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literary-illuminati · 10 months

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Book Review 26 – Pale Lights by ErraticErrata

Okay technically this is a web serial, not a book – you can find it here – but a) it’s divided into ‘books’ and the first one recently finished, b) I’ve read like 350,000 words of it at this point and c) I want to talk about it a bit.

So, Pale Lights is a fantasy adventure story, set in a world where some prehistoric cataclysm left humanity living in a truly vast (multi-continental) cavern beneath the earth, full of old gods and devils and a darkness that will sink into you if you go too long without exposing yourself to the Glare of light spilling down from various openings in the firmament (and potentially stored in a variety of magic devices). It stars Tristain, a conman and gutter rat who accidentally killed the wrong man, and Angharad, a minor noblewoman fleeing assassins after the slaughter of her family, as they flee their enemies into the theoretical safety of the Watch, a sovereign military order that might get you killed hunting down rogue devils but is more than powerful enough to offer amnesty to all its recruits and force everyone else to go along with it. Specifically they both try to join through the fastest and most guaranteed method there is – survive and pass the trials on the Dominion of Lost Things, and your spot among their ranks is totally assured.

As you might expect, this doesn’t exactly go according to plan for either of them.

The plot’s sufficiently full of twists and detours that I’m not going to bother trying to give any sort of detailed synopsis, but one incredibly endearing thing about the whole serial is that it’s structured around these three deadly trials intended to test one’s mettle and worthiness, and absolutely none of them go according to plan. Which, speaking as someone who is generally left pretty annoyed by stories where the entire plot is ‘and then the protagonist surpassed the entirely artifical problems an outside authority put in front of them, meeting expectations perfectly!’, I really did greatly enjoy.

The plot was also just satisfyingly and surprisingly brutal – EE’s previous gargantuan serial was explicitly (though increasingly theoretically as it went on) YA, and made plot armour an explicit part of the setting’s metaphysics. Pale Light is...very much that. There were several points where it felt like at least one named, fleshed out character with their own arc was dying horribly every chapter. Bracing! Relatedly, and necessary for that, the cast is big, into the dozens of fleshed out characters the plot leaves behind and goes back to whenever they’re relevant or on screen again. Which is the sort of indulgence you can get away with in a web serial. (I’ve actually seen a lot of people complain that the cast was too large or hard to keep to track of. Those people are weak.)

Speaking of characters – the supporting cast is great, and a decent number of them are well-drawn and earnestly compelling, but a story like this really lives or dies on the strength of its protagonists. And I’d say Pale Lights passes that test with flying colours – Tristain and Angharad are both more than strong enough to carry a story on their own, but jumping between them lets the story have a lot of fun with their biases and what they assume or overlook, and their (very different and often wildly misinformed) perspectives on each other, their goals, and the supporting cast are just a joy. EE’s always had a real talent for internal monologue and character voice (even in my least-favorite bits of A Practical Guide to Evil, Cat’s perspective was a consistent delight), and being able to consistently jump between and develop two here really makes them shine.

The fact that they’re both a) actually adults, b) morally dubious and c) incredibly devoted to a particular sense of morality and ethics that’s minimum 30 degrees off anything conventionally ‘good’ helps a lot, too. Tristain my beloved shameless vendetta-obsessed will-knife-anyone-but-his-closest-friends-without-a-second-thought gutter rat.

It’s actually really quite interesting how, despite one being a chivalry-obsessed bravo whose word is her bond and so finesses her oaths and promises like a mobbed up lawyer and the other being a street criminal second story man with a sideline in poisons, they’re both really incredibly defined by a fixation on loyalty and vengeance.

The setting is interesting, though the narrative does sometimes feel a bit like it’s straining under the weight of all the weirdness piled onto it, with the whole ‘everyone’s underground and 90% of light is artificial’ thing. The various gods are all interestingly eldritch, especially Tristain and Angharad’s patrons (Fortuna probably my third favourite character in the whole thing overall), the devils and lemures and monsters are all fucked up and horrifying in a really fun way, and the magic is appropriately occult-seeming.

I’m not sure if it’s good or bad, exactly, but I do find the utter shamelessness with which EE copies real world cultures to create fantasy counterparts kind of endearing? I really can’t overstate how incredibly obvious it is that, like, ‘this empire is based on the Aztecs. They border this feudal mess based on India, and this league of Republics based on China. The main city the story launched from is Venice. The big creepy cursed academy is called the Scholomance. The treaty with the devils binding them not to eat people is called the Iscariot Accord. Die mad about it.” Gives the whole thing a real tabletop RPG setting vibe, honestly.

Anyway, can’t really say to what degree my attachment to this was built from the Stockholm Syndrome of following it week-to-week, but probably one of my favourite stories read this year, and eagerly looking forward to book 2.

#book review #pale lights #erraticerrata #sff #web serial

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psiithirisma · 2 years

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Bedrock Bros Actor AU (but not quite focusing on the acting part, to be fair)

Where star child Tommy gets a role for a sitcom with 3 other actors as part of the main cast, one of them being the famous teenage actor Technoblade, aka Tommy's idol.

15 years old Techno is a famous child actor, know for his participation in multiple renowned films, having leading roles in more than one. However, Tommy recognizes him for his appearance in his favorite cartoon which he has been a fan for years.

This cartoon tells the silly adventures of the protagonist, a hilarious bad-ass cute pig that wears a crown and a cape and is extremely good at fighting. A generic type of serie but with high enough ratings to have kept it going.

In said show there's a special episode where the protagonist fighting against a bad guy resulted into him being teleported to another dimension, the audience's dimension. Most of the episode was live-action, Techno chosen as the actor to be the human version of the pig.

Younger Tommy was obsessed with that episode. With the whole cartoon in general but he ADORED that specific episode and when it aired only made his interest for the series stronger.

So when he realizes he's working with THE Technoblade he has no shame in showing how happy he is.

Techno isn't too surprised. He's aware people look-up to him and that he has fans, but what does takes him aback was the fact this kid apparently recognizes him thanks to his appearance from years ago in a cartoon and no other more famous role.

The main character is called Teno (a shortened version of a much MUCH longer name) so now you have little 7 years old Tommy calling Techno "Te'no" due to the beloved character and the similarities between their names. Also because it's easier and quicker to pronounce.

But most people assume its a cute childish mispronunciation of Tech's name since they dont know the cartoon so the general reaction is “aww he's like your little brother” which embarrasses him to hell and back.

Especially when Tommy adds that he is like an older brother to him.

Terrible, horrific, cringe. He is no one's older brother.

...Techno can't really fight the Big Brother allegations when the show they casted him and Tommy for is literally centered on the day-to-day life of a family of 4 (the other two actors being Phil and Wilbur) and all of them fill their respective roles almost as if it was second-nature for them, with the family dynamic following them behind scenes too and present in their off-camera relationships.

Tommy talks a lot about the show to Techno and preys for any fun facts or “classified information” he may have from working on the show.

Techno sadly doesn't but now Tommy got him invested in the show so he gets in contact with some of the writers to have a chat with them. The little blond pretty much ends up interviewing them trying to squeeze as much information as possible out of them.

Speaking about interviews; in an interview the main cast is told to draw the other members and Tommy draws Techno as the little monarch pig but with glasses and after that pigs became part of Techno's brand.

Tommy at some point tells Techno about the character he created a while back, a similar pig to Teno but yellow and blue eyes, wearing a red and white t-shirt and named Big Man (a nickname since Big Man's real name is Nutpig).

It's a clear self-insert but he doesn't comment on it.

Tommy spends hours rambling about the multiple stories he created where Big Man and Teno go on amazing adventures kicking ass. Techno happily listens, sometimes participating with his own made-up adventures.

Occasionally, after a particular exhausting day filming, Techno would find a sheet of paper with a doodle of 2 pigs, Teno and Big Man, on his desk.

Unaware of the soft smile crawling on his lips or the way his fatigue suddenly would lessen at the sight of the childish scribbles.

Techno discovers these official comics of the show and buys them only to read them along with Tommy when the latter would be tired after an entire day in the set.

Most of their reading sessions ending with the youngest drifting to sleep with his face buried on the older's side.

One day Tommy makes Techno a paper crown as a thank-you gift for being an incredible older brother. Saying he isn't sure how older brothers are because he never had one before but despite this he knows Techno is the best one out there.

Techno tries his hardest not to burst into tears right on the spot.

That is something he would find himself doing a lot since meeting Tommy. Trying not to cry out of pure love and affection.

Maybe being an older brother wasn't too bad.

#tommyinnit #technoblade #bedrock bros #sbi #sleepy bois inc #innitblr #bladeblr #sleepy boys inc #long post #venus whispers #actor au #sbi au #twitter liked this one a lot so here u go #fluff #i like fluff

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seventeenlovesthree · 2 months

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If you were chosen to continue the Digimon Adventure 2020 story, what headcanon theories or ideas would do you have for the series going forward?

What you want the Digidestineds next great adventure to be? How would you want them to grow and develop as characters? And how would their relations evolve? Especially how do you imagine Tai's relation with Sora and Izzy would develop? (I love the three of them soooooo much in the 2020 series!)

If it were to take place right after the end of Digimon 2020?

Oh, if only I HAD that power...! I had already outlined a few aspects here before, but for completion's sake, I can elaborate again, because there are several possible scenarios I would like to see:

1.) Give me a slice-of-life-anime with the 8 being somewhere between 12 and 17 and have them go through some Tamers/Ghost Game-esque adventures in the real world. I had written a love letter for how much I adore episode 31 of OG Adventure structurally the other day and I would really love a series with the same vibe. Since the first season of the reboot was more plot-driven, this second season would primarily focus on their personal stories/backgrounds/family lives with Digimon-related shenanigans affecting technology and their everyday lives in the process. Giving every single character time and space to bloom. We would also learn more about the Crests and how each kid was chosen in the first place - I don't NEED reincarnation theory to be confirmed, but I would really like some more breadcrumbs into a satisfying explanation as for WHY THEY were chosen specifically in "this timeline" and how exactly the Crests came to be.

2.) I also had an idea based on a dream I once had, additionally furthered by the last episode or rather the "epilogue" that was presented there: I had outlined the idea here as well, but basically, it'd be about dividing the cast into primary and secondary squad (to allow more focus on singular characters in a shorter number of episodes) and have the former actually go gate-hopping and exploring the different worlds out there. It's a more self-indulgent idea, as it mainly focuses on the dynamics between Taichi, Koushirou, Sora and Mimi, but I couldn't keep the others away completely either. So I haven't fully utilized the idea yet...

3.) An interesting idea that was brought to my attention recently was the idea of making a season revolve around Taichi disappearing due to the gate-hopping. Since the first season basically revolved around typical Shounen protagonist Taichi Yagami, the second season would be about the others gate-hopping as well to find him. I haven't thought this one through yet either though...

In terms of general character development and relationship dynamics, I would be happy to actually see more about their individual selves, their flaws and worries and how they get along - or don't. It's really difficult to put a finger on how exactly that would look like, because I absolutely cannot blame the creators of the reboot for being "careful" on how to depict the characters beyond some general tropes. We've known these guys for TWENTY FIVE years and Tri already tried to tackle some things that were different, while still resorting to predictable outcomes without much depth we had already seen several times over - without intending to change the status quo too much. I obviously don't want to see perfect happy endings for everyone, but things were missing in the reboot so far that made the original characters so charming - and the reboot HAD the chance to elaborate on different outcomes here.

We already saw Jyou going for a more leadership-esque route, which his OG self actively didn't choose. So how would that affect his relationship with Taichi, who naturally got the leadership role again? How about Sora having a semi-peaceful relationship with her mother this time, so she can actually be experimental AND also choose to be a vital part of the group? What about Mimi coming from a rich family that provides technological gadgets - how would her knowledge on that influence the way she communicates with Koushirou? Would she try to be competitive for example? Show me more insecurities, show me how they'd actually challenge their Crest meanings? Show me a Hikari who rebels against her brother, show me a Takeru who takes charge, show me Koushirou being honest about his back story to the others (LET US KNOW IF HE IS EVEN ADOPTED IN THIS TIMELINE OR NOT), show me Yamato being vulnerable or try to be more humorous and failing at that! Show me Taichi having flaws! Again, I don't NEED him to be depressed AGAIN, but he has to have something he is insecure or unsure about.

As for Taikoura's relationship, once again, there are several ideas I could see, all shipping aside. One of them is the very self-indulgent "Team Light are actually connected mentally now and can sense and feel when the others are in danger" soulmate scenario that may affect how they interact with each other...

... In more general terms, I do need them all to spend more time together. If you take the ideas 1 I outlined above, they would go through their daily lives together, visiting the same school, etc. So of course Taichi and Sora would focus more on their passion for football as they promised in season 1 and, as mentioned above, Sora might still feel weird about "growing into herself", but she would be more comfortable about experimenting. Combining her tomboy-ness with a more feminine side and exploring that further (and in an ideal scenario deepening her relationship with Mimi in the process, because the reboot did NOT focus on that yet AT ALL). And I want Taichi to be supportive of her in this!

Taichi also made a promise to Koushirou that they would explore the other worlds together - which may also apply to idea 2 I outlined, because I need them to have an OWG-esque partners-in-crime relationship in which they go on cyber adventures together. And in both idea 1 and 2, they would have to balance their daily lives and responsibilities with that. Meaning, this would be a great opportunity to actually see Taichi and Sora learn about Koushirou's home life - he might still try to hide it from them, but I'd want a huge chunk of the story to focus on them trying to get something out of him (gently of course!), having him explore his own identity in the process as well. Showing him that the bond he developed with these two (and the others too) does not just exist because he is "useful" to them, but because he really means something to them.

I obviously also want Koura to bond more with each other - not only over their shared affections for Taichi and because they want to figure out if he is actually hiding something behind that unshattered mask of positivity... Maybe in this timeline, I can finally get them to become canonical fashion buddies, who knows?

Edit: A very important aspect I forgot is that I want and need new Jogress and branch evolutions between the different characters! BE EXPERIMENTAL, TOEI, IT'S GOOD FOR MERCH AND SHIPPING.

#personal #my two cents #taikoura #digimon adventure 2020 #digimon adventure:#digimon adventure reboot sequel #long post

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gracesshelves · 2 months

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The Hobbit: An Unexpected Journey (2012)

The first time I watched anything related to The Lord of the Rings was last year when my friend made me watch the extended editions of the first three movies, so I was glad that I had some context while coming into The Hobbit: An Unexpected Journey (2012). However, I have not read any of the books, which I think made it harder to watch this movie in particular. I would rate this movie a two out of five, which is the lowest rating I’ve given in class so far. One of the most important things when consuming media is the ability to keep my focus. I’ve watched some really poorly made movies, but they kept my attention throughout the whole thing, something I cannot say for this movie. I sat and watched this whole thing and I cannot remember half of what happened because it dragged on for so long. Connecting to our discussion this week on the dangers of alienating potential fans through adaptation, I do think this movie kind of does this. If I’d read The Hobbit before, I would’ve been more invested, but since I had no context of where this was going, it was very hard to pay attention.

This movie follows Bilbo Baggins sixty years before the events of The Lord of the Rings trilogy. Despite his adventure-filled youth, Bilbo mellowed into adulthood and thought he was content to live the life of a simple hobbit. However, this illusion is shattered when Gandalf the Grey invites a bunch of dwarves to his house for dinner in an attempt to convince Bilbo to join their quest. Their goal is to reclaim the Kingdom of Erebor, which was captured by the dragon Smaug 171 years ago. Despite some pushback, Bilbo eventually agrees to join their group. In this film, we follow them on the first leg of their quest. Honestly, I think Martin Freeman was the perfect choice for this role. He’s kind of developed a type cast as the cautious, reluctant, sarcastic protagonist/sidekick, but he plays it so well. His personality got me through the lulls of action during this movie.

I promise I have some nice things to say! I really enjoyed the whole Rivendell scene because I got to see some characters I actually knew. I also think it did a nice job of establishing Gandalf's philosophy, which makes his choices of protagonists make so much more sense. My favorite scene in the whole movie was, of course, the scene with Gollum. This section had the most tension and highest stakes of the film, in my opinion. I was folding clothes while watching the majority of the movie, but I had to stop what I was doing during this part because I was so invested. Andy Serkis does an amazing job of making Gollum creepy, yet sympathetic. His performance always draws me in, and I think the movie would have suffered without the inclusion of this scene.

This week I don’t particularly have any comments on themes, because I have a hard time recalling what the plot was in general besides getting from point A to point B, but I did appreciate Gandalf’s whole speech about why he picked Bilbo specifically. He says: “Some believe it is only great power that can hold evil in check, but that is not what I have found. It is the small everyday deeds of ordinary folk that keep the darkness at bay. Small acts of kindness and love” (The Hobbit: An Unexpected Journey 2012). I think that is what stuck with me the most walking away from this movie. Will I finish the franchise? Probably not. I have a lot of diehard LOTR fans as friends, and they loathe this trilogy so I don’t feel the need to watch it, but I might consider reading the source material. Unfortunately, the studios kind of shot themselves in the foot with this one. I would’ve had the patience to sit through a four-hour-long movie if it covered the whole book. Making a trilogy out of a book that is shorter than any of the The Lord of the Rings books was not the best idea.

#my reviews

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taoofshigeru · 5 months

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2023 Game of the Year Post

Looking back, I was surprised to see how few "new" games I had played this year. But two of them were absolutely excellent so I'm going to talk about them a little.

In February, a game I was expecting to be good showed true greatness, and, in mid-November, a black-and-white indie touched my heart.

[Spoilers for In Stars and Time/Octopath Traveler II to follow.]

Let me start by talking about In Stars and Time/ISAT.

ISAT is a gay game about timeloops. The aloof but amiable rogue Siffrin sees their sanity stretched like a stick of used chewing gum as the fighter repeatedly chickens out on confessing his love for them and sincere heartfelt moments of human connection become rote scenes he must perform.

Throughout the process, Siffrin uses humor to deflect from serious emotional questions and eventually starts drifting away from the group during conversations. The specific character traits of 1) serial people-pleaser, 2) depressed person, and 3) funnyjokespun person who at times used humor to deflect from those issues was a little too specific in a way that hit in an emotionally relevant way.

Even more than that was the way it toyed with my patience as a player. I'm what I would describe as very good at games with repetitive tasks. Like, my tactics-loving friend and I have been doing a co-op playthrough of Tactics Ogre, and I was the enby who ultimately chose to be responsible for grinding Galgastani CF to recruit ultimate goth girl Cressida. It took hours of repeating the same battle and just babysitting the game for hours at a time. Sure I'd be willing to read through heart-to-heart events repeatedly to make the Siffrin's friends happy. I'd do it once, twice, even a fifth time. But my persistence is not bottomless.

In Stars and Time read me perfectly.

I did end up skipping or avoiding those events once the game stopped being a combat RPG and started being a visual novel/monkey island-style adventure in Act 4. I did start zoning through particular events once they happened more than 10 times. My patience did give way, though not to the extent of the protagonist Siffrin when they suffered a meltdown. And this happened right around the time when Siffrin started putting real distance between them and their friends. It took me to a dark place with the character in a way that made the catharsis at the end so worth it.

All of it went towards really effectively communicated the game's point of how it's worth it to talk to your friends about your problems.

~~~

The other game that moved me this year was also built around repeating and growing. It was about throwing yourself at the wall over and over again, with a little more force, a little more refined strategy, a little more panache and willingness to take risks. And about getting it just right, finally. This was my experience with Octopath Traveler 2

So, first of all, strategizing in OT2 kicks ass. Like the Bravely games of yore, this game nerfs the most broken tools (i.e. the Hunter's patience) from the first game, but gives the player new broken tools that synergize in new, exciting ways. And critically, it then throws enemies at you that can take it all and still be a challenge. (Sea of Stars did not do this last part.)

Got used to using someone's primary job for a lethal combo setup? Well guess what, primary jobs are now banned! Got a 6-attack strike with a killer legendary weapon that'll break any monster? Guess what, that weapon you used to get the break is now no longer the zombie dragon's weakness! Spent all your time building up your favorite 4 in an 8-character party? Guess who's gonna handle the superboss' second HP bar?

For a single-player game, it legitimately felt like I was experiencing a design that had been built to anticipate the player's combat choices on a meta level and would only let the door open for solutions that were suitably intricate and clever. Aside from superbosses, the game wasn't extraordinarily difficult, but it still left me constantly scrambling through my toolkit of HP, MP, turns, latent power, items, collectable monsters, and money mid-battle to find a solution to pick any given boss' lock. As a turn-based combat RPG, OT2 killed it.

And that wasn't even the strongest point.

The character stories in Octopath Traveler one were, on a basic level, enjoyable, and were engaging enough that the game's art, soundtrack, and deep turn-based combat could combine to make a great game. Octopath II ups the storytelling game significantly, offering nonlinear chapter order, story-focused chapters that end without a boss fight, and a cast that's generally very well written and played brilliantly by the English vocal cast. The positive impression I had of the game after the first ten hours gave way to a wowed one as characters started to interact, showcasing entertaining personal dynamics and tugging at the strings of a looming, bigger mystery. The climactic arc, Journey for the Dawn, ties all eight chapters together and presents an incredibly satisfying and at times emotionally wrenching finale.

I don't know if any side character in a game has ever hit me half as hard as Ori the Scrivener has

But also, mystery arc main plot removed, the world of OT2 has so much character. There's a whole questline where you sit through a court hearing and then have to investigate the mystery around town to show up and avoid a wrongful verdict with a key testimony or piece of evidence. Secret princess/gardener lesbian subplots and eldritch stuffed toys are just some of the things that exist in the background.

The story about getting it just right wasn't just a player experience. It was also the meta narrative - writing in the first game wasn't weak by any means, but the writing in the second game is just an inarguable improvement. Combat in the first game pitched juicy fastballs that were well-scaled to my play experience, but this baby kept tossing out monster curves and tricky sliders.

I think creative perfection is a myth, because it's always possible to improve. Octopath Traveler II shows how, and that's why it's my game of the year.

~Thanks for reading my selfish little blurb!~

#spoilers #game of the year #goty 2023 #goty #octopath traveler 2 #in stars and time #in stars and time spoilers #isat spoilers #octopath traveler 2 spoilers #isat

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namelesssiren · 7 months

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Every Call Of Duty Game In Chronological Order

Call Of Duty: WW2 (1940 - 1945)

Despite being one of the more recent entries into the shooter franchise, WW2 is set before all of the others.

The earliest year the game goes back to is 1940, yet most of the story occurs between 1944 and 1945. The tale follows Private Ronald "Red" Daniels and his Infantry squad as they try to end the Nazis towards the conclusion of World War 2.

Call Of Duty 2 (1941 - 1945)

While most of the early Call Of Duty titles begin in 1942, the second game is a little different as it starts at the end of '41.

During the campaign, you control soldiers from three of the Allied powers in America, Britain, and Russia. Each of their adventures takes place separately, and they all have difficult obstacles to overcome.

Call Of Duty: Vanguard (1941 - 1945)

Vanguard provides another foray into World War 2. This one is all about a special task force made up of a few skilled soldiers from different allied countries. Their mission is to stop a secret Nazi project. And the operation occurs in 1945.

Along the way, you're treated to plenty of playable flashbacks showing what each character was doing earlier in the war.

Call Of Duty: World at War (1942 - 1945)

At the beginning of World At War, you participate in the Makin Island raid, which occurs in 1942 like its real-life counterpart.

The rest of the story plays out in a similar fashion as you become involved in plenty of famous battles and incidents from WW2. In each mission, you're either following some American troops or focusing on a Russian squad.

Call Of Duty (1942 - 1945)

The Call of Duty series started in World War 2, more specifically, 1942. However, most of the first game is set in 1944 and 1945 as the Allied powers push back against the Nazi forces.

In classic COD fashion, the campaign lets you see three different perspectives on the war as there are multiple protagonists. The main characters belong to separate nations, but they all have the same goal of tipping the war in favor of the Allied powers.

Call Of Duty 3 (1944)

Call of Duty's World War 2 games usually try to cover several years of the conflict. However, Call of Duty 3's campaign focuses solely on 1944 with most of the attention being on the Battle of Normandy.

Another interesting aspect of the story is that Polish, French, and Canadian forces have big roles in it, alongside the customary American and British soldiers.

Call Of Duty: Black Ops (1961 - 1968)

More than most Call Of Duty games, Black Ops puts a heavy focus on its narrative. Much of the story is told from the perspective of a man named Alex Mason, who's being interrogated in 1968.

During those scenes, he recounts important moments from the past several years, which are shown through playable flashbacks. The first memory occurs in 1961 at the time of the Bay of Pigs invasion.

Call Of Duty: Black Ops Cold War (1981)

As the name suggests, the events of COD: Black Ops Cold War take place during the Cold War. More specifically, the entire campaign occurs in 1981 and sees the return of some characters from the first Black Ops.

They all are a part of a team led by a CIA operative named Russell Adler, who's hunting down a Soviet agent called Perseus. It's up to you to influence how the vital operation plays out over a set of missions that vary in quality.

Call Of Duty: Black Ops 2 (1986 - 1989) - Alex Mason Missions

In Black Ops 2, you control both Alex Mason and his son David at different points of the campaign. When you swap characters, you switch time periods too. Alex's missions occur in the 1980s, while David's sections are in the future.

During the past missions, the older Mason teams up with the likes of Hudson and Woods once again to track down a dangerous man named Raul Menendez.

Call Of Duty 4: Modern Warfare (1996 - 2011)

COD4 was the first entry to take the series away from a WW2 setting. Instead, the game's main events take place during one week in 2011.

You play as Soap from the SAS and Jackson of the USMC, who are separately trying to stop a dangerous terrorist threat. Plus, for two missions, you flashback to 1996 to learn more about the main antagonist.

Call Of Duty: Modern Warfare (1999 - 2019)

The latest entry in the Modern Warfare sub-series isn't a part of the same continuity as the others. However, some classic Modern Warfare characters still return in this one, namely Price.

During the game, Price doesn't just join forces with the CIA; he also allies with Arab Soldiers and Freedom Fighters. They all team up to stop the Russians who've taken over Urzikstan. Parts of the game are flashbacks that take you to 1999.

Call Of Duty: Modern Warfare 2 (2016)

Five years on from the events of the first Modern Warfare, Soap MacTavish has become a Captain, and he's leading a special forces unit called Task Force 141.

His group spends the game hunting Vladimir Makarov, who is the leader of the Russian Ultranationalist party. Yet, it turns out that there is another villain in the mix that's closer to home.

Call Of Duty: Modern Warfare 3 (2016 - 2017)

Modern Warfare 3 continues right where its predecessor left off with Price and Nikolai getting an injured Soap to safety.

Like the previous game, the story is all about tracking down and stopping Makarov. Task Force 141, Delta Force, and the SAS are all on hand to end the Ultranationalist threat.

Call of Duty: Modern Warfare 2 (2022)

Seemingly to confuse everyone, Activision has released two games called Call Of Duty: Modern Warfare 2. The one released in 2022 takes place in the same year it was released. And it's a continuation of 2019's Modern Warfare.

It follows the adventures of Task Force 141, who are attempting to stop a serious Iranian terrorist threat. They also tackle with the Las Almas Cartel in the process.

Call Of Duty: Ghosts (2015 - 2027)

In Ghosts' opening prologue, a group known as the Federation launch an ODIN strike on the United States in 2017.

Then the story jumps ahead ten years where the country is still suffering the effects of the blast, and a spec ops team called Ghosts are at war with the Federation. Most of the adventure occurs in 2027, but there is a flashback to 2015 at one point.

Call Of Duty: Black Ops 2 (2025) - David Mason Missions

The Black Ops 2 missions that follow David Mason (aka "Section") happen in 2025.

As his father did many years before, Section spends his portion of the campaign trying to track down one of the series best villains in Raul Menendez to stop him once and for all.

Call Of Duty: Black Ops 4 (2043)

There is no traditional campaign for Black Ops 4 as the title is all about its multiplayer modes.

However, there are still some cutscenes in the game that focus on telling the personal tales of the multiplayer characters. All of the training missions seem to take place in 2043.

Call Of Duty: Advanced Warfare (2054 - 2061)

In Advanced Warfare, you control Jack Mitchell and face off against several different enemy factions, first as a Marine and then as a member of Atlas. Yet, you don't discover the true villain until partway through the game.

The entire adventure happens in the 2050s and early 2060s. As a result, you're able to make use of some futuristic and high-tech equipment throughout the campaign.

Call Of Duty: Black Ops 3 (2065 - 2070)

Raul Menendez's drone attacks at the end of Blacks Ops 2 caused the world to refocus their efforts back on ground combat with some futuristic weapons.

During Black Ops 3, you experience this renewed interest in ground assaults as you participate in the third Cold War, which is fought between factions known as the Winslow Accord and the Common Defense Pact.

Call Of Duty: Infinite Warfare (Unknown)

Infinite Warfare is the only Call Of Duty game that doesn't mention what year it is set. However, it's clear the campaign occurs sometime in the future as space travel has come a long way.

During the game, the Settlement Defense Front (SDF) is locked in a violent conflict with the United Nations Space Alliance. Nick Reyes, aka you, takes the fight to the SDF throughout the adventure.

(sorry if this confused you ut i hope there some people who will understand<3)

NEXT:Ranking The Greatest Call Of Duty Characters Of All Time

#cod #call of duty modern warfare #call off duty

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daydreamerdrew · 2 years

Text

When reading Shazam! (2019) I think the part of the portrayal of Billy Batson that made him most unbelievable to me as a version of Billy because it was just so incongruous with my understanding of his character was the framing of him as incompetent as a hero due to his age and the idea that he required mentorship and was notably inefficient as a hero specifically because he lacked mentorship.

For the original Pre-Crisis version of Billy Batson, him being a remarkably competent child was very much, like, the point. He was chosen because he was his pure heart made him worthy, yes, but he was also chosen because, as this introduction to Whiz Comics (1940) #13-15 puts it:

Golden Age Captain Marvel stories were a mix of boy reporter and adventures stories with each issue highlighting both Billy Batson and Captain Marvel. Billy often engaged in dangerous situations in his profession as an investigative reporter, only turning into Captain Marvel when absolutely necessary. And Billy didn’t get suddenly get his job after becoming Captain Marvel, but earned it with his own ingenuity.

And Captain Marvel, who was at this time portrayed as a distinct different entity than Billy Batson, was also a competent hero whose standing within the world of the Fawcett Comics heroes could be compared to the standing of Superman within the DC universe.

The Wizard Shazam is considered their mentor, though his prominence in stories was limited because they didn’t often need his guidance. Instead, Captain Marvel would act as a mentor to Billy when necessary, giving him advice while appearing as an astral projection beside him. But when they did need the Wizard he was available to them at the Rock of Eternity, and there were sometimes references to his mentorship in the past tense with Captain Marvel saying that he knew something because the Wizard had taught him.

For the Post-Crisis version of Billy Batson, he and Captain Marvel were now portrayed as the same person, and particularly with his portrayal throughout the 90s Billy being a teenager and so having conflicts with adults was emphasized, but immaturity and childishness weren’t. His character took on the framing of, while not being different people, Captain Marvel being an inherently ‘more evolved’ person due to him having the Wisdom of Solomon.

And Billy was still very much a remarkable child, having survived homeless on the streets of Fawcett City and then managing to get work and pay for an apartment himself and supported himself for years while keeping the fact that he had no adults taking care of him a secret.

His mentorship relationship with the Wizard Shazam was now also emphasized, but not in the sense that he needed a lot of guidance. Their tenuous relationship was a source of conflict in The Power of Shazam! (1995) ongoing series, when it had previously been amicable in The Power of Shazam! (1994) graphic novel, as the two struggled to understand and sympathize with each other, ultimately culminating with them rediscovering their respect for one another towards the end of the ongoing series.

But Billy as Captain Marvel, very reasonably as he is the protagonist and is experienced as a superhero, is the hero of his stories. The driving force behind his plots is that there is some evil in the world that he specifically has to intervene in and by the end of his adventures it is specifically him that has successfully stopped the villain from endangering people.

I’ll also note here that this Billy would more accurately be classified as an adult hero rather than a teen hero as it was adult heroes who were portrayed as his peers and that when he did team-up with other adult heroes that they were not fitted into a mentor role for him.

Whereas in the Shazam! (2019) ongoing series, despite him being the protagonist and being experienced as a superhero, it’s repeatedly emphasized that Billy doesn’t know what he’s doing because he was dropped into the role of Shazam with no mentorship and that he’s creating problems because he doesn’t know what he’s doing. And then when the Wizard does reappear he doesn’t provide guidance for Billy and instead is another source of conflict largely due to how little faith he has in Billy.

Also bothersome for me was issue #12 which was a team-up between Billy and Batman in which Billy as Shazam is no help at all and needs to be saved by Batman and then ends with Bruce giving Billy a speech about how, essentially, Billy may not know what he’s doing but he’s young and has time to figure things out.

This degradation of Billy as a hero is frustrating not just because it is such a drastic change from his previous portrayals specifically but also on the broader principle that it comes across as insulting to adapt a superhero character and make a new cornerstone of their characterization that they’re incompetent as a hero.

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aimlessgeology · 5 months

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Speculative Othering Final

youtube

Lost (2004-2010) is remembered for being a sometimes confusing but almost always sexy adventure show. The show follows the aftermath of a plane crash on a mysterious Pacific island, when a group of strangers must figure out how to survive in the face of no rescue and a sinister group that already inhabits the tropical rock. Lost is unique for its time in that it featured many characters of color from a variety of backgrounds and identities. Its inclusion of diverse characters was a conscious break from norms in TV. Unfortunately, a lot of the screen time was taken up by white characters, but the characters of color are not passive tokens signaling diversity.

In their critical media book Unthinking Eurocentrism (Shohat and Stam, 1994), Ella Shohat and Robert Stam include a chapter titled “Stereotype Realism and the Struggle Over Representation”. In this chapter, they state: “Filmic fictions inevitably bring into play real-life assumptions not only about space and time but also about social and cultural relationships” (178). This applies doubly to television, because TV is more flexible in its production: you can see cultural changes play out over time through one TV series in a way you can’t do with one film because TV is produced is produced continuously, sometimes for decades at a time (The Simpsons, General Hospital, Sesame Street). They continue, “film is [representation], [but] it is also an act of contextualized interlocution between socially situated producers and receivers. [To say art is constructed] is not enough...We have to ask: Constructed for whom? [W]ith which ideologies and discourses' in mind? (180). I think that Lost was made with a wide range of audiences in mind. It has action, mystery, and romance. It has moments of levity and extreme anxiety. It arrived at a tense time; the pilot came out in 2004, a mere three years after the 9/11 tragedy, when America was waging war in Afghanistan and Iraq. Ultimately it was a show about community and teamwork, and sought to unite those through their differences instead of dividing them. Lost was set in the present at the time of its release and its universe mimicked our own in many ways, including with the U.S.-led wars in the Middle East. Sayid (Naveen Andrews), a supporting protagonist, is an Iraqi national and former soldier. Sayid has a complicated and sorrowful backstory, like most of the characters on the show, but his position is unique in that his character embodies a personality that America, writ-large, was extremely suspicious of; an Arab man aligned with the government of his home country.

The character Sawyer (Josh Holloway) is a country bad-boy who represents this suspicion. In the second part of a two-part pilot, he accuses Sayid of being a terrorist and being responsible for the plane going down. This leads to an altercation between the two men, shown in the clip below. (S01E1-2, LOST clip - Sayid and Sawyer Fight).

The accusation is blatantly racially motivated and it is only the first of many aggressions Sawyer inflicts on Sayid because of his ethnicity. With his love of guns, sex, booze and cigarettes, Sawyer is a specific American stereotype–the hypermasculine, violent, and bigoted man. Surely there were people watching Lost whose identities at least partially aligned with these qualities; through Sawyer, they see themselves represented, perhaps in an exaggerated light, or maybe turned down a notch. Despite Sawyer’s bias and bouts of cruelty, he is an important character who grows and learns to treat people better. As Shohat and Stam write, “spectators… can accept, question, or even subvert” a work of media. Further, “the cultural preparation of a particular audience can generate counter-pressure to a racist or prejudicial discourse” (182). Lost offers a critique of Sawyer-like ideology without totally alienating those who share it, as well as giving voice to the group which they vilify.

Since Sayid is not a one-dimensional token character, his reaction to Sawyer’s racism towards him gets its due. In the clip above, Sayid is shown to be the instigator of the fight, but he is not represented as acting unreasonably. A common racist stereotype about Arab men is that they are hot-tempered and aggressive. Lost does not try to fight this false notion by making sure Sayid is non-violent. Instead, his anger and aggression is represented with more nuance than a simple ‘Violent Arab Man’ trope. He’s responding to an attack on his character and nationality, and in the circumstances of the show, his violent response is understandable. It represents both identities in a forgiving light.

Though Sayid’s character is an important part in the progression of Arab representation on screen, it’s not perfect. Naveen Andrews is a British man with Indian heritage, but he plays an Iraqi. This relates to Shohat and Stam’s points about representation. Those authors are concerned with white actors performing in roles meant for people of color, and they reference the satirical work How to Make an Indian Movie: ”Import a Greek to be an Indian princess. Introduce a white man to become an ‘Indian’ hero. Make the white man compassionate, brave and understanding ... Pocket the profits in Hollywood” (181). There is another layer to this that has emerged in the modern age where people of color are made into a generalized ‘other’ where they play nationalities that are not their own. I don’t think it should be taboo for people to play across national lines; an American should be able to play a Brit, so why should a Brit not be able to play an Iraqi? But there is a line where it becomes racially offensive, or at least controversial. For many producers of media at this time, it comes down to looks; few are interested in making sure the actor who plays a guy from Iraq is actually from Iraq, as long as he ‘looks like’ he could be from Iraq. For white audiences, there is not always a lot that distinguishes one brown person from another.

There are other times in Lost where white audiences are not the sole focus of the show. There are detailed storylines that don’t involve white characters. The first example of Lost de-centering white voices is when there is tension between two men of the group of survivors, Jin (Daniel Dae Kim) and Michael (Harold Perrineu). S01E06, “House of the Rising Sun” the opening scene is Jin brutally attacking Michael at the water in front of Michael’s son, Walt. Jin seems to intend to kill him, or at least injure him severely. Walt cries for help and Sawyer and Sayid sprint to Michael’s rescue. The following clip is the conversation that occurs after the attack. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=K-fS679Ui1U

Sayid becomes the mediator of the disagreement with Sawyer playing a secondary role, mostly as a taunt (did you catch the ‘Omar’ comment he made to Sayid?). Jin does not speak English, but is obviously very angry. Michael is wounded and angry as well. Sayid demands to know what happened and Michael insists that the reason Jin attacked him was because he’s black. Michael says to Sayid that he ‘doesn’t know what it’s like in Iraq, but in America, Korean people don’t like Black people’. Jin does not have the language to defend his actions. Not that they were really defensible; he tackled this guy and tried to drown him because a misunderstanding over a lost watch. The racial component was self-evident and then mentioned explicitly. The conversation is almost entirely between people of color, except for Sawyer making snide remarks.

This is something remarkable, especially for a show at this time. That the white characters, identities and narratives are not the core of this scene is unfortunately kind of surprising. If there are white people around, why aren’t they getting centered? Because Lost is making a conscious attempt here to show experiences that are not normative to white americans. It is also making an attempt to show intricacies, contradictions, and irony in racial conversation. As far as a TV show like this can reasonably be, it’s realistic. Sayid would not necessarily know the background of racial tension in the US between black and asian people (Lee, 2023). Jin also would not necessarily be aware of this, because he himself is a Korean national, and also has the language barrier keeping him from understanding this particular point of tension. Lastly, Michael has reason to accuse him of racism, because as an American Black man, he’s no doubt experienced it in his life, from multiple sources. Lost presents context for the characters’ actions (it’s known for flashbacks, too) and also is understanding of multiple perspectives and not adhering to a binary view of race or experience. Despite its imperfections, Lost gave screen time and narrative depth to people who have not been historically represented in television, specifically in the action genre. Lost’s setting lends itself well to this breakdown of tradition, because once your plane crashes, the old world doesn’t really exist anymore.

References:

Lee, Carolyn. 2023. “Media Misrepresentation of the LA Race Riots from a Korean American Perspective.” 2023. https://www.dartmouth.edu/~hist32/History/S21%20-%20Media%20Misrepresentations%20of%20the%20LA%20Riot.htm.

Shohat, Ella, and Robert Stam. 1994. “Stereotype Realism and the Struggle Over Representation.” In Unthinking Eurocentrism. https://moodle.oxy.edu/pluginfile.php/1045121/mod_page/content/6/Shohat%20and%20Stam_Stereotype%20Realism%20and%20the%20Struggle%20Over%20Representation.pdf.

@theuncannyprofessoro

#oxyspeculativetv #speculativetvanalysis #Youtube

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ettadunham · 8 months

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the 00s were a lawless time.

would i recommend dead head fred, a video game that's been aptly described by eurogamer partially as something that was seemingly 'designed by teenagers desperately trying to be edgy' in 2007?

no. of course not.

did i do a full playthrough of it despite all the gross, annoying and janky aspects of it?

......yeah.

please judge me.

okay, so i do want to get out the positives first. this game is clearly going for a wacky, out there premise and tone, and for better or worse, it commits to it. you play as fred, a detective that was murdered by the local mob boss, and now has been resurrected without his original head (hence the whole brain in a jar aesthetic). Part of the game's gimmick is that you can put different heads on fred, and they can do different special actions and are good against specific enemies - including a mannequin head where your special fight action is just finger gunning at people.

sigh, truly my favorite of the heads.

another fun aspect of the game is that there's a surprising amount of side missions and mini games involved. you can play pinball(!), billiard, fish, raise mutant roosters to brutally murder other roosters in a cage match... you know, the usual stuff. the voice acting, music, etc is also solid, and carries the same general wacky tone through.

what else, what else...

no, i think that's it. that's all the positives.

now for the real talk.

when i say that this m rated game really is a 12-year-old boy's idea of peak edginess in 2007, i really do mean it. there's a lot of gross out stuff, you murder most enemies by some brutal special attacks or beheading, and some of your heads are just... well, gross. but also, there's the racism, the form they chose for fred turning small in particular doesn't feel right, doesn't feel organic, and i'm pretty sure that one of the fish specialties you can buy from the asian stereotype seller is just a slur.

and yes, before you ask, there is of course a morgue assistant who's just a necrophile. obviously.

another fun little thing is that when our edgy protagonist's girlfriend gets kidnapped around the climax of the game, his reaction is pretty much just to go 'oh well, i guess kill her then'. but then somehow he still expects her to fall into his arms by the end??? and she pretty much does????

do you see what i mean that this game is a 12-year-old boy's idea of an edgy power fantasy at the time when south park was at its peak?

but hey, at least the gameplay's gotta be fun, right?

nope.

there are a lot of fights, and they're pretty much all bs. there's no health bar for your enemies, and you have a limited amount of tactics you can use, despite the variety you'd expect from the multiple heads. it's tedious and often miserable, for example, it can be almost impossible to kill an enemy if they keep blocking you and won't use their special attack that you'd be able to counterattack.

it's a big part of the game and it is baaaaaad. and it doesn't really changes or gets better.

okay, but this is also an adventure game, right? surely it has puzzles, like...... 3d platforming. oh no.

but sure, i'm a notorious hater of 3d platformers, it might not be that bad... except that this game was made before controllers started to have a second analog stick for camera control, so there's limited options of controlling the view. and even that is noticeably janky and bad to the point that i'm reading it as a complaint on that same wikipedia page from multiple review snippets as well. so yeah, for once, it's not just me it seems. needless to say that i absolutely hated every minute of those sections, and used almost as much profanity as the characters in the game as i was trying to get through them.

did i mention that this game also insults you and calls you an idiot when you die?

fuck off.

fuck right off.

god, i hate this game actually.

#mse's playing dead head fred #mse's playing adventure games #adventure game extravaganza #dead head fred

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the7thcrow · 1 year

Text

I posted 764 times in 2022

That's 156 more posts than 2021!

235 posts created (31%)

529 posts reblogged (69%)

Blogs I reblogged the most:

@the7thcrow

@sorikkung

@hongism

@svnthpop

I tagged 755 of my posts in 2022

Only 1% of my posts had no tags

#corynn thinks - 234 posts

#asks - 95 posts

#srb - 91 posts

#mutual pals🕺🏼 - 60 posts

#fic recs - 50 posts

#corynn:💡 - 36 posts

#natgig feedback - 35 posts

#male wife - 33 posts

#itzy - 20 posts

#my enemy <3 - 20 posts

Longest Tag: 135 characters

#have definitely been thinking about the need to work on my protagonist building though and i think the amount of strictly reader insert

My Top Posts in 2022:

Not all that Glitters is Gold -> 07

series pairing: (fem) princess!reader x seonghwa x san x wooyoung. eventual polyamory.

series masterlist | previous chapter

Part Seven: an orphanage, an elemental, and comfort

series rating: 16+

series genre: action and adventure. romance. angst. fluff. suggestive. fantasy au.

series warnings: character death, blood and violence, weaponry, injury, suggestive content, mxm content, elements of misogyny, language, monsters. (will only be using chapter specific warnings for things not included on this list.)

summary: as a princess fleeing a royal assassination attempt, you have no choice but to put your trust in a band of three thieves in order to reach the kingdom of kuroku alive. however, amongst magic, deceit, and the bounty hunters that are hot on your trail, you realize that you might have stumbled upon a relationship far more complicated than what meets the eye.

chapter details beneath the cut ->

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268 notes - Posted November 17, 2022

toxin | psh

pairing: historian!seonghwa x (fem) goddess!reader.

wc: 9.4k

genre: meet-ugly. angst. suggestive. magic au. god/goddess au.

summary: having fallen victim to a rather bizarre betrayal by a colleague, seonghwa finds himself in an even more bizarre situation. that being the unexpected success of their summoning ritual that leaves him subject to the will of a fertility goddess, as well as his own intemperate desire.

warnings: cults and cult activities, character death, religious tones (although any relation to a real religion is strictly coincidental, this is entirely made up), guns and violence, blood, mild gore, elements of mind control, heavy making out, aphrodisiac of sorts (?), generally dominant and submissive tones.

a/n: that’s.. a lot more warnings than i originally intended there to be. lmao oops. maybe i’m a tad insane for this, but if you’re also insane and prepared for a wild ride, strap in and enjoy. twas inspired by the ponzonya mv by purple kiss.

... .. .

“Something about this seems… off,” Seonghwa whispers, voice low so that only the man next to him is able to hear. The reasoning for his hushed tone is abundantly clear, eyes darting around the room to ensure that none of the others might be listening. That none of them are aware of his hesitancy, of his nervous reluctance.

Fortunately, they don’t seem to notice. The cave bustles with activity, the different men dressed in dark robes busying themselves as they prepare the room for the ritual. Dressing the once dreary cave with items of luxury, they carry large silk tapestries and golden decor, dragging in velvet furniture and barrels of expensive wine, so that the room appears fit for royalty.

Although Seonghwa supposes that in a way, after all, it is. Although the subject may be considered to hold far grander superiority than any earthly king may hope to achieve.

“Are we certain this is a good idea?” He presses a little further, nudging the man next to him, who’s name he’s learned is Hongjoong. Although eccentric, he seems to be a tad more understanding than the rest of his colleagues. After the past few weeks of this mess, he’s the closest thing that the historian could consider as a friend.

Although the fact stands that for all the kindness and sympathy the small, delicate man seems to offer, he also is the head of this organization.

“Cult,” Seonghwa reminds himself, because organization is simply too light a term to define exactly what he’s gotten himself caught up in. “He’s the head of a cult.”

“Don’t fret, Dr. Park,” Hongjoong replies, accompanied by far too easy of a smile, as his hands dust along the altar before him, tracing the carved runes with his fingers. “It will all be worth it, you’ll see.”

“I just,” Seonghwa starts again, swallowing deeply as he glances around the room. There’s an itch under his skin, one that screams for him to stop this whole disaster, that something is undeniably wrong. “I’m just not sure about this.”

The smile on Hongjoong’s face falls almost immediately, eyebrows furrowing together in concern. “You’re not telling me that you’re getting cold feet now, are you?” He asks, and although his tone is far more worried than accusatory, there is something of an edge to them, an unspoken warning.

The underlying message that hints if Seonghwa really were to be having cold feet, then the sweetness of his words and their friendship could quickly turn sour.

“No, of course not,” Seonghwa rushes quickly, nails digging into his palm in a desperate release of panic, as he plasters a smile onto his face. “It’s just that the air feels a little different today, don’t you think? A little off?”

Hongjoong nods in agreement, although the gesture shows far more eagerness and excitement compared to the sick nausea Seongwha feels.

“I feel it too,” Hongjoong states, before clasping both his hands on Seonghwa’s shoulders, shaking him slightly. “It means we’re about to do something extraordinary.”

With that the man leaves his side, most likely to check that everything else is in order. That all artifacts and sigils for the ceremony are in the proper place and planned to perfection.

Artifacts. Seonghwa can’t help but chuckle at the word, at the entire foundation of his life's work that has led him to this moment.

As a historian and archeologist, he always liked to believe that his work would bring him to new places and adventures. That he’d get to travel to ancient lands, and dig up the remnants of their history and beauty, to walk with past societies as if they were his own.

Well, he supposes that the universe may have taken these wishes a little too literally.

When Hongjoong first arrived at the historian’s makeshift office a few weeks ago, nestled deep within the forest and about a mile’s walk from the nearest village, he was in search of an artifact that Seonghwa had recently added to his collection of study. Upon first meeting, the historian had found the man delightful.

They’d talked over brandy for the utmost of three hours, discussing the ancient religion native to the area, and their different perspectives and findings. Hongjoong, he learned, was very well-versed in the identities and roles of the many different gods and goddesses, and had plenty to offer that Seonghwa had yet to discover in texts of his own.

Of course at the moment, Seonghwa didn’t know why Hongjoong was so well acquainted with this myth. If he had, perhaps he would have kindly said goodbye to the younger man, before proceeding to usher him out of the office and lock the door behind him.

But Seonghwa did not know this at the time, so instead - after an entire evening of pleasant conversation - he accepted Hongjoong’s invitation to view his own collection of artifacts and ancient texts back at the man’s apartment the following night.

And so one evening turned into two, and then two into three, and over the next couple weeks it was safe to say that a certain level of trust had been established between them. This was Hongjoong’s plan after all, to establish a bond before he started to introduce the more… eccentric parts of his research.

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368 notes - Posted May 13, 2022

atonement

pairing: witch!wooyoung x (fem) hunter!reader

summary: get in, get the job done, get out before sunrise. as a hunter that is your motto, a sacred rule for whenever you dare to enter a witch’s lair. however, on this particular solo quest, your plans take a turn that you never could have quite anticipated.

word count: 6.2k

genre: enemies to lovers au. supernatural au. suggestive. romance.

warnings: sacrilegious tones, knives, attempted murder, themes of misogyny (not from wooyoung), heavy making out, bondage but make it magical.

rating: 16+

a/n: this is self-indulgent. i just needed to write some woo enemies to lovers, okay? don’t judge me.

...

Get in, get the job done, get out before sunrise.

A mantra that you can’t help but repeat over and over in your mind as you make your way down the narrow alleyway, footsteps echoing against the lantern-lit, cobblestone path. You press your hand firmly against the knife fastened to your thigh, feeling it’s cool metal hilt even through the fabric of your dress. The only source of protection against the danger you are willingly approaching.

The danger you’ve approached countless times before, but then again, never alone. That is exactly what makes tonight different, what makes the risk tenfold. You’re entirely on your own this time round, none of your hunting band willing to join you on this particular little escapade. All too frightened to approach the rumours that have been plaguing your city these last couple months.

The alleyway takes another turn, and you find yourself on a main drag, doing your best to hurry as you sprint across the street before hiding yourself once more. A woman out this late is thought to be unseemly, as well as dangerous. The last thing you need is to catch the attention of the wrong set of eyes, whether it be gossip or something far more sinister you might catch yourself up in.

These thoughts are put to a halt as you see your destination further down the alley, a small shop, the only light emitted from the run-down building shining through it’s single stained window.

As you approach closer, you can see that the sign hanging above the shop simply reads “Artisan Goods.” No semblance of creativity or personable flare, but of course, it doesn’t need one.

Because it’s not actually an artisan goods store, it’s simply masquerading to be.

You approach the window, peeking inside to see if there are any other customers. If there are, you will wait until they are gone, until any possible witnesses for what you are about to do are out of the way.

Fortunately, you see that the shop is empty of any buyers. The only person inside being the owner, who currently has his back turned as he adjusts the display of goods stationed behind the counter.

The exact man you’re looking for tonight.

You adjust your hair, doing your best to look poised and put-together as you take a deep breath, preparing for your act. Deception is something you’ve trained well in, and you know the in’s and out’s of fooling a man.

There are two major rules: Look attractive and keep them distracted. You pull both off, they always let their guard down. Every single time.

You push open the door, the soft jingle of the entry bell ringing as you do so, pulling the man’s attention from the display to yourself.

“Ah, welcome,” he says, setting down the jar of jam in his hands and facing you fully. He has dark hair, parted in the middle and falling long over his eyes. A sharp jawline, tall nose-bridge, and straight teeth. He’s handsome, but that comes as no surprise. All witches are attractive, as well as vein. They have magic to make themselves beautiful, and you have yet to meet one that didn’t refrain from using it.

Your hunting group states this is a sin, a defiance against creation. Frankly, you couldn’t care less, spells for vanity are the very least of the dangers that witches are capable of.

“Can I help you find anything in particular?” He asks, watching you with a curious look. It’s late for a woman to be out by herself, and he is fully aware of that. You won’t be able to catch him off guard at the moment, but luckily you are prepared for this.

“Chrysopoeia,” you state, silently reveling in the way the man smiles, expression shifting from wary to delighted. The term is the name of an old alchemical text, written by the witch Cleopatra herself. However, it doubles as a code in occult circles around the city, a way of proving that you are also a practitioner of the dark arts. They change every couple months, and fortunately for you, it hasn’t since your last hunt.

The man grins, walking out from behind the counter and pulling a pair of keys from his pocket. He moves over to a wall of tapestries, gently peeling back the fabrics to reveal a hidden door.

See the full post

431 notes - Posted January 8, 2022

not all that glitters is gold: mlist ♛

series trailer I series playlist

series pairing: (fem) princess!reader x seonghwa x san x wooyoung. eventual polyamory.

series genre: action and adventure. romance. angst. fluff. suggestive. fantasy au.

current word count: 87.9k

chapter list:

part one: a sacrifice, a narrow escape, and three bandits. (10.0k)

“Where are we going to go?” You ask as Mingi removes his cloak, handing the garment over to you. You put it on, throwing the hood over your head. Best to take any precautions available.

“Assuming we get out of here alive,” he starts, checking to see if the horse’s saddle is in proper condition. “Kuroku.”

part two: a thrice stolen necklace, two scorpions, and a lie. (10.1k)

Your neck feels abnormally bare. Naked, the last part of your home falling into the grasp of a thief.

“There,” you whisper, shifting your attention back to the map, not looking the elemental in the eye. “Happy?”

Woo chuckles before slipping the necklace into his back pocket. “Actually, I am.”

part three: a blacksmith, a nightmare, and oh-so-sweet empathy. (12.9k)

You feel the presence of a figure settle behind you, as San awkwardly clears his throat.

“I meant to tell you earlier,” he says, voice quiet. You can faintly see his reflection through the window as well, and his expression is somber. “I just wasn’t sure how.”

part four: an old enemy, jealousy, and a bar-room brawl. (12.3k)

You don’t even get the chance to turn around and see who it is before San speaks.

“Fuck,” he mutters beneath his breath, good eye wide as his gaze shifts from the door, to you, to the table. “Fuck, fuck, fuck.”

part five: a desert, a strange tavern, and the influence of desire. (16.7k)

“It’s strange for a tavern to be out here,” San comments, casting a wary glance to which you return. “I wouldn’t think there’d be much business.”

“Maybe they run off of people like us,” Woo offers with a shrug. “Fools who don’t bring enough water.”

part six: a rest-stop, illusions, and a begrudging truce. (12.7k)

And yet, something about the way San’s hand sits on his shoulder, remaining an entire arm-length away, makes him feel…small.

It’s what drives him to say his next few words, to finally let a fraction of what’s been building inside of him slip. To be selfish for once.

“Do I make you uncomfortable, San?”

part seven: an orphanage, an elemental, and comfort. (13.2k)

“Have you ever killed a person?” You ask, and Wooyoung finds he isn’t surprised by the question. He doesn’t want to answer it, but he isn’t surprised by it.

He also believes the answer is something you should hear.

“I have,” he replies. “But sometimes people are monsters too.”

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714 notes - Posted February 16, 2022

My #1 post of 2022

just in case | hhj

pairing: hyunjin x (gn) reader.

wc: 8.6k

genre: fluff. angst. suggestive. romcom. office au. valentine’s day au. coworkers to lovers. slight enemies to lovers.

warnings: alcohol, heavy making out, a both snarky and unreliable narrator, all around just inappropriate behaviour for a workplace (but what else would you expect from an office au lmao.)

summary: your valentine’s day plans of bad cable and a bottle of wine take an unexpected turn, as when leaving the office you witness a completely different side of your least favourite coworker, hwang hyunjin. perhaps valentine’s day really does hold a little bit of magic.

a/n: this is so disgustingly late, frankly i’m ashamed. but life and such, you know how it is. this is for the sweet treats from skz event hosted by @districtninewriters. hope you all enjoy, and i’d recommend checking out everyone else’s works!! also i lowkey resent this fic for how long it has taken me, so i hope it’s okay.

Sunday’s are the worst.

With the office being full of coworkers hungover and regretful from the previous night’s little escapades, as well as consumed by the dread of being forced to work during the weekend, the air always seems to hang a little lower on Sunday’s.

Of course, today is no normal Sunday. Not at all, and it is apparent in the excited buzz and extra chatter that fills the office with a tad more enthusiasm than annoyance.

No, today is no normal Sunday, but rather Valentine’s Day.

Which depending on exactly who you are and the activities you have planned for the evening, could either mean that this particular Sunday is slightly better or worse than average. For some, it’s a night of romance - budding or long-term - of roses and chocolate and candlelit dinners, of longing glances and playing footsie under the table.

While for others, it’s nothing special, no significant other to share the night with, and the giddy attitude that fills the air is only slightly nauseating.

You are a part of this latter.

It should be made clear that you don’t hate Valentine’s Day. Frankly, an extra night just to celebrate the love in a relationship is really quite sweet, and you are not such a killjoy as to rain on other’s parades.

However, that doesn’t mean you can’t hate the way that people in the office treat Valentine’s Day. At least a little.

This particularly applies to Gahyeon, who is now peaking over your cubicle, a far too cheery smile on her face.

“Any plans for the night?” She asks sweetly, expression innocent, although you’re fairly certain she already knows the answer.

“No,” you say shortly, before realizing that might be too blunt, and frankly, a little rude. “Nothing tonight. You?”

“Felix and I are going out for drinks later,” she replies, a faint blush lacing her cheeks at the mention of her fiance. You’ve met Felix a few times, the blonde sometimes opting to come inside when picking her up after a later shift. He’s nice. Cute. A well-suited match for her, based on the very brief conversations you’ve had with him.

“We’re going to Dominique’s,” she adds, and you manage to refrain from letting your surprise show. Felix clearly has expensive taste, although you suppose the ring he gave her two months ago was already a pretty obvious indication of that.

“Well, I’m sure the two of you will have a good time,” you offer, returning to face your computer screen, assuming that the conversation is over and you’re free to return to your work. However, this is not the case, as Gahyeon continues to stare at you from over-top the cubicle, chin resting over top of her crossed arms.

“I got you a gift,” she says, causing you to twist your chair to face her once more, raising an eyebrow. She disappears back into her own space, searching for whatever she wishes to give you.

“Here,” she calls out, before once again popping her head back up into your line of sight. She has a gift bag in her hand, one that is so narrow and tall in length you already have a good idea of what it might be.

After taking the bag, you find your assumption proven correct, as you pull out a rather hefty bottle of wine.

You stare at the gift, before flickering your gaze back to Gahyeon. It’s not that you don’t like it, in fact, it’s your favourite brand. Even a tad more expensive than you typically let yourself reach for, unless for a special occasion.

You’re more so just confused as to exactly why Gahyeon would be giving you a bottle of wine, on Valentine’s Day none-the-less.

Her smile falls slightly. “Do you not like it?”

“No!” You rush out, quickly changing your bewildered expression into a smile. You certainly don’t want her to feel bad for getting you a gift, however strange it might be. “I mean, no - but not no as in no I hate it - sorry, yes. Yes, I like it. Thank you.”

She smiles again, and you let yourself relax slightly, taking a breath. “I’m more so just a bit lost,” you continue, examining the bottle once more. “What is this for?”

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749 notes - Posted March 27, 2022

Get your Tumblr 2022 Year in Review →

#counting down the days before natgig masterlist surpasses just in case #lmao can’t wait #this is pretty cool tho #thx everyone for the great year <3

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sumbier0 · 10 months

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You're someone, although not finished, is a GREAT mspfa thats actuallly not related to homestuck, just its own story. And I quite enjoyed it so I will talk about it.

A short description: You're someone. Literally. And with that someone you go and discover the world, meeting friends along the way. And of course, the someone slowly discuverse themselves... A lot chaos ensues with awesome worldbuilding!

Before I go into spoiler territory, I NEED to gush about how pretty panels get as you go along!! The colors and shading!!! Its so simple yet so neat!! Just look at this:

[Credit of course goes to the author of this mspfa, Kingarthur_I]

!!!!!!Spoilers Ahead!!!!!!

Okay now I'm gonna talk about more specific things. First off, the world as a whole! We slowly learn more about it along with our protagonist,which I personslly quite enjoyed - we piece everything together, and little snippets of knowledge get always fun. And that world - eveyrhting in it is made of light... although it gets complicated. Anyhow, even people are made fro light! But as I said, it gets more complicated.

Theres actually a different world, an antithesis to our "lightverse". Darkverse, where everyhting is made out of dark matter. And we actually meet someone from there early on in the adventure: Hex! [Love this critter] Dark matter is way more chaotic, and takes on apprioparately more chaotic froms than light - for example, fire.

And thats just core bits of this adventures world!

Anyhow, I also enjoyed all characters and their dynamics! Hex and Simplex friendship is so important to me, friends no matter what :]

Our protag also later meets Hail and all their interactions are very funky. Myriad and Hail were friends long ago, but one of them left to a 4th dimensional world [ekhem Hail]. Hes just chilling until protag comes in and noe Hails just having fun showing him around. And getting suprised at how quickly protag is grasping new stuff. Hey I didnt even mention earlier, but at that point protag is named hedron. And can warp space.

The "reveal" [nudge to?] Hex being a dark matter being was neat, very subtle. You just assume at first that his head is shown like that becUsw of his helmets shadow. But then you see simplex [another on with a helmet] and go: wait. They are nit like that. By the time I think there was some mention of dark matter so you connect the dots and wait to see what Hex can do then.

The 4th dimensional place if also fun! Theres also some invisible guy that gave Hedron an interesting offer later [no I wont elaborate] :]

I would maybe say more about the 'ending' part of the comic, but they arent finished so I dont think I will hehe.

Each new place intruduced to us is interesting! Pacing of the story is great! All characters are absolute highlight ! Once again I reccomend this fanadventure with all my heart :]

#mspfa #milk sits and talks #mspfanventures #homestuck #well not really lil

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scripted-downfall · 1 year

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Which roles would you like to see Jensen in?

Hello, and thanks for the ask!

That’s a very interesting question, and I’m afraid you’ll have to forgive me the delay in responding because I’ve never really thought about it! I tend to be a bit of a see-what-happens-and-make-peace-with-whatever-it-is kinda person, so following celebrities in real time is kinda new for me; thinking about future roles is, I suppose, the next step, but I just hadn’t made the leap, you know?

That being said, thinking about it now that you’ve asked… If I'm honest --- as I'm pretty sure everyone to whom I talk about this kinda thing could tell you --- I think I'd be happy with pretty much any role he might take on. And, in terms of specifics...

I’d absolutely love to see a revival of Dark Angel with a more Alec-centric storyline, especially since he wasn't in the video game, the books --- from what I have heard, though I haven't read them myself --- didn't do the character justice, and the television just kinda cut off, so a reboot would be pretty simple to organize. (I recognize, though, that this might not be feasible/pleasant/enjoyable/etc, given all the stuff that went on during the initial filming.)

My Bloody Valentine ended with a cliffhanger --- and his character ominously surviving --- that could also be picked up and continued. The movie was... very much not the best horror movie. But I enjoyed it, to some degree, and his part was really good, so a sequel could be pulled off really well.

It's probably a common answer, but a role as Batman seems like it wouldn't go amiss.

I've always loved The Poseidon Adventure by Paul Gallico, and it's been adapted about... three times? To my knowledge? But I feel like Jensen could pull off the protagonist --- an ex-sportsman minister who believes "God helps those who helps themselves" who, when the ship flips over, leads a group of survivors up through the tragedy to safety... with some losses that hit him hard --- really well.

Another book that has been adapted a couple of times but he'd do well in: The Count of Monte Cristo... It's probably my favorite book --- or at least one of them --- and I definitely think he could pull it off. Shattered naivete, traumatic past, a decade-plus of hardship, revenge-quest-but-with-a-happy-ending (e.g. Dantes learns to forgive to some degree, moves on from living his life in anger about the past, and works for a future with someone who understands him and his motives instead of relying on who he used to be), etc.

I've never seen an adaptation of this, but I'd absolutely love it to be done, and I think he'd pull it off well: the poem The Highwayman by Alfred Noyes is one of my absolute favorites. It's tragic --- for those who don't know, it tells the story of the eponymous highwayman who, obviously, spends his day making a living by robbing passers-by, and spends a great number of nights visiting his beloved at the inn run by her father. There's a lot that goes on, and I highly recommend reading it, but it ends with his love killing herself in an attempt to save him, and him going out in a blaze of glory because he can't live without her (and then they're reunited in the afterlife). --- but I love it, and I can't help but feel as though he could do it incredible justice.

Thank you so much for the ask, and for the question I hadn't considered! Those probably aren't all my possible answers, but they're what sprang to mind... All the best to you, and thanks to everyone who helped me come up with an answer!

#answered asks #scripted downfall asks answered #jensen ackles #other opinions welcome!#i'm curious as to what other folks think!

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fernbat · 1 year

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A Wish to Hold Onto

Short story, 2.482 words This is a Pokemon-based story, about two children who make a great discovery and have greater dreams! This story was written as part of a writing contest for the Pokemon Workshop community under the following rules: must follow a specific prompt ("A mysterious object fell from the sky and landed near town. What could it be?"), has to be below 2.500 words. While I'm really happy with how the story turned out, I want to add a disclaimer: One of the protagonists is hard of hearing and the characters communicate a lot via sign language - I am neither hard of hearing or know any sign language. While I did a good amount of research to get it as well as I can, I would still appreciate any feedback I can get! And now, onto the story after the Read More! ------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Jodie waited at the edge of the forest. The gentle morning breeze brushed through the leaves and made her hair flutter. The young girl crouched next to the path and picked at the grass, snapping blade after blade and throwing them to the side. She kept it up until she heard a voice call her from behind. “Hey, Jodie!” Flavio called. When Jodie noticed him, she jumped up and turned around in excitement. She hadn’t waited for long, but any duration was an eternity when you were raring to go. Flavio ran up to her. He was followed by an Electrike that kept up with his step. As soon as they were close enough, Jodie immediately jumped forward and picked up the poor puppy. “Riiiiiiin! Nice to see you!” She held her face close to Rin and touched noses. At the same time, a Swablu landed on the young boy’s curly-haired head and perched comfortably. Flavio was slightly startled as always, but he quickly got used to it again. He reached up to the bird on his head and brushed through his cloud like plumage. Jodie still held tight onto the Electrike - who clearly wanted to be let go already, but wasn’t going to hurt the girl for it. The girl looked at her friend. As soon Flavio had her attention again, he pulled his other hand out of his pocket.

“Why are we going exploring? Did you find something?” He signed with his hands and furrowed his brow for the question. Jodie took a moment to process the words, but it made her gently put Rin back onto the ground. “Last night I saw a…” She signed back, but she was missing the right words. She paused for a moment. Instead of struggling to find a sign she didn’t know, she just said the words out loud. “Falling star.” Flavio nodded in agreement. He was hard of hearing, but the morning at the edge of the forest was quiet enough for him to understand what his friend said. Seeing Jodie try so hard always made him smile - she was the only one close to him who wanted to learn sign language with him. Jodie sighed, disappointed in her lacking vocabulary. Then she continued signing, “I saw it fall into the forest!” She vaguely pointed out the path she saw the star fall. “I’m sure we can find it!” Flavio was starting to feel the weight of the Swablu on his head more, so he picked it up with both hands and gently put it down on the ground. Levi was pretending to sleep, but as Rin approached him, he opened his eyes and they greeted each other. “Sounds like a fun adventure!” He signed back - while he was generally more cautious, there was still clear excitement written in his face. “Then let’s go!” Jodie replied.

She turned around and pumped a fist into the sky. At first the two traveled down the regular forest path, until Jodie was sure that they were close to the spot where she saw the star hit the earth. The ground was uneven - roots, sticks, leaves and mosses all around. Jodie wore her regular sneakers, while Flavio came prepared with some heavier hiking boots. He was always a bit concerned at how aloof Jodie was in each situation - but it also made him feel weirdly comfortable. It contrasted his more calculated nature. Their Pokemon were also polar opposites. Jodie’s Swablu, Levi, was constantly flying ahead, landing on one branch then another. It was as if the bird could never sit still - unless it sat on Flavio’s head. Meanwhile Rin, his Electrike, followed loyally always by his side. After all, she was trained to help him out, but she was also his Pokemon.

They waded through a hilly and uneven forest. They slid down a slope of loose dirt, climbed up a steep incline holding onto roots and branches. The day was warm and their journey uneventful. Flavio didn’t bother asking Jodie if she had any idea where they were heading - he just tried his best to keep up. Once she had her head set on something, she wouldn’t let go. The pair traveled like that for a few hours before Jodie stopped. She closed her eyes and listened for a moment. It took only a quick whistle for Levi to come swooping down in front of her from one of the surrounding branches.

“We must be close, can you take a look around?” She asked the Swablu. While talking, she tried to match the contents of what she was saying with her hands, but that confused her and her hands didn’t really do what she wanted. Flavio raised an eyebrow at what he saw. Levi replied in a dutiful chirp and immediately flew off. Jodie turned around to view Flavio. “The birds in the area are very active, something must be close,” she signed. Flavio nodded. Now he knew better what his friend asked of Levi, even though it wasn’t hard to guess. The two of them stood up on a hill and looked around. Rin waited around them, but she tried her best to find some scent that could lead them to an answer. Before she could find anything, Levi returned. He landed on Jodie’s head, and turned to face a certain direction. Jodie wasn’t entire sure where to look, as the bird on top of her head wasn’t in her own field of vision and just the pulling of her hair wasn’t an ideal indicator. Thankfully it made it quite easy for Flavio to find the direction. He walked up next to Jodie and stopped her flailing, then pointed at some trees in the distance. While it wasn’t easy to tell, some of them had fallen over, potentially cracked by a falling star. Jodie yelped in excitement and immediately darted off without saying a word. Flavio sighed. He found Rin trying to dig something up, but after a whistle she was right back at his side.

It didn’t take them long to find the site of the impact. A cracked rock lay in the middle of a crater of burned grass and a tree that was snapped in half. The two children approached the rock. Flavio with care, Jodie without. She immediately dashed up to the rock, but instead of inspecting it further, she got up and waited for Flavio to arrive. The boy knelt down to get a good look at the space stone. It looked like a boring brown rock, but it was cracked right in the middle. Inside of the rock however were some smaller, transparent stones growing like crystals underground - rounded and gem like, but no specific color, just see through. Flavio managed to crack one out of the rock, it really felt a bit too perfectly rounded. He managed to get a second, similar one out. Upon further inspection, the other transparent rocks that he could see were shattered and broken. He handed one of the two rocks to Jodie. In her excitement she held it up into the sunlight. It sparkled nicely, but there was nothing particularly interesting about it other than the shape.

“What are these?” Jodie signed, with the rock still in her hands. Flavio put his into his pocket. “I have no idea, but they are very pretty,” he replied with an uncertain look on his face. Jodie suddenly had a mischievous smile on her face. “Come on, become a trainer with me! Be my rival! These rocks are our proof!” She signed excitedly. Flavio sighed and shook his head. This wasn’t the first time Jodie wanted this from him, and it wasn’t the first time he would decline it. “I don’t want to battle, I just want to study Pokemon,” he replied. Jodie wasn’t ever satisfied with that answer, but she didn’t get much time to retort. Rin jumped to the edge of the crater and growled at the trees. A loud rumble sounded and the earth shook. Jodie heard the sound of falling trees not far from them - and it came closer. Then the trees around their clearing started to fall and a gigantic Steelix appeared, looking directly at them. Neither of them had ever heard about such monsters being in the forest this close to their village. Rin turned in a panic and barked. She ran towards her trainer and urged for him follow. While Jodie and Flavio stood still in shock for a moment, the urgency of the situation quickly reached them and they ran as fast as they could.

Levi was a bit slow to realize what was going on. He still snoozed on top of a branch as the others were fleeing. His eyes however shot open when the Steelix crashed into the clearing. The falling star was swallowed whole as the monster rushed after the others, evidently wanting more. The forest they had casually trekked through earlier now proved treacherous as they fled from a gigantic metal snake. Climbing up an incline wasn’t so enjoyable under threat anymore, and slopes proved to be even more dangerous- Jodie ran ahead, she was slightly faster than Flavio. While her shoes didn’t provide the best protection against nature, they made running easy. Levi flew past her, but just a little bit ahead the bird stopped in the air and panicked. Jodie didn’t realize what her partner was trying to tell her until the ground beneath her feet disappeared. Another steep slope, but this time she was running too fast and instead of sliding down, she jumped.

“Cliiiiiiiff!” She screamed. Luckily for her, Levi caught her. While the bird wasn’t nearly strong enough to lift the child, he at least managed to slow her fall enough for her to not seriously injure herself. It still wasn’t a pleasant landing. Up above, Flavio couldn’t hear what Jodie yelled, but Rin did. The Electrike immediately sprinted ahead of her trainer as fast as she could and stopped right in front of the slope. She looked back at Flavio in a warning, and he understood it. Just before he reached the slope, he slowed down and was able to slide down with ease. The Steelix however was still on their toes. They saw its silhouette block out the sun from above and ran as fast as they could. The monster crashed into the ground behind them. The ground gave in to the heavy beast. An underground cavern swallowed up the beast, but also the forest around it. The ground bent and rocks and trees fell into the growing hole. With her sprained ankle, Jodie didn’t get away in time. The ground gave away beneath her feet. The shock made her let go of the stone she was holding onto. Flavio had noticed that something about Jodie’s movement was off, so he kept an eye on her. As she fell into the hole, he reached out for her and just barely managed to catch her while still holding onto a tree that managed to keep itself firmly rooted. In the process, his own stone slid out of his pocket.

Rin and Levi took notice. In the split second they needed to reassure themselves that Flavio and Jodie were fine, they took action. Levi flew head first into the hole and darted towards the faintly sparkling rock. Rin jumped down onto a tree that stood horizontally on the wall of the hole, and like a lightning zipped to the other side, catching the second falling stone. In the mean time Flavio pulled Jodie into safety. The two breathed heavily as they distanced themselves from the hole, in case it would grow even further. The threat of the Steelix seemed gone for now, but they didn’t want to linger for too long. Both of them waited for their partners to return. They saw them recklessly jump into the hole, but they weren’t in a position to call them off. It didn’t take long for Levi and Rin to follow them. Both proudly carried the stones and dropped them into the palms of their trainers. Flavio and Jodie were surprised when they beheld their stones again. No longer were they empty. The clear stones suddenly had a swirly pattern go right through their center and they felt slightly warm to touch - though that may have been a side effect of being carried by snout and beak. After a moment of silence and wonder, Flavio clutched his fist with the stone in it. He turned around to face Jodie. This time with the rock in his palm, and with a determined look on his face, he signed to Jodie, “I will become a trainer, there’s so much I can learn through battle. But as your rival, I won’t make it easy for you.” Not being able to contain her excitement, the girl gave a loud cheer that echoed through the forest.

----

“And with such a mighty thunder, the Crawdaunt is defeated!” The announcer’s voice echoed through the stadium. “Things are heating up! Both contestants are down to their last Pokemon, and we all know by now who contestant Jodie’s last Pokemon is!” Jodie didn’t let the audience wait, but more importantly she wasn’t going to let Flavio and Rin wait. She threw her Pokeball and Levi the Altaria appeared on the battlefield. “It is none other than her trusty partner! Now the true final battle of our Greatest Up-comer Tournament starts! But wait, what’s going on?”

Instead of kicking the battle off immediately as they did with their other Pokemon, the Altaria and the Manectric approached each other until they peacefully met in the middle of the arena. Rin was already a little exhausted from her fight against Jodie’s Crawdaunt, but she was still more than excited to take on Levi. The two of them greeted each other cheerfully, then turned around and walked back to their partners. “It seems like our last two Pokemon have some history with each other!” The announcer voiced in surprise.

Jodie and Flavio looked at each other from a distance. They didn’t need to exchange any words to know what the other was thinking or feeling. Flavio was still surprised that Jodie’s enthusiasm managed to carry him this far in battles. Jodie was thrilled that her wish became reality.

Both of them held their arms up, showing wristbands set with the very stones they found as children. They made eye contact with their partners. Each of them was ready to give it their all, to really show where their journey as trainers has led them. The stones glowed brightly and a powerful energy engulfed Levi and Rin. It was the bonds they shared with their Pokemon that gave them the power of Mega Evolution.

There was no audience and no announcer anymore. It was only Flavio, Jodie, Rin, and Levi. A fight between friends.

#pokemon #short story #original story #writing

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albertonykus · 1 year

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Doraemon Movie Review: Nobita and the Winged Braves (2001)

What is Doraemon? The title character of the Doraemon manga and anime is a blue robotic cat from the 22nd Century who keeps an array of high-tech gadgets in a portable pocket dimension on his belly, and has traveled from the future to improve the fortunes of a hapless schoolboy named Nobita. Although relatively obscure in the English-speaking world, Doraemon is a Mickey-Mouse-level cultural icon in East Asia (and some other regions, too). The Doraemon franchise was a big part of my childhood, and there are still elements of it that I enjoy now.

Doraemon has released theatrical films almost annually since 1980, most of which involve Nobita and his friends (kind Shizuka, brash Gian, and crafty Suneo) getting swept into adventures thanks to Doraemon's gadgets. Despite being of potentially broad appeal to fans of science fiction and animated films, there are very few English reviews of the Doraemon movies, so I'm embarking on a project to write about all the films that have come out so far. Good luck to me…

Movie premise: Nobita and his friends stumble across a portal leading to a land inhabited by bird people.

My spoiler-free take: A fun movie that unfortunately has an unpolished feel to its plot.

POTENTIAL SPOILERS AFTER THIS POINT

Review: This is unquestionably an exciting film to watch, with the race sequence partway through and the final struggle against the main threat being particular highlights. The concept of a bird civilization is also of special interest to me, of course. However, I’ve long thought that the story lacks a sense of coherence in following the plot threads that it introduces.

One of the most obvious examples of this is that the primary villain becomes a non-entity as soon as his plan goes sideways and a greater threat appears. He is not even given a cameo appearance or a passing mention when all is said and done. Does he still retain his leadership position in the bird military? Has his perspective changed at all as a result of this incident? The movie does not say.

Then there’s the character of Icarus the eagle-man, who is built up as a legendary figure in bird society. When he finally enters the story in the flesh, he proceeds to spend his screentime accomplishing... not very much. Nearly all of his contributions probably could have been written out of the film with little difficulty. Even the reveal that he’s the biological father of the protagonists’ new friend, Gusuke, amounts to almost no narrative importance (and is never disclosed to the main characters or to Gusuke himself).

I also felt that there were many missed opportunities with the portrayal of the bird civilization. To be fair, it’s more fleshed out than the animal society from Nobita and the Animal Planet, but not by a whole lot. Even a few more relatively basic references to real-world bird biology could have enhanced the worldbuilding—why not have the owl professor be nocturnal? (One scene shows him working at night, but in an “academic doing late-night research” kind of way.) There’s no shortage of interesting elements in bird physiology and behavior to draw from that could have made the bird people much more than simply “flying humans that hatch from eggs”. (Why yes, I am a degreed bird biologist overthinking a children’s anime...)

In addition, it would have been nice to see the main characters display quirks and abilities based on the Bird Hats that they wear to blend into bird society. At one point, Gian is shown to require a running take-off because he is wearing an albatross hat. I would have liked to see more moments like that. (Ironically, this is something that Nobita and the Animal Planet did better.)

(The movie poster is actually non-indicative on this front—in the film proper, the protagonists gain traits of specific types of birds depending on the hats they wear. They don’t all just grow generic “angel wings”.)

As a final observation: the main threat ends up getting sent to the beginning of time, which has to be one of the most horrifying fates for any antagonist in a Doraemon movie. Perhaps only the ultimate defeat of the villain in Nobita Drifts in the Universe could compete in that regard.

Star rating: ★★★☆☆

#Doraemon #Anime #Nobita and the Winged Braves #ドラえもん

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