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moonflowerlesbians · 3 years

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count your blessings instead of sheep

Hello, friends! Back in November, I decided to partake in my first fandom Secret Santa exchange. I’m not much of an artist, so I opted for the holiday-themed fic route, and this one-shot was born. So, @satelitesprite I hope you enjoy, and Merry Christmas! Thank you so much to @damiesecretsanta for organizing.

Read this work on AO3.

Title: count your blessings instead of sheep, Rated T, Word Count: 4763

Summary: In which Dani takes Jamie's White Christmas comment a bit too seriously. (But Jamie's absolutely not complaining.)

~~~

One day at a time, they’d said. Jamie had looked at her so earnestly, spoken with such conviction, as if by sheer force of will she would bend the world, stacked so vehemently against them, to her whims. And, Dani supposes, she may as well have succeeded. They’re still here, after all. Still together. Still alive.

Jamie had said something else, too, that same day. A confession she’d admitted almost shamefully. A film about honoring memories and protecting what matters. A sight she’d like to see.

Dani gets to thinking, planning, scheming, if one could call it that. She makes a silent promise, to Jamie and then herself.

If they make it until December, Vermont is as good a place to spend the holidays as anywhere, she thinks.

Dani can’t seem to stop moving. The cuticle on her thumb is raw and bitten; her legs, one crossed over the other, bounce, bumping the tray table in front of her on occasion and nearly sending her drink toppling into her lap. She all but leaps out of her seat when Jamie places a hand on her knee.

“Easy, there,” Jamie raises an eyebrow. “Tremble any more and you’ll disrupt radio frequencies.”

It’s a weak attempt at humor, but Dani appreciates it nonetheless. The little notebook in her breast pocket burns a hole in her blouse, stuffed full of ideas and anticipatory hope.

“Might be able to help if you told me where we’re headed.”

She’s been trying for weeks to nose her way into Dani’s plans, to glean some inkling of direction since Dani first hinted, one quiet evening in early November, that maybe thinking about Christmas isn’t such a bad idea.

“Yeah?” Jamie had said, soft, not quite believing. The future, their future, had been a taboo topic, danced around like an active bomb.

“Yeah,” Dani confirmed, “trust me?”

“‘Course.”

Then it had been library visits and guidebooks and scribbling telephone numbers on lined pages and Jamie-don’t-you-dare-open-that-box.

Dani rocks with the gentle movement of the train beneath her as it rounds a bend in the tracks.

“Whatever happened to the fun of not knowing?” Dani tries for a tease but falls somewhere just short of playground wedding jitters. A little confused and perhaps regretting her choices. She clears her throat. “I just,” she sighs, “I want you to have a good time.”

Jamie scoffs. “Ah, well, you know how difficult I am to please. Such high standards and all.” She gestures to the tray table between them, littered with snack-sized pretzel packets and a can of seltzer to share.

Dani rolls her eyes. “The picture of refinement.” Jamie pops her shirt collar with a huff and a wry smile that earn her a playful kick to the shin, and she pouts. “Still not telling you.”

Jamie retracts her lower lip, her ploy failed. “Should’ve known I wouldn’t get you to crack on the last day. A steel trap, you are.”

Dani snorts at the obvious exaggeration. They both know just a lingering stare from Jamie has her weak at the knees.

She can’t say she’s complaining.

On the subject of their trip, though, she has managed to keep impressively silent, offering only such vague clues as, “Thoughts on the desert?” and “D’you suppose four thousand is too much if it’s a room with a balcony?” At latter of which, Jamie had gone slightly pale, but she had declared, albeit shakily, something along the lines of, “whatever makes you happy,” as she blanched.

And, oh, how Dani had loved her for it.

As the temperate trees outside their window turn to evergreens and the cold trickles in from the mountains, it becomes abundantly clear that Dani has not brought them to the desert. Just one more stop until theirs, and Dani can’t help the flash of worry that streaks through her like lightning.

She’s a perfectionist by nature. Or, at least, she was. Likes her ducks in a row, likes her trains on time and her schedules stuck to. These past months have been agony, each day a guessing game, no way to be sure what will come next. She understands the necessity, has tried to embrace it, even, but when the opportunity presented itself for her to plan something concrete, she leapt at it.

Jamie had stepped back, understanding how badly Dani needed this. A part of her, she told Dani, late in the night, wrapped in blankets and sweet embraces, was simply glad Dani could bear to think of the future, even short term.

When they left Bly, Dani would not allow herself to entertain the thought of next week, much less next year. But, as time slid past with no sign of her co-inhabitant, she relaxed, millimeter by millimeter, drop by drop, the tension slipped from her body. The paranoia, the jolt of terror upon rounding a corner, looking into a mirror, faded gradually each time she saw only herself, one eye brown, one blue.

Each day with Jamie pervaded her idea of “normal” until that is what their life became. Normal. Waking up together, seeking out breakfast, exchanging quips before setting about their adventure of the day felt...normal. A remarkable concept for the woman whose notion of normal shattered with a pair of glasses.

She sits across from the woman she thinks of as her best friend and marvels at how different her life was, even just a year ago, when the sentiment of a Christmas with someone she loves was unfathomable. She can only hope Jamie doesn’t hate it.

Jamie, who is folding the tray up and sweeping crumbs into her palm to dispose of, only to realize she has nowhere to put them. She looks around for a moment, mumbles a shit to herself, and stands to toss them in the bin in the restroom, while Dani watches affectionately.

“What?” Jamie says, when she returns, gathering her things.

“Didn’t think that one all the way through, did you?” Dani says, a little smug. It’s not really a question.

“You said one more stop, yeah? Thought we should be ready.”

“Eager?”

“You’re having a go at me,” she rags, “Been building this up for a month. Can’t blame a woman for being a wee bit curious.”

A conductor wanders past, loudly announcing the next stop.

“Vermont, eh?” Jamie wraps the strap of her bag around her hand once, twice. She’s nervous, too, Dani realizes. The unpredictability has taken a toll on her, as well. Jamie, who woke up at five-thirty like clockwork, who tended to the same plants on the same grounds with the same tools, who saw the same five people each day. She likes routine, just as Dani does.

Perhaps, should they make it to the new year, it’s time to find a place to plant themselves. A place to call their own, if Jamie will have her. Somewhere to land. The thought sends a thrill through her.

Dani nods. “Trust me?”

Jamie studies her. “Always.”

Dani collects her belongings from the overhead as the train slows to a creaking stop at the platform. They appear to be the only two disembarking. Unsurprising, really. From Dani’s research, the town’s population is in the low thousands. The station, a one-story, low building, is rustic, all exposed wood and lantern lighting fixtures.

“Clayton?” An older man calls as they step off the train. He leans against the hood of a town car emblazoned with the logo of his proprietor.

Holiday Inn, Est. 1942

“That’s me,” Dani chirps, meeting him halfway from the tracks, where he takes the bags from her arms with an amiable nod. Jamie follows him to the trunk -- boot, as she insists it’s called -- and drops her rucksack next to Dani’s, while Dani, herself, opens the door with a grand flourish. “M’lady.”

Jamie sends the driver a sidelong glance, but he slides into the front seat without a word. She accepts Dani’s invitation and turns to her once they settle a respectable distance apart on the back bench. The driver, Wallace, as he introduces himself, turns the key in the ignition.

“So, the Holiday Inn?” Jamie prods. “Wasn’t aware the big hotels did shuttle services now.”

“Not a hotel,” Dani corrects.

“No?”

“An inn.”

“Ah, thanks, love, that clears it right up,” Jamie deadpans, but there’s no bite to her words.

“Hold your horses,” Dani placates, “You’ll see soon enough.”

“Can’t feel my bloody hands, been holding these damn horses so long.”

Dani swats her across the stomach. “Quiet, you.”

“Oi, ‘s no way to start a holiday, is it?”

“So, what brings you across the pond?” Wallace cuts in, the car rounding a bend on its climb up the mountain. “We don’t get many Brits around here.”

Jamie looks to Dani, a smirk curling upon her lips. “Not entirely sure, actually. You want to take this one, Poppins?”

“She hasn’t been stateside since we were kids,” Dani supplies. “I thought it might be a nice change of pace to spend the holidays with my cousin since it’s been so long.” Then, muttering to only Jamie, “She’s more sarcastic than I remember.”

“Oh, that’s lovely. You know, I haven’t been overseas since the war. Can’t bring myself to fly these days.” He continues to regale them with stories of his time in France, and they allow his tales to fill the silence for the duration of the ride, Dani offering polite interjections wherever appropriate. This is, in part, a way to keep Jamie from asking questions and spoiling the surprise mere moments from its fulfillment.

They turn onto a narrow road lined with towering fir trees. Undisturbed snow from a recent bout of winter weather bows the branches. Jamie watches out the window, transfixed by the changing landscape. Dani cannot see her face.

“Here we are,” Wallace says, with a note of pride. “She needs a little work, but she’s home.”

A house comes into sight as the car crests a hill, a three-story colonial with a broad front porch and white trim. Rocking chairs perch near the railings, and pale blue shutters frame tall windows. An old barn stands a little ways down, weather-worn, but charming.

Dani hears a quick inhalation from beside her. Jamie’s gaze is fixed straight ahead. Dani’s stomach flips.

Their car pulls up in front of the lodge, and Wallace grabs their bags from the rear.

“We’ll be just a sec,” Dani says.

Jamie’s back is to her as she turns in a slow circle, absorbing the scenery, until her eyes come to rest on Dani, who fidgets with the nail on her index finger.

“So,” she begins, “I, um, I know we said we’d take it slow. But, you said snow could be nice, and you’ve done so much for me, and I just wanted to give you this one thing, but I get it if it’s too much or too cold. I just thought, you know, it might be nice since you said you saw White Christmas as a kid that one time, and I know it was probably a joke, but--”

“Dani,” Jamie interrupts, with a saccharine laugh and the most gentle smile, “love, not to interrupt what was shaping up to be quite the eloquent speech, but this,” she gestures at the picturesque cabin and the trees and the mountainside, “this, you didn’t have to do all of this.” She looks around hesitantly, then takes one of Dani’s hands in her own. “I almost forgot I mentioned that story, but, apparently, you didn’t.”

Dani grins sheepishly.

“Don’t get me wrong,” Jamie assures, “this is stunning. Everything I could’ve imagined. But, and I’m sure I’m starting to sound like a broken record, I would be just as happy spending Christmas in a shack under a bridge, so long as I’m sharing that shack with you.”

“I’d like to think this is at least a few steps up from a shack.”

“Oh, it most certainly is. Can’t say I’m mad about it, either. Quite fond of being warm, you know.”

“Speaking of,” Dani segues, “inside?”

“Please.”

Dani drops her hand and leads Jamie up the porch steps, the old wood groaning underfoot.

“Dani Clayton?” A portly woman steps out from behind a counter.

“Present,” Dani says brightly.

“Anne,” the woman replies merrily, “I believe we spoke on the phone. Welcome, the both of you, to the Holiday Inn. Such a pleasure to host this little family reunion.”

Jamie appears perplexed for only a moment. “Jamie,” she greets, accepting the proffered handshake, “lovely to meet you.”

“Right, well, your room is up the stairs to the right, third door in.” Anne smooths her apron and passes Dani a key. “Wallace, my husband, should’ve dropped off any luggage, and please join us and the other guests for Christmas Eve dinner tonight, won’t you?”

“We’ll be there,” Dani promises.

“So, cousins, then?” Jamie prompts once Dani has inserted the key into their lock.

“I figured it was the easiest way to get around two women sleeping in the same room,” Dani says apologetically. “Family bonding, and all.”

“S’pose sisters wouldn’t have made sense with the accent.”

“We look nothing alike.” Dani shuts the door behind them. “Wouldn’t have been believable.” She flops unceremoniously onto one of the two double beds. The pale pink quilt wrinkles as Jamie sits, leaning back against the oak headboard. The windows are shut, but the off-white, lavender-printed curtains sway in an unfelt breeze, and a small fire crackles in the brick hearth. The sun is just beginning to set over the treetops, casting the room in a golden haze.

“‘S nice here,” Jamie remarks. “Feels familiar.”

“I, um, I may have picked this place because it looks like the one in the movie. Had them fax me images of the rooms to find one--”

“That looks like the one Betty and Judy shared in White Christmas,” Jamie finishes, noting the white doors and gleaming brass knobs.

“And, the inn, too. I tried to find out if we could go to the real one where they filmed, but turns out it was a set on a soundstage in California.”

“You mean to tell me the painted backdrops were just,” she gasps for dramatic effect, causing Dani to laugh, “painted backdrops?”

Dani groans. “In hindsight, it should’ve been more obvious, but at least I tried?”

“And an admirable effort it was,” Jamie chuckles, tugging Dani’s sleeve until she moves up the bed to lay her head on Jamie’s shoulder. “Looks just like the real thing, right down to my very own Judy.” She presses a kiss to the top of Dani’s head.

“Mm, I think you might just have a thing for blondes in turtlenecks.”

“Seven-year-old Jamie might’ve been a wee bit taken with Vera-Ellen,” Jamie shrugs. “Who’s to say?” She continues, “Not a lot of pretty blondes for me to fall for back in those days.”

“Oh, well, as long as she’s pretty,” Dani teases.

“Happen to like my version much better, thank you. Terribly sorry, Vera, may you rest in peace; can’t hold a candle to Dani Clayton.”

“It’s because I made one of your childhood dreams come true, isn’t it.”

“Hm,” Jamie muses, “proud of that one, are you?”

“Just a little.”

“It’s wonderful, love,” Jamie speaks softly, raking easy fingers through Dani’s hair. “Promise.” A pause. Her hand freezes for a moment, then resumes its steady path. “No one…ah, no one’s done anything like this for me before.”

Jamie’s life thus far has been far from perfect, as Dani knows from the pieces Jamie has shared. Bouncing from home to home as a child and landing in with the wrong crowd. A life in which stability and consistency did not exist, in which Jamie came to learn that companionship--love--is conditional and hinges upon her ability to provide. At the first sign that she could not be serviceable, in some way or another, she was cast aside.

She learned to work with her hands. Plants cannot reject you, after all, and there are always cracks to be patched, leaky faucets to be repaired. To some, the work might feel tedious, but to Jamie, the monotony feels safe, providing her a sense of immutability in an otherwise turbulent life.

And, as Jamie tells it, three years into her residence at Bly, a goddamn American started traipsing about the garden, and everything went to shit.

More or less.

Dani thoroughly wraps herself around Jamie’s middle, eliminating any space that existed between them. Words fail her, but she hopes her message resonates all the same.

Things are different, now.

***

When they eventually untangle themselves, it’s in favor of washing away the grime of travel with a hot shower. Dani unpacks as Jamie steps under the spray, rejecting the proposal to join, on account of one of them should make sure they’re on time for dinner.

They’re still almost late, though, neither realizing that the barn they’d seen that afternoon doubled as the formal dining room, and they stumble in just in time to settle at a small table in the back of the packed hall.

“Didn’t realize this was dinner and a show,” Jamie comments, observing the raised platform at the front of the room.

“So, there may have been another reason I picked this place,” Dani explains in a whisper, so as not to irk the other patrons seated nearby. “They have this Christmas Eve tradition I read about in one of the travel books and--”

Music echoes through the space from a small pit orchestra set up to the side, and a spotlight illuminates the stage, where two figures are hidden by pale blue fans.

“They may, or may not,” Dani winces, face screwing up into a weak grimace, “kind of, invite local performance groups to do songs from the movie?” She bites her lip, peering at Jamie through one eye.

Jamie, for her part, appears equal parts enthralled and perturbed. “Gotta hand it to you, Poppins,” she says, mouth slightly agape, “You know how to keep to a theme.”

Dani likes to think she hadn’t been chair of the prom committee in high school for nothing. “I really hope you don’t absolutely hate this movie, or this will be a very awkward dinner.”

“Wasn’t one of my favorites,” Jamie admits, leaning in, “but it certainly is now.” Under the cover of the tablecloth, she grips Dani’s hand and gives a discrete squeeze, Dani relaxing at her touch. “It’s very sweet,” Jamie murmurs, amused. The silver chain resting around her neck reflects the stage light as she turns her head. The number draws to a close, met with enthusiastic whooping from the jovially intoxicated crowd.

A server delivers two plates, starter salads, to their table, jotting down polite requests for main courses and alcoholic beverages.

By the finale number, Dani is warm and a bit wine-drunk. Her chair has migrated, over the course of the evening, to perch mere inches from Jamie’s. The gardener’s fingers move with the melody, eyes closed, an easy smile on her lips. She hums under her breath to match the vocalist crooning into the microphone. Dani commits the sight to memory. Jamie, here, draped in flickering shadows, untroubled by good intentions, chores that ought to be done, single-sided debts to be paid to no one and everyone. She is utterly beautiful. And Dani is utterly smitten.

Perhaps it is the wine. Perhaps it is the security provided conveniently by the position of their tucked-away table. Dani parts the tablecloth and traces down Jamie’s slender wrist, their fingers slotting together like a key in a lock. She presses the briefest of kisses to Jamie’s shoulder. Jamie’s thumb runs over Dani’s knuckle.

The antique oil lamps lining the walls glimmer warmly, and the final verse of the reimagined Irving Berlin classic fades into applause.

It is snowing lightly when they wander back to the main building and into their room, faces flushed from the chill. Dani giggles, squirming away from Jamie pushing a cold nose into her neck. Jamie chases her, pins her to the door with a sound kiss. Dani cups the nape of her neck, holding her close. The flurries melted into her hair are cool against Dani’s palm.

“Good night?” Dani asks, pressing their foreheads together.

“Mm,” Jamie puffs against her lips, nuzzling closer “was perfectly splendid.”

“Was it, now?” Dani ribs coyly.

Jamie pulls back just far enough to meet a pair of heterochromatic eyes. “Dani,” her voice is insistent, sincere, “thank you.”

Dani feels herself blush under the intensity of Jamie’s stare.

“I mean it.” Jamie’s index finger curls pointedly under Dani’s chin, tilting her head up, and something pulls low in Dani’s gut. “Thank you.”

Her lips are soft, pliant beneath Dani’s, speaking volumes in the silence. The snow continues to fall outside, blanketing the earth in mysticism the way only a new snow can. In here, though, the air burns.

They break apart at their lungs’ insistence, chests heaving in unison, but they do not stray far, choosing instead to stay, wrapped up in each other, neither willing to allow the moment to pass. Jamie smells faintly of smoke and the inn’s shampoo. Her sweater stretches slightly in Dani’s insistent hands.

“Don’t suppose you’ve got any mince pie and whiskey stashed away?” Jamie nods to the fireplace, lips kiss-swollen and hair mussed.

Dani pauses, a little taken aback, and feeling a bit like someone’s just doused her in icy water. “Do I have...what?”

“Have you got any mince pie and whiskey?”

A flash of panic shoots through her, and she runs through a mental checklist. Is there something she missed? Something Jamie had said?

“Um, should I?”

“What else are you supposed to leave Father Christmas?”

“Milk and cookies?”

“Milk and cookies,” Jamie scoffs in a poor imitation of Dani’s Midwestern accent, “how’s that going to keep a person going all night? Blimey, man’s got to travel ‘round the world, you know.”

“Blimey, must’ve left them in my other suitcase,” Dani laments, outlining the fair curve of Jamie’s collarbone, enjoying the feel of her smooth skin.

“A real shame.” Jamie’s exhale is a note heavier.

Dani hums, “Bet I can make up for it.”

Jamie’s brows rise. “Oh, can you, now?”

“Mhm,” Dani affirms, with a sigh. Before she can go any further, though, her face splits into a yawn, and any semblance of seduction is instantly dashed.

Jamie laughs, stepping away and checking the grandfather clock that stands in the corner of the room. “Half eleven. Ought to get you to bed.” She leans in, with a wink, “Santa won’t come if you’re not asleep.”

“Oh, come on,” Dani says reproachfully, rolling her eyes in a manner not dissimilar to chiding Owen’s god-awful puns. She tugs Jamie toward the wardrobe.

They slip between the sheets a short while later, lying close in the double bed, a perfect mess of legs and arms and contentment.

“‘S after midnight,” Jamie whispers, long after Dani thought her breathing had evened out. “Happy Christmas, love.”

Dani’s heart swells. “Merry Christmas, Jamie.”

***

Pale sunlight filters through the sheer curtains, coating the wallpaper in a serene glow. It’s rather poetic, Dani thinks, the way the light falls across Jamie’s sleeping face, highlighting the graceful tilt of her cheekbones, the button of her nose. Jamie looks ethereal in the morning, something Dani cannot truthfully claim about herself.

She traces the high arch of Jamie’s brow with her thumb, and the woman’s eyes flutter open. She blinks, adjusting to the feeling of being awake, until her gaze settles upon Dani, propped up on her elbow.

“G’morning, sleepyhead,” Dani coos.

“Been up long?” Jamie asks, voice low and sleep-rough.

“Not long,” Dani replies. “Was getting hungry, though. Thought you might like to see what Santa brought you before breakfast.”

Jamie sits up slowly, a cheeky grin turning up the corners of her lips. “As though waking up next to you isn’t enough?”

“Sweet-talker,” Dani says, nudging her, “It’s small, I promise.” She rolls out of bed, grimacing when her bare feet make contact with chilly wood. She rummages through her backpack, the one Jamie knows not to investigate, and emerges with a small, rectangular package wrapped in brown paper. A red bow is stuck to the top, a little squished, but thankfully still intact. Dani crosses her legs on the bed.

“Now, hold on.” Jamie reaches for her rucksack, pulling out a newspaper-covered object. She sets it on the bed. If Dani didn’t know any better, she would think Jamie seems, almost, embarrassed. “Not much experience by way of gift-giving, I’m afraid.” She wrings her hands in her lap.

“Hey,” Dani soothes, “like you said. I’m happy just being with you, okay?”

Jamie gives her a small smile. She huffs, “Look at me, being all gloomy on Christmas morning. C’mon then, open it up.”

Dani picks at the newsprint, unfolding each section delicately, deliberately. As she peels away the final layer, in her hands, she holds a small camera and a few rolls of film. She looks to Jamie, who studies her carefully, gauging Dani’s reaction.

“Might be silly, but I thought, you know, all this traveling, might be nice to collect a few momentos. Have something to look back on a few years down the line.”

Years. Years. Years. Dani allows herself to imagine them, together, somewhere, anywhere, on a couch, years from now, turning the pages of a photo album.

Yes, she decides, years.

She must have some kind of expression on her face, because Jamie speaks. “Alright, there?” She says it casually, lightly, but underlying the words is a pool of worry. Worry that Jamie has overstepped, that she’s made a mistake, that Dani will cast her aside.

“Years,” Dani says. “Years,” she repeats, high-pitched and carefree. She captures Jamie’s lips in a kiss, a celebration of time gone by, a promise of time yet to come.

“Take it you like it, then?”

Yes, Dani wants to scream, God, yes. You’ve given me the future and there are not enough words in the world to explain how I feel about you.

She settles, instead, for inserting a roll of film and bringing the viewfinder to eye level, the lens pointed at Jamie, who still wears a small smile. She is illuminated by a halo of sunlight, catching wayward hairs in its rays. The shutter clicks, and it’s loud in the stillness of the morning.

At the confused tilt of Jamie’s head, Dani attempts to clarify. “I wanted,” she explains, sounding only a little strangled, “the first memory to be of you, and me, here. In this moment.” She sighs, “Just us.”

Jamie’s face softens as she understands. Her hand snakes around Dani’s head, and she pulls her close, pressing a kiss to her forehead.

“Alright, your turn,” Dani decrees, when they separate, and Jamie accepts the offered gift. “Not as exciting as a camera, but I hope you like it.”

“Poppins,” Jamie breathes, staring at the unwrapped item on the bed as if afraid to touch it, “it’s beautiful.”

Dani had found the journal at a craft fair they visited in Chicago. The man said he’d been working with leather for twenty years. The book is bound in green leather, with shimmering gold trim around its border. On the front cover, a leaf, also covered in thin gold foil, is stamped into the material. Dani had been immediately drawn to it.

“I think we had similar ideas,” Dani jokes. “I thought, since you’re always talking to yourself and coming up with new ideas, you might like a place to put everything in that brilliant brain of yours.”

“Feels like I’m saying this a lot lately,” Jamie chuckles, “but thank you, Dani. I love it.”

As if on cue, Dani’s stomach makes itself known, and she cringes.

“Right, how about breakfast?” Jamie inquires.

“I can wait,” Dani says, “The dining room closes at ten.” She glances at the clock. “We’ve got time.”

“For what?”

Jamie catches the mischievous glint in her eye. “Pretty sure I still have to atone for my grievous crime of depriving Santa of whiskey and mince pie. Unless, that is, you’ve decided to let me off the hook?” She gingerly places Jamie’s journal on the bedside table next to her camera.

“Oh, you, my dear,” Jamie all but purrs, punctuating each word with a kiss, “are still very much on the hook.”

***

Breakfast has all but ended by the time they make it downstairs.

Dani decides that cold pancakes have never tasted so good.

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hasquetzorkukudoneanythingwrong · 3 years

Text

Quetzal woman: the movie

(Pt. 1)

For ages, humanity depended upon the gods to provide, care for, and guide them. How the gods viewed humanity varied greatly. Some saw humans as pawns, and that their rightful place was under their boot. Other gods cared greatly for humanity, they found joy in helping them. Eventually tho, humanity gained independence from the gods. They developed technology and sciences that lead them to no longer have need for the gods. Many gods hated this, seeing this as the ultimate blasphemy. But others still, found joy in their newfound independence, tho were sorrowful at no longer being needed. Regardless of the feelings, it could not be avoided that the gods were no longer needed, and so the gods shut themselves away, as to not interfere. Even in times where humanity seemed to need their protection again, they would not interfere. Or atleast that's how it should've been...

The mesoamerican goddess, Quetzalcoatl, watched upon the humanity she cherished so much, as they marched onward without her. But in recent times, it seemed like they may have needed her guidance once again.

Quetz: ...humanity is not doing well. Starvation, war, the changing of the climate, corruption, and so on. Many humans have the resources to change it all singlehandedly, but choose not to in favor of hoarding said resources greedily. They need our guidance once more...

Then a mysterious voice spoke up, it was not clear who they were, but what was clear was that they were powerful. More so then even Quetzalcoatl.

Voice: we are not to interfere Quetzalcoatl. Even in their darkest moments, we are to no longer meddle their affairs.

Quetz: they clearly need it!

Voice: you said it yourself, they have the resources to help themselves. Even if those resources are currently in the hands of greedy and selfish individuals, things will eventually take a turn for the better. It has happened before and it shall happen again.

Quetz: I understand what you mean... I'd love for humanity to overcome this hurdle, and reach great new heights. But... they are currently lost. Even a nudge in the right direction would be enough.

Voice: interference is interference. No matter how small.

Quetz: *sigh*

As this went on, Quetzalcoatl noticed something specific in the tropics, near the Caribbean. A lone young man, on an isolated beach, was being attacked by creatures who should no longer have a place without the gods.

Quetz: look upon that island!

Voice: hmm?

The young man was being attacked by sirens. Horrid bird like beasts, that were long lost once the Greek pantheon was no longer needed by their people.

Voice: what!? Sirens?!

Quetz: that young man is being attacked by them! Now can I interfere?!

Voice: hmmm... fine. But this is only because it would seem the Greek pantheon is interfering in mortal affairs themselves. It was only a matter of time.

Quetz: yes!!

Voice: but before you go, make sure they longer interfere in mortal affairs! No matter how long it takes, but once it's done return to the heavens at once. You understand?

Quetz: of course!

Voice: then go! He doesn't have much time!

The the sun goddess left, and went to save the young man.

At the beach.

???: wtf are these things?! Some kind of bird monsters?!

Sirens: *horrendous screeching*

???: I should've brought backup, I'm fucked now since I'm alone!

Then suddenly, a large storm appeared overhead. Lightning struck and thunder roared!

???: wtf!?

Then a huge fireball flew from the clouds, striking the earth near the sirens. The impact left the beasts flying, even injuring them.

???: holy fuck...

The sirens weren't done yet, but they focused their attention on the impact sight instead.

Then, arising from the impact, was Quetzalcoatl.

???: woah... she's... beautiful...

The sirens immediately went to attack her, but were met with tremendous force. Powerful flame attacks, along with lightning and wind aswell. She was a force to be reckoned with.

After the beasts were taken care of, the goddess went over to the young man and offered her hand to get him off the ground.

Quetz: are you ok?

???: yeah... I am now. Are you... a goddess?

Quetz: si, actually. I am!

???: oh... wait! For real?!

Quetz: si! I am the goddess Quetzalcoatl!

???: well... if it wasn't for the lightshow and that monster beat down I wouldn't believe you... that was amazing...

Quetz: gracias! Now I've told you my name, what's yours?

???: oh! Right, my name's Rex! Nice to meet you... Quetzalcoatl...

Quetz: you can just say Quetz, and nice to meet you too Rex!

Rex: Quetz huh...?

Rex: wait a minute, if you're real then, how come we don't hear about you and the rest of the pantheon anymore?

Quetz: because humanity no longer needs gods. So we shut ourselves away. The only interaction anymore is once a human goes to the afterlife.

Rex: oh... I mean, I'm not one to question the choices of gods but... sometimes it feels like we could still use a bit of help...

Quetz: I agree actually, but we aren't supposed to interfere anymore. The only reason I can now, is because it seems others have decided to interfere themselves.

Rex: ah... explains the... birds.

Quetz: right, I need to find out whose involved and put a stop to it, then return.

Rex: oh... how do you plan on doing that?

Quetz: well... I planned to blend in with humanity for the most part, until I can find whoever is responsible.

Rex: oh! OK.

Quetz: um... but I'll need some help doing that... I don't exactly have access to normal human things...

Rex: I can lend a hand...

Quetz: oh really?! I mean, I don't want to impose.

Rex: I insist, you literally saved my life. And you're a literal goddess! It'd feel wrong not to help!

Quetz: gracias! That's so nice!

Rex: of course!

Eventually the two leave for Rex's current living space on the island.

Rex: make yourself at home! It's not much but it'll do...

Quetz: oh... it's not so bad.

Rex: gracias! So... any idea how you're going to start looking for whoever caused those... things to show up?

Quetz: well... the only surefire way is to look out for other signs of divinity. Creatures such as those are a pretty good sign. But I'm note sure where else they'll show up...

Rex: there's also the fact that you can't just bust in and kick their asses like that so easily. It was whatever last time because there were no witnesses other then me but... it'll be crazy to see a woman just... do those things!

Quetz: that's a good point... how do I handle that?

Rex wasn't sure, but then he looked over at a shelf of books nearby, and inspiration struck!

Rex: hold on

Quetz: ok...

Rex went over to the shelf and picked up a comic book, then showed it to the goddess.

Rex: you could be a superhero!

Quetz: eh...? Ques eso?

Rex: these heroes with amazing abilities and colorful costumes! They protect people for good and righteousness and such!

Quetz: oh! That'd be amazing! That's exactly why I'm here so it fits!

Rex: yeah! But we need to make a costume...

Quetz: hmmm...

Rex: oh! I know, back to our homeland! Kinda...

Quetz: eh?

Rex: it's been a while for you, but the people of Mexico have invented a new type of fighting style called lucha libre, it fits the superhero image perfectly! They wear masks, and perform bombastic moves that look like flight! It'd fit you perfectly!

Quetz: wow! That sounds increíble!

Rex: then let's make you a lucha hero!

After an extensive montage of gathering the materials, learning the moves, and practicing a bit, Quetzalcoatl was ready to be a lucha themed superhero! She wore a red leotard, with red boots and gloves, green cape, and a red and gold lucha mask!

Quetz: wow! With this, I feel like a new me!

She said this with much excitement as she floated off the ground.

Rex: I'll say! It's incredible!

She zipped towards Rex, grabbing him by the shoulders, with a grateful look on her face.

Quetz: thank you so much Rex! You've been a big help!

Then without thinking she kissed him as thanks. After she finished tho, she realized what she did and the two got embarrassed.

Quetz: ah... sorry about that...

Rex: no it's... fine... kinda nice actually.

Quetz: really? Well... gracias...

The two stood together awkwardly, before an emergency broadcast was heard on the radio!

Radio: emergency alert! Emergency alert! There seems to be a huge whirlpool in the middle of a highly trafficked fishing spot in the sea, and it appears a large monster is at the center!

Rex: looks like it's time for your debut!

Quetz: looks like it! Let's go!

Then Quetz picked Rex up, ready to take him to the location.

Rex: uh...

Then boom! They were gone!

Meanwhile, in a secret underwater base, a shady old man is discussing his plans with an unseen partner.

Old man: charybdis has been unleashed master, just as you requested.

Master?: excellent! These foolish humans have gone long enough without us gods. soon, with enough sacrifices, I'll regain my full power then they'll see!

Old man: and you shall grant me great power in return for assisting you, right master?

Master?: of course! I always make good on my promises! Just do not screw things up!

Old man: of course not! I am an unparalleled genius! I shall make no mistakes!

Master?: see to it that you don't! Or there will be consequences!

A/N: so! Finally the first part of the movie event rewrite! Took too long, and the event's long since over but here we are! Hopefully I'll finish it off in one more part, but I'm fine with 3 parts! Hope you guys like the story!

Tags

@hasspartacusdoneanythingwrong @haspaulbunyandoneanythingwrong @hasishtardoneanythingwrong @hasereshdoneanythingwrong @grievouslyxorvia @exmeowstic @renmeo @kazosaurus

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sb-sratss-obsession · 3 years

Text

SRaTSS Episode Transcript: Ep. 1 - Star Sheriff Round-up

This is a tentative transcription of the dialogues of the first episode of “Saber Rider and The Star Sheriffs”. If you spot mistakes feel free to warn me about it, I would love to make it perfect!

Episode: 1 - Star Sheriff Round-up

Transmitted: September 14, 1987

Japanese version: 1 - "The Space Adventurers" (宇宙の冒険野郎 ‘Uchū no bōken yarō’)

OPENING THEME

Saber Rider... Saber Rider, and the Star Sheriffs Saber Rider, and the Star Sheriffs, In the sky!

Can you feel the thunder inside? Saber Rider! Make the lightning crack as you ride! Saber Rider!

(guitar solo)

Saber Rider...

Saber Rider... Saber Rider, and the Star Sheriffs Saber Rider, and the Star Sheriffs, In the sky!

EP. 1

STAR SHERIFF ROUND-UP

by Marc Handler

Saber Rider: “It was not so long ago that we, Star Sheriffs, first assembled our Special Freedom Fighting Unit. We nicknamed him Ramrod, a peacekeeping vehicle shaped like a huge cowboy. We used him to protect the settlers out here on the New Frontier. We needed the Ramrod vehicle to help stop the lightning attacks of the Outrider bandits. They were evil creatures who crossed into our dimension and raided our Cavalry Outposts. They used battalions of Dimension Jumpers and Vapor Beings who moved freely from their world to ours. We thought that Ramrod was our only chance to stop them, but in the end it was not the Ramrod vehicle but the human Star Sheriffs themselves, who really made the difference. I should know, I'm their leader. I remember when it all began; my orders were to find Vanquo, an Outrider with ghostly eyes and a long pale face. I knew they were bounty hunters seeking him so I alerted the head of operation Ramrod, a very special operative named April. Her father was the leader of the Western Sector of Cavalry Command.

Commander Eagle: What's your report, April?

April: Bad news, daddy. We think the Outriders found out about Ramrod.

Commander Eagle: Ah! But how?

April: A spy named Vanquo. I'll have to go to Planet Yuma at once.

Commander Eagle: Good luck, April.

Saber Rider: “April arrived on planet Yuma at the same time I did. Neither of us realized that we had come in the middle of their most celebrated auto race, the Yuma Grand Prix. A young driver nicknamed Fireball was leading the way in his Red Fury Racer.”

Fireball: The biggest race on planet Yuma and it’s in the bag. The other cars are so far behind I get close to the finish line smooth as a supercharged skateboard. Hey, what's that shadow? That fool! What's he doing? He's coming back around! And he set straight at me! Oh! Ah!

Colt: He's not the one I’m after.

Fireball: What’s the matter with you? You crazy?

Colt: Sorry, pardner. Afraid I got you mixed up with somebody else.

Fireball: Oh-oh. Here come the other turbochargers.

Colt: So, Vanquo sent me off on a wild goose chase. Well, that Outrider just double-crossed the wrong fella. There's a price on his head and the reward is gonna be mine.

Fireball: I had this race iced. Now I’m gonna have to fight for it.

Speaker: Ladies and gentlemen, we can see two turbochargers approaching the finish line and they’re neck and neck. Here he comes, ladies and gentlemen. He’s done it! In 23:18, a new speed record for the Red Fury Racer! What an incredible race! The crowd is going wild for Fireball, the youngest champion of all times!

Fireball: Oh, yeah, thanks!

Guy: Look out! Get those bandits!

Woman: No, stop!

Airport guard: Hold your fire!

Man: What a shoot!

Man: Get him!

Woman: They saved my little girl!

Man: But who did the fancy shooting?

Woman: It could only be one person.

Man: It has to be the legendary…

Everyone: Saber Rider!

Saber Rider: If you would be so kind, please give him a lube job. Oh, and a lump of sugar. I'd like a suite, please, overlooking the lobby if possible.

Desk Clerk: Sorry, all our rooms are full. Lots of people here to see the race, you know.

Saber Rider: Race? What race?

Desk Clerk: Why, the Grand Prix, of course. There's the winner right now.

Fireball: Hey, thank you. Thanks a lot!

Saber Rider: Where is he staying?

Desk Clerk: Way up on the 25th floor. Quite the guy, huh?

Man: Hey, Fireball, can I get your picture?

Woman: He's giving away his wreath!

Saber Rider: I’m afraid I must take his room. My mission here is urgent!

Desk Clerk: But he's got a reservation, I can't give his room away!

Fireball: Excuse me, can I have my key, please?

Desk clerk: Of course, Mr. Fireball, your room is all ready… and congratulations!

Saber Rider: Hold it right there. I'm afraid I must have this key.

Fireball: Huh? Hey, what's your trip?

Saber Rider: I'm on a mission of utmost importance!

Fireball: What? That's your problem, bud!

Saber Rider: I'm afraid it's your problem now. Let go of this key.

Fireball: Ah!

Saber Rider: Eh?

Fireball: Give me back that key!

Colt: No dice, kemosabe.

Fireball: Hey, I know who you are! You're that cowboy who almost made me lose the race!

Colt: Sorry about that, dude, but I'm on a big hunt, savvy?

Fireball: You wanna hunt? Try the jungle, savvy? And don't bother coming back.

Colt: Afraid I'm not hunting tigers, race boy. I'm looking for an Outrider with ghostly eyes and a long pale face.

Bonnie May: Colt? Has anyone seen a cowboy around here? Oh!

Colt: What?

Bonnie May: Colt! He found out about the square dance!

Colt: Who?

Bonnie May: My father, who else?

Colt: Father? You didn't tell me you had a father!

Bonnie May’s father: Don't move an inch, you slippery poisoning carpetbagging bandido.

Colt: It was just a square dance, honest!

Bonnie May’s father: You like to dance? Then you can dance the Winchester waltz. You stay away from my little Bonnie May or else.

Colt: I think I’ve used this disguise enough. Time for a change.

Bonnie May’s father: And you stay clear of bounty hunters!

Bonnie May: But daddy!

Bonnie May’s father: No buts, now come on!

Fireball: Well, so much for the fearless cowboy.

Saber Rider: I thought I might have to take a few shots to him myself, just to get his attention.

Fireball: Hmm. Yeah, sure, whatever you say.

Saber Rider: Listen, chum, I don't really want to force you out of your room.

Fireball: You don’t, uh? Well, hey, you're a sport.

Saber Rider: Look, I have an idea.

Fireball: Why do I feel like you're gonna tell me this whether I want to hear it or not?

Saber Rider: It's simple: why don't we just share the room?

Fireball: Cuz it's my room!

Saber Rider: Just a gentle suggestion.

Fireball: I think everyone around here is trigger-happy.

Saber Rider: Do we have a deal or don't we?

Fireball: You can sleep on the floor, that's it!

Saber Rider: Fine, let's shake on it.

Fireball: Huh. I'm going along with this but I don't have to like it.

Saber Rider: Incidentally, chum, about the Outrider that cowboy mentioned, if you run into him, let me know, won't you? I'm afraid if I don't find him soon this planet will probably be blown to bits.

Fireball: Are you serious?

Saber Rider: Do I sound like I'm joking?

Colt: Good thing I was wearing that sombrero and drifter outfit. The Bounty Hunter's got to have a lot of tricks and disguises, and a good disguise can come in mighty handy. Now I better get down to business; track down that Outrider. That bushwhacker gotta be around here somewhere. I just gotta make sure I find him before he finds me.

Vanquo: Let me talk to Nemesis! Oh, I know. Yes, I discovered where this Ramrod contraption is hidden; it's a sitting duck.

Colt: So are you, hombre.

Vanquo: It’s at the Frontier Outpost , just right for plucking.

Colt: Alright, dude, from vapor you came and to vapor you shall return.

Vanquo: Ah!

Saber Rider: It’s him! Vanquo!

Vanquo: I’ll be back!

Saber & Fireball: Oh!

Fireball: That Outrider just turned into vapor!

Colt: Yes, that’s what they're made out of. Nasty, aren't they?

Saber Rider: You sent him back to his own dimension, which means I can't get the information I need.

Fireball: What information? Who was he?

Saber Rider: A spy who knew about a secret defense system called Ramrod.

Colt: Right, he said something about that Ramrod. Said it was at the Frontier Outpost, like a sitting duck.

Saber Rider: Are you planning to go out there and investigate?

Colt: You kidding? I'm a bounty hunter, pardner, I got a reward to claim.

Fireball: Strange guy, huh?

Saber Rider: Totally undisciplined, no sense of etiquette whatsoever.

Fireball: Cowboys!

Saber Rider: Well, I guess I'll go and take a little rest.

Fireball: Yeah, I think I'll go for a walk, just to clear my head, you know?

Saber Rider: Alright.

Fireball: See you later. I'm going out to that Frontier Base fast!

Saber Rider: I got to get out to that Frontier Base quickly. Steed! There you are! Let’s go, boy! Up, into the sky!

Fireball: Red Fury Turbo on! Somebody's gotta warn those settlers and nobody can get out there quicker than I can!

Desk Clerk: I can't get a hold of the Outpost.

Colt: What?

Desk Clerk: I’m sorry, sir, it seems to be some sort of emergency.

Colt: I’d better head out there!

Fireball: Ah! Oh, no! The attack is already underway!

Outrider: Find the Ramrod Equalizer Unit and destroy it!

Soldier: We can’t hold them out much longer! Here they come again! We need help!

Saber Rider: You've got it, chum!

Soldier: It’s Saber Rider!

Saber Rider: Right up here, mate!

Fireball: Well, look at who’s here! Those guys aren't playing around. I’ll better get out the artillery! Ah! I can’t escape now!

Colt: Look like you need a little help there, hey, race boy?

Fireball: There are two more straight ahead!

Colt: Not anymore!

Fireball: That must be Ramrod!

April: Over here! Hurry! Did the Star Sheriffs send you?

Fireball: Star Sheriffs? Who are they?

April: Never mind. If you can drive a racecar you can help with Ramrod. It's an experimental frontier fighter system. I'm afraid it's never been tested but it's the only chance we've got.

Fireball: Hop in!

April: Right.

Colt: Hey, don't forget about me!

April: Look out! You got them! This is it, the Ramrod Equalizer Vehicle.

Fireball: Wow!

Saber Rider: I'll take charge from here!

Fireball: The lady invited me.

Colt: That's cause she didn't know I was here.

April: There's no time to argue, I'll need all three of you when we go to challenge phase.

Colt: Challenge phase, that's fancy! How fast does this puppy go?

April: Fast enough. Come on, this way to the control room. Hurry!

Fireball: It's cool!

Colt: I bet this baby packs a lot of horsepower!

April: You better believe it. These three saddle units are interactive, but the center is especially for land operations. Since you're a race car driver, well…

Fireball: They call me Fireball!

April: All right, Fireball, you take the reins!

Fireball: Right!

April: That one is for the quick draw control.

Colt: That's gotta be mine, yeah.

Fireball: Now we know what two of the systems are for. What about the third one?

Saber Rider: Maverick flight dynamics. I was already briefed back a Cavalry Command.

Fireball: Cavalry Command? What's that?

April: Headquarters of the Star Sheriffs. I'll ride shotgun over here. You'll all have to listen up. Hey, wait a minute, there's something coming at us. It's big! The Outriders have built another Renegade. We are finished if it catches us here, we've got to take off and we've got to do it fast!

Fireball: Okay, hang on your seats. We’re moving out!

Colt: It’s working!

Saber Rider: We’re accelerating to mach 4 and closing!

Colt: Yahoo! We’re out of there!

Fireball: What's that?

April: It's a Renegade Desperado Unit!

Fireball: Watch out for that claw!

April: Oh!

Fireball: You all right, April?

April: Yes, keep moving!

Colt: Well, we know that he can dish it out. Now let’s see if he can take it.

April: Look out!

Fireball: It’s following us!

April: We got to go into challenge phase.

Fireball: What's that?

April: There's no time to explain! Activate the rods above your key compartment, hurry!

Fireball: Okay, let's see what happens!

April: When the rods are clear, hit the flashing red light. Saber Rider, you give the signal.

Saber: Okay. Get ready. Not yet. Hold it. Now!

April: All right. Ramrod will now take navigational control.

Ramrod: Acknowledge, April. Navigational control on, Ramrod challenge phase, one. Head ‘em up, move ‘em out. Power stride, and ready to ride.

April: Here he comes!

Colt: Block!

Fireball: Look out! It’s doubled back!

April: Duck!

Colt: Alright, boys, let’s laser rope this Renegade dupe. If you liked the left, you’ll love the right.

Saber Rider: Nice move, cowboy. Now shall we follow up with a soccer kick?

Colt: Take it away!

Everyone: On target!

Fireball: Let's vaporize this viper!

Colt: Good thinking, pard. I'd like the feel of this shooter.

Saber Rider: We may only have one shot so let's use all the firepower we have.

Colt: All right, amigo. You want firepower? You got it.

Saber Rider: Ready? Aim. Blast them!

Colt: Well, it looks like those Outriders have seen their last round-up.

Fireball: Yeah, but what if they come back?

Colt: After that little lesson? No way.

Saber Rider: You're wrong about that. They'll definitely return

Colt: How do you know so much about it? You got an inside line on this thing, pardner?

April: He knows because he's one of us. A special agent of the secret Star Sheriffs. With these Outriders still on the loose we could use your help too, if you want to join us.

Colt: Star Sheriffs, huh? I always wanted one of those shiny silver stars.

April: Afraid we don't have many badges left since the Outriders took over the silver mines but we use these E.B.U., electronic badge units.

Saber Rider: It usually takes years to train a Star Sheriff but this is an emergency. We'll have to issue your E.B.U. right away.

Colt: No badge? I don't know, pard.

Fireball: I'm not sure about this either. What about my racing career?

April: You'll have to quit for a while but remember: Ramrod is faster than any racecar you'll ever see.

Fireball: Yeah, you've got a point there!

April: And about those badges… I'll see if I can special-order some from headquarters. What do you say, boys?

Colt: Can you picture it, pard? Riding high, fighting out with the Outriders! Paw!

Saber Rider: “And that’s how all began. The bounty hunter, a racecar driver and a beautiful girl from Cavalry Command. Together we've made a commitment to the spirit of the frontier freedom fighters. Wherever danger leads us, wherever the people need us, that's where you'll find… the Star Sheriffs!”

ENDING THEME

Saber Rider... Your destiny will lead you, To wherever people need you, Though danger may have found you, You have your friends around you now, Now! Now! Now! Saber Rider, and the Star Sheriffs! Saber Rider, and the Star Sheriffs, In the sky!

Saber Rider!

#Saber Rider and The Star Sheriffs #Saber Rider #April Eagle #Fireball #Colt #Vanquo #Eagle #SRaTSS Transcript

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bigbrotherlouis · 3 years

Note

i would love a directors cut for the first scrimmage scene from kinda like that this ends in smoke!

boy oh boy okay. i was very conscious while writing that this scene needed to do A Lot: it needed to establish, at least a little, what is standing in for a hockey game, establish the team fighting dynamic, and showcase patty’s powers. that last one, in particular, needed to be really sharp because it sets up the conflict and conceit for the rest of the fic, which is: it’s dangerous for patty to be touched. (original)

They’re close to the last people in the training room, wandering into the nearly full space. Nolan goes pink when everyone stops to look at him, the whole team in their blacks and oranges, the support staff in their whites and navies. (i had a whole world of worldbuilding that i wanted to do with this fic but my momentum got cut off in exactly the wrong way at exactly the wrong time. i might revisit it in the future, but by the end i was just trying to get everything DONE) It’s a clear delineation of team and not team, and Nolan seems to have picked the wrong colour. TK could’ve fucking told him.

“You could’ve told me,” he hisses and peers through the onset blurry confusion. (really enjoyed putting thought into what different emotions could manifest as! confusion makes everything blurry!)

“Told you… oh. No, it’s chill. You’re new and usually it doesn’t matter if you’re in uniform.”

It makes him stand out more, a target on his back. An anomaly. He scowls at his shoes, breathing through the restless energy that’s taken up residence in the room. (nolan being set apart, by choice or not, is a big theme) If he didn’t know better, he would’ve thought there was a storm coming, that Laughts had let his lightning go.

The last person on the team must finally find their way in because the door snicks shut with a click audible over the quiet talking. It’s like a signal, the way everyone goes quiet and swings their head in Nolan’s direction. It feels like being pinned and, for a split second, all he can feel is the overwhelming lilt of his own fear. It’s so strong, he half-wonders if he’s projecting or intaking, if someone nearby is getting hunted. (being the new guy is scary)

“Nolan Patrick,” something crackles over the speakers and Nolan flinches. “Welcome to the team.”

There’s a whooping that goes up from the boys, loud and unexpected. TK yells with them and looks like he’s a split second away from elbowing him in the side.

A black-suited figure comes down, one that Nolan recognizes as Coach, with Claude at his shoulder. He nods instead of extending his hand to shake. Nolan inclines his head back.

“Now, Patrick. We’ll get you back in the lab for individual testing soon enough, but we usually like to do the introductory session with everyone else, helps everyone know what they’re working with. No one’s going to intentionally hurt you, so don’t do any permanent damage.” (i did not want to write boring testing and wanted to get to the good part, so i made it work)

“I’ll try not to,” Nolan says after a second.

“Scrimmage first. You’re with Claude. Divide up, boys.” He yells the last part and the crowd starts to split between oranges and charcoals, lining up against opposite walls of the oval-shaped room. TK gives him a mischievous smile and then disappears, reappearing down at the other side of the long, long hall.

“Don’t be nervous, kid,” Claude says quietly, duly scanning the room as he takes in his team. He’s excited, Nolan can feel it patter against his skin like raindrops. “It’s all good fun, eh?”

“It’s training.” (nolan and claude’s dynamic is so important to me personally)

He smiles, sharp. “Fun training. Low stakes.”

Easy for him to say, he’s not being watched by a hundred pairs of eyes from every side, waiting to watch him fail. He doesn’t bother to say this.

“Just don’t get too close to Laughton. Or Coots.”

“I don’t know who Coots is,” he mumbles and Claude snickers, shifting his weight. There’s a warning whistle.

“Alright, Nolan. Are you defensive or offensive?” (i wanted to preserve some structure from hockey so it’s not so different. i messed with lines a little because i couldn’t think of a good reason why defense/offense shouldn’t be mixed, but i genuinely tried to keep people’s positioning consistent with their real life position)

Nolan frowns deeper. “Uh, neither?” Claude swings around to look at him in surprise and he feels his shoulders inching up towards his ears. “Or maybe both,” he offers. “Not sure.”

Claude stares at him for a second. “You were second in the Academy and you don’t even know what’s your positioning?” (i actually couldn’t decide if nolan’s ability was more defense or offense, so i handwaved it)

Nolan chews on his cheek for a second. His ability isn’t so easy to position, isn’t so easy to fit into a designation. It‘s part of what makes him wanted. “Well… yeah. I guess.”

He mutters something that sounds like French and then heaves a sigh.

“Okay, just… don’t get flattened. Or shocked. (foreshadowing!) And don’t permanently harm anyone, yeah?”

“Yeah.”

“Stay behind me if you need protection but watch out for people coming around back. TK’s sneaky like that.”

“Okay.”

“Don’t hit anyone in orange.”

“I won’t,” Nolan says and Claude grins at him again.

“Watch out for JVR’s teeth.” (this is just claude messing with him)

“I don’t know who anyone is,” he reminds him, mildly exasperated, just as the second whistle goes, and the entire room explodes into furious movement.

Nolan’s done scrimmages like this before, of course he has, but it’s different this time. Different when it’s people who know their boundaries, know their abilities, and aren’t just trying to figure it all out. (i needed a reason for nolan to not keep his cool later, and this seemed as good as a reason as any) No one screams because they got hit by a too-strong blast, or shorts out in the middle of the neutral zone, or collapses. (the flip side is, of course, i then needed to describe the difference between juniors/the real thing) Instead, the two sides flow together like water, easy and fluid, as the sounds of a fight start up. It tastes like ozone again, sweetened by eagerness and fondness. They’re having fun, Nolan realises, like G said.

The two of them hang at the back of their crowd, a thin edge of frustration coming from Claude, and he knows that they’re in the back for him, that Claude usually is up front, leading. (claude likes to play, in every universe)

“We can—” he starts and cuts himself off when a… something… lands in front of them. Claude’s grin turns delighted, eager, hungry.

“Oh, a rematch, ya fuckin’ pigeon?” G says and the monster chirps, sharp teeth snapping. “You’re fucking on.” (i chose JVR’s ability purely to make this joke. every power in here is either carefully chosen for plot reasons, or to make a joke)

“Uh,” says Nolan.

“Watch my back,” he manages to shout and then he’s launching himself at the creature. Nolan whirls around and watches his back.

“So you’re defensive,” says TK, appearing in front of him with a blink. He’s unwrapping a protein bar. (speedsters eating all the time is one of my favourite tropes) “Interesting.”

“I’m not— anything.”

“Okay, Mr. Number Two In The Academy,” he teases back, half garbled from the food in his mouth. “Are you supposed to be guarding?”

“I guess?”

TK snorts. “Let’s see what you can do, pretty boy.” (he’s watched too many bad superhero movies)

He blurs and Nolan feels something crash into his body, an impossible weight that nearly pushes him over. He gets his feet under him just in time, manages to stumble instead of fall, and TK is in the place he just vacated. (this served a lot of purposes! it slows down the fight scene a little so it paces correctly, gives a little more insight into both how TK processes scrimmages and his characterisation a little, and it gives them more time to build rapport.)

“Think I can distract your captain long enough for JVR to pin him?”

“I think you would’ve done it already if that was your plan,” Nolan answers, just as a hand clamps down on his shoulder. TK wasn’t lying about being a distraction, then. “Fuck,” he sputters out and the hand drives him down, impossibly heavy. (there’s a lot of potential abilities that could’ve sparked this reaction-- we see laughts do it later-- but i needed something not permanently damaging but still dire. i know later i say provy’s invulnerable, because that would be a quick way to explain for people, but what’s really going on here is that he’s controlling his density, and that’s what makes him hard to hurt.) Without thinking, he wraps his own fingers around the strange wrist and opens up the connection, funnels everything he can through his palm, and lets loose.

His attacker screams. (a scream and a short sentence like this is a very effective tool in communicating the gravity of a situation.)

There’s a whistle and the whole room freezes, everyone turning to look at the two of them. Nolan’s on his knees and the man is hunched over him, only upright because of his knees braced against Nolan’s back and his fingers in a death grip on Nolan’s shoulder. (figuring out the physical positioning for this was fun)

Nolan can barely see, can barely process anything through the overwhelming shock radiating from every angle, and the terror rebounding between him and his attacker, getting stronger with every bounce. It’s black like oil, all-consuming as it slides across his vision and down his throat, tasting like sulfur. Everyone always said that fire-and-brimstone was anger, but to Nolan, it’s always been the scentflavourfeeling of pure, unadulterated fear. (okay, this is really what i wanted to show with this scene: exactly how dangerous nolan is and how that danger presents. people are wary of him because he can tell their emotions, but even though that’s embarrassing, the fact that he can control their emotions to the point where they forget everything else is where he gets truly scary. that’s why people don’t touch him. he’s also been trained to react on instinct to do the worst damage possible as fast as possible, and paralyzing fear is gonna get him there every time) He chokes, bends over his thighs, as the weight bears down on him. He’s going to be crushed by a stranger slash teammate on his first day. What a way to go. How embarrassing. (a moment of levity to showcase the danger, and to stay true to nolan’s character.)

He lets go out of self-preservation when his forehead bumps his knees, bracing both his hands against the ground, and there’s a burst of awe that cuts through everything like a beam of sunlight. (a clear contrast to the oil description a paragraph earlier) When he looks up, follows the feeling, TK’s eyes are wide.

“But Provy’s invulnerable,” someone says, stunned, and he wrenches himself away, sliding sideways so his attacker— Provy, apparently— can slump to the ground. Nolan’s on his back, staring at everyone who’s staring at him.

“I—” he starts and then stops, licking his lips. His brain is so fried, too much going through his body. It’s a lot of strong feelings, too many for all his defences, and it’s overwhelming. He tries again. “I.” (i don’t know if anyone notices but i do try to adjust my spelling to the spelling the narrator would use)

“Holy shit, Pat,” TK breathes. Provy groans and Nolan refocusses for a moment, touches his arm just long enough to push contentment through, enough to drive away the horror that lingers. It’s as much for Nolan as it is for Provy, clears away the rest of the black oil. “What did you do?” (trying to establish that patty’s not an asshole and

“If that’s number two,” Claude says, “then I don’t want to see what the number one can do.”

Nico can control fire, and can control it really well. It’s pretty sick to see. He deserved the number one. (someone asked me if this is because he went to the devils-- no, that’s just a coincidence lol i just needed a power that was conceivably more powerful than nolan’s)

Provy pops his head up. He’s younger than Nolan thought, closer to his age and TK’s than Claude’s. He’s grinning, inexplicably. (the duality of provy-kind)

“That was incredible,” he says, and the happiness tastes like Nolan’s own. (worldbuilding!) Inorganic, but it’s the most he can do after putting the guy on his back. “But fuck, I never want to do that again.”

“So,” Coach says, shouldering his way through the crowd. Gingerly, Nolan sits up. “Provorov’s invulnerable to most physical attacks—”

“Haven’t been flattened in years,” Provy interrupts happily. Coach cuts a look at him and he snaps his mouth closed. (he’s still just a kiiiiid they’re all so young)

“—and the new kid comes in and does what no one else has done for years. What the fuck do you have sparking under your skin, bud?”

Nolan swallows. Abilities are weird. People are weird about them, even those who have them too, when it comes to ones like his. (patty being set apart, yet again!) It’s one thing to have some sort of physical power, one that you can turn off most of the time, and entirely another to be able to mess with people’s heads. He kept that shit under lock, as much as he could, even through the Academy. It’s normal to not reveal abilities to the teams, helps keep things secure and confidential. It’s why the rankings exist, so the teams spread out across the continent know a little how to prepare. Now that he’s placed, he should be able to talk about it. Could speak freely, if he wanted, but. But.

Anticipation tastes a lot like metal, that much different from the ozone of adrenaline. A complement. Nolan’s mouth is filled with the iron flavour of it as the whole room waits out to hear what he’s going to say. He licks his lips again, tastes it stronger.

“Empath,” he says quietly, and feels the emotions in the room change like the air before a storm. “I’m an empath.”

For a second, everything is too heightened and chaotic to make sense of, the team readjusting with the new information, and then it all settles into something understandable. The cherry-bright smell of curiosity, confusion blurring the sides of the room, fear and anxiety joining the anticipation on his tongue. There’s satisfaction too, humming gently against Nolan’s body, but he can’t figure out where it’s coming from just yet. (the satisfaction is coming from coach, claude, and tk, all for different reasons, but it also hints at emotions from different people having their own tint)

“Oh,” Provy drags out, running a hand through his hair. “That makes a lot of sense.”

“Touch-based?” Coach presses.

“To transmit emotions, yeah,” he says. “Not, uh. Not for input, though.”

“Input, like—”

“Like I can tell what you’re feeling. All the time, as long as you’re near me,” he says and closes his eyes against the shift that causes too.

“Well,” Coach says after a moment. “Looks like we have some readjusting to do.”

and that’s the end of that segment! i don’t know if i accomplished everything i wanted to, but i certainly tried. i really liked how this came out-- it was punchy without being too long and not too many info-dumps. very nice @ me. i think packing a bunch of emotion in (as was necessary, given nolan’s superpower) and taking time to explain it was really helpful for the pacing. also it let me get away without trying to figure out so much emotion. thank you!

#my fic #hockey fic #hockey bros #i'm glad you liked this fic!!!!#i need to respond to your comment #also if this is not the scrimmage you were talking about.... i 'm sorry #personal issues #tk/patty #idiots to lovers #ferryboatpeak #signed sealed delivered

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purplerose244 · 4 years

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Thinking journal for season 12 Prime Empire 😎😎😎 (1/2)

So, I'm keeping this during all of season 12 to put down my thoughts as they appear. It's mostly for not ranting every single time a new episode comes out so please don't mind me too much 😅 I'm following the English release so please no spoilers 😙

I'm gonna split it in two, since apparently the season has 16 episodes. So this is the first part, enjoy my rambling 💜💜

It's the 30th of March and here we go!

IN GENERAL

I'm so, SO HAPPY, we have a theme for this season. For my experience apparently silly themes (tech ninja, ghosts, pirates) had brought very surprising results so I'm SO DOWN FOR THIS 😍😍

It seems that they fixed the mood, there is a specific mystery and a specific mission to follow. I like it too

THE NEW WHIP IS DOPE AS ALWAYS

I'm really glad there are plenty of references to past episodes, comebacks are my jam

The only thing that still kinda bothers me is the length of the episodes. It's not all bad, I just think the 20 minutes format was better. One thing is splitting 20 in 10 minutes, another is putting together 11 minutes of important stuff. Doesn't bother me too much, I just wish there was more time for my favorite show 🤷‍♀️

WOULD YOU LIKE TO ENTER PRIME EMPIRE?

Is it normal for me to feel really old after they made the "what is a VCR?" joke? Like, I'm a uni student so still pretty young, but I lived through the transition from that to the DVD so... eh, I laughed anyway👵

Jay is smart, I really believe he is. Yet I saw him putting a possibly corrupted motherboard into a legendary game randomly found into a villain's lair, and I was like "Of course he did that, I love you you dumb*ss" raising my glass of juice towards him 😎

Okay, I'm down for this Lloyd. I'm down for a season with Lloyd being creeped out just because, being silly, just a ninja helping his friends and- (remembers there's a Harumi avatar in the sets) I'M NOT READY

The ending was actually nicely creepy. Cool nods in approval

DYER ISLAND

THAT INTRO THOUGH, THAT WAS EPIC! Love the techno sounds, love the clear gaming connection, I rate it 10/HECK YEAH LONG LIVE THE FOLD

I was scared about how the shorts were supposed to play along with the season, but it looks fine so far with the mechanic and later for Scott. Good 👍

Ah, Fist to Face, that game came all over from the nostalgic season 1. That's what I'm talking about 😎

So they just associated that Unagami is probably Dyer's avatar like that? Like sure, I thought about it, but it looks a little rushed. Mm, I wonder if there's something more behind it?

LEVEL 13

Cyrus Borg is back and he TALKS!!! Finally, he gets some action! Go tech dad!

I'm so happy he referenced the Digiverse, I would have been very disappointed if he hadn't. Time flies Borg...

Not gonna lie, I thought the next to follow up Jay's spot as best in videigames was going to be Kai or Lloyd. It's not disappointing though, since pretty much all the ninja have been seen playing, and to be honest I like the implication that Cole and Jay probably played a lot together. As bruiseshipping or as BrOTP, I still love them together no matter what 💙🖤💙🖤

Ooooohhhhh, that's why Zane and Pixal are left behind. It makes sense, sure, but I don't understand the implication of the plan: they saw Dyer entering Prime Empire, so why looking for him in real life? Mm, maybe they will investigate about his life and what happened... PIXANE ON THE CASE 😍

Already saw Prime Empire's world in the shorts, of course it looks DOPE, still very happy to finally being there!

SUPERSTAR ROCKIN' JAY

I don't know why, but Kai questioning the double jump made me laugh. Also poor him, he just got his powers back from last season and they're already gone again 😂

And of course. Them. Wow. It must be the most amazing and CURSED thing I've ever seen so far, the League of Jay 🤯 I'm so happy they exist and they freaking use past seasons' suits!!! Awesome!!! Never thought I was going to see Jay's old plain haircut again... yeah, he got better with the curly one, but I'm feeling nostalgic 🤷‍♀️

Their nick are histerical omg, Jaybird, Dee-Jay, Jaywalkin, I'm loving this way more than I should 😂 Also they freaking screamed "JAY-NJA GOO!!!" and I don't know what to do with that, it's too great for me to comprehend 👏👏

And then, THIS happened:

Your Honor, I would like to confirm this as THE MOST SECRET DREAM I'VE EVER HAD FOR THIS SHOW FINALLY COMING TRUE!!! A NINJA FROM NINJAGO DOING THE NARUTO RUN!!! 🤯🤯🤯 Done, I'm done, conclude the season, this is more than enough for me 😍

First Kai gets hit and fall from a building, DYING, then Lloyd gets desperate for his brother (MY BROTP 💚❤💚❤), then Kai respawns and Lloyd looks so relieved and Kai is all panting while slowly realizing it's a game and MY HEART CAN'T HANDLE THIS MUCH OKAY???

As a very passionate Kai fangirl I always expect the cringy moment, it really is inevitable for my favorite hothead. I love that idiot so much it's unbelievable, even if it's an absolute and costant suffering 😅 Holy Garmadon it was painful seeing his VERY slow realization that in this game you only have four lives

... SO HE HAS ONE NOW!?! NINJAGO CREW YOU ALREADY KILLED ZANE, NYA AND LLOYD ONCE AT THE END OF A SEASON, DON'T YOU DARE PLAY WITH ME AGAIN 😱😱😱

Okay, I did not expect to hear about Mr. Cuddly Wamp ever again since Hands of Time and BOY if I'm happy it was actually a password, I love this show 😂

SCOTT FINALLY!!! YESS!!! 😍😍😍

Okay, for as long as it is not debunked, I will hold onto the Scott is Jay's brother/twin theory. I'm sorry but: his jacket has dragons AND lightnings on it, they have very similar skin in avatar mode, he said he was waiting for him in the short, he could very well have his same hair under cap and hoodie and he's a mechanic too. I know, I know, they could have the same skin because Scott helped him for the avatar, and there might be shadier reason behind the 'I was waiting for you' thing, and there are tons of good mechanics in Ninjago... STILL HOW COOL WOULD THAT BE??? 😍

SCOTT HAS ONE LIFE POINT TOO??? NO! NOOO!!! NOOOOOOO!!! Don't you dare appear and steal my heart only to die at the end of the season, come on!! 😭

So for now it seems like he just wants to survive. Can we actually confirm he's an avatar and not an NPC? I mean he could be, but I don't see the point of an NPC self aware of his life points. Idk, maybe I'm overthinking this 🤷‍♀️

Lol, Kai is the only one weirded out by the Jay-con all around him. Probably because he hasn't heard from his fans since Skybound 😅 (I'M STILL HERE MY FLAME BABE, ILY ❤❤❤)

And in all of his glory, freaking Superstar Rockin' Jay!!! 😎😎 Okay, I loved the design since the first time I saw it, but it looks possibly even better in the show 😍😍😍 And Jay looks absolutely adorable in it, and he's got a guitar, and he was waiting for his friends, and he hugs them (I'm weak for LEGO hugs for some reason) and he is so happy and AAAHHH 💙💙💙💙💙

I'm very curious about how Scott will play into the situation, clearly he will provide some kind of insight about Prime Empire. I can't wait to know more about him!! 😍

I AM OKINO

I did not expect this when I saw this Okino guy in the trailer... and I'm so happy I was surprised, I love him 👌

And he's voiced by Alessandro Juliani?? HECK YEAH!!! With all the hype about the DnD 13th season, and consequentially the knight theme, I really miss Nexo Knights and having Aaron's VA around makes me happy... any hope to have Giles Panton as well? I miss Clay the most 💙💙

This is what I'm talking about, the game theme needs this stuff! I was already happy to see life points, double jumps and respawns, but this? The NPC guide? Awesome 👍 It's nice to see the take on the matter, the guide seeing so many players getting killed, first because they did not listen, then because they were actually just unlucky. The touchy matter I always expect watching Ninjago 👏👏

At least I THINK he's an NPC? For now I don't really see a way of knowing, and it doesn't look like it matters. He didn't show life points so maybe? Does this mean he can't die? I have questions people

Which brings me to the cube thingies. That's what happens to the dead players? I mean, I would understand if they just become pixels, but there's also the drone that takes the datas every time. Idk, feels like there's more behind it. And honestly? It looks like great material for angst, like one of the ninja dies but then they discover they just need to get where Unagami stores all of the players! I hope it's something like this!

They designs of the players are really cool, I already saw them in the other episodes, but seeing them this close just confirmed it. Between this and Jay's awesome avatar, I see lots of great cosplay ideas coming 😍 I wonder when will Kai and Lloyd use their avatars, and why would they since I'm guessing Jay did for disguise and to distinguish himself from his fans

PLEASE TELL ME WE'LL SEE SCOTT SOON, I ALREADY MISS HIM!!! 💙💙💙 I have too many theories about that tech dude, I'm so excited about who he might turn out to be!

I was a little skeptical about the new ninja suits, but seeing them in the show convinced me, very cool! Especially on Nya 💕💕💕

THE GLITCH

Alright, Okino is indeed an NPC. Cool the fact that at first he could not understand the fact that he was in a game, but when reality changed he was forced to. Welcome into the crew! 😙

I'm kinda worried about it though, either they will shut down the game and he will stay inside or he will sacrifice for them. He's a very loyal samurai, I can see that happening and I'm SCARED

I WAS SWEATING BULLETS AT THE AMBUSH!!! I 100% saw it coming, we all freaking saw it coming, even the ninja did but where like 'we can walk and die or we can risk and die so might as well'. But still, my babies DYING and respawning so fast was not pretty 😱😱

Nya got the scariest death until now in my opinion, holy Garmadon Dyer DOES have a twisted mind...

Seeing Kai so scared of being in a new situation and with one HP reminds me A LOT of the Digiverse, and that's actually a nice touch. Give him a cellphone, hothead is a social media expert, but put him in a game and... huuhhh... 😅

Have I mentioned I love the ninja's new emoji masks??

BECAUSE I DO!!! 😂😂😂😂

So Unagami knows about them trying to stop him and he sent the rat people because of it. Considering how little we know about this guy, I'm wondering what we are about to discover

Alright, going to the next challenge, very curious about this adventure. So... beware of the rats, ninja? Still not sure what I think about the rats 😅

THE CLIFFS OF HYSTERIA

I would like to say Okino is the edgiest character of the show I've ever seen... but I've seen MORRO. But still poor guy, he got a case of the Matrix

Oooohhhh, the major question in videogames: better go grinding for more money to get the better stuff but while losing lots of time, or get the least expensive just to go on with the story but definitely risking to lose lives?

Ah there we go, so the energy cubes mean something! Also reference to the Sushimi guy of the set (gosh that name, I can't 😂). So do people actually die in Prime Empire or they are just kidnapped kinda? Can the ninja just bring back? ANGST POTENTIAL

Cole please don't die please don't die please don't die for the love of Garmadon please don't die somebody help-

HOLY FSM KAI I MEANT HELP FROM SOMEONE WITH MORE THAN ONE LIFE DON'T DO THAT BE CAREFUL PLEASE I FREAKING LOVE YOU YOU RECKLESS HOTHEAD ❤❤❤

Nya giving Kai a sweet look after seeing her brother is okay, that's what I live for 😍

So apparently Unagami is trying to build some kind of device using the energy cubes of the dead players (sounds kinda creepy like this 😱) to create some kind of portal? To Ninjago? I don't understand, if Unagami is Milton Dyer then why this? Just to bring his army and conquer? I mean I guess, sounds a little simple though. Then again, if it turns out it's not Dyer, it could be Unagami wanting to be real and get into his creator's world? Mm...

I like the message, having the ability to choose your own path. Very fitting for a game themed season, I hope it gets explored even more!

More for the "I love the ninja emoji masks of this season"'s compilation 😂😂😂

THE MAZE OF THE RED DRAGON

Duuuude, Jay being good at mazes comes all the way from Possession, the Tomb of the First Spinjitzu Master! 😍 ... or maybe I just rewatch this show too much... could be both really 😅

Unagami is NASTY!

Confirmed the thing about going into the real world, what scares me is how much powers Unagami seems to actually possess. Like, can he do the block thingy whenever he wants? Just straight up pause and do whatever? Wow...

Jay being extra 😎

I mean, of course he is, he's got better statics! 😂 I like how he seems so focused and in charge, I still hope we see more of him... and Scott... WHERE IS SCOTT???

I love dragons, this metal one is cute 😍

So now we have two ronin: a samurai looking for a path on his own in a digital world... and a shady guy named Ronin 😛 Total respect for Okino, he really showed the values he believes in. No matter he was programmed his way, I hope he finds what he's looking for. Better come back for the final battle!

One Keytana down, two more to go. I know one is the price of the race, while the last one... I don't really know.

More of the masks because I love them 😂 Here we have Vegeta Lloyd and Kawai Cole ✌✌

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thedragonwitchesau · 4 years

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Chapter One

The Hunting Party

Wattpad link

TW: Dueling, swords, fire, mention of slaying things, and threats

The two men circled the arena, swords in hand, waiting to strike.

Clang.

Sir Roman Basilious struck first with his katana. He was a tall man, about six feet. He had tan skin, brown hair, and green eyes that made girls swoon. He was wearing his normal uniform, a white shirt with gold embellishments on the cuffs, shoulders, and chest. On the shoulder was his families' crest. He had his signature red sash that he wore wherever he went. He was also wearing white pants and black boots that almost went up to his knees, but not quite.

But his opponent— Sir Janus Falacia— was quick to block the blow with his rapier. He was shorter than Roman, maybe 5'8" or 5'9". He had pale skin and an odd birthmark on the left side of his face. He had dark brown hair, and heterochromia— his right eye was brown, and his left was gold. He had a similar outfit to Roman's, but instead of white and red, his theme was yellow and black, and he was also wearing a black capelet and a bowler hat.

The two kept fighting, swords slashing and clashing, neither of the two getting any closer to winning. Finally, a person entered the arena— their friend Joan. "Roman, you're going to want to get over with us, you can't be late to your own hunt. You too Janus." They then walked out.

The two put their swords down. "Good fight Jan!" said Roman.

Janus smiled, and took off his capelet and replaced it with his black sash. "I would have lost if Joan hadn't come in."

"Lies, lies, lies, lies, lieees~", Roman riffed.

"Ugh! You're so easy to put up with!" Janus had been cursed to lie at random moments years ago. It was hard for most people to figure out if he was telling the truth, but the two had been friends so long it was pretty easy for Roman.

He quickly replaced his families' crest with Ciciero's, and the two knights made their way to the field where the rest of their group was meeting up with them. When the others were in sight, Janus stopped. "Hey, Ro, I need to ask you something insignificant."

Roman turned to face him. "Yes?"

Janus took a deep breath. "Do you want to go out for dinner in two days?"

Roman paused. "Like, like as a—"

"I'm not asking you on a date."

Roman stood on the small hill for a moment, then smiled. "Yeah! Yeah, definitely."

Janus's face lit up. "Great! That's great!"

The two quickly made their way to the bottom of the hill. Roman made his way to the front of the party. In front of him were about fifteen people, all of varying ages. "Everyone here?" He called out.

A brown-haired boy named Thomas then came up to the group, sweaty and wheezing. "I'm...here." Roman laughed, then spoke again. "Alright, if you're all ready, then let's go!"

The group started walking into the woods, with Roman leading, and Janus close behind him. He looked around at the woods, and smiled. There was something about them that was comforting. It was a tangled mess of trees, but it wasn't scary, more mystical and exciting. He had lived in Ciciero his whole life, and for as long as he could remember he had been visiting these woods.

"Alright everyone, make sure to look out for fire, scales, and anything else dragon-y!"

Janus sighed. "And what would dragon-y entail?"

Roman waved his hands in the air. "I don't know, something that a dragon-witch would have!"

"You're so good at describing things."

Roman smiled. "Eh, if you hated it, would you have asked me out?"

Janus chuckled. "Good point."

About three hours later, Thomas came up to him. "Sir Roman, have you actually ever seen a dragon-witch? And wouldn't we have found one by now?"

Roman turned to face him. "Actually I have. Many times. But you don't want to hear my old-man stories."

Thomas looked at him. "Sir, I thought you were in your mid-tw—" Roman quickly cut him off.

"Well, if you really want to, I guess I could tell you the story of my first encounter with a dragon-witch. I think I was about your age, and on my first hunt. I too, thought that we would never find one. So, I made the rash decision, and wandered off. There, I roamed around the forest for a while, until I found it. It appeared in front of me, like a bolt of lightning. It was huge and terrifying. I looked it in the eyes, walked up to it, and before it could react I sliced it's head off. "

Thomas looked at him in awe. Roman patted his head. "Maybe someday you'll get to do that, and turned back to Janus.

The other man looked at him. "Ro. I know for a fact that that happened."

"He doesn't know that!"

Roman stopped, and looked at the group of knights. "Alright, we haven't had much luck today, and if we don't head back soon, we'll be lost, and that's the last thing you want in these woods at night." A chorus of agreement responded, and they turned back.

Suddenly, he saw some movement out of the corner of his eye. He turned to it, and was met with a purple flame. He stared at it for a moment, but when he blinked, it was gone. He shook his head and kept going. "Everything good?" Janus asked.

"Y-yeah."

Janus rolled his eyes. "I can't tell that you're lying. What's up?"

"Well," he started, "I think I saw a colored flame. And if there are colored flames, then there are dragon-witches nearby." J

anus stopped for a second, and looked around. "Ro, there's nothing here. It was probably just your mind playing tricks on you."

"Yeah, that's it..." he replied hesitantly, and continued on.

⇼

Roman looked up at the ceiling. He couldn't sleep, or stop thinking about the purple flames he saw in the woods. If there really was a village, or at least a dragon-witch, then everything might work out. He had to take the chance.

He got up, and was about to put on his knight outfit before deciding against it. He went with a simpler white shirt, but kept his red sash. He grabbed a bag and started putting some essentials in it. Then, he wrote a quick note so no one would come looking for him. When he was done, he put on a black cloak and walked out the door, but then paused, and headed back into his room. He lifted up his mattress and opened up the secret compartment inside of it. He grabbed the compartment's contents, then headed back out.

He tried to sneak through the building, not wanting to alert anyone of his absence. When he finally made it through, he breathed a sigh of relief, and looked into the forest.

It was different at night, more creepy, and less mystical as it looked six hours ago. Nevertheless, he went in. He found a piece of wood, and quickly lit it on fire, making a torch. As he wandered, he couldn't help but jump when he heard a branch crack or leaves rustling—who knew what could be lurking?

About an hour later, he finally found something— a clearing. There, inside of it, was a large wooden fence. He smiled, he had probably found the village. He walked towards it, and saw a fourteen-year-old boy standing in front of the gate.

He had dark brown hair, pale skin, and was wearing a black leather coat with sunglasses. He also had a coffee-colored tail— the kid was definitely a dragon-witch. He walked up towards Roman, a spear in his hand.

"My name is Remington Macchiato Aeneid. And unless you turn into a dragon right now, I'm going to run you through with this spear."

Here we are— the first chapter of The Dragon-Witches! And for once I'm happy with my ending :D

If I made any spelling or grammar mistakes, please don't hesitate to let me know!!

And please comment your general feedback (constructive criticism please, it helps me grow)

And if you found any plot holes, please tell me!!!

-Pencil

#dragon witches #sanders sides au #roman sanders #janus sanders #remy sanders #the dragon witches by pencil-is-my-sword #fanficton #sanders sides fanfiction

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courage-a-word-of-justice · 4 years

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Misfit of Demon King Academy 1 | Healin’ Good PreCure 13 - 14 | Lapis Re:Lights 1 | God of High School 1 | Muhyo and Roji’s BSI s2 1

Misfit of Demon King Academy 1

This originally had the ecchi tag on its anime entry on AniList…or, at least, that’s how it was in my memory…but now that I see it doesn’t have that, it’s just another reincarnation isekai-type series. Let’s dig into it!

I…think this guy is meant to be portrayed as “hot” because he has the piercing eyes and he’s tall (against the girls in what will presumedly be his harem), but he kind of looks like your standard Potato-kun in a white outfit…so, uh…*shrugs*

Uh…is that guy meant to be Indian? You can’t get more obvious than the “Indu” family. Update: You see his brother later and Leorg has fairer skin, so maybe not.

LOL, “Flame of Darkness” makes someone nothing but a chuunibyou.

Uh…this is called The Misfit of Demon King Academy, y’know? Anos (Anoth?) is gonna get in, you bet your butts.

The owl is cute.

…guy, that 3 second rule thing was actually funny, but the more you think about the joke, the less funny it gets. Show: 1. Me: Infinity -1

Just from appearances, I wanna guess Misha is an ice or light magic user, or whatever equivalent the show has.

Is this what Assassin’s Pride could have been…?

How did the mother (Anoth’s) think her kid maturing that fast wasn’t weird?

Mushroom gratin? Is that an actual dish?...Yep, seems so. Sounds nice. I like mushrooms.

What’s up with young mothers in anime these days? Then again, the only other point of reference I have is Masamune-kun’s Revenge…

I thought it was the other Indu guy we saw earlier. This guy’s…not that bad-looking, though (LOL, my preferences ring out loud and clear…)…welp, spoke too soon. There he is. Update: Leorg kinda looks like Hakuto Kunai from Demon Lord, Retry!, come to think of it.

If Zepes died several times over the course of this episode…would one more death actually matter? (Not really, to be honest. Zepes is a scumbag.)

Come to think of it, this anime got postponed due to COVID, yeah? Was that why there was a sakuga spot earlier…?

Was that Sasha (Misha’s sister)? I found her name while checking if the anime was postponed.

I like the colour choices in this show, at least.

I don’t think this show has the best sense of comedic timing. Let your jokes breathe, dammit! That’s what comedic beats are for!

In a season with more offerings, I might get rid of this or pause it, but the season’s fairly sparse as it stands (darn virus!) so it stays.

Update: I didn’t notice, but an Anime News Network staff member wrote that Anoth’s surname is familiar…if you read Harry Potter.

Healin’ Good PreCure 13

Gotta start in the middle for this and work our way back. Note I did watch the 1st 2 eps without subs earlier this year when they were on the official PreCure YouTube, so I’m ahead of most people.

(From wandering the wiki and the news) I’ve seen nothing but pink/blue/yellow Cures these days, so I kind miss the more adventurous colours like green and orange…but then again, I never really liked green. It’s the colour of envy and…as petty as it sounds, I think I developed that bias because green is stereotypically the colour of rot, vomit (aside from anime’s rainbow vomit) and stinky things.

I didn’t notice this, but there’s a faint highlight on the Cures’ eyes (red for Grace, purple for Fontaine and blue for Sparkle).

It’s a drone! In PreCure! Yay! (It finally hit me exactly how much of a distant dream it’s been – from watching Suite and episodes of most of the other PreCure ‘til now – watching PreCure legally as a simulcast is! It’s crazy and it only took, what…5 years between Suite and this? 16 if you count from Futari wa to Healin’ Good.)

Is it that drone?

Hah? This is almost like the electricity-themed PreCure I came up with on the fan wiki. It’s not like I could sue Toei for it, though…they own that stuff, I only own what came out of my own imagination.

The subs say “Rate”, but “rate” has a meaning in English. No wonder the initial wiki translations say “Latte”, especially because the queen is “Teatine” to match.

Okay, so Mei is the sis and Yota is the brother. Got it.

Hey! What if there was a PreCure where the villains had devastated another world before? That would really raise the stakes.

“[T]hunders” (sic)? Thunder is the sound, lightning is the flash. Which one is it?

I see. As soon as they identified it as the Element of Lightning, I sort of guessed they could add it to their repertoire later, and I was right.

Its’s nice to see they put a woman in the moving company as well. Proves that girls can do anything they set their minds to, even what are supposedly “men’s jobs”.

I guess from the face I should’ve expected the element to talk, like the Fairy Tones from Suite, but I didn’t really figure that out until I saw it talk,

I feel like Hinata should’ve gone to see how Mei made her juice. That way, the two might be able to make similar-tasting juice…but that’s just an idea.

Healin’ Good PreCure 14

I feel like Byogens were responsible for Nodoka’s sickness, much like they are for Latte.

“Energy Source” seems to refer to a place where energy appears…I know that sounds a bit dumb if you don’t realise genki hakken means something like “appearance of energy (for a person)”, but…yeah, the PreCure series is like this. Unfortunately, that’s what you have to deal with.

I feel like this “teamwork overcomes all hardships” message is important in this time of COVID-19.

Guaiwaru = “condition is bad”, or ill health (guai ga warui).

Is that the element of air? I thought the PreCure would’ve used their element of lightning to fix the steamer, but hey, teamwork works too.

I’m a weeny bit peevy they translate minna to “girls”. It’s correct in context when it’s been translated that way, but minna means “everybody”.

I imagined Hinata saying “Watashi no smartphone ga!” instead of “Atarashii sumaho ga hoshii!”

Lapis Re:Lights 1

Eh…COVID-19 means I gotta sample things I’m not so crazy about.

Why is one of the first lines in this show “My behind hurts!”?

Bristol? Is this England?...Nope, it’s a place called “Mamkestell”.

I was thinking this girl…I think the reviews said her name was Tiara…was going to sing to the flower to make it perk up again, but nup, she whistled to it. That seems a bit irrelevant, to be honest. (I would prefer an all or nothing approach to a wish-washy approach like this…as in, if this is an idol show, then either go all in with the singing and dancing, or do something else that’ll catch my attention.)

Tiara’s face looks hella generic.

For some reason, I get this ominous feeling when the word “witch” is mentioned…must be the instinct from Madoka popping up again.

Lemme guess. Lynette is the bookworm?...*sigh* Just another method of showing a character is a bookworm without actually showing their reading a book, which I think is counterintuitive.

Get some protective gear, girls!

Rosetta keeps saying “Yes” (in English).

Lemme guess…people ship the dumb one and the smart one? They’re like a gender-flipped Dice and Gentaro, only the smart one is more uppity and the stupid one is more sporty.

The word appears to be noumei, but that exact word doesn’t seem to exist. Lavie seems to say the word is the opposite to something else, but I can’t tell what that is either…

Albino rabbit, eh?

…people probably ship Rosetta and Tiara too, right? *sigh*

So there’s…no singing in this fantasy/idol show. Whistling is how you invoke magic…so how is someone who can’t whistle supposed to invoke magic?!

Whose idea was it to put the OP in the middle of the episode?

It was “Neechan, daikirai!” “Forget you” is a fairly loose translation…

Little Miss Rosetta = Rosetta-chan.

I think Tiara called Rosetta “sensei” when the former wanted the latter to take care of her (i.e. take her to their dorm).

Titi = Tiara. I didn’t actually figure that out because I thought it referred to the rabbits.

Gah! These almost-real-world names (or real world names, in regards to “Bristol”) are gonna drive me NUTS!

*sigh* Boob jiggle.

*sighhhhhhhhh…* Lemme guess, there’s a potential expulsion on the horizon? Update: Yep. Dropped.

God of High School 1

First Webtoon series I’m covering here.

Oh, I checked out the first chapter of the webtoon because CR linked it to their anime page. The only difference I’ve seen from that, aside from fleshing out the backgrounds, is…that creepy skull (?) on the wall.

You can tell it’s Korean when I don’t understand what the text says. (I don’t know Korean, but I do know some Chinese and Japanese.) Update: This is Japanese-dubbed, but they left the Korean text in.

That intro is much more powerful now that the backgrounds are fleshed out.

Ooh, the colours in the OP are very nice!

Hmm? They’re starting with the grandpa, rather than starting with “I’m Mori Jin, 17 years old”? Good choice.

The expressions in this show are funny. I like them already.

Waittttttttt…I dunno how Korean names work. Is Mori Jin’s first name “Mori” or “Jin”? Update: I checked it up, and I got even more confused!

KORG Arena seems to be…from Marvel? Like BnHA references Star Wars???

*sigh* Moonbucks? Again?...and of course the girls only talk about “hotties”. We need a Bechdel test in this thing.

The comments on ch. 1 said “A new Luffy is born”, so now I agree with it…but they’re not going to show how Mori Jin was enlisted for GOH (as they seem to abbreviate it)?

There’s Japanese, English and Korean in the afro dude’s comments.

I’m amazed that tall dude with the spiky hair wasn’t more surprised about Mori Jin and the girl passing by…

Would those glasses on Mori Jin’s head be any help? Update: Turns out those aren’t “glasses”…they’re a sleeping mask.

Kamina glasses!

They put CR and Webtoon advertising over everything in this anime…geesh.

These red parts of people’s noses are gonna bug me, aren’t they…?

It should be battle royale, right? Update: Okay, so I checked and both are correct spellings.

This seems like the sort of thing that would never get funded because you need to pull off every battle scene right.

They cut the initial fight with “Blondie” out, but that actually makes things more interesting! Good choice.

Lemme guess – Mori Jin is going to have to fight this Kang Manseouk guy at full power one day? *shrugs* (Can I stop referring to people by their full names already??? I can’t stop until I know which is the first name and which is the last.) Update: So the wiki finally helped me out and Mori is the first name and Jin the last, meaning I can call him “Mori”. Got it.

*Mori suddenly pulls the prisoner’s pants down* - That was…random.

I liked it more than I thought I would! (Just for reference, the other protag dude is called Han Dae-wi and the girl is Yoo Mira.)

Muhyo and Roji’s BSI s2 1

(Update for the Tumblr fans: I finished s1 outside the seasonal format.)

Kokkuri-san never goes well in anime…

Where does Nana work again…?

I don’t think Muhyo and Roji are legally (magically legally?) obligated to tell Nana anything about what they do.

Yay! Goryo is animted for the first time! He has such a beautiful voice~!

Notably, Roji wouldn’t have had a smartphone in 2004 (or whatever year close to that when the manga put this bit out).

Goryo (5) vs Muhyo (6). Didn’t figure this out at the time I read the manga.

I think the subbers misgendered Goryo. Goryo is a dude, as can be gathered from the name “Daranimaru”.

“Waka”? Does that stand for “young head [of the office]” or something?

Okay, whose bright idea was it to pair Now on Air (female vocalists) with Muhyo and Roji’s (a series dominated with dudes)…?

Ah, Funimation is on the production team of this anime. That would explain the dub rights.

#simulcast commentary #Muhyo and Roji's Bureau of Supernatural Investigation #lapis re:lights #god of high school #healin' good precure #misfit of demon king academy #Chesarka watches HGPC #Chesarka watches Muhyo and Roji's BSI

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geekade · 7 years

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Zwia Reviews: Spider-Man Homecoming a.k.a. Oh Thank God

SPOILER FREE until I say Spoiler Alert

You know what I cannot stand? People on my news feed complaining about “ANOTHER Spider-Man movie.” “We’ve already had five Spider-Man movies. Why do we need ANOTHER???” You want to know why? You REALLY want to know why??? Because Spider-Man is THE Marvel hero, and frankly he has not been done justice in his own movie yet. You think Iron Man is awesome? You think Captain America is cool? Before the MCU NO ONE gave a damn about any of these characters. These were the character Marvel COULDN’T even sell the rights to when they needed the money in the 90’s. But Spider-Man, he’s Marvel’s best. He’s their big gun (popularity and story-wise. Power level he… he’s pretty outclassed) And this movie is important because he… well… he finally came home and showed just what a company that knows what they are doing can do with a GOOD character. That is not to say the Sam Raimi Spider-Man movies aren’t amazing, because they are. (Well the first two) and that’s not to say the Amazing Spider-Man movies aren’t… uh… lets not talk about those rushed cash grabs. What I’m saying is, Tom Holland’s portrayal of Spider-Man is the best and most accurate portrayal of the character we have ever had, and it is about gosh darn time Marvel finally had an “A” List character in their Cinematic Universe. So, BEST SPIDER-MAN MOVIE EVER… right? …right? uh… Kinda??? Before I go further, let me make this clear. Go see this movie. It’s a great and entertaining time. If you know nothing about Spider-Man (shame on you) you’ll still enjoy the movie whether it be it’s strong humor, it’s action, it’s likable characters, its drama. There will be something for you. And if you DO know Spider-Man, you will enjoy all the references and clever nods. OMG so many references. Not even just talking about referring to all the MCU stuff. There is just… SO MUCH ELSE. But BEST SPIDER-MAN MOVIE EVER????? Well, Spider-Man 1 and 2… I think are better actual movies. They have very clear messages and structure. They are creatively done. They pushed boundaries for their time. They balance dramatic moments and humorous moments and action beats and are unafraid to take chances and go all out… and frankly, they are lightning in a bottle experiences. They are just really incredible movies. (Even if the acting is kinda… meh) So, objectively, I’d say Homecoming isn’t on paper a better movie. But it IS the best Spider-Man character piece we’ve ever gotten.

If you want me to tell you who Spider-Man as a character is, this is what I’d show you. It may lack some of his more depressing struggles and turmoil… but everything else, is just pure Spider-Man. If anything, Homecoming doesn’t really feel like a movie. It’s more of a really long TV episode. It’s not some Epic Spider-Man set piece. It’s more of a glimpse at one of his small adventures, which works out really well. So lets talk about it. The story follows Peter after Civil War when he is struggling to impress Tony Stark and prove he’s superhero material. Most of his actions reflect this one track mindset and basically he gets himself into trouble because of it. It isn’t really the whole “Great Power/Great Responsibility” motivation that we’re used to, but it does the trick and pretty accurately shows Peter’s struggle to balance the real world with his super heroing, so I dig it. Also real quick, love this one subtle moment in the gym early in the movie. Peter is doing sit ups like a champ, coach tells him he’s doing good work, and Peter subtly starts to look like he’s struggling. It’s quick and simple and easy to overlook, but I loved it. It’s a VERY Peter thing to do. God shit like this make me really feel like these guys totally understand the character. And they KEPT doing stuff like this. Just damn. Stark himself is barely in the movie, but he’s pretty great when he is. This of course should be no surprise. Downey Jr. was pretty much born for this role.

Keaton’s Vulture has very clear motivation and is pretty darn interesting because of it. He basically plays up the current climate of people against the 1% that’s hitting the nation… and it’s just great. I have small issues with some changes they’ve done with his character, but overall its a great take and I’m happy they chose to delve more into his character than setting up Peter… a story we already know way too much of. And pretty much everyone else ever has their own little moments to shine. Everyone is pretty well-defined, you understand who every person is for the most part. It’s just all good things. The plot itself is pretty weak. Spider-Man wants to prove himself, keeps hunting down these arms dealer guys, keeps screwing things up. Rinse. Repeat. Enjoy the ride. But we’re not really in the movie for anything super major plot wise. It’s a character piece. And it delivers. And then it adds some fun action and jokes as well. Hell, if you just give me a montage of Spider-Man doing random acts of heroics around NYC I’d be happy. What? We get that in the first ten minutes??? HELL YEAH! And that’s really all I can say without getting into some Spoiler territory. It’s a special movie because it’s finally Spider-Man being the lovable screwup kid he’s supposed to be. BUT it doesn’t really do anything super crazy beyond that. Still, I’d say you need to see it. NOW FOR SPOILERS where I get into the fun stuff. Firstly OMG some of the references. For starters, DAMAGE CONTROL. OMG. For those that don’t know Damage Control is a company in the Marvel Universe that basically go around cleaning up the messes from superhero fights. They had their own comic and everything and it’s hilarious. I have been waiting for Damage Control to be name dropped for SO DAMN LONG and I am pumped that they went all out with it. Next, Donald Glover as Prowler… mentioning his nephew??? Uh… you mean Miles Morales???? Damn right that’s what they meant. That’s amazing. (No this reboot should not have been Miles. YES we all want a Miles movie, but not yet. Let Peter have his time. Half of Miles’s stories are all about him trying to step in Peter’s boots anyway. Y’all gotta build up to that people.) Okay, have I given enough space before I talk about the REALLY big stuff yet? Good. FUCKING VULTURE father reveal thing. You seriously gonna do that movie? Vulture’s kid is Peter’s friend??? Seriously??? You’re gonna pull a damn Green Goblin here??? You literally gonna steal almost beat for beat the Thanksgiving meal scene from Spider-Man 1???? Fine. You did it well. But here’s my problem. What happens when we bring Green Goblin into the MCU? You just gonna do the same thing over again??? Or is Vulture gonna be the new Goblin now…? Just… Damnit. I don’t hate it and I appreciate that you made a shocking moment that totally fits the themes of Spider-Man balancing his responsibilities over his personal desires. And I LOVE that Peter didn’t even flinch with his decision. He just ran off and was like, nope. This is what I gotta do. But DAMN. Uh… okay, I probably have more to say… uhh… Iron Spider reference, neat. Captain America stuff was amazing. Fuck yeah Scorpion. OH, the building falling on Peter and he struggling to get up? Literally one of the MOST FAMOUS SPIDER-MAN MOMENTS EVER. I don’t think it did the moment particular justice, but I do think it was done well enough and it was certainly awesome to see it done on the big screen.

Finally, the final battle… eh, kinda anticlimactic. The fight on the plane was cool, but once they hit the beach… Vulture just punches him a couple times, gets distracted, and blows himself up??? Really???? Oh, and little issues: 1. How did the boat get cut PERFECTLY in half? 2. If Peter knocked the wings off the plane to create a vacuum… how did Vulture get back in his wings to fight Peter outside the plane? Meh whatever, GO SEE THE MOVIE! OR GO SEE THE MOVIE AGAIN!!!! Buy it on Bluray. Tell your friends to see it. I NEED MORE!!!!!!

#Movies #articles #Comics

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kierongillen · 7 years

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Writer Notes: The Wicked + the Divine 25

Spoilers, obv.

Let's just dive in, eh?

Jamie's Cover

One of the interesting things about comics is the solicitation process. As such, a sub-section of the fandom will be aware of a cover before it comes out (or the month before it comes out if it's a comic which puts a NEXT MONTH cover in the back). So for the hardcore readers, this will actually be the first image they see of Minerva's new look.

So yeah, good debut, Mini.

This arc we're clearly not doing quite what we did on previous ones – the link from the cover star to the interior one is much more tangential than the first two years. Let's not make it too easy.

Emi Lenox's Cover

Emi is one of our favourite people in the whole world, let alone comics. Her co-written with Jeff Lemire (and drawn by her) of Plutona was one of our favourite minis of last year too. I believe Emi wanted to do another god, and then read the latest issues and I WANT TO DO PERSEPHONE!

Which has been a running theme this arc, actually. We've had to encourage other gods for the B-sides later on. Persephone, you're more than a superstar, but you're not our only coverstyle.

Very much a continuation of our Wide Variety Of Styles On Cover theme. This is about art.

Page 1

Compared to many of the issues this arc, this is a less demanding one for the artist than usual. I don't do it unless I have to, and I knew there's horrible stuff ahead. That said, the world fell apart during the production of this issue, and we lost a week. So it was hard anyway. Comics!

Anyway – we start slow. Three panels. Establish location, establish situation, establish key character. This is aimed towards being reserved, clear and efficient.

First swearing of Cass in the issue. And not the last.

The cliffhanger last time is an unusual one for us, as I believe I said (I totally don't re-read these notes after writing them. When we come to edit them for the hardback, it's always a thrill. Hey C! Sorry about all the typos.) It's a mid-action cliff-hanger. Normally we're in a “reveal of important new information” or “completion of surprising action” place when we cliffhanger, and half the time we don't even do that. This is a “half way through action” cliffhanger. As such, it's about “How does this action complete?”

Structurally speaking, I tend to think that these tend to risk creating false drama. If you don't go through with an action in any meaningful way, that's what it is – a raising of expectations and a quashing of them, which – to use the technical writing term – is total bullshit. If you do go through with it... well, why didn't you do it to end the previous issue? Then you have a “completion of surprising action” cliffhanger, which is much more honest.

So the main way to resolve them, for me, is that what DOES happen has to be at least as interesting as what didn't happen.

So that's where we try to go, as Persephone is totally going to torture Woden.

(In my original synopsis the previous episode ended with Woden's reveal, with Persephone raising her fingers at the start of this. I made this call when writing both issues.)

That was a lot of words.

In other notes: I would really like Persephone's trousers here.

Page 2

Anyway – this whole sequence is about Jamie again. The push and pull of Persephone's reactions here is key.

Obviously the most important expression closes the page – we lose the skull eyes and have a push and pull of responses which caused me to pretty much instantly tear up. There's lots of ways to read this, and none of them good.

Page 3

Cassandra, voice of reason once more. “Go on a bender” makes me smile too.

Steady angle on the hands puts an unusual pressure on things – steady shots, in profile are something which tend to be most used in comedy. But it's all about the hands and the emotion. Also compare and contrast to the one over the page...

Page 4

Oh no, Persephone!

And this is very much about the scene as comedy. Breaking a scene into individual moments – decompressing, to use a much maligned and mis-used term – is all about increasing the effect. It is paramount in comedy.

Page 5 From the Hobbit. Bilbo and Smeagol. You can probably guess who's Smeagol in this metaphor, except not.

Page 6-7

The first page was written in a standard format – once more, using the very basic structure of establish/scene/character beat set up of the first page – and then moved into Marvel Method for the rest of the sequence. It's the first “real” performance sequence since issue 20s, so has been a while.

This sequence brought to mind the movie adaptation of UNDER THE SKIN when I was writing it, and that's not an inaccurate comparison, I suspect.

What's to look at here is Matt's purples, which are just lovely.

And black.

All that black.

And...

Page 8-11

EVEN MORE BLACK! Doing try printing scans of our pages at home, as your printer will hate us.

Obviously reminiscent of issue 3's performance sequence, and I love what they did with the tumbling sequence. Persephone's voice, caption-box less, dropped on the backdrop too.

At script, there was originally a couple of lines on the second spread. It was questioned by C, in terms of “He's a long way away – I don't think we can hear two beats like that” which is right, but also got me thinking about time operating in comics. The second you add dialogue to a page, it becomes a period of time. When you remove all dialogue, it gets a timeless quality. As in, you have no idea how long it's been like this. Seconds? Hours? Years? We don't know.

And that certainly adds to the effect of the sequence.

Page 12

Heh. I'm reading this as we put issue 26 to bed, having just passed Jamie the script for 27 earlier today. They are... somewhat denser. It's going to be a while until we have a three panel sequence like this.

Page 13-16

Oh, hello again, eight-panel grid structure, old friend. We'll be seeing you again soon.

The dumbest “I should have realised this in the script” mistake was that Cass didn't have a line in the first panel of this. That adds time to the sequence, and a repsonse to the appearance of Cass.

I remember the thinking on this for me. Okay, Persephone has dragged Woden away. What does Cass do? Try and free the Valkyries. Like, obviously.

Anyway – what we get instead of Woden being killed is this. Giving up the Valkyries. Dragged to be essentially Cass' helper. Working the level of reluctance and ego back and forth is key.

The Harry Potter line was probably the most closely debated line in the issue. C and I basically had a bunch of conversations trying to unpack the meaning, what Woden was trying to say about it exactly, what Woden thought he was saying, etc.

Whole sequence clearly important as it's stating a selection of the various mysteries in the book, signalling to the reader than them not knowing answers is not accidental, and making the characte's direction clear. “Direction” is tricky in Imperial Phase, which is kind of the point. Showing that we do have an idea what we're doing is probably a necessary tell.

The steady angle on the last two panels – once more, for comedy – makes me smile. The “Enigmatic Wankery” made think of a friend. I asked C who she thought would most likely actually say “Enigmatic Wankery.” She answered the same friend. So let's conclusively say “Enigmatic Wankery” is the line most likely to be said by author and punmeister supreme, Si Spurrier.

Page 15 – which, without saying it, where Cass implicitly agrees to working with Woden – is where I realised how good Woden and Cass are to have in the same room, in terms of pushing information around.

(Perhaps too much – Persephone is definitely an observer in these four pages)

Page 17

Text conversations are fun, just as how much you can get into it, as a piece of character work. That Cass hasn't updated her phone to change Laura's name ever since meeting her is certainly one thing, but also says a lot about various other bits and pieces.

Three golden expressions on the page., You can trust Jamie McKelvie to deliver on such thing – the specific annoyance and the somewhat enigmatic sadness of Persephone. And the... peevishly frustrated nature of Cass.

Also, easy panels! See, I'm not just a monster.

(Says the man who's just sent Jamie a script with a whole middle section sub-titled “ FUCKING HORRIBLE BEYOND ALL HUMAN BELIEF”)

Page 18

The quote's from Anna Karenina by Tolstoy. “All happy families are alike; each unhappy family is unhappy in its own way.”

Page 19

Ananke's speech from issue 5 of WicDiv, being broadcast. Fun juxtaposition. And god, that's a hard mask to draw.

And honestly, this page – which you should recognise in its structure – so upset me when I thought of it, I knew it had to go in. The more I think about it, the worse it gets.

The copy of Pantheon monthly on the table especially makes me grin. I think that was Jamie's idea. Or maybe Katie?

Page 20-21

Persephone and Baal have been going out for three issues now. This sequence is the first time we've seen them in the same panel. Plus first time to see Baal in his guardian role. As such, wanting to live with them, albeit briefly, felt necessary. For a book that's often about death, we have to show life.

(The lightning-to-make-toast is the apex of that. The Mundane + The Divine may be an alternate title for WicDiv, or at least our aesthetic and interests.)

Also, let Minerva – ahem – continue to stretch her wings. Last time we got the human intelligence side of it. Now we get a more analytical mind.

And yes, Baal self-correcting himself is cute. You're trying, Baal.

Everyone's hair game is on point here. Minerva's fringe (aka Bangs, but we're in the UK, guys) is wonderful, but the winner is Persephone's braids.

On a really minor craft note? It's standard to say you end the page on a cliffhanger – an unanswered question, an reason to turn the page. The “Was Ananke right?” is a pretty good example of that, I think. Even mentioning Ananke changes the tone. The question is pointed, both in story and not. And, most of all, who's saying it?

Page 22

Oh, it's Amaterasu. Hi, Amaterasu.

This is very much catching balls we threw into the air, earlier. In terms of Amaterasu's actions, this is how the cast see it. Or at least, this part of the cast.

The third panel of this page makes me optimistic we're going to get away with an issue down the line. That's a lot of wonderful acting inside a tiny panel from Jamie.

I wasn't sure if “Li'l flower” was too much, but decided, no, it was the right amount of much.

Page 23-24

Yeah, this is a swing back to action-mode comics earlier than I suspect people were expecting it.

Kept really basic, leaving room for Jamie and Matt to do their thing. The tendrils whirling around, use of space, etc. Also, let's nod towards Matt's hot pink in the last panel.

Page 25

And hello what we can only presume is the Darkness, Great, which I probably better not say more about until next month. It was certainly a design conversation, but probably best to work in there. Clearly we wanted something interesting.

Yeah, that's enough for now, I think. We'll talk the nature of Cliffhangers again next time.

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I had a string of names for this one, before ending up here. I liked most of them enough to make me suspect they'll end up being used elsewhere.

Right – issue has just headed off to Image, so we'll see you in a month.

Thanks for reading.

#WicDiv #the wicked and the divine #writer notes

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chrisdiamantopoulos · 4 years

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>[EVIL LAUGHING.] So bad. [LOUD POOF.] I am the terror that flaps in the night! I am the pebble in the penny loafer of depravity! I am Darkwing Duck? Ah, so you've heard of me. Let's get dangerous. Ow! [GRUNTS.] Dangerous? Aah! [GRUNTS.] Dangerous [BOTH GRUNT.] Oh, my goodness. Okay! You think a few very painful explosions can stop me? Now, let's see who you really are [GASPS.] Me?! Whoa, what a twist! What?! I never saw that coming! Wait, haven't you seen this episode? Seventy-five times! But never in a parking lot. Sadly, beloved TV show Darkwing Duck, starring me, Jim Starling, was canceled before we could end this story. But there's no end to the savings at Siesta Rick's Sofa Fiesta! [MICROPHONE FEEDBACK.] [SIGHS.] Let's get comfortable! Ha-ha! I'll be signing autographs for one and all! - [CROWD GRUMBLING.] - If one and all want one! - No! - Oh, my gosh, no. Buncha ingrates. - You good? - Yep. Totally cool. Thanks for being here. [CLEARS THROAT.] Okay, keep it together! "I am your biggest fan!" No. "I have modeled my entire life after yours. " "I wanna keep you in a big jar in my closet!" [LAUGHS.] Calm down, buddy. Jim Starling's just a regular guy. I've been to plenty of these signings, and one day, I'm actually gonna meet him. Wait. If you've seen him so many times, how come you've never talked to him? [JIM STARLING.] Next! - Uhh - [DRAKE GRUNTS.] This is why. [THEME MUSIC PLAYING.] Ducktales Whoo-ooh Look, I'm the one and only Darkwing Duck. I need a real gig. I'm bigger than sofa store openings. Eh I don't care that they sell recliners, too! [CLEARING THROAT.] [GROANS.] Mr. Starling, you have meant so much to me. I I actually have a very important question for you. Y-Y Great. Who do I make this out to? Oh! Um, uh, I am the terror that flaps in the night! [CHUCKLES.] I am the president of your fan club. I am [JIM STARLING.] Yeah, yeah. That'll be 15 bucks. Stay dangerous. Waaaiiit! Uh, yes? A fresh-faced new fan! I knew the kids still loved me. [LAUGHS.] Who do I make this out to? [GRUNTS.] Oh, the fainter's back. He'd really appreciate it if you could sign his poster? [DEWEY.] "#DarkwingDuck" Whoa! That's weird. "Darkwing Duck" is trending number one worldwide. What?! Gimme! It says here they're making a movie of Darkwing Duck! They are? We am?! Darkwing Duck is back, baby! He is?! - [EXCLAIMS.] - [BOTH GRUNT.] It's him! Uhh [ALL GRUNT.] [LAUNCHPAD GRUNTING.] Launchpad! Stop looking in the rearview mirror. Yup! Totally profesh. No problem-ohh - [BRAKES SQUEAL.] - Hey! Fragile cargo, huh! [CHUCKLES.] Back on top. Arriving on set for a big-shot movie in style. Thanks for the ride, fans. Wow. I am going to a real movie studio! Where larger-than-life big-screen legends are born! And you get to ride there with a real-life movie star! [SNIFFING.] Musky. Are we sure about this guy? Why wouldn't the studio send a car for him? Or, you know, tell him the movie exists? They couldn't make a movie without him. Jim Starling is Darkwing Duck! Ya dang right he is, buddy! Heh. [GASPS.] I'm his buddy! Uhh Oh, man. I hope whoever owns the studio isn't mad at Wait, what the ?! Sorry, you need more money for ? The grand finale of my film. A psychological examination of man's inhumanity to man! Alistair, I haven't seen a movie since 1938. This studio was built to make cheap Office Safety Videos for my company. You convinced me a "fun little action movie" would double my profits, but you're already over budget. If you want one penny more, I have to be consulted on all decisions. How dare you, sir? An artist's integrity Splendid. The movie should be in color. Color's all the rage these days. Oh! And the villain is going to need a mustache to twirl whenever he does something evil. Heh You have a movie studio that could fulfill a starry-eyed boy's cinematic dreams. Why didn't you tell me?! To avoid this exact conversation. Okay, yeah, no, I can see that. I am the terror that flaps in the night. - I am the comeback the audience demands! - [ALL GASP.] I am a huge fan, Alistair Borswan! I mean, I've never actually seen your work, but you're British, so I'm sure that it's very classy, and yeah Uh, yes. And you are? [LAUGHING.] British and funny? Whoa! This feels like the beginning of a great creative partnership! Aw, cool! A big-budget reboot of a thing I loved as a kid! Those are always great! Is Darkwing's motorcycle in it? Is he still a noble hero who gets back up and fights for right, no matter what evil throws at him? You're keeping the theme song, right? Would you like to see the trailer? Ooh! Aah! [GIGGLING.] [THUNDER CRACKING.] [NARRATOR.] Within every man, there is a war. - Not of action, but of ideas. - [DEWEY.] Ugh! - [NARRATOR.] There is no right or wrong. - [MAN SCREAMING.] No heroes or villains. Only darkness. - [PEOPLE SCREAMING.] - There is one man who can fight the darkness. [LAUNCHPAD.] Yeah! Here we go, baby! [THUNDER CRASHES.] - [NARRATOR.] With more darkness. - [LAUNCHPAD.] What's this, now? - [SCREAMING.] - It's the Dark-wing! Run! You can't just flap around in the night! You'll terrify people! It's too dangerous! [Narrator.] Darkwing: First Darkness. This film not suitable for children. That is not Darkwing Duck! DW'd never hurt innocent people or set the city on fire. Not on purpose. But are we all not both the heroes and the villains of our own story? What? I don't What?! Well, I kinda like it! Grim, gritty. Shows off my dark, smoldering side. Ooh! Ahh! - I kinda hated it. - What?! I didn't understand what was happening or what the bad guy was doing or even who the bad guy was. I knew he needed a moustache! It needs aliens! Oh! Or ninjas! Or the streetwise sidekick who skateboards everywhere and talks in catchphrases, like ya Dewey! This is your main audience. If this fiasco is gonna make money, it has to appeal to the most childish child I know. Dewey's in charge. - What?! No! - Yes! Let's talk musical numbers! How many is not enough? Don't listen to these yahoos. We're making art! When do we start? Uh, we're almost finished, actually. Ah. So we're shooting the Darkwing scenes last. No. Of course! I'll be be put in with CGI! [CHUCKLES.] [SIGHS.] You are not playing Darkwing Duck. He is. [COOL GUITAR RIFF PLAYING.] - Huh? - You?! Mr. Starling! Uh, we met at the signing. You fell on me, remember? It was a huge honor. Uh, do you have any words of wisdom for the man stepping into your cape? [BOTH EXCLAIMING.] [GRUNTING.] [BONES CRACKING.] That is not the Darkwing Duck I know and love! Yeah! It's not me! I wish there was some way we could show them - how great the old - Original. uh, original Darkwing is. Hey, maybe there is. Are you with me, sidekick? Okay. What's the plan? I break onto the set, you find this new hack actor's trailer, lock him up. I replace him in the finale, they see I'm obviously better, I'm back on top! Any questions? - Seven. - Pick the most important one. "Breaking in," "locking up. " Doesn't that sound not heroic? When the chips are down and everyone's against him, what does Darkwing Duck do? Get back up and fight for right. And I'm Darkwing Duck, right? Of course! I'll have to disguise myself to get past the guard. Luckily, I can disappear into any role. I am the courier who delivers the [SPUTTERING, COUGHING.] Whoo! [COUGHS.] [GRUNTS.] What production you delivering to? [COUGHING.] Darkwing Duck. [COUGHS.] Huh? Never heard of it. What?! Remake of the popular TV show. A superhero for the ages? [GUARD.] Oh! Like Gizmoduck. [JIM STARLING.] No! Not like Gizmoduck! [GRUMBLING.] Like Gizmod - Darkwing Duck! - [GROANS.] [JIM STARLING.] "Let's get dangerous. " Badaba! None of this rings a bell, seriously? Uh, we got a situation. Requesting backup. [GRUNTS.] [GUARD RADIO CHATTER.] [GRUNTS.] [STRUGGLING.] [GRUNTING.] Mmm Aah! Unh! Perfect. Now, I wait for that phony actor, lock the door, and us, the good guys, win. Totally heroic. Mm. [GRUNTING.] It's already locked. The plan is falling apart. Help! I'm trapped in a prison of guilt! [GRUNTING.] Fear not, helpless Oh, hey, it's you. I I heard your cries, and I freed you from my trailer? What what what are you doing in my trailer? Definitely not locking you in here to sabotage your movie buddy? Ahh [EXCLAIMS.] - [EXCLAIMS.] - [CRASHES INTO TOILET.] Aw, man. I'm sorry. You will be, villain! [BOTH EXCLAIMING.] I've just gotta fix the movie to make Darkwing look like a hero! Oh, so what, you're gonna hold me hostage? Yeah. Real heroic. Sorry! Sorry! Sorry, sorry, sorry, sorry! [LAUNCHPAD GRUNTS.] Wait, don't touch that! Whoa! A vintage Darkwing Duck Grim Avenger Grape Shampoo bottle?! [GRUNTING.] - [HEAVY GRUNT.] - Oh! My Darkwing Adventures comics! It's a complete run! Huh? [GASPS.] Is that ? [BOTH.] A hyper-rare Battle-Hat Darkwing Duck Action Figure! I thought these were banned because they posed a blinding hazard for kids! May I? Ah, a keen eye. I insist. Ow! Cool! [JIM STARLING SCREAMING.] Gentlemen, thank you for coming to today's presentation. What is this? Oh, you're in the "Splash Zone. " Sir, you cannot expect me to hand over the finale of my grim, complex masterpiece to this child. Filmmaking is a team effort! You've got to be open to new ideas. The time: dusk. Neon! Drama! Those big lightning tower things! An epic showdown between Darkwing Duck and the villainous villain Megavolt! - Question. - Who has a moustache. Question rescinded. Your pyro-pandemonium is passÃ©, Hot Couture! Au contraire, Darkwing. I'm setting the fashion world on fire! [WHOOSHING SOUNDS.] Oh, no! Aah! Work through the pain. You got this. Oops. My bad. Hey, I had that same lunchbox as a kid. Not like this one. Now, shocking as it may sound, I was not the coolest kid growing up. What? No. I know, right? But one day, I saw this show about this hero. He was unstoppable. No matter how many times he was beat up or blown up or electrocuted [LAUNCHPAD.] No matter how many planes he crashed or or how much property damage he caused [DRAKE.] He always got back up and fought for what's right. [LAUNCHPAD.] So you got that lunchbox, everyone saw how cool you are, and they stopped beating you up! [DRAKE.] Oh, no. They they beat me up much harder. But I kept getting up. Look, I know this movie's not perfect. But I really want to make it better. Then, maybe I can be on the lunchbox that inspires some other kid like me. And a cut of the toy sales would be nice. You are a true fan. We can save this movie! We gotta tell Mr. Starling. Yeah, I I don't know. He kind of wants to make me not alive anymore. Get your cape. We're gonna save Darkwing Duck. [PANTING.] [GASPS.] How hard can it be to find an idiot in a purple cape? Follow me, Darkwing Dance Crew. To stardom! [DANCERS.] One, two, three, and four. Up and down and left and right. Left and right and up and down. Up and down and left and right. It's so easy, it's so right. Up and down and left and right. - Up and down and left and right. - [YELPS.] - Left and right and up and down. - [GRUNTS.] Up and down and left and right. Dewey, the actor playing Darkwing is a big fan, so Jim can give him pointers and help make him more heroic, and together, we're going to convince Borswan to fix the movie. Have you seen Jim? He might be on my set! They're letting me do whatever I want, and it's crazy and huge, and I don't even know if it's any good. Follow me! [BOTH.] Making movies is fun! [STRUGGLING.] Mr. Starling! There you are. - Mm! - I am so sorry about everything. You helped me through a really rough time. Your heart is in my lunchbox. Come work on the movie with me. Together, we can inspire a new generation and make the best Darkwing Duck ever! Yes. I will. [GRUNTING.] Ow! Oh! Why? We! Fix movie. Together. Why? Stupid. Movie star. Face. Get. In! - [BIRDS CHIRPING.] - [PANTING.] Showtime! [EVIL LAUGHING.] [MUSIC PLAYING.] What?! No, no, no, no, no, no! Easy, Matthew. Don't want that baby out of tune for the big musical number. What did you do to my psychological masterpiece? I added chainsaw jugglers. You're welcome. [SAWING.] - I don't know about this. - Thank you! The villain's moustache has to be at least twice as twirly. [SIGHS.] - [SIGHS, EXCLAIMS.] - Listen Ignore all these distractions. Stick to our script. Darkwing confronts Megavolt, surrenders, then takes a knee. [SCOFFS.] Excuse me! I didn't work this hard to make a comeback just to lose a fight to that joker. Oh! There you are! Did you find ? Uh, that actor kid? Yeah. Said I could film the finale. - He did? - Oh, yeah. Stubbed his toe really badly and just quit. Movie stars. One little boo-boo and they fall apart. That doesn't sound like him. And why are you saying things all mean? And action! You can't defeat me! I'm awesome! Surrender, and do it now! I've lost the ability to surrender to a two-bit, ten-watt dim bulb like you! Wait. Who is that? Why isn't his robot face coming off? [JIM STARLING.] Feast on this! [GRUNTS.] [CREW PANICKING.] Quick! Cut! No cuts! - Jim Starling never cuts! - Huh? [JIM STARLING.] I'll film this finale if it kills me. And everyone on this roof! [DRAKE.] I am the terror that flaps in the night. I am the overstuffed burrito that spills onto the lap of crime. I am Darkwing Duck! No, I am! [GRUNTING.] [WHIMPERING.] What is that idiot doing? Drawing fire. Get everyone out! Ugh! [GRUNTING.] We've gotta stop the flames! I'll keep him distracted. You turn on the rain machine. [BOTH.] Let's. Get. Dangerous. - This is so cool! - [GASPS.] I know! It feels so right! [BOTH EXHALE.] [GROWLS.] Ha-ha! What?! I knocked you out cold. Like, a lot! I don't want to brag, but I'm incredibly strong and resilient. Oh, really? - Darkwing! - No! [EVIL LAUGHTER.] Uh, what? Get back up. Darkwing! No! [GROANING.] [PIANO KEYS PLAY.] [EXCLAIMS.] Why won't you stay down? [EXCLAIMING.] [MACHINE WHIRRING.] Keep getting up [GROWLS.] [GASPS, GRUNTS.] [BOTH GRUNTING, EXCLAIMING.] Uncle Scrooge, stop the bad guy! Which is the bad guy?! If only one had a blasted moustache! [BOTH GRUNTING, EXCLAIMING.] Oh! [GROANS.] [STRAINING.] Aah! Show's over, Dead Meat Duck. [GRUNTS.] Stop! You're not a villain. You're a hero. Our hero. No matter how hopeless things got, Darkwing Duck got back up and did what was right. For Darkwing Duck is bigger than one man. He is the hope that flaps in the night. This may be the most eloquent Launchpad has ever been. He knows a lot about this one thing. But he is light. Just. And the most tenacious part of all good men. Um, Launchpad? Inspiring the citizenry to rise to a new Promethean Hey, dummy, it's about to blow! You really can't stop him once he gets started. Well, yeah. He's your biggest fan. [LAUNCHPAD.] one who subjugates his will. To the will of the common good. A caring duck of mystery. A champion of right. Who is the cunning mind behind that shadowy disguise? - I got ya! - No, I got him! about ourselv unh! [BOTH GRUNT.] [SCREAMS.] [BOTH GASP.] [STRUGGLING.] That was the perfect end! A hero grappling with his dark id. In a cleansing rain! Here's the footage. [GASPS.] [MUSIC PLAYING.] No! Over the entire fight? It's my masterpiece. Well, this was a disaster. I'm shutting this down. There will never be a Darkwing Duck movie. Well, there's still no sign of Starling. The movie's ruined, I lost my big break, my hero tried to kill me, and, oh! I blew him up. Oh, what am I gonna do now? What Darkwing Duck always does: Get back up. You know, you could do this for real. What? Be a superhero? I mean sure, I'm scrappy, I'm brave, I look great in the cape. Gizmoduck does it. I am better than Gizmoduck. It's one thing to play a hero. And it's another thing to actually be a hero. Do it for Jim. I don't know, I This whole thing sounds like it could get Dangerous? You already got one fan. "Drake Mallard. " Never heard of ya. [JIM STARLING.] It was all a setup. That hack put my fan in danger to steal the glory and humiliate me. They want grim and gritty, huh? Happy to play the part. [EVIL LAUGHTER.]

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