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xarrixii · 9 months ago

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to those of inquiry,

my introduction

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hello, fellow traveler of the hellscape that is this website (or app, if you happen to be on your phone using such)

my name is @xarrixii, and i am better known as "arri"

i have a separate blog from this one designed for reblogging other peoples' work. if that's something you're more interested in (my taste in writing), then i suggest you visit @the-arrikive

masterlists a long way under the divider

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i have come from a land not so far away (planet earth) to share the nonsensical nonsense of my brain (my writing).

i write both longer, novel-like stories and responses to writing prompts when i'm feeling it (feel free to send me one, if you'd like). my brain is random, though, so i can't guarantee i'll get something out right away.

i am irregular. do not expect something like weekly uploads. you get a story when i remember to post one and have one available. i shall not rush the accidentally filled plotholes genius i breed.

sometimes i make edits. i've made a lot of edits recently, like layout/ease of access and also wording on some of the earlier chapters. (already read chapter one of cinder? i changed the beginning because i hated it and i personally would put down the book immediately if i'd found it in the library)

i still hate the first sentence but honestly, the noggin can't think of anything better so we'll cry about it later

also, grammarly hates me because i don't like its grammar rules and i don't capitalize my "i"s when i'm casually speaking. i hate grammarly because some of its suggestions are stupid. i just don't want to turn it back on every time i eventually end up needing it.

less important: i am cisgender. i identify with she/her, but i could really care less (not quite sure that counts as any). i am pansexual. (frying pans don't have enough personality, don't ask about them)

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what i like reading:

i love, love love love love love love love it when a book focuses on its characters. there's nothing wrong with taking in the fantasy world they built for the people to live in, i'm all for that as well. it's just a trend i see that the more a book focuses on following its plot, the less it focuses on the people riding out that plot.

i'm a firm believer in characters "building a plot" based around their actions, even if that means an author built a plot and then designed the perfect character for enacting it.

also, i grew up a gacha kid (gacha studio/life/club). that means i'm familiar with cliches and love it when people throw them on their heel. it's also (unfortunately) made me enjoy love stories less (which makes things difficult since books that focus on characters almost always have some love plot that works out).

i'll read a hero x villain, sure. but sometimes i might think up the ending where they don't love each other (platonic and rival)

ask me any time about what i enjoy reading if i've confused you (it happens a lot).

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what i like writing:

this one's a lot simpler, i like writing what i like reading. because if i wouldn't read it later, why would anyone else?

due to me being cringe once upon a time, i spent several years writing out roleplays (yes, i was the edgy roblox kid too) with some friends, so anything super long i write for a very long time from now will be my personal adaptation of something that's already existed before

writing prompts are the truest test of my creative abilities, though. making up new characters, a new environment, and a new plot based on the whims of a few sentences from time to time is what keeps my rewrites from being copy-pastes.

that also just keeps it fun for the friends who wrote it with me once and will read it from my fingers typing it again

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also to note, i'm not afraid of writing about blood, gore, violence, and the like, and i'm also insensitive to what all needs to be tagged, so any help with that goes a long way

most of my writing prompts will be written with non-binary characters

if you find me fucking up pronouns please notify me where i diddled it up thank you!!

so about being a gacha kid

i suck at drawing. the physical descriptions of my characters are laid out in gacha apps, and yes i am mildly embarrassed about it. but putting their designs down somewhere means i have something reliable to refer to while writing.

thou shalt not judge me for it.

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hobbies

writing. i guess a bit obviously. i also still enjoy playing video games and listening to music. i like watching horror games, but can't bring myself to play them. i also make a lot of jokes about violence. i mean a lot. but i know when to take something seriously.

favorite roblox games including: entry point, scp: site roleplay, funky friday, robeats, 3008

i also play genshin impact occasionally, and no i'm not elaborating.

if you couldn't tell by now, i talk too much. moving on:

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masterlists

hey, me! i know you're reading this, because i know you're the most likely suspect for looking for these links all the time.

"Cinder" Masterlist writing prompts

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looking for more? ask me! send me prompts! FILL MY INBOX!!!

#writers on tumblr #writerscommunity #writeblr #introduction #intro post #introductory post #writers #original characters #original stories #original fiction #novel writing #author #this was longer than intended #i'm gonna miss my cinder masterlist being pinned #i should probably think up a tag for that #ill probably do that later #why am i talking to myself in the tag list

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just-an-enby-lemon · 2 years ago

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hello! i only just saw your reply and wanted to say that i agree with you about not entirely trusting King with topics like suicide especially not in a comic like his One Bad Day oneshot that is so edgy and focused on writing dark and violent scenes for pure shock value with no depth.

as for the last part of the rewrite ideas, i wanted to try and keep it brief, but it still ended up too long so i have to send the last two scenes separately again, sorry :

after Batman had talked with the mother (+ subsequent past flashback) , after he talked to the distressed widow of the civilian that died and after the flashback following that scene, we get the scene of Batman seeking out the father. that one i think can stay mostly the same, except that the father doesn't get framed as just a sad old man that tried his best but got punished with an evil demon as a son. maybe that is what he seems to be at first in the scene, since it is what he sees himself as and what he wants to be perceived as, but then reveals his vindictive side so it is shown that when he presented himself as a 'loving' father that just wanted the best for his child, that is something he convinced himself and everyone else of, but not the truth. that switch might happen because, after initially just talking about how well meaning of a father he was, wanting only the best for his son, the best education, pushing for academic success to feed his son's 'potential' and ensure a good future for him etc., he starts saying how that 'was all for nothing', how instead of a lauded academic his son became a 'carnival performer', dressing up in a ridiculous costume with a ridiculous persona, wasting his time and intellect with games, childish wordplays and excentric criminal plots that he doesn't even succeed at most of the time, 'completely embarassing himself' and, more importantly in his opinion, embarassing his father by association. at that point it becomes clear that he does not care about the victims at all, he doesn't even really care about the crimes, it is all about how he it makes him look if that is what his son is like and it too becomes clear that he would have hated Edward the same way even if he wasn't a criminal but just a harmless playful eccentric (he would probably be ableist about it too) because he never wanted a son, he only wanted a genius that he could show off. Of course he would never entertain the possibility that his own actions could have been a negative influence in any way so instead, showing how vindictive and bigoted he is, he blames it on Edward's mother, saying that he should have 'expected' the child to turn out 'wrong' when his mother was poor and had the job she had etc. Batman, a well written one at least, would not stand for that and cut him off in his angry insults and shifting of blame, making it clear that the things the father said are bigoted and wrong. the father might even say something about 'getting stuck with a child that was born evil' etc., which Bruce would shut down too, since it is dangerous bioessentialist drivel (as opposed to the original that implies that the father was right and Edward really was just a born evil sadist), that he was 'too soft' of a father and should have been even harsher in the punishment of his son. he might even put blame on Batman himself for 'not just killing Edward when he had the chance' etc., which in a meta sense would open the option to comment on Bruce's no-kill rule. Batman should be a protector of victims anyways, of any victims. He would not let someone say these things about someone that had no choice in a bad or complicated situation, like Ed's mother did, or let an abuser talk that way about his victim, even if that victim grew up to be a bad person, and he especially would not let anyone say that he should just kill the criminals and that death would be the best option for them. otherwise he is just some grimdark edgelord Punisher copy. either way, Batman has had enough of wasting time with him as it is ticking and he can't be sure that Edward won't kill someone else, since clearly something is wrong as random violence without any clues is not how his crimes usually go. So he asks one last question, if his father knows where Ed might be, to which the father, timid now, replies that he doesn't know and doesn't care since he hasn't spoken a word to his son in over 30 years, since back at the boarding school.

Now there is another flashback, the one with the scene in the empty office, showing just what effects his father's abuse had on Ed as a kid and that the whole 'born evil' thing can not be true, just in case anyone still had doubts about that. after that, back in the present, it is the morning of the next day. Bruce had been spending his night researching the boarding school and decided that the next person he should talk to for more clues on Edward's whereabouts is his old teacher (who in this version did not get brutally murdered by a 14 year old Ed because that was weird and edgy). but before he goes to talk to the teacher, Bruce attends the funeral of the civilian, where he again meets the widow, like in the original comic. i don't really remember what they talked about during the cemetary scene in the original so it is probably fine to keep most of it? it would have to be something about how the GCPD and media (and in this widow's opinion also Batman) treats the victims as pawns in a game that the rogues are playing and not like real people that had families, now with added commentary about how Batman does or should care about the victims first and foremost. maybe some discussion about the no-kill rule again, too, this time the argument for it coming from a place of grief instead of prejudice, so Bruce would defend his choice not to kill from a more nuanced standpoint, to drive the point about it being the right choice home even more from a metanarrative point of view. the scene could end with the widow, after giving Bruce's explanation some consideration, admitting that he is right that killing the criminals is just vengeance and not a solution either, but as she walks away from him she says something like "I just hope he [Batman] knows this is not a game.." ? after that another past flashback, this time kid Ed having gone back to obeying his father, who treats him even worse now that his grades had slipped and barely even acknowledges his son's existence anymore. he is trying to be his father's perfect academic emotionless genius again but finds that he can't fully go back to that, even if he forces himself to, as some part of him does miss the games and riddles and fun, desperately so, and it might even include a nod to his ocd by showing him develop those self soothing rituals and compulsions?

this is long again , unfortunately longer than i thought it would, so the last scenes will be separate again but i am curious about your thoughts on this part and how to deal with Bruce's talk with the father; this is fun and thanks for your patience

Sorry. I read your post yesterday but I wasn't in right headspace to answer it (or do much of anything rly) but I took my meds, slepped a lot, baby talked with my aunts fish and am a-okay now.

About the re-write itself. I really loved it and specially how the whole idea that super-heros are supposed to inspire the best in people shinne through. Bruce can be a person with flaws without this being that he isn't Punisher like enough and doesn't believe in bioessexialism bs. I also preffer this version where the encounter with the dad lead to nothing. How he alienated himself so much with his prejudice that even though it appeared he would be the key for Edward's actions he just can't truly offer anything to Bruce.

Edward not killing his teacher as 14 it's such a improvement. I do find a little funny that the little nerd with noodle arms killed a whole adult by punching him really hard. It's not the wort part of that scene whatsoever but it still breaks the ilusion of realism that they used to justify the grimdark (a thing that had happened a lot on the present already but not in the past), they could made so he used a blunt object (that wasn't a basketball), maybe change to a basebol field and make he use the bat. It would still be a ridiculous scene that come sort of nowhere for extra edgyness but at least it wouldn't completly break the only defend the OCCness had sorta going for them. That's to say I'm glad the teacher is alive.

Also don't thank me for my patience. I looove this asks. It's not a hardship at all. I that should be thanking you for sharing your wonderfull ideas.

Answering your question I think I would start the talk the same way: with the dad waiting with a gun (that in the comic was used for us to pity him?) paranoic that Edward will come and kill him and ready to kill Riddler first. When he sees is only Batman he calms a bit and goes "I was asking when you would come" so he starts telling about himself about how he was a loving father that saw how much potential his son had and did all he could, sacrificed it all for his son to suceed but unfortunally his son wasted it by dressing like a "carnival attraction" and going around playing games, that he is an embarassement to himself and to his father, I think I would use this scene as a contrast with the widow scene and how HE sees the senseless violence and murder in Gotham as a game maybe have him coment than even worst Edward was losing. He couldn't even be a winner in his new occupation. It's all about his image. Than when Batman goes "you know that what his son is doing isn't a game right" he goes dismissive and says something like "sure for us normal people but from someone born like him being a good criminal it's the best I could expect, at least than I would be the father of Boonie and Clyde or of Jack the Rippler or the antichrist or the Joker but no even in his evil he chooses to be pathetic" wich breaks any ilusion he might ever bejnf a good guy so Batman - rembering Edward's question to his mom on this rewrite verse - while visibly angry tries to calm down and asks what does he means with "Born like him" and the father goes "Evil. I should have expected surely with a mother of that stirpe. Maybe than I wouldn't have been so soft. Maybe I could've truly beat the evil out of him?" Maybe even add that he should just killed the baby and Bruce says that people aren't born evil that this is buoessebcialism pseudoscience and if this is what he believes it surely explains why he is alone and scared in an empty room waiting to confront a son that will never come back even for vegeance and the dad reacts to the world by saying that of course Batman would think like this since Batman is weak and just as crazy as the rest and that if he was trully a hero he would have killed Edward when he had the chance "and the rest of those masked weirdos to bolt" Batman just looks at him and says something about how the man just doesn't truly knows anything helpfull and is just too full of hate to realize that this is driving him to misery (maybe a hint that this could have been Batman if he decided that the death of his parents meant that rehabilitation wasn't possible and didn't had Alfred guiding him and later the robins). The man says "you are wrong" and Batman goes "do you have anything to say about where Riddler is or what he is planning?" and the guy admitis he doesn't and Bruce says "then I was right."

#one bad day #edward tierney #riddler #ask

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sitp-recs · 2 years ago

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Hidden Gems by cupiscent

I’ve been a bit quiet lately but I’m finally back with more treats! Cupiscent is a brilliant author who doesn’t get enough credit for the amazing fics she’s written in the 00s. It’s easy to see how genius she is by this profile statement alone: “Young enough to not care that I'm old enough to know better.” Her writing is sharp with tension, poignant, lush, intriguing with a very adult feel to it and such beautiful prose it makes me go back and reread multiple quotes so I can bask in the feels once again. If you ask me for authors who are able to create specific and memorable atmospheres solely through perfectly chosen and placed words, Cupiscent would definitely be among my top 5.

She only has a couple of - fantastic - Drarry fics but I strongly encourage you to explore those other ships, and even her G stuff, because they all deliver a top notch reading experience. I’ve revisited my personal fave, the breathtaking Unfinished Business, more times that I could count, and its quiet and bittersweet longing still hits me right in the feels every time, it’s both beautiful and haunting. Here’s a short selection of perfect gems, now excuse me cause I’m off to read her LoTR RPF collection 👀

Drarry

Paper Dolls (2006, M, 5k) - fabulous war AU with conflicted spy!Draco and the intense urgency of getting together as hell breaks loose. This is raw and sharp and atmospheric with a perfect open ending.

In the final year of the War, Draco gets a letter, makes a choice and pays the price. (Non-canon war treatment.)

Unfinished Business (2003, E, 20k) - my all-time favorite reunion fic with a SUPERB morally grey Draco, a kind and fascinating Harry, a badass Ginny and delicious UST! I’ve read this fic more times than I care to admit and the edgy atmosphere + world building packed in here never fails to amaze me. If you have to choose only one fic to read today, go with this one.

Ten years after the War ends, Harry and Draco still haven't got their act together. But maybe it's not too late. Read my rec here.

Rare pairs

Diversion Therapy (2007, E, 1k) - the hottest Draco/Blaise I’ve ever read, this fic immediately pulled me into this ship and I’m completely obsessed with sex god! Blaise, jfc 🔥

There's really only one reason Draco sleeps with Blaise.

Reprehensible (2005, M, 4.5k) - sexy Cedric/Pansy with Cedric/Cho background, unusual ship but I found the writing very compelling! Cw: underage, infidelity

Being a Champion is stressful; Cedric just wants a girl who puts out. It's totally that simple.

Bare Naked (2005, E, 7.6k) - never thought I’d read a Draco/Ginny but it’s impossible to resist the pull of two fascinating characters when written so well. Delicious atmosphere, captivating dialogue, stripper!Ginny!

Aurors-in-training get paid shit and Ginny wants her independence. Which wouldn't be a problem for Draco if Blaise didn't have a fetish for naked Muggles.

#hidden gems s2 #day 7

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seokwoosmole · 2 years ago

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Thoughts on Xdinary Heroes' "Overload"

It's been a bit since Xdinary Heroes dropped "Overload" so thought I'd drop my opinion on it.

Zzz... - Not gonna lie, I did not get the hype with this one at first. It took a few listens for me to understand its charm. I listened to it with the English lyric video and learning the song's meaning definitely helped in my appreciation of the song. Is it my favorite song on the album? No. But I like it a lot more now than I did on the first listen.

Hair Cut - So good. Like amazing. Literally, the only cringey/objectively bad part is the "Get a haircut!" part in THAT voice. I love Gun-il and I wanted him to have more lines but this is not what I meant haha. If that line was said in a Strawberry Cake-esque screamo-type tone instead with more edge then I think it would have been waaaaay better and cringe eliminated. I want to love the song 100% cause the lyrics and the meaning of the song are super good. I love listening to the whole song then the chorus comes around and I'm like "oof". I know it will grow on me, but I was expecting show-stopping award winning from this album and show stoppers don't have to grow on you. However, the delivery, performance from the boys, and music video, and again, the lyrics (beautifully self-written by them) are more than enough to win me over. It's still a great quality song from them. A bit campy? Yes, but still good.

LUNATIC - This song was so reminiscent of western rock songs I loved listening to before I got into kpop and I adore it so much!! I'm not totally obsessed with it, but I can't find fault in it either. Solid song overall.

Crack in the mirror - One of my favorites. Not only is the song good just listening to it, I absolutely love the lyrics as well. Similar to LUNATIC, I love the 2000s rock vibes. Might be one of my favorites on the album.

GHOST - THIS is my #1 favorite on the album for sure. I keep saying it and I WILL keep saying it. I love a group that writes their own lyrics and I'm so glad that XH does their due diligence by contributing to song writing. Also, I just love the way this song sounds. Alternating between this edgy singing style and the falsettos is just soooo pleasing to the ear and instrumentally, this song is amazing too. I can see why it's not the title track cause it's not as explosive, but it is an A+ B-side to me.

X-MAS - I am such a sucker for 21st century Christmas songs. Especially Christmas songs by rock groups. I will absolutely be banging this during December. It has enough holiday vibes to make it on my Christmas playlist, but also it sets a far enough boundary from your average Christmas song for it to be played anytime of the year. The vocals are just AHHHHHHHH. So amazing. Also the beginning feels like it was sprinkled with MCR vibes. I can't put my finger on it, but it just has the vibe and I love it.

Overview - Despite any criticisms I might have said about some occasional cringe and campiness, I can't be mad at it. One of the great things about rock, is that it is unapologetically honest, loud, and rebellious by nature. And I love that Xdinary Heroes so far, at least in terms of their discography and the themes in their concepts, has stayed true to that sentiment. They're shamelessly bold and embrace the weird. Concept and genre changes are not uncommon with music artists, but I hope they always stay true to that inner weirdo rockstar because if this album did anything, it was show that Xdinary Heroes is a talented and unique group of musicians and very much so needed. It felt like the music jumped right out of a Tim Burton film and the freaky carnival/Edward Scissorhands aesthetic was something I'd have never expected but I adored it and it worked in their favor so well. The over-arching message of Hair Cut – breaking free from the darkness in your mind that holds you back (and putting that metaphor in the form of hair) is not only really genius, but so important for the youth (their primary audience) to hear. They're making their mark in the industry and I love being apart of that journey.

#xdinary heroes #gaon #o.de #jooyeon #gunil #junhan #jungsu #xdinary heroes overload #overload #hair cut #xdinary heroes hair cut #kpop

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ectonurites · 4 years ago

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so i think you mentioned before that the second half of red robin is more ooc than the first? would you maybe care to elaborate on that?

So the first half of Red Robin is written by one author, Yost, and those arcs (The Grail, Council of Spiders, and Collision) all kinda connect pretty well and make sense for Tim based on the situation and everything before it: Bruce is missing and Tim feels he needs to prove he’s alive -> He gets wrapped up in the Council of Spiders & League of Assassins stuff along the way and needs to protect Tam -> Ra’s tries to take revenge as Tim comes back to Gotham and he needs to work with his friends and family to save the day.

This first half of the comic starts with Tim at a low point and shows him gradually finding his way more as this new hero he is becoming as Red Robin. It ends on a hopeful note, and he’s starting to feel more like... old Tim, because he’s not going all isolationist anymore.

But then FabNic takes over writing in issue #13, starting the Hit List arc. FabNic is also the same person who wrote the last arc (Search for a Hero) of Tim’s Robin solo which is noticeably darker than most of the Robin comic up to that point (yes it in general got edgier after OYL but like... still) and he makes things go horribly wrong with Tim & Steph, gets him blown up in a warehouse, has Tim exhibiting behavior that’s getting Alfred, Dick, and Steph all concerned about him, etc etc which all makes sense in the lead up to Battle for the Cowl and everything!

But, when FabNic takes over Red Robin it feels like he kinda... ignored how Tim had started on an upwards swing at the end of Yost’s time on the comic, and just kinda brings him back down into that edgier place again without much reason to. Tim’s edginess early in Red Robin makes sense based on the context, but him dipping right back down into it after he started to mend things feels off.

Also sidenote one thing just kinda annoying to me was how FabNic seemed super obsessed with putting Tim in all these fuckin complicated multiple person relationship situations even more complicated than his original stuff with Ari and Steph. Just bugs me a little.

(Robin #178 & 179)

(Red Robin #18)

Then ok back to the subject: the way FabNic writes Tim makes him so much more... mastermind-y, I guess is mainly what I mean by it being ooc. Tim has always been a planner, but not to like, the crazy amounts of ‘ah yes I planned out the perfect way with plausible deniability for Boomerang to die and calculated over 1000 outcomes’, ya know?

I mean jesus, Tim plans and carries out two assassination attempts on his own life (the one with M’gann posing as him and the one with Cass), as well as faking Lucius’ death, all just in the second half of the comic. Second half of Red Robin Tim is kinda the prototype of the ‘boy genius’ Tim that came to us in the New 52, like at least you can kinda rationalize it more here because you know everything he’s gone through up to this point, but still.

I just think about the way Yost’s half of the comic ended vs the last page of FabNic’s

(Red Robin #12, and #26)

FabNic’s version of Tim especially by the end feels like a mini Bruce with more edge to him, like it feels more like leading into the fuckin’ Titans Tomorrow version of him, ya know the evil alternate future one, rather than feeling like... Tim. Whereas Yost’s version while also edgy and going through some shit, feels more like the same character as before just at his low point and finding himself again on the way back up.

It’s also of note to me how... different Tim feels in the Teen Titans book at the same time once he joins it again. He also gets to have the ending monologue there, and it’s so much more in line tone-wise with how Yost’s run ended rather than FabNic’s, where he’s not isolating himself anymore.

(Teen Titans (2003) #100)

But yeah, so that’s what I mean I guess, the way he behaves in FabNic’s run especially by the end just doesn’t feel in line really with how Tim is in the other comics at the time or who he was before.

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annethepancake · 3 years ago

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Sherlock rant

I recently rewatched BBC Sherlock for Rupert Graves, and aside from the lack of Lestrade appreciation I have a lot of problems with this series. Here are my thoughts:

1. It was all a blur

My second first impression of the show: I don't remember anything but the characters. And some characters I just blatantly forgot, like Mary. And I loved Mary on my second watch! I really forgot that at one point John actually got married and I don't even remember when I watched the show for the first time. I can still recall most of HIMYM's events and I hated that series.

2. It’s overall not a detective/crime show

Watching Sherlock for the second time, I mostly turned off my brain and just let it play in the background because (1) there's hardly anything for me to solve with the characters, most clues are taken by Sherlock off-screen anyway (especially after season 2), (2) they focus way too much on the quirks of the characters that make it almost like a sitcom that got dragged on for way too long. A crime/detective show shouldn't allow me to turn off my brain.

3. The characters just kinda fall flat

Exploring the depth of human emotions is not a bad approach to a modernized version of anything, I’m not trying to pretend I’m better than someone who gets sentimental over fictional character (if you know my blog at all, you know I am not), but at least write good characters. Sherlock is hardly a multi-faceted person; in fact, he’s kinda like the Wattpad teen fic main character sometimes. He physically fights off some terrorists with a machete to save the damsel in distress? He gets high off his tits but still got everything right all the time? John is just kinda there for most of the cases. Jim is a poorly written antagonist. Irene is a lesbian but gets the hot for our main character, surprise surprise. The only interesting characters to me are the ones who act like normal people: Molly, Greg and Mary. They are the multi-faceted characters, ones who I can actually relate to without feeling inferior to them in any way. Write characters like them, stop trying to be smart about it and stop writing Wattpad fanfictions for Sir Conan Doyle’s original works.

I get that they try to make Sherlock more like a human with emotions, making him quirky and arrogant, then make him quirky and more likable. It’s hardly a convincing character development though. He’s given over-powered deduction skills, so edgy, so high and mighty all the time. When he is finally written as vulnerable, turns out he has plans for that too. I would love to see him get it wrong once and maybe get humbled by that mistake, but getting Mary shot and killed is hardly even his fault, he is only doing his job. And killing off Mary is overall a bad idea anyway.

4. They treated the fandom like shit

I was absolutely disgusted at the start of season 3 when the showrunners just straight up shat on their fans. I wasn't there with the fandom during the wait between season 2 and 3, but I believe it was a pretty long wait (2 years, I could barely wait 2 years for my comfort series, and they have like 10 episodes per season), and they were presented with the first actual mystery of the series: How did Sherlock survive the fall? After years of waiting and having fun theorizing, they were met with a mockumentary about them, starring the most hated character of the protagonist and the fans. Those are the people who actually cared about the show for god's sake. The fact that the showrunners treated fans like crap and there's still an active fandom for the show appalled me.

Now not only The Empty Hearse bugs me, but the entire show does as well.

Allow me to digress.

Doki Doki Literature Club is a great example of audience engagement done right (Sorry for using this example I’m not actually that invested in the other franchises). After the success of the first game, the story provoked so many fans into solving the mysteries of the characters, some of them went really, really far. And that’s because of the actual mysteries that the development team took effort to plant into the plot. There is actual pay-off for painstakingly following the clues; as far as I know, only two (2!) people in the world have come close to solving the mystery of the first game (or they actually did). The game developers value their fans and their intelligence enough to have planted those clues where they did, and it’s a genuine exchange between the fans and the creators. Now even though you haven’t actually played the game, when you hear of the name and you’re only kinda familiar with gaming (like me), you’ll probably know what it is. What started as a mere open-source game by an indie developer became a sensation which left millions of fans begging for more.

Looking back at Sherlock, there are tons of logical flaws for a self-proclaimed crime series, virtually no clues for the audience to solve crimes along with their favorite detective, and when there was actually a mystery (Sherlock jumped off the building), they plainly showed him alive and well minutes later. Do we really need to see things spelled on screen to know what’s going on? Are we supposed to accept that Sherlock Holmes is an all-knowing future-predicting genius now too? Not a great sign of respecting the audience there.

So far, the only thing left that’s interesting about this series is the characters’ dynamic. Which brings me to the next criticism I have for the show.

5. The plague that infested mainstream media

Why is there still an active fandom? Queerbaiting and targeted marketing.

Community marketing is proven to be one of the best marketing methods there is, if not the best, to lengthen the lifespan of a product or service. The way they do that for shows and films and video games is usually by planting seeds of possible lores and history inside the content. Look at Harry Potter or Lord of the Rings, they are franchises that ran for multiple years with a ton of history and world building that provokes fans’ imagination.

Sherlock - well, Sherlock has sexually ambiguous men.

Sherlock has a formula for success. It was an adaptation of the most iconic detective novel in the world, funded by one of the biggest TV networks in the UK and possibly the world (don’t quote me on this). Making this series means you can appeal to such a wide group of audience even before airing. Adding in the quirky smart men who live together, you’ve basically guaranteed a prime-time show with millions of loyal fans all over the world.

Fans are not stupid, and queer people don't just find queerness everywhere they go. They know a gay subtext when they see one. Sherlock came back from the literal death for John, pretty gay if you ask me.

This show is very much not just about some guys being dudes solving crimes, they have relationship that’s deeper than friendship, and definitely not platonic. They deliberately wrote a sexually ambiguous Sherlock Holmes from the get-go - literally from the very first episode, then capitalized off of the targeted demographic, never a pay-off for their anticipation. Martin Freeman said in interviews that he could recognize Sherlock fans, them being generally women from 16 - 25. No shit Sherlock, this show targets them and capitalizes off of them, being quirky and gay as hell, of course the fanbase is generally 16 - 25 and female.

Sherlock queerbaited the fandom for years for the sake of marketing and there’s never a pay-off, nor was there any recognition to the community, and to add to all that bigotry, queercoding pretty much all of the villains? Why was a show aired in the 2010′s allowed to do this? Why did Mark Gatiss, an openly gay man, a writer of the show, allow this to happen? Why are millions of fans all over the world allowing all this to go on?!

6. Conclusion

Now I haven’t read the books yet, so I’m not at all qualified to criticize the adaptation quality of the TV series; I’m just talking about the TV series on its own. Despite my criticism, I think the first two seasons did quite okay. There are quite a few nice cases there, I like The Blind Banker and The Hound of Baskerville. They did those well because the focus was on the cases themselves, and the connection between John and Sherlock was only in the background. I, like many other fans, like to figure things out on my own, to read between the lines, and to not have things spelled out for me. With the next seasons bombarded with Sherlock and John bonding it seriously felt like mere fan service for me and even though I wasn’t there when the show was on, I still felt like I was robbed and my interest in the show was abused.

Sherlock is undoubtedly super influential in pop culture even now. It has to have done something right to be in that spot (capitalizing off loyal fans?). I’m not writing this rant to change someone’s mind about the series, by all means, I’m still gonna love the hell out of Gavin Lestrade, and absolutely lose my mind over Mary Watson. So do take my words with a grain of salt, I’m just disappointed that one of the most influential shows there is is just short of my expectations.

#sherlock #bbc sherlock #rant #criticism

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simon-newman · 4 years ago

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Newman’s Anime Reviews - Code Geass: Lelouch of the Rebellion

Hello and welcome again to the 2nd of my 2021 anime challenge review.

For February I’ve watched something that my friends were trying to make me watch for years.

It might actually be more than a decade that I’ve been putting this title off and they were quick to add this to my challenge list once the opportunity arised.

Were they right to recommend this title to me? Should I have watched this anime earlier? Those 10 years ago?

Perhaps. Still - I’m coming here with mixed feelings on this show. But… I’ll talk more about it in the review proper.

Today’s title is the 2006’s anime by Sunrise.

Code Geass: Lelouch of the Rebellion

Now where do I even begin with this show? What even is this? What the hell is happening?

Well…

The Empire of Britannia is one of the 3 major political powers in the world of Code Geass - ruled by the Emperor Charles zi Britannia they invaded the country of Japan 10 years before the start of the plot.

Their absolute military dominance thanks to the use of cool mecha has led to unconditional surrender of Japan which is now known as Area 11.

It is there that our protagonist - Lelouch - the young Britannian student plans to take his revenge on the Emperor himself for what he’s done to him and his wheelchair-bound sister.

I feel that it is important to put emphasis on this last part here because this is the ultimate motivation for our MC. Something that’ll drive him forward no matter what.

He wants to create a safe world for his sister. That’s it.

Need to protecc.

The question that remains is: How?

How do a teenage boy banished to one of the colonies is supposed to change the world and cause a major power shift?

We get first glimpse at his supposed skill almost immediately - with Lelouch easily defeating an adult player in the game of chess. Nothing much so far but it’s an indication of his real power “shown” later on.

Lelouch is a genius… Or at least this is what the anime tries to convey to us. He is clearly smart and a gifted strategist with lots of charisma and a penchant for theatrics.

However - this is still not enough. That’s why something happens to push our protagonist forward at this stage. In a weird turn of events, a run in with anti-britannian terrorists and a top secret research subject Lelouch obtains the titular Geass.

What is a Geass? It is a power gifted to an individual which in case of Lelouch allows him to give anyone he establishes an eye contact with a single command that this person must follow.

This is actually one of the tame ones.

From there on Lelouch joins and reforms the “terrorists” into “Black Knights” - a Rebellion led by his alter-ego the masked man called Zero - and starts executing his plan to take revenge… I mean to make the world a safe place for Nunnally.

From there we follow Lelouch as his Rebellion grows while he himself learns the limits and drawbacks of his power and tries his best to hide his identity as Zero.

Initially the show is quite entertaining - especially when it comes to battle scenes where we get to see Lelouch improbable planning and tactical skills at work. As for the other parts…

Yeah… I should have watched this show those 10 years ago because right now the parts with MC’s school life just don’t do this for me… They really slow down the plot and while they do serve the purpose of establishing various plot-important details it’s just...

Well the pacing sucks.

Without any breaks and just the action sequences the anime would be very much rushed but the break parts at school just go on forever, developing into trivial stories used to deliver some little bit of exposition or character development. The balance is off and the show doesn’t get better until the mid point…

Speaking of which…

Nice mountain you’ve got there...

There’s a major shift that happens somewhere in the mid-point of the anime that is bothering me to this day.

Who is the bad guy?

It might seem like a trivial question to many.

Obviously it’s Britannia! With their world conquest, asshole Emperor, warmongering royals, discrimination of conquered nations they call Numbers (in case of Japanese it’s “Elevens”) and engaging in wanton destruction and genocide for no good reason. They’re basically the Nazis.

With the above in mind there’s nothing wrong with Lelouch being willing to use all means at his disposal to achieve his goals… Right?

Monsters need to be stopped.

That was kinda the thing until the Battle of Narita where the Black Knights’ tactics caused the destruction of a town.

Now - this by itself could have been used to drive the point home with the Rebellion losing a lot of PR. After all the town was in the JLF controlled territory, inhabited by the Elevens and stuff…

Well. You see - the creators of the show didn’t think that was enough and/or missed the opportunity.

First of all - there’s no PR backlash for the Black Knights whatsoever. Nobody cares. The Britannian are now leading the rescue and recovery operations in the area and… It’s just weird. Why would they suddenly bother?

Secondly - it suddenly turns out that the people in the enemy-controlled territory were… Britannians? SOMEHOW. This is made to inflict personal level suffering to MC and some other characters as one of the character’s relatives dies in the event.

Third of all - after this very point there’s a major change. We no longer get to see Britannians committing atrocities but do get Lelouch crossing line after a line in the pursuit of his goals.

I think the creators realized that to make it appear more grey vs grey they can’t show Britannians as complete monsters but… It really doesn’t feel to occur naturally here. Were the person in charge of Britannians change again? Yes - I could accept that they are a better person than the previous leader. It isn’t so. And even if it was it wouldn’t undo their previous actions and made the characters that stayed seem really inconsistent.

It’s a major turn off for me when consistency in storytelling takes a back seat for a point to be made.

Because Zero’s not edgy enough without it I guess...

There’s also another kind of inconsistency here when it comes to battles.

The cool mecha used by the Britannians are… Well. In the early parts they seem indestructible until the plot demands they’re not.

At first it seems that only other mecha have the weapons that can affect them. Then we see that some weapons do work BUT it is only when MC is commanding the battle.

It’s a magic wand that removes the plot armor from Britannians whenever Lelouch is there and often gives them to the allies.

Often - being the key word here.

One good thing is that it doesn’t stick. Plot-important characters don’t die but they are not immune to damage either. The mechas often get wrecked and require fixing. Lelouch himself is subject to this quite often as he’s not an outstanding pilot like others on his side.

It is thanks to that aspect of the action parts that the anime is not becoming one-sided and remains entertaining. You’re drawn to it to see what’s happening because it’s not just another battle.

Yes... Really entertaining battles...

I think it is becoming apparent what’s the issue here.

There are a lot of things done wrong with this anime. Things that don’t necessarily break it but I can’t just overlook them. Things that are putting me off. Inconsistency, bad pacing, weird editing where some scenes are cut extremely abruptly - as if to reduce time.

There’s also the usual issue of geniuses written by people who are not geniuses. Lelouch brilliancy is only guaranteed by the fact that people on the other side will do something stupid. Some of his actions are not the brightest and some are just downright stupid and easily could lead to his downfall were his enemies to have half a brain. Or worse - one action is such a poor choice it simply falls apart on it’s own - and you could expect it to the moment “it” happens (is there a point in keeping spoilers on this show? I’m talking about Geasing Shirley).

There’s also the braindead Suzaku - a subject so controversial on the Internet that I’ve hesitated to touch it here and decided to only reduce it to a small paragraph.

Yes. Suzaku is an idealistic foil to Lelouch. He serves his purpose. BUT. His idealism is stupid - not by the virtues he’s holding but by remaining blind to what is happening around him. He wants to end the discrimination without using violence but the Britannians are killing Elevens for no reason whatsoever. Time and time again the side he’s on goes against his principles and he still sticks to them. It is becoming less and less possible to emphasise with him with each incidence.

Still - there was a certain charm to this anime. It was fun to watch and only getting better the farther in I’ve gotten.

Not including the school drama.

All in all the score I was about to give was still going to be pretty low at this point. The anime was decent but far too flawed for my tastes… That was when the last story arc started.

The pizza...

I must say. The rug was pulled from under my feet.

Those events were really unexpected. Emotionally draining and yet entertaining as nothing before in this show.

So many lines have been crossed in an instant - there was no return. Not anymore. Shit was happening and it was a spectacle to watch. Some men just want to see the world burn. Duh. I watched events unfold and I enjoyed it very much until the very end.

The end of a 1st season that assured I WILL watch the 2nd one when I find the time (I didn’t so that it wouldn’t affect this review).

All in all - the show’s grand finale is the high point that offsets all the problems I’ve talked about earlier. It is simply done perfectly.

And speaking of endings. It is time to finally end this review as well...

Final Score: 7/10

Status: Completed Season 1

Sentence: Lelouch vi Britannia commands you: Watch Season 2!

Previous: Kimetsu no Yaiba

#Anime #Review #Code Geass #Code Geass: Lelouch of the Rebellion #Lelouch Lamperouge #Lelouch vi Britannia #C.C.#Kallen Stadtfeld #Geass

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solalunar-eclipse · 4 years ago

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Scars You Can’t See - Chapter 10

Chapter title: Short Fuses

Word count: about 3400 words

Author’s Note: Hopefully this chapter is up to the usual standards, especially considering I completed it in about a week. I really want to try and stay on schedule as much as I can especially considering that I have about six other ideas all begging to be written the second this fic is finished.

Warning for descriptions of violence, just in case.

First | Previous | Next

...

The loud slam of a car door made the two Mobians still inside it jump.

Shadow and Rouge stared out the window, horrified, as Omega drew himself up to his full height of four feet and eleven inches and stared down the troops. When he’d seen his friends so scared, so certain that this was the end, something inside him had snapped.

He wasn’t ordinarily the type to process much in the way of emotion. His circuits hadn’t been built for it in the first place, but so much rewiring and extra work had been done by now that he’d almost become more than his processors and coding. And...meeting two people who understood him in a way he’d never thought possible had done a lot for his personality as well. By now, Omega had grown to care for these two organics more than he had ever thought possible since the day they had first met.

And now he was furious.

“I HAVE HAD ENOUGH.” he thundered, his voice blasting out of his speakers at top volume. “YOU HAVE CHASED US ALL OVER THIS CHAOSDAMNED COUNTRY. YOU HAVE TRAUMATIZED BOTH OF MY FRIENDS. AND YOU HAVE RUINED OUR LIVES.

“I WILL GIVE YOU ONE CHANCE TO GET OUT OF HERE. ONE. CHANCE. THEN I START FIRING. AND I WILL NOT STOP.”

He immediately began to power on all of the weapons that he could possibly use at once. Everything from machine guns to missiles to lasers started to warm up and make clicking noises as his ammunition slid into place. Omega made sure to load a few extra explosive charges into his weaponry- his targeting systems had been significantly improved after some time in Tails’s workshop, but they still weren’t perfect. Especially not with this level of opponents.

He found that he didn’t really care.

(His only real worry was that the firing noises would stress out Shadow.)

The G.U.N. soldiers refused to back down, and oh how Omega wished that he could properly express the blend of frustration, rage, and just the tiniest bit of satisfaction that burned and sparked through his wires. As it was, he simply had to settle for speaking.

“YOU’RE NOT GOING?” he asked.

One of the apparent leaders pulled out a megaphone, and the robot’s head spun ninety degrees directly to the right to face him. “I DIDN’T SAY YOU COULD TALK.”

A single shot ripped the megaphone from the man’s hand.

“NOW LEAVE US ALONE.”

The actual fighting forces were almost entirely made up of G.U.N. drones, so Omega began tearing into those with ease. Explosions of flame appeared across the field as his shots scattered all around the first wave.

The E-series robot was at least a little pleased that it seemed like he wouldn’t have to physically fight any humans today, though. He’d spent enough time around Rouge and Shadow to know that they’d both be horrified if he did- and he wasn’t going to upset them. Not now.

As it was, he was holding his ground impressively, considering that G.U.N.’s mechanical soldiers were top-of-the-line creations, built specifically with fighting software according to the organization’s highest standards. They were loaded with the latest weapons, and made with light material so that they could move quickly across the battlefield.

But they had never before faced down a nearly three thousand pound robot built by a mad genius with a destructive streak a mile wide….so they were basically being mowed into the ground.

Before long, though, their orders suddenly appeared to change, and a squad started heading directly for the car which still held his two closest friends.

A laser blast incinerated the first few with the full power of Omega’s protective fury behind it, but having two targets to manage- himself and the car- was a lot for anyone to handle. If he turned his attention to the drones swarming the vehicle, then they would get too close to him and start trying to tear him apart. But if he focused for too long on those tearing at his chassis, they could easily break into the car.

Once, when he was busy dealing with an irritating detachment of flying robots, one of the ground fighters broke through a window and started reaching for Shadow and Rouge. The hybrid managed to stab it through the face with a Chaos Spear, but almost immediately went limp against the seat afterwards, clearly struggling to maintain consciousness.

With a scream of static, Omega sent the next few assailants who dared attack his friends flying, but there were just too many for him to handle alone.

As the robots began to climb atop the car, Omega stopped paying attention to the ones trying to tear him apart and focused his aim on the others, but one managed to grab his arm and sent the shots flying wildly around their brethren, skittering across the top of the vehicle.

Omega felt his ammunition starting to run low and wished he had a chance to grab some extras, but even the slightest pause could mean failure now. The drones were clawing at his body, at the car, and they just kept on coming.

He couldn’t last much longer...

And that was when a truck to his right exploded in a giant ball of fire.

The robot was startled for a moment- he hadn’t been aiming for the trucks at all! A moment later, though, a roaring noise sounded directly overhead, and Omega looked up to see what was perhaps the best sight to grace his optics in months.

A red biplane wheeled around overhead before taking another shot directly at the drones surrounding him, leaving him perfectly free to blast the rest off of the car. The E-series robot was also certain he heard a faint “Heck yeah!” from above, and indeed, when his vision focused properly, he spotted a small blue shape standing atop the wings of the plane.

Omega could see Rouge smiling- actually smiling- from inside the car, as she shook Shadow back into awareness. The moment Omega saw her say the name ‘Sonic’, Shadow jolted upright and scrambled to the window despite his shaking limbs, staring up at the Tornado in shock.

He said something to Rouge then, who responded with a light smack on his shoulder, looking more relieved than anything else.

After a few more moments, the tide had begun to turn, and Omega soon heard someone patching directly into his auditory processors. A familiar high-pitched voice asked, “Omega! Do you read me?”

“Affirmative.” he replied, blasting another few drones into oblivion. “It is good to see you, Tails.”

“You too.” the fox replied happily, clearly pleased to have arrived in time.

“Okay,” Tails continued, his voice becoming more serious, “can you get Shadow and Rouge to fly up to the plane? I can’t land, but I need to get them out of here if they can’t fight.”

“I will inform them at once.”

Omega stalked over to the car, physically shoving several more drones off it and allowing them to land with a loud clatter on more of their kind. Rouge wound down the window, still looking optimistic.

“Alright, what’s the plan now?” she asked him, a sparkle in her eyes.

He blew up a couple of flying bots to his left in big blasts of fire before responding. “Unfortunately, you will have to fly Shadow directly upwards to the plane. This is the best way to get out.”

Rouge groaned. “Chaos...I don’t have to lift you too, right?”

“No.” Omega said. “I will stay here and keep them busy until your return.”

“Won’t you be alright?” she asked him worriedly, placing a hand on his arm.

“We’re not leaving you.”, Shadow insisted. His eyes were narrowed, but the determined effect was undermined by the way his body slumped against the seat, as though it were the only thing keeping him upright.

Suddenly, another voice spoke up. “Come on, you think I can’t watch this big guy’s back?”

Sonic walked up next to Omega and leaned forward on the car’s window. At first, he wore his trademark smile (tinged with a little extra relief), but it quickly turned to shock after he did a double take. “Uh...that is you guys, right? Cause last I checked, Rouge isn’t edgy and you don’t dress like a nerd.” he said, pointing at Shadow.

“I don’t look like a nerd.” Shadow mumbled irritably, glowering at him.

“You actually kinda do, hon.” Rouge said, her smile growing wider.

The hybrid’s eyes widened. “But you picked this outfit out...Rouge!”

Omega played an audio file of a person clearing their throat while causing another explosion. “While I am certain this conversation is pleasant for all involved, please consider continuing it when we are not surrounded by mechanical troops trying to tear our limbs off.”

All three Mobians looked sheepish. “Alright then, let’s go.” Rouge said, refocusing and flexing her wings in preparation for takeoff.

“We will cover you. Do not worry.” Omega assured them both.

Shadow still frowned at him, before clasping his small gloved hand around the robot’s large metal finger. “Don’t go doing anything too crazy, alright?”

Rouge grinned again, though a little less brightly, before stepping out of the vehicle for the first time that day. “He’ll be okay. Us, on the other hand...you know what, let’s just do it.”

Then she grabbed onto Shadow’s hand and immediately blasted fifteen feet directly upwards in the air. Tails soared as low as he could possibly dare to go in the meantime, even tilting the plane to the side slightly so that Shadow could climb into the seat.

Some flying G.U.N. robots began to close in on Rouge as her wings beat frantically, struggling to gain more height. Omega couldn’t fire now- there was too much risk of him hitting her- but then he realized that Sonic was already handling it. The hero bounced off of the car, then a robot, before launching himself up high into the air and spindashing all of the drones, bouncing from one to the next like a wild blue pinball.

Meanwhile, the E-series robot busied himself with spraying explosives and laser fire across the entire field, finally feeling free to properly tear into the opposing forces. At one point, he actually lifted the car above his head, set it on fire, and threw it with all of his strength directly at an advancing wave of drones, taking out an entire platoon.

(The car rental company would just have to deal with it.)

Omega heard a small chuckle to his right, and looked over to see the blue hero himself standing there and smirking up at him. “You’re pretty ticked off, huh?” he asked.

“YES.” Omega replied, putting as much loathing and distaste behind that one word as he possibly could whilst throwing a drone several yards into the nearest tree.

Sonic’s grin tightened in response, and something shifted deep within his eyes, transforming them into a blazing green flame. His entire expression practically screamed ‘you messed with the wrong people this time, idiots’.

“Hey, pal?” he asked, his words deceptively light and loose. “I heard you can blast curled-up ‘hogs like me outta those arm cannons of yours. Mind if I give it a whirl?” The blue-and-gold robot could practically feel the growl that lay hidden beneath his voice...and decided that he definitely approved.

In response, Omega’s hand simply retracted into his arm, leaving a perfectly Mobian-sized barrel behind. Sonic immediately curled up on the ground, and the robot scooped him into the cannon with ease, before aiming it at the mechanical soldiers marching towards them yet again. “Ready?” he asked.

“Always.” the hero hissed from within his quills, curling up tighter.

One second later, he was fired out of Omega’s arm at high speed, before ricocheting off about a dozen robots hard enough to shear most of them in half. Sonic uncurled after that, bouncing to his feet with an expression barely qualifying as a smile as drones fell beneath his feet and fists.

Not long after that, Omega heard the whir of a G.U.N. troop carrier above them and saw an entire new wave of reinforcements dropping in- the organization clearly wasn’t willing to risk their human soldiers on two such dangerous foes. While the blue blur was certainly helpful, he knew that they couldn’t hold off endless amounts of these machines, and would unfortunately tire or run out of ammo eventually.

Which was why he was incredibly grateful to see Tails’s biplane soaring into the fray just moments later, prepared to sweep them both to safety. (While he enjoyed giving G.U.N. its long-withheld punishment, he also wanted to survive long enough to see his friends healthy and happy again, of course.)

“Omega! I need you to get on top of that truck!” Tails ordered through his audial processors. “I can try and pick you and Sonic up from there!”

The robot acted immediately, barreling through the lines of drones with incredible strength. To his left, he saw Sonic doing the same- jumping over the bots’ heads and up onto the trailer. The hero fought to hold off some physical soldiers with punches and kicks carefully calculated to bruise, but not kill.

Omega clawed his way up to the top of the truck, leaving deep gouges in the side as he heaved himself over the edge. They both scanned the sky, watching as Tails waited for the right opening…

Suddenly, the Tornado dove sharply downwards, carving through lines of machinery as it soared towards them. Its wings nearly skimmed the trees as it closed in on them. Sonic tensed, preparing to leap, as Tails yelled, “Jump on...now!”

Omega’s reflexes were not exactly what one might call good, unfortunately, having been built with strength in mind over speed. Thankfully, Sonic grabbed hold of his arm, and that combined with his rocket boosters was enough to sling him face-first over the seat as Tails pulled upwards.

Turning his head to the side as he struggled into the plane, the E-series robot caught a glimpse of Sonic braced on the main wing of the Tornado as they put more and more distance between themselves and the ambush site with every second. However, he also quickly spied several flying drones headed their way.

Clearly, Tails had too. “Omega! Can you take care of those for me? And strap in, ‘cause I’m about to try and shake these people for good!”

He began to empty his cartridges as quickly as possible at those infernal machines, nothing more than hollow shells of metal twisted to serve an evil master. Omega had never been more grateful that he was made with free will. Most of the drones fell quickly, but were easily replaced by more of their brethren.

The blue and gold robot was disgusted at the very thought of being expendable.

“Hang on tight!” the fox yelled.

A jolt shook the entire Tornado as its turbo engines fired, causing the plane to blast forward at such speeds that the ground blurred beneath them. G.U.N. just didn’t have the technology available to catch up with them, especially not while they were this high up.

Soon enough, Angel Island came into view, but it almost looked like it was...moving away from them?

Sonic saw Omega’s ‘frown’ and explained quickly. “Angel Island doesn’t move too fast, and the Tornado gets some crazy mileage with these new engines! We figured Knux oughta get a head start on those creeps.”

At least Knuckles wasn’t avoiding the action out of cowardice, then. If he had been, Omega would have punched his Master Emerald straight off the island, ‘duties’ be damned.

As they came in for a landing, the robot practically felt his chassis grow heavier the more he looked around. Shadow was slumped against a tree near the edge of the clearing, while Rouge was leaning on the steps of the altar, exhausted. Knuckles was sitting cross-legged atop the Master Emerald, his eyes closed as he focused on directing the island where he needed it to go.

“Shadow!” Sonic shouted, jumping off the plane. His face was twisted with concern as he rushed over to his friend. “Dude, why aren’t ya up with the Emerald? Chaos knows you need that energy!”

The hybrid groaned faintly, turning his head to face them. “Knuckles...is busy with it. Don’t want to...interrupt now- we need to get away.”

Omega glowered at him. “Enough of this nonsense. If you insist upon behaving in such a manner, then I will have to make you take care of yourself. Again.” The robot scooped Shadow up in his arms and began to physically carry him to the altar, despite the latter’s protests and squirming.

Sonic and Rouge giggled practically in tandem, and Shadow glared at them both. “Shut it.”

“What, hon?” Rouge smirked. “This is the second time Omega’s picked you up in like a week, can’t I enjoy it?”

The robot ignored them both and placed Shadow on the altar carefully, the hybrid’s body too weak to do anything more than just lie there. Quickly, though, the Chaos energy began to seep into him, restoring some true life to his eyes.

He didn’t have much more than twenty minutes to rest, unfortunately, before G.U.N.’s best planes began to catch up with the island’s sluggish movement. The four battle-ready inhabitants of Angel Island readied themselves the moment they heard the first aircraft roar in the distance.

Rouge spoke up first, though. “Shadow, honey, I absolutely hate asking this of you, and if there was any other way to get out of here that I could think of then I would take it. But I can tell that there’s at least three Chaos Emeralds on this island, and with how good you’ve gotten at teleporting...if Sonic and Knuckles helped, could you zap us out of here?”

Shadow dragged himself to his feet with the help of the Master Emerald, sighing. “Yes. I’ll need Knuckles to channel as much energy into us as he possibly can, and at least one of the Emeralds. Sonic can use another.”

Sonic and Knuckles both looked startled. “No way, man!” the hero exclaimed. “You could really hurt yourself that way!”

“So help me then.” Shadow replied flatly, looking at him over his glasses.

The blue hedgehog sighed reluctantly and stood on the other side of the Master Emerald from him, holding out his hand. “You got your Emerald, lil’ bro?”

Tails placed it in his hand as Knuckles handed Shadow one of the two he’d been holding onto. Then, the echidna placed both of his hands on the great gemstone, breathed in, and sent as much power as he could flowing into both of the hedgehogs.

Their eyes locked, and Shadow inclined his head almost imperceptibly.

“Chaos….Control!!”

The entire island vanished.

It reappeared moments later, above the ocean. Sonic would have plenty of time to be concerned about all the water, but for now, he was more preoccupied with Shadow. He hovered nearby as the hybrid’s eyes unfocused slowly and he swayed from side to side.

The hero caught him a moment later as he crumpled, unconscious. Feeling for a heartbeat, he sighed with relief the moment he found a steady pulse in Shadow’s wrist.

“He simply needs rest.” Omega said, watching as Sonic laid him back down at the altar (before lying down right next to him, having exhausted his own Chaos stores as well). “As do you,” he added, spinning his head to the right to stare at Rouge.

The robot continued to stare at her, unflinching despite her glower, until she lay down on the grass with an irritated sigh. “I’m supposed to be the one taking care of this team, you know.”

Omega folded his arms. “And you may do so soon. After you get some rest.”

Rouge closed her eyes and seemed to relax soon enough. Omega stood exactly in between his two friends, watching over them with a careful eye.

After a minute or two, he heard Knuckles whisper to his friends, “How do you guys think she figured out that we had those emeralds?”

Without opening her eyes or moving at all, Rouge replied, “I’m just that talented, babe.”

The resulting startled shriek from her boyfriend made birds a hundred feet away flee their trees in fear.

#shadow the hedgehog #rouge the bat #e 123 omega #team dark #scars you can't see #sycs #hopefully that chaos control isn't too big of a plothole!#i figured since shadow can teleport the black comet all by himself with seven chaos emeralds #then three emeralds + the master + sonic and knuckles should be enough...right?#i just really hope the quality hasn't gone down on this one- it was fun to write but it went so quickly i'm almost suspicious #really though omega's speech at the beginning in particular was awesome #i've been waiting for this chapter for months. literally. so i just want it to come across right #next chapter should hopefully be even more chill #i'm glad i was able to raise the tension but now i just want to bring it back down #hope you enjoyed! thanks for reading!#sol’s fanfiction

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lejacquelope · 3 years ago

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I noticed something interesting about Raya And The Last Dragon that I also saw in the new Lost in Space series and the last Star Wars trilogy.

Now there have been female villains throughout entertainment history but as of late, there has been a sub-current of storytelling in which you have women who serve as the rah rah girl power hero... and normally in these plotlines you have the man as the total fuckup. Woman good man bad, or so the trope goes. But noep... not in these cases. Now you're seeing rah rah girl power and oh my God woman you're a facepalm-level fuckup in the same storyline. Then there's the men in the middle who prove to be competent.

This is important to watch because there is a certain widely-believed "fact" of male versus female development in real life. Basically in reality men are perceived as being the best and worst in terms of competence. I'm talking about the male variance hypothesis. Men dominate the genius and dumbass ends of the intelligence spectrum. When you translate this theory to story telling, you often see men as the most heroic and competent and also the most pathetic characters. Women lie in the middle.

As of late, however, an equally valid and provably true reality has begun to find its way into story telling: there are also Apex women and Nadir women as well: the really competent and heroic women and the really pathetic villainous female losers, often clashing with each other. With male characters stuck in the middle. This also happens in real life.

It is interesting to see this in story lines, and I'm seeing it more often as of late. Welcome to the 21st century, folks. We don't have flying cars but we have a sea change in how writers portray men and women, and the winds are shifting toward balance.

The last three Star Wars movies were a disaster, let's get that out of the way. Kathleen Kennedy screwed that pooch with no condom or lube and not even a fucking reacharound and left the franchise tyrannosaurus wrecked on the train tracks like a Ford Pinto that butted heads with a freight train. That said... as we know, the top hero was a woman, Rey. But the worst most pathetic character in the show, the loser who stood apart in the ninth level of character development hell, was also a woman... Captain Phasma. Even as a villain she flew like a lead balloon, a total fuckup. Poe hung around the middle to top in terms of competence while former sanitation worker Finn was in the middle and actually he also had some heroic moments. Neither of them sank anywhere close to Phasma's level of fail.

In Lost in Space the top doers in the show were the women. Little Will Robinson was mid tier (in my opinion, your opinion may differ) but often fell behind Maureen and Judy (again my opinion) in prominence, except he had the Robot backing him up, which pushed him closer to top tier (of course he was supposed to rise to top tier in the future but the series isn't going to get there). But who's the absolute most pathetic? Smith... this time a woman. And I mean she really scrapes the bottom of the barrel. Not that she's poorly written, far from it! ... but... damn.

Raya follows this pattern but quite outstandingly. Raya is the heroine, titular character and the savior of the world, and the dragon who saves the world with her is also a woman. Go girl power, right? Not so fast. Without going into details let's just say Raya's Mary Sue card went up in flames from the word go. Then her female rival goes and fucks up on a level so bad that it's just plain shocking to behold. This same dumbass woman then comes back later and capitalizes on her fuckups and almost causes game over for everyone. This villain is a perfect translation of everything you see in toxic masculinity tropes into female form. Then there is one top tier male that is pulled from the story early on, and then one male who does a heel-face turn and rises to the level of a competent sidekick and another young male who is kinda okay. No male in the entire story are as pathetic as the (as I count it) three true villains who are all female.

It is quite interesting to see the variance effect genderflipped like this. Once is a coincidence... but three is a pattern. In my opinion? Writers are doing this unintentionally in a push to be edgy and unique. And it is worthy of being noticed.

#raya #raya the last dragon #raya and the last dragon #variance hypothesis #genderflip

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myeternalsin · 5 years ago

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Did I Just Say That Out Loud?

Best Jeanist X F!Reader

(Y/N) meets up with her best friend Chris as he forgets his lunch and begs Y/N to drop it off. After her third encounter with Best Jeanist, (Y/N) can’t help but admire his ass in those jeans of his~

(Y/N) sighed as she stepped out of the cab with a brown paper sack after handing over her change to the driver and closed the door. “Thanks for driving me, I’ll catch a different cab to work so I don’t waste your time.”

(Y/N) looked up at the blue and white agency building named Genius. So this is where her friend Chris worked at? (Y/N) wasn’t going to lie... This didn’t look like Chris’ type of work at ALL! It was polished and neat, Chris is more EDGY and DARK.

‘Maybe I should go in and ask the front desk?’

(Y/N) walked up the stairs to the right of the building and headed through the side door. She walked straight to the receptionist man in the middle of room to ask for Chris. As soon as (Y/N) stepped into the agency, she felt her cheeks glow as all eyes were on her! A human being could hear the click-clack! of her red bottom heels for over MILES! This was clearly a male dominated agency, no wonder Chris wanted to work here. He could have ALL of the eye candy he wanted! What is this agency anyway?

“Is a Chris Wonders available? I was told to drop off his lunch when he was free.” (Y/N) inquired as the receptionist stared up at (Y/N) as if he had never seen anyone of the opposite gender on Earth.

“Y-Yes, he’s up on the top floor at his desk, you can take the elevators over there to see him.” The receptionist stuttered and slowly pointed his finger to the elevators.

“Thank you!” (Y/N) smiled warmly to the man and made her way to the elevators.

The doors opened and were empty as (Y/N) took the next one up to the very top floor. Floor #5. (Y/N) looked down at her watch as the elevator rose.

‘Half of my hour is left until I need to clock back in, about fifteen of the drive will be to get back to work. I suppose I’ve got a little bit of time to spare to see how Chris is doing.’

(Y/N) heard the elevator ding! while being dragged out of her thoughts.The first sight that (Y/N) saw was a whole wall of denim fabric rolls in different shades of blue. She cautiously stepped out of the elevator as her heels softly tapped against the two shaded checkered tile while scouting through the metal desks clustered together with computers and chairs at each desk for Chris.

(Y/N)’s eyes drifted though the men at their desks as they too stared at her, until her eyes met the center of the back room with a dark and heavily-lashed green eye glancing in her direction. (Y/N)’s eyes stood still in time staring at Tsunagu, while his were agape to see (Y/N) here. What was (Y/N) doing at his agency?

“(Y/N)! My savior is HERE!”

(Y/N) whipped her head to the slightly left to see her best friend Chris... and wearing jeans with a graphic button down shirt of avocados and brown dress shoes?

“Guuuuurl, I thought I was gonna DIE if you didn’t get here soon!” Chris joked as he walked down the aisle of desks and snatched the brown paper sack out of (Y/N)’s hand, an evil glint in his eyes as he though of what to devour first from his packed lunch.

(Y/N) crossed her arms and huffed while jutting out her hip slightly in embarrassment. “Well, here I am. What are your other two wishes?”

Chris was a Cheshire cat as (Y/N) looked over to see Tsunagu approach them. (Y/N)’s stomach fluttered about as she could feel Tsunagu’s presence. Warmth shocked through (Y/N)’s body as her cheeks became rosy once again and Chris stood at attention by (Y/N)’s side.

“I wish to thank you for the meal, and I wish for you to finally get a man-WHY HELLO BOSS MAN! How is everything going? I just asked my best friend to drop off my lunch! (Y/N) this is my boss Tsunagu Hakamata A.K.A Best Jeanist, and Best Jeanist this is my best friend (Y/N) A.K.A the woman I’ve been talking about.” Chris veered off with his speech as Tsunagu’s eyes pierced into (Y/N)’s being.

“Well, I’m gonna go eat at my desk-BYE!” Chris zoomed off and to his desk near the very edge of the cubical while bringing out a pair of binoculars to observe from afar.

(Y/N) started at Chris with bewilderment and heard Tsunagu’s chuckle bring her back to reality.

“It seems we meet again, perhaps this is the fabricated strings of fate?” Tsunagu towered over (Y/N) slightly with that glint in his eye from their last encounter.

(Y/N) could have sworn she saw him smile wide behind that tall denim collar of his as (Y/N) relaxed her shoulders while thinking ‘Why not, I might as well take a chance.’

“So it seems. It looks like I owe you that coffee date.”(Y/N)’s watch beeped! indicating to leave and grab a cab to get back into work.

“Would this Saturday around eight work?” Tsunagu questioned as he walked (Y/N) back to the elevator.

“That would work great! I could use a coffee and company before going into work at ten.” (Y/N) gave Tsunagu a lopsided smile as she thought about the rush of clients they’d have at the shop while pressing the bottom button to bring the elevator back up to their floor.

“Shall we meet at the Starbucks down the corner from here?” Tsunagu asked once more as the elevator was brought up and opened its doors.

“That sounds like a plan! I’ll see you then Tsunagu.” (Y/N) gave a soft smile as she walked into the elevator.

“It’s a date, Miss (Y/N)” Tsunagu turned around to walk back to his desk, and (Y/N) could help but stare at his backside while she pressed the first floor button.

“Damn, he’s got an ass in those jeans!” (Y/N) thought...

(Y/N) saw Tsunagu whip around to look at her as the doors were closing, his eye widened with surprise once more.

“Wait! Did I just say that out loud!?” (Y/N) yelped, mortified that she spoke her thought out loud!

“Buh-Doop!”

(Y/N) scrambled though her purse as the elevator arrived to the lobby floor. She whipped out her phone as her face exploded red in horror.

*I got my first one shot written! FINALLY!!!! Not gonna lie, i feel like this is waaaaaaay longer than what a one shot is supposed to be. I apologize about that! Please, let me know what you think! I’ll be coming out with more one shots soon! Request are open as well! *

~MyEternalSin

#best jeanist x reader #best jeanist one shot #best jeanist #tsunagu hakamata #tsunagu hakamata x reader #bnha #mha #bnha x reader #mha x reader #boku no hero academia #my hero academy

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world-of-socks · 4 years ago

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Note: Alrighty, so here’s an old one. (I don’t HATE it, but I apologize in advance if it’s cringe) This was written about exactly a year ago and I wrote it cause I felt like writing and because we had just recently read Fahrenheit 451 in class and I liked how Beatty was written so I based a character’s personality around his. Anyway it’s pretty edgy so tread... with caution? I dunno. Anyways I just copied and pasted this from google docs and I’m not sure if any of the bold or italicized words translated.

The Seventh Battle: The First Loss

This was certainly the most fearsome battle she had ever led.

The air was rife with screams. The entire atmosphere felt warm with blood and sweat. She looked around in a calm form of panic that comes when you need to logically scan a battlefield. Most of my generals shattered. Fair amount of foot soldiers shattered. Waiting on artillery. She made her mental notes. This is bad.

She had never lost a battle this important before. What would White do to her if she had? She feared she would have to find out. The organics were huge on this planet, almost the size of her. Her soldiers had to fuse to even try to measure up to the tall beings. She cut and slashed into the strange things coming at her at all sides as she thought about what would happen if she lost. Blood spattered all over her form, it was warm and sticky. It stunk of guilt and iron. She hated it.

Screams. So much screaming. It was so hard to think. She had never really felt exhausted of energy before, but it felt like her form was faltering. Had her sword somehow gotten heavier? Her troops were being overwhelmed. Yellow didn’t know how much longer she could hold them off. She heard a loud scream from far off. A jasper? She thought, having not heard closely. A sudden thought. Blue!

In the chaos she had forgotten that Blue was a part of this battle. She had asked her to accompany her on the mission, telling her that she would play a vital role on the battlefield. Yellow turned only to her being taken down by an enemy soldier. No.

Yellow tried to run to her aid, or at least to make sure that her gem wasn’t cracked, but was suddenly overwhelmed, surrounded. The soldiers made a tight circle around her, confused in her panic, she noticed that one of the strange organics emerged from the tight circle. It was a strange creature, quite hideous in her eyes. It spoke, which surprised her since she thought that all organic life was unintelligent and incapable of speech.

“Yellow Diamond.” the words were spoken slowly and deliberately, “I have waited for this moment.”

There was a pause. Everything was so loud. Blue, Blue, she had to get to Blue. She took a moment to organize her thoughts. She couldn’t do anything until this organic was eliminated or at least out of her path. Frustrated, confused, and angry Yellow spoke:

“Who are you?” she snarled.

There was a cold laugh, “Nevermind that. I am much more interested in you. My soldiers have long told me of you and your tactics. You are ruthless and intelligent. Both of which are qualities I like.”

She flexed her hand, the smell of electricity masked the scent of blood, she laughed, coldy, “You’re right about one thing,” she aimed a blast at the organics feet, “but you have no idea of the power you’re messing with.”

Yellow felt strangely confident in her abilities to take the being down, it was one organic, and she was a diamond. Yes, a whole army of organics can be difficult, and taking out the rest of the circle might be a task, but one measly being: Pathetic.

The organic dodged easily, using some strange hover device, it, to, laughed, “I’m afraid we do.”

Her eyes widened slightly, it dodged...how did it…? Different tactic she thought. She aimed a blast at the ground, blasting her into the air, and momentarily breaking the circle, she aimed a couple blasts from the sky, most missing. She was tired. She fell to the ground which cracked beneath her weight.

The strange organic walked forward, Yellow tried to get to her feet, but she was too weak. The organic kicked her face into the dark ground. She could hear it speaking:

“There is a foolishness in being cocky, your highness. It’s a shame you didn’t know better.” it mocked.

There was a pressure on her form, she winced slightly and clenched her teeth to keep herself from crying out. She knew what was coming. There was a blinding pain, and then….. Nothing.

She was gone.

……………

Blinking.

Blurry.

Awake.

She had reformed, but where? She looked around. It was much quieter. Homeworld? No. she noted Where am I? Suddenly her answer presented itself to her.

“Finally awake, are you?” it was the organic, “Well, welcome to lab 74xQ9! The best lab in the galaxy!”

“Would you like a tour?” the organic asked, “Please, guards, stand her up.”

Two burly guards pulled her roughly to her feet, she was still weak. She noticed as she stood up that there was some sort of device on her hands. She tried to use her abilities but an even more powerful electric jolt was shot through her form, she fell, once again to her knees.

The organic turned around, either having heard her fall, scream, or had seen it coming, “Trying to leave so soon? Don’t worry that won’t be happening. You see, you’ve discovered my amplifying device! Isn’t it incredible? It can amplify any power or energy that is run through it!”

Yellow’s cheeks flushed at the loud shriek she had let out as she crashed to the ground, but her pride wasn’t nearly as hurt as she was. Her breathing was heavy and ragged. How are they so advanced? They’re almost as technologically advanced as u-....

“Wondering how I got my hands on such a powerful device? Easy! Stealing from your soldiers was like taking candy from a baby. Then my colleagues and I just modified your own technology! Isn’t that ironic? Something you made to keep your own kind prisoner is now holding you captive!” it laughed. “It’s genius!”

Yellow had recovered from the shock, still shaking slightly. She spat on the ground.

“Kind like you doesn’t deserve-”

She was interrupted as the guards who held her slammed her face to the ground, having not taken well to the defiant insult.

“Kind like us? And what does that mean?” the organic spoke in a cold voice, having not been insulted at all. It spoke only with the intention of leading her astray, catch her in her own words.

“Disgusting, impure sediment! Imperfect-” she started listing the synonyms to the word, whilst also throwing insults.

The organic approached her from behind in the middle of her ranting and thrust off her helmet. It clattered to the floor, revealing her short curly hair. She cursed in ancient gem under her breath.

“You were saying?” it laughed. A few of the others in the room joined.

It, without warning, pulled her up from the ground by her hair, “What’s this?!” it ripped one of her gloves off, deep scars and cracks covered her arms.

“Imperfect, you said?!” it laughed again, “Hah! I bet you came out early didn’t you?! Slightly shorter than your height requirement?! That does explain the boots now doesn’t it?!”

“Come now, your highness you must admit that beings like you and I are not so different.”

The organic lifted her head, looking for a response. Nothing.

“Not much of a talker, are you?”

More nothing.

“Hm. Disappointing, I do enjoy an intelligent conversation.”

“Why would I even dream of speaking with an organic that is insistent upon humiliating me!?”

“You make a fair point, now don’t you?” it paused, a cruel smile leaking onto it’s already hideous face, “Why, I have just the thing!”

It grabbed the device that was keeping her in bondage and lugged her up by it. It walked her into the opposite room, and thrust her back onto the ground. As she looked up in horror it spoke,

“The presence of another diamond will surely make for a more pleasant atmosphere, don’t you think?”

“Blue!” she groaned knowingly, they had Blue of course they had Blue!

Blue! In all of this time she had forgotten! She had forgotten again! And now, there she was dangling from cords and mechanical devices, her face and eyes were sunken. She must not have destabilized because there was still blood spattered over her, her dress torn and dirty. Yellow wanted to cry out, to run to her side and fix the horrible mess she made. She wanted so badly to be on homeworld. Even in front of White. She would take any punishment from her over this.

“Oh! I’ve really struck a bullseye with this!” it’s voice was like a sword scraping against a metal floor, terrible and cold, “Companionship?! You?!” It laughed again.

“I never thought that would be in your nature! We beings or war know how unhelpful it is to have attachment to anyone on the battlefield! You are far more stupid than I thought, oh great, Yellow diamond.” it called mockingly.

“What have you done to her?” she choked out the words.

“We’ve simply hooked her up to a device which I call, The Extractor. Not very creative, but I like to keep things simple when keeping my lab space organized. Anyway, as the name suggests, it extracts her aura, which will make a very useful gas on the battlefield, the enemy will drop like flies from sheer grief, and it extracts her essence, which allows us to create our own gem warriors! She will be most useful.”

Yellow could only look at the ground, a small croak of fear and horror left her unwillingly.

“What’s that? You want me to demonstrate how it works?! Why, of course, my diamond.”

It bowed and then pressed a few buttons on a keypad near where Blue was dangling, lifelessly. Her limp form was suddenly reanimated unnaturally with the force of the machine. She was awoken from her numb sleep, with her own screams of pain.

“Stop! Stop it! Stop! Stop!” Yellow tried to stand up, but fell to the ground, sobbing without tears.

“If you insist.” the machine whirred to a halt, Blue resumed her numb form. Lifeless. Empty.

“What do you want from me?” she sobbed.

“What do I want? Allow me to explain.” it walked a few paces across the room and picked up a beaker, “Do you know what this is?”

Yellow remained silent, slightly confused to how this answered her question.

“Of course you don’t. This is a serum which can turn any gem into a programmable weapon. A machine with death at its heels. Merciless. Powerful, entirely obedient. Perfect.”

It continued to monologue, “If injected into the form of a gem they instantly become our weapon of death and destruction. Imagine the power we could hold if we-”

“Used it on a diamond. You want to-” she interrupted.

“Yes, but I would prefer not to. A programmable machine cannot think freely, someone must be behind it. You have war strategy skills, that I begrudgingly admit, exceed my own. If you were to join my forces willingly…..” it sighed, “The victories would be endless!”

“Why would I join you?”

“Well, for one, you don’t have a choice. You either join willingly or I will use my serum on you. With all of my serum used up on you, if you refuse, I have no use for your… uh…. Friend here, her essence and aura will run out eventually. And though I hate to waste the entire batch of my serum on you…. I’m willing to make that sacrifice… But the real question is...,” its fingers drifted to the keypad, “Are you?”

The organic, more hideous to Yellow than before, strode to the doorway, “I’ll give you a moment to think this all over…” It laughed for a moment, it seemed to be fond of doing so, “This is so much fun! Willingly or Unwillingly? Free or Enslaved? To be or not To be? Hah! Good luck, your majesty!”

The thing bowed mockingly which seemed to be for the millionth time and promptly made it’s exit. And then she was left with her thoughts. They seemed to have stopped for the moments of dialogue and humiliation, everything having happened too quickly to have reacted. Now she was left with only her. Panic.

The room seemed to spin. Everything was suddenly so huge and so tiny at the same time. Her breath grew incredibly fast and heavy. Breath in, out. In. Out. In. Out. In… Faster and faster. Eyes. Tears. Dear stars, why were there tears. Her hands and cheeks were wet with hot tears which were spilling down her face, and down her nose. She had really messed up this time.

“I’m so sorry!” she cried into the ground, for she could do nothing else. Looking at Blue was like trying to face what a terrible mess she had gotten herself and everyone else into.

So many shattered.

What have you done?

Tortured.

They tortured her.

Your fault.

All of this is your fault!

You’ve failed everyone!!!

A thought suddenly broke through everything else. White. White. What is White going to do to you for this? White. White! Your communicator!

Do I have enough strength left to-? She used all her strength to attempt to summon the communicator from her gem. After what felt like a lifetime ticking by in only a minute, the communicator fell to the floor. Relieved, she took a moment to try and use her elbows to turn the panels to white. A glow. A hum.

“Ahh, so that’s why you’re late.”

“White!” she cried excitedly, having been never so relieved to have heard the passive-aggressive, cold voice, “I-I mean, my diamond.”

She raised an eyebrow.

“Blue and I have been captured, the mission has been compromised. I’m so sorry for my failure, but we need a rescue team. Could you send someone?”

“You’re lucky I have an army stationed on a nearby planet. I’ll send them right away.”

White must have noticed Yellow’s grateful and relieved expression.

“This doesn’t mean I like you.” Yellow thought she heard a touch of kindness from somewhere inside the voice.

“Thank you, White,” she said quietly.

She simply rolls her eyes, “We’re discussing you’re failure when you arrive back on Homeworld.”

White moved to discommunicate when Yellow stopped her, “One more thing!”

She raised an eyebrow again.

“Can you detonate the communicator? It would really help-”

“Yes, yes, fine. Don’t get yourself exploded, it would be a waste of resources.”

She clicked a button. The hum died. The communicator glowed from red to white and back to red again.

Yellow kicked it into the control panel and keypad that controlled The Extractor. In an attempt to shield Blue from the blast, she stood near where she hung, lifelessly. Yellow winced slightly as the blast went off and she and Blue were flung across the room into a heap of rubble.

Alarms. Commands. The door burst open.

“What did you-” the organic was flustered, “Ahh, a communicator. I really am stupid. Who did you contact? Your armies?”

She said nothing.

After a moment of contemplation it laughed, “Well then, that wasn’t too terrible of a mistake on my part. Your armies have been exhausted. Calling them was pointless!”

It looked, slightly weary, around, the sounds of war going on outside. It yelled words in a language Yellow didn’t know, in frustration.

“Guards!” It summoned it’s soldiers, “Take them both to the holding cells. Separate ones!”

As the guards stood her up, it looked into her face, “Don’t think I’m done with you! You still have a decision to make.”

She and Blue, who was still unconscious, were lugged into gem-holding cells and thrown into them violently. The sound of the war raging outside. They wouldn’t stand a chance, poor fools. Yellow almost felt bad for them. Almost. White’s army was the most ruthless and strong force in the entire galaxy.

After waiting an excruciatingly long time, two white and grey bubbles appeared at the cell doors. They drifted in mechanically and collected the contents. Yellow tried to look through the bubble’s opaque glassy shell, to be completely certain that the other bubble had actually collected the opposite cell’s contents. She could barely make out the rest of the world outside of her capsule.

When the bubbles spilled their contents onto the floor of the rescue ship a few gems rushed forwards to take care of their monarchs. One snapped Yellows bonds. Another examined Blue’s condition with a worried expression.

“Will she be alright?” Yellow asked, trying to mask her intense worry in front of her subjects.

It simply nodded and held up a needle to Yellow’s hand, “My diamond, would you like to peacefully destabilize? Your stats are uneven, and your form is exhausted. It would help.”

Yellow nodded, “Could you make sure Blue gets one, to?”

“Of course, my diamond.”

A couple of other gems gathered around her, “Relax.” they said. Needle. Prick. The pain was quick. A warmth spread across her body, it didn’t hurt. And then she was gone.

She was gone.

Thank the stars.

……….

Awake.

Yellow. Yellow. Gold. Blue. Yellow. Grey. Yellow. Yellow. White. Yellow. Grey. Grey. Yellow. Grey. Grey. Grey. Grey…

She sat up, “Gerroff.” she grumbled absent-mindedly. The tiny things tending to her fell to the ground with squeals of nervousness. Pebbles were not supposed to be seen. Yellow didn’t care enough to swish them away, she was just grateful to be in her quarters.

“Pearl?” she muttered, still not fully awake, the process of reforming ebbing away slowly.

“Ah! My diamond, you’re back!” her pearl rushed forward, saluted, and bowed.

Yellow pressed the bridge of her nose and rubbed her eyes, “I assume White Diamond wishes to speak to me?”

“Yes, my diamond, she wanted to meet with you as soon as you reformed.”

“Great,” she muttered sarcastically. “Well, then I would probably do well to do so.”

Yellow heaved a great sigh, “Well… I’m off. I’ll be back soon enough, Pearl.”

The pearl simply bowed as she exited the room.

Yellow fidgeted nervously, the yellow halls turning to silver. Back on that blasted planet, she wished desperately to be on Homeworld, and now that she was actually here…. An audience with White seemed so much more terrifying now that she was actually in the hall toward her quarters.

She reached the door. She pressed her hand to the pad next to it. She took a deep breath. The doors opened.

“Enter.” came the dangerously calm voice.

She walked in briskly, afraid of looking cowardly. She bowed.

“My Diamond.”

“Yellow Diamond… Back from the dead. Hopefully, I have a good reason to have used my armies to fetch you...”

Yellow gulped.

…………….

She left the silver and white chambers with a sinking feeling in her form. White had a way of making anyone and anything feel like worthless sediment even by just being in her presence. Though, this meeting went far better than most of her meetings. Yellow only left the room with bruised pride instead of a bruised arm, too. It was a slight change, but a change nonetheless.

After she reentered her chambers, she fell heavily into her throne and sighed. She opened up a screen and stared at it. She tried to make her hands do work, her eyes to scan the reports, but nothing came. She wanted so badly to avoid the fear that was slowly taking over her. A shaky breath.

“Pearl?”

“Yes, my Diamond?”

“Contact Blue pearl.”

The pearl gulped, “... Blue pearl, my diamond?”

“Yes,” she sighed, “Inquire about Blue diamond.”

“Inquire about …. what, my Diamond?” pearl asked timidly.

Yellow grew irritated, “Well, ask her if Blue Diamond has reformed yet or not!” she burst out angrily.

“Y- Yes my diamond, r-right away.”

There was a pause as the tiny pearl did as her diamond commanded. Yellow knew she should be working, but her mind was so uneasy that working would not be an option. She tapped her fingers impatiently. There was a small beep from the tiny device the pearl held.

“Well?” she asked.

“Blue pearl says that Blue diamond reformed three days ago.”

A sigh, “Thank you, pearl… That’s all I needed.”

She got up from her chair, if she couldn’t avoid her dread by working, she would have to face it. Dear stars! She thought Why is this harder than facing White?

She walked down the hallway, wringing her hands. When she finally reached the door, she debated on whether she was going to actually open it. She actually thought about turning back to her quarters… She lay a hand on the door, Blue must have heard her walking down the hall from inside her quarters.

“You may enter.” she called politely.

The door hissed open. Blue was sitting on a windowsill overlooking homeworld, she jumped slightly, surprised to see another diamond. The footsteps she had heard did not sound like the ones she was used to from Yellow.

Yellow stood in the doorway. She suddenly forgot what she was to say, or even how to speak. When she looked at the beautiful Blue gem on the windowsill, all she could see was the one who had been limp and broken back in the lab on that wretched planet.

“You’re back.” she croaked, a voice from deep inside her form somehow finding a way to escape.

“I’m back.” she whispered with a sad smile.

With that Yellow laughed quietly, tears springing to her eyes, the laughter quickly turning to violent sobs. She pressed her hand to the wall to try and steady herself, when that failed, she slid down the wall to her knees.

“Yellow?!” Blue rushed to her side, concerned.

Yellow curled into herself, unable to breathe properly, everything seemed so overwhelming again. Suddenly, everything was her fault and everything weighed more and her tears were painful to cry. Everything was so everything.

“Yellow?” Blue’s voice faded in, more concerned then before, “Yellow, are you alright?”

She wanted to respond, but she didn’t know what words to say, or if she could even say them. She couldn’t breath. She wanted space, but wanted to be with someone. She wanted to be held, without feeling suffocated.

“Is your gem cracked? What- what’s wrong? What’s happening?”

“Just-...give me...a minute.” she choked between sharp breaths.

“O-... ok.” Blue backed away.

There was a long few minute pause as the golden gem started collecting herself and was finally able to breathe fairly steadily again.

“Are you-....are you alright?” Blue started, frightened.

Yellow’s face finally emerged, after she dropped her hands from her face. It was tired and looked much older than it should’ve.

Her whole form still shook from the past few minutes, she looked like she could fall apart again at any moment.

“I don’t-... can’t-... we couldn’t b- beat them!” she spoke broken sentences as tears poured down her face, “This is-... is all my fault! I shoul-... should’ve been strong enough… but then everyone got-.... They hurt you-.... I shouldn’t-... I-...”

And then she fell apart again, blubbering nonsense as she tried to make sense of everything that ran through her head. Yellow was only 3,000 some years old, and this, the first battle she had ever lost, and had she not have been more careful, she could’ve lost everything.

She hated the feeling of tears, tears were like liquid weakness in her mind. She shouldn’t be this way, she was made to be strong, powerful, cunning, and …. Perfect. Now,... she wasn’t sure if she was capable of any of those things.

As she fell apart Blue rushed back to her side, she raised a hand to wipe away Yellow’s tears, but faltered. She looked into Yellow’s eyes as if to ask permission, unsure if it was ok to comfort her openly now. The eyes were deeper and sadder, not yet hardened and tired as they would become in the next few thousand years, they seemed to accept the Blue pair of eyes staring back.

Hesitant still, Blue gently wiped away the tears with her thumb, the palm of her hand resting on Yellow’s cheek. With the other hand she ran her delicate fingers through Yellow’s short, curly, yellow-orange hair, after quietly removing her helmet.

“Since when did you start wearing this all of the time?” she murmured, referring to the tall, pointy helmet that she used to only wear during battles.

It took her a moment to respond, “Since always.” she replied like an indignant young gem. Though, she was incredibly thankful Blue didn’t mention her gloves, she wasn’t ready to have that conversation.

“Liar.” she laughed and gently kissed her forehead.

“I started wearing it after White told me to hide my hair…” she muttered, ashamed, “.... and it makes me look as tall as I’m supposed to be.”

“Well, I think your hair is perfect.” Blue replied.

“Yeah, well…” she wanted to say something more, but a more pressing thought blocked out the rest of the sentence.

Yellow shook her head realizing that she had been doing this whole thing wrong…. This should be the other way around.

“I came to apologize to you! You’re the real victim of this whole thing! Why-... why’re you-...?” Yellow didn’t understand.

“I wasn’t the only victim, Yellow…” she was still very intent on comforting her.

Yellow struggled away, not feeling deserving of the affection, “B-But, they tortured you!”

“And they clearly tortured you too.” Blue looked back up at her, “No offense Yellow, but you’re a mess.”

“I-... but-.. But I-...” she stammered, “But that’s just me! “

Blue stood up, “Exactly, this whole ordeal has tortured you. They got under your skin, didn’t they?”

“I-...” Yellow tried to protest, “Yes…”

Blue took her hand, “Just let me help you.”

Yellow’s cheeks flushed, “But-... that’s my job. I came here to help you…”

“You already did.”

“And how the stars did I do that?!”

“You came to visit me of your own accord, and were open with me about your feelings. It’s not everyday that Yellow Diamond does something like that!” Blue smiled, “And then after all of that, you let me help you. I like helping you, it makes me feel… useful... in a way… After getting captured and losing the battle, I felt- felt pretty-... pretty weak… and worthless and-...”

Her voice grew small, a few tears flickered in her eyes.

“Hah… sorry.” she laughed them away, “What I mean to say is…. You simply being here with me is the best I’ve felt in a long while.”

She reached up her arms and hugged her golden companion, “I love you.” she whispered.

Yellow’s eyes grew wide, she felt more tears spring to her eyes, but this time she didn’t hate them. She returned the embrace and buried her face in Blue’s silvery hair.

“You… are the strongest gem I’ve ever met…” she whispered just loud enough for Blue to hear,

“Don’t let anyone tell you otherwise.”

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britesparc · 4 years ago

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Weekend Top Ten #472

Top Ten Suggestions for Future Star Wars Games

Concluding an accidental trilogy of Top Ten lists that feature the word “Star”, here we journey back to a galaxy far, far away. This is also one of those lists that’s been bubbling under for quite a while, since the announcement (feels like ages ago now) that Disney have shopped the Star Wars licence around to a number of developers, and we’ll get future games from companies other than EA. But really it goes back even further, because for me Star Wars and gaming are inexorably linked. I associate my teenage PC gaming phase very closely with Star Wars, because it occurred in the mid-nineties, when Star Wars games were truly ascendent. In a run that I would argue stretched from the release of X-Wing in 1993, right through to Knights of the Old Republic in 2003, it felt like just about every genre was getting a nod from the House of Skywalker, and generally speaking the games were excellent. This time also saw the resurgence of Star Wars as a multimedia powerhouse, with the films getting reissued on video (and in Widescreen!) before the 1997 release of the Special Editions, the subsequent DVD releases, and then in 1999, the beginnings of the Prequel Trilogy with The Phantom Menace. You could argue that that’s when the wheels fell off, because even with the “Han Shot First” controversy and mixed reaction to some of the new effects shots, the late-nineties releases had been warmly received, Star Wars felt cool and exciting all the time, and anticipation was building to fever pitch at the thought of new movies. Amidst the Jar Jar hatred there was, I think, a bit more antipathy towards stories set in the Clone Wars, and although there were still some very good games being released (the first LEGO Star Wars came out in 2005!), the spark of the Golden Age was mostly absent.

Could we be entering a new Golden Age, or at least a Silver Age? Maybe; hopefully! I really, really enjoyed Jedi: Fallen Order and Squadrons, even though neither are perfect and both have plenty of rough edges. Now that the Skywalker Saga is out of the way and the franchise as a whole is spreading out into new areas (check out the number of Disney+ shows on the way), perhaps we’ll see all different facets of the galaxy explored in games too. And that’s what this list is: ten possible games, set in the Star Wars universe, that I think would be cool.

For the most part I’m not trying to invent a whole game; rather, it’s “Star Wars in this genre” or “Star Wars with this hook”. There’s probably an exception or two here and there, but you’ll get the drift. Some of these have been in my mental wishlist for years, from right back to when I first played X-Wing on my mate’s Mac, or when I installed a friend’s copy of Dark Forces from floppy disk (we, er, did that in those days). One of the best things about Star Wars is that it contains multitudes; George Lucas really did create a whole galaxy full of weird side characters, intriguing backstory, and funky-looking locations (aided and abetted, of course, by a bevy of talented collaborators). What corner of the universe couldn’t support a game of some kind?

So here’s to the future, to the newly-rechristened Lucasfilm Games, and to ten titles that could all benefit from beginning with those classic blue words on a black background.

Jedi Padawan RPG: I’ve wanted a game like this for about twenty years: a third-person action-RPG where you play a Padawan. You create your character and build your lightsaber, and then follow your master on missions around the Republic, learning the ways of the Force and developing your character. In a way, Fallen Order has adopted some of these ideas; the fact you only use a lightsaber and Force powers, for instance. But in my mind this is more similar to something like the first Fable, or maybe Mass Effect, where you’d have a hub to return to (the Jedi Temple) and then go off on missions that you could choose. All the while there’d be a plot bubbling up, and an arc to follow, and all sorts of quasi-open-world Jedi shenanigans. It’d be cool if they could make lightsabers feel like the really dangerous one-hit-kill weapons they are in the films, or if you could use them to, y’know, open doors and stuff. Maybe this could be set in the “High Republic” era we’re starting to explore.

Deus Ex-style first-person RPG: I suppose this one could be reductively called “Cyberpunk on Coruscant”, but the idea is you’d play someone – not a Jedi, in my mind – going on quests or solving some kind of mystery, shooting people in first person whilst also upgrading your body and abilities in typical RPG style. I wouldn’t want it to be too dark; I don’t like it when people try to make Star Wars “edgy”. But that Mandalorian or Rogue One tone of seriousness interspersed with Star Wars’ typical melodrama and weirdness would be good. I see your character as a small-time crook or maybe a minor mercenary who by circumstance is forced to take missions for either the Rebels or the Empire (or maybe First Order and Resistance); perhaps mirroring Poe Dameron’s journey from spice smuggler to X-Wing superstar. It’d be cool if there was Fallout-style hit-modelling on characters, and if your arm or whatever got damaged, you could have it replaced with a robot one.

Star Wars meets Elite: I even have a title for this one: “Scoundrel”. Basically, like I say, it’s Elite but in the Star Wars universe; you have a ship, you fly from planet to planet, you trade goods or offer passage, you spend your money on upgrading your ship or buying a new one. You’re Han Solo, basically; hence “Scoundrel”. In my mind it’s set at the dawn of the Rebellion, so you can choose where your allegiances – and your ethics – lie. Take on official Imperial assignments? Help their war effort? Stay neutral but legal? Stay out of the politics, but, y’know, smuggle a little bit? Run a bit of spice? Or do you go all-in and work for the Rebellion – even take part in military action? Maybe it could even run all the way up to Return of the Jedi and give you the chance to fight in the Battle of Endor! C’mon, this one has “hit” written all over it.

Clone Troopers turn-based “Tactics” game: by “Tactics” I mean like X-COM or, well, Gears Tactics; turn-based team combat games. I think of all the groups of military characters most suited to this style, it would be the Clone Troopers; they’re a well-organised military force that functions as part of a team. We know there are loads of types of Troopers, with different uniforms for different jobs, so there’s lots of room for customising your team, as well as experimenting with different classes. Plus if they die there’s more to come, they’re just in vats! Get Temuera Morrison to voice them all for added authenticity.

A point-and-click adventure: this was the first ever idea I had for a Star Wars game, because at the time I was really, really into adventures. This could be anything; I’m not too fussed on the plot. Some kind of mystery obviously lends itself to the format. Whether you play as the same character all the way through or switch protagonists (a common genre trope), I don’t mind. But I want it to be a fairly straightforward, old-fashioned point-and-click game, with no action or QTEs. Make it look like Thimbleweed Park, make it look like Clone Wars or Rebels, make it look as real as possible, it’s all fine; just give me a slow-burn narrative adventure story in the Star Wars universe please.

Lemmings, but with porgs: yeah, there’s nothing more to add to this. Maybe you play one of the Space Nuns, or even Chewbacca, and you have to help out all these crazy porgs? They’re just wandering around, getting into mischief, chewing on the Falcon or playing with a lightsaber, and they’ll kill themselves if you don’t help. That’s it. That’s the game. Lemmings, but with porgs.

Rebel base construction/management game: my template here would be stuff like Evil Genius or Two Point Hospital: real-time games where you build different rooms or services in a given play space. So, the Rebels are constantly darting all over the galaxy, setting up shop temporarily and then evacuating when the Empire comes a-calling; here, you have to kit out the different bases, often to service different aims (a recon base, an aerial support base, a training centre, etc), and in different planetary conditions (think Hoth, Yavin, or Crait). Obviously there are essentials: communication, power, accommodation. Then you can build starship docks, weapons arrays, bacta tanks, astromech services, even Jedi training rooms. Instead of attracting “customers” the idea is to be recruiting new Rebels, so the bigger and better your base, the more troops you have. Maybe there can even be some kind of meta-game where the progress of the war is smoother if your bases are better? But there’d be virtually no combat, apart from maybe shooting probe droids or scaring away wampas. Anyway, I think it sounds cool.

Rebel Commandos cover-shooter: I guess this could also be a Clone Trooper game, but we’ve already had a Clone FPS, and I just invented Clone Tactics up the page a bit, so let’s spread the love. It’s basically Gears of War but with the Rebel Alliance. Think about the Battle of Endor or the Battle of Scarif; teams of well-trained and battle-hardened troopers up against superior odds but still kickin’ ass. Unlike the rent-a-clone nature of the Tactics game, this would be more story-driven, with a small team (four, maybe, as it’s a good number for co-op) who have to infiltrate and/or assault heavily-fortified enemy positions. I think this could be good with a nice narrative behind it, fleshing out the Star Wars universe, and maybe offering a bit of those Rogue One-style shades of grey.

Fallout Shelter-style Jawa Sandcrawler management game: utini! Jawas are great aren’t they? Whether it’s electrocuting Artoo, cheering at podracers, or just eating the shit out of a great big egg, everyone loves a good Jawa. How can you make a game about Jawas? Well, what about if you’re this tribe or group or whatever of Jawas, and you’ve got your own knackered sandcrawler. And as part of the game you have to develop it, tart it up a bit, recruit new bands of Jawas, and then, y’know, rob droids and flog ‘em. Like Fallout Shelter, you have to build and maintain different rooms in the sandcrawler to grow your people and earn more cash from droids, but you’re constrained a little by size. The sandcrawler can’t be expanded too much, and although you could upgrade to bigger ones, you have to make strategic decisions about where to allocate precious space. I see this as being quite low-fi and stylised (bring back Yoda Stories!), and working as a kind of chilled-out time-wasting game on Switch or something.

Homeworld, but in the Clone Wars: and we’re back to the Clone Wars again! But here, we kind of have to, as it’s the only war in the Star Wars wars that features two huge and evenly-matched armadas (Rebels vs Empire and Resistance vs First Order are both very much “scrappy underdogs up against vast organised militaries”). Playing as the Republic or the Separatists, you have to maintain huge fleets of capital ships, support craft, fighters and bombers, and go on missions to attack, defend, or escort. It’s probably the best way to recreate the feeling of that absolutely vast battles we see in the opening minutes of Revenge of the Sith. Maybe an add-on could even give us ground battles too, recreating scenes such as the Battle of Geonosis. Anyway, sounds cool don’t you think?

Incidentally – and speaking of the Star Wars of it all – this is the first week that we’re not watching a War for our family movie night. We’ve done ‘em all! All the episodes of the Skywalker Saga, the two live-action spin-off movies, and even (well, me an’ the eldest) the animated Clone Wars movie. I might do another Top Ten ranking them, based on the kids’ opinions; that’d be interesting. Although – of course – we’ve only got a couple of weeks to wait until the two Ewok movies hit Disney+. What a time to be alive!

Now, the Ewoks – there’s a good idea for a game there…

#top ten #star wars #games #gaming #lucasarts #lucasfilm games #jedi knight #fallen order #squadrons

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popcornbutterflymedia · 4 years ago

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ORIGIN STORIES IN THE FINER DETAILS. four sisters and a wedding is one of those classic star cinema movies that is so grand it has a life of its own, a life that is growing exponentially larger in time, through quotable quotes, memes, and the place it occupies in pinoy pop culture. i’d watched this movie in the cinemas just as i had almost all star cinema movies for as long as i can remember. i may have written about it too, i cannot remember. i do not remember writing, not because it was forgettable, but because the movie is self-explanatory, the movie stands on its own two feet that words were unnecessary.

the news of a prequel to the 2013 hit was curious. a movie as iconic in its grandeur, comedy, and what seemed, on the surface, like a caricature of the filipino family, surely did not need a prequel. it was too risky. because of this curious choice, the casting of the four younger salazar sisters was met with nonchalance from my end, as much as it is a foregone conclusion that i would watch the movie, even if that means having to teach myself online payment and viewing schemes. anything to help abs-cbn, star cinema. anything by and for miss van and direk mae. they know that.

the junket was a reminder of how much joy i find in stripping down stories to its heart, dismantling stories only to build it up again, with better understanding while doing so. starting points, beginnings, and histories sold this film to me. that the whys, the reasons for being of the four adult salazars will be answered by this prequel is compelling to me. i have, at least that. especially when the riot of the trailer challenged that belief. that is precisely the genius of star cinema, in reeling you in with all the fun and games and then, unknowingly speaking to your heart so clearly.

do not be fooled by very valid comedic errors and the riot of a spy caper. beyond the laughs is a story of a filipino family built on trust, coexistence, and the individuality to be found within the family unit. it’s a story about the hearts that mold us, the histories that shape us, the choices that separate us, our sense of home and the ties that bind.

a narrative isn’t a narrative without a problem to be solved. there would be no problem to be solved without a conflict. the strength of a story lies in how the different characters each respond to, and process the conflict. i have so much appreciation for how the core conflict, and the processing of said conflict were sustained and varied according to need and character. the beauty, found in how seamlessly these many unique components align. when the alignment is quiet and subtle, the story is told with so much grace. this story has so much grace.

for an ensemble, this movie isn’t a casting coup. it isn’t about the stars it lacked (i watch enough of rise, and frankly, enough of the network that i recognize the girls and everyone in the cast), it’s more that the girls, the rest of the cast, worked quietly. the filming seemed calmer...blame the pandemic for this.

while the girls aren’t unknowns, a measure of trust in the casting gods, in the production, in miss van and direk mae was necessary. i did not see it. or the adult salazars are such iconic queens that even when there was something to see i was unconsciously blind to it? i had to see them in character to realize i was right to trust.

stars were born.

this is a prequel that could stand alone. there was no time to watch the first movie before this one, and so, i was scared the experience would be incomplete. those fears were unwarranted. instead of digesting the salazar saga in chronological order, i love that this provides lightbulb moment after lightbulb moment for the first film. those eureka moments were only possible because the cast, headed by those four girls were perfect for the big shoes they filled in.

charlie dizon as teddie (previously played by toni gonzaga) - my introduction and journey with charlie is an interesting one. i have watched the girl since ‘bagani,’ ‘seven sundays,’ and á soldier’s heart.’ the first two saw her trying to find her footing, pitted against more experienced actors. as such, it should be understandable that her beginnings in the industry showed her as a greenhorn. i stand by my feedback back then when i say, ‘she isn’t bad, she’s just a beginner and the contrast with the veteran actors clearly shows.’ i do not know what i was expecting of her back then, but by ‘a soldier’s heart’ i was surprised that she had moments, and those moments were impressive. i now understand that her charm and her skill stems from being as natural as possible, from not even trying. speech and diction, i am told, could improve, but for now, i feel like that speech and diction is helping her define herself (in ‘fangirl’ especially, which i am extremely excited about). back to being teddie, the girl aced toni’s outlandish character, and comedic beats, as well as her no nonsense, at times reckless bluntness. if the viewer did not know any better, one would think it was charlie who provided the blueprint for toni instead of the other way around. as the eldest burdened by the expectations of being the eldest, eventually crushed by the inability to meet them, i believed charlie. i felt for charlie. i feel like this girl was waiting for that role that would flatter her, fit her like a glove, and it’s safe to say that this is it. it took being a salazar to finally see her. all the rest could be learned. charlie’s chemistry with jameson who plays the highschool love is as strong as it is surprising. it proves two things: charlie and jameson are reliable actors, and direk mae does romance so well it is stupefying. through direk mae’s lens, they were both glowing. beyond kilig, teddie and jeremy’s love story is convincing. jameson was sturdy enough as jeremy to be at the receiving end of teddie’s ate and daddy issues. we all know what happened with this love story, but for a moment there i was convinced they were endgame.

alexa ilacad as bobbie (previously played by bea alonzo) - filling in bea alonzo’s shoes alone is a tall order, and while alexa has been a reliable young actress from that pantheon of going bulilit kids, to my mind, bea alonzo’s shoes were still too big even for someone as experienced. and even if she could pull it off, i didn’t know how that would look, what alexa’s interpretation would be. and that not knowing, not being able to foresee makes me nervous. this bobbie is quieter than i expected, comparing it to where bea’s bobbie ended up, steadier with a bit of restlessness. this is one of the few times returning to bea’s portrayal was helpful. alexa’s portrayal fueled the fire of bea’s adult bobbie. does that even make sense? basically, it was clear in the characterization and portrayals of both bobbies that both actresses played one person. alexa’s bobbie was quieter. she bore the brunt of her mother’s micro-agressions. she made herself smaller to accommodate the elder sister. what i initially found to be calmer meltdowns was bobbie trying to balance her selfless nature with the demands of her heart. bobbie’’s major meltdown is bea’s in the first movie not alexa’s. i do not know who is responsible for that choice but it’s one of those lightbulb moments that came to me days after watching the movie and it was so smart!

gillian vicencio as alex (previously played by angel locsin) - this part of the post should come with a disclaimer: gillian is a favorite. gillian is a standout. gillian is a breakout star. and gillian still surprised. there was not a single moment with her. i do not think i’ve even watched any of her movies before this. i alternated between not understanding why she was part of rise, and just not caring. do not get me wrong, i trust star cinema and rise, i knew there was a reason why she was chosen. i just did not see it at first. there was no single moment, no single decision. it was a series of quarantine interviews, on that online rise show especially. it was gradual. the girl demands and commands your attention, in the way she fearlessly engages people like she’s genuinely interested. hers is a courage that i cannot look away from. because i did not watch the first movie before this, i’ve forgotten how edgy alex is, so imagine believing in a girl so much going into my first of experience of her acting, but not knowing what to expect at all to be blown away? it was an internal celebration for me - of the validation of my instincts, and her breakthrough. gillian, as alex manages to fill every moment she is onscreen, that even when it is not her moment, i still feel her, and when she’s not around, her internal tension lingers.

joao as chad is worth a paragraph. this is a moment of bluntness, but i am not the target demographic for boybands and so i tend to be indifferent. joao also came on too strong, which intimidates, so when the boy was cast in that joshlia series a couple of years back, i was one of those who questioned the choice, until i ended up watching him. i was impressed. i was surprised that i was impressed. it was no longer a question of his ability to act when he was included on this major star cinema film, but a question of his chemistry with whoever he ends up working with. in this case, the boy is working with two different girls, two different characters. there’s only one of him so i can only imagine how demanding it was to figure in a triangle with two strong actresses who play characters who manifest strength and presence differently. and surprise, surprise! the boy adjusts. and it works. i am just realizing this as i am writing, but i love that he mellowed when he was with the chill teddie, and he was all edgy and strong around alex. and even when alex was vulnerable, he returned that vulnerability and sincerity differently. the boy met and matched the girls in such unique ways. say hello to my goosebumps as i am writing this. teddie and chad is the steady fire that warms the heart, while alex and chad together are like loud and blinding fireworks that cannot be chased and do not last very long.

belle mariano as gabbie (previously played by shaina magdayao) - belle is another one of those ever reliable former child actors, my favorite child actress to watch play young versions of our queen actresses in teleseryes and such. it’s not like i got to watch her grow up though, so i did not know the kind of actress she was when she was chosen by rise, or even handpicked for ‘he’s into her,’ a story i had heard, but know nothing of. this is the first time i am seeing her in character as a grown up. gabbie, even in the first movie, has always been the steadiest, most grounded of them all. i do not remember gabbie having larger than life meme-ble moments so going into this i did not have anything to latch onto where her character is concerned. i did not know if belle had anything to latch onto for herself. that’s not to say, belle and shaina aren’t amazing actresses or that gabbie is the least of the sisters. i find that to discover her quirks, gabbie requires the most attention. in the trailers, gabbie appeared to be the quietest of the sisters, so quiet, she risks being invisible. as much as i personally understand it, i wondered what her function in the family was. it is a lightbulb moment then, to realize that it is her quiet that magnifies her sisters, her parents’ individual personalities. it is her quiet that allows everyone around her to just be who they are. her quiet means she is okay, and whole on her own that she can afford to be everyone else’s reference point. and that is beautiful. belle played gabbie beautifully. so beautifully, i am actually in tears right now?! wow. gabbie doesn’t need so much herself, that her bonds are singular. that she can choose the people who see her. her essence shines the brightest when she relates and bonds individually, with each of her parents, with each of her sisters, and with jp.

can we please talk about a certain sakristan and the actor who plays him? jeremiah lisbo, to me, is one of the casualties of ‘the pandemic pre-empted ‘make it with you.’ i already had my eye on anthony jennings, (as i should, that boy’s amazing) and honestly, not quite understanding how miah’s character on the show serves the story when that happened to ‘miwy.’ as i was sulking and mourning on the show’s behalf, one of the things i was told was, how it was unfortunate that miah’s arc wasn’t developed and how it was too bad that i wasn’t able to see what the boy can do. i see it now. i fully understand. he doesn’t make things more complicated than it should be. he doesn’t even need too many lines to emotionally communicate. he only needs to look at you with intent. that’s what miah and belle share - an effortlessness, the ability to slip into a character and a required emotion with ease. now, i don’t know what plans rise, star cinema and the network have for miah and belle, but on account of this movie, i would love to see them work together again, never mind the shipping, these two work well together. i also want to see a different ending (not happier, just different). i actually do not mind these two working without a permanent partner, for the freedom to work with anyone who suits a particular character at a particular time. . they can handle themselves well.

back to gabbie, it should be pointed out that on this movie there are two incredibly different kinds of silences - bobbie’s, which is driven by ‘perfection,’ by propriety, and her ‘smallness’ in relation to the rest of her family. it is a quiet that is born out of a need for harmony, whereas gabbie is quiet, still, and steady by nature. that is interesting to see play out, especially in the first movie. one more small thing: i hope this isn’t spoiler-ish, but seeing where shaina was at the start of this movie, for a while there, i thought she could be a nun? that being a nun is a very valid option? that’s just me.

cj, toti marie, lovely mae tete and bette the spy. what do you say to the cast of characters who provide levity to a movie? you thank them. i’ll be the first to tell you that this isn’t my kind of comedy. for a time, it actually felt like an alternate storyline, a movie within the movie. come to think of it, it is reminiscent of those classic 90′s comedies i grew up with. it was entertaining enough though, it made me smile. this subplot was spread enough throughout the entire movie that it made a case for the central conflict of the movie which was the trust issues of all the girls. it was sustained while it was necessary but did not abuse its welcome to the point of tackiness. totie marie is a favorite. the character also managed to make a point for representation which is cool. lovely mae was surprising, scratch your head surprising, but amusing nonetheless. if not for this subplot, this movie would’ve been a heavy filipino family telenovela-ish saga. which isn’t bad per se, but this is the first time in months that ‘we went to the movies’ it wouldn’t hurt to distinguish itself. as it did.

as a lola’s girl, it is imperative that i write about lola ibyang. also, as a lola’s girl, i am generally opposed to villainizing the grandma, never mind that i have watched enough pinoy seryes to be used to it. it is no longer a surprise. in fact, in this case, i expected it. the real, bigger surprise is the fact that grace comes from a well-off, comfortable family. the real surprise to me, is lola ibyang’s heart, how, when. and for what reason that heart of hers was worn on her sleeve. what surprised, is that her one liners that can be misconstrued as veiled threats we’d hear from villains are actually pragmatic, sound advice, that both pulls the family’s patriarch down to earth, and a necessary perspective of what the girls deserve. this reminds me of when my own lola would give me money for no reason at all - ‘reserve,’ just in case i would need it. this also reminds me of how my own mama would get mad at me, because she thought i wasn’t eating in school, because of how much i had saved up, how she would get mad at me for not buying what i want because i was too ‘kuripot.’what will you do with your money if you do not spend it for yourself?’ she used to ask. this is me realizing grace’s reaction towards her mother...while we root for the salazars and cheer for caloy and grace’s love, something must also be said about the mother/daughter dynamic between grace and ibyang. interesting enough. to have irma adlawan play ibyang makes the interesting fascinating. i would say hers is one of my favorites - in terms of how the character was written. i am sorry, i am going through it as i am writing this, realizing just how intricately this is written. see, for some reason, this movie seemed simpler than the other star cinema movies, simpler compared to how i know this team writes. it’s not. it’s such a trademark of this team, and i might be freaking out.

the parental unit, carmina villaroel as grace (played by coney reyes) and dominic ochoa who we meet for the first time on this movie - carmina played grace as any mother should be played, being the primary caregiver, and speaking to grace’s dynamic with her own mother. i was about to say grace is the steady one out of the two parents, but steady doesn’t mean not influential. i would say her constant presence affects the kids more in ways that are stronger and sometimes unflattering. it doesn’t help that she has her own issues to deal with, one of which is that of her and her husband’s issues. i wonder if her unintentional micro-aggressions are also reflective of her relationship with her own mother? or is it just a generational thing?

dominic ochoa as caloy, the previously absent dad. the junket saw dominic ochoa being praised for being a dad, for the different ways he found, a father could be played. i thought that was such generous praise for a character that was previously absent. the fact that this is a story about four daughters, it did occur to me that individual relationships with the father might be important, but without reference from the first movie there was no clue how dominic would play the patriarch. in this movie carmina as grace felt ever present, and dominic as caloy was quiet and subdued, that the praise seemed unwarranted. that is until caloy had moments with each of the girls, most memorable of which is gabbie’s and alex’s. for a singular patriarch he was two different dads to the two girls, depending on who they were and what they needed at that moment. when he faced the all the girls, the youngest boy with grace by his side, and even when he faced his mother in law, you saw a face of strength which manifested itself in the courage of a dependable patriarch, and the walls of a man who has a complex relationship with the mother of his wife. there was nothing in his performance that was loud, obnoxious, or even asserted being a man of the house. but it was never once drowned out by the overwhelming female energy. it was effortless and oddly comforting to watch.

favorite moments:

the original cast

the chaos of the salazar house, overlapping conversations and all

pop culture references of the time. i just smile to myself.

teddie real talking bobbie, because while i know that only sisters can speak to each other that way, and teddie is teddie i also do not know how i feel about her bluntness

bobbie and chad’s music talk. i believed the connection

chad loving how bobbie loves her sisters, alex, in particular. (is this spoiler territory?) but that line.

jp looking at gabbie. because miah surprised, there’s something in how he and belle connected, and...just me and my fascination with an actor’s eyes.

chad and alex’s heartbreak scene, how gillian took that, ran with it, and joao caught up

the parking lot scene. it was a lot but it was clear and precise and i loved it

https://starcinema.abs-cbn.com/2020/12/15/news/easter-eggs-you-probably-missed-from-four-sisters-66365 - this list of easter eggs, i just finished reading, and i fell in love with a movie even more. this list proves that this movie has this team’s stamp all over it. i am not surprised, but i am still in awe and very, very kilig.

the end of the movie says that those who love forgive and are forgiven, accept, to be accepted. in order to forgive and to accept, i always feel like pain and resistance must be embraced with abandon. in this simultaneously loud and quiet, vibrant and beautiful mess of a movie was permission to embrace what needs embracing with abandon, even the not so flattering, not so proper, the hesitations and the insecurities. it allowed me to cry, for that i am grateful.

not that you ever left, but my dear star cinema, it is incredibly comforting to have you back. if content is king, you are royalty, it is not the titles, though that make the stories you tell special. they are special because for all the glitz, glamour, and grandeur of your films, it’s still personal. when i say you know how to tell me a story, you know what that means. every story is a conversation between you and me. you and your audience. they just happen to be blockbusters. thank you for finding ways, leading the way to get to us. much, much power and love. please don’t ever leave us alone again.

see you in the actual cinemas next time, perhaps?! ✨🥰

#film #film: four sisters before the wedding #director: mae cruz-alviar #actress: charlie dizon #actress: alexa ilacad #actress: gillian vicencio #actress: belle mariano

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alywats · 4 years ago

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My Definitive Ranking of Taylor Swift Albums

Did anyone ask for this? Nope! But here we are anyways. This is my definitive ranking of Taylor Swift’s eight studio albums. I am using the basic album release for each one (not Deluxe or Platinum editions) and I am not including any live albums or special releases, just the basic eight albums. I did do a full re-listen of her discography, in order, and took my notes as I listened. I based my rankings on my personal taste! But I also tried to include enough of an explanation with tangible evidence for each one so that you can understand my thought process, and for some more context I will say this: Taylor Swift holds a lot of nostalgia for me, and thus nostalgia for some of her earlier stuff factors in. My music taste has also evolved a lot since I first listened to and enjoyed Taylor Swift, thus my current tastes play a big role in this ranking. I do not listen to any other country music, and I don’t listen to a whole lot of pop either. But I regard Taylor Swift as an incredible musician and lyricist who has consistently put out very influential and emotional music, which I can definitely appreciate. I also think that almost every single one of her albums has caught me at the exact right time in my life, where I can fully appreciate and be receptive to what she is trying to do. So, without further ado:

1. Red

This album is honestly God tier because it is so emotional and nostalgic and lyrically beautiful. Taylor’s vocals in this album convey just as much emotion as her lyrics, meaning that we get to hear her really go for it with her vocals in a way that we don’t hear in any other album. This was the first album that successfully bridged out of country and into pop, I think, and the direction she went in was bordering on pop rock which I of course love. She goes hard with the heartbreak angst, which was so relatable to every teen who listened to it (ahem, me), and backs it up with ELECTRIC GUITARS which was her best move to date. This album was released in 2012, when she was (feelin) age 22 and Taylor wrote 8 of the 16 songs, she focused on more mature themes than her previous albums, but stayed true to her teen demographic.

Best song: All Too Well, it is simply the most emotional and cathartic Taylor Swift song to date, and her vocals go so hard on it *chef’s kiss*

2. folklore

I truly think this is her best work as a whole, the only reason Red takes number one is for a few true stand out songs that outshine this album as a whole. The lyrics in this album are so beautiful and poignet, you can tell that she was trying to match the honest and stripped down tone of the instrumentals. She did write almost all of these songs with a co-writer, the song my tears ricochet is the only one she wrote solo, but again this is some of her most lyrically strong work so do what works, girl! There are much more indie pop rock vibes, a departure from her electronic pop style that defined her previous three albums, and this is exactly the direction I wanted Swift to go in. We also have EXPLICIT tags on a few of the songs in this album, a first for Swift. This really highlights the more exposed and, again, honest nature that this album is trying to take.

Best song: the 1, or maybe exile I honestly like a lot of the songs and I haven’t had enough time to choose a definitive best song for this one!

3. 1989

This album was Swift’s first true departure from her country-pop sound into electronic mainstream pop. Released in 2014, 1989 was an album about self discovery that was also showcasing the self discovery sonically. She really starts to allow edgy Taylor Swift to come forward (see: Blank Space). I think this is such a distinct and cohesive album sound, which means that any song on that album brings me back to my 2014, to the end of high school and my own self discovery. I think that’s why this album ranks so high for me, because like I mentioned it came at me at a time when I was so receptive to an album of self discovery and coming into “a new era” of life. My obvious criticism is that it is very synth heavy which is not really my vibe these days, but it works so well as a pop album as a whole.

Best song: Wildest Dreams because it is just the right amount of edgy Taylor while still having beautiful lyrics.

4. Speak Now

This is the only album that Swift has written completely herself, and the lyrics really shine. I mean, in kind of a cute teen way, but still it is impressive as she was basically a teen herself when this album was written and released. This album has so much nostalgia for my own innocent days, but my main criticism is that it is so teen, PG, innocent that it’s a little bit hard for it to come with me into adulthood. It does try to tackle a few mature themes which is more than some of the previous albums can claim! The song Better Than Revenge alludes to SEX, for the first time I think? My biggest praise for the album is that she can really write about heartbreak angst, like honestly she could put some emo bands to shame.

Best song: Back To December as it is the most emotional and lyrically strong song on the album which is what I value most in her writing.

5. Fearless

Taylor Swift’s second album, released in 2008, is still heavily country, but is starting to dabble into mainstream pop. It again has a lot of teen themes, You Belong With Me is a prime example, but as Taylor was 18 when this album was released I think that is to be expected. This album is musically and lyrically better than her debut, but her best is definitely yet to come!

Best song: Fifteen, as it embodies the “teen theme” but in a way that ages well as you grow up and relisten. Listening back on this song I had a completely different take-away… that fifteen-year-olds don’t know anything! Whereas at fifteen I listened to the song as I was experiencing the things in the song and relating so hard to them.

6. Lover

This album marks Swift’s return from the reputation era, where Taylor was a bad bitch who… rapped? And the return to wholesome pop is WELCOME! It is still very synth and electronic heavy pop, but the lyricism also returns, and in my book that is the biggest win of the album. The album sounds very samey or maybe vague to me, but it is definitely listenable. The biggest flop? That the Panic! at the Disco crossover song was the lamest worst song on the album.. Yikes!

Best song: Lover, as it is a good solid sappy beautiful love song. But honestly, there weren’t any true standouts and I thought most of the songs were equally mediocre.

7. Taylor Swift

Swift’s first and eponymous album was pure country and pure teen energy. It is hard to listen to it as an adult and not feel big high school innocent vibes, but she was 16 when she wrote it! Nothing is lyrically genius, but there are some solid tunes. There is some good teen angst and emotion in there, but some of the songs are also pretty happy go lucky. It’s just fine.

Best song: Should’ve Said No which honestly ages well and doesn’t feel explicitly teen. And it goes pretty hard for little 16 year old Taylor.

8. reputation

So that brings us to the bottom of the list, and the only Taylor Swift album I genuinely dislike. The 2017 era of Taylor Swift was the peak of mainstream pop Taylor, with so much hip hop bad bitch energy that any attempt at beautiful lyricism got lost in a rap. She was trying to be so edgy and get away from her innocent and clean public image, but she admits that this character was not authentic, and I think that comes through in the music. This was trying to be the culmination of all the self discovery in 1989, but as it was more a commentary on celebrity and fame, it was not as relatable.

Best song: New Year’s Day, it is so reminiscent of the Taylor that I love and goes completely against the rest of the album’s rapping and electronic synth vibes. Don’t tell me the old Taylor is dead, girl, she is right here!

#Taylor swift #album ranking #nobody needed this #SUBJECTIVE #folklore #red #reputation #lover #fearless #speak now #1989

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