#a hint- it's a Galaxy Quest reference

[byrdsfly]

I just thought of a quality meme but I don't want to dip my toes into the current Tumblr drama...

[swordshapedleaves]

Notes I took for my partner for 4 Sided Dive 1/4/23 because he has a real job and doesn't have time to watch

This is about 2700 words long and includes anything that could be considered lore for the game, along with the jokes I personally found funny and some commentary on the parts I didn't find funny.

The Cast: Travis, Sam, Liam, Ashley

Sam is host.

Recap and Chat

Cheney has been a werewolf for only a few months. Travis doesn't know if Chetney has passed the curse on. 

Liam would be a wererat. Sam says he'd be a were-eagle. 

Travis loved fighting the rest of the party. He had a bunch of extra hp and a scary howl. Liam also loves being turned against the party. Travis' goal was to give everyone at least one good smackdown.

Travis' early childhood comfort toy was a plastic werewolf. He's always wanted to be a werewolf. 

Orym got his sword blessed by the gods! Very exciting. He now has reach and grasping vines to spiderman around. 

Liam Seedling - The Wayward Pilgrim has a different punctuation every time to annoy Danni.

Predathos and Plane Rider Ryn is shit that has clearly been in the background of the world but is just now being revealed.

Travis thinks Matt has a huge overarching plot he's been hinting the whole time. Liam points out that dunamancy is also very physics and time and space based.

Liam thinks the Luxon might be Predathos. The beacons are Predathos poops.

Danni Carr is not given any hidden info. She only has what has been revealed to the public. She confirms that the primordials working with the gods was first revealed by Ryn. All other stories we've heard previously is gods vs primordials.

What is Bell's Hells gonna do about all this? 

Fearne has been to the feywild but Chetney and Orym have never been to other worlds before going to the pof. Sam doesn't know what FCG did back in the ancient past but has no memory of leaving Exandria before going to the PoF with the others.

Sam really wants to learn more about FCG at the university but is concerned that the main plot will get in the way.

Travis asks what the city on Ruidis might be. Liam suggests that it was the chunk of exandria had a city in it and they're just living up there maybe. Also maybe Predathos can make people. Danni theory is that the people are those who had faith in Predathos. Liam asks if Predathos gains strength from the faithful like gods? We just don't know. 

Otohan was previously devout Raven Queen follower. Does she have a new *God*? Or a new cause?

Galaxy Quest reference! "Is there air??? You don't know!"

Bell's Aeronautics and Space Administration

Dead god domains: death, winter, order, fate. Matron didn't replace the eaten death god, but the new death god. 

We had a fun gambling episode! Do y'all gamble or go to Vegas? Liam thinks gambling is boring. It feels like a job that is less fun than his actual job. Travis like playing niche trashy slot machines like Viking Lover. Sam likes playing Craps because people cheer. Travis says Laura loves to gamble. She plays craps and sickbow dragon. Travis is not allowed to be near Laura when she's playing. She gets real serious about it. Ashley has only ever played War. She did not win or lose money. Liam would rather buy a Nintendo switch or watch a show.

Tower of Inquiry! 

Travis pulls and FAILS

CONSEQUENCES

He has to do pushups situps or run around giggling like a school girl every time he doesn't win at Quiplash later

"What genre of video game would your character enjoy?"

God love you are so right the ToQ questions are always so shallow and inane. 

Fearne would play the Sims and just fuck with the little people.

FCG would like Duck Hunt (kill birds!) or Hit Man (kill humans!).

"What would be your character's favorite Broadway musical?"

Chetney: Beauty and the Beast

FCG: Starlight Express

Orym: Billy Elliot the Musical

Fearne: Ashley doesn't know musicals very well. Into the Woods is a little on the nose. Maybe Hadestown? She doesn't know about it but it sounds cool?

"What would be your character's guilty pleasure reality TV show?"

Ashley loves reality TV shows. Lower Decks! It's like Downton Abbey but it's on a boat and very trashy.

Sam doesn't know about reality shows and asks if there's one about therapy. There is! It's on showtime and called Couples Therapy. It's hard to watch. It's rough. The therapist is great though. 

Chetney would watch PBS! Bob Ross. NOT Bob Vila.

Liam also doesn't know about reality TV. Someone suggests Ninja Warrior or MMA. 

Sam declares that as the host he can change the rules and questions for the ToI no longer need to be evergreen.

Deep Dive

There was a fake cockroach stuck to the bottom of Travis' mug!

Teleprompters bring back childhood trauma for Ashley about having to read out loud at school and fear of messing up in front of everyone.

Sam: What was the inspiration for Shithead the undead bird and what was that like for you?

During the early design phases of character art, they were asked about animal companions or accessories. Sam said nah, and then had a second thought. He has always shat on other people's animal companions like Trinket and Frumpkin. But what if he had a bird companion? So someone designed it, and then he was like, "but I hate familiars. No. I'm done." So he showed it to Matt. And Matt took it from there. 

Liam: Orym's sword has gotten an upgrade! What's your favorite part of that and how does the name relate to Orym and Will?

Liam loves spells and magic, so playing a fighter after playing a wizard has been interesting but kind of restrictive. So he likes having grasping vine. Matt also encouraged naming the sword. A plant's seed can be blown for miles away from its parent plant before touching down and growing roots. And that's how Orym feels right now. Group consensus: Orym is a sweet guy.

Ashley: What does Fearne know about her grandmother's dealings? Does she truly believe that Morry will do them a favor with no strings attached.

Sam feels that Fearne has always known more than she lets on. Fearne thinks grandma can do no wrong. Grandma is amazing and Ashley believes she will help us. 

Travis: "No strings attached?"

Ashley: "That I cannot answer."

Travis: "What do you mean? You can't answer or you won't answer?"

Ashley: 😏

Ashley: every game I am actively trying to make you all uncomfortable. Fearne's backstory has elements added by both Matt and Aabria. They worked with me and also with each other so I don't know everything. But that's her Nana.

Liam: Nana is fucking dangerous. True neutral at best. Fearne is her darling little rapunzel. 

Travis: Why do you think Ruidis was affecting Chetney Specifically? Do you have any theories?

Chetney is worried but doesn't have any specific theories. It's the first time he ever lost control. Liam suggests the people on Ruidis are "monkeying with their god machine". Sam suggests it could be something people on Exandria are doing to Ruidis that caused this. Travis suggests Predathos wants more werewolves. 

Sam: FCG has taken an interest in cooking. What sparked this interest despite them being unable to taste or eat?

It's not despite but because of it. FCG is desperate to sense things they can't, like smell and taste and love. Also to dream. Maybe tasting is possible? Wants to understand the mechanics of cooking and food. The others suggest Sam bring in baked goods like how Travis brings in wood objects. 

Liam: Orym made a wolf figurine for Chetney but received a fairly brutal assessment of his woodworking skills. What was it like to receive that feedback from the Master Craftsman and why did Orym make the figurine in the first place?

It went about as well as Orym expected. He was trying to return Chetney's kindness after Orym told C about Will. Orym never forgot that and wanted to repay him in a way that Chetney valued. The dressing down was not unexpected.

Ashley: Fearne was able to talk to Laudna and Orym about the coin flip for their lives. How is she feeling about that coin flip now after having spoken with them? How did that decision affect her? 

Ashley couldn't even look at Marisha. She was depressed for a week about it. She felt SO BAD. You just get in the moment. It has affected Fearne in a very big way. In a protective way. She hasn't had a lot of human experience before coming to the material plane. Life and death stakes are new for her. And this choice is what made those stakes feel real. It's complicated and she doesn't understand it yet. She's still dealing with it.

Travis: How is Chetney doing now that 'the beast within' has been tamed a bit more? Does he notice a difference or is it too early to tell?

It's too early to tell! Travis doesn't believe that sneak Matt Mercer for a fucking second. We'll see what happens the next time Ruidis flashes. He knows that unfortunately Chettney unleashed will not be there but if he keeps wolfing out every time it's gonna get interesting. Sam wonders what will happen when they land on the moon. What will happen to Imogen up there? Who is gonna lose it? Ashley points out there was a weird red fire figure standing behind Imogen that has yet to be discussed. Alien looking thing. Doesn't look like anything we've ever seen before. Oblong skull!  

Sam decides to mix it up for round 2 of the Deep Dive and people will read questions for each other.

Travis reading a question for Sam: What does FCG think of this Shithead albatross for possibly no real reason as Shithead said during their conversation?

Travis: We already answered that, gimme that cup

Travis reading a new question for Sam: What did FCG think of the Speak with Dead ritual that they witnessed with Lord Esterosh? How do they feel about such clerical practices?

It's odd because FCG is technically a cleric but they don't have a religion. Speaking with a dead body is something FCG has never experienced before. It's super creepy and gets into soul stuff. They have an idea about how souls work, but if you can just talk to someone after they're dead, what are we? What is a soul even? What do I even believe? This is plaguing me as a human being named Sam Reigel and also as a character named FCG. What DO I believe? I don't actually know yet and it's going to be fun to figure it out.

Ashley reading for Liam: With Orem's high history, what does he think of their options in regards to visiting the Fay realm versus shadowfell? 

That's super easy to answer because while Orym does have a high history, just the way Sam chooses when to pay attention to the rules or not, I will say that Orym does not know shit about other planes. All his history is of the world of exandria. 

For the record Sam does not willy-nilly choose which rules to not follow, he just does not follow the stupid ones. Luck is a stupid rule.

Liam reading a question for Ashley: Fearne seems to be enjoying her new role as Professor Callaway, Teacher of Fire. What was it about teaching ladna that spoke to her so much?

Laudna asking Fearne to teach her something made her feel very special. It's just fun. Fearne is fascinated by all the different little things people are good at, what makes them tick, and why they are able to do those things. That Laudna was fascinated in turn by what Fearne is good at was very flattering. She just had a blast with that. (Not clear if pun was intended)

Sam ASHLEY reading a question for Travis: How did Chetney feel to have his original howl go unanswered by the Gorgynei and need to rely on the howls of his friends to get their attention?

It was just a bad roll of the dice but Travis likes the metaphor behind it. Alone he wasn't enough, but together they can accomplish anything. Sam points out that a failure now leaves room for success in the future.

Because Ashley stole Sam's chance to read a question for Travis, he goes and pulls a question from the broken Tower of Inquiry. Danni lets him read from her tablet.

Tower of Inquiry

"What would your characters Smash Ultimate main be?"

Holy shit this is literally your example of a shitty inane question. Your stupid media premonition ability strikes again!

Sam doesn't know what any of those words mean. 

Orym would choose Link. A no brainer.

Chetney would choose Princess Peach.

Sam and Ashley say they have to look up the options, but before they can, Ashley says she'd pick Bowser if that's an option. Sam says in flat, obviously lying voice that he loves to play smash and would choose Lucario? (This is the first name he saw and he doesn't know what a Lucario is). Oh it's like a fox thing. Liam suggests Kirby for FCG. Sam says he wants to play as a robot. There's gotta be a robot. Liam asks if MegaMan is in smash bros. Danni suggest Samus. Sam finds R O B and says that's what FCG would be. The 1980s Nintendo robot toy that looked fun but was not fun to play with. 

Sam as the host has asked that they play a special little mini game. His New Year's resolution is to finally learn the names of our beloved crew and staff. So we're going to play a little game show called Sam Riegel Name that Crew Member.

I don't think this will have any relevant character information and I'm tired. So I'm skipping this bit.

It was a bit. He guessed wrong every time, including when it was Marisha Ray. I didn't enjoy the bit.

Okay we made it past the break.

Almost done!

Quiplash!

Ashley is Smashley

Travis is Butt butter

Sam is Travis

Liam is Also Travis

Deep Dive mixed into Quiplash

Sam: FCG has been reaching out to the Changebringer in various ways, looking for little signs from her. How is he feeling about this journey so far?

Real confused. Changebringer hasn't really asserted Herself in his life so far. They are desperate for any sign. Could try another god. He is easily swayed in the gods department.

Ashley: It's possible the group will visit the Fay realm and get to meet Nana Morri. How do you feel about that potential?

Extremely excited about that potential. I hope we go. Can't wait for everyone to meet Peepers. (This question was answered in 30 seconds in between quiplash rounds)

Travis: How did Fjord feel about losing his sense of the Wildmother and having replaced by the Cloaked Serpent? What was it like when she returned to him?

"That sucked! I was super bummed. I got my ass kicked and had to give up the crystal super fast that first game and I was really grumpy about it. I did it for love. I was pissed! And then it was kind of nice having a betrayer god be like, help me take down my runaway demigod. It was fun. But it was nice feeling her come back because I was real confused both in character and in real life." Danny suggests that the wild mother was suppressed rather than gone and Travis agrees that that is probably what happened.

Liam: Caleb was so deeply tied to the Cerberus Assembly. What is it like as a player to have the Assembly's machinations reaching into Campaign 3?

Caleb is just sitting in the back of Liam's head pointing excitedly and going, "Ooh! Ooh!" He can't wait for more Ludinus lore drops. He loves/hates the Cerberus Assembly and can't wait to learn more. What are they up to? Sam also wants to know what's up? Danni asks what if we get to see NPC Caleb and Beau because they're still tracking Ludinus. Sam says, "run into Caleb and Beau? ON THE MOON??" 

Ending Announcements

No 4 sided dive next month because we'll be having watch parties for LoVM

The lights went black and everyone screamed! When they came back up the broom had been murdered. You know, Broomy, the happy set broom that we all know and love. Looks like we have a murder mystery to solve when 4 Sided Dive returns in March!

[illusion-reality-steve]

Updates on my Steve-related fan content and Blue Straggler

I’ve made changes and progress on my fan projects during the blog’s hiatus, and it’s time for me to give an update on them! I’m going to start with good news, then bad news, and end it with my favorite piece of good news.

Good updates:

RRFF: RRFF will return next month on September 23!!! I have 7 chapters ready to go. Though once I post all those chapters, RRFF will go back to hiatus while I work on writing and editing the next 17 chapters. This is because I’ve decided to scrap Act 3 in favor of rewriting it with better subplots and moments. Fingers crossed that I’ll be able to work on the project regularly even after summer break, so that the next hiatus won’t be super long.

Reverse Rewrite AU: I got most of the prep work done now, and I should be posting content about this story soon! I’m currently working on concept art and visuals for the AU. My goal is to tell the AU’s story through episode synopsis, art, and some written script, so the writing won’t be as detailed or as long as RRFF. I’ve had a lot of fun working on this AU, and I can’t wait to show it! I think I’ll start posting content of this AU after RRFF goes on hiatus again.

Bad updates:

Mite Steve AU: If the lack of Miteposts hadn’t made it clear, the AU is on hiatus.  I’d love to get back to it soon, but currently, I’m not enjoying working on it, and I have no clear idea of when I’ll get back to it. This also applies to the Rainbow Quest version of the Mite Steve AU.

RRFF Extended AU/spinoff sequel: I’ve hinted or stated a few times that I wanted to write a spinoff sequel for RRFF that dives deeper into the lore of the Colors/Six Bright Eyes and my fan OCs. But recently, I’ve been working on new creative projects, and the RRFF extended AU is now a low priority for me, and likely will stay that way. So I decided I will not write RRFF’s spinoff sequel. I might make smaller content (like skits) to show the story I was planning to tell in the spinoff sequel, but that is not a guarantee. I hope you guys understand that! For now, I’m just enjoying my time working on the main story of RRFF, and still being just as excited to share more chapters when they’re ready!

And to end this update, my favorite good update:

The Blue Straggler story: For context, I have discontinued the Blue Straggler AU and started on a new story for Blue Straggler for reasons mentioned in this post. I have been brainstorming new ideas for backstories and character arcs for Blue Straggler. I’ve narrowed my ideas down to two possible directions to take his new story. Now I gotta make a decision on which direction to take. To help me figure out the best direction to take, I’m gonna do some more research. I’m going to research more about storytelling, plotting, chronic conditions, and worldbuilding.

Yes, you heard me right. I’ve been learning how to world-build because of a huge change I made for this project. Hear about it under the cut:

I’ve decided to take Blue Straggler out of the Steve/Space Saga universe! 

I am going to remove all references to the Space Saga, Steve Saga, and other Steve-related series in the revamp. I’m going to give Blue Straggler an original setting for his story to take place in.

The setting, story, and lore will have absolutely no connection to the Steve Saga. No Steves (Blue Straggler’s species has been changed to a different fantasy creature), no Sabre, no Lucas, no Galaxy family. Different lore, power system, characters, and genre. The only thing I’m salvaging from the Blue Straggler AU is Blue Straggler himself.

I got a vague idea for the new setting of the story, but I need to do research to make it more concrete. Because of my decision to take the story out of the Steve Saga universe, it’s going to take a long time until I’m finally ready to reveal the story. Given this is going to be my first attempt at creating an original world as a serious, committed artist, I want to take the time to learn the ropes of original fiction and thoroughly plan out Blue Straggler’s story, characterization, and lore. Right now, I’m not ready to start giving teasers.

If you are curious about the revamped story, I thank you from the bottom of my heart for being interested in and patient with the project!

Thank you for listening to my updates!

[ziracona]

What has been your favorite ilm chapter to write? Your least favorite? Do you have any interesting fun facts that were in cut pieces? I love this fic and the research put in is astounding. You put so much love into this. I'm glad to have been a reader :)

Thank you so much for asking this, and I’m really happy you have liked it! : ) Researching all kinds of wild stuff has been one of the most fun parts. (I’m holding the start of the answer to each question you asked, bc I talked about the first one for a while lol).

I do have a favourite chapter! I think to read, it would be a lot harder question, and there’d be a bunch of chapters tied, but as an author, my favourite chapter is most definitely Speak for the Dead. I have a lot of favourite moments and chapters, but that’s the one I’m most proud of. There’s a really rare thing in writing I call “script perfection,” which is not like, a perfect script in comparison to other scripts, it just means the version of the script that got shot/published was the best version of that particular script there ever could have been. It’s incredibly rare, and very hard to do. Even with films and shows I love, usually there will be seconds, sometimes minutes, off and on, that are the best version of those seconds there could have ever been. And the rest of it is great! It’s maybe the second or third or eighth-best it could have been, and that’s still super impressive--like man--eigth-best is still so close to 1st, eigth best is freaking phenomenal. It’s something to be really proud of. But that’s as high as it almost ever gets. For anything. Only extremely rarely is an entire script at 96% or above on script perfection. (I would say for reference that Galaxy Quest and The Incredibles are two such films).

It isn’t the most important part of a script or a story at all. Not by a huge amount. The quality of the story itself is. I have plenty of films that never hit 90% or above script perfection that I still prefer over films that did (like, Galaxy Quest is an amazing film, and I’m in awe that it hit that level of refinement, but I still like The Two Towers, which definitely did not, better. Because Sam’s speech at the end of it is enough to power me for a whole year). But it’s still such a rare thing. And god, it’s hard. Any kind of media is done on some kind of budget (be it financial or energy or both), and time constraint, and also it’s just not easy to do. Again, true-final-draft achievement (which is probably a better name for this bc it’s less confusing) is far from the most important or valuable aspect of a film, or play, or book, and it’s not necessary to make a story amazing. But it’s still always /so/ cool to see. It’s cool to see a nine minute continuous stretch of it even, on screen. And out of all the chapters I’ve written, the only one I think hit true-final-draft at least 96% or above, was Speak for the Dead. And that’s not embarrassing or anything. It’s wild. And I’m super proud of that. I’m proud I got even one. Because a lot of even my favourite books don’t. They just have perfected scenes, and a lot of them, but are not the best draft they could have been. Which does absolutely nothing to negate their worth as phenomenal books, but. I’m really, really proud of Speak for the Dead, and very happy with myself for having been able to do that at least once. I kind of treasure that.

It’s also a special chapter to me, because I had it only very loosely outlined/planned for at all, and it kind of came together on its own, and everything just came together and fell into place just right, and this chapter I had been really unsure of before starting turned into my favourite one in the entire fic. I like what I write, and I enjoy reading it myself, but there’s a line in Speak for the Dead where Tapp is trying to explain everything to Meg, about himself and his past and his family, and he’s been going through this like, awful mass of confusion and trauma and guilt and regret that’s all come to a head in this one day, and he’s found out who Amanda is and can’t deal with that and the person he knew, and the way Sing died, the choices she went on to make, and there’s so much even he doesn’t understand about how the world is falling apart around him, but somehow he figures it out enough to say it to Meg. And he has a line: “You’re supposed to stay late and work the extra eight hours overnight to catch the killer so somebody doesn’t die; you’re not supposed to go home to your family and give your kid a hug. It’s not as important, in an equation. It was my responsibility. And I didn’t get that the other job had its own set of rules. That the cop’s supposed to let the bus with his partner fall, but the dad’s supposed to let the fifteen people go and save his kid—he’s supposed to go running through crowded subway tunnels chased by gunmen, consequences be damned, to get them away from where his kid’s hiding. I didn’t get it. I don’t know why. I loved him right, but I didn’t act like it, because I thought I was doing the right thing. But if everybody’s just numbers, you lose anything that matters, no matter how high the numbers go up. And you don’t realize until it’s way too late that you do just as much good really helping one person you signed on to protect as you could have ever done bouncing off the lives of a hundred people who go on to be the next Jigsaw.”

And like. I fucking love that line. God. It’s such a hard thing to articulate, what he’s going through in that moment, and I try, but I think I often don’t do as good a job. But every time I read that last line it’s like a gut punch. And I really love it. How the fuck could you possibly feel after going through the experience he’s just had? It’s such a specific, indescribable kind of big, whole-world-view devestating.

There’s also a lot of really sweet moments with Meg, and Adam drugged and injured but trying really hard to help, and it’s a super understated chapter in a lot of the moments? Tapp’s one of my favourites to write, because of the way he thinks. He tries so hard to be lawful good in a world where there’s just no law at all anymore. And he’s older by far than anyone else, and thinks about the world that way. Honestly, it’s one of the most serious chapters. It’s less graphic than say Proven or The End of the Line, but it deals with some very not remotely fantastic and not pretty themes. It’s heavy. But I like the way it tells itself. I enjoy working in references when they make things fun, or better, or more meaningful, and I got to do that a lot. Plus, it gave Ace and Tapp a bunch of one-on-one time they didn’t really get on-screen as much in any of the rest of the fic, but I really loved it. The way they try to look after the people they care for, and how they understand each other. I just really fucking loved that chapter. Also, Tapp beat someone to death with a reverse bear trap that was still attached to his head so he could save Meg from dying in a way that would be super lastingly traumatic, and if that’s not the most metal thing I’ve ever heard? I really love Tapp. And I love that he sticks to the things he does. Meg never learns what Amanda was going to do to her, not in fic, not after. And Tapp does change how he does things are talking to Meg at the end of that chapter. Tapp’s the one who immediately says they can’t go public with any information on Rin until she’s passed on, even though it could really help them prove their case and hypothetically better protect the world, because he’s not willing to see a kid forced to revert to being violent and feral against her will in self-defense, or locked up in a government black site to get that. He did good. Life has not been kind to this poor man, but thankfully, Meg Thomas has.

Least favourite? Way harder. Hmmm. Always whichever one I wrote most recently 😂

In complete seriousness, I don’t think I have one? I have like 6 I consider “slightly-less-interesting” than the rest, but I don’t have one I hate period, or just dislike a lot. Uhhhh. If I had to pick one right now, I’d say Core Essentials, because I haven’t read it in over a year and don’t remember it as well as many others, and of the small number of chapters in the “Damn, been a hot minute, huh?” group, it’s the one I remember the least. This rating may change next time I actually read it, lol.

Hmmm. Interesting fun facts in cut segments. In the original draft for Shrouded, Claudette went into Philip’s basement and got a really good look at the other side of the wall, through one of the cracks, and saw the Entity and almost gave herself a panic attack. The other side of the basement wall was described as looking like the sun, like just looking at light, but only at first, and then there was movement like a snake coiling or some huge creatuer deep underwater sliding across your vision, too big to see, but alive in there in the middle of the light, and moving around, and it horrified her. It was extremely creepy but pretty cool.

The original draft for The Wraith included Philip experiencing fragmented audio memories from Signifying Nothing/his time with Vigo & co. while he was mostly unconscious. It was really cool and I forgot because I haven’t read it in forever, but it hinted at /way/ more of the plot to those past events. I really liked the draft, but ended up changing it into what was published because I’d never done anything with his memories before, and I didn’t want to disorient the reader too much (probably a good call, but it was still a neat scene in the OG form).

It’s not in the fic, but canonically, after leaving the survivors camp at the end of The Wraith, Philip came up with his plan to leave himself a message in the bell, and then called the Entity. Trying to talk his way out immediately failed, and it was shitty to him and pissed him off, and Philip had considered what might work on something like the Entity before calling it, and knew he was dead either way, so he tried to fight it. More to see if it would work than anything. He knew he would forget it even if he did, but sometimes impulses lingered, and it was possible if it worked, it would help him think of it again. He used his blood and drew a protective symbol against demons on his palm without it noticing, then rushed it, and it wasn’t scared of him so it didn’t give a fuck, but he smacked it with the charm and that actually succeeded in burning its talon (very little, but enough to cause it actual pain) and it flipped out and got extremely angry, and immediately stabbed him through the skull, which is why he returned with that chunk of his mask gone and has a scar on his forehead now. Originally, I was considering writing some of the events between The Wraith and Dawn from Philip’s POV, but decided it was much better sticking with the survivors and their uncertainty completely. Got to live in the anxiety baybeeee.

I’m sure there’s more but you activated my trap card asking about Speak for the Dead - a special interest- and I already made this long, so I should stop for now. Thank you again so much for asking! I hope my answers made sense are we’re at least kinda enjoyable to read. 💙💙💙

[sweetiecenter]

Fallout, Borderlands, and how a Medium Compliments a Theme.

Fallout, Borderlands, and how the Theme can serve the Medium well, and vice versa. A small essay by me about two of my favorite game series.

2K Games and Bethesda are industry giants. Both of these studios have built their companies on the backs of extremely successful game franchises.

In the case of 2K, they built their franchise around sports, as well as Sid Meier’s RTS, Civilization, as well as delving into many other genres. It wasn’t until 2K started to delve into RPGs like Bioshock, from the creators of System Shock 2, that they started to develop their formula.

For Bethesda, they got their massive start a bit earlier with id software with games like Doom and Wolfenstein, which almost singlehandedly popularized the FPS genre.

Both of these industry giants are responsible for thousands of hours of love and enjoyment, and Bioshock 2 is singlehandedly responsible for growing my love of video games, and their writing.

There are two franchises from these respective companies that are both known for being notable open-world, first person RPGs: Borderlands and Fallout, and both series were published by their respective companies around the same time, with Borderlands 1 entering development in 2005, and Bethesda being commissioned to work on Fallout 3 in 2007, which later turned into Bethesda buying the rights and absorbing Interplay. Fallout 3 was released in 2008 on October 28, with Borderlands coming out almost exactly a year later.

As time has gone on, both companies have paid mutual respect to each other, particularly in regards to these FPSRPG games; Borderlands 2 even has a gun called thre dog in reference to the infamous Three Dog from Fallout 3. The similarities between the themes and playstyle of these games has led to many comparisons, but I would just like to take the time to talk about how each respective game does justice to the themes of their stories and the medium they use.

So what are the themes of these games, really?

The more unique taglines and themes of these games would be “war never changes” and “everyone is the hero of their own story” for Fallout and Borderlands, respectively. The underlying themes that go unspoken (mostly), seem to be anti-imperialism and anti-capitalism.

The anti-imperialism and anti-capitalism arguments are where it gets interesting.

First, let’s look at how both games use American culture and atmosphere to their advantage and to get their point across.

We can all agree that governments are, at their core, made to protect folks, right? That is their stated job. It is in their job description. Especially in America, the idea is that you should never, ever have your rights taken from you. We are surrounded by people who believe in the government, and if not in the government, then in your country itself. Patriotism has its own dedicated holiday! This is why Fallout has such a huge focus on how the government of their universe shifted away from protecting people, and how they have become imperialistic, jingoistic, and xenophobic. Even if you hate the military, the world of Fallout is intended to make you go “shit, at least we aren’t THAT bad”.

And this tone helps to set the theme for the Fallout games. Everywhere you turn, you are completely let down by the people you rely on. Looks are deceptive, and yet they aren’t. The dark and gritty atmosphere of the games are constantly screaming at you that the world has already ended, even as Ron Perlman tells you it is only the beginning. Happy endings are nonexistent in almost every case, with the sole exception of perhaps the Courier... but then, the Courier is the only one with no ties to a Vault. No delusions of grandeur, no expectations.

It should be noted that in the dialogue choices as the Courier, you are the most aware of everything that has happened. Instead of being shocked that someone shot you in the head, you are apathetic at best and mostly want the package back; even if you roleplay your courier as a revenge-driven mailman, they are never surprised. Disappointed? Oh, almost certainly.

The first time I booted up the original Fallout and saw the Overseer start talking, my first thought was:

“This is it. Humanity has degenerated into ridiculous blue cavemen.”

I think the design of the Overseer was very intentionally made to be odd, and to showcase that the people have changed. Then you step out into the wasteland. You see the disconnect between the Vaults, the only remnants of pre-war society in the first game, and the rest of the world.

The discovery that the government willingly let all these experiments happen only adds to our disgust as we piece things together, piece by piece. You become jaded and cynical, and in your quest to save everyone, you truly have changed. Sure, the Overseer exiling you because “you’re different” may seem weird and a flimsy excuse to keep the experiment going, but it has a hint of truth to it. You’ve changed. You’re knowledgeable. You can no longer be controlled by the propaganda you had taken as the truth, that all Vault residents had taken as the truth. This disconnect between reality and the Vaults is further explored whenever you reach a new Vault.

Finding out the horrifying truth about what the Vaults were, what they were made for, never gets any easier. The game’s sound design is always made to harken back to something behind you, in some way. The base game’s sound design usually invokes paranoia and fear, while the radios that constantly play music from a bygone era invoke a general feeling of “nothing will ever be the same”.

All in all, Fallout does a fantastic job of setting the basis of its universe. Worldbuilding is a massive part, and their is little to nothing left unknown for a savvy player, should you be willing to listen to exposition. The overall tone is tragic and bleak, in order to juxtapose itself with the pre-war propaganda.

Which brings us to Borderlands.

Borderlands does not ask you as a player to think. It does not ask you to feel. The main focus has never been the story, and yet it is still a beautiful aspect of it, in the way of all the things that go left unsaid. How did the sirens come to be? Who knows. How did all the Eridians die out? Who knows. Why is it so much god damn fun to shoot a vertically challenged man in a gas mask and watch his head explode? Who knows.

Borderlands never gives you enough time to reflect on the overarching theme of the series. Compared to Fallout the game is much more fast-paced and linear, but if you take the time, you can see everything fall apart as the story progresses. You have no choice. Nothing you do ever matters, especially in the face of corporate overlords. All these bandits you’ve been fighting? They were normal people once. Convicts, sure, but they were also taken advantage of, brought to this strange alien planet and used as slave labor. Fresh off of the heels of Fallout, you could ask yourself, “what sick government would do this?” The answer is it isn’t a government. It is a corporation that styles itself as a government.

There lies the sick joke of the Borderlands series. This isn’t some far fetched, awful alternate reality. This is the future, where corporations continue down the same path they are on now - unchecked, allowed to ruin the worlds, contracted by governments - and nobody did a god damn thing. These guns you buy? Produced by Atlas. The clothes you’re wearing? Probably Hyperion fashion. The planets you come from? Owned almost completely by corporations. Atlas has an iron grip on Promethea, and Mister Torgue literally blew up an entire PLANET, even if it is played for laughs.

Just like in Fallout, nobody is on your side - and yet you know this. You embrace futility anyway; you buy Atlas, you buy Hyperion, and you buy Maliwan because at the end of the day, they are more powerful than any Vault Monster you could hope to kill. The bright tones and dark humor of the Borderlands are a direct result of embracing futility. The fun does not lie within facing your oppressors, it lies within killing them over and over. The thing that makes Borderlands so celebrated is its replayability; in Fallout, everything you do is permanent. Borderlands has next to no permanence. No matter how many Hyperion soldiers you kill, you won’t put a dent in them. These corporations span six whole galaxies.

Borderlands doesn’t need to set an atmosphere to make you immerse yourself in the story. We already know corporations are horrible. Jeff Bezos spends his money on space while Amazon employees die of exhaustion.

The horror of these two games directly correspond with each other. Fallout is horrifying because of past deeds, because of what could have come to pass. Borderlands is horrifying because of what still could happen.

Both of these game series have, in many’s opinion, fallen off in recent years, but I personally will always have a special place in my heart for these wonderful games and their storytelling.

Thank you for reading.

[sw-daydreamer]

Trailer - title: first thoughts

The trailer …… the title….  THE RISE OF SKYWALKER ………. so many  redemption feels...

Love how the title is hopeful yet remains intriguing especially for the General audience... I mean some still believe Rey is a Skywalker by blood, though she could become one by union ^^ and all the focus is on Rey pointing to her only as the legend, and the heir to a bloodline. And maybe this is partly true, but more in a spiritual sort of way, a connection through the Force…

They’ve given Kylo / Ben a bit if a backseat in their teaser trailer, we see his gloves,  

and we see him fight in a haze of red… 

we also see his helmet, a strong symbol of the darkness in him,  so unless you’ve thought carefully about the entire narrative of the saga, you may think that the title is not about Kylo/Ben. But we’re beyond this. ;)

Note on the helmet scene, it’s not Kylo/Ben fixing it: 

Skywalker also refers to the bloodline and it’s clear they’re hinting at the idea of generations so we’ll definitely see force ghosts... “A thousands generation live in you now” “we’ll always be with you” 

“No one’s  really ever gone”… a line from Luke in TLJ to  Leia, referring to Ben, and It still is, but it could extend to other meanings…. literally back from the dead.... Palpatine’s laugh and the crashed death-star give me a “hell-mouth” vibe, Buffy Style... What will come back to threaten the Galaxy ? What magical artefact will they have to find to save everyone ? There is a QUEST somewhere waiting to happen... 

[(source) A quest is a journey toward a specific mission or a goal. (...) the object of a quest requires great exertion on the part of the hero, who must overcome many obstacles, typically including much travel. (...) The object of a quest may also have supernatural properties (...)

The moral of a quest centers on the changed character of the hero.

The first scene of the Trailer with Rey is brilliant. Doesn’t she look  particularly gorgeous in that outfit, it seems quite fitted and figure revealing,  a lot more in my opinion than the previous ones, that plus with  the more polished hairdo and the more defined make up, the powerful moves and determined posture, she looks glorious and confident.  

A “Skywalker” racing across a sand planet is a wonderful echo to the beginning of the saga when Anakin did the same in episode 1.  Full circle.

The happy ending is near and I’m ready for it!

[elcorhamletlive]

MCU Rewatch: Guardians of The Galaxy, Vol. 2

(yes, I realize the order is wrong. I’m not skipping Doctor Strange, I promise - I just messed up the order in my head and had to just go with it lol)

There’s nothing I don’t love about that first battle scene. SO FUN. BABY GROOT DANCING. And I love that each of the Guardians has a small interaction with him, which kind of hints a little at the theme of parenting that’s gonna be so huge in this movie.

I love that Gamora is like “Groot be careful! ...Also, hi”. I feel like Gamora has this... almost awkwardness about her that makes her really endearing, and really sets her apart from other MCU female characters, especially at this point when there’s so few of them.

“I HAVE SINGLE-HANDLEDLY VANQUISHED THE BEAST!” cracks me up. lol

I know Drax’s comic relief can be overused at times but Dave Bautista just kills me and I adore every time he opens his mouth lmao

I think one of my favorite things about this franchise in general is that everything about it is just so unapologetically WEIRD. Like. Everything about the Sovereign. Gamora kindly providing support to Peter about his dad and then earnestly going “if he’s evil, we’ll just kill him” in the end (and Peter doesn’t react). Nebula’s mini quest to eat the fruit. Peter thoughtfully staring at a picture of David Hasselhof and then to Ego. I love it.

Awww, Rocket singing for Groot to sleep. So cute.

I also love Nebula’s thirst for violence feaking Kraglin out. I feel like one thing that this movie does right with its female characters is that it allows them to be as weird and off-putting as the universe around them, as opposed to making them pristine and put together.

I understand and agree with most of the criticisms of the treatment Mantis gets in this movie, but I really like her relationship with Drax. I think the moment where she touches him and breaks down is such a beautiful scene.

Groot with the human toe never fails to make me smile.

This movie is visually stunning. So many gorgeous shots.

Saldana and Pratt have so much chemistry. The scene where Peter and Gamora dance is so good. I like that them getting together isn’t just about Peter learning to be less of a manchild, but also about Gamora learning to open up. It’s a mutual journey.

I love that Gamora is just sitting in an empty planet, a ship shows up and starts shooting at her, and she just immediately KNOWS it’s Nebula. lol

The fact that Nebula blames Gamora for Thanos’ abuse of her is like. TOO REAL for a movie about spaceships, and it’s one of the things that make this franchise special.

Ego is a villain that has “evil” written on his forehead since his very first shot, true, but I love how the narrative makes him appeal to Quill’s arrogance by talking up all this shit about how important he is, and how meaningless and pointless everything else around them is, and then rejects it as an evil position. Ego is kind of embodiment of some very toxic traditional male narratives, and the way the movie openly tears them apart, instead valuing the found family and the love that living beings share for each other, gives me life.

It’s a small thing, but I have feelings about how fucking horrified Gamora is after Mantis plays with her emotions and makes her scared. I feel like it hits her in a very personal level (a loss of autonomy she didn’t experience even under Thanos), but also I feel like it’s a glimpse of how fucking terrifying Mantis’ abilities can truly be. Girl is one sense of morality away from being Killgrave.

“All you do is yell at each other. You’re not friends.” “You’re right. We’re family. And we leave no one behind” is like, a nice sum up of everything I love about these movies.

The tape sequence cracks me up. And “I’m Mary Poppins, y’all!” always makes me smile.

I don’t like the moment where the rock hits Mantis’ head. This, I think, is a rare moment where the humor does break the epicness of the moment.

I feel like I haven’t said anything about Rocket or Yondu’s arc here, and it’s weird because those are my favorite parts of the movie by a mile, but it’s an arc that actually hits deeply to me for reasons I can’t fully explain. Guardians was the first the MCU movie I watched, so before I fell into the Steve pit, Rocket was my favorite MCU character, and I love everything this movie does with him. How he’s so terrible, all the time, and how his characterization is consistent, and how he’s called out on it by someone who does exactly the same thing (and we can look back on this movie and the previous and be like “oh, yeah, they both totally do this”). The way he shoots Gamora and says he can only lose one friend today, and how Drax grows desperate in the background going “where’s Quill?”. I love it.

“You are a God. If you kill me, you’ll be just like everybody else.” “What’s so wrong with that?” <33333333333333333333 NOT ENOUGH HEARTS IN THE WORLD FOR TO EXPRESS HOW I FEEL.

“I’m sorry I didn’t do none of it right. But I’m damn lucky you was my boy” is one of the lines in the MCU that makes me cry the hardest. It’s hard to explain without getting into, like, extensive personal detail, but... this movie just makes me think of my dad, for several reasons, and how he and Yondu share some weird similarities, and how much this closure hits me hard because I’d like to get something like this one day. 

And I fucking love that “the thing you were looking for all along was right by your side” is framed to refer to Gamora and Nebula’s relationship, instead of her romance with Peter.

The way Nebula immediately turns in a fighting stance when Gamora touches her. That tentative hug. “You’ll always be my sister”. God.

Kraglin calling Peter “Pete” <333

“FATHER AND SON”. THE FINAL TEN MINUTES OF THIS MOVIE ARE JUST WATERWORKS.

Okay, it’s over, and I stopped crying. There are two scenes that just fuck me in this movie: the first one is Yondu’s death, for the reasons I mentioned about; the second one is Rocket watching Yondu’s funeral. I just... love the wonder in his face when he sees the Ravagers came, that even though Yondu fucked up and drove them away, they still came for him in the end. The overall message of Rocket’s arc, that no matter how much you hate yourself and try to make everyone around you hate you back, people still can, and will, love you. I just... this movie fucks me up so much, guys. I love everything about it. It isn’t as tight as the first Guardians, there are a few awkward bits and a few jokes that don’t really land, but it’s so ambitious, it does so much, it unites every character in a single theme and it deals with all their arcs so well. I love it. I love it so much.

[recentanimenews]

10 Western Media That Would Make Great Anime

When we anime fans tire of lamenting for the adaptation of manga after manga, or light novel after light novel, we tend to turn our imaginations away from Japan. After all, anime is no stranger to adapting western media. Many books, shows and movies have been adapted from western media into anime form, including Deltora Quest, Spider Riders, Witchblade, Howl’s Moving Castle, Highlander, and Supernatural just to name a few.

This got me thinking of my own wishlist of western media that would make great anime. Here are 10 shows, books, and movies that would make awesome anime adaptations.

  Mortal Engines by Philip Reeve Book Series - Dream Studio: Production I.G. - Dream Format: TV Anime

If you’ve never heard of Mortal Engines, no sweat. It’ll be your new favorite thing in no time. This YA quartet from British author Philip Reeve follows Tom, an apprentice historian atop the city of London. When he’s thrown out of the city, he sides with Hester Shaw, an assassin with the resistance after the life of his master, Thaddeus Valentine, who she blames for the death of her mother.

Sounds pretty run of the mill YA right? My bad. I forgot to mention all of the cities run on tractor wheels. Oh, and the cities eat other cities for resources. Oh, and there’s this huge conspiracy surrounding the city-eating cities, and this huge plot to destroy them. It’s cool that Peter Jackson’s directing a film adaptation of the series, which is due out this December, but just imagine this as an anime...

Harry Potter by J.K. Rowling Book Series - Dream Studio: A-1 Pictures - Dream Format: TV Anime

Does Harry Potter really need an introduction? I feel like we all know about the boy who lived and his battle with he-who-shall-not-be-named. The cliffnotes version of Harry Potter is that an abused orphan turns out to have an incredible magical gift required to stop some of the wizarding world’s most malevolent forces. In addition to his studies, he must juggle fighting the dark forces, and maintaining the friendships he makes at Hogwarts.

  Harry Potter is essentially fantasy shonen in book format. It has the magical boarding school. It has the perfect shonen protagonist and sidekicks. The duels would be incredible to see animated. Hagrid would be moe AF. The mythical creatures would be a sight for sore eyes. But most importantly? QUIDDITCH EPISODES!

Railsea by China Miéville Novel - Dream Studio: Madhouse - Dream Format: Movie

China Mieville’s Railsea is an interesting reimagining of Moby Dick. Except instead of a sea, it’s a giant desert covered in endless, winding train tracks – the titular railsea. And there’s no whales. Only giant moles. The story follows Sham Yes ap Soorap, a young assistant doctor on a train that hunts giant moles for meat (think whaling but with moles). Her journey among the pirates, monsters, and salvagers alike kicks off when she comes across a series of photographs aboard a trainwreck that hint at the impossible existing.

The history behind the now-derelict world of Railsea, coupled with the mixture of gripping drama and havoc reminiscent of kaiju films, would make for a solid animated feature, the visuals of which I’d only trust to Madhouse.

A Song of Ice and Fire by George R.R. Martin Book Series - Dream Studio: MAPPA - Dream Format: Movies

Okay, so it’s Game of Thrones, but all the characters are moe idols. That’s it. That’s the show.

More seriously though, A Song of Ice and Fire would make a downright wicked fantasy anime. This large-scale fantasy epic has such an incredible assortment of characters, rich history, and gratuitous violence that would be a treat to see in anime form. It’s tough to really pinpoint the plot, since so much is going on, but A Song of Ice and Fire centers on a number of noble families – such as the Starks or Lannisters – vying to claim the throne of Westeros.

If there’s one studio out there that could handle A Song of Ice and Fire, it would be MAPPA. MAPPA’s history with dark fantasy anime series such as Rage of Bahamut or Garo only strengthens my confidence in their ability to breathe some animated life into the franchise.

A Scanner Darkly by Philip K. Dick Novel - Dream Studio: SHAFT - Dream Format: TV Anime

You may know A Scanner Darkly from that weird rotoscoped movie where Keanu Reeves, Robert Downey Jr., and Woody Harrelson play a rag-tag group of friendly drug addicts. The movie itself was based on the Philip K. Dick book of the same name. It follows Bob Arctor, who lives parallel lives as both a drug addict and undercover police agent. Undercover agents report to their superiors in scramble suits, which scramble their identities. The kicker here is that Bob Arctor’s undercover gig? Spy on Bob Arctor.

The drug-addled, paranoia-fueled philosophy behind the day-to-day of drug addicts living in a world where the war on drugs was lost makes for an interesting dynamic, especially with the sci-fi enhanced police work behind it. The only studio I’d trust visually with this would be Shaft, if only to see drug-addict head tilts.

  Peep Show British Comedy Series - Dream Studio: Kyoto Animation - Dream Format: TV Anime

I know this sounds like a weird one, but stick with me. Peep Show is a British sitcom that follows mismatched flatmates Mark and Jeremy – Mark being the uptight 9-5er and Jeremy being the easy-going partier. They don’t always see eye to eye, but sometimes friendships need that. Sometimes Mark needs to loosen up a little. Sometimes Jeremy needs to grow up a bit. As long as they have each other, nothing bad can really go wrong, right? Well, as human nature would have it, things tend to go wrong – quite often, rather quickly.

KyoAni’s bread and butter tends to be slow-paced slice-of-life shows, so if any anime studio would revel in adapting a sitcom, it’d be them. The gimmick of Peep Show is that the camera angles don’t tend to be traditional, and often are shot from the direct view of Mark or Jeremy. It would be interesting to see how that worked in anime form.

Kitchen Nightmares Reality TV Series - Dream Studio: David Production - Dream Format: TV Anime

If Kitchen Nightmares were adapted into an anime, I think it’d probably be a lot like Food Wars!, but Gordon Ramsay yells at Soma every 5 minutes. More realistically, it would follow a rather manly Gordon Ramsay on his trek across Japan in search of crestfallen restaurants in desperate need of an upgrade. Now throw in some Jojo-styled manliness – the likes of which only David Production could replicate – and we have ourselves a recipe for the perfect anime.

The translation of Ramsay’s infamous potty mouth would be a peculiar one, but seeing a muscle-clad Gordon Ramsay faffing about a kitchen screaming oi, teme at the sous chefs would be a treat we could all sink our teeth into.

The Day of the Triffids by John Wyndham Novel - Dream Studio: Wit Studio - Dream Format: Movie

There’s always room for more horror and suspense anime, ones about sentient walking plants doubly so. The book follows Bill Masen, a scientist who specializes in the care, study, and cultivation of triffids – towering venomous carnivores cultivated for their oils. After waking up from temporary blindness following a triffid strike, he finds everyone is now blind from green flashes brought on by comets the night prior. Now Bill must make his way through the streets of London in search of safety.

  While horticulture itself usually isn’t scary, there’s something eerily unsettling about the fact that poisonous man-eating plants walk the streets. Wit Studio would probably be the only studio which could replicate that suspense and terror, having done it perfectly in Attack on Titan and Kabaneri of the Iron Fortress.

  Star Wars Sci-Fi Media Franchise - Dream Studio: Ufotable - Dream Format: TV Anime

With Ufotable’s success at adapting large scale media franchises such as Fate, this sci-fi space opera could be in no better hands. Anime is no stranger to the world’s 2nd largest media franchise either. There are loads of references to the movies in various anime and manga, including Daicon IV, Berserk, Gintama, Doraemon, and Princess Jellyfish, just to name a few. Some fans have gone as far as to draw parallels between the Jedi of Star Wars and Newtypes of Gundam (whether that’s intentional or a coincidence being how close the two were to releasing).

  The coming-of-age rebellion story, coupled with the gratuitous tie-fighter dogfights and lightsaber battles, would make for one show you’d be on the edge of your seat for week after week. I think each trilogy could probably be adapted in one cour, but at this point, I’d even take seeing Clone Wars reanimated in its entirety as long as Ufotable got their hands on it.

  The Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy by Douglas Adams Book Series - Dream Studio: Bones - Dream Format: Movies

From spaceship-stealing presidents to poetry-loving aliens, The Hitchhiker’s Guide to the Galaxy has a special charm that boys, girls, and little green people across the universe can love. It follows the incredibly British Arthur Dent, who in attempting to stop the demolition of his house, learns from his best friend Ford Prefect that the Earth is about to be demolished. After a few pints at the pub, the two hitch a ride on a ship and proceed on a journey through the stars in search of answers to life, the universe, and everything.

Anime has the unique marketability to sell just about anything. Look at Dr. Pepper sales after the first series of Steins;Gate aired back in 2011 after all. If the Japanese towel industry ever finds itself in a slump, anime studios know just what British science fiction series to adapt.

BONUS: King of the Hill Animated TV Series - Dream Studio: P.A. Works - Dream Format: TV Anime

You got that right: we’re doing a meme entry! King of the Hill has already claimed some notoriety in anime fandom as being one of the greatest anime of all time (if only second to Cory in the House).

King of the Hill follows the Hank Hill, his family, and their dysfunctional band of friends and neighbors as they navigate the challenges of daily life, propane, diminished glutes, lawnmowers, and more. Sometimes Hank’s modest sensibilities are challenged, but as a man of his word and a man of character, he never stands down.

While the closest we’ll probably ever get to a King of the Hill anime was the 1-hour episode where they went to Japan, we can only hope that one day, you’ll get a Crunchyroll notification that says “Release: King of the Hill - Episode 1”.

What about you folks? Got a favorite book, comic, TV series, or movie you want to see in anime form? Sound off in the comments below!

  ---

  Zach Godin writes about the manga he reads and collects over at his website, Rusted Culture. Feel free to say hi on Twitter: @zachjgodin

By: news+feed@crunchyroll.com

[aion-rsa]

Avengers: Infinity War Easter Eggs and Marvel Reference Guide

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We're tracking down every single Avengers: Infinity War easter egg and Marvel Comics reference, but we need your help!

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Mike Cecchini Jim Dandy Gavin Jasper

Avengers: Infinity War

Aug 1, 2018

Marvel

This article is full of MAJOR Avengers: Infinity War spoilers. If you haven't seen the movie yet, read our spoiler free review here.

Well, it's finally here. The culmination of the Marvel Cinematic Universe has arrived with Avengers: Infinity War, and as we all suspected, it's insane, and absolutely packed with everything fans want to see.

But don't be fooled by the fact that this is a story about Thanos wielding an all-powerful Infinity Gauntlet to make life miserable for all your favorite Marvel superheroes. Avengers: Infinity War is full of crazy surprises, and all the comics knowledge in the world won't prepare you for what's coming. We're trying to track down all of the Marvel easter eggs in the movie...but we need your help. So if you spot something that we missed, shout it out down in the comments, or hit me up on Twitter, and we'll keep updating this until it's the most complete Marvel easter egg guide to Avengers: Infinity War around!

Read the latest Den of Geek Special Edition Magazine Here!

Now, let's get to work...

The Infinity Gauntlet

- The movie takes plenty of liberties with the original The Infinity Gauntlet comic story. In fact, you can't even really call this movie an adaptation of that story...and it's certainly not an adaptation of The Infinity War comic, either. But there are still some early similarities. But the fact that Thanos spends most of his time gathering the stones during the movie makes it more of a loose adaptation of The Thanos Quest by Jim Starlin and Ron Lim than anything else. But again, it's a pretty loose adaptation.

- The Hulk falling to Earth from space and landing in Doctor Strange's Sanctum is reminiscent of something that happened early on in The Infinity Gauntlet comics, except there, it was the Silver Surfer who warned Strange of Thanos' coming, not Bruce Banner, right down to the "Thanos is coming."

- Loki is dead. Most fans (including me) expected Loki to serve the kind of role that Mephisto did in The Infinity Gauntlet comics. There, Mephisto was kind of an obsequious "guide" for Thanos, and that's the word that Loki offers...before he tries (and fails) to betray Thanos. Well, if you've gotta go, this is the way to do it.

But seriously, couldn't you just imagine Loki behaving like this for his own ends? Even the body language is the same!

Also, Loki's attempted betrayal/stabbing of Thanos reminds me of Prince Thun trying to take out Ming the Merciless in Mike Hodges' masterful Flash Gordon movie.

- Wong tells the origin of the Infinity Stones, which is kind of like the creation myth of the entire Marvel Universe when you think about it. Something very similar was done in the pages of The Thanos Quest, and they basically hint that these are fragments of God!

(thanks to Dylan Bates for helping me out with that one!)

- The weird reality-warping "deaths" that Thanos inflicts on Drax and Mantis is really reminiscent of the ways that Thanos tortured Eros, Nebula, and others in The Infinty Gauntlet comic.

Thanos

- In the comics, and certainly by The Infinity Gauntlet era, Thanos was known as the Mad Titan, and he was a pretty irrational dork most of the time. Thanos was in love with the cosmic physical manifestation of death, and this whole thing was a way for him to impress him. He's a really needy, giant purple MRA, basically.

But here, Thanos is kind of rational, if still a dick. Here is obsession is with bringing balance to the universe to preserve resources, and his motives are almost like, I dunno, an extremely shitty environmentalist or something. If anything, his motivations here more resemble the character as he was portrayed in The Thanos Imperative comic than The Infinity Gauntlet.

Thanos' armor and helmet bears the strongest resemblance to recent designs in the comics, as well as the design for Thane, his son's outfit in Infinity.

- Gamora has "always hated" Thanos' weird throne/chair, which is pretty hilarious considering it was such an iconic part of the character's whole "thing" for so many years.

- Have we seen Thanos' vaguely Ancient Egyptian looking guards before? They're the ones guarding Nebula while she's being tortured. What a cool design they have. I feel like maybe they were hanging around with Ronan in the first Guardians movie, but my brain is so fried from this movie I can't trust myself.

- Thanos creepy army of Alien-looking drones are called Outriders, and they're also from the Infinity crossover.

- Thanos' crack about how he could "finally rest" once he achieves his goal is a reference to the "Farmer Thanos" he became in the comics, and that we glimpse at the very end of this movie.

- Thanos literally snaps his fingers to bring about the end of half of all life in the universe, which is exactly what he did in the first chapter of The Infinity Gauntlet comic. And that's what he did BEFORE the fighting started there!

- In the closing credits, there's a line that reads “the producers would like to recognize Jim Starlin for his significant contribution to the film.” Saying Starlin made a "significant contribution" to this movie is an understatement. The vast majority of Thanos stories, and certainly the Thanos stories that matter, were written and often drawn by Jim Starlin. That's HIS character, just as surely as most of the others on screen are Stan Lee and Jack Kirby's.

The Black Order

We're introduced to Thanos' Black Order early on, and they first appeared in Jonathan Hickman's massive Thanos vs Avengers story, Infinity. In the comics, they were also known as the Cull Obsidian, and are basically Thanos' generals, but here it's implied that they are Thanos' children. We went into MUCH more detail about them right here.

Check out the whole skeevy squad in the movie...

From left to right, that's Proxima Midnight, Ebony Maw, Corvus Glaive, and Cull Obsidian. Your ears do not deceive you, that is Carrie Coon as Proxima Midnight.

“Even in death you have become children of Thanos” - this line from Ebony Maw (who never shuts the hell up) hints at Thanos' obsession with death as a concept, even if the movie gives him a more practical outlook than his comic book counterpart, and a less physical manifestation of Death herself. We'll get into more of that in a bit. I also couldn't help but feel that Ebony Maw kind of acts like a "herald of Galactus" when it comes to announcing the coming of Thanos.

But speaking of death...

Heimdall is dead, and it's always going to be a shame that this franchise never used Idris Elba to the fullest. 

Guardians of the Galaxy

- The song playing during the Guardians' intro here is "Rubberband Man" by The Spinners, and it's kinda great. And as it turns out, James Gunn did indeed choose the tune. "The first song is James," co-writer Stephen McFeely told us. In fact, go read the whole interview with the writers because it's a riot.

- The Guardians are flying a new ship. This ain't the Milano...it's the Benatar. And for real, nobody can tell me that "Invincible" isn't the best Pat Benatar song. 

- Teen Groot is playing a handheld version of the 1981 arcade game, Defender, which is an all-time coin-op classic. This is the closest we're going to get to the Netflix Defenders on the big screen, though. We wrote lots more about Groot's favorite game right here.

- Thanos calls on the Collector to pick up the reality stone from him. In The Thanos Quest comic, he does indeed kick the Collector's ass for a stone, but there it was for the soul stone, not reality.

- This is a great catch (thanks to Andrew Gallo!), Thanos' "where is the stone" line to the Collector echoes Benicio del Toro's line in Snatch! 

By the way...what is the tree in the Collector's place, there? It looks familiar, but I can't quite place it, and I feel like I'm going to look like an idiot as soon as one of you points it out to me.

- The Collector for whatever reason owns Tobias Funke of Arrested Development fame (which is even confirmed in the end credits). Tobias is covered in blue paint, much like the episode of the show where he tried to join Blue Man Group. I don't even want to get into the can of worms with the continuity considering Tobias once put together a Fantastic Four musical.

- As the Guardians are heading into the Collector's lair, there's some circuitry on the wall that kind of reminds me of the Jack Kirby-esque designs we saw so much of in Thor: Ragnarok.

- The unnecessary reference to Footloose is a callback to the first Guardians of the Galaxy movie, but also feels a little out of place with Spidey. It makes sense that Spidey would be down with things like Star Wars and Alien, but Footloose? C'mon. Nobody his age cares about that flick.

- Drax is eating a bag of Zargnuts...which makes me think of Zagnut, the candy bar that Beetlejuice used to lure an insect to its death in Tim Burton's classic movie which had seriously better never have a sequel or reboot ever. Anyway, this is perhaps an unnecessary pop culture connection to make and I now apologize to Peter Parker about my Footloose crack above.

Nebula

- Worth pointing out that Nebula is Thanos' daughter in the MCU, but she's his granddaugher in the comics. His shitty treatment of her remains the same. Seriously, dude...lighten up.

We see Nebula half-disassembled and held in stasis, in a state of constant agony. In the comics, Thanos used the power of the Gauntlet to burn her to a crisp and keep her in a state between living and dying. Zombie Nebula with flesh dripping off her skeleton might have been a bit of a stretch for PG-13 MCU stuff, but this is the closest we're likely to get to that. It's definitely inspired by the comics.

Gamora

- During the flashbacks detailing how he adopted Gamora, I'm pretty sure you can spot those giant Chitauri worm ship things from the first Avengers movie.

- In the comics Gamora has always been a big fan of blades and edged weapons. I feel like we get the "origin" of that with the knife here.

- Maybe Gamora knows ANOTHER secret about Thanos? For example, in the comics, Thanos always plants the seeds of his own defeat, because subconsciously he feels that he isn't worthy of power. Is this something Gamora knows? Well, knew...because she's dead. Right? Nah.

- While Gamora's death is a powerful scene here, this is the one proper on-screen death that I don't expect to stick. James Gunn has plans to complete the team's story in Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 3, and I can't imagine Marvel would rob him of one of his most important and interesting characters.

Don't be surprised if it turns out Gamora is just imprisoned in the soul stone. And seriously, how amazing is Zoe Saldana in this movie?

Thor

- This movie has the best Thor moments of any of his big screen appearances. And yes, I'm including the wonderful Thor: Ragnarok. The fact that they took us to Nidavelir, the home of the Norse Dwarves, and instead made it the heart of a star where Mjolnir was forged, well, that's a pretty wonderful way to do things.

- Making Peter Dinklage into the dwarf, Eitri, was even better. The Marvel Comics version of Eitri isn't nearly as cool as Peter Dinklage, but he made his first appearance in Thor Annual #11 in 1983.

- Is this the first time we learn Thor's actual age is 1500 years old?

- The whole sequence of Thor "starting up a star" is the kind of crazy "only in comics" thing that I love so much, and it feels like something that would come right out of the mind of Jack Kirby or Jason Aaron.

And c'mon, tell me this next shot doesn't look like a Jack Kirby panel come to life!

Right? Anyway...

- Oh my god, Thor is wielding Stormbreaker now! Stormbreaker wasn't ever really Thor's weapon in the mainstream comics, but rather that of Beta Ray Bill, the noble, horse-faced replacement Thor, who we kinda sorta got a glimpse of in Thor: Ragnarok. He did wield a hammer/ax just like it in the Ultimate continuity, though.

Spider-Man

- We get our first ever MCU use of Peter's Spider-sense in this movie when the ships arrive!

- Peter swaps out his regular costume for Tony's "17A" model, which we glimpsed at the end of Spider-Man: Homecoming. This is the cinematic equivalent of the dreadful "Iron Spider" armor Peter wore in the Civil War comics, right down to the extra appendages it gives him. This design is a little better than the comic book one...but only a little. It's kinda hideous, really. 

Go back to the blue and red, kid.

- Spidey's line, “I’m being beamed up,” is a slight nod to Star Trek.

- But more importantly, and please tell me whether or not I'm crazy here, does the Tony/Peter relationship and banter in this movie feel like Rick and Morty to anyone else? I didn't get that vibe in Captain America: Civil War or Spider-Man: Homecoming, but it definitely felt that way here.

Except when Peter dies. That was heartbreaking.

Nice to see Peter got the old "web to the face" in that he did on Thanos in The Infinity Gauntlet comic, too!

The Stan Lee Cameo

- You all spotted Stan Lee driving the bus, right? Good. Now, someone get Stan away from the skeevy vultures currently handling his affairs, please.

The Avengers 4 Roster

So maybe we shouldn't be surprised that the folks who survived are the core Avengers from the first movie. Our Avengers 4 roster will consist of Captain America, Iron Man, Thor, Bruce Banner, Black Widow, Hawkeye (even though he's not here, we can confirm he isn't dead...more details here), plus War Machine, Rocket Raccoon, and Captain Marvel. The jury is out on whether Ant-Man makes an appearance, I think.

I wrote more about what's next for the MCU in the leadup to Avengers 4 right here.

The Post Credits Scene

The post credits scenes kind of drive home the fact that the ending of Avengers: Infinity War is basically the beginning of the MCU version of The Infinity Gauntlet comic. In the second chapter of Infinity Gauntlet we saw how the world was affected when half of all humans just disappear, and yes, that includes car accidents, aviation mishaps, etc.

That final symbol you see belongs to Captain Marvel, but since this article is long enough already, I wrote in much, much more detail about the post-credits scene and everything it means right here.

Miscellaneous Cool Stuff

- Did I hear this correctly, and is the Asgardian spaceship known as the Ice Guardian? I know they also say "Asgardian families" when sending the distress call, but I feel like this was how they identified the ship.

- Overall, the opening to this was more akin to a Star Wars movie than anything Marvel usually does, just dropping us right into the jaws of a defeat with a seemingly unstoppable villain. Shades of A New Hope right off the bat...although some of the genuinely gruesome carnage with the dead bodies lying all over the place made me think of the end of Rogue One.

- At the Central Park reservoir, before Tony is told that "the fate of the universe is at stake" (which is some proper comic book dialogue right there), he makes a reference to Pepper having an eccentric uncle named Morgan. I'm drawing a blank on what this might be a reference to, though.

- You can basically just consider Cap's team the Secret Avengers in this. The lineup is similar enough!

Cap taking on Thanos in hand-to-hand combat is amazing. Thanos is, after all, a guy who could go at it with Thor or Hulk and come out OK. But this in particular reminds us of a specific scene from the original Infinity Gauntletcomics...

Cap is the best, you guys.

- Tony calls Ebony Maw "Squidward" which is pretty great. I...don't have to tell you who Squidward is, right?

- During the fights on the streets of NYC you can spot a New York Post newspaper dispenser. Still no sign of The Daily Bugle in the MCU. Seriously, what the hell? Although it's fun to point out that the layout and logo of the Bugle in the Sam Raimi Spider-Man movies was based heavily on the Post. I'm just surprised they used the Post here and not the Marvel Netflix-centric New York Bulletin. Apparently the producers considered having The Defenders make an appearance, but it just couldn't work out. It's probably for the best.

-Xandar's destruction was a key plot point in Annihilation, the opening chapter of the greatest era of Marvel space stories ever. Maybe that's the jumping off point of the Nova movie rumored to be in development?

- When Glave tries to take the Eye of Agamotto from Strange, his hand gets burned/branded, like Toht in Raiders of the Lost Ark.

- Captain America's phone number appears to be 678-136-7092. I haven't called it yet. I'm not going to AND NEITHER SHOULD YOU because if I read that wrong on the screen some poor senior citizen is going to get bombarded with phone calls and it's going to be my fault.

- I'm pretty sure that Vision and Scarlet Witch never lived in Scotland in the comics, but I'm willing to be corrected. Still, they're right on the verge of committing for life here, and assuming poor Vision manages to make a return at the end of Avengers 4, I'd love to see them get married, like they did in the comics.

This is a pretty radical departure for Black Widow. It's actually referencing the second comics Black Widow, Yelena Belova, who was created in Paul Jenkins and Jae Lee's late '90s Inhumans series and ended up being an evil foil for Natasha.

- Who the hell has a bass guitar in Avengers HQ? Please tell me that's Thor's.

- The Alien tribute with Ebony Maw is an absolute highlight.

- If Avengers movies had been made in the 1980s, wouldn't David Bowie have been the most perfect Vision ever? And I'm getting such Bowie vibes from Paul Bettany's Vision performance that now I want him to star in a Ziggy Stardust movie. Hollywood, call me. I'm waiting by the phone. Alone. Writing about the intersection of Marvel superheroes and David Bowie. For the love of gods, someone please call me...

(ahem...ANYWAY)

When Vision "dies" he's drained of color. While he isn't completely white like he was in the West Coast Avengers comic, there's definitely a resemblance.

That look pretty much defined the character in the early to mid '90s, too...including in the still awesome Captain America and the Avengers arcade game.

- When we're on Titan, and see the flashbacks to how it was before, are we basically seeing the seeds of Eternals society, there? They do have a movie in development, now.

- Vormir (the location of the Soul Stone) is a "real" place in the comics, existing way the hell out in the Kree galaxy. It was first mentioned in Avengers #123 in 1974.

- C'mon, admit it, NOBODY saw that Red Skull surprise coming, right? Sadly, that isn't Hugo Weaving, it's The Walking Dead's Ross Marquand. Bummer. On the bright side, maybe if we ever get a Captain America 4 this means the Skull can return!

OK Avengers, it's time to assemble! Let us know what we missed down in the comments or on Twitter, and if it checks out, we'll update this!

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[bollywoodhits]

Loki To Get A Male Love Interest, Marvel Plans To Explore His Bis*xuality?

Marvel Plans To Give Loki A Male Love Interest? (Photo Credit: Imdb)

Loki turned out to be a path-breaking show for the Marvel studio and in many ways. Not just in terms of being an addition to the series library that the studio is now building with swift pace, it also stood strong in representation, and that turned out to be the highlight. Episode 3 of season 1 confirmed that the Trickster is bis*xual. So when that subtle reference made it to our screens, we were sure this is not just an Easter egg but has some significance for the future.

And that is the truth. Marvel definitely has plans to explore that part of Loki’s life further now. When episode 3 revealed that the God Of Mischief is bis*xual, he turned out to be the first LGBTQ+ superhero in the Marvel Cinematic Universe. The studio now plans to take the conversation around, and the plans now are to give the Trickster a male love interest in the future. Read on to know everything about this most exciting update of the day.

Season 1 of Loki ended on a surprising note and made way for the second season had Loki revealing a lot of shades of him. The God Of Mischief fell for Sophia Di Martino’s Sylvie. The two overshadowed at least a couple of episodes with their unique romance, but their dynamic ended up on a very surprising note. Won’t spoil that for the ones who haven’t seen. But that has very much set the premise for season 2, where the Trickster sets out on a quest.

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Now if the report in We Got This Covered is to go by, the makers are all set to give Loki another love interest. And to our surprise this time, it is a male love interest for the Trickster. The studio is planning to explore his bis*xuality of the God Of Mischief. There is no update on what and when it will happen on the show but the hints point at the second season of the show strongly.

How excited are you are this new update about Loki? Let us know in the comments section below. Stay tuned to Koimoi for more.

Must Read: The Big Bang Theory To Have A Friends Like Reunion? ‘Penny’ Kaley Cuoco Wishes So!

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[lj-writes]

Rey’s abandonment and the destruction of Luke’s new Jedi: A deconstruction

Warning: I have no idea if I’ve stumbled on to something here or am just pounding sand, but IF I’m right you’d be depriving yourself of a hell of a twist by reading this. Also, I put this in the general TLJ tag because it’s speculation for that movie, but if you’re for or against particular parentage theories and/or ships read the tags before proceeding. There  is also a lot of death, violence, trauma and disturbing imagery in this post and a mention of pedophilia (not in support of it, obvs) so exercise caution.

I keep reading theories and headcanons about how Rey was abandoned on Jakku after the destruction of Luke’s school for Jedi, and I find it compelling except for the big glaring timeline problems outlined below. I still feel drawn to the idea, though, and I’ll try to show that this may, in fact, be what happened. I will also discuss some other problems this theory may solve (why Jakku? who left her there?) and how this might put an entirely new spin on Kylo’s and Rey’s stories. Buckle in.

The timeline problem with Rey being left on Jakku after the school’s destruction is that the destruction took place years after Rey’s abandonment. We know that Ben had not yet fallen as of Claudia Gray’s Bloodline, six years prior to the events of The Force Awakens, and the destruction of the school happened after the events of Bloodline when Ben learned of his heritage–that he was the grandson of Darth Vader. By then Rey would have been thirteen years old, far too old to be the child shouting “Come back!”

Right?

Let’s stop right here and unpack the assumptions we’ve made. Here are the facts we know, or think we know, about the destruction of Luke’s school:

Assumption #1: The destruction took place after Ben switched his allegiance and became Kylo Ren.

Assumption #2: Kylo Ren’s fall took place in or after 28 ABY, after the events of Bloodline.

Assumption #3: Kylo Ren killed the Jedi students and destroyed the school.

What if none of these assumptions is true, at least without heavy qualification? It would change quite a lot of what we think we know about the characters and their backgrounds, that’s for certain.

I want to make this very clear, what would not change is the fact that Kylo Ren is a fascist enforcer and mass murderer. This entire post can be summarized as “Cool motive, still murder.” I’m simply wondering if the motive might be so cool that it changes the entire game.

All right, let’s dive in below the cut.

Assumption #1: The destruction took place after Ben switched his allegiance and became Kylo Ren.

Let’s start with the first assumption, that the destruction of the school happened after Kylo Ren’s fall, that is after the events of Bloodline in 28 ABY.

Well, what if I told you it may have happened a lot sooner than that? Impossible, right? I mean, it’s laughable! Anyone who read Bloodline or has a passing familiarity with the new canon materials knows that Ben was traveling across the galaxy with his master Uncle Luke, frequently out of communication with Leia and Han. I mean, if he’d already destroyed the school by this point how could he… be traveling… all the time…

Wait a minute. Is there proof that the school existed at the time of Bloodline? Luke certainly wasn’t acting like most schoolmasters if he was incommunicado much of the time. Why was he traveling so much if he had a school to run?

I combed through my e-book copy of Bloodline for different search terms–”Luke,” “school,” “Jedi,” “Temple,” “Ben” and so on. And while the book said Luke was a Jedi, duh, there was no reference to other Jedi, or to a Jedi school or Jedi Temple in current existence. This itself seems odd, since this was nearly thirty years after the Battle of Yavin, twenty-three years since the war with the Empire ended. Shouldn’t there be a new generation of Jedi already?

The closest reference I could find to the existence of other Jedi and the possibility of a school was this passage:

[Luke] Skywalker had been so long away on his strange quest for the lore of the Jedi that he no longer had much influence outside his own acolytes. He was a figure of myth more than one of flesh and blood.

So Luke has “acolytes,” which seems to hint at followers and possible graduates of his academy. Still, does it strike anyone as odd that he has so little influence? If he left these acolytes in charge of the school in his absence, presumably he would have more influence through these teachers and their own pupils. Yet that doesn’t seem to be the case, as though there had been some disruption that broke that chain.

I also talked to @absolxguardian, who unlike me has actually finished the book (and for the record is against my madcap theory so don’t blame her), and she confirmed that she does not recall a direct reference to a school. If you’ve found any, please inform me and we can all have a good laugh at how I was obsessing over nothing.

For now, if you want to come deeper down the rabbit hole with me, you’ll have to accept that there is at least some basis to think that Luke’s school was destroyed before 28 ABY, say, a little less than a decade earlier? Maybe prompting Luke to go away on his strange quest and fade into legend? Without that premise none of what comes below works.

Assumption #2: Kylo Ren’s fall took place in or after 28 ABY, after the events of Bloodline.

Let’s move on to Assumption #2, that Kylo Ren’s fall took place on or after 28 ABY, presumably after he learned that Vader was his granddad. You can see how grabbing and shaking Assumption #1 weakens Assumption #2 as well. If the school was destroyed long before 28 ABY and Ben had something to do with it, then clearly it wasn’t just the extra branch in the family tree that sent him over the edge. He had already gone over, or was at least hovering around the edge, for some time now.

But wait, it was Ben who was accompanying Luke on his travels to esoteric holy places. If the timeline went as I proposed above, how could he have fooled his uncle, a Jedi, so completely?

Jedi have been fooled before, though. That was pretty much the plot of the prequel trilogy. Maybe Ben was a manipulator on par with Palpatine or he wasn’t (he wasn’t), but he may have had a master manipulator on his side. That’s right. Snoke, the guy Leia says was watching Ben from the shadows and manipulating him.

One excellent way for Ben to be in his uncle’s good graces and not fall under suspicion was to bond over their shared tragedy, the destruction of the Jedi school–remember, acceptance is the price of entry to this rabbit hole!–and their status as traumatized survivors. What an act! Why, he must be as good an actor as Adam Driver to pull that off!

But what if it wasn’t all an act? Which brings me to the third assumption…

Assumption #3: Kylo Ren killed the Jedi students and destroyed the school.

This is the part that is going to get me anons, and possibly a defamation suit if I’m wrong and fictional characters can sue. Here’s where the cool motive part comes in, and may unravel all the pesky details of Rey’s abandonment that have been troubling me. Step deeper down the hole with me.

What if it wasn’t Ben who killed the students.

What if it was Rey.

Yes, tiny, maybe five-year-old Rey, with skinny arms and her piping child’s voice. That Rey. I told you this would get me anons.

I mean, why would she? Not out of malice, obviously. I don’t believe for a second Rey is a murderer, but rather a weapon. I haven’t worked out the exact mechanics, but much like my earlier Rey Solo theory, I think Snoke may have turned her raw power against the students, killing them. Maybe she was a student, maybe she was a visitor, but whatever she was there for that day, things turned deadly and it became a day of indelible tragedy.

Now that we’re far enough down the rabbit hole and know what we’re working with here, let’s take a freefall down Headcanon Shaft. It’s quickest, and hopefully entertaining, to tell it in fic form without all the qualifications and hedging, so bear with me. Just remember that I’m not telling a definitive version of this theory, simply presenting one way it could work.

A note on the relationship between Ben/Kylo and Rey: This theory works best with Rey Solo as Ben’s sister, but could also work for Rey Skywalker. It might even work with Rey Kenobi, Rey Random etc., though with a big dose of “why?” (One particular part of the headcanon only works if Rey is Vader’s granddaughter, but the theory could work without that part.) I will use the name “Rey” for the purpose of this headcanon, though as a theorist I prefer “Breha.”

I hope it will become clear, though, that even with Kylo and Rey being unrelated this version of events pretty much closes out the possibility of romance between them.

“One boy, an apprentice turned against him, destroyed it all.”

Rey is unconscious, having spent even her incredible powers. She looks so small among the wreckage and the other children and the adults who tried to defend them, with one difference–her chest rises and falls, where the others’ never will again.

Ben knows. He has gone from body to body, checking, searching, hoping. Now he kneels by Rey’s side, among the fragments of the world they used to inhabit.

But one thing is clear through the fog of shock and sorrow. This wasn’t Rey’s fault, and he has to protect her by any means necessary.

It’s at this point that his trusty advisor, this wondrous man who’s been teaching him so many secrets of the Force, whispers through their link that she can never live a normal life now, that the vengeful surviving Jedi will come for her and lock her away forever. She has to be hidden in a place where she can’t hurt others or attract attention.

But where? Ben asks, sobbing, cradling Rey’s tiny body in his arms. Her clothes, her skin, her hair are stained with the blood of other children, which he tries to wipe away only to smear it around.

Jakku, comes the answer, and Ben’s heart tries to both sink and lift at once. It is a place powerful in concentrated Force energies that will tamp down on Rey’s powers, keeping her and others safe. But it is so remote and far away, it’ll be just like losing her.

There is also no other choice if he wants to keep her free and others safe at the same time. He swears to her that he will clear her name, make the galaxy a safe place for her so that he can bring her back and she can once again live in her own name.

He must act quickly before the adults return. He burns the ruined school down so that Rey’s body will not be missed among the others, apologizing to the dead students and their families. The fire glints red off his tears.

Then he takes the Millennium Falcon, his father’s ship that his parents were using to visit, lays Rey in the back, and launches off. This time he apologizes to his father. He has a feeling he will be making a great many silent apologies in the years to come.

He uses a Force trick his friend teaches him to silence the memories from Rey’s mind. His heart aches again, but again he has no choice. If she remembers who she is she will try to make her way back, and all will be ruined. She could spend her life locked up, might hurt other people again.

Most of all, though, he doesn’t want her to have the memories he will carry for the rest of his days. Just sparing her that may be worth all of this.

She wakes up during the hyperspace jump and is confused but happy enough to chat perched in the copilot’s seat, though he can see she has no clear memory of him. He keeps her entertained by talking to her and distracting her with the old knick-knacks on the ship. He tells her they are taking a trip and will be home soon.

Once he lands on Jakku his will nearly gives out, but he has come too far and this is the only way. “Wait here,” he tells her, seized with the terror that she will wander away and he will never find her again. “I’ll come back for you! It will be all right.”

He exchanges the Millennium Falcon for a freighter with instructions to get rid of the ship, his heart bleeding at the thought of his father. He does not look back as he boards his new ship and leaves Jakku behind.

“Come back!” she screams, though he cannot possibly hear her at this distance through the hull of his ship. He makes the jump to hyperspace too soon, almost hoping to disintegrate. Her voice echoes through the Force for a long time.

He sends out a distress signal when he is safely away from Jakku. When found, he tells a story about how the school’s attackers kidnapped him and he managed to escape. He’s not sure how good it was. The adults, already ashen and dazed, likely do not have the heart to prod and have their world collapse on them once again. He knows what that feels like.

Over the years the secret expands inside him until it threatens to spew out every time he opens his mouth, so he stops talking. About anything that matters, anyway. Every time his mother goes expressionless and numb, every time his father travels away without word when he’ll be back, Ben grits his teeth and clamps down until his ears ring.

“I just never should have sent him away. That’s when I lost him.”

When Luke decides to seek the lore of the Jedi instead of rebuilding the school and asks whether Ben wants to come, he jumps at the chance. Home was becoming unbearable, and he has his own reasons to seek knowledge of the Force. Leia is hesitant but Ben persuades her to let him go. He needs to continue his training, he tells her, and Luke could use the backup. His father is all right with the idea. Ben doubts he even cares. He watches his mother spend her evenings alone and despises the man.

Ben has another reason to stay close to Luke’s side: He knows Luke wants answers about the night his school was massacred. That’s all right, though, with his friend to advise him Ben can find out ten times as much as Luke and stay ahead. And if Luke gets too close to the truth, Ben can kill him.

The first time the thought occurs to him it frightens Ben. Then it comes again, and again, and he grows used to it.

He often wonders during his travels whether Luke suspects anything. At night, when his uncle sometimes turns and cries out, he wonders if it wouldn’t be more merciful to end his misery. He certainly wishes someone would do him the same kindness.

He sleeps with a cloth stuffed in his mouth so he would not cry out something fatal in his sleep. He tries to picture Rey but cannot imagine what she might look like now.

“There was nothing we could’ve done. There was too much Vader in him.”

Almost a decade into their travels Ben is a man, and has learned a great deal but is no closer to solving Rey’s puzzle. Then Luke sits him down and tells him the truth about who he and his sister’s father was, throwing aside the lie they had been telling Ben, the galaxy, all these years.

Ben realizes at that moment that there will be no peace or freedom for Rey or for him. If the universe is to be made safe for Rey to reveal herself, there must be no Force users left to threaten her.

There is a way, his trusty friend tells him. Gentle and noxious as dust on the wind comes a name: The Knights of Ren.

It’s just as well. Once the killings begin they will think he was the Jedi Killer from the school, and it is no lie. That is what he will become, there was just a small time difference. It will make things better for Rey, and that is all that matters.

That night Ben leaves the camp. He looks back one more time at Luke’s sleeping face, troubled in the firelight. He toys with the idea of ending things here, but turns and leaves instead.

He might come to regret it, but regret has become an old, old friend. He is twenty-four years old.

In which I deal with a torrent of objections

If you’re still with me, you probably hate me. Let me answer a few of the possible objections and go into how this theory helps fit some of the puzzle pieces together.

But Ducain stole the Millennium Falcon from Han!

That’s what Han said. Who’s to say his information was accurate? In my version of this theory he and Unkar Plutt were told that story by the same person, Ben Solo.

But since there is evidently text in the incredible cross-sections book about Ducain refurbishing the gun turret while he had the Falcon, let me propose an alternate timeline: Ducain stole the Falcon from Plutt’s parking lot and kept it for a time, during which time he invested in the aforementioned enhancement. The Irving Boys stole it from him, and then Plutt stole it back. Han tracked the train of custody down as far as Ducain, so he assumed old Duc had stolen it directly from him.

Much as in my earlier Rey Solo theory, this version of events adds a layer of emotion and urgency to Han’s search for the Falcon. Since its disappearance is tied to the events at the school, Han would be looking for answers as well as the ship itself. It also explains why he seemed resigned but cool with (evidently) not having the Falcon in Bloodline but was super keen to find it in The Force Awakens: With the revelation of his son’s duplicity it became a much more urgent question for him.

So why didn’t Unkar Plutt get rid of the Falcon?

Does Unkar strike you as a good-faith kinda guy? Ben probably didn’t instruct him to keep Rey in a half-starved state of indentured servitude, either. Plutt also probably knew the ship and smelled a bigger payday down the road. (Anyone else getting a Cossette and the Thénardiers vibes?)

This theory is incredibly white-prioritizing, to have the entire plot and twists wrapped around these two characters and to creat this incredibly convoluted back story just to make Kylo seem sympathetic.

Yes, it is. Unfortunately, given the way Rian is talking I think that makes this theory or something like it all the likelier to happen.

It’s also sexist as fuck, to reduce Rey to an object to be used by Snoke and “saved” by Kylo Ren, and to inflict this undeserved trauma on her.

I completely agree. I hate it, actually, but it does seem to tie a lot of things together and… did I mention I hate it?

This is Reylo and I hate/love you for it!!

This is actually the most anti Reylo theory right up there with Rey Solo (which is likely to be true if something like this happens, because come on). Even if Ben did all this for a girl totally unrelated to him, which is unlikely, if this backstory results in a romance it would be the creepiest grooming bullshit of all time. It would be even worse than if Rey and Kylo had never met before TFA. It’s arguably abusive even without the romance aspect.

Speaking of which, JJ said Kylo and Rey never met!

So we’re into believing JJ now? Not only does he have a track record on this point, why the heck are you believing the cast and crew whose job (well, part of it) is to mislead you? He can always walk that comment back with “never met in this movie” and such.

There are a whole lot of other objections, but you’re too tired and on edge to think of them at the moment.

Correct. Have at ‘em in the asks, reblogs, comments etc. Keep your capslock on. We have to fill the time somehow until TLJ opens, right?

So is this theory actually good for anything?

I should hope so, since I’m staying awake until an ungodly hour to type it up. Here are some of its advantages, as I see it.

1. It gives Kylo Ren the sympathetic back story we were promised, but doesn’t make him a puppet or a secret good guy. It also shows the depth of Snoke’s manipulation while also giving Kylo Ren agency.

2. It explains the Millennium Falcon’s presence within sight of Rey all these years, for as long as she can remember according to Rey’s Survival Guide.

3. It gives emotional depth to Rey’s fascination with pilot imagery, which was also a big part of my previous Rey Solo theory but which never quite fit because I couldn’t think of how to make it emotionally satisfying on a visceral level.

Rey knew that she was waiting for a pilot, hence her sense of comfort from wearing a pilot helmet, keeping a pilot doll, doing flight sims and so on. While it’s unlikely Ben was in a Rebel flight suit there was plenty of Rebel and Empire paraphernalia to be found from the ruins of battle, and she may have made the association. Something probably told her it wasn’t an Empire pilot she was waiting for because oh, the irony…

4. It explains why Rey had to be left on Jakku, which just happens to be a pivotal place in the new canon. absolxguardian’s excellent Rey Palpatine theory also addresses this.

5. “WHAT GIRL?” Kylo Ren heard “Corellian YT model freighter” and “girl” and immediately made the connection. Under this theory, he was probably thinking the whole time about where Rey was in relation to his location and later the location of the search parties.

And remember how pissy he got with Hux about the droid being recovered, not destroyed? I mean I bet he’d love to have a chat with Uncle Luke and all, but was he also trying to set limits on how destructive the mission could be (as in, no bombing from orbit)? Of course it turned out to be plenty dangerous for Rey anyway, but I think we’ve established by this point that Kylo Ren is a master of intellectual and moral laziness, seeing only what he wants to see.

6. It explains Lor San Tekka and the Church of the Force’s presence on Jakku so near Rey in a “correlation is not causation” kind of way. They were there for the same reasons, Jakku’s being some kind of important Force spot. Rey’s presence did not cause San Tekka to be there, but it was also not a coincidence that they were there at the same time.

7. Speaking of which, “There’s been an awakening. Have you felt it?” This line was spoken after Rey left Jakku.

8. Then there’s this part of a deleted scene of Kylo searching the Falcon:

[Image description: Kylo Ren stands in the cockpit of the Millennium Falcon, hunched over and clutching the backs of the pilot’s and copilot’s seats]

See how he’s gripping the copilot’s seat closer with his right arm bent more than the left, almost like he has an arm around someone’s shoulders? Is he remembering the last time he saw little Rey in this chair? I always thought he looked like he was in some sort of pain here, and with my theory goggles on I the pain might have been even sharper and more immediate than I thought at first.

At the end of this cut he says to himself, “Han Solo.” But why? Did he really need to grab the seats to feel his father’s presence? Dude, I don’t have the Force and I could have told you it was Han just by looking at the damned ship. It’s the Millennium Falcon! That crashed through an impregnable shield! How much surer can you get, sniff the seats for Essence du Ford?

No, I don’t think the “Han Solo” line was him feeling his father’s presence. I think he was steeling himself for what he had to do. Yes, I’m going there. Yes, I do believe…

9. This theory explains why Kylo Ren “had” to kill Han. Again, this works best with Rey Solo, but could fit Rey Skywalker, Rey Random etc.

Think about it. He knew from early on from Snoke, in the “There’s been an awakening” scene, that Han was with Rey. Han had talked to her. He could have recognized her, especially if she was his daughter. Rey’s entire cover, the whole reason for Kylo’s existence for the past 15 years, was about to be blown.

Doesn’t that put Snoke’s comment in the earlier scene, that this was going to be a test such as Kylo had never faced, in a whole new context? Kylo knew it then, and he’s realizing it anew: It’s too soon for Rey to be known. Han has to go.

“I know what I have to do, but I don’t know if I have the strength to do it.” Kylo’s words to his father. If killing Han is for Rey’s protection, the idea that he “has” to do it takes on a whole new gutwrenching meaning.

The “Thank you” at the end might well have been genuine–thank you for dying to protect her. I won’t forget this.

And when Han touched his son’s face before he fell? He may well have realized the truth he may have suspected, what his son had been carrying all these years. It was monstrous, it was unthinkable, and yet he understood.

Because Han might have done the same.

10. From the novelization, when Rey catches the lightsaber: “It is you.”

11. “I’ve seen this raw strength only once before.”

What if it wasn’t Ben that Luke was talking about here, but Rey?

012. “Something inside me has always been there. But now it’s awake, and I need help.”

She sounds thrilled about what’s awakening in her, doesn’t she? Why is Rey so terrified of the Force, anyway?

13. “Let the past die. Kill it, if you have to. That’s the only way to become what you’re meant to be.”

Hmmmm

14. “Fulfill… your… destiny!”

HMMMMMMM

"This isn't going to go the way you think!"

I really don’t think Rey’s parentage is going to be the SHOCKING REVEAL we’ve been promised, not like Luke’s parentage in The Empire Strikes Back. The “I am your father!” line was shocking because we weren’t thinking about it and nobody saw it coming. If his parentage had been left as an open loop that fans had been given three years to obsess over, someone would have come up with Vader as the father because that’s dramatically appropriate. Or, you know, because everyone would have been Luke’s father by the time ESB rolled around.

With Rey, the parentage was teased from the first and fans have already come up with every theory under the sun and from where the sun don’t shine. That’s not a shocking reveal, it has to be handled for maximum emotional satisfaction and not for shocks.

The twist has to be something we’re not looking at, and we should be looking at Kylo Ren. The amount he has been talked up, the gushing about what a relatable villain he is, cannot be a coincidence even if it’s distasteful to me. 

In this post I’ve presented several assumptions that fans have been holding without question, much like Luke’s father being a) dead and b) killed by Darth Vader. I showed how they can be twisted within the bounds of known canon. Whether I’m right or wrong about this theory, the actual twist is going to do something similar by tackling our unexamined assumptions and totally blindsiding us.

I hope you’ve found this exercise entertaining, whatever the twist turns out to be. Hopefully we’ll all find something to enjoy in The Last Jedi.

[wazafam]

With it being one of the most popular games of all-time, it is understandable that an array of gamers still enjoy playing Super Mario 64. It does a fantastic job when it comes to its story, as it is truly timeless. Also, players will often remember their favorite stars from the game, as they just never seem to lose the magic behind them. It may be an older game with subpar graphics, but it still immensely enjoyable and entertaining.

RELATED: 5 Reasons Why Super Mario Galaxy 2 Is The Best Mario Game (& 5 Why Sunshine Is Even Better)

Yet, an aspect of this game that warrants far more praise than it receives is its outstanding music. Each level in the game has its own theme song, and the vast majority of the time, they are absolutely splendid.  In a way, the music in this game is what allows it to hit an even higher level of quality, as the player gets fantastic audio while playing it. It is exactly why its remake, Super Mario 3D All-Stars, has a special section dedicated to its soundtrack.

However, there are some that simply outclass others, which is entirely understandable.

10 Bowser's Theme

Bowser's Theme will always play any time Mario is in battle with him. It definitely does a good job of painting how much of a villain Bowser is, as it has a tough sound. Also, there is certainly a hint of darkness to it.

It fits Bowser so well, so it definitely deserves credit. The lone complaint fans have about it is that the player only hears three times in the entire game as Bowser's appearances in the game are definitely limited.

9 File Select

File Select is the first song that the player hears in the game as it plays before they begin. It is definitely a very memorable tune and in a way, is a welcoming start to the game.

One has to admire the positive vibe it has to it as well. It would have been great if it was put in more parts of the game, as it is among the best. Nonetheless, players are certainly thankful it is at the beginning, at least.

8 Snow Mountain

Snow Mountain's theme is definitely fitting to the level itself as it does have a wintery, festive sound to it. It is another example of a song that players remember instantaneously upon hearing.

RELATED: 10 Most Ridiculous Mario Enemies That Are So Useless, We Almost Feel Bad For Them

Perhaps the one downside about it is that it becomes repetitive rather quickly. However, even with this being so, it is still an awesome song in the game. It also meshes extremely well with the baby penguin's cries during the Li'l Penguin Lost star.

7 Piranha Plant's Lullaby

"Piranha Plant's Lullaby" is perhaps the cleverest song in the game. New players may assume that the sleeping piranha plant is not a threat to them as it looks cute sleeping. However, the song helps portray this lie as it becomes clear that it is anything but friendly.

Most gamers will agree that it is hilarious when the plant wakes up and becomes a massive terror. The irony of this song is definitely worth praising because of this. Also, it simply has an amazing sound to it, as well.

6 Course Clear

"The Course Clear" song is immensely short but ever so iconic. It plays every single time Mario obtains a star so it certainly comes with a great sense of achievement. Thus, optimism skyrockets once it is heard from the player.

Also, one cannot glance over the fact that it meshes absolutely perfectly with Mario shouting "here we go!" Even when the player hears it for the 120th time, it is still beloved.

5 Inside the Castle Walls

"Inside the Castle Walls" is definitely a wonderful filler for the game, as without music in the castle, this game would be extremely boring when venturing around. It also does not hurt that it fits perfectly with the castle's theme.

RELATED: Super Mario 3D World: Ranking Each Playable Character In The Game (Including Bowser Jr.)

It has a true sense of royalty, which makes sense, as Peach is a princess. It is easily one of the most memorable songs in the game, as it is the one that the player hears the most while playing.

4 Staff Roll

"Staff Roll" is honestly a perfect song for the completion of this game. It never fails to bring tears of joy to the player as it does possess an optimistic sound. It also meshes well with the credits too.

It is so important to hear too as it shows that Mario successfully completes his mission of saving Peach. The clips at the end that show all that Mario has done during the game also is a fantastic touch as well.

3 Dire, Dire Docks

"Dire, Dire Docks" is easily one of the most beautifully sounding songs from the entire game. This is certainly a fair statement to make, as it possesses a very soothing and calm sound. This works perfectly with Mario swimming, as when no enemies are in his vicinity, it is one of the most relaxing aspects of the entire game.

The player really takes a journey while playing levels that has this song, which is important for a game like this. Overall, it easily warrants a spot among the top three songs in the game because of this.

2 Bob-Omb Battlefield

"Bob-Omb Battlefield" is honestly the perfect opening song for once the player starts their first stage. It definitely fits the opening level as well as it is very upbeat, yet also has a quest-like vibe to it at times. This works well with the fact this level has a lot going on in it.

It also does not help that the player hears this song while completing some of the most memorable stars of the game. Therefore, there is a true positive association when it comes to this song, which enhances its overall value.

1 Slide

"Slide" is an extremely popular song from this game, as evidenced by the fact that people still reference it today. Yet, focusing on the game solely, it is absolutely stupendous as its sound and instrumentation fits perfectly with the stars it is associated with.

These songs play on slide stars and the Big Penguin Race, which means speed is present when so. Thus, the tempo in this song is justifiably quick, which simultaneously makes it incredibly catchy and just fun.

NEXT: Mario Super Sluggers: The 10 Best Players To Pick

Super Mario 64: The 10 Best Songs In The Game, Ranked from https://ift.tt/2QuDjrD

[swshadowcouncil]

Secrets of the Emperor and Snoke

Written by robotical712

Originally posted on the Shadow Council Weblog

In his quest for domination of the universe itself, the Emperor had many schemes and tools in play. The most visible and prominent was the Death Star. As his rule expanded, resistance inevitably arose which required his attention and delayed him from attaining true power. The Death Star was the answer to these distractions and its completion was to pacify the restive galactic populace so that he might direct his efforts towards more productive ends. It’s destruction was a devastating setback, but it was only one plan among many.

This is part of my full background theory:

The Emperor and His Goals

Secrets of the Emperor and Snoke (Today)

Descendants of the Chosen One and Rey

The Hidden Empire

Previously, I laid out Emperor’s goal of using the dark presence as a means of accessing worlds far outside the realm of the galaxy. To conquer required more than just exploration and he quietly began establishing a staging area for his ships and men. Large amounts of resources were transferred into the unknown regions (including Kyber crystals, as revealed in the Rogue One Rebel Dossier) and the infrastructure of war took shape. The world of Jakku was intended to be a new throne-world, where he would direct his conquest of the rest of the universe. The essence on Jakku was to be corrupted and serve as a dark Force nexus to amplify his power.

This hidden empire served a second function: insurance. The Emperor considered it imperative that his goals be accomplished, with or without him and he plotted out a contingency. First, the Empire in the known galaxy was to be disposed of and only those most loyal to him were to be preserved. Second, the secret Empire was to form the nucleus of a resurgence and the eventual reconquest of the rest of the galaxy. The essence on Jakku was corrupted as planned and the research base fulfilled its purpose and was then destroyed before those chosen by Palpatine left the known galaxy. Death was only to be setback.

A Force Sensitive Army

In the Clone Wars episode Children of the Force, Darth Sidious has several Force Sensitive children kidnapped and brought to Mustafar. There Sidious intends to turn them into Sith spies to infiltrate the Jedi Order. At the same time he reveals a much longer term plan:

“I foresee an army of force talented spies in my service. Trained in the dark side to peer into every corner of the galaxy for me from afar; and my enemies will be helpless against such vision”

In that episode he is foiled by Anakin and Ahsoka, but his interest in Force sensitive children continues. In Ahsoka, the Sixth Brother travels to where there had been rumors of a Force sensitive human girl. The girl is able to hide and he ultimately leaves when hears of Ahsoka’s exploits elsewhere. In Rebels we see Inquisitors again attempting to kidnap Force sensitive children and are this time thwarted by Kanan and Ezra. Also in Rebels, Imperial academy instructors on Lothal are shown keeping an eye out for exceptional individuals who are referred to the Inquisitors. Each instance we see was thwarted, but the question is, what happened all the times someone wasn’t around to stop them? The answer is likely that these special children are kidnapped and trained to be agents of the Emperor and his Empire.

There are many functions a cadre of Force sensitive agents could perform:

Palpatine’s vision above for an army of seers.

Loyalty enforcers.

Field agents.

Exploring and researching Force related artifacts and locations.

We’re actually given a possible hint of the second in Lost Stars:

Her imagination conjured visions of psychological interrogations; they whispered that the questioners could sense the moment anyone began to turn traitor. Had they picked up on her doubt?

Gray, Claudia. Journey to Star Wars: The Force Awakens: Lost Stars (Kindle Locations 3842-3843). Disney Book Group. Kindle Edition.

The problem with a cadre of Force sensitives is they can each be extremely dangerous. Indeed, we see the Emperor’s paranoia reflected in the Inquisitors who are given limited training in the dark side. How then, to ensure loyalty? The answer is to find them young and completely indoctrinate them to serve the Emperor. The Inquisitors can fill the initial role of finding the first generation and be dispensed with once an initial capability is established (the Inquisitors are disbanded by the Battle of Yavin).

Snoke’s Role

The Emperor is a busy man and hardly the person to undertake the training of Force sensitive, establishing a second base of power or supervise the exploration of important sites or artifacts. Darth Vader, who is supposed to be plotting to take Emperor’s place, certainly can’t be trusted with any of that. Who, then, can be trusted? Only someone with knowledge of the Force who, like the cadre he trained and directed, was found at a young age and was to raised to devote his life to his ‘father’.

In many ways, Snoke would be Vader’s opposite. He served out of devotion to Palpatine and could be trusted with secrets and tasks others could not. Snoke knew what the Emperor’s intentions regarding the Unknown Regions, the chosen one and understood the many Force related artifacts in ways men like Yupe Tashu could not. Where Vader ran the military and was the public ‘face’, Snoke ran the part of the Empire that worked in the shadows.

While the Emperor intended to rule forever, he was a thorough schemer and made arrangements for his goals to be completed even if he could be the one to do it. He tasked an orphan boy by the name of Galli with seeing that the Empire did not survive its Emperor. At the same time, the Emperor ensured the seeds of a new Empire would be planted. Galli mistakenly believed he was to rule this new Empire, but he was only to prepare the throne for another – one who knew and was committed to the Emperor’s grandest plans. The Emperor had chosen a successor after all.

Notes:

1. The inquisitors are remarkably poorly trained if their purpose is to hunt Jedi. Ahsoka comments on it in her book and has few problems taking on two of them. This strongly suggests finding Jedi isn’t the real primary goal.

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[agl03]

Hi! We know the spacenappers had information on the team, but does that include Fitz? I'm wondering because it might explain why he wasn't taken and not on the list. I'm not sure if it means that Fitz is dead in the future, though I don't think they're going that route given Fitz has other problems to deal with. I'm convinced that they have something on Fitz that could change everything for Fitz. I don't know if it would be about Alistair or if he has a greater destiny, for better or for worse.

Hi Anon,

Yes I do believe that the Spacenappers had information on the entire team, including Fitz.  And they seem more concerned with their own needs/survival.  They kind of pulled a Galaxy Quest ans abducted their heroes to help them fight their battle.  And Virgil knew that Jemma would be upset without Fitz but they didn’t care enough about that pain of splitting them up to not separate them.  

Enoch said that “We don’t need that one,” in the opening scenes when referring to who they left behind in the diner.  Then he later told the team Fitz “wasn’t on the list”.  

While Virgil told Jemma he was sorry Fitz had been left behind.

Both Enoch, Virgil, and whoever “Star Lad” AKA Jeff’s character is all know about the team.  The ship seems to have been sent there to pick them up.

My list as to why Fitz was left behind hasn’t really changed from the other day yet since I haven’t gotten any new hints or information since then.

They are worried Fitz would help get the team out of there.  Fitz (and Simmons) did what Hydra hadn’t been able to do in thousands of years, bring someone back through the portal on Maveth.  Whoever took the team might not want to risk him doing the same thing again.

Though if they underestimate Jemma’s drive to get back to him they are in for a rude awakening.

It was more a matter of separating Fitzsimmons, worried what they would do together, and needing Jemma’s skill set more than Fitz’s at that particular moment.

Fitz was used as a bargaining chip elsewhere   IE whoever took the team agreed to leave him in exchange for something or someone.  This could be any number of organizations or yes even Alistair who wanted him.

On the flip side Fitz could be the leverage to the team, he’s a prisoner back on earth and a way of trying to get them to cooperate….once they get away from the alien bug things.

Someone needed his skills.  He is now their prisoner.

They are trying to get him to work for them, possibly by force or using team a leverage to force his hand. 

They need him preparing things on earth for ?????

Leaving him behind is part of the plan/trap all along.  They need him or the team to do something and thought leaving him behind would get that. 

Something about the good old Descendant theory was right.

He was left on earth to take the fall for Shield.

He was simply left behind.  Now he must deal with the fall out of the Framework, find his friends, and keep ahead of those hunting Shield.

Left field not on my radar option.

As of me answering this ask we only have one of the round tables out and I’m not getting the Vibe I had about Fitz last season.  If you go back and look at a lot of the SDCC interview Jeph dropped lots of hints about something big happening with Fitz last season. And the reason he’s left behind will be a bit short lived, a smaller arc meant to help cover his delayed return and setting up the what’s going to happen on earth down the line this season.

[smokeybrand]

Smokey brand Movie Reviews: Straight to the Dark

Star Wars: The Rise of Skywalker. I hate this movie. I hate it. It’s bad, man. Fundamentally terrible. It’s a bad Star War. It’s a bad film in general. Everything is terrible. All of it. It’s so terrible. Here’s a list of the terrible stuff:

The Bad

Movie gives away the massive twist in a test crawl. It literally says that Palpatine called the galaxy and said, “Surprise, b*tch. Bet you thought you’d seen the last of me.” That’s how this movie starts. That’s how i knew it was going to be a bad time.

Sh*t goes into montage of Kylo Ren murdering a bunch of nameless asshole. No plot progression of thematic weight. We don’t know who any of these assholes are, he’s just in the woods, with an entire battalion of Stormtroopers, murdering cats for one of the many, many, mcguffins in this fetch quest of a goddamn film.

Where did all of the Stormtrooper bodies go? They just f*cking disappeared. There’s, like, three of these asshole. Kylo had an entire ship of troops. The f*cc is shot continuity??

The movie doesn’t tell you this because f*ck being good at telling a story, but the people Kylo is slaughtering are Vader Occultists. hat’s right, they worship Darth Vader as a god and yet, here they are trying to murder his living, breathing, grandson? For real? He’s their version of Jesus and you’re going to fight him to the death over some sh*t that probably belongs to him anyway by birthright? Okey-dokey.

gain, none of that is stated or shown in the actual film. F*ck thematic weight or unique story telling, we got an entire original trilogy to wank instead.

So, five minutes in, Kylo finds Palpatine and the “Emporer” is like, “It was me, Barry.” and shows him a bunch of Snoke clones in a jar or some sh*t. Wat. What the f*ck ws all that sh*t Snoke was talking then? About being older than the Sith and talking all that good sh*t? How could Snoke have trained anyone in anything if he was a f*cking puppet the whole time??

Smash cut to Finn yelling about some sh*t. F*ck, they murdered the agency in this character, man. Former Stormtrooper, abandoning his space Nazi rhetoric to became a freedom fighter, who is possibly force sensitive? And he’s one of the six black folks in a galaxy, far, far, away? Hell yeah! Two movies later, syke! Finn is a weenie that can’t do anything by suck Rey’s dick. Welcome to Kathleen Kennedy’s “Force is Female” agenda, boys! Take all of the agency and creativity for the male leads and give it to Rey because f*ck you!

And before you brand me some neckbeard chauvinist, i have no problem with all of the mary sueness that is Rey. There are ways, in-universe, to explain that. No, i am upset that all of that mary sueness came at the expense of literally every other main character in this goddamn trilogy! It’s dope Rey is so strong for no goddamn reason. whatever, f*ck you, but to sacrifice and semblance of an interesting supporting cast? Really? are you serious right now? How does that a good story, make? specially when there was so much fertile ground to develop at the end of Awakens.

Uncanny valley Carrie Fisher. They cut old footage of her into this flick because Rey needs a master. guess what? Se had one. Guess what? Mark Hamil is actually still alive! Why did you need Fisher when you could have just not killed Luke or had him actually train her in Last Jedi or not killed him off so he could be around to enrich Episode IX like everyone had signed up for? Instead, yall decide to Frankenstein old footage of Carrie Fisher into this flick in the most clumsy way possible.

How the f*ck is Carrie Fisher versed well enough in the force to teach Rey anything?? What does she even know?? She literally stopped 30 f*cking years ago! How are you a master of anything?

So, the exposition in this movie is absurd. Cats just sit round in a group and tell you the plot. Constantly. There is literally no time for this film to actually show you hings barbecue we gotta get this sh*t done, so they just TELL you EVERYTHING in a goddamn MOVIE!

This movie feels like the climax of a film, for 2nd a half hours. And not just any film because Endgame did that to wildly different results, but a bad film. Like, a Michael Bay film. It feels like the ass shots and explosions of the end to a Michel Bay film, but the entire movie. It has about the same amount of substance and urgency as f*cking The Rock or some sh*t, with all of the narrative strength to boot.

They keep referring to Anakin’s lightsaber as Luke’s, this entire trilogy, and it’s pissing me off. Luke’s saber was green because he was a Jedi Sentinel. He wanted to know the ways of the Force. That was his path to Mastery. Anakin’s was blue because he was a Jedi Guardian. He wanted to use the force to protect those around him since he had lost so much. That’s why he was so skilled at dueling. Luke’s lightsaber f*cking disappeared or some sh*t. It ws never addressed.

Bro, this teleporting sh*t. For real? The Force is basically telekinesis and telepathy. It’s not magic, my dude. What the f*ck is this teleporting bullsh*t all of a sudden? There is no precedence for this in Legends or canon. you can’t keep ex machina-ing sh*t, especially when the driving force of your narrative is a goddamn mcguffin chase!

Jetpack Stormtroopers that launch from the back of desert motorcycles. The entire sentence is some sh*t a fourteen year old try-hard would write in his fan fiction. It has no place in a proper Star War. Bad J.J. Bad.

Stormtroopers can hit the broad side of a barn yet, this one jetpack trooper not only blew up both of your getaway vehicles, but did it mid flight? For real? b*tch, how? Were THEY using the goddamn force??

Nope! Plot contrivance because they needed to get tuck in that specific quicksand, right specifically now!

Force Heal? Really? F*ck, whatever, man. Force Heal. Force Teleport. F*ck, I’m surprised there’s not Force Time Travel. Sh*t man, there might be. Palpatine is alive and he blew the f*ck up when his Death Star did!

Everything about C-3PO and this stupid Sith dagger mcguffin. Everything.

Oh, Poe. I thought they did Finn dirty bit you? Holy sh*t. Dude was a Spice runner? Really? Not even a hint to any of that before but now, because there’s no time to actually flesh out his character properly, you just drop that? When we first met, you were an ace pilot and hero for the Resistance. Rian Johnson got his claws into you with Kathleen Kennedy’s blessing, and you became a mutinous manbaby. Now, you’re an outright space coke runner. Character assassination at it’s finest, if you can call what they gave Poe a character to begin with.

First Order blockade mcguffin, i choose you! Thank you faceless character i just met that Poe has apparently known for decades or whatever, f*ck you!

More Force Teleport fighting!

Dyad in the Force, huh? okay. I thought Snoke did that to f*ck with Kylo in the last movie but whatever. I don’t care anymore. F*ck you.

So Rey finds out she’s a Palpatine and has an emotional crisis. For less than a minute because f*ck emotional levity or character growth, we gott get this sh*t done!

So you introduce an entire platoon of Stormtrooper deserters, give Finn a non-Jedi love interest, and just gloss over all of that with a single conversation of exposition? Really? That could have been a really great part of his person journey but NOPE! F*CK YOU!!

Leia dies for no apparent reason. apparently, when you use your Force powers after a long time, you just croak? Okey-dokey.

Kylo Ren outright dominates Rey until he feels his mom die and Rey take an opportunity to sucker stab him in the gut. AND THEN she feels Leia die. Really? Why do you never see the force when you’re supposed to? Your f*cking master just just croaked and it visibly traumatized her sun and your first instinct is to f*king murder him? for real, b*tch?

Han Solo ghost. Apparently, that n*gga was a secret Jedi or some sh*t. I dunno. F*ck you.

So Rey heals Kylo, steals his ship, and flies off to Luke’s hermit world just to throw a goddamn tantrum until Luke’s Force Ghost shows up and tell her to calm her tits. He physically interacts with her. He raises his old X-Wing so she can fly to Pappy Palpatine’s Ice Shack.  WHY HAS HE NOT BEEN HELPING TO TRAIN HER THIS ENTIRE F*CKING TIME???

Speaking of that X-Wing, how the f*ck can it even fly?? It’s literally been underwater for at least two decades.

Also, Luke had a Jedi wayfinder? n*gga, how? Rey destroyed the one she got off the Death Star II corpse. Where the f*ck did this other one come from??

Pappy Palpatine has spent the last two or three decades creating a fleet of Star Destroyers with Death Star cannons connected to them and, in that time, he couldn’t clone himself a proper body? Are you serious?? I feel like resources probably should ave been devoted to that first. Motherf*cker has jars upon jars of Snokes but you expect me to believe that they couldn't create one, legitimate, clone? Are you serous? These motherf*ckers hollowed out an entire planet and put a gun in it that use suns as bullets, but you can’t clone a decent body to put yourself in? For real?

Speaking of these Death Star Destroyers, why do they still have the same goddamn weakness of the Death Star I?? Bro, you had sixty f*cking years to fix this ONE goddamn problem and Nope! Blow up the gun, blow up the ship! My guy, two Death Stars and a Starkiller Planet but you ain’t fix this one flaw??

Okay. Okay... Palpatine’s grand plan, aside for try-trying-tryinging-tryinginging the world gun plan again, is to have Rey kill him so his Force Ghost can Force Possess her body. What is she just walks away? What is he just says no? This is a bad plan, man.

Oh! i forgot. Hux was the spy. Because he outright says it, audibly, in the middle of a First Order starship, which is notorious for having all sorts of monitoring system like cameras and microphones, right before he’s murdered for being the spy! Bruh.

Ben Solo shows up, redeemed for some reason, and promptly gets his ass handed to him by the Knights of Ren. Until Rey Force Teleports his grandad’s light saber to him, at which point his entire style changes and he slaughters his bros. MAGIC!!

We Force Draining life  to regrow my zombie body out’chea, manq!

After Rey properly Mace Windu’s Pappy Palpatine into oblivion, she dies for no apparent reason. WHY??

Wasn’t this EXACTLY what Pappy wanted? he WANTED her to kill him so he could haunt her titties or some sh*t? You did exactly the plan, man! Why didn’t it work?? PLOT CONTRIVANCE, THAT’S WHY!

F*cking Reylo, dude. F*cking Reylo...

Ben dies at the end. For no goddamn reason. And fades away to Jedi Ghost immortality. Proper Skywalker boss sh*t!

I hope he Forced Knocked Up Rey. Gotta keep that line alive and Ben was caressing her tum-tum real passionately.

Why the f*ck would she just move into Luke’s house on Tatooine? That place is the worst! it’s got terrible history with all of the Skywalkers, including Anakin! That’s just bad juju right there.

Where the f*ck did Rey get that Yellow Kaiburr crystal from?

“I’m Rey. Rey Skywalker.”

You had forty, real life years, worth of material to pull from and seven years to come up with a way to stick this landing and you sh*t the bed this hard? Really? Nothing is earned. Nothing is deserved. It’s all just a sticky wet fart.

The Verdict

Admittedly, those are issues i had as a fan. I would put on my movie critic hat and properly critique why, functionally, this is a bad film but i am too tired to do that now. Look, man, this thing has potential. There are so many plot threads that could have gone somewhere but Rise is not about that life. They’re here to do everything in their power to retcon everything Last Jedi and Kathleen Kennedy allowed to happen therein. And they do that well enough but at the expense of their own goddamn narrative. This was course correction that should have been two, entire, separate, films. So much good sh*t could have been gleaned from this narrative if it was two proper movies but corporate was like nah, bruh. Get this sh*t done. We’ll stop making these things for two years and people will forget. Nope.

You can’t forget this sh*t. I can’t forget this clusterf*ck i just wasted my life watching. And it didn’t have to be! That’s what kills me! There is more than enough in this film to redeem the franchise. If this specific story was broken up; If these plot points and characters were given enough room to breathe, sh*t could have worked! Ther eis so much fertile ground here to craft a dope story for fans, old and new but NOPE! F*ck that! Cowabunga it is! We’re going to cram all of that sh*t into one movie and f*ck you! We’re going to spend half the narrative erasing The Last Jedi instead of progressing this plot because f*ck you! We’re going to bring back someone who had to be unspoken, impossibly, resurrected to win back the fans because f*ck you! Give them some goddamn Reylo because f*ck You! That’ll shut you the f*ck up! F*ck this movie, man. This sh*t could have been special but you let an ego driven, misandrist ruin forty years of canon for the clout.

Watching this goddamn movie made me piss blood, man, that’s how much it hurt.

[asktheadeptus]

Adeptus Arbites - History and Laws

The Adeptus Arbites is the Imperial Adepta that serves as the galactic police force of the Imperium of Man, responsible for enforcing Imperial Law (the Lex Imperialis) on all Imperial-controlled worlds. They have been granted the right by the High Lords of Terra to serve as judge, jury and executioner to any Imperial citizen they discover having broken Imperial law and the concept of due process is not one that generally applies in the Imperium. However, in those cases where Imperial law is unclear or the law breaker has committed a truly heinous deed or is of unusually high-ranking stature, the offended will be taken back to an Arbites Precinct House for judgement by an Arbites Judge, the sentence to be carried out immediately. Imperial justice is swift and sure, but not always just.

Only through constant watch and the execution of brutal law can the Imperium survive, and it is the Adeptus Arbites who carry out this function. While the armies of the Imperial Guard struggle to hold back the aggression of alien empires and protect the worlds of Mankind from without, the Adeptus Arbites roots out rebels, recidivists, and threats to the stability of the Imperium from within. They operate as they best see fit, using their greater training and weaponry to tackle foes that might be beyond the scope of local Enforcers, or in many cases to deal with a planetary government which has itself become corrupted. Remorseless and single-minded, Arbitrators do not forgive or forget any crime, and pursue their quarry relentlessly until the Emperor’s Justice has been served.

The laws of the Imperium of Man are a complex web of tradition, obligation, and local custom. Thus, they can vary from world to world or sector to sector, with each Planetary Governor, local prefect, or headman pronouncing his own laws. Arbitrators care little for such trivialities, and enforce the serious crimes against the Imperium while leaving such petty matters to local officials. Murder or theft, for example, are considered inconsequential unless they affect the Imperium directly, are perpetrated against Imperial officials, or somehow fundamentally threaten a world’s security or safety.

Arbitrators have little pity or compassion for the transgressions of Imperial citizens. Years of dealing with the scum of the galaxy has made many of them cynical and bitter. Others have become religious zealots, seeing the Emperor’s divine hand in the letter of the law and only death is deserved for those who would break it. A few might maintain idealistic notions for bringing order to the Imperium, but the realities of endless, sometimes horrific crimes constantly erode such notions. The arrival of an Arbitrator patrol is seldom welcome, given the brutal way in which they operate during their investigations, arrests, and executions, even though it might mean an end to vicious criminal enterprises or corrupt Imperial or planetary officials.

Arbitrators must deal with ineffectual or corrupt local government agencies. These are often an Arbitrator’s greatest foes as he must clean up a local situation, taking over the Enforcers of a hive city, orbital station, or even entire planet to purge it of crime and corruption in a series of bloody and unforgiving sweeps.

On Imperial worlds the Adeptus Arbites are the last, most absolute law, answering only to their commanders and the Judges of star systems and entire sectors, and not to local authorities. It is a thankless task, for the anonymous, helmeted Arbitrator usually only receives fear and hatred for his actions. The members of the Adeptus Arbites are the final bulwark against heretical uprisings and other major threats. Their precinct-fortress is the often last bastion of Imperial rule during revolutions or invasions, holding out to the very end whilst alerting outside Imperial agencies and Adepta of the dire situation. Each member knows that should they fall, so follows the planet. To merely survive in such a hostile environment, Arbitrators must show no hesitation, regret, or compassion for those they protect, and they must consider every citizen guilty until they are proven innocent.

The Adeptus Arbites face a monumental task to enforce the law across countless Imperial worlds. Those that take the oaths, don the Carapace Armour, and take Shock Maul in hand are often obsessive and pitiless individuals, who see the law as an extension of the Emperor’s will upon His subjects, and its enforcement their sacred duty. Whether they are skilled in combat or possessed of a keen mind, an Arbitrator knows he faces an implacable and remorseless foe, one which he must counter with all the talents at his command. To be part of this Adepta is to be apart from their surroundings, for after training in the Schola Progenium, Arbitrators are never assigned to the world of their birth. They are beyond local authorities, serving none but higher Imperial law. Once a man puts on the distinctive dark armour of an Arbitrator he stops being merely a man, and is now a representative of the greater Imperium upon a world, there to ensure planetary compliance with Imperial law.

Arbitrators are always active with investigation and enforcement, for crime never sleeps. The surrounding populace overwhelmingly outnumbers them, so it is essential to detect and crush crime before it grows too strong. On many worlds, they bring massive firepower to bear at the slightest hint of resistance, often reacting to crimes before they occur, and preemptively arresting citizens who are "at risk" of becoming criminals. Skilled Arbitrators are masters of urban conflict and crowd control, with a natural understanding of Imperial societies and the nature of places such as the packed hab-blocks of an overpopulated Hive World or the savage villages of a Feral World, each requiring their own special tactics to police.

Arbitrators often tap local Vox-networks, develop networks of spies and informants, and even infiltrate any suspect organisations to snare the lawless in surgical strikes where their superior weaponry and training can prevail over larger forces. Such investigations require long hours of dedicated detective work, patience, and cunning to root out violations of Imperial law against the myriad other offences against lesser authorities. Their lives are often at risk, and not just from their criminal quarry. During the course of an investigation all manner of things might come to light, including the secrets of powerful individuals. In these cases an Arbitrator can face more danger from supposedly loyal allies than the scum he is pursuing.

History

Throughout the millions of worlds of the Imperium, crime is rife. Not just the petty crimes of individuals for personal gain, but organised crime on a scale never even considered in humanity's past. Entire sub-sectors and planets have been in the thrall of illegal cartels and criminal organisations. There are even wayward Planetary Governors who shun the Imperium and treat the dominion as their own paltry fiefdom, claiming the planet's natural resources, labor and riches for their own. In these dire situations it falls to the Adeptus Arbites to defend the Imperium's rights and prevent whole sub-sectors going rogue for generations, or even permanently. The Adeptus Arbites is not a galactic police force; it has little interest in petty crimes such as theft, murder or tax evasion, for these fall under the responsibility of the local planetary forces. The Adeptus Arbites is there to keep order on a far greater scale, to root out corruption, maintain the Imperial tithe and to guard against witchery.

From the Adeptus Arbites come the fearsome Arbitrators. Also sometimes incorrectly known as Judges amongst the general populace of the Imperium (this term actually refers to a specific Arbites rank), these men and women are stoic in their duty and unquestionably loyal to the Imperium. Inquisitors often go to the Adeptus Arbites when in need of a trustworthy Acolyte who is trained to think on their feet, combat-hardened and beyond reproach in their faith. Arbitrators are infamous for their prodigious stamina and zeal, and their ability to survive all manner of wounds and punishment in the quest to catch their quarry. Arbitrators are resolute and fearless. They demand utter obedience from the citizens they come into contact with. Where civil unrest and crime threaten the stability of a world, the Arbitrators are in the field: unflinching, ordering the local enforcers, and hunting down the rabble-rousers to restore law and order.

The Judges' methods are varied, not unlike the way Inquisitors go about their work. The means used can be different depending on their mentors, what Schola Progenium the individual attended and other such factors. However, unlike Inquisitors who have their own private agendas, all members of the Adeptus Arbites have the same goal and responsibility -- to uphold the Emperor's justice. Some Arbitrators openly investigate and make no secret who their quarry is, even if he is of noble birth or high rank. This can often lead to overt hostility between the Judge and his subject, although there is no question who off-world forces of the Imperium would side with should they be requested to attend. This is by no means the only mode of investigation; other officers of the Adeptus Arbites are quite methodical in their approach, meticulously sourcing evidence and questioning contacts and witnesses.

The relationship between the Inquisition and the Adeptus Arbites is often one of the more cordial within the Adeptus Terra. Arbitrators often see working with Inquisitors as a way of further enforcing justice. However, such arrangements have not always worked so well. It has been known for Judges to turn on the Inquisitors they have been seconded to serve if they perceive the Inquisitor to have broken sacrosanct Imperial laws. This means Inquisitors of the more Radical factions must be wary when recruiting members of the Adeptus Arbites to become their Acolytes.

Notable Arbites Actions

Pavonis (Unknown Date.M41) - During the workers' riots on Pavonis, the entire Adeptus Arbites force stationed at the Planetary Governor's palace was destroyed (save one who had been tasked by Inquisitor Ario Barzano with the personal protection of the governor), but only after holding out for several hours and fighting a rearguard action in the secret palace tunnels. They succeeded in destroying Pavonis' largest weaponry and munitions cache, denying its supplies to the traitorous planetary defense force legions.

Ichar IV (ca.992.M41) - During the beginning of Hive Fleet Kraken's approach, rioting began to consume planets near the southeastern fringe of the Imperium. Inquisitor Agmar investigated these strange riots for signs of treasonous thoughts or heretical influence. On Ichar IV, a religious fundamentalist group called the Brotherhood was the cause of the rioting. Although they preached a faith like that of the Imperial Cult, they refused to obey Imperial commands or pay their tithe. Soon after this act of defiance they started instigating riots among the masses. While trying to break up one such riot, the Arbitrators of the planet were quickly surrounded by what seemed to be mobs organized from the complete population of the planet. When the local Planetary Defence Force Regiment was called to help, it was quickly made apparent that they, too, had sided with the rebel mobs. After the assassination of the Planetary Governor, the Brotherhood established itself as the sole controlling force on Ichar IV. Inquisitor Agmar arrived on Ichar a few weeks after the outbreak of rebellion and on the same day that the Arbites precinct fortress in the capital, Lomas, was finally overrun. The Arbitrators were not defeated and most of their number escaped along a secret tunnel and captured the city's four main power generators. Inquisitor Agmar led assaults on the capital, but he was unable to rescue the Arbitrators who were overrun just six days after his arrival. With their final act, they destroyed the city's power generators. Because of the destruction of the city's power grid, the Ultramarines (who arrived just 39 days later) were able to retake the planet. It was later revealed that the Brotherhood was controlled by Genestealers.

Role

While every advanced Imperial planet has its own local planetary police forces colloquially known as Enforcers and its own local laws, the Arbites are responsible for enforcing the broader laws of the Imperium, the Lex Imperia, ensuring Imperial Planetary Governors do not plot against Imperial rule, and that all Imperial laws and decrees are followed. The enforcement of a planet's local laws is not the concern of the Adeptus Arbites. These are left to the local law enforcement agencies. The Adeptus Arbites also serves to keep Planetary Governors in check; if an Imperial governor decides to skip his tithes for a year or ignore requests for troops from an embattled neighbour or the Administratum itself, one glance at the armoured fortress-precinct house of the Adeptus Arbites is usually more than enough to make him reconsider.

Duties and Powers

Although the Adepta's headquarters is the Hall of Judgement on Terra, the Arbitrators are stationed on almost every advanced Imperial world in fortified fortress-precincts. Arbitrators are recruited from the Adeptus Ministorum's Schola Progenium facilities (the Ecclesiarchy's schools for the orphans of Imperial servants who have given their lives in the Emperor's service) across the Imperium.

In the event of a planet-wide collapse of Imperial control, the Arbites can decree martial law and take control until a suitable command can be established, generally under an Imperial Guard force. Even in circumstances that are not as extreme, Arbitrators have legal power over most of the people in the Imperium. They are authorized to arrest, interrogate, and execute Planetary, Sub-Sector, or even Sector Governors should the occasion warrant it, and can do the same to officers of the Imperial Guard and the Imperial Navy (although custom dictates that they must seek permission from the Commissariat, the organisation responsible for military law in the Imperial Guard). Only the very highest-ranking individuals and Imperial institutions are above the dictates of Imperial Law (the Imperial Inquisition, the Adeptus Astartes, the Navis Nobilite, etc), something that reflects powerfully on the mutual awe and terror in which the Arbitrators are held across the galaxy.

Commanded by the Grand Provost Marshal of the Adeptus Arbites, who is one of the High Lords of Terra, the Arbites maintains an uncompromising attitude towards crime and hands out harsh sentences for violations, including summary execution, helping to make its officers in their dreaded black uniforms into symbols of fear across the Imperium. The Arbites is, for all intents and purposes, the practical militant arm of the Adeptus Terra. It presents a united legal front across the galaxy - it is concerned only with citizens following Imperial Law, and remains separate from enforcing local (planetary) laws. Arbitrators go to great lengths to remain aloof and separate from the populations they police, often only appearing to patrol and drag some poor unfortunate back to their terrifying fortress-precincts.

Precinct Fortresses

The Arbitrators operate out of massive Precinct Fortresses, located within capital cities in close proximity to the Planetary Governor of major Imperial worlds. Sprawling hive cities may also have their own Courthouse Precinct to aid in large scale monitoring. Remote planets of little importance may have just a single fortified Precinct House for the single Arbitrator stationed there. Whatever their number on a world, or relative size and importance, every Precinct Fortress is broadly similar. They are severe, utilitarian buildings with black armoured walls as thick as a military bunker. Their towering shapes exude an air of menace, frowning down on the other buildings nearby and the citizens who hurry fearfully past. Though each Precinct varies based on the needs of the world it is built on, many include the same basic elements: billets for the Arbitrators, an extensive armoury to ensure they are well-equipped for the job at hand, secure cells in which to detain suspects ready for questioning or trial, and a court of judgement where guilt and punishment is determined.

These resources can vary greatly, as a Precinct with only a single Arbitrator may have limited ability to hold the guilty until the time of their punishment, and summary execution may be the Arbitrator's only viable course of action. Monitoring arrays allow the users to listen in on local communications and heavy caliber automated weapon turrets track passing vehicles. Larger precincts may contain additional facilities at the discretion of the High Marshal or Judge such as specialized interrogation rooms fitted out with all manner of devices for extracting information from those who find themselves strapped to the table, medicae centers containing automated equipment and Surgeon-Servitors to treat the wounds of injured agents, and Astropathica shrines where pleas for aid can be transmitted to other planets and incoming messages painstakingly decoded.

Planetary Governors often resent the Imperial oversight represented by the Precinct Fortresses on their world. However, in the event of widespread civil unrest and rebellion, they can provide sanctuary from the raging mobs and form the base from which the uprising will be crushed. In the case of a hostile invasion, the Arbites may well be the only ones with the means to send for Imperial reinforcements, and their armoured fortresses often become a rallying point and central hub of the resistance. Assistance rarely arrives quickly enough to save the population, but behind their thick walls and heavy doors, it is the Arbitrators' duty to hold out for as long as possible, until the last scrap of food is gone and the last round of ammunition has been fired.

Imperial Law

Unlike the members of the Inquisition, the Arbitrators (also sometimes called Arbiters) of the Adeptus Arbites are unable to freely judge or sentence other Imperial citizens at-will. The only mandate an Arbitrator is sworn to uphold and enforce to the letter, is formally known as the Dictates Imperialis, the laws of the Imperium as set by the Adeptus Terra; local laws are not the Arbitrators' concern, nor do they fall under their jurisdiction, and those are left to be enforced by local law enforcement agencies. Likewise, they owe no allegiance to any local Imperial Commander or Planetary Governor and are themselves above any local law. The Lex Imperialis is a collection of laws, rules, precedents, and other legal protocols collected from the decrees of the Emperor of Mankind in ancient times and the High Lords of Terra over the last ten millennia. An Arbitrator could spend decades researching and studying the law for one case. The Imperial law that the Arbites enforce is thousands of Terran years old and, in some cases, is potentially irrational and oppressive. It could be as much a crime to be kidnapped under certain circumstances as it is to kidnap an individual. Any crime which concerns the Arbites is already severe, and the usual punishment is death, either through immediate execution or the delayed death sentence of conscription into a Penal Legion of the Imperial Guard. The common Imperial citizen has no legal right to a trial beyond the judgment of an Arbitrator once the Arbites are called in to deal with a crime. Other punishments include public lashings, death by burning in the case of certain heresies. With the permission of the Ecclesiarchy, for crimes of heresy or crimes conducted by an Adeptus Ministorum priest who has abused his office, the sentence is usually that of Arco-flagellation.

The Lex Imperialis and the Book of Judgement

The Lex Imperialis, the code of Imperial law, is written down in the Book of Judgement kept by the Adeptus Arbites. The Book of Judgement has been painstakingly collected, annotated and collated over millennia and embodies every decree ever passed by the Emperor Himself or the High Lords of Terra. In fact, the Book of Judgement has long-since grown beyond the confines of a single tome, no matter how large, and comprises countless records, books, and legal decrees. The most ancient articles are written on crumbling parchments, inscribed in unknown human tongues by the nameless functionaries of a forgotten age. However, every day new volumes of parchment, data-records, and encoded holoscript are added to the Book of Judgement, and interred within the reinforced confines of the Hall of Judgement on Terra. Shelves of tomes rise hundreds of meters towards the vaulted ceilings above canyons of marble and iron. Over the ages, the Hall has been expanded and extended many times, so that it is now an entire complex covering many acres, with miles of corridors, levels, and rooms. Scholars, scribes, and law lords pace the time-worn marble floors, while above their heads, on the narrow gantries and ladders that cover the shelf stacks like a spider's web, crawl legal assistants and low-ranking functionaries, searching through the detritus of judgement for weeks and months at a time to find just a single reference.

Sectors ruled by the Imperium follow the precepts of the Lex Imperialis and the Book of Judgement. Over the centuries, of course, the interpretation of the Lex Imperialis by various Sector Lords and Judges became more and more bloated and unwieldy from numerous additions, amendments, exceptions, and clauses, the result of interpreting Imperial law to the needs of specific locales. There exists a veritable army of thousands of clerks, litigants, and barristers toiling away on a sector's capital world just to interpret its ever evolving decrees and dicta. Indeed, the most astute Rogue Traders, trade houses, and merchant interests keep their own teams of legal scholars in their employ, both to keep them abreast of the current state of law in a given sector where they do business as well as to give them protection and guidance should they become embroiled in legal proceedings. Rogue Traders often send one of their cargo vessels to a sector's capital world once a decade to obtain the most up-to-date records of the Lex Imperialis as interpreted by that sector's law.

Every Adeptus Arbites Judge, at some point in his career, attempts a pilgrimage to the Hall of Judgement on Terra, there to study the full intricacies of Imperial law. Many spend long years there, for the most heinous, subtle, or far-reaching crimes often require a lengthy process of research to pass judgement. While the Dictates Imperialis are extensive, the huge volume of prior cases and sometimes contradictory rulings can make it difficult to determine the correct decision. In especially complex cases, it may take centuries to reach an outcome -- a Judge may spend his entire life deliberating, scrutinizing, and trying to fathom out the issues, only to pass his work on, unfinished, for others to continue. Millennia later, though the accused are long dead, a ruling is finally made and justice must be meted out upon the distant descendants and those obscurely associated with the original transgressor.

The Lex Imperialis and the Calixis Sector

The codified Lex Imperialis is a labyrinth of laws and ordinances that govern the Imperium's scattered worlds. Imperial law is, for the most part, brutal and unyielding, yet understanding every nuance of its breadth and scope is an impossible task. In addition, the Lex Imperialis can be interpreted with a myriad of minute differences across the galaxy, which are as many as the innumerable different human cultures that comprise the Imperium itself. More importantly, the Lex Imperialis does not deal with the laws of specific planets. Instead, it deals with the rule of the Imperium: in other words, the Imperial Tithe and the legal workings of the Imperium as a whole, the law codes that bind the human-settled galaxy together within a single, if feudal, interstellar government.

Within the Calixis Sector, the Adeptus Arbites and other Imperial agents tend towards a fairly "average" interpretation of the Lex Imperialis, if such an interpretation can be said to exist. Of course, even then each Judge and Arbitrator has their own interpretation of the finer points of Imperial law, and each one's view of the Lex Imperialis is different.

The Corpus Presidium Calixis

While the mighty Dictates Imperialis contains the writ of the Emperor's holy word, the rulings of the High Lords of Terra, and the enumerable precedents and judgements of the great and the just among the Adeptus Arbites themselves, it is not the whole of the law. Indeed, it is far from it. The Corpus Presidium Calixis is the name given to the collected laws, enshrined rights, and traditions of the Calixis Sector itself. It holds sway over the lives of billions, forming the bedrock of the Lord Sector’s rule. Much of it is a reiteration (or interpretation) of the tenets of the holy Dictates Imperialis and other strictures laid down in the ordinances of the Segmentum Obscurus of which Calixis is a part. However, a great part of the Dictates is individual and unique to the Calixis Sector.

Of this latter portion, much was writ during the Angevin Crusade and its aftermath, either by Lord-Militant Golgenna Angevin himself, his advisors, and most importantly, by the hand of Saint Drusus. These documents do much to enshrine the rule of law in the sector and establish the power and strength of the nobility, the rights of the great houses and the laws of dynastic succession, and to lay down the strictures in which the Combine Commercia, the corporations and commercial houses of the sector, operate. These ancient laws, given under a Warmaster’s authority and ratified by an Imperial Saint, have a provenance and weight that is difficult to overturn or ignore. Even the Adepta and the Ordos Calixis of the Inquisition must consider their import carefully before acting against them.

Investigations

In special cases, Arbitrators may be granted a considerable degree of independence and latitude in pursuing transgressors of the law. This may take them away from their regular duties for extended periods and even necessitate travel off-planet, if that is where the trail leads. It is hardly surprising then, if their inquiries bring them to the notice of an Inquisitor, who may request their ongoing services as an Acolyte. This is usually a harmonious relationship, as both are implacable servants of the Imperium and are dedicated to rooting out those that would see it fall, and many Inquisitors count Arbitrators among their most trusted servants. Of course, Inquisitors are invested with completely discretionary powers to determine a course of action and punishment, in stark contrast to the iron dictates of the law that the Arbitrators must follow.

Any bending of the rules or leniency granted to wrongdoers by the Inquisition in return for information and favors may well cause friction. As such, members of the Adeptus Arbites are better suited as the Acolytes of PuritanInquisitors. It is not unheard of for Arbitrator Acolytes to turn upon Radical Inquisitors if they perceive an unforgivable law has been broken. The sponsorship of an Inquisitor can provide a considerable boost to the career of an Arbitrator. The word of a senior member of the Ordos goes a long way to improving the chances of an Arbitrator in being elevated to the high rank of Judge. Of course, the Inquisitor will then expect the Judge to serve him as well as the Arbites, gaining by extension the Judge's sweeping power and Imperial authority at a level few other Inquisitorial agents possess. In fact, given a Judge's great standing and responsibility, his relationship with an Inquisitor is often something close to an equal partnership. Facing such a combination, the enemies of the Imperium will surely fall.

Law in Dispute

The Adeptus Arbites are the chief enforcers of the Emperor's law. On the countless worlds of the Imperium, it is the steel gauntlet of the Arbites that ensures the inviolable law of the Emperor is followed. It is the Arbitrators who stand ready to enforce the law of the Imperium over the regulations and concerns of planetary rulers, and it is the Arbitrators who are the first line of defense against rebellion and anarchy. They are the rigid, unbreakable order of the Imperium personified. Yet just as rust can creep into the cracks of the toughest armour, so discord can fester in these protectors of Imperial rule. The written law of the great Book of Judgement, or the Dictates Imperialis as it is more properly known, is unforgiving, but neither is it simple nor brief. The law of the Imperium is vast and considered divine, yet it is not so great in size that it covers every eventuality. In such cases where the law fails to give clear guidance, a case must be judged in line with any precedence set by previous judgements. Between the vagaries of interpretation and the weight of precedence fall many disputes and contradictions, some of which even an Arbites Judge cannot reconcile. Thus, an unbending approach to the Emperor's law can lend authority to the indiscriminate killer as easy as it can the guardian of order, and a judgement once made can create licence for all manner of actions normally beyond consideration until a greater judgement contradicts it.

Quality of Judgement

The Judges of the Adeptus Arbites are mighty lords, clad in the raiment and traditions of a long past age. They wield the absolute and unforgiving law of the Imperium with brutal and unyielding exaction, for it is given to them to stand guard against the treachery of those beneath them and the excesses and ambitions of those in power. Not least of all this includes the Lords Commander and their agents who directly govern the Imperium's many worlds. Each judge may command his own armed forces of Arbitrators and may call upon the other resources of the Imperium if he requires it. Trusting no one and nothing but the letter of the law, they are able to hold almost all within the Imperium to account. The power of the senior Judges and High Marshals of the Adeptus Arbites is almost equal to that of the Inquisition -- except they are bound entirely by the hierarchy of the Imperium and cannot step beyond the measure of the Dictates Imperialis.

Given such power and responsibility, it is possible for the judgement of these men and women to stray and for them to find themselves following a path of conflict with other agencies of the Imperium. So it is that instances of heresy and strife relating to the Adeptus Arbites most often have their root in the Judges. While they may be inflexible in the execution of their duties, and unflinching in their authority, there are some threats against which neither the word of the law nor strength of arms offer any defense.

Crime of Abstraction

Although extremely rare, abstractionism is considered by some to be the oldest sin those empowered to enforce Imperial law may commit. For all of the wisdom accumulated by venerable Judges, the shadow of abstraction clings to their office like a leech. Abstractionism is a term applied to a condition of criminal deviancy in Arbitrators who come to see the letter of the law inadequate to the task of executing their duties in an expedient manner. Instead, they come to rely on summary judgement over evidence and due process. The worst stray into vigilantism, meting out punishment and death for perceived or even potential crimes rather than real ones. This creed is considered a vile heresy, a breaking of the Arbites oath, and a crime punishable by death if discovered.

Of course those who fall into this heresy feel they are on the side of the righteous and that their own sense of the law and moral imperative are a guide to truth and judgement in an uncaring universe. In the worst of cases, such as the long-suppressed Cerpicia Precinct incident on the world of Hredrin, unauthorized and unmarked Arbites Kill-teams were sent to execute criminals at the behest of an illegal "star chamber" of judgement. Venerable Marshals used their subordinates to assassinate members of other Imperial agencies who they felt "must" be Heretics. In such rare and dangerous cases, the slide from persecuting the enemies of the Imperium to becoming one can be a swift journey indeed. Tragically, it is often the most intelligent, faithful, and dedicated among the Judges and Marshals that fall to the sin of abstractionism in their desire to do the Emperor's work. They doom themselves to a Traitor's death if they are discovered by their fellow Arbitrators, and worse should the Ordo Hereticus claim them.

Disputes of Jurisdiction

Conflicts between the Adeptus Arbites and other Imperial agencies most commonly occur as disputes over which has authority to enforce Imperial law and which law applies in a given case. Many Judges see the letter of Imperial law as not only absolutely unbending but without boundaries or limits. Zealous Arbitrators have been known to seize and execute agents of the Ministorum for executing Heretics without recourse to the law, or bullishly intervene on the discovery of some cult or secret agency only to later discover that they have jeopardized a covert Inquisitorial investigation. To some foolish or fanatic Judges, such distinctions as the sanctity of a Navigator's ancient privileges or an Imperial noble's rights and title are subservient to the requirements of the law. To them, the greater weight of the law outweighs other considerations in any and all cases.

Most often such activities are reined in by the Arbitrator's high command before conflict can turn to violence or even open warfare. On rare occasions, a senior Marshal or Judge (knowing full well the risks of doing so), might start a secret investigation against an agency whose immunity from the law he cannot accept. Whether he is right or wrong in his suspicions, bloodshed is the often inevitable result.

Enforcer Cadres

Many worlds have their own cadres of Enforcers, local law enforcement agencies provided by the Imperial Commander to enforce their will and the common law of their world. Unlike the mighty Arbitrators, most Enforcers hold little loyalty to the law itself or to the tradition of service (although there are notable exceptions to this). Instead they function as the iron hand of the Planetary Governor's rule at best, and are at worst little more than hired thugs with some degree of official sanction -- loyal only to their paymaster and eminently venial and corruptible.

Within the Calixis Sector, the role and nature of Enforcer cadres vary widely. Perhaps the most well organised and numerous force is the Magistratum of Scintilla, a paramilitary force that serves as the direct agency of the office of the Lord Governor. The Magistratum numbers tens of thousands of armed men and women, nearly as well resourced as the Adeptus Arbites. At the other end of the scale, worlds such as Luggnum, whose communities are scattered across numerous mining camps and shanty towns, make do with Regulators and Rail Agents to maintain order and dispense rough justice. Many of these are little better than bandits and extortionists themselves.

Some worlds, either through culture or simple lack of technology, do without Enforcer cadres at all, the ruling classes and their private armies being in sole charge. Although this arrangement is most common on Feudal and Feral Worlds, it is not exclusive to them, and indeed Malfi, a sub-sector capital and a Hive World second only to Scintilla, is largely governed and civil order maintained by the armsmen of its Great Houses. Its small Enforcer cadres are little more than over-armed door wardens and palace guards. In most cases, the Adeptus Arbites and the Inquisition view Enforcer cadres with some suspicion, if not outright distrust, often with good reason.

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