#the series is so clearly based towards the greeks being the good guys instead of them and the romans being equals for literally no reason

[ladynicte]

Every day I am bitter than Percy got to be a Praetor for like less than 20 hours

[littlemisskookie]

Poseidon

Greek Gods Series Prologue Poseidon Aphrodite Ares Artemis Interlude Hades Hermes Zeus Ship: Pirate!Mina | Pirate!Reader | Merman!Jimin Description: Pirate!AU | Beginning your new life as a pirate had its hardships- and it all started with something called Fate. Warnings: Fingering, Oral, Dirty Talk, Exhibitionism? Violence, Assault, Angst, Death Word Count: 15,257 A/N: Cover finally up! Enjoy the first part of this series! It took me forever to write.

Your dress had been heavy and rather bothersome, taking up too much space and frankly making the temperature sweltering for you. But still, you climbed on board after your brother, your bags being loaded upon the ship. The strands of hair that poked out from your tight bun seemed to sway in the wind, and you adored the smell of the salty sea air and the wind hitting your face in a nipping breeze. It wasn't often you got to travel, but your brother had apparently found some really cheap ride, though the ship was dirty and small, and rumor had it the Captain was one of those more-so old fashioned crazies.

Nevertheless, you rushed immediately down below the deck, zipping past so quickly it seemed as though none of the sailors or male passengers noticed your bulky dress decorated with ruffles and laces. You were entranced the minute your eyes spectated below deck, ignoring the smell of dead fish to instead look down at some of the knickknacks and other goods they had stowed away. Tools, junk, and so much more, and you were fascinated. Each artifact seemed to tell a different tale for the adventures of a sailor.

You found yourself pondering over what it'd be like to be a sailor already. Only a few minutes on this ship, and already you were bothering yourself with fantasies you knew could never happen. Women could never become sailors. That was a man's job. Why, there used to be superstitions that it was bad luck for a woman to be on a ship, though the only ones who still believed that myth were the crazies who weren't in touch with the present day. Still, women were to carry around umbrellas to keep their skin fair for future husbands, wearing thick layers of skirts for poofy dresses that made them feel like fainting in the sweltering heat. You weren't even allowed to travel without a man, which is why you were here with your brother, Baekhyun.were the crazies who weren't in touch with the present day. 

The smell of raw fish and musk was getting to you, and you were easily there for more than an hour. You assumed the ship had already departed from shore, based on how the ship seemed to rock, some of the objects sliding across the wooden floor. You heard shouts and such from above deck and assumed people were too busy letting the ship depart to come below deck and meet you. That didn't matter. You were perfectly content examining the knickknacks that were scattered across the floor. You found yourself perfectly enchanted.

"Aleena?" your brother called. You instantly recognized his voice, hearing his footsteps as he went below deck with you. "Hey, did you know that this is apparently a pirate ship? No wonder it was so cheap!"

"Baek, you idiot, you got us on something as dangerous as a pirate ship?" you scolded teasingly. In reality, you didn't think much of it, especially with how fascinated you already were with the ship itself, as well as the contents it contained. You already suspected it was a pirate ship, based on the whispers about it and the captain, as well as the exterior and interior. That, and the way the  "Why are they accepting passengers though?"

"Well, apparently they were stopping by here to get some supplies for their voyage, and I more or less went to one of the sailors who was boarding the ship with goods whether or not he'd accept two passengers, and if they were stopping by the same place we were. He agreed and muttered something about 'money is money' and let us get on board. That's when I called you up.”

"You're joking," you shook your head. "Baekhyun, how are you so cheap?"

"You're not complaining now, are you? This place was a steal! I mean, sure, we'll probably live like pirates for the next few weeks until we get there- which happens to be their first stop, thankfully. The other place would've cost a fortune, you know. Besides, the guys here are saying that they'd like to recruit me!"

"Like you'd become a pirate," you laughed. "What, with the eye patches and wooden legs these guys are wearing? As if!"

"That's exactly why they need some new guys!" Baekhyun points out. "You know, the ones that aren't missing body parts. I think I'd rock at being a pirate, I dreamed of being one when I was little and everything! You remember when I made one of the servants help me make a little wooden sword and everything."

"I had to fight you with my parasol," you chuckled. "And I won!"

"Whatever," he scoffs. "The point is I'd totally rock at being a pirate."

"Well, what's stopping you? These guys are recruiting, and they're clearly looking for you to be their newest member. If you've fantasized and such with the concept so often, what's holding you back?"

"You of course," he says, ruffling your hair fondly. "I can't abandon my baby sister. You're a girl, and in this world, you can't do much for yourself. You know you're destined to marry and such, and sadly enough in today's age, you're nothing without a husband. What, with your fluffy dress and laces and everything- you'd be helpless! You need me to protect you until a decent guy comes along and pays me to give your hand."

You rolled your eyes, the sickening truth behind his words making it all too revolting. You had no rights, and you were simply seen as property. But leave it to your dimwitted, cheap brother to rub it in your face. "Tell you what, if I die or get married, you go off and become a pirate. Deal?"

"Oh sure," he laughed. "Alright, deal. I'll be a hell of a good pirate, mind you."

"I'm sure you will," you hum. Perhaps your brother could. He always acted as though he was so fed up with his life of luxury and relaxation, and he learned from your penny-pinching father to save his money whatever way he could. He dreamed of adventures and such, always causing a ruckus in your house and insisting on learning reading and writing was an absolute bore and a waste of time. He'd give you his books and such because he didn't care for them, and with it, you learned how to read and write on your own, as well as receiving a little bit of help from your brother, who didn't mind teaching you things in a way to feel superior. Your brother had a fragile ego where he fed off of attention and encouragement, who enjoyed feeling better than someone, but those were just the flaws he had. He was still sweet and protective (though sometimes too much), and most of all he loved you.

"We should go above deck anyway. What're you doing down here?" he asked you.

"Look at the small treasures I've found!" you said, gesturing to the tiny items you found. Intricate shells, rusted hooks, and so much more that had you marveling for more than an hour.

"This junk?" Baekhyun guffawed, "Aleena, this is useless and worthless! They aren't worth a cent. we've already gone so far out into the sea and departed, and you've been down here with this stuff the entire time? You'd figure pirates would steal gold and stuff, not keep around these things! You should've looked for gold."

"Not everything has value in coins," you roll your eyes, starting to put away the things where you found them. "Besides, I won't rob these people. I'm not so money-obsessed as you are."

"I'm just smart like our father," Baekhyun huffed. "I'm good at managing money. But could you imagine how much these guys would make?"

"No clue, but clearly they're like you if they aren't spending it on making their ship a bit nicer," you point out. "C'mon, I've been down here for too long. I need some fresh air."

Baekhyun leads you up to above deck, where immediately you smelled the scent of the salty sea, accompanied with the harsh wind kissed your skin. You let out a sigh of content, dragging your dress up as you wandered above the deck. Eyes were on you, and you heard the other sailors murmur and grunt in your direction, giving you the stink eye. You noticed there were no women on board, but what did you expect? Whoever heard of a woman pirate? Pirates were especially superstitious!

A man with tattered clothes and teeth so yellow you couldn't believe it wasn't butter staggered up to the two of you, his glare menacing as he shoved Baekhyun with one filthy hand. "Ye didn't say the other passenger was a girl," he growled.

"She's my sister, what's the big deal?" Baekhyun defended. "I simply said there'd be another passenger with me."

"The big deal? The big deal is that she's a woman!" the man roared. "Why, what will the captain think that I let you on here? We've already been out at sea for quite a while, son, and it's too late to turn back! Don't you know it's dangerous to have a woman on board?"

"It's not like she'll do anything. Look at her, she couldn't hurt a fly!" Baekhyun protested. "What're you going on about? We just needed a ride!"

"Captain!"

Immediately, everyone turned their attention to a scraggly bearded man who seemed to be twice the size of your dress alone. He looked gruff and dirty, stomping towards you and roughly grabbing you by the arm, causing you to shriek and yelp at how his jagged nails seemed to even pierce into your skin through the sleeve. "A woman! What treachery is this? Are you trying to give us bad luck? We'll sink at this rank!"

"What are you talking about?" Baekhyun guffawed, trying to yank you back into his arms.

"It's bad luck to have a woman on a ship, it'll bring on dangerous storms that'll come for her- and for our ship too," the captain growled. "Haven't you seen the storm already approaching in the distance? This is why women aren't allowed on the ship!"

"That's ridiculous! What're you going to do? I won't let you touch her!" Baekhyun said, pulling you into his arms and glaring at the captain. "That's a stupid superstition!"

"Are you sure you want to do that, boy?" the other pirate questioned, raising one bushy brow to your brother. "I thought you had real potential. You could make a fortune with us, and you seem to be the perfect candidate, you'd be very valuable. Would you like to join your sister when we throw you overboard?"

Baekhyun's eyes widened, and he gulped nervously. You noticed how his brows jumped at the word fortune, and how fear struck his eyes at the word overboard. You narrowed your eyes, livid as you shoved him back. "Don't you dare think about it, Baekhyun! I'm your sister!"

"I-I..." Baekhyun gulped.

Your eyes widened, and you stomped closer. He was actually considering this! He hesitated and everything! "Fucking coward!"

More men came over, scooping you up and holding you back by your arms, and you were left flailing, with your legs kicking wildly in the air through your dress that weighed you down. Your eyes were filled with tears already at the betrayal. "I can't believe you! You fucking bitch! I hate you I hate you I hate you!"

"She's got quite a mouth on her, she speaks like one of us after a cup of rum," one of the men holding you snickered.

"Captain, mind if we use her dirty mouth for something else?" the other man holding you asked, wiggling his brows suggestively. Hoots and hollers of approval rounded about the deck, nearing closer as your eyes widened with fear, terror written across your face. Was your brother going to stand for this? For you to get raped and thrown overboard?

"We don't have time for that, the storm's quickly approaching for her," the captain grunted. "Chain up her legs and prepare for the seas to toss her over. The ocean can decide the maiden's fate."

"Captain, what for the boy?" a pirate muttered gruffly. "Should he join his sister, for giving us this burden?"

"I see potential in him," the captain answered. "He can prove his loyalty. That is, if he's willing?"

They looked expectantly to your brother, and your own eyes peered at him with anger and curiosity for whatever actions he'd take next.

Baekhyun gulped nervously, his Adam's apple bobbing along the column of his throat with fear. "A-Ah, yes, Captain."

The captain gave a rather toothy grin, a tooth of gold gleaming almost as brightly as his eyes did with mischievousness. "Perfect. Tie the chains around your sister's legs, and then push her off the plank yourself. That's how you'll prove your loyalty."

You let out a cry of no, eyes swimming with tears as your body jolted forward, only for the men holding you to snap you back up. "Baekhyun, you can't! Please, don't do this, n-no, please!"

"Hurry and hold her down!" the captain ordered. "Get the chains for the boy, the storm's a comin'!"

You were slammed down onto the ground, and one of your arms slipped from your captor's grasp. You tried to scramble up, only to be jerked roughly back down. Tears streamed down your cheeks as you screamed for help, knowing it was all in vain. A man handed your brother chains, and Baekhyun felt how they weighed down his arms, and he bent down and hiked up your skirt, other men holding down your kicking legs, some hands venturing a bit too far up your thigh than you'd like. You wanted to scream, but a hand slapped against your mouth, making your whimpers for mercy practically silent. You let out choked, gurgled cries as you felt the cold and heavy chains begin to tie at your ankles.

You looked at Baekhyun in sheer terror, and he showed you an expression of sorrow and regret but continued. "I'm sorry," he whispered, and you wanted to scream at him that was such bullshit. This betrayal hurt, and you most certainly didn't want to die sinking to the bottom of the ocean.

"Hurry up and get her on the plank! The storm's above us now," the captain urged, staring up at the sky as dark clouds hurriedly rolled in. You stared up at the lightning that briefly flashed in the clouds, not a single drop of water coming over your heads yet. You didn't have much time.

"Get her up, get her up! We've got to hurry for the sacrifice," a pirate shouted. You were picked up, the chains bearing you down beneath your thick dress as they set up a plank, making it sturdy as they prepared your literal downfall.

You were placed on the plank, your feet bound together with chains that weighed you down. You saw as someone roughly pushed your brother forward, whose knees buckled together as he stared at you.

You were trembling, unable to move. "Baekhyun, please, don't do this," you begged him quietly.

"Aleena," he said firmly, taking a step forward. You took a step back with what little movement your chains allowed. The very chains your brother wrapped around your legs for you to sink to the ocean floor, where you'd be left with nothing more than a skeleton with rusted chains bound around her. He took another step, you took another one back, and you were crying so badly, your body wracked with sobs. You were crying so hard, and Baekhyun just kept taking shaky steps forward. You were well above the water now and by this point, Baekhyun knew that one more step and you'd be tumbling into the depths of the unforgiving sea.

His hands were trembling as he raised them up to you, and you shook your head violently, unable to speak. You wanted to curse. You wanted to beg. You wanted to live.

"I love you," Baekhyun whispered, placing his hands on your shoulders before shoving you into the sea.

The cold water nipped at your skin, and you submerged into the icy depths, your heavy skirt and chains dragging you down faster and faster. You did your best to hold the breath in your lungs, trying to kick off the chains that restrained movements from your legs, your arms clawing up in frantic movements to bring you back to the surface, which seemed to distance itself with each passing second.

It was getting so cold already, and you felt as though more weight was pressing you down, your lungs starting to burn. Your mouth opened, and tiny bubbles escaped from your parted lips. Your lungs felt as though they'd burst, and you tried to scramble, getting your billowing skirt up as you searched through the fabric, trying to find the chains. Your lungs felt as though they were about to burst, and you tugged on the iron, feeling a bit of resistance.

You were starting to go deeper and deeper, and the chains were only giving so much. If you only got it a bit looser, perhaps you'd be able to escape. You were yanking as hard as you could, feeling around since your skirt seemed to fly up into your face, blocking your vision, though it was already darkening. Your lungs were about to give way, and all of the breath you barely managed to capture during your plunge into death was about to escape.

Perhaps your mind was playing tricks on you, but you could've sworn you felt another pair of hands tugging at your chains until they unraveled around your legs. You didn't waste time thinking about it though, and desperately swam up to the top, your lungs about to burst as adrenaline pumped, and you kicked beneath the dress that was dragging you down.

You made it to the surface, taking in greedy breaths for air, gulping desperately for the oxygen to slam back into your lungs. You struggled to stay up, your dress still trying to pull you into the depths of the unforgiving ocean. You were paddling for so long, struggling to stay above water. You were alone, a victim of the elements, and it didn't seem to be getting any better. You were alone, with only the storm overhead to comfort you.

You didn't know how long you were swimming now. You couldn't even see the ship anymore. It had abandoned you, just as your brother had. You cursed him bitterly, your tears being swallowed by the sea. Your vision was fading, your strength failing you. You had flailed about so much, and the sky was so dark, save for the few flashes of lightning that grazed the bleary sky. You were starving, and thirsty, and tired. But as you started to sink down, content to let the inevitable death consume you, the blurry figure of a man with a glorious, glimmering tail seemed to reach out to you.

And with that, your eyes shut.

"Hoist her up!" The cries sounded from above, and you opened your eyes, fluttering your lashes and the bright light of day overwhelmed your senses. Were you in heaven? Your vision cleared, and you realized there was an arm tightly bound around your waist, keeping you up. You looked over to see a grinning girl who was soaked to the bone, her smile cheerful and her eyes glimmering with something you didn't recognize. You were shocked, and stared down, noticing the sea beneath your feet was getting farther and farther, though the waves that splashed against the side of the boat threatened to drag you back. You clutched onto the girl, who laughed heartily, gripping onto the rope as the people above deck dragged you two up.

"Finally awake I see?" the woman laughed. "Luckily you were spotted out at sea, and we directed the boat to you. I'm surprised you're awake, you were on the verge of death a minute ago!"

"Who are you?" you stammered, perplexed as your senses slowly took over.

"Captain Mina," she smirked.

"Captain?" you asked, looking up to the many hands offering to pull you up. You grabbed onto one, slipping out of Mina's grasp to climb on board, and you rolled over on the wooden ground, sputtering out water once your body slammed against it. You stared down at the boots and such, afraid you landed on another pirate ship to be thrown over. But that was strange, how could a woman be on a pirate ship? Or be a captain, no less?

But you stared up, seeing the faces of only women peering down at you, their expressions marked with curiosity and concern as you gawked up at them. Mina jumped on board, offering a hand to you with a bright expression, letting you take her hand as you awkwardly pulled yourself up. She wrapped her arm around your shoulders, pulling you closer as you gestured to the crew of women, all aboard a pirate ship.

"Welcome," she introduced, her voice ringing out. "To the Siren!"

"How do you have a ship of just women? I was the only one on one ship and I was thrown off," you say, blinking up at her in surprise.

Her face soured. "That's exactly the problem. Plenty of women here have been thrown off ships or abandoned by men, though of course, we have the ones who simply dreamed of this lifestyle or have no other choice. We rescue and recruit women who have been tossed into the sea to die, and we continue our path to find riches and adventure!"

"We spit on the men who believe we're less than them!" another girl cried. "Why, we even stole this ship! She's named the Siren, and any man's ship we come across, she beckons, and sinks the ship to the sea!" Her statement was received with hoots and hollers of approval from the women around her.

Mina grinned to you, her smile warm. "What's your story, girl? And name? You must be up class, what with your fancy dress and all. But I'm surprised you didn't sink to the bottom wearing that!"

You notice how it's stuck to your skin, the many layers drenched and leaving a pool of salt water at your feet. You run your hands through your sopping wet hair, letting out a breathy sigh. "I'm Aleena, a-and my brother had found a cheap ride, but once they found out a woman was on board they had him tie the chains around my feet and push me off the plank." You simply spouted out the truth, unable to tell what else you could.

"Ah, a pity," Mina shook her head. "But however did you get out of the chains? You ought to be dead!"

"I-I don't know," you admitted. "I guess my brother wasn't so good at tying the chains. He's never done something like that before."

"Ah, well how lucky you are then!" she cheered. "For now you shall become a new recruit with us. Unless you'd like to be dropped off simply at the next stop, but I'm sure you wouldn't be able to get any help or resources there. It'd be best for you to stay with us on our adventures. You're a survivor, and clearly, the God of the Seas is on your side! You could prove to be a valuable sailor."

"I-I," you stammer, stunned. "Y-Yes, Captain."

She grinned brighter, her eyes twinkling. She hugged you a bit tighter, her sopping wet sleeve over your own as she gripped you tightly. "You'll make a fine pirate, Aleena. I'll take you under my wing myself. You'll be a master at our works in no time. I'll start training you first thing tomorrow morning. For now, Nayeon will give you a fresh pair of clothes, some spare food, and show you your lodgings. You must be exhausted. We'll wake you up tomorrow morning. It's a tough life out here at sea, but I promise you it's one you'll never forget it!"

You were then flown to the arms of another girl, whose gentle touches brought you below deck and to your lodgings, and immediately she handed you some clothes. Part of you already missed the friendly and warm arms of Mina- or, your new captain. It was all happening so quickly, you were overwhelmed. You really needed to sleep on it.

"Captain likes you," she spoke, helping you out of the tight and intricate torso of your dress. "It's clear. She likes you already, I've never seen her smile so much. It must be because you remind her of herself, or at least the old her."

"Huh?" you asked, letting out a sigh of relief once the tight, soaked fabric was off. You immediately got dressed in a shirt that was rather shabby- but overall clean enough, and far more comfortable than the restricting and thick layers of your usual dresses.

"It isn't my business to tell, but you'll find out eventually, and you should know anyway. It's weird I'm telling you so early, but I have a feeling you deserve to know," Nayeon shrugged, tossing the wet dress to the side as she handed you some pants. "But Captain was thrown off a ship by her own fiance, who planned to murder her that way to get out of the arranged marriage. She was a lot like you, fancy clothes, lost, but eventually, she gathered some other mistreated women- myself included- and we helped her take over the very same ship she was thrown off. This one. We snuck on in barrels as they were loading it and took over it in the night. We've been gathering more girls ever since."

"Wow," you breathed. "Rough. I'm so sorry that happened to her."

"Yeah, it makes sense you can empathize with her," Nayeon said, taking a look at your outfit. "You'll fit in here. Anyone who Mina likes everyone likes. She'll probably favor you, is what I'm guessing. She typically is a lot harder or more stern with new recruits, but she warmed up to you pretty quickly. She even offered private training, and that's definitely unheard of."

"Well, it's definitely a lot to wrap my head around," you murmur. "Everything's happening so quickly. One moment I'm on the brink of death, the next I'm in training to become a pirate."

"Yeah, these things aren't exactly the slow processes they make it out to be," Nayeon agreed. "But I think you'll like it enough here. If not, you are always free to leave. Typically we let the girl have some spare gold if she wants to leave so badly, but then she's on her own, and we're off to the next big thing. We only go out for more gold, more girls, and more adventures. It's not like any of us really plan on leaving anytime soon."

"Understood," you nodded. It was so much to process. Everything was happening so quickly.

"Now, let's get some scraps in your stomach, and then you can go to bed," Nayeon assured. "It's been a long day, and you have many more awaiting you." With that, she spun on her heel and went to get your food, and that marked the beginning of your life as a pirate.

"You're a fast learner, Aleena," Mina commented as your sword slashed through the air, colliding with hers. Her eyes sparkled as you swung back, letting the blades meet as you gritted your teeth. Mina laughed, "Only, what? Five months! Five months and you're already starting to become a challenge for me- woah!"

Your sword twisted and turned, locking with hers as you knocked it to the side, her sword clattering to the ground, sliding down away from her. She stared at you, jaw dropping with wide eyes as she processed the fact that you- the newest recruit of five months- had managed to disarm none other than the captain. The other girls on the ship gawked at the scene, wide-eyed. You blew a strand of hair out of your face, smirking at her as you pointed the tip of the sword at your beloved captain.

"Challenge, eh?" you grinned, your eyes twinkling. Mina's typical smile towards you reappeared, and she clapped slowly, nodding in approval.

"Not once since I've become captain has anyone been able to disarm me," she spoke. "You've proven to be an exceptional crew member, Aleena. You're a natural, somehow, and while I'm not going to give up my place as captain- for now," she winked, "I do think you'd make a fantastic first mate."

Nayeon squealed beside you, squeaking slightly as she squeezed your arm. "That's like second to the captain," Nayeon whispered excitedly. "They take over after the captain if the captain leaves or anything, but it's like second rank! It's a huge honor, and we haven't been able to pick one because no one fit the role, and while it's unusual for someone so new to be boosted up to that position, she's right! You've been a natural since day one! I mean no one's been such a good fighter especially, and you've battled all of us already during your training. Aleena, were you a pirate on another ship and you didn't tell us?"

You laughed, "You were there when I was found at sea! Definitely not."

"Well, Aleena?" Mina winked. "Will you take the position as my first mate?"

You brought your hand up to your forehead in a teasing manner, winking to her. "Aye aye, Captain!"

Mina's cheeks flushed red as she swatted you teasingly, her smile gummy and eyes sparkling just like yours, and your heart seemed to drum at a faster pace in your chest. You had a crush on your captain, sure, but it wasn't like some of the girls on this ship didn't fool around with one another. On a boat full of girls, there was definitely some business most wouldn't think of happening below deck during breaks. But no one cared, and no one minded, and any business they had could be settled between the two of them as long as no one else was dragged into anything messy, or as long as it didn't affect work.

But this was your captain. Sure, other girls confessed about crushing on her for a bit as well, and as friendly and joyous as she was- especially around you- you had to be reminded that she was off limits. Though, you didn't know how much closer this new position of first mate would bring you.first mate would bring you.

"Oh, by the way, you stay in the Captain's quarters!" Nayeon mentioned. "First mate shares a room with the captain."

Oh.

Your favorite spot had to be at the very top of the ship, at the crow's nest. A barrel to the very top where you could look out with a telescope or anything, in particular, to see if an island was approaching. It was horrible being up there during the day- scorching hot to the point blisters threatened to pop up on your skin, but at night, with the cool breeze, it was bliss.

You took in a deep breath, closing your eyes and taking in the scent of the salty sea air. You lost track of the months you stayed here. You remember how earlier on, you were more susceptible to sea sickness, staggering and barely able to hold a sword, easily defeated. But you were a natural when it came to picking up tips and tricks easily, using them for yourself. You were a quick learner, and you adapted to the life on the sea with time, embracing the sharp winds to the calming waters. You felt grounded in an odd sense like you belonged. The crew members liked you enough, and you were closest to Nayeon who always offered to explain something you didn't know, and Mina was always there for you, though sometimes the crush you suppressed got the best of you. But you did your best to keep a cool and collected persona, as though you knew exactly what you were doing, and perhaps that's why everyone thought you were perfect for the ship, and that you were a natural despite the lack of previous experience. You faked your confidence to the point it became real.

You thought back to the treacherous day your brother pushed you off the ship. You thought about it often, anger still bubbling up as you thought back. But you could've sworn when you were in the sea that you felt a different pair of hands yanking down your chains, and a blurry image of... you didn't even know. But something wasn't adding up, and even you knew that.

And then you thought back to your captain. She was someone who went through the same struggles you did, and overcame them, becoming a cheerful captain with control and happiness. She was content, she was beautiful, and she was out there rescuing women and getting treasure. How could someone be so marvelous, and choose you as first mate? You didn't know how long you were first mate now, months, at least, but the conversations and continuous time with the woman who made feelings arise didn't help your situation. Sleeping in the same room as her, spending almost every waking moment with her. She was so warm. So perfect.

"Hey, Aleena?" someone asked. You turned around, brushing back some of your hair that flowed in the wind as you saw none other than your captain climbing up the ladder and into the crow's nest. Well, speak of the devil.

"Oh, Captain!" you say, alarmed.

She shakes her head, smiling. "How many times do I have to tell you? When we're alone just call me Mina. You're my first mate, but when we're alone you're not. I don't want you to think of me as a captain all the time you know."

Truthfully you tried to avoid calling her real name because it would already add onto the thick tension between you two. "Y-Yeah, sorry Mina."onto the thick tension between you two. "Y-Yeah, sorry Mina."

She grinned, letting out a sigh of content as she leaned against the side of the crow's nest. "It's nice up here, isn't it?"

"I'll say," you sighed, closing your eyes as the night air kissed your skin. "This is what I could get used to."

Mina nodded in agreement, tilting her head back. "How have you enjoyed being first mate? You seemed to have handled it well so far."

"I mean, it's a lot of responsibility and hard work," you admitted, your mind flashing back to helping hoist the sails and steer out of quite a few storms. "But I wouldn't trade it for anything."

Mina grinned warmly at that. "You wanna know why I chose you as first mate, despite the fact you weren't here for very long?"

"Uh... yes," you coughed. "Yeah, I'd like to know."

"Because you've got ambition. You love the sea as I do, and you're a quick learner. You adapted easily to this life style," Mina explained. "You know, when I first saw you out at sea, in that huge dress of yours, it reminded me of myself. I assumed you'd be the type to run back to shore at first chance, who'd be reluctant to work here, who'd be scared and let the horrors of what happened consume you. But you were strong, and started your new lifestyle without complaint, and worked hard to hold up and excel our standards. You reminded me of myself in an odd sense, though I wasn't nearly as quick as you were to get used to this way of life."

"I-I'm flattered," you stammered, unsure what to say. "I mean, it wasn't easy, but I guess the first moment my eyes opened to a life on the sea, I was enchanted."

Mina nodded, her smile fading, and her eyes looking out to the distance. "I know what you said about the story involving your brother, and I'm sure you know my own. But do you ever think back to what happened?"

"All the time," you confessed. "He was too cowardly to stand up to them, and I think the thought of being able to earn gold and have adventures got to him, and they flattered him enough saying that he would be the perfect addition to their crew. The pressure and potential overwhelmed him, and no matter what I did, he still tied chains around his sister's legs and pushed me off the plank. It was horrible, but I don't know where he is now, and I don't even know what I'd do if I saw him again. He's still my brother, but he's also a traitor. I'm conflicted."

Mina licked her lips, thinking over your words. "I know what it's like to be betrayed."

"By your fiance right?" you asked softly. "Sorry if that's crossing the line, just tell me and I'll pretend like I never said anything."

She smiled a little, chuckling. "No, it's alright. Yes, it was my fiance. Our parents had arranged us in a marriage, and we were to board a boat would take us to our wedding. I was actually smitten, believe it or not, but apparently, he didn't feel the same. I only found that out when he threw me overboard in the middle of the night."

"That's horrible," you gawked. "How'd you make it to shore?"

"The idiot didn't know we were already close to shore, and I quickly swam to shore, finding out he had told my family I was already dead, drowning in the sea. I was furious with him, and the people who let it happen and covered up his tracks on that boat. So I gathered a group of girls the night before they were to sail again, and took over the ship, setting sail. I had no interest in the family who'd accept my death without a second thought, and he paid for his crimes thankfully."

"That's good at least," you said. "It's unfortunate that happened to you, though. He's horrible."

"Guess I was so undesirable that it made him try to kill me," she laughed bitterly.

Your face twisted into a scowl immediately, and you put your hand on her wrist, taking it in your hand and holding it firmly. "Mina," you said in all seriousness. "Don't ever think that. You're a great catch and anyone with a brain could see that. He doesn't deserve someone as bright or courageous as you are. You're the captain of your own ship and the world is in the palm of your hands- meanwhile, he was just a sleaze who couldn't see the beautiful girl in front of him. Don't ever tear yourself down like that."

She blinked at you, her stare blank as she soaked in the words you said. Before you knew it, her other hand was on your shoulder, and she pulled you in. Your eyes were wide as her lips were against yours, and your mind wandered to how soft they felt. You closed your eyes, melting into it as her lips moved slowly against yours, her hand snaking from your shoulder to your cheek.

Mina breaks off the kiss, her eyes still trained on your lips before trailing back to your eyes. "I-I'm sorry, I crossed the line, I-"

"Mina," you say, putting her hands in your own. "It's fine, I liked it."

A nervous smile broke out on her lips, and she couldn't help but giggle. Your cheeks burned at the confession, but you let your own sheepish grin show. Mina was silent, staring down at her hands in your own, swinging them gently, letting the tension and air of what happened form between you two.

"I don't want you to think that I do this with anyone else," she mumbled. "I don't fool around with any of the crew members or anything. And I didn't promote you to first mate just to get in your pants or anything, I genuinely thought you fit the position. And I typically don't do this, I never have in fact, because of my position as captain... but..."

"Mina, you don't have to explain to me," you whispered. "I believe you."

She smiled warmly. "I think I liked you since I first met you. You looked so angelic, and the moment I spotted you I jumped off the boat and dived into the sea, you know that? I think I was hooked since then."

You laughed, taking her face in your hands and kissing her again. Her lips were so soft, so warm. Small pecks that melted into deeper kisses, and you felt like you couldn't breathe, your lungs burning slightly, but you didn't want it to stop. Mina's hands traveled to the hem of your shirt, slowly traveling up and beneath the fabric, her fingertips gently grazing over your skin.

"I'm moving too fast," she murmured, her hands slipping back down.

"Go as fast as you want," you breathed, letting your lips collide back to hers. She smiled, and her hands traveled back up, the pads of her fingertips swiftly moving over your breast, grazing over one of your hardened nipples. Her hands were hesitant, but slowly she squeezed at the soft flesh, massaging the mounds in her palms as you moaned in her mouth. This was going fast- but you were used to things being fast paced now. It was exhilarating.

Your hands tangled into her hair, letting your fingers intertwine with her dark locks. One of her hands slipped below your breast, rubbing the skin right beneath it. Her other hand decided to travel down, slipping into the waistband of your pants. She stilled, as though she was waiting for you to tell her to stop, but you let out a small whimper instead, and she continued until the pads of her finger tips met your clit, which was sensitive already.

She circled her fingers around the sensitive nub, adding some pressure as she continued her ministrations.

"Mina," you breathed, your lips parting from hers. Her lips seemed to be slightly swollen from their dance with your own, and you had no doubt your pupils were blown out as you stared at her in longing. "T-That feels so good..."

She smiled, attaching her lips to the side of your neck, her hands running through your glistening folds, fingers slowly gathering some of your slick arousal. You felt so sensitive to her touch, and you could tell she knew what she was doing. She might not have fooled around with your crew mates, but you were positive there was some girl out there she gained experience with. But with the way she was making you feel, you were definitely thankful.

Her fingers circled around your clit, making you mewl in pleasure as she continued, her lips sure to leave small bruises along your collarbone. Her fingers went lower, grazing over your entrance. They were getting more soaked by the minute, circling teasingly around your pussy.

"F-Fuck," you hissed out. "Quit teasing already, M-Mina."

She smirked, humming against your neck. "Sure thing, Aleena," she giggled, a laugh that sounded like music to your ears. Slowly she inched a finger inside of you, letting you get used to the sensation of the digit inside of you, and she started pumping it, coating it with your juices as her palm dug into your clit, giving you pleasure you desperately craved.

You've had sex before, sure. Though you were supposed to be a maiden who was pure, you did end up losing your virginity quite a while back, unbeknownst to your brother and family. But that boy wasn't nearly as tender a lover as Mina, who curled her finger in a way that had you jolt, as though she hit a small bundle of nerves. Seeing your reaction, she pushed another finger into you, feeling you stretch around her, your walls clenching around her dainty fingers.

You mewled softly as she rubbed her palm more deliberately into your clit, an unfamiliar pressure in your lower stomach starting to form. You welcomed the feeling without hesitation, bucking into her hand as she kissed you once more, her fingers pumping into you and curling every so often.

You were a stammering, moaning mess already, biting down on her collarbone to muffle your moans. It was all starting to become too much, your sensitive and swollen cunt being played with by Mina, and you felt as though you were going to burst. Your lower stomach was warm, and it struck you that you might actually be close to an orgasm. Your hips were bucking into her hand, the heel of her palm digging into your clit with circular motions, her fingers curling more until you felt your eyes roll, and you bit down harshly, feeling your legs buckle.

You let go of her shoulder between your teeth, feeling your breath knocked out of you as you took needy gulps for oxygen, your high coming down, though your mind was still filled with euphoria and bliss. Was that what an orgasm was? If so you wanted to experience it ten more times.

Mina grinned, taking her hand out of your pants to show her glistening fingers, popping them in her mouth as she stared at you. "You taste delicious, Aleena," she purred slightly.

You grinned, and something told you that you were in for a whole different type of training. You didn't mind though, and you were especially looking forward to it. Especially if it was with her.

Thundering and hollers sounded about from above deck, and you and Mina had already hopped out of your shared bed, grabbing swords and charging above. Your ship had planks connecting it to another, where men were crossing and battle your own crew members. Fiercely you fought, battling against the enemy. It had been either a year or more since you joined this crew, and you weren't letting The Siren down without a fight.

A gruff man's sword was clanging with your own, and you swung your own down to his peg leg- at the same time ducking beneath his swinging blade. Your sword got caught in the wooden stick, and you swung it beneath him to have him fall back, where you knocked his sword out of his hand, catching it in your own. No doubt these pirates were out to steal from you.

He jumped up again, dodging your attempts to stab him as he kicked you back, squarely in the chest. You knocked against the side of the boat, and he came forward, towering over you. You didn't think, letting your instincts kick in as you plunged the two swords in your hands directly into his chest, not bothering to gawk at his surprised and mortified expression before you planted your foot on his abdomen, rolling on your back as you threw him overboard, one of the swords falling with him. The other one was still in your hand, soaked in the red of the pirate.

It wasn't your first kill- for it's normal for pirates to attack other pirates, especially if one is filled with women. You charged towards another man, instantly jumping onto his back and yanking his head back by his scrappy bandana, bringing your blade to his throat and slicing it, jumping off of him as he fell on his knees, blood everywhere until he face planted into the wood, the liquid simply pooling around his limp body.

You were clashing swords with so many pirates, your mind a blur as you used each skill you had picked up over the year consume you, using it to outwit or defeat the more muscular and bigger opponents. Muscle was nothing to a sharp blade.

You spotted Mina, your captain fiercely fighting a man, her growl evident as she bared her teeth, throwing him off to stagger back before she struck again. You heard a roar behind you, and you quickly ducked beneath a sword that swiped through the air, rolling over and grabbing onto the nearest object you could find- a small bloodied knife from the other ship. You swung your sword at the man, jumping to your feet and kicking him in the groin, slashing at his arms until his sword clattered at his feet. You dropped your sword, shaking your hand before tightening it in a fist, punching him squarely in the nose before he staggered back, at the edge of the boat. You shook your hand, feeling the pain blossom through your knuckles, and quickly throwing the knife, having it land perfectly between his brows as he fell back and into the watery depths.

You looked back, only to see the pirate who was fighting Mina yank his sword from her chest, twisting his head around as though to stretch his neck. Fear struck you, and it felt as though your heart stopped beating, your chest tightening. You found yourself scooping back up your sword, a warrior cry as you flew to him, your sword quick to collide with his, eyes narrowed with fury and tears.

"You're going to pay!" you screamed, your movements sharp to jab or to swipe at him. He was good, pushing against your efforts and swinging your swords around, though each trick he tried you easily overpowered, countering him.

He killed Mina he killed Mina he killed Mina.

And now you'll kill him.

"Aleena?!" he shouted at you just as your swords clashed against one another's. You were pushing your blade down against his, trying to make his own finally strike him, his force keeping him from harm. Your eyes widened at the fact he knew your name, and your eyes locked with his.

"Baekhyun?" you whispered. He gave way, twisting around to where you staggered forward, turning back to him and keeping your sword up, your face filled with shock.

"How are you still alive? I thought you were dead!" Baekhyun shouted.

"What the fuck are you doing here?" you hissed at him, eyes wide.

"It was my one chance for survival, and they offered me everything. I'm a pirate now, and I'm a quarters mate," he said, and you heard how he seemed to beam at the fact. "B-But you! You're still alive!"

Your eyes flew back to Mina's body, in a pool of her own blood, and anger overwhelmed you. You thought back to the feeling of crashing into the waves, of the cold water splashing your face repeatedly as you tried to stay up, of the very chains weighing you down until you thought you were about to burst beneath the surface.

"That's right cockshit," you hissed, swinging your blade at him. Baekhyun's smile of relief was quickly washed off as he brought his sword up to yours, looking at you with alarm as you gritted your teeth to him. "And you won't be."

You were fighting again, and you were more determined on winning than ever, using the twisting motion to knock the sword far away from him as it clattered and slid to the other side. Baekhyun held his hands up in surrender, and you quickly hit him over the head with the hilt of your sword, pressing down on the side of his head with the bottom of your boot.

You aimed your sword, ready to pierce at his jugular until he whimpered in fear. "P-Please, Aleena, you w-woudln't murder your brother in cold b-blood, now would you?"

You froze, your eyes narrowed. "Coward," you spat. You saw his crew mates start to go back to their own ship, jumping over the planks and getting aboard their boat, deciding it wasn't worth it apparently. Your eyes flew to a fat corpse, Nayeon's small frame hovering above it as you saw many small knives piercing into the chest of the scraggily captain who ordered for you to be pushed off the boat in the first place.

So that's why they were leaving already.

You got off of Baekhyun, eyes narrowed. "Go back to your damn ship."

He didn't stop, his eyes filled with fear as he scurried past you, assuming you were sparing him. The ship quickly departed, already heading out as quickly as it could, it's failed attempts at robbery proven to have cost them their captain.

Nayeon walked towards you, her voice timid as she stared back at the others, tending to the wounded. Your eyes locked with one of the girls by Mina, who simply shook her head sadly towards you.

"What do we do now, Captain?" Nayeon asked.

That's right.

You were captain now.

Fire coursed through your veins, and your jaw clenched. "Aim the cannons, and fire once we're set. We aren't letting them get away while they're still in range."

You weren't showing any mercy.

Years at sea can do wonders to the brain. For some it drives them mad, to the edge of insanity until they dive into the depths of their captor, never to be seen again. For you, it simply gave you what little sanity you had. You had seen blood shed on the wood of The Siren, but nightmares continuously tortured you, and within a blink of an eye you were being pinned down as your brother wrapped chains around your legs, or the water rushing towards you as you zoomed into the murky depths, or your very own brother yanking the sword that killed the woman you loved. On the worst nights, you felt as though you could hear his screams as his ship sunk to your commands.

But there were the comforting dreams that kept you tied to the sea, showing it wasn't full of nightmares and such. You'd dream of soft hands undoing your burdens, and sometimes, if you looked closely enough through the waves, you swore you saw a glorious tail shimmer in the sunlight. Perhaps the sea was getting to you, but your crew mates often joked that one day, you'd become one with the ocean.

Perhaps that day was today, with the impending doom that showed as your first mate, Nayeon, had her nails pierce your skin, clutching your arm in terror as a giant tentacle was raised in the air, seeming to reach the dark clouds overhead. Raindrops were beating over your head, and your crew mates didn't fight the beast, instead clinging to the sides of the ship as the waves wildly spun the boat about, waves crashing down on all of you as hope was lost.

It was a monster that tried to wrap its tentacles around your boat in the middle of the night, stilling your boat from the thrashing waves as it tried to sink you below the surface. All of you were wildly jabbing at the tentacles, causing the giant squid to let out an ungodly screech as you ducked down, some of the dangerous tentacles letting go of the ship, but dragging your crew mates with it.

You were holding a silent prayer, your hand covering your friend's as she cowered into your shoulder. Hope was gone, and this ferocious beast from the seas was slowly beginning to crash down on you, lightning briefly flashing to illuminate the horror that would be the cause of your death.

You squeezed her hand, looking down at her. You couldn't help but have your mind flash back to Mina, to her brilliant smile as she'd grin to you, and her last moments of being fierce and courageous, right before you turned your back. How she'd stare at you as though you were a glimmering star during those small moments alone.

Nayeon let out a whimper of fear, and the tentacle was already coming down, becoming bigger and closer with each passing second.

"It was an honor to work with you," you said. At that moment the tentacle crashed down, and you were knocked back, Nayeon screeching as her grip on your arm loosened, and she was tumbling in the other direction. There was a gaping split, The Siren split into two as the tentacles reappeared, slimy and horrifying as they started dragging the boat back down, letting it slowly sink as your crew members were either slipping off into the depths or trapped.

You fell into the thrashing water, a wave quickly splashing over your head as you plunged down into the water. It had been years since you first dived into the water, helpless, and yet the feeling was just as terrifying. You could barely see your hands in front of your face in the murky water, and you were swimming once again to the surface, gasping for breath and trying to look around in the dark, lightning illuminating the scene once again.

The first thing you saw was Nayeon barely floating on a piece of wood, the ship slowly sinking in the background, monstrous tentacles dragging it down. It was dark again, and you were desperately trying to swim to your friend. You had to save anyone you could.

You were calling her name, but something grabbed at your boot, dragging you down. Your eyes widened in fear as you tried to kick at whatever was causing you to sink, and your foot slipped out of the shoe, and once again you were swimming up to the surface, trying to swim to Nayeon.

You were dragged back again, this time a strong arm hooked around your waste. You yelped, thrashing about to stay on the surface. You saw movement in the dark, something humongous crashing down right where you saw Nayeon, and you let out a scream of terror, once again being dragged down. You tried desperately to kick at your captor, trying to pry the arm off of you as you tried to hit whatever monster was keeping you underwater. You felt yourself moving away from the scene quickly, as though strong movements were pulling you and the kidnapper away.

You felt movement, and you saw a trident low, a soft hue of baby blue illuminating it. Your breath was let out, and you turned to look at your captor, seeing the handsome face of a man concentrated on something in the dark. Fear coursed through your system, and you were frozen with shock.

A beam seemed to shoot out from the trident, a blue light coursing through the water and shooting into the dark, and a muffled, inhumanely scream sounded throughout the water, so strong it seemed to move the two of you back. Your eyes were wide with horror as it shot directly at the monster that wrecked your boat.

It was a giant squid of some sort, bits of the boat already underwater in its grasp, its eye opened and the pupil in an almost cat-like slit. It was dark pink, the blue light barely able to show the color. You wanted to scream as you saw your crew members in its clutches, already dead, some limp and others practically broken in half, their hair covering the faces you knew would haunt your nightmares.

The man kept on shooting different types of beams of light to the creature, until it pierced directly in its eye, eliciting a noise that sounded as though it resonated from hell itself. Your lungs were burning as you watched its limbs go limp, and it started to sink down, so far down that the light that still glowed from the trident couldn't show it, and the monster slowly sunk into the bottomless darkness.

Your lungs were begging for air, and the man seemed to finally realize- hey, this thing has lungs!- and you felt as though you were being rocketed back to the surface. You stared down, a glimmering tail of blue shining in the light from the trident.

You were at the surface, gasping for air. It felt as though your lungs were on fire. You wanted to cry, shock overriding your system as you fumbled about in the water. Your ship had sunk, your friends were dead, and now you were in some merman's captor. Was he a siren that your crew mates would whisper about in horror tales? Who'd drag you into the depths of the sea and sink his sharp teeth into your jugular?

"Listen, listen!" he spoke, taking a hold of you. You tried to ignore the feeling of the water moving with his tail below the surface and at your feet, and you tried to gulp down the lump in your throat as he forced you to look at him. His trident still glowed, showing his beautiful expression, and probably showing your scared one. "I'm going to take you to safety, but you're going to have to trust me, alright?"

"What other choice do I have?" you spat, hope draining from you. "I've been destined to die in the sea from the start! How am I supposed to trust you?"

"I just saved your life," he insisted. "Look, I couldn't save your friends, I'm sorry, but we don't have time for this, you're getting colder by the second. Are you coming with me or not?"

Your voice was broken, and you didn't feel as though anything was real anymore. "Lead the way," you croaked.

The sound of birds chirping and the waves crashing against the shore woke you, the bright sunlight causing you to wince, raising a single hand to cover your eyes. You tried to sit up, your mind glazing over and your other hand moving back, and you felt blistering hot sand. You looked down, getting a handful as you felt it slip between your fingers.

Were you on a beach? How'd this all happen? When'd you get there?

Memories of what happened poured into your mind, and you scrambled up, finding one boot on, and your clothes tattered but dry. You squinted, letting your eyes adjust to the brightness, and you saw palm trees and blue skies. What was this, paradise? It couldn't be, you didn't deserve this. You've robbed and killed, but this place certainly didn't look like Hell.

You trudged on, trying to see if there was anyone. It couldn't have been a dream, that was impossible. You scoured, and before long you found a waterfall. But what was at the pool of the waterfall was what stunned you.

Mermaids. Fucking. Mermaids.

Their hair was long and silky as they continuously brushed through it, long strings of pearls and jewels between the valley of their breasts, and most shockingly of all tails of brilliant colors that shone in the light. Their skin was decorated with patches of scales, their hands slightly webbed and their eyes shining with colors of the sea.

"What. The. Fuck," you muttered, eyes wide. You were stiff with shock. This wasn't real.

A mermaid's direction snapped over to you, and a bright grin spread across her face, and she clapped her hands wildly. "Look, guys, it's the girl His Majesty told us about!"

Their heads whipped over to you, delight written over their face. You took a step back, thinking that perhaps if you went back to sea to drown yourself you'd finally find sense in what was happening. Maybe you'd wake up on your ship and find an old, rusted gun to shoot yourself in the head. Nothing a few good 'pew pew's to the head couldn't solve.

But instead, her webbed hand seemed to shoot out, grabbing your wrist and yanking you into the water. You lost your balance, falling into the pool, splashing about as you were instantly drenched. They swam over to you, and you shrieked as they began to undress you.

"Don't worry dear, we're just giving you a bath!" one exclaimed, getting a few bottles before dumping them over your head. "My, when's the last time you washed your hair?" Her fingers seemed to claw into your head, your hair blocking your vision as she began to vigorously scrub.

"She's a pirate! She's been on a ship for who knows how long. It's not like they have a bath do they?" another one scoffed.

"She's pretty for a pirate," one giggled, lathering your hands with some sort of lotion. You sputtered, wanting to tell them that you could hear them just fine, but the taste of your hair that fell over your face combined with soap that reminded you of coconuts didn't permit for you to speak.

"Of course she is! His Majesty likes her for a reason," another rolled her eyes.

"I thought it was just because of these," one remarked, holding up one of your feet, causing you to plunge into the water as you fell back.

You sat up, brushing the hair out of your face as you gawked at the girls. They were definitely different from the girls on the ship. The girls on the ship were tough, rough, and more so on the masculine and gruff side. These girls were dainty, girly- and covered in scales, of course.

"Are you an idiot? There are tons of land folk with those!" the one scrubbing your hair scolded the mermaid as she dumped more water over your head, rinsing out the soap. "No, I tell you, it's not that."

You broke your hair in the middle so that your mouth was visible, and you coughed. "Um, could someone please explain what's going on?"

"Oh! Dear me, we haven't explained," the one rubbing lotions over your hands exclaimed. "Why, His Majesty Poseidon rose this island and beckoned us here to care for you. Of course, we jumped at the opportunity. It isn't often we leave the palace, and less often when we see a human girl!"

"Poseidon?" you remarked. "As in, the Greek god and all that? As in raising islands and controlling the seven seas and all that? That Poseidon?"

"What other Poseidon is there?" one giggled, her eyes lighting up. "Oh, well you're probably thinking of the original, it's a bit hard to explain. Basically, he's a god with the spirit of Poseidon in him, so he has the powers and whatnot. Our Poseidon nowadays vanquishes monsters at the bottom of the sea- mainly because the third Poseidon- Kyuhyun- created many of them to terrorize the land folk. Though I'll admit, it's rare for Our Majesty to raise islands or rescue maidens- that was what the fourth typically did."

"Er- what," you said blankly. "Wait, why am I here? Who are you guys? What happened?"

One's face soured as she pouted. "His Majesty doesn't really tell us. We're the Nereids- or at least a portion of them- the original daughters of the great sea god for each generation, tasked with staying in the underwater palace and assisting His Majesty. You're here for whatever purpose Poseidon sees fit- we don't really know, honestly. As for what happened, I think there was something about that monstrous- whaddya call it?- giant squid, that terrorized and wrecked an entire ship. His Majesty has been trying to vanquish it for who knows how long, but it's hard to lure. But apparently, it was attracted to a ship full of girls."

Your expression dimmed at her words, a pang in your chest at the thought of your friends, all lost. They didn't deserve that fate. "Why was I saved?" you asked.

"You're special," the one washing your hair said simply, pouring another bucket of water over your head. "How? We were hoping you could answer that for us."

Your hair was being brushed back, and the girls giggled and ushered for you to start your story, their eyes excited for whatever adventures you'd tell.

"It's not a fun story," you say calmly, eyes sullen. "It's rather sad, to be honest. It's not pretty."

"But the life of a pirate!" one exclaimed, her eyes bright. "Didn't you have swash-buckling adventures, with a sword and all, and gold?"

"Yes," you sighed. "But I also had a broken heart, betrayal, and deaths on my hands. It isn't pleasant, and there are many burdens I bear. And I can never erase the sins hanging above my head."

"Tell us anyway as we dry and dress you in human clothing," another encouraged. "Adventures become stories that are meant to be told."

You sighed, hesitantly starting your story. As you spoke, the girls worked their magic, working with your hair until it was velvety and soft, patting and drying you until you were clean and dry, slipping a dress over your figure as you continued. It was white, with golden straps, and the tips dipped in the color of pink you'd only see during a sunset. By the end of your story, the mermaids were huddled in front of you, their eyes trained intently on you, and their faces serious as you told the grimmest parts of your story with the light- with your joy of having Mina in your life to her being killed by none other than your brother.

By the time the last words left your lips, they no longer seemed as animated as they once appeared, faces filled with sorrow and pity instead. You heard some rustling in the bushes, and out stepped the man who rescued you that night- wait, stepped?!

True enough, the attractive individual had legs like your own, though his thighs were noticeably more muscular as you gawked at him. You glanced back to the Nereids, who were bowing.

This was a god.

You were saved by a god!

"Oh my God," you breathed, jaw practically dropping to the floor.

The man winked in response. "At your service, m'lady."

The two of you were walking along the shore, and you were practically ashamed of how immensely attracted you already were to this man. You kept on trying to squeeze your thighs together beneath your dress as you walked, but it did nothing. No wonder this man was a god, he looked like an angel!

But you still had unanswered questions. "Alright, I've gotta ask," you blurted, pointing down to his legs. "Where in the hell did you get those?"

He laughed at your remark. "I'm not sure if you're aware, but I'm a god. It's not like I have to choose one form alone."

"Oh, sure, that's simple!" you say, shaking your head in disbelief. "You were some fish thing when I saw you! Even the very first time, I knew I wasn't imagining it, but I tried to convince myself I was! It was you who undid my chains, right? You might not remember, but I was wrapped up in chains and everything. I... I think it was you who undid them and led me to the ship... to The Siren."

He licked your lips, slowly processing your words. "Yes, that was me."

"Why though?" you blurted out. "I don't mean to be rude but- oh screw it, why? I mean... it makes no sense... and then you save me again. Why me? Why this?"

He nodded slowly, absorbing each word you said. "Are you familiar with the Fates?"

"I know a fair bit about Greek mythology," you recall, remembering one of the books Baekhyun let you borrow. "Which apparently isn't so much of a myth."

He chuckled at that, "You seem to be processing this quickly."

"Well, I've gotten used to life being fast paced," you admit. "It's not like I want anything slow nowadays with what I've been through."

"Understandable," he admitted. "Well, the Fates have a strange way of working things. Everything is destined, and not even a god such as myself can influence their decisions. But they give clues and instinct. They play into Fate itself in great ways, where certain moments you know it's meant to be, and you know it's meant to happen. Have you ever just looked at someone, and already been drawn to them? The moment your eyes met? Perhaps not love, but something that told you that the two of you were destined to meet, and to have something?"

You wanted to scream the word yes to him. That was it, the click. When you lock eyes and you already know in your mind there's something there. Not love at first sight, and you thought the click was a myth itself. But apparently, some myths aren't as made-up as you had imagined. But you definitely felt what he was talking about- where one simple look and you couldn't help but let your mind wander to them continuously. It's what you experienced with Mina, and he, too. After all, you couldn't help but think about what you imagined to be a figment of your imagination. But what if it ran deeper than that?

"I have," you admitted.

"Well, I was drawn to you. I was supposed to be hunting down a very dangerous sea dragon, and I was searching for so long, wandering around the sea and suddenly I just see you, tied and bound with chains and sinking quickly. There was an immense urge to help you, as expected, and quickly I swam up to undo your chains. And the moment you fell asleep, I started to drag you over to the ship closest, one that would be suitable. And the moment I saw your sleeping face, I felt as though it was fate to meet you."

It was cheesy in every way possible, but you couldn't help but believe his words. What he said had to be true, otherwise, you wouldn't be here. In a land where gods and mermaids existed, why couldn't fate?

"Anyways," he continued. "I immediately went to the fates, asking if I'd ever see you again. Oh, they're tedious sometimes, giggling amongst themselves. All they said was that I would reunite with someone one day- which is perhaps the vaguest bull I've ever heard. I continuously searched by many ships and boats, thinking perhaps you'd be near, but I was never able to see you. After a few years, I gave up searching, realizing I had to continue my job, ridding the underwater evils from my kingdom and from the depths, where they threatened to terrorize merpeople and humans alike. It happened when I was least expecting it when I finally tracked down a certain monster that had been evading me for who knows how long. And then I saw you diving into the water, and it all clicked again. And I simply had to save you."

You nodded in understanding, and you felt yourself laugh. "I was fated to meet Poseidon! Who'd have thought?"

He smiled warmly at you. "Jimin."

"Hm?" you quirked a brow, an unbelieving smile on your face.

"My name's... Jimin," he spoke. "Poseidon's more of a stage name. I'm sure the girls explained to you that there are generations of Poseidon. Each has two names, the one carried to each generation, and their real name." His eyes were soft as he grinned towards you. "I'd like for you to know my real name."

You were hesitant, but found yourself giddy at the prospect, a strange sense of feeling special as he stared down at you. Hell, maybe he did this with every human-girl he saved. But you let yourself fall into his words, perhaps letting his godly powers persuade you into trusting him. For once you wanted to let yourself fall.

"Aleena," you replied. "My name's Aleena. And it's very nice to meet you, Jimin... again."

He smiled, and there seemed to be a small, mutual understanding. This was a fresh start for you, away from the curses of the sea, on an island especially formed for you. You were fated to meet a god twice, and though the reason passed over your head, you thanked it nonetheless.

Your mind flew back to Mina, and how quick and hard your love for her was. You had heartache for her, and it was pure torture after her death, but you wouldn't trade it for the world. It was worth it, loving her. So if love was worth it, wouldn't it be worth it to fall in love again?

"Hey Jimin," you said, hiking up your skirt to kick the sand. "Have you ever been fated to anyone before?"

"I have," he admitted. "Twice. Two separate women, one from a century ago, and another over that. Have you?"

"Once," you confessed. "My captain, before she was killed by my brother."

"I'm sorry to hear that," Jimin murmured. "Did you love her?"

"She was warm and sunny and comforting," you said. "I loved her, and then I had to take her place, being captain of a ship that was attacked. But I guess fate works in weird ways, and I'm glad it brought her to me. She reminds me of you, in a sense. Both cool and confident, ready in the face of danger. She was warm and sunny, but you're calm and serious. For the most part, you were slightly terrifying when you were trying to get me to come with you."

Jimin winced at the memory. "I needed to get you to safety, and I get rather angry in the face of monsters and such. But this girl sounds very nice, you were lucky to have her."

"I was," you nodded. "And you? Your two fated people?"

"One was a girl who loved to sew, who was compassionate about her work and had big dreams," Jimin smiled warmly. "Another was a woman who cared for her sick sibling, caring for him before she cared for herself. But neither were tied to the sea, and it wasn't as though it could last longer. They had futures, and living beneath the surface wasn't part of it. Fate had ended their time with me, but I was thankful while it lasted."

First time having an actual conversation with a potential love interest, and you were already talking about your exes. Good job you.

"To live beneath the surface?" you furrowed your brows.

"I'm able to choose someone to live with me in my underwater palace and such, and they'd live for as long as I do until the next generation," Jimin explained. His eyes were wide as he looked to you. "Not that I'm trying to rush you into anything! I don't want to take things too fast, especially since we're still getting to know each other and all."

You grinned mischievously at that, seeing the spark of something rather innocent behind those godly eyes of his that seemed to have witnessed the wonders of the world already. You leaned in, clutching onto the collar of his shirt as you pressed his plump, plush lips against your own, screwing your eyes shut. Mina's kisses were warm, and that was a faded memory in the back of your mind. Jimin's lips seemed to rock against yours in a rhythmic pattern, like waves. It was so different, and still, you melted into it easily.

You broke away, a glint in your eye and a smile on your face as you looked to him. "I like fast," you spoke.

He seemed momentarily stunned, "You do?"

"I'm not joining your underwater world tomorrow, or just yet," you say, cocking your head to the side. "But I'm not denying the possibility all together either. We're fated people, I know it, you know it. I'm not going anywhere, where else can I go? So, for now, why don't we just cut to the chase and start to get to know each other better, testing the chemistry. I don't want to waste any time because if there's one thing I've learned from being out at sea, is that there's no guarantee of tomorrow."

Jimin was stunned, and for a moment you were scared your urgency to jump into things was scaring him away, but you were surprised by his response.

"Can I show you something tonight?"

"Jimin, this is stunning!" you said, staring up at the ceiling of the cave. Apparently, Jimin had made a small cave on the island where the Nereids loved to hang out when they weren't grooming themselves at the waterfall. The ceiling was littered with jewels that sparkled and shone, glowing as the water inside the cave seemed to reflect lights against them. It was perhaps the dead of night, but Jimin told you that the Nereids would be back soon after they got something to eat. For now, the entire island, and the enchanting cave itself was alone to the two of you.

"You like it?" he asked, slowly stepping into the pool, letting it come to around his knees.

"Absolutely," you gushed on, eyes trained on his legs. "What, no tail when you touch water?"

"That would be tedious," he laughed. You walked around the pool, circling the edges as you watched him in wonder. Water seemed to morph in his hands as easy as puddy, and he could create intricate shapes that defied logic and gravity with the flick of a wrist. It was fascinating, and unlike anything you had ever seen in your entire life. It was like a magic trick, and your jaw was still gaping with awe as you tried to figure out how he did it. He looked your way, smirking once he caught you staring, and the water seemed to pull him towards you, lifting him until he stood beside your figure, not a drop of water on his body. "Care to swim, m'lady?"

"I'd be much more interested in seeing what else you can do with your hands!" you laughed. "That was fascinating, honestly. I mean it might seem like nothing to you, but it's truly amazing to someone like me."

"What I can do with my hands, eh?" Jimin cocked a brow.

Your cheeks burned at what he said, and you swatted his arm. "For such an old guy, you sure are immature!"

"You'll have to put up with it for quite a while," he laughed, nudging you teasingly. Everything seemed to flow right between the two of you, like water. You felt as though the two of you had instant chemistry, like the two of you just got it. It was that tension that was familiar, where two people were perfectly aware of the fact that they liked each other, chemistry flowing between the two of them easily, but still no title. It felt like that for the two of you, but you didn't want to waste time on things like that. You were used to the fast paced life, and you learned to appreciate it. Adapting easily to your surroundings, letting life come at you. It felt familiar now, and you already began to seek that sense of familiarity once again.

Jimin squatted down, twirling his finger in the air as a spiral of water followed it. "What are you thinking right now?" he asked you curiously.

Truthfully, your mind wasn't clear with the most pleasant of thoughts. You were thinking back to his plump lips on your own, and how they'd feel if they went a bit lower... An image of his head buried between your legs. That was your problem. You were addicted to something new, for a sense of familiarity and belonging. Jimin seemed keen on giving you what you want, though.

"Oh, nothing," you hum.

"Aleena, I can smell how wet you are through your dress."

Your eyes widened at that statement, and you stepped back, biting down on your lip as he glanced back to you, his stare different from the warm one he held earlier. "Er... no?" you tried to deny meekly.

The side of his mouth cocked up. "Don't worry, it's only because I bent down and was so close... but you're drenched, aren't you?"

"I-I..." you didn't know how to respond to that, and you began to feel flustered.

"Weren't you the one who kept going on about not wanting to take things slow?" he chuckled. "Don't worry, we can go at whatever pace you want. But I'm willing to help out with your need if you want."

You thought over it all, your mind spinning at his suggestion.

"I'm being weird, I shouldn't have said that. You don't want things that fast," Jimin shook his head, turning back to the water. "Forget I ever said anything."

"I never said no," you whispered.

You noticed how his shoulders tensed, and he looked back at you slowly. "You realize we just learned each other's name but a few hours ago, right? Are you sure you're ready for something as face-paced as this?"

"I say who gives a damn?" you remark. "It's our relationship, it's our business, and no one else will know. We've only got so long together, whether it's a few days or many years. We know how we're fated to be in each other's lives, but we don't know the ending. I say we use what we know and do things our own way. You want me, and I want you. So why can't we just skip the parts where we lie to ourselves and each other about what we feel because I'm sure even you can see there's potential here. And... I want to see where it goes."

Jimin was silent for a moment, but within a second he stood up, turned on his heel, and marched straight to you until his lips crashed against your own, his hand cupping your cheek. "You just seem to become more and more amazing with each passing second," he breathed against your lips, smiling as he moved them against your lush petals in steady, fluid movements.

"Wait," you pulled back, "what if the girls come in?"

He thought for a moment. "I guess I'll have to be quick then."

Within a second he had you lying on the floor, your skirt hiked up and your legs thrown over his shoulders. His eyes glinted with mischevious that matched your own just a few moments ago, and you were whimpering at the teasing finger that traced over your slit.

"Jimin, I thought you said you'd be quick," you teased, though slightly anxious. The girls could be here at any minute, watching a god about to eat you out. The thought was both humiliating and exhilarating.

"Keep acting like that, and maybe I'll decide you don't deserve this," Jimin grinned playfully, tapping against your clit. It was so sensitive, each tap as he taunted you. "Will you be good? Do you think you deserve it?"

You simply whined in response, feeling how he let his finger slide through your folds, not daring to so much as graze over your clit as he gathered your juices on his digits. He sucked tentatively on a single finger, making sure you knew what kind of torture he was putting you through. "You taste so delicious, Aleena, I'd love to taste you. But I'm not sure you deserve it..."

"Yes, g-god, Jimin," you stammered. "Quit teasing, please. I'll do anything."

"I'll hold you up to that next time," he grinned. He eased a single finger into your center, lowering his face to where his head was buried between your thighs. He licked a stripe up your folds, his tongue grazing over your clit, making your legs quiver in anticipation. His tongue lapped over your clit, stimulating it as he pumped the single finger in and out of you, letting it slide easily as it was coated in your arousal, your walls barely able to squeeze around the single digit efficiently.

He eased another one in, using scissoring motions to stretch you out as he continued running his tongue along your folds, getting the blood flowing and letting you feel more stimulated. You thought about how quickly it was all moving, and how you thought the same thing with Mina.

But you were addicted to the fast pace of life, and Jimin seemed to deliver it perfectly already. he was there since the beginning of your journey, though you had no real idea, and something told you he'd be there until the end.

Jimin's plump lips attached to your clit, sucking on it in a way that had your legs jerk slightly, and you managed to squeeze your thighs against either side of his head, a small moan eliciting from your parted lips. "Fuck, Jimin, keep doing that. It feels so good when you suck on my clit, you're so good with your tongue," you murmured.

This seemed to encourage him, the way you stroked his ego, and he kept a tighter grip on you, pumping the two fingers in and out of you, feeling how you squeezed around the digits, clenching your walls with each small suck he'd offer your clit.

It was probably swollen and throbbing by this point, and you were turning into mush in Jimin's hands, easily bent to his will the same way the water was. You were already letting out soft moans of his name, and he continued his movements, going slow and making sure to pay plenty of attention to your throbbing cunt that was pressed against his face.

The pit in your lower stomach was beginning to form, a warm sensation bubbling up. "Jimin, keep going like that, and I'll have to cum all over your tongue," you murmured, and you felt him hiss in delight against your heat, his hot breath fanning over it. Mina told you that you were exceptional at dirty talk, and clearly, from how Jimin was reacting, you were.

He was a tender lover so far, and from the way he massaged the skin of your inner thigh and continued the ministrations you encouraged, you were going to cum soon. Suddenly, you heard the sounds of shrieks and giggling coming in, and you were positive that the  Nereids were close to the cave.

Jimin's hot tongue ran repeatedly over your clit now, stimulation it as his rushed movements became sloppy, and the thought that you were so close to being walked- or swam?- in on seemed to turn you on so much, that your orgasm completely washed over you in a sensual wave, where your legs shook and you slapped your hand against your mouth, your eyes rolling back as your high reached its peak.

Jimin hurriedly got up from between your legs, flipping your skirt over your legs as he helped you up, and you shakily stood in front of him, smiling at the Nereids as they swam in, hoping they didn't pay too much attention to your flushed figure, slightly swollen lips, or messy hair. From behind you, you were gripping tightly onto the cock that was restrained by Jimin's pants, watching as he nervously greeted the girls, who seemed oblivious already to what happened or what was happening in front of them.

You knew one thing for sure, you were going to have a lot of fun with Jimin. Not only did he look like a god, but he had the tongue of one too.

And as you and Jimin scurried out of the cave to help relieve him of his little problem, you couldn't help but thank the Fates that you clicked with this man in particular, and no matter what hardships you endured or would endure, it comforted you knowing that now you'd have someone at your side.

And you were sure all of those people who you left behind were in a better place now, just as you were with him.

[mst3kproject]

524: Twelve to the Moon

There are 50's sci-fi movies with wonderful titles like The Monster that Challenged the World and IT! The Terror from Beyond Space. I poke fun at how irrelevant or misleading some of them are, but I actually love them: there's nothing better to entice me to see a silly movie than a deliriously hyperbolic title!  Then there's this film, Twelve to the Moon, which is about twelve people going to the moon.  No points for the title guy.

Despite that, I rather like Twelve to the Moon.  It's not my favourite of the MST3K Moon movies – that would be Moon Zero Two – but it's a hell of a lot less annoying than either Rocketship XM or Project Moon Base.  There's some earnest effort that seems to have gone into this film, even when the effects budget was not equal to the filmmakers' ambitions.  The result is not a good movie but it is a functional one, and in the land of MST3K fodder that ain't half bad.

So let's start with the stuff that works.  There's a few places where Twelve to the Moon really did get something right, or at least, where its heart was clearly in the right place even if the follow-through didn't work out.  For one thing, they don't spend half the movie hanging around in space talking about stuff.  They have to dodge a meteor shower, but I'm pretty sure that was mandated by the Space Movie Union rules in the 50's.  Other than that, there is some flight time with dialogue, but unlike the pointless bullshit that consumed significant parts of Fire Maidens of Outer Space and almost all of Rocketship XM, in Twelve to the Moon this actually sets up some honest-to-gosh plot points.

We get a brief sketch of some of the characters, of their attitude towards the trip and their area of expertise.  We meet the animals they're bringing with them, and see the technology that makes the trip possible – some of this, like the sonic shower and the invention of the screenshot, is filler, but some, like the mentions of nuclear power and foreshadowing of Heinrich's heart attack, is important.  It's actually kind of neat that they included some irrelevancies, since it means we don't know which parts will turn out to be vital later.  And we get a setup of the film's main human conflict, Heinrich's distancing from his father's war crimes and what it means for his relationship with his protege David.

The movie also makes quite an earnest attempt to portray people who are different getting along for the sake of the common good.  The characters clearly disagree about a lot of things but when fights break out they're usually quieted pretty quickly.  Somebody put at least a little thought into where each member of the crew came from and how that would be reflected in their personalities, though the results are not especially nuanced.  Furthermore, even when they argue the characters mostly treat each other with respect. The women are allowed to be useful instead of just being there so the men will have girls to kiss.  The black guy is not treated badly on account of either his race or his faith.  Twelve to the Moon really, really wants to be progressive and whatever you think of the result there's certainly less of the Unfortunate Implications that plagued Women of the Prehistoric Planet.

The surface of the Moon as presented in this movie is actually pretty cool.  The backdrops are suitably craggy and desolate, and the black and white film actually adds to the effectiveness of it.  Even when we get stuff like the geysers, the quicksand, and the corals, that enrage Tom Servo by clearly not belonging on the moon, they look pretty neat.  This is obviously where the production spent most of its money and I have to say, good call.  If you’re only going to show us one really cool thing in your trip-to-the-moon movie, best make sure that’s the moon itself!

A related good decision was how the movie never actually shows us the Moon People.  Anything they could have put together on their budget would have been disappointing at best and laughable at worst. By keeping the Moon People off-camera, they are made an ominous presence in the movie, unknowable, unpredictable, and with powers we cannot comprehend.  This is far scarier than people in silly 'moon men' costumes would have been!

Finally, to my grateful astonishment, the movie does not have a love triangle in it!  With ten men and two women on the Lunar Eagle, they could easily have gone that way, but they didn't! Hideko has no love interest at all, and so little time is spent on the romance between the two physicians that when they pull off their helmets and kiss it comes as a complete surprise.  Instead, the movie derives its human drama from the differing political views of the characters.  It's still kind of beside the point of the main 'moon adventure' plot but it's not nearly so tired and cliché as the romantic angle would have been.

Of course, a lot went wrong in this movie, too.  For starters, there are far too many characters.  We simply don't have time to get to know the entire cast: there are too many names and faces to remember, and while we do get an outline of each person, we get no more than that.  Some of the irrelevant stuff that added colour to the first half of the film could have been cut to make room for setting up Dr. Martel's dislike of Americans, or at least to give a brief setup to the romance.  The cast could have been cut down by half, while the film told the same story in a much tighter and more engaging fashion.

Then there are the effects.  I mentioned that the movie spent most of its effects budget on the moonscapes. This means there was not much left for anything else and... yeah. You can tell.  Whether we're watching model spacecraft on sticks, or the cast getting bombarded by cartoon meteors, or the kleig lights intruding into the top of a shot, you can certainly see the cheapness on the screen. The worst moment of all is when we see two men who are supposed to be flying a smaller rocket ship, sitting in front of a blank wall with the shot framed to crop out an instrument panel that does not actually exist.

Perhaps the lack of budget is why they went with the 'invisible force field helmet' thing... maybe they couldn't afford twelve custom-made glass or plastic face plates, plus extras in case of breakage.  Or maybe they worried that reflections on the material would make it hard to see the actors' faces and tell who was who. Either way, they probably would have done better to just pretend there were helmets there, rather than draw attention to their absence – though actor Richard Weber delivers the line with admirable conviction.

A lack of budget is the studio's fault, not the film-makers', but where the movie really stops making sense is when the Moon People decide to make actual contact with the human crew.  They do this by transmitting a series of symbols that pop up on the Lunar Eagle's computer, and which more than anything else remind me of the 'hieroglyphics' supposedly found on the Roswell UFO wreckage.  I don't know if this was intentional on the part of the film-makers... Roswell was mostly forgotten after it happened and didn't become big news until conspiracy types started looking into it in 1978.  What's really weird about the symbols is not what might have inspired them, but the fact that Hideko can translate them.

What?  The picture-writing we're shown doesn't look anything like Japanese, or any other logographic language I can think of.  Just because Hideko can read one type of pictogram doesn't mean she can necessarily read others – I can read the Roman and Greek alphabets, but that sure as hell wouldn’t help me with Sanskrit or Inuktitut!  Is this one of those things where the aliens came to Earth thousands of years ago and left their language behind, and Hideko just happens to have studied it? Because that would be awfully convenient.

The other possibility that occurs is that the aliens deliberately chose to communicate in a language they knew their guests would understand... but if that's the case, it seems more likely that they would have just done it in one of the languages spoken by their two captives, which would give them a choice of Turkish, Swedish, or English.  The Moon People clearly understand at least one of those languages, since they mention that the hostages “say they are in love”, so why bother with the pictograms at all?

The later actions of the Moon People don't really make any sense, either.  'Leave the cats and go home' seems like a fairly reasonable request (given the option of two cats or twelve humans, I know which I would choose to keep), but then they freeze the Earth so that the Lunar Eagle cannot land.  A later communication makes it sound like this was a test of the crew's willingness to support each other and sacrifice themselves to the greater good of humanity, but was it really necessary to freeze the planet in order to do that?  They'd surely already seen that these squabbling primates worked together well enough to get themselves to the moon, and tried to save their colleagues who were in danger.  It really just seems like the Moon People want to make the point that they can snuff humanity's candle out any time they like... which doesn't make them seem that much more peaceful or enlightened than us, honestly.

So yeah, there's a lot of stuff that sucks here, too, and between that and the good bits the movie balances out somewhere in the vicinity of 'tragically mediocre'.  Despite all that, I really do kind of like this one.  Twelve to the Moon wants to be not just an entertaining movie but an important one, one with an optimistic vision of the future and a message for all mankind.  It fails, but it fails in such ways that I really would like to give it points for trying.

Except for the title guy.  He didn't try at all.

[furederiko]

It's the first post for the month of June, and it's a Random-News-Digest! Thanks to my internet, the previous one was 3 weeks ago though. That means, it's catching up time... and there's a lot of it. Here goes nothing...

Disney Live Action

Another live action reimagining has potentially been added to the list of upcoming releases. Director Sam Mendes, who did James Bond's "Skyfall" and "Spectre", apparently entered early talks to work on "Pinocchio"! Mendes was previously attached to adapt "James and the Giant Peach". But according to Variety, that project is officially not happening, so the chances of Mendes moving on to "Pinocchio" is really high. With Guy Ritchie's "Aladdin" about to start production real soon, possibly followed by Niki Caro's "Mulan" as well as Jon Favreau's "The Lion King", Disney Pictures is currently sitting on a remake comfort-zone. No official casting news have been announced for neither of those projects those, but as we get closer and closer to Disney D23, I suspect things are going to come to light pretty soon. Let's just hope these movies will be as good and successful as what we've gotten so far...

Saint Seiya

Well, this news was truly a surprising one! According to Eiga.com (via Anime News Network), TOEI Animation and Chinese distribution company called A Really Good Film Company (that's the real name) are co-producing a live action movie based on the franchise. Tomek Baginski, a Polish director will be directing the movie. Jeffrey Chan, Yoshi Ikezawa, Joseph Chou will produce, while original manga writer Masami Kurumada, Kozo Morishita, Tim Kwok, and Miguel Faura are serving as executive producers.

Truth be told, I had mixed reaction about this, and that sentiment has remained the same until now. I've always thought that the "Saint Seiya" franchise is PERFECT for Hollywood adaptations, considering most of the characters, especially the Gold Saints... are practically Greek guys with a story that takes place in a Greecian setting as well. The cloths, especially the Gold Saints ones, would easily look amazing as real life armors. Heck, TOEI recently held an exhibition where they showcased the Gold Cloths in 1:1 scale, and that idea worked! So this sounded like a great news already. On the other hand, at the same time, I'm not sure whether they will pull it off. Particularly with the failure that was "Ghost in the Shell" back in March. Not to mention, a Chinese company, instead of a Japanese, or at least Hollywood is working on it. Not trying to be racist, but I don't have a lot of faith in Chinese companies.

My biggest concern is that they might go the "Dragon Ball Evolution" and "Ghost in the Shell" mishap, by altering the core Bronze Saints to be white teenagers instead of Japanese. That would instantly become a huge WTH for me. IMHO, at least the cast for Seiya, Shun, and Ikki should be Japanese. If they need exception, both Hyouga and Shiryu can easily be one. The former can be reimagined as European, since the character is partially Russian anyway (hence the blonde hair), while the latter, can naturally be rewritten as Chinese (still needs to be Asian though). A lesser concern, is the fact that the series never really took off in the US, as much as it was hugely popular in South American region. Once again, if "Ghost in the Shell" couldn't sell well, I honestly doubt the same would happen to "Saint Seiya". So it's already a big question mark. But let's keep an open mind, and well... we'll see.

Charlie's Angels

I didn't realize that the last "Charlie's Angels" movie was released back in 2003! That's more than a decade, and precisely 14 years ago. Which means, the movie (not TV) franchise has entered the right age for reboot, remake, reimagining, or the likes. It's Hollywood folks, so what do you expect? And I'll be damned, because that IS the case. Elizabeth Banks is set to direct a reboot movie for the franchise, and it will arrive on June 7th, 2019. That's legit release date, so yeah, it IS happening. There aren't any detailed information about it yet, but I think we can expect to hear one by summer. Now I can't tell if this is a good or bad news, but I'm always game to see tough and powerful women kick some bums on screen. Who knows, perhaps we might get Jennifer Lawrence, Anne Hathaway, Lupita Nyong'o, and other Oscar winners as the lead characters. THAT would be wake af!

Hellboy

Not unlike "Charlie's Angels", the same is happening to "Hellboy" franchise as well. While fans have been asking director Guillermo del Toro and/or actor Ron Perlman for a third movie... to relatively zero success, Millennium instead has decided to go on another route: REBOOT. Yes, in a report released precisely a day after my previous R-N-D went up (meaning, it's close to a month ago XD), the studio has gone into negotiations with producer Larry Gordon and Lloyd Levin for an R-rated relaunch of the franchise. The working title is "Hellboy: Rise of the Blood Queen", and Neil Marshall is set to direct from a script by Andrew Cosby, Christopher Golden, and Mike Mignola. That last one is the creator of "Hellboy" himself, and he was the one who first broke the news. Marshall would then develop a new script with Aron Coleite.

I'm never a fan of the first two movies, so I can't really say anything good about this. I don't know how I feel, to be frank! LOL. Yet the news somehow got better, when I read the name of the actor who was in talks for the titular role. David Harbour! Yes, that Sheriff of the hit Netflix series "Stranger Things", who was considered to play Cable. I don't know about you, but Harbour sounds like the younger more charming-looking version of Perlman, so this news made me perked up! Okay, that was honestly hyperbole. I'm still unsure about this franchise, but I can safely say that I will at least give it a try... just because Harbour is starring. Ahahaha! But you know what? Perhaps rebooting might indeed be the right decision. There's definitely potentials to be HUGE. It can start fresh without the burden of continuity. And also... attracts new audience who was previously unaware or couldn't care less of the title, right? Like yours truly... *grins*.

DC Films

While it's unclear when we will ever see Dwayne Johnson finally fulfilling his dream to play supervillain "Black Adam", the actor has gone on record to propose an actor to play the protagonist counterpart of his character. And that actor is... Armie Hammer. Okay, HUH? I liked Hammer, so it COULD work. But is he the right man for Shazam? Nope, I really don't think so. Perhaps an Oliver Queen or Hal Jordan, but definitely not as a jacked-up Billy Batson. By the way, Johnson's "Baywatch" recently failed to even make a dent in the box office. Does this mean his popularity is fading? How will this affect his DC movies then? Hmmm...

Fresh from angsty "Power Rangers", and into the murky waters of "Aquaman"! Young chinese actor Ludi Lin, has joined the cast to play Murk. A character who is supposed to be Jason Momoa's Arthur Curry's trusted ally. How on Earth does a Hawaiian and Chinese became Atlantean is beyond me, but this was clearly a nice act to push diversity. Director James Wan also proudly showcased a really WET Amber Heard's Mera via his Twitter. I was still indifferent about it, and still won't be seeing the movie, but looks like many liked it. So that's... good, right? "Aquaman" is set to arrive on December 21st, 2018.

If there's a title that's been going on and off in a seemingly concerning state, it's none other than "The Flash". But perhaps, things are slowly running towards a better track. Why? Assuming that Entertainment Weekly report could be hold accountable, then Robert Zemeckis is indeed in talks to take over the movie after Rick Famuyiwa walked out. And guess the other name being on the contender list? The helmer of "Kingsman" himself, Matthew Vaughn! Not just him, both Sam Raimi and Marc Webb apparently were frontrunners as well, but have since passed. Oddly, the news arrived alongside a rumor of actor Billy Crudup walking out of the movie. One that has been debunked, considering he would be showing up in "The Justice League".

Speaking of the League, it became one of the most talked about news last month. Why? Because shockingly, director Zack Snyder alongside wife and producer Deborah had officially stepped down from the movie's post production and reshoots. He's taking some time off to deal with personal family loss/tragedy (my condolences to the Snyders). This has prompted mixed reactions from movie fans, particularly DC ones with their... insensitive and disturbing remarks regarding the situation. And here I thought they couldn't have gone that low!!! *sigh* The irony here was that Snyder has handed over the finishing duty to... *drumroll* the one and only... Joss Whedon! This was definitely an intriguing twist, because now Whedon would be famous for being involved in both Marvel and DC's ensemble movie. Of course, Warner Bros assured the audience, that Whedon's NOT taking over it completely, and just doing a favor to finish up the work. They said that the movie is still very much Snyder's work. Which was an ODD move, considering the negative impression Snyder has left with his first two DC movies. So... if you were among those who was worried that the movie is going to be as bad as his "Man of Steel" or "Batman v. Superman"? Well... don't jump out of that bandwagon just yet. At least, I think you should stick with the same concern until it has been proven otherwise. Remember, it's still a Snyder's and not Whedon's movie, and it opens on November 17th, 2017.

Another problem is running on the other League. This time, the "Justice League Dark" train. Remember how tall and mighty Doug Liman sounded when WB signed him to take over the project from Guillermo del Toro? Well, it seemed Liman might have just swallowed his own pride, because he's no longer attached to the movie. Liman moved on to work on a Lionsgate's project, so WB is currently on the hunt for his replacement. Back then, I would've instantly commented on this turnout. But now? Things like this has happened over and over again that I'm not even surprised when I read it. After all, it's just another setback to the universe, right? Nothing new here. LOL.

All these behind the scene problems that came in one after another, made you lose faith in WB and their DC Films, huh? Well, hold on to your horses, because I'm saving the best for last. And it's a GOOD news this time! Reviews embargo for Patty Jenkins' "Wonder Woman" has been lifted, and it has received positive reactions! Critics are easily calling it the best DCEU movie so far. Which means, basically better than "Man of Steel", "Batman v. Superman", and "Suicide Squad"... which admittedly weren't even a high bar it needed to top to begin with. LOL. When the first score was accumulated, it resulted a heaping 95% on Rotten Tomatoes! Which ironically begs the question: where has all those DC fans who claimed that RT is ruining DC movies run off to? Surprise suprise, they are out and about protesting and complaining about the Women Only Screening for the movie. SERIOUSLY?!

General comparison to "Captain America: The First Avengers" and "Thor" didn't surprise me, because the trailers have already given the exact vibe. But it's pleasant to know that eventhough those trailers didn't work at all for me, they didn't really capture the spirit and wonder of the movie itself. Which is nice, because in my opinion, it's much better when the trailers are bad but the movie is good, and not the other way around. And when I said the 'other way around', I was obviously referring to those previous 3 DC Films. They all had trailers that many folks claimed to be 'great' or 'amazing', when their actual movies failed to even generate the same response. So if the opposite is happening to "Wonder Woman", it's ironically GOOD, right? The big question now, will "The Justice League" catch on to deliver the same success, finally giving WB a good streak, or will it fumbles into its previous mishaps all over again? Somehow I have a feeling it will be the latter. Oh well, at the very least, the movie will have a good Wonder Woman (step aside, grumpy Superman or violent Batman!). Here's hoping "Wonder Woman" will inspire audience to see more of her, and help give a boost to "The Justice League".

One more thing. I also sincerely hope the positive critical response to "Wonder Woman" is a sign that WB would finally be stepping back on its destructive mentality. All these time, rather than doing their best to deliver a great movie for fans, WB has been focused on one thing: competing with Marvel Studios and trying to top it if not take it down. Which is a SILLY notion on its own, because Marvel Studios already had a long headstart, so no matter what attempts WB tries to be 'different', DC Films will ALWAYS be compared to Marvel Studios' releases no matter what. Ironically, the one and only possible way they could really bring down Marvel Studios from 'the competition', is by damaging the future prospect of superhero genre. Unlike WB and their other variety of franchises, Marvel Studios relies heavily on adaptation to their comic book characters. So by producing bad superhero movies, WB might have unknowingly (or have they? hmmm) been planting the seed of destruction to the genre, which could also lead towards the downfall of Marvel Studios. This helps explain why Marvel Studios have generally refused to say bad things about DC Films, and instead continuously wishing them to do great. They know what's at stake here, and how the genre's longetivity is so much more important than a pointless childish rivalry. A rivalry that WB and its directors, producers, and actors has been flaming over and over again. I sincerely hope, that with Geoff Johns (who used to write for Marvel Comics) finally in full charge, WB and DC Film will turn over a new leaf and proceed with a positive and hopeful heart. One that does not require them to continue being the jerk of the industry...

Dark Universe

Nooo, this isn't about WB's supposed "Justice League Dark" movie. It's a category previously known as... "Universal Monsters". Yes, as if the news of Doug Liman leaving the movie wasn't enough, Universal Studios officially snatched the title of that exact upcoming DC Film movie. Now there's no way WB will be able to use the title again, unless the law sits in in their favor. Don't believe me? Universal has even released a trailer for it. \ So yeah, it IS officially a done deal, no more beating around the bushes. Tom Cruise-starring "The Mummy" will INDEED be the first of its kinds.

Apparently, their Shared Universe's interconnective tissue would be a mysterious multi-national organization called Prodigium, the one possibly led by Russell Crowe's Dr. Jekyll. Who, as the original tale suggests, WILL indeed turn into Mr. Hyde. Oooohhh... juicy! I mean, this might sound really strange, but seeing Crowe turns dark and monstrous somehow makes me all... giddy. Yeah folks, while everyone is busy oggling Cruise and his endless foray of dangerous self-performed stunts, it's Crowe's inclusion that would be my primary reason to see this movie. And I'm not kidding, this might also sound weird, but he was one of the reason I enjoyed "Les Miserables" too *grins*. Of course, if you're still not convinced about seeing this movie on June 9th, you can check out the third and final trailer, just to be sure of your... uh, life choices. LOL.

What directly comes next after "The Mummy", is the "The Bride of Frankenstein"! Bill Condon has been tapped to work on this movie, based on the script by David Koepp. It has even been set for February 14th, 2019 release, which is Valentine's Day, so things will perhaps be more... romantic. I'm personally curious to know why they don't have another project for 2018, but perhaps unlike WB that seems to rush things, Universal wants to take this slowly? Anyway, knowing the title, it's clear that they will be skipping Frankenstein's origin story. The casting hasn't been made official until now, but Javier Bardem has stated his enthusiasm for the role, so highly likely the role is his to play with. As for who will be playing the titular Bride, names like Charlize Theron, Salma Hayek, and Nicole Kidman have been thrown around for a while now, with Angeline Jolie being the most favored of all. Let's just wait and see who gets it then...

Of course, things are currently riding on the success of "The Mummy". If it does manage to achieve one, at least in the minimum amount of expectation, then we can count on seeing Johnny Depp as Invicible Man, Dwayne Johnson as Wolfman, and so on. If NOT, then I honestly don't know what would happen. Marvel Studios kept on moving despite the response to "Iron Man 2", and now its Marvel Cinematic Universe has become the first and most successful of its kind. WB was persistent enough with their DC Films, that eventhough their first three movies was poorly received critically (among plenty other production issues), they have continued limping their way to produce their first good movie in "Wonder Woman". Will Universe follow suit, for better or worse, inspite of general audience's possible fatigue concerning this forced Cinematic Universe approach? As always, we'll see...

SONY Marvel Universe

Many people ridiculed SONY Pictures when they announced the solo "Venom" movie. Movie writers and journalists didn't quite buy it, until a more concrete news arise. Some fans even questioned how a Spider-Man spin-off would work, in a non-MCU universe WITHOUT Spider-Man. But then SONY dropped a bombshell, by officially announcing a lead actor and director for the project. And they were NOT messing around. Tom Hardy, that great often-under-appreciated Oscar nominee, whose performance as Bane in "The Dark Knight Rises" became the joke of many DC fans, has signed on to play Eddie Brock. And that's because he's a fan of the character! WOW. Ruben Fleischer, is set to direct the movie, based on the script by Jeff Pinkner and Scott Rosenberg. So it's happening folks, it IS happening.

The same goes to the Silver Sable and Black Cat movie. The project that has been officially titled as "Silver and Black", is closing in on a director. When the news hit last week, Gina Prince-Bythewood was in negotiations to helm the movie. I can't really tell if she's a great director or not, but apparently her work "Beyond the Lights" was highly-appreciated. Chris Yost, who worked on the upcoming Thor movie, is writing the script with Lisa Joy. And Matt Tolmach and Amy Pascal are producing. So this one IS happening too!

My reaction to these news? I LOVE Hardy, especially his performance in "Warriors" and "Inception". And seeing him headline a movie is always a joy, even if the movie itself might not be good at times. But great gawd, he would've made a great Kraven the Hunter instead of Eddie Brock!!! >:(... And yes, I might have jinxed it when I said that, because apparently there's a rumor flying around social media now, that "Silver and Black" will be using Kraven as the antagonist. Ouch! Is SONY trying to use up the Spider-Man characters, so that Marvel Studios can't use them as antagonists to Tom Holland's Peter Parker? I hope that's not the case, because I could be really angry about it. Moreso, I still don't see how "Venom" nor the pairing of "Silver and Black" makes for a good idea, especially since neither of them would be bouncing off against a Spider-Man. But let's take a deep breath, and just think positive about it, okay...

Uncharted

Speaking of Tom Holland, here's a pleasant little surprise that would make everyone, especially his and video game fans turn heads. The rising British actor has been cast, as young Nathan Drake for the "Uncharted" movie adaptation! Apparently, the Shawn Levy movie will play around Drake's younger days, as opposed to his mature adventures that have been depicted in the four games so far. It was said that SONY head Tom Rothman was impressed by Holland's performance in the upcoming Spider-Man movie, that he pushed for him to be the star of another franchise. The problem with this development, Joe Carnahan's script can no longer be used, possibly postponed until the movie requires an adult Drake. Levy is still onboard, but a new scriptwriter is being sought to work on a new version.

There was a flashback sequence in "Uncharted 3: Drake's Deception" that showed Drake meeting his mentor Sullivan for the first time. That's likely the foundation of what this movie's going to be about. In a way, we can safely say that SONY is expecting Holland to grow into a charming athletic adventurer like Drake in future movies. Especially because movies like these usually takes at least two years to develop, and the now 20 years old Holland, would be almost 30 by the time he's working on a probable-third movie. You know what? I can totally buy that! And I'm certainly not alone in thinking this way.

And as for Holland's idea on Chris Pratt or Jake Gyllenhall playing a younger Sullivan/Sully? I'm a fan of both actors, so his statement definitely puts a really wide grin on my face. Not sure if they would be a good fit for the role (try picturing THIS IMAGE, but with Holland and any of those actors)... but yeaah, I'm totally down with that!

Marvel Studios

Yes, still talking about Holland. Because he's on THREE effing categories this time! What a year for this hunky young fella, eh? His Marvel Studios movie, "Spider-Man: Homecoming" is only a month away from arriving in the theatres, and the hype on social media is growing bigger and bigger. The third and so called final (lengthy, I presume?) trailer was released last week, and it showcased some extra scenes while rehashing the ones from previous two trailers. Considering the 2nd trailer has pretty much spoiled beat by beat of the actual movie, this final trailer didn't even bothered to do the same all over again. Who knows what the TV spots and clips will reveal though, because this feels like SONY's marketing, hence why it didn't feel like Marvel Studios' doing.

The good news is, the movie is tracking to a $135 million domestic opening number. Yes, that's a relatively lower number than Marvel Studios previous Summer releases, but it's still the highest number for any Spider-Man movies since 2002. A number that has consistently been declining, by the way, with the exception of "The Amazing Spider-Man 2" in 2014. So despite the number feeling rather low, especially for a movie that has Robert Downey Jr.'s Tony Stark, this is still something good on its own.

Meanwhile, now that "Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 2" is out for almost a whole month, director James Gunn is already hard at work on the next installment, "Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 3". While the second movie made it clear that Chris Pratt's Peter Quill is the only Earthling member of the team, Gunn had openly revealed on social media, that such restriction will no longer apply in the third. In my opinion, Gunn specifically made the rule, likely to ensure Quill being the only representative of the planet, especially when we put into account Ego's 'celestial visit' to various planets. Since "Vol. 3" is set to take place after "Avengers: Infinity War" and Avengers 4, the Guardians would have been exposed to Earth, thus including more Earth-bound heroes like Nova or others should make more sense. Hey, even Brie Larson's Captain Marvel can be among their cosmic ranks too.

X-Men Universe

Josh Boone's "X-Men: The New Mutants" had scored, or rather confirmed its first two cast members. As previously rumored before, rising stars Anya Taylor-Joy and Maisie Williams have officially come onboard to play Russian mutant Magik and Scottish mutant Wolfsbane respectively. Both names have been associated with this movie since last year, so it's nice that we've finally gotten the confirmation some of us needed. Apparently though, the 'Natt Wolff is being approached to play Cannonball' part didn't pan out, as a surprising name has entered talks to portray the character instead. What a strange things indeed... ;D

Hold on, make that four actors, if we count Marvel TV's MVP Rosario Dawson. Yes, apparently Dawson has been approached to play Dr. Cecilia Reyes, a doctor that would serve as some sort of mentor figure for the younger cast. The character has the ability to generate force field, so she's definitely a mutant as well. Assuming Dawson agreed to take the role, this would be her second Marvel role, and also a step up from a rogue nurse Claire Temple into a full blown doctor. Someone just got medically promoted! LOL.

It's seriously unclear when or how the timeline of this movie will fit in the... ugh, already messy and confusing larger X-Men universe. What we can really be certain of however, is the genre the movie will dive into. And FOX isn't playing around, because based on Boone's statement to Entertainment Weekly, "We are making a full-fledged horror movie set within the X-Men universe. There are no costumes. There are no supervillains. We’re trying to do something very, very different.". Okay, now this was both intriguing and concerning at the same time. The idea of having a younger cast, somehow meant that the movie will be a young adult version of the genre. And that's good. But no costume, and also horror bit? Even "Doctor Strange" didn't fully go that direction, because it might not score the PG-13 rating. Does this mean, "New Mutants" (yes, I'm still not used to adding the X-Men part in front of it) will also be R-rated, much like FOX recent movies? It COULD... be a good idea, but at the same time, it's a risky one that might not work either. I guess we'll just have to wait and see what Boone means when the first trailer hits. "New Mutants" is set to be released on April 13th, 2018. Production is expected to begin pretty soon in July... so I'm sure we'll hear more about it and more ethnically-appropriate casting through San Diego Comic Con.

Meanwhile, the tentatively titled "Deadpool 2" has welcomed a new cast member. Jack Kesy, who I just realized portrayed that rocker whose genital creepily fell off in "The Strain" (not kidding, it's a disturbing scene), has been cast to play a major villain in the movie. Deadline said, that their sources pinpointed the character as... Black Tom. Nope, I did NOT know that character, and the day I read the news, was even the first time I have even heard of it. After Ed Skrein's Ajax was universally acknowledged as one of the weakest element of the first movie, one would think that FOX would amp up the antagonist department, right? Looks like that's not the case. But let's give this sequel the benefit of doubt. Ryan Reynolds is returning as Wade Wilson, alongside Morena Baccarin as Vanessa, Leslie Uggams as Blind Al, Stefan Kapacic as Colossus, and Brianna Hildebrand as Negasonic Teenage Warhead. And just like Dawson, Josh Brolin will be portraying his second Marvel role, this time as the time travelling Cable. Directed by David Leitch, "Deadpool 2" will hit the theatres on June 1st, 2018.

Let's move on to the TV side now! And let's start with the good news first. FXX, a younger-skewing part of FX Network with focus on animation, has ordered a 10-episode series of Marvel's "Deadpool" (tentative title, by the way)! And guess who will be working as showrunner for this show? "Atlanta" very own Donald Glover, and brother Stephen Glover. Well, color me intrigued! This Deadpool series will serve as Marvel TV's second collaboration with the network, after the critically acclaimed "Legion" that aired earlier this year and has received a renewal. ABC Signature Studios is producing the show. And yes, joining Dawson and Brolin's party, this would be Glover's second major Marvel involvement following his inclusion in "Homecoming" (noticed that he showed up in that latest trailer too?). Hmmm... is it just me or FOX continues snatching actors from Marvel? Anyways, would Glover be voicing the lead character too? That would be awesome.

Now, comes the bad... or politely speaking, not that-good of a news. And it's about that new X-Men TV show, "The Gifted". I know I haven't been talking about this for a while now, because frankly... I couldn't care less. But I'm going to report it anyway now, because it's happening. Well, mainly because an official teaser has been released to celebrate the full season order. So yeah, FOX wanted their Marvel properties to play in the TV poolside as well, so they called out Bryan Singer and writer Matt Nix to... ugh, create this show. And it's generally about, "a family who discovers their kid is a mutant and must go on the run, shacking up with a bunch of other mutants to survive.". What's the point? I guess it's not enough to have "Legion" that, despite being really good, feels weirdly out of place from the X-Men movie universe, now they just need to insert another one to make things more... confusing.

To be honest, what I saw in that trailer didn't inspire confidence. At all. Which was odd, because I thought the teaser was quite intriguing. There's this weird... 'been there done that' vibe running throughout the trailer, and it certainly didn't give me the urge to check it out once it was over. It played a bit like "Heroes" I guess, but not the early seasons when it was good. Nope, it's the latter ones which people couldn't care less. But of course, don't ever judge a book by its cover, because this COULD be good. It has Amy Acker, Stephen Moyer, Sean Teale, Jamie Chung, Coby, Blair Redford, Percy Hynes White, Emma Dumont, John Proudstar, and Natalie Alyn Lind as its cast. While I'm only familiar with THREE of them, the rest of these actors could end up becoming as huge as those.. ugh three. So yeah, if you're an X-Men fan, you might want to hang on to your seat until this show arrives on FOX Network. Sooner or later. Good... luck, then?

Marvel TV

Since we've talked about Marvel TV's affair with FOX, let's talk about their own shows now.

Marvel's "Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D." has been officially renewed for Season 5. YAY for that! I personally thought the finale for Season 4 was rather... disappointing and underwhelming. Also, that post credit scene was confusing, and was revealed to NOT have anything to do with S.W.O.R.D. because turns out, Marvel doesn't own the copyright. Ain't that a deal-breaker! But obviously, a show renewal means a win for some of its fans, so... good for them. There's a catch though, because unlike previous season, the 5th season will NOT arrive in Fall 2017. Nope, NOT kidding, because apparently, AoS will not start until ABC has finished airing all 8 episodes of Marvel's "The Inhumans". This is a strange reveal, because I've always thought 2017 would be the year that ABC is having two running Marvel shows at the same time. Looks like I've expected too much.

But the report gets even... weirder. "The Inhumans" is officially set to air on... Friday 09:00 PM, following "Once Upon a Time". This news stirred up some concerns on its own, because according to many, Friday night is considered to be graveyard for TV shows. Heck, many people in the US aren't even home during that time! Most tend to go out, and have dates, parties, watch movies and whatevers. Is ABC trying to ruin the show before it even starts? Sure, ABC Chief Channing Dungey has told the press that the network is trying out a new strategy. But it also didn't stop folks on the internet to connect the show to a recent rumor that... didn't sound reassuring. With this odd airing schedule, the trepid response to the show's first look, as well as showrunner Scott Buck's bad track record thanks to "Iron Fist", I think it's not wrong for fans to start feeling... worried.

The good side that we can take from this, is that when the 5th Season of AoS begins airing on January 2018, the 22-episodes will likely run without any season breaks. There isn't any official statement about this, but VFX supervisor Mark Kolpak had hinted so in a social media response. Personally speaking, it's still uncertain if I'll be seeing this new season or not. Knowing my tendency to lose interest when a show starts to get overly long, highly likely I'm going to drop it, to then return sometime after it ends to bingewatch it. But it's not a fixed plan just yet. After all, I WAS planning to do that with Season 4, but then the Ghost Rider arc pulled me back in, and the rest was history. And of course, if the 5th Season is announced to be the FINAL season, that totally changes my plan. I would totally tune out in real time for one last ride, even if sometimes I have to *cough-Glee-cough* drag myself to do so. In the end, it all depends on what strategy the showrunners will apply to the show when it returns on January. It's still 7 months away, so plenty of time for me to have the AoS hiatus I badly needed. Assuming "The Inhumans" doesn't suck up all of my joy and leave me with pure disgust towards Marvel TV, of course... LOL *sigh*

Last but not least, the new season for "Avengers Assemble", officially subtitled as Marvel's Avengers: Secret Wars", is set to have a one hour premiere later on June 17th. This season will pick up directly after that bittersweet ending of Season 3, that left Tony Stark in a... digital state. To be honest, there's an annoying pattern to Marvel Animation's shows in the past few years, in that it started out strong and good... to then suffer a gradual decline in quality. That 3rd season, the one subtitled "Ultron Revolution", was just another good example of this. So while the prospect of having an entirely new roster led by Black Panther for "Secret Wars" sounds intriguing, I can't really say for sure if I'm going to stick around to the finale.

To help introduce these new roster, DisneyXD will be releasing a number of shorts via the digital platforms such as DisneyXD App. There will be six shorts released that feature Captain Marvel, Black Panther, Ms. Marvel, Ant-Man, Wasp, and Vision. Characters who have mostly (with the exception of Wasp) debuted on Season 3. These shorts will be available on a daily basis from June 2nd to June 7th. They will be essential to prepare audience for the 2-parters "Avengers No More", on June 17th as I've said before. I might be mistaken, but it seems the voice cast will have several updates as well, since I'm not seeing Adrian Pasdar's name on it. Nevertheless, fans of the animated series should definitely mark their dates to catch this new season. Who knows, perhaps the roster change will be effective to make it... better than the first three seasons.

Netflix

I didn't pay attention because I had to spend less time on Twitter now, but it seemed Marvel's "The Defenders" had a playful time with their social media marketing. Marvel officially released motion posters for the character, and apparently they were delightfully filled with easter eggs. There's Charlie Cox's Matt Murdock and Krysten Ritter's Jessica Jones hanging out on Rand Tower, Mike Colter's Luke Cage in Fogwell's gym, and Finn Jones' Danny Rand meditating in front of Alias Investigations, and so on. Fun stuffs indeed, at least by the sound of it, because I haven't personally observed them in details. LOL.

Cox talked to Empire Online, and revealed that despite the tonal difference to all series, "The Defenders" will have a tone of its own. One that is kept "grounded, but at the same time it lives in a slightly mythical world". Colter added that the four lead characters will be reluctant to work with each other at first. He also accidentally revealed on a separate interview, that Wai Ching Ho's enigmatic character Madame Gao is set to appear on the mini series. This wasn't particularly shocking, I should say, because technically Gao IS a member of The Hand, so of course she'll be involved somehow. Perhaps, alongside Ramon Rodriguez' Bakuto, who disappeared after his fight with Jessica Henwick's Colleen Wing in Danny's series? Speaking of Danny, Jones said that his character will be maturing and be more responsible in the mini series. So perhaps, turning into someone more... likeable than the one we saw in his solo series. I sure hope that's the case. Marvel's "The Defenders" arrives on August 18th.

Netflix has debuted the first teaser for their animated "Castlevania" series as well. The series itself will premiere on July 7th, and this first season will consist of 4 episodes. Running time for each will be 30 minutes, so it's going to be a really short show. While this is a fantastic idea, considering the game franchise hasn't had any adaptation until now (as far as I know of), this teaser was... vague at best. It honestly didn't make me curious or intrigued to check it out, and I'm not sure that's the purpose. Of course, just like any other Netflix shows, we could expect a full length trailer in the coming weeks. Perhaps, by then it would look meaningful enough for me to judge.

DC Television

Likely inspired by the reception to Marvel's "Luke Cage", DC TV has followed suit by introducing their own black superhero in "Black Lightning". The series, which has been ordered as full season, is set to debut on the CW Network. But unlike the already running "Arrow", "The Flash", and "Super Girl", this one will not be set in the same universe. For now. You can check out the first look trailer on the network's official channel.

Much like the other CW shows, I can't really say if this trailer... appealed enough for my taste. I just... didn't dig it for some reason. The concept of a retired hero is nice, but the whole thing played out exactly like those other CW shows. So already a huge pass for me. But I can easily imagine how some folks, especially African-American audience would be ecstatic to see it. Heck, if Marvel fans could show so much love for a "Luke Cage" series that honestly got more and more draggy as it went by, I certainly hope the DC counterpart would at least do the same with this. There one for everyone, right?

Warner Bros Animation

"Heelloooo, Nurse!!!!". Not content on just delivering CW superhero shows, through their animation division, WB is planning to revive a loveable classic, which is "Animaniacs". Yes folks, the trio of Yakko, Wakko, and Dot will be returning to the small screen... and likely alongside other characters like Pinky and the Brain. According to IndieWire, Steven Spielberg is involved in it, so that's a reassuring fact. After all, it was the iconic director himself who managed to bring the series to its spectacular popularity back then. For the time being, the project is still in early stage of development, and it doesn't have a home yet. But the original series is having great viewership on Netflix, so the streaming media would easily become one of its possible home. Here's hoping we'll hear more about this in the near future!

LEGO Games

LEGO announced their latest action adventure video game title late last month. This time, it's another of their Marvel tie-in games, "LEGO Marvel Super Heroes 2". Their previous collaboration, the MCU-inspired "LEGO Marvel's The Avengers" did not reach the same heights of the first "LEGO Marvel Super Heroes". So I hope this new one, that seems to focus on themes from recent and upcoming movies like "Doctor Strange", "Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 2", "Thor: Ragnarok", "Black Panther", and "Captain Marvel", will be able to make up for that strange nitpick-ish disappointment. You can check out the official full-length trailer on Marvel's official Youtube channel. Didn't show much of the plot though. Hmmm....

Street Fighter

Third character for "Street Fighter V" Season 2's DLC has been revealed early last month. CAPCOM promised a completely new character, but once again, similar to Helen/Kolin, this one's technically NOT really new. Ed, has been around since "Street Fighter IV", and before officially becoming a playable character in this game, he's been heavily involved in Season 1's DLCs' (Balrog and also Urien) story modes, as well as appearing in some others. Balrog has been serving as his caretaker, and that explains why his fighting skill leans towards boxing.

I'm never fond of boxing fighters, so Ed's already a huge NO for me. What was more disappointing about his reveal though, is the fact that he's being set up to be the new M. Bison. Complete with that ugly M. Bison-inspired costume! Turns out, ghost of the now-death Shadaloo's boss tried to possess his body, hinting that the evil organization is still lurking about, despite the conclusive ending to "A Shadow Falls". This is something along the line of how "Final Fantasy XIII-2" ruined the perfect ending of its first game! Anyway, some fans have been able to test him out during the game's beta test on May 11th. It's still unclear when he will be available for purchase, but it's safe to assume that will take place this month. You can check out his official reveal trailer on CAPCOM's official Youtube channel.

Dynasty Warriors

Early last month, Kadokawa's Weekly Famitsu magazine revealed that the 9th iteration of the franchise, "Shin Sangoku Musou 8" will be released on Playstation 4. This wasn't surprising, since KOEI Tecmo has been moving away and away from Microsoft and their Xbox family since the 8th game. Despite that, there are hints that the North American and European region will get additional release in other platforms as well. Switch, perhaps?

First announced back in December 2016, the new game will have an open-world environment, placing the continent of China into a single, vast map to explore. There will be key cities and also landmarks in the game. This change enables various mechanics that were unaccessible in previous titles, like real-time climate and its influence to battle, stealth infilitration, long distance attack, as well as variety of other methods like "State Combo", "Flow Attacks", "Trigger Attack", and "Interactive Actions". The story mode will be massively affected by them as well, as everything will take place according to its respective period, and more faithful to the actual history. According to producer Akihiro Suzuki and director Jun Miyauchi, development is currently at 40%, and that their team is currently adding more and more features to increase the game's playability value. With that said, the game still has no official release date at the time being.

Continuing the franchise's tradition, several new characters will be introduced to join the existing 83 officers from the latest title, "Dynasty Warriors 8 Empires". Zhou Cang, wielding the Daisatsutou, will be added to the Shu faction, while Cheng Pu, wielding a dual spear, will join the Wu faction. There might be more for other factions, but so far, these two are the only ones announced. Details for these characters as well as regarding the game in general, can be found on the official English and Japanese websites.

The King of Fighters

Fans who haven't been able to play the game on Playstation 4, will soon have a chance to play it on PC. "The King of Fighters XIV Steam Edition" of the game, has been announced to be released in the near future. SNK Corp has been accepting pre-order starting in May. Regular edition will come with a bonus of DLC costumes for Kyo Kusanagi, and Geese Howard. A Deluxe Pack, which is a MUCH better offer but with understandably higher price, will come equipped with Digital Art Book, Digital Soundtrack, 10 DLC costumes, and all 4 DLC characters announced so far. That's basically everything that SNK Corp has released in one pack! A 20% discount, which is an extra-generous bargain for both sets, is set to run until June 15th, 2017 10:AM PDT. So hurry up and pre-order your copy! I know I would if I had a compatible resource to play it, as well as reliable financial condition... *sigh*

Assassin's Creed

E3 is taking place this month, and Ubisoft has been rumored to be announcing the new title for their "Assassin's Creed" franchise. Nothing official has been revealed to far, but the company has indeed teased that this new entry will be released before the end of their current fiscal year. That means, we can expect it to arrive before March 31st, 2018. Will it be the Egyptian-themed "Assassin's Creed: Origins" as previously speculated? We'll have to wait and see...

Sonic the Hedgehog

When it was announced that there would be a 3rd character for "Sonic Forces", it made me quite... anxious. Remember how the teaser showed a cat-like character? Yep, I was genuinely worried that SEGA would be shoving, shoehorning a completely new character that might ruin the whole "Sonic Generations" combo of Classic and Modern Sonic. I mean, what's the purpose, right? Well, guess what? Turns out the third character is indeed a NEW character, but NOT exactly new. Huh? Because it's still Sonic. CUSTOM SONIC. LOL.

Seriously, this is NICE! And also somewhat brilliant too. I'm sure many Sonic fans have been itching to see how Sonic the Hedgehog would've looked if he's actually a wolf instead. Or if he's not Blue, but Red-colored... Okay, perhaps I'm the only one intrigued by those idea, but the point is, each fans can have their own version of Sonic through this game! This customizable Sonic or 'Hero Character' can be equipped with a variety of powerful unique gadgets called Wispons. The visual look can also be modified by choosing between 'hundreds' of options. So those who have been dreaming to have a nerdy Sonic as their playable character, well, this one's for you! Also, as I said before, players can choose a different base animal apart from Hedgehog, and all 7 types come with their own unique abilities. SEGA and the Sonic Team has provided a reveal trailer, and also quick gameplay trailer for this new Sonic. Looks like he'll be able to play through either Classic or Modern style stages too. Pretty cool, right?!

Meanwhile, "Sonic Mania" has officially received a release date. The 2D Classic Sonic game will be launched on August 15th, 2017, for Playstation 4, Xbox One, Nintendo Switch and PC. A special pre-order trailer has been released to deliver this announcement. Go ahead and check it out, because it looks... 2D-nostalgic fun! :D

Zero Escape

Just like "Sonic Mania", the PS4 port of "Zero Time Dilemma" will also be released in August. Namely, two days later on August 17th, 2017. That's only for the Japanese version though, and it will be available at the price of 3,800 yen. The English version has yet to receive official release date, but has been planned for a Fall release. This new PS4 version will have refined graphics, and Famitsu has published a comparison sample with the PC version.

Professor Layton

Early last month (yes, don't ask), details for the first arc of "Layton's Mystery Journey: Katrielle and the Millionaires' Conspiracy" has been revealed by LEVEL-5. Episode 01, entitled "Clockwork Sweets" will have Katrielle investigating the stolen hand of London's famous Big Ben's clock. The incident needs to be taken care of before the arrival of Ambassador Melarco the day after. So to fulfill the request of Scotland Yard's inspector Aspoiro, Katrielle and her assistant Haro needs to race through time to retrieve back the hand, before press conference with Melarco begins. Marc and Reggie Yanchatta, 27 years old twins will be involved in this case. Older brother Marc works as the mechanic on Big Ben, while Reggie is a confectioner.

Two of the "Seven Millionaires of London" from the title, have also been introduced. The first one is Ridley Fremens, who is the female mayor of London. And the second one is Clerk Gospec, a 65 years old multi-milionaire who has taken interest in Katrielle to investigate an incident in his theater. The report is currently unclear, but it seems Fremes will also be involved in the Big Ben case, while the Gospec's request will play out as one of Katrielle's next mission. To be honest, this feels more like a mystery visual novel than the previous "Professor Layton" titles. For some reason, I'm even reminded of that App Game "Layton Brothers", which I only managed to play up to the 3rd case (I need to purchase the next cases afterwards, and I had to pass on that LOL).

"Puzzles" are the signature of the franchise, so of course Katrielle will be dealing with them. The same goes for the other basic flow, like examining areas to discover "Insight Coins", and also tracking down "Collectibles". Another Layton standard feature, a mini game called "The Ideal Dinner" is also available. This time players need to provide clients with ideal dinner course of hors d’oeuvres, soup, a main course, and desserts. The game will be released worlwide on July 20th, 2017, for Nintendo 3DS (for Japan region, western version will come later in Fall), iOS and Android. That means, we might be getting additional information about other characters in the near future. Perhaps, during this month's E3?

Square Enix

The last category of this R-N-D, is a rundown of future plans by Square Enix. The company held a financial briefings for the fiscal year that ended in March 31st, 2017, and president and CEO Yousuke Matsuda revealed that some highly-anticipated title will be launched within the next three years. These projects include "Final Fantasy VII Remake", "Kingdom Hearts III", and also an unnamed Marvel IP License. This means that we can expect those to arrive starting next year. Will they be announcing more details for these projects during E3 though? We'll see...