#while the cyber version could see the father was nothing good for him and as a smart & logical thinking machine he decided to eliminate

[cienie-isengardu]

I find it hilarious the Grandmaster probably banging Sektor's head on the wall about how loyalty is important and how Lin Kuei principals are absolute since he was baby and he didn't see Sektor might develop a tinge of independence to realize he didn't have to be told what to do once he's in a superior body. I feel like Sektor was kind of just waiting for a chance to seize power from his father and the Cyber Initiative gave him an opening and I feel his programming somewhat deteriorating was actually just Sektor's personality resurfacing above protocol and seeing that his father was no longer necessary.

I feel Sektor was honestly probably waiting for his father to die in the back of his mind prior(maybe he thought the guy would just die of old age or something) but when the Cyber Initiative was in motion and he got converted, this thought came back and eventually it just kind of weakened the loyalty protocols to where Sektor's desire to rule overrode his father's authority and he didn't feel like waiting for him to expire on his own.

The major reason why I have so hard time buying the whole human Sektor's desire to replace his father from MK9’s BIO is that the story mode, alongside other sources, doesn’t give me anything suggesting he was that ambitious or cunning to begin with and even less to think he was the designated heir. Quite the opposite, from the all named Lin Kuei characters from the same game, he is the most obedient one, the most willing to put Grandmaster’s wish over his own well-being and (at least visually wise) easily dominated by the presence of his fellow clan members. When Bi-Han is shown with Cyrax and Sektor, he takes the central place within their little group. When he is out of the picture, Cyrax openly questions Grandmaster’s vision of cyber Lin Kuei while Sektor is on the defensive, as he has no real argument to add to the discussion and Cyrax clearly doesn’t treat him as his superior, especially when Sektor confronted him about not killing Johnny Cage. 

It may be just me, but the human Sektor lacks the initiative that is characteristic for his cyber version. Similarly, for a supposed heir he feels so… subdued and withdrawn, not to mention his father sent him on a very dangerous mission in which the chance of dying was very high. Sub-Zero’s BIO from Deadly Alliance summed Kuai Liang’s choice to aid Raiden in his quest against new threat as “It was highly unusual for the Grand Master to embark on such a dangerous mission” and I think it wouldn’t be too far-stretched to assume Lin Kuei had a similar approach to the Grandmaster’s designed heir.

Sektor is a grown up man in MK9, if he was meant to replace his father at some point, I imagine he would be trained from birth for this duty. However, all the BIO says is that he had no choice about being Lin Kuei, but there is no information he was designed to be next Grandmaster. For all we know, the Grandmaster could have more children than Sektor and even if the man was considered as a potential candidate, sending him to the Mortal Kombat Tournament seems like too much risk - if he died, literal decades of proper education for the leadership would be wasted, wouldn’t it? 

My point is, I don’t think Sektor was seen by his father as the future leader of Lin Kuei - or anything more than an useful pawn, so I can understand that Grandmaster has never considered him a threat nor questioned his loyalty. Especially after automation, as C.I. Project was supposed to perfect the human warriors, not grand them better understanding of trauma and abuse they endured for Lin Kuei's benefit.

Frankly, maybe the fact that his son was so obedient and lacked initiative was the reason why he allowed Sektor to volunteer for C.I. Project - additional sources like Mortal Kombat Legends: Battle of the Realms adds a lot to that feeling of my, as Grandmaster’s explanation - complaint - about human weakness seemed to be solely directed at Sektor, the only cyborg fully presented during the speech: “The mortal body is fragile, weak. So, we enhanced them.”

Maybe you are right and Sektor waited for a chance to seize control and C.I. Project provided it - and the BIO indeed tells the truth that his “ultimate goal is to supplant his father as Grand Master of the Lin Kuei”. However I personally think it was not human Sektor’s desire for power nor personal ambitions that corrupted his programming, as he has never been shown trying to enlist Bi-Han or Cyrax for his planned coup. I think the problem lies in the fact that Grandmaster removed the “flaw” that kept Sektor in check, be it out of love or fear of his father. And once the flaw was subdued, Cyber Sektor could clearly see for the first time that his father is the danger he needed to remove to ensure his own safety, but also Cyber Lin Kuei’s independence. Because this is what you get when you remove humanity from a ruthless killer - no loyalty, no mercy. 

And yes, indeed, there is something hilariously ironic about Grandmaster's blindness to the danger of the C.I. Project and perfecting his own son that already dedicated all his life to him and the clan.

[digitalgate02]

Cyber Sleuth AU for 02 kids

If you know me, you would remember i'm more like a "Walking AU Machine" and instead of making OCs for the things i like... I just throw Daisuke & co. into those universes to see how they would handle them.

[SPOILER-FREE BTW!!]

I’m copy + pasting from my twt thread.

※ temp art for the post, he does not look wear Aiba protag outfit, ok?

Daisuke, Ken, Miyako, Takeru, Hikari and Wallace are from the same high school, but NOT from the one Aiba/Keisuke are.

Do not ask about why Wallace is here, i just can't leave him out. I'm pretty much Wallace brain rot right now.

Miyako is secretly a hacker, while the rest not. 

 Daisuke accidentally get taken by an Eater like Aiba protag, but just like Aiba he manages to become a "digital being" and Miyako helps him to find data to build a body. Like Aiba, yeah. Then this group of teenagers decide to investigate this peculiar critters to bring Daisuke back, so they casually meets Kyoko and the CS cast. 

 They solve things together sometimes, but their focus is just helping Daisuke, of course.

The 02 group got their respective digimon (yes Wallace got two again because he can) though Daisuke has befriended a ton of digimon. Yet his main partner is V-mon.

Mirei finds interesting this version of those kids, because she's aware about their 02 (canon) counterparts lol.

Oh yeah, Iori is just a middle schooler who works as everyone's "voice of reason" and he vaguely remember of his late father knowing Matayoshi.

(why? because i like Matayoshi so much. He and Hiroki would've been good friends imo)

The 02 group has actually no official "headquarters", so they keep using the computer room from their HS for this. And sometimes they have to use the bedroom for one of their members instead. 

 But y'know, Miyako being part of the Computer Club helps them a lot.

They do not want to mess with the business of the other hacker teams (Hudie, Zaxon, Rebellion/Rebels, Jude, Demons, etc) but they somehow follow Nokia's philosophy about considering the digimon more than hacker tools. 

So they fight evil hackers hurting the digi for Mirei lol

Hikari heard of the rumors of the ghost boy wandering in Kowloon and keeps trying to catch a cool picture of him. Ken is also so interested on this mysterious boy that he goes investigating it. 

 However, Daisuke hates ghosts. Especially because Ghost Boy = Eaters around.

When the other six discovered Miyako was actually a legit hacker, they asked her why and she just "Idk i thought it could be useful someday" "Oh..."

Takeru: So Daisuke-kun, since you can become invisible... Daisuke: No. I won't help you to prank Yamato-san. • • •

Ken: ... How do you feel? Daisuke: Ken: I'm serious, do you feel something? Daisuke: It's hard to explain... I feel nothing, but i can taste the food. Wallace: How!? Aren't you made of data now? Daisuke: [shrugs] At least i can't die by Kuremi-san's coffee blends. Them: Lucky you • • •

Daisuke: We need a group name if we're hackers now! Ken: I don't think we need a name though. Daisuke: How about... Them: No. Daisuke: But-- Hikari: Please, no names. Daisuke: Okay 😔😭 • • •

Btw, evolution chart:

V-mon → XV-mon → Wingdramon → UlforceV-dramon 

Wormmon → Stingmon → Okuwamon → GranKuwagamon

Hawkmon → Aquilamon → Hippogriffomon → Valdurmon

Armadimon → Ankylomon → Groundmon → Cannondramon*

* I know this line is not present in the games, and i don't like the options in-game 😔

Patamon → Angemon → HolyAngemon → Seraphimon

Tailmon → Angewomon → Holydramon

Terriermon → Gargomon → Rapidmon (perf.) → SaintGalgomon

Lopmon → Turuiemon → Antylamon (deva) → Cherubimon (virtue)

That’s all for now folks ✨

[talesofphantombandits]

Zero to Six ~ The Death of Six - Edited version.

Greetings and salutations! So I know this isn’t what everyone wanted but people are still reading Zero to Six and I’m honestly so grateful that a year on, people are still loving this series.  But I never felt like I wrote it properly, the chapters where always too short and I felt like they were never detailed enough so I wanted to bring to you an edited version (that probably still won’t be perfect.) one that I’m more satisfied with.  I will be keeping the original version up just in case people prefer that one, maybe one day I’ll take it down? who knows but yeah so enjoy! <3 P.s I’ve missed you all so much and I’ve really missed this series. Hopefully sometime soon the Prequel will be out which I have started and named ‘Before there was Six, there was Zero.’

Characters: Four X Zero (OC) Summary: Zero was the first person to be ‘saved’ by One, she was his first honorary Ghost.  Her knowledge in tech meant she got the role of ‘Hacker’ she recruited new team members, looked for missions and locations and made sure every security measure was looked at. You know normal hacker spy stuff.  But her tough up bringing meant that if needs be she could fight, she was maybe even better than some people on the team knew. But due to One’s protectiveness over her she had to stay hidden, she was more of an actual ghost than the rest of the team was. This didn’t mean she couldn’t have her fun though, over the months of being with the full team she had formed quite a passionate love/ hate relationship with the handsome Four.  Who knows what sparks would fly if they were ever to meet.  Warnings: Slight swearing, some suggestive flirting in later chapters. 

Tagg list: (I know this is a edit of my original story but if anyone wants to be tagged let me know.) @raylan-c​

Zero to Six ~ Part 2. Edited Version.​ Masterlist.

“You’re stalling.” 

“I’m not stalling.” Zero could practically hear the smirk in Fours voice over the coms. “I’m simply just working myself up to it.” 

She laughed. “You always say that, and you’re always stalling.” She was playing on his last nerve, she knew it but this would be good for Four and entertainment for her. He always worked better when he was frustrated and no one stressed him out quite like Zero.

Four had been doing parkour for most of his life, or that’s what he told them. Yet he was still fearful every single time, still I guess that’s what made him great at it the fear of always falling gave him the adrenaline he needed to make the jumps. 

Another breathless laugh fluttered through Zeros left ear. “Don’t test me darling.” Now it was his turn to make Zero sweat, this always happened. Zero would insult and tease and Four would flirt right back, although most of the team were used to it by now they still broke them up from time to time. 

“Whatever monkey boy, just be ready for when Six gets his ass in gear!” She clicked her tongue. “I can hear you mocking me asshole, remember I hold the key here I can make your life a living hell with just one click of a button.” 

“You already make my life hell darling, But I live for it everyday.” 

“Swear to god Four, you’re a pain in my ass.” She mumbled as she typed away at the computer trying to figure out their next move so she could be ready with any instruction they needed. 

“I’m sure your ass is pretty fine, I can’t wait to see it someday.” She could practically feel the smirk.

“Yeah? And I can't wait to punch the smirk off that pretty face one day, only you could be in a life or death situation and be thinking about my virtual ass.”

“Wait, did you just admit to fancying me Zero? Guys she called me handsome, I think I’m getting somewhere.” 

“Go for Four!” Saved by the bell it seems, One’s voice rang through coms. Zero silently thanked god for she did fancy Four, who wouldn’t fancy that absolute Greek god of a man? With that honey voice and the moves he had! moves he could use on her, she shook her head hoping the images of him forming in her head would magically fall out of her brain never to return, but she wouldn’t be so lucky.

“Shut the hell up, stop thinking about ways to seduce Zero and get your ass down here we need you!” And just like that, it was go time. “NOW!”

Zero had been working with this team for a while now, but she was more on the surveillance side of the missions, which meant that she had never officially met the team face to face. The only person she had actually met was One, who had recruited her. He would visit from time to time, she liked to think they had a special bond. She was in fact the first person in need that One had found and ever since then he had become a sort of father figure to her. 

Two was next who was sort of cold at times, Zero put this down to her CIA training but she had never been anything but caring towards Zero. Then she found Three, a hitman who she was reluctant to look into at first but she knew now it was the best thing for her and the team. Despite his past he was one of the most sweet and caring men she’d ever met, and he never failed to make her smile on a bad day.  Ever since recruiting Four, she felt the atmosphere in the group shift slightly, there was nothing bad about him but they both couldn’t ignore the growing attraction between them, and this was just over cyber space.  She then found her best friend in Five, she was different from the rest. Not as violent and rash but still amazing at what she did and protecting herself and others, Zero knew if she ever needed someone the first person she’d go to was Five. 

Six was her latest recruit, one that she knew was extremely talented in not only driving but in all things mechanical too, they had chatting a few times about servers and bots and he’d promised her a round in their shared favourite video game once this mission was complete. 

She’d be lying to herself and everyone else if she said she didn’t want to meet them all in person, they were the closest thing she had, had to family. However she knew that if she was to meet them nothing could ever come of her and Four. One would definitely not allow it, and most likely lock her straight back up.

Still they were sort of this dysfunctional family, and she was definitely the odd one out. She couldn’t remember the last time she had, had a normal conversation with someone who wasn’t ‘dead’ the only time she was allowed to leave the flat was when One said it was moving day. He didn’t like her staying in one flat too long, she must have moved at least four times this year already. While she was alone in her flat eating ready meals they were all back at base eating together, she sometimes pretended she was there eating with them. Three telling her some stupid story that no one else is listening to because they have heard it at least a thousand times, but she would just be so happy to hear his beautiful accent in person that she would listen to anything he was telling her.  How she wished she could hug three in real life. The closest she had gotten to eating with them was over coms, sometimes they would leave the line open for debriefing but it still made her feel like an outcast. 

“I’m coming down!” Everything was going wrong, Six had gone the wrong way. Which Zero wasn’t surprised to see as everyone in the car was shouting at each other, she sat there in her gaming chair drinking Dr Pepper and enjoying her fried chicken meal while everyone was losing their minds in the field. Maybe getting to stay in the comfort of her flat wasn’t so bad after all? 

“Good boy.” She praised Four. “Finally putting those parkour skills to use, other than robbing some innocent person.” 

Even before he started to speak she could tell he’d started to run because his speech came out in huffs. “Shut up, at least I can do parkour which makes me cooler than a girl who sits at her computer all day.”

She had to laugh. “What are you? Five years old? Try again when you can think up better come backs, I can’t take you seriously right now.”  

Wherever One moved Zero was never too far away from where the team worked, the first time the rest of the team worked this out was when Zero first used the drone to help navigate them someplace safe. That was also the first time she finally got to see Four in action, the image of him running along the rooftops like a monkey in the jungle both amused her and impressed her. Hence the nickname she had given him. But there were also times when he would have close calls, where he had nearly fallen to his death that’s when the breath would get knocked out of her and she would only calm when she knew he was safe on the ground again. 

“Right over you guys.” He said in a strained voice while leaping onto another roof.  

“So guys, just look out for the flying monkey above you. That will be Four.” Most of the teasing with Four was just to pass the time while they were out in the field having fun and mainly it was just way too fun to hear him get so frustrated.  

“Zero, that’s not helping us.” One said in a sing-song voice. 

“Maybe it’s not helping you, but it is definitely helping me pass the time.” All she could hear was a disappointed grunt from One which just made her chuckle,it was also very fun to piss One off.

“Six! SIX! Wrong way god damn it!” 

She cringed at how loud Four had screamed down the coms. “Come back! I’ve got an idea.”

“Ladies and gentleman, for the first time in his life Four has an idea!” She said mindlessly typing away trying to find the best route for them to escape by.

“You know what Zero, when we finally meet I’m going to run that fine ass of yours into the ground.” He all but growled.

“You can try monkey boy, but you’ll have to catch me first.” She smirked to herself, she secretly hoped that, that was more of a promise than a mere threat. “Oh, challenge accepted sweetheart. I’d love to have a game of cat and mouse with you.” 

“You two do remember that we are on a mission right now, right?” Six moaned. “What with you two flirting, and these absolute idiots fighting beside me in the car. I’m finding it very hard to concentrate on driving!” With every word Six’s voice got more agitated and louder.

“We are not flirting!” Both Four and Zero exclaimed together. 

“Aww they even said it at the same time!” Zero just rolled her eyes at One’s teasing. “No one cares, now both of you shut up so we can all get out of here.” 

“That’s it Six, keep coming towards me!” The drone was filming just above the action, once she’d wiped her hands and they were free from the grease on her chicken. She finally realised what Four was about to do. 

Suddenly the car that was tailing Six was being impaled by five metal tubes. “God, okay I’m definitely done eating now. That was so gross.” 

Then the screaming started to fill the coms. “Guy’s, what the hell are you doing?” All Zero could make out was something about an eyeball. 

“This is so stressful! Can everyone stop arguing and speaking over each other?!” Zero was getting agitated now. 

“YOU THINK YOU’RE STRESSED?! I’M TRYING TO DRIVE WHILST ALSO TRYING NOT TO KILL ANYONE, DID I MENTION I ALSO HAVE AN EYEBALL ON MY LEG?!” Six all but screamed down the coms, loud enough that Zero had to remove her earpiece until she was sure he was done with his rant. 

“Six sweetie,” she said as calmly as she could, trying not to laugh. “Are you okay?” 

“DO I SOUND LIKE I’M OKAY ZERO?!” She knew he would say that, she finally let out the chuckle she was trying to hold as to not irritate him further.

“Sorry I was just asking. I swear I‘m not using your painful situation to make myself feel better.” She held her hands up in defence even though he couldn’t see her.

He just let out a huff. “I’m going to ignore you now Zero, you’re pissing me off more than these guys are.” 

After the commotion things went quiet for a while, there was now a helicopter tailing them so all effort and concentration went on losing it. While there was little chatter over the coms the main sound that dominated the air was the gunfire, Zero silently prayed to herself while she watched the drone that everyone would make it out of their first real mission alive. One finally found a route for them, conveniently inside of a building that would shelter them enough to lose the aerial surveillance they were under. 

“The drone will meet you on the other side, good luck and please try not to make too much of a mess in there Six. There are some priceless statues in there we would all like preserving.” Just as Zero finished her sentence she heard a loud crash.

“You were saying?” Six chuckled nervously. 

“You didn’t.” Zero stared shocked at her screen, mouth wide open. 

One was the one to respond to her though. “Unfortunately he did, don’t worry we’re all just as disappointed in him.” 

“Okay we finally lost the chopper, Zero do you have a visual?” One asked surprisingly calmly.

“You mean the bright green car, kind of hard to miss. Good choice Six you really blend in.” Zero laughed. “I see you, there are two black vans heading your way. Shake them off then head to the arranged rendezvous spot where Three will be waiting for you.” 

Six’s voice was strained when he spoke. “Listen, fast and convenient was what I was told to get. So that’s what I got.” 

Zero would have responded but she was more distracted by the sight of Four on a skateboard holding a launcher. He jumped off the board and leaped up onto the stone wall just as one of the black vans passed, he aimed and shot, never missing the mark. She was impressed for a moment but then saw the smug smile on his face, he looked directly into the drone and winked at Zero. She just scoffed, what an absolute show off.

“Seems like we have a superhero on our team.” Six laughed impressed. 

Zero scoffed again, but this time loud enough so everyone could hear it over the coms. “I wouldn’t exactly call him a superhero.” 

“Then what would you call me darling? A Greek god?” This is the thing about Four, he’d never met Zero in person but he knew exactly how to push her buttons. She’d be lying if she said she didn’t enjoy the banter from time to time. 

“Hurm more like a vein asshole that thinks far too highly of himself.” She snapped back.

But he just laughed, the complete opposite of what she was expecting. “I mean everyone else loves me, might as well love myself too.” She rolled her eyes, She really couldn’t blame him though he was a very handsome man but no way in hell was she ever going to tell him that. “One day you’ll fall for the charm that everyone else falls for. I know you’re already obsessed with me.” 

“In your dreams Four.” 

“It already happens in my dreams, every night darling. I’d be happy to elaborate later on in a private chat.” Zero audibly gagged. 

“Guy’s can we please cut out the flirting until after the mission? We’re nearly there and I don’t think any of us want to hear whatever this is.” One sounded tired and Zero just laughed at how much their fighting annoyed the other members. 

“Yes boss!” She added in a salute even though One couldn’t see her, he could feel she was mocking him. 

Just then the drone cut out. “Shit! Someone shot down the drone. You’re on your own from here guys.” 

There was a commotion through the coms, one that didn’t sound at all good. Car tyres screeched, bullets rain down on the metal of the car Zero held her breath as she waited for anything. Even just a breath so she knew at least someone was still alive, her heart stopped when the line had been silent for too long she had to know what happened. 

“Guys, come on talk to me. What’s going on? Why are you all being so silent? What happened?” There was another breath of silence and her mind went straight to Four, she shook her head. No! She wasn’t going to let herself think about that, she scolded herself for getting too attached to the little shit.  

The was a crackle over the line, Five cleared her throat. “Six is dead, we’re in the van, the space is clear.”  

Zero sucked in a breath, she felt like her lungs were burning. “What?” 

“Zero listen to me, you need to turn off coms now.” One must have turned from the group, he was using his quiet, serious voice. “I’ll handle this okay, I’ll check back in with you later.” 

Just like that he was gone, she clicked the switch to turn off almost absentmindedly. She sat back in her chair, only snapping back to reality when she felt something wet fall on her hand. She softly touched her face to find her cheeks were wet, when had she started to cry? Six wasn’t someone she knew in person, he had been the last member of the team but still a very important piece of their puzzle. She thought about the game he had promised to play with her after the mission, this would never come to pass now. Now he was really dead, and it was all her fault.

For the first time Zero started to think about the whole team and if One’s master plan of being ghosts to take down the world’s evil was such a good idea after all, why had it taken a real death in the team for her to even think about this. What if it had been Four, she didn’t think she could live with herself if anything ever happened to Four, maybe it was a good thing they had never met. Seeing him in person, hearing his deep honey voice, feeling his warmth would definitely make her fall deeper then she already was. He was just a voice over the coms but behind that was a real person, one that probably wouldn’t even share the same feelings towards her. So she thought ‘Yes, It’s a good thing I’m behind this computer screen and not with them in person.’ She had to try to distance herself from now on.  

 ......

Just wanted to say one last Thank You! for the continued support for this story <3 

[mirkwoodshewolf]

You love him more than me; Tony Stark x teen reader

*Author’s note*

Wow it has been a long while since I posted anything Marvel related on here hasn’t it? But this request came to me literally last year on Wattpad so I figured now that I’ve finally gotten around to writing it, as well as having it be on Wattpad, I thought I’d let you guys here on tumblr read it too.

Warnings: BULLYING IS HEAVILY MENTIONED (don’t be an asshole and bully people, whether physical, verbal or cyber, it’s a total DICK move), angst, father-daughter fights, but some fluff in the end? 

Anyways my lovelies until the next update :)

Taglist:

@psychosupernatural​

@plethora-of-things​

@waddles03​

@ixchel-9275​

@platawnic​

_______________________________________________________________

I just don’t see it. Why would he go pick someone else? Ever since the fight with uncle Steve, my dad’s always been on the fence when it comes to either him or the accords.  But when the fight in Germany happened, he went ahead and picked some random kid off the streets of Queens to fight alongside him and the rest of ‘Team Ironman’.

Now he barely acknowledges me anymore.  Hell it’s like I’m invisible girl now or something. Either way I hate it, all of it. And I hate, hate, hate, hate, hate Peter Parker for ruining my life.  It’s like he’s trying to take my dad away just when I need him the most.

Like today for example when I was targeted by the most obnoxious asshole in all of Midtown School (yeah I go to the same school that Parker goes to all thanks to my dad) Flash Thompson.  God he was such an asshole and a jerk I don’t even know why he’s the popular guy, just because his daddy’s got some money doesn’t mean he can act like an asshole.  

Hell my dad’s three times richer than his pops is, and he’d have to work for another 50 years just to get to where my dad’s wealth is.

So anyways today Flash thought it was a good idea to announce to the whole entire school during gym that while Parker had claimed a ‘Stark Internship’ with my dad, that meant that I was getting kicked out of the family and being replaced.

The entire school mocked me for it started calling me ‘the bastard child’ as a Jon Snow reference (even though I am a Stark by blood) and I tried to compose myself and not cry in front of the whole school for the entire day.

When the hellish day finally ended, I was quiet in the car as Happy drove me back towards the newly remodeled Avenger’s facility where my dad had us living from now on since he sold Stark Towers.

“You okay back there (y/n)?” asked Happy.

“I’m fine Happy just drive. No more questions either.” I didn’t mean to snap at him, really I didn’t but I was just so angry right now that I just wanted today to be over with.  Maybe I can blow off some steam in the gym.  Training always seems to calm my anger down.

When we finally arrived at the newly remodeled Avengers facility, the second Happy stopped the car, I jumped right out and raced straight towards the gym.  I threw my backpack to the wall of the gym and got on my boxing gloves and went up to the closest punching bag.

Immediately I began to take off all my anger out on the bag, all the while hearing the taunts of my peers.  Flash’s voice making the announcement, the laughing, the teasing and the Jon Snow comparisons.  Each punch was harder than the last as I now began to picture Parker’s ugly face in the punching bag.  God he infuriated me so much I just wanna……it was then I had actually punch the punching bag so hard that it ended up being blasted away.

I took off my glove and saw that my emergency Iron angel glove had materialized and shot out the automatic repulsor blast. With sweat dripping down my forehead and my heavy breathing I deactivated the glove when a voice said.

“The only other person to destroy a punching bag was Steve, should I be worried?”

“No Uncle Rhodey, there’s no need to call an emergency lockdown.”

“Good. Everything okay?” he asked me.  I turned towards him to see him walking towards me.

“Everything’s fine.”

“Uh-huh because that punching bag ends up like that on a good day with you.” he answered sarcastically.

“Gee anymore smartass comments you got left?”

“Hey you better watch your mouth little missy less you want you dad to get involved in this.” I scoffed.

“Go ahead, tell him. He doesn’t care about me anymore anyways.”

“What was that?”

“Oh you didn’t hear? Apparently dad’s replacing me with a male version of me.”

“Now wait hold on a second (y/n),” uncle Rhodey started off as he placed a comforting hand to my shoulder. “Your dad loves you beyond anything else.”

“Yeah, used to love me. Now ever since Germany he’s always around Parker. He hardly notices me anymore. And do you know the hell I’ve had to endure because of that?”

“Bullies?” I turned away from him and shut my eyes as tight as I could to hold back the tears. “Who all has bullied you at the school?”

“What can you do about it?”

“I’ll call the school and tell them to get the kids responsible for this to be punished.”

“Like that ever really works. They’re just gonna get warnings and tell us to work it out.”

“Not if they hear it from me.”

“You know what forget I said anything. I appreciate the help uncle Rhodey but there’s nothing that not even you can do. I’ve got homework that needs to be done.” I tossed my other boxing glove away and grabbed my backpack and left the gym and locked myself up in my bedroom for the rest of the day.

The next day it was my lunch period.  I was currently eating the ham and cheese sandwich I had picked out when I heard Flash’s obnoxious voice exclaimed.

“And lookie what we got here! The female Jon Snow. How’s it hanging out in the house of Stark?”

“I’m not in the mood Flash.”

“Oh c’mon Snow. Can’t take the newbie Penis Parker moving on in and kicking you to the curb?”

“Flash I’m serious stop it.”

“Nah I don’t think I will. It’s sad that Penis Parker found your dad, seems like the great Tony Stark wanted a son more than a daughter.” Okay that’s where I drew the line.  Something snapped inside me as my glove materialized around my right hand and I fired a shot right at Flash’s chest sending him flying across the cafeteria.

All the kids who had the same lunch period I did were all in shock at what I had just done.  After realizing what I had just done, I immediately knew that I was screwed.

I was sitting outside of the principal’s office and I could hear the principal talking with my dad about my punishment and how the school doesn’t accept this type of bullying (he’s the one to talk, Flash started it).  I didn’t hear a word out of my dad other than some yeah’s or uh-huh, before finally ending with a ‘okay she’ll be dealt with.’  The door opened and I just looked up at him through my lashes.

“Care to explain?” I remained silent. “You know what, I don’t even have time for this. Get in the car.”

“So you’re really not gonna even try to hear me out?”

“Not here, just go to the car.” He demanded as he forced me onto my feet and shoved me towards the exit.  We got into the car and it was just dead silent.  Happy tried to relieve the tension by asking us random things like the weather or just what the principal wanted to talk about.

Of course my dad told him to drop it and just keep driving.  Finally after what felt like hours we arrived at the facility and just like the other day, I stormed into the facility.

“Hold it right there young lady we’re not done talking about this!”

“Well I am!”

“Friday initiate protocol Birdcage.”

‘Yes boss.’ It was then the living room was now sealed up and I couldn’t enter anywhere else.  I was now trapped like a bird in a cage.

“Friday deactivate protocol Birdcage.” I demanded. But nothing happened. “Friday I said deactivate dad’s protocol.”

“No can do kiddo, see I had Friday deny any further action unless given from me when it comes to protocol Birdcage.” I groaned and sat down on the couch. “Now you are gonna explain to me just why you used your Iron angel glove against an innocent civilian?”

“I would hardly call Flash innocent.”

“No this is where you zip it! Okay the adult is talking? What if he had died from that blast? Okay cause that falls on you. And if you get accused for—heroine misdeeds on a civilian. The accords will be affected and—I already lost half of my family. I can’t afford to lose my flesh and blood.”

“That’s the first time you’ve even acknowledged me in the past three months.”

“What?”

“Oh c’mon! You’re Tony freakin Stark! Genius, playboy, philanthropist, billionaire you of all people can’t be that stupid. You’ve never been there for me!”

“What are you—”

“No! Not this time! This time you’re gonna listen to me! Ever since Peter came into the picture it seems like I didn’t matter! I didn’t matter to you anymore!” All the rage, the sorrow, the pain that I have been feeling for months were finally being released.  

Tears pricked the corner of my eyes but I refused to let them fall.  

“And with Peter blabbing on about the superhero business but disguising it to your little secret ‘internship’. The other kids at my school call me the female Jon Snow cause now I’m the bastard’s child. Flash has made me a fucking living meme and I hate it! It’s your fault. It’s both your faults. I should’ve sided with Steve when I had the chance.”

Silence rang out from the room as I collapsed onto the leather seat beside me and turned my back on my dad.  Shoulder’s shaking and heel tapping aggressively with anxiety on the floor.  I felt a hand gently take my mine and I looked up to see my father, his eyes showing for the first time since the Avenger’s breakup, sorrow and regret.

“(Y/n).” he started off. “Baby girl I—I had no idea.”

“Of course you didn’t. You love Parker more than me.”

“Now that is not true.”

“Could’ve fooled me.” I snarked sarcastically.

“(N/n). I—things haven’t been easy since…..the Avengers splitting. And pushing you away was—the last thing I wanted to do.” I gave him my best glare. “I’m not doing so great right now am I?”

“Not even close.”

“I know. I’ve never been so good at these types of talks. But I need you to know something sweetheart. Just because the kid is looking at to be the next Avenger, that doesn’t mean he’s replacing you. Because he’s gonna need someone who knows the game inside and out and that’s you. My Iron Angel. One day I’m not gonna be here, and I need to make sure I can count on you to be the leader the next Avengers need, should the time come.” My glare softened and I looked down at my feet.

“Then why did you have to make it seem that Parker was your long lost son that you never had?”

“I should never have let that on. And that boy uhh—Flash is it? I’m gonna deal with that shitshow as well as anyone else that has bullied you.”

“With what? Bribes? A chance to work at Stark Industries? Blackmail? No offense dad but they don’t care. All they care about is making hell for me. So don’t even bother cause nothing will work. Not even the faculty is good enough to see someone being bullied and harassed and they don’t do a damn thing about it!” I breathed sharply before finally finishing out in a choked tone, “Now tell Friday to cancel Birdcage protocol. I’m done with this.”

“Friday, do as she says.”

‘Yes boss.’ Soon the living room opened and I immediately ran up the stairs for my room and slammed my door shut before locking it.  Immediately I went into my bed and just buried myself under the covers and allowed the tears to fall down my face, until I had cried myself to sleep.

A weeks passed after that whole Flash incident and I was finally relieved of my suspension.  But unlike any other day, the entire school was called in for an assembly.  Which was weird cause we only have assemblies when it comes to new students coming in, graduations, or special guests coming in to do a seminar.

I was sitting on my own but for some reason Parker and his friend were sitting just several seats away from me.  It was then the principal came up and he said into the microphone on the stand.

“Good morning students. I know this assembly was short notice but this will be worth it. Now I would like to bring to the stage our honorary guest who would like to say a few words in regard to something very important. Please give a warm Midtown High welcome to Mr. Tony Stark.” What the f—the students soon went crazy as my dad soon came up onto the stage.

“I LOVE YOU TONY STARK!!” I heard Flash proclaim out just a few rows in front of me.

“Thank you Midtown High. Now I’m assuming you all are thinking I’ve come here to shine a light on a new opportunity for an internship or chance to let Stark Industry do a funding on your latest project. Sadly, you’d be wrong.” At that moment the students were all murmured amongst each other. “Instead I wanna bring up a serious matter. And that’s bullying. When I was a kid—I was picked on as a child. People always compared me to my dad and—it hurt me. As I got older and threw my life away through parties and drugs. Word of the wise don’t ever do them, this was back in the 70’s when they were new and fresh, we were stupid back then our fault.”

“Oh god dad why?” I muttered to myself as I rubbed my hand against my face in annoyance.

“Anyways back on track. Bullying is not cool. Now I know nowadays that physical bullying isn’t all the rage like it was, now it’s through the internet. Or Verbally calling someone out, spreading rumors about them. See I’ve fought against people I’ve trusted, psychotic gods with daddy issues, mad aliens, and sociopathic robots, but the one true villain is right in front of you when you look into a mirror. Any one of you that has taken part even just for a fraction of a second of spreading a rumor, if you know your friend’s in on the bullying that makes you an accomplice because you didn’t speak up. And bullies—they’re just about the worst super villain anyone could ever face. Thank you.” the auditorium was dead silent.

So quiet in fact I think I could hear water leaking from the faucet outside.

“Well, thank you Mr. Stark for raising such an awareness to an issue that we here at Midtown High take very seriously.” Yeah right. As I watched my dad go backstage, I got out of my seat and slipped out the nearest exit and ran down the hall to catch him leaving for the backdoors.

“So that was it?” he stopped and turned towards me.

“Well I figured that I’d pull a little guilt trip on them. It worked all the time with you when you were little and make them feel bad about what they had done without naming any names. If you’d like I could’ve just full out embarrassed you, had you come up on stage and tell them all how much I love and adore you and—”

“Alright, alright I get it! Thank god you didn’t.” I lightly scoffed. “I still can’t believe you willingly did that.”

“You know I would do anything for you. You’re my little girl (n/n). And I am always, always, always gonna love you. No matter what. And just to prove it to you, next time I go out of line like that, you have my full permission to blast me with that glove of yours.” He said as he came up to me and placed his hands on my shoulders, gently rubbing them.

“Can’t I just do it now and cash it in?”

“Nice try.”

“Worth a shot.” He softly chuckled and brought me into a tight bear hug.

“I love you (y/n). I hope you know that.”

“I do now, thanks dad.”

[temunitu]

how do you rank the animated shredders (from the 80s to rise) against each other?

You should know, good Anon, that I gasped in delight when I read this ask. I'm doing every version of Shredhead I can remember (some most of the shows have multiple versions, so buckle up). All right, let's go!

1 - Nothing, and I mean nothing in this world can beat the sheer chaotic-dumb bratty energy of 1987 Shredder. Nothing. He's the main reason why I watch 87. That man never fails to make me laugh. He has exactly zero (0) redeeming qualities. Best version of Shredder, try to change my mind.

2 - Rise Demon. As a terrifying ancient demon, he held my attention every millisecond he was on screen. He was a force to be reckoned with and needed the full team plus some just to defeat him. He was also sassy and prideful. I know we only got a few moments with him, but he had attitude. I also love how they incorporated Oroku Saki and Karai into the plot in such a refreshing way.

3 - 2003 Utrom. As the big baddie for 3 out of 7 seasons and the movie, the man was nigh-impossible to defeat in every battle. He was cold, calculating, tactical, and merciless. I also loved the twist of him being an Utrom, that was a creative and new spin on it. Of course, after a while, it got kinda old seeing him again and again, but he was still a brilliant and perfect villain.

4 - Rise Rabid/Incomplete. The one at the end of season one and beginning of season 2. No control, teleporting all over at random. He had a freighter ship thrown at him and it did nothing! And having Shredder be an uncontrollable animal was a nice new twist.

5 - 2003 Karai. The girl took the lead when her father was banished and really stepped up. I love her character development over the show, but this particular arc stuck with me. You don't just let go of someone so quickly. She wanted revenge, and she did a decent job of it (of course she should have searched the wreckage for the turtles, but she's new to this, ok??).

6 - 2003 Tengu Shredder. We only saw a couple episodes of him so he didn't have as much of an impact, but he still sent chills up and down my spine. I like the way they built it up (bringing in the Mystic Elementals earlier on in the series and tying them in as Heralds of the Tengu Shredder). He was pretty cool to watch.

7 - Rise Draxum. As cool as it was to see him in the armor, and as much as I loved that plot point, he wasn't very Shreddery. He was still very cool and a decent foe to face though.

8 - 2012 (Classic, Normal). Oroku Saki and his ties with both the Foot and Splinter/Hamato Yoshi's past was kinda cool. He was (admittedly) a little boring and just a standard villain, but his VA did an amazing job.

9 - Cyber Shredder from Back to the Sewers. While I loved the concept of BTTS, it's execution was way lower than the standard I have for the show. Bringing Shredder back in and having him in cyberspace wasn't a bad idea, it's just that we'd seen Shredder get upgraded and beaten time and again in the show and it was starting to get old. I wish they'd given Kahn or Hun or Stockman a chance to be the main bad guy for once.

10 - Zombie and Mutant 2012 Shredder. I barely remember either of these arcs, and what I do remember is being confused, horrified, or bored of them. I could do to watch these episodes again but it's not at the top of my priorities list.

Again, this is all my personal opinion from what I can remember of these shows.

[fandumbstuff]

The DC Extended Universe, Ranked Best to Worst.

1. Wonder Woman Directed by Patty Jenkins

Wonder Woman might be the only good movie that DC has made. Patty Jenkins really hits the nail on the head and perfectly captures the voice of the character. For a character so old and so iconic, there are many versions of Diana’s story, but Patty Jenkins really manages to deliver a definitive version. Gal Gadot, like Christopher Reeve or Chadwick Boseman before her, is perfectly cast in a role that is so much more than just a movie character. Diana is as strong as she is compassionate. The character flaws she needs to overcome is her own naivete, rather than the misguided angst so many of DC’s other characters grapple with. While other action sequences in the franchise have been overly cluttered, Wonder Woman’s cinematography offers some of the slickest, most iconic action scenes in the genre. It’s an altogether incredible achievement and a milestone for cinema in general.

2. Wonder Woman 1984 Directed by Patty Jenkins

The greatest fault I could find with this movie is that it didn’t lean into the 80s setting more. It does tread the line of a rather schmaltzy central plot, but solid performances from cast members like Pedro Pascal make it believable. It’s an absolute joy to see Gadot and Pine return to their roles, and an even greater joy to see ther choice of outfits for every scene. Solid. While Kristen Wiig is expectedly brilliant like with everything she does, she’s handling a character arc that seems derivative and outdated. Like it’s predecessor, WW84 showcases some pretty stellar action sequences, with Jenkins once again showing a knowing eye for big, impressive set pieces paired with frenetically paced fight sequences.

3. Aquaman Directed by James Wan

After the convoluted mess of ensemble films like Suicide Squad and Justice League, and even some of Marvel’s recent fare, it was refreshing to see a more traditional origin story. This was ultimately what drew my interest to superheroes in general, and while this film doesn’t have the same elegance of a Superman (1978) or Batman Begins, it’s an origin story that modern audiences can sign on for easily. It’s strongest scenes are in the lore-expanding quest that Arthur and Mera go on, simultaneoulsy a National Treasure-esque adventure and a showcase for solid chemistry between Jason Momoa and Amber Heard. And while Ocean Master does seem like an exaggerated villain at times, It’s Patrick Wilson’s solid performance that manages to sell it and make him arguably the best villain DC’s had.

4. Shazam! Directed by David F. Sandberg

Obviously, an inordinate amount of fun. Shazam doesn’t try and be something it’s not. Ultimately, more than any other superhero film, Shazam understands that this genre was always intended for children. And while at times the plot might seem thin or the conflict inconsequential, Shazam never loses sight of it’s heart. A capable cast of child actors make this believable, and subverting the genre tropes makes the film charming and witty. While it seems overly simplistic in terms of it’s storytelling, in DC’s world of confusing plots, this is a welcome change.

5. Man of Steel Directed by Zack Snyder

Perhaps the strangest portrayal of Superman to date, Zack Snyder honed in on the mythos of the character and what makes him “super” Unfortunately, it seems to completely ignore what makes him a “man”. We’re left with a wholly alien representation of the character- a gross misunderstanding of who Superman is supposed to be. Horrible character choices for both Jor-El and Jonathan Kent leave Clark a shell of the hero he’s supposed to be. We’re left with a character more willing to grapple with moral dilemmas and his own inner angst than actually step up and do the right thing. Henry Cavill has an undeniably affective presence, and he certainly feels right for the role, but he’s never given a chance to actually play the part. Aesthetically pleasing to look at, and generally quite entertaining, it’s unfortunately the way Man of Steel fails its character that makes it so unbearable.

6. Birds of Prey (And the rest of the title) Directed by Cathy Yan

I mean, this is basically just a Harley Quinn movie with some other random characters thrown in. Considering Margot Robbie wrote the film, I find it particularly bothersome that the most work she does for character development is for her own character. We see brief intriguing glimpses of some of the other Birds and unfortunately never get more than a taste. Some of the fight scenes are handling quite capably, trading in the more grittier feel of the standard DC fare for more amusing prop and set work. However, much like Suicide Squad before it, I feel like the movie suffers from “soundtrack vomit”-  a post Guardians of the Galaxy symptom in which a movie tries to assemble catchy songs and them slot them into the edit with no real motivation. 

7. Batman v Superman: Dawn of Justice Directed by Zack Snyder

An absolute misfire from DC in a sad attempt to make themselves relevant amidst Marvel’s runaway success. A focal point in the movie is the collateral damage caused by Superman in Man of Steel. And apparently the best way for the movie to deliberate on this is by exhibiting even more collateral damage. Showcasing the conflict between these two iconic characters seems like a good idea on paper, and it’s certainly been captivating in past comics. But the movie seems to devolve it into nothing more than a bar fight between two dumb jocks. We see Batman get cyber bullied by Lex Luthor, and Superman get coerced by a stupid plot hole. Then they beat each other up like idiots. A movie that spawned a thousand jokes, it’s really only worth watching to make fun of.

8. Joker Directed by Todd Philips

Apparently, this movie isn’t supposed to be counted as part of DC’s Film Universe. But I couldn’t resist the opportunity to remind you what a steaming pile of garbage it is. It would be inaccurate to even call this a movie. It’s really just a desperate actor trying to win an Oscar from an Academy that continues to be woefully out of touch. And an even more pathetic attempt by a incel director to stay relevant. The talented work from it’s cinematographer and composer force me to show some restraint from putting it at the bottom of this list, but rest assured- while there might be films I put below this, there are none I hate more. 

9.  Justice League  Directed by Zack Snyder(?)

Painful to watch, I went into this movie with the lowest of expectations, and they were somehow not met at all. It feels altogether rushed, poorly constrcuted and boring all at the same time. They forego any need for world building and instead toss us headfirst into a horribly convoluted storyline. They rush through an origin for Cyborg and introduce Aquaman like he’s the douchebag you never invited who shows up to your houseparty. Batman over-compensates for his eye-rolling seriousness in the last movie by being overly witty in this one. And they solve Superman’s death by having a hilarious grave robbing scene that I guess is supposed to be funny but is so ridiculous to watch that it felt more at place in an Adam Sandler movie. And to top it all off, the movie in general is one big eyesore. It’s honestly painful to watch the shoddy CGI that constitutes the main antagonist and the waves of enemies we watch the JL plow through. And while the opening scene I think is supposed to be a last ditch effort for them to make Superman relevant, it would be promising if I could look past his god awful CGI lip.

10. Suicide Squad  Directed by David Ayer

A hilarious comedy where the characters don’t actually have any dialogue and instead just speak in one-liners. A touching romantic drama where the Joker abuses Harley Quinn. A moving character study where Deadshot just wants to be a better father by killing Batman. A thrilling action movie where we hope the heroes can overcome Cara Delevigne’s dumb dancing and blow up the generic pillar of doom she’s summoned in the middle of Gotham. Suicide Squad is all of these things and more- so there’s my rousing endorsement.

[subspace]

MORTAL KOMBAT (2021)

there has yet to be a truly capital-G Great movie based on a video game. There was hope that the latest stab at “Mortal Kombat” might stand a chance to break that trend. The short answer is a hearty “No,” but that doesn’t mean there isn’t fun to be had here. 

If all you know of “Mortal Kombat” is that it’s a video game that, upon its debut in arcades in 1992, swiftly helped spur a national pearl-clutching tour by politicians and parents’ groups over the level of “realistic” gore and violence found within, you might be surprised to learn that the bones of the story and characters are actually pretty fun. It treads heavily from the roots of comic books and classic kung fu movies which inspired series creators John Tobias and Ed Boon. So while there’s nothing terribly original about a secret martial arts tournament where people with extraordinary powers duke it out to decide the fate of the universe, the sort of (mostly) straight-faced sincerity used to bring it all to life fits perfectly well within the cinematic landscape that regularly sees people with godlike powers traipsing across movie screens these days. 

And to its credit, this take on “Mortal Kombat” never shies away from any of the incredibly outlandish aspects of the series: Warrior monks who can throw fireballs from their bare hands. Laser eyes. A sorcerer who can (quite literally) suck a man’s soul from his body. Another warrior monk but this one uses a razor-edged hat as a throwing weapon and teleportation device. It’s all here. There’s some nominal explanation as to how or why these characters get superpowers, but for the most part it amounts to “just because, now watch this guy with a New Jersey accent wearing a cyber mask use hook swords and run so fast he can teleport.” 

Given the way audiences have simply come to accept comic book heroes and given the movie’s overall embrace of the outlandish, it then becomes somewhat baffling that someone along the line decided it was absolutely essential that we be guided into this world via a brand new character who can act baffled at all this weird stuff happening. It might have made more sense had any questions been truly asked or, more crucially, been answered, but we never even really get an answer as to why exactly a martial arts tournament is what decides the fate of Earth. At the very least it would have been worth it had this character, Cole Young, been played by anyone with even a hint of genuine charisma. Alas, despite his best efforts, Lewis Tan simply doesn’t have the juice to shoulder the weight given him. 

Then again, he’s not really helped by Dave Callaham and Greg Russo’s script. It’s clear that there is an abiding affection for the legacy of “Mortal Kombat” and its world and characters. Fans of the games will have no trouble recognizing the likes of Liu Kang (Ludi Lin), Kung Lao (Max Huang), Sub-Zero (Joe Taslim) or Kano (Josh Lawson). But the story is so thin and gives the surprisingly large cast very little to do overall. 

After losing an underground MMA match, Cole learns that he’s been chosen to take part in a tournament known as, you guessed it, Mortal Kombat. Shang Tsung (Chin Han), an evil, soul-sucking sorcerer, however is bound and determined to make sure a tournament never happens, thus making it that much easier for him to take over Earthrealm. Fights and fatalities ensue. 

And that’s...pretty much it. Cole meets up with an eclectic group of other fighters as they attempt to train and prepare for the tournament, but this mostly relegates them and the film to a massive cave temple somewhere in Asia. Not exactly the most dynamic or exciting location, especially given how wild and vibrant so much of the video game’s fight locale’s have become over the years. 

So if the film’s budget (clearly) held back its visual potential and its lead leaves much to be desired, how could I possibly claim there’s fun to be had? This is where checking your expectations at the door helps. 

To put it succinctly: “Mortal Kombat” is not “The Raid.” It is not “John Wick.” It doesn’t rise to the fairly high standard that has been set since Paul W.S. Anderson directed the first “Mortal Kombat” in 1995. Simon McQuoid’s 2021 film doesn’t even hit the highs of a lot of Scott Adkins’ direct-to-DVD outings. (Although that’s not an insult to Adkins, as he’s a legitimately great movie martial artist and you should watch his movies.) This “Mortal Kombat” lies somewhere in between. It tries hard. It brings in accomplished martial artists like Taslim and even Tan, whose father, Philip, is an accomplished stunt performer and choreographer. 

Could the combat (kombat?) have been better? Without question. But what’s here is fun. The fights are competent and not edited to shreds. But perhaps more importantly, it’s one of the first movies based on a video game to not only nail the iconic visual aspect of the characters, but to truly and fully lean into the fact that these people all do wild and silly things like shoot lasers from their eyes or throw fireballs. It also delivers in spades the games’ trademark, outlandish violence. To save my editor from sternly admonishing me for describing (even mildly) the things certain characters have happen to them, suffice to say it makes the digitized, roughly pixelated violence of the 1992 look positively PG-rated by comparison. No doubt this will turn off more than a few potential viewers, but there’s no denying that fans of the series flock to it in large part for this reason. So if you find entertainment in violence that’s so absurdly over-the-top it swings right around to being comical, this version of “Mortal Kombat” delivers to a satisfying degree. 

I’d be remiss if I didn’t also single out actor Josh Lawson. His performance as Kano is hands down my favorite part of the film and he fills every scene he’s in with a delightfully smarmy energy, much as the late Trevor Goddard did playing the same character in the 1995 film. 

Maybe my enjoyment (or soft judgment) of the film is due more to the fact that it’s just good to see new movies again, and to do so with friends. I got a few (fully vaccinated) buddies to come join me in my backyard, I set up an outdoor screen and projector and streamed “Mortal Kombat” from my laptop and we had a blast laughing at and with the movie and generally relishing the absurdity, the competent fights and some fun characters. 

It’s entirely possible this movie won’t hold up on repeat viewing as such instances will inevitably be divorced from the context in which it was originally viewed, but that’s OK. This time out I got some very basic enjoyment out of it and had a good time with friends and sometimes that’s more than enough. 

[fiery-assassin-arc]

꧁༒☬𝓒𝓵𝓸𝓼𝓾𝓻𝓮 –𝓘𝓻𝓲𝓼’𝓼 𝓟𝓞𝓥☬༒꧂

He remains still, not wanting to attack. Hands behind his back. Gentle smile. I am still holding the fire poker in my hands, aimed at him. Part of me wants to attack, but he knows I wouldn’t. I was blinded by rage that day.

 He knows I’m haunted by what he did.

 I wonder if he had time to reflect.

 “Put that down, Phoenix.”

“Why are you in my home?” I accuse, taking a step closer, placing it by his chest. “How are you in my home?”

 “I’m the Grandmaster of lock-picking as well as the Lin Kuei.” He explains, raises his eyebrow ever slightly. I should have known. “As for the why,” He looks at the fire poker, me, then at the improv weapon again. “I would like to talk it over with you, if you’re willing to listen to me.”

 I chew the inside of my cheek. Contemplating my options. I could listen to him, or get him out of the house. I never did listen to him that day. Even at the pyre, I stood far away from the others as they mourned. I was angry, but how I had to force his hand to have Frost be buried along with the others… I don’t know if I can forgive him. But I’ve also grown so much with him, he’s helped me slowly overcome my fear of the dark (managed, not completely eradicated).

 I put the fire poker on the rack, and gesture him to the kitchen. “Hungry? I’m sure you’ve had a long journey.” At his shrug of indifference, I make my way to the kitchen, checking to see if he follows.

 Just because I’m angry at him, doesn’t mean I no longer respect him.

 He sits on the bar stool, looking uncomfortable as I grab ingredients for colcannon. Potatoes, kale, butter, heavy cream. His cold is familiar I clear my throat, hoping it could ease the tension here. “How are things?”

 “The temple has slowly come back to normal. Some new recruits have joined.” He tells me, looks at how I cut the potatoes. Even, use the knife to peel the skin carefully. “Some of the other members miss you, Phoenix. I have missed you.”

 The knife slams down on the cutting board, remembering the name I gave myself.  It was the rebirth from the ashes. But now I am ash, nothing to spark me. “I don’t know if I can come back stronger like last time.” I say to him. I continue cooking. Boiling the potatoes.

 “I have watched you go from a little, barely sparking ember on wood to a forest fire. Destructive, powerful, confident. You have grown in the past five years. Whatever ails you, you will overcome.” There’s pride in his voice, a gentle smile that I haven’t seen in a while.

 “Yeah, but now I’m back to where I started.” I argue, before chopping up the kale. “You never did answer my question on why you’re here.”

 “I know you have taken a leave of absence. Because you are upset with me.” Sub-Zero sighs, and his hands slap his thighs. “On that day, I thought I could possibly disengage her thoughts, put her in temporary rest. But Raiden decided that it was best to eliminate her entirely. And I’m sorry I couldn’t stop him in time, or didn’t say anything to prevent it.”

 I look over at him. His ocean eyes show an amount of regret. I never did look at him that day. All I say was someone who indirectly took something most important from me.

 “You both had such a powerful bond, the same Hanzo and I once had. When she challenged me, I made the choice of exile because I would not, could not kill her; deep down I cared for her like one would a daughter to a father. Same with you.” He sighs, and I pass him the bowl of potatoes, and the masher. He chuckles. “What’s this?”

 “Mashing potatoes is better than hurting yourself. Trust me. Do it.” I offer, leaning on the kitchen counter.  

 “That won’t be left unchecked.” Sub-Zero says, and proceeds to mash the vegetable, continues. “I was angry with her when I found she had allied herself with Sektor. I did not hold her back, she simply needed more guidance, even though she was Chief. And I remember how you were hurt by my choices, yet you remained loyal. Why?”

 Why. That’s what it all boils down to, does it? Everyone has a why, but do I? I sigh, crack my knuckles. “I did what I thought was right that day. I argued with her earlier that it was foolish to do so, but she didn’t push me to join her.” I look into the bowl of potatoes—looks good enough. But he’s still mashing them in a clockwise motion. “I trusted your judgment, in the end. And I believed, maybe, maybe she’d come back to us.” To me.

 “I remember you told me Frost didn’t cyberize you. She set you free.”  

 “She did. But we fought before that. I don’t know what provoked her, but I noticed her movements…” Sub-Zero pushes the bowl to me, and I prepare the rest of the dish. Adding butter, cream. “It was if she held some sort of restraint. Not completely, but enough to overpower, and get a chance to escape. It was before you and Master Hasashi arrived.” I add salt and pepper. “I think then, she still protected me.” Toss in the kale. Get some bowls for us.

 “At least there were still parts of her that were human. Her love for you never left her even when she changed.” He reaches a hand over, hesitant. I slowly take it, embrace the chill. “I hope what I said is enough for closure.”

 I feel a lump in my throat, unable to melt with the heat, and I feel tears burn my eyes. Second time today. It’s nice to hear how he really felt that day.

 “It’s a start, but it doesn’t mean I’ll forgive you right away. I may need time.”  

 “That is something I will accept, Phoe—Iris.” He sends me a crooked smile. It’s a comfort to me.  “And know, you will always have a home at the temple.”

 “And you have a place to stay at the palace,” I offer. “But why do I sense there’s something else…”

 Sub-Zero presses his lips into a thin line. “What you said earlier. About cooking is better than hurting yourself. The way you held the fire poker, I notice a look in your eyes: fear.” When I eat as a distraction, he goes on. “Something happened to you, did it?”

 I swallow, my food suddenly bland in my mouth. “Grandmaster . . .”

 Sub-Zero takes a deep breath, gently pats my shoulder. “I won’t make you tell me, but when you get the chance, you know I’ll be lending an ear.”

 I nod. “I appreciate it. You should eat your colcannon, it’s going to get cold.”

 “I’m sorry—my what?”

 “Colcannon. It’s potatoes with a green vegetable in it. It’s really good.” I gesture to his bowl.  “Try some.”

 “I guess I will indulge.”  Sub-Zero takes a spoonful of the dish, his mouth twisting into a frown. “It’s . . . good.”

 “Do you not like the food or my cooking?”

 “Erm..”

 “You’re a shit liar, Grandmaster Sub-Zero.” At that, we both chuckle softly, the fireplace our music as we try to reform a bond like a lost father and daughter.

 This is something. Not like therapy. Or maybe it is. Because a slight weight is off of my chest.

  Bend the knee. Lift the leg, Stretch. Repeat until it does something.  My pointe shoes are almost ruined, the dirt under the padding and blood seeping at the toe. But it shows dedication, it shows my determination.

 I landed the role of the Black Swan, and I’m doing my best to make my moveset more . . . seductive. I would have once gone for the White Swan, but shockingly enough I landed a role that was new to me. I’ll take it.

 I walk to the center of the room, and start the dance, Christian screeching words of encouragement with Wren watching. I made one of my rooms a makeshift ballet studio. “Thanks buddy.” I say softly.

 “How does it feel being the Black Swan instead one of the little swans?”

 “It feels great.” I say, doing a pirouette. “It was fun being the cute swan, but now, being kind of like the bad guy, I’m enjoying it.”

 Wren smiles, and lightly coughs into her hand. That’s the second time today.  And earlier this morning at brunch. “Let’s hope you won’t become like that ballerina in that movie. Don’t overwork yourself, and don’t stress.” Wren reassures me, shaking off an invisible feeling.

 “Do you want some tea? You’re acting like you have a cold.” I stop my practice, and lean against the bar. “Please don’t tell me you caught a cold.”

 She scoffs. “What are you worried about? You don’t get sick.”

 “Not often. But it’s annoying when the symptoms pop up. I’ll get chills instead of fevers.” I shudder, before redirecting our conversation back. “But you’ve been warm. Your temperature is higher.”

 “Maybe I am catching a cold.” I take a step back in fear. She scratches her head. “Or the flu. I’ve been a little nauseated.”

 “Have you? For how long?”

 “A few days.” Wren sighs. “I’m pretty sure it’s nothing. Now, you’ve made me your ballet coach. So I say we keep going. Come on, show me . . . something alluring.”

 I laugh,  turn the music back on. I arch my back, my hand floating above my head, spinning on my toes. I make my movements fluid, but sharp. As I look at  Wren, I notice how she almost looked a little tired than usual.

 Ever since the marriage between her and my brother, Wren has been like a big sister to me, making me laugh and giving me advice, especially when it came to dating. Being myself. But how can I, now? When I no longer know myself?

  I spin in a flurry, going at least five times. Stopping once and going once again. Looking at the mirrors. Then I see her.

 Someone who died years ago.

 The vibrant red hair. The ember eyes, red from angry tears. A bruise under her eye. Blood on her lip. The dress she’s wearing is black. Darkened by obvious stains.

 It’s a younger version of me.

I trip my spin and fall on the ground, pain radiating up my leg. My breathing is fast. My heart hurts. What the—why am I seeing a young version of me?

 Christian screeches in worry and flies over to me. His head touches my cheek. “I’m okay, boy.” I tell him. Wren looks at me with concern, helping me up. “No, really I’m fine. Let’s keep going, yeah?”

 “…Are you sure? That was a nasty fall.”

 “I’m sure. And turn up the music louder.” I say, and practice on the other side of the room. Making sure not to look at any mirrors.

[dalekofchaos]

How I would fix Mortal Kombat 11

Mortal Kombat 11 is good, but the story was awful. NRS has made it clear they don’t care about the lore, continuity or the fans. So this is how I would’ve handled the story for MK11. Similar to how I would’ve fixed MK9 and MKX

Here’s how I would handle the story

Few things first

Kung Jin and Takeda would be in the game. It was such a baffling decision not to have Kung Jin and Takeda in the game. 

Kenshi would be alive and playable instead of killed off in a easter egg.

Smoke would be in the game and playable.  Source

Sektor and Cyrax would be in the game and not just NPCs in the story mode. 

Reptile would be in the game Source

Ermac would be in the game. They already have the look for Ermac in the game, so why not just have him be playable?

The changes

Raiden is the villain of the story. You teased Dark Raiden and did nothing with him. His goal is to destroy threats to Earthrealm before they happen. His war with Liu Kang and Kitana is threatening to destroy the realms and speed up Armageddon

Jade is the hero of the story. Because of her MK9 ending and her disappearance from MKX, we were all to believe Jade’s return was meant to be crucial, in my version. She is brought back by Argus and Delia. They instruct her to stop Raiden’s madness and bring order back to the realms. This will also gives Jade the chance to bring her friends back

There is no Kronika. Kronika, was just a bland villain. We needed Raiden and The Revenants

There is no Jade/Kotal Kahn romance. It was pointless and unnecessary and just derailed Jade’s character. 

Mileena is alive. When Jade was restored by Argus, he also brings back Mileena. Mileena’s role is to help Jade bring her sister back. And this is something Mileena actually wants. 

On Jade’s journey she is joined by Mileena, Reptile, Tanya, Taven and Rain. They all join with Special Forces. Most are mistrustful towards Mileena, but they come around

There would be an invasion of Outworld by Raiden, this results in Raiden killing Kotal Kahn. Outworld is in sheer chaos. This makes the Special Forces start to distrust Raiden. An all out civil war for Outworld happens. Shang Tsung, Sheeva, Skarlet and Baraka fight for control. Ultimately, Shang Tsung would win. We would see Shao Kahn brought back since he was pre-order, however Shao Kahn is only brought back so we can witness Shang Tsung stealing his soul. We would also see Shang Tsung killing D’Vorah and burning down the Kytinn hive, because fuck D’Vorah, absolutely everyone hates her.

Jax is not butchered. Something will happen that brings Jax to return to Special Forces. Sonya has had enough of the lies and deception, challenges Raiden, but Raiden is too much for her and causes an accidental death. Johnny and Cassie are hearbroken over her death and vow to bring Raiden down. This is where Jax comes in. Jax takes charge of the Special Forces to honor and avenge his best friend. Jax being back in the Special Forces would show Jax slowly coming to respect Jacqui serving the Special Forces and together they become a kickass father and daughter team.

A mini arc of a war between the Lin Kuei vs the Tekunin. Scorpion succeeds in killing Sektor while Sub-Zero frees Cyrax from the Cyber Initiative’s control. Cyrax takes backs his life and rejoins the Lin Kuei

Instead of pointlessly wasting Frost, she joins the Kombat kids. She is not a cyborg, she is Lin Kuei. Sub-Zero successfully makes her his apprentice and she chooses to follow his teachings and makes friends with Cassie, Jacqui, Takeda and Kung Jin. Her character arc is basically overcoming the Lin Kuei’s past conditioning and seeing Scorpion and the Shirai Ryu as an ally

Noob Saibot. Noob Saibot becomes twisted and his goal is to corrupt the Lin Kuei, similar to how he did so in Armageddon’ Konquest mode, you could even throw in Smoke as Noob’s partner,  so it’s up to Kuai Liang and Hanzo to stop them. Bring Bi-Han to light or put him to rest for good. Noob Saibot’s return was meant to be something horrific. He was tossed into a soulnado and throughout MKX we were told that his return is something that needs to be avoided. We needed something that makes all the speculation worth it, not a generic evil for the sake of being evil. But it ends with Kuai Liang able to restoring his brother and Smoke. Bi-Han making peace with Hanzo and together Kuai Liang and Bi-Han become joint Grandmasters of the Lin Kuei.

Taven, Takeda and Kenshi face off against Daegon and the Red Dragon.  Takeda and Kenshi get their revenge for Suchin.

Sindel. Before Kitana and Mileena can even think of bringing Kitana back, they have to test it out on Sindel. Sindel is the key to bringing Kitana back. A mother and daughter are reunited, but Kitana extends a hand to Mileena. Kitana realizes Mileena had no say in her creation and just wanted love and validation, Kitana gives her this and offers a chance for them to become “sisters”

Kung Jin. Kung Jin is the key to bringing back Liu Kang and Kung Lao back to light

Kabal overcomes Kano’s manipulations and remembers who he was and puts an end to Kano. It bothered me that they just decided to retcon Kabal’s character in MK9. So having Kano manipulate Kabal and after Kabal’s humanity is restored, Kabal finally takes revenge by taking his head off.

Mileena and Kitana unite Sheeva, Baraka and Skarlet to bring an end to Shang Tsung’s rule. Ermac will be used to fight Shang Tsung. Ermac’s primary soul in control and we see Ermac, Sindel and Kitana facing Shang Tsung, his drained of his soul supply and Mileena delivers the killing blow.

Kitana, Mileena and Sindel bring peace to Outworld’s chaos.

The final battle is Liu Kang and Raiden. This fight ends Raiden’s corruption. Jade empowers Liu Kang with the gifts of Argus and Delia while Fujin blesses him with the Elder Gods powers. Thus Liu Kang becomes Fire God Liu Kang to equal that of Raiden. 

The game ends with Raiden joining the Elder Gods and brings back Sonya to write his wrongs and the Cage family reunited and Jax embracing his old friend, Liu Kang becoming Earthrealm’s protector and looking on Kung Lao and Kung Jin proudly, Mileena Kahnum of Outworld with Tanya, Reptile, Skarlet, Sheeva, Erron Black and Baraka ruling by her side. While Kitana becomes Queen Of Edenia with Jade, Sindel, and Taven ruling by her side. Both sisters bringing peace to their perspective realms. Kuai Liang, Bi-Han, Frost, Smoke, Hanzo and Takeda uniting their clans and providing the ultimate protection for Earthrealm. There is a tease for MK 12. The One Being is finally returning.

[slamsams-blog]

Spectre - #24WeeksofBond

This week’s film in our 24 weeks of Bond marathon is the latest film in the franchise, 2015′s Spectre.  This would be, (or so he thought at the time), Craig’s final Bond outing...hence why it’s been SO INCREDIBLY LONG for a new Bond movie to come out.  Craig had other things he wanted to do before he could be convinced to suit up as Bond one more time.  But man oh man, am I over these 3, 4, or 5 year gaps in between Bond films.  Daniel Craig has held the role of Bond longer than any other actor - even longer than Roger Moore!  That’s is pretty crazy to think about.  Hopefully the next actor to play Bond isn’t so wishy-washy and we get regular installments at a better pace.  Here’s hoping...ANYWAYS

Spectre is a beautifully cinematic, high speed, throwback to the classics that all too often gets the “Tomorrow Never Dies” treatment.  This film was Sam Mendes’ second Bond film in a row, the first one being “Skyfall” which has been regarded as one of the best Bond films not just of the modern era, but of all time.  So when Spectre came out with the same director at the helm, everyone was expecting it to be the greatest film in all of cinema history.  Unfortunately, it just didn’t quite live up to the hype and therefor this movie gets unfairly ragged on.

Not just ragged on...but absolutely SHIT ON.  I’m not kidding.  I’ve seen a lot of “Bond ranking” posts and YouTube videos where this film is in the bottom 5, and one time I even saw it at the bottom.  THE BOTTOM.  Like, worse than “Die Another Day”.  If you actually think that Spectre is a worse movie than Die Another Day, then you either have no clue what you are talking about, have poor taste in action movies, or are just trying to be controversial to be controversial.  Spectre is by no means the best Bond movie ever, it has its plot holes for sure...but it is CERTAINLY not the worst, and y’all need to start showing this film some damn respect.  Pardon my “R” rated language, YouTubers got me hot!

All that being said, I REALLY enjoy this film.  Right from the beginning we have an incredibly visually stunning pre-title sequence at a Day of the Dead parade in Mexico where we see Bond mysteriously tracking a stooge.  With heart pounding music, incredible costumes, and a beautifully shot scene of Craig tight-roping the roofs of the buildings that causes my anxiety to explode...this is such a stimulating experience.  We later find out that Bond was going rogue and M is pissed and suspends him indefinitely.  But Bond is just following a trail that Judi Dench left for him in a video she recorded before she died.  Why didn’t she tell Bond about this before she died? Whatever...it’s just a movie. 

This leads Bond to uncovering an organization called “Spectre”. You can find the acronym for it in my “From Russia With Love” post!  Bond infiltrates a secret meeting to where he finds out the man at the head table is someone from his past.  The man, who eventually turns out to be Franz Oberhauser (Christoph Waltz) was once a boy who’s father had taken Bond in when his parents died, making ole Franz jealous, and eventually kills his father and fakes his own death...after he was declared dead he adopted a new name - Ernst Stavro Blofeld.  Odd choice, but here we are.  We have a Blofeld again!

Waltz was an exciting pick for the part, but he doesn’t blow me away in the role.  There is always a subtle creepiness to him, but I think he could’ve done more with it.  There was talk of him being replaced as Blofeld in the next Bond movie, but there was enough fan outrage where they squashed that...so I guess he’s doing something right.

One fun aspect of this film is that there is a Bond villain, that Bond never deals with.  Max Denbigh (Andrew Scott) or “C” as Bond dubs him, not really sure why, is a surveillance officer working for MI6, but secretly for Spectre.  Not so secret though, if anyone has seen “Sherlock”, the mere sight of Andrew Scott makes you think he has to be a villain.  He strolls in and politics his way into dumping the double 0 program in favor of ultra cyber security and drones.  If successful, Spectre would have full control over everything.  This guy is all M’s problem, and he deals with him from concept to completion.  Atta boy M! I just always liked how M was on his own with this storyline. 

Another aspect about this film is Bond is falling in love with Madeline Swann (Lea Seydoux), the daughter of Mr. White who has been a thorn in Bond’s side working for Spectre.  Mr. White has seen the light and now Spectre has poisoned him, giving Mr. White reason to give Bond all the info he needs and to protect his daughter.  To me this relationship is a bit rushed and forced.  Bond and Vesper in Casino Royale was done properly, but here, Swann seems to fall in love rather out of the blue. And we’re supposed to believe he is leaving MI6 for her.

We’re also treated to a badass train car fight!  I love me a good train car fight...sadly I don’t think there are any more in the series.  Bond comes face to face with the silent, giant, dagger thumbnail mammoth of a man named Mr.Hinx (Batista).  I’m a little biased here because I’ve been a lifelong Pro-Wrestling fan.  But I gotta say, Batista has acting chops.  This train car fight scene is BRUTAL, and is the scene I think about when I think about this movie.

In conclusion, Spectre is a beautifully shot film with an extra dash of humor, and an excessive amount of call backs to past Bond films.  The voodoo-esque nature in the opening (Live and Let Die), the clinic where Bond finds Madeline Swann (On Her Majesties Secret Service), the crator where Blofeld resides (You Only Live Twice), the ejector seat! (Goldfinger).  While it’s fun to see Spectre tip it’s hat to the past, as a die hard Bond fan, you kind of go “ok, I get it”.  And of course, they kept dropping hints in the movie that Craig was leaving the franchise which stressed me out - especially at the end.  I LOVE Daniel Craig as Bond and I, for one, was not ready to let him go just yet. Also, because of the number.  What I mean by that is the number of films each actor has done has been different.  After “No Time To Die” this will be the movie tally:

Lazenby: 1

Dalton: 2

Brosnan: 4

Craig: 5

Connery: 6

Moore: 7

The next actor to play Bond, can ONLY do 3 movies.  If he doesn’t, it just might bother me for the rest of my life.  Unless he goes for 8?  Well, my obsessive compulsive disorder aside, Spectre is not the perfect Bond film...but it deserves respect for the cinematography, characters, and action scenes.  We should all be thankful Sam Mendes came into the world of Bond, and threw a splash of paint on the franchise.

That’s it for this week!  Hope you enjoyed it!

Reviews from Friends:

My Mom:

I was mesmerized by this film. I think the theme song and opening artwork were stunning. Daniel craig was an older, darker version of Bond. I was pretty thrilled to see him with a mature love interest for once. Someone near his own age. I was hoping she would go on through the story but it was not to be. I thought it was very well done. Anxious to see more of this mysterious dark Bond.

Jake Benrud

Until reading your blog, I didn’t realize this wasn’t a well received Bond! I actually really enjoyed this movie. I think this is the third time watching it for me, and I really appreciate the portrayal of Bond by Craig. I thought Waltz did a great job with Blofeld. The drilling scene is always a bit unnerving, but I’d expect nothing less from a sadistic Bond villain. I did think that for all the intelligence that Blofeld and the SPECTRE organization should have that it was pretty poor planning to be able to destroy their entire facility with one shot to the propane regulator. I mean if you can arrange for an elaborate Bond haunted house at MI6 ending with Blofeld hiding behind bullet proof glass, maybe take the time to protect the propane tank at your facility. Chances are if you’re an evil genius looking for world domination, you’re probably going to have Bond at your door step shooting up the place. I digress. Despite this, I thought the story moved along well and it’s a solid installment of the series.

24 Weeks of Bond will return next Monday with -

Thunderball  

[lostinfic]

Treat, please. Will x Holly. "You're wearing my sweater." + Game Night.

Game Night. 1 / 2

Pairing: Will Burton (The Escape Artist) x Holly Shawcross(True Love)

Rating:Teen

Word count: 1.5k 

Summary: Will and Holly are part of a group of friends whomeet every week to play board games. Although there is more than friendship growing between them, their pasts prevent them from acting on their feelings.

A/N: I also wrote a fem!Will x Holly version of thisprompt: Sweater Weather

Some details might escape you if you haven’t seen the shows, but I think you can still enjoy the story.

○ Trick or treat prompts

○ All my autumn fics

Available on Ao3

🍂 

“You don’t have to do that,” Will said as Holly washed the glasses used by their friends.

“It’s no bother.”

He cleared the table and threw away empty bags of crisps and pretzels.

“How was your week?”

She interpreted his question as a sign that he didn’t mind her staying after the others had left.

Holly worked part time at an immigration center, teaching English to newcomers. As Will wiped crumbs off the table, she told him about a teenage Somalian refugee who drew comic strips of his journey to England. She’d put him in contact with a gallery where she’d once exhibited her own work.

“Did you paint anything new this week?” Will asked.

“Yeah. Christmas cards. I need to stock up my online shop in time for Cyber Monday.”

“But you loved painting Autumn stuff.”

“I know, I really did.” She pouted.

She washed another glass, and Will sided up to her with a towel to dry it.

“I nearly drank my paint water again this week.”

“I told you to stop using that mug.” He bumped her with his shoulder.

“But I love it!” She bumped him back with her hip.

He shook his head fondly.

She asked about his own week, she remembered he had a meeting with a new client yesterday. He lost his smile.

“The man’s a serial drunk driver and he’s killed someone because of it, and I swear his breath smelled of gin when we met.”

“Jesus. Did he drive to the appointment?”

“Thank God, no. His solicitor got him to start the 12-Step Program.”

“That’s good. There’s hope.”

He nodded, his lips in a tight smile.

“You must think I’m naive,” Holly said.

“No, no, but he’s probably only doing it to get a reduced sentence.” Belatedly, he added, “But I think it’s great that you still have faith in people.”

“I have to. Don’t you?”

He didn’t answer. He had seen too much in his career. That lost puppy look in his eyes tugged at her heartstrings.

She had to believe people could make amends and change, otherwise there was no hope for her after what she’d done. And what he’d done.

She wondered if he knew that she’d slept with one of her students, the way she knew he’d killed his wife’s murderer, by unearthing five-year old headlines on Google. They’d both moved elsewhere, to Cambridge, to put it all behind, so she never brought up the subject, never asked him if he really did it. Who they were now was all that mattered.

“I think some people can become better persons,” he finally admitted.

She touched his arm lightly, a shy show of support, and he surprised her by putting his hand over hers. His thumb brushed across her knuckles, and her arm goose-pimpled from the contact.

She loved these moments, when it was just the two of them and they talked about more personal things, unlike when the others were around.

Will and Holly were part of a group of eight friends who played board games every week. Lately, when the game was at Will’s, she made sure to arrive a little early and found some excuse to stay after the others had left.

Will had joined the group six months ago (one of their members had a baby and couldn’t come to their weekly games anymore so he introduced Will as his replacement). Maybe it was a professional quirk, Holly was a teacher after all, but she immediately took him under her wing, explaining the rules and the inside jokes, and going out of her way to include him in the group. She was only being nice, but somewhere along the way being nice turned into being infatuated.

Jamie’s arrival from his football practice interrupted their moment. They jumped apart and quickly finished cleaning up the kitchen.

Will saw her to the door. The temperature had dropped significantly, and Holly was only wearing a thin raincoat.

“It’s alright,” she said, “the bus stop’s only two blocks away.”

“I don’t want you to catch something, I need you to win the next game. Here.” He removed his grey jumper and offered it to her.

Holly walked to the bus stop with her nose under the collar. Unlike her who shopped at charity shops, Will had the means to buy high quality clothes and this jumper was no exception, a blend of cashmere and wool as far as she could tell. She rubbed her cheek against it. His cologne lingered between the stitches, warm and woodsy, and with the smell of rain in the air, it reminded her of the forest in autumn.

She wore his sweater all week. It kept her warm when she painted or read with the windows open. She became so used to it that she still had it on when they met at Patrick’s house for the next game night. Will didn’t notice however. Even if it was half past seven, he’d obviously come straight from court and his brain was still occupied by work. His hair was messy as if he’d tugged on it.

He sat down next to her without a salutation, and pulled a pre-packaged cheese sandwich and a green apple out of his coat pockets.

Every other week, they played Dungeons & Dragons. Patrick— a stocky, dark-skinned accountant who’d initiated the game nights with his sister Sabrina— recapped their latest quest. Everyone organized their dice, figurines and character sheets on the dining room table. Everyone except Will who was munching absentmindedly on his stale sandwich.

“Will?” Patrick repeated.

He blinked out of his thoughts and looked around as if he’d forgotten where he was. “Uh?”

“That weapon you found at the cave, was it a knife or a sword?”

“In the game,” Jasna, another player, specified.

“Yeah, sorry, erm…” He looked through his notes and answered them.

“Long day?” Holly whispered to him.

“Aye.”

“Relax.” She leaned well into his personal space and loosened his tie.

He didn’t say a word, only turned his torso towards her, offering better access. She hadn’t planned on taking it all off, but now her fingers worked at the knot. The silky material glided under his collar and wrapped around her fist.

“You’re free from work now.”

As he took his tie from her hands, his fingers deliberately brushed against hers.

“Are you wearing my jumper?”

“Have been since I got here.” She chuckled. “Sorry, I’ll give it back to you.”

“There’s no rush.”

Holly’s character was a Wizard and Will’s a Rogue. Because they always sat next to each other, they often separated from the rest of the gang to conduct their own mission. They made a good team. Will was a great strategist, always a step ahead of everyone, even the Dungeon Master. He would lean towards Holly, and whisper to her their next move. Her own strength was thinking outside the box, using her character’s spells in creative ways.

“Holly, you can’t use the Glyph of Warding that way,” Patrick said.

Will put on his glasses and looked through the Player’s Handbook. “Objection.”

Patrick groaned.

Will recited the description of the spell, “You inscribe a glyph that harms other creatures, either upon a surface or within an object that can be closed to conceal the glyph. Did you not say just 10 minutes ago that Mordenkainen closed the portal? Accordingly…”

“Why are you always defending her and not us?” Sabrina asked.

And that was the thing, wasn’t it? Holly’s weakness. It’s why she’d had an affair with a married man, an underage student and an older woman who called her her Muse. If they made her feel just a little special… But he was a widower, a single father and a workaholic, but she could feel it, like the pull of the undercurrent before a big wave. She was wary of that pull now— three years of therapy had taught her that at least—, but the more she resisted it, the more delicious it was. And really, it didn’t help that he wore such tight jeans.

Sometimes, she drew their D&D characters together.

“Holly, here’s what I’ll do, if Modenkainen is still in this plane, you can use the glyph on his portal.” Patrick rolled a pair of twenty-side die. “And you got it. Damn it.”

Holly and Will high-fived.

The game continued as they ate junk food, drank cider and generally drove Patrick crazy with their antics. “You can’t drug the elves to get in the castle!”

“What was the point of going all the way to Yesterhill to get these pastries, then?”

“I didn’t make you go there. By the way, Jerome, did you hide your tail?”

“Yeah, I shoved it up me arsehole.”

The whole table burst out laughing.

By the end of the night, they’d reigned in their hilarity enough to defeat a dragon and a horde of banshees.

“Same time next week,” Jasna said as she put on her coat. “It will be Halloween, so you’d all better dress up. Just kidding.”

Much to Holly’s surprise, Will offered her a ride home even though her flat wasn’t on his way.

Street lights glistened on the rain-sleek pavement and the wind carried dead leaves across the road. The full moon shone a warm, benevolent yellow over the river Cam.

Although they were silent, the car was brimming with some kind of energy. Will nearly missed a red light even if his eyes were trained on the road, Holly kept squirming on her seat, and they repeatedly snuck glances at each other. He missed the exit for her neighborhood, and they had to drive a while longer. She didn’t mind. She wanted him to keep driving. All night. Anywhere, out of town. They’d talk of nothing and everything.

He stopped in front of her building and killed the engine. She unbuckled her seat belt but didn’t leave the car. She didn’t want to have to wait a whole week before seeing him again.

“So…” he said.

“We’re here.”

“Yeah.”

“Thanks for the ride.”

“Not at all. Oh! I have something for you.”

He reached for something on the back seat and handed her a paper bag. She unwrapped a set of mugs labelled “paint water” and “not paint water”.

“I saw them in a craft store window. Thought of you.” He tugged on his earlobe, watching her reaction. “Do you like them?”

Holly didn’t know what to say. It made her so happy that he’d thought of her. She cradled the mugs to her chest and nodded. She remembered something Karen had once said, that she wanted someone who would love “all her nerdy little things”. Holly had found that someone.

She tentatively leaned over the gear stick to kiss his cheek, but he turned his head at the same time and her lips landed right on the corner of his mouth. They both laughed nervously.

“Sorry.”

“It’s all right.”

“I should give you back your jumper.”

She took off her scarf and raincoat. Butterflies fluttered in her stomach when she gripped the hem of the sweater; she caught the hem of her tank top as well and pulled it all up over her head.

Will’s eyes widened when he saw her bra. Her chest heaved with quick breaths.

“Holly…” He swallowed thickly. “You’ll get cold.”

And she did, for his rejection was like a bucket of iced water to the face.

“Right.” She hastily put her raincoat back on and rushed outside the car with a mumbled goodbye.

Part 2

[loadmaple347]

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Pick a war any war, and you can pretty much guarantee that it has been done to death on PC already. Well, OK then, the number of games featuring the Tet Offensive or Rorke’s Drift have been pretty thin on the ground, and despite the potential carnage, Passchendaele hasn’t seen much in the way of in-game footage, but generally, wherever there is war, us PC gamers are willing to fight. Just so long as the odds are stacked heavily in our favour.

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So it’s a little strange when you consider that the Gulf War has taken so long to reach our monitors. If there is one thing you can guarantee in a war action game it’s a high ratio body count and they don’t come any higher than the six week Desert Storm operation - according to 'official’ figures Iraqi forces managed to kill about 150 of the Coalition forces, with a few more notched up by the US. However, according to US Central Command, 100,000 Iraqi soldiers were killed, while close to half a million others were either wounded, taken prisoner or were courting execution for desertion. Shocking figures indeed, but no more impressive than your typical PC game. Serious Sam can take out 100,000 screaming headless zombies in the time it takes George Bush Sr to call his boy and say: 'You go get ’em, son.'

Hot Potato

Of course, the main reason we haven’t had a Gulf War action game until now is because it was and still remains a contentious war, one that whether it was necessary or not, certainly gave EastEnders a battle in the ratings war. Still, wars are soon forgotten, and when Conflict: Desert Storm was conceived (the game, not the TV show), the world’s peacekeeping armies had moved through Somalia, the Balkans and East Timor. The time seemed right. Then came September 11, Operation Enduring Freedom, and George Bush’s thinly veiled desire to finish what his father had started in Iraq.

Consequently, Conflict: Desert Storm has become something of an interactive hot potato. Publisher SCi is of course no stranger to controversy after three Carmageddon titles, although they’re at pains to express the game has 'nothing to do whatsoever with September 11 or the war in Afghanistan'.

Friendly Fire

The game we are concerned with today is far less controversial than you might I imagine, considering current events.

As with most PC games it offers a S more sanitised version of history based loosely on actual operations. Those of you expecting the Cold War realism of Operation Flashpoint may be a little disappointed. Desert Storm is an action game through and through, one that measures health out of a hundred, where you play the good guys, kill the bad guys and get to run across lots of sand. Burning oil fields, friendly fire, Gulf War Syndrome and NBC suits are all off the menu.

'It’s a game not a simulation,' says Jim Bambra, MD of Pivotal Games. 'We’ve drawn extensively on events in the Gulf War, but we’re not creating a soldier sim. Instead, we've gone for a fun-based game that allows you to take a few hits before being knocked out.'Certainly the PC could do with some light relief. Action games with a contemporary setting have exclusively been aimed more towards the hardcore, while the more arcade-like Delta Force series hasn’t delivered all it could have done. I for one am relieved, although since we saw more of Kate Adie than anyone else on the battlefield, it will be strange reliving the conflict without reporters bringing up the rear.

'Actually, during the Kuwait City mission a news helicopter buzzes you,' says Jim. 'You can see the cameraman filming you as you fight your way across the highway. Later, at the end of the game, the media are interviewing one of the characters you’ve rescued earlier on in the game.'

Sure enough, as I played through beta code a couple of days later, a helicopter flew over my squad. Needless to say they never filed their next report. You can’t have nosy media types exposing the cream of Britain’s fighting few, after all.

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Yes, you read that right; Britain’s fighting few. In what is something of a first, certainly in living memory, Desert Storm allows you to play either as Delta Force or the SAS. Of course the game isn’t much different whichever nationality you choose to control, but having led hundreds of virtual American soldiers to their doom, it makes a refreshing change to be able to do the same to your own countrymen.

'The most obvious difference is the character uniforms and voices,' adds Jim, 'but each set of characters has different levels of specialist skills. All the SAS guys have one skill level as a medic, while only one of the Delta Force characters has medic skill, but he starts at level 3.'It would be interesting to see how Delta Force and the SAS would square up to each other in the game, but in reality, the way the skills have been handed out to the troops is pretty realistic. For example the SAS are very adept at everything; each soldier is familiar with most weapons and can patch up a wounded colleague. US special forces on the other hand are much more specialised to the point where a medic wouldn’t only be able to perform minor surgery, he could offer counselling as well.

'We’ve used Cameron Spence as our military adviser,' adds Jim. 'Cameron is the author of Sabre Squadron and an exSAS trooper who fought behind enemy lines in the Gulf War. It’s been great having him on the team as he has first-hand knowledge of the weapons, tactics, and the environment in which the game is based.'Well that’s alright then.

Storm Troopers

Setting the game behind enemy lines makes a lot of sense, especially since the actual ground war in the desert only lasted a couple of days. By the time the tanks rolled across the Saudi border, the job of the special forces was all but done. For them the conflict lasted for weeks rather than hours and was rather more taxing than taking thousands of prisoners.

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'The mission objectives are varied,' says Jim. 'From blowing up bridges, rescuing prisoners of war from Baghdad, escorting the Emir of Kuwait to safety, all the way up to full-blown military attacks on enemy positions. In 'Cavalry Charge’ you have to take out mobile anti-aircraft defences and then call in the A10 Tankbusters to take out the emplaced enemy armour. Plus, we have classic Scud hunting missions, and wetop it all off with a deep insertion into Iraq to take out a high-ranking Iraqi general in his heavily guarded fortress.' To help you in your mission of course are the members of your highly-trained squad. Up to four soldiers will be in action at any one time and like Red Storm’s recent Ghost Recon, switching between your troops and issuing commands on the fly is a thankfully simple affair.

'The order system is very elegant,' says Jim. 'It’s all done in the game world with no recourse to planning maps or complex in-game editors. You can tell the other men to follow you, go to any position you can see in the game world, get them to crouch, crawl, fire at will or set up ambushes.'

'Each character complements the others,' he adds. 'Success depends on using the characters as a team with the sniper and heavy weapons guys being used to cover the others as they advance. Once the front guys are in position, the heavy weapons and sniper guy can be quickly called up or moved into new positions using the order system.'

A Real Hummer

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It wouldn’t be much of a game without an array of real-world weaponry, most of which we’re all well acquainted with through Counter-Strike and other games and mods; M16 with M203 grenade launcher, Barrett Light 50, M60, AK-47, MP5 - the lot. Moreover there are mines, grenades, mounted machine guns, Stinger missiles and the option to call in artillery or air strikes. Best of all your specialists can hop into Humvees and M2 APCs and drive around. Of course the Iraqis have hardware of their own, so racing through the desert isn’t something you do too often.

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While the version of the game we played had very impressive team Al, that of the enemy was rather static. They throw grenades, run from yours and even try to outflank you, but finding cover seems something of a problem. Of course we have a few months to go until release, by which time we will have played the multiplayer side of things (you can join up as Russian Spetsnaz or Iraqi Republican Guard). Maybe Pivotal will even sneak in a Sadam Vs Bush minigame. Controversial certainly, but it would be fun.

Desert Siege

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While there is a place for a game like Desert Storm, its biggest problem is its release so soon after the Ghost Recon add-on Desert Siege. Despite being set in near-future East Africa, Desert Siege is a fantastic expansion to a great game. Desert Storm itself shares many similarities with Ghost Recon' the four-man squad, the environment and the realtime tactics. Desert Storm certainly has its work cut out and worryingly Pivotal doesn’t seem to have played it. Leaving aside Ghost Recon, there are many other realistic shooters out there or on the way -Counter-Strike: Condition Zero and Raven Shield are two that spring to mind -prompting us to fear that Desert Storm may be a game too far.

'If shooters don’t evolve, then yes, PC gamers will get sick of them,' says Jim. 'But Conflict: Desert Storm is primarily a third-person game, not a first-person shooter. This makes it play very differently from other FPSs. It’s also very tactical with each of the characters performing a different role, and to succeed, you have to use the characters as a team. With Conflict: Desert Storm we’re offering something very different.'

Whether it’ll be different enough, we’ll have to wait and see. One thing’s for sure, with so many realistic teambased games setting themselves in fictional conflicts, the fact that Desert Storm has a very real setting will be a big draw. For me, until we get to go over the top and across the bog of the Somme, the desert will do just fine.

How Real Is Conflict Desert Storm?

Just how real is Conflict: Desert Storm compared to the real war in the desert? Well it’s certainly the case that we’d rather play Desert Storm than have been in Desert Storm. While in the game you have to worry about being shot in the face by an Iraqi bullet, in reality, as a Brit, you had a greater chance of being shot in the back by an American one. Then of course there was the extreme heat, the dust and lack of water. The only extremes you face in front of a PC are tiredness, obesity and incontinence. Just be glad Conflict: Desert Storm is a game. If you want the real experience, put on a gimp suit, turn up the central heating, set your PC in front of a treadmill and gaffer tape mobile phones to your ears to simulate the effect of being in constant contact with depleted uranium. If you don’t expire with ten minutes, you surely will within ten years.

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reggie posted a review

[stewblog]

MORTAL KOMBAT (2021)

There has yet to be a truly capital-G Great movie based on a video game. There was hope that the latest stab at “Mortal Kombat” might stand a chance to break that trend. The short answer is a hearty “No,” but that doesn’t mean there isn’t fun to be had here.

If all you know of “Mortal Kombat” is that it’s a video game that, upon its debut in arcades in 1992, swiftly helped spur a national pearl-clutching tour by politicians and parents’ groups over the level of “realistic” gore and violence found within, you might be surprised to learn that the bones of the story and characters are actually pretty fun. It treads heavily from the roots of comic books and classic kung fu movies which inspired series creators John Tobias and Ed Boon. So while there’s nothing terribly original about a secret martial arts tournament where people with extraordinary powers duke it out to decide the fate of the universe, the sort of (mostly) straight-faced sincerity used to bring it all to life fits perfectly well within the cinematic landscape that regularly sees people with godlike powers traipsing across movie screens these days.

And to its credit, this take on “Mortal Kombat” never shies away from any of the incredibly outlandish aspects of the series: Warrior monks who can throw fireballs from their bare hands. Laser eyes. A sorcerer who can (quite literally) suck a man’s soul from his body. Another warrior monk but this one uses a razor-edged hat as a throwing weapon and teleportation device. It’s all here. There’s some nominal explanation as to how or why these characters get superpowers, but for the most part it amounts to “just because, now watch this guy with a New Jersey accent wearing a cyber mask use hook swords and run so fast he can teleport.”

Given the way audiences have simply come to accept comic book heroes and given the movie’s overall embrace of the outlandish, it then becomes somewhat baffling that someone along the line decided it was absolutely essential that we be guided into this world via a brand new character who can act baffled at all this weird stuff happening. It might have made more sense had any questions been truly asked or, more crucially, been answered, but we never even really get an answer as to why exactly a martial arts tournament is what decides the fate of Earth. At the very least it would have been worth it had this character, Cole Young, been played by anyone with even a hint of genuine charisma. Alas, despite his best efforts, Lewis Tan simply doesn’t have the juice to shoulder the weight given him.

Then again, he’s not really helped by Dave Callaham and Greg Russo’s script. It’s clear that there is an abiding affection for the legacy of “Mortal Kombat” and its world and characters. Fans of the games will have no trouble recognizing the likes of Liu Kang (Ludi Lin), Kung Lao (Max Huang), Sub-Zero (Joe Taslim) or Kano (Josh Lawson). But the story is so thin and gives the surprisingly large cast very little to do overall.

After losing an underground MMA match, Cole learns that he’s been chosen to take part in a tournament known as, you guessed it, Mortal Kombat. Shang Tsung (Chin Han), an evil, soul-sucking sorcerer, however is bound and determined to make sure a tournament never happens, thus making it that much easier for him to take over Earthrealm. Fights and fatalities ensue.

And that’s…pretty much it. Cole meets up with an eclectic group of other fighters as they attempt to train and prepare for the tournament, but this mostly relegates them and the film to a massive cave temple somewhere in Asia. Not exactly the most dynamic or exciting location, especially given how wild and vibrant so much of the video game’s fight locale’s have become over the years.

So if the film’s budget (clearly) held back its visual potential and its lead leaves much to be desired, how could I possibly claim there’s fun to be had? This is where checking your expectations at the door helps.

To put it succinctly: “Mortal Kombat” is not “The Raid.” It is not “John Wick.” It doesn’t rise to the fairly high standard that has been set since Paul W.S. Anderson directed the first “Mortal Kombat” in 1995. Simon McQuoid’s 2021 film doesn’t even hit the highs of a lot of Scott Adkins’ direct-to-DVD outings. (Although that’s not an insult to Adkins, as he’s a legitimately great movie martial artist and you should watch his movies.) This “Mortal Kombat” lies somewhere in between. It tries hard. It brings in accomplished martial artists like Taslim and even Tan, whose father, Philip, is an accomplished stunt performer and choreographer.

Could the combat (kombat?) have been better? Without question. But what’s here is fun. The fights are competent and not edited to shreds. But perhaps more importantly, it’s one of the first movies based on a video game to not only nail the iconic visual aspect of the characters, but to truly and fully lean into the fact that these people all do wild and silly things like shoot lasers from their eyes or throw fireballs. It also delivers in spades the games’ trademark, outlandish violence. To save my editor from sternly admonishing me for describing (even mildly) the things certain characters have happen to them, suffice to say it makes the digitized, roughly pixelated violence of the 1992 look positively PG-rated by comparison. No doubt this will turn off more than a few potential viewers, but there’s no denying that fans of the series flock to it in large part for this reason. So if you find entertainment in violence that’s so absurdly over-the-top it swings right around to being comical, this version of “Mortal Kombat” delivers to a satisfying degree.

I’d be remiss if I didn’t also single out actor Josh Lawson. His performance as Kano is hands down my favorite part of the film and he fills every scene he’s in with a delightfully smarmy energy, much as the late Trevor Goddard did playing the same character in the 1995 film.

Maybe my enjoyment (or soft judgment) of the film is due more to the fact that it’s just good to see new movies again, and to do so with friends. I got a few (fully vaccinated) buddies to come join me in my backyard, I set up an outdoor screen and projector and streamed “Mortal Kombat” from my laptop and we had a blast laughing at and with the movie and generally relishing the absurdity, the competent fights and some fun characters.

It’s entirely possible this movie won’t hold up on repeat viewing as such instances will inevitably be divorced from the context in which it was originally viewed, but that’s OK. This time out I got some very basic enjoyment out of it and had a good time with friends and sometimes that’s more than enough.

[99sshithouse]

Akil Laghari

Avan Jogia

Alias(es) : Akil, Babe, Pluto (Online)

Place of Birth : Seattle, Washington

Eye & Hair Color : Amber | Brown

Height & Weight : 6' | 175lbs

Sex & Gender : Male And Identifies As Such

Orientation : Pansexual

Marital Status : In A Relationship

Personality

A Lion-Hearted Fool

Akil is quick to flash a smile, laugh at a dumb joke. He is know for having a very thoughtful gaze, he thinks about so many things in a day he can never recount his own musings by the end of the day because he can't remember most of them. He has a calming temperament, can be seen as welcoming personality by the way he can just sit and listen for hours without saying nothing at all. He can retain little details about someone, even if they only mention it once in passing. Picks out the best birthday gifts and alcohols for parties. Can pick out good outfits for his girl if she doesn't feel like doing it. The simple little stuff. But there is so much more in his head.

Everyday things can seem sacred to him, like listening to music or hearing the voice of someone he cares about. Not only does he get to appreciate the sound the music makes, but also the color the sound has. A single song can paint a masterpiece due to a neurological gift called synesthesia where sounds translate to colors before his eyes. Someone's voice can be like their own special aura due to the color he'll see. He loves this gift. His mind is a gift, he can sit and study something in his hands and be able to draw an entire diagram of how it works by simply looking at it for a few minutes. He is a technical whiz. But with all this, it is almost as if he is getting punished for the gifts he has. He has been plagued by migranes since he was a child, his ears become more sensitive and sounds that once held such a beautiful hue become more painful than euphoric. He can become overstimulated by his surroundings easy. And unfortunately, on top of it all, he has Depersonalization Disorder, which causes him to step out and away from the beauty he enjoys around him so much. It's a lot like torture, luckily he has someone who pulls him back to the ground.

Due to years of abuse for their appearance and religion, Akil's parents taught him a certain disregard for authority. Trust his instincts, don't let someone control him, don't let any man tell him he isn't good because of his heritage. And when his parents were killed because of a hate crime, it sent him into a spiral. He grew a hatred inside him for the government, or so the people he solely blamed for his parents' abuse, he became frightened and angered at the government. Due to another outside source (Micha) whispering into his ear, he believes a complete dismantle is in order and that the way to do it, is online. Where the money and secrets and violence is all tucked away and kept secret. He had always been good at computers, and had hacked his way through more than one government facility, he had the power at his fingertips to cause a fresh start. From the ashes would rise something better... Right?

Where it all comes back is that the two most important people in his life are complete opposites. Alexis is his calm, his peace, and his home, while Micha is his war, his hate, and his fear. He is in a constant struggle with Micha about 'the proper way', but what is the proper way? He didn't know. He doesn't know. And with so much happening all at once for the young twenty something, he finds himself constantly lost.

Employment : Store Manager At A Coffee Shop

Pretty standard things. Make coffee, make sure the bills get paid for the shop, make sure payroll gets done. He likes the job for the simplicity of it, but also because it helps keeps his mind preoccupied with minimal tasks.

Criminal Specialty

Blackmail | Extortion | Hacking | Cyber Terrorism

The use of computers can be a dangerous thing when you find someone able to make 1s and 0s into dollar signs. Going by the name Pluto, Akil has made some big moves with his partner in crime, Jupiter. Give him a keyboard and he can hold the world at his fingertips.

Skills & Abilities

Proud, Not Cocky | He has a way about him that tells of a subtle confidence, a relaxed sense of purpose. He doesn't need to shine brighter than others, but can somehow still pull eyes to him. This is from knowing that the one person in his life loves the way he looks, so why care about anyone else's opinion. He holds himself tall in every situation, even if he hurts in a way.

Technologically Inclined | He can fix most phones, computers, tablets, company coding, and any other IT type issues. He has a way about wires and circuits. These types of subjects are like his art.

Emotionally Available | He just cares. He just really cares. He listens, he tries to understand, he's open. He wants to learn about the worries of others and see if there's anything he can do to fix them. With this is a sense of loyalty to those who open up to him, and those who stick around him.

Genius Level Intellect - IQ 142 | Synesthesia - Chromesthesia | Fluent in English, Hindi, and Arabic

Able to defend himself in a fight if necessary | More into brawling than a gunfight.

Disabilities & Disorders

Can Be Manipulated Easily | Someone figures how to pull at his heart strings, they can end up learning how to play him like a fiddle. He falls into these traps of wanting to help others and in turn can get hurt by it.

Alexis | His love, his life. While she is his greatest inspiration, she can be seen as his biggest weakness because if anything were to happen to her, he probably lose his mind

Chronic Migranes - Has had them since childhood | Depersonalization Disorder - Can sometimes detach from situations and disassociate due to stress. He can often feel like his experiences are that of someone else's. Has suffered from this since childhood | Loud sounds and music can sometimes cause overstimulation which lead to a disconnect.

Anarchy | Distrust of Political Figures | For Akil, he thinks the root of most evils in government policies and figureheads. He has a distinct disgust, hatred, and fear for government officials. It doesn't matter if they've proven their worth, if you give him a laptop and time, he will find a reason not to trust them. It's in his nature not to put faith in the system.

Pluto | His online persona. He dislikes that he has to hide his face behind a mutated and disgusting version of himself to get a point across. He dislikes that fear is the only tactic to make people listen.

Known History

Crime

A Suspiciously Clean Criminal Record

Gang Initiation : Was truly and honestly looking for a place he could do good as well as a way to support him and his girl. He needed the safety net and income, so there he stood ready to take on any task he was told to do.

Known Affiliations

Parents

Rohan Laghari - Father [Deceased]

Pari Laghari - Mother [Deceased]

Cousins

Teo Laghari - Lives in Seattle, Washington

Dera Laghari - Lives in Seattle, Wasington

Friends

Alexis Stanford - Girlfriend [Tiger] - Sofie

Micha Detra - Best Friend [Wolf]

Affiliation | Tiger

[natalunasans]

for the headcanon asks: the Master and all numbers. :3

prompts at: http://natalunasans.tumblr.com/post/163632792706/

OK so, for my version of S!M…

Something this character is truly proud of.getting along with Ten, and being trusted and needed by them.also, pretty much any cat anywhere in the universe is drawn to befriend him and he is proud of this, as anyone would be. ;)

Who they want to please the most. the doctor of course. mainly Ten. other versions… not so much (he always wants to make a good impression, though)he also eventually starts to learn to have friends… there’s Bill, there will be Donna… maybe others. he will want to make his friends happy, because that’s part of having friends.

Who depends on them. also Ten. they can’t sleep right without his dreamleading. they’re also less lost and chaotic with him there… as long as he doesn’t make things worse by hurting them. he’s slowly learning not to.Bill did depend on him while she was stuck in the Mondasian cyber-hospital, and at least he managed to keep her safe (see fix-it fic), which is more than Twelve did… she’s off on her own now, in London, but they still visit sometimes.

What they would do if they had one month to live. exactly what he’s doing now, because that could any time be true. hang out with Ten, invent stuff, eat good food, read, do music … just trying to have a life. 

A cherished personal belonging.his gallifreyan tools: fob-watch (that he’s hacked to display the web of time since his time-sense is broken), his laser screwdriver that he finally got working again.his key to Ten’s TARDIS, which he wears around his neck always, it’s a symbol that the doctor finally accepts him and trusts him, as himself.

Something they lost, but would love to have backhis TARDIS. he does actually get her back, but i haven’t written that story yet, only the one after it (oops)

This character’s favorite characterzombies. he always identifies with the zombies in those shows and movies because he’s not supposed to be alive either. he likes either the stories where the zombies are the antagonists (he roots for them anyway) or those few where the zombies are protagonists like In The Flesh.

What kind of car they would drive.i know nothing about cars, but he would… and he’d choose something red and fast and expensive.

What calms them when they are upset.being sat on by purring cats, loud music, tactile stims like fidgeting with TARDIS key or his fobwatch or clothing textures. deep pressure (sometimes Ten’s hugs but could also be heavy blankets).

How they deal with pain.that could be a novel… maybe it already is.first resort is doing something to take his mind off it (music or electronics or other hobbies)if it gets bad enough, but before it gets too bad, he can ask Ten to do telepathic pain control.after he gets his TARDIS back, he can go in the zero room because his own TARDIS can help him more than Ten’s can… or is willing to.sometimes he has to take medications but he hates the side effects and it doesn’t work as well as telepathic pain control.sometimes there is nothing to be done and he just has to hide and wait it out. if his body shuts down, he may sleep it off.

This character’s favorite piece or pieces of clothing.anything soft. hoodies, scarves, worn jeans, broken-in boots… usually black, grey, red colours.

How they sleep.not much… but basically when his body shuts down he sleeps wherever and whenever.

What kind of parent they would be.TERRIBLE HORRIBLE NOGOOD VERYBAD please do not give this person a kid (to be fair, this is the same i would answer about myself too)

How they did in schoolreally really well, but never quite matching the amount of effort he put in (opposite to the doctor, who managed to goof off and still succeed)

What cologne or perfume they would usenone, now, because chemical sensitivities, but he used to in other times and other lives. he kind of misses smelling good.

Their sexualityaromantic or wtf-romantic, probably demi and bi i guess(?)

What they’d sing at karaokeanything loud. probably those songs from LotTL (voodoo child, i can’t decide, etc.) for old times’ sake… maybe something from placebo or the pogues

Special talents they havegenius-level at telepathy and engineering, good at music, pretty good at art/handcrafts. very good at organising/tidying (which gets a workout because of the doctor’s infinite chaos & hoarding)

When they feel safestcurled up in bed with the doctor behind him and the doctor does the whole-body hug thing…it kinda hurts (because neuropathic pain) but it feels very very safe

Household chore they hate the mostcooking (he’s terrible at it; he never learned)

Their fondest childhood memoryhim and the doctor running around in his father’s lands on Gallifrey, innocent and free, when the whole universe was in their future.

How they spend their money.presents & hobby supplies

What kind of alcohol they drinkwhiskey? idk much about alcohol, but he would. even though it only works on Gallifreyans if they will their body to react appropriately to it, of course sometimes he would will his body to get drunk.

What they wish they could change about themselveshe has a lot of confusions still about identity. he doesn’t like the idea of having changed his habits, even though he’s happier now that he’s not trying to hurt people (especially the doctor) all the time. he has also turned all his ambitions of control towards trying to manage chronic pain but that’s still kind of embarrassing because he still has a lot of internalised ableism to figure out. basically he misses being a normal villain because it was simpler and neater than being a person. trying to be a person is very messy. it’s not that he wants to go back, because he’s all about adapting and moving on… but this new reality is just… still a bit strange.

What other people wish they could change about themMOOD-SWINGS.probably that whole amorality thing… some people probably wish he could change his past, but that’s silly. there’s reasons we have rules about that…

[stacks-reviews]

New Releases 7/24/27

Happy New Release Day!

In Books --The Backstagers volume 1 by James Tynion IV and illustrated by Rian Sygh “All the world’s a stage...but what happens behind the curtain is pure magic literally! When Jory transfers to an all-boys private high school, he is taken in by the only ones who don’t treat him like a new kid, the lowly stage crew known as the Backstagers. Not only does he gain great, lifetime friends, Jory is also introduced to an entire magical world that lives beyond the curtain. With the unpredictable twists and turns of the underground world, the Backstagers venture into the unknown, determined to put together the best play their high school has ever seen.”

I love everything about this. I hope it’ll be as good as it sounds. I mean, a magical boy band. Or at least a boy band that will travel to a magical world. What’s not to like.

--Daughter of the Burning City by Amanda Foody The Gomorrah Festival is a traveling carnival of debauchery, catering to the strangest of dreams and desires. Sorina has spent most of her life on the borders of the festival as an illusion-worker, the only one to be born in hundreds of years. She creates illusions that you can see, feel and touch, that even have personalities. Sorina’s creations are like her family even though she knows that they are not truly real. At least until one of them is murdered. Desperate to save her family Sorina will venture into the most sinister corners of the Festival to unravel the horrifying truth.

I started thinking about Cirque de Freak by Darren Shan the moment I read the description. Purely because of a creepy carnival. I’ve never read that series by him but I have read a few books of his series The Demonata. 

I’m really enjoying Sorina’s illusion powers. I like how she can make them touchable. I’m already debating if she might somehow be summoning her ancestors, maybe even pulling people from other dimensions, or just being so creative that she can create almost anything and make it real. Or even unknowingly putting a bit of herself into each creation, giving them life that they may grow and develop on their own. Either way it sounds like it would be pretty good. I’m curious to see what all powers might reside deeper in the carnival. And just what kind of power is able to kill illusions.

--Descending Stories: Showa Genroku Rakugo Shinju volume 2 by Haruko Kumota Yotaro has been accepted as Yakumo’s apprentice and a member of his household. Taking in this young man forces Yakumo to confront his past and promises that were left unfulfilled. He thinks of his friend and rival, Sukeroku. He remembers growing up in a Japan changing after the war. And of a woman named Miyokichi.

The second volume of the manga that the hit anime of the same name is based on. Although this series is about Yotaro and Konatsu (a woman who would like to perform rakugo but is stopped by her legal guardian; Yakumo, because he believes in the old style that prevents woman from peforming rakugo) learning rakugo and performing. It is also a tale of Yakumo as he confronts his past.

--Fairy Tail volume 61 by Hiro Mashima “The meaning of family. As the most powerful wizards of Fairy Tail face off against the remaining members of The Twelve, their hearts, relationships, and skills will be put to the test. The battle between Erza and Irene reaches an emotional conclusion, Gray shows how far he’s willing to go to save his dearest friends, and the love of a father sparks a shocking revelation from August. As Natsu and Zeref’s showdown approaches, both enemies and friends must ask themselves who their true family is!”

Honestly, I have fallen behind on Fairy Tail. The last volume I read was 54. I’m slowly trying to catch back up. It’s not that I don’t like the series anymore, although I don’t know if I could still call it one of my top current favorites. I had to cut back due to when I left one of my part-time jobs. Although the one I kept had fewer hours, it allowed me to focus on college and my homework more. I don’t really know what is going on currently, except for the fact that it is near the end of the final arc. I want to be all caught up by the time the final volume; 63, comes out. 

--First We Were IV by Alexandra Sirowy “It started for pranks, fun, and forever memories. A secret society - for the four of us. The rules: Never Lie. Never tell. Love each other. We made the pledge and danced under the blood moon on the meteorite in the orchard. In the spot we found the dead girl five years earlier. And discovered the ancient drawings way before that. Nothing could break the four of us apart - I thought. But then, others wanted in. Our seaside town had secrets. History. We wanted revenge. We broke the rules. We lied. We told. We loved each other too much, not enough, and in ways we weren’t supposed to. Our invention ratcheted out of control. What started as a secret society, ended as justice. Revenge. Death. Rebellion.”

The first time I looked this book up, I wasn’t too crazy. Labeled it as a maybe. I don’t know if Goodreads had a different description or if I just liked it more the second time around. It sounds like it could be a pretty good mystery. My guess right now, is that by creating IV they might have gotten the idea from a old group who called themselves the same. And somehow in the process maybe committed some kind of magic ritual that maybe activated some old ghosts from the previous group. I hope it has something to do with an ancient civilization.

--Generation Witch volume 1 by Isaki Uta One percent of the population is made up of witches. Some look up to witches, some envy them. But these abilities can sometimes be more of a curse than a blessing, as any witch knows. Growing up requires a lot of luck and effort for a teenager, so what happens when you throw spirits, magic, and broomsticks into the mix?

I couldn’t really find any information regarding this manga other than the description. It appears to be pretty new. It sounds like a cute coming of age story and it kind of makes me think of Flying Witch; which I have neither seen nor read but I would like to, and Kiki’s Delivery Service. In terms of a young witch trying to learn her craft throughout her day to day life. 

--Strange Practice (paperback) by Vivian Shaw Greta Helsing uses her family’s highly specialized, and highly peculiar, medical practice as a doctor to the undead. Keeping the supernatural community not-alive in London has been the Helsing’s specialty for generations. She treats vocal strain in banshees, arthritis in barrow-wights, and entropy in mummies. It’s a quiet, supernatural-adjacent life Greta’s been groomed into since childhood. Quiet until a group of murderous monks appears, killing human and undead Londoners. It’s up to Greta to use her unusual skills to stop the cult if she hopes to save her practice and her life.

I’m a fan of seeing supernatural creatures just trying to live their lives. Where not all of them are necessarily evil. Some just want to live. I’m gonna point the blame at Inuyasha on this one cause I think that’s the first place I ever ran across the idea of not all monsters are evil. I think. Plus, I just like seeing the twist of a Helsing helping supernatural creatures instead of hunting them.

In Movies --Gifted A story of a man raising his very intelligent niece after her mother died so that she may live an ordinary life. His mother finds out where they live, believes her granddaughter’s talents are being wasted, and tries to gain custody of her. 

It was a really cute story starring Chris Evans. And Mckenna Grace was adorable as Mary. I loved their characters relationship in the film. It was a very touching movie.

--Ghost in the Shell This entry will contain some spoilers at the end about the end of the movie. You have been warned.

The live action adaptation of the amazing manga, anime film, and anime series. On IMDb the description of the live action version is as follows: “In the near future, Major is the first of her kind: A human saved from a terrible crash, who is cyber-enhanced to be a perfect soldier devoted to stopping the world’s most dangerous criminals”

Really just putting this up because I’ll be getting it someday to be able to finish my collection. That’s about it. The effects of this movie were very well done. I really appreciated the fact that there were references to each form of this series. I remember seeing scenes that I know were only in the manga, some scenes that were in the original film, some scenes from S.A.C., and some nods to Arise. I had some issues with what they did to the story. I love GitS. The anime is easily one of my top favorites and I have a lot of respect and love towards Major Motoko Kusanagi. I tried my very best to see the movie as its own universe. Easy enough since each form has been its own universe. But there were just some things here and there that I couldn’t get past. Which I could go into all the details but that should probably be on a post more dedicated to it. But I will mention that I was slightly disappointed that she was not shot in the head at the end. In each other version, that happened at least once. And they ruined my OTP. Due to plot, I gathered that the Major is really aged somewhere between 16 and 18. While Batou looks like he’s in his 30′s. I can’t approve of it. They ruined my ship in this version and for that I will never forgive them.