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atrwriting · 1 year

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chapter two -- the wolf and the dragon (aemond x you)

super original title right

captain 'barely proofreads' reporting for duty with another chapter

as always, warnings: no smut (sorry i know), violence, sexism, alcoholism

you fell into a routine soon after the arrangements were made: wake up, work your normal business hours, politely kick out all of your employees after closing duties were finished, and retreat to your apartment so the targaryen brothers could do what they pleased with your business downstairs. it proved rather difficult to ignore the louder screams, but from a peak out of your bedroom window you realized men were never carrying a body over their shoulder. you considered that a win. busted and bruised men walked away from your building, aegon and aemond usually left after a drink or two, and while you probably should’ve felt wary… you didn’t. you would breathe a sigh of relief at every sight.

there were times where you would venture out from your bedroom late at night in search of the comfort that the sting of jose cuervo down your throat provided you when you couldn’t sleep. you tried not to, as you were a firm believer in curiosity killed the cat, but some nights proved more difficult than others.

“my brother told me you liked to venture out late at night,” a tired and raspy voice spoke when you found yourself downstairs in the bar one night. “never thought i’d make the acquaintance with smiley face pajamas.”

aegon targaryen. you sighed.

“you’ll be waiting a bit on the pajamas,” you spat. “after hours visitors means i am completely covered. when i’m in search of a night cap, that is.”

he smacked his tongue against the back of his teeth. “damn shame. stark women are always a sight. mean, but always a sight.”

“i’m quite pleasant when i’m not being bothered,” you grumbled, grabbing two glasses. “poison?”

“beer, doll,” he rasped. “i’m about as bothered tonight as you always seem.”

“not something stronger?” you genuinely asked. “you look like you need it.”

he shook his head. “business to take care.”

“damn shame,” you sighed. “you’re nicer when you’re drunk.”

he chuckled. “next time.”

you fished out a cold bottle before pouring yourself tequila. aegon’s gaze was far away, even though he stared at the top of the bar. the wood was cracked and worn and it definitely didn’t deserve as much attention as he was giving it, which meant he was in another world.

“do you need to talk about it?” you ventured.

he was still before a small smile was brought to his lips. “pillow talk is reserved for post-sex. and… sweetheart, you don’t want to know.”

you shook your head. “you and your brother are so cryptic.”

“you studied law, right?”

you narrowed your eyes. “how did you know about that?”

“jimmy loved to talk about you,” he laughed, trailing off. “but, anyway… you of all people should know that if you’re kept in the dark, no one can charge you with being an accomplice.”

“aiding and abetting is still floating in the air,” you snapped.

"only if they can prove it," he quipped.

suddenly, a loud crash was heard from below your feet. you immediately jumped, but aegon didn’t move a muscle. your gaze snapped to him, but he remained unbothered.

“should we…”

“no,” he stated. “my brother will take care of it.”

that’s when you heard aemond’s loud scream. you both ran for the basement door.

it was stupid to follow the sound of the scream, but you couldn’t help yourself. if you got in front of aegon, that meant he couldn’t stop you because he was more worried about his brother than making sure the small bartender didn’t see what secrets were hiding in her basement. barreling down the steps, you both looked around the room trying to catch your breath.

“fuck—“ aemond gasped.

aemond was wrestling with an unknown man in the middle of the floor. the man had a piece of tape lingering on his forehead, and one piece on his cheek, meaning aemond had tried to dull the man’s senses. discarded ropes were on the flood, a chair has been thrown to the ground, and you immediately gasped before throwing yourself into the fight.

the man was on top of aemond, holding him down by the throat with his knees pressed into aemond’s shoulders. his intent to kill was so strong — and probably also the pain from the torture he had endured minutes before — that you successfully hopped over the man and wrapped your forearm around the man’s throat, having his chin rest tightly in the crook of your elbow. you yanked his weight back, holding his throat in your grasp. he struggled against your hold, but no one's strength could last for that long when their air supply was cut off. headlocks were your favorite.

“fucking bitch — where did you —“

you weren’t very strong, but aemond had done a number on the man before that he gave away easy when you hauled him off aemond and to his feet. he was struggling against your forearm, but there was no strength or adrenaline left in him to try and kick our your legs. kicking him in the back of his knee, coupled with the loss of oxygen, he fell to his hands and knees on the hard cement. you held him in place before aegon had finally stepped in, smacking the man upside the head with the handle of his handgun.

“thank god you had the next move because i usually flip the channel before a poor asshole gets knocked out,” you breathed heavily, placing your hands on your hips.

aegon eyed you quizzically, genuinely confused. “and miss the best part?”

you rolled your eyes.

aemond got to his feet and immediately cast daggers at his brother. his face was red, bloody, severely bruised, and his glare seemed hazier than usual.

“you let her down here?” aemond bit.

aegon shrugged. “smiley’s fast.”

aemond was seething, “you let her best you? more than once?”

aegon quirked an eyebrow. “i wasn’t the only one bested it seems. you don’t look well, brother.”

“come upstairs,” you ordered aemond. “we need to reset your nose.”

“it’s not broken!” aemond grunted, casting a glare your way.

you rolled your eyes. “i can tell it is. aegon can deal with… him.”

aegon let out a sigh of discontent before he muttered how he should’ve taken the vodka over the beer. you went up the stairs as aemond followed reluctantly behind you.

“whiskey or vodka?” you asked, grabbing your kit from under the bar and gesturing him to sit down at one of the stools.

“tequila,” he stated.

you nodded before pouring him a glass. “what happened?”

“don’t ask.”

you sighed. “...alrighty then. how’s the pain?”

“it’s fine.”

“not a man of 'tmi,' are you?”

“nor a man of many words,” he spat. “especially when you knew you weren’t supposed to be down there.”

“seeing as though aegon looked worried, i figured it was allowed.”

“it’s never allowed. you know better,” he spat as you disinfected his wounds.

“yeah, well…” you sighed, trailing off. “your eye socket is okay… but under your patch is bleeding. can i… check?”

he swallowed thickly and paused. he nodded reluctantly.

you removed his eyepatch and set it down on the bar next to you. he was sure to have a black eye in the morning, even if only a sapphire jewel rested in his socket. what remained of his eyelid was split, but nothing too worrisome.

“first time i’ve ever seen you get got this bad,” you sighed. “usually you walk out untouched.”

“and it will be the last time,” he said through gritted teeth, like a warning.

you chuckled, lacing his patch back on. “mad a girl got him off of you?”

he grabbed your wrist suddenly then and glared at you. also a warning.

you sucked in a sharp breath as you stared back at him, frozen. his angry eye remained on you as you tried to shrug off his hold, successfully getting out of it before returning to your work.

“was only joking,” you grumbled. “finish your tequila… i have to reset your nose.”

with his eye still on you, aemond slammed his tequila and placed the glass back down on the bar. he swallowed thickly and gestured for you to continue. your jaw tensed as you reached for the side of his face with one hand, his nose in the other, and snapped it back into place in a swift movement.

“fuck-!” aemond grunted through gritted teeth, leaning closer towards you in pain.

“all better,” you said, pressing gauze underneath his nostrils to catch any stray blood. “you’re a bleeder, aemond, jesus…”

he ignored you. “where did you learn to do this?”

you swallowed. “bartenders should.”

“came in handy,” he sighed, reaching for the stray tequila bottle and pouring himself another glass. he finished his pour quickly before pouring another. “saved me a trip to our shit doctor.”

you chuckled. “do you need pain meds?”

he shook his head. “tequila is fine.”

he went to get up, but his shoulders were swaying. you immediately grabbed him by the arm to steady him. “tequila is fine, but it’s strong… sit down.”

reluctantly, he sat back down. “i need to make sure aegon doesn’t need help.”

“there’s only one way to get out of that basement,” you reminded him. “we’ll hear either him or that guy running up it, hopefully not the latter, if they need you. you should rest. you’re no use to anyone like this.”

aemond didn’t respond, and you didn’t think it was right to push it. you left him at the end of the bar with his glass and his tequila, and passed him a cup of water. you turned on the frier and started making chicken tenders and fries to curb his drunkenness. as you both waited for aegon, you tidied up the bar as he sat there quietly. through his injured eye, his gaze was trained on the bar. his exhaustion and annoyance was obvious, and you hoped it wasn’t being worsened by the tequila.

unlike his brother... he wasn't nicer when he was drunk.

the frier signaled it was done, and you immediately retreated behind the bar to the kitchen. grabbing his food and condiments and going back to him, you served him his food.

“you should eat. tequila’s deadly on an empty stomach.”

he picked up a fry. “so is no sleep. aegon needs to hurry up.”

“do you want me to check?” you asked.

“no,” he grunted. “he’ll be up soon.”

you busied yourself once more, hoping to pass the time. aemond ate silently, and thankfully finished his food. you threw in more food for aegon, thinking he probably would want a bite to eat after he came up — and his own bottle, but that was a different story.

aegon came up shortly after you had plated his food, and the man from before left out your front door without acknowledging anyone. the two brothers didn't bat an eye, let along glance in the unknown's man direction as they let him leave. you eyed the door curiously, and then the brothers, and threw your hands up in annoyance.

“you knocked him out with a glock!" you stated with eyes trained on the both of them.

aegon shrugged. “these for me?”

you shook your head in disbelief. “y-yes… here’s your vodka. why is he allowed to just walk out of here?”

“killing is messy,” aegon settled calmly. “he won’t cause trouble after this.”

“why’s that?” you demanded.

“we’re a team of two, sweetheart,” he reminded, shoveling food in his mouth and washing it down with vodka. “we have no need for an accomplice. and, right now: i’m a team of one. on that note, i need to get laid, so i’ll be off... unless you’re willing to take one for the team, sweetheart.”

you scoffed. “i’m not a member, as you just reminded me — so, no, find another victim."

he winked before walking away. “aemond, i’m taking the car.”

“drop me off first?!”

“nope,” and he left.

aemond sat and stared at the door, and then also shook his head in disbelief. he muttered a few insults under his breath as you contemplated your next move.

“i’d drive you, but i’ve been drinking,” you said.

he ignored you.

you shifted from one foot to the other uncomfortably. “you can… crash here… if you promise that was the last visitor of the night.”

he looked up at you and narrowed his eyes. “and why would you let me do that?”

“seems like you don’t have another ride,” you shrugged. “also, scary men are less scary when you’re nice to them. you’re grumpy.”

“i’ll pass.”

you rolled your eyes, sighing. “i’m off then. goodnight aemond.”

you didn’t expect him to come up. you really didn’t. you figured he had found a ride, called some broad, overstayed his welcome and kept eating chicken fingers downstairs, or aegon had busted a nut too quickly and came back around to apologize to his brother. actually, scratch the apology. probably just finished his dick appointment and picked up his brother.

no matter what happened, you didn’t expect him to come up that night. so what did you do? you planted yourself on the couch and watched sitcom reruns. there wasn’t much else to do at 1am when it was difficult to fall asleep at a normal hour, and you were too frightened to venture downstairs and find another nightcap. so you laughed along to chandler bing, and tried to drift off to sleep.

emphasis on tried. you were comfortable, snuggled up in your favorite blanket and cute pajamas, and exhaustion was about to take you when you heard your front door knob began to twist.

fuck.

despite your dream like state, you immediately jumped up when the intruder showed himself.

aemond targaryen.

you threw your hands up in anguish. “i was about to go for a knife!”

he pursed his lips. “my apologies.

you sighed, retreating to a defeated stance with your hands on your hips. “take the bed in the other room.”

his brow furrowed. “i’m not taking your bed from you.”

you rolled your eyes. “a woman in hospitality doesn’t let guests sleep on her couch. plus, i’m watching television.”

“fine,” he replied with reluctance, stepping into your living room. “then i’m watching bad sitcoms too.”

#aemond fic #aemond #aemond targaryen #prince aemond #aegon ii targaryen #aegon #aemond x oc #aemond x you #house targaryen #house of the dragon #hotd #aemong x oc

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occasionallyprosie · 1 month

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Nah, I don't mind rambling it's just longer than replies on Tumblr will allow.

The wonderful and difficult thing about First is there is not much to go off of even for someone who read First's story in Hyrule Historia. And there's only a few people who have roped him in so it's not like there's a wealth of fannon to build from either.

I personally see him as heartbreakingly tragic. Guy tried to fight evil and ended up locked in a dungeon for years. He was finally freed only when Demise was already a huge problem and could honestly have been so bitter for it. Dude was asked to lead the people when he'd spent years being left to rot. Add to that the goddesses loftwing (who looks a lot like Crimson) basically challenged him of "Are you worthy to be my rider?" And he still tried. He still died defending the people while Hylia raised Skyloft above the cloud barrier. He could have been "look, y'all want me to save you, but you made me so I can't. Maybe I could have (and been willing to) if I hadn't been chained in a dungeon for years..." But he had people he loved enough to go fight even though he had no chance.

@bokettochild has a wonderful characterization of First in her Blood Between Us series. I know she also is rewriting it but seeing First interact with the heroes was one of my first fics where they included him. He's so observant and almost unnervingly accurate of the heroes that get dumped in his lap.

I need to catch up on @adrift-in-thyme 's Give the Lion Fangs but everything else I've read by them is amazing.

And I still didn't answer all the questions but if you're looking for First content, I think I have one more fic rec with his direct characterization in it and one where they paint Warriors in a similar light as a sort of becoming First or channeling him... I don't know it tickles something at the back of my brain Involving First but that's so probably partly because First has a scarf but his is red.

Wow, thank you! That's some great thought food.

Yeah, most of the things I see of First is some mix of Legend, Time, and Warriors. He's got that sense of jadedness usually associated with Legend and Time, he's got that sense of duty where he'd do what's asked of him no matter its effects on him(like every Link). From what I've been looking through, he's very much a Link, and it makes sense seeing as he's their predecessor. The difference is that the first and main source of his trauma and struggles are the people he's called to protect, and yet he still protects them and gives his life for them even after all they'd done to him. A kind man would've turned his back, yet First didn't.

I did love the characterization of First in The Blood Between Us, it leans more into the jadedness that I think would set First apart from the others. Even Time and Legend, who in canon and fanon are the most jaded, don’t compare to what I'm seeing and working on making First into. He's tired, he's seen not just the worst of the darkness in the world (Demise) but some of the worst of the world itself, humans included. But he hasn't just seen it, he's experienced it.

Tell me if I'm wrong, because I have limited experience with anything related to First

But as I see it, he has that unbreakable hero's spirit, but he is broken. He's lost hope in humanity itself, the people are who he will protect but he doesn't hold any hope or trust in them. He still fights, and he will always fight (he is reincarnated to fight again and again), he will always protect the people of hyrule, he will serve his purpose. He will get up no matter what happens to him, he's unbreakable in that sense just like every single one of his reincarnations, but he has broken in that he can't truly trust or believe in anyone but himself and his goddess.

#linkeduniverse #linked universe #lu first #characterization #first hero #prosie rambles

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autopotion · 4 months

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*These are not official groupings, just mine.

EARLY (1987-1993)

Mainline games released: I, II, III, IV, V.

Other notable releases: the Legend series, Mystic Quest

Established the formula & series mainstays--job classes, summons, chocobos & moogles, etc.

These games were relatively simple at first, but soon became trailblazers for epic storytelling in RPGs--especially IV (or initially II in North America).

Pixel guys.

Mostly known by their many (many, many) remasters and remakes.

Modern audiences might find their stories rote and their gameplay unnecessarily difficult, but they still enjoy a tiny, vocal fanbase.

GOLDEN (1994-2001)

Mainline games released: VI**, VII, VIII, IX, X.

Other notable releases: Tactics, Chocobo's Mystery Dungeon, Anthology, Chronicles

With the formula established & with the more powerful hardware of fifth- (and later sixth-) generation consoles, FF pushed boundaries and graphical limitations to produce their most ambitious games (and marketing campaigns) yet. You might say they succeeded, for better or worse; Final Fantasy VII is generally considered to be the very first AAA video game.

The era that the majority of the FF fanbase on the Internet is most nostalgic for, a fact that might inspire either your own misty-eyed recollection of the good ol' days, or an overwhelming desire to snap the rose-tinted glasses. Or both.

Saw the first of many (many, many) ports across different systems--in part to give English-speaking audiences access to the early games they missed, but also as blatant cash-grabs.

Modern audiences who have no nostalgia for this era often voice that they find stylized 3D polygons much more difficult to acclimate to than the pixel guys.

**FFVI could arguably fall under the early era. If I'd made this poll fifteen years ago, when the division of fans between VI and VII was much more stark, that's where I would have put it. However, this poll is also about how modern audiences tend to think about their favorite FF games, and FFVI enjoys a nostalgic fanbase on par with those of the other games of the golden era. Search for it on any "best FF games of all time" list and you'll see what I mean.

COMPILATION (2002-2008)

Mainline games released: XI, XII.

Other notable releases: Crystal Chronicles, X-2, Compilation of FFVII (Before Crisis, Crisis Core, Dirge of Cerberus, etc.), FFXII: Revenant Wings, the Tactics Advance series & the War of the Lions remake of the original Tactics, the DS remakes of III & IV, the first Dissidia. (Also of note, though not directly beneath the FF umbrella, was the introduction of Kingdom Hearts.)

The era of sequels, remakes, remasters, crossovers, and extended universes, shepherded by the Square Enix merger. Only two mainline games were released in this period, and the one that was not an MMO was an entry in the newly-formed "Ivalice Alliance" (contrary to the desires of one of XII's principal developers, Yasumi Matsuno, who left the project before it was finished).

While of course we've seen plenty of sequels & remakes since, this era went all-in on expanding Final Fantasy to the behemoth it is now. FFVII, its golden child, was showered with prequels and sequels. Crossovers were all the rage. Even games that were not strictly "Final Fantasy" games were retroactively roped into one of the existing canon masses, i.e. Vagrant Story into the Ivalice Alliance.

This was also the boom of handhelds, like the PSP and the beloved DS. Mainline games were saved for the heavyweight home consoles, while other titles were dispersed across the smaller systems.

Very few "new" worlds with no preexisting ties to the other games (outside of the shared banner of Final Fantasy) were created in this time, XI and Crystal Chronicles being the few exceptions.

If you enjoyed seeing the games you loved from the 90s getting more content, this era was a delight. If you'd rather the original entries were left alone, it was a painful sign of things to come.

EXPERIMENTAL (2009-2015)

Mainline games released: XIII, XIV (twice)

Other notable releases: XIII-2 & Lightning Returns, Type-0 (also a member of XIII's Fabula Nova Crystallis series), Dissidia 012, the Theatrhythm series, the first expansion for XIV (Heavensward), Record Keeper, Brave Exvius

FF's darkest era. XIII was the first time FF tried something new since XI--brand new world, female protagonist, fresh spin on the old ATB formula--and it fell just short of catastrophic. XIII and its sequels were not well-received (though whether this negative backlash was "deserved" is another story). The game that would later become XV was originally intended to be Versus XIII, an entry in Fabula Nova Crystallis. Between XIII's poor reception and Versus XIII's fraught development, this didn't happen.

The initial release of XIV, on the other hand, was catastrophic. It was so bad that the entire thing had to be rebooted.

The good news is XIV's reboot, A Realm Reborn, did so well that XIV is widely considered one of the best MMOs of all time. The reboot is also one of the earliest examples of video game "rehabilitation," in that a dramatic change or update to the original game transforms a negative experience into a positive one, and thus scrapes back the good will of the player. (No Man's Sky is a non-FF example.)

The virulent criticism of XIII has softened over the years, and it enjoys a small, dedicated fanbase.

You started to see FF dip into mobile games at this point, too.

MODERN (2016-2023)

Mainline games released: XV, XVI

Other notable releases: World of Final Fantasy, Final Fantasy XII: The Zodiac Age, Dissidia NT, Dissidia Opera Omnia, Final Fantasy VII Remake, the pixel remasters of I-VI, Stranger of Paradise: Final Fantasy Reunion, Crisis Core: Reunion, a slew of expansions for XIV

The long-anticipated release of XV heralded a new age (as well as a movie and an anime). In contrast to XIII, XV was very popular, and put FF back on the map. People loved the boys' road trip.

XIV is still going strong. I don't play MMOs but I'm happy for them.

The remakes & remasters are back, and looking more realistic than ever (if you're into that sort of thing). Look at how many individual pores you can see on your old favorites' faces! The most successful of these is the Final Fantasy VII Remake, which is not a remake as much as it's a conversation with the original game, a move that both drew in a new audience and softened (some of) the diehard og-VII fans who disliked the rest of the Compilation.

Stranger of Paradise is an odd duck attempting to evoke the uncanny valley weirdness of the PS3 era. YMMV on if it worked.

The modern FF games step further out of the boundaries of what an FF game is, dropping ATB combat in favor of real-time action that's all the rage these days. In a first, XVI doesn't have any party members. For the folks who've grown tired of ATB and crave the fast-paced action of the modern day, XVI was a hit (though, I've heard, it failed to deliver on the story).

The endless conversation about whether FF ought to be evolving this far outside of its "formula" (whatever one believes that to be) might feel tired to the average FF fan. But, going forward, it's worth talking about the ways in which FF has neglected to evolve, or even gone backwards: such as the dev team of XV stating that the inclusion of women would cause their core bros to act unnaturally, thus why there are no female party members in the game, or the dev team of XVI deliberately not including a diverse cast because their fantasy game is inspired by medieval Europe.

Tell me which era you voted for in the tags, and what your personal favorite FF game is!

#final fantasy #ff #i had fun writing this up so reblogs would be appreciated if u felt like it

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sweettjrose · 7 months

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Detective Mickey Pilot P.6 (Finale)

It's done. It's finally done. Well actually not really. I still want to write an epilogue. But for the most part, it is done. And I think this is my favorite part of all. I want to thank everyone who has supported me. This was such a great writing experience and I learned so much. I can't believe this is my first completed fanfiction lol.

This won't be the last though. I have a couple more ideas set in the same world that I would love to explore.

I have a special treat that I hope to release alongside the epilogue. I also plan on sharing this story on my newly created AO3 account. Though, I plan to make a couple of edits when I do to make it a bit more consistent. Check it out when you get the chance.

Well that should be everything for now... Now it is time for the final part of the Detective Mickey Pilot...

Previous Part: X

Epilogue: X

Special Surprise:

Character Backstories - The Core Four: X

Character Backstories - The Sensational Side Characters: X

All Mickey could feel was pain. A throbbing nagging pain. He couldn’t really identify where it was coming from. It just felt like it was coming from… everywhere. He tried his best to open his eyes to see what looked like a… glove compartment? Is he in a car? Is it moving? He can’t tell. He groaned as an ache coursed through his head. Mickey could hear someone else talking but couldn’t catch everything they said. Something about a crash and a… tree. Ugh. It hurt to keep his eyes open. He quickly closed his eyes, unknowingly drifting back into unconsciousness. As Mickey opened his eyes once more, he caught sight of what looks to be… wood… the floor? But it was moving… Wait no… He is moving. He looked around and noticed he seemed to be carried by someone… No, not just someone. Him. The Phantom Blot being much larger was easily able to carry the mouse with just one arm wrapped around Mickey’s torso. Starting to finally get the bearings of what is going on, Mickey tried his best to struggle free, but found it difficult due to the pain still present in his body. His head really hurt.

The Phantom Blot chuckled at the mouse’s attempt. He joked about how it seems like his little friend is finally waking up. Maybe he’ll stay awake this time… Though not for long. Mickey squeaked out a plea for the man to let him go. Only for the man to click his tongue and mock the mouse. Saying that he can’t let him go now, he has something to show him. He’s really proud of it and is just dying to hear what the mouse thinks. Mickey tries to respond but another ache surges through his body and instead he just groans. The man chuckles at this and asks if the little mouse is still in pain. As he asks he gives a tight squeeze, further pressing into the mouse’s bruises and causing Mickey to yelp. He adds to not worry because the pain he feels now is going to be much pleasurable than the pain he will feel later. Eventually the Phantom Blot reaches a door and opens it with his other hand. Mickey tried his best to observe the room, but didn’t get much of a chance as the large man dropped him to the floor and started to tie him with rope. Mickey tried once more to break free, but unfortunately by the time his strength returned, he was already tied up.

The Blot then picks him up and places him on a tall stool and starts tying him to it. Mickey tries to ask what he is doing only for the other man to respond that it is a surprise and doesn’t want to spoil it yet. Mickey takes a deep huff and then asks if he could at least know what he is planning to do with the weapon. The Blot pauses for a bit, before taking out a candle from his cloak and starting tying it to the mouse's foot. He notes that since he might as well. I mean he does want to thank the mouse for finding the blueprint for him. Why if it wasn’t for him, he probably would have never known that what he was looking for was in that decrepit cabin. Before Mickey has a chance to process this, the Blot asks him if he was already aware about Jimmy Korker. Mickey answers him, much to the shadowy figure’s delight. Pleased to not waste additional time, He explains that the “weapon” Korker devised is some kind of “laser”. A laser that could shoot a very thin near invisible beam that could melt through nearly any material, and even deliver a devastating blast if used properly. The laser had a range of a couple of miles, allowing anyone to attack from a distance and be completely unnoticed. Mickey asks how the chemical is connected, and the Blot compliments him on the question, answering that the chemicals are what power the laser and contribute to the explosive effect. He adds that the Blueprints also contain the formula for the chemicals so that more could be made. With a couple of tweaks, he could use this weapon to steal even more valuable treasures that he was able to before. In addition, he knows a couple of very wealthy and powerful people who will pay very handsomely to have a huge advantage over their enemies. He could always use extra pocket change.

As he bellows out another of his infamous haunting laughter. He finishes tying the last knot and takes a step back. Gleefully asking the mouse what he thinks. As Mickey looks to observe what the villain has set up he sees that along to being tied facing upwards onto a tall stool, the Phantom Blot also tied a candle to his shoe with a thin string. Mickey follows the string to see it attached to a couple of circular hooks and eventually a trigger… for a gun… that is right above him… aimed right at his head. Swell. Mickey asks if the Phantom Blot even cares about all the harm he is going to cause. He is going to get so many people killed and all he can care about is money. He’s nothing but a heartless murderer. The Phantom Blot fakes being aghast at the comment and reminds the mouse that not once has he specifically gone after the mouse to kill him. If he remembers correctly during their first meeting he ever so kindly let the mouse go when he could have easily gotten rid of him on the spot. And even after the mouse somehow “escaped” his other traps, if he were to just return to his life and forget all this, he would have been left alone. It isn’t his fault that the mouse keeps getting in his way. He does have a love for money, yes, but he is not violent. Mickey refuses this explanation and brings up the death traps and the weapon. Aren’t those violent? The Phantom Blot responds, noting that he does not intend to use the weapon to kill and if any of his buyers do, that is out of his hands. Also these “death” traps are self defense. He is not attacking the mouse, even at this current moment. If the mouse chooses to move his foot to set off the trigger that is completely up to him but you know… “It is not my fault if you wish to commit suicide”

The Phantom Blot then politely asks the mouse to move his foot, so that he could test it and make sure it works. Mickey shouts at the man saying that this hair-brained scheme won’t work and he’ll escape this just as he escaped the others. This causes the Phantom Blot to snicker a bit further and use a lighter to light up the candle attached to the mouse’s foot. He then alerts the mouse that he has taken great measures to make sure that will not happen again. Something buzzes within the Phantom Blot’s cloak and he pulls his phone out and starts reading something. Mickey attempts to look at his phone, but unfortunately it is facing away from him… But what is that behind him? Mickey looks at one of the nearby windows and notices how reflective it is at the moment… Kind of like… a mirror. Mickey then tries his best to move his head a bit, careful to not move his foot, to see if he can pick up something before the Blot finishes his typing. It was tough but he finally was able to catch something readable… “-seton Doc-”. Only to be cut off as the Blot moves his phone back into his pocket. He apologies for the interruption and adds that is his cue to leave. The Phantom Blot laughs one more time as he carefully steps out of the room.

“Farewell my friend, I will admit that a small part of me will miss our interactions, but all things must come to an end. I wish you nothing but a warm welcome into the afterlife”

And with that the Blot closes the door, leaving the mouse alone in the room. Warm welcome huh… Warm… Hot… Hot! Mickey looked at the candle tied to his foot, which was already starting to heat up his foot. Hot! Hot! Mickey wanted so badly to kick and try to put out the flame, but he was quickly reminded about the gun hanging over him. Just one kick and he’s gone. Crap. Crap. How does he even get out of this? He barely has any time to think this time. Mickey frantically started looking all over the place, trying his best to avoid moving his foot and to ignore the growing searing heat. Come on. Something. Anything. Please. This can’t be the en… Wait! What is that near one of the legs? A hole? A hole! A hole he can use.. Mickey quickly starts to twist the stool he was tied to. Trying his best to get the stool closer. He could feel his body strain as he did his best to keep his leg straight, while twisting his body. But he had too. He didn’t have much time. The flame of the candle was unbearable and he didn’t know how much longer he could take it. Just a bit closer… Hot! Almost there… Ouch! Just one more turn and… Clunk!

In an instant the whole stool toppled over as one of the legs fell in. Bang! The gun instantly fires, but thankfully for Mickey he was moved out of the way just in time causing the bullet to race past him completely missing his head. Mickey toppled to the floor still attached to the stool with the candle still on his foot. Wait, the candle… It’s still lit. The mouse did his best to reorient his body in hopes of using the flame to try to free him from the stool. After a second of twisting himself in an awkward position the flame finally caught onto part of the rope freeing him from the stool. Hot Dog! Now for the rope tied around his body. Mickey tried his best to reorient himself to get the flame where he wanted it. But unfortunately this was a bit more of a chance. Instead he was just flopping his body across the floor, not getting close to what he wanted. Darn he isn’t flexible enough. I guess that is what he gets for not joining Clarabelle on her yoga sessions. Mickey continued to shuffle his body around. Trying to do anything that would help the flame get a little bit closer. But luck continued to not be on his side as instead the flame went out. Great just what he…

Cre-eak… Thump… Sch-Ting!

Minnie, Felicity, Morty, Ferdie, Goofy, Donald, Pluto, everyone, everything, his entire life… flashed before his eyes. It happened so fast. Mickey shook uncontrollably as he slowly turned to see… a giant knife literally inches… no, centimeters from his back. It cut the rope. But almost sliced him in half. The mouse stumbled out of the bench he landed on, still shaking. Luck… That was pure luck… If he would have just a bit more back he would have… Mickey closed his eyes and held onto the spotted bow tie around his neck. Taking deep breaths in hopes to calm himself down. When the Blot said he was going to make sure that the mouse dies he was not joking. Finally able to get a handle on some of the shaking, the mouse sluggishly walks through the room, keeping a very close eye on his surroundings. He saw that the room was filled with similar contraptions to the one he just fell in. Some with knives like the one that attacked him and a couple with axes. He looked up and noticed there was a trap door above each one. How long did it take for him to put this together? Did the Phantom Blot do this just for him? Mickey finally makes it to what appears to be an open staircase at the end of the room. He warily goes up the staircase, continuing to keep a close eye on his surroundings, and eventually reaches the top. As he looks around he sees a table, a chair, a large window, and a door. There seems to be a couple of things on the table.

Mickey slowly treks over to the table and spots his phone. He quickly grabs it and crosses his fingers, hoping it still works. And it does. What a life saver. However his phone wasn’t the only thing on the table. He also saw some kind of weird… remote? Mickey picked it up and looked at it closer. There was a gridlike screen at the top with a variety of different buttons towards the bottom. At the very top it read “The Portable Chemical Substance Position Locator Device”. Sheesh, what a name. Mickey turned the device around and noticed some kind of compartment he could open. He carefully lifts the lid and sees a small glass vial with a very familiar green liquid. Aha! So this is how the Phantom Blot is able to find these cameras after all these years. He must have been using this to help track them down, by tracking the chemical within them. Mickey quickly spots a name on the lid of the compartment “Egmont Labs”... Hm… Mickey starts to fiddle with the device as he heads over to the door. Why did he leave this behind? Did he forget it? Well he probably doesn’t need it anymore since he got the blueprint. But then why did he leave Mickey’s phone here? Something about this doesn’t feel… Mickey stopped himself before he could turn the handle… right.

A chill went up the mouse’s spine as he quickly remembered his near death experience. If the Phantom Blot is willing to set up dozens of trap doors in one room… What else is he willing to set up? Mickey instantly started to inspect the door. Just as he suspected there was a wire attached to the top right corner. Mickey traces the wire and discovers that it is attached to some kind of device. As Mickey inspects it further he realizes it looks a lot like a… bomb. Mickey’s heart stopped for a second. A bomb. Thank goodness he didn’t open the door. Mickey took a deep breath. Now what. He can’t open the door or the bomb will go off. Maybe he could try and defuse the bomb. He never really did it before. And he’s not sure if he really wants to learn through trial and error. Maybe he can cut the wire. But he has to make sure that won’t set it off either. Mickey gets the chair and stands on it, seeing if he can get a closer look at the bomb. That is when he notices that there is some kind of screen on it that reads 1:00… Huh, is that a clock… 0:59, 0:58, 0:57, wait no it is a timer counting down… Timer!?!? The bomb also has a timer. He had to get out of there. Fast. Mickey lept backwards out of the chair. What can he do? Opening the door will set it off. What can he… Wait. The Window. The mouse rushes over to the window, but quickly stops. Wait. What if there is a trap here too… 0:44, 0:43, 0:42. Mickey quickly investigates the window and sees that it is also connected to the bomb. If he were to try and open it the bomb would still go off. Darn it! Darn it all… 0:32, 0:31, 0:30… He has to hurry. He has to leave… NOW! A sudden idea popped into the mouse’s head. No time to think about it. Mickey quickly grabs the chair and throws it all the window creating a hole for him to escape. He hurdles himself out of the window landing right on his face, doing a quick somersault to get into a standing position quickly. And then he ran. He ran and ran and ran as if his life depended on it. And it did.

All of the sudden Mickey was forced forward as a large explosion went off behind him. The mouse was launched a couple of feet forward, straight into a tree. But thankfully the hit wasn’t bad enough to knock him out again. He made it. He just barely made it. He’s really getting sick of this. The mouse slowly rises to his feet, trying his best to ignore all the pain. The explosion alongside the car crash from before is really taking a toll on his body. Car crash. Car. Shoot where is his car? Mickey observed his new surroundings only to see nothing but large trees. He has absolutely no idea where he is. He looks at his phone and opens the maps app, but unfortunately the service is pretty bad… Great. Wait, maybe his new tool can help. Mickey pulls out the strange device and starts pressing buttons. One of the buttons he presses turns it on. Alright, now we are getting somewhere. After a couple more seconds of button-pressing, Mickey notices that a number on the bottom of the screen goes up and down when he presses a plus-shaped and minus-shaped key. The number is labeled as “range” on the screen. Oh maybe this must be what increases the range of the detector. Mickey presses the plus button a couple of times but as the number nears around 27000. It doesn’t go any higher. And nothing still seems to appear. Gosh, Mickey sure hoped it wasn’t broken. He could feel his heart start to drop. Until he suddenly heard a noise from behind him. Wait, that sounds like a… The mouse quickly starts to rush towards the noise. Trying his best to weave through the trees and bushes that surround him.

Eventually he finally comes across something. A road! What a sight for sore eyes. Mickey could already feel himself tear up. He must have heard a car pass by before and now he has something to get a better idea of where he is. Mickey looks at his phone again and notices that his signal seems to be flickering between 1 and 2 bars. It’s not a lot, but it is just enough. Alright, what does he need to do? He needs to get into a car. He could try walking, but he wouldn’t know where to walk and that could take hours. The Phantom Blot could already be gone by then. The mouse looks down both sides of the street, but doesn’t see anything coming either way. Wonderful. Wait maybe he can call a MUber. Mickey opens up the MUber app and starts checking if there are some nearby cars. Luckily he sees one that is about 10 minutes away. He would prefer not to have to wait 10 minutes, but he can’t be picky now. He uses the maps function to triangulate where he is and then gets ready to type in his destination. Wait. What is the destination? Rats. He doesn’t know where he is going. Mickey pauses for a second and thinks really hard. Trying to remember anything that would give him a clue. Oh yeah! He remembered reading that one part on Blot's phone… If he remembered correctly it was something like “-seton Doc-”. Well it is better than nothing, but it still isn’t much. Unfortunately it was a challenge to read and that was all he could see… “-seton Doc-”... Hmm. You know he really hopes it was referencing a location. I mean the “D” was capitalized so it was some kind of proper noun. It would also be nice if it happened to be near the construction site or at least the docks. That way he can… Wait a minute. Docks… Mouseton Docks. Hot Dog! That is where he must be. Mickey jumps with excitement and starts typing in the location on his phone. But before he could finish he realized he started to hear something. A Car. Another car was coming down. This was his chance. He turns on the flashlight on his phone and starts waving down the truck that was barreling past. And to his delight, the truck slows down and stops right in front of him. Mickey read the side of the truck “Joe Piper’s Friendly Plumbing”. Swell. He must be friendly.

The dognosed man in the car rolls down his windows and asks the mouse if he needs something. Mickey pleads with the dog saying that he needs to get to Mouseton Docks right now and he could really use his help. Really emphasizing how important this is and how many lives could be at stake. The dog didn’t seem fazed by the explanation and the second Mickey stopped talking, he instantly asked if Mickey had some money on him. Mickey lets him know that he doesn’t have money on him right now… which causes the dog to start rolling up his window… Mickey frantically adds that he does have Ravenmo and can send money through the app. This seems to stop the window from going up and Mickey could hear a click and a call from inside to get in. Mickey thanks him heavily, letting him know that he doesn’t know how much this means to him… Only for the man to interrupt and tell the mouse that he can thank him by sending money. The truck then starts up again and continues down the road, on its way to the Mouseton Docks.

As the two continue down the empty dark streets. Mickey started to refine a plan in his head. If the Phantom Blot is near the docks, he may be able to reuse an old plan of his. If he could get to the blueprint, he could knock out two birds with one stone as he can keep the paper away from the Blot and lead him right where he needs him. But how is he going to do that? The Phantom Blot is a master of stealth and would probably instantly notice him if Mickey tries to sneak around. What he needs is a… All of the sudden a flash of red catches Mickey’s eyes. He asks the other driver to stop, who takes a deep sigh and then complies. As he stops, Mickey tells the driver to wait and that he just needs to check something out. The dog tells him that this will cost extra, just as Mickey jumps out of the car and rushes to the red object. As he got closer he instantly recognized it. It’s his car! Oh Boy! Iit looks… completely totaled. The entire front of the car was entirely wrapped around a lone tree, while the back for the most part was still intact. This must be what he crashed into earlier. Mickey quickly debated about taking it on the way back, that way he could drive a bit faster, but decided against it as he was not sure if it would fall apart on the way. Mickey’s heart jumped… Someone was in the backseat of his car. The mouse instantly crouches out of sight and picks up a nearby stick. Who could possibly be in his crashed car? It wouldn’t make sense to be the Blot. He snuck over to the back car door and threw the door open asking the stranger to identify themselves. Oh. It was just the decoy Mickey he made a couple of days ago. Mickey took a heavy sigh, feeling a bit embarrassed. This day has been nothing but stressful for him. Mickey looked at the decoy. Huh it was pretty convincing. The mouse smiled. This may be the final piece he was missing.

Time passes and the truck stops once more. This time reaching the final destination. As Mickey jumps out of the car he presses the final button on his phone sending money over to the helpful, albeit very greedy, driver. He had to pay even more to get the driver to step on it, but it was worth it to get here quickly. Mickey pulls out something from the back of the truck as the man checks his phone to see if the money was received. Eventually he drives off, leaving the mouse alone next to the sign reading “The Mouseton Docks”. He’s here. As the mouse steps off of the grass to the concrete. He felt a buzzing in his pocket. It’s the Portable.. Uh Locator… The weird device he found. He takes it out and turns it on, noticing clusters of red dots on the screen. Ha! They must be the chemicals that the Blot has found. That must mean he is still here. This means Mickey’s plan could still work. The mouse starts rushing down the docks following the dots on the screen. He notices a small wagon near one of the nearby buildings and places what was in his hands onto the cart. Mickey then pulls the wagon down the docks, doing his best to move as quickly as he can without making much noise, and follows the direction of the red dots. It was in that second when a sudden thought occurred to Mickey. In order for his plan to work he’ll need to get the police right where he needed them and fast. He could call 911. But what is he going to say to get them here? I mean the police didn’t believe him before. They could come and leave before he needs them or not come at all and then he would be in real trouble… He needed something that would be strong enough to get them here and to stay… Or maybe he needed someone...

Mickey took a quick pause. He slowly pulled out his phone from his pocket and went to his contact list. His thumb hovered over the call button. Thoughts raced through his head on whether he should, but he didn’t have time. He had to make a decision now. And he trusts that this is the right one. He pressed the button. The phone rings once… twice… and then picks up.

“Listen, I know you don’t know how to feel about all this. I don’t know how to feel either. Things are really scary right now and there is so much that can go wrong. But that is when we need to have faith and keep moving forward. You are one of the strongest, bravest people I know and you have supported me countless times in the past. And now I need your support now more than ever. I hate to put you on the spot like this, but I don’t know what else to do… I need to have the police at the construction site where the parachuting school was going to be. I need them to stay there so I can lead the Phantom Blot to them. This is my final chance to stop him and I can’t do this alone. Please Minnie… I need your help”

…

“Alright Mickey. I’ll do my best”

Minnie hangs up the phone. She stayed up all night worrying about Mickey and now he’s in danger. She knew this was going to happen. This is why she didn’t want him to get involved. But maybe she supported him before, this wouldn’t have happened. Either way Mickey is counting on her and she can’t give up now. She gets out of her chair, waking the poor kitten on her lap, and starts running to her car. She immediately backs out of her parking lot and starts driving down the streets. Chief O’Hara is probably still home so she may want to stop by his place first. She needs to talk to him. Face to face. As she makes her way over to O’Hara’s house she clocks the Mouston Argus building outside her window. Hmm… After she talks to O’Hara, she may want to make a couple of phone calls. Eventually Minnie makes it to his house and starts banging on the door. It takes a bit, but eventually a tired Chief O’Hara opens the door and stumbles out. He greets her, but then reminds her how early it is, but is interrupted as Minnie instantly tells him that Mickey is in danger and how he needs his help. O’Hara gives a confused look asking her to elaborate. She explains how Mickey is currently leading a very dangerous criminal to a construction site and needs the entire police force there to support him. O’Hara wonders if that was the thing Mickey came up to him before and mentions that he just thinks Mickey needed some rest. Only for Minnie to harshly reprimand him shouting that no Mickey didn’t need some rest. He was telling the truth and if they don’t hurry the Phantom Blot will kill him.

The Phantom Blot. This seems to catch the Chief's attention as he pauses for a second and then asks Minnie if she is sure that it is the Phantom Blot. Frustrated, Minnie yells that yes it is the Phantom Blot. She knows Mickey and Mickey doesn’t lie about stuff like this. He wouldn’t hurt himself over nothing. He wouldn’t just make a fool of himself over nothing and the Chief should know this as well. He knew Mickey nearly his entire life as a neighbor and knows the kind of person Mickey is. She doesn’t know why in the world he pushed away Mickey before. Mickey looks up to him and sees him as a father figure and yet when he needed help he was ignored by someone he thought he could trust. And now he is all alone. Tears started to form at the corner of Minnie’s eyes. She knew this talk was just as much about her as it was about the Chief. The Chief gave a solemn thoughtful expression. He tries to say something, but stumbles over his words. Minnie looks at him one more time, this time letting the tears pour down.

“Please Chief O'Hara, I am begging you. We have to help him!”

…

The shadowy figure places the final box onto the pearly black speed boat. That should be everything. Though it would not hurt to do a final walkthrough. He meticulously surveys the rest of the warehouse. Keeping an eye out for any remaining items of his. Afterall he would prefer not to come back to this dreadful town. He hated every moment he was here and it was not just because of that bothersome rodent. Mouseton lacked the glamor and elegance that he was much more attuned to. But it was a decent distraction to keep his mind off of… things. A distraction that will pay off with a couple extra billions in his pocket. Besides, there is no point in complaining. The job is finally done and he can finally fly off into the night, free from any punishment for his crimes, as to be expected. Hm. He wondered if the mouse had been killed yet. He enjoyed by toying with the little rodent at first, but lately his "appearances" are starting to grate on his nerves. His newfound "bravery" was making him less fun to play with. It was a miracle that the mouse managed to “escape” his previous ingenious traps. Probably just the result of dumb luck. But he made some extra special accommodations to his newest one that should finally finish the job. That rat is as good as dead. The cloaked man took a glance at a table he used for scheming and noticed that the blueprint was still there. Ah yes, he definitely would not want to leave that behind. It is the main reason he came to this insignificant garbage pile. He gracefully glides towards the table and is just about to pick it up, until…

“Stop you thief!”

The Mouse… How? The Phantom Blot didn’t even have to look to know it was him again. He could recognize that irritating voice. Why can’t that thing just die? He growls back warning the mouse that he is no longer finding these interactions cute anymore. In fact he is getting really sick of seeing him. The mouse responds telling him that he will never get away with this. The Phantom Blot heavily rolled his eyes. He tells the mouse that he already used that line. Ugh. The mouse is running out of things to say and he is running out of patience. This has gone on for far too long and perhaps it is time to finally end it… once and for all! And with that the Blot leaps towards the source of the voice with his lightning speed. Moving so rapidly that there was no way the mouse could escape him. He then grabs the mouse up by his neck and raises him up. Or at least he thought he did, when he suddenly realized that the mouse didn’t have a neck. In fact his head was made up of a balloon with two paper plates for ears. What is this madness? All of the sudden the Blot heard something coming from the middle of whatever he was holding “Stop it you thief!”. A recording? A trick. He has been tricked. He instantly turns around and catches what seems to be the real mouse holding the blueprint in his hand. The mouse looks at him and then starts darting away. How did he… That idiotic little… ARGHH… THAT IS IT… I HAVE HAD IT...

“I AM GOING TO KILL YOU, RAT!”

…

Run. Run. RUN. Mickey rockets down the docks, holding onto the blueprint as tightly as he can. The Phantom Blot seemed somewhat playful in their previous encounters, but now he sounds absolutely furious. But he won’t stop. He can’t stop. He is so close and he can’t give up now.. Mickey takes a quick glance at his cloaked pursuer who was barrelling towards him with accelerating speed. Shoot, he has really long legs. Thankfully the little mouse was pretty speedy too, but the haunting figure was starting to catch up. He needs a way to slow him down. That is when the Mouse saw a ship yard. Aha! Just what he needs. The mouse hopped over the fence and started to weave through the boats, using his small size to his advantage to squeeze through small spaces. He looked back. It was working, The Phantom Blot was struggling to get through the boats as swiftly as he was. In fact Mickey actually needed to slow down a bit and make sure he was still visible to the other man. He just wanted to slow the Blot down, not completely get rid of him. The mouse continued to slip through the boats ultimately reaching the end of the yard. He jumps another fence, now landing in a yard full of sea planes. The planes were a little bit more spread out than the boats, but he should still have the distance from the Blot he needs to make it to his destination. He starts veering towards the wooden fence surrounding the yard, getting ready to jump again if needed. As the mouse continues to race forward he looks behind him once more. However, as he turned his head he realized that the Phantom Blot was nowhere to be found. Shoot. He didn’t lose him did he. The mouse instantly halted and turned around. Oh No, where is he? This plan doesn’t work if he isn’t here. The mouse debates whether he should go back until…

“I HAVE YOU NOW PEST!”

The Phantom Blot breaks through the fence and surges straight towards the mouse. Wood explodes everywhere as the Blot starts viciously swinging his arms in an attempt to grab him. Mickey could feel his heart freeze in place, but his flight instincts kick in and he does his best to dodge the man’s violent hands. The mouse jumps through one arm and slides under the other. Almost making it out, but the villain grabs his tail and drags the mouse towards him, sending a sharp pain up the mouse’s spine. The Phantom Blot then grabs the mouse’s arms and starts to yank him upwards. But Mickey quickly manages to lurch up, grabs the man’s arm, and takes a large bite. The Blot shouts in pain and drops the mouse. Giving Mickey enough time to run through the hole he created and continue to run through the docks. Mickey ran, and he ran, and he ran. This time a bit too afraid to look back at the raging force roaring behind him. Finally the mouse sees it. The construction site. He made it. The mouse took a hard turn and flew open the gate. He bolted to a nearby ladder and instantly started climbing. As he made it halfway up the ladder, he heard a large pounding underneath him. The mouse takes a quick look and spots the Phantom Blot coming up after him, his cold white eyes now blinding with fury. The Blot roars out to Mickey, exclaiming how once he catches that mouse he’s going to tear him limb from limb. Mickey mocked the man, noting how he is starting to lose his cool and gain quite a bit of a temper. This only seems to upset the cloaked man further causing him to climb even faster.

Eventually the mouse reaches the top and starts racing down one of the beams only for the Blot to closely follow him after. The mouse turned, lept, slid, climbed, and raced all over the site, with the furious phantom chasing him closely from behind. Eventually, the mouse approached what seemed to be a dead end as there was a wrecking ball blocking the way. He could hear the villain behind him cackle.

“RUNNING OUT OF PLACES TO RUN LITTLE MOUSE?”

“That’s what you think”

Mickey then bounced onto the wrecking ball using the momentum of his running to then launch himself on an upwards beam. This happened so quickly that the distracted Phantom Blot didn’t have time to stop himself and instead ran right into the wrecking ball. Mickey had to stop himself from laughing, but couldn’t stop himself from gloating.

“Still think I’m a pathetic little mouse”

The Phantom Blot seethed with fury. He is going to decimate this mouse. As Mickey starts to rush away again, the Phantom Blot pushes the wrecking ball back with inhuman strength, enough for the ball to move back a couple of feet, hitting a tool box, causing the tools to fall down on the controls of the crane. He then bolted down the beam heading to a nearby ladder that should get him closer to that miserable rodent. He continued to race forward until he realized that he was not moving anymore. Something is caught on his left foot. What is…

Before he even had a chance to process, the Phantom Blot was hauled backwards. Blinded from his frustration, he didn’t notice that he got his foot stuck in a snare earlier. He tried his best to hold onto something, but was moving so fast he couldn’t get a grasp of anything. As the Phantom Blot flew through the air, swinging back and forth, his arms, his legs, everything started to get wrapped up in ropes that were purposely placed to latch on to him as he swung by. He tried to struggle, but that only made the situation worse as the ropes tightened. Eventually the swinging stopped, revealing the Blot to be stuck in some kind of web of ropes. He tried his best to move, but found it challenging due to his limbs being so spread out. Impossible. Unthinkable. There is absolutely no way he could be bested by that… that…

“How’s that for a trap? Did I use the correct knot this time?”

Mickey couldn’t stop himself from smiling as the man growled with rage. He did it. He actually did it. He did the unimaginable. He caught the Phantom Blot. He actually caught him. Mickey shook himself from his thoughts. He can’t celebrate too early. The Blot can still escape which is why he needs some help to apprehend him. Mickey starts running down the beam until there was none of the beam left. He looked out. Minnie should have been here with the police by now and with the sun finally rising it should be easier to spot them. He looked. And he looked. And he looked… And he saw nothing… Nothing… Not one soul. Shoot, did Minnie fail? Maybe they were running late? What if they went to the wrong place? Oh no no no… What is he going to do now? He doesn’t know how much longer he has. He quickly takes out his phone and opens up the call app. But before he has a chance to do anything the mouse is suddenly turned around and jerked upwards with a vicious grip pressing into his neck, causing him to drop his phone. He was met with searing white eyes that pierced through his core. The pure animosity within them burned into the mouse’s brain, leaving him completely in shock. The only thing slightly breaking him out of it being the venomous “you…” emerging from the pitch black monster raising him up.

“Did you really think you could outwit me, mouse? Do you not know who I am? I AM THE MOST POWERFUL CRIMINAL MASTERMIND IN THE WORLD. I AM THE PHANTOM BLOT!”

The Phantom Blot roars with villainous laughter, the echoes shaking the entire construction site. The malicious anger he had now warped into a sociopathic joy. He then snatches the paper away from Mickey with one hand and tightens his grip around the mouse’s throat with the other. Mickey could already feel himself starting to black out with the lack of air. He can’t even process what is going on. He can’t say anything. He… He…

“I would not be upset, little mouse. This was bound to happen. You were never going to win. You were just biding your time until your eventual failure… Well the little game is over now and it looks like things are finally… Falling… into place”

The Phantom Blot roughly lifts the mouse over the edge and forces the mouse to observe the sharp pieces of metal and glass protruding from the ground right below. Sharpened and waiting for a victim to fall in and be shredded to pieces. He shuddered and turned his eyes back to the Blot who was basking in the mouse’s terror and further strengthening his grip.

“Fortunately for you, I still have my ‘soft-heart’. So I will grant you one last kindness… Any last words before I snap your neck and leave you plummeting to your death”

Before Mickey could respond he noticed something coming up behind the Blot. Something Big. Something Round. Something… Fast! He tried his best to lift his arm to point behind the Blot and wiggle his throat free to shout…

“LOOK OUT!”

“Ha! Do you really think that is going to-”

Smack! In an instant, the two men are carried off into the air being propelled forward by a giant wrecking ball. The wrecking ball swings them around 180 degrees and launches both of them into the sky. They fly in the air for a couple of seconds before crashing into some kind of wall, with the Blot’s head specifically hitting onto something. After a quick pause the two bodies start to slide down the wall, until they are both in free fall. Mickey, finally awake to what is happening, realizes he needs to do something to improve his situation. Seeing the massive body also falling underneath him. Mickey does his best to try and swim through the air to get right above it. As the mouse flounders through the air, the both of them get closer… and closer… and closer… and… Thud! The Phantom Blot lands face first into the ground. Plop! Mickey Mouse lands right on top of him. Flash! Two very bright lights turn on illuminating the two men. Gasp! A crowd is left at complete awe of what is in front of them. Mickey picks himself up and instinctually closes his eyes due to the sudden brightness, but then slowly opens them, letting them adjust to the new lighting. He looked at his surroundings… Are those people? The police? He could hear some kind of mumbling and whispers as the crowd of people continued to stare at him. But that mumbling was soon interrupted by a large groan coming from the body underneath him. The mouse instantly looked at the source of the noise and realized who he was sitting on top of… The Phantom Blot… Is he? Mickey’s heart stopped for a second, until he felt a small rise and drop from being on his back. Seems like he just got knocked out cold. Ha. Now he knows how it feels. Mickey quickly notices something in the Blot’s hand. The Blueprint. The mouse stumbles over and quickly snatches the paper. Pleased it is finally back into good hands. As Mickey tries his best to get off the man, he is quickly tackled down by a small figure.

“MICKEY!!!”

Minnie holds tightly onto him, covering his face in kisses. She holds him in a deep hug and starts rambling about how she is so glad to see him and how she wasn’t sure if he was alive or if he was coming and how she heard terrifying laughter and... Mickey returns the embrace. He tells her how glad he is to see her too! He kept his promise.Over her shoulder, Mickey has a better chance to view the other people. However just as he started to observe the crowd the crowd came over quickly to observe him. Instantly a bunch of reporters started shoving microphones into the mouse’s face asking a million questions a second about who he was and how he managed to catch the Phantom Blot. Mickey completely froze like a deer in headlights. Not knowing what to do at all. Thankfully Chief O’Hara saved him and told the crowd to back off a bit, leading Mickey to a less crowded spot. Mickey couldn’t believe his eyes. O’Hara. He really came. O’Hara instantly apologizes. Explaining how he let Mickey down and made him do something dangerous all on his own. He should have listened to him. Mickey tells him not to worry about it and that he is here now. O’Hara smiles and then praises Mickey. Who knew that you would be the one to catch the Phantom Blot. THE Phantom Blot.

“Why can you imagine if we had you on our detective team? Why there wouldn’t be any crime left in Mouseton”

Before Mickey even has a chance to process that statement, O’Hara raises his arms and asks the crowd to give three cheers for Mickey Mouse. Hip Hip Hooray! Hip Hip Hooray! Hip Hip Hooray! Mickey looks out at the crowd cheering for him. Still holding a very flustered expression. He feels like he should be feeling good. I mean he did finally catch one of the world’s most evil criminal masterminds. A man who has never been caught before. Or at least he thinks he did. All those hours he spent chasing, running, and escaping are finally vindicated. And now people are actually acknowledging his accomplishments. This should be the moment where he finally feels the most at peace… And yet… He felt empty. This moment… It feels fake. Maybe he’s just tired. To be honest he’s more excited about the chance to go to sleep, than he is about the praise. As his eyes wander over the crowd singing his praises, taking pictures, and asking for an interview. He catches a glimpse of… Him. A couple of police officers seem to be leading the Phantom Blot to the back of a police car. From the mouse’s view it seems like the Blot is still knocked out from the fall, as they are essentially carrying him. Though just as he thought that, the mouse noticed something… His fingers… They moved. He’s waking up. Mickey quickly looked away. Finally starting to understand what he was feeling. This isn’t the end…

This is just the beginning.

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nikofortuna · 4 months

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JTTW Chapter 24 Thoughts

Chapter 24 for the @journeythroughjourneytothewest Reading Group!

Ah, the beginning of the Arc the movie Monkey King Reborn is based on! It will be very delightful to spot the similarities for myself!

But first we have to finish the previous trial. I really don’t like how the emphasise is kind of put on women as being tempters. Especially when the exemplary lady is explicitly stated to be sixteen, that is a child!

Still not a fan how they put so much ridicule on Zhu Bajie as well when they equally pressured him into the whole situation.

Hm Sun Wukong schooling his Shifu. We love the communal grandpa dispersing his knowledge.

And here are the two sillies! I’ll take it in immortal years they’re closer to being old tweens or young teens. That’s the feeling I get from them at least.

Ah, teaching the kids that uhm, actually just make friends with people if they’re nice, religion should not be of any importance there. There are some really good lessons to be taken away from this novel.

One could say they are… Home Alone.

I wonder if the sight of the Daoist Abbey makes Sun Wukong melancholic with thoughts of his first Shifu.

Clear Breeze, I most certainly prefer the J. F. Jenner and movie’s translation and technically also the German translation of Pure Wind, and Bright Moon are notably nicer in the novel than the adaptation. They only get rude when they actually have been wronged. Just looking at their movie counterparts, these aren’t the same kids.

Plants you say? Now don’t mind if I look them up! Spoilers this turned out a bit of a difficult ordeal so take all of this with a grain of salt.

For accuracy, spinach yes and celery yes.

Mare’s tail… maybe? My search came up with Beta vulgaris aka Chard/Swiss Chard instead, though both plants fall under the term vulgaris in their scientific name and are plausible options as they are both native to Western Asia. Since it is a vegetable garden for people however I might be inclined to personally go with Chard, in part also because I have eaten that vegetable before and it is not only quite tasty but also nutritional.

Funfact in German Chard is called Mangold, definitely sounds like a plant an immortal would eat. But again that’s just personal bias, in reality it could still be either.

Back to the list, I have no clue where beet comes from in this line, but ginger yes.

Seaweed no. It seems to actually be moss of some kind and I looked up as to possibly why it’s in this garden. Indeed certain types of moss are used for medicinal or culinary purposes in some cultures. But don’t go out and just eat moss you find in your garden! A lot of mosses are toxic and no good for eating, so be careful!

Bamboo shoot yes and melon yes. Squash, more like gourd, but technically yes. Watercress no, my research came up with wild rice instead, but watercress is still native to Asia as well.

Now for this next line I would like to remark that there is some potential difference in the Chinese Original. Chive technically yes the Google Translate said just onion though, garlic yes, coriander yes, leek and scallion technically yes though if the characters for those two are put together the translator says they translate to chives instead.

The second paragraph I will not touch as that one is more complex.

The local Tudi really tends to be the living loremaster, in a way that makes a lot of sense in world too, something I can always appreciate.

Heh, Sun Wukong doing a little trickshot with the mallet. Not that it worked, but he tried.

Sha Wujing being the good little brother getting roped into shenanigans by his older brothers. The feeling of found family is strong with this one.

At the end I would like to shill the movie a bit as I really like that one and it does make for quite a good companion piece for this Arc. It also has one of the best Sha Wujing designs in my opinion.

#xiyouji #journey to the west #jttw #monkey king reborn #sun wukong #monkey king #zhu bajie #sha wujing #Qingfeng #Pure Wind #Mingyue #Bright Moon #jttw reading group #jttw book club #Beta Vulgaris #swiss chard

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from-the-clouds · 1 year

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You're so iconic for starting the Professor!Kendall thing. Dr Roy is a permanent part of my brain now. Every other thought that I have is about him, wondering what his life is like away from hsi family. Did he sell his share? Is he like Connor? Is he still part of the board and still shows up to vote sometimes??

I wonder if his father ever made stories about him while he was working at the university? is it NYU? Every time something Royco related breaksdown publicly every student just spends the entire class micro analysing his movements? Does he make snarky remarks about the company? Are there any students ballsy enough to straight up ask him about it in class???

Imagine the cruise thing is breaking news, it's all everyone is talking about and you have a class with Kendall Roy 💀. I know the entire university has to be waiting to find out something, people reaching out to staff and students trying to get anything.

So MANY thoughts.

Okay, okay, so many good questions here.

This got long so my thoughts are under the cut.

I think as far as his involvement would be -- the MOST he would be involved in the business is having shares and being on the board and occasionally showing up to meetings. However, because I'm delulu, I selfishly want an alternate universe where Kendall doesn't continuously get roped back in the Waystar drama, so I feel he has probably cashed out completely, and is just sitting on a fat pile of $$$. I also like the idea that he left in a sort of dramatic fashion after he was promised the top position but realized quickly his dad was never going to give it to him. So there's probably some tension between him and his family and he doesn't think too highly of the company.

And yes, I think immediately after he left, his dad probably made up all kind of ridiculous stories about him -- especially since Waystar's media brands usually have a conservative voice, there would definitely be a sort of messaging like "He couldn't handle the real world so he went to back to school" or like that gross saying "Those who can't do, teach". I feel like conservative media outlets love to demonize academia any chance they get, so there would definitely be those sort of shady sentiments. But I think once Kendall like, did it for long enough and stuck it out, Logan would probably eventually lose interest. The bad press might've made it hard for him to get a job as a prof at first, but the only the only real thing it would've done is driven a bigger wedge between Kendall and the rest of the family. I do like to think he still speaks to his siblings, but sort of holds them at arms length.

As for the college, I'm not really sure. It could definitely be NYU, or even Colombia, but I do like the idea of him being in more of an old school 'college town' vibe, not necessarily a school in a big city. I could see him wanting to put some distance between himself and his family, but I think he'd still stay on the East Coast. So maybe Harvard? Cambridge definitely has the right vibe. And he could be a professor who was also an alum. But I haven't really decided what the school is.

My main headcanon about him though is that he REFUSES to talk about his family, Waystar, any of the his previous involvement in the company. Not only is it a sore spot for him, so it'd be difficult to talk about, but he also wants to put as much distance between himself and the rest of the Roy family as possible. And nobody really knows the real story of what happened, and he never tells anyone, not even his most trusted colleagues.

However, that would not stop his students from constantly speculating about what happened, listening for context clues in his lectures, watching his every move when something big is happening at Waystar or with one of his siblings. It's like a known thing amongst his students to NEVER bring it up. Every now and then at the beginning of a semester, there's always one student who thinks they're above this unspoken rule, so they try to crack a joke, like "what's the worst that can happen" and he'll berate them in front of the whole class and kick them out just to send a message that it won't be tolerated. Maybe even you ask him during office hours if he got to see his family over the holiday, forgetting for a moment who he is and who his family is, and he gets really tense and awkward -- but he has a soft spot for you and knows you didn't mean to offend him.

And yeah, when the cruises scandal breaks, I bet journalists are reaching out to everyone around him, and he might make a remark in class like "Remember, everything said in my lectures are confidential under university policy" but that's the extent to which he'll acknowledge it. I could even see one day maybe a camera crew bombards him after class, and he remains calm and stoic as he walks to his car and drives off, meanwhile all his students are watching like 😳😳😳

In general, I think, similar to how he is on the show, he would really throw himself into his work and be super vigilant and serious about what he does, just to fill up how lonely he is and how hurt he was by his family. He doesn't show this part of himself to his students though, they just think he's really strict and uptight. But people definitely whisper all the time rumors about what they think happened, why he left, what his life is like now, how much contact he has with his family, but he remains frustratingly tight lipped and reveals very little about his personal life.

That is, of course....until you become his student and get to know him better. 😏

#asks #writing #kendall roy x reader #professor!kendall #kendall roy

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balletwatchespokemon · 5 months

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Indigo League Episode 12

This episode we get the last of the Kanto starters, Squirtle! The gang encounters the troublesome Squirtle Squad, Ash and Pikachu both have their life endangered in different ways, and Team Rocket attempted to kill the whole Squad with literal bombs. Yikes.

Say you regularly encounter pit falls like these three do and one of you puts your foot through the ground like Ash has here, would you (a. be careful of the likely pitfall, or (b. crowd in as close as possible?

If you answered (b. you were right and you're also stuck in a hole now.

The Squirtle Squad! Hmmm, I wonder who's the leader. (This is such a cute shot.)

If I recall correctly we actually will be going to their habitat later in the Indigo League so good job setting it up ahead of time show!

Officer Jenny of course Ash knows your name, you share it with every other officer Jenny. If he knows the name of one he knows them all.

This police station has a matching symbol to the one on Jenny's hat. I went back to the other station we've seen so far (in E2) and that one didn't match that Jenny's hat symbol, I wonder if it's something they decided to start doing partway into the show or if them matching this time is a coincidence. We'll just have to wait and see.

Pikachu looks so sad here! Ash, give him a hug. (Pikachu is very cute while sad though.)

I love it when anime does something like this where it's just the facial features visible. (Though just Pikachu's eyes and mouth by themselves are a little scary looking.)

Look at these sopping wet beasts. Someone get them a towel.

Silly Pikachu, this is Pokemon not Mario Cart, why are you getting taken out by a red shell?

And now we're doing Jaws, love to spot a reference for a movie I've never seen.

Love to see Ash being a violent feral child but I personally would not enjoy the mouth full of fur from biting a cat tail. And this is the most valid reason for Meowth to scratch Ash in the face so far.

Squirtle Squad how could you say no to a cute little face like this.

Squirtle Squad just casually threatening to kill Misty. Very normal thing to do.

The Pokeani world has so many rickety rotten rope bridges. I wonder how many people die to them per year.

A Pokemon shop! The western town vibe is interesting, though I am suspicious of that beef sign. We're still in the period of time where they still had regular animals in the Pokemon world.

Love Gary just showing up in this episode to knock Ash out, not even notice what he did, and leave.

Also, Ash was unconscious overnight, I'm pretty sure it's really bad if you're unconscious for that long. He should go to the hospital and get checked out.

Ah early Pokemon, where anyone and everyone can have a gun at any given moment.

Ash is so concerned about Squirtle! I love how much he loves just all Pokemon.

And his actions proved he's a good guy to Squirtle! I really feel the bond better with Ash and Squirtle than the one for Ash and Charmander in the previous episode. I wonder if that has anything to do with how difficult Ash and Charmander's bond gets after he evolves.

Get yeeted idiots! Also, I love how Misty, Brock, and the other Squirtles are acting like they're gonna catch Ash and Squirtle but that's totally not happening.

Look how happy they are to have Squirtle join the team!

And that's the episode, Ash has a full team now and all of the starters! Next episode on Wednesday we see Ash catch another pokemon, and we encounter the OG oversized pokemon. (Way before gigantamaxing.)

#pokemon #pokeani #indigo league #ash ketchum #brock harrison #misty waterflower #meowth #james #jessie #pikachu #squirtle #goldeen #officer jenny #gary oak

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watchmenanon · 1 year

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Chris Trujillo On Set Designing the 80’s In ‘Stranger Things’

by Robin Write July 13, 2017

Awards Daily TV talks to Chris Trujillo about establishing the look and feel of Stranger Things‘ 80’s era interiors and its imaginative Upside Down.

Part of the magic that makes Stranger Things so compelling and popular are the foundations created by a super-talented technical team in designing an 80’s world we all recognize. The production design team integrates some magic touches of fantasy and horror as well as the familiar surroundings of childhood homes.

One key figure in Stranger Things‘ excellence is production designer Chris Trujillo. On the back of some memorable contemporary work on feature films, he brings that infamous decade to life with some outstanding set design. I was privileged to find out more.

What inspired you to work in production design, and how did you break into that field?

To begin with I did a bachelor of fine arts at the University of Florida. I wasn’t entirely sure what I was going to do with myself for a long time. I thought I would go more in the direction of opening a gallery, but when I moved to New York I realized very quickly that without a silver spoon or a legacy in the art world it would be very difficult to make a living, unless you are very wealthy.

Anyway, I was running a screen printing shop and had a friend who knew I had an art background and carpentry background and got me to work on a couple of music videos. I pretty much instantaneously knew where all my interests were creatively. As soon as I got the opportunity, I learned what the art department was all about and changed my focus completely, worked any art department jobs I could find. That got me into the New York indie world, which was a pretty incredible boot camp.

I was learning how the film business works and the art departments. I made the most of every job that came along. I started production designing small stuff, a whole bunch of little kitchen sink stuff, learned the ropes that way. And I got a bit of a name and a resume, that was it. Started to get some bigger jobs, a series of fortunate events and a lot of hard work. Basically it all came from the art background and the kind of carpentry design background, combined with my lifelong love of movies – being the right time and right place.

Do you feel production design has a misconception that is it more about pretty period sets? Do you find that?

You don’t often notice a production designers work as much unless it is a period set. In a weird way most people see the costumes, the hair and make-up, swords and sandals, Victorian outfits, or sci-fi of course – people are like “Oh wow, they have to create that world.” That is why some production designers are overlooked. You put in just as much work creating the space for a very specific character in a present day script.

A lot of your work is contemporary. I have seen a lot of it. Kiss of the Damned, Nerve, Honeymoon, Viral, Tiny Furniture. Those are all very different, even though they are modern day, they must have been different experiences.

Very much so. On every level of these experiences they are different – budgets, time frames, settings, like a New York setting is different to Pittsburgh or New Orleans. There are so many factors with every project that make them totally different experiences and challenge you differently. Obviously, the approach creatively is the same. After meeting the director, reading the script, you try to realize and understand who the characters are and the world they live in. If it is a more stylized picture like Nerve you approach it differently to, say, Tiny Furniture. How it gets created and the relatively small team of people. There is an order of operation. It is the same even if the creative things we are trying to accomplish are different.

So Stranger Things came about through the director of Honeymoon right as Leigh [Janiak] is married to one of the creators [Ross Duffer]?

Yeah, we did Honeymoon. We both had a pretty scary vision for that movie, and we were able to realize it with our resources. We spoke a similar language creatively. When I was in L.A. making Viral, I happened to be living around the corner from Leigh. We were catching up every now and then, having a meal together. And I think Ross came and was kind of pitching a pipe dream idea that I fell in love with, which was then called Montauk and would become Stranger Things.

At that point they were a bunch of thirty-somethings with a dream to make such an outlandish thing with a bunch of kids set in the 80’s. I said if it ever came to fruition it would be a dream for a production designer. Two years later they called me and said it had the green light, and they could get me on the project. It was a struggle to get on as my credits were smaller, but I had just finished Nerve which was a big enough resume bump. And Allison Shearmur, who was the producer on that, had enough clout in the movie world of big budget film-making that she told the line producer it would be in good hands. And it was all go from there.

So you had your own idea of 80’s America, then. What did you bring from your own experience to your work on Stranger Things?

I literally was able to get family photos and get my own case from my actual childhood, photos of the suburban home I grew up in. When I think of running around as a kid, it was very much like the ones we created in the show. And all the movies we referenced kind of made up my childhood. That was like second nature, bringing those childhood experiences to the show. Like walkie talkies, riding with my buddies on bicycles, all that was there, and my heart was in it.

Any other show could have gone overboard with the 80’s stuff, it could have become a bit kitsch. Where did you draw the line?

For us it was like as long as it was believable, in the characters worlds, in their homes, we wanted to squeeze in little winks and nods to things like specific movies, with the big Jaws poster, and all the stuff that inspired us. Otherwise it was a matter of taking a real look and going back to the way I would approach a TV drama set in the present day. It is about bringing these characters out, through the scripts, and conversations with the Duffer brothers like who they are socioeconomically, psychologically, what they have been through. And from there we were thinking what should the house look like, would the furniture be from the 70’s.

There are a lot of really great vintage and set dressing places, estate sales. The set decorator and her team are always really great about going out, going above and beyond in finding mountains of vintage furniture. Going through junk draws at estate sale and buying everything. When it came to me to put a life layer into a set, we literally had like a storeroom full of real, vintage, worn in, lived in, 80’s stuff – or 70’s in a lot of cases. That was our approach, and our philosophy was to really make it super real and not distracting to the audience.

We want people to have a smile and take note of a particular element. It’s the same approach I have with indies, which is creating really real spaces that have gravity and texture. Ultimately the set kind of informs the character as opposed to just showing people what cool 80’s shit you can put on a set.

It’s the little details, like what is in the cupboards, or on the kitchen worktops.

Yeah, all that stuff. We tried not to overlook anything or gloss over things. It’s taking every room seriously. Even if we are not going to see that corner of the set, making sure that corner is integrated into the rest. There is no stone unturned.

Did you have much creative input in other aspects of the production, like where the camera would go, character movement?

The creative triad is usually the director, cinematographer, production designer, knowing the scripts backward and forwards. I spent a lot of time with the directors, and the DP Tim Ives, Tod Campbell, and we all approach it in this very collaborative, creative way. When I go into designing a set it is always with the script in mind, and with the style of shooting, a lot of deliberate camera movement, well thought out shots, going into creating.

I am very conscious of this is what we can expect to take place, and we want to give cinematographers, the Duffers, as much room to move. To give many interesting angles and how one doorway of one room frames another room and how the action can flow from the kitchen through the dining room and into the living room. A lot of what you build is with camera motion, actor blocking in mind, and of course lighting. We try to find as much practical lighting as possible. Feels much more cinematic.

Was there something specifically challenging? What did you learn?

The learning is constant. The pace of TV is a little bit different. Some of the most challenging stuff was more logistical, like the process of the metamorphosis of the Byer House goes through – the Christmas lights, Joyce’s breakdown, the monster – they required quite a lot of logistical pre-planning and a lot of inter-department co-operation. We shot it all on one space and had a fairly tight schedule, so making all that happen was tricky, having a set undergo such a radical change through the course of a season. Also the look and the feel, and the material process of creating the Upside Down, deciding on what that would look like. How we would achieve it. Kind of a broad collaborative thing.

It is easy to talk about, but it is super abstract. And it is not just a matter of putting furniture and a life layer into an otherwise pedestrian world. It was about creating this strange other worldly space. That was creatively probably the most challenging thing as it was a total cooperation between so many different departments. In a lot of cases we were figuring it out as we went. When we were shooting the first block of episodes, we were still testing materials for the third and forth. So that was really challenging.

The success of Stranger Things is that you have taken people back, like myself, and I recognize a lot of it, and that is down to the production design and the team. That is what people have fallen in love with as well as the story. So congratulations on that.

Thanks a lot, I really appreciate you saying that.

Stranger Things Season 1 streams on Netflix. Season 2 drops in October 2017.

#stranger things #byler #<target audience #st articles

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beyonddarkness · 1 year

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Hello. As a watcher of a few drama series as well as a reader, I like how you noticed Easter eggs from season 1. Me personally, I follow character development as well as Easter eggs. (Not saying you don't.) For example, following Disa's development in season 1, one can conclude that she is a character who will fall under Sauron's influence going forward, which also, reinforces lore regarding the dwarves and hoarding. Interesting how the showrunners reinforce that she will get corrupted.

I want to add that if I go by Easter eggs alone and ignore character development, Bronwyn will be under his influence, as celebrimbor and Galadriel were, and Ar-Pharazon. However, since they will all know who he is this season, based on her character development, and not just Easter eggs, when she learns who he is, I see her leading a faction against him. Also she isn't in the lore so I wonder how much she will be a focus going forward, whereas Disa might be more likely effected.

I agree! And you bring up a very interesting topic.

I love how we can predict each character's story arc and development. The potential (and assured) tragedies and triumphs make for an enriching analytical experience. It often saddens me that not all of the characters we love will have happy endings. For example, you have beloved characters like Isildur, who dies tragically, being ensnared by the Ring. We know how vulnerable Eärien is to certain influences, so her looking into the Palantir in episode 8 does not bode well, considering Sauron can communicate through Palantiri. Theo also has an extremely dismal path ahead of him.

The Stranger is a little less predictable, and we might think it's obvious that he'll end up being good (he probably will), but there are a few indications in interviews that it's not set in stone yet, despite him saying, "I am good."

So, in Season 1 alone, every character has a pretty solid foundation from which we can predict the direction of their development, and it's really fun to talk about. You brought up Bronwyn and Disa, so let's talk a bit about them.

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Finrod's metaphor is the template we can use to determine the ending of an arc.

"Do you know why a ship floats, and a stone cannot? Because the stone sees only downward. The darkness of the water is vast and irresistible. The ship feels the darkness, as well, striving moment by moment to master her and pull her under. But the ship has a secret. For, unlike the stone, her gaze is not downward, but up, fixed upon the light that guides her, whispering of grander things than Darkness ever knew." (TROP: A Shadow of the Past)

This was used even for Gollum, whose ending was nigh certain from the beginning, although he was technically redeemable.

"He was interested in roots and beginnings; he dived into deep pools; he burrowed under trees and growing plants; he tunnelled into green mounds; and he ceased to look up at the hill-tops, or the leaves of trees, or the flowers opening in the air: his head and his eyes were downward." (FOTR: The Shadow of the Past)

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DISA

There's a lot here. I agree that she will be deceived by Sauron. I love her, but she is walking a very tight rope.

It is difficult to drive the point home without talking extensively about mithril, but I am in the middle of explaining all of the mithril stuff on my blog, so my thinking will be exposed soon.

Sauron can plant certain words in the mind, so that the speakers believe it came from their own thoughts. For example, Isildur, Gollum, and Bilbo independently describe the One Ring as being "Precious." Celebrimbor talks about "the key that unlocked the dam," "power over flesh," and a "power of the unseen world," without knowing that those are Sauron's words. Then, he continues to use words that Sauron has used before (as he fidgets with the mithril).

(1x08): Galadriel: "Those words. 'Power over flesh.' Where did you hear them?" Celebrimbor: "I... I was conferring with my smiths, I think. I... No, I believe those are my words." G: "Was Halbrand with you?" C: "What's it matter? It's over."

(1x02): Galadriel: "Your home. Where was it?" Sauron: "What's it matter? It's ashes now."

So, when Elrond turns to Disa and says...

"Go towards goodness."

...we are left with a very important question:

Will she?

Depends. Is her gaze up or down? Is she whispering the same things that Darkness whispers, or is she "whispering of grander things than Darkness ever knew?"

In episode 7, her true motivations are brought to light. She's not evil, but she is treading some dangerous territory. After Dúrin says that he failed Elrond, and it's his fault that the Elves must flee, Disa gives a very unnerving monologue:

"No. No, it isn't. [...] It's your father's. He's grown too old, too suspicious, his mind too feeble, his eyes too dim to see that no matter how many crests he hurls to the floor, one day this will be your kingdom—Dúrin IV's. Not your brother's. Not some other Dwarf-lord's. Yours. And mine. And together, we will rule this mountain and all others before our time is done."

Pause.

Now, I don't know about you, but that just raises a ton of exclamation points in my head. Do the highlighted words sound familiar?

"Against your enemy. And mine." "Together, we can save this Middle-earth." ["Save, or rule?"]

Disa is so intent on gathering mithril, that she doesn't recognize the nature of what she's saying.

She seems to genuinely care about Elrond, and the idea that he and his people will become extinct if they don't leave Middle-earth is probably distressing, especially since the Dwarves have a supposed means of saving them, and Dúrin III isn't helping.

However.

In retrospect, the apparent dependency the Elves have on mithril seems almost like an excuse for her.

Disa: "Lice-bearded, uncaring, old fool!" Dúrin: "What if he's right?" Disa: "You're not thinking of letting this happen!" Dúrin: "What choice do we have?" Disa: "You said the other Dwarf-lords were open to the proposal. If we reopen the mine ourselves, prove to them there's a safe way to gather mithril, perhaps they'd make him listen. Perhaps we could force your father's hand" (1x07).

She never mentions Elrond, or the Elves.

Also, who really likes to use Force?

"But he ruled rather by force and fear, if they might avail" (The Silmarillion: Of the Rings of Power and the Third Age).

"Supposing that's the trouble. Supposing we've been using too much force" (1x08).

But what connection could she possibly have to mithril? Why does she want it so badly?

She was the first one to find it. In episode 4, Dúrin tells Elrond, "Disa detected it during a routine gold-seaming."

The remainder of her monologue is the most revealing.

"That mithril belongs to us—to you and me. And together, one day, we are going to dig."

Keep in mind that Elrond has just been cast out of Khazad-dûm, and Dúrin and Disa believe there is no stopping the Elves from leaving Middle-earth. The only race they are concerned about now is the Dwarves. Yet, Disa is still set on obtaining mithril, and she no longer has the excuse that it's to save the entire Elven race. She emphasizes "to you and me," as if to say, "Forget the Elves. Now, it's ours."

All of this sets Disa up to be extremely vulnerable to Sauron's intriguing suggestions, if/when he comes to Khazad-dûm. I think we can compare her to Celebrimbor in a lot of ways. She's a smith, like Celebrimbor (and Sauron), and wants to make the Dwarven people prosper. But excessive ambition can lead to pride, and...

"Humility has saved entire kingdoms the proud have all but led to ruin" (Galadriel, 1x06).

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BRONWYN

We can end on a happy note.

Like Disa, Bronwyn can also be compared to Celebrimbor in some ways. Celebrimbor is an artificer, who wants to bring beauty to Middle-earth, and Bronwyn is a healer (which is what Sauron claims he wants to be). However, she is much more humble, with little ambition but for the welfare of her son and neighbors. She also has Arondir to help her in moments of despair, like in episode 5.

This season, she seemed to be very defensive of Halbrand, understandably so. Leading the Men of the Southlands was "a burden [she] never sought to take up," so having the Promised King finally appear was a tremendous relief. She did everything she could to heal his wound in episode 7 and asked Galadriel what to do with him when it continued to fester. She did not hesitate to gather provisions for the ride to Eregion, and was the first to say, "Strength to the King."

But despite her fidelity to Sauron's kingly guise, I think we can be assured that she will perceive the peril sooner or later. Let's repeat the same question as before:

Will she go towards goodness?

Depends. Is her gaze up or down? Is she whispering the same things that Darkness whispers, or is she "whispering of grander things than Darkness ever knew?"

Answer:

Theo: "Do you remember when I was little, when I used to have bad dreams?" Bronwyn: "I remember." Theo: "Do you remember what you used to say, when you would hold me in the dark?" Bronwyn: [nods] Theo: "Would you say it to me, now?" Bronwyn: "In the end, this shadow is but a small and passing thing. There is light and high beauty, forever beyond its reach. Find the light, and the shadow will not find you" (1x06).

By the time everyone knows who Sauron is (after the One Ring is forged), I can picture a dynamic like the one in Númenor between the Faithful and the Kingsmen. Bronwyn and Arondir's standing might be similar to Míriel and Elendil's. Judging by this scary piece of foreshadowing, Sauron will probably try to seduce Bronwyn in some manner. Charlie knew what he was doing when he made this face:

(note Arondir and Galadriel looming in the background lol)

Arondir would obviously NOT be too happy about that, and in episode 7, we can already see many hints of his distrust. Considering that Sauron injured himself with a wound that needed Elvish medicine (which probably required some sorcery), I wonder if Arondir witnessed something. (I can make another post on this, later.)

In any case, I don't think Bronwyn will be 'conquered.'

The lyrics of Plea to the Rocks solidly point towards where her arc is going.

Amanya fírië, alcarinquë-anyalie Nolwa mahtar Koivierya queluva rië aurenna quel-kala Laure Envinyataina Órerya siluva elerrína Kardalyaron minty-oialë Blessed death, glorious memory Brave soldier Her life will fade only upon the day light fades Golden light Renewed, her heart will shine, crowned with stars Deed of your people, remembered forever

Her death will probably be like Morwen's (Túrin's mother), in The Silmarillion:

"But Morwen said: 'Almost. I am spent. I shall go with the sun. [...]' But Húrin did not answer, and they sat beside the stone, and did not speak again; and when the sun went down Morwen sighed and clasped his hand, and was still; and Húrin knew that she had died. He looked down at her in the twilight and it seemed to him that the lines of grief and cruel hardship were smoothed away. 'She was not conquered,' he said; and he closed her eyes, and sat unmoving beside her as the night drew down" (Of the Ruin of Doriath).

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pinkhairandpokemon · 1 year

Text

Introduction Post

————

I’M A BAD BITCH YOU CAN’T KILL ME!

hiya! name's Blake. you might recognize me, you might not. rotomblr is confusing with all the multiverse stuff. basically, I'm an ex-champion who's kinda just doing my own thing now. saved the world a few times. met a few gods. y'know, the usual. I even died once! technically. oh, and I’m a university student at Blueberry Academy! mostly here to post about my Pokémon- but my friends Hop and Auberi have access to this blog too, so you might see them on here occasionally.

also!! I have a wonderful partner here’s his blog: @thunderblessedhero I love him sm

that's pretty much all you need to know, I think! signing out!

-Blake

———

Auberi Bellerose- 21, they/them, demisexual/greyromantic

Hop Laventon- 20, he/him, asexual/biromantic

Blake- 20, they/them, pansexual/demiromantic

————

Current Arc: N/A

OOC: hi! I’m Wren and uHhh this is my first pkmn RP blog. Originally I was gonna make an Eternatus one but I thought it’d be more fun to make one for my OC,, but I might still make the Eternatus one if this one goes well. my main pkmn blog is @xgoldenlatiasx (but i like and follow from @/flightmare-kid)

(update: prolly not gonna make the Eternatus blog lol. for right now at least. I have enough blogs as it is now)

also: in-character mean interactions are welcome. beat their ass

other rp blogs: @thunderblessedhero @partnersintime @scarlet-rider @pokehorsegirl @bisharpenjoyer @dragontamerhiccup @coolguyhilbert @keldeochamp1on @weirdcelebi @sapphireseafarer @justanothercastelian

Warnings: things won’t get TOO extremely dark or serious on this blog for now, there will be a lot of swearing though. Also all the characters are around 19-20, there won’t ever be anything explicit but they’ll probably make stupid dick jokes at worst. Specifically Blake and probably Auberi sometimes. I’ll tag stuff like that as #tw nsfw joke and/or #tw suggestive.

Info about my OC:

basically Blake is my protag in several pkmn games, specifically SW/SH, X/Y, and B/W! the timeline of those games’ stories are in that specific order in my OCverse. (Pretty much any semblance of a canon timeline in the games is destroyed in my OCverse, except for any games w/ sequels like Gen1/Gen2 or BW/BW2. I’ll probably put together a proper timeline eventually, but essentially it’s just in the order I played all the games. Rn that order is FRLG -> HGSS -> SM -> ORAS -> SWSH -> XY -> DPPT/BDSP -> BW -> PLA -> SV -> BW2)

Bio: Blake was born in Nuvema Town, where they lived until they were around seven before moving to Aspertia City. They lived there until they were about thirteen, before moving to Postwick in the Galar region with their mother. There, they met one of their best friends, Hop. At the time, Blake was super closed off and shy, as their social anxiety made making friends difficult. The only one they’ve ever really let their guard down with was Hop. Watching Leon’s matches on TV with Hop was what inspired them to become a trainer, though for many years they didn’t actually think it’d be possible for them- considering they came from a family who didn’t really like Pokemon, therefore they had nowhere near as much experience with them like Hop did. They feared their social anxiety would get in the way, too.

Once they were 16, they unexpectedly got their first Pokemon from Leon- a Sobble named Kappa. After getting endorsed by Leon and some encouragement from Hop, they agreed to sign up for the Gym Challenge. They had a rocky start- losing battles pretty frequently was putting a huge dent in their already low self-esteem, and it was impacting Kappa as well. But over time they learned the ropes of being a trainer and was quickly becoming a rising star amongst the Gym Challengers. They went on to stop the Darkest Day along with Hop, catch Eternatus, become champion, and earn the trust of Zacian.

During their reign as champion, they trained at the Isle of Armor and explored the Crown Tundra. These small adventures slowly helped them realize just how much pressure their title was putting on them- and finally caused them to slip up during the final match of the next year’s Gym Challenge.

After losing their title, they decided to look for a new path- which lead them to Kalos, where they helped in putting a stop to Team Flare’s plan and caught Yveltal, and eventually back to Unova, where they fought against Team Plasma alongside Reshiram. Following the defeat of Plasma, they’ve enrolled as a college student at Blueberry Academy- and have done quite a lot in the past two years, such as visiting the Paldea region and catching more Pokémon. Now, they’ve returned to Unova, and are resting after having helped in the fight against Kyurem.

Blake is also the main character in my comics, Adventures in Kalos (on my instagram @/xgolden_latiasx) and Unova Fates (on Tumblr, insta, and webtoon). This blog will probably contain spoilers for those comics!

More rules/info/explanations/etc.:

All three of these characters are friends with multiple legendaries, so if they seem overpowered to you… sorry? I’m just having fun over here. They don’t really use any of them for battle that often, though they might threaten to sic their legendary on someone as a joke (but they won’t actually). But as of right now the only legendary that’s actively with the group is Reshiram, he’s the only one who’ll get involved in whatever shenanigans/event the gang finds themselves in. (Unless I’m participating in an event from another person and they say they don’t want Reshiram involved.)

I’m relatively willing to join in on high stakes stuff as long as I feel up to it, but please ask me first if you want one of my characters to actively participate somehow.

Also, this blog runs with the idea that Rotomblr is a weird site that links other universes together. So for example say if… Kalos is blowing up or something on another person’s blog and someone tries to get Auberi involved, I’m just going to say it’s happening in a different universe. Or if a different SWSH/XY/BW/PLA protag character tries to interact.

Please also understand that I have realllllly bad social anxiety and awkwardness. I apologize if it takes me a while to respond to something, or if my replies seem short and uninterested (I promise I’m interested in the conversation I’m just bad at words). Or long and ramble-y. Please tell me to shut the fuck up if you need me to.

Past arcs/plot lines:

#Storyline: Haunting Regrets (Explanation of Auberi’s past)

#Story Event: The Calm Before The Storm (Set up for a future arc)

#Story Arc: The Press Conference (This arc was discontinued, but I didn’t really feel like going back and deleting all the tags so it IS still canon but nothing important happened.)

#Typing Through Time (Mini event where a pair of mysterious siblings, supposedly from the future, take over the blog to document their search for a special Celebi.)

#Interlude Arc (BW2 event.)

#PB Takeover (Takeover of a version of Blake that joined Team Plasma.)

List of everyone’s Pokémon (will probs be updated frequently):

Blake:

-Kappa (M Inteleon)

-Go-Go (F Coalossal)

-Venom (M Toxtricity)

-Charlie (M Boltund)

-Jeanne (F Corviknight)

-Lancelot (M Sirfetch’d)

-Athena (F Urshifu)

-Tulip (F Venusaur)

-Lizzie (F Charizard)

-Tater (F Flapple)

-Potato (M Galarian Slowpoke)

-Audun (M Flygon)

-Zuzu (F Dragapult)

-Azi (F Dreepy)

-Shiverbolt (Arctozolt)

-Alto (M Grookey)

-Oran (M Munchlax)

-Fwoofy (Cosmog)

-Stormy (M Sobble)

-Dewdrop (M Sobble)

-Nessa Jr. (F Sobble)

-Bubble (M Sobble)

-Neptune (F Sobble)

-Zacian

-Eternatus

-Red (M Delphox)

-Stardust (M Meowstic)

-Ryu (M Lucario)

-Flick (F Vivillon)

-Verde (M Venusaur)

-Basil (M Sylveon)

-Granite (M Tyrantrum)

-Snooze (M Snorlax)

-Yveltal

-King (F Serperior)

-Cordelia (F Simipour)

-Beau (M Swoobat)

-Lumiere (F Chandelure)

-Kilobyte (M Eelektross)

-Phaedra (F Krookodile)

-Toothless (M Deino)

-Scylla (F Druddigon)

-Stormchase (F Swellow)

-Larkspur (M Venipede)

-Reshiram

-Cheezit (F Pawmot)

-Tiny (M Braviary)

-Salad (F Floragato)

-Cranberry (F Flareon)

-Pecha (F Grookey X Fomantis hybrid)

-Dart (F Cyclizar)

-Mantis (F Slither Wing)

-Hermes (M Corvisquire x Galarian Zapdos hybrid)

-Odin (M Corvisquire x Galarian Articuno hybrid)

-Vulcan (F Corvisquire x Galarian Moltres hybrid)

-Spark (M Galvantula ✨)

-VIOLENCE (F Scream Tail)

-Galahad (M Skarmory)

-Snart (F UD Archen)

-Titanium (F Revaroom)

-Goober (M Scovillain)

-Banana (F Latias ✨)

Hop:

-Cloudy (M Dubwool)

-Flint (M Cinderace)

-Percival (M Corviknight)

-Rumble (M Snorlax)

-Needle (F Pinchurin)

-Jasper (M Silicobra)

-Thor (F Boltund)

-Whisperwood (F Trevenant)

-Summer (F Heatmor)

-Watts (M Toxel)

-Crest (M Cramorant)

-Zamazenta

-Galarian Zapdos

-Mango (F Squawkabilly)

-Arlo (M Quaxly)

-Deedee (F Gardevoir x Whimsicott hybrid)

-Carrot (M Tatsugiri)

-Lumi (F Joltik)

-Koda (M Inteleon)

-Dusk (M Mightyena)

-Flurry (F Cetitan)

Auberi:

-Korrin (M Greninja)

-Calypso (F Meowstic)

-Blaise (M Charizard)

-Glacé (F Aurorus)

-Cantrelle (F Noivern)

-Reaper (F Absol)

-Estelle (F Flareon)

-Sunrise (F Talonflame)

-Chester (M Chespin)

-Ignis (M Hisuian Typhlosion)

-Blanche (F Hisuian Zoroark)

-Aries (M Paldean Tauros, Blaze Breed)

-Spitfire (M Skeledirge)

-Anne Bonny (F Kilowattrel ✨)

-Voltaire (M Joltik)

-Fondue (F Fidough)

-Arceus

-Rouge (M Hisuian Zorua)

-Anastasie (F Hisuian Zorua ✨)

(A note: These aren’t necessarily all Pokémon that are registered to them. Most of the legendaries, for example, are just ‘mons they’re able to call upon or are associated with)

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