls for. Pure cat(spider)nip for Spidey followers like me. pic.twitter.com/G2a4p6YhAr — Matt Singer (@mattsinger) June 19, 2019 Spider-Man: Removed from House is an especially enjoyable, cleverly executed, and continuously hilarious fruits of the MCU’s wall-crawler’s journey to this point. Some very candy moments, sly commentary and deft motion set-pieces all through #SpiderManFarFromHome pic.twitter.com/5sAmxh4E3p — Jim Vejvoda (@JimVejvoda) June 19, 2019   #SpiderManFarFromHome: B-/C+. If you happen to beloved the teen-centric stuff in Homecoming, there’s extra the place that got here from. Among the comedy falls flat, however this movie has A LOT occurring – in the end helpful as a result of it principally distracts from stuff that does not land fairly as properly. pic.twitter.com/1wVMyT5bv9 — Ben Pearson (@benpears) June 19, 2019 Spider-Man: Far From Home is slated to hit theatres on 5 July in India. 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[mikemortgage]

In a record year, the movie theatre strikes back

NEW YORK — The movie theatre was dead, they said. After ticket sales slumped in 2017 , due largely to the worst summer season in more than a decade, pundits far and wide predicted the hastening demise of moviegoing, an inevitable casualty to the rise of streaming.

This year, the movies flipped the script.

This weekend, as “Aquaman,” “Bumblebee” and “Mary Poppins Returns” arrive in theatres, ticket sales will reach a new record for the year, passing the previous 2016 high of $11.4 billion. Driven in part by zeitgeist-grabbing cultural events like “Black Panther,” “Crazy Rich Asians” and even documentaries like “Won’t You Be My Neighbour?” the box office is expected to end up around $11.8 billion for the year. The overall domestic gross is up nearly 9 per cent from last year; ticket sales are up about 6 per cent.

And it’s not just in North America. Propelled by Chinese moviegoers, global ticket sales should, for the second time ever, exceed $40 billion. Saudi Arabia declared itself open for business to Hollywood, after more than 35 years without theatres. In the United Kingdom, cinemas are headed to their best year since 1971.

“This year serves to confirm that the movie theatre business is strong and growing in the long term, even though it can be cyclical in the short term,” said John Fithian, president of the National Organization of Theater Owners, the trade organization known as NATO. “Last summer of 2017, when there just weren’t very many movies coming out that had any traction, we confronted the inevitable story about the impending death of the movie theatre business. And we said back then: It’s all about short-term product supply.”

“We knew that once the movies came back, we would be fine,” said Fithian.

Even in a year where “Star Wars” flopped, the hits have indeed returned, even if they’ve come from some predictable places. All of the year’s top 10 movies were either sequels, reboots or based on a comic book. Even this year’s Oscar front runner, “A Star Is Born” ($376.6 million worldwide and counting for Warner Bros.), is a remake. The top three films of the year — “Black Panther,” “Avengers: Infinity War,” “Incredibles 2” — all come from market-leader Disney, which is also in the process of gobbling up 20th Century Fox.

But there were some less likely hits, too. Mid-budgeted films like “Bohemian Rhapsody,” “Halloween,” “Creed II” and the year’s bestselling original movie, “A Quiet Place,” had a significant role in driving the record box office. For the first time ever, four documentaries — “RBG,” “Free Solo,” “Three Identical Strangers,” “Won’t You Be My Neighbour” — each cleared $10 million. Surprise successes — a franchise-birthing “Spider-Man” spinoff (“Venom”), a well-reviewed “Transformers” movie (“Bumblebee”) — outnumbered the disappointments (“Skyscraper,” “Robin Hood”).

Above all, the movies were often in the centre of the cultural conversation, never more so than with the history-making “Black Panther,” which became the third-highest grossing domestic release ever ($700.1 million) not accounting for inflation.

Hollywood executives say the year has demonstrated that 2017 was an aberration.

“When the experts out there were talking about the end of theatrical moviegoing, I just didn’t buy that to begin with,” said Jim Orr, distribution chief for Universal Pictures, which had hits in “Jurassic World: Fallen Kingdom,” “The Grinch” and “Halloween.” “It was just some scheduling moves that happened along with some movies that just underperformed. People want to go out. They want the social experience. They want to be in theatres. And we proved that exponentially this year.”

The box-office rebound came in a year during which Netflix launched its most ambitious original movie slate, premiering some 70 new films. Though Netflix this fall relented to a degree by playing three of its films (“Roma,” “The Ballad of Buster Scruggs” and “Bird Box”) exclusively in theatres before premiering on its streaming service, Netflix and exhibitors remain at odds over the benefits of the traditional theatrical window.

Yet there is a growing sense that Netflix may not be public enemy No. 1 for movie theatres, after all. In 2018, Netflix has gained millions of subscribers, just as movie theatres have surged. Co-existence is possible. Last month, a NATO survey found that 33 per cent of moviegoers who see nine or more movies a year also spend 15 hours per week on streaming platforms.

“We have maintained for years that streaming in the home is not taking away from the moviegoing experience,” said Fithian. “If anything, streaming in the home is damaging other forms of home entertainment. Cable television, for example. DVD sales, for example.”

Streaming will only be more omnipresent in 2019, when Disney and Warner Bros. are set to debut their own Netflix-like services. But both studios remain resolutely devoted to exhibition and in releasing some of their biggest releases in traditional slow periods on the calendar. The year’s biggest movie, “Black Panther,” opened in February. Three of Warner Bros.’ top performers — “The Meg,” “Crazy Rich Asians” and “The Nun” — benefited from the typically quiet dog-days of summer.

“There were some really good movies that were spread out through the year,” said Jeff Goldstein, Warner Bros. distribution chief. “That’s the real takeaway: Make good movies, people will come.”

But disruption is still at the door. Subscription services remade the moviegoing experience, led by the swift rise and fall of MoviePass, which took credit for the box-office revival before its inexpensive pricing structure proved unsustainable. MoviePass ran out of cash, repeatedly revamped its business model and descended into chaos, lawsuits and even a fraud investigation.

The box office still chugged along (Fithian calls MoviePass’ impact “overblown”) and other subscription services (notably one by AMC , the world’s largest chain) entered the fray.

Other threats to the movie theatre loom. When Disney’s acquisition of Fox is made official, there will be one less major studio in Hollywood. Further consolidation is expected, something Fithian grants “poses a challenge” for exhibitors that depend on a steady supply of movies. But he pointed to others that have picked up the slack: STX, Annapurna, A24, Bleecker St., Amazon and Apple, which last month partnered with A24 for a slate of films.

Whether 2019 will continue the box-office trend or see a repeat of last year will come down, as it always does, to the movies. Analysts are bullish, predicting another record-setting year thanks to a Disney-heavy lineup including sure-fire blockbusters “Avengers: Endgame,” “Captain Marvel,” “Frozen 2” and “Star Wars: Episode IX.”

“On paper, that year is going to make this year look like small potatoes,” says Paul Dergarabedian, senior media analyst for Comscore.

Of course, similar predictions were made for 2017, too. That’s the problem with movie scripts. They can always be rewritten.

——

AP Film Writer Lindsey Bahr contributed to this report.

——

Follow AP Film Writer Jake Coyle on Twitter at: http://twitter.com/jakecoyleAP

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[aion-rsa]

Feminist Science Fiction Novels to Read After The Handmaid's Tale

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Enjoy an feminist dystopian yarn a la The Handmaid's Tale? These science fiction titles need to be next on your reading list...

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With the ever-growing success of Margaret Atwood's The Handmaid’s Tale since its debut in 1985, both the book and its subsequent TV adaptation, you may find you're after something similar to read when you need your next lit fix. There’s no doubt that its relevance and its cultural impact is heavily felt today, after all these years, especially during the #MeToo era.

It has now spawned a whole new sci-fi subgenre of dystopian feminist fiction, which has grown hugely popular, especially over the last few years, and has also helped elevate and amplify the voices of lots of female writers as well as shine a light on many important women's issues. Some have even already been lined up for TV and movie adaptations. And we can only hope others do too.

Here are some picks of the best feminist dystopian science fiction novels out there at the moment that need to be added to your reading list pronto…

Margaret Atwood - The Testaments (2019)

In what has been deemed the literary event of this year, this compelling story of The Handmaid’s Tale continues in this long-awaited sequel that has been 35 years in the making, bringing everything full circle. The sequel picks up straight from where its predecessor left off and continues the events in the totalitarian state of Gilead from the last book fifteen years later with an explosive conclusion. Its screen adaptation is already in the works at Hulu.

read more: How Margaret Atwood's The Testaments Will Affect The Handmaid's Tale

Stephen and Owen King - Sleeping Beauties (2017)

One of his more recent works, the feminist dystopian novel receives the Stephen King treatment. Written with his son Owen, Sleeping Beauties is set in a women’s prison in the small town of Dooling, West Virginia and dares to ask what would happen if women disappeared from the world of men? While it might not be the most notable King novel, it’s still definitely worth a read.

Leni Zumas - Red Clocks (2018)

An extremely timely book, Red Clocks is a fascinating and intriguing novel which explores the lives of five very different women who are navigating their way in a society in which abortion has been made illegal in every state. The novel takes us through various issues that bears so much relevance within today’s current societal climate with its compelling narrative and its nuanced characters.

read more: Handmaid's Tale Season 4 Confirmed

Naomi Alderman - The Power (2016)

Soon to be adapted into a TV series by Amazon Studios, which has already cast Leslie Mann in a role, The Power tells the thought-provoking story of what would happen if women had all the power. In The Power, women discover that they are able to electrocute through their fingers and inflict devastating pain and sometimes even death, overpowering men.

Kim Liggett - The Grace Year (2019)

The Grace Year is a must-read YA novel which could be envisioned as The Handmaid’s Tale for a whole new generation, mixed in with a bit of Lord of The Flies. It has already been lined up for a movie adaptation from Universal to be directed by Elizabeth Banks. The story follows a 16-year-old girl named Tierney, who is sent off along with a group of teenage girls to an isolated forest to rid themselves of magic and become purified for a year.

Christina Dalcher – VOX (2018)

This award-winning, best-selling novel, tells the story of what happens when women do not have a voice and are only allowed to speak 100 words a day. Also, there is a word counter which gives the jolt of electricity if the word count is exceeded at any point. This is a well-written thriller with a very chilling premise - an intriguing read.

read more: VOX by Christina Dalcher Review

Octavia Butler - Parable of The Sower (1993)

Part of a series, Parable of The Sower is a dystopian novel, sharing similarities to Stephen King’s The Stand and Cormac McCarthy’s On The Road, which explores race, sex and power. This is the first novel in a series of books which follows the protagonist Lauren Olamina as she develops her own religious system in the form of Earthseed.

Sophie Mackintosh - The Water Cure (2018)

The short but sinister debut novel from Sophie Mackintosh is a beautifully written, chilling masterpiece which follows three sisters, Grace, Lia and Sky. The girls live on an island with their parents, who are trying to keep them safe from the contaminated water that surrounds the island, until men one day start being washed ashore and, you guessed it, trouble ensues.

Jenny Melamed - Gather The Daughters (2017)

If you love The Handmaid’s Tale, then you’ll definitely be compelled to read this gem. Gather The Daughters is a very dark, dystopian tale set on an isolated island (starting to notice a bit of a theme here). The story has a lot of depth regarding its story and its characters and also covers so many important themes and issues.

read more: Watching Handmaid's Tale in The Age of Trump

Kristen Simmons - The Glass Arrow (2015)

This YA fantasy story follows Aya, who lives with a small group of women who are hunted down by men who wish to auction off their breeding rights to the highest bidder. It acts as an important commentary on female rights and fertility. A terrifying concept where women have no say, just like in many of the aforementioned titles.

Virginia Bergin - Who Runs The World? (2017)

A world without men? Have you ever wondered what that would be like? Then you should wonder no more. This novel is a gripping read in which it takes place in a world where men have been completely wiped out and are extinct and thus provides us with an interesting piece of speculative fiction. A very unusual but engaging concept.

Louise O’Neill - Only Ever Yours (2014)

This novel takes an interesting look at beauty and body image where baby girls are no longer conceived but instead are engineered in labs, designed to be perfect for men. This is a very bleak read and something that gives quite a lot of food for thought. Women are basically treated and seen as Barbie dolls which, as this novel demonstrates, is a terrifying prospect rather than an idealistic one.

read more: Holiday Gift Guide 2019 — Books For Geeks

Louise Erdrich - Future Home Of The Living God (2017)

This provocative, dystopian novel from best-selling American author Louise Erdrich tells the story of a young woman who fights for the life of both herself and her unborn child. It is set within a futuristic America in which there is a major biological shift and everything has changed, this is a very harrowing read and shows the ultimate fight for freedom.

Charlotte Nicole Davis - The Good Luck Girls (2019)

The Good Luck Girls is an action-packed story which follows five girls who are sold into slavery and consequently fight for their freedom. This is a truly unique Wild Western fantasy mashed together with a dystopian feminist tale. It explores friendship, family and romance and holds a powerful message of course. It is also a great introduction into the Western genre with lots of supernatural elements involved.

Chelsea Cain – Maneaters (2018)

A very divisive comic/graphic novel series, to say the least, written by Chelsea Cain, who wrote Marvel’s groundbreaking Mockingbird series. Maneaters tells the story of teenage girls who begin to transform into flesh-eating monsters when they first get their period. What more could you want?

It has faced lots of criticism for many reasons but has great art. Nevertheless, if you love dystopian fiction then this is worth your time.

read more: City in the Middle of the Night by Charlie Jane Anders Review

Kelly Sue DeConnick - Bitch Planet (2015)

Bitch Planet is a visually stunning and unique graphic novel from publisher Image Comics, written by Kelly Sue DeConnick, who wrote graphic novels including Captain Marvel and Pretty Deadly. The story sees non-compliant women incarcerated and held in a facility run by men where they are kept under constant surveillance. With brightly, coloured, gorgeous vivid artwork to accompany the tale, along with propaganda, Bitch Planet is a must-read.

Joanna Russ - The Female Man (1975)

Long before The Handmaid's Tale took the world by storm, The Female Man offered an insightful look at science fiction and feminism as it explores four women living in parallel worlds, each with a different gender landscape. This story offers a very powerful insight into gender roles in society and also is a landmark within the science fiction genre.

Carmen Maria Machado - Her Body And Other Parties (2013)

A collection of short stories heavily reminiscent of the likes of Angela Carter, Her Body And Other Parties provides a very interesting exploration into womanhood. From a woman who recounts sexual encounters as she sweeps the earth to a woman who refuses to remove a mysterious green ribbon around her neck, each story is very distinctive in its own way and is a very enjoyable read.

read more: Read an Excerpt From Brandon Sanderson's New Book

Joanne Ramos - The Farm (2019)

Being heralded as The Handmaid’s Tale for 2019 by some literary critics, The Farm is a refreshing addition to the feminist dystopian genre, showing the impact of colonisation. In The Farm, a luxury retreat in Hudson Valley transforms the fertility industry - women get special retreatment but have to produce a baby for someone else in return. The novel follows the main protagonist Jane, a Filipino immigrant and single mother who wants a better life for herself.

Marge Piercy - Woman On The Edge Of Time (1976)

Another piece of feminist dystopian fiction which was making waves long before The Handmaid’s Tale and The Power, is Woman On The Edge Of Time. This is definitely worth a read and a landmark title within the feminist dystopian sci-fi genre. This time-travelling story follows a woman named Connie Ramos who is unfairly incarcerated in a mental institution, communicates with the year 2137, and envisions a utopian future of sexual and racial equality.

Read and download the Den of Geek NYCC 2019 Special Edition Magazine right here!

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Feature Laura Francis

Nov 29, 2019

The Handmaid's Tale

Science Fiction Books

Margaret Atwood

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Every Easter Egg and Reference in HBO's Watchmen

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The Watchmen HBO series is here, and while it's not an adaptation of the classic story, it has plenty of references to it.

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This article contains nothing but spoilers for the first episode of HBO's Watchmen. We have a completely spoiler free review right here.

HBO’s Watchmen is a sequel to the classic comic book story by Alan Moore and Dave Gibbons. That’s right, it’s a sequel, not an adaptation of the original work. And yes, you’ll note that we said it’s a sequel to the book and not Zack Snyder’s movie, which was faithful to the broad strokes of the book save for a handful of details.

While Watchmen isn’t the most sprawling superhero universe in comics by any stretch, it’s one rich in comic book mythology, commenting on the superhero genre as a whole while engaging in some incredibly detailed worldbuilding. HBO’s Watchmen moves the story from 1985 to 2019, offers echoes of the comic that inspired it whenever and wherever possible, and has hints that more familiar Watchmen characters could appear in the near future.

Here’s everything we caught in the first episode. Let us know what we missed either down in the comments or on Twitter, and we’ll keep this updated.

- The episode is called “It’s Summer and We’re Running Out of Ice,” a line from “Poor Jud is Daid” from Rodgers and Hammerstein’s Oklahoma!.

- The episode opens on a moment from history that seems like it should be fiction, but it wasn’t. The Black Wall Street Massacre of 1921 took place in Tulsa from May 31 to June 1 and killed hundreds of African-Americans. “When I first heard about the massacre of Black Wall Street in Tulsa of '21 I couldn't believe that I was a grown adult and I'd never ever heard about it before,” Watchmen executive producer and writer Damon Lindelof tells us. “And the more I researched it, the more I was just shocked and embarrassed that I didn't know anything.”

Even the moments in this that seem like they might be “amplified” for this show, such as planes dropping dynamite on black businesses, are from the historical record. We have more info on that here.

- The hero of the silent film the young boy is watching is Bass Reeves, a real historical figure who was the first deputy black marshall of America’s west. He notched over 3,000 arrests in his lifetime, and HBO announced a few years back that they were developing a miniseries based on his life.

Interestingly, Bass Reeves in his “disguise” here looks quite a bit like Hooded Justice from the Minutemen. We see Hooded Justice later in the episode as part of the "American Hero Story: Minutemen" advertisements, a documentary series about the original masked adventurers in the Watchmen world.

- The Reeves of the silver screen tells the angry lynch mob that there will be “no mob justice today, trust in the law.” This echoes the concerns about masked vigilantes that led to the passing of the Keene Act in the Watchmen world in 1977, where a police strike led to the outlawing of superheroic activity. But it also echoes the themes of this show, where police are now sanctioned to wear masks and keep secret identities. Also, it may be coincidental, but in Superman #1 (1939) one of the Man of Steel’s very first acts is to bust up a lynch mob who have broken into a prison.

- The young boy being sent away as Black Wall Street is being destroyed feel quite a bit like Jor-El and Lara sending young Kal-El away from Krypton in the Superman mythos. In some versions of that story, Jor-El intended for the rocket that carries Kal-El to Earth to also hold Lara, but there was only room for the baby. Even the “look after this boy” note feels like a particular version of the Superman origin story, Elliot S! Maggin’s Superman: Last Son of Krypton, where Jor-El sent a telepathic device to explain to potential foster parents the importance of the child they would find. This was no accident.

“The other thing about what happened in Tulsa '21, it felt like it was very similar to what the way that a lot of superhero stories or comic book storytelling starts, which is it's the destruction of the world that you know,” Lindelof says. “This felt a lot like Krypton or Bruce Wayne losing his parents. So to take an actual real world historical event and use that iconic sort of mythological comic book storytelling at the same time...because if you're giving an audience vegetables, they'll push them to the side of the plate. It has to feel like it's as delicious as the rest of the meal. And more importantly, I think the more that the season goes on, more pivotal we'll see Tulsa '21 was to our storytelling.”

- When we arrive in the present day, you can see the truck driver is driving an electric vehicle. While hybrid and electric cars are no longer the stuff of science fiction in our world, in Watchmen, they were commonplace as early (if not earlier) than 1985, thanks in part to scientific advances brought on by the arrival of Doctor Manhattan.

- Watchmen stories always seem to take place in the fall, and this one begins on Sept. 8. The original comic takes place in the month of October. DC Comics’ print sequel, Doomsday Clock, takes place in November. 

- The “good guy” lawman getting “bad news” while attending a theater production is a common trope in both regular law enforcement and superheroic comic book storytelling. You could easily see this scene playing out the same way if Don Johnson was playing, say, Dick Tracy for example.

I’m unfortunately not as fluent in the works of Rodgers and Hammerstein as I am in Moore and Gibbons, so most of the Oklahoma! significance is lost on me at the moment. Feel free to offer your own analysis in the comments.

- The concept of police keeping secret identities and wearing masks is explored throughout this show, but it’s a notable shift in policy from the comic book, where masked vigilantes were outlawed by the Keene Act, passed in 1977 after a police strike and violent riots. Later in the episode you can hear about Senator Joe Keene, Jr., who we’ll see more of in future episodes.

- When you see Regina King's Angela Abar cracking eggs in the classroom, one of the yolks has blood in it, at roughly the same angle as the bloodstain pattern on the Comedian’s badge in the comic book. The yolks also briefly make a smiley face that recalls that same Comedian badge.

- In the classroom, you can see photos of four important Presidents to this world: George Washington, Abraham Lincoln, Richard Nixon (who in the world of Watchmen, not only never resigned in disgrace, but served multiple terms, well into the 1980s), and current President Robert Redford.

Redford’s candidacy for President was hinted at the end of the original comic, as someone who was likely to challenge Nixon in the upcoming election. In Doomsday Clock, which begins in 1992, he is already in office, and he’s still serving in the 2019 of HBO’s Watchmen.

The “squid showers” everyone periodically endures appear to be an after effect of Adrian Veidt’s grand plan to avert nuclear Armageddon in the original Watchmen, in which he genetically engineered a psychic entity to simulate an alien attack and thus unite the world’s governments against a perceived common threat. The fact that squid showers are taking place confirms that this is a sequel to the book and not the squid-less 2009 movie version of the story. It's not clear if these have been happening since the incident in 1985, but in any case, they've been going on long enough for there to be public servants devoted to cleaning them up, squid anatomy posters to be in classrooms, and people to be formulating conspiracy theories about them in the press. 

We explained the signficance of the squid rain in much more detail here.

And while we're on the subject of Adrian Veidt...

- Despite a newspaper headline that says “Veidt Declared Dead” it sure does appear that the mysterious “Lord of a Country Manor” played by Jeremy Irons is Adrian Veidt, doesn’t it? The colors he wears echo Veidt’s Ozymandias costume, and he seems to be the appropriate age that Veidt would be in 2019. If Veidt has been “declared dead” though, that means he has been missing for a number of years. It’s worth pointing out that in DC’s Doomsday Clock, Veidt departs the Watchmen reality for the DC Universe in 1992 in an attempt to find Dr. Manhattan. That likely won’t have any significance on HBO, but if he has been missing for over 25 years, that’s certainly enough time to declare someone dead.

- Veidt...ahem, I mean “the mysterious gentleman played by Jeremy Irons” is working on a play for his servants, “The Watchmaker’s Son.” That can only be a reference to Jon Osterman, better known by his glowing blue naked form as Dr. Manhattan. Osterman was indeed the son of a watchmaker. 

This may not be important to anything, but something in Veidt’s diagrams looks like a Spartan war helmet.

- Detective Angela Abar is Sister Night, personifying the idea that police in this world now must hide their regular lives behind, not just masks, but superheroic identities. And no, your eyes do not deceive you, this badass superhero’s look appears to be based on a nun. Why a nun? The Watchmen team ain’t saying just yet. Watchmen executive producer and director Nicole Kassell promises us that “you will learn that as you continue to watch... it's not going to remain a mystery.”

We have more info on Regina King's Sister Night right here.

- Other supercops include those with the equally on-the-nose codenames of Pirate Jenny and Red Scare. The most significant of these is Tim Blake Nelson’s Det. Looking Glass, whose creepy full-face mask and Rorschach-esque monotone during interrogations are sure to make him a fan favorite. We have more on Looking Glass right here.

- The beating administered to the 7th Cavalry suspect behind closed doors is reminiscent of the jailbreak scene in the Watchmen book, where Rorschach excuses himself to the bathroom to take out an enemy. We don’t see the action, only the blood seeping out from under the door.

- Angela calling her bakery “Milk and Hanoi” is perhaps a reference to how much Vietnamese culture has been integrated into American life in the world of Watchmen. Here, the US won the Vietnam War and eventually annexed Vietnam as the 51st state.

- Angela walks past a man carrying a “The Future is Bright” sign. Walter Kovacs used to walk around with a “The End is Nigh” sign when he wasn’t wearing a mask, trenchcoat, and fedora and issuing brutal justice as Rorschach.

- Speaking of Rorschach, he is the inspiration for the 7th Cavalry (or 7th Kavalry) a reactionary, right-wing group of white supremacists here who have adopted his mask and mode of speech. The end of the Watchmen book saw Rorschach mail his journal off to his favorite conservative publication, the New Frontiersman. It’s unlikely it was ever published in full, as the video manifesto of the 7th Cavalry misquotes Rorschach here and there, and mixes it with alt-right memespeak. There also doesn’t appear to be a functioning internet in this world (you’ll note that everyone carries pagers and not smartphones), so it’s not clear how this has been passed around, which could account for the inaccuracies in their imitation of Rorschach.

We wrote more about the 7th Kavalry and Rorschach connections right here.

- The area of Tulsa with the highest concentration of white supremacists is known as “Nixonville.” Nixon had some troubling views on race that have been recently compounded and brought back to light by the audio of an awful phone call between him and then-future President Ronald Reagan.

- There’s a red phone on Judd’s desk, which may or may not be a little nod to the 1966 Batman TV series. Then again, sometimes a red phone is just a red phone. But there’s also a copy of Under the Hood by Hollis Mason. Under the Hood was the autobiography of the original Nite Owl, several chapters of which are “excerpted” in the Watchmen graphic novel.

- In the 7th Cavalry hideout, where they’re harvesting watch batteries for some nefarious purpose, there’s a poster featuring Minutemen hero Dollar Bill. Dollar Bill was an extremely minor character in the original Watchmen book, a college athlete from Kansas who was recruited by a bank chain to be their very own superhero, in what was essentially a glorified PR stunt. He died while trying to stop a bank robbery when his cape got caught in the revolving doors and he was shot to death. The poster in question is a racist depiction of a white hero (Dollar Bill) beating up on a cartoonish black criminal.

- The idea that the 7th Cavalry are harvesting watch batteries to create some kind of “cancer bomb” plays with how Dr. Manhattan’s presence was linked with cancer in people who associated with him in the book.

- The police apparently use the same technology for their aerial vehicles as the second Nite Owl’s ARCHIE Owlships, right down to the pushbutton operating system for weaponry like an aerial flamethrower. Considering that Dreiberg went into hiding at the end of the original Watchmen with a new identity, it’s not clear how local police forces would have ended up with this kind of hardware.

- Judd’s incongruous “you ok?” followed by everyone sharing a laugh as the camera tilts up to the sky faintly echoes Dan Dreiberg and Laurie Juspeczyk laughing at a dark joke at Rorschach’s expense in the first chapter of the Watchmen book.

- They even manage to squeeze in Nat King Cole's "Unforgettable," which was the commercial jingle used to sell Adrian Veidt's "Nostalgia" perfume line in the book. Yes, it was also used in the movie, but we won't hold that against it.

- The episode ends with a drop of blood on Judd’s badge, echoing the “minutes to midnight” blood pattern on the Comedian’s badge from the first issue of the original Watchmen.

Mike Cecchini is the Editor in Chief of Den of Geek. You can read more of his work here. Follow him on Twitter @wayoutstuff.

Read and download the Den of Geek NYCC 2019 Special Edition Magazine right here!

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Feature

Books

Mike Cecchini

Oct 20, 2019

Watchmen

HBO

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