#ChessMatch

[armageddon-generation]

Improving Ghostbusters: Frozen Empire (2024)

Frozen Empire has some neat ideas (Ancient ghostbusters, Phoebe & Melody, the Possessor, everything Dan Akroyd, Paul Rudd, James Acaster & Ernie Hudson do) but it’s bogged down by far too many characters and slavish fanservice. Afterlife was meant to pass the torch, but Frozen Empire is stuck replaying the greatest hits.

OPENING AND CHANGED VILLAIN

Instead of firefighters, we open on a 1900s team of ghost-hunters locking the villain Garraka away, led by Nadeem’s great-grandmother

Sealing Garraka away causes a huge explosion, and as we pull out of the burning building, we see a new ghost fly away. This is Melody, the ghost-girl, paralleling Egon’s ghost leaving his farmhouse in Afterlife's opening

Melody’s family were cultists who tried to summon big-bad Garraka. She’s the one who called the ghost-hunters to stop them, but was killed in the confrontation

Garraka tells Melody that her ‘unfinished business’ is summoning him to this dimension—the ritual she stopped her family completing. The only way she can be free is freeing him.

This establishes Melody’s distrust of ghost hunters, because they killed her

CUT CHARACTERS

Venkman and Janine don’t need to be here at all, they’re gone

Cut Podcast. Ray wistfully watches the opening car-chase  alone, out-of-the-loop. He seizes on the arrival of the Orb as his chance to get back in on the action. Podcast's absence also heightens Phoebe’s isolation

Cut Lucky. Her only real moment is defending Phoebe from Garraka, which itself was cut down from the trailers

THE AQUARIUM & COMMUNING WITH GHOSTS

‘Garraka wants to free the ghosts in the Firehouse’ is yet another reused plotpoint in a film full of them.

Instead the (much bigger) property damage in the opening chase loses the team the Firehouse completely, increasing Phoebe’s guilt and isolation

They’ve already been moving ghosts into Winston’s Aquarium lab, so go straight there

They’re testing new technology- think Ghostbusters (2016)’s ghost-chipper, proton-gloves, proton-grenades etc. Callie tests this stuff (bc she has nothing to do otherwise), bonding with Winston as the table uncle-figure she never had.

James Acaster's Dr. Lars is trying to communicate with the caged ghosts, to learn about the other side- he tries to interrogate one to no avail

The idea of someone volunteering to go on 'expeditions' as a ghost via the Spirit Extractor, like an abassador to the Afterlife, is brought up- both Phoebe and Ray are tempted

This makes Phoebe talking to Melody an incredible discovery- a sentient, talking ghost who apparently fully retains her humanity.

MELODY’S FAMILY

When Phoebe finds Melody in the diner, it’s because that's is where she was killed- where her family tried to summon Garraka.

Now the Orb is uncontained her family’s ghosts have become active again, and descend from the upper floors of the building to attack the diner.

Melody’s family are a Cluster Ghost- an amorphous blob of limbs and heads bonded by the sane traumatic cause of death, tripping over itself to get to her. This physical manifestation of her family trying to drag her down parallels Phoebe’s conflict about hers.

Phoebe now takes Melody on a tour of the Aquarium and they bond there, rather than the Firehouse

TREVOR

Finn Wolfhard's Trevor had fuck-all to do in this movie lmao

Replace his pointless sublpot with Slimer with him bonding with the Possessor ghost, which communicates through switching TV stations/radio channels.

The Possessor would probably need some kind of cute visual manifestation to sell this. Think Mogwai, Lilo and Stitch etc Slapstick antagonism turned genuine fun, games of catch etc

With Podcast gone, Trevor accompanies Phoebe and Ray to the library. When the Possessor tries to steal the chant recording he tries to reason with it- c'mon, man, I thought we were bonding, this isn’t you, Garraka’s controlling you, only to get absolutely dunked on

Ray’s research reveals that Garraka’s horns- the 'object' that allows its apparition to manifest- were hidden away separately from the orb

NADEEM'S GRANDMOTHER

To build on the theme of communicating with and humanizing ghosts, instead of pyrokenesis (which felt a little out of place) Kumail Nanjiani's Nadeem is literally possessed by his estranged grandmother.

The idea Nadeem was 'haunted' is already suggested, but by making it explicit we get the slapstick of her puppeteering his body and chewing him out for neglecting his family legacy- arguing with the same mouth etc

Swap Venkman questioning Nadeem with Callie, holding a comedic seance. This gives her a much-needed emotional beat bonding with him over their baggage with their ghost-hunting relatives (Egon vs Grandma). Callie expresses how it feels to reconnect with her dad's legacy, which Frozen Empire never gave us.

She then replaces Podcast helping Nadeem try to hone his powers- in this case, help him and his grandmother work together

GARRAKA THE GHOST-EMPEROR

Garraka can't manifest as a full apparition without its horns.

It's more like the Mind Flayer from Stranger Things, a hive-mind that works through other ghosts. When the ancient ghost-hunters banished Garraka to the Other Side it took over, and has ruled there ever since. This is the 'frozen empire' he's looking to expand

In this way ghosts are shifted from no longer strictly antagonistic, but victims of a cruel tyrant

 When Melody tricks Phoebe into freeing Garraka, it tries to take Phoebe's ghost as a vassal, but Melody volunteers herself to save her. Phoebe returns to her body just in time to see Melody be possessed.

Now Melody is more directly involved in the climax, giving the antagonist a complex, sympathetic face

Dr. Lars replaces Lucky trying to stop Garraka. It kills him to up the stakes

FINALE

Garraka takes Melody to the Diner, where she joins with her family’s Cluster, spreading its supernatural winter as it goes

Change the Death Chill so everyone Garraka chills has their spriti pulled out of them, to join it army of spectral drones. Everywhere it goes it's recruiting, getting stronger. If it finds its second horn it will be able to 'recruit' all of New York

Expand on the Possessor using the Ghostbusters’ own gear to fight them. It steals the Ecto-1 and all the old Proton packs

The new generation of Ghostbusters have to use the new tech they’ve been developing to defeat the old stuff.

Nadeem and his Grandmother finally call a truce and work together to play defence bending the proton streams. She grumbles about how bad this generation of ghost-hunters is

Trevor's bond with the Possessor causes it conflict when it tries to kill him- it fights itself, the equipment it's possessing self-destructing

From here it’s a race to stop Garraka collecting its horns. Garraka successfully finds the first, increasing the scale and power of the big freeze

In the final confrontation Phoebe lets Garraka pull her spirit from her body to loosen its hold on Melody. Melody lights her match: Her unfinished business wasn't to summon Garraka, it was to finish destroying him as she tried to when she died. Nadeem and his Grandmother incinerate the thing.

Again taking a good idea from Ghostbusters (2016), Phoebe is given the choice go to the Other Side with Melody, to finally discover and understand what happens next. Her family ask her to come back, hold on. Melody says that Phoebe should accept their love and support, as she was never loved or supported by her own family

Melody kisses Phoebe goodbye, because not following through on that (when we’ve seen ghosts make similar physical contact with people before) is taking the coward’s way out. They should've cast a minor!!

Nadeem's Grandmother gives her blessing to the ghost-hunters who inherited her family's responsibilities. Then she leaves his body and offers to guide Melody to the Other Side, apologizing for her death on her mother's behalf

We end with Podcast and Lucky finally arriving in New York for a summer internship with the Ghostbusters.

Dr. Lars has returned as a ghost to be an 'ambassador' to the Other Side (playing a ghost would really unleash James Acaster's weird and whacky side), and the Possessor is even working with them as a new team mascot.

Ray has settled into a role as the team's full-time researcher, rather than working in the field

[helicopterrrfunny]

If drawing characters sleepy and in their jammies was a job I’d be working overtime

[moonlightheretic]

“You have memories you’d aspire to forget…so do I.” He stated lowly as his hand hovered over the board. “The Veil I suppose.” I surmised as I selected my next move based on his. Solas plucked his Pawn from its dock at A6 and observed it, twisting the stippled token in his fingers. “It was a grand spectacle when the Evanuris played chess, they didn’t use marble carved pieces such as these. They used slaves armed with weapons.” I relented my gaze from the board to stare at him in growing unease, no longer able to concentrate as I listened to him continue.  “Swords for the King and Queen, lances for the Knights, daggers for the rest. There was so much blood one could no longer see the checked tile. Deleterious entertainment.” Solas set the piece down, his tone tempered with notes of repressed rage. "Is that how you became so skilled?" I murmured, thoughtlessly. "Who fought on your behalf?"  "You don't know what you suggest." He growled, his fist curling around the table. "Countless lives were lost, lives spent as if they meant nothing, no one fought on MY behalf. Do not equate me to them."  “And yet, when the mighty veil comes crashing down, you’ll free them. Those that are so evil. What happens if they escape your vague plans?” I chided, smug that I had something to wield against his supposed perfection. “They will never see the light of day.” Solas raised those churning eyes to my own.

The Heretic

[carlosalomoni]

Una bizzarra partita a scacchi..... A BIZARRE CHESS MATCH !2018 - Mixed media on board - 32 x 62 x 1 cm..... Da una parte il pane, dall'altra la fragola, nel mezzo tutti i sogni che facevo da bambino. ...... On one side the bread, on the other the strawberry, in the middle all the dreams I had as a child.Carlo Salomoni - Carlo Salomoni Art - ITALY - Shipping worldwide >> Artmajeur Gallery  << #salomonicarlo #carlosalomoni #chessgame #ChessMatch #bread #strawberry #Queen #carrots #StandardBearer #childhoodmemories #childhood #magical #fairytale #food

[z3r0pulse]

https://z3r0pulse.tumblr.com/

[roughentumble]

oh my god he literally gives rogue his dogtags. jesus christ

[marmidas]

Their chessmatches has become a much quieter affair. At least on the outside. 

[tumblingoutofme]

The Game of Love

What if he’s not meant for me?

What if I’m not the one for him?

I heard two wrongs make a right,

So baby, pull me in closer tonight.

Let’s fit in each other,

Like pieces of two different puzzles,

Forming an odd image together,

Yet somehow click.

I’m lying here like a

Chessmatch at a stalemate,

And it’s your turn, my love, to

Make your move, check

Mate me and

Finish me

Off.

Love’s a game,

That I like to play dirty,

My question to you baby is

Will you be my partner-in-crime?

[whityoungfan]

Rei in a Chessmatch vs Rei with her bestie:

(Man in Sheep is Akiro)

Also they're both 4'10

i can proudly say im taller than them

there’s never any character shorter than me istg 😢😢

[moonlightheretic]

The Heretic: Disciples of Lust, Lies and Power

Chapter 26

An excerpt read by our lovely Inquisitor, *Cough* I mean, Siri!

Solas and Moon'hwa are deadlocked in a chess battle, where the fate of the world hangs on a marbled pawn. One fights for information while the other's motive is a bit more mysterious. The Dread Wolf watches her every move, how much can she truly afford to lose, especially when she does not know what she is losing? Just who is playing who? A battle of wills, bodies, and hearts ensues and it boils over into a heartbreaking question, "Is this match meant to be won?"

for each victory, what is lost?

CW (please read) under the line---This is a Dark Solas fic. In fact, I wrote most characters in this fic as villains, even Moon'Hwa. There are no heroes here.

Gore, violence. blood, sex, copious amounts of chess. (sorry) Lore dump, body horror, self harm.

[deepseatime]

everyone else in the show is like wheeeeeee! skateboarding is so fun im having so much fun with you guys! and kiriko and tadashi are staring at each other doing some fucking internal monologue chessmatch battle of wits thing that barely makes sense

for those of you who are invested in the dynamic im making up between kiriko and tadashi i have decided that theyre basically like skateboarding death note. < sentence that makes sense i promise.

[uniquedesignsdigital]

[roundbyroundboxing]

@jamelherring says his fight against @oneof1x was a chess match ♟ Top Rank’s Herring hopes to unify, while Golden Boy’s Lamont Roach Jr. will be returning soon 🥊 Photo: @4mikeywilliams / Top Rank #Boxing #Boxeo #BoxingNews #RoundByRoundBoxing #GoldenBoy #JamelHerring #LamontRoachJr #RBRBoxing #Box #Fight #WBO #RoundByRoundBoxingPodcast #TagYourSquad #NoXcuse #ChessMatch #TopRank https://www.instagram.com/p/CO02Cuzr9qz/?igshid=1bagd1xxaufw

[littlestarprincess]

The oldest versions we have record of actually go against this, and it seems to be a more modern take on the myth that emerged with the monastic efforts of Christian missionaries.

According to this (let me know of the link doesnt lead to Candon Thomas 1954, im nlt good with tech), the absolute oldest version of the tale feature a Grainne who was unhappily but fully married and settled in with Fionn, while Diarmuid is his nephew who she forces to run away with her (since you're a fate blog, I will say EXACTLY like Solaui and Keyneth) and the further back we go, the more she's treated like a villainess, until we finally reach a version where Diarmuid successfully avoids sleeping with her and she is burned to death when the other fianna catch up and prove Diarmuid's innocence. In another old version, Diarmuid is killed before it's revealed that he didn't sleep with her and then mourned and avenged when his innocence is revealed. In yet another old variation, Grainne sleeps with an unnamed stranger because Diarmuid steadfastedly refuses her advances.

The current version of the myth -- with the five children who avenge their father and the chessmatches watched over by Aengus Og, etc -- seems to be popularized by a singular translation at a much later date. At a guess, I'd wager it's similar to how Yeats singlehandedly tied Irish culture to faeries in an attempt a creating a national identity, inadvertently erasing huge chunks of myth and culture (like the fianna themselves! They're just wandering around like historical motorcycle crews and most people don't know about them!) from public consciousness.

Frustratingly, but very much a good illustration of my point, Candon Thomas cites all of these versions where Diarmuid and Grainne have an antagonistic relationship and then does not touch on the implications at all.

And the discussion being side stepped is the idea that Diarmuid is essentially a victim of sexual assault, which is extraordinary to find in myth. And I think the reason it's not discussed is the same reason it's so rare to find in myth -- it's not manly. It seems weak. It goes against our idea of heroes.

But there is historical evidence that this version of the story is the origin point. Kind of like how Hades and Persephone got adopted by second wave feminism and romanticized into the narrative of the overbearing mother and free-spirited maiden, where Hades is an opportunity for Persephone to step into her own rather than a metaphor for her death.

But while this is a flat out bloodbath wrt to Hades and Persephone, it is not even remotely up for discussion when it comes to Diarmuid and Grainne. There are discussions about it when it comes to Iseult and Tristan or Lancelot and Guinevere -- two mythic frameworks that are supposedly heavily based on Diarmuid and Grainne -- but not when it's Diarmuid and Grainne.

Why? Is it gender? Irish nationalism? Christianity imposing it's view of right abd proper on a different culture?

I know that the idea of love potions / love spells / etc taking agency away from the characters in courtly romance style legends is a way of retaining their moral purity while allowing them to engage in adultery and betrayal and the like -- their love is outside of their control! They're still good people, they just can't help themselves!! -- but I legitimately can not fathom how little discussion I can find about that trope regarding Diarmuid and Grainne, because while Diarmuid's agency is completely revoked -- not only is he forced to be with Grainne, but he's punished for it by his liege and treated as an outlaw -- Grainne's is very pointedly not.

Some varieties even portray her "acceptance" of Finn's proposal as being because of his status (i.e. she's effectively treated as a gold-digger who, upon seeing Diarmuid, decides to throw her pursuit of status in the trash and force Diarmuid to run away with her by drugging his whole company and putting him under a geis. Not even like. . . a love spell or a potion or something to instill him with feeling, but literally just a magic command.) And there is probably more merit to this than there would be if the story were from the mainland -- there's a lot more Independent Women in irish mythic structures than in english or greek ones, for example.

The most charitable interpretation I've seen is that she was victim to his love spot, nursing feelings for him for a long time, betrothed against her will to someone too old for her who just so happened to bring her crush along, and her geis was only for Diarmuid to rescue her from Finn, but I still haven't actually seen reference to Diarmuid having feelings for her outside of her baiting him into bedding her many years into their life of crime.

[supportblackart]

@jamelshabazz 📸 The battle of the minds / The Bike Messenger vs The Stock Broker. NYC. #supportblackart #jamelshabazz #battleofthemind #photooftheday #chess #chessmatch #chessplayers #blackart #blackphotographer #documentaryphotography #photography #streetphotography #citylife #blackandwhitephotography #artiststofollow #nycstreetphotography #sightsinthecity #streetstyle #streetstylephotography https://www.instagram.com/p/ByENCyiBa2Q/?igshid=1frsvnm0g7rel

[dealfindr]

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