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frankierogothdad · 4 years

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Wow, I should be asleep.

This is for you, frankierogothdad

Checkmate.

Boarding school wasn’t supposed to be this bad. Hell, it wasn’t supposed to be bad at all. Frank was supposed to go to the most prestigious all-boys boarding school in the state, which he had earned a scholarship for, then graduate with flying colors. Maybe he’d be a doctor, or a lawyer, just something to make his parents proud and give them more money than they could ever dream. That was the plan anyway.

This school apparently wasn’t any normal prestigious school. It hadn’t been for a very long time. Frank realized this only one week after his arrival, during lunch hour.

“Dude, Gerard has a challenger! Right in the middle of lunch too!” Ray half-whispered, clearly excited.

Frank quirked his eyebrow in confusion, “Who’s that?”

Ray gaped at him. “Gerard Way?” Frank only shook his head to let him know he hadn’t heard of him. “Dude, I know this is your first year here and all, but you’ve been here a whole week! How have you not heard of him by now?”

“I don’t have time for all this high school drama shit, I don’t care if he’s the captain of the football team or something-”

Ray frantically waved his hand to push away Frank’s complaints. “It’s starting!” He stretches his long arm at the table across from them indiscreetly with a small group of people standing on one side of it. Frank was about to mention the lack of attention this supposedly important event was getting when he noticed every single pair of eyes trained onto the table. Even one-eyed Pete was ogling with intensity.

The table had two boys sitting on either side, one well-groomed boy with ginger hair sat on one side with his gaggle of friends standing menacingly behind him. Another boy sat alone on the other side, facing the ginger. Frank couldn’t see his face from the side he sat on, only the generic school uniform each student had to wear and shoulder-length, unkempt, black hair.

“Hello, what can I do for you?” a soft voice said, echoing throughout the silent hall. It was the kid with black hair.

“We heard you’re some tough guy that we can get money from,” the ginger sneered, obviously feeling superior to everyone in that room.

The dark hair shook lightly as he giggled, “You can earn the money. Sometimes people ask for other favors instead.”

The last statement piqued the stuck up kid’s interest. “What kind of favors?”

“Whatever you want, really.”

One of the guys in the group around the ginger, a tall tan kid, leaned down and whispered something for only the ginger to hear. Whatever it was left an unnerving grin on his face. “You’re name’s Gerard, right?” The dark hair, Gerard, nodded. “Well, Gerard, I’ll take you up on that favor offer instead.”

The unknown face cocks to the side lightly, “Can I ask what it is?”

There’s a barking laugh from the entourage of friends. “You can ask, but I won’t tell.”

“They never do,” he sighs with a laugh. “You’re Roger, by the way. I know you’re new, so I guess you don’t know how this works, right?”

Roger, looks awkwardly at his companions in confusion as to how he knew his name. “Um, yeah, what are we going to do?”

“Well, we play a simple game of chess. If you win, then you get your favor.”

The opponent’s eyes narrow, “And if you win?”

“I get my own favor cashed in!” he chirps.

“And what exactly is that favor?” a second bystander inquires, causing Gerard’s face to snap up towards the standing figure.

Frank catches a slight portion of the mysterious face as he smiles. “Everyone in here knows my request.” The whole room was nodding, no one saying a single thing. “I’ve got the chessboard and my trusty assistant,” he pats his bat at his side that went unnoticed by Frank but caused fear and anticipation in the spectators. “There’s a rule about playing with me, I-”

Roger rolled his eyes, interrupting Gerard, “Whatever let’s get on with it.”

In one swift movement, Gerard slips out a fold-able chessboard and lays it on the table perfectly distanced between them. There was a whole collective intake of breath, all of them unknowing of what’s going to happen next with these new circumstances. His seemingly bloodless hands set up the pieces delicately, brushing curtly on his thighs once he’s done. “Your move,” he says, tone slightly different than before.

Roger confidentially sets up one of his pawns to be killed, to drag out a more important piece of Gerard’s. Gerard takes the bait and happily takes out one measly pawn using a bishop. He suddenly stands up, clasping his bat tightly in one hand, “This is my favorite part of the game,” he says in a desperate, breathless voice.

Roger lifts a brow. “We aren’t done yet.”

The bat scrapes its jagged edges along the floor as Gerard saunters to the other side of the table next to his baffled boy. “You didn’t let me finish my rules,” he murmurs in a hushed voice. Before Roger can retort or one of his friends can step in, there’s a sickening crack that echos throughout the room with a bloodcurdling scream. There’s a stifled soft moan… from Gerard. No one moves a muscle. Not the supposed friends, not the on-lookers, not even Ray, the anti-violence man himself, says anything. It’s as though they all expected it and were awaiting the next part in the series.

Before he realizes he’s doing it, Frank abruptly stands up out of his chair, “What the fuck do you think you’re doing?!”

Now all eyes locked onto him, people gasped and whispered to one another at the intrusion of what seemed to be a regular thing. This would have made Frank self-conscious or uncomfortable, but he held his ground, knowing that whatever sick game he was playing wasn’t right.

“Frank, what are you doing? It was getting to the good part,” Ray whispered quickly, tugging at the edge of his blazer, trying to get him to sit back down and quit making a scene.

Gerard swift turns around and meets Frank’s eyes. His hazel eyes boring straight through Frank’s and digging deep into his mind. A cheerful sickening grin was slapped on his face, decorated with a light flush that Frank could only describe as arousal. “Do we have another challenger?!” he grandly announces, the shy persona from earlier dropping.

Frank’s face contorts into disgust, “I would never, but you need to leave him alone.”

The chapped lips that were previously in a cheerful smile drop on one side to give a lopsided grin. “No, Frank. I know you’re new, but those aren’t the rules.” The locked hazel eyes raked up and down Frank’s figure. “Tell you what, if you win this game, I’ll erase the debt of Roger completely.” His eyes skitter back to the quivering boy with his head laid down on the table, back bleeding heavily.

“That hardly seems fair, since I’ll be getting punished anyway.” Why was Frank bargaining the deal? It wasn’t as though he were actually going to take him up on it.

Gerard quirks a brow, liking the sudden defiance. “Okay, Iero.” How the fuck did he know his last name? “I’ll make you a better wager. If I win, I’ll still erase Roger’s debt completely.” The room buzzed in confusion. “But you’ll become mine.” This set a stop to all the tittering. While Gerard had beat up plenty of people over his reign, he’d never done it more than once to the same person, as they were all too scared to challenge him once more.

Frank snorts, “Right, and if I win?” What was with him and testing this deal?

Gerard’s eyes light up, “I’ll stop my games,” he says breathlessly. His legs slightly squirmed as he said that.

No one else found it out of the ordinary, considering this was how Gerard usually reacted to high stakes and his sadistic ways, but Frank did. “What the fuck is up with you?”

The lengthy hair drifted off his shoulder as he cocked his head, but not in confusion, just smiling at him. “Do you want to start the game?”

Then another voice piped up, “No, Gerard. Frank just hasn’t been feeling too good lately,” there’s an awkward laugh, “He’ll just say the craziest things-”

Gerard holds up a hand to what Frank knows all too well to be Ray’s voice. Ray whimpers and sputters off in fear at the silent demand. “I asked Frank.”

Frank knew this was a dumb idea. Frank knew he should back out now that he was given the option. There was something about Frank, however. It was why he got such good grades. It was why he got into this school. It was why he was standing before Gerard right now. Frank was one stubborn bastard that didn’t like to be told what he could and couldn’t do.

“Of course, Gerard.”

Gerard bounced on his toes happily. “Excellent!” He turns back to the frantic group of boys surrounding a shaking Roger. “Feel free to take him to the nurse, she’ll know.” the group scrambles and lifts up the fallen warrior and take him out of the dining hall hurriedly. “Go ahead and take his spot, sorry about the mess,” he giggles, gesturing to the blood patches and smears on the table and pieces.

This was one very bad idea. A very very bad idea that Frank could no longer escape. Instead of letting his germaphobia overtake his composure, he sat down and wiped a bit of the blood away with a handkerchief that was tucked in his pocket. “Sorry, I just don’t want stains on my sleeves.”

Gerard scrunched up his nose affectionately, “It’s cute you think that’s all the blood that’s going to be spilled.”

His tone was endearing, but his words were frightening. Frank let out a cough and set the cloth aside. “Right, is it your move?”

Gerard shakes his head and locks eyes with Frank, awaiting his response.

Frank knew the consequences. He had seen them first hand after all, but he still knew that it was the only way he had a chance of beating him. He picked up a pawn and moved it to an experimental spot. Right after, Gerard’d piece replaced Frank’s. When he looked up to meet Gerard’s astonished and hungry gaze, time stood still.

Every person in the hall was eating up the content and eagerly staring outright, not trying to sneak glances subtly anymore. Ray no longer looked to be enjoying the show, he now stared with a pained expression at his hard-headed friend who had no idea what he’d gotten himself into. Frank and Gerard hadn’t stopped staring. They both knew what was to come. Once it settled in, Gerard’s grin grew even wider and more hungry, while the pit in Frank’s stomach only grew deeper.

A collective inhale was heard from the onlookers as Gerard stood up with his partner in hand, drawing nearer and nearer to Frank. Frank didn’t let the wreckage he was feeling internally show, he only sat up straight and braced himself for impact. The bat raised high and Gerard bit his lip as his body flowed with yearning. It would’ve been nice for Gerard to go easy on Frank the first hit, seeing as he was new. He didn’t. The bat collides with Frank’s upper arm harshly, sending a pained cry out of his throat. Gerard moans at the sound and the sight of the gushing blood seeping through the thick blazer.

He moves to return to his seat, but as a last-minute thought reaches out and clasps the wound tightly, letting the blood find its way under his nail and into the ridges of his fingertips.

Frank stifles his cry of pain this time, stopping Gerard in his tracks as he didn’t hear the awaited cry. He stares down at the shaking boy, but returns back to his seat, waiting for Frank to regain his composure and make the next move.

After what seemed like ages, Frank lifted his upper body back into a sitting position from when it curled up with his legs as a safety mechanism. His wound was clutched by the hand attached to his good arm, the hand on the damaged arm shakily moved a piece. Gerard quickly makes his move, watching the pained facial expressions Frank made with every movement he made to press on. His stubbornness was somewhat admirable compared to all the other players Gerard had faced.

The other boys he’d played at the school put up a tough front, but when faced with a bat and the constricting rules, the act dropped real quick. Some boy fainted at the sight of it, others pleaded for forgiveness, others wouldn’t budge but broke down crying after the blow. Frank didn’t, no matter how hard he smashed it into the same wounds, dug the jagged edges into his back, he kept up. He pressed on, body shaking, tears streaming, but no noise. He made no pleasing sound. Gerard still found it attractive nonetheless. The blood dripping off his face, from his mouth, off the patches that had already absorbed their share. It was breathtaking.

While it may have looked visually pleasing, in Gerard’s mind at least, Frank was a mess internally. He’d hoped with no avail to go numb from the many beatings. The sharp edges dug into his flesh, tearing it open and coating himself in his own insides. It was a sickening feeling. The warm gooey blood slithering down his neck, the now practically dyed red shirt clinging to his body, his poor blazer torn at the hardest places of impact. The feeling and lack of blood were throwing Frank for a loop, his head spun and his eyes couldn’t seem to stay focused on the board.

The boys in the dining hall stared in awe at the persevering soldier, bravely defying the sadistic peer who ruled this place. Soon, there were only a few pieces on the board. Everyone in the room had no shame at this point and all circled a good distance away around the table. At this point, Frank was ghostly white and using every cell in his brain to focus on his next move. He had given up on his trusty think-ahead strategy and was now only playing to prove he wasn’t weak and that he could beat him, as unlikely as it seemed.

“Your move, Iero,” Gerard said sweetly, trying to cover up his sheer annoyance at Frank’s plain disobedience of noise.

All the pieces are covered in blood, whether it be from Gerard or Frank touching them with blood-covered hands, or simply being in the splash zone of a bludgeon given to Frank.

Frank slammed his blood-coated king one spot to the left without a thought and let himself drop down onto the table, officially giving up on playing or even moving for that matter. He let out a long guttural groan that he’d been suppressing ever since his first move and felt a small inch of pain rub off from the sweet feeling of release.

Gerard practically swooned and let out a moan of his own, though his more pleasure induced. He scanned the board and smirked at the perfect alignment of his queen and Frank’s king.

“Checkmate,” he said dreamily, harshly knocking Frank’s king off the board.

#submission #ummmm #holy fuck dude #this is awesome #just the right amount of gore and your characterization and dialogue are spot on #thank you so much!!!!

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stusbunker · 5 years

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The Banished Winchester: Death Misterm’d

A Supernatural Fan-fiction

Setting: Purgatory

Warnings should be self explanatory. It’s Supernatural; there will be monsters and angst. It’s Purgatory; there will be violence and death.

This is my entry to MJ’s Subversion Challenge. I chose prompt 20: ‘Feeling me race inside you, and I feel you run through me.’

Word Count: 1695 (So at most a C+ on meeting requirements)

*^*^*^

She had been running for ages, learning from each death like a fledgling gamer. Except she felt every slice of claws, every bite from the beasts that hovered in the shadows. The makeshift weapons took longer, hacking at her until she vanished, just to spring up somewhere else and yet in precisely the same circumstances: alone and vulnerable.

She had failed in life, dying to something as simple as a gunshot when she was days old. She wouldn’t let these savages keep taking from her. She was born to fight, to wage war. If she couldn’t do her people proud in life; she would do it in this place, a place where death never lasted, and the fight never ended.

Emma Winchester was an Amazon, whether she wanted to be or not.

*^*^*^

Benny was bored, the search for the Angel was all well and good, but it felt a little futile. Dean’s humanity was slipping through his seams, the hunt filling him like new stuffing. Grizzled and gruff, creature comforts came few and far between in No Man’s Land. Somehow the only thing keeping the kid focused was the dwindling trail for his buddy. Vampire or not, Benny recognized the last lifeline home.

Dean had his back, but if this angel changed their plans, he would make do. He always did. He wasn’t so sure if Dean would anymore. Benny wasn’t sure he wanted to either. It all seemed off. As much as Benny had hunches in life, he knew when to keep his thoughts to himself. Inklings were inklings, couldn’t do nothing about them until they took root.

*^*^*^

The rumors were getting ridiculous, lavish and triumphant battles all cut short by a wandering human. Tales like the boogeyman whispered in moments of sanctuary. Emma didn’t believe much, despite her empty gut clenching in warning memory. She moved through groups quickly, unwilling to get tangled in clan battles, knowing her kind wouldn’t debase themselves to such alliances.

She prayed for a Gorgon, maybe even a Minotaur. Something she could see and touch, something of home. What she got was more warnings from traumatized wolves. She paid them no mind, grabbing a fallen branch and stalking off, looping back to throw off her scent, carving passed the bark as she marched. Eyes on the river.

*^*^*^

The light was an illusion, there was no sun nor moon to guide them here. It was a form of radiation, a haze of poison agitating an already angry mob of monsters. Beings that had lost or mangled their souls beyond repair. Or the ancients, those formed from something older than humanity. Children of Eve and Leviathan, picking off the former humans with glee. Breakfast, lunch, and dinner: the masses were readily available and self-replenishing.

Castiel felt their eyes, despite the loss of connection to Heaven, he was still an angel. He felt the target burning against his skin, his scarlet letter, his truth. He knew Dean was making an impression, he just hoped his old friend was far away. As safe as this cursed realm would allow.

*^*^*^

They were on the second day down the river, on the dying words of another enemy. He never stood a chance. Another substitution of the Dean that was had Benny starting to regret Dean taking point so often. The angel was the goal; the clearing was approaching, physically and metaphorically. They all just needed to hang on now. Then they’d all have their answers.

*^*^*^

“Dean!”

The name wheezed over the babbling of the stream, deep voices continuing just out of earshot. She inhaled aghast at hearing that name, the meaning sank through her exhausted mind: hunter, father, ape. It was an old name, prestigious even, it could have belonged to anyone. But, Emma wasn’t an idiot.

All tall tales were once true.

She moved along the tree line, following the voices. There were two males, drenched in bits of others and the rancid sweat of countless bouts. She saw him, darker than she remembered. Teeth glinting as he joked with his companion. She wanted to kick them into his skull; her greatest failure smug and standing just yards away.

There was a part of her that she used against him before, a part of him really. It had nearly worked. She wouldn’t let herself lose again; she couldn’t be that close to vulnerable. Not here, not ever again.

She waited and watched.

*^*^*^

Their journey had been quiet, which only added to Benny’s growing agitation. Some unsettled anxiety thumbed the back of his mind, a phantom kettle left on. The constant gloaming was unnaturally quiet, no buzz of insects or calls of other night creatures. A herd ran a good two hundred yards off, footfalls fast and unyielding gone as quickly as they approached.

The shivering exhale of their tail gave Benny the certainty to act.

“Come on out now,” he drawled, long handled hatchet resting against his shoulder. Dean froze, scanning his edge of the circle as they stood back to back in practiced precision. They couldn’t put an eye on her, shoulder blades brushing as they turned back and forth.

Dean’s blood bubbled in anticipation, that adrenaline high warming him like a lingering summer breeze. Once she dropped to her feet in front of him, time stopped. Something flickered in his hooded eyes before a sinister smirk surfaced.

“Well, looky here,” Dean teased.

“Hi, Dad.” Emma was at the ready, calculating their weapons and their size.

“Emma. Long time.” Dean swallowed, starting to pace in front of his slight, teenage-sized daughter.

“Dean?”

“Where are my manners? Emma, this here is my buddy Benny. He’s a vampire. Benny, Emma, my little girl. She’s an Amazon, so careful. She’ll eat your heart if you let her,” Dean clicked his mouth.

Emma rolled her eyes before raising her brows in challenge.

Dean’s heartbeat just wouldn’t take the hint. Seeing Emma again was like a kick to the gut and a slap to the face all at once. She was just as pretty and vicious as she had been in life. Her eyes were glazed now, empty. He hadn’t let himself imagine her here, but of course his life was an unending cycle of bad to worse, choices and regret.

“Bet you’re surprised to see me,” Dean continued.

“Not really, your reputation is just as rotten here,” Emma replied, earning a slight chuckle from Benny.

“Teenagers,” the vampire chided.

“I’m three,” Emma corrected. “Or I was. Days. I was three days old when his brother shot me. So, keep your superiority to yourself, bloodsucker.”

“You were trying to kill me!” Dean balked, like it was all a big misunderstanding.

“It was my duty! Now I have no one. I fight and die and roam. Alone. For eternity. Happy?” Emma stormed forward, throwing Dean back on his heels at the sudden aggression.

Dean quickly disarmed her, tossing her spear to the side as he pinned her back to his chest, arms threaded through hers. Dean snorted, “Look, kiddo, happy ain’t for folks like us.”

Emma fumed, huffing and twisting against his soothing voice in her ear. Blinding rage filled her focus, shame burning every inch of her skin. He wasn’t mocking her, though gaining the upper hand was just another edge to the same blade. Emma threw her head back, slamming into Dean’s jaw, gaining a meager inch or two of give to his grip. She wrenched his elbow, throwing him with everything she had. She pulled his makeshift machete from its wedge in the ground. Heaving, she stood above him as he crawled to all fours.

A proud smirk curled Dean’s lips as he looked up to face his daughter. His eyes were far less endearing. She kicked him back to the earth, but Dean snatched her ankle as she pulled back. A shrill cry echoed the hollow forest, breaking as she hit the ground. The weapon flew up from her grasp and Dean caught it as he stood. He peered down the handle at terrified crystal eyes, eyes that cut him into a hundred pieces of the man he once was. Dean Winchester hesitated.

His daughter did not. She swiped wide with her discarded spear, which the tussle had moved serendipitously closer. Just as Dean dodged a second blow, Benny moved in. A swift meaty hand in her hair lifting her off the ground. In a flash his mouth closed over her jugular, drinking her down. It was over before the second round could begin. Dean couldn’t even form words, unsure of whose name would cross his lips.

“No,” Dean finally whispered, he had never tagged Benny in. Dean clenched his fist and exhaled.

Benny heard Dean behind them, but he knew what had to be done. He carefully brought the girl to the ground, mouth hovering above the bloody wound. Hot, red, tempting. He ignored the thriving pulse in his veins. She was obviously paler now, but not drained. She whimpered as her body met hard earth.

“‘Skay, Darlin’. Just lie still now. You can be done fightin’. Just let it go. It aint worth it no more.” Benny said lower than a whisper, watching her collect herself. Once she had stilled enough to resemble the grave, he stood. Her eyes flitted closed as Dean approached. Benny waved him off.

“Nothing you wanna see, Brother,” Benny cleaned up with his sleeve. Benny caught Dean’s eyes, dragging them back to his, away from the girl.

“Why’d you– I had it covered!” Dean snipped, pulling at his bottom lip and turning down river. Towards Cas once more.

“Hey, I just did what you couldn’t, no shame in that. Family’s— a different animal,” Benny tried to reassure.

Dean didn’t reply, he just moved on with renewed resolve, a heightened beat to each step.

Emma lay waiting, counting their footfalls as they disappeared. The chill of blood loss seeping into the scars and valleys, until it collected in her heart. A tiny piece of her died that day, deader than her uncle could ever kill her. She was born a warrior, had died a failure and now she waited as a Winchester.

^*^*^

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weekendwarriorblog · 3 years

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The Weekend Warrior 12/11/20 - MINARI, THE MIDNIGHT SKY, LET THEM ALL TALK, WILD MOUNTAIN THYME, PARALLEL, WANDER DARKLY and More!

Honestly, I almost didn’t write a column this week for reasons I’ll probably be ranting about for a few more months, but the long and short of it is that I’ve now been writing movie reviews for 19 years, as well as writing a weekly column through most of that time, and I’m kind of sick of working my ass off, usually for very little money, and just not getting anything out of it.

This mainly came as I crossed 200 reviews for the year a few weeks back. As I was preparing to write this week’s column, Rotten Tomatoes, where most of my reviews have been available as FREE content for the past 17 years, decided to upgrade a number of critics to be “Top Critics”… but not yours truly. I have a lot more to say about this but don’t want to waste any more of my time or anger right now. I will be wrapping this column up and taking some time off for a month in January and deciding whether I want to keep wasting my time every week for no money and little feedback. It really just isn’t worth it anymore.

Fortunately, I saw a few good movies this week, and more than a few bad, so let’s start with one of the good ones, shall we?

This week’s “Featured Flick” is Lee Isaac Chung’s MINARI (A24), which like Nomadland last week will get some sort of virtual cinema release in New York and L.A., presumably that can be seen across the country. It will then get its official release on February 12, 2021.

The movie stars Steven Yeun from The Walking Dead as Jacob, a Korean father who brings his family to an Arkansas house in the middle of nowhere in the ‘80s, hoping to start a farm. His wife Monica (Yeri Han) is not happy with this decision but their kids Anne (Noel Cho) and David (Alan S. Kim) try to adjust to the new life. Things aren’t going well but then Monica’s mother Soonja (Yuh-jung Youn) shows up, that just adds more pressure on Jacob, and the kids, especially David, who hates the quirky older woman who acts nothing like a grandmother.

I’d been hearing about Minari going all the way back to its debut at Sundance, and though I remained skeptical, I finally saw it a few months ago an again over the weekend, and it’s one of my favorite films of the year, probably Top 5. To me, it’s somewhat in the vein of The Farewell, my number 1 movie of 2019, vs. the Oscar Best Picture winner, Parasite. It’s a very personal story for Chung who based some of the experiences on his own childhood, which once again proves the adage that if you’re going to write a movie, make it personal since that’s the most likely to connect with others. (Not always true, but it was great advice when I was given it.)

It takes a little time to understand why Minari is so beloved, since Chung takes an interesting approach where we see various scenes that don’t necessarily seem to tie into some sort of plot. Characters like Will Patton’s ultra-religious zealot who seems to be a bit lost when Jacob takes him on to help with his farm. Otherwise, we see various character interactions as things get tenser and tenser between Jacob and Monica, who are fighting all the time. Although the drama does get intense at times, there’s a lot of joyful and fun moments, particularly those involving the wacky grandmother and her dysfunctional relationship with her grandson. I also enjoyed the relationship between the two kids where Anne is always protective of her younger brother, who has some sort of heart illness.

It's a beautiful movie with an equally gorgeous score, but it’s really in the last 20 minutes or so when we start to see where Chung has been going with all these seemingly disparate elements, which builds up to a wonderful ending. Yeun is terrific, and the fact he reminded me of my own father -- we’re neither Korean nor have I ever been to Arkansas -- shows why his subdued performance is so effective. Overall, the film proves that however many awful things life might throw at you, your family can always fix things. I love that message, and I hope others will find and love this as well.

After its one week in virtual cinema, Minari will get an expanded theatrical release starting February 12… hopefully, New York City theaters will be open by then and I can see it in a theater.

Film at Lincoln Center in New York also is starting its 49th annual “New Directors/New Films” series, which was delayed from March, although being virtual, the movies in it can also be viewed nationwide for the first time. I feel like a lot of movies that were scheduled to play ND/NF ended up being released already but there should be some interesting things in there.

George Clooney’s latest film THE MIDNIGHT SKY is based on Lily Brooks-Dalton’s novel Good Morning, Midnight, in which he plays Augustine, a scientist dying on his own at the Barbeau Observatory in the Arctic, who has to warn a group of astronauts returning to earth that it’s no longer safe for them to return.

Clooney has made a lot of good and great movies over the years, so that I’m one of those people anxiously ≠waiting for him to make something great again after the disappointment of Suburbicon. Midnight Sky is definitely one step forward and a few steps back, as it’s impossible not to think of previous Clooney movies like Solaris and Gravity, as well as The Martian and Passengers and Ad Astra. Yes, we somehow have gotten to the point where every year there’s some sort of space movie, and while Midnight Sky at its best is better than Solaris or Ad Astra (sorry, but I was not a fan), there’s enough that’s so quizzical and confounding I’m not sure people will be able to follow what’s going on.

Much of the first half of the movie involves Clooney’s Augustine alone at the Artic base interacting with a little girl (Caoillin Springall) who is completely silent. If it’s ever explained what the girl represents, I must have missed it. There are also flashbacks to Augustine’s earlier career as a scientist and explorer played by a somewhat only semi-impressive Clooney kinda look-alike in Ethan Peck.

The best moments of the movie involve the crew of astronauts on the spaceship Ether, including Felicity Jones and David Oyelowo, who are in a relationship, Demián Bichir, Kyle Chandler and Tiffany Boone, as they deal with various issues. This is really where comparisons to Gravity and The Martian are earned, but that’s such a mighty quintet of actors that these sections are far more interesting than sullen bearded Clooney with his young ward. The production design and visual FX in these portions of the film are also quite impressive.

The Midnight Sky throws a lot at the viewer but then tries too hard to be quizzical and enigmatic about how all of it ties together until the very end. I feel that some of Clooney’s more mainstream fans will be quite confounded and possibly even disappointed. The Midnight Sky is Clooney taking a swing and only partially connecting, and it might require multiple viewings to feel like it’s a worthy addition to his filmography.

Either way, The Midnight Sky will open theatrically in select cities this week and then be on Netflix on December 23, just in time for depressing everyone on Christmas!

Also hitting Netflix streaming this week is Ryan Murphy’s musical THE PROM, which I reviewed last week. It’s great, I loved it, and can’t wait to watch it again!

Next up is Clooney’s pal Steven Soderbergh, whose new movie LET THEM ALL TALK, will premiere on HBO Max this Thursday, December 10. It stars Meryl Streep as renowned writer Alice who is called to England to receive a prestigious literary award. Since she doesn’t fly, she’s booked on a cross-Atlantic trip on the Queen Mary II ship. Alice decides to bring her old friend Roberta (Candice Bergen)—whom hasn’t spoken to her in three decades--and Susan (Dianne Wiest) as well as her nephew Tyler (Lucas Hedges) to serve as her assistant so she can focus on her writing. Little does she know that her young agent Karen (Gemma Chan) is also on the ship hoping to find out what Alice is writing about with the help of Tyler, who is quite smitten with her.

I’m not sure where to begin with one of week’s films that I probably had the highest expectations and ended up leaving me with the most utter disappointment. I wasn’t really that crazy about last year’s The Laundromat, and I’ve generally found Soderbergh’s work to be hit or miss over the last few years. I loved his thriller Unsanefor instance, and the Magic Mike movies were fun. This one, written by author Deborah Eisenberg, is just plain boring for most of it, offering nothing particularly interesting or insightful, as it’s basically another movie where Streep is playing a character who moans about how difficult her life is and how much better everyone else has it. I mean, if I wanted that shit, I’d spend more time on Twitter than I already do. And then there’s Hedges, one of my favorite young actors over the past few years, who seems to have fallen into a niche playing

In fact, my favorite aspect of the film was Gemma Chan, who plays a character with far more depth and dimension than normal, although much of her role is just to spy on Alice and fend of the subtle advances by the much younger Tyler. The two actors have some fun scenes together, far more lively than anything involving the older actresses, but you always know where it’s going. It’s kind of awkward and painful to watch Hedges bomb so hard. (At least he fared better playing a similar role in French Exit, but in that one, his love interest was Danielle Macdonald.)

The movie looks good with Soderbergh handling his own camera duties and cinematography as usual, and it’s scored with the same hipster jazz he might have used in one of his Ocean movies, but the movie just goes on and on and on, and it hs one of the most “what the fuck?” moments you’ll see this year.

If you can imagine one of The Trip movies without any of the laughs or the delicious food porn…but on a ship, that’s basically what you end up with. More than once while watching Soderbergh’s movie, I was ready to abandon ship.

And from pretty bad, we go to much, MUCH worse. Do you know what thyme it is? It’s WILD MOUNTAIN THYME!!!

John Patrick Shanley adapts his own play Outside Mullingar into a film that will be released in theaters and On Demand by Bleeker Street this Friday, and believe me, its biggest problems isn’t some of the awful Irish accents on display, but they certainly don’t help. Emily Blunt plays Rosemary and Jamie Dornan is Anthony, childhood friends who live down the street from each other in their Irish farming community. When they grow up, Rosemary’s father dies leaving her with a plot of land that forces Anthony and his father Tony (Christopher Walken) to have to use a gate to get to their home. Remember this gate, because it’s going to be mentioned so much over the course of the movie, you’ll wonder why the movie wasn’t called “Wild Mountain Gate.” (It’s actually named after a song that Blunt’s character sings for no apparent reason.)

First, you’ll have to get past the odd choice of the very non-Irish Walken in a key role as the dead narrator of the story with that aforementioned horrid accent. It won’t take long for you to start scratching your head how a noted playwright like Shanley could write such a horrible screenplay. Soon after, you’ll wonder how he convinced someone to finance making it into a movie. I’m normally a pretty big fan of Blunt, but this movie and role might be one of her biggest missteps as an actor to date. As a child, Rosemary was told by her father that she was the White Swan in Swan Lake, so of course that will lead to

It’s not long before Jon Hamm shows up as one of Anthony’s distant relatives who also has interest in Rosemary’s plot of land – nudge, nudge, wink, wink. Pretty soon we’re thrust into awkward love triangle rom-com that falls somewhere between Leap Year and The Holiday. Not exactly something you’d expect from the filmmaker behind the drama Doubt that produced multiple Oscar nominations for the cast, eh?

Instead, Shanley ends up trying to foist the… I don’t want to call it chemistry. What is the exact opposite of chemistry? Between Blunt and Dorman with one long boring conversation after another. At one point, they’re having a romantic chat about suicide, the next Anthony is telling Rosemary that he thinks he’s a honeybee. I mean, what the holy fuck?

Honestly, the whole thing is just grueling to watch, because you wonder how so much talent could falter so badly, particularly Shanley? Even the recent Shane MacGowan doc was a far more romantic take on Irish farming than this could ever possibly be.

One of the nicer surprises of the week is the sci-fi thriller PARALLEL (Vertical), which will be in theaters and On Demand this Friday, and it’s likely to be missed by a lot of people who would enjoy it. Directed by Isaac Ezban from a screenplay by Scott Blaszak, it follows four young people working in the tech sector of Seattle who discover a mirror in a hidden section of the house they’re renting that apparently allows them to experience other dimensions and other versions of their lives. Soon, they’re experimenting with different ways they can make money and achieve fame, although not all of them are cool about how they’re doing it.

Although Parallel opens like a home invasion thriller featuring the great Kathleen Quinlan, we soon learn that it’s a red herring before we meet the quartet of young entepreneurs working on a parking app with an almost impossible deadline. When they find the mirror that leads into an alternative dimension, they immediately start to experiment with figuring out what is happening exactly, and once they do, they realize they can make money by stealing from “alts” i.e. other versions of themselves. Soon, their success starts driving them insane with a desire for even more money and power.

Ezban’s movie benefits from a talented mostly unknown cast, including Martin Wallstrom and Mark O’Brien as boisterous alpha males. Georgia King’s artist Leena is far more than a love interest, although she does become an obsession for one of them eventually – and man, does she remind me of a young Reese Witherspoon. British actor Aml Ameen plays Devin, whose father committed suicide after being accused of corruption, and he’s also wary of some of the activities his friends get up to. There’s also the quartet’s main competitor Seth who gets suspicious of their success as they start producing all sorts of incredible technical inventions.

Parallel is a pretty twisted sci-fi movie that in some way reminded me of the ‘90s thriller Flatliners and even Primer a little bit, but the mirror aspect to it also will draw comparisons to Oculus, one of Mike Flanagan’s cool earlier movies. It doesn’t take long for the twists to start flying at the viewer, and once they do, your mind will be boggled and not necessarily in a bad way. I wouldn’t want to even begin sharing some of the crazy places where the film goes, but even gore fans won’t be disappointed by some of it.

It’s a real shame this terrific movie has floundered without distribution or deserved attention for so long, because there’s absolutely no question in my mind that Jason Blum should be talking to Ezban and Blaszk about doing something together. Parallel is the type of quality high-concept thriller Blumhouse thrives upon.

Another nice surprise this week was Ekwa Msangi’s FAREWELL AMOR (IFC Films), which debuted at Sundance earlier this year and barely got any attention, which is a real shame. It’s expanded from her earlier short, and it’s about an Angolan immigrant named Walter (Ntare Guma Mbaho Mwine), who is reunited with his wife Esther (Zainab Jah) and daughter Sylvia (Jayme Lawson) after 17 years. As they share a small New York apartment, Walter and Esther try to rekindle their romance while Sylvia tries to adjust to an American school.

Msangi’s film opens at Newark airport where the small family is reunited, Walter not having seen either wife or daughter in a decade and a half. He’s working as a cab driver, and he’s ready to rekindle the old flame and meet his daughter who was only a baby when he moved to the States. (Little does Esther know that Walter was in a relationship with another woman, a nurse who isn’t too happy about having to leave Walter’s life.)

One of the things Msangi does to keep things interesting is that she splits the film into three sections, one for each character that focuses specifically on them, and the story gets infinitely interesting as we learn more about each of them. Walter is somewhat at odds with doing the right thing by his wife and daughter, who is wanting to explore her love of dance that her ultra-religious mother forebids. For some reason, I thought Sylvia’s section would be the most interesting as she deals with the trials of being a teenager, but then Esther’s section shows her to be a far more layered character we might have assumed earlier. She also befriends a neighbor woman played by Joie Lee that helps her expand. The thing is that all three are clearly good people, and you never feel as if one is doing something bad in relation to the others.

Farewell Amor is a quiet but beautiful film that explores an immigrant story in a far different way than we’ve seen before. It’s a discovery film, and I hope people will not just presume it won’t hold their interest. It’s a wonderfully relatable human story, similar to Tom McCarthy’s The Visitor.

Sienna Miller and Diego Luna star in Tara Miele’s psychological drama WANDER DARKLY (Lionsgate), playing Adrienne and Matteo, a couple who recently had a baby. After they get into a horrible car accident while arguing, they end up revisiting the highs and lows of their relationship as Adrienne believes either she or Matteo or both are dead.

This is a surprisingly stranger film than I expected, delving into the supernatural not quite in the way as something like Wes Craven’s Serpent and the Rainbow or Jacob’s Ladder, but having a few elements in common. Although I haven’t seen Miele’s other films, this one feels very much like something Drake Doremus might have made to the point where I’m not sure I could say I fully understood what was happening from one moment to the next. The film seems to be exploring a couple’s relationship through a horrible tragedy but does in a strange way.

With the emotional performances by the two leads being enhanced by an amazing score by Alex Weston (who also scored The Farewell last year), Wander Darkly is more than anything, a performance piece with a decent script and further proof Miller continues to be one of the most underrated actresses working today. Despite those great performances, the movie’s strange premise might be too metaphysical and intense in execution for everyone to be along for the entire ride. In that sense, I probably liked last week’s Black Bear just slightly more.

I reviewed Steve McQueen’s ALEX WHEATLE (Amazon Prime Video) in last week’s column, and that will hit Amazon Prime this Friday, but I think I’m going to save Education, the last film in his “Small Axe Anthology” for next week’s column. I was also hoping to review Tom Moore and Ross Stewart’s WOLFWALKERS (Apple+) this week, since it premieres on Apple TV+ on Friday, but I just couldn’t get to it. Story of my life.

I’m not sure if I could tell you how many of the Ip Man movies I’ve seen over the past 12 or so years, many of which I saw at the New York Asian Film Festival, but Ip Man is indeed back after last year’s Ip Man: The Finale, but that’s because IP MAN: KUNG FU MASTER (Magnet/Magnolia Pictures) is part of the spin-off prologue series starring Dennis (Yu-Hang) To, who looked enough like a younger Donnie Yen to start a whole sub-franchise. This one is directed by Liming Li, who is also directing a Young Ip Man: Crisis Time prequel movie that presumably stars someone younger than both Yen and To. Got it?

Okay, maybe this needs a little more explaining, although the nice thing about Kung Fu Master is that it works perfectly fine as a stand-alone in case you’ve never seen any of the other movies. This one takes place in the ‘40s as Man is a police captain in Foshan, dealing with the ever-present gang known as The Axes. He’s framed for murder when the leader of the gang dies in prison, and his daughter, Miss Qingchuan (Wanliruo Xin), wanting revenge as she takes over the gang. Ip Man has other issues like being disgraced as a police officer and then the arrival of the Japanese army who have their own agenda. Ip Man ends up donning a mask to become the Black Knight to fight crime in another way.

I make no bones about my love of martial arts films when they’re not stupid or hoaky and sadly, the Donnie Yen franchise was getting by last year’s so-called “finale.” Kung Fu Master starts out with an amazing action scene of To fighting off what seems like hundred of axe-wielding gangsters, and it barely lets up, constantly throwing interesting and thoroughly entertaining fights at the viewer. Eventually, there’s a bounty on Ip Man’s head with whoever kills becoming leader of the Axes, but he has other issues, like his wife giving birth to their baby boy, just as the police chief and force shows up to arrest him. Cutting quickly between childbirth and kung fu action is just one of the interesting things Director Li does to make his Ip Man debut.

The resemblance between Dennis To and Donnie Yen is more than just facial as his wushu techniques are equally impressive, and sure, there’s a few more dramatic moments between Ip Man and his wife, but it’s Xin’s Miss Qingchuan who ends up being more of a formidable counter to To in just about every way, including a few fight scenes where axes are flying through the air.

Ip Man Kung Fu Master is fairly short, less than 90 minutes, but it still feels long because it feels like it finds a good ending, and then tacks on an epilogue and then another one. There were times I thought it might end on a cliffhanger to set up Ip Man’s inevitable next movie. The abundance of evil antagonists Ip Man must fight in this one tends to become a bit much, but it’s hard not to be thrilled by the martial arts on display and Li’s terrifically stylish visuals that keeps the movie interesting.

Ip Man Kung Fu Master will be available digitally Friday through a variety of platforms.

Filmmaker Adam Egypt Mortimer, who released Daniel Isn’t Real last year, returns with ARCHENEMY (RLJEfilms), starring Joe Manganiello as Max Fist, who claims to be a hero from another dimension that fell to earth. He ends up spending time with a teen brother and sister, Hamster (Skylan Brooks) and Indigo (Zelee Griggs) who want to clean the streets of the local drug syndicate, led by The Manager (Glenn Howerton from It’s Always Sunny in Philadelphia). It’s a strange and quirky dark superhero movie that includes appearances by the likes of Paul Scheer and Amy Seimetz, and though I ran out of time to review, I do have an interview with Mortimer at Below the Line.

Time to get to some docs, and there are definitely some you’ll want to check out, although I don’t have as much time to write that much about them, and some of them I wasn’t able to watch yet.

Another great doc out of the September festival circuit is Ryan White’s ASSASSINS (Greenwich Entertainment), which follows the assassination of Kim Jong-nam, half-brother to North Korean leader Kim Jon-un in 2017 at a busy airport in Malaysia by two young women. Although the two women had never met before, they were jointly charged with attacking the North Korean ex-pat with a lethal nerve gas called VX but White’s investigation takes him all over South-East Asia trying to get answers to how the two women were tricked into committing the assassination. This is a pretty masterful display of doc filmmaking by White, not just in the sense of the way the story is paced and edited like a good political thriller, but it’s one that keeps the viewer invested even as the last act deals with the trial of the two young women and the bond that forms between them.

I’ll have more about this film over on Below the Line sometime very soon, but it hits theaters and virtual cinema this Friday and then it will be on PVOD on January 15

I saw Seamus Murphy’s doc PJ HARVEY: A DOG CALLED MONEY way back in March when it was supposed to open at New York’s Film Forum, but it’s finally getting a virtual cinema release there. Murphy travelled across Afghanistan, Kosovo and Washington DC with singer/songwriter PJ Harvey as she prepared material for her 2015 album, The Hope Six Million Project, which she produced with Flood and John Parish as an installation at Somerset House where people can walk by and view the recording process. This is an amazing doc that allows you into the process of writing for an amazing recording artist who has given Murphy and the viewer unprecedented access into her creativity. I had fully lost track of Harvey over the years, even though I was a huge fan of hers when she first hit these shores – in fact, I saw her play a concert where Radiohead opened for her… and there as another band (Gallon Drunk) after them! Because of that, I wasn’t familiar with the album, but I just love good music docs, especially ones that take us behind the scenes of a talented artist, and Murphy has created quite a fascinating film even outside the recording studio, whether it’s following Harvey around (narrated by her own poetic observations) but also with commentary by others they encounter. I found the Washington DC segments particularly interesting, since that’s the one place where I’ve spent the most time. An absolutely fantastic doc whether you’re a fan of Harvey’s or not.

Also playing in the Film Forum’s Virtual Cinema this week is Thomas Balmés’ SING ME A SONG, the filmmaker’s second doc set in the Himalayan village of Bhutan that’s been isolated for centuries. He returns to update on Peyangki, the 8-year-old Buddhist monk from his 2014 film Happiness, now a teenager who has fallen under the sway of technology including pop music and smartphone games, as he begins a WeChat romance with a young singer, which makes him consider leaving the monastery.

Also premiering on Netflix this Friday is Jim Stern and Fernando Villena’s doc GIVING VOICE, tying into the streaming premiere of August Wilson’s Ma Rainey’s Black Bottom next week. It follows six student actors auditioning for the August Wilson Monologue Competition, which brings thousands of students from twelve U.S. cities together to perform the Pulitzer Prize winner’s work.

Joshua Faudem’s doc THE LAST SERMON (Gravitas Ventures/Will Kennan) follows the director and Jack Baxter as they follow 14 years after making their 2004 documentary Blues by the Beach, in which the two ended up in a terrorist attack by British Nationals on Mike’s Place, a bar next door to the National Embassy on Tel Aviv. This event sends Baxter and Faudem across Europe to refugee camps and mosques in order to understand the essence of Islam and the truth about the international terrorists that almost killed them.

Drew Barrymore plays a dual role in THE STAND-IN (Saban Films), directed by Jamie Babbitt (But I’m a Cheerleader). While under normal circumstances, Wild Mountain Thyme would have been the dog of the week, then this movie came along. Yikes. Barrymore plays Candy Black, a comedy star best known for her pratfalls in bad movies (ala Melissa McCarthy). She also plays Paula, Candy’s much sweeter and almost identical stand-in. Candy is a nightmare to work with and after a fall from grace, she holes herself up in her Long Island Estate for five years, while Paula’s own fortunes falter without having that work. I’m sure you can figure out where it goes from there.

Yes, folks, we have what is now one of the worst iterations of a Tale of Two Cities not made by Barrymore’s frequent co-star Adam Sandler, although there are times where you wonder if she is actually playing a version of Sandler with Candy. Eventually, either Candy or Paula or both decide that Paula can take Candy’s place in her attempt to return to work, but the results are just far worse than The Hottie or the Nottie, as Paula also stands in for Candy on dates with the man she’s fallen in love with online through their love of woodworking. (I didn’t make that up.) You almost always know where it’s going and can’t help but groan when you’re right.

Basically, there’s one Drew that’s glammed-down and the other talking in an annoying wispy voice, so there really isn’t getting away from the awfulness even for a second.The thing is that, like the worst comedies, The Stand In is not funny, and it’s sad to see a decent director like Babbitt being dragged into this one. It’s just a terrible overused premise that’s executed quite poorly. Not only that, but the movie also co-stars TJ Miller, who has fallen so far from grace himself, that it’s shocking to see him in another movie.

Besides guaranteeing Barrymore a double-dose Razzie nomination, The Stand In also leaves her with cow shit on her face, much like her character.

Movies I just didn’t have time to get to this week:

Funny Boy (Array/Netflix) Gunda (NEON) Safety (Disney+) Bee Gees: How Can You Mend a Broken Heart (HBO Max) 40 Years a Prisoner (HBO Docs) Through the Night (Longshot Factory) To the Ends of the Earth (KimStim) Rompan Todo: The History of Rock in Latin America (Netflix) The Wilds (Prime Video) Nasrin (Virgil Films) Finding Ying Yin

By the way, if you read this week’s column and have bothered to read this far down, feel free to drop me some thoughts at Edward dot Douglas at Gmail dot Com or drop me a note or tweet on Twitter. I love hearing from readers … honest!

#TheWeekendWarrior #Movies #Reviews #Minari #TheMidnightSky #LetThemAllTalk #VOD #Streaming #WildMountainThyme #Parallel #TheStandIn #IpManKungFuMaster

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dramarising-replacement · 6 years

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This Lore Though

Ya’ll, I stumbled upon this really good piece of lore. Like holy shit how can I get on this level of detail????? Legit felt the feels though. Kudos to L for writing this gorgeous piece ;-; It sucks I can’t find the user though :((((

BOMBSHELL

Teacher -Trickster - Illusionist

I. Childhood

______ Although Bombshell was gifted with magic, cunning, and intelligence, he had difficulty bonding with other dragons. He was praised for his budding magical talents, and gained the attention of many prominent magicians in the area. He was mentored by a staunch, cold, dragon named Weiss. Weiss bombarded Bombshell from an early age with difficult assignments and exacted punishments if Bombshell failed to complete them. Weiss, as he told Bombshell, had the best interest in his student. The only way Bombshell would ever be successful was if he could be the best magician, and have it no other way. If Bombshell were not the best, then he needed to do better, or else Bombshell would disappoint his clan, and be rejected from dragon society. At first Bombshell rebelled against the intense regimes, and strict sessions by playing pranks on his Weiss, and sneaking out. Bombshell preferred using his magic to have fun, and entertain. However, due to his limited interactions with other dragons, Bombshell struggled to establish relationships with other dragons. He though about only being the best, and made everything a competition, and insulted other dragons for not being worthy. Many grew to dislike Bombshell, not only for his magical gifts, but his personality. Bombshell numbed the taunts, cold gazes, and his insecurities by pouring himself into his magical studies. He still loathed them, and disliked Weiss, but still sought his tutor’s praises. He grew to always try to be “right” and when he was told he was wrong, could easily explode and hotly try and make his point seem right. He did, however, learn how to impress dragons with his magic, and changed his approach of being disliked, to being liked, by flaunting his credentials. However, Bombshell struggled with his identity as a magician, and suppressed love for games, tricks, and to have fun. But he also wanted to be right, and approved by members of clan. Attending a prestigious magician program, Bombshell started to not care in order to balance out the strict amount of order that’d been imposed on him, and ended up relying on his sheer talent to get him through. He began to measure his worth based on how much he couldn’t study, and use his talents as a raw value of himself. This was partly due to the “friends” he made in the program, who followed a similar philosophy. He reveled in his new found freedom, but later on did very poorly and was almost kicked out. Frustrated, angered, and feeling misled, this led to Bombshell’s self exile to the Abiding Boneyard.

II. Exile and Gywnn

______ Bombshell ran away from his clan, and stumbled into the Abiding Boneyard. Scared, but confident in his magical abilities he wandered the area for many years playing cruel tricks on dragons, or cheating dragons out of their money as a coping method for his pent up frustrations. However, in times when he found himself alone he would cry, realizing how he might be alone forever and at these times coped by finding another dragon to scare off or try and shrug it off by objectifying his feelings. At some point he crossed paths with a guardian named Gywnn. Gwynn originally came from the Ashfallen Wastes and had been traversing through Sorienth for sometime. Bombshell had recently pranked a group of patrolling warriors, but didn’t escape unscathed. One of warrior managed to hit a vital point on the nocturne’s chest. Weak, and near death, Gwynn nearly passed Bombshell but saw the nocturne when she felt something prickle her forearm. Looking down she saw the injured nocturne, she took it upon herself to nurse him back to health. Early on, when he became strong enough, Bombshell began throwing sarcastic comments and other things to provoke the guardian. Which he sometimes was successful in, but other times she replied with an equally sarcastic, or flustered comment. Gwynn cared for Bombshell, and, perhaps due to her kindness or sincere personality, Bombshell opened about his past, and unprocessed emotions. Gwynn listened, nodded, and at time went on long talks about how silly Bombshell was, but that it was okay. Bombshell began feeling comfortable with Gwynn, and trusted her immensely. Though, he was always a bit skeptical why the guardian stayed. More than once he questioned, and got the same answer which was “you’re my charge, that’s all”. Their friendship blossomed, and the two became travelling companions though the Abiding Boneyard. Bombshell began to come to terms with himself more. He let himself be a bit more vulnerable at times, and tried his best to understand and listen. Thanks to Gwynn’s love, he was able to better communicate his feelings, and establish his own sense of self worth instead of having to rely on others. But this entire process of self healing took many many many years. “You are loved, my charge, and will always be loved. By me at least. Even if you’re broken, stubborn, and a jerk, you’re still good.” - Gwynn One day it came to be that Bombshell found the entrance to an exit of the Abiding Boneyard. Bombshell detected with his magic that there would be a few more twists in turns, but it eventually lead to the rim of the Ancient Wyrmwood. While Gwynn was happy to leave, Bombshell was still uncertain. He was afraid their friendship would end, or perhaps Gwynn would simply leave. He was still skeptical about the guardian’s Journey, even with her constant reassurance. He used his magic to cover the exit, and the two continued to journey a few more years before once again stumbling across the same exit. Bombshell repeated the same action he did, but it was only a few months later that they found themselves at the same exit. This third time led Gwynn to confront the nocturne. The two had an intense dispute, which they’d had disputes before, but this one was a full blown fight. It became to the point where Bombshell’s magic was affected by his explosion of emotions. The magic pushed the two apart, sending Bombshell flying across the Boneyard. Alone once again, Bombshell was seized by guilt. He spent years searching for Gwynn, and tormented by guilt, before stumbling upon the entrance of the exit once again. At this point he almost decided to turn back into the Boneyard and stay there permanently. His guilt, and desire were still part of him, and felt he deserved to stay in such a place. Standing at the exit, he thought. He had a choice, and it was his decision to go or to stay. It was at that point that he closed his eyes and dreamed. He saw Gwynn in his dream, and the engaged in a long conversation. Gwynn nudged the nocturne to choose the exit. That what happened was what happened in the past, and that staying in the Boneyard would continue Bombshell’s emotions to fester. Bombshell came to his own realization that his choice to stay meant he also had the luxury to perhaps never again see his clan. Never again see anything but a mass of bones, and lost dragons. Not all exits were closure, but Bombshell had the choice to go forward, or remain. With great difficulty, Bombshell woke. He didn’t want Gwynn to leave, but he had to go. He followed the winding exit of the Abiding Boneyard with a heavy heart, but a lighter soul. As he neared he saw the skeleton of a large dragon…that of a guardian. Pausing, he investigated and ran his claws across the bones. It was no doubt that these were the bones of his beloved friend Gwynn. Under her massive claw, Bombshell found a note. “Bombshell, Whether you find this note or not, I hope that you won’t have to read it. I hope we can see each other, and I am so sorry for the dispute that had happened years ago. I was hurt, so were you, but that dispute doesn’t mean we weren’t very good, if not best of friends. I admit I was hurt when you said I was just around because you’re my charge, and your intuition was correct; you never were my charge. However, dragons can choose things. I am a perfectly capable dragon to choose something as my charge, even if my instincts say differently. So while you weren’t chosen by my instincts, you were chosen by me. You’re a caring dragon, and even if you’ve got a huge ego, I still love your banter and knowledge. The fact we can converse is amazing, and we share so many different things, even if we’re different. I write this letter because I don’t have long to live. An oracle of the sorts told me I was going to die of a disease. I think it was cancer of some sort, and how funny it is to think that I can choose you as a charge, but have no control over my own body. I’ve tried herbs, potions, various other things when local plague dragons pass by. But I think I will succumb to something I can’t choose. We’re all fated to die I suppose, but I would hope we’re fated to meet again. I knew if I even exited the Boneyard, it would probably cover the exit, or I’d be lost at remembering which entrance was the exit. Many dragons I’ve passed by say they can find one exit, but if they turn back the same way, get lost again. I swear this labyrinth has a mind of its own. I will wait, and if I don’t see you, at least I’ll be happy hoping you’ll receive this letter. Thank you, my charge, friend, for the precious memories.” Pocketing the precious letter, Bombshell grieved for many days. Gwynn would never reach the exit, and it was unlikely Bombshell would find the exit again if he went back. While he could try levitating the bones, Gwynn was a massive dragon and Bombshell magic couldn’t levitate something as heavy as a guardian. So Bombshell left with a the letter, and departed with a heavy heart, but his soul lighter once more.

III. Return

Bombshell returned to his old clan. There were feelings of joy, happiness, and some not so much. Bombshell continues to work on his magic. He teaches magic to clanmates in the clan, and hosts magic shows, displaying his famous magic cards. With the help of his familiar, an Ethereal Trickster named Gwynn, the duo perform grand illusions, and tricks. Bombshell still pranks dragons and whips out sarcastic, witty comments. He still enjoys showing off, and squabbling over some things, but not too much. Once in awhile he visits the edge of the Abiding Boneyard by himself. Some clanmates think he’s crazy, others think that he likes to do it for his own reasons. Some don’t bother at all. Many still ask “what happened to you all those years?” Bombshell shrugs and says “I was lost, but I was found. Nothing more, nothing less.”

#praise #flight rising #cursing #lore #long post #no salt #submission

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thegraytalon-blog · 5 years

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Top 13 Console Video Games of Generation 8 (2012 – 2019)

Intro/Overview:

Hey everyone, The Gray Talon here, setting his sights on yet another unsuspecting prey and TODAY we are going to be talking and discussing the top 13 console video games of the current console generation. And why 13 some of you may be asking? Because the Gray Talon strikes with all of his 13 claws! Yes, he is that meta.

So I know for my first list here it’s quite a broad choice, seeing as though we are about a little over 6 years strong into this cycle of console video games. I’m going to do my best here to be as unbiased as I can be, broadening my gaming palette and bringing to you the top 13 titles that I have played in it’s entirety over the past 6 years and felt stood out to me in terms of presentation, performance and overall replay value. And in terms of replay value, I don’t necessarily mean a physical replay value, but rather I ask “Does this game stick around either physically or mentally that resonated with me in the long run?” Another thing to keep in mind is that I am a tremendous fan of narratives and games heavily focused on story, which will play a factor in my list as well as I try to remain unbiased as possible, I do hold a soft spot for games with a focus on a good tale and character development alike. This list will also try to stray away from remasters, such as The Last of Us for PS4 for example that is a port of a previous generation title without changing anything other than graphics and some technical performance such as framerate. I will be refraining from listing any Indie games as well as I feel those games have become so prominent over the past few years, that they deserve the respect of having their own special list. And lastly, expect a lot of honorable mentions at the end of the video, because selecting a mere 13 games from a list of some amazing games from over 6 years was increasingly difficult. And yes, as you may have guessed, expect some SPOILERS AHEAD!

So without further delay, let’s get started!

Number 13:

Nier: Automata – PS4 – (March 17th 2017 initial release)

What do you get when you combine a pseudo post-apocalyptic android world with, well, this guy (show Yoko Taro pic)? A beautiful recipe of some of the most brilliant forms of mind-fuckery since the likings of Hideo Kojima first tried to scramble our brains when Pyscho Mantis read off our game save files in Metal Gear Solid on the Playstation. In this hack and slash with light RPG elements, dive headfirst into a deep and dark narrative, focused on the concept of humanoid replicant androids and sentient robots developing emotions, feelings and even their own personal ideologies, while trying to combat armies of machine robots from distant worlds. It’s one part Blade Runner, one part Matrix, and all parts awesome. Plus it’s made by Platinum Games, the developer’s of Bayonetta and the original Devil May Cry. So if that’s not enough incentive to immediately run out and play this game, I’m not sure what will convince you.

Number 12:

Middle Earth: Shadow of Mordor – PS4/XB1 – September 30th 2014

Well, this game surely came out of left field, but it sure was a sight for sore eyes. Developed by Monolith Studios, who were responsible for the successful F.E.A.R. games and piggybacking off of the success of the Batman Arkham series, Middle Earth provides some of the most fluid combat and free flowing action since the Arkham titles, indeed, only much, much more brutal. We’re talking more decapitations than the entire Game of Thrones series has accomplished. The story is the other half of the reason why this made my list. It tells the tale of the creation of the ring of power that led to the evil lord Sauron’s rise as you fight within the realm of Mordor before the events that transpired in Lord of the Rings or even The Hobbit as you take on the role of Tallion, a brave and noble ranger who once met his demise and is now joined with a wraith on a quest for vengeance against those who were responsible for his family’s death. A simple quest for revenge will snowball into quite a journey as you build up your armies by capturing orcs and lead the fight back against the evil forces of Sauron. If you’re a fan of action games with a sprinkle of Assassin’s Creed like platforming, then this will be a match made in heaven, or in this case, the hellish land of Mordor.

Number 11:

Metal Gear Solid V: The Phantom Pain – PS4/XB1 – September 1st 2015

In this final true entry in the Metal Gear Solid series from the renown mind of famed game writer and director, Hideo Kojima, you take on the role of Big Boss from the 80’s. After waking from a 9 year coma following the events of Ground Zeroes, you free roam the vast Afghanistan plains during the Soviet-Afghan war to track down those responsible for the destruction of your old mercenary group, Military Sans Frontieres. Along with returning compadre in arms and once rival, Ocelot, prepare yourself as you take on a slew of missions to uncover the truth about the plot leading to the creation of a new Metal Gear that could potentially destroy the world. The game is fun and addictive, giving you access to an array of dozens of missions and hundreds of side ops alike, ranging from action to stealth as you infiltrate bases, rescue civilians and soldiers, gather intel and take down enemy artillery. You get support characters too such as a dog and Quiet the sniper, who will come in more than useful to you along your journey. And if you stick to it until the very end, you will not be sorry as the saga of Snake comes to a head and a somewhat emotional conclusion too, knowing the history behind the series, legacy and even controversial drama leading up to the inevitable parting of ways with Konami and Hideo Kojima.

Number 10:

Resident Evil 2 (Remake) – PS4/XB1 – January 25th 2019

I know this game just came out a month ago, but I just had to sneak it onto my list here. It was just such a prestigious remake and I know I said I would not include remasters on my list, but this is not your average remaster. It is a complete rebuild of a 21 year old game from the ground up, completely reimagining the horrors and terrors, fusing together the elements of what made the original Resident Evil trilogy truly frightening with the beloved camera and controls of Resident Evil 4. Fear lurks around every turn in tandem with some intense action sequences. There are numerous campaigns to play through as well, 4 in total if you count Leon and Claire’s A and B sides. I am going to link my video review in the description as well for more information and greater detail. It truly is a match made in heaven, or at the very least, a match made in the depth of the darkest labs of the Umbrella Corporation.

Number 9:

Horizon: Zero Dawn – PS4 – February 8th 2017

From the developers of Killzone, yes that’s right my young padawans, Killzone, the first person shooter Playstation exclusive series, comes a third person adventure set in a beautifully rendered, lush, post-apocalyptic world with a vivacious and ambitious tale revolving around sentient feral like machines, with resemblance to prehistoric creatures that lived millions of years ago.. You take on the role of Aloy, a fierce female warrior from the 31st century tribe called the Nora. After proving herself when she becomes of age, she obtains an augmented reality device called Focus and after being attacked for looking like a scientist from the old world, she then embarks on a journey that leads to her uncovering quite an incredible story behind the creation of the cybernetic creatures that roam the landscape. The gameplay focuses on a myriad of weapon crafting for your arsenal of spears, bows and quivers, ranging from high end explosives to mines and traps. Crafting plays a big role in the game too as you must gather resources in the environment to build up your ever growing arsenal. Also you can free flow using platforming techniques and zip line from all over the huge map. The game feels like a robust and futuristic Tomb Raider and should not be missed of anyone that is a fan of an empowering action/adventure game mixed in with an interesting narrative along the way.

Number 8:

Dark Souls III – PS4/XB1 – April 12th 2016

Return to Lothric one last time to kindle the bonfires as you set out on a harrowing journey to take on Kiln of the First Flame! You are the Ashen one and must return the Lords of Cinder to their rightful thrones while embarking in a wonderfully interconnected medieval world, littered with brazen creatures, shortcuts, secrets and treasures alike. Well, in case you haven’t guessed, I am a pretty huge fan of the Souls series and the third and final entry in the series is no slouch. With dozens of David and Goliath like boss fights and some challenging sub-boss battles, go it alone or bring 2 other lost souls to team up in co-op as you fight for survival. Experience a variety of builds per class. Become a heavy brute and pound foes into the ground with that sweet ultra greatsword or take on the role of a cleric to zap opponents from afar with spells and hexes. The combinations of character builds are nearly endless and the replay value is incredibly high as you level up to be able to withstand the might of the overbearing world of Lothric. The mechanics are the most fluid and the game’s speed almost resembles From Software’s Bloodborne at times. Plus, with Hidetaka Miyazaki-san returning to direct this time around, it truly feels like the definitive Dark Soul experience. Any fan of hardcore action/RPG’s will be right at home here.

Number 7:

The Legend of Zelda: Breath of the Wild – Switch/Wii U – March 3rd 2017

We return to the ever enchanting land of Hyrule as the heroic Link to embark on yet another tale to once again purge the evil that Ganon has loomed over the land. In this first truly open world Zelda game, you really can feel the utmost sense of wanderlust as you feel the need to explore every nook and cranny of the vast landscape, which seemingly has no limitations whatsoever. That is the biggest draw of this particular Zelda game. The liberating sensation to do almost anything you can imagine, whether it be collecting ingredients to sizzle over a frying pan to cook up that next concoction to withstand the extreme cold of the uncharted Hebra valleys or the intense heat of the Goron volcanic mountain ranges, or climbing up the side of a thousand foot wall to try and reach the top without running out of stamina. The world is truly your oyster here and you can even take on Ganon right out the gate, although I highly recommend you don’t unless you’re some kind of Hylian sorcerer. And lastly, the shrines in the game which provide upgrades either to your stamina or hearts by solving puzzles, are possibly the most addictive part of this game. You will have to literally pry yourself away from the game as you scour the land, high and low, seeking out those hidden little caves of wonders.

Number 6:

Super Mario: Odyssey – Switch – October 27th 2017

When I first saw the gameplay trailer for the latest 3D Mario title, I knew instantaneously that it would be fun, but I did not realize it would be possibly the best 3D Mario game I would have ever experienced. My all time favorite 3D Mario game is, by quite the unpopular opinion, Super Mario Sunshine. I was glamoured by the freedom of roaming from world to world in tandem with being the sole member of a clean up crew tasked with ridding Isle Delfino with that grimy, inky substance. Plus the normal Mario platforming levels were fun to boot. But now, in Super Mario Odyssey, everything is dialed up to 11 in the Mushroom Kingdom realm. I mean, you can become a freakin’ T-Rex with an Italian mustache for crying out loud by the simple toss of a hat! Or don the fierce and angry explosive power of a mustached Bullet Bill. Or launch yourself as a Chomp-Chomp to breakdown barriers and obstacles in your path. Plus, the 2D sections are a serious retro nod to Mario games of the time of olde and transition seamlessly from 3D to 2D as you might expect. Lastly, the freaking addiction for shines, well moonshines, this time around becomes real as you pretty much sell your plumbing soul for a shot at getting all of them per world.

Number 5:

Bloodborne – PS4 – March 21st 2015

From Software really knocked this one hit wonder out of the park. From the makers of the Dark Souls and Demon’s Souls games, comes a dark, gothic title with a dee and, mythic lore. As a hunter of beasts, try to purge the plague from the land as you fight back against creatures of folklore such as Lycans, Trolls and Cthulhu type monsters. A game that forces you to face your fears and strike back in the face of towering difficulty and strife in a fast paced, hardcore action/RPG that will cause your blood to boil at times with intense combat sequences, leaving your heart pounding and yearning for more and if you strike back quickly enough you may just regain health after being hit with the regain feature as well. This was my first From Software game that I not only played through once, but twice on it’s new game plus mode as I was consumed within the Hunter’s Dream in the far away land of Yharnam, so it will forever have a special place in my heart.

Number 4:

The Witcher III: The Wild Hunt – PS4/XB1 – May 19th 2015:

Well, if it wasn’t for the finale of good ol’ Geralt of Rivia here coming out in 2015, Bloodborne would have been my GOTY (Game of the Year), but, alas, once The Wild Hunt dropped into The Gray Talon’s claws, they were clenched for what felt like an eternity. If anyone asked me what my all time favorite action/RPG is of this generation that is the complete package, the gaming Oscar would go to The Witcher III each and every time. The level of detail present in this game cannot simply be put into words. While the graphics themselves may not be up to par with other games of this generation, the attention to detail in the beautifully crafted Continent Geralt is on is astounding to say the least. For example, you;’ll just be walking into town minding your own business when you’ll happen to notice out of the corner of your eye a water wheel connected to an turnstile system with flowing water that if you follow it closely you’ll begin to see how the irrigation system of that specific town works. The game is just that damn intricate. Not to mention the plethora of quests you can do ranging from aiding warring empires, which makes you feel like you’re playing the unofficial Game of Thrones game, to slaying beasts of burden whilst concocting tonics and potions like the true Witcher you are. Plus the downloadable content is probably better than the main story too, which is possibly the first time that’s ever happened and must be experienced that gives Geralt of Rivia the true ending he so rightfully deserves.

Number 3:

Uncharted 4: A Thief’s End – PS4 – May 10th 2016

Now that we have gotten into the final big three here, I want to remind everyone that the next three games have been personally chosen because of their heavy and robust focus on delivering a strong narrative, which is my one true Achilles’ heel. The final chapter in the Nathan Drake saga goes out with such a beautiful bang, I damn near had to play through it twice just to soak up all of its memorable moments. Everyone from the previous three games returns and in a glorious fashion to boot. From fast paced motorcycle chases in the Middle East to traversing the Sahara by jeep to hike and climb up mountain trails, this final chapter does not pull its punches for anything. There’s even one part of the game where you feel like you’re freaking James Bond, pulling off a heist in an exotic locale that ends in an Indiana Jones infused madness of swinging from whips and ropes through a series of windows and objects to make your daring escape. The Uncharted series to me always felt like a modern day Indiana Jones anyway, which does not disappoint when it is doing what it does best. Exploring mystical lands in hopes of finding famous treasures left behind by legends of the past that usually end with high octane explosions, chases and perilous escapes from life threatening scenarios. Also the story has charm and heart, leaving you more than satisfied more��and more with each entry in the series leading to the conclusion in which you cannot help have a smile on your face. The game even ends in a way that the esteemed developer Naughty Dog can even pick up at any time they want in the future. It’s brilliant writing like this that should be commended, recognized and put high up on a pedestal to be praised, such as now in this list.

Number 2:

Red Dead Redemption II – PS4/XB1 – October 26th 2018

If I was making a top list of games for last generation, Red Dead Redemption 1 would have been my top game hands down. In no way, shape or form would I have ever imagined that it’s numbered sequel would also make another top tiered game for me in this present day and age. The critically acclaimed developer, Rockstar Games, once again tantalizes and does not disappoint with their newest title. Set approximately 15 years before the events of Red Dead Redemption, the sequel, or prequel rather, sets you into the high top post 19th century boots of Arthur Morgan, right hand man to Dutch Van Der Linde as they all try to learn to adapt to the new 20th century American lifestyle and leave the criminal life behind…or do they? The snowball effect is immensely present as you struggle to survive the onslaught from one bad move to another that Dutch makes for his gang. Without spoiling too much, I will just say to ready those Kleenex, because for those of you who played the first game know, expect one teary eyed ending once again, in both the good, the bad and the ugly. Another reason why this game holds my second place slot securely is because of yet again it’s exasperating attention to detail. If Witcher III was so refined in showcasing the intricate workings of a wooden water wheel, then get ready to completely crap your pantsuit as Red Dead Redemption II dials the attention to detail up to 11, possibly even 12 as they turn it into an obsession to detail with such things as going as far as making a horse’s private parts grow or shrink depending on what climate you are presently in on the map. You can also become dirty and need a bath after traveling for many in game hours along with growing hair and facial hair in real time that can grow as long as a rock star and look like Odin from Asgard if enough time passes. Plus, there are some random encounters that are just as emotional as some of the story segments and can pop up at any given and unprompted time. In terms of the core gameplay, you’re a gunslinger in third person (but there is also a first person option) and use a slow motion deadeye mechanic to carefully pick apart your foes. Take to riding horseback and even carriages to soak up what remains of the old west. Overall this is a game not to be missed by any means necessary and some parts of it’s illustrious and gritty tale will stick with me in my mind until the last day I draw breath.

Number 1:

God of War – PS4 – April 20th 2018

From Sony Santa Monica Studios and the ingenious mind of the game’s writer and director Corey Balrog, comes the likes of something we have never bore witness to. A video game franchise that was 13 years old had been completely and utterly transformed and reconstructed from the ground up to feel so fresh and new yet retaining enough familiarity with beloved antihero Kratos and the rich lore found in his previous titles. What shocks and awes me first about this game is while the setting and lore completely shifted to that of Viking mythology, it somehow manages to keep the focus on the weight burden of Kratos and his actions that he has carried over after leaving the ravaged lands of Ancient Greece behind. Kratos not only carries with him a now repressed curse of his choices, but is left with a son as well. (THE BOY!!!) Shortly after losing his wife and mother of his child, Kratos sets off on a simple journey with his son to scatter his mother’s ashes atop a summit on a snowy mountain. However, little did they know the perilous adventure that awaited them. The new God of War delivers such an emotional performance from Kratos with several call backs to previous games in ways that slowly build up and shape his character arc even more than imaginable. He goes from suppressing the all too well known Spartan rage to slowly unleashing it by the journey’s end in ways quite unfathomable. The core gameplay has been completely redesigned as well. The new camera provides a more focused over the shoulder angle and each swing of that ever so faithful Leviathan Axe has an extreme presence as you bear dominance over your foes. Plus, the callback feature of the axe where you press the action button and axe comes flying back into your hands like you’re flipping Luke Skywalker or Darth Vader never gets tiring. There’s a light focus on upgrading your armor and gear this time around too, where the focus is not just weapon or magic upgrading but finding the rarest pieces of armor that scale to your level so you can go toe to toe with some of Norse mythologies most relentless of foul beasts. This title also won many GOTY for 2018 awards and rightfully so. It has achieved so much and deserves such acknowledgement for breathing a new form of life into this once aging franchise. This is my number 1 game of this generation thus far and while this console generation is not yet laid to rest, I will find it increasingly difficult for the Ghost of Sparta to be toppled anytime soon.

Conclusion:

So there you have it folks. This was The Gray Talon’s top 13 games of this console generation. Thank you tremendously for watching as always. Please share and like this video and please subscribe so you don’t miss out on the latest content from The Gray Talon’s lair. And finally, please find the honorable mentions listed below:

1. Infamous: Second Son – PS4 – 3/21/2014

2. Bayonetta 2 – Wii U – 10/24/2014

3. Sunset Overdrive – XB1 – 10/28/2014

4. Yakuza 0 – PS4 – 3/12/2015

5. Batman: Arkham Knight – PS4/XB1 – 6/23/2015 – (Honorable Mention)

6. Rise of the Tomb Raider – XB1 - 11/10/2015

7. Far Cry: Primal – PS4/XB1 – 2/19/2016 – (Honorable Mention)

8. Doom – PS4/XB1 – 5/13/2016 – (Honorable Mention)

9. Titanfall 2 – PS4/XB1 – 10/28/2016 (Honorable Mention)

10. Hellblade: Senua’s Sacrifice – PS4 – 8/8/2017

11. Wolfenstein II: The New Colossus – PS4/XB1 – 10/27/2017 – (Honorable Mention)

12. Detroit: Become Human – PS4 – 5/25/2018 – (Honorable Mention)

13. Octopath: Traveler – Switch – 7/13/2018 – (Honorable Mention)

14. Fist of the North Star: Lost Paradise – PS4 – 10/2/2018

15. Pokemon: Let’s Go Eevee – Switch – 11/16/2018 – (Honorable Mention)

#video games #top list #list #nerd #geek #playstation #xboxone #nintendo switch

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jiraiya-goketsu-writing · 7 years

Text

A writing prompt given to me by friends a while back.

Write five, short, one-page stories based on the following prompt:

You’re in a bar, minding your own business. A man slides you a napkin. “Get out now, while you still can,” it reads.

Shooter sat at the bar. He rolled the ivory dice about in his course hands. He could feel them scraping around inside his cupped hands. He wasn’t worried about the outcome though. The dice were rigged. They always were when he played for winnings this large. Kanaahn and the others thought he was been irresponsible with his money. That he was always broke, spending his money on knives.

Well that simply wasn’t true. He wasted it on gambling too. And other things…if only they knew where his money went when he didn’t lose it all gambling it away; trying to make more of all things.

No. Shooter needed to keep his head in the game. Not on Kanaahn, or Arial, or anyone else. They didn’t matter right now. Shooter, his family; they mattered. Well, not Shooter…Shooter never mattered; never to them. They didn’t care.

Shooter gritted his teeth and tossed his dice. But he wasn’t allowed to watch them complete their roll. The fate, known to him, never came to pass as an arrow lodged itself into the post beside his head.

In a seedy bar like this, the Drunken Whore it was called, that kind of behaviour earned a fight. Unless a red strip of cloth was tied to the middle of the shaft as it was in this case.

It could mean only one thing in this part of town: “Get out now. While you still can.”

City guards; come to shut down the debauchery.

Shooter grinned a jaunty grin and scooped the massive pile of winnings into the leather drawstring pouch he carried on him.

People screamed in the streets, guards and debauchees alike. A hand reached out to stop Shooter from stealing the pot undeservedly, but Shooter’s hand was quicker.

With the speed of many years practice, his knife had been drawn and several fingers now lay on the floor in a pool of slowly expanding blood.

The owner of the finger’s screamed, his friends ran over and Shooter had stabbed the dagger into the wounded man’s throat.

His friends made to retaliate, but the guards burst in at the just the right moment, distracting them.

Another dagger to another throat, and Shooter was off towards the back door of the Drunken Whore Tavern.

His goal was the even seedier streets of the Black Market. There he could blend in with the crowd until he reached the Western Slums he called home.

People screamed behind him. Above him screamed the floor—and a very pleased sounding woman by the sounds of it.

Ah yes, the namesake of the fine, respectable establishment: the ‘Drunken Whore’ herself.

Years of practice and weekly raids had made Shooter a naturally lithe, and incredibly resourceful person. He slipped from the back door of the tavern, taking a guard out as he did, and before anyone could notice, he had slipped down an alleyway.

He had doubled his daily earnings…though he would not have them long. But at least maybe today he could get off without the abuse.

Minamoto no Yoshitsune sat in a small teahouse on the Tokaido. He was a War Hero of the Genpei War, General of the Kagemusha Elite during famous battles such as Ichi-no-tani and Dan-no-ura and younger brother to the Minamoto Shogun, Yoritomo. Yoshitsune was Kagemusha, a Shadow Warrior; a demon hunter and slayer. Famed for his prowess on the battlefield against both man and yōkai alike.

The aged veteran, only a quarter of a century old, sat in this teahouse, peacefully sipping a warm beverage as an old woman ran about the place serving other guests.

He kept his head low, and his hand on his sword. His companion, the legendary mountain of a man, Benkei, did the same, keeping watch for any who would seek to harm his patron.

They had left Shizuka behind several days ago at her request. She carried Yoshitsune’s unborn child. Last they heard the forces loyal to the corrupt Shogun Yoritomo had captured her. No other word came.

They were joined by three other Kagemusha Elite, the rest of their five man platoon; the last link to their previous lives. These Kagemusha were truly alone now. Cut off from their ties to the Order, and from their allies in Kyoto and Kamakura. It was just the five of them that made the trip to Mutsu, to their Fujiwara allies.

Their peace was not to last.

The old woman who ran the shop placed a fan carefully and discreetly on the table. Granny Saito was her nickname, and her teahouse was a front. In truth, she operated a pit stop meant to shelter Kagemusha on their travels across Nippon as they slayed demons.

Now she gave her newest charges a warning. Yoshitsune unfolded the fan and frowned at the gentle brushstrokes that formed bad news.

“Get out now. While you still can. Yoritomo’s men are coming to arrest you.”

Truly no place was safe now.

Yoshitsune stood, placing several small brass coins on the table. Benkei followed his master’s lead, as did the other three Kagemusha at the table with them.

Two of them, young and feisty, with much fight left within them sought to engage Yoritomo’s men when they arrived. Meanwhile, the third Kagemusha, a veteran older than Benkei or Yoshitsune, proposed to flee before the soldiers arrived.

Benkei merely waited for his master’s response.

Yoshitsune did not speak as he acted. He quietly stepped from the teashop. He looked the picture of calm. The veteran General approached the door, and froze.

All in the teashop looked to him. They saw him, and for a moment, several shuddered. They could feel the sakki, the malice and killer’s intent bristling from Yoshitsune’s aura.

Yoshitsune drew his blade and stabbed it through the closed door. A man cried out on the other end in pain, blood splattered across the torn screen door. He was dressed as a commoner, but carried a kunai in his left hand.

Spies. Of course. Yoritomo’s paranoia had made him predictable.

“Come,” muttered Yoshitsune. He spoke in a voice jaded well beyond his years, “Let us flee before the other soldiers arrive.”

Yuji scanned the room carefully. He had come here with Mika looking for Naoko. It had been a month since she was captured by slavers and sold into prostitution as a Geisha somewhere within the Niji Matriarchy.

The land of Nippon was not large, but there were definitely enough people here that it was like searching for a needle in a haystack, especially since Niji was run by and built on Geisha and prostitution—it was always said only the Geisha profited during times of war. Finding Naoko would be hard.

Mika, having come from one of the most prestigious brothels in Niji, knew where to look for a prize as rare as the former Sarumaru Shogun’s daughter. It was what brought the group far out of the way of their original quest, right into the heart of the city of Niji, the capital of the Niji Matriarchy.

“I don’t see her here,” complained Yuji, anxiety, anger and impatience welling up within him. His love for Naoko and his worry for her safety had made him blind to everything else.

Mika waited patiently for the outbursts to subside before replying. “That does not mean she is not here,” whispered the former Geisha in a tone befitting an educated and beautiful woman as her status denoted, “You do not see the sun at night, but that does not mean it ceases to exist.”

Yuji mumbled indistinctly.

Mika did not reply. She was too fixated on a large, snarling man with a heavy iron tetsubo. She clutched the dagger hidden within her robes with a frown.

“Yuji we need to leave,” she hissed quietly.

Yuji went to protest until he saw the worry on Mika’s face. He knew she understood the importance of Yuji’s mission; more than the others did. Yuji knew Mika would not demand they leave unless she had good reason.

The snarl and roar from across the tavern that caused a pregnant silence within the room was reason enough for Yuji to listen to Mika.

The large man with his tetsubo and several of his men charged at Mika and Yuji, picking them out among the crowd despite their attempt to blend in.

Someone must’ve tipped them off.

Yuji stood, drew his blade. Several men to the left of him scrambled to escape the radius of the fight about to occur.

Mika threw several kunai at the men behind the tetsubo thug. Several yelped, two died with blades in their throat while the third merely hit the ground with a knife protruding from his chest.

He was not dead, but he was not competing in this fight right now. It was victory enough for Mika.

She drew her dagger and her steel-bladed fan and prepared to join Yuji against the man with the tetsubo.

Despite being a country run by Geisha, the government was not without its means of law enforcement. Wandering ronin and street thugs who would bend over backwards and charge into battle like that for their Mistress, Madame Spider, were the fist of the Niji Matriarchy.

Yuji and Mika would not be leaving this whorehouse without a fight; a long, arduous fight.

“Get out now. While you still can.” That was how it all started to go down hill.

Cristen Jalus had not thought that once he went legit he would have to deal with this kind of standoff anymore. Former smuggler and pirate turned gun-slinging trader and businessman.

A month ago he gathered a crew and set sail across the skies of the many countries of Ealmaron, delivering cargo and goods. A month later, he was fighting off remnants of the Convenant of Alkarna and the Kingdom of Melorae.

As a native from the Free Islands, it was not uncommon for Cristen to see magic and technology at the same time. But now it was too much.

The remnant sorcerers and wizards of New Alkarna and the technologically advanced soldiers of the Principality of Da’lassa now wanted Cristen and his crew dead for harbouring two wanted fugitives in both countries.

A note had been dropped in Cristen’s lap, warning him to escape the bar, and he had, promptly too. Just in time to avoid a group of Sorcerers from New Alkarna.

But he had not expected a platoon of Principality Soldiers equipped with a Mech-Suit. Now he was pinned down with the rest of his crew as they shot it out in the city’s hangar.

Hiding behind a steel crate, he reloaded several bullets into his twin revolvers while Iaren and Iosaer conjured spells of fire and lightning to battle the Mech-Suit. The other members of the crew were doing their best to fight off the soldiers themselves.

Aiya was going to town with a machine gun. Ounnan was trying his best to snipe at reinforcements with his rifle, and Senali was using the distraction to sneak back to the ship on the other side of the fire-fight.

Talia was still on board the ship, sleeping. How she could sleep with the war going on outside amazed Cristen, but he had no time to think about that right now.

“I’m hit!” cried Aiya, falling back as her gun clattered to the ground, grasping her rapidly bleeding shoulder.

Before Cristen could react, Iara had begun healing the wound with magic. Cristen shook himself free of his worry, aimed his pistol at the soldier that had shot his oldest friend, and hit him straight between the eyes.

“Nice shot!” cheered Ounnan as he fired a round at an enemy soldier on the scaffolding above.

Cristen nodded in response, and aimed to fire again, but stopped as the engines of their ship, The Wayward Dream, roared to life. The enemy soldiers didn’t see, their backs turned to the ship, their final moments unfold.

Cristen and the others stopped shooting and ducked behind the crates. The soldiers pressed the attack and advanced, firing relentlessly at the group’s cover. They did not hear or see the cannon of the ship fire. But they felt it.

There were screams of pain as soldiers and bits of machinery went flying across the hanger. The explosion heated up the alkahest fuel within the Mech-Suit, causing it to explode further.

The hangar was left in a state of destruction and flames. But the crew was safe, Senali had succeeded in sneaking aboard the ship, and for that, Cristen was thankful.

Atelia watched the Nazis on the television screen parade across Berlin, cheering in support of their newly ascended Fuhrer, Frederick Adolf Hitler. Grandson of Adolf Hitler. His father, Adolf Hitler II, had retired just last month, and now the line of Hitler Fuhrers was to continue.

“Shut it off,” hissed a patron in rapid French.

Atelia did better than that, she shot the TV through with her handgun. The bartender did not disagree with her decision to do so either. For this bar was one of the last free bars in all of France. It was a haven for all members of the Anti-Axis Rebellion.

“Merde,” hissed Atelia, “A century of rule by those monsters, and every day is worse than the last.”

“I heard he is better tempered than his father or grandfather,” spoke Jetter, trying to see the good of any situation.

“Fuck him!” hissed Leslie, Atelia’s younger sister, “He is still a German; and the worst kind of German too, a Hitler. Bastard.” Leslie spat at the broken, smoking television set.

Atelia went to calm her sister when the door burst open.

It was Lace. He was bloodied, clutching his side, and out of breath. “We need to get out, now!” he implored, “The damn Germans are on their way! The riot in the square was put down violently and they’re arresting every citizen in the district because of it.”

“What are they bringing with them?” asked Atelia as she began passing out weaponry from behind the false wall in the bar.

“Panzers, an Elefant and an ungodly amount of Sturmtruppen,” spoke Lace as Jetter and Leslie began to bandage him up.

“Lovely,” snarled Atelia as she lit a cigarette, “How far?”

“Not very,” was all the answer Lace gave.

“Fuck,” responded Jacques, the bartender and owner of the establishment, “Okay, we’re going into the bunker. Everyone follow me to the back.”

Jacques led the twelve rebel patrons, Atelia, Leslie, Jetter, and a wounded Lace into the kitchen of the bar. After a few minutes of prying, a massive metal trap door opened up inside of the freezer in the back.

“Everyone in!” cried Jacques as he pumped the action on his shotgun. The bartender counted off and named each of the rebels going into the secret bunker beneath the bar and swore loudly as Atelia passed by last.

“What’s wrong?” asked Atelia with worry.

“Ambrose,” was all Jacques had to say for Atelia to let out a groan.

“She was supposed to be out getting groceries for my pantry!” exclaimed Jacques, “I’ll go get her!”

“No, leave her to me,” interjected Atelia.

Jacques went to argue but the sound of tank wheels and heavy armoured footsteps, followed by screams, an explosion and a collapsing building made Jacques rethink his choice. He wished Atelia well before slamming the door shut behind him and locking it.

Atelia sighed, grabbed her handgun and her rifle and turned towards the back door. Time to have some fun with these fucking Germans.

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