#once were warriors 1994

[avatarchai]

Hi Chai !!! How are you ???

I'm just popping in to thank you from the bottom of my heart for recommending me Once Were Warriors, what a magnificent movie, its been a while since I cried that much watching a film 😭I'll definitely need to rewatch it some day to appreciate its beauty and cinematography in detail after learning more about the maori culture, but omg it was a tough watch 💔

ps: how did you find this film ? Do you have any ties to the Maori people ?

HEY CRASHIEEEEE!!!1! 💗💗💗 sorry for the late ass response, I was off Tumblr for a while </3 but OMG I LOVE READING THIS!! I'm soo happy you liked Once Were Warriors! And that you found it beutiful and rewatchable despite its devastating, heart-wrenching nature 💔💗

It's kind of a cute(?) story how I got to know it, actually! My mom watched it on her youth with some of her friends (way before I was born) and it just stayed with her. She found a copy of the gorgeous, stunning soundtrack somehow, so I grew up listening to the music and being told about how amazing the film was, and that someday I'll get to see it too. Fast forward to my late teens maybe, when we managed to get a physical copy of the movie and boom! It was sort of a coming of age ritual for me, and it has become formative in the way I appreciate cinema and the way I learn and behave from characters and situations.

Ah and, as far as I know we don't have any ties to the Maori, but we do have a deep interest for their culture.

[haveyouseenthismovie-poll]

[shsl-box-worshipper]

A Grave Mistake

Hi, @vexfulfolly! I'm your gifter for @code-swap 2024! I honestly had a lot of fun with making this gift and coming up with ideas. The story I went with was 'What if XANA came back and Jeremie was the last LW after a horrible XANA attack and this is the start of his comeback?' and I ran with it lol.

I decided to go for an art-fic mini combo, starting with the art and building a story based on that and finishing them both simultaneously. Named after a song by Ice Nine Kills (Which is based on the film The Crow (1994)). Hope you enjoy!

Three months.

That's how long it took. Just three terrible months of hell.

It started two years after they were sure XANA was dead. They had all thoroughly moved on from those two years fighting XANA in that time. They all stayed together of course, in one way or another. Odd was still Ulrich's roommate and Kiwi's owner, Yumi and Ulrich were actively dating, William had slowly been accepted back into their friend group to the point where he often shared the big sibling role with Yumi, and Aelita and Jeremie were both the best of their class and smitten lovebirds.

Everything was perfect. Everything was great. They weren't paranoid. They weren't scared for every second they were awake.

Then it happened. It was quite innocuous and almost unnoticeable at first.

Power fluctuations, news about blackouts in areas around former Replikas, phone lines going dead for hours and hours at a time. Two weeks in, multiple regional governments around the globe suddenly shut off all communication with the outside world, shut off access to their areas, and became communication-less zones.

Jeremie jumped at the idea that XANA could be causing all this. But the others calmed him down, reminding him that the multi-agent was dead. Jeremie himself sowed its destruction.

He wished, for once in his pathetic life, he didn't listen to his friends and that he booted up his old laptop. But he didn't, so he did nothing.

Then it began.

Disasters of all sorts struck. Floods, hurricanes, tornados, power plant failures. Infrastructure was failing all across the board and no one could figure out why.

Then they came.

Robots, cyborgs-whatever you want to call them, they stormed into every capital conceivable. Monsters of flesh and metal, attacking what Jeremie could only assume was their former friends and family.

It was at that moment that they all scrambled back to action. But they were unprepared for such a threat.

Odd was first, shot down while they were still at Kadic by the robots while saving Ulrich. He went out as he always did: Smiling and making jokes.

Yumi, Aelita, Ulrich, and himself made it to the factory, but they were hot on their tail. Ulrich stayed behind and tried to hold them off, like he used to. Jeremie knew he didn't make it.

William, meanwhile, stayed behind to keep Kadic safe. Jeremie hoped he was still alive. But even he knew that hope was fleeting.

Jeremie immediately virtualized Yumi and Aelita, but before he could give them instruction, they were onset by a new monster they hadn't seen before.

When Yumi lost all her lifepoints, Jeremie was expecting her to come out of the scanners.

But she didn't. She was nowhere on Lyoko and nowhere in the real world.

Yumi was dead.

Jeremie desperately tried to guide Aelita out of danger and toward the tower, but he lost contact with her.

And whatever Ulrich did to distract the robots failed. One was above him.

Pain filled his entire being as that one robot landed a blow to his gut, causing him to bleed profusely. And he could hear the elevator going down, carrying more of those things. Knowing his time was limited, he did the only thing he could.

He set up a delayed virtualization and crawled his way to the scanners.

That's where he found himself now.

Jeremie knew all for certain that he was the last Lyoko Warrior. The others were either dead or last seen in situations that could only logically conclude with their deaths.

He groaned as he tried to stanch the gaping wound in his abdomen. He nearly swore as his nerves once again screamed at the pain.

So, this was it, huh? Jeremie chuckled at how fate had led to where he was now.

Four years ago, he came to this factory for such an innocuous reason. He was an ignorant 11-year old who simply wanted to win a robotics contest.

He was alone. He was friendless. And he treated technology like his lifeline.

Then he found and turned on the supercomputer, met Aelita, and his whole world was flipped upside down. Friends, love, and a reason to live beyond the technology that was defining his life.

Now, he was back where he was four years ago. Friendless, alone, and with technology acting as his literal lifeline.

01:00:00

It's ironic. The last time he was like that, he was innocent, scared 11-year-old boy. He had done nothing interesting in particular, and was just continuing the status quo he had built for himself.

Writing programs, making robots, hiding from his bullies.

Now he was 15. Nearly 16.

Now he had experienced what he had missed out on. What he never got to taste because of his introvertedness.

And it was amazing. Never before had he had friends who actually cared about him. Never before had he have a reason to keep on living, to keep on fighting.

Never before had he ever fallen in love. Have a girlfriend. KISSED.

He had faced trials and tribulations no child ever should...and he grew from them. He had turned from a cowardly, innocent, lost boy into a wise man, intelligent beyond his years and surrounded by everything he could have ever wanted or needed.

00:30:00

But he had to throw that away. He should've trust his instincts. He should've jumped at the opportunity and stopped it before it got worse.

But he didn't. He trusted his friends too much. He fell victim to his own logic and reasoning.

And now, they were dead.

Everyone Jeremie had ever known or loved...was dead.

*CLANK!*

?

Its the robots, Jeremie realized. They had found the hatch, whether by following his blood trail or using deductive reasoning, and they were coming down now.

00:20:00

At the same time, he could hear the scanner he was in start to whir. It was drawing power, something these things always did. Especially when he was beginning the transferring step of his process.

*CLANK-CLANK!*

They were getting closer now. Jeremie from the distance of the sound that they were climbing the ladder now.

0:10:00

They were down the ladder now. All it would take was one shot and he would be dead. The scanners would not register his brain activity and would virtualize his corpse as a catatonic dummy.

"Heh..."

All it took was one mistake...and his world had ended.

00:09:00

They were scanning the area now, Jeremie deduced. Probably to figure out which scanner he went into.

He purposely chose one that wasn't facing the ladder. Buy himself a few more seconds before they would inevitably find him. Maybe then, he would be safe.

00:08:00

He could hear their metal feet pounding outside the scanner, shaking the entire room and maybe the entire complex.

Knowing he would practically be a sitting duck if he stayed sitting, he tried to push himself up onto his feet.

00:07:00

His body was protesting his every move, his nerves practically begging him to stop. But he needed to stand. He needed to be prepared.

He had to. He made the mistake of not being prepared once.

00:06:00

It took some effort but he was on his feet now, gritting his teeth and trying to keep as quiet as possible.

He could see some of them now. His glasses were in absolute ruins, but he could still see out of one lense.

00:05:00

Metallic feet crushed against the otherwise hard metal of the scanner room, horrific visages of metal and flesh entering his view. He nearly vomitted when he saw his first one only a couple of hours ago. He didn't even know XANA was capable of such inhumane things, but then again, what has this AI not done up to this point?

One in front of him was male, in his 30s, and overweight. Other than that, Jeremie couldn't figure out much about it. Whatever person made up that mechanical monstrosity had their facial features practically rotting off.

00:04:00

The first one didn't spot him, thankfully. It was too busy heading toward the other scanner to realize Jeremie was there.

He left out a sigh of relief as it went. If his calculations were right, the delayed virtualization would be enacted in a few seconds. He just needed just a little more time-

A second nightmare stepped forward, one much more sloppier than the first one. Bits and pieces of it's tech were practically falling out of it.

00:03:00

The second one was smaller than the first one. Looked to be male...and around Jeremie's age.

It set off such uncomfortable feelings in Jeremie's stomach once he realized that. The fact that someone his own age was turned into one of these things...

He couldn't bear the thought.

00:02:00

!

This one was turning around. SHIT!

The sound of crunching motors and gears filled the air as the cyborg monster turned it's head to look into the scanner.

And at that moment, a loud, piercing alarm sound filled the air, the thing's eyes flashing the Eye Of XANA as it's allies gathered around Jeremie's scanner.

00:01:00

...But they didn't do anything. They all stared at him, eye to Eye as he held himself against the scanner.

It was at that moment that Jeremie realized what was going on, and with it, his remaining vestiges of sanity faded.

It was...toying with him. Gloating at its own success.

It had Jeremie surrounded, it was ready to kill him. And it was gloating. Four years of constantly fighting and it came out on top.

But Jeremie didn't break down into tears. He didn't submit himself to defeat.

In fact, he smiled.

Not a cheery one, no no. Not any that would be seen worn on Odd's face.

It was a look of madness. Insanity.

00:00:30

If XANA thought it had won, it was sorely mistaken. As long as Jeremie was still living and breathing, it would never win. As long as there was something against XANA, it would never be assured victory.

00:00:20

He may be bleeding, he may be alone, he may be even throwing himself to his own death...but in actuality, he wasn't alone.

They may not be among the land of the living now, but he could feel them. His friends. His true family and companions.

00:00:10

Odd's smile, Yumi's protection, Ulrich's comradery, William's devotion...

And Aelita's love. The girl who started it all. And who he shall avenge.

00:00:05

As he heard the scanners begin to rev, knowing that the virtualization process he had so carefully set up was about to begin, he stared directly at the enemy. At XANA's eye.

00:00:04

The eye of a monster, created a decade ago by a desperate man fueled by love and revenge.

00:00:03

Now it will be killed by a desperate man. Fueled similarly by love...and revenge.

00:00:02

Knowing the virtualization was imminent and stanching his wound as much as possible, Jeremie said one, last thing...to this monster.

"Buildings burn and people die...but real love is forever. And I'll say this, XANA...you've made a grave mistake letting me live."

XANA didn't have time to react before the doors closed.

Its minions panicked and shot endlessly at the scanner, trying to destroy before the process had finished.

They succeeded in destroying it after 30 seconds of constant firing.

...But when they checked the resulting debris...there were no remains.

Nothing was left of Jeremie Belpois in the real world.

Now they were even.

For both, man and machine, good and cruel...had committed grave mistakes. And paid the ultimate price.

[kneesheee]

Honestly speaking, it’s so many extra characters to add in the Descendants verse.

I tend to look at the antagonist from the television shows, games, and abandoned characters. Alongside minor characters if I need a character on the “good” side.

Here are just a few scrapped characters:

Marguerite is a character who was deleted from the final version of Beauty and the Beast, and would have acted as the co-antagonist alongside Gaston. 

Belle's Sisters were two characters who were deleted from the 1991 film Beauty and the Beast, and would have acted as co-antagonist with Belle's Suitors. 

Belle's Suitors were three characters who were deleted from the 1988 screenplay of Beauty and the Beast, and would have had an antagonistic role, along with Belle's Sisters.

In one early concept of Aladdin, there was going to be a Genie in the Ring that would team up with Jafar.

Professor Lefoof was supposed to be Anastasia and Drizella's music teacher, until it was decided that it would simply be Lady Tremaine, who led her daughters' singing lesson.

Arawn was the original main antagonist for the film The Black Cauldron. However, he was replaced by the Horned King.

Elvira was a deleted character from The Aristocats. She was Madame Bonfamillie's maid who assisted Edgar in his scheme to get rid of the cats.

Mick, Bowie, and Lemmy were three mummies Who assisted Yzma and were considered the tertiary antagonists in Kingdom of the Sun, the working title of The Emperor's New Groove. Their names were taken from those of three famous rock stars: Mick Jagger, David Bowie, and Lemmy Kilmister. They were replaced with Kronk.

The Vulture is a character that was originally created for Sleeping Beauty but was deleted during the film's production. Originally, Maleficent was going to have a pet vulture, which was meant to serve as comic relief (very similar to Iago) and had a New York accent. However, because his role did not contribute much to the story and also somewhat detracted from that imposing nature of Maleficent, he was cut from the final version of the film. Despite this, there was dialogue written for the vulture and some rough sketches for the character.

Zoltan the Magnificent is a deleted character in Atlantis: The Lost Empire who was recruited aboard the Ulysses as a medium claiming to be able to communicate telepathically with the Atlanteans. He was intended as a counterpart to Milo and other more scientifically-minded members of the crew; however, he was cut from the final version of the movie.

The Hunter is a character who was cut in the final from Disney's 1985 film The Black Cauldron.

These are a few antagonists from the shows:

Kileem is an antagonist in the Aladdin TV series. He was once a feared warrior who wore a suit of invincible armor. Many tried to defeat him but all failed. When Kileem finally passed away, his spirit possessed the armor. He appeared in the episode "Armored and Dangerous".

Mozenrath is a recurring antagonist in the Disney 1994-1995 Aladdin animated television series. He is a young sorcerer and necromancer who rules over the Land of the Black Sand.

Saleen is a minor recurring antagonist from the Disney animated television series, Aladdin. She is an evil mermaid sorceress with powerful aquatic abilities who attempts to steal Aladdin away from Jasmine; tbh, I headcanon her as Jay’s mom.

Abis Mal is one of the main antagonists in the Aladdin television series, first seen as the secondary antagonist in the direct-to-video film The Return of Jafar.

Ajed Al-Gebraic is Genie's old master, who is very greedy. He used up all his three wishes and sold Genie to a Sorcerer for eternal life, but not eternal youth. He appears in the episode "Genie Hunt".

Arbutus is a minor character from the Disney animated series Aladdin. He is a sorcerer and an entity of nature who thinks of himself as an artist.

 Lobster Mobster and Da Shrimp are recurring antagonists from The Little Mermaid television series. They are bumbling con-artists, who constantly antagonize Ariel and her friends

The Evil Manta, or just Manta, is a major antagonist who appears in Disney's TV series The Little Mermaid. Although it is unknown how old he is, he is believed to be ageless. He has the form of a giant black and purple manta ray, giving a foul presence wherever he dwells. He has a son named Little Evil; tbh, I headcanon him as Uma’s dad.

Ebb and Flo are two alligators and antagonists from the former Disney Channel series The Little Mermaid. They only appear in the episode "Beached".

Emperor Sharga is a character and villain from The Little Mermaid television series. Sharga is the emperor of Sharkania and the leader of the Sharkanians, a race of aquatic creatures that are related to sharks, just as merpeople are related to fish. He is cunning and tricky, and wants to take over Atlantica.

Daniel was Dr. Vile's apprentice; despite not liking it, nevertheless, had no choice because he needed the money for his poor family, in The Little Mermaid television series.

Dr. Vile is an antagonist in Disney's The Little Mermaid series. He appeared in the episode "Island of Fear". He is the former employer of Daniel who loves experimenting on crabs and turning them into crab mutant monsters.

Moray is a recurring character from The Little Mermaid television series. He is a moray eel who is dedicated to defrauding the people of Atlantica. He often tries to get Ariel into trouble.

Little Evil is a minor character in the television series The Little Mermaid. He is the son of Manta, who is a recurring villain in the series.

 The Sorceress (or The Lady in the Cave) is a minor antagonist who appears in the television series The Little Mermaid.

 Octopans (pronounced: "oc-to-puns") are a hostile species of aquatic humanoids, prevalent in The Little Mermaid franchise. They look to be a combination of cephalopods and human beings. Ursula was their leader.

King Trevor is a minor antagonist in Tangled: The Series. He is the ruler of the kingdom of Equis and King Frederic's longtime rival.

Andrew (real name Hubert) is a minor antagonist who appears in Tangled: The Series. He is a mysterious visitor from out of town who forms a relationship with Cassandra in hopes of using her to steal an ancient journal.

The Separatists of Saporia is a centuries-old organization dedicated to destroying the kingdom of Corona. Their members hail from what was once Corona's rival kingdom, Saporia.

Ruthless Ruth is a ghost, who appears in the episode "The Wrath of Ruthless Ruth" of Tangled: The Series. She was the original owner of The Snuggly Duckling who had a barbaric reputation, but also has a secret talent for writing and singing songs.

Anthony the Weasel is an antagonist in Tangled: The Series. Weasel works for The Baron as his assistant, until he took his Kai spider ring and his minions.

The Baron is an antagonist in Tangled: The Series. He is a notorious kingpin that has a history with Flynn Rider and Lance Strongbow.

Sugracha the Eternal (also known by her alias Mrs. Sugarby) is a servant of Zhan Tiri and former pupil of Lord Demanitus who gathering her candidates to gain people's trust.

Stalyan is an antagonist, later a minor character in Rapunzel's Tangled Adventure. She is Eugene's ex-fiancée and the Baron's daughter.

Mother and Father are antagonists in Rapunzel's Tangled Adventure. They are an enigmatic couple who dwell in a cottage in the woods.

Lady Caine is the main antagonist of Tangled: Before Ever After and a recurring antagonist in Tangled: The Series. She is the leader of a pirate gang.

Hector is an antagonist in Rapunzel's Tangled Adventure, who first appears in the special "Rapunzel and the Great Tree". He is a villainous warrior and the most dangerous and sadistic member of the Brotherhood, sworn to keep all away from The Dark Kingdom.

Tromus (also known by his alias Matthews) is a servant of Zhan Tiri and former pupil of Lord Demanitus who trapped Rapunzel and her friends in The House of Yesterday's Tomorrow.

Brock Thunderstrike is a character in Tangled: The Series. He impersonates Eugene Fitzherbert as his former alias Flynn Rider.

Pocket is a minor antagonist in Tangled: The Series. He serves as the assistant of Lady Caine.

A Few Characters from the Games:

Nasira is the main antagonist of Nasira's Revenge. She is Jafar's fraternal twin sister.

Bizarrah is an evil genie and the main antagonist of Disney's MathQuest With Aladdin.

Characters from Prequels and sequels:

Marina Del Rey is the main antagonist of Disney's 2008 animated prequel film The Little Mermaid: Ariel's Beginning. She is the governess of Ariel and her sisters, but strives to gain Sebastian's job by any means necessary.

Benjamin is Marina Del Rey's right hand manatee and a supporting character from The Little Mermaid: Ariel's Beginning.

Fife is the secondary antagonist (later a supporting protagonist) from Disney's 1997 animated film Beauty and the Beast: The Enchanted Christmas, a midquel to the 1991 animated film Beauty and the Beast. He is one of the Beast's servants who was turned into a piccolo by the Enchantress' curse.

Maestro Forte is the main antagonist of Disney's 1997 direct-to-video sequel film Beauty and the Beast: The Enchanted Christmas. He was the castle's former music conductor. When the Enchantress put the spell on the Beast, Forte was turned into a pipe organ. In this form, Forte found himself more useful to his master as a composer and was willing to do everything in his power to stay in that form.

Pom-Pom is a minor antagonist in Disney's 2002 direct-to-video film, Cinderella II: Dreams Come True. She is a white female cat who lives in the King's Castle, with him as her owner. She is a minor character in Disney's 2007 animated film, Cinderella III: A Twist in Time.

Prince Jeeki is the former secondary antagonist of Mulan II. He is Lord Qin's eldest son.

Lord Qin is the former main antagonist of Mulan II.

Edgar Volgud is an antagonist in Atlantis: Milo's Return. He is allied with the Krakken, being somehow able to control the creature.

Ashtin Carnaby (otherwise known as Carnaby) is the secondary antagonist in Atlantis: Milo's Return, acting as the main antagonist in the film's second segment. Described by Sam McKeane as "slipperier than a spotted toad in a rainstorm."

Erik "Odin" Hellstrom is the main antagonist in the third and final adventure in Atlantis: Milo's Return.

Matangi is a main antagonist in the Disney's upcoming 2024 animated feature film Moana 2. She is described as a mysterious new character.

Live Action Characters:

Gerda is the secondary antagonist of Maleficent: Mistress of Evil, serving as Queen Ingrith's stewardess and engineer.

Lickspittle is a character who appears in the 2019 Disney live-action film, Maleficent: Mistress of Evil. Serving under the tyranny of Queen Ingrith, Lickspittle works in his lab as a scientist using Tomb Bloom flowers, using it to mix with iron powder. In his lab is a collection of fairies trapped inside jars so that whenever he mixes a Tomb Bloom's pollen with iron powder, it creates crimson powder, eradicating every type of fairy (including Dark Fey) instantly.

[greenlantern94to04]

Green Lantern #49 (February 1994)

"EMERALD TWILIGHT," Part 2! Hal Jordan has gone so far off the deep end that he's started imitating one of history's most infamous monsters: Ringo Starr. After the events of last issue, a pissed-off Hal is speeding towards planet Oa to give his bosses, the Guardians of the Universe, a piece of (what's left of) his mind. The Guardians try to stop Hal by deploying formidable Green Lanterns like, uh, this red guy and that purple girl.

Hal brutally whoops their asses and steals their GL rings to become more powerful; if he manages to nab 3597 more rings, he can become a One Man Green Lantern Corps. Hal's dangerous bling addiction even leads him to fight Lanterns he personally recruited into the Corps, like Tomar-Tu (the guy with the bird face who doesn't sound like Geoffrey Rush) and Boodikka, a fierce warrior who refuses to let go of her ring... so Hal just chops her hand off. I like to imagine a Green Lantern from some sort of phallus-shaped alien race turning around at this point and going home.

Meanwhile, in Oa, the Guardians seem pretty confident that one of their "servants" will stop Hal, but their arrogance starts evaporating with every ring he steals. Ganthet, paradoxically the least dickish of the Guardians despite being the only one wearing a ponytail, has some sort of secret plan for how they could "preserve themselves" if all else fails. At first, the others just mock him (for his plan, not the ponytail), but as Hal gets closer, they get nervous and start preparing for Ganthet's plan, whatever it is.

Hal finally reaches Oa and faces one of his best friends, Kilowog, the most distinguished trainer of the Green Lantern Corps and the Justice League's one-time handyman. Hal reminds his former mentor that he's got like ten rings by now, but Kilowog defiantly says, "Didn't I teach ya nothing? It's the warrior, not his weapons."

As it turns out, nope, it's the weapons, because Hal defeats Kilowog too within one page. With no one else around to stop him, Hal heads for the Central Power Battery -- literally, a giant battery that powers every GL ring in the universe, and now Hal wants that power to himself (I guess stealing it from here is easier than figuring out how to wear 3600 rings on his fingers). However, the Guardians still have an ace up their oversized sleeves. A hooded figure walks out of the battery, and the final page reveals that it's the other "greatest Green Lantern ever" who went rogue: Sinestro! A villain so heinous that the Guardians executed him for "crimes against the universe," causing his soul to get trapped inside the Central Battery.

Yes, the Guardians are so desperate that they're willing to give a GL ring to a guy whose name means "evil" and who has tried to kill them multiple times in the past. Interesting tactic. Will it pay off?!

NEXT ISSUE: It doesn't pay off.

Plotline-Watch:

When Sinestro is revealed at the end, we also find out that he'd been narrating the issue, which gives a double reading to lines like: "Were he not blinded by his obsession, would these acts wreak havoc on his conscience? I rather like to think so." That almost sounds like Sinestro's version of the Joker's "Far too late" moment from The Killing Joke.

The fight with Kilowog could be seen as another callback to Emerald Dawn, Hal's origin story, since that contained a montage of 'Wog training Hal when he was a rookie... by making him balance rocks and catch eggs in the air and stuff. Would have been funny if Hal and Kilowog's dramatic face-off in this issue had consisted of an egg-catching contest. To the death.

Ganthet the Least Dickish Guardian first appeared in 1992's Green Lantern: Ganthet's Tale graphic novel by Larry Niven and John Byrne, which establishes that 1) he once drove himself insane by looking at the beginning of the universe, and 2), perhaps related to the above, he has a fondness for human fashion. Ganthet had appeared in exactly two issues of the regular series before this one, but he'll appear a lot more often and have plenty more chances to show off his fashion sense after this.

Also in Ganthet's Tale, Hal learns the "forbidden knowledge" that the end and the beginning of the universe are linked together, which the other Guardians would have erased from his mind if Ganthet hadn't protected him. Not only will this little bit of trivia come in pretty handy for Hal as he starts toying with cosmic forces in the near future, but also, looking at the final panels in the graphic novel, Hal's comments about being disappointed in the Guardians' lies almost feel like a teaser for Emerald Twilight (which, again, was definitely not being planned in '92).

Question for the Hal Jordan veterans in the comments (hi, Neil): was the idea that wearing more GL rings makes you more powerful already a thing before this issue? Seems like something a villain would have exploited by now. Or did Hal change how the rings work through sheer force of will?

Guy-Watch:

Meanwhile, in Guy Gardner's corner of the GL universe: the Guy Gardner series officially becomes Guy Gardner: Warrior with #17, which sees the debut of Guy's new moniker and his shorter, non-Moe hairdo. Plus, artist Mitch Byrd!

In this issue, Guy finally works up the nerve to go back home and tell his abusive dad what he thought of him, only to find out that he died shortly after his brother Mace committed suicide. Both were assholes, but that's still pretty rough. Then, he's attacked by Militia, the armored loon we met last issue. The fight ends when Guy's yellow power ring (which, incidentally, used to belong to Sinestro) suddenly stops working, but luckily, Militia's armor happens to malfunction at the same time and he's ran over by a truck.

Huh, curious that Militia has ginger hair too. Probably a coincidence. To be continued!

[superman86to99]

Worlds Collide: The Milestone Side, Month 2 (August 1994)

The conclusion to our somewhat messy coverage of this crossover, but to be fair, it was kind of a messy crossover to begin with. RECAP: Worlds are colliding! Fred is getting upset! As in Fred Bentson, the seemingly omnipotent mailman who can travel between the DC Universe and Milestone's Dakotaverse and thinks he's dreaming one or both of those worlds. After being tortured by unscrupulous assholes who were trying to exploit his power, Fred turned himself into a big ugly being called Rift and threw a tantrum, with dire consequences for our heroes (and our villains)...

Hardware #18

At last, the tale of why John Henry Irons was wearing nothing but boxer shorts in Man of Steel #36 can be told! After digging themselves out of the destruction caused by Rift's little temper tantrum, Hardware and his boss/nemesis Edwin Alva (one of the assholes mentioned above) decide to contact their enemy on the DC side, Hazard (the other asshole), so they can work together to save both their worlds. After all, that's where they keep all their stuff.

Hazard suggests recruiting "an inventor of his acquaintance," meaning John/Steel, the guy his lackeys have been trying to kill in the Steel series. Steel agrees to the awkward team up. Meanwhile, Hardware recruits an enemy of his own, some teleporting lady called Transit. In other words, everyone in this comic hates each other.

Thanks to Transit, the gang is able to create an "interdimensional space between the worlds" (don't call it a Pocket Universe). Steel and Hardware get to work on a machine that can contain Rift, and after a while, John tells his lab partner that he's "absolutely brilliant" and he's learned a lot from him. Hardware is like "yes."

That's when Steel notices that Hardware is adding something to the machine that will actually kill Rift instead of just trapping him. Steel isn't willing to do that, but he is willing to kick Hardware's ass to prevent it. Unfortunately, Hardware has the advantage of being a sneaky bastard who plays dirty, so he ends up beating Steel by throwing a "nano acid" at him that eats all of the metal in John's armor. There's no metal in John's undies, though. Hence: boxers.

Despite being powerless, Steel still won't back down and says the whole reason he's a superhero is to prevent his inventions from killing people (even giant, universe-destroying ones). He eventually wears Hardware down and they agree to build a non-lethal trap for Rift... after they make John some new (metal) pants, that is.

Icon #16

After the events of Man of Steel #36, in which Rift tried to force Superman and Icon to fight in Metropolis to determine which one gets to exist in his new continuity, he transports both of them to Dakota and gives them a new deal: if Superman defeats Icon, Rift will undo Lex Luthor's actions from Action #700 and un-destroy Metropolis. He even transports Lex to Dakota for a couple of panels, just to show off his powers. I'm not clear on whether this is an illusion by Rift or if he really gave Lex his hair and body mobility back for a moment, for some reason.

And if Icon wins, Rift will un-destroy his city. Wait, when something happen to Dakota? Right after Rift said that, since he unfreezes that tsunami he'd stopped in Superboy #7 and lets it hit the city.

Now that both heroes are properly motivated, the actual fight begins (with each one thinking they'll help the other once they win). Icon knows that Superman has the upper hand, since he's more powerful and also literally Superman, so he uses the one thing he has to his advantage: his giant Image Comics-style cape.

At one point, Icon says that "Lacking either a supply of kryptonite or the raw power of Jessica Fletcher, I'm forced to resort to other means to deal with you." Is Murder, She Wrote about some sort of powerful lady warrior in the Dakotaverse? Is she still played by Angela Lansbury? I kinda wanna see that version.

Superman and Icon seem pretty even, until Rift stops the fight and says he's realized that perhaps he doesn't have to choose between one world or the other. That sounds pretty good, until we see him grabbing both planets and crashing (or, you know, colliding) them into each other. The cataclysmic results are shown in Steel #7, which is followed by...

Blood Syndicate #17

What with all the cities crashing into each other and the mass casualties and stuff, everyone forgot about the Blood Syndicate, including Rift. So, when he's musing about streamlining his new combined world's continuity and they attack him (having just learned he drowned all of their friends and families), Rift retcons that rowdy bunch into a group of obedient little boys and girls sitting in a classroom. The "obedient" part doesn't last too long, though...

Since they didn't like that corny revamp, Rift turns them into something more EXTREME: the Underappreciated Ex-Gang, a group of muscular superheroes with various ethnic accents who have sworn to protect a world that hates and underappreciates them.

The funniest part is Aquamaria, who seemingly died in Superboy #7, reappearing as a phoenix made of water and giving a dramatic speech until she remembers she doesn't speak English and says "¿Pero qué carajo estoy haciendo aquí?"

The Ex-Blood Syndicate rebels against their retcon once again, so Rift decides there's just no place for them in his continuity and turns them into metal statues, just like the ones the Legion of Super-Heroes has for dead heroes. That similarity is no coincidence, as we'll see in the next issue...

Static #14

This oversized issue serves as the climax for the crossover. Right away, we find out that Rift didn't just revamp the Blood Syndicate: he revamped the entire combined DC/Milestone universe into a futuristic utopia protected by a large group of teenage superheroes. Static (or "Static Lad" as he's called now), being a huge nerd, instantly recognizes the reference: it's all based on the classic League of Superteens comics from the '50s, of course.

(Yes, superheroes in the '90s were very concerned with their hair.)

Static, Rocket ("Rocket Gal"), and Superboy ("Fabulous Boy") don't know where the other heroes are, so Static uses his genre-saviness to find them by consulting the LoST's Mission Monitor, which shows where every member is at any moment. My favorites on the long list are "Mall Hair Girl (on patrol)," "Dough Boy III (ret-conned)," and "Procrastination Lad (late)."

The superteens are able to find everyone except Superman and Icon, because they ended up stuck in the interdimensional void with the anti-Rift trap that Steel and Hardware made. While Rift is distracted forcing the superteens to fight the statues that used to be the Blood Syndicate, the armored geniuses are able to stretch a little portal made by Transit so that Superman, Icon, and the big trap machine can come through, which looks... painful.

Superman and Icon fly the trap towards Rift, and from his perspective it looks just like the freaky nightmare monster that had been haunting him since the start of the crossover (which is a nice bit of foreshadowing). The only problem is that the trap's battery is sort of busted due to the rough trip out of the interdimensional void -- and that's where Static comes in, because this is his comic and he deserves to get the big heroic moment. Static shoots a big burst of electricity into the trap as it catches Rift, and...

We see Superman, Superboy, and Steel back in Metropolis, and everything is back to normal (meaning Metropolis is still destroyed, but at least Superboy's fade cut is back). They lament the fact that their friends in the other universe were obviously not real, while in Dakota, the Milestone heroes think the same thing about them. So, the crossover ends with every single thing that happened in it being undone... except for Rocket kissing Static, since she does it again.

The last page shows Fred Bentson floating in a black void in his pajamas, doing the one thing he wanted to do all those years: sleeping in peace.

According to the DC wiki, Fred has reappeared exactly three times since this crossover: first in Justice League of America #34 (2009) and Milestone Forever #2 (2010), which explain that a mystical dude called Dharma found Rift napping outside of reality and used his powers to stitch the Dakotaverse into the DC Universe and prevent the former's destruction. More recently, in Milestone 30th Anniversary Special (2023), a younger version of Fred appears in the current Milestone earth and causes its heroes to meet their counterparts from the original Dakotaverse, until everything is sorted out thanks to Dharma, the Statics, and the power of group therapy.

This is a weird-ass crossover, mainly due to the "big bad" being a dweeb who seems to change his motivation with every other chapter (from "just leave me alone" to "I wanna be a superhero" to "destroy one universe" to "clean up the continuity"). However, the entire point was to introduce more readers to the Milestone characters and I think it does that pretty well: you get a good sense of who everyone is and what their comic is about. If I'd had the chance as a kid I probably would have continued checking out Static and maybe Blood Syndicate, just because that "Ex-Gang" gag was pretty funny.

Anyway, hope you're not fed up with crossovers starring dozens of characters and multiple realities, because we've got a biggie coming up...

Missed an issue? Looking for an old storyline? Check out our new chronological issue index!

[thislovintime]

Happy birthday to James Lee Stanley!

“[I] worked in a nightclub called The Shadow. And I think it was late June [1964] that the Phoenix Singers came through, and Peter [Tork] was in the band, he was the banjo player in — behind the group… And he and I hit it off, and that Monday night, we did an impromptu show together, we just played a couple of tunes, you know, and had a good time, and stayed friends. And then when I opened a club in 1965, there was no place to play in the winter in that area — Virginia Beach, Norfolk… So I opened a club on my own with two friends, we called it The Folk Ghetto, and I contacted Peter in New York City and said, ‘I wanna hire you to come down here for a week and be the headlining act.’ Which he did. […] [H]e was fantastic. He was so good. […] Anyhow, we became friends, and we were friends ever since. [...] And I can tell you that he’s been one of my best friends for my entire life. And one of the more generous people I’ve ever known. And just to give you a window into the kind of guy he was, he would come off a Monkees tour where everything was handled, you know, they would take care of his tickets, they’d take care of his room, they’d carry his instruments, they’d carry his bags, he just had to show up at the airport and they gave him the, you know, the ace treatment. And then he comes off a tour like that and he gets in a rented Dodge with me and we drive around the country playing little rooms, which we filled to the max because it’s Peter Tork, and then he demands that, because I booked all the dates, I take a booking fee off the top. And then he demands that we split the door. He, I mean, you know, he didn’t have to do that. [...] We would hang out, and I said, ‘Peter, I noticed that all the other Monkees have solo albums. Why don’t you have a solo album?’ And he said, ‘Well, I just never got around to it.’ I said, ‘Well, you know, I have a label, I have national distribution, and I have a studio.’ I said, ‘Why don’t we make a record and we’ll try, you know, we’ll shop it to the majors and if nobody picks it up, we can still put it out on my label. So there’s no doubt about it, we’re making a record that’s coming out.’ And he said, ‘Okay.’ So we worked on it about four months, and at the end of the four months, he said, ‘You know what, James? I don’t want to shop it. I want it on your label.’ So I got to put Peter Tork on my label without, you know, paying a huge upfront thing to have a world-famous celebrity on my label. You know, he just said, ‘No, let’s do it with you, man.’ He was, he was great, he was just a great guy, you know [...] He was, he was just my best friend, you know. And a great spirit." - James Lee Stanley, Tales of the Road Warriors, March 7, 2019 (x)

“James is about my oldest friend. No, make that my friend of longest standing. I worked with him once before, in my early days, and I thought, as a result of that experience, that it would be very good for me to work with him again [on Stranger Things Have Happened].” - Peter Tork, Beachwood Confidential newsletter, 1995

“My personal thanks to James, I have my first album, after all these many moons. How far freakin’ out, man. I waited a long time to work with him again. Thanks beyond words, buddy. Thanks, too, to those who stuck by me. Love to all, Peter” - Stranger Things Have Happened 1994 liner notes

“In a nutshell, Peter and I are really good friends. Working with Peter, well, he’s like one of the best men on the planet.” - James Lee Stanley, Sacramento Bee, April 20, 1997

“James and I have a lot of fun playing as a tandem. We don’t just wail on the guitar in unison; we’re very articulate… I’ll be playing a light backbeat or playing the big bass strings while James plays filigrees. A lot is going on when we play together, and then James does his originals during his set… I love working with the Monkees, and I love working with James. I have the best of both worlds.” - Peter Tork, The Record, January 19, 2001

“Tork later confided in his brother Nick that Stanley had given him his life back. ‘I wept when I heard that,’ Stanley says.” - Stranger Things Have Happened 2020 reissue liner notes

[claire-starsword]

Shining Force Pre Release Coverage

yes i have made a post about this before but i was a baby with one magazine. Now i’m a big 90s kid who has gone through the entirety of the Beep Megadrive archives from 1991-1994, as one does. Get ready for what might be my biggest post ever, I don’t wanna break it into parts for the timeline vibe.

To contextualize the following dates: the game came out in Japan on March 1992.

October 1991

More cool sword animations for Max. Also it took me way too long to realize this background is also not anywhere in the final game, though the final Gate of the Ancients bg does take a lot from it. Apparently it was once meant to be an indoor location with torches.

Here are screenshots of the map itself. Icons were completely different, and Gort and Mae are there. Obviously this could be just the use of debug features to test the characters, but I suspect their story roles were actually changed and they were meant to be starting characters. More on that later.

there’s also a screenshot of Guardiana with a slightly different layout. There are centaur NPCs in town as opposed to only in the castle, the old man sprite is different, and the little girls are normal as opposed to dragging cats around. In the final version, this little girl sprite is only for Karin, Krin and Koron, the important little girl trio. The bed sprites are also different and kinda failing at perspective.

Besides screenshots, we also get a synopsis.

Centuries before Mephisto’s uprising in Shining in the Darkness... In the continent of Rune, far to the east of Thornwood, many countries big and small lived in endless days of peace. However, the great nation of Rune Faust, wanting to take over all of Rune, plotted to get its hands on the “Legacy of the Gods” inherited by the country of Guardiana since ancient times.

The Legacy of the Gods is said to be both a superweapon and a frightening beast. Whoever attains it can become a god or a devil... But even though the Rune Faust army has invaded Guardiana and ravaged the country for its plans of domination, it hasn’t succeed in finding the legacy...

Meanwhile, the soldiers of Guardiana, forced into a life of wandering after the fall of their country, have risen to the task of defeating Rune Faust. And as they resist against the unknown evil power controlling Rune Faust, people have come to call them “the forces of light”, Shining Force...

The grassy plains of Guardiana, mountains full of precipices, jungles, deadly deserts, rivers where piranhas live, those and other stages await our heroes.

After all, who is the one controlling the powers of darkness? And what is the truth behind the Legacy of the Gods? Hiding many mysteries, a new legend begins now!!

Very basic stuff, but while it might just the drama vibes, it does feel that Guardiana was supposed to get more wrecked, or get wrecked earlier, which would explain Mae and Gort joining earlier as well. Simone narrating the king’s last wishes right in the intro supports that idea as well.

Lastly, we get some character art and info:

(i know it’s hard to see the og text with this resize but hey, that’s why I linked the magazine collection before)

These are the forces of light, “Shining Force”!

“I’m the swordsman protagonist, Max!”

The protagonist of this story, Max. He’s human, but is an expert with the sword and can also use magic. He roams across the continent, leading the Shining Force in its way to defeat Runefaust.

One more for the “Max was meant to have magic” pile.

Archer - Hans

An elf who used to work at Guardiana’s palace. His skill with the bow is first-class.

Very nitpicky detail: Hans’ class is written with kanji here, when it’s written in katakana in the final version.

Knight - Mae

A young centaur warrior. Daughter of the late Knight Captain.

Priest - Lowe

A dwarf who’s a great friend of Max. Currently training at magic.

Shining in the Darkness already had a hobbit priest so i wonder if there’s some miscommunication here. The hobbit discourse is even older than I’d imagined.

Warrior - Gort

A hotblooded dwarf old man and Mae’s servant.

Told you there were changes on these two. There’s no indication of any connection between the two in the final version, especially since centaurs tend to be arrogant towards other races, a fact that does not come up here at all, nor does Mae’s tough personality. Even more evidence will come up later that those things were added late in development.

Knight - Ken

A centaur in knight who admires Max.

The enemies don’t get descriptions and all have their final names except the Rune Knight, who is only Centaur Knight at this point.

November 1991

This is a big one. The beta title screen is the least interesting thing about it.

We see more of Guardiana, and the centaur NPC was actually Varios all along, meaning the intro was really different.

Max and Mae get to smile! Given the story is kinda obvious why this was changed, but I always did find it weird that their artwork had different expressions to begin with.

Plenty of screenshots of a field battle with completely different graphics. More on this later.

Also a different and apparently pretty big shop.

But now for the part that really rocked my socks, a whole beta map:

Here’s the final map so you can compare the geography yourself. This map doesn’t label pretty much any town and instead brings up a bunch of new names for the natural areas.

The Gate of the Ancients, or what I suppose is it, it’s not labelled, sits atop the Mountain of Guidance, which seems to be a single mountain as opposed to the big mass that stretches up to Rindo in the final version. The gate also seems drawn like a little castle, which would explain the indoor bgs shown so far.

Alterone is to the northwest of Guardiana as opposed to the northeast. It is also right next to the Beagle Mountain Mass, which, makes A Lot More Sense with how much we hear it is a mining town. I’ve been wondering where their mines were in the final map. They must have mined too much though, because in the final version this mountain mass is largely gone.

Further to the north is Rindo Harbor, and you, english speaker, might think, “oh yes Rindo that’s the final name” but nope, in the JP version the town’s name is Rindorindo, for some reason, so that’s a difference. A difference that matters to no one.

There’s no river near Rindo, and Manarina and Shade are not labelled, though its concepts seem to be around. Manarina also seems to be surrounded by a lot more forest than in the final version, which might explain its guide book entry.

The forest near Manarina has a name that deserves its own post, Kaien, in katakana so that it is harder to discerning its meaning of course (and intentionally allow double meanings). Possible interpretations are the start of a performance (開演), the opening of a park or garden or banquet (開園 and 開宴), a superb performance (快演), or an eerie yet fascinating performance (怪演). I’d say the last one is the most fitting for Manarina, but localizing it is still a pain in the ass, the english staff dodged a bullet here. Right now most I can think of is Enthralling Forest, but you still miss some charm.

I also have to wonder if Mishaela was conceived as a boss for this place. Puppet performance and all that. She also ends up having a forest stage in Shining Soul.

All the white mass on the north is Pao Plains, no sign of the bridge or the forests of Bustoke, although there is a town in the mountains. Was this a Shining Force without Zylo? Inconceivable. But might confirm something I’ve been suspecting due to my debug mode escapades. In the battle test mode, egress usually takes you to the last church you’re supposed to access in that chapter. Yet for chapter 2 battles, it takes you to Bustoke, which is on Chapter 3. The editor also shows Bustoke as one of the first map in the data, between Rindo and Shade. It is likely that Bustoke was meant for Chapter 2.

In fact the reasoning for going to Shade Abbey is very shaky, you can see in the final map that there’s a lot more mountains between Shade and Bustoke than from Manarina. I guess the point is that guides work there, but in that ase they should work somewhere else. I’m not complaining though since Shade Abbey is one of the most iconic parts of the game.

The Pao Plains are surrounded by the Boho Mountain Range. Boho is short for bohemian, the romanticized view of nomadic/alternative lifestyles, so it’s very fitting for Pao.

Waral was a single island instead of an archipelago, and the ocean between the two sides of Rune is Cypro Ocean, a name that eventually made its way to the guide book. The region in the center of East Rune is Conga Basin, which we’ve also seen in another book, and Dragonia is to the north already. Finally, the Crescent Mountain Range is the bunch of mountains to the east of Runefaust.

Note also the big isolated structure south of Runefaust. Perhaps the Castle of the Ancients has not always been under the ocean. I also see no sign of Prompt, while all other towns are in (except Waral but Waral isn’t even in the final map, it’s tiny). This might explain why Chapter 7 is cursed on debug mode, frequently failing to load an egress point.

All this rambling was just for the map itself. There’s more written about it, I’ll just translate things directly because I’m a bit tired of taking screenshots.

This is the Rune Continent where Shining Force will take place

There’s no comparison between the world of Shining Force with that of Shining in the Darkness, it is far larger. There are mountain ranges, towns, large coasts, and even islands as well. The adventure starts at Guardiana to the south of West Rune, and the you’ll move clockwise to north, and then to the eastern part of continent, shrouded in mystery. That region to the south of East Rune, could it be Runefaust...?

East Rune and West Rune

The two continents and the Cypro Ocean between them are all referred to as the Rune continent, and are far to the east of the land where one day Thornwood, the kingdom where SitD takes place, will be built.

Guardiana, where the journey begins, is on West Rune. West Rune, compared to the eastern side, is more developed, with many countries living in peace and abundance.

In the eastern side, it is said an ancient civilization once lived there, but currently there are no countries other than Runefaust, and a wide spread of steep mountains and eerie forests.

Because of that and Runefaust itself, the people of West Rune regard the east as a dark land full of mystery.

They’ve thankfully chilled a bit on the “light side versus dark side” in the final game, possibly because they needed churches/HQs/shops to welcome the heroes gameplay-wise. I do see something drawn in the map here where Rudo should be, so perhaps other settlements in the east were already in the cards, just not very developed.

The country of Alterone

A neighboring country of Guardiana. It was originally a mining town built to extract rare and magical minerals from the Beagle Mountain Range around it, and then developed into a country. With the minerals excavated, Alterone amassed a lot of money, which was used for its own development. The common citizens began to live in luxury, and even despite other countries. Of course the royal family too has filled the castle with loads of luxury items and art, and the army is small and lacks zeal despite its extravagant equipment. The cultural level of these people with not much history, is not very great. A rising rich country. One could argue it’s a bit like today’s Japan with its excessive liquidity, or maybe not?

oh i am unequipped in so many ways to understand that jab

The country of Guardiana

A country that prides itself in having the deepest history in all of West Rune. It is said this country was built by people who inherited the duty of protecting the “Legacy of the Gods”. Because of that they’ve grow a tradition of respect for the military arts, and the royal family believes in maintaining a humble lifestyle, so the castle has no ornaments or luxurious items. However the long time of peace has weakened these traditions and the people, and they could not defend themselves from Runefaust’s ambitions, being destroyed...

Being a small country, it has little stock of weapons and such, but it is blessed with fertile land and the agricultural production is plentiful. The story of the Shining Force will somehow begin around this country.

Nothing I hadn’t seen in guide books already, but I’m somewhat surprised the worldbuilding was all already there and not refined for the guide books only. I guess it just didn’t find its place in game.

Speaking of that, here’s a long interview with the devs and I don’t have the energy to translate it all. Here’s the summary:

Unsurprisingly, the game’s biggest challenge was data size. Without compression it was around 30MB, around 15x the size of its final ROM, and definitely not fitting a Mega Drive cartridge. The interview only talks about compression but I wouldn’t be surprised if they had to cut things as well.

It’s brought up that they could have solved that problem by making a CD game instead, but they wanted to reach a wider audience.

Lots of comparisons with SitD, how the game was bigger and more complex, requiring more work and graphics and maps and everything basically. Again it is said that the story happen centuries before SitD.

When asked if there's a connection with the SitD, Masaki Wachi (writer for SF and the GBA remake) enthusiastically replies “Yes! Oops, I said it (laughs)”. He then elaborates that there were big clues about it, but that he wouldn’t comment on the connection with Mephisto and the ending of SitD.

Kenji Orimo (director and writer) does add though that if it was meant to be a direct sequel, it would just be called Darkness II. He also mentions seeing more potential in expanding the Shining World from Force than from Darkness.

Yoshitaka Tamaki (character designer, art director) mentions SitD characters having more of a fairy tale vibe, while SF characters were more grounded, with some pretty scary enemies in the late game, with more of a “war spectacle” vibe.

Lots of hyping up the battle animations.

Also hyping up the unique spin on tactical games, where characters and enemies all have their own agility instead of just alternating between an ally and an enemy phase. I don’t know anything about tactical games to comment on this.

December 1991

We get a better scan of Mae’s old portrait :)

Max on the other hand has already changed to his final one. Character description are largely the same as October with a few more tidbits on personalities such as Ken being a super honest boy. Gort is still referred to as Mae’s old servant, Lowe is still listed as dwarf, and no mention of Mae’s tough personality yet. Max’s class is also listed as warrior, but he was mentioned as swordsman on October so I assume it’s just a mistake.

We do get more characters this time though.

Tao Class: Mage Species: Forest Elf

A mage in training, but her talent is huge. Has a close relationship with Anri, the princess of Guardiana.

The forest elf thing is very curious since Hans and Diane are not listed as such. I have seen the term float around for Nigel of Landstalker, but I didn’t play that yet so no comment.

Diane Class: Archer Species: Elf

A wild girl who lives in Bustoke. Being raised in the mountains, she’s vigorous in battle. Scary.

Zylo Class: Werewolf Species: Beastman

Leader of Bustoke, the mountain nation. Focused in hand-to-hand combat, he does not equip weapons, and instead fights with his sharp claws.

Guntz Class: Steam Knight Species: Beastman

A knight of heavy power who wears an armor powered by a steam engine. Well known through the world as a mercenary specialized in castle assaults.

Well, that’s not my chill guy. Seems his personality wasn’t nailed down yet, which surprises me as his artwork very much implies the gentle guy we know now. Worth mentioning though, Guntz does join the team right as you’re going to assault the fort, and the GBA version even elaborates a bit on that invasion by requiring you pick a bomb from Crock, though Guntz isn’t involved in any of that. Perhaps this sequence was intended to be a bit more elaborate from the start.

Khris Class: Priest Species: Cantaul

A priest who used to work in Alterone. Despite being both priests, she’s stronger than Lowe in battle. Let’s see who is the best at magic.

Kokichi Class: Wing Knight Species: Human

An old gramps from a noble lineage of knights. Entranced by the dream of flying, he spent fifty years researching flying machines.

We then get a bunch of monster art i won’t even try to fit in a screenshot, and more description than they ever got in guide books as far as I’ve seen.

Dwarves

Skilled at close combat due to their strong body, but has low defense. Their lethal axes are menacing.

Dark Priests

Runefaust priests, wearing white masks as per the army’s regulations. Working on an attack with focused magic.

rip dark priests you did not learn blast in time if that’s what they’re implying here

Also, they’re called Dark Priests here, Priests in the final game, and Dark Priests in the english localization. I don’t know why I bother paying attention to that.

Snipers

With superior footwork, they attack from a long range with bows. The double team kind, working as pairs with the Rune Knights.

Puppets

Evil marionettes, it’s unknown if they have consciousness. Part of the Monster Corps, they attack swinging swords.

Except they don’t in the final game. They don’t even have swords in the art either, so I’m unsure if that’s a change or an idea that never made it in.

Hell Pierrot

It seems they are not really pierrot, just disguise as such. Those who are fooled and approach them carelessly end up hurt.

That’s the final JP name for the Dire Clown as well.

Gargoyles

They are statues, but had temporary life breathed into them by magic. Seems not all of them turned into flesh, some parts remain stone.

Cerberos

Guard dogs of hell into a deep sleep in the caves under Alterone. Trained by the Runefaust army.

Worms

Giant mutant earthworms dozens of meters long. Don’t have any senses other than touch.

Dullahans

Headless ghost knights who used to be Rune Knights. No comparison between their power though.

And now a special boy that does get to be screenshotted:

Mimics

Transform immediately as you open them thinking it’s a chest. Their lids grow sharp fangs, and they sprout legs to move.

It’s worth noting that while these guys didn’t make it to any classic game, SF2 does have a mechanic of monsters spawning from chests, we just don’t get to see because the search in battle option was removed in the english version.

To finish the parade of weird creatures, Yogurt is here.

What is this Yogurt creature, after all?

Yogurt, a mysterious characters that shows up around Guardiana and toys with the enemies. No clue if he’s an enemy or an ally, but he certainly has a likeable vibe, you could even call him cute. He’s not docile enough to be raised as a pet, and seems prone to quick mood swings. Does a lot of weird things as he pops up in the adventure. You could say he’s kind of a versatile performer.

Yogurt’s Data

He’s 80 cm tall, weights 10 kg, walks on two feet, while the front paws have atrophied and become small. His main food seems to be berries, but he’s omnivorous. From what’s been observed, he can swim, is fast and has strong jumps. It’s unknown when he started wearing the helmet on his head. No one has seen him take it off either.

Insides:

Tail - Uses it to balance while walking in two feet.

Feet - Way better for jumping than for walking.

Head - On par with humans. Seems to be very intelligent.

Hands - Cannot use tools

Belly - Quite fat but he’s still agile.

There are also doodles of his secret appearances which I’m not gonna translate now. They’re very much just describing his antics.

January 1992

Pink haired Simone appears. Sadly there’s no dialogue screenshots.

Guardiana is already pretty much the final version, only the entrance still seems unfinished, some NPCs are different.

Remember that field battle with different graphics? There’s more of it here, including the map.

It’s horrifyingly large.

Finally, there’s some talk of critical hits being capable of special effects like one-hit KO, but it’s very vague so it might be the magazine staff not knowing this was attached to a specific weapon.

February 1992

Pink Simone is still around, and so are unfinished weapon animations and the old knight battle sprites. Max still shows up with zero MP. Guardiana and the starting maps seems mostly finished with a couple odd spots.

Guardiana castle is full of chickens, and has a gate.

The king’s room has a couple more flags in it.

The Gate of the Ancients now looks like the final version, though battle screenshots still show the indoor background. The starting team is also the final one, with Mae and Gort no longer there.

The Alterone battle shows enemies inside the shops.

The article ends with a recipe for yogurt.

March 1992

The game is released, and I too am released from this long ass post. From here on, every article, ad and official material I’ve seen uses only screenshots from the final version of the game. If that sounds obvious to you, wait for the SF2 post.

Update: ??? 1992 

Joke’s on me, I was not free from the post. I found some old footage, sadly i don’t know which date it is from, but it shouldn’t be too early in production. Simone already has brown hair, the Gate of the Ancients is already outdoors. 

There are still things to note though. Simone still talks of the king of Guardiana in her intro as opposed to the final one. The intro to Chapter 1 is a placeholder text.

Anri’s dad does not have a unique portrait and uses the default king one. Also, the castle still do not have centaur knights, even though their sprite already exists. In the place are not chickens though, and instead some weird placeholders you can see at the top right corner here.

Unlike every other battle scene in this post, the final sword sprites are in, but their animation for Max is still unfinished. Also, having footage we can hear some audio, and while Simone’s theme and the field map theme are in, the town and battle scenes use placeholders from SitD

More importantly,

cat.

Their sprite isn’t exactly the same as the unused ones in the ROM though, as those have the tail up like a properly happy cat. This means these sprites still got further polish before being ultimately scrapped anyway :(

[krsonmar]

I need to know what movies you all think Nandor and Guillermo watch on their movie nights.

We need to compile a To Watch list for them. Here are my submissions:

Fly Away Home--they both deny crying when Anna Paquin flies with the geese in her hang-glider but won't stop talking about the cute goslings. Guillermo tries to teach Nandor that that's the word for them, not "goose ducklings", but Nandor insists that that was Jeff Bridges and Ryan Gosling was nowhere to be seen

The Last Samurai and The Last of the Mohicans--Nandor likes 90s movies about warriors but they were both bored by Braveheart

Guillermo has tried to get Nandor to watch Interview With The Vampire (1994) with him, but Nandor got up and left 20 minutes in when he insisted "this is nothing like real vampires!"💔

Nandor did like Die Hard and Point Break, so Guillermo agreed to sit through all of both of them with him

They both liked Evita (1996); Guillermo worried about adequately hiding his crush on Antonio Banderas but Nandor was distracted by fangirling over Madonna, and they both spent the next 2 weeks singing the songs around the house

Nandor likes newer Godzilla movies, especially the Japanese ones, but won't watch King Kong (1933) or any of the remakes because he cries when "the noble great beast with the heart of a lover" dies

Nandor once walked in on Guillermo watching High School Musical and when Guillermo tried to hide it out of embarrasment, Nandor joined in and liked it more than Guillermo. Now he doesn't shut up singing the songs and it drives Guillermo insane.

I wanna hear yours. Go!

[lovesongbracket]

Reminder: Vote based on the song, not the artist or specific recording! The tracks referenced are the original artist, aside from a few rare cases where a cover is the most widely known.

Lyrics, videos, info, and notable covers under the cut. (Spotify playlist available in pinned post)

Can You Feel the Love Tonight

Written By: Elton John & Tim Rice

Artist: Elton John

Released: 1994

Alternate versions included: Matthew Broderick & Sally Dworsky for The Lion King, 1994; Jason Raize & Heather Headley for The Lion King (OBC), 1997

An alternate version of the song of the same name from the 1994 Disney animated film The Lion King. This version is a piano-driven soft rock ballad by famed English singer-songwriter Elton John, who also composed many songs for the movie. It was the end credits song of the movie as well as a well-charted single in its own right, peaking at #4 on the US Billboard Top 100 as well as topping the US Hot Adult Contemporary and France’s SNEP charts. The lyrics of this version differ greatly from the version in the movie, but still covers roughly similar themes to that of the movie. The song won an Oscar and Golden Globe for Best Original Song in 1994.

[Verse 1] There's a calm surrender to the rush of day When the heat of a rolling wind can be turned away An enchanted moment, and it sees me through It's enough for this restless warrior just to be with you [Chorus] And can you feel the love tonight? It is where we are It's enough for this wide-eyed wanderer That we got this far And can you feel the love tonight? How it's laid to rest It's enough to make kings and vagabonds Believe the very best [Verse 2] There's a time for everyone if they only learn That the twistin' kaleidoscope moves us all in turn There's a rhyme and reason to the wild outdoors When the heart of this star-crossed voyager beats in time with yours [Chorus] And can you feel the love tonight? It is where we are It's enough for this wide-eyed wanderer That we got this far And can you feel the love tonight? How it's laid to rest It's enough to make kings and vagabonds Believe the very best [Outro] It's enough to make kings and vagabonds Believe the very best

Original movie lyrics:

[Chorus] Can you feel the love tonight? The peace the evening brings The world, for once, in perfect harmony With all its living things [SIMBA] So many things to tell her But how to make her see The truth about my past? Impossible! She'd turn away from me [NALA] He's holding back, he's hiding But what, I can't decide Why won't he be the king I know he is The king I see inside? [Chorus] Can you feel the love tonight? The peace the evening brings The world, for once, in perfect harmony With all its living things Can you feel the love tonight? You needn't look too far Stealing through the night's uncertainties Love is where they are

I Say a Little Prayer

Written By: Hal David & Burt Bacharach

Artist: Aretha Franklin

Released: 1968

Originally recorded by: Dionne Warwick, 1967

Cover included: Dianna Agron for Glee, 2009

Originally written for Dionne Warwick by Burt Bacharach and Hal David in 1966, Aretha and her ‘Sweet Inspirations’ were fooling around before a show and warming up by singing “Say A Little Prayer” when it became obvious that they should make their own version. A second chance for Bacharach who wasn’t happy with his original version and told the L.A Times: “I thought I blew it. The tempo seemed too fast. I never wanted the record to come out. So what happens? They put out the record and it was a huge hit. I was wrong.” Although Aretha’s never quite reached the fame of Warwick’s version, it did reach 10 on the Hot 100 chart and 3 on the R&B chart. Even Bacharach finds Aretha’s version more pleasing: “Aretha just made a far better record.”

[Intro] (I say a little prayer for you) [Verse 1] The moment I wake up Before I put on my makeup (Makeup) I say a little (Prayer for you) And while I'm combing my hair now And wondering what dress to wear now (Wear now) I say a little (Prayer for you) [Chorus] Forever (Forever), and ever (Yeah) You'll stay in my heart and I will love you Forever (Forever), and ever (Ever) We never will part, oh, how I love you Together (Together), together (Together) That's how it must be to live without you Would only mean heartbreak for me (Ooh-hoo) [Verse 2] I run for the bus, dear But while riding I think of us, dear (Us, dear) I say a little (Prayer for you) And at work I just take time And all through my coffee break time (Break time) I say a little (Prayer for you) [Chorus] Forever (Forever), and ever (Ever) You'll stay in my heart and I will love you Forever (Forever), and ever (Ever) We never will part, oh, how I love you Together (Together), together (Together) That's how it must be to live without you Would only mean heartbreak for me (Nobody but me) Forever (Ever), and ever (Ever) You'll stay in my heart and I will love you Forever (Forever), and ever (Ever) We never will part, oh, how I love you Together (Together), together (Together) That's how it must be to live without you Would only mean heartbreak for me (Ooh, ooh-hoo) [Bridge] My darling, believe me (Believe me) For me, there is no one but you Please love me true I'm in love with you (Answer my prayer) Answer my prayer, baby (Answer my prayer) Say you'll love me true (Answer my prayer) Answer my prayer, baby (Answer my prayer) [Chorus] (Ey) Forever (Forever), and ever (Ever, ever) You'll stay in my heart and I will love you Forever (Forever), and ever (Ever) We never will part, oh, how I love you Together (Together), together (Together) That's how it must be to live without you Would only mean heartbreak for me (Oh, nobody but me) [Bridge] My darling, believe me (Believe me) For me, there is no one but you Please love me true [Outro] This is my prayer (Answer my prayer, baby) Answer my prayer now, baby (Answer my prayer, baby) This is my prayer (Answer my prayer, baby) Answer it right now, baby (Answer my prayer, baby) Say you'll love me true (Answer my prayer, baby) This is my prayer, baby (Answer my prayer, baby) I'm in love with you (Answer my prayer)

[his112midterm]

The ‘ixiptla’ of Tezcatlipoca during the Toxcatl festival; Florentine Codex Book II

Toxcatl Festival

The most important festival for the Aztec people was the festival of Toxcatl, which they primarily dedicated to one of their gods Tezcatlipoca.¹ It was held during the 5th month, which they also named Toxcatl"² The purpose of the festival was to ask the gods for rain, as this time was the dry season.³ To appease their gods they would select the most handsome men they had captive, and embellish him in the image of Tezcatlipoca.⁴ He would be trained for a year in "the arts of playing music, singing, and speaking."⁵ He was to be made so beautiful the people would bow to him as if it was Tezcatlipoca himself.⁶ Once his day of sacrifice had arrived he would roam the city freely as he played his flute.⁷ Set free for the people to worship and adore him, some going as far as to kiss the ground he walked on. He would be heard all over with bells strapped to his ankles.⁸ After all the feasts and banquets were held for him, being adorned with the highest attire, and treated as a god. His day of sacrifice was next, on this day he would be stripped of everything, then sent to be away from the city and be killed for the gods. By taking his heart and showcasing it to the sun.⁹ The message sent to the people with his death was "Those who enjoy riches and delights in this life will end up in poverty and sorrow at the end of their lives."¹⁰ A testament to the Aztec people that worldly pleasures would not serve them. This festival seems brutal and cruel, but to the Aztec people, death is a natural part of the life cycle, which decides their afterlife. With an honorable death permitting you to enter paradise. "The Aztecs believed that where you went after death depended upon what you did on earth and how you died. The eastern paradise, the “house of the sun” was the home of the souls of warriors who were killed in combat"¹¹ It is also important to note that since this information comes from the Florentine Codex which was written under Spaniard supervision, the practices and festivals of the Aztecs may have been brutalized and exaggerated. To justify their own agenda of bringing god to these "barbaric" people and their festivals.

-----------------------------------------

Bibliography

Nutini Hugo G. Pre-Hispanic Component of the Syncretic Cult of the Dead in Mesoamerica. Ethnology 27, 1988. URL

Richter N. Kim, Houtrouw Alicia Maria. Book 2: The Ceremonies Florentine Codex. Getty Research Institute, 2023. URL

Dils Lora. Understanding the Ancient Americas: Foundation, Flourishing, and Survival. Yale University: Yale-New Haven Teachers, 1994. URL

----------------------------------------

Hugo G. Nutini, Pre-Hispanic Component of the Syncretic Cult of the Dead in Mesoamerica, (Ethnology 27, 1988,) p9, URL

Kim N. Richter, Alicia Maria Houtrouw, Book 2: The Ceremonies Florence Codex, (Getty Research Institute, 2023.) p30r, URL

Nutini Hugo G., Pre-Hispanic Component of the Syncretic Cult of the Dead in Mesoamerica, p9.

Richter Kim N., Book 2: The Ceremonies Florentine Codex, p30r

Richter Kim N., Book 2: The Ceremonies Florentine Codex, p31v

Richter Kim N., Book 2: The Ceremonies Florentine Codex, p31v

Richter Kim N., Book 2: The Ceremonies Florentine Codex, p31v

Richter Kim N., Book 2: The Ceremonies Florentine Codex, p32v

Richter Kim N., Book 2: The Ceremonies Florentine Codex, p33v

Richter Kim N., Book 2: The Ceremonies Florentine Codex, p34r

Lora Dilas, Understanding the Ancient Americas: Foundation, Flourishing, (Yale University: Yale-New Haven Teachers, 1994,) Section 2: Part I, URL

[avatarchai]

Beep beep Chai 🚗 You seem like somewhat of a cinephile (like me🤗) could we have a Top 10(or more !) of your favourite films ?!? Always want more stuff to watch <3

Beep beep Crashie 🚙 I absolutely am, cinema is one of my favorite art forms and I'm also always looking for more 🫶 Thank you for the question!! In no particular order, here are some of them (you've probably already seen several hehe)

The Matrix saga

Gattaca (1997)

Once Were Warriors (1994)

Oldboy (2003)

Irreversible (2002)

Amores Perros (2000)

Point Break (1991)

Se7en (1995)

The Cook, the Thief, His Wife & Her Lover (1989)

Rambo: First Blood Part II (1985)

Sinbad: Legend of the Seven Seas (2003)

Platoon (1986)

Blade Runner (1982)

Rocky (1976)

The Fly (1986)

[blowflyfag]

Pro Wrestling Illustrated: 1995 THE YEAR IN WRESTLING. March 1996

PWI ACHIEVEMENT ‘95 AWARDS 

The time for waiting is over. The time for discovery has begun. You’ve made your decisions, and here are the results. On the following pages, we proudly present our choices for the PRO WRESTLING ILLUSTRATED Achievement ‘95 Awards!

In 1995, wrestling enjoyed one of its most exciting, dramatic, and controversial years, and PRO WRESTLING ILLUSTRATED brought all that excitement, drama and controversy to you. Of course, readers created plenty of excitement themselves. More than 70,000 helped to choose the 11 winners of the 1995 Achievement Awards.

Alex Wright rebounded from a shaky start to capture Rookie of the Year honors. Among the runners-up were a woman, Madd Maxine, and a retired football great, Lawrence Taylor. What happened to The Renegade? Seems that although he won the WCW TV belt in 1995, voters were convinced it was a fluke.

Fans had no problem choosing Barry Horowitz as Inspirational Wrestler of the Year. Also receiving strong consideration were the legendary Antonio Inoki and the wild Sabu, who offered inspiration of a different spot. 

Readers were less than thrilled, however, with the choices for Manager of the Year. Jim Cornette won in a walk, but many believed it was a pretty lame year for managers. They were right.

The year was anything but lame for Shawn Michaels who captured Most Popular honors, was the first runner-up for Wrestler of the Year, and was involved in the Match of the Year with Diesel. Michaels has participated in the Match of the Year three  straight years.

To know Jerry Lawler to lathe him, say our readers. This Most Hated monarch was “King” of nothing in 1995. Voters were also dismayed with a man they once considered a hero, Davey Boy Smith.

From broadcaster back to wrestler–that was “Macho Man” Randy Savage’s big Comeback in 1995. He didn’t win big, though. One of the runners-up was The Ultimate Warrior, who five years ago was one of the most celebrated men in the sport.

When fans voted Diesel Most Improved Wrestler for 1994, they may not have realized just how improved he was. The WWF World champion capped off a terrific 1995 by winning Wrestler of the Year honors.  His buddy Shawn was a fairly close second, but this year, Diesel was the man. He left us asking “Vinne Who?”

Any team that wins four WCW World tag team titles in less than 12 months is going to get serious consideration for Tag Team of the Year. Harlem Heat received more than consideration, they won the award, but not by a huge margin. The Steiners came back from Japan to capture a runner-up spot.

“Diamond” Dallas Page did win Most Improved by a comfortable margin, making a successful transition from manager to wrestler. Harlem Heat got a mention here, too; they were second runner-up. Booker T and Stevie Ray also were first runners-up for Feud of the Year, thanks to their thunderous confrontations with The Nasty Boys.

Ian and Axl Rotten’s violent and bloody ECW war wasn’t nationally televised, but it did get international attention, so no surprise it was voted Feud of the Year. Hey, in one match they taped shards of glass to their fists. That’s a brotherly feud!

For the second time in three years, neither Hulk Hogan nor Ric Flair won an Achievement Award. They once dominated these honors, but this year, they were only runners-up (Hulk in Popular and Wrestler, Flair in Feud). One must begin to ask: Will it soon be time for these two great athletes to step aside? You know what their answers are.

Sting deserves a special mention. The “Stinger” didn’t win a big prize, but the WCW U.S. champion was first runner-up in the Most Popular balloting and second runner-up in Wrestler voting. There is no doubt that he is still a major force in this sport.

Finally, this year’s Editors’ Award goes to Rick Steamboat. For 18 years, “The Dragon” fought the good fight with courage, honor, and intensity. Forced to retire due to injury, Steamboat remains an inspiration to fans who remember that he never took the rulebreakers’ route.

The only thing left to do is turn the page…and enjoy.

ROOKIE OF THE YEAR ALEX WRIGHT: 26,192 votes

When Alex Wright arrived in WCW, he immediately began to establish himself as a candidate for a top award alright: Modest Annoying Wrestler of the Year. Fans and wrestlers alike were turned off by the manner in which “Das Wunderkind'' danced around the ring before and after matches. He came in with a lot of good press, but he began squandering it on his first day. 

Several months later, however, it became evident that Wright was indeed one talented wrestler. His aerial style was effective and exciting. And a few months after he arrived in WCW, he killed the dance routine. In his first pay-per-view appearance at Starrcade ‘94 he defeated Jean-Paul LeVeque (a.k.a. Hunter Hearst Helmsley). His defeat of Brian Pillman at The Great American Bash proved he belonged in WCW, and though he lost to the-TV champion Arn Anderson at Slamboree, Wright demonstrated he was a contender for championship gold. 

Solid showings against men like Sabu, Dean Malenko, and Chris Benoit further buttress the arguments of those fans who voted Wright Rookie of the Year.

“I thought Wright was just a pretty boy when he came to WCW,” wrote Sandra Olson of Macon, Georgia. “But I ended up voting for him. He deserves the honor more than anyone else.”

Even Ric Flair, who nearly lost to Wright several times in ‘95, was eager to praise the rookie.

“He still has a long way to go,” Flair said, “but there’s a lot of promise there. He’s got the stuff. He’s on his way to becoming a major player in WCW.”

For that, Wright gives a lot of credit to his father, former pro wrestler Stephen Wright. “My father was always able to give me really good advice without pushing me,” Alex said. “I am able to handle what happens in the ring so much better because of what he taught me.”

Wright added that he was determined not to become a victim of the sophomore jinx. One wrestler, who was a victim of Wright’s stunning moonsault, doesn’t think that is going to happen either. 

“I can’t stand the guy,” he offered, “but I know that somewhere down the road, I’m going to have to deal with him, and so are a lot of the other guys.” Wright can deal with that.

RUNNERS-UP SGT. CRAIG PITTMAN: 15,219 votes

First runner-up: The former Marine brought his peculiar brand of discipline to WCW, and so far he has had success with it. Opponents cringe at the thought of being put in Pittman’s “Code Red” armbar, and they respect the fact that he is well-schooled in the basics. A feud with fellow former Marine Cobra promises to enliven Pittman’s second year.

LAWRENCE TAYLOR: 12,995 votes

Second runner-up: We already know Taylor is the greatest linebacker in the history of professional football, but we didn’t know he could wrestle…until this year. Okay, he’s no  Lou Thesz, but LT was solid in his victory over Bam Bam Bigelow at WrestleMania. We suspect that if he ever takes to the ring full-time, he’d do very well indeed. 

MADD MAXXINE: 5,230 votes

Third runner-up: Maxxine became only the third woman to be included in the “PWI 500.” She deserved the distinction; the fearsome 5’9”, 195-pound rulebreaker has beaten almost every man in North Carolina’s PWF. Maxxine’s unexpected success has made her a prime target, but foes first will have to figure out a way to counter her effective choke-slam.

VOTES FOR OTHERS (17,425)

Some of the top vote-getters who did not capture a runner-up spot include: The Renegade, The Gargoyle, Colorado Kid, and Ubas. 

[kaospheric]

Once Were Warriors (1994)

[callistacallistacallista]

Once Were Warriors (1994)

[cemilefm]

(   dilan  çiçek  deniz  +  ciswoman  +  she/her  )     🠒     mad  woman   by   taylor  swift   is  something  that  resonates  with   cemile  karadaş.  the  news  caster  at  glen  ellen  news  station  is  glen  ellen's  very  own  warrior  princess,   who  has  been  in  town  for  ten  years.  while  they  are  only  twenty  eight,    they  can  be  very   pretentious    but  if  their  friends  mentioned  them,    you'd  think  they  were  more  dependable.   in  a  town  where  every  one  knows  everyone,    it's  hard  to  keep  a  secret,     but  i  think  the  killer  knows  that  [ REDACTED ],     and  it's  bound  to  get  out  sometime  soon.   i  wonder  if  the  killer  also  thinks  of   prettying  your  petals  and  desperately  longing  to  connect,  drawing  blood  with  your  thorns  from  anyone  who  tries  to  know  you,  the  ache  for  someone to  take  you  from  your  glass  cage,  knowing  deep  down  you  are  only  to  be  looked  at  and  never  to  be  loved   like  i  do,    when  i  think  of  them.

ㅤ۪ㅤ۫ㅤ੭ STATISTICS

FULL   NAME:   cemile   karadaş   PRONUNCIATION:   first   &   last NICKNAME(S):   cem DATE   OF   BIRTH:   june   27th,   1994. ZODIAC:   cancer   sun,   aquarius   moon,   taurus   rising AGE:   twenty-eight.

HOMETOWN:   glen   ellen,   california. RESIDENCE:   a   house   down   the   street   from   her   adoptive   parents. OCCUPATION:   news   caster   at   glen   ellen   news   station,   position   held   for   two   years   now.

ORIENTATION:   bisexual. GENDER:   cis   female,   she/her. FACE   CLAIM:   dilan   cicek   deniz. HEIGHT:   5’10.

BUILD:   lean   and   athletic. HAIR   COLOR:   brown,   with   highlights. HAIR   STYLE:   naturally   wavy,   down   to   her   elbows.   usually   worn   up   in   a   ponytail   out   of   habit. EYE   COLOR:   brown.

DOMINANT   HAND:   right. SCARS:   n/a. TATTOO(S):   a   little   naked   baby   angel   pictured   here   on   her   upper   left   arm   and   a   set   of   dice   with   hearts   pictured   here   on   the   nape   of   her   neck. PIERCING(S):   multiple   ear   piercings,   at   least   five   on   each   ear.

FINANCIAL   STATUS:   upper   class. EDUCATION:   degrees   for   journalism   and   minor   in   business.

PARENTS:   biological   parents   (   deceased   ),   georgia   callahan   (   adoptive   mother   ),   zachariah   callahan   (   adoptive   father   ) SIBLINGS:   younger   sister   (   deceased   ) RELATIONSHIP   STATUS:   single. CHILDREN:   n/a. PET(S):   a   small   yorkie   named   bear. SPOKEN   LANGUAGES:   english,   turkish.

ㅤ۪ㅤ۫ㅤ੭ PERSONALITY

cemile   seems   like   your   typical   snobby,   rich   asshole,   but   that   assumption   couldn't   be   more   wrong.   she   has   a   mysterious   air   to   her,   and   is   incredibly   hard   to   get   to   know,   but   once   you   have   her   friendship   you'll   find   that   she's   a   dedicated   friend   with   unwavering   loyalty.   she's   charming   and   funny   to   those   close   to   her,   and   though   she   has   some   major   trust   issues,   she   wants   desperately   to   love   and   be   loved   and   accepted   in   return   -   it's   just   hard   for   her   to   let   herself   get   close   enough   to   others   for   that   to   happen.

ㅤ۪ㅤ۫ㅤ੭ BACKGROUND

unlike   the   people   she   surrounds   herself   with,   cemile   wasn't   brought   up   in   the   lap   of   luxury.   quite   the   opposite,   she   was   raised   in   a   poor   household,   her   family   barely   scraping   by.   however,   when   she   was   six,   her   parents   and   younger   sister   passed   tragically   in   a   house   fire   when   she   was   spending   the   night   at   a   friend's   house,   leaving   her   to   be   an   orphan.   luckily,   it   didn't   take   long   for   her   to   be   adopted,   and   by   an   extremely   wealthy   family   who   couldn't   have   children   of   their   own.   she   was   extremely   grateful   to   them,   and   in   turn,   did   everything   in   her   power   to   make   herself   appear   to   be   the   perfect   child   for   them.   they   kept   her   birth   name   to   not   erase   her   identity,   and   ensured   she   was   raised   speaking   both   english   and   turkish.

when   she   was   seventeen,   her   entire   world   changed.   a   girl   claiming   to   be   her   younger   sister   came   into   her   life,   and   said   that   she   had   somehow   escaped   the   fire,   giving   cemile   a   sob   story   on   how   she'd   been   adopted   as   well   and   wanted   to   look   for   her   their   entire   lives   but   wasn't   able   to   until   then.   she   reluctantly   believed   her,   ecstatic   that   she   hadn't   lost   her   sister,   and   wanted   to   have   a   relationship   with   her.   it   turned   out   that   she   was   lying,   after   her   adoptive   parents   hired   a   private   investigator   to   look   into   the   shady   individual,   finding   out   that   she   was   nothing   more   than   a   con   artist;   someone   who   heard   the   story   on   the   news   and   decided   to   use   their   likeness   to   take   advantage   of   cemile's   wealth.

cemile   was   completely   devastated,   and   has   had   a   difficult   time   trusting   people   following   the   incident.   in   the   years   since,   she's   found   it   extremely   difficult   to   open   up   to   people,   afraid   that   they'll   take   advantage   of   her   and   has   learned   to   use   her   snobbery   and   pretentious   mask   as   a   way   to   keep   people   at   an   arm's   length. her and her adoptive parents moved to glen ellen for a fresh start as soon as she graduated from high school, and she's been in town for the past ten years.