#Audio Visual Terrorism

[instructionsonback]

(THE CORNER® | OPEN MANUAL AUDIO VISUAL)

#SoundCloud #music #THE CORNER® | OPEN MANUAL AUDIO VISUAL #JHarry #terror era #Hip Hop #conductor williams

[freshthoughts2020]

(THE CORNER® | OPEN MANUAL AUDIO VISUAL)

#SoundCloud #music #THE CORNER® | OPEN MANUAL AUDIO VISUAL #JHarry #terror era #Hip Hop

[theoperativeif]

New Armor New Me!

Colossus Defense Armor (Armor)

This armor is a behemoth on the battlefield, equipped with ultra-thick armor plating and energy shields. It's designed for frontline defense, capable of withstanding heavy fire and repelling assaults with its integrated weaponry.

Nightmare Combat Armor (Terror)

Intimidating and relentless, this armor is designed for psychological warfare as much as physical confrontation. It features medium armor and a menacing design with audio and visual effects to instill fear in enemies. It's also equipped with advanced combat systems for close-quarters engagements. Nearly every inch of this armor is capable of killing.

Phantom Infiltration Armor (Stealth)

Sleek and nearly invisible even when decloaked, this suit specializes in covert operations. It utilizes state-of-the-art cloaking technology, silent movement mechanisms, and a lightweight design that allows for high agility and stealth in enemy territory. Also comes with dart launchers, signal scrambling capabilities and an EMP pulse.

Thunderstrike Artillery Armor (Firepower)

This armor turns the wearer into a walking artillery unit. It's equipped with long-range, high-impact weaponry capable of precise bombardments from a distance. The suit is also reinforced to withstand the recoil and blast from its own heavy weapons. Can go toe to toe with enemy armor.

Incinerator Mk 2 (Flamethrower)

Originally designed for the infamous Flame Operative this suit is an upgrade from its predecessor, this flamethrower suit boasts enhanced flame projection capabilities, improved fuel efficiency, and heat-resistant armor. It's designed for crowd control and area denial, emitting intense flames to clear out entrenched positions.

Unlike its predecessor this armor spews out blue flames and allows even fine control over where the users flames are traveling.

Nexus Hazard Unit (Chemical)

This armor is specialized for chemical warfare. It is equipped with a sophisticated chemical dispersal system and is fully sealed to protect the wearer from toxic environments. It can deploy a variety of chemical agents, from incapacitating gases to corrosive substances. Classified as medium armor.

Mark 001 Predator Armor (Stealth+)

A more advanced version of the Phantom Infiltration Armor, the Mark 001 combines stealth capabilities with enhanced offensive systems. It features adaptive camouflage, silent movement, and is armed with advanced weaponry and sensors for tracking and neutralizing targets with precision. The second armor of its kind...

#if: the operative #the operative #lore

[hangingslothcentral]

another rec list for those of you seeking more audio drama for your ears!! this one is made up of audio dramas that made me want to make audio dramas, and which i reference in the show I make.

The White Vault still holds the title for the only show to ever make me yelp in terror. I fell asleep in the middle of an episode and woke up at the worst possible moment. This show has spectacular writing and performance and is definitely one for those people who find the vast expanse of nothingness at the poles of our planet equally fascinating and terrifying. This show has some queer rep but it's very quiet; everyone is too busy shitting their pants to talk much about their personal lives most of the time. There are five seasons, each with something unique to offer, and it reached it's spectacular conclusion earlier this year. It's available across platforms.

Limetown begins as a sort of fake true-crime documentary about the titular Limetown. If you like your horror with a side of conspiracy, this is the show for you. It's short at just two seasons, and fun fact: I accidentally listened to season two before I listened to season one and had a very wild time. I have since listened to it beginning to end and yes it did make more sense in order. I cannot recall whether it had any queer rep. It also had a facebook visual adaptation, but I have never watched it so I cannot comment on its quality. This show has been around for some time, but it's still a gem, and you can find it wherever you listen to podcasts.

Welcome to Night Vale, a true titan of the audio fiction space, Night Vale has had an influence on so many newer shows that you can feel its echoes everywhere. Queer at heart, and offering a soft, mundane sort of horror, for me what makes Night Vale special is the way that it highlights one of the most terrifying traits of the human race; our capacity to get used to pretty much anything and accept it as ordinary. After ten years, the show is still going, and has over two hundred episodes. You can listen beginning to where the story has reached so far, or take a more eclectic approach and dip in and out as you please. Both listening methods have something to offer. I've listened to Night Vale on and off since about six months after it originally started airing, and it's available in all the places you might expect to find it.

The Magnus Archives, another giant of the audio fiction space, much beloved by many listeners and inspiration for countless fanworks still despite the fact the show has now finished. The show begins as an anthology of horror stories told as reports of sinister happenings to the Magnus Institute, but quickly it becomes much more. The show is a shining example of what can be done with the framing device of a character sitting down and recording himself in semi-private. By the end of its run, the show accumulates a fair amount of queer representation, and all five seasons of the show are available across platforms, ending at the spectacular MAG 200.

I Am In Eskew. I love a story about a world just out of sight. This show has an abundance of subtle weird horror done right, shot through with more straight-forward horrors. It moves slowly, the horrors at hand growing and changing as you listen. There's a quiet calm to the delivery throughout this show which really emphasises the strangeness of the story. The folks who made this show went on to create the Silt Verses, which is another absolutely spectacular ride. It's a fun, unsettling time, and a complete story you can find wherever you listen to podcasts.

The ways these shows influenced the way I made @spiritboxradio are massive. I spent a lot of time thinking about what I loved about each of them and learning what I could about how each of them is put together. There are references to them all scattered through the show, but most frequently I end up making references to the Magnus Archives, mostly because I had severe TMA brainrot at the time of the show's conception in August 2020. It cannot be helped. If you end up tuning into the show, I shall answer you in advance: yes the Tim thing is deliberate, and so are the other the ones. Have fun reference spotting!!

#tma #the magnus archives #wtnv #welcome to night vale #the white vault #twv #i am in eskew #limetown #the silt verses #tsv #horror audio drama #audio drama #podcast #pod rec #podcast recommendations #recommendations #spirit box radio #sbr

[inyujidraws]

If my OC Creon Gilead were in the Helluva-verse. Blame Hazbin Hotel for this. Did 2 versions; one where she falls from heaven, and starting off as a sinner.

For context, the Earth has made radical leaps in technology up to 2080-ish, which led to the rise of meta-humans (bio-engineered mutants) and bio-terrorist sects.

Creon has committed a lot of horrible war crimes due to her time in the army and hired mercenary. But she strived to live as a better person after ending her service. Unfortunately the U.S. government blackmailed her into serving again to fight against another potential bio-terror sect. She died in the line of duty again, leaving behind a grieving community and friends. Not sure if this time she was briefly married or didn't meet a special someone.

Since she died as a fully-evolved mutant, she'll start off abnormally strong (not overlord level). This takes place during the so called 7-year absence of Lilith and the Radio Demon.

Fallen Angel

If she started off as a fallen angel, she'd definitely be picked up by Lucifer. He probably felt the disturbance of lots of exorcists being slaughtered, which is a first.

Most of the time Creon is making sure to bring him meals and reminding him to rest. At one point she gets stressed and extremely paranoid at Lucifer's spiraling mental state that she resorts to calling Charlie. Reconciliation takes place much faster, and Creon ends up splitting time helping at the hotel, and dragging Lucifer to said-hotel to spend time with his daughter.

Radio Demon's Assistant

If she started as a sinner in Hell (she figured that's where she'd go if Hell existed), she originally roughed it out near the edges of the city while killing and eating stray exorcists via ambush tactics. Eventually gave up on cave-dwelling and found low-entry job at Vox-tech. Eventually worked her way up due to taking initiative and Vox really valued how her work-ethic, adaptability, and genuine attitude.

It didn't take too long for Creon to be trusted with leading projects that had some success, and her influence to grow. Vox and Velvette were on board to make her a fellow Vee. Creon rejected the offer, but Vox didn't take that rejection well. Creon barely escaped Vox's brainwashing after injuring him and getting her wings. Creon was injured, mentally struggling, and bombarded from extreme visual and audio stimuli from all of the screens that surrounded the Vees territory.

Alastor found her and took her away so she could heal in peace. Alastor was able to persuade Creon into making a deal with him for her protection. It was icing on the top since he literally stole Vox's brand new "star." Alastor has found a new and exciting puzzle to solve and he relishes in poking and prodding his latest prey. Extra bonus since Creon's is a good chef and he gets to rub it in Vox's pathetic face.

Alastor likes to send Creon to go and kill whatever unlucky demon that pissed him off. All for the pure sadistic pleasure of chipping away at her humanity and morals. Thankfully she's really good friends with Husk. Nifty...she appreciates the little gremlin maid. Creon is always having to put up with Alastor's malicious pranks, chaotic antics, and mundane tasks. The one bright side is that Alastor has a co-star for his broadcasts. She'll join the Hazbin Hotel as the chef and give Charlie and Vaggie much needed advice with rehabilitating addicts.

#creon gilead #sketches #original character #hazbin hotel #hazbin hotel lucifer #lucifer morningstar #angels and demons #radio demon #hazbin alastor #hazbin vox #bats

[brokehorrorfan]

The Last Voyage of the Demeter will be released on Blu-ray, DVD, and Digital on October 17 via Universal. The 2023 horror film is based on a chapter from Bram Stoker's Dracula.

André Øvredal (Scary Stories to Tell in the Dark, The Autopsy of Jane Doe) directs from a script by Bragi F. Schut (Escape Room) and Zak Olkewicz (Bullet Train). Corey Hawkins, Aisling Franciosi, Liam Cunningham, David Dastmalchian, and Javier Botet star.

Special features are listed below.

Special features:

Audio commentary by director André Øvredal and producer Bradley J. Fischer

Alternate opening with optional commentary by André Øvredal and Bradley J. Fischer

8 deleted scenes with optional commentary by André Øvredal and Bradley J. Fischer

From the Pits of Hell: Dracula Reimagined featurette with the creatives behind the film

Evil is Aboard: the Making of the Last Voyage of the Demeter featurette with cast and crew

Dracula & the Digital Age featurette with visual effects supervisor Brad Parker and more

A terrifying new addition to the Dracula legend, The Last Voyage of the Demeter chronicles the doomed journey of a merchant ship ferrying 50 mysterious wooden crates from Carpathia to London. As they set sail, the crew soon discover they are not alone on board: at night they are stalked by a hidden passenger whose monstrous thirst for blood turns the trip into a harrowing nightmare of tension, terror and unfathomable evil.

Pre-order The Last Voyage of the Demeter.

#the last voyage of the demeter #dracula #last voyage of the demeter #bram stoker #corey hawkins #aisling franciosi #liam cunningham #david dastmalchian #javier botet #dvd #gift #andre ovredal #zak olkewicz #horror #universal monsters

[batmannotes]

Aquaman and the Lost Kingdom 4K Ultra HD Review

Jason Momoa reprises his role as the King of the Seven Seas in Aquaman and the Lost Kingdom, which comes 5 years after the original film was released. Once again Aquaman’s most notable rogue, Black Manta, is back seeking revenge for his deceased father. This time, Manta wields the power of the mythic Black Trident to unleash an ancient and sinister force. Hoping to end his reign of terror, Aquaman makes an unlikely alliance with his brother, Orm, the former king of Atlantis. Setting aside their differences, they join forces to protect their kingdom and save the world from irreversible destruction. 

I must admit, even though I consider myself a superhero aficionado, it has been 5 years since the first solo Aquaman flick hit the theaters and remembering certain details regarding the movie were hazy for me at best. Fortunately, there are flashbacks to some of the pertinent moments from the first outing. As in the original movie, there is a healthy dose of action and adventure sprinkled with some hit and miss humor. I enjoyed the unlikely bond between the brothers, and it is hard to argue that Black Manta is one of the most iconic super villains to hit the silver screen in a comic book flick in recent memory. Unfortunately, Manta is paired with a far less interesting character named Dr. Shin (Randall Park) and a collection of henchmen and women with little to no depth in this underwater adventure.  

The visuals of this film are the real treat, and with the 4K format they really shine. The underwater computer-generated sequences are particularly aesthetically pleasing, but I really wish this movie stuck to scenes beneath the sea. There are tons of incredibly interesting creatures in the ocean that an Aquaman movie has yet to tap into. A number of times the movie gets caught trying to copy other films, particularly Star Wars, however, this movie lacks the interesting intertwining plot points and character development of the sci-fi classic. Even with the beautiful 4K eye candy most of its visuals project, there are the occasional, (Joss Whedon) Justice League-esque CGI that leaves you wondering, “where did that come from?”. I also did not care for Aquaman being out of his classic orange and green costume for most of the movie, as I felt that it robbed me of that superhero feel.

VIDEO QUALITY 📽️ :  A 

The 2160p transfer looks glorious, even with the aforementioned lackluster CGI in a few limited sequences. This liquid beauty really carry the visual end of this film. 

AUDIO QUALITY 🔈 : A 

The Dolby Atmos English: Dolby TrueHD 7.1 (48kHz, 24-bit) really is a treat for the listener at home. The dialogue is clear, and the action sequences are bombastic as you are immersed deep into the sea of this film. 

EXTRAS 📀 :  B 

Included with this single disc release is a Digital Copy and several video extras listed below: 

Finding the Lost Kingdom (21:22) - Jason Momoa, director James Wan, DC honcho Jim Lee, production design Bill Brzeski, and other key members of the cast and crew are your guides at this usually scenic behind-the-scenes featurette, which includes bits and pieces of on-set footage and others supportive clips. 

Aquaman: Worlds Above and Below (9:39) - A like-minded look at various locales on both sides of the surface that covers special effects, location shoots, and Aquaman lore by way of a few vintage comics. 

Atlantean Blood is Thicker than Water (4:17) - A short but sweet look at the history of Arthur and his half-brother Orm, again with some comics history and short interviews with Momoa and Patrick Wilson. 

It's a Manta World (10:08) - Another character-focused featurette, this short piece sits down with Yahya Abdul-Mateen II and others to speak about David Kane, Black Manta, the power suit, and more. 

Necrus, the Lost Black City (5:51) - James Wan, producer Peter Safran, Bill Brzeski, and others chat briefly about the titular lost kingdom, its visual creation, and its history in the franchise. 

Escape from the Deserter World (8:05) - Another like-minded featurette about the location -- or in this case, sequence -- featured in the film, a handful of familiar faces share about its creation and execution while being supported by behind-the-scenes footage, concept art, rehearsals, costume and set design, and more. 

Brawling at Kingfish's Lair (4:07) - A quick look at one of the film's many visually overloaded action scenes and some of the goofier details and supporting characters featured in it. 

Oh, Topo! (2:12) - And speaking of goofy supporting characters, this short and light-hearted tribute acts as an appreciation and highlight reel for everyone's favorite comedy relief cephalopod. 

FINAL GRADE: C- 

The only real emotions drawn from this bloated outing are the reconciliation between two brothers and the love for their mother. Aquaman should have submerged deeper into the sea, instead of trying to mimic the tales of old from the land above. 

Order now from Amazon.

#aquaman #movie #review

[alleyesonthehindenburg]

Foreman brings House a case.

This alone is enough to catch House's (begrudging) attention, since usually it's Cameron coming to him with sob stories and puppy-dog eyes. Not that Foreman bothers with either.

The case was brought to him by a colleague he knows through various neurology conferences over the years. Her patient is late twenties, male, lives an unremarkable life as a computer tech. Symptoms: debilitating migraines, audio-visual hallucinations, short-term memory loss, and what seem to be intense night terrors. All of which the patient denies or insists aren't cause for concern.

"TBI or neurodegenerative disease. Boring."

"That's what I thought too," Foreman says, "until I saw these."

fMRIs. EEGs. There's a handful of them, and they're like nothing House has ever seen before. Brain activity in places that brains aren't usually active. House cracks a joke about mutants and Professor X, but Foreman can tell: he's got him. He's interested now. He wants to see the patient, run some scans of his own.

"That's the thing. He's not here, he's in California."

"Well, Cuddy vetoed my request to purchase Cerebro for the department, so..."

"He insists there's nothing wrong with him. We wouldn't even have these scans if his sister hadn't guilted him into letting her get some imaging."

"Hallucinations, memory loss, night terrors, and he's not worried at all. Sounds like a liar. My favourite." House squints at the patient info attached to the scans. "Fine. Tell Cuddy we're taking a field trip to see one Charles Bartowski."

#fudging the timeline a bit here but the idea wouldn't leave me alone #to be clear: this is when the intersect is fucking with chuck's head but before ellie knows what's going on #i can only imagine the changes wrought by the intersect could look something wild on imaging #but also I know bugger all about medicine so take everything I say with a grain of salt #house md #chuck tv #chuck bartowski #nbc chuck

[demifiendrsa]

Until Dawn - Announce Trailer | PS5 & PC Games

The remastered version of the 2015-released interactive horror game, Until Dawn, will launch for PlayStation 5 and PC in 2024.

Overview

About When eight friends return to the isolated lodge where two of their group vanished a year prior, fear tightens its icy grip, and their mountain retreat descends into a nightmare with no escape. Face your fears and determine who survives Until Dawn in this seminal horror classic, rebuilt and enhanced for PlayStation 5 and PC. Cult Horror Rebuilt Immerse yourself in a gripping slasher horror rebuilt from the ground up with stunning visuals in Unreal Engine 5. Enhanced by movie-like cinematography, refined gameplay mechanics and more, venture into a thrilling exploration of an isolated mountain where nothing is as it seems. Their Fate in Your Hands Create your own gripping tale as you take control of nine unique characters portrayed by an all-star cast, including Hayden Panettiere, Brett Dalton, and more, and decide their fate through your choices. Through dynamic animations and nuanced facial-capture performances, learn what makes each character tick, and who among the group has what it takes to survive. Terror Never Looked So Good Explore a rich and detailed environment that will leave you breathless with every step. With new visual enhancements for PC, the original game has been rebuilt from the ground up—utilizing cutting-edge visual technology to bring the nightmare to life. Rebuilt for a New Generation Discover new collectibles, all-new environments to investigate, and re-cut narrative sequences that deepen the mystery further. Get closer to the action with an all-new, immersive third-person camera, and enjoy a brand-new musical score and reauthored audio that’ll keep you on the edge of your seat throughout the journey.

#Until Dawn #Ballistic Moon #Sony Interactive Entertainment #video game #PS5 #PC #State of Play #State of Play January 2024

[purplecatghostposts]

Uhm… maybe write some nice Bramth (Bram + Seth) if you feel like it…? I think there needs to be more stuff about those four together… Thanks for reading and have a nice day / night…!

Ooo, I’ll give it a shot! Take some Canon Divergence Snippets!

I. Really didn’t need to make this as extensive as it is but the words just kept going.

Tags: Blood, Guns (Only Implied), Canon-Typical Behavior, Memory Loss, Gunshot Wounds (Not graphic), Hurt/Comfort (Emphasis on Comfort in this one), Canon Divergence With A Happy Ending, Unhealthy Coping Mechanisms, Bad Self-Care, Fluff, Everybody Lives/Nobody Dies, and Kissing. (Tell me if I missed anything!)

Word Count: 6k (Yeah, I don't know how that happened. It just did)

— —

Jay Merrick calls him out of the blue, asking to do an interview of all things. That’s the first sign Seth has that something is off.

He’s trying to finish Alex’s film for him, he claims. He has a lot of questions about Marble Hornets— a lot of things that Seth has not thought about in a long time.

“You helped Alex with a lot of editing, right?” Jay asks. He’s fidgeting with the pen in his hand, writing down things on a notebook he pointedly keeps out of Seth’s sight. Seth nods, trying to piece together what he’s missing. It feels like Jay isn’t telling him something but he can’t place what. “Did you ever notice anything weird?”

“Weird?” Seth echoes, eyebrows furrowing. “Weird how?”

“Just uh, visual tearing, audio distortions— stuff like that.”

A frown forms on his lips. Jay seems so visibly nervous about the whole thing. He’s not sure why— true, they weren’t as thick as thieves back during shooting but they were friends (are friends?). Seth doesn’t think he’s done anything to make Jay uncomfortable. He hopes he hasn’t at least.

Something isn’t right. It nags at him in a way he can’t explain. Seth tries not to let it show.

“Yeah, that happened a lot.” He says at last. His fingers tap idly on the table. “I couldn’t figure out what was up with it. The cameras would work fine one moment and the next, something would go wrong. It was weird— I took apart one of the cameras just to try and find something wrong with it but it was fine. Never stopped bothering me though.”

Jay writes something in his notebook. Seth tries to guess what he’s writing but Jay asks another question soon after, distracting him before he can. “And— was there ever anyone who shouldn’t have been there in the shot?”

Seth huffs. “All the time.” They shot in public plenty of times. Alex was a nightmare when they had to stop for other people. It was like he was always in a rush to finish— but Seth was in that class too. They were a little ahead of most groups even. He could never wrap his head around why Alex was so antsy about it.

“Anyone specific?” Jay presses. There’s something almost intense about his gaze— like Seth has something he wants. “Like— I dunno, a guy in a business suit?”

The nagging feeling gets more prominent than ever. Seth takes a silent breath in order to fight the sudden anxiety that hits him and says as steadily as he can, “You know, I can’t quiet remember?”

Seth hasn’t thought about the Summer of 2006 in a long time. Everything and everyone involved in those few months— he couldn’t explain it. The moment he would think about calling up Sarah so they could vent about their days or heading over to Brian’s place for some company, it was like there was a barrier there. Terror and uncertainty kept him from seeking out anyone, and eventually, Seth let it all fade into obscurity and couldn’t remember why he let that happen.

Now… Now he thinks he knows why. Not all the details, not all the answers, but enough to tell him that something is deeply wrong.

And Jay probably knows it. He’s just not saying anything about it.

Seth knew he had been lying about something; Jay was never a particularly good liar. He just needs to put the rest of the pieces together.

Jay asks a few more questions, getting a few locations out of him and ultimately ending off their little interview by telling him to contact him if he remembers anything else.

Seth keeps his realization to himself for now and just smiles and makes a false promise that he will.

—

All it takes is a quick search to find it. All Seth has to do is look up ‘Marble Hornets’ and he’s immediately met with a YouTube Channel. Jay’s YouTube Channel.

The entries make him feel sick but they provide answers. He remembers— editing videos and seeing a figure appear again and again. He used to skip over it but soon enough, it began to haunt him, both in and out of the tapes. He remembers, but not how it ended. Not how he got here.

He clings to the newfound information and can’t help but feel alone in a world that has gotten much bigger than before.

But then he remembers that he’s not. And there’s another video of an interview on Jay’s channel that sparks Seth’s attention.

It’s how he ends up at Tim’s house, trying not to shake apart from pure adrenaline, with Tim staring at him like he doesn’t know where to go from here.

Seth gives the best smile he has in him. “Long time, no see?” He greets him weakly. “Listen, I— I have to show you something. Because if you’re anything like me, you probably just had the most off putting interview of your life and— I have answers as to why.”

Tim lets him in. They watch the entries together and by the end of it, Tim looks like he’s seen a ghost and is one strong yank away from tugging a good chunk of his hair out.

“What the hell?” Tim manages, his voice hoarse and scratchy. Seth can’t help but feel a little responsible but he can’t be kept in the dark. He should know too.

“Yeah, that was about my reaction too.” Seth tells him. He hopes he’s coming across as sympathetic but watching the entries a second time did not put him any less on edge. “You don’t have to follow me or do anything with this information at all but— I was planning on confronting Jay directly about it. You could come with me if you want answers.”

Tim swallows thickly. He doesn’t meet his gaze but after a long moment says, “I need to think.”

Seth leaves but not without giving him his number so they can stay in touch. He doesn’t want to do this alone but he doesn’t want to drag Tim into this either. Ultimately, it’s up to him.

But three days later, Seth gets a call and a confirmation that Tim wants to confront Jay with him. His chest feels a little lighter for it.

—

They confront Jay. After cutting through a few bad lies, Jay finally comes clean. They talk about the entries, what they remember, but then Jay shows them another YouTube Channel. One that’s been replying to him.

Seth is immediately entranced by it.

Puzzles, codes, and cryptology has always been a hobby of his that he enjoys immensely. ToTheArk, whoever they are, fills their videos with hidden messages and meanings and while he can’t deny its eerie, he also loves every bit of it. Ironically, it makes more sense to him than anything else.

Some are easier than others, but solving the codes give him something to do. Especially when he’s trying not to think about other things.

“This first one is pretty simple, you just correlate the number of slashes to the letter in the alphabet it represents. The message comes out to be ‘Look Closely’ which— is pretty vague but I get the idea behind it.” Seth rambles, ignoring the way Tim is staring at him with concern. “Second one is easy too. Take every capitalized letter and you get ‘Listen’. This third one was a little harder but I played around with the audio—”

“Seth?” Tim interrupts, eyebrows furrowing together. “Have you been at this all day? Because I left like eight hours ago and you’re in the same place that I left you. Have you done anything else?”

“Well—” Seth pauses. “I got up to use the bathroom.”

Tim sighs. “I’ll see what Jay’s got in his kitchen then. Speaking of, any idea where he is?” Seth shakes his head. “Jesus. He better not have gone to Brian’s house again.”

Seth swallows down a lump in his throat, gaze dropping to his computer again. He can feel Tim’s gaze burn into him before he says, “One second.” And disappears into Jay’s kitchen.

It wasn’t a planned thing for them to all temporarily live in Jay’s apartment. But Tim lives out of town and was only visiting for personal reasons so it was better than him spending more money on a hotel, and Seth felt like he was being watched at home and took to safety in numbers. None of them were used to living around other people so there were a few adjustments but there weren’t a whole lot of options at this point.

Seth can’t deny it’s nice being around his old friends. He just wishes it were under better circumstances.

Tim returns a couple minutes later. “Gonna make some pasta for all of us.” He tells Seth when he settles down beside him. “Nothing fancy but still good. Now— is this about Brian?”

The lump in his throat is back again. Seth runs a hand through his hair, swallowing it back down again. “His place was trashed, Tim.” Seth murmurs. “Jay found a bullet casing and a lot of blood in the sink. The outlook isn’t great.”

Tim looks away. There’s a haunted look in his eyes when he says, “I know. Believe me, I know. I’m holding onto hope that he’s okay but— fuck, I don’t know. But— we have to keep going. No matter what, we can’t fall apart, alright? So I know you’re the code breaking expert here but you gotta take care of yourself too.”

Seth rolls his eyes. “Says the guy who smokes regularly.”

“It’s a bad habit.” Tim winces but agrees. “I’ll… I’ll work on it if you promise to work on this. Sound fair?”

Seth nods after a beat. The bitterness drains out of him slowly. “Fair. Sorry, I don’t mean to come after you. I just get lost in this stuff sometimes.”

Tim holds up his hands. “No judgement here. I’m no stranger to losing time either. We just gotta help each other from here on out if we’re gonna do this.” A frown tugs at his lips. “Speaking of, you mind calling Jay while I cook? We should probably know where everyone is.”

Seth tells him he’ll take care of it and Tim returns to the kitchen. He calls Jay but the phone rings out with no answer. He calls again after ten minutes. Then after the pasta is done. Then at various other times as it shifts from evening to night, and not once does Jay so much as shoot a text in response.

The pasta grows cold. Seth and Tim try not to worry too much— Jay can take care of himself, can’t he?

At 6:58 in the morning, Seth finally gets a call back. He fumbles for his phone when it wakes him up but sobers up quickly when he sees the contact on the screen.

“Jay?” Seth asks when he finally answers.

“Hey, um…” Jay says. He’s out of breath and it takes him a minute to respond. “I uh, I just woke up in my car on the side of the road. I don’t know where I am— or how I got here. I… I think I need help?”

Seth is on his feet and grabbing his keys in an instant. “I’m getting Tim up. Tell me your surroundings, we’ll be there as soon as we can.”

—

Jay has his head in his hands by the time he’s finished. He keeps a steady tone but there’s a layer of panic in his eyes that betrays it.

Seth doesn’t blame him. They might’ve warned Jay about going back to Brian’s house, even in the daylight and even if there might’ve been something important there, but he wouldn’t expect anything like Jay described.

“So the house was— jumbled?” Tim repeats slowly. “Like you kept entering rooms you didn’t go into. And there was someone else there?”

Jay nods, swallowing thickly. “Yeah. Yeah, he was uh— he was wearing like a mustard yellow hoodie and had this mask covering his whole face. Red frowning face was on it. I don’t know what his deal was and uh, didn’t see much of him once it— teleported me? I don’t know how it happened but it took me to this basement or something. There were blood on some of the rocks there— it’s all on the tape.”

Jay gestures to his camera, now in Seth’s hands. Seth eyes it, taking the tape out to watch later. Jay probably doesn’t need any more reminders though.

In fact, Seth thinks maybe Jay needs to get home more than anything.

Handing Tim his keys, Seth motions for Jay to give him his. “Let’s get you out of here.” He tells him. “We can do this back at your place.”

Nobody argues. Seth has Tim lead, glancing at Jay every so often to check on him. He just stares vacantly out the window though, eventually causing Seth to clear his throat. “I don’t know what’s going on exactly.” Seth admits. “But you’re not alone in this. So next time— take one of us, alright?”

“It might not make a difference.” Jay mumbles, still not looking at him. “Maybe you’ll just wake up in my car in the middle of nowhere too.”

“Better than doing it alone.” Seth tells him. “And hey, I don’t know about Tim but I’m willing to look through some of the tapes if it means you get a break. A lot of them are a whole lot of nothing, aren’t they? I’ll just tell you if anything interesting happens.”

Jay noticeably hesitates but nods slightly in the end. “Okay.” He says. He doesn’t quite smile but there’s a lighter look in his eyes. “Thanks— it’ll go a lot faster with more people.”

Seth shrugs. “Something weird is going on and it involves us as much as you so— it’s no problem. We’ll figure it out, one way or another.”

—

Most of the tapes are, predictably, dull. Alex recorded a lot of his day to day life, especially while he was sleeping. Seth feels a little odd for seeing it all but he skims for anything interesting as best he can.

One tape however, catches his eye, but not for any reason it would for Jay. Rather, it’s a cast recording. He can hear himself behind the camera, making sure it’s all recording properly but never turning it off— definitely halfway through the summer then. Alex got on his case so much for it that Seth learned to just hit record and keep going, even during breaks.

During one such break, everyone is off camera except for Tim and Seth himself. Both are eating lunch— Seth brought takeout while Tim has a sandwich of some kind. They’re talking while they eat, laughing at a few jokes, nudging each other playfully. Seth feels his body completely relax watching it. He missed this— he doesn’t know how he lived without it.

He doesn’t know how he forgot being such good friends with everyone either. Watching it now he’s reminded but before, the only people that stuck out were Sarah and Brian. He thought they were the only ones but clearly he was wrong. At the very least, he had fun with Tim too.

One joke he can’t quite hear in the tape has Seth laughing so hard that he nearly topples over but Tim grabs him before he falls off the bench. In the video, Seth is still laughing as he seems to subconsciously lean closer for support but he trails off when suddenly, something seems to hit him. He’s close to Tim— very close, and he watches as Tim and himself in the video visibly realize this, causing them to stare at each other.

The stare lasts a minute, then slowly, Seth watches him bring a hand up, curl it around Tim’s neck, and gently bring his face closer until there’s no room left and they’re kissing.

Seth pauses the video. Stares at the freeze frame.

He doesn’t remember this. He doesn’t think he would’ve forgotten as something as important as kissing a guy in the cast. In fact, Seth knows for sure he kissed Brian once or twice, remembering it vividly. But Tim? He doesn’t remember that.

But the tapes don’t lie. And there’s no way something like that could’ve been edited.

Seth carefully removes the tape and keeps it separate from the rest. He needs to process this before he brings it up to anyone else— Tim especially. He’s always found him attractive, true, and he knows their whole friend group is polyamorous so it’s not like the fact that he definitely has some lingering feelings for Brian is as big of a deal but…

Seth needs to know where he stands first before he brings it up.

(Though, he can’t help but wonder how it felt to kiss Tim the first time.)

—

Jay starts recording everything. Seth can tell Tim isn’t a big fan of the camera being a constant now but they both know he’s on edge, so once it becomes clear that Jay isn’t willing to stop, they don’t bring it up.

But Seth starts finding excuses to drag Jay away from the tapes when he can. Not that he’s much better whenever ToTheArk has another cipher for him to solve, but Jay and Tim return the favor when they can.

Tim starts talking about needing to head back home for work soon. Seth isn’t really sure if they’ll all head up there or if they’ll meet up with Tim again later but they’ll work it out somehow, that much is clear.

—

There’s a tape at the red tower. Seth is in it. He doesn’t remember any of the events on it either.

He doesn’t know why he and Alex are in an abandoned building at night and he sure as hell doesn’t know what happened to him that makes Alex say that he’s ‘Gone’, whatever that means.

What he does know is that it bothers him. Everything about it makes him feel sick in a way he can’t explain. It makes him feel wrong— like he’s seeing something he shouldn’t.

Seth stares at the screen long after the tapes stop. A hand on his shoulder makes him jump, to which Jay murmurs an apology. Seth lets out a breath and tells him it’s alright.

“You okay?” Jay asks, then winces. “Actually— ignore that, you’re probably not. I uh… Do you want a hug or..?”

Seth thinks about that. Then turns and nods. A little awkwardly, Jay pulls him in for a hug. It’s not the best, but the sentiment makes up for everything else about it. It’s only for a few moments before Seth pulls away but he does feel a bit better for it.

He doesn’t know what happened to him on the tape, but they’ll figure it out. Jay won’t stop now at the very least, and Seth is right behind him.

—

Everything changes over the course of three days.

On the first day, Jay’s YouTube Channel gets hacked. A single video is uploaded— an eerie one, clearly from ToTheArk, stating that they will no longer wait for them, and how they will lead them ‘to the ark’. The figure appears in it— the one in the hoodie with the frowning, cloth mask, and it sends chills down Seth’s spine.

It’s enough to spur them into packing up and spending the night somewhere else. And thank god for it because on the second day, Jay’s house is set on fire and it’s all over the news.

Jay got all his important things out but it’s no less harrowing to see. All three of them are shocked by the turn of events and carefully, they come to a conclusion about their next steps.

On the third day, they pack up and Tim leads the way as they had out of town and miles away to Tim’s place instead. They take a few detours in order to make sure they aren’t followed but in the end, Tim helps them settle in to his place.

The next few days are quiet. Tim goes back to work, Seth pokes around to see if there are any job opportunities for him and Jay, and Jay copes with the loss of his house.

At the end of the week, Jay tells them quietly that he thinks it might be better if they stop investigating. Both Seth and Tim find themselves agreeing.

—

A tape arrives at their doorstep around a week later.

—

The sound of the TV static going haywire wakes Seth up. He can’t see very well through the thick darkness but he fumbles around for a remote until he finds one and swiftly turns it off. A sigh of relief escapes him once he does and Seth rolls over, right back into the warm arms he had been cuddled up with before.

Then he stops. Backtracks. Sits up and squints through the darkness, causing the other person in the bed to stir.

It’s hard to make out but he thinks it’s— Jay? Seth blinks, trying to take in his surroundings but— this doesn’t look like Tim’s place at all. There are two large beds— one with Jay and the other with another sleeping figure passed out on the bed that he’s pretty sure is Tim.

Seth eyes what he can through the dark but gets up and heads for the curtains covering the window in the end. One look outside has his heart sinking.

“Hey. Hey! Tim, Jay, wake up!”

It doesn’t take very long. Both stir, then quickly snap to attention when confusion takes hold. Seth pulls back the curtains slowly enough that they don’t flinch too badly at the sudden light and asks, “Anyone have any idea where we are? Because I don’t remember a thing.”

Evidently, neither of the other two do either. And the situation only gets worse when one look at the date has them all realizing that the last memories they have were from seven months ago.

It’s enough to send them into a collective panic and scramble to figure it all out.

They don’t know the hotel they’re in. They don’t know how they got here or why they have a safe they can’t get into or any idea of what happened in the past seven months. They also don’t know why the only other person checked in is right next to them.

Jessica Locke. The name is familiar but Seth can’t place it. None of them can.

Jay makes a shitty lie about hotels when she sees them carrying around a camera. Seth hates that this is the lie they’re going with but gives a strained smile and ‘Mmhmm’ right alongside with him.

The lie falls apart pretty quickly but for the better. Jessica has been having the same problems they have. They make a plan to leave and figure it out together.

Then the Hooded Guy shows up, Alex not too far behind, and all hell breaks loose.

—

Seth and Tim wake up in the middle of the woods. There are about a dozen missed calls from Jay on Seth’s phone but unfortunately, it dies before he can think about so much as shooting a text to him.

Seth has a few scrapes here and there but he’s okay. Tim on the other hand has a bullet wound in his leg. It seems to have been haphazardly patched up already but Seth has him sling an arm around his shoulder for support as they slowly make their way out.

A little ways in, Tim mumbles out, “Rosswood. We’re in Rosswood Park.”

Seth pauses. “You recognize it?”

Tim nods. “Came here when I was a kid a lot. I think I know the way out but I might be wrong.”

“Better than nothing. Tell me where to go, I’ll get us there.”

It takes a while but they make their way out to the parking lot. There’s no car in sight because of course it couldn’t be that easy. Seth does manage to find a payphone however and sits Tim down in order to dial Jay’s number. Though, as the phone rings, he swears he sees a figure in the treeline. Not tall enough to be that thing that follows Alex, but a person. But Jay picks up soon after, Seth takes that as priority over it, and once he’s done talking and hanging up, the figure is gone.

“Jay’s okay. He woke up a little while away in his car, no major injuries. He doesn’t know where Jessica is either but hopefully she’s safer than we are right now. He has all the tapes and stuff we got from the safe too.” Seth sits down next to Tim, sighing. “Maybe it can get us some answers as to why we’re in this whole mess.”

Tim nods but his face is pinched. Seth gives him a sympathetic look. “Jay has the ibuprofen. It’ll help but it’ll take him a while to get here.”

“I’ll last until then.” Tim tells him, like he’s reassuring him. “Don’t worry.”

Seth scoffs. “You got shot in the leg, I think I’m allowed to worry, Tim.”

“Well— if Alex were around here, he probably would’ve made himself known by now so we’ll probably be fine for now.”

It takes Seth a minute to decipher his words. His scowl only deepens when he does. “Tim.” He says, lower than he means to. “I don’t give a flying fuck about Alex right now. I’m worried about you. Nothing else.”

“I told you, I’ll be fine.” Tim waves his hand dismissively.

“I disagree so when we get a chance to rest, you’re staying off that leg. For a long time.”

“I have work, we still need—”

“I’ll work.” Seth shuts him down. “We’ll get you crutches. I’m not taking no for an answer.”

Tim opens his mouth, thinks better of it, and snaps it shut. “Alright.” He murmurs. “We’ll figure it out.”

“We’ll figure it out.” Seth agrees.

—

They divide the tapes and the hard drive among them. There’s quite a bit of footage, especially seeing as not only do they have some from Alex’s chest mounted camera, now in their possession, but they acquired a second handheld one at some point.

Apparently the second one was for Tim and Seth’s own use, though Seth finds himself using it more on the tapes.

There are still some mundane things they catch seeing as they were still recording everything, but there’s plenty of interesting things as well. Apparently Alex wanted their help in finding Amy but there also seems to be an awful lot of Alex ignoring their attempts at contacting him.

There’s also a lot more of the Hooded Guy. None of them seem to know what to make of him.

One tape catches Seth’s eye however. It’s one of him, visiting Rosswood alone at night. Why the hell he would do such a thing isn’t clear until he seems to be calling out for someone. And soon enough, he catches movement and runs towards it, putting him in a wild chase for the Hooded Guy.

The Hooded Guy outlasts him and Seth slows down in the video when he runs out of breath but he manages to shout between breaths. “I— I think I know who you are but— I need to be sure! Please— are you him? I have to know, I can’t— I can’t get my hopes up.”

The Hooded Guy does appear on video again. Something about his body language screams curious, but a little static shows up in the video and abruptly, the Hooded Guy tenses up and rushes forward to grab Seth by the wrist and pull him away from the danger. The tape ends soon after, telling Seth nothing as to what he was talking about in the tape, or what happened after.

He shows it to Tim and Jay, telling them to keep an eye out in case it gets mentioned again.

Unfortunately, the loss of the seven months also means Seth has no idea who he thought the Hooded Guy was, and more importantly, whether or not he was right.

—

It’s a cliche. One straight out of a cheesy romcom they might’ve watched once during a Marble Hornets Cast Movie Night.

They move around from motel to motel to make sure they’re not being followed. One of the motel is fully booked, save for one room, that only has one bed. A pretty big one too.

They’re all too tired to think about anything else other than sharing it.

It’s a cliche, Seth thinks, but cliches are overused for a reason. And with Tim’s arm sling around him on one side, warm and comforting, and Jay so close that he’s fitting together like he was born to one day sleep in Seth’s arms, Seth knows it’s a cliche because it’s a damn good one.

—

It’s a gradual thing. Knuckles brushing up against knuckles. Gentle hands combing through their hair as they give each other haircuts because it’s cheaper. Sharing meals at a restaurant.

It turns into holding hands and not just because it’s cold out but because it’s a comfort. It turns into all of them sharing a bed because they all sleep better when they do. It turns into longing looks, lingering touches, and wondering if it’s mutual.

And after a certain point, Seth can’t stand the way they look at him and not doing anything about it so he fishes out a few tapes from his belongings and shows it to them.

Because there wasn’t just one. There were a couple, telling Seth it wasn’t just him and Tim and it sure as hell wasn’t just a one time thing.

And by the end of it, the tension is so thick that Seth says to hell with it and kisses Tim. Then Jay. Then they’re kissing each other and they’re both kissing him at once and Seth thinks he should’ve done this ages ago.

—

ToTheArk starts being active again. Seth takes a little time to decipher some of the videos, telling Jay and Tim the messages so they can figure it all out together.

One particular code has Seth stopping. It’s different than the others— it’s not an existing cipher, or at least, Seth thinks, not an official one. But it looks familiar. Achingly familiar.

Seth tries a different cipher— one he knows from memory. Slowly, he decodes the message, and is shocked when it works. The actual message is glossed over as Seth’s heart pounds through his chest at the realization.

“Seth?” Tim asks, frowning. “What is it? What are they saying?”

“I…” Seth swallows. “It’s not the message. It’s the code.”

“The code?” Jay prompts, looking up from his camera.

“It’s made up.” Seth explains. “I— we made it up. It was for our Cryptology class, we had to make our own code and then we just kept it around because it was fun— like a secret language— and—”

His heart leaps in his throat. Seth stands up, getting wary looks from the other two.

“There are only two people who know that code enough to use it.” Seth tells them slowly, hardly able to believe it. “I know it and… And Brian knows it. Because I made it with him. Because we took that stupid class together and had fun while doing it.”

“Wait.” Jay’s eyes blow wide.

“Are you saying..?” Tim’s mouth drops open.

“Brian is alive.” Seth says, and can barely believe it himself. “Brian is alive and he’s that Hooded Guy.”

—

They track him down to Rosswood. It’s a big park and a confusing one but they’re determined and on a mission so together, they comb through the park, searching in every nook and cranny.

It takes most of the day but eventually, they stumble across an abandoned house deep within. Rubble and dirt cover the floor and there’s only a single broken mattress in one of the rooms.

The Hooded Guy is there too. He startles badly when they find him, backing up like he’s ready to go out the nearest window should they prove to be a threat. But he’s not gone yet, which means there’s a chance.

“Brian.” Tim says, and the Hooded Guy goes still.

“We know it’s you.” Seth tells him. The Hooded Guy doesn’t so much as twitch. “I don’t know if you realized what you were doing but you used our cipher. You’re the only other person who knows that, Bri.”

“We want to talk.” Jay says. “We want to help.”

“But you got to come home with us first.” Tim finishes, and holds his hand out for Brian to take. “Let us help. You shouldn’t be on your own like this.”

For a long minute, nothing happens. But slowly, carefully, the Hooded Guy— Brian— steps forward. He closes the distance, taking Tim’s hand, and Tim immediately pulls him in for a bear hug.

Brian stiffens but eases a little a moment later. Jay and Seth are quick to join, giving hugs of their own.

He isn’t dead. That’s all that matters at that moment. Brian Thomas isn’t dead and they can worry about everything else later.

—

One shower and a warm meal later, and Brian is talking. Quietly and scratchy, but if it bothers him, he gives no indication of it.

“The Operator spreads the disease to one person, then that one person unknowingly passes it to others. Alex learned this and took it to mean if you kill all the infected, it stops the sickness from spreading further.” Brian’s eyes narrow. “But it would only stop it temporarily. The Operator would just start over again— we’re almost certainly not the first.”

“So that’s why Alex went after all of us?” Jay asks.

“It’s why he does now. I’m not sure if that’s why he was doing it the first time. He acts differently than before. Either way, he needs to be stopped.”

“And— has he..?” Seth finds himself asking, desperate to know.

Brian seems to catch on immediately. “I don’t know about Amy but Sarah is alive. I know she survived the first attack and she’s hidden herself well enough that I can’t find her, meaning neither can Alex, so she’s still alive.”

A knot in his chest eases. Seth deflates in relief and without thinking, lays his head on Brian’s shoulder. Brian stiffens and Seth backtracks immediately, to which Brian shakes his head dismissively. “I just wasn’t expecting it. It’s fine, really.”

Seth pauses at that. His mask is off now, betraying bags under his eyes that scream how much he needs to rest. And remembering Brian, Seth gets an idea.

“Do you remember how you used to call for everyone to dog pile someone when they needed to take a break or sleep?”

Brian catches on immediately, eyes widening. Tim and Jay are right behind him, and shoot Seth a confirming look.

Brian is dragged to the biggest bed that have and surrounded in seconds. Seth himself is on one side, Tim on the other, and Jay lays on his chest to keep him down without suffocating him.

“This isn’t really necessary.” Brian tells them, but something in his eye betrays that maybe he needed this more than he let on. “I’m fine, really.”

“Nah.” Tim tells him, letting out a content sigh when he finds the perfect position, using Brian’s arm as a pillow. “This is good for the soul, you told me yourself. You wouldn’t lie about something like that, would you, Bri?”

Brian struggles with his words. “This is entrapment.” He decides on in the end.

“Mmhmm.” Jay hums. “And what are you gonna do about it?”

Brian has nothing to say about that. Seth ruffles his hair. “You looked like you needed it so you’re getting it.”

Brian doesn’t say anything to that either but he does fall asleep pretty quickly after.

He looks pretty bad, even now, but they can fix that. As long as he’s alive, they can fix anything that gets thrown their way.

— —

That’s what I got because I have no idea what happens after that other than a lot more Hurt/Comfort and a happy end. Nobody dies in this AU, not even the Tunnel Guy! Amy is fine, Sarah’s got her.

Anyways, I hope this satisfied your heart’s desire! Sorry it took so long, been working on a lot of stuff, but hey it’s pretty long so hopefully that makes up for it! Requests are still open so go wild if you want and I hope you enjoyed! :)

#marble hornets #SB Speaks #SB Writes #Bramth #marble hornets fanfiction #requests status: still open #I love thinking about canon divergence so I just kinda went nuts with it #as you can probably see #mind the tags! #not a lot of intense stuff but still important #Jay Merrick #tim wright #brian thomas #seth wilson

[instructionsonback]

#sukuna #sukuna kaisen #terror era #reign of terror #music #JHarry #hip hop #rap #jjk #jujutsukaisen #anime #manga #jjkedits #yuji #jujutsukaisenmanga #jujutsukaisenedit #jjkmanga #naruto #jjkedit #animeedit #jjkmovie #edit #fanart #animeart #onepunchman #itadoriyuuji #animeedits #jujutsukaisencosplay #hug #saitama

[anonymousewrites]

Logos and Pathos (Book 2) Chapter Sixteen

Spock x Empath! Reader

Chapter Sixteen: Fog of Fear

Summary: Hengist is a fear monster, but (Y/N) has sway over emotions. They won't be beaten easily.

            As everyone stared at Hengist after the knowledge of his coming from Rigel IV one year ago and the mass murder occurring that same time in the past, Hengist chuckled nervously.

            “Well, many people come from Rigel IV. It’s not a crime,” he said.

            “No, but what we’re investigating is,” said Kirk.

            “Would you take the stand, Mr. Hengist?” said (Y/N).

            “Why, I will not,” cried Hengist.

            “Mr. Hengist,” said Jaris curtly.

            “Prefect, this has gone far enough,” said Hengist indignantly, but his nervous energy gave away his bluff. “I will not take the stand.”

            “I can appreciate your position, sir,” said Spock. “You are in charge of civil disturbances locally. If you are the entity for which we search, what better position from which to kill with impunity?”

            “And just after you left Jaris’s house, we discovered the murder weapon was missing,” realized Bones.

            “And you were still gone when Lieutenant Tracy was murdered. No one can account for your whereabouts,” said (Y/N).

            “An entity which feeds on fear and terror would find a perfect hunting ground on Argelius, a planet without violence, where the inhabitants are as peaceful as sheep,” added Spock. “The entity would be like a hungry wolf in that fold.”

            Hengist scoffed. “Gentlemen, I know something of the law. You’re engaging in sheer speculation.”

            “Perhaps,” said Kirk. “Mr. Spock, the murder weapon.”

            “Computer, report on analysis of Exhibit A,” said Spock.

            “Exhibit A on visual,” said the computer. “Composition of blade, boridium. Composition of handle, murinite. Details of carving on handle conform to folk art forms indicating place of origin.”

            “Specify point of origin,” commanded Spock.

            “Artifact produced by hill people of Argus River region, planet Rigel IV,” reported the computer.

            “Now, then, Mr. Hengist,” said Kirk. “What do you have to stay?”

            Hengist jumped to his feet and ran towards the door. Scotty and Bones grabbed at him, but he pushed them back. He kicked Kirk into the wall and then went for (Y/N), who was blocking his way, but they dodged his attack and tripped him. Hengist stumbled to his feet, and before he could regain his senses, Kirk punched him, sending him to the floor unconscious.

            Spock felt his pulse and raised an eyebrow. “He’s dead.”

            “But that’s impossible,” said Kirk.

            Suddenly, the lights began flashing, and a deranged voice echoed through the room. “Redjac! Redjac! Redjac! Redjac! Redjac!” Hengist, for who else could it be, laughed wildly.

            Spock jumped up and tested the computer controls. “The computer won’t respond to these controls. The entity is unquestioningly controlling it.”

            “And the computer controls the ship,” realized (Y/N).

            “Redjac! Redjac! Redjac!” jeered Hengist.

            “Scotty, give me a hand,” said Bones, pulling Hengist’s body up onto a chair.

            “It’s no use, Captain, the bypass circuits are locked,” said Kirk.

            “Spock, can you turn off the audio?” murmured (Y/N), flinching as they felt Hengist’s presence surround them. It was an imposing force of anger and hatred that inspired unbidden terror within them.

            Spock’s eyes softened at their clear discomfort, and he hurriedly switched the audio off so Hengist’s jeers were silenced.

            “Captain,” gasped Scotty, pointing to the screen. It swirled with clouds of color. “What’s happening, Captain? What does it mean?”

            “It means…that thing can control the entire operation of the ship, including the life-support systems,” realized Kirk.

            “You mean it could kill us all?” said Bones sharply.

            “Indeed, it will try, but not immediately,” said Spock. “We know it feeds on fear and terror. There are nearly 440 humans aboard this ship. Surely, it will try to create fear before it kills.”

            Kirk pressed the comm button. “All hands, this is the Captain. Stay at your posts. Remain calm. Captain out.” He looked up. “Bones, what’s the sedative situation?”

            “I’ve got some stuff that would tranquilize an active volcano,” said Bones.

            “Good. Start distribution immediately,” said Kirk.

         ��  Spock turned to (Y/N). “Do you want a sedative to damper your reaction to Hengist’s presence?”

            (Y/N) shook their head. “No. If I can sense him, I can try to stop him.”

            Spock furrowed his brow to argue, but he saw (Y/N)’s determined face. They weren’t going to back down. So, in respect to that, he just nodded. “Very well. Alert me to any changes.”

            “Spock, (L/N), with me,” said Kirk. “We’re getting him out of the computers. (L/N), if he gets near us, let me know.” As they walked, Kirk said, “Spock, don’t you have a compulsory scan unit built into the computer banks?”

            “Yes, we do, Captain, but with the entity in control—” began Spock.

            “Well, aren’t there certain mathematical problems which simply cannot be solved?” asked Kirk.

            “Indeed. If we could focus the computer’s attention on one of them…” Spock nodded as he came up with a plan.

            “That would do it,” agreed (Y/N).

            As they traveled up in the elevator, they braced themselves as it turned off and on and its life-support malfunctioned. Luckily, they managed to get to the bridge. However, it was clear Hengist was learning to control the ship quickly. He was trying to scare the Enterprise officers.

            “Captain, the life-support system override jammed,” said Sulu urgently.

            “Alright, man your station, Mr. Sulu,” said Kirk as Spock crouched and opened a panel below the Bridge controls.

            “Lieutenant (L/N). (L/N),” called Hengist’s voice, echoing creepily. It needed strength, and (Y/N)’s emotions would give him more power, so he was focusing on scaring them. “You and all aboard this ship are about to die.”

            (Y/N) took a deep breath to remain calm. Hengist was trying to get to them, and if they were going to keep the ship safe, they needed to stop him from growing stronger.

            “Cut that thing off,” ordered Kirk.

            “This is the first time I heard a malfunction threaten us,” remarked Sulu in confusion.

            “Man your post, Mr. Sulu.” Kirk couldn’t risk a panic ensuing. “Prepare your manual overrides. You may need them.”

            “What’s the situation, Spock?” asked (Y/N), crouching by him.

            “Normal environmental levels have been restored,” said Spock. “But it will not last long, a few hours at best.”

            “Let’s hope that’s enough time,” said (Y/N).

            “Let’s get at it,” said Kirk.

            “What’s going on, Captain?” asked Sulu.

            “Never mind, Mr. Sulu,” said Kirk.

            Nurse Chapel walked into the room. “I have the tranquilizers, sir.”

            “Everyone, including yourself,” said Kirk.

            “You can’t stop me now,” crowed Hengist cruelly. “It will do you no good! I control all circuits! You cannot silence me! You cannot reach me!”

            To prove a point, (Y/N) let their anger radiate out into the room, forcing Hengist to quiet for a moment. He couldn’t feed on that power. And it likely burned him as much as his burned (Y/N).

            “Spock?” asked (Y/N).

            “I need a little bit of time,” said Spock.

            “Soon all control will be restored to me,” cried Hengist, trying to recover from (Y/N)’s bought of anger and force them to be scared to gain some power.

            “If you destroy this ship, you destroy yourself,” spat Kirk.

            Hengist’s crazed laughter filled the room. “I am without ending! I have existed from the dawn of time, and I shall live beyond its end! In the meantime, I shall feed, and this time I do not need a knife! I have an empath here, and their emotions will feed me until I have the strength to send all of you into a horrible death!” he cackled.

            “(L/N), focus on nothing but remaining calm,” ordered Kirk.

            “Already on it, Captain,” said (Y/N). They were not going to let Hengist get the best of them.

            “Captain! Whoever he is, he sure talks gloomy,” said Sulu, laughing as the sedative coursed through him. At least those sources of fear for Hengist were eliminated.

            “Ready, Captain,” said Spock.

            “Implement,” said Kirk.

            “Computer, this is a Class-A compulsory directive,” said Spock. “Compute, to the last digit, the value of pi.”

            “No!” cried Hengist as the computer’s controls were directed to the incalculable command. “No! No! No! No!”

            “The value of pi doesn’t end,” said (Y/N), smiling. “Good distraction, Spock.”

            “The Argelians will be the first to panic. Let’s get back to the briefing room,” said Spock.

l

            “Well, sir?” giggled Scotty as the drug affected him and the rest of the group in the briefing room.

            “There is resistance, but the directive is succeeding,” said Spock. “Bank after bank is turning to the problem.”

            “If you drive it out of the computer, it’ll just have to go somewhere else,” pointed out Bones.

            “How are you doing?” asked Kirk.

            “I’ve almost finished tranquilizing people. Just Jaris and me left,” said Bones.

            Hengist’s laugh echoed around the briefing room.

            “Complete computer control, Captain,” reported Spock. “The entity has fled.”

            “Yes, but where to?” murmured Kirk.

            (Y/N) jolted as they felt Hengist’s presence in the room. “Captain, he’s here—!”

            Hengist, back in his physical body, jumped up, grabbed his knife, and pulled (Y/N) into a tight hold. The knife rested on their throat. He was breaking his pattern of attacking women, but the sustenance he could get from (Y/N)’s emotions were enough. Not to mention, Hengist was desperate.

            “I’ll kill them!” cried Hengist. “I’ll kill them, keep back!”

            “Get off me!” growled (Y/N), grabbing Hengist’s hand.

            With a strength of mind that was impressive even for a Celian, (Y/N) forced their way past his anger and hatred and pushed happiness onto him. Hengist survived on fear, and the opposite of it weakened him. Crying out, he stumbled back. (Y/N) pushed him away, wincing as part of his anger rebounded onto their own empathic senses. Bones and Kirk jumped up and injected Hengist’s body with the tranquilizer to make him weak enough to handle.

            Spock caught and steadied (Y/N). His hands itched to take ahold of their mind and try to check for serious distress, but he wouldn’t cross such an intimate boundary. While Bones and Kirk handled sending Hengist into deep space at a wide dispersion so even in his non-physical form he could never become really sentient again, Spock guided (Y/N) to a seat.

            “Are you alright?” asked Spock.

            (Y/N) chuckled. “Yeah, but I really need a break now.”

            “Well, we’ve got five or six hours before the tranquilizer wears off,” said Kirk, reentering the room. He glanced around at the high, laughing officers and Argelians. “And I don’t think we’re going to get much done in the meantime.”

            (Y/N) looked at Spock. “Do you want to risk trying to go to the library again or do you think we’ll encounter another crime?”

            Spock raised an eyebrow. “Highly unlikely.”

            “Good, good. I can’t handle any more excitement,” said (Y/N). They stood. “Ready?”

            Spock nodded. “Yes.”

            Kirk watched them go. Well, I might be stuck here with silly officers, but at least they’re having fun. Looking around at his high colleagues, he sighed. Still…

Taglist:

@a-ofzest

@grippleback-galaxy

@genderfluid-anime-goth

@groovy-lady

@im-making-an-effort

@unending-screaming

#logos and pathos #s'chn t'gai spock #ambassador spock #star trek spock #spock #mister spock #spock tos #tos spock #star trek tos #star trek the original series #star trek fanfic #star trek #star trek x reader #x reader #x gn reader #gn reader #spock x reader #nb reader #x nb reader

[finniestoncrane]

since you said it was okay for us to send in multiple ones i worked up the nerve to send one in for a blind date I’ll try to be as concise as I can with describing myself so apologies if this is a little long im not super great at describing myself in generalities. i trust your judgement completely. anyways!

I’m 30, bisexual, usually get mistaken for someone younger due to my size and sound of my voice, I have a couple of different chronic pain conditions but not so bad I can’t function normally, I’m friendly and kind to most people I meet but I also don’t take people’s shit you’ll definitely know if I don’t like someone i don’t really hide it that well —I’m pretty emotionally reactive is what I’m saying. I enjoy reading, some of my favorite authors and books include Edgar Allan Poe, Dracula and Alice in Wonderland (my favorite book) just to name a few, I also really enjoy audio horror dramas despite being bad with horror visually, i really enjoy engaging my brain so I kinda also really enjoy riddles and puzzle games even though my track record isn’t that great at solving them 100% of the time, I also enjoy victorian things and the period very much and my favorite holiday is Halloween! I also tend to show someone I like them no matter if it’s platonic or romantic through physical touch as long as I know they are okay with it

please don’t feel obligated to do this if you don’t feel up to it I just wanted to send in another one since your framing device is extremely adorable and fascinating to me! plus i am very curious who you’d choose for me in this situation. congratulations again finnie you deserve this so much 💚!!

💜 blind date 💜 the kitchen is now closed! 🔞minors dni🔞 • masterlist • kofi link • tag: finnie1500 (to follow or to block) a/n: you stop being so sweet or i'll have to serve you on the dessert menu ;-; 💚

"Hello, welcome to the Vill-Inn! We'll uh... take your order from over here when you're ready. Just shout! There's a weird aura over there... bit of a strange vibe. It's giving us the heebiest of jeebies."

It's not as if there's a rain cloud above him or bats circling the table, but you get what they mean when you sit down across from your date.

"Jonathan Crane, my dear. Pleasure to make your acquaintance."

He's charming, completely so. But there's something under that exterior layer, something dark and brooding. Something poetic, almost.

There are several points at the beginning of your conversation with him where you can see him wincing, but trying to hide the expression of pain on his face. It turns out to be an excellent way to open up to each other, as he divulges his chronic pain issues, most of which are the result of injuries from a certain Dark Knight.

"The suffering adds to my will for destruction, though. But I admire others who can admit to needing help, as they should. If you ever need someone to... discuss this with... I can offer some psychological comfort."

The more you reveal of yourself, the more interested he is. You can see him, teasing apart sections of your brain, of your psyche, and lapping them up with intrigue. A kind person who can react emotionally and keep people's cruelty at a distance?

"Very interesting. Tell me more."

Everything he says is accompanied by a wide and curved grin that feels mischievous more than conniving or malevolent, and the only time it really falls to one of warmth and surprise is when you reveal more about yourself, things that he finds a lot in common with.

Your choice of literature is certainly on par with his. When he delves into fiction as opposed to his psychology textbooks and research works, he would definitely opt for a gothic, melancholic terror. In fact, he has his copy of Sleepy Hollow with him.

"If you haven't read it, I can lend it to you. Returning it would be a good reason for us to meet again, no?"

He's intellectual, and enjoys problem solving. And while you admit you might not be much help on the difficult ones he can't quite get as quickly as certain, green-donning colleagues, havinng some emotional support would be just as effective. A love of horror is yet again more common ground, and his sly smile widens, his eyes lighting up, when you mention your love of Halloween. And when you notice the excitement, you reach out to place your hand on top of his. It's cold, but you warm him up, and he is grateful for the connection.

You might have read Sleepy Hollow before, but you'll take it anyway. Anything to meet up with Jonathan again.

#finnie1500 #finnie writes #long post

[commander-krios]

“What the hell were you thinking?! You could’ve been killed!" For Aurora and Joker?

Oh ho ho, my friend, get ready to have your heart broken, yeah?

~~~~

“I’ll fly the shuttle.”

It was out of his mouth before he could stop it.

She turned to look at him, blue eyes widening slightly, the only thing that showed her surprise at the request. “Jeff-”

“I know what you’re going to say, Rori, and you’re right. If a Reaper shows up, I need to be here to fly the Normandy. But I-” Joker’s voice broke and he cursed how hard this was for him… for them. She was the Commander, the Spectre, the Hero of the Citadel. She was all of those things, but the only thing that mattered to him was that she was the woman he loved and he didn’t want to see her in danger.

“Yes, there is that.”

“You can’t ask me to sit here while you go look for a Reaper killer.”

Despoina. He couldn’t help the awful feeling in his gut when he had stared down at the planet below, knowing that whatever killed a Reaper had to be just as bad as one. Whatever was down there, all the signs screamed Reaper! so loud that it practically smacked you in the head. Vic and Kaidan would be her backup, but none of that helped ease the terror in his heart.

He’d lost her once already… nearly lost her twice. He didn’t like gambling on a third time.

Even fully armored, Aurora Shepard was a tiny woman. But holy shit, she was a force to be reckoned with. Small in stature, maybe, but huge in presence. And smart as hell. On top of that, she was the most beautiful woman he’d ever laid eyes on.

She crossed the space between them quickly, those armored boots echoing on the walkway as she did. She met his gaze, ocean blue eyes determined. “Jeff- you know that you have to. I don’t trust anyone but you to get me out if the shit hits the fan.”

“I know.” 

He knew but it didn’t make it easier.

She leaned forward, her forehead meeting his in the only touch that was skin to skin. It was the closest they could get to holding each other while she was in full armor, but he was touching her.

Please don’t let it be the last time.

~~~~

Aurora’s helmet cam was shaky, the torrential rain and gusting winds making everything a hazy gray that he could barely see through. The team, along with the shuttle, were stranded on the only object in the water they could find… an old shipwreck. Cortez was attempting a fix, but whatever pulse had hit them on the way in would undoubtedly hit them again on the way out.

“EDI, can you track where that came from?” He asked, eyes on the camera output. They had lost audio after the energy pulse, but the visual was still there, although it was hard to follow. At least the ground team hadn’t come in contact with any hostiles. Yet.

“It came from below the surface of the ocean, Jeff.”

“What? Are you sure?” That didn’t bode well. The team would have to go in the water to disrupt whatever it was. “Double check.”

“The likelihood of the pulse coming from anywhere else is-.”

“Just double check!” Gritting his teeth, he opened the comm to engineering. “Hey, Tali, any ideas on how to contact the ground team or regain communications?”

“I’m doing my best, but it’s a problem on their side, not ours.”

“Shit.”

“Jeff, I don’t think panic is warranted at the moment.” EDI harped at him from her little pedestal to his left. “Despite being stranded, the ground team is-”

Klaxons rang out, interrupting whatever EDI was going to say that was obviously incorrect. He would’ve loved to rub it in her optical sensors (face?) except when his eyes landed on the emergency readouts, he felt his heart drop out of his chest.

“Reaper incoming!”

Fingers flying over the interface, he did his best to keep the Normandy out of the Reaper’s firing range. But it seemed like the monstrosity wasn’t after them. It was headed down to the planet below.

Come on, baby. Tell me you’re alright. Please.

“EDI! Get me an open link to Shepard!”

~~~~

The moaning of the husks mixed with the sounds of gunfire and biotic explosions. A brute had appeared somewhere on the other side of the wreck. Aurora could hear it smashing crates and its allies as it tried to get closer to the shuttle. Steve was working hard on fixing whatever had taken the shuttle down so that left Aurora and her team to defend him. Kaidan was a few feet from where she stood, body glowing with the blue of his biotics, even as he aimed his rifle at the approaching husks.

Vic was on the opposite side, her SMG roaring as it fired full speed. Another group of reaper forces noticed her a second later and began to amble her way. It took only a moment for Shepard to pull on her own biotics, primed for a target. She picked one that was in the center of their enemies and let herself loose. She barrelled through the crowd of husks, sending them flying in different directions before she hit the marauder in the solar plexus. The creature crumpled under the force, no longer a threat.

Then she turned to face her next foe.

The brute had gotten closer to Vic’s side of the boat. The SMG was doing little damage to its thick hide, but her time fighting them on Menae had shown her a few tricks to taking one down.

While the energy surge had taken out long range communications between Shepard’s team and the Normandy, short range still worked fine. “I need you to focus fire on the brute, Vic!”

“What the fuck do you think I’m doing, Shepard?!” 

Aurora ignored the outburst and turned her attention to Kaidan. “Keep the husks off of me.”

“What’re you-”

She answered his unspoken question with another burst of biotic power, this time aimed at the brute. One moment she was standing over the dead marauder and the next, she was ramming her body at the brute so fast and hard that the impact echoed in the space between her and her teammates. 

Her breaths were ragged, lungs craving oxygen even as her suit tried to compensate for the sudden burst of energy and use of biotics. She had perfected the use of the charge during her time with Cerberus, but she always got a rush when she managed it. The brute was barely affected physically, but it now turned to face her as the bigger threat. She lifted her shotgun without a second's hesitation, leveling a shot at point blank range into the creature’s belly.

It howled in pain, the skin finally broken by the force of the blast. Aurora took advantage of its distraction to move to safety out of its swiping range. Once she was clear, Vic pulled out her rifle and put an entire heat sink into the wound. With another pained screech, the brute fell to the ground, now silent. 

Kaidan finished off the rest of the husks before appearing at Aurora’s side. When she met his eyes, she saw the raised brow. “Dammit, Shepard, give me warning next time.”

Aurora smiled although he wouldn’t be able to see it through the helmet. “Just keeping you on your toes, Major.”

He grunted in response. 

When Vic joined them, she walked with a spring in her step. “Who doesn’t love the smell of dead Reaper in the morning?”

“God, you’re still as irritating as ever.” Kaidan muttered, checking his heat sink before replacing it quickly. 

“I missed you too, Kaidan.” She said, bumping his shoulder affectionately. 

Aurora left their friendly ribbing to check on the shuttle and Cortez’s progress. 

“Good news is that I got the shuttle repaired.”

Aurora nodded, grateful that at least one thing was going according to plan. “And the bad?”

“If we try to leave, that pulse is just going to wipe us out again. We need to figure out how to stop whatever is doing it before we can leave.” 

“Looks like we need to find Leviathan whether it wants us to or not.” She glanced over at the sound of Kaidan and Vic’s approach. “So how do we do that?”

Before anyone could offer an idea, the sound of her comm coming back online interrupted the silence. “Commander-”

Relief flooded her at the sound of her pilot’s voice. “Joker? Is everyone ok?”

She could hear the sharp intake of breath through the comm. “We’re fine up here. The Reaper was more interested in you.”

“Or Leviathan.” Kaidan said from somewhere behind her.

“Yeah, or that.” Joker continued on, his words tumbling out in a rush. “EDI says the pulse came from below the surface. The only way you’re leaving that planet is-”

“By going down.” Aurora sighed, knowing that was the most likely case, but hoping against all hope that it wasn’t.

“There’s a joke somewhere in there.” 

“Jeff-”

“Shepard.” EDI’s synthesized voice cut in. The scolding would have to wait it seemed. “I detect an energy signature below the surface. I believe it may be Leviathan.”

“Great.”

~~~~

It wasn’t her fault.

He knew that. If Shepard had known how far down she had to go to reach Leviathan, she might’ve done something different. Or found a way to take her backup. But she’d been out of contact for longer than any of them had liked and had passed out the moment the diving suit had opened. Kaidan assured him that she was stable and more importantly, alive, but he wouldn’t believe it until he saw her with his own two eyes, touched her with his hands.

He was pacing when the shuttle flew in. Whatever Leviathan was, it had taken out the Reaper in orbit so Jeff had left EDI at the helm and went to wait for Shepard and the team to return.

Jeff, it wasn’t her fault.

Chakwas was waiting with him, medkit in hand should it be needed. She was watching him with silent eyes as he walked, limped, back and forth, trying to calm the rage that pounded beneath his ribs. He was so angry with Shepard, but under that was the fear… the terror that the oceans would swallow her.

The shuttle touched down in the bay moments later, doors opening to reveal the bright lights inside.

The fury burst from him before he could stop it, not even paying attention to who was exiting. “What the hell were you thinking? You could’ve been killed!”

Aurora stepped from the shuttle, leaning heavily on Kaidan as she did so. Blood dripped from her nose and she wiped it away. He could see a bruise darkening on her cheek, from what, he had no idea. At the sight of her, alive but bloodied, Jeff felt his legs give out from under him. Chakwas barely got her arms around him before he hit the ground.

Aurora stumbled towards him, pushing Kaidan away, taking a few steps only to fall to the ground in front of him. She pulled the armored gloves from her hands and threw them to the side, her hands shaking as they reached out for him. He was exhausted and when his gaze found Aurora’s, he could see the same exhaustion there. Hers was mostly physical, sure, but he could see the haunted look in her eyes.

“Jeff-”

“Don’t do that again.” He almost choked on the words. “I can’t watch you die again, Aurora.”

Her expression crumbled at how broken he sounded and she pulled herself closer, hand held out in front of her, a question as it floated there. Joker reached out and entwined his fingers with hers, feeling the crushing weight in his chest lighten enough that he could breathe without pain.

His fingers were pressed against her mouth, the kiss along his knuckles twisting at his heart. She wouldn’t promise that, he knew she couldn’t. 

If the war didn’t kill them both, then his heart would end up doing him in.

#my writing #all-truths-wait-in-all-things #shoker #femshep x joker #jeff joker moreau #aurora shepard #femshep #mass effect #mass effect fanfic #fanfiction #otp: i'll follow you into hell #edi #kaidan alenko #judy ‘vic’ sabovic #steve cortez #aurora x joker

[variousqueerthings]

SOOOooooo Time Of Angels/Flesh And Stone

these episodes are great set-pieces with a lot of fun twists and turns, such as the Angel coming out of the screen, and the gun from the trailer being used not in violence but to save them with the gravity, and the trees in the ship, good fun, good fun

of course it also completely obliterates a bunch of its own Angel concepts by showing them moving, and by undoing the idea that if they see each other, they are trapped forever

and then there is The Problem Of River Song. I really think I should listen to some of her audio dramas where she's not hanging out with the Doctor, because my goodness... anyway all in the Score!

a criteria will be rated 0-10, with 10 being best score:

sexism rank objectification (female character is ogled/harassed/turned into a sex joke by the doctor and/or a lead we’re supposed to root for and/or the camera): 5/10

sexism rank plot-point (lead female character is only there to serve plot, not to have her emotional interiority explored): 7/10

interesting complex or pointlessly complex (does the complexity serve the narrative or does it just serve to be confusing as a stand-in for smart, this includes visually): 7/10

furthers character and/or lore and/or plot development (broader question that ties into the previous ones, at least two of these, ideally three should be fulfilled): 7/10

companion matters (the companion doesn’t always have to be there, but if the companion is there, can they function without the doctor– and overall per season how often is the companion the focus or POV of the story): 6/10

the doctor is more than just “godlike” (examines the doctor’s flaws and limitations, doesn’t solve a plot by having it revolve entirely around the doctor’s existence): 7/10

doesn’t look down on previous doctor who (by erasing or mocking its importance, by redoing and “bettering” previous beloved plotpoints or characters, etc.): 6/10

isn't trying to insert hamfisted sexiness (m*ffat famously talked a lot about how dw should be sexier multiple times, he sucks at writing it): 2/10

internal world has consistency (characters have backgrounds, feel rooted in a place with other people, generally feel like they have Lives): 7/10

Politics (how conservative is the story): 7/10

FULL RATING: 61/100 (if I can count….)

I do think this is the first episode to showcase Karen Gillen's potential, and I think it's also the episode to show that she's not... quite as good as some previous leads on this show. she just doesn't emote very well. her fear in both the first episode when she sees the Angel to her terror when she's told there's an Angel in her eye is barely anything -- I don't know if this is Karen Gillen (who I thought did very well in M*rvel!) or a direction problem (my favourite Karen Gillen moment was early in the first episode, when she squeaked excitedly about going on the planet surface, which was very cute)

if I were prone to blaming everything on M*ffat, I'd say that he talked about how he cast Gillen because she was hot. so how does that map onto having Amy Pond be a rounded character? some actresses have risen above this kind of casting in the past, but it's an extra hurdle for sure, and one that I don't think Karen Gillen at this point could do much against, especially considering the episodes don't let the character properly have a feeling about being abandoned for 14 years (she will later on in the show, I remember, but right now nada)

on the flipside, the Doctor babbling for 30 seconds to land on "there's an Angel in her eye" and then grabbing his mouth in shock, is one of my favourite eleven moments generally!

OBJECTIFICATION: OKAY. okayokay. okay. like. Amy is wearing her third miniskirt of the season, because Amy wears them as a Choice (because she's not a character I guess, she has agency, it's nothing to do with Karen Gillen's legs), and River Song is introduced in heels and a sexy dress, because she's a sexually liberated woman, but actually one we get past that it's not so bad. River Song is actually wearing very practical clothes of the same shape and make as the army dudes

the real issue is going to come in the sexiness bracket, so it's hard to say where the objectification ends and the "sexiness" begins...

PLOT-POINT: Amy is all-emotion arguably, while River furthers a lot of plot, and gets some backstory. the frustrating thing is that Amy is still oddly... distant from her own history with the Doctor

he leaves her again, and then asks her to walk with her eyes closed through a forest of Angels. the Doctor tells her to shut up, yells at her, and she's very helpless and while this is technically compelling, Amy doesn't... have much of a reaction to it. to much of any of it. the music is doing the emotional heavy-lifting here more than the writing

BUT all in all, both Amy and River get some interesting stuff to read into!

COMPLEXITY: It’s a good plot, the crashed ship, the running, the forest full of angels, and I think it works because fundamentally it's not actually that complex at all. it's got a fair few set-pieces and plot points happening, so it's good that the central plot is essentially "get away from Angels before they catch us."

and it all comes back to the gravity of the ship several times, fun set-up and payoff

CHARACTERS/LORE/PLOT: so technically there's a lot happening here -- the crack in the wall, the Angels, River Song, the Doctor putting Amy in a precarious situation...

I'm not sure that it all comes together completely, the weak point is... Amy and the Doctor, to me. and there's a lot of quite subjective feelings within that, especially related to casting and writing of their relationship. oh dear that ending.... and the "it's all about you" as a symptom of things to come

and of course the Angels are kind of... cool and then a bit eh (but not as much as they're going to be)

"The Pandorica opens" is mentioned again and it's kind of cool

knowing that River knows that Amy is her mother... I am not sure that this was established as plot yet or not or if Alex Kingston knew, but watching it that way is interesting (even if I'm not a fan of it)

"Time can be rewritten" I remember that from Ten...

COMPANIONS MATTER: Amy is kind of damseling. she damsels. that's her role. Damseling sometimes is not a crime, but anyway. she does what the Doctor says (as a symptom of writing to come)

and the "if I always told you the truth, I wouldn't need you to trust me," as a symptom of writing to come..... the Doctor used to trust Companions -- generally the power imbalance between the Doctor and Amy, where she has to blindly trust someone she barely knows who has abandoned her several times... unclear if this belongs in this bracket or the sexism plot-point one, but it certainly belongs somewhere, because it's not really a thing that I believe is done on purpose... it's because the Doctor is so Interesting, and Amy is right to hang onto his every word, even when the Doctor hasn't earned it

I note also the "oh she's good," thing which River says about Amy this time, and Churchill said in the last episode, and is another symptom. lot of symptoms in this episode

“GODLIKE” DOCTOR: The Doctor says shut up a loooot in the second half of this one, and yells when frustrated, which I wasn't a fan of -- this isn't really "godlike" Doctor as such, but it very much is the "I'm so smart and you're so useless in this situation," Thing, which after Sherlock makes your eyes twitch...

but overall the Doctor is just a guy in a situation that they're trying to solve, same as everyone else

PREVIOUS DOCTOR WHO: soooo it's a couple of smallish? things, but it's part of the River Song problem as a whole, which is that she knows so much more and is much better at things than everyone else, because she knows the Doctor and the future etcetc. and she's more important than all past companions and emotional connections the Doctor has had

so you've got these bits early on - River tells the Doctor how to steer the Tardis using the "blue stabilisers" which stabilise the Tardis. rather than what was established end s4, which was that the Tardis needs more than one pilot, it's just that the Doctor never... stabilises it

And then she lands the Tardis and it doesn't make the familiar sound, and she says, “it’s not supposed to make that noise, you leave the brakes on." sigh. fuck the beloved noise I guess, it's just a stupid thing that the Doctor could change at any time

“SEXINESS”: And Now! To the Crux!

HOW MANY ONE LINERS CAN YOU FIT INTO AN EPISODE??? I wrote this when watching the first 4 minutes:

Sexy shoes

Sexy lipstick

Hello sweetie

Sexy wink

Amy doing a sexy “it’s how you keep score”

Sexy speech pattern

Sexy innuendo

then I had the: “he thinks he’s so hot when he does that” and “ooh, you sonicked her"

and ends on a handcuffs joke

poor River Song, there's this moment when the Cleric has threatened to tell the Doctor about her Past, and then later she makes a joke, and the guy does and the way her face twists!! Kingston is a good actress!!

and then for Amy there is... the ending......

INTERNAL WORLD: it's not really too important for this episode, but it all works

POLITICS: also not so important for this one, but there's nothing egregious going on in it

One thing I've noted that I'm not sure where to put is that at this point in proceedings lives still tend to matter -- some people die in various episodes and it's a tragedy. I don't know if this is politics, or Godlike Doctor or Companions matter, but it's a good thing overall

FULL RATING: 61/100 (if I can count….)

I'm surprised this has a lower rating than the beast below, it's overall a stronger (double) episode. Perhaps it's that several pieces are coming together (for example Amy not having opinions on her relationship with the Doctor rankles more now than previously), perhaps it's that I'm harsher now than then

overall it has a fair few high rankings through being relatively inoffensive, with lower points being granted because of how River Song affects the structure of Doctor Who as a whole, and because I need Amy to feel some kinda way. and the longer it takes without that, the more it becomes obvious

the high notes of the episode are the plot itself and that Amy and River balance a certain amount of Doing Plot to Things Happening To Them

Amy kissing the Doctor at the end is so... I mean it leads into Vampires of Venice, but really Amy is so... aggressive. and intense. and does not take in any cues. and it doesn't help that I know the deleted scene after this is even moreso Like That

#im watching eleven who #im watching dw #the measurement #flesh and stone #the time of angels

[brokehorrorfan]

Mute Witness will be released on 4K Ultra HD and Blu-ray on June 11 via Arrow Video. The 1995 horror-thriller features reversible artwork with the original poster and new art by Adam Rabalais.

Anthony Waller (An American Werewolf in Paris) writes and directs. Alec Guinness, Marina Zudina, Fay Ripley, Evan Richards, and Oleg Yankovsky star.

Mute Witness has been newly restored in 4K, approved by Waller, wih original lossless stereo audio. A double-sided poster and booklet are included.

Special features are listed below, where you can also see the full packaging.

Special features:

Audio commentary by writer-director Anthony Waller (new)

Audio commentary by production designer Matthias Kammermeier and composer Wilbert Hirsch (new)

The Silent Death - Visual essay by film historian Alexandra Heller-Nicholas on snuff films (new)

The Wizard Behind the Curtain - Visual essay by film historian Chris Alexander on the phenomenon of the film-within-a-film (new)

"Snuff Movie" Presentation - Produced to generate interest from investors and distributors, featuring interviews with Anthony Waller and members of the creative team

Location scouting footage

Original Alec Guinness footage, filmed a decade prior to the rest of Mute Witness

Teaser trailer

Trailer

Image gallery

Also included:

Double-sided fold-out poster

Booklet featuring new writing by Michelle Kisner

Billy Hughes (Marina Zudina) is a mute special effects artist working on a low budget American slasher movie being shot in Russia. Accidentally locked in the studio late one night, she stumbles upon two men shooting what appears to be a snuff film. Having borne witness to their victim’s final moments, Billy desperately flees – but this is only the start of a protracted night of terror, drawing her and her friends into a tangled web of intrigue, involving the KGB, the Moscow police… and a mysterious crime kingpin known as The Reaper.

Pre-order Mute Witness.

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