#until they got scared the thing might evolve & get revenge

[incognito-lionbeast]

I think in my AU Tianlang-Jun/heavenly demons in general are a (demon world variant of) Mew. So.. essentially. Big, bad gyarados Su Xiyan saw this funny little foetus cat & was like "I can't NOT have an egg with that"

Thankfully Mew knows Transform. It's fine.

[cheemken]

Hey Knight how would you rank the champions based on how chill to aggressive they are when provoked. Could be any of your AUs

Like who be going

“We have your financial information, says you’ve spent 8,000 pokedollars on ____”

“A girl/guy gets to treat herself/himself sometimes”

And who’d just react with threatening the person back (most likely Lance)

Also one more thing I’d like to add about your Body Swap AU, we got Diantha and Leon angst, but imagine Wallace. He’s gotten so used to caring for himself (and his niece) without his parents since he was young, that he probably cries when Cynthia’s grandparents do something remotely nice for him

Mans never had the love he’s always wanted and now Cynthia’s grandma and grandpa are giving him that parental love, even if they don’t know it’s him and think it’s just Cynthia

Ohoh my lil shit Diantha hcs time to shine owo hahahaha

Look, ik the fandom holds Dia in such a high regard, that she's an angel she probs has the patience of a saint, but she is such a lil shit in my hcs. Ofc, she's not gonna actually scream it to the public, if she's gonna do anything she's doing it disguised, if anything she'd let her mons mess w them, let Gengar get info abt them, and she'd blackmail em. She would, that is my truth. She thinks she's not petty, but she will wish harm onto anyone she doesn't like, she honestly pushed someone off the stairs once bc they were pissing her off and no one ever found out it was her. They didn't die, just broke a few bones hahah

The threats, yeah, I feel Cynthia and Lance would, even Iris at a push, bc these two are like her role models let's be real hahaha these three would plan the most meticulous revenge plan party ever and they'd be front row seats watching the one who pissed them off fucking vibing w whatever prank they pulled. Or really, just using their Champion status to scare them, even using their aces. Like, ofc, you'd really go against champions w Pseudo legends as their aces? One of which can mega evolve, the other has a z crystal, and the other can dynamax

Hau and Geeta and Steven are probs really passive. Like I imagine Hau just ignoring it or like really not paying much attention if someone tries to mess w him, thinking it's just some joke, or rather it's a waste of his time. Why ever waste your time engaging in petty arguments when you can just eat malasada right? And then there's Geeta who's probably so used to it by now that she'd really just ignore them and stop Diantha from letting her avenge her in some way. It bothers her sometimes, truth be told, but she really just bury it deep along w the things she doesn't wanna remember anymore. Steven really doesn't bother w them, it honestly just goes into one ear and then goes out the other, like he really doesn't give two shits.

I think Leon just tries to not think abt it. Like yeah they're just messing w him on purpose yknow, there's no need to play along, he's better than that. But the moment someone messes w his partners or Hop, he's gon go batshit. Like, think of someone making fun of Hop, and then there's Leon behind them, looking like he was ready to kill, and Hop had to calm him down bc the person messing w him was on his knees apologizing. Idk, he's the type who doesn't care if he's being messed w, but he's also really protective of the ones he loves, so as long as you don't mess w them, he's just chill hahaha

Wallace would be petty as fuck, but he wouldn't voice it unless someone attacks him first. Like, he would insult you and your entire bloodline and it will hurt. He knows how to break a mfer, he'll go for you clothes, your looks, your background, anything really. He won't stop until he sees them cry and run away from embarrassment and he's there shaking his head, "pathetic."

~~

Anyways on to the body swap au

No bc I have been thinking abt Cynthia and Wallace while drawing them bc there's just cjmxnxnd a lot going on w them I might post more later hahaha

But anyways yeah definitely tho, Wallace would cave in

Like the first day, when he finally composes himself and such, got dressed, went downstairs, and Cyn's family was all there, waiting for him. Carolina smiled at Wallace all "you gave us quite a scare, dear. You know, Bugs can't really hurt you," she softly said, then patting the seat next to her, Wallace sat down. Across him was Cynthia's sister, across her grandmother was her grandfather. It was nice, so to say, they had a quiet breakfast, small talk here and there, then it got to the topic of the Champions.

Her sister looked at Wallace, a smirk on her face, "pfft, how's it going with you and your crush anyways? Finally got Dia the big shot to fall for ya?"

And Wallace shoots back, "oh, doing better, really. I'll be asking her out soon"

"hah! Bet!"

And just cjmdnd ough to him it feels like talking to his own sister again, he misses his own sister so much. And looking at Cynthia's own sister, looking at that fire in her eyes, the way she'd tease and smile and laugh, it reminds him so much of his sister. And his mind drifted off to a thought, a possibility, if his sister was still around, would she get along w the other Champions? His friends? He's sure they'd love her. She was quite a strong Ground type trainer before she retired. Before she passed away..

And then breakfast was done, they're all cleaning up, her sister was off, going to Sandgem town to prof Rowan to help him w research. Wc left Wallace w Cyn's grandparents. And just chmdnd it was so soft yknow, Carolina was there looking up at him, all "you're not gonna follow her, dear?"

"huh..?"

"ah, you and Chandra would always race out the house to get to Sandgem, but maybe you're tired, dear."

"yes, love, Cynthia has been working hard with her Champion duties, plus with all those meetings too, I'm surprised you Champions can handle all that, Thia my dear."

"that's true, well then, worry not dear, you can just rest today, if any person from the league comes here, I'll tell them off," she laughed, then she pulled Wallace close, "you just go and rest, my dear!"

When Wallace went back to Cynthia's room, the dam broke, he was there crying, holding himself close. It was such an experience for him, feeling that kinda love from family. And it hurts him bc his own parents weren't like that, but he wished they were. He wanted to be selfish, just this once, just this once Arceus, he wanted to be selfish and just bask in their love and let them take care of him, even tho he's just pretending to be their granddaughter

[simplyotometrash]

Headcanons with Obey Me! Oc, Alex

Alex’s relationships to each of the characters

Lucifer:

Have you heard of love at first sight? You have? 

Yeah this is not that whatsoever. 

Alex hated Lucifer from the moment they met. His attitude, the way he talked to them, the way he talked to Mammon. All of it. 

So they made it their mission to get on his nerves as much as physically possible.

They really wanted to see how far they could push him.

Lucifer knew their game and put up with the annoying human and their antics despite the headache it caused him.

They finally talked to one another properly without a fight one night. It was late and Lucifer was, unsurprisingly, still awake and working.

Alex quietly shuffled into his office and immediately was called out on it. Lucifer rightfully suspected a prank. But the truth was that Alex had a bad dream and didn’t know who else to talk to.

Lucifer turned and saw this tired, helpless, upset human and gestured them closer. He listened to their nightmare and did his best to provide them comfort. 

Suddenly they weren’t the nuisance they usually were. They reminded of him younger brothers when they were much younger and new to the Devildom. Scared and feeling isolated. 

Did their relationship get any better?

Well, yeah it did. 

Lucifer grew to see the petite human as another sibling he somehow gained. 

Their relationship became sibling-like and the torment only continued, though less hate-filled.

Mammon:

Did they like him? Not at first. He didn’t really care much for them either.

They came to their first major breakthrough early on, though, when Alex witnessed firsthand the treatment Mammon received from his brothers.

Oh they hated it.

Alex is the youngest of 9 and knows what Mammon’s experience is.

From that moment on they took it upon themselves to become Mammon’s designated protector.

If anyone tried to fuck with Mammon they had to deal with Alex and vice versa.

They also are touch starved, so there were many movie nights where they just cuddled up together because they both needed physical affection.

Mammon is one of their best friends in the Devildom and they would not trade him for anything in the three worlds.

Mammon isn’t sure if he is in love with them or wants to just be their best friend, but he protects them just like they protect him.

They also always get into trouble together.

Mammon always ended up going into their room at night when he was having trouble sleeping, sometimes they were awake and sometimes not. 

They had an agreement, though, that if the other needed comfort at night they could always go to one another. 

He quietly would crawl into their bed and it was as if Alex knew he was there without waking up. They would shift so he could cuddle into them and they’d sleep like that the rest of the night.

There’s something inherently comfortable about being around one another when it’s just the two of them, something Mammon does not want to risk losing. He is very protective over them and will do harm to those who try to hurt them.

Leviathan:

Anime fan? Video game lover? Alex is the epitome of heart-eyes.

Yes, Levi comes off a bit weird but they do not care.

They wanna become his friend as fast as fucking possible because anime nerds need to stick together. They need someone to show them good Devildom anime.

Levi was very hesitant to let the human in. He was a gross otaku, why would they want to be his friend?

He was terrified that it might be some super elaborate prank.

It was seeing them playing a game from the human world that made him begin to open up.

They were playing a video game that they loved and he merely caught a glimpse over their shoulder. That was all it took. He stood there, hovering behind them, watching their gameplay intently.

The rest is, as they say, history. 

The pair became the best of friends and bonded over their mutual hobbies. 

Levi is also one of the potential love interests for Alex so the feelings can run even deeper depending on how I am feeling.

Overall, though, they are just as attached at the hip as Mammon and Alex. Levi is fiercely protective over Alex and their friendship, often fighting his brothers to claim best friendship. They are his Henry.

They’re able to get through to him when he draws in on himself. When he is so plagued by negative thoughts and anxiety that nothing can reach him, Alex is able to crack through the negativity to shine light back on him.

They give him so much positive reinforcement and affection.

While they are touch starved, they never force physical affection without consent. They know Levi has issues with being touched and would never want to push it.

They’re the only one he is okay with hugging him out of the blue, though it makes him blush, it also makes him feel special. 

Satan:

They did not get along at first.

Alex did not hate him on sight like they did Lucifer, but they did not take to him very quickly either.

They pretty much ignored each other for the first couple of weeks.

they could cohabitate in the House of Lamentation in peace without ever acknowledging one another.

It was Alex’s dislike of Lucifer that piqued Satan’s interest in them.

A fellow hater of Lucifer? Someone to plan pranks and piss off the eldest in the house? Maybe they were alright then.

They became friends over their disdain of Lucifer and truly bonded over a love of books.

Alex is a big reader, not only of manga, but of all literature. So they were able to find common ground in that they had some similar interests.

There was never the potential for romance between them and that’s okay.

Their relationship, similar to Lucifer and Alex’s, evolved into a very sibling-like relationship.

They became a younger sibling to him and he enjoyed their company. They proved good to prank with as well. 

It was nice to have someone else who liked reading, someone who was calm, and also loved cats. Alex’s love for cats was just as strong as Satan’s. 

I personally headcanon that Alex’s cat got to come with them to the Devildom so Satan really had to decide whether or not he was going to kidnap (catnap) their cat or not until they told him he could visit anytime for some kitty cat cuddles. 

Asmodeus:

Asmo was a very fast friend to Alex.

The moment they met he was enamored. What drew him in specifically? Alex’s hair. They came to the Devildom with pastel blue hair with an undercut that needed to be maintained.

Asmo saw they were a lover of fashion and had nice hair and he wanted in on that. He volunteered himself to be their personal hair stylist. 

They began bonding over these sessions where he would touch up their hair color and cut followed by painting their nails and telling them anything and everything he could think of.

But they did not hesitate to call his seemingly narcissistic personality a fraud. They didn’t buy that he was only a self-absorbed and shallow person who only cared for his looks.

This moment is what makes Asmo the second contender as a love interest for Alex.

They saw right through him and suddenly he felt...free. Free to express himself in more ways then he thought possible. He also began to view them as more than a doll to play with and a sounding board to talk to.

Suddenly they were so much more alive as a person. He wanted to truly know them. 

He fights Mammon and Levi for the role of best friend but he also wants to be so much more than that.

He makes a point to spend time with them and never mentions his previous encounters or relationships. He doesn’t want to even risk upsetting them in case they love him back (which they do depending on what I’m writing oops-).

Asmo, though he struggles to admit it out loud, views them as even more important than himself. Their beauty inside and out is blinding. He wants the world to see it and their outfits to reflect it.

He doesn’t hesitate to drop just as much Grimm shopping for them as he does himself.

Beelzebub:

These two cohabitated quite peacefully. They didn’t need to talk or really do much of anything. They simply existed together.

Alex didn’t think much of the large demon at first. They were impressed by the sheer size of his appetite and thought he looked kinda cool.

Beel thought they looked so small and was afraid just breathing too hard might break them.

Their first bonding moment was when he came into the kitchen for a midnight fridge raid and found Alex, in their pajama shirt, cooking. He quietly sat down next to where they were standing and asked what they were making.

Comfort food was their answer. They were homesick. Their favorite thing when they were homesick was potato soup, their mother’s recipe.

Beel knew the feeling all too well and did not press the subject. There was comfortable silence before he asked questions about the human world. Before long, they were offering him a large bowl of soup. 

They ate together, sitting there on the kitchen floor, and the hours flew by. 

They did get in trouble together for not even cleaning up the mess in the kitchen where they inevitably fell asleep together, but Lucifer was lenient. 

Beel became their confidant. The one person they could talk to without feeling judged. And they became someone he could also tell anything too.

Someone he needed for those bad nights plagued by nightmares or when he felt homesick, too. 

Their relationship stays this way. There’s not romance that may blossom and neither of them are interested in that. 

Belphegor:

They knew he wasn’t human from the moment they found him in the attic. These two had very little relationship prior to the incidents of chapter 16.

We all know how Belphie was about humans and what happened to the MC in that chapter. 

Scooting past that, their relationship afterwards was exceptionally tense.

At least on Belphie’s side. He wanted to make up for what he had done but also felt uncomfortable with Alex. He wasn’t sure how to approach them.

Alex, on the other hand, took it as a personal mission to annoy the ever living shit out of him as revenge. 

Did they hate him for what he had done? No. They did not hate him. What they felt was not hatred nor resentment, rather they felt irritated and rightfully pissed off.

They sought revenge in the form of annoying him.

But that only lasted a little while. These two actually get along very well once they have a proper talk about what happened and Belphie wanting to make up for what he had done. 

Belphie is contender number 3 for Alex’s love and affection in a romantic sense (I’m soft for him, I can’t help it).

They bond over the stars and the fact that they can be in the same room together without even having to talk. 

Alex is a high-energy kind of person but even they need breaks. They don’t like feeling as if they have to be like that all the time. And they don’t have to with him. They can be quiet and calm. 

They nap together all the time. Belphie is actually the one they go to when they have migraines because his very presence is so soothing that they’re able to relax and sleep through it despite the pain.

Belphie knows they love pillows and buys a new one every time he goes out, whether with them or not, just to add to their bed so they have their own massive pillow collection.

I will do a part 2 for the rest of the characters! Let me know what you think!!

[ofstarsandfireflies]

Been wanting to do this movie for a while but kept pushing it down the list.

Maleficent

The back story of one of the greatest Disney villains.

Stephen was far older than he appeared and far more powerful than anyone dared to dream.

He never liked Humans and tends to stay out of their wars and petty squabblings as they went about killing each other unless it was against his own kingdom.

That was when they got a real taste of just how destructive his power could really be and they would run away with their tails between their legs until they forgot about it some years later and tried again, only to be taught the same lesson.

But no matter how many times he tried to warn them to leave him alone it never seemed to stick.

Even though he was the last of his kind, the very last protector of this forest he and so many creatures both magical and not called home, he’d rather not spend his time fighting.

He had far more important things to do.

Like fly.

His wings were a deep red and what he prided himself on the most, spending the morning grooming the feathers until they shined, more beautiful than any bird, more magical than any fairy, his wings were the envy of anything with wings within their protected home.

They carried him over the magical kingdom he protected, through rocky passes, dipping into the crystal waters as he soared over the roarin warerfall and up into the clouds.

He had protected this place from the Humans for hundreds of years.

And he would continue to protect it for hundreds more to come.

Not one Human had ever set foot inside his domain and none ever shall.

That was the only rule.

And it broke the day a human man stumbled into his forest somehow, injured from battle and almost dying.

Stephen knows he shouldn’t get involved.

He knows he should kick the man out and let it die.

But he can’t help it.

This man needs help.

And technically, as the protector of the forest, he had a duty to help him.

So he takes care of the man.

Weeks and weeks go by and Stephen stays at his side through every fever, cleaning and redressing the infected wounds, aiding him to drink some fresh water before sliping back into unconsciousness.

Finally, the man wakes.

He’s not scared of Stephen as he thought he would be, he’s more interested than anything.

In why he helped him.

In who he is.

And especially in his wings.

Stephen hasn’t talked to many Humans and the ones he has never wanted to hold a conversation about anything but how the land Stephen lives on actually belongs to them.

So he starts talking to this one.

This one’s name is Howard, and he talks at length about how his wife is pregnant with their first child.

Stephen is intrigued by this man’s excitement about becoming a father, about all the things he wants to teach them as they grow and all the things he wants to give them so they have a better life growing up than he did, wanting for nothing and surrounded by love.

And Howard is just as intrigued by him.

By his magic and his wings, which he often tries to touch as much as he possibly can.

So, when a few more days pass and Howard becomes a little stronger, he is the one to lean in and kiss Stephen.

Stephen’s never been kissed before and unsure what to do, but Howard guides him.

And the kiss slowly evolves into something more that night.

And the next night.

And then Howard is calling it off, saying he needs to get back to his wife and child.

Stephen is upset after having experienced what Howard has shown him, but knows it’s for the best.

So he leads Howard to the edge of the magical forest and the human kisses him one last time before heading towards the nearest town.

Now they can get back on with their lives.

Howard with his family and Stephen with...nobody.

But the next day Howard is back.

Stephen is a little irritated by this but when Howard pulls him close and tells him he wants to stay with him, running his hands through the feathers of his wings that have become accustomed to his touch, Stephen can’t help but feel happy that he won’t be alone anymore.

It was just one human after all.

There was no harm in just one being here for a short time.

Howard had gone to the nearest town to purchase the most expensive thing he could with the money he had on him to thank Stephen for saving his life.

Turns out that thing was alcohol.

Stephen’s never had alcohol before and is drunk after his first glass, but Howard keeps refilling it and Stephen keeps drinking it until there’s barely any left and he passes out in Howard’s arms.

What he wakes to, the pain where his wings used to be, the betrayal from the one he had come to love and thought loved him in return, is absolutely nothing to the pure rage that fuels him to seek revenge.

It takes him a couple of days before he can move, the searing pain in his back keeping him on the ground where Howard had left him.

When he manages to get to his feet he’s a little unsteady without his wings to balance him, needing a walking stick to help him take a simple step.

After a week, he finally makes it to the first town closest to his kingdom’s border, hoping to find answers as to why Howard had done this to him.

Why didn’t he just killed him instead of leaving him in this agonising pain?

And what he finds there, before he’s even entered the bustling streets where Humans go about their daily lives, only deepens his abhorrence.

The selfish King, wanting Stephen’s forest, spread the word to every town within his reach that any man who coukd kill the last protector and bring back his wings as proof, would succeed him as King.

This is the reason Howard betrayed him?

All for the kingdom?!

Wasn’t Stephen’s enough?

He had given so many of his firsts to him and, for what, to remain as second best?

That’s right.

Howard had told him that he wanted his unborn child to have a good life.

He’d done this for that child.

So that is who Stephen will destroy first.

He will take everything from him starting with that child and then move on to the kingdom next and wipe it off all the maps, every good thing Howard had ever wanted, Stephen will ruin.

But first he’ll deal with that baby.

It was just one human after all.

And he was not going to make the same mistake of underestimating them ever again.

His power is no match for the castle guards when he finally gets to it, pushing the doors open and walking into the crowded room of silent people, smiling to himself as they parted to reveal King Howard.

And his wife.

And their baby.

Howard demands that he leaves, that no one will believe any lies he tries to tell the people and Stephen just scoffs.

He’s not here to ruin Howard’s conceited views on himself or his marriage which obviously meant nothing to him on those nights they shared.

He’s just here to ruin his life.

The life he fought so hard to protect.

His son.

His precious little prince whose status is built on Stephen’s pain.

So he invokes his curse, telling the room of scared onlookers that on the very hour their Prince reaches the age his father his now, as soon as that day comes, his heart will feel all the pain Howard caused him and kill him.

The mother pleads with him, throws herself on the floor and begs him not to hurt the child.

He’s innocent in all this.

Stephen just scoffs again.

No child of that man could ever be innocent.

They would grow up and be just as black hearted as every other human when they come across something different to them.

But he can’t help but be moved by her words and tears, especially since Howard doesn’t do any of those things.

Does he think if he shows he doesn’t care that Stephen will lose interest in his revenge?

That might have worked if Stephen didn’t already know that Howard did care.

So he decides in that moment not to harm the newborn prince.

The Queen is right... that would be far too easy.

Too quick.

He can do so much worse than that.

Howard deserves so much worse than that.

So his son won’t die, but he will instead fall into a death like sleep, like the very one he wished Howard had never woken from.

One that only the kiss of someone who truly loves him can ever wake him from.

And just like that, the curse is cast and Stephen turns around and walks out.

But he doesn’t go back to his home.

He stays and watches, hidden from view, waiting for the day when he can see Howard’s face as the curse takes his son from him.

And regrets it that night when the baby won’t stop crying.

No one wants to care for the child, fearing if they touch it they’ll be cursed too.

No one has held him save for his mother before he was torn from her arms tonsave her and no one has bothered to feed him all day.

At this rate the babe won’t live to see tomorrow, let alone the years Stephen needs him too, so he does what anyone else would do in this situation.

He conjures a warm bottle of milk and feeds him.

Stephen just wants some peace and quiet.

That’s why he does it.

And after the bottle is empty, the boy falls asleep.

And Stephen finally has his peace and quiet.

Over the next few months he finds himself entertaining the child, feeding him, taking care of him seeming how no one else will.

But then, one day as the child is learning to walk, he tries making his way to Stephen even though his mother is in the same room as him.

Then, just a month or so later while he is exploring the gardens, left on his own yet again, he comes right up to Stephen.

He’s not afraid of him.

He just wants to be lifted up.

So Stephen does so, holding the small human he could kill so easily.

Tony, he remembers.

This child of the man who scorned him, his name was Tony.

Tony seems rather interested in the stumps on Stephen’s shoulders and large horns growing out of his head, wrapping his little hand around one of them and pulling as if he thought they were a fancy hat.

When they don’t come off and Stephen makes a noise of discomfort, Tony apologises.

It’s just one word, one Stephen has heard him say over and over when his father yells at him for interrupting him.

So Stephen sets him down again and watches the boy waddle away.

He doesn’t stay as close as he used to after that day.

Tony is old enough to speak and walk and feed himself, he doesn’t need Stephen’s help anymore.

Knowing he’s not going to see his revenge through for some time, he leaves.

Allowing Tony to grow up without his presence.

Years come and go, and on the year Stephen will finally get what he wants, Tony stumbles into his domain.

Stephen has no idea how he got in and he has no desire to let him stay.

That is until Tony tells him he remembers Stephen watching over him, that he thought he was an imaginary friend he’d conjured in his mind when the loneliness became too much.

His brother had told him he was cursed.

That the curse was what killed his mother and what keeps everyone at arm’s length.

So, hoping to break this curse, Tony decided to leave and find someone powerful enough who could remove it so he can have some form of a normal life.

If not, at least he won’t be a burden to his father and brother anymore.

Stephen stays silent, watching how Tony looks away from him.

And then it hits him.

The curse won’t affect Howard how Stephen wanted it to.

The only one it will harm is Tony.

Howard will still have his other son and his kingdom and Tony is going to suffer on his behalf.

How the hell could he have been so stupid?

So, against his better judgement, he allows Tony to stay.

The creatures that live here with him bring out the most beautiful smile on this young man’s face.

The way he talks about and views the magical world around him, Stephen can’t believe this is Howard’s son.

So he begins to show him how to care for the magical plants.

He allows Tony to make friends with the curious creatures.

He shows him a special ring that can take him anywhere in the world so long as he’s been there once before.

And as the days pass, Stephen’s guilt grows.

Tony is amazing and loving and finds Stephen and his world fascinating.

Stephen hasn’t laughed this much in so long, he thought he would never be laugh again, but all it took was for this prince to show him he was wrong.

So when Stephen tries to lift the curse and it won’t after so many years, he refuses to give up trying.

He tries demanding it be lifted, begging, changing it in some way, but it’s no use.

Stephen doesn’t know how to break it.

Not with something that exists anyway.

Not unless Tony already loves someone.

If he did, maybe that could save him.

But when Stephen asks him, Tony is leaning in to kiss him.

And Stephen is pulling away.

Tony wants to know why, telling him that now he knows Stephen is real, he knows that his feelings for him are real too.

And Stephen knows this is just the words of a boy going trough his first crush, the Prince is barely out of his teenage years and already spouting on about love.

A love Stephen doesn’t deserve for what he did to this beautiful man who’s smile and laughter could very well be the reason why this earth has a sun in the first place.

And then Tony is apologising to him.

Always apologising, hoping that Stephen didn’t pull away because of the curse like so many others before him.

Being unable to take the guilt any longer, Stephen tells him the truth.

That he was the one who cursed him.

And Stephen has to watch this perfect human break before his very eyes.

Tony is in shock and his mind is reeling and Stephen is trying to tell him why he did it and how sorry he is, but Tony can only stare at him, eyes brimming with tears and not hearing a word he’s saying.

And just as Stephen takes a step toward him, the toll of the town bell rings around them, and Tony clutches his chest.

Stephen is paralysed as his curse begins to take affect, the sick pleasure he’d hoped to feel from Tony’s screams nothing more than a horrible twisting knife in his gut.

And finally, on the echo of the final toll, Tony drops to the ground.

Stephen gathers him in his arms, trying to wake him up, calling his name, but Tony is unresponsive.

Eyes closed as if in a peaceful sleep, chest rising and falling steadily, yet dead to the world of magic he’d found so much wonder and happiness in.

Stephen spends weeks and weeks pouring over every single book he owns, hoping to find something to bring Tony back to him as he rests day and night in a soft bed Stephen has made for him.

But it’s no use.

There’s nothing he can do.

He goes back to Tony’s side and runs his hands through his hair as he sits by his side.

He apologises, though he knows he can’t hear him.

He asks for his forgiveness, though he knows he doesn’t deserve it.

Then leans in and softly touches his lips to Tony’s.

And still when nothing happens, he can’t stop the tears from falling.

He’s not even aware that Howard has brought his army to the edge of his kingdom until he hears the King yelling out for him to come and face him.

Stephen promises Tony that he’ll protect him and leaves to defend his home, just as Tony opens his eyes.

Stephen stands alone before Howard and his army, hands already glowing.

Tony doesn’t deserve to rest in a castle that feared him, despised him and ignored him.

He deserves to be where he felt like he belonged and that’s here.

With Stephen.

Howard just blinks.

He wasn’t even aware that his son had been missing for the past few months.

He doesn’t care about Tony and the curse Stephen put on him, that’s not why he was here.

No, he’s here to take over this forest once and for all.

To accomplish what the Kings before him couldn’t do.

And he will kill Stephen to make that happen, like he should have all those years ago instead of ripping off his wings and letting him live.

Tony hears this and knows the wings his father is talking about.

Quickly looking around for the ring Stephen showed him, Tony makes a portal back to the castle to the very room where those wings he’s been fascinated with all his life hang, nailed to the wall.

Prying them off with his sword, the wings fly past him through the portal, reattaching to Stephen and pulling him up into the sky to safety.

It’s been too long since he’s flown, since he’s felt the rush and exhilaration of flying at speeds humans can only dare to dream of.

But flying will have to wait.

He still has his revenge to fulfill on the person he should have cursed in the first place.

Flying forward, he grabs Howard off his horse, taking him higher and higher until the earth below them is covered by clouds.

Howard doesn’t beg for his life like he thinks Stephen wants, instead he mocks him, berates him, and when Stephen refuses to engage, tries to catch Stephen off guard by attacking him with his dagger, causing Stephen to drop him and let him fall to his death.

When he lands on the soft grass once again, he’s stunned to see Tony waiting for him.

Tony doesn’t know how he woke up, but he knows Stephen had something to do with it.

Stephen asks if he’s going back to the castle and Tony says no, he never felt welcome there.

Stephen suggests he live with him.

Tony think that is a great idea.

And as Stephen holds him, his wings circle around Tony and keep him warm and safe and protected.

Quotes -

“The princess can be woken from her death sleep. But only by...True Love’s Kiss.”

For, to Stephen, there is no such thing.

“I will not ask your forgiveness because what I have done to you is unforgivable. I was so lost in hatred and revenge. Sweet Aurora, you stole what was left of my heart. And now I have lost you forever.

I swear, no harm will come to you as long as I live. And not a day shall pass that I don’t miss your smile.”

Stephen’s new promise

“I know you, I walked with you once upon a dream. I know you, that look in your eyes is so familiar a gleam, and I know it’s true, that visions are seldom all they seem. But if I know you, I know what you’ll do. You’ll love me at once, the way you did once upon a dream.”

A blessing and a curse.

Stephen is betrayed by the human he called his friend.

Lucky for him, Howard has a new born son.

It’s only years later when he meets the son fully grown that the guilt starts to settle in.

Missed a Day? Catch up here!

Day 1 Day 2 Day 3 Day 4 Day 5

Day 6 Day 7 Day 8 Day 9 Day 10

Day 11 Day 12

[mst3kproject]

Kingdom of the Spiders

Yep, this is the one with William Shatner in it.  It was directed by John ‘you really undermine your authority when you put Bud in the middle of your name’ Cardos, who did the same job for The Day Time Ended and Outlaw.  It��s also available on Rifftrax, so I think we’re fully qualified for EtNW status… but if you need one more returning star, we have of course the much-maligned Mexican Red-Knee Tarantula.

The Shatmeister is Dr. Robert Hansen, the vet in these here parts. He’s not sure what caused Mr. Colby’s prize calf to suddenly fall sick and die, so he summons help that arrives in the form of Dr. Diane Ashley, an expert on venomous animals.  She quickly determines that the area is being invaded by huge, pissed-off tarantulas!  The over-use of pesticides has forced the spiders to evolve, and they’ve become social hunters with a more concentrated and deadly venom.  In large numbers they’re capable of taking down cattle, dogs… and maybe even humans.  The soundtrack consists of terrible country songs, all of them by the same guy you’ve never heard of.

As 70’s Nature’s Revenge movies go, Kingdom of the Spiders is… adequate.  It’s not remarkably bad, but there’s nothing particularly creative or interesting in it, either.  The direction is nondescript – none of the shots are visually striking, but anything artsy would be out-of-place in a film that’s intended to look as down-to-earth as the farmers and cowboys that populate it.  There’s a county fair that stands in for the Fourth of July Weekend from Jaws, and a ‘spider hill’ that serves as the Smaller Shark, but both of them are mentioned and then just kind of go away, rather than fulfilling any role in the plot.  They’re there for the same reason as the love triangle, because movies are supposed to have those.

The love triangle is what’ll make you hate Shatner’s character. Dr. Hansen seems dedicated to his work and he’s kind to his neighbours, but he’s an absolute ass to women. He seems to have a thing going on with his dead brother’s widow, Terri, which is very Claudius of him, but he rejects her almost violently when she accidentally calls him by her husband’s name. In one scene he teases that he might marry her himself, and then a day later he’s bringing Diane by to introduce her, which results in Terri fleeing to the kitchen to cry.  The impression we get is that he can read her signals, he just doesn’t give a shit.

He’s a jerk to Diane, too.  He asks her on a date moments after saying he has to go see ‘his girl’ that afternoon.  It turns out he’s referring to his four-year-old niece, but he didn’t clarify that until after he asked Diane out, which can only mean he deliberately led her to think he wants to cheat on somebody with her.  Later when he wants her attention, he runs her off the road and basically kidnaps her for dinner with him, and then he drives her car after she’s angrily told him not to.  He teases her about her feminism and makes her open beers for him… and of course this is supposed to be Twu Wuv.

Like a lot of useless love triangles in a lot of useless movies, this one is resolved when the third party dies.  Shatner therefore doesn’t have to choose – if Terri had lived and he’d chosen Diane instead, she might have decided to reduce Hansen’s time with her daughter Linda, whom he clearly adores.  With Terri dead, he gets Diane and the child all to himself.  Terri was nothing but an inconvenience, and is summarily disposed of.

I did like Diane, though.  She comes across as kind of a snotty bitch when we first meet her, but she warms up fast.  My favourite part of the movie is when she sees a gigantic tarantula crawling out of a drawer at her hotel room, and she immediately picks it up, pets it, and tells it it’s pretty!  How could I not like this lady?  Apparently actress Tiffany Bolling got the role mostly because she was willing to do that while their first choice, Barbara Hale (of The Giant Spider Invasion) was not. She deserved way better than to be William Shatner’s love interest.

The unfortunate thing about this sequence is it, and a couple more in which Diane happily handles the spiders without harm, rather undercuts the idea that they’re supposed to be aggressively seeking out human prey.  There are other scenes in which we watch humans run around madly, screaming and flailing, while the spiders merely sit there not doing very much.  Worst of all are two separate sequences in which a fatal accident seems to result not from spiders attacking people, but from people freaking out because a spider was in a vehicle!  It makes the whole movie feel like an over-reaction.

I do realize this may be my personal reaction, rather than the average one… somebody who’s actually scared of spiders might find this completely horrifying.  But… you know spiders move at like one mile an hour, right?  The Creeping Terror could catch them.  Just go get in your car, and drive away.  It would have worked for the sheriff if the crowd hadn’t slowed him down!

Moving along – the characters of the Colbys, a farming couple who’ve poured everything they have into their herd of cattle only to see their livelihood destroyed, are people we can pity but we know better than to get attached to them.  The opening scene is Mr. Colby bragging about how his calf is a shoe-in for first prize, and you know right away that he’s destined to lose everything.  The series of tragedies that ensue for the couple are all similarly telegraphed.

At the end we see a terrible matte painting depicting the entire town draped in spiderwebs.  This looks so bad it’s actually difficult to figure out what we’re seeing, and I’m not at all sure what it’s meant to tell us.  Diane had talked about the spiders ‘migrating’, implying that they’re just passing through.  So are we meant to think that now they’ve killed everyone else, the spiders have moved on and our so-called heroes can escape?  Because there are no actual spiders in the image, just their webs.  On the other hand, Diane also talked about spiders storing their food by wrapping it in webs.  So are they gonna come back to eat everybody later?  But it’s just a spiderweb… the humans can rip it apart and go.  Did the characters win, or lose?  Are they going to live or die?  The movie just runs out of ideas and ends.

This is a bit of a shame, because the core idea here is kind of neat.  The spiders have become monsters not because chemicals or radiation has mutated them, but because evolution did.  Diane explains that over-use of pesticides has done two things: one is to create DDT-resistant spiders in the same way as misuse of antibiotics creates drug-resistant bacteria.  The ones that can tough it out survive and produce similarly tough offspring.  Second, the pesticides have killed off the spiders’ usual prey, forcing them to turn to alternative sources of food.  Spiders with more potent venom are better able to kill large prey – as are those that work together.

I actually like this better than the idea of monsters made by pollution.  The toxic monster genre can’t really be about nature striking back because the creatures in it are truly un-natural.  When it is evolution that makes monsters, that is nature demonstrating that it is more powerful than we are.  It’s also more realistic, I guess, though only in a movie-science-y kind of way.  It’s not very plausible that the spiders could evolve so fast – the major changes in their behaviour would probably take many, many thousands of generations – but at least we know that evolution is a thing that happens, whereas exposure to radiation or toxic chemicals just kills stuff.  Too bad the concept seems to make for terrible movies.

Unfortunately, if the movie’s point is supposed to be that nature is tougher than us, the vague ending kind of undercuts it.  As I mentioned, we don’t really know if the protagonists are going to live to see another day.  Diane says that if insects turned on humanity we wouldn’t last long, but at the end the main characters are still alive.  There are movies in which an open ending is perfectly appropriate, but in this one it just feels incomplete.  If I were writing this, I would have the humans escape to another town or city, onto to find that the spiders have gotten there first.  That would be a little cliché, but it would make the point that while minor victories are possible, in the end the battle of man versus nature can only have one winner.

Kingdom of the Spiders is fairly well-known as a ‘bad movie’, and I expected I would either love it or hate it, but in the end I did neither.  I dislike Shatner’s characters rather strongly, but I’ve seen worse, and he’s not as stilted here as he is in some of his work.  The rest of them are okay.  The music sucks but it’s pretty forgettable, as opposed to things like The Sad Mushroom Ukelele Anthem that crawl inside your ear and nest there like a botfly larva (if you don’t know what that is, do not google it, I refuse to take responsibility for what you’ll learn).  I think a big part of the problem for both this and other spider movies like Tarantulas: the Deadly Cargo and Arachnophobia is just that live spiders don’t make good actors.  You can’t direct them.  It’s really hard to take something seriously as a threat when it’s just kinda wandering around.

Speaking of Arachnophobia, apparently producer Igo Kantor believed it was a deliberate ripoff of Kingdom of the Spiders.  He didn’t do anything about it because, and I quote, “you don’t go and sue Spielberg.” That’s a good enough excuse, I suppose, but I bet he and the makers of Parts: the Clonus Horror would have a lot to commiserate about.

[nordpolen]

So in an attempt to figure out what my character feels about her situation, I’ve written out basically a short story detailing one scenario of how a confrontation with her feelings could go. While it’s not likely that this scenario will happen, since it’s DnD and therefore a shared roleplay experience with my DM, however much we think alike. But I think some of the arguments could come up. And if not, atleast it was a good writing practice I suppose. Very dialogue heavy though. I need to work on that. 

Anyway, under the read more link there will be OC stuff. Feelings. Bad writing. And all that kinda stuff. Feel very free to ignore. I’m just putting it out here because it’s cathartic. 

"What are your intentions towards Marko?"

Mirai gave me confused look, not quite understanding my greeting to her. I supposed it was a bit rude, but I didn't particularly feel like making pleasantries. I was having a shit week, and the fact that I had to have this conversation at all only made it worse.

"Marko? How do you know him? And how do you know abou-" I cut her off.

"He's my brother. Answer the question." She stared at me, mouth slightly agape at my harsh tone, but also at the fact that I had said brother. She knew I had adoptive brothers, but she also knew their names. Marko wasn't one of them.

"You brother is dead. You told me so." She narrowed her void eyes at me, trying to read my face for any deception, a hint of joking. She found none.

"He was. Now he’s not. I had him resurrected. He was still dead when you met him, though. Now answer the godsdamned question."

She flung up her hands in exasperation at my words.

"Fine. I like him. He's nice. We're having fun. Is that so bad?"

It was the answer I’d expected. Still I couldn't help but feel disappointed for my brother. It was a conflicting feeling for me. I wanted him to be happy… And I wanted her to be happy too. But some small part of me had thought that that happiness would’ve been with me. I had thought that maybe, once I was done ensuring the happiness and safety of my family, and gotten my revenge, I could have come back to Yamato, been happy here. While I didn't like the assassinations, I had been good at them. Even better at stealing. They would’ve taken me back.

I could have made a home there, with her, if she would've had me, and if her father would’ve allowed it. Small chance, knowing Mirai’s father’s protectiveness over his daughter, but a girl could dream. Now, I supposed, it was time to wake up and stop dreaming. It was time to be a woman, who was in control of her feelings. A woman, who could let her brother be happy. A woman, who would let her brother make his own mistakes, but also a woman, who would protect him from the danger he didn't even know existed yet.

"Is that all it is? What if it evolves beyond that? What then?" I didn't look at her as I said it, it still hurt, it hurt so much, to look at the woman, who I’d still up until recently had been seeing in my dreams, and now instead see my brother's lover.

The fact that it hurt made me feel guilty. After all, I was the one who hadn't dared to ask her in the first place. I was the one who had been too slow, who had put her aside for my own goals. How could it begrudge my brother for his courage to do what I hadn't dared? I was lousy. The worst. A horrible sister. I started pacing back and forth.

She sighed, and sat down at the table, taking the only chair in my dingy inn room, carefully watching my pacing, confused and slightly annoyed.

"So, what if it evolves further? I thought you'd be overjoyed that your brother found someone he's happy with. And we're basically already family, Freya! You've been with the group since you were a barely a teen. We would be real family."

Her naivety grated on my nerves. Did she really think that her father, her father who had been so strict, kept her away from others for so long, would simply be happy with whatever first foreigner mutt his daughter picked up as a son-in-law? I knew my brother was worth his weight in gold, but I also knew how most people in this country felt about foreigners.

I spun around and faced her, my voice coming out in a shout that seemed to catch both her and I by surprise. I had never yelled at her before. Said mean things, yeah, as she had done to me, but I’d never yelled. That would've been overstepping my boundaries. She was the heiress to a crime empire. Even if it wasn't recognized by law, she was as good as nobility. Another reason I had never made a move.

"Have you even given this a single fucking thought, Mirai? Do you think you can just waltz into your father’s office with my brother in tow, and he'll go ‘Oh, I’m so happy for you’? How naive are you?" I saw the anger rise in her eyes, now that I was actually looking at her, and she responded back in a biting tone.

"It doesn't matter what my father thinks, I can make my own choices! What's he going to do? He can't keep me locked up forever. Someday I’ll have to take over from him. He might as well get used to me doing what I want."

"As if you're the one who would bear the consequences! You've never been the one who was punished when you stepped out of line. If you ran away, the maid who was supposed to look after you got flogged. If you didn't do your lessons, your father would have your teacher's hands burned. Do you really think your father would hesitate in removing my brother if he thought he would become an issue? I know you don't think about anyone but yourself, but I care very much about my brother and I’m not letting him get hurt because of your selfishness!"

Mirai sputtered in indignation, her normally calm and even voice growing shrill.

"You're calling me selfish? It's not my fault that I was born into the family I was! I want to live my life too! Is it too much to ask that I get the chance to choose what I want to do?"

"Yes!" I shouted, taking a step towards the table, where she still sat. "It is too much to ask when the consequences will fall on others than yourself!"

She snorted at me, grabbing the sake bottle at the table besides her and taking a long swig.

"Consequences. You would know about that wouldn't you. Always so busy taking everyone's problems on yourself. Gotta help you family, gotta make money for your dear Ettie, gotta get revenge. We can't all be a fucking self-sacrificing saint like you." She challenged, and I took a step back as if she'd hit me, or stabbed me with a knife.

It stung, because I felt the truth in what she said.

She continued. "You never do anything for yourself. The few times I’ve seen you with anyone has been after drinking, and you never talk to them again. Too scared that you'll get attached and forget your ‘sacred duties’?" 

I tried to muster up a defense, but I couldn't. My ‘sacred duties’ as she called them weren't the reason why I’d never been with the same person twice, as few as the people I’d ever been with were. I'd never been with anyone more than once because I’d still had a crush on her. Every time I’d tried to be with someone, it had been an attempt to forget her, to move on, but then we would meet the next day, and train, and the glint in her eyes would make me fall once more.

"That's none of your business." I said tersely, looking away, cheeks aflame, and eyes burning. I felt like crying, and I didn't want to admit that I knew why. This was the end of it, I knew it would be. I would have to let her go after this. Even if something inside me said to fight for her instead. Fight who? My brother? She was a person and could make her own choices. I had no right.

Mirai saw something in my face, something that made her stand up and walk closer to me, carefully, like she was afraid to scare me.

"You're ashamed, aren't you…" She said, and I clapped a hand over my face, as if that could shield me from her searching eyes. "Is it because you're jealous? Because I’m taking your brother away from you?"

Her voice grew softer, and she reached out one slender grey hand to me, callouses from holding a dagger in training marring the skin slightly. I jerked away.

"Freya, you know I would never take your brother from you, there's no need to be jealous on me." I removed my hand from my face to look her in the eyes.

"Jealous? Why would I be jealous of you?”

I knew I’d given myself away the moment the last word left my lips. Mirai wasn’t stupid, and she could read my tone. We’d known each other long enough.

I immediately turned away from Mirai, hoping that she wouldn’t figure it out, hoping that she wouldn’t realize what that meant. I eyed my cloak by the bed, and then the distance to the door. I could make it quickly, but that would leave the issue unresolved, a loose end. I hated loose ends.

“If you’re not jealous of me…” Mirai said, almost sounding lost in thoughts, “then who…” The small ‘oh’ that then fell from her lips made the embarrassment burn in my cheeks again, and I regretted starting the conversation at all. Her next words sealed my doom. Or atleast that was what it felt like.

“You’re not jealous of me. You’re jealous of Marko.” She said, matter of factly.

I refused to look at her. She was right, but she couldn’t know that. And more importantly, Marko couldn’t know. If self-sacrifice was my defining trait, then it was also a family trait. If Marko had even an inkling that I liked Mirai, and had liked her for years, he would give up any claim. He would stop pursuing her, to give me a chance. Love didn’t work like that, I knew that. Just because he gave up didn’t mean that Mirai would then turn to me. But he would still feel bad for ever having pursued someone I had an interest in. He would give up the chance of love, as to not hurt me further. As much as I loved my brother and wanted to give him the world, he would do the same for me. It would leave all of us unhappy.

“Look at me.” She said. When I didn’t, she stood up and walked over to me, grabbing my face and turning it to her. I let her, almost letting myself lean into the warm touch of her hand.

“No. You’re wrong.” I muttered weakly. I couldn’t even convince myself of that. Mirai searched my face, my eyes, and then her eyes fell to my hand, where my left thumb was rubbing the small scar on the side of my second knuckle on my index finger. I immediately stopped the motion, even if I had already been given away by my tell.

“Liar,” She said softly, voice somewhat dark, yet sweet. I tried to wrist my face out of her hand, but she tightened her grip.

“All these years and you never said anything. Didn’t do anything about it.” Her brows furrowed, and she looked… hurt. “Did you think I would wait for you? That I wouldn’t find someone while you took care of your family? They’ve always come first to you. Do you really think it’s fair for you to be jealous now when you’re the one who put everyone else above yourself? You created this situation yourse-“

“Don’t you think I know that?!” I said, finally pulling my face out of her hand, and turning around, chest heaving at the sorrow stuck in my chest, sobs wanting to tear themselves from my body. I took a deep breath to calm myself, then one more, and one more again. I didn’t turn around, and she stayed silent.

“I know, I know that it’s not fair to have expected you to wait for someone you didn’t even know liked you. I know it’s not fair to bring it up now, not now when you’re both happy. I… I just can’t help feeling sad about it.” My voice broke as I said it, the admittance, causing tears to start pouring from my eyes, no matter how much I tried to stop them. I just wanted my brother to be happy, and now I was the most likely cause for him ending up hurt. I had called Mirai selfish, but I was the one truly selfish in this scenario. If could have kept my feelings to myself, and simply done the ‘protective sister being worried about her brother’s safety’ spiel, then everyone could have gone on with their lives, and I could, in time, have gotten over myself. But here I was, ruining everything. I was so caught up in my own head that I didn’t even notice Mirai coming up behind me.

She grabbed my arm and swung me towards her again, once more grabbing my face, and pressing a very unexpected kiss to my lips. It was soft, not a true kiss, but it made me stop crying from sheer surprise. And then I ripped myself loose, almost falling backwards in my attempt to get away from her touch. She let me go, and simply watched as I pressed myself to the wall, sputtering for something to say.

“See. Now you know what it would have been like.” She crossed her arms. “Not that exciting, I’d say, but you can stop wondering about it. That was the issue, no? That you wouldn’t know what it felt like.” I simply stared, my mind blanking for something to say. Mirai had kissed me. Mirai, who I had a crush on for 7 years. Mirai, who was my brother’s lover. This was more than I could handle right now. Mirai continued.

“We would never have worked out in the first place, and I think you know that Freya. You think you will be able to give your attention to someone when you’re done making sure everyone else is happy. But there will always be something. Someone will get sick, or someone will need your help. And you will run to help them and tear yourself apart doing so. I don’t like being second place. Besides, you need someone who will take care of you, like you try to take care of everyone else. Someone who will stop you from trying to sacrifice your own happiness. I’m not that person, and I know that you know that.”

I closed my eyes, exhaling a sharp breath that stung in my chest. She was right. There would always be something, and while I did care for Mirai, always had, I had never put her first like I did my family. Not even once. I suppose that was telling of my feelings for her. Apparently not that deep. I wasn’t so sure about the last part of her statement though. I wasn’t a person to be taken care of. I hadn’t been so for a long time. I was better when I took care of myself. Nonetheless, I breathed out the answer.

“I know.” And with that, it felt almost as if a weight had been lifted. It still hurt, and it would probably take a bit of time before the hurt truly stopped. But it would stop. It was as if a thread had been severed. Perhaps not cleanly, but it was finally cut.

I faced Mirai, looking into her face, her eyes watching me like a hawk, face carefully blank. But I saw her tail twitch in a slight 8 shaped pattern. Her tell. As well as she knew me, I also knew her. She was nervous. Had she done the right thing? I wasn’t sure. I’d preferred she hadn’t kissed me, even if it was the wakeup call I needed. It felt wrong when she was with my brother. But done was done, and I couldn’t say that it hadn’t been necessary.

I wiped away the tears that had started drying on my face and straightened up.

“Don’t mention this to Marko. Any of this. As much as you think I’m self-sacrificing, he takes that to another level.” She smiled, clearly a bit more at ease now that I wasn’t a crying mess anymore.

“It’ll be our little secret.” Her smile widened. “How embarrassing for you, having a crush on me for seven years. Ah, I’m so sad I don’t even get to tease you properly about it. Emika and Taro would laugh their asses off.” Of course she would immediately start teasing me about it. I rolled my eyes. The reminder that she had her fair share of annoying traits helped me feel a bit better, and also slightly sorry for Marko. He was the one who would have to deal with her from now on after all.

“Oh shut it.” I finally grabbed my cloak from the chair and moved past her to the door of the room. I looked back over my shoulder.

“Take good care of him. And please, please try to be careful with your father. I don’t want to have to gather 25.000 gold worth of diamonds for a resurrection again. Nor do I want to hunt down you father. And you know I will if I have to. Marko comes first, always.”

Mirai laughed. “There you go again with your self-sacrificing. Always so dramatic.” I rolled my eyes again and headed out the door. Feeling a bit lighter than I had felt ever since I discovered their relationship.

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

As Mirai watched Freya leave, the smile fell from her face, and her brows furrowed one more, as her face shifted from teasing, to a softer, worried expression.

“You two remind me so much of each other. Perhaps that’s why…” She stopped herself from taking that thought any further. She had made her choice. While she knew she wasn’t right for Freya, she couldn’t help but feel that Freya could have been right for her. But this was one of the times where she wouldn’t be selfish. Because Mirai truly believed that Freya needed, and deserved, someone who would see the hurt girl behind the independent façade. The girl who truly believed that she needed to put herself last to be worthy of even just a scrap of love. The girl who tried to pay back any affection she was given with acts of service, tearing herself into pieces in the process. Marko, however many traits he shared with his sister, rested much more in himself, and that was what Mirai adored in him. She hoped Freya would find someone, someone who could teach her that she was worthy of love too.

[annsparksthegmr]

Pokemon Black Nuzlocke - Part 5.5

Hello everyone, a little weird title for this part since it is kind of shorter than the others - at least in things I managed to accomplish. But there is a good reason which you’ll have to read up. But fair warning: next update might not be for awhile considering what transpires. Read more below if interested.

I thought I feared nothing, until I got into Drayden’s Gym. With a heavy heart, I switched up half of my original team in order to take down his Gym. I relied on two primary Pokemon for this Gym: Snowball the Beartic and BananSplit the Vanillish. Geartown hung in the back with the EXP Share in case I needed to switch him in. Expecting for her to be a sacrifice in case either of my main two needed to be switched out/healed. The only three remaining members of my team had a purpose. Pebbles had Stealth Rocks, which I would set up upon facing Drayden. Zigzagzop would be strictly for Thunder Wave uses and Captain was the tankiest Pokemon I had which I wouldn't mind losing. So I took a deep breath and entered the Dragon’s Den.

It was as challenging as I thought. Because even with having two Ice-Types, I was already struggling with their strength. Snowball and BananSplit were already in some pretty close calls already. I healed up everyone before finally reaching Drayden. And… our battle began. 

I started with Pebbles setting up Stealth Rock as Frazure began to set up Dragon Dances. Which started to worry me as Snowball was obviously slower. But one Icicle Crash took it out without issue. Druddigon was next, but barely survived only to hit me back with a powerful Revenge. One which almost knocked Snowball out completely. She barely managed to hang on and thankfully on the turn I healed, Drayden did as well. So the very least, I wouldn’t have to worry about him healing his true ace. 

But when Haxorus came out, my already weakened Snowball faced a tough choice. One which had him setting up the Dragon Dances and using Dragon Tail to switch out team members. And in his Gym, both Snowball and BananSplit were taken out… both dead as Geartown was the next to be sent out. And somehow, against all odds after I lost both my Ice-Type Pokemon, Geartown clutched the victory and prevented any more deaths by using Gear Grind. His Haxorus falling as I managed to preserve my original party members.

I dutifully put both Snowball and BananSplit to rest. After what they did in the Gym, I couldn’t be more proud of them. Even if seeing them made me teary-eyed for the sacrifices they made. But it only became worse when a Fraxure from an Ace Trainer on Route 10 took out Ramona without any issues. He nearly took down half of my team which was a huge problem. But I managed to skirt by with only losing one additional Pokemon. Making the death count three for this single part. Two I had planned and the third I thought since it was weakened I could manage but did not.

And then I accidentally clicked Sludge Bomb instead of switching and lost him to a Maractus. That actually hurt a little bit more than Ramona’s death. But down two Pokemon down in the beginning of Route 10 without finding an encounter was terrifying. Vowing to not let my death count go even higher, I decided to add Geartown back to the team and headed off once more.

Having Bianca and Cheren decide to ambush me on the bridge did not help my confidence at all. While I was aware that karma may come to bite me, I was already knocked down and missing two Pokemon who had stuck around since the early game. Though I struggled a little bit, I took down Cheren by paying more attention to the type match ups even though his Liepard gave me a scare. Nearly taking out Pebbles with a critical hit Night Slash out of Sturdy range.

But after defending myself from Cheren, his dialogue along Bianca reminded me to not just give up after losing them both. I needed to prepare as best I could for the upcoming battles. Even my encounter being a Sawk was giving me a hard time and nearly taking out both Odette and Zigzagzop. I really didn’t have much use for him on the team, but it would be nice to have in the PC. I named him Paul because it was generic. Though with the losses I have, some time had to be put aside for grinding. As I needed to find potential replacements. Because even though I do plan for Gracey to stick around, Geartown is just filler.

Though I did decide to head to at least grind up levels throughout Victory Road. And what was luck itself was finding a Dieno as my first encounter. A female as well - continuing my weird streak or getting mostly female Pokemon but I knew immediately I wanted to have a potential Hydreigon on my team. Because it would not only be good for type coverage but I really liked the pseudo-legendary line. So I struggled to keep my Pokemon alive while tossing a bunch of Ultra Balls at it. She was a troublesome Dieno to wraggle but I managed to snag her; even with being in red health and parazled it took some time. Then I decided to name her the most appropriate name: Grima.

I’ll cut the massive grinding session I decided to have to level up practically everyone in. And some extra routes I did not go to until now for reasons. Which may or may not involve a certain gifted Pokemon Egg found on Route 18. But while this is going on, I’m going back to revisit previous routes, get some new encounters and whatnot if and when possible. And locating any hidden items I can. Driftveil City encounter was a female Frillish I named Aqua. Mistralton Cave encounter… I decided to risk it and use most of my Super Repels to take a catch to catch Cobalion for my team. As for the other Swords of Justice, I do plan to catch them eventually. Though Cobalion is the only one I can actually use in my playthrough instead of an Axew. (And I don’t know if I can shiny hunt the Swords of Justice in this game but I rather not bother. I do like only certain Shiny Pokemon.) Though one small note I had with Cobalion: GET IN THE BALL! I WANT YOU!!

I secured Cobalion and nicknamed him the only appropriate name for the trouble he put me through: Nebby. And I’ll only catch the other swords of Justice either postgame or if I’m in dire need. But I do want to keep Nuzlocke Rules until the end of the main story at the very least. Though after that minor clean-up session I returned to level grinding. I even got some nifty TMs for my troubles. Next major update will be once I have a final team and I arrive at the Elite 4. Though right before I challenge them.

I still don’t have an exact final team - or at least for a final member. I’ll reveal what my ideal final team is going to be. Queen - my Serperior and starter who I don’t want to lose yet I feel like she deserves to stay on the team. Odette - the Swanna who has already showcased how useful she is now without Captain and one of the few Flying-Types I have. Grima - the newly caught Dieno who will most likely evolve into a Zweilous because I need a Pokemon who can use Dark-Type moves and is overall a pretty neat Pokemon. Plus, the other possible candidates for Dark-Type users aren’t ideal. Nebby - Cobalion who can easily help out with its Fighting/Steel Typing. Or at least I hope it can but I don’t have many other options. Lastly is the Egg found in Relic Castle but given on Route 18. I do plan to use Larvesta and I might just try to overlevel it a bit to evolve into a Volcarona. No name for it quite yet but might name it Hope. 

That leaves one spot open and while I love Zigzagzop and Pebbles, I don’t think they can assist me well in terms of the Elite 4. Especially Pebbles as I can’t trade to evolve her and she’s not as useful late game. Zigzagzop is most likely going to be the last member because using Thunder Wave is useful enough. But at the same time, I don't know if bringing a Zebstrika is useful for the last game. So I’m going to try and strategize a plan for tackling the Elite 4 and everything that comes after.

Don’t expect an update anytime soon because I’ll be on a massive training session to get Pokemon up to Level 50. And I do think i’ll try to do the same with some of my Boxed Pokemon for replacements if things get tough. All I hope is to not lose anymore Pokemon and maintain a decent Type Coverage overall. I hope that by next update, the team is ready to go and at the very least have defeated the Elite 4. Because for those of you unfamiliar with Pokemon Black/White, the game doesn’t quite end with a traditional battle. At least one many might expect.

I’ll smell you all later!

Team Recap:

Queen - Female Serperior (Lvl 50)

Pebbles - Female Boldore (Lvl 42)

Zigzagzop - Male Zebstrika (Lvl 50)

Odette - Female Swanna (Lvl 49)

Nebby - Cobalion (Lvl 42)

Egg

In Box/Reserve:

Ghost Girl - Female Liepard (Lvl 20)

Cassandra - Female Sandile (Lvl 21)

Trashie - Female Trubbish (Lvl 22)

Lowen - Male Cottonee (Lvl 20)

Lady - Female Minccino (Lvl 23)

Voltorb - Male Foongus  (Lvl 23)

Rouge - Female Woobat (Lvl 29)

BFG - Golett (Lvl 30)

Tim Burton - Male Gothorita (Lvl 31)

Aqua - Female Frillish (Lvl 10)

Gracey - Male Litwick (Lvl 37)

Geartown - Klang (Lvl 39)

Deaths: 6

Fountain - Male Sampour (Lvl 15)

Puppy - Female Herdier (Lvl 25)

Snowball - Female Beartic (Lv 41)

BananSplit - Female Vanillish (Lvl 40)

Ramona - Female Darmanitan (Lvl 43)

Captain - Male Seismitoad (Lvl 45)

[scenarios-on-ice]

You must have infinite regeneration powers :D So cool. And WELCOME BACK! <3333 I’m glad to hear you had fun in Japan!  and awww, I’m sorry to hear that school’s giving you a hard time (again)! :( *hugs*

For me, I am/was a homeschooler and I just finished the required exam to be considered a high school graduate so I’m basically done with studying for now….

Are they? *blinks innocently* I wasn’t aware!

(If you’re talking about Agni

“WHY DO YOU HAVE TO SAY GOODBYE”

“If I say goodbye, the plot will learn to move on…it outlives me when I’m gone”)

If Isayama actually manages to save the plot with a big revelation about how everything is (once again) connected I’ll be fine, but I really do think it would have been best to leave the worldbuilding at the whole Marleyan/Eldian thing. Personally, I feel like that was just the right amount of complicated to make readers go ‘ooooh so THAT’S what was going on all along I can’t believe I didn’t think of that’. It would have been nice to get some answers and maybe some more character development for the TItan Trio and Zeke instead of all the confusion going on right now (though I do have to admit that I like the new characters. And Reiner’s flashback to his days as a soldier in the recent chapter hurt my feels really badly).

OMG you’re actually going to do it Luna-senpai I bow down to you

I’m not even sure what to say so thank you??? So much???

True, I was thinking that as well since the anime kinda misses out on a lot of stuff and therefore has less usable scenes. And here, my evil side is showing again: ‘Let’s go home’ could definitely fit with ‘it take and it takes and it takes’ but, how about with 'If there’s a reason I’m still alive when so many have died’?

Feel free to make a shorter version or something if it’s stressing you out too much, though! And of course, I’m always happy to talk about this/help find the right panels! :D

To be a bit more clear, Rize isn’t actually pregnant so that’s something (do you think she would have ALLOWED herself to be impregnated if she could help it?). Her kakuhou’s just kinda being used again to create a new, more powerful generation of mini-quinx that are basically the new Kaneki Kens. Yeah. And Furuta refers to them as her 'children’

Here, I’ll explain that if you want:

Remember how we talked about Mutsuki being decidedly not-fine? Well, they completely snapped in recent chapters. It’s been revealed that they had a romantic interest in Sasaki (understandable, since he was the first person who was ever genuinely kind to them) and was extremely jealous/hurt by his behavior when he first met Touka at Re(the cafe). Though they were able to keep their feeilngs in check, after Torso’s torture things got worse and after Sasaki/Kaneki just up and left, Mutsuki kind of went yandere.

There’s a scene with them repeatedly stabbing someone disguised as Sasaki while declaring 'won’t kill, won’t kill, he’s mine’. Then they tell Aura (one of the new members of the Q squad who is bent on murdering Kaneki as revenge for his aunt, who ended up badly injured when Kaneki and his friends broke out of Cochlea)- “Let’s kill him together.” I suppose they resent Kaneki for leaving?

And you know, Kaneki’s group GOAT is all over the news now…Mutsuki finally got a clue where he is.

That 'sensei’ scene is trouble for both Kaneki and Touka.

In case you don’t remember, Takeomi and Yoriko got engaged, right? And Yoriko asked Takeomi to help her find a friend of hers (Touka) who disappeared years ago during the Anteiku raid. In a recent chapter, Takeomi ran into Mutsuki while holding the only picture of Touka Yoriko had and Mutsuki asked for the picture, claiming that they knew this person.

So. Well. Mutsuki’s probably going to go beserk if they get their hands on Touka. And they’ve already got their hands on Kaneki.

I kinda want to scream right now.

As for the 'virgin’ scene, Touken is now officially a thing! That question is followed by Touka and Kaneki finally talking about their feelings like sensible people instead of raging and angsting at each other, and then Touka’s like “When the time is right, I’ll let you do it with me.” 0////0

I’m not really sure how to feel about this though. I always thought Touken was going to become canon so I’m not surprised, but I kinda wish it didn’t in a way as well? Though I see how it works I’m not overly fond of it because it’s a really, really cliche formula in anime and manga: tough girl who becomes softer through her affection for main guy, tough girl whose character development is directly linked to main guy in a way that makes her more emotional and more traditionally feminine. The most 'popular’ examples of this could be the Winry/Ed dynamic from FMA and the Eren/Mikasa relationship from AoT and they’re not the only ones; this is just a really popular trope in shounen manga. Admittedly Winry/Ed seems to be a well-done version of it from what I’ve seen, while Mikasa/Eren puts some interesting twists on it and Touken is a more realistic portrayal, but it’s still a cliche that I get tired of seeing.

I also feel like Touken could have done with a bit more development in recent chapters. They’ve been apart for so long and haven’t had that many significant interactions until this whole 'are you a virgin’ convo (which was feelsy and good but a little more buildup would have been nice).

Whatever, I’m still going to be mad if Mutsuki manages to hurt Touka.

Whoops, almost spoiled something again! Not gonna do it, though.  Well, the next few weeks will be pretty good, so I’m happy about that! And I’m not sure if I wrote this in the last message (but I’m too lazy to go and check), so I’m gonna (potentially) write it again: The perfect way to describe me during the flight back is using a line from ‘Farmer Refuted’. If you repeat yourself again, I’m gonna scream. Only without the If you repeat yourself again part. It. Was. Horrible. And shaky.

Oh, that’s pretty interesting! And yeah, you did mention being quite the genius. You’re like Hiro from Big Hero 6 hahah

... Sure you weren’t aware.

Oh yeah, it’s about Agni. Why couldn’t plot armour save him????  HNNNNNNNGH

Well, at this point I’m too confused with the manga to like anything. He should’ve left it at the basic plot and not evolve it into the mess of plots it is now. (Fun fact: this was originally worded a lot more harshly) I think he’s slowly losing readers by doing this. If they don’t quite understand what’s going on anymore, they give up. How do I know? CAUSE I’M ONE OF THOSE PEOPLE DAMMIT Like I said, Armin is what keeps me going.

I think I’m gonna try to make a shorter version of the song, but I’m not sure how it’ll turn out. I also have 0 idea how long it’ll take (but it’ll be a while before it’s done)).  Ah, that’s a good idea for the lets go home scene! Well, either that or ‘I’m afraid I wouldn’t remember their names’

Oh good, she isn’t pregnant. I was scared ;-; BUT THE OTHER OPTION ISNT MUCH BETTER; IS IT NOW Well, sure, Rize wouldn’t allow herself that, but if she’s starving/drugged, then I guess... THIS IS GETTING TOO DARK

You want to scream and I’m going to scream.  Just. I give up. No.  Why. 

Oh, Touken is canon? Cool! I can’t say I ship it, but it’s really nice something became canon. But did Touka seriously doubt Kaneki being a virgin? Kaneki, the biggest nerd on the entire planet? Oh yeah, he’s totally a fuckboy, there isn’t a girl in town who hasn’t slept with him, pffft

Well, I guess cliches are nice every once in a while ^^

As for Boku no Hero Academia... I’ve binged the manga and it turns out it does get very, very dark. Not AoT or TG level dark (what kind of monster would do that?), but quite dark, so you might enjoy it ^^

[atrytxne]

Athena’s Journal, Day 3 Entry 1 (part 2 of 2)

Okay, let’s keep going.

Hau said that his grandpa uses fighting-type Pokémon, so I actually felt pretty prepared. I had three flying types in Noctua, Cha, and Cybele, and a psychic type in Silana.

Oh! About Silana! I really, really love her. She’s a little clingy, but she fights really hard and I think I like using psychic types!

But...yeah. So I hurried back to Iki Town, where Hala was waiting for both of us. And the battle went pretty well! At first it didn’t look too good; Machop’s Revenge did a ton of damage to just about anything I sent out. But we took that out, and then Makuhita went down to Silana...then came Crabrawler.

I got so scared when I saw that Z-move headed right for Cha, but he took it like a champ, and turned around and destroyed Hala’s last Pokémon.

It feels weird to say that was the end of my first Grand Trial, but it is. I didn’t even use a Z-move. Not that I actually wanted to; I was worried I was going to do the wrong thing again and embarrass myself.

That wasn’t the end of the day, though.

Besides a new Z-crystal, Hala gave me this cool item called a Ride Pager. It basically lets me call upon certain Pokémon whenever I want to, in order to get past obstacles. Because apparently they don’t use HMs in Alola. Right now, I can only use Hala’s Tauros to ride around and break rocks, but that was more than enough for me. I spent a good amount of the afternoon just riding around the island, searching anywhere and everywhere.

I was supposed to meet the professor at the marina in Hau’oli City, but I didn’t get there until nearly dusk. Oops. And then I wanted to try out this cool place called the Alola Photo Club. I’ll have to send you all the picture of myself and Noctua later.

When I was finally ready, I was actually stopped by Hau, who said we should try surfing with Mantine to the next island. The professor even encouraged it, and said he and Lillie would meet us at Akala Island.

On the way to the beach, I met Professor Oak’s cousin! His name was Samson, and he finally told me the purpose of the Totem Stickers: apparently if I collect enough, I can get really big Pokémon like the Totem Gumshoos! So it looks like I’ll have to pay extra attention everywhere I go.

It...took a little while to figure out. But the Mantine I was riding was super patient, and by the time we actually set off I felt confident enough to try some tricks. I’m glad I did; it was so fun and we got to the island in no time!

We met up with Professor Kukui and Lillie at the marina, and also two new faces: Olivia, the Kahuna of Akala Island, and a Trial Captain named Mallow. Apparently there are three trials on this island, so I may be here awhile.

Other than that...I talked a little more with Lillie about Nebby, but I didn’t tell her about that feeling that he was trying to tell me something. She just said Nebby seemed to really want to visit all the ruins where the Tapu are supposed to live...I told her we’d go to the Ruins of Life together when the time came.

It’s funny, but I’m starting to feel kind of like an older sister to Lillie and Hau.

I also ran into two Kalosian trainers! There names were Sina and Dexio, and they work for professor Sycamore...but they were just here on vacation. Still, we got a lot of weird looks for talking in Kalosian.

I even took on Dexio in a battle. His Espeon was really tough; I’m gonna have to train harder if there are more trainers like him coming up. But it was worth it: Lapin evolved into a Lopunny right afterwards! I’m so proud of him. Tonight I’m giving him a super relaxing brush-out for all his hard work.

Speaking of which, I’m staying at the Tide Song Hotel. It’s not the fanciest place here, but it’s still super nice, and a step up from staying at the Pokémon Center-not that the Pokémon Center isn’t nice! But Maman and Papa sent me with some extra cash, so I might as well have a good night’s sleep...right?

Oh yeah, it’s Maman’s birthday tomorrow. It might even be tomorrow in Kalos...I’ll have to give her a call in the morning.

[joneswilliam72]

Meet filmmaker James Cullen Bressack (2017's Bethany) and actor Mark Rolston (The Shawshank Redemption), of Blood Craft.

I caught up with filmmaker James Cullen Bressack (Bethany, Pernicious) and actor Mark Rolston (The Shawshank Redemption, Aliens, The Shield, The Departed) for two separate interviews on all things film and acting as they relate to their new horror piece, Blood Craft – available On Demand April 9.

Blood Craft is a revenge tale with one hell of a twist: what if you could bring back the spirit of a dead person who viciously wronged and violated you, and then exact your revenge? That is exactly the premise here when two sisters – played by Madeleine Wade (who wrote the picture and added a lot of heart to Blood Craft as a film, made even more extraordinary as it is her writing debut too) and Augie Duke – use witchcraft to resurrect the spirit of their abusive father.

Bressack's directorial approach to Blood Craft is psychologically-penetrating, beautifully-cerebral, highly-surreal, and sublimely-frenetic (as is all great horror) – it keeps you off balance in all the right ways. He is a very much a talent to watch out for when looking for great horror that is not just jump scares, but also highly intelligent. Bressack is at today's vanguard of these trends in the horror indie scene, especially considering what he has shown he can do with relatively small budgets.

Seeing someone with Bressack's filmic vision teamed with such a prolific veteran actor as Mark Rolston is pretty great too. Rolston has 175 credits to his name from 1982 to today on IMDb. He is no stranger to villain roles and the amorality of the associated characters either (something put to good use here in Blood Craft), having played Bogs Diamond in Stephen King's The Shawshank Redemption as but one example from his vast catalog – and one we talk about in the interview below.

James Cullen Bressack. Source:The Hollywood Reporter.

Mark Rolston as Sheriff Waters in BLOOD CRAFT.

Enjoy the interviews and check out Blood Craft On Demand now.

Mark Rolston

Hello Mark and welcome to The 405! To begin, what attracted you to Blood Craft and the role of Sheriff Waters?

Hi! I met James Cullen Bressack on the set of an indie film Gangster Land. He mentioned that he had something I might be interested in, and he sent over what was then called "Together". I thought the script was great, and had a relevance in light of the #MeToo movement.

I agree on both counts Mark. What was it like getting into the headspace necessary for the character?

As with all characters, they want something. With Sheriff Waters, he has ulterior motives. Money.

He really does. He reminded me a bit of Orson Welles's Captain Hank Quinlan in 1958's Touch of Evil. What were the challenges like?

Well, time on a indie is always a challenge, and the day we shot on the porch, we were fighting the traffic noise, but James is so clever, we add one line to my dialogue which justified it brilliantly.

[Laughs] that's great. Any funny or memorable moments from the behind the scenes process of filming that stick in your memory?

For me, the funniest moments revolved around James assigning points to crew members for working efficiently. Well, I assumed that actors got points too, so I wanted to be rewarded for takes that I did in one; "One Takes" in film parlance. I am good at that, but was disappointed to learn that actors didn't get points. I made a joke about it with James for my time on set.

[Laughs] interesting. I've never heard of a director using a system like that. Which is an interesting pivot as I have a few questions about some of your bigger roles.

Mark Rolston as Private Drake in 1986’s ALIENS. Source: The After Movie Diner.

I'd be remiss if I didn't ask, Lethal Weapon 2 is 30 this year, any reflections on it?

Wow! I have had a few of those landmarks arrive of late with Aliens, Shawshank, etc. That comes with getting older and having a body of work. The best memory I have of Lethal 2 is working with Director Dick Donner. I loved watching him work, hearing his booming voice, and feeling his enthusiasm and presence.

You have worked with a bunch of fantastic directors. Shawshank is 25 this year and undoubtedly a film that's justifiably cemented a major cultural legacy; and is helmed by another great director: Frank Darabont. What was your experience like playing Bogs Diamond in Darabont's film?

Certainly one of the best of my life. The script by Frank Darabont is quite simply a masterpiece. Bringing Bogs to life was thrilling; it's always good to play the antagonist. I am especially grateful to Frank for including quite a few of my improvisations during rehearsal into the shooting script. Some of my most quoted lines like: "Anyone get to you yet?", "I could be a friend to you", are my creations, and Frank was very kind to credit me in his book of the making of Shawshank.

That's awesome Mark. Speaks to your caliber as an actor and really also of the entire production, in my opinion.

The fact that we rehearsed at all, is one of the reasons the film is so good. Usually, there is very little rehearsal on films, but on Shawshank we rehearsed for nearly three weeks.

Wow. You've also been directed by other big names like James Cameron and Martin Scorsese over your incredible career as an actor. What do you consider the greatest lesson you've learned from them, whether about film or about life more generally?

My favourite director was John Frankenhiemer. He directed me in [George] Wallace starring Gary Sinise and Angelina Jolie. He loved actors and gave us space to do our work. I recall how he would silence the crew with his booming voice, commanding "Quiet! There are actors working here!" Old school and brilliant.

Wow. Absolutely brilliant. Love that.

The greatest lessons were learned long before I made films. The lessons were learned as I trained at The Drama Centre London for three solid years with mentors like John Blatchley, Yat Malmgren, Doreen Cannon and Christopher Fettes. The training I received there is the foundation of my work. The Drama Centre has produced the likes of Colin Firth, Tom Hardy, Michael Fassbender, and Pierce Brosnan.

Mark Rolston as Bogs Diamond in 1994’s THE SHAWSHANK REDEMPTION. Source: CNN.

Quite the mentors list there Mark. You've also been in a lot of TV shows of various stripes since 1980's Ekkusu Bonbâ, '97's Calamity Jane and Zorro, The Shield, TURN: Washington's Spies (TURN is a favorite of mine, being a history nerd), Bosch, and many others. What are the challenges like in playing and developing a film character versus a series character? Do you prefer one over the other?

I like to think of myself as a film guy, but the creative process is the same no matter the medium. Although each has its own challenge; in theatre, the challenge is to be "on" at every moment, in TV the pace of the work is a challenge and you don't have endless takes and time, which is why I prefer film, because it affords you the time to shoot until you get in perfect… one hopes.

Interesting. Time is the most valuable resource, indeed. A question I ask everyone: what makes a great film?

Serendipity. The confluence of a writer's brilliance, the director's guidance, and the actor's creativity.

What other films, directors, and performances have really stuck with and molded you as an artist over the years?

It was my audition for Shawshank that cemented the idea in my head that "just talking", "being in the moment" was the most important thing in film acting. That notion is parallel to being able to bring Shakespeare to life by, as Hamlet implored the players to: "Speak the speech, I pray you, trippingly on the tongue. But if you mouth it, as many of your players do, I had life the town crier spoke my lines."

Well said. Final question: what's next for you?

I will be returning for Season 6 of Bosch as Lt. Thorne. I love working with Amy Aquino. And most importantly, I will be appearing as Admiral Ernest J. King in what should be this year’s blockbuster masterpiece by Roland Emmerich: Midway. The script was amazing, and working with Roland and Woody Harrelson was a complete joy.

Follow Mark on Twitter and like his on Facebook.

ALIENS (1986) trailer.

LETHAL WEAPON 2 (1989) trailer.

THE SHAWSHANK REDEMPTION (1994) trailer.

THE DEPARTED (2006) trailer.

BOSCH Season 5 trailer.

__________________________________________________________________________

James Cullen Bressack

Hello and welcome James! Getting right into it. The first question I had, what was it that initially inspired the movie?

So the script was actually originally written by Madeleine. She wrote the first draft and then she had approached me to see if I wanted to direct it. And I was like, "oh well we'd have to change this, this, this, in the script." Because it was a bit more graphic and crazy actually originally, and I just wanted to streamline it and make it a little bit more accessible to moviegoers and audiences. And I think we accomplished that with the story.

Interesting. What were the challenges like?

So the challenge for me was shooting a movie inside of pretty much predominantly one location. Because for me, I wanted to make sure the audience would get bored being in the same place. So I tried to make each room feel and sound different and look different. We have a lot of the time where we spend in the living room, like foyer area. I was trying to make sure that we shot it and lit it a different way, while still keeping the story intact.

So that's why we have a couple hallucinogenic moments. And I think we have some stuff where I tried to really put the audience in the place of what the character was going through mentally through this journey and had the camera work and storytelling kind of evolve with the character's emotional space.

That was another part I really liked was that lighting. It had almost a surreal feel to a lot of it.

Yeah. Which not to give away any spoilers, but I think it ties into the movie.

Madeleine Wade and Augie Duke in this still from BLOOD CRAFT.

Oh, I would say so. But yeah, that and the editing, I thought. It was paced really well and it flowed really well.

Thank you. Yeah, this was the second movie I did with Bobby Richardson, the editor. The movie he did before that with me was Bethany, and I think it had similar themes of childhood trauma and people going in and out of the mind of our main character. And I think we established that with flashbacks as well as really it's driven by this sole performance, surrounded by an ensemble cast. But the story is driven specifically by the emotional state of our lead character.

I need to watch that one yet. Are there any memorable or funny moments that stick out from that process of filming Blood Craft?

Yeah, one of the things that was really funny for us is because it was such like an intense environment when we were filming we joked around a lot between takes. So I think it was just funny because we were being very silly when not filming, like at lunch and stuff like that. Because we all had to kind of shake off some of the stuff that was going on in front of the camera.

That's definitely understandable considering those heavy topics that inform the film's story and really its trajectory. Shifting gears a little bit to a question I like to ask everybody. What directors and films would you consider most influential on you as an artist?

I've always enjoyed this storytelling of Akira Kurosawa. I'm a huge fan of Orson Welles as well as some of these other older filmmakers. But for me it's Park Chan-wook, Quentin Tarantino, and Robert Rodriguez were all idols and heroes of mine.

Fantastic list. The next question is kind of a big one too. What makes a great film and because you've done a lot with horror, what makes great horror?

So a great horror movie, I think, is taking the familiar and turning it on its head. So what we take is what people expect, and then we flip it on them.

You absolutely did. Great definition too. For the last question that I had, what's next for you?

I'm gearing up to do a new movie. I can't really give details on it, but I like to keep busy and I'm trying to do something different with this new one. It's more of like a neo-noir type film.

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BETHANY (2017) trailer.

MY PURE JOY (2012) trailer.

from The 405 http://bit.ly/2OXnt41

[mewkiichigo]

-- Basic Info --

Name: Trojah Age: 22 Birthday: April 17, 1993 Shapeshifting Form: Dog Height: 4'9'' Width: 90 lbs.

-- Personal Info --

Sexual Orientation: Straight Libido: Medium-high Relationship Status: Reluctantly single Personality: Trojah is a bitch, plain and simple. She's selfish and usually only has her own self-interest at heart. She's not really the "friendly" type (unless you're not a bad-looking guy, because Trojah is also a total flirt~), usually staying away from socializing and having mostly negative interactions with the people she comes in contact with. Deep down, however, she is caring and, whether they're a friend or not, she has no desire to see anyone hurt or killed. When it comes to her friends -- and she can have a rather tough time making friends, if you couldn't guess -- she is extremely caring, protective, and loyal. She might be sarcastic to them, but that's just part of who she is. There is a difference between her sarcasm towards strangers and enemies, and her sarcasm towards friends. A good friend of her's will be able to tell, and if not, she will apologize if she upset them. History: Trojah comes from a long line of shapeshifters, and was named after her well-known (at least, well-known among her family) ancestor, Trojah (who, from this point, will be called TJ, a nickname given to her by her father). TJ's father was a warlock and her mother was a human. Her father comes from a long line of witches and warlocks whose main magical power was transfiguration. After marrying a human, his mother disowned him and went off to live alone in the wild. Thanks to him marrying a human, the human blood diluted the magical blood, causing all of their offspring (and their offspring's offspring, and their offspring's offspring, and their... well, you get the picture) to be shapeshifters rather than witches or warlocks. Because the witches/warlocks of their family also had animal familiars - which influenced their transfiguration, - all resulting shapeshifters could only transform into their 'animal familiar's' animal (meaning that they don't HAVE an animal familiar, but rather transform INTO their animal familiar). Complicated crap, I know. Back to the story, TJ's shapeshifting form is a purple dragon. She eventually fell in love with a human man, but when he found out she was a shapeshifter, he was freaked out and broke off the relationship. Hurt and still in love, TJ did the only thing she could think of: Visiting her grandmother and asking to be made a normal human. She knew her grandmother had disowned her father, but TJ thought it was worth the risk. Her exact words to her grandmother were: "Please, grandmother, take away my shapeshifting powers." Now, her grandmother, being the vindictive bitch that she is, DID take away TJ's shapeshifting powers, making her... a dragon permanently. Because TJ did not specify what form she wanted to stay in. Of course, her grandmother knew TJ wanted to stay a human, she just made TJ a dragon to be spiteful. As an added bit of revenge against her son (by torturing his daughter), she made TJ immortal. TJ, of course, could not be with the man she loved, but she eventually did take a mate - another shapeshifting dragon - and had children with him. She cares about him, though she's not actually in love with her mate. However, she knew she'd never fall in love again and settled for him. Her children eventually had children of their own, and so on and so forth. One of TJ's great grandchildren married a human and from then on, the shapeshifting ability began skipping a generation (which is why Trojah's parents aren't shapeshifters). Well, after watching her mate and her children die, and seeing grandchildren move into old age, TJ could not stand to watch those she loved pass away anymore, as she would be fated to do thanks to the immortality. So TJ cut herself off from the family. Yet, as distant as she tried to be, she still secretly watched her family from afar, helping when she could without being seen. Nobody has met her since she left. /tj history Trojah grew up normally, not knowing of her shapeshifting abilities. Her grandma Rosy had assured her parents that Trojah would exhibit sudden shapeshifting as she got older, so her parents decided to wait until then to tell Trojah, worried Trojah might abuse the ability if she knew at too young an age. As Trojah grew, she began to take joy in thieving, finding it a fun hobby as well as something she was pretty good at. On one of her heists, she met the son of a shop owner named Shiro, and the two got into a verbal argument outside the store. When the police, who Shiro called, arrived, they didn't realize Shiro was the one who called them and both Trojah and Shiro ended up running from the police (as escaping successfully, thanks to Trojah). From then on, they struck up a strong friendship that, for Trojah at least, began to evolve into love. Shiro had a secret, though. One night, Trojah went to meet him and saw that he had become a werewolf. He chased after her as she ran away, eventually pinning her down and biting her shoulder. To save herself, she threw him off a cliff, killing him. Convinced that the werewolf bite would make her a werewolf as well, and that she would be a danger to her family and the town, Trojah ran away and lived in a cove in the woods. The isolation of living alone took it's toll on Trojah. She began to hallucinate. She truly started to believe that she held a space demon's soul in her body and that police from another planet wanted Trojah dead, as killing Trojah would also kill the demon. This 'demon', which was merely a voice in Trojah's mind, constantly berated Trojah and put her down, bringing Trojah's self esteem down to nil. Trojah also hallucinated two 'friends' in the forest - runaways, like her - who treated her horribly, subtly rubbing in their close friendship with each other in Trojah's face. She was also sure she was transforming into a werewolf and hurting others, finding that there were blackouts in her recent memory. This scared her even more. One day, 4 years after Trojah ran away, she was sneaking into town to steal some food when she ran into her parents. Seeing them again after so long caused Trojah to break down, and she told them everything. In turn, they told her that she was actually a shapeshifter, and that shapeshifters are immune to werewolf and vampire bites. Trojah's 'werewolf transformations' was simply her subconsciously shapeshifting, as she expected to transform at certain times, and so she did. She had automatically suppressed the memories of her transformed state, frightened of what she did as a 'werewolf', which caused her blackouts. She went back to living with her parents for a while, happy with her life. Unfortunately, it would not last long. TJ's grandmother (I'm going to call her WG for now -- stands for Witch Grandma), being a witch, lived for quite a while (not immortal; witches just have long life spans; a note of trivia: Warlocks have a longer life span than humans as well, but shorter ones than witches). She hated what her family line became, how the magical beings her blood created became diluted and produced children with mediocre powers. She felt it was shameful. During the time she lived, she took on an apprentice, a girl named Tory. Tory wasn't a pureblooded witch, which was why she needed a mentor -- witches and warlocks are born with magic and are usually taught by their parents (Tory's parents are very alive); Tory was trying to awaken her magical power that her human blood diluted. As such, Tory resented WG's racism towards non-purebloods, though she loved WG deeply as her mentor. Eventually, Tory chose to kill WG for her racism, believing she needed to be punished. Believing that WG's death meant she had been punished and thus could be forgiven. Afterwards, Tory began to train herself, planning to wipe out all of WG's descendants as per her mentor's wishes. She doesn't completely want to, but she feels it's her duty regardless of her personal feelings on the matter. Finally, Tory was ready and decided to target Trojah and her immediate family. Rosie, Trojah's grandma, found out about it from Tory's moron of a sidekick (WG's familiar) and dropped a letter in Trojah's cove, explaining everything. She also went to warn Trojah's parents. Tory found out about this and killed Rosie, but not before Rosie successfully warned Trojah's parents. Trojah's parents are Tory's priority due to the fact that can still procreate. Tory wants them dead first to avoid the creation of MORE family members. Trojah being barren is known in her family, so while Tory DOES want her dead, she's not at the very top of the list. However, just because Trojah's not top priority does not mean Tory won't kill her first if the opportunity arises. As such, Trojah's parents AND Trojah must go into hiding, meaning Trojah is stuck living at her cove again.

-- Relationships --

Mother: Nizuna Father: Grandmother: Rosie Grandfather: Crush: KP (dipnoi) Best Friend: Azia Nizuna || missing; family; familal love; respect || "Stay safe, Mom. I don't want you to die like Grandma Rosie." Rosie || dead; family; familal love; respect || "I miss you, even if you were annoying sometimes. I owe you my parents' lives... and my own." KP (dipnoi) || friend; crush || "So... friends?" Trojah and KP have a... complicated relationship. When they first met, Trojah quickly found out that KP had a curse: He is forced to do whatever someone of the female gender commands of him. Trojah wasted no time in taking advantage of this for her own amusement, having him do menial and annoying tasks such as carrying her to different trees because she didn't like the shade each one provided. As time went on, despite her somewhat abusive behavior, Trojah found herself falling for him. Unfortunately for her, when she finally confessed her feelings, she found he was already taken. She stuck around a bit longer after that, but they eventually went their own ways. Upon meeting him again, she realized KP didn't remember her confession and she decided to keep it that way... until he later figured it out on his own and, considering at that time she had just made a deal with a witch to put his recently removed curse back into place, he rejected her harshly. Trojah tried to get the curse removed, going so far as to give herself up to servitude. KP came to forgive her and helped her escape her fate as the witch's slave (and getting the curse back in the process) and, though he still didn't reciprocate her feelings, he became her friend. Though Trojah still has feelings for him, and will always have a place in her heart for him, she's satisfied with being just friends. Azia || best friend || "I don't know what you've been through, but I'm so glad you're back!" Azia and Trojah go way back, being best friends for a while, early in Trojah's life of isolation. Eventually, Azia became a bit distant because she got married and had twins. She tried to stay in contact with Trojah, but she eventually just disappeared along with her family. Azia only recently returned, and Trojah, realizing Azia hadn't left because she wanted to, welcomed her with open arms. Azia was different, though -- her attitude wasn't as sharp, and her left leg was now completely red. Azia went through a lot in her absence and it doesn't look like she's going to disclose that information anytime soon. Trojah does want to know, but she respects her friend's wishes, knowing Azia will tell her the truth when she's ready.

-- Trivia --

Basic Trivia: - Has no interest in learning to drive cars - Her modes of transportation are her motorcycle and her roller blade shoes - Shoplifting is a hobby for her - Prefers dog form to human form - Is barren (unable to have children) - which is okay because she hates kids anyway~ - She's usually sarcastic and bitchy, though the more she likes you, the nicer she is. The problem is getting her to like you - However, romance is her biggest weakness. She tends to be 'weak in the knees', so to speak, towards the one she loves, often becoming rather submissive to him - Favorite color is blue - Biggest fear is loneliness - Got a rose tattoo on her left hip only, and she has it in both forms Physical Trivia (Human): - Always wears her red ribbon, in some fashion, which her grandmother Rosie gave her - Shoes are roller blade shoes (where you press a button to make them roller blades) - Wears two earrings in her left ear and 3 in her right - Prefers hoop earrings, but wears stubs to bed - Her hoops are gold, her stubs are silver - Except for the bottom hoop in her right ear, which has exactly 4 silver beads attached to it leading to a silver cross - Loves wearing her red choker and almost never takes it off - Prefers short shorts as they feel more comfortable than regular shorts - HATES wearing dresses and skirts - Breasts are a b cup, but they are squishy rather than perky and, in certain positions, can end up looking larger than they are Physical Trivia (Dog): - Peculiarly short for a border collie, being a bit shorter than a sheltie collie, most likely due to her shortness as a human - Particularly long tail - Large paws for her small size - Always wears a white baggy tail cover for no reason whatsoever (and it doesn't carry over into her human form because reasons) - Her jewelry carries over from human form to dog form - Her red ribbon always becomes the base to her tail cover when in dog form, no matter how she wore it as a human

She was LOOOOOOONG overdue for a ref sheet.

If you don't want to be mentioned, Lucky, let me know and I'll remove you from her info. n_n;

TO ELABORATE ON HER CRUSHING STATUS:

She knows KP will never reciprocate her feelings, but she still has feelings for him. She is satisfied with just being his friend, though, and won't let her feelings get in the way of that.

(dA link)

Trojah and art © Me