#Logan is from a place called the outpost

[skaald-of-the-hearth-fires]

DoF:RefTE ch11 - Heroes of Kryta

Dreams of Freedom: Reforging the Edge

Chapter eleven: Heroes of Kryta | (AO3 link)

Logan nods as Lieutenant Francis finishes his report. “Thank you, Francis. Keep up the good work. Dismissed.”

Lieutenant Francis salutes, turns on his heel, and marches out the door with perfect form, heading back to his post in Shaemoor.

“Alright, Groban - “ Logan turns to face his lieutenant, his second-in-command, his best advisor and a veteran of the Seraph. Logan drops the mask he shows to most of his officers and lets Groban see his frustration. “What happened up here?”

Groban puts down his papers and sighs. “I don’t know, Captain. I sent fast runners to Altar Brook Crossing and Claypool for reinforcements, but I never heard back. I thought they’d made contact with you in Shaemoor, but it wasn’t until after the attack I realized the outposts never got our runners. Their bodies were discovered on the roads. Centaurs.

Logan scowls, his hands curling into fists on the desk. “By Lyssa was it centaurs,” he hisses vehemently. If it was centaurs he’d eat his sword.

“I also fought to get more reinforcements from within the city, but I was obstructed at every turn. Minister Caudecus really puts a lot of effort into, ah, ‘defending the queen.’”

“The beloved minister would do better to leave Seraph troops at the discretion of Seraph officers,” Logan mutters. “I didn’t see him volunteering any Ministry Guard. I’d bet my left gauntlet he was involved in your runners not getting out. Somehow.”

Groban glances at him out of the corner of his eye. “Treason is a serious charge, Captain. He did seem to be acting to protect the queen, if misguidedly. Using legal matters to back up his tactical opinion.” He shakes his head.

Logan scowls again. “You think he was just honestly naive about the situation?”

Groban shifts his papers and doesn’t answer.

Logan sighs. Groban had seen as much of Caudecus’ treachery as Logan had, but he’d never been willing to say the quiet part out loud. “You mean… he didn’t say anything prosecutable?”

“No, Captain. He’s too cunning for that.”

Logan growls, at least as well as he can for not being a charr. It’s hard to call any noise a human can make a growl after he’d spent a year with Rytlock. “It sickens me that he’s a Minister, but I’d have at least thought he’d value keeping the current political system in place. Instead he lets Divinity’s Reach get nigh-overrun! And I can’t see the centaurs promising him more power than he has now over whatever nation they want to set up in Kryta’s stead.”

“We have no proof he’s actually a traitor,” Groban points out cautiously. “I’d like to think he’s above consorting with centaurs, at least."

“So would I,” Logan mutters. “But he’s a slippery snake, and he’s always covered his tracks well. I can only hope he’s extended himself too far this time.” Logan shakes his head. “Well. In any case, your runners never reaching the other outposts explains a lot.”

Groban nods. “Yes, that was a disaster. Once I realized Caudecus wouldn’t budge, I looked for loopholes in the law instead. I started with the families of deceased Seraph - most likely to have the ability and motivation to defend Kryta - and informed them of the predicament and asked for their aid. Caudecus’ precious regulations only said I couldn’t disturb off-duty public servants - didn’t say anything about regular civilians. Not like I could compel them to do anything anyway.”

Logan nods. “Good thinking.” He himself had joined the Seraph after his brother had been killed in service. He looks at the report Francis had given him, skimming it until he finds what he is looking for - the names of the mesmer and ranger that had aided the Seraph. “Were a Tiffany and Fiona Saryrn among them?”

Groban snaps his fingers. “Ah, yes! The Saryrn family has had members in the Seraph for decades. They were one of the first ones I went to. Andrew Saryrn attained the rank of Corporal during his time… and one of his granddaughters - disowned child of a noble, in fact - served most recently in the Screaming Falcons division… ah, well, anyway,” Groban interrupts himself, clearly self-conscious about his rambling. “I went to the Saryrn home and Tiffany and Fiona - half-sisters of the granddaughter - were quite willing to lend a hand. I trust they served well?”

He’s such a nerd, Logan thinks affectionately. Outwardly, he nods. “Yes, the Saryrn sisters were some of the most effective soldiers we had once they arrived. They and the other civilians saved Shaemoor. You did good work, Groban.”

Groban smiles at the praise. “I only did what I could from here, Captain. Anyway, when Francis delivered his report yesterday, I took the liberty of looking through it. If you’re interested in the Saryrns, well… they’ve been helping out in Shaemoor quite a lot. Admirable, really - making the rounds and helping villagers get back on their feet. Reuniting families, helping repairs, doing odd jobs to help people get back on their feet, even providing some healing… then Francis was telling me they’ve apparently struck out into the fields. And the villagers have started calling them the Heroes of Shaemoor.”

The corners of Logan’s mouth twitch slightly. “They deserve it. Hand me that report.”

~oOoOo~

Paying visits to deceased soldiers’ families is never an easy ordeal. Soldiers’ families await that news with dread every day, and hurts no less when the Seraph Captain shows up at their door. But the civilians…

Logan usually manages to stop the enemy before they reach towns and villages. Or at least evacuate them beforehand. The centaurs this week had appeared out of nowhere. Logan had had Groban send a scout to follow their trail this morning…

Logan shakes himself and raises his fist to knock on the door in front of him. This is the home of Kiert Sens, who had lived with his sister.

The woman who opens the door bears a resemblance to the man. “C-captain Thackeray!” she exclaims. “What - oh.” Her expression falls.

Logan takes a deep breath. “Katherine Rigali nee Sens? Can I come in?”

“Y-yes, of course - I’m sorry - “ she opens the door further. “Kiert was my brother. I - he -

“Yes. I’m sorry. He fell bravely in battle.” Logan follows her into the house.

The living room is decorated with pictures - of Kiert, and Katherine, two children, and a man who must be their father. A corner holds a dollhouse. Kiert is laughing in the pictures, throwing a child into the air. The hearth is well-worn.

A man - the father - enters the room.

Katherine says, “Richard - could you go make sure the children stay out of the way?”

“They’re with the Saryrns today,” Richard says quickly. “Captain Thackeray - please, sit down. I’m Katherine’s husband.”

Logan sits reluctantly. The Rigalis sit across from him. “Mrs Rigali - your brother - “ 50% of civilian participants in the Battle of Shaemoor are deceased - “bravely volunteered to help defend his home. He is a hero.”

Katherine already has her face buried in her husband’s shoulder, clinging to him.

No award can make up for a life lost. The couch beneath him has an extremely long thread pulled out - likely by a child. A child now missing his uncle. Logan forces himself to go on. “The Kingdom of Kryta wishes to… posthumously bestow one of our highest awards… “ Logan carefully unwraps the package he’d brought. He hands Mrs Rigali an engraved amulet pendant.

Katherine takes it, weeping. Richard holds her close, his face also wet with tears.

None of this can make up for the loss. None of this can make up for his failure. None of this can bring a loved one back. Logan forces words out, his own eyes stinging. “It says he fell in service, but… Kiert was no Seraph. He was a civilian - a citizen of Kryta - one of those that I swore to protect when I became Seraph Captain. I failed.” Logan closes his eyes. It hurts to admit, but Kiert Sens deserves no less. He would not have died if Logan had done his duty. Logan takes a careful breath, trying not to let the Rigalis hear the tremble in his voice. "He could have stayed home and waited, but he came out in defense of his home, his people, his country. He is and will be honored like one of our best.”

There is a long moment of silence for the fallen man - brother, uncle, friend.

“He did it for the children,” Richard says softly.

The couch thread tickles Logan’s leg. He offers a tortured smile to the bereaved family.

~oOoOo~

The rest of the day is likewise. Family after family, grieving, hurt, their worlds shattered. Civilian families don't expect death to come knocking so suddenly.

Logan empathizes deeply. He’d lost his own brother, who’d been Seraph Captain before him. No matter how much you know it could come any day… no matter how much you expect it… it’s awful.

Logan had at least had last words with Dylan.

These villagers…

Logan couldn’t have done better. He did all he could. But still there is pain.

Their grief mirrors his own.

Their tears tug at his.

Their regret waters his remorse.

He sees the homes, the houses, the families. He sees the love they had their for those lost. Each one is unique. The inside of a house is personal. Trinkets, pictures, tools of trade and passion, signs of the lives of those who dwelt there. Lives that had once been intertwined, now torn apart by death.

Like Destiny’s Edge, shattered by Logan’s decision to leave, Eir’s decision to press forward, Glint’s sacrifice, Snaff’s death.

Every battle causes grief. Every death causes pain. It never fades. It reminds Logan of all there is to be protected. Reminds him of his duty.

“I failed” does not come easier after the dozenth time he says it. He failed. And he doesn’t know when or if he might fail again. He can’t be counted on anymore.

Rytlock’s voice echoes in his head: you left. I should never have counted on you. Logan pushes it aside. He had done his best.

He leaves each home both burdened by responsibility and encouraged in his duty - his responsibility to at least try.

But then… there are those who lost loved ones because of Logan’s own command.

Centaurs had galloped into Shaemoor and killed indiscriminately. Helpless civilians whom Logan had actively chosen not to protect. Krytan citizens caught off guard because Logan didn’t warn them of the very real danger so near their doors.

There are no awards to assuage the pain. Logan can do nothing for them. Civilian deaths happen and they are grievous. But these… these came about because of Logan’s assurance that all would be well.

And they know it.

People avoid him in the street as Logan goes from house to house, ducking their heads and hurrying past. Others stare at him as they pass, haunted… or accusing. Others scream at him.

“You killed my husband!”

“It’s your fault my cousin is dead!”

“My child!”

“How can you live with yourself?”

Every word, every accusing glance, every civilian hurrying away - it gnaws at Logan’s soul. He would rather the dead themselves rose up in condemnation. The grief of the living is too much. He marches through the street, straight-backed, unable to block it out.

I failed. I failed. I failed. I failed.

They’ll never trust me again.

Like Rytlock.

They can’t rely on me.

They’ll never support me.

Jennah can’t depend on me. I’ll never be able to support her.

The thousand-year-old centaur war is unwinnable anyway.

I’ll never be able to keep her love.

Maybe I should leave.

Memories of his parents doting on Dylan while Logan was left to wander through the Thackeray mansion by himself cascade through his mind. His parents giving him the cold shoulder as punishment for a bad report from his tutor. Dylan, too, had been shunned for bad behavior… but Dylan had learned how to do better.

Logan was never good enough, until he grew up and moved away and… eventually became a hero. Heroism found him, rather. Did I really even deserve the accolades I got as a member of Destiny’s Edge? Even Rytlock had walked away when Logan failed.

Now, at last, he’d failed Jennah, and grievously. He should leave Kryta and go… out. Somewhere. Anything would be better than sticking around and watching Jennah’s love fail.

Coward. Deserter. Traitor. Running away again, Logan?

No.

No no no no no.

Logan had left Destiny’s Edge because he absolutely had to. Jennah had needed him - had called to his heart across miles of sand and desert. Snaff had died so Logan could protect Jennah. For Snaff - for Rytlock - for Zojja - Logan won’t abandon his duty. He will stay with Jennah. No matter how painful it gets.

No matter how much he misses the victories and celebrations. No matter how much he misses his old friends. No matter how much he misses even Rytlock… well, the old Rytlock, at least.

The new one hates his guts.

Jennah does not… yet.

[qu-film-history-to-1968]

Film Noir's Influence and Legacy Inspiration

                                                                                                                                            Dante Calabrese

When discussing and going into depth on the specific topic and intrest of idea regarding a specific quote that's very much intriguing, is the in text quote section I have selected is from the Haaland article, which defines film noir as "these crime melodramas blended'social realism and oneirism; an anarcho-leftist critique of bourgeois society' by combining 'hardboiled' subjectivity and human wickedness with expressionist lighting and concrete, metropolitan settings." In Haaland. The two specific films I've chosen to talk about pictures that, while not strictly film noir, yet include noir aspects and are on the verge of the genre, the two films being of my choice are Watchmen 2009 and Logan 2017. The film Watchmen which is heavily based on the 1986 comic series published by DC comics, It contains many of the components of a noir movie. With their deep shadows and strong contrast lighting, noir films have a unique visual aesthetic that this film utilizes specifically its done best during the scenes of the movies revolving around the vigilante character detective Rorschach. The utilization of noir narration dialogue from the character at the crime scenes and him narrating his journal entries each time as well the mysterious trench coat and classic style of detective sleuth. While on the other hand for how the other superhero genre Logan takes its approach for its utilization and techiques of film noir scene is clearly shown in its own way and style with not fully commiting to i, it does take the ques in certain filmed scenes, with noir movies frequently take place in large downtown areas that are rife with crime and corruption, especially danger of death. Logan takes its approach with having the opening beginning for the film put the audiance and viewers seeing a much older and worn out retired superhero Logan waking up from his sleep in his limo car by a bunch of men trying to jack his wheels which then shows him takign them all on by himself. and then eventually transitions to the camera panning to him inside a dirty old restroom in a motel, giving off that loan wolf struggle to survive the dark world feel that much noir films take for approaching its main characters. What especially takes film noir inspiration is the film logan plot revolving around A worn out Logan tends to Professor X at a secluded outpost near the Mexican border in the not-too-distant future. A young mutant that resembles him greatly upends his strategy to hide from the outside world. Logan now has to defend the girl from the evil forces attempting to take her. With the aspect of detective investigation of logan finding the urban legend and supposed myth of a sanctuary thats a safehaven for protecting mutans called Eden, this eventually leads to the long roadtrip travel to North Dakota for the truth revolving around if there really is the secret protected hideaway for the last standing mutants left. Lastly the other aspect utilized in every other film noirs is the seeing of redemption from Logan as with evry other noir driven style films to stop the corruption and injustice his people were put through for the near extinction.

[mckinleykispiox]

Name: Mckinley Kispiox

Age: 33

Occupation: Park Guide

Pronouns & Gender: He/Him & Cis Male

Faceclaim: Martin Sensmeier

Biography: TW: Alzheimer's.

The family is one of nature's masterpieces. The Kispiox's consisted of Kinley, his younger sister and his Mother. Don't ask him what a Father was. That term was dead to him as his own refused to provide any kind of support for him or his sister. In the very least, he was the sperm donor for the two Kispiox children. The last time Kinley saw his old man was around the age 10. The elder tried to get back into their lives and the much younger Kinley found himself shooting an arrow at the man as a warning. He wasn't to return again.

At a young age Mckinley had to be the man of the house. It was welcomed and it made the young boy learn and grow at a quicker speed then most. That weight was welcomed. His Mother had owned a plot of land in Outpost for generations. It was only an acre but it was more then most in their small town. It didn't matter how big their house was; it mattered that there was love in it. And that's exactly what embodied their home and household. They leaned on one another when times got rough. That was all that really mattered anyways. Material things could be taken away in an instant but relationships and bonds could not.

Through out high school when he was not in class he was working. Anything to help out his family. That was how it should be. However, in the back of his mind there was always something there that needed more. He would read and see all these places that were like a fantasy to him. Travel opens your heart, broadens your mind, and fills your life with stories to tell. The only stories he had were encased within the small town of Salt Flats. It wasn't like he wasn't appreciative of the quaint place but there was always something about the unknown that ate away at the male.

So, on spring breaks he found himself with the leftover money he would put aside - he began to dip his toes into that feeling of the unknown. The first trip he ever took outside of his hometown was to Tampa Florida. That was a rude awakening. Alligators were not in his calling. He learned that by being chased by one. Nonetheless, he still found adventure in discovering somewhere that was new and fresh.

Fast forward to graduating high school and soon enough he would find a job as a Park Guide within Crystal Falls. Within State Parks is room, glorious room in which to find ourselves, in which to think and hope, to dream and plan, to rest and resolve. His feet were still planted in Salt Flats. But this was a step up. The man knew he was never meant for an office job. He loved exploring landscapes and being one with nature and the outdoors. Maybe that was the main culprit of wanting to explore and travel.

As time passed and year after year, that nagging feeling began to increase but Kinley grew older and it seemed like the truth of the matter was he always had something holding him here. Whether that be people or a stable job which was more difficult then one could imagine. Especially in Salt Flats. He had seen too many people get fired or lose the necessities of life.

However, there came an opportunity or rather a breaking point that would switch gears for the man. A break up for him and Logan Rivera. They were always off and on. Some people will leave you soon no matter how, but it's not the ending of your story, it's just the ending of their role in your story. Life goes on, and you should just expect damage from others. The whole thing left him disoriented to say the least but he found some goodness in the bad. And he took the leap that he had been wanting to for as long as he could remember.

Mckinley packed one large duffle bag and put everything else into storage. He set off towards up north to Alaska. His family had originated from that area so he found it to be an authentic excuse to explore. The male was willing to be a beginner every single morning. It was scary at first but that was what life was all about. Taking risks and sometimes it would turn out to be better then what you expected.

Alaska isn’t about who you were when you headed that way. It’s about who you become. Kinley found his groove and got into the trucking business. He was an ice road trucker. Life was all about risks but he found it rewarding surprisingly and the pay certainly helped. Everything seemingly was on the right path and the man was so encouraged on what all was to come. Until a desperate call came in from his sister.

For the year he had been in Alaska, he had frequent calls with home. That was normal. There would be conversations about how his Mother would forget an object or some task that she needed to do. At that time, Kinley didn't think much of it. However according to his sister it had begun to get worse. And then the diagnosis came. Their Mother had early-set Alzheimer's. This upsetting news pushed Kinley to uproot his newfound life and to make his way back to his hometown.

His sister tried to make him stay where he was at, but with Kinley he knew right away he had to step up. Just like he had when they were both young. Being a man of the house is about more than just being a provider. It’s about being there for your family and making sure they’re happy.

Life takes you unexpected places, love brings you home. It has been a few months since he has been back. Luckily, he was able to secure his old job. It didn't take much convincing which he was surely fortunate for. At least coming from a small town where everybody knows everyone, he at least had that in his favor in getting back in his old workplace graces.

[thecrowslullaby]

How about...

21. Dystopian AU & 74. Huddling for warmth with Dukeceit?

Also imagine I give you a blanket and some tea, hope you feel better soon 😊🫖💙

Thank you for the blankets. I drank tea and I'm doing okeyish

Pairing: Dukeceit (more platonic than romantic I think)

Tags: Swearing, suprisingly wholesome Remus, gun?

Word count: 633

Of fucking course the shit in the hole would have fucking Levianth minions lurking around.

It was supposed to be just a quick in and out mission from their boss. Gather supplies and be back to base but the minute Janus and he stepped through the door it shut behind them, locking them both in the freezer.

They should have suspected something was up. It was far too cold inside when Logan disassembled the electronic lock. Guess you could always count on good old mutant AI trying to destroy humanity.

From the sound of gunshots from the other side of the door Remus concluded it wasn't peachy on the other side either. Classic. Trap those you can and eliminate the rest with minions.

Remus plopped down on the ground. There was nothing Janus or him could do. The door was locked from the other side so they had to wait for Logan to open it once again.

There was a chattering sound behind him. Remus grabbed his gun and snapped his torso around, only to come aim at a surprised Janus, who was rubbing furiously at his arms.

"Are you cold?"

"Oh not at all Remus" he sneered. "I'm just as peachy as back home in sunny Mississippi. I just thought I’d compose a melody."

Remus snorted, patting the spot on the ground to his right.

"What?"

"Sit"

"Yes Remus, sitting on the frozen ground is exactly what I need right now."

"You can sit on my lap if you want to," he wiggled his eyebrows. I assure you it's much warmer than the ground."

“Hard pass” Janus responded sitting down.. As soon as he did Remus shrugged off his jacket and laid it over his friend. Despite Janus being slightly taller than him it still hung loosely on him, no wonder he was cold. Remus wrapped his arm around his friend, pulling him closer, so his scaled side could rest against him. He captured all of Janus' bony fingers with his other hand. The scales were cold to the touch.

"Wow, Logan wasn't kidding when he said you're cold blooded, rattlesnake."

"When is Logan ever kidding, Remus?"

Remus snorted.

"Yeah. I just wasn't aware it could get this bad so quickly."

Janus shrugged.

"Comes with the good looks" Remus snorted. He remembered all the times Janus’ ‘good looks’ have gotten them into trouble. It was a close call far too many times and there were five of them now. He can’t imagine what it must have been like for Janus before he and Logan joined their rag tag team. He doubted he'd ever find out, not how secretative the two of them were about it.

He was brought out of his thoughts as Janus teeth chattering got louder.

"I promise not to make any dirty jokes if you want to sit in my lap" Janus raised his eyebrow "Alright. I'm going to make one dirty joke but you're fucking cold and I don't want you to freeze."

To his surprise Janus stood up, awkwardly slipping onto Remus lap. He shifted the jacket to the front, pressing his back against Remus. Oh he really was cold. The bulkier man slipped his arms under the jacket, grabbing Janus’ hands.

"Oh you’re warm.” The taller man said, relaxing slightly.

“Warm?” Remus grinned. “I should be offended. I’m fucking hot, man.” Janus snorted, arching his head awkwardly to look down at Remus.

Before the taller man had any chance to respond, the door burst open, Roman’s grinning face popping into the room.

"The hero is here to save you both" Roman’s eyes went wide as they landed on Remus and Janus, but he quickly recovered, a devious grin breaking out on his face.

"Do you want us to lock you two in for two more minutes?"

[kerra-and-company]

spiral

The first three months after Zhaitan’s defeat. (Or, the story of how the person widely considered “the best at emotions” was once absolutely horrible at managing her own.)

Warnings: depression, self-harm (in a very Kerra-specific way), feeling worthless, cognitive distortions (Kerra gets an idea into her head that is just...inaccurate)

Word count: 4466

I’ve been trying to work on this fic for a while, and it’s been really hard because Kerra’s my OC whose mental health issues are closest to my own. But it’s done now, and I’m sure it’s not perfect, but I’m proud of it, and it means a lot to me. So, here you go; hopefully this speaks to someone else, too.

(and @mystery-salad because forever ago you mentioned that you’d be interested in seeing this fic concept if I ever wrote it!)

It happened in the span of a single moment.

Trahearne had finally, finally joined the party. Rel had gotten his lute from who knows where and was taking song requests. Destiny’s Edge was talking and laughing, and she even saw Caithe smile. Everywhere Kerra looked, her friends and the rest of the Pact were drinking, chatting, relaxing, or dancing.

And, for once, no one was watching her.

So she tilted her head back, letting the sun and confetti (who brought confetti?) cover her face, giggling at the unfamiliar touch of colorful paper scraps. She spun around, arms outstretched and eyes closed and, miraculously, managing not to hit anyone.

It was pure, utter joy combined with I’m done, I did what I was made for, I’m done and I can just be me—

Kill the dragon.

Kerra stumbled. That couldn’t be right. Zhaitan was dead, and her Hunt was—

Kill the dragon, her mind insisted.

The world didn’t stop. It would have been easier if it had. Instead, the celebration continued, with laughter and Rel’s music as omnipresent noise.

It took everything in her not to scream.

****

The Pact wanted to lift her up on a pedestal for what she’d done. And she didn’t deserve it, so she had to leave.

She wrote notes to each of her friends and left them near their things, going mostly unnoticed as she slipped out of the party. Thank you for everything you’ve done, she said. I am going to where I can help the most, and that’s not here right now. I’ll come back.

I love you.

****

Her first stop was Caledon.

Cern was pleased to see her and told her stories of his new recruits taking down a particularly large troll in the swamps. Tatli and Cueyatl welcomed her into the Hazupl camp, and a few sylvari were there, too, talking to the hylek young. Llew gave her updates on Astorea—the defenses were holding, though Nightmare Court attacks had increased of late.

The only place she stayed overnight, though, was the Weeping Isle. Eona hugged her, congratulated her, and asked after Rel. She gave bare-bones information, took care of some wave riders, and fell asleep in the same guest room she’d taken earlier that year.

In her dreams, she walked a bloody battlefield, utterly alone. She saw so many dead faces, along with the living who mourned their losses. With each one she spotted, a memory flashed. Minei and Cio screaming and fighting to get back into the fortress on Claw Island. Ceera calling her “Commander of death.” Elli’s expression as she tore into the Risen marksman. Tybalt imploring her to trust him. Trahearne asking the Pale Tree for forgiveness as they closed the gate to Fort Trinity. The hate in Tiachren’s eyes slowly turning to fear as he died.

And above it all, the incessant drumbeat of this is your fault, your fault, your fault. You were Commander and this wasn’t what you were meant for and so every death is on your head and yours alone because you made a mistake. You pursued the wrong Hunt, and you will look at what you’ve done.

The land and the bodies went up in smoke, and she welcomed the flames even as she burned, too.

Come morning, Eona found Kerra’s bed neatly made and the Commander herself long gone.

****

In Kessex, the bandits put a price on her head.

In Sparkfly, the krait learned to flee from her on sight.

In Brisban, the Inquest cursed her as their labs exploded.

Sometimes, those she helped asked for her name. She began introducing herself as Lin. It felt…maybe not right, but right-adjacent, and it gave her a sense of distance.

Sometimes, they asked her to stay—an asuran krewe who appreciated her particular brand of dragon expertise, a rough-edged gladium who saw a kindred spirit, and a small human boy who watched her train the Claypool militia with wide eyes, to name a few.

She never stayed more than a few days. It tore her apart each time.

She slept less and less.

****

Felix worried more about her with every passing day.

Kerra could feel it, and she wished he wouldn’t, but she didn’t have the words to calm him.

“You can leave, dearheart, if this is too much,” she said once, softly. “You can leave if…if I’m too much.”

Not too much, never, Felix insisted, bumping his head into her thigh and letting out a deep purr. But you’re hurt. I want to help.

“You can’t.” It came out too sharp, and they both winced. “It’s…I’m not scratched, or stabbed, or corrupted. I didn’t break a bone.” I wish I had. I wish this pain was visible. I wish I had scars for all of them.

Some nights, she considered giving herself those scars.

That doesn’t make you not hurt, Felix insisted.

Kerra had nothing to say except but I deserve it, and she knew Felix wouldn’t want to hear that. So, she just pulled him onto her lap and against her chest, burying her face in his fur, eyes dry.

****

Her thoughts wouldn’t stop chasing each other in circles. Her Wyld Hunt pulsed at the back of her mind constantly, like the beginning of a headache.

Kill the dragon.

WHICH dragon? she’d scream back. It never answered, no matter how many times she asked.

But she could function on two hours of sleep a night. She could fight. She could help.

That’s all that mattered.

****

She stopped at the Black Citadel for provisions. She’d intended to avoid Rytlock, but one of his subordinates spotted her at a vendor’s stall and (as politely as possible) dragged her to his office.

“Commander!” Rytlock said, happily standing up and pushing his paperwork to the side. “Thought you were back at Fort Trinity.”

“I was,” Kerra said, just a little too shortly. “I’m on my way to Hoelbrak.” Not entirely false; she was indeed heading in that general direction.

“On foot?” Confusion. “You didn’t waypoint or take an airship?”

“I wanted to take the scenic route.” A small smirk, and, again, not entirely a lie.

“Fine by me.” Rytlock grinned, his smile very full of teeth. “Don’t suppose you’d care to help me take out a Flame Legion post before you leave?”

“I’d be happy to,” Kerra said, smiling back and inclining her head before turning on her heel and walking out the door. Felix followed close behind.

“Commander!” Rytlock shouted after her. He muttered something about “I was saying we’d go together,” but Kerra was halfway down the stairs by then and barely heard him.

The outpost was empty within three hours. Kerra was gone in four.

****

She’d stopped shielding her mind somewhere along the line. She couldn’t remember exactly when.

Emotions swirled through her, positive and negative and in-between. Most of them left, but their imprints remained.

She kept fighting. She kept killing, when necessary, and the pain grew and grew and grew. Her burden. Hers. Deserved, she thought.

She racked up invisible scars by the thousands.

****

As much as she told herself the pain was necessary, it also was exhausting—which is how she got her first serious injury since leaving Orr, forcibly bringing her spiral to a halt.

She was at Victor’s Point with a man named Gareth and his three children. Said children had performed some sort of ritual to summon a bear. The ritual instead managed to summon several dozen bears, and soon the homestead was overrun.

While Felix helped Gareth take down a particularly large bear, Kerra heard a scream from the nearby shed and whipped around, running as fast as her legs would carry her across the snow.

A child she hadn’t met yet, a small one with short white-blond hair, was cowering under a workbench. They held a pen in their right hand like a dagger, jabbing it in the direction of yet another bear trying to stick its head under the table. It growled at them, showcasing its set of sharp teeth.

Not wanting to risk hitting the child, Kerra unsheathed her dagger and leaped on top of the bear. But she’d underestimated its ferocity and overestimated her remaining strength, and it threw her off, slamming her into the stones of the nearby fireplace.

Holding her head, she tried to get up, but its claws gauged deep marks across her chest, and she dropped her dagger at the sudden spasm of pain. She scrambled backwards, shielding the child with her own body as they screamed. Felix roared somewhere in the distance.

She struggled to stay conscious as the bear reared up on its hind legs, trying to figure out if she could muster up enough energy to kick it in the stomach. But she didn’t have to.

A blue shield appeared around her—guardian magic, she thought deliriously. Logan? The mace that whacked the bear in the head was decidedly not Logan’s, though, and Logan wasn’t that tall, and his skin wasn’t that dark. But whoever this was, the child was safe.

“Hey, stay awake!” a voice called out urgently as her eyes slid shut. She heard a distinct crack in it and felt the owner’s concern for her. Funny, she thought in an unappreciated moment of irony, for them to care so much about someone they’ve never met.

****

Kerra must have dreamed, then, but all she remembered was what woke her up—yet another whisper of kill the dragondeep in the back of her mind.

She sat up with a jolt, nearly whacking her head on the beams above her.

Her savior was talking in hushed tones to Gareth nearby, but whatever they were saying was immediately drowned out by Felix, who meowed loudly and started purring at the top of his lungs. He gently butted his head against her shoulder. Thank you for staying. Don’t leave.

“I’m—” she coughed, clearing her throat and trying to ignore what felt like the worst headache of her life. “I’m okay, ‘Lix, I’m okay, I’m still here.” She gently laid a hand on his flank, and he turned his head and licked it with his rough tongue, making her laugh weakly and then wince as the action sent a flare of pain through her body.

“You sure you’re okay?” her mysterious savior said, approaching her bedside. “You hit your head pretty hard.”

“I heal fast,” Kerra said, meeting their eyes. They were tall, but their face was young. “Thank you for your help.”

“No problem,” the tall child said. “I’m Braham, he/him. Nice to meet you.”

“I’m Lin. She/her is fine. It’s nice to meet you, too.” A memory slotted into place, and she gasped, frantically looking around for her weapons. “Are the children all right? How long was I unconscious?”

“Easy!” Gareth said, holding his hands up in a calming gesture as he approached. “Yes, all the children are safe, and you were only out for about an hour or so.” He coughed meaningfully, and a snow-blond head peeked out from around his legs. “Mikkel is a bit shy, but he wanted me to thank you.”

“You’re welcome, Mikkel,” Kerra said, her eyes softening as they met the child’s. “You were very brave, you know.”

The boy squeaked and hid again behind his father’s legs. Gareth just laughed. “I daresay he was! But that thanks comes from me as well, young one. We were lucky to have you with us today.”

“The thanks is appreciated, but unnecessary, Gareth,” Kerra replied, dipping her head a few inches. When she lifted it back up—slowly, struggling against the pounding in her head—she found Braham looking at her curiously. But he shook his head, seemingly dislodging whatever thought he’d had, and nodded.

“I’m glad you’re okay and that I could help, but I gotta get going,” he said, standing up.

“Where are you headed?” Kerra asked, leaning back slightly against the pillows.

“Hoelbrak,” Braham answered, frowning. “I need someone to help me defend my hometown, Craigstead—it’s been invaded by some group calling themselves the Molten Alliance. I figured asking Knut Whitebear was worth a shot.”

Kerra frowned, too, both at Braham’s words and at the implication of his tension and fear. “Who else did you ask?” And why didn’t you try Hoelbrak first?

“Tribune Brimstone. He didn’t believe me.”

“What didn’t he believe?”

Braham’s face closed, but she could feel his flare of anger; it wasn’t directed at her, though, not really. “With all due respect, sylvari, it’s not really your business—”

“I know Rytlock,” Kerra interrupted, ignoring Gareth’s shock and the way Mikkel’s eyes lit up. And though the last thing she wanted was to go back to Rytlock or any of her friends and hurt them again… “I can help; I’ve convinced him to get off his…behind…before. Let me help. What didn’t he believe? That your town was under attack?”

She could tell Braham wasn’t quite convinced that she was being honest, but he sighed and shrugged. “That, and the fact that my full name is Braham Eirsson. My mother—” He said the word with a disgust Kerra didn’t understand. “—is Eir Stegalkin.”

Kerra blinked. “Your mother is who?”

Braham crossed his arms. “You heard me.”

“No, I did, and I believe you—sorry. I just…” She trailed off, took a breath, and continued. “I know your mother, too, then. And I’m aware that I can’t move much at the moment, but if Whitebear doesn’t agree to help you, come back and find me. Either I’ll convince someone to help you, or I’ll do it myself.”

Surprise mixed with persistent disbelief and gratitude. “Okay, then. You’re an odd one, Lin.”

She laughed, dry and short, absorbing the flicker of pain that came with it. “So I’ve heard.” As he headed to the door, she added, “You better come back and at least let me know how things go, okay?”

It was Braham’s turn to laugh, though his was more sincere. He did a goofy half-bow-half-salute and said lightly, “You’ll be on my way, so sure thing, boss.”

****

Kerra wanted to leave. Gareth and his wife and his children were absolutely lovely, and she didn’t deserve any of it. But she was trapped in bed, healing. Careless.

She slept most of the time, waking up only to eat and pet Felix and thank Mikkel for bringing her water. Part of her wished she could just stay asleep, and part of her was absolutely desperate to move, to get out, to go anywhere but here where she was a burden and could do nothing. Always, constantly, back and forth.

I need to move.

You can’t.

I need to help.

You can’t do that, either.

I need to be worth something.

But you’re not.

I need you to shut up.

But I won’t.

I…I need my friends. And I need Trahearne and Caithe.

But you left them. They’re probably all angry with you.

You don’t know that.

And even if they’re not, you don’t deserve them.

…

Am I wrong?

****

On her fourth day at Victor’s Point, Kerra received a visitor.

Raised voices outside woke her. She rolled over to face the door, bringing her knees closer to her chest under the blankets.

“—asked you to state your business, sylvari.” Gareth’s voice. He was on edge and slightly angry.

“And I told you, I’m looking for Kerra. Is she here or not?”

Kerra’s eyes flew open in shock and recognition.

“There is no one by that name staying here,” Gareth replied. “I strongly suggest you try the next homestead.” A feeling of preparedness, as if his hand was on the hilt of his weapon.

Before she could think it through, Kerra called out, “Nisha?”

A brief scuffle and a shout, and the door banged open. Nisha’s clothes looked wrinkled, though still passably clean, and xe stood as tall as ever. And xe was scared and upset and relieved and so many other things that Kerra didn’t have the brainspace to work through.

Felix, however, didn’t have that problem. He leapt forward, and a very startled Nisha caught him in xyr arms. Xe stumbled backward into Gareth, who burst out laughing, animosity gone.

“Well, all right then! Lin, I see you know this person. Is it fine if I leave you two…” He glanced at a very loudly purring Felix, eyes twinkling. “Or you three to catch up?”

Nisha’s gaze caught hers and locked in, like the sight on one of xyr rifles.

Say yes.

Say no.

Say yes.

Say no. Say NO.

“Yes,” Kerra choked out, quiet but audible.

“Wonderful! I’ll be outside if you need me.” The door softly clicked shut behind him.

Silence for a few beats. Three, two, one.

Kerra took a deep breath and straightened, sitting up fully. “Hey,” she said tentatively.

Nisha gently set Felix down, a fierce edge in xyr eyes. Felix curled up next to the bed, eyes darting between the two.

“Hey?” Nisha repeated incredulously. “Hey?!”

Kerra flinched, and Nisha snapped xyr mouth shut with an audible click. When xe spoke next, xyr tone was flat. “Where have you been, exactly?”

“Helping people,” was all Kerra could say.

Nisha exhaled, frustration seeping off xem in waves. “My apologies. I should have phrased that better. Why did you leave Fort Trinity?”

“To help people,” Kerra repeated, helplessly.

“Why couldn’t you help people there?! I-I—” Nisha’s face twisted, though Kerra could see xem struggling to hide it. “You left us! And you didn’t say where you were going, not even to Trahearne or Caithe or my brother.” Xyr hand clenched into a fist, gripping and bunching up the fabric of xyr pants.

She had let them down. They were mad—at least Nisha was, and if xe was, probably everyone else was, too. Tears pricked at her eyes, and she started, “I’m s—”

“Do you have ANY idea how SCARED we were?!” Nisha shouted.

Kerra’s world screeched to a halt.

Wait. What?

“We could have lost you, and we would have had no way of knowing! You could have died, or disappeared, and none of us would have been able to do anything to stop it! We were terrified for you! And not because you’re not capable,” xe added hastily, brushing away tears on xyr own cheeks, and she’d made Nisha cry, she’d done that to xem, she’d hurt xem— “You are perhaps the best fighter I’ve ever met. That doesn’t mean you can’t die.”

Something cracked in Kerra’s heart.

“Why do you—what about all the people who died because of me?” she shouted back, her voice breaking. She threw herself out of bed and onto her feet, the blankets falling in a disorganized tangle behind her. “What about them?”

“What—we were fighting an Elder Dragon! People were going to die!” Both of Nisha’s fists were clenched now. “And I hate that, but it’s the truth! If you’re saying that you think we could have made it all the way to Zhaitan with no casualties—”

“No, no, I’m not, I—all their deaths are my fault!” Kerra’s tone made Felix’s ears flatten, and she ignored Nisha’s rush of utter shock. “I don’t understand why you’d want to find me!”

“Why in Tyria would they all be your fault?” Xyr brow furrowed, and xe took one step towards her. “I disagree with the basic principle, but even if the deaths were entirely on the Pact leadership, shouldn’t they also be Trahearne’s—”

“NO!”

“Why not?!”

“BECAUSE I WAS NEVER SUPPOSED TO BE THE COMMANDER!”

The room went dead silent. Kerra abruptly realized she was breathing hard and sat down on the edge of her bed.

“I was given a Wyld Hunt to fight and kill a dragon, Nisha,” she said, staring down at her hands. “The Pale Mother and Caithe both told me that the dragon was Zhaitan, but it clearly wasn’t, because Zhaitan is dead, and my Wyld Hunt is very much still there. Which makes this the wrong path for me, and therefore every action I’ve taken that’s led to where we are, with so many dead, is my fault. I should have figured out I was targeting the wrong dragon, I should have done better, I should have…” She trailed off, overwhelmed.

Silence again. When Kerra looked up, she met Nisha’s eyes, staring directly into hers. Sadness. Anger. Frustration.

Xe cleared xyr throat twice before speaking. “You write your own future, Ker. You’re not beholden to that one.”

“But Mother told me—”

“Mothers can be WRONG!” The fabric of Nisha’s coat tore with a soft ripping sound. But just like with Braham, the anger wasn’t directed at Kerra.

“I was given this Hunt by the Dream!”

“Shoots and thorns!” Nisha yelled, xyr voice cracking. “Why are you so certain you chose wrong, that you made some sort of mistake? You can still complete your Hunt! You can go after all the dragons! And you know why you have that option?” Desperation. Determination. “Because of everything you’ve done, because you’re the Commander, whether or not your Mother and the Dream originally thought you should be! You took down Zhaitan! You proved that Elder Dragons can be defeated, and now you don’t have to fight them alone!”

Xe took a deep breath. “Yes, people died, and it’s horrible.” New tears pooled in xyr eyes. “I…I still miss Sieran. But their deaths are not all your fault, and you saved so many lives, too, and…and I brought these.”

Xe shrugged off xyr pack and fiddled around inside it, pulling out a stack of papers and dropping them on Kerra’s lap. She just blinked.

Nisha sighed, more out of frustration with xemself than with Kerra. “Can you just look at them, please?”

Kerra spread out the papers, making sure to catch a few stray sheets before they fell to the floor.

They were notes, every single one of them written in a different hand. In a quick scan, Kerra saw Caithe’s graceful but clear cursive, Elli’s “i's” dotted with little hearts, and Minei’s deliberately blocky print. She looked back up at Nisha.

“What…what are these?”

“It was Rel’s idea,” xe said, now looking anywhere but Kerra. She could feel xem trying to rein in xyr emotions, though it was a bit late for that. “You gave us all some, so he thought that, if I could find you, I should give you some from all of us.”

Words upon words upon words. Her eyes were drawn to them as if by a magnet.

From Demmi: Thanks for believing in me.

From Cio: You saw past the fire, and you’re one of the few.

From Trahearne: You are the reason I didn’t give up, little sister.

From Shashoo: Quaggan believes in you, Commander!

From Riel: You do good work, agent. Keep it up.

From Elli: Keep fighting, Kerry. You’re damn good at it.

From Minei: They’re not saying why we’re writing these, but you better come back so I can thank you in person.

From Caithe: You showed me new purpose, Valiant. Thank you.

From Rel: You’re my best friend, Ker, and I love you. Stay safe.

And there were more, from soldiers she’d talked to once or sparred with or comforted, and some from people she’d never met. They said thank you and you led us to victory and you saved me and you were a friend when I needed one and many, many variations.

Nisha coughed, and when xe spoke, xyr voice was thick. “I didn’t write one. I’m not a writer. But thank you, Kerra. You’re the third friend I’ve ever made, and I’m so glad I met you.”

“Can I hug you?” Kerra blurted, nearly cutting xem off. She didn’t expect xem to say yes, but she desperately hoped—and then the notes were being carefully placed on the desk, and Nisha was next to her on the bed with xyr arms around her, and Felix was purring loudly from his spot on the floor as he told her I love you, too.

Kerra hugged xem back tightly, hiding her face in xyr shoulder, and they stayed that way until both their shirts were soaked with tears.

****

An indeterminable amount of time later, Kerra pulled away, wiping her face with her sleeve. “I can’t do this on my own, you know,” she said, the corner of her mouth pulling upwards. I can’t go back alone. I won’t feel better if I’m alone. I need help, and I need my friends, and maybe that’s okay for me, too, just like it’s okay for everyone else. She met Nisha’s eyes. “Will you stay with me?”

“I just found you,” Nisha said, quiet but firm. “I’m not going anywhere.”

Kerra smiled in earnest, then. “Good. Because you can’t do this alone, either.”

“I beg your pardon?” Nisha said, eyebrows raising. Surprise. Indignance. Acceptance.

“Neither of us are okay,” Kerra said, thinking of Nisha shouting about mothers (and Nisha shouting at all, when xe always stayed so composed). “And we have other people—other friends, our siblings—but…” She felt her glow flare, warming her face. “I’ll help you, when you need it, and you’ll help me when I need it. That’s the deal.”

“I wasn’t aware we were making a deal.” Amusement. Warmth.

Kerra dipped her head slightly, never breaking eye contact. “We are.” Her smile grew. “You know,” she said cheekily, “you really shouldn’t question your Commander—”

“You are aware that I’m not technically part of the Pact, right?” Nisha interrupted.

It was barely even a joke, but it shattered whatever tension remained. Kerra burst into slightly broken (but still genuine) laughter, the calm after the storm. She felt Nisha’s happiness and saw xyr grin, and it pushed back the flood farther.

It was just enough. For the first time in weeks, she pulled up her shields, shutting the world’s emotions out. It was a relief and a letting go, and she almost started crying again, but Nisha’s presence held her together.

She was far from okay—the drumbeat of it’s all your fault and the Hunt’s repetition of kill the dragon were still very much there in her head. But people cared about her. She had proof of that, though she still didn’t understand it. She was important to them, so she had to keep herself safe.

Maybe someday she’d be able to do that just for herself.

For now, she’d take the help, and she’d start to heal. And when Braham came back, she’d leave, with Nisha.

But it was all right to stay here, just for now. She was safe, and she was loved.

And she felt like she was home.

[fieryfantasybooklover]

The Eyes In The Everywhere - An Analogical fic

Chapter 1 - Many Teeth And Paintings

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In one galaxy, there was a space station. And in that, there was a viewing deck. And in that viewing deck there was a glass window. And that glass window opened up onto an Earth about to be destroyed. Its destroyers are cosmic beings. Ones unmerciful and unwilling to spare humanity, in all its graces and all its cruelties.

Logan Sanders strode briskly down the hallway, nodding to any superiors or comrades he passed. Offering a “good day” or just a simple hello. The hallway was sterile, pristine and white. The paintings that happened to be on the walls were cyan and scarlet, several feet tall by several feet wide with eyes in faces that watched the people walking down the hallways, never ceasing and never giving any sign of what purpose they served. Some of the paintings looked almost human, but not quite. There was just something… lacking. The Eden station had been founded in the year 2030, intended to be a permanent outpost in space. Charged with monitoring the star spangled expanses of the void of space for signs of life or other habitable planets, the station was occupied by eager interns, veteran astronauts, and some of the greatest minds of the century. That is, until something seeped in.

Logan Sanders was a NASA intern, specifically one who monitored, archived, and discussed large amounts of data and observations brought in from space outposts. And our Logan here was a very very smart man. Smart enough to see and remember everything he saw with watchful eyes. And it was always the little details of the station that unnerved him, ever since he’d volunteered to be stationed there. The fact that the station was shaped like an eye. The fact that the temperature was always several degrees lower than it should be. The fact that he would sometimes find himself trembling in fear, for no apparent reason. The fact that fog sometimes obscured his eyes. And the fact that everything seemed slightly different after said fog cleared. Each time he explained it away, but as of late that task was getting harder and harder.

Logan continued to walk down the hallway towards viewing deck A. It was his lunch break, meaning he had exactly a half hour to eat before he absolutely had to get back to work. It was imperative he did not slack. And after all, he loved his work. Sitting down on one of the chairs that offered a dizzying view of space, Logan pulled his lunch out of his satchel. I haven’t talked to himAnd began to eat. Soon, he was finished. Sitting for a few more moments, he stared, entranced, at the Earth.

W̸̨̨̩̲̫̫͉͙̳̤̑̒̂̊̚ĕ̷̹̌̇͗̈́̚̚͘͝͝ ̷̻͖̝͖̤̩͓̺̲̈͛͜͠w̵̢̮͇̾̑̾͋̽̔͝ä̸͚̰̺͍̐̏̽͂ņ̶̛̩̑̅̈́̐̓͠͝ͅt̷̢͔͚́͗ ̴̟̹̔̏̽̿̅͂̕į̷̮̿͋t̸̬̱̰̱͓̽̈́͊͝.̶̡̥̮̀̓͗ ̷̢̆̎̈̏̾W̴̤̰̟̝̗̥̦̱̪͉͌͊̔̓͘ë̵̡̨̻̲̗̹̩̖́̾͝ ̴̢̪̜͍̟̲̺̰̍̔͑̐̒̅̐̑͊͘w̸̧̙̖͓̃̓̕͝͝͝a̷̧̢̼̞̦̦̅̈́̿͗͊̎͑͜͝͝ņ̵̱͔͔͈̠̩̌̂̉̑̅͊͝ṭ̷̩͓͎͔͔̘̓ͅ ̸̹͚̘̲͙̪̠͓͂͘͜i̸̖͎̦͔̒̄̌ţ̷̘͉͉̼͋.̴͈͇͊̈́̃ ̴̮̫̭̰̖͕̆̉͝W̴̝̜͍̦̎̂̃͗ę̵̯̘̭̯̭̹̤̥́̈́͜ ̷̡̨̬͇̟̰̝͚͔̱̑̐̓̓̀w̵̨͎̘͍̤̳͎͉̉̎̂̏͗́̈́̋͘ ̷̡̻̩̮̮͖̩̓͐͜͜͠a̸̲̩͈͆̂̓̍̃̉͌͒͜ ̶̣̻̩̦̄͑̐͑͋ṇ̸̲͉̰̞̝̯̩͑̈́̆̽͋͝ ̵̧̪̻͇̺͙̼̂͜ţ̶͉͎̱̼̺̑̋ ̸̻͓͚͇̈́̇̽͛̈́͆͛̓͝͠i̸̼̠̯̻̥̳͛̾̎̕t̸̝̺̖͖͖̭̄̑̔̔̔̾̓͋͜͠

Shaking his head to clear it, Logan stood. Fighting off the sudden overwhelming vertigo that shook him to his core, filling him up with drops of regret. And anger. And hatred. And passive acceptance. Because, of course, nothing was wrong. “I really should get back to work now. I’ll report to Commander Janus in a few hours with all the observations that come to me.” and with that, Logan disappeared into the tangled metal eye.

Sighing, Virgil flopped backwards onto his bed. “We’re living in the age of everything-is-possible-and-vagueling-technological but I still can’t find that pesky book.” He thought to himself, frustrated. “Book, come outtttt!!! I really need you for an assignment that’s worth like 20% of my grade so can you show yourself please!” he shouted to nothing, staring at his ceiling. “God, I might actually have to borrow a copy from Roman again.” Virgil shuddered at the thought. “The last time I did so was unsatisfactory to the maximum. So much glitter… I might have to delay this project a bit...” Virgil trailed off, losing his train of thought as a shadow of something stole over him and away.

W̵̨͙͔̜̲̮̞̮͎̩̒̋̑̈́͝e̸̛̪͉̍̄̊̈́̆͝ ̷̟̼͕̣̞̥̓̎̌̃̓̄͋͝͝a̸͖͈̟̬̮̟͎̦̣̻̅̈́̾͑̂͆̈́͝͝r̷̡͎̭̲͕̄̉́͌̓͐̾͝ę̴̩͎͕̠̳̅̈́̊̀͒̌̉̇͘͘ ̸͙͕̜̒̈́̑̈́ẉ̷̧̢̟̱͎̬̇̐̔͜a̷͈̻̮͓͋̏̃t̵̘̝͙̙̫̋̋͛̎͠cȟ̷̟̮̮̘̍͝i̵͕͈̻͙͇̍͆͒̀͆͆͂̎ͅn̶̨̛̠̳̘̠̱̦̈́ǧ̴̩̺̍̐͊̆̓̌̚

Standing, Virgil quickly darted downstairs, past his parents’ empty for the weekend bedroom and down the old wooden stairs. He frowned at the lack of the usually extremely creaky floorboards. Sitting down at the kitchen table, Virgil flicked the television on and began working away furiously on a College Algebra Static crackled in the corners. The sweet scent of rot caressed the air. And Virgil noticed nothing of this, blissfully ignorant. The Eden space station is continuing its ventures into the unknown roads of space exploration. Every day, data is gathered that brings us closer to traversing space. The station is nearing its 10th anniversary of being in operation, and a celebration of some sorts is being devised both on the ground and in the sky. More at 7!!

A̶̘̳̲̎̈́̆n̵͔̞͎̞̈́́̅̍̚͝͝ͅͅḏ̶̥̽͊ ̸̢̛̙̭͙̦̩͚͕̈́̊̋̈́̿͐̉̚W̷͚͕̳͇͈͇̎̿e̸̲̖͛̓̚͝͝ ̸̭̺̇̓̂̏̅̄͑͠Ą̸̱̙͈͍̋̾̉͆̆̕ȓ̶̗͍̗e̵͍͔̯̳̲̎̄͑̚ ̶̝̫̮͔͕̬̞̈́͗͛͂̕͜͠C̶̣̫͉̃͒̋͆͌̇̐̕͝o̸͍͈̤͐̓m̵̨̯̼̗͚͕͍ḯ̵̫͔̯̮͍͔̩n̶̢͚͎̮̩͙̺͇̒̽̚g̷̢̛͚̤̪̙̥̪̩̮̿͆̈͋͂͋͜͝͠

Looking up as he wrote in the last answer of his homework, Virgil frowned. The television had blacked out. “Goddamnit must be the power again. I’ll have to call Remus over sometime tomorrow to help me check it out.” Standing, Virgil grinned. “But for now, it’s a Friday night. And I have nothing to do besides relax with friends I chill. Quickly texting Patton and Roman about meeting at Roman and Remus’s house, Virgil grabbed a hoodie and a MCR backpack and headed out the door, prepared for a chaotic night of fun and perhaps, if it involved Remus, slightly illegal activities.

Figures watched them all that night. Virgil and Roman and Remus and Patton. And Logan, too. Silent. Stoic. Many teeth set into permanently grinning faces. From a distance, the figures could almost pass as human. If not for the something that seemed to be lacking. Something extremely vital. Something that the lack of would signify a broken being, or one that had never been human in the first place.

The entire lights of the world flickered on and off

As the figures opened their many teethed mouths

A��̧̭̦͍̤͔͓̟̳̠̍ņ̸̩̮̫͈̜̰͗̚͠d̶̢̛̹̒̀̍̄͘͘ ̷̫͌̂̈͆̈́̋ș̶̳̺͈͍̲̑͐͗̉̎̆̊͋̿ͅp̷̹͙̯̗͇̭̱̬͙̹̋̾̊ȍ̵̢͙̣͚͓̭̮̍͐̈̇͠k̸̨͖̹͔̙͍͎̈́̒͋̄͒̄͊̍͝e̷̡̱̺͎͉͍̝̙̿̓͗̽̕.

[gerec]

Day Two: Rare Pair

Daily Prompts for the Month of August

Pairing: Cherigan (Charles/Erik/Logan) Warnings: None

Thank you to every one who sent in suggestions for Rare Pair! I finally decided to go with a slightly revised version of @mnemo-ink‘s prompt, which was ‘charles/erik/apocalypse. As for a prompt… spaceau? or is that too vague?’ Unfortunately, Apocalypse doesn’t show up in this ficlet, but this actually sparked the idea for a short followup to my Old Republic Star Wars au, Escape from Nar Shaddaa! No need to have read the previous fic to understand what’s going on; basically Logan and Erik are loveable smugglers/scoundrels and Charles is the sweet Alderaan-ian noble son of House Xavier who was being secretly trained to be a Jedi by his Master En Sabah Nur...

-----

They hear the explosions in the near distance, one followed by another as Ororo and Betsy set off the remote charges as planned. The confusion should give them the time they need to locate Charles and get him to the rendezvous point, where the Blackbird waits to get them off Balmorra and back into Republic space. It’s risky, with just the three of them on extraction, but Erik’s gotten them out of plenty of tight spots before. Plus they have Raven too, who looks ready to murder every Sith she sees with her bare hands, for daring to abscond with the brother she had sworn to protect.

“Let’s go,” Logan says, pointing down the first hallway with a wave of his blaster, “time’s a wastin’.”

There’s nothing Erik hates more than wearing heavy armor, except maybe what they’ve all been forced to don at the moment; the hideous black and red monstrosity that all the Sith troopers wear. He can barely breathe with the bucket on his head, let alone aim and shoot with his blasters. Luckily, their mission is to infiltrate the base and rescue a prisoner, and not to engage with a battalion of the Emperor’s elite forces.

And hadn’t that been a lovely surprise, to arrive planet side and discover the presence of the Emperor’s personal guard, here in some random outpost instead of their Capital on Dromund Kaas?

The soft beep on Raven’s tracker signals their arrival a moment later, outside a non-descript door in what appears to be the residential wing. It’s at the opposite end of the base from the prison cells, according to the stolen schematics they acquired for far too many credits, off Ororo’s shady looking Twi’lek contact Foc’diri. And luck seems to be with them today, after weeks of planning and months spent tracking Charles down; there are no guards in the vicinity, and no one around to see through their disguise.

He’s got a bad feeling about this.

“I’ve got a bad feeling about this,” Erik mutters, just as the door swooshes open, revealing someone’s rather luxurious if empty quarters. Nice enough to belong to the base’s Commander if he had to guess, which is not where they expected to find their wayward Jedi-in-training. Logan curses under his breath and pulls his blaster out of his holster, prompting both Raven and Erik to do the same.

“Your brother is gonna get us killed,” Logan says without any heat, as though he’s already resigned to the mission going sideways, “I knew he would, the moment I laid eyes on him. It’s always the pretty ones.”

Raven scoffs. “Don’t worry Howlett, I’ve got your back. Plus you’re too ugly to die.” “Is no one else even a little concerned with how easy this whole thing has been so far?” Erik hisses, because now is really not the time for witty banter.

Leveling his best glare at Erik – which hasn’t worked even once in the fifteen years they’ve known each other – Logan snaps, “You call this easy? We’re in the middle of a base crawling with Sith, on a planet controlled by the Empire! It’ll take a bloody miracle to get us all out of here in one piece.”

“I’m just saying there’s a lot of—”

They freeze, blasters aimed and ready, when the inner door suddenly opens to reveal the subject of their search, looking wryly amused and entirely unruffled. Charles looks rather well for a prisoner, his blue eyes sharp and blue as ever, and Erik can scarcely contain the joy and relief that overwhelms him, threatening to manifest itself in some sort of sappy declaration entirely inappropriate for the occasion.

Instead, he yanks the helmet off his head, crossing the room to wrap his arms around Charles and pulling him into a deep and lingering kiss.

He is very pleased when Charles kisses him back, opening up to him like a flower in bloom.

He is less pleased when he feels an arm grabbing his shoulder, and hauling him away from the object of his – now not so secret – affection.

“Logan, what the hell—”

“Now’s not the time to lose your head, Lehnsherr,” the man growls, giving him a good shake. “Charles is…” He shakes his head. “He’s not in any danger. We, however, are royally fucked.”

“What’s the matter, Logan,” Charles teases, “aren’t you going to kiss me too?”

Logan stiffens, but doesn’t look Charles in the eye when he replies, “I don’t kiss no Sith, Xavier.”

It’s only then that Erik realizes what he’s missed; what Logan’s cool head and Raven’s sharp senses caught the moment Charles stepped into the room. His old leathers are gone, along with the blaster that Logan had lovingly retrofitted for him only three days after their first meeting on Nar Shaddaa; in its place are rich robes in red and black, and a double bladed lightsaber hanging at his side.

Erik knows in his heart of hearts, that the lightsaber glows red.

[mojave-musing]

Fallout 406

Aka the first of many posts about my ideas of Montana in the Fallout Universe

First, this is mostly based in South-Central Montana cause that’s were I’ve been raised and I’m the most familiar with.

Let’s get one thing out right off the bat. Billings falls into Raider chaos in a half-hour tops. That city is on the brink of chaos to begin with so it’s not a far fall. They also rename the city to Killings (thanks @wolfsskull for that one), but basically everyone think that’s stupid and still call it Billings.

The Metra event plaza turns into a Colosseum where people do crazy stuff like fight yao gaui and deathclaws and also rodeos cause it’s Montana. They most likely have a market there of crazy raider things.

The refineries that are in Billings are most likely nuclear facilities in the fallout Universe and also most likely filled to the brim with ghouls and is a very dangerous place to be. But when powered up again it would power the city of Billings.

The Logan International Airport is empty until the Brotherhood of Steel show up, and turn the Airport into a base of operations hoping to take Billings from the raiders and power the city.

Obviously, they are in a stalemate.

The Brotherhood of Steel came to Billings from Butte. They were highly interested in the mining in Butte and all the technology. Underneath the city in the tunnels there are ghouls from the people that tried to run from the bombs, but it obviously didn’t work. In the Berkeley Pit, the toxic water (it’s more like sludge) lead way to a new kind mirelurk creature that is faster and deadlier. And being around the Pit makes you super sick being around it so don’t go around it.

Great Falls and the surrounding area is basically a giant crater. The Airforce Base and surrounding neclear silos made it a target. It’s full of radiation and ghouls, and monsters. In the middle, however, there is a surprising oasis. The Giant Spring is still producing clean, non radioactive water, and the small surrounding park, is a safe place to be in the middle of the dangers.

The town of Big Timber, before the war was neighbor to a Chinese Internment Camp, Called the Crazy Mountain Internment Camp. (Heavily influenced by the real life Heart Mountain Internment Camp in Wyoming. Look it up it’s heartbreaking) after the war the locals of Big Timber and the Chinese-Americans from the Camp founded Camp Crazy Mountain, Taking all the military structures from the Internment Camp to make a fortified settlement. They are very distrustful of outsiders.

The small communities that dot the backroads and along I-90 are actually thriving. Many towns have large Brahmin ranches with cowboys on Sleipners and Hayburners and the rare non-mutated horses to herd the Brahmin and Big Horners.

There is actually some sort of law in the state as well. From the ruins of the highway patrol and volunteers came The Vigilantes. They adopted a Old West Form of justice, where they are the judge, jury and executioner. Often times they go along the I-90 and backroads helping caravans and checking in on communities. But when Justice is needed they act fast. Every community under their protection have a sheriff’s star painted on the gates. They also bring back the practice of painting a “3-7-77” on the doors of people, warning them to get out of town or be on the receiving end of Justice.

The Great Khans often come up from Wyoming you to trade with anyone willing, there have been a couple followers outposts in Bozeman, Camp Crazy Mountain, Kalispell.

[the-art-of-aliens]

Birth of a Legend (Part 2)

The ship let out a slight groan that had Katelyn biting her lip. “Harris, escort the Druraians to the shuttle bay.” the captain ordered, voice shaking slightly. “The engines have a radiation leak. Once they’re in, report back to your station.”

“Yes sir,” she whispered, stepping back as her replacement took her place, the dim light of the bridge and hallways matching her feelings as she marched her way through the red flashing halls.

“Lieutenant Harris?” Chi’ea called as she entered the emergency meet room. “What is wrong? Why are we here?”

“There is an issue with the ship that requires all non-essential personnel to temporarily relocate to the nearest Outpost until everything is fixed.” She said, something akin to dread and panic sticking in her throat. “Two ensigns and another off-duty lieutenant will be with you to ensure everything goes ok, but I will have to report back to my station when you leave.”

“You… are not coming?” Bre’ixa’s voice was quiet and in that moment, he sounded very much like a child. It made her wonder just how old he was.

“I have a duty to the ship.” she answered quietly. “You’ll be safe with Lieutenant Wade and Ensigns Ro and Logan, I promise.”

“Very well.” Chi’ea said, standing up a bit uneasily, and Katelyn subconsciously took a step forward, dread growing. “I am fine, Lieutenant. Please, escort us to our ship.”

“We’re being boarded, Captain,” Katelyn called out as her hands darted over her station’s controls and buttons, frantically trying to scan the whole ship under the time it was saying it would take for the intruders to reach the very sealed off bridge.

“How many, where and current ETA if they are coming to the bridge?”

“So far, roughly 25, 5 groups of five on decks 3, 6, 7, 10 and 13, ETA three minutes for the group from deck 3.” she listed off. “I’ll be unable to do a complete scan if this is the case, Captain.”

“Understood. Marks, Decker, take the stairs and crawl spaces and go to the other decks for recon.” The SIC and TIC nodded, going in separate directions.

“Splitting up the Senior Staff so the codes aren’t all together. Smart, sir.” Kelly noted, sounding just as scared as she felt. She didn’t stop scanning until she could hear Raider shouts from down the hall.

“Harris,” he began.

“Already on it sir,” Katelyn interrupted, quickly wiping the info from her station.

Something told her to duck, and a half second later, there was a scorch mark where her head had just been. Blindly hitting the last key, she slid under her station and into the crawl space, giving Kelly and Evans a wide eyed look as they did the same. Where’s the captain? She thought, stomach twisting and turning.

As if to answer her, the hatches slammed shut, sealing the bridge off.

Jacobs was still in the captain’s chair.

[shadowmaat]

Fandom elitism and bullying

I’ve been catching up on the kerfluffle about Ray Park and Daniel Logan leaving the 501st and I gotta say, a lot of the commenters on that post are kinda proving the point.

First of all, it doesn’t matter if there are “just a couple of bad apples” in the group or if “every group has its rotten members.” The point is that the “bad apples” exist and are allowed to exist. Hell, in some cases they’re even protected. 

When you’re talking about fandom in general, yeah, it can be hard to police that, but when you have an actual organization with a leadership that can revoke membership then it becomes a case of management allowing those members to stay. In that case it doesn’t matter if the management itself doesn’t do any bullying because they are still enabling the bullies and giving their tacit approval of their behavior.

“Maybe they just don’t know what’s going on!” Really? Really?? You really honestly believe that no one has ever complained before? No one has gone up to someone in the leadership and said “Hey, X is acting like a jackass and this should be handled?” Really? Yeah, no. If someone is a dick to one person they’re going to be a dick to a lot of people and some of those victims along the line are going to be upset enough about it to make an official complaint.

“But think of all the charity work they do!” Yes? And? No one is saying the group doesn’t do a lot of good, but should toxic bullies be tolerated just because they help raise money for good causes? Are you supposed to smile and take whatever punches are dealt to you just because the asshole that’s hurting you is nice to other people? Thanks, but no thanks.

“Don’t punish the whole group because of a couple of bad apples!” See above, re: management allowing toxicity to exist. See also: you shouldn’t have to swallow your suffering just for the “good” ones. Anyway, from what I’m seeing there is no wholesale condemnation of the vast worldwide network of 501 outposts. Ray and Daniel even say that there are a lot of good peeps to be found within it. But the bad ones still make it an intolerable environment and they are well within their right to leave if they’re unhappy. In cases like this no one HAS to stay with a group if they don’t want to. They can leave for any damn reason they want, or even no reason at all. It’s called a choice.

If you think that a couple of guys leaving your group is somehow punishing the entire group, maybe you should sit down and parse out why you think that. Because you think they make you look bad? What about the one who drove them off? And before you start with the “well, I’ve never harassed anyone” stuff, I’ve gotta say “so what?” Do you think harassment doesn’t exist? Do you think the actions of a few should be ignored? You are, of course, welcome to think those things even if they’re ignorant. But you shouldn’t expect everyone to cater to your expectations just because you don’t think something is a problem.

“That’s just the way it is. Suck it up.” Uh, no. Even if it was the way things are, that sure as fuck doesn’t mean it’s the way things have to be. The world is a terrible place? SO CHANGE IT. Enough with the goddamned fatalism. Enough with sitting on your ass and acting like there’s nothing to be done. Find ways to make things better. And stop belittling others for finding their own way to improve things, even if it’s only for themselves.

It’s also worth pointing out that the comments on that post contain other examples of elitism and bullying. People who left because they were harassed. People who weren’t allowed to join because they were “too fat” or “not good enough” in their cosplay skills. Maybe it is just a few “bad apples” but it isn’t stopping them from ruining it for others. And if your feeling is that the organization is too big to be able to police everyone, maybe that’s something to think about, too. 

I’m not really interested in “debating” this issue. I wanted to vent and I have. But I will say that I am goddamned sick and tired of gatekeepers and bullies being excused while their victims are condemned, questioned (”are you sure you aren’t making a big deal out of nothing?), and written off.

[faithfulcat111]

Just Shapes - Chapter 3

Day 3 (Friday)

The next morning, found Roman finally unpacking his bags from college. He didn’t have much, just a couple large duffle bags and his backpack, but he wasn’t going to just live out of bags, no siree. He had higher standards than that. With his clothes finally unpacked and returned to his dresser and closet, Roman finally pulled his laptop out of his backpack, ignoring his now dead, and useless, cell phone at the bottom. “Ah I’ve missed you, baby,” he said, hugging it close to his chest. “Going over 24 hours without internet is too long. And because they built the tower on the wrong side of the highway, you are my only connection to the outside world.” Roman reached behind his bed, plugging in the charger and ethernet cable, connecting them both to his laptop, before finally powering it up. But what he saw was not what he expected. “No! No! What is this!” Roman cried out as he realized some virus has decided to infest his computer with pop-up ads for all sorts of things he wasn’t interested in. “I need to fix this. Ooh, I could take it to Logan. He’s good with computers,” Roman paused as he tried to remember. “I think. But I don’t really want to lug this across town and I definitely don’t want him seeing this. Gah!” Roman rubbed at his temple with the heels of his hands, “Okay, here’s what you are going to do. You are going to go ask if he can. And then we will go from there. Now, where does he work? Why can’t I remember? Fine, I’ll go ask Patton.” Roman shut his laptop back down and grabbed his jacket as he ran back downstairs. 

Right before running outside, he heard a voice from the kitchen, “Roman? Come see me before you leave.” Roman huffed and headed into the kitchen, a fixed smile on his face, “Morning Mom!” His mom, who was reading at the kitchen table, laughed, “Oh, I’m not a Morning Mom. I’m a 24 hour Mom.” Roman faltered, “A w-what?” “I’m Mom 24 hours a day, 7 days a week,” his mom explained. “Oh, very funny, Mom,” Roman laughed as he finally caught on. “What are you up to today, Roman?” she asked. “There is something up with my laptop, so I’m going to ask Logan to fix it. You remember Logan, right?” Roman leaned against the countertop. “Patton’s boyfriend?” When Roman nodded in confirmation, his mom continued, “Well, you better hope he can fix it. You can’t afford a new one.” “I know, Mom,” Roman said. “See you later.” “Bye honey,” his mom called out as he finally headed out. Roman figured that the best way to find Logan was to ask Patton where he worked. And Patton worked at the Snack Falcon. Which was across town. It was a bit of a walk, but Roman enjoyed the leaves that were just beginning to fall and the brisk autumn air of his journey. He soon reached downtown, passing a store called Video Outpost Too. That sounded vaguely familiar, but when he glanced in the front window, there was some sort of goth girl at the front counter, not Logan. So he continued on to the Snack Falcon. The bell jingled as Roman entered, but he almost immediately exited. Sitting behind the counter was Patton, but he was practically quivering with cups strapped over his ears like some sort of alien, “Um, Patton?” “Hi Roman! I got cups on my ears!” Patton squealed. “I can see that. Why do you have cups on your ears?” Roman asked. “It sounds like the ocean. You know like down at Bright Harbor,” Patton started giggling. “Okay Patton, I’m actually here to find out where Logan is,” Roman steered the conversation away from wherever Patton’s mind was going, knowing it would take way too long to refocus the conversation otherwise. “Should be at work. He works down at Video Outpost too,” Patton nodded with way too much enthusiasm. Roman furrowed his eyebrows, “Does he?” He thought back to the store, distinctly remembering that Logan wasn’t there. But that didn’t mean he wasn’t in the back restocking things or on break or whatever. “Okay, I’ll find him.” “What do you need him for?” Patton said with sudden seriousness. “I’m having computer issues. Logan’s good with computers, right?” Roman asked. Patton’s smile twisted into a smirk, “What kind of computer issues, Roman?” “Just a virus of some sort. Please don’t ask,” Roman begged. Patton burst into laughter, “Wait, you got-” “Dude!” Roman cut him off. “Not cool!” Patton’s laughter devolved into giggles, “Yeah, Logan is good with computers. He is like a hacker, he is so good. He should take care of your little problem.” Roman rolled his eyes as he headed out, “Thanks a lot buddy old pal.” “Any day!” Patton called out as the door shut behind Roman. Roman headed back down the few buildings to the video store, hoping that Logan would have magically appeared in the time he was talking to Patton. But the goth girl just looked up at him and said, “Hello?” Roman tilted his head at her, “Are you asking me a question?” “No?” she answered. “Um,” he shuffled his feet. “Is Logan here?” “No?” she repeated. Roman furrowed his eyebrows, “Wait, do you know he is not here or are you just guessing?” “He’s not here?” the girl continued. “I got in early so he went home? He lives like right next door?” “Oh, um, thank you?” Roman started to back out of the store, thoroughly confused by the girl at this point. “Your welcome?” was the last thing she said before he left completely. “What a weirdo,” Roman muttered to himself as he stepped out of the building. He looked up at the apartment building next door. It was tall and slightly broken down, not exactly the sort of place he figured Logan and Patton would have ended up, but it was theirs. He guessed that counted for something. Roman shoved his hands into his jacket pockets and walked inside over to the elevator. “Awww, that’s cute,” he squealed to himself as he saw Patton and Logan’s names next to their call button in their handwriting with a little heart between them. Then Roman looked at the call button. “You have got to be kidding me!” he shouted upon seeing that the button was completely busted out. He glanced at the other names, most of them too scribbled or faded to really tell what the names used to be. But he had to get upstairs and fix his computer somehow. He tried the button right below his friends. “Hello? Carl?” an old creaky voice came over the speaker. “No, um, Roman. I’m looking for a Logan,” Roman tried to explain. “You’re not Carl,” the voice stated. “And you’re not Logan,” Roman raised an eyebrow, trying to figure out what the voice was implying. When he heard a click of the speaker shutting off, he sighed to himself, “Glad we sorted that out.” He tried the next button. “Hello?” a still old but fresher voice said. “Hello, I’m looking for my friend Logan,” Roman tried to cut straight to the point. “Do you go to church, young man?” the voice asked. “I- wait- what?” Roman faltered. “Are you going to heaven?” the voice asked again. “Well,” Roman scratched at the back of his neck. “My mum works at the church, so I kind of get in by default.” When he heard a click, he sighed again. Yup, that was the reaction he usually got. He tried the next button. The voice came over, shouting, “I don’t want any of your stinking cookies?” Roman paused for a second, “I’m not selling cookies.” “Well, whatever you’re selling, I ain’t buying,” there was another click and Roman huffed. This was getting him nowhere. Why was there no cell reception in this whole town that he could just call Logan and ask him to buzz him in? What idiot decided that? What idiot also decided to bust in a call button on two young adults? He looked back up at the call box. There was one more button to push, the one right above Patton and Logan’s. The one that was blank like no one bothered to actually write in their name. “Please let someone actually live here,” he muttered to himself as he pressed the button. After a second, a voice, much younger than any of the previous voices, came over the speaker, “Hello?” “Hello!” Roman quickly rushed, “I’m visiting my friend Logan, but the call button for his apartment appears to be busted. Can you please buzz me in?” “Oh yeah, his short friend got angry one day and kicked it in,” the voice said, completely ignoring the second part of Roman’s statement. Roman paused before asking, “Patton?” “Yeah, that’s his name,” the voice confirmed. “Why would he do that?” Roman wondered out loud. “Beats me,” the voice said, but before Roman could say anything else, they turned the speaker off, leaving Roman alone in the lobby once more. “Oh come on!” Roman shouted as he ran his fingers aggressively through his hair, pulling on it in frustration. He looked back up at the broken call button and quickly slammed his finger into it, consequences be damned. Or maybe he should have cared about the consequences, because he immediately jumped back, howling in pain as the open wires that were apparently hidden behind the broken glass of the call button were live and electrocuted him. It got him the result he needed though because not a second later, Logan’s voice was coming over the speaker, “Hello?” “ARRRRGGGGHHHH!” Roman cried out, still in pain. “Roman?” Logan asked, concern in his voice. “Why!?!?!? Why in the name of all the holed cheese in the world is your button broken? It just electrocuted me!” Roman screamed. The physical pain was subsiding, but the pain to Roman’s ego lingered on. “It’s not broken, you just have to use a screwdriver,” Logan explained, annoyingly calm. “And how was I supposed to know that!” Roman screamed. Logan sighed and there was a loud buzzing sound before he said, “Come on up.” The elevator doors finally opened and Roman blinked at them for a second before scrambling inside before they could close and he’d have to go through that whole process all over again. Once inside the apartment, Logan simply stated, “Patton’s not here you know.” “I know,” Roman said, looking around the sparsely decorated apartment, taking in the little touches that were obviously two broke young adults trying to make the best out of a poor situation. “He sent me to you.” “Why?” Roman finally turned to see Logan looking at him, his head slightly tilted in confusion. He was still wearing his work polo and today a striped tie but was standing annoyingly straight for someone who definitely wasn’t. “My computer’s broken,” Roman decided to cut to the chase. Logan was never the type of person who liked small talk from what he could remember from high school. Logan looked Roman up and down, “And?” “And what?” Roman asked sheepishly. “And where is this said broken computer?” Logan asked, one eyebrow slowly being raised. “Well, um, you see, the problem is,” Roman started to stumble over his words, searching for a way to tell Logan without actually telling him. Logan watched him stumble for about a minute before the corner of his mouth twitched in amusement and he said, “I know what the issue is, come with me.” Roman blushed slightly as he followed Logan into the bedroom, where Logan quickly dug around in his top desk drawer before pulling out a flash drive. He turned and handed it to Roman with a simple, “Here. Just plug this into your computer and it should take care of your little problem.” “Woah!” Roman said, holding the flash drive up in front of him in amazement. “You really are a hacker, like Patton said! You are like computer magic!” “I’m not a hack-” Logan sighed, rubbing at his temples with one hand. “And it’s not magic. It’s just ones and zeros. And we’re just atoms. And our perception of reality is just chemical reactions. Take those away and poof, there goes the universe.” Roman looked at him before saying, “Woah.” Logan sighed again, “Sorry, just, that should fix your problem. You should go now.” “Are you sure, buddy?” Roman asked, now extremely concerned. “Yeah, don’t worry about me. I think like that all the time. Especially when frustrated. But I’m okay,” Logan gave him a smile and Roman took that as his cue to leave. He quickly said goodbye and headed out, determined to at least try to make it home before dark.

“Is that you?” a voice called from the living room as Roman tried to quietly slip back inside. Roman froze for a moment before calling back, “Yeah Dad.” “Come in for a minute,” his dad called back and Roman obliged, walking into the living room to see his dad sitting in front of the tv, enjoying pointless late night talk show hosts. “What were you up to today?” his dad asked, hitting mute on the television. “My computer was acting up, so I went to see Logan to fix it,” Roman explained, watching the host of the show introduce the next guest. “Logan?” his dad asked, his eyebrows knitting together in confusion. “Yeah, Patton’s boyfriend. I used to hang out with him sometimes in high school,” Roman explained. As his dad continued to look at him, obviously trying to place Logan in his brain, Roman prayed he wouldn’t say anything. He hadn’t, not since Roman came out himself, but it had been a while since he had seen his father either. Finally, his dad turned back to the tv, saying, “That’s right. I like Logan. Smart kid.” Roman gave him a small smile, “Yeah, he is.” He started to turn to leave the room, but his dad spoke up again, “I used to work with his dad.” Roman turned back in surprise. In all his years hanging out with Logan, he had never heard him mention his family and Patton had asked him not to push about it. This was slightly surprising, “You did?” “Yeah. And after we both got laid off, I used to see him at the bar quite a lot,” his dad continued. Roman’s eyes fell to the ground as the room fell into a slightly uncomfortable silence. After a long minute, his dad spoke again, “After I quit drinking, I didn’t see him as much.” His dad let out one last shuddering breath before saying, “Good night, little prince.” Roman perked up slightly, “Good night Dad.” Back in his room, Roman stood before his laptop, saying a slight prayer as he plugged the flash drive in, “Please, please work.” He cautiously powered it on and sat there, nibbling on his nails as he waited for the start-up to finish. Finally, he made it through the log-in screen and his background appeared, but no pop-up ads. “Yes!” Roman jumped up, his bed bouncing him as he celebrated the recovery of his laptop. His messenger app popped up, revealing that Logan was trying to talk to him. LBerry: Did it work? Roman quickly typed back a reply. RomanoTaco: yup! thanks so much! LBerry: No problem. Another message quickly popped up. PattyCake: dijd Logan hack ur comp and get all dat “issues” cleared RomanoTaco: he didnt hack it he gave me a flashdrive PattyCake: DUDE PattyCake: YOU RomanoTaco: please dont PattyCake: HAD PattyCake: SO RomanoTaco: patton…. PattyCake: MUCH RomanoTaco: PATTON FOSTER! PattyCake: ugh u never let me hve any fun RomanoTaco: i really dont want to talk about it PattyCake: fine PattyCake: hey u comin to te party tomorow RomanoTaco: what party PattyCake: theres one out in the wods PattyCake: u should ask virg to drive us RomanoTaco: why me PattyCake: cause RomanoTaco: … RomanoTaco: fine PattyCake: yay! U da bes! Hell say yes hes always drivin me nd Lo places RomanoTaco: okay im heading to bed PattyCake: same! Roman was about to hit log off, when he noticed Remy’s chat message box. He carefully scrolled over to click on it. SleepyRemy is offline. Roman sighed. He didn’t know why he didn’t think of anything less. Nonetheless, he still typed a message. RomanoTaco: Missing you buddy

[liambaileyjournalism]

Moloch was present in the White Worm’s den when Han Solo was brought to Lady Proxima after his failed mission. Lady Proxima was angered by Han’s failure and ordered Rebolt to hit Han with a staff. Han got angered by this, grabbed the staff from Rebolt, and said that he will hit back. Moloch then pulled out a blaster and pointed it at Han. Frightened for Han, Qi’ra ran in front of Moloch and pleaded with him to not shoot Han. Han then grabbed a rock and broke a window with it, exploiting the Grindalid weakness of sunlight. This caused Proxima to burn it up and retreat into the water. Han then took Qi’ra, pushed through the scumrats, and ran outside the den. Moloch quickly covered his face with armor so he wouldn’t burn, and started to pursue Han and Qi’ra. As Han and Qi’ra were escaping in a land speeder, Moloch opened fire on them, but was not able to hit them or the speeder.

Moloch then took Rebolt, Syke, and a pack of Corellian hounds with him in his A-A4B landspeeder to pursue the White Worm deserters with. Moloch quickly caught up to Qi’ra and Han in his speeder, and started to knock their speeder with his much more sizable speeder. Moloch proceeded to chase the deserters through the streets of Coronet City. Han eventually took the chase into an industrial manufacturing plant. Han then slanted his speeder to try and fit through a small crevice so Moloch would not catch him. At the end of the crevice Han’s speeder became wedged in the crevice, so him and Qi’ra were forced to continue running on foot. Moloch’s speeder was way to big to go after them, so like Han and Qi’ra, him and his pary were forced to chase the deserters on foot.

Moloch tracked Han and Qi’ra down to the Coronet Spaceport, but was momentarily stopped by a stormtrooper. Moloch informed the Stormtrooper of the runaways, and the Stormtroopers began to look for Han and Qi’ra as well. Han and Qi’ra were able to get to the gate to leave Corellia, but as they were walking out, one of Moloch’s thugs grabbed Qi’ra, and brought her to Moloch. The gate then closed so they couldn’t get Han. Thus, allowing Han to escape Corellia.

How does working on Star Wars compare to all your work on other projects?

Playing Moloch in Solo: A Star Wars Story is definitely the highlight of my career, it is also the most difficult and challenging job I have ever done.

How did you get the role of Moloch in Solo: A Star Wars Story?

I was originally cast as the stunt double to Moloch, but when the creatives saw what I could do with the movement in the costume and animatronic head I was given the cast position. The screen test I did was quite entertaining to say the least. I was in a long narrow room with mirrors down one end with around 15 creatives and the heads of department. It was the first time I ever had on the full costume and animatronic head, to my surprise I had zero visibility, absolutely zero… I was asked to move with a serpent like motion down the room towards the mirrors. I asked that someone let me know when I get close to the end so I know when to stop. When the animatronics are turned on it’s like having your head stuck in a bee’s hive, lots of buzzing from the servo motors and bits and pieces moving very close to your face.

I started off down the room, really focusing on my breath and balance making the serpent like action, I found a nice rhythm and felt really confident, then it all came to a sudden halt. I actually walked straight in to the mirrors at the other end… There was a sudden hard stop and the animatronic mesh smashed me in the face, I had no idea I had hit the mirror and the impact opened up a small seam in the face which allowed me to see a figure standing in front of me, not realising it was my own reflection, I thought I had run into someone and started to apologies to them, or to myself as it were. Turns out that everyone just assumed I could see as I was moving with so much confidence they forgot to tell me when to stop!

When you were given the role of Moloch, were you given any info to accommodate this?

Yes, I sat down and had a long conversation with Neal Scanlan, head of creature effects, who gave me a lot of insight into how they came about to develop Moloch and how he fit into the Star Wars universe and the type of movement they thought he should have. I was also given the script to see how Moloch fits into the story to develop his relationship with Qi’Ra and Han.

What was it like on the set for Solo?

The sets on Solo where authentic, all the sets I worked on were built in their entirety, the attention to detail is phenomenal. Walking into the Cornelian space port, which was the first scene we shot with Moloch, was mind blowing, it was huge. It took up the entire 007 Studio at Pinewood and had all the creatures and robots roaming around live. The most incredible set was the refinery outpost on Savareen, where we see Han process the Coaxium after the Kessel Run. The outpost was built in a national park on Fuerteventura which was very hot and windy making it a very hostile environment to be filming in, especially considering how many creature characters we had there, the sunsets were epic, truly a stunning experience.

Can you describe your time filming Moloch’s scenes?

Intense! The creature team developed and customised a video goggle system so that I could see, after many tests I found the best place to mount the camera was on my chest, pointing at my feet, so I quickly started to recognise people by their lower halves… Mounted on the head and the video feed had trouble keeping up with the head movement, plus orientation was surprisingly difficult.

Nearly every scene Moloch is in involves stairs, and to top it off Lady Proximas’ Den was shot under UV light which the camera did not pick up, so all I saw was darkness, try navigating stairs, water, camera marks, positions and lots of running with dogs, mostly blind… As the head took 20mins to take off then put back on I would spend hours at a time in it with the video goggles on, eyes closed, while my team would be keeping me cool with fans etc.

How long did it take to get into costume?

As the Moloch costume is a full animatronic head rig and creature face it only took around 20 minutes to get into the costume, but that was after countless hours doing fittings to get it right. I had to have my head cast for a custom skull cap as well as a sculpted backpack system that would take the weight of the animatronic.

What are some of your fondest memories from being in Solo?

It is always the people, on every film I work on, it is the passionate people and the odd ball characters who make this such an incredible industry to work in. If I had to choose one memory, it would be when my mother and eldest daughter, 4 yrs, joined me for a week in Fuerteventura and came out to visit the Savareen set. Now she thinks that every time daddy goes to work that is where I am, magic!

Who are some of your favourite characters from the franchise and why?

On book day at school I was always dressed as Luke Skywalker and my brother as Darth Vader… Yoda is my all-time favourite though.

How did you get into stunt work, and can you describe what the job entails for anyway who is unsure?

I used to teach Capoeira while I was studying a media degree at university, I was approached by some post graduates who had funding to shoot a feature film which had a lot of fighting in it. During work on this film I met a professional stuntman who gave me advise on how to pursue stunt work and where to begin training. So I finished my degree then moved cities and started training for stunts.

My best advice to anyone wanting to get into stunts is to do as much research as possible, talk to as many stunt professionals as you can and never say you can do something when you can’t! There are many different ways to do a single stunt so it is important to be able adapt to a situation and not consider all this right or wrong. I often get hired because of my skill set but then asked to do something completely different! My approach is that unless I can levitate I will never impress anyone with my physicality in this industry. There is always someone stronger, better or younger waiting for their turn. I can only ever do my absolute best with what I know and the more experience you get the more you know.

How did you get involved with Marvel?

My first big budget feature film was 2009 X-Men Origins: Wolverine where I was hired as a stunt performer, then again I was hired for The Wolverine in 2013 for my parkour speciality as a ninja in the snow village scene where Logan is captured.

Years later I had actually just finished shooting on the DC Film Wonder Woman in the UK when I received a call to double for Loki on Thor Ragnarok in Australia. Subsequently it was during filming of Ragnarok that I was called to come in for a screen test for Solo: A Star Wars Story. So the last few years have been amazing!

What was it like being Tom Hiddleston’s stunt double in Thor: Ragnarok, and can you describe the scenes you filmed?

Working with Tom is great! He has a great physicality and is a master of his craft. Tom would always push to do his action and fight scenes himself, which means we got to do a lot of training sessions together.

One of the more dangerous scenes was shot in an alley way in Brisbane, Australia, dressed up to look like New York city. In the scene Hela kills Odin then smashes Thors’ hammer and blasts Thor and Loki through the air smashing into dumpsters. There is a brief top shot of the scene in the Trailer for Ragnarok but the scene was replaced in the theatrical release.

The Thor Stunt double and I were both on wires being pulled by air rams that threw us backwards about 15 meters into a pair of prop dumpsters. We dialled in the rams during our rehearsals, I was ‘comfortably’ hitting the dumpster consistently then landing on the concrete floor on my side. During the take, in full costume which adds weight and some restriction, I hit the dumpster upside down which meant I also hit the concrete upside down on my head! The shot looked amazing but unfortunately will never see the light of day…

You were also a stunt double in two of the Wolverine films, who were you the double for, and what was that experience like?

I was a regular stunt performer for the first and played one of the snow ninja’s in the second film due to my parkour skill set, used for running and jumping along and off the sloped roof tops. I was 1 of 3 Caucasians hired in a 20 strong Asian stunt team. Superhero films can be a lot of fun as you get to be super creative with the movements and ideas, often breaking the convention of ‘regular’ action. Working with the stunt team 87eleven is great, they are so talented and creative.

  "Playing Moloch in Solo: A Star Wars Story is definitely the highlight of my career, it is also the most difficult and challenging job I have ever done." Moloch was present in the White Worm's den when Han Solo was brought to Lady Proxima after his failed mission.

[sweetsmellosuccess]

The Best (and Worst) Films of 2017

Determining what you deem to be the “best” films of a given year – or the “worst,” for that matter – is something of a drain. First of all, what, exactly, is your criteria? Do you choose the films that made the most impact on you? The ones that months later you still remember in vivid detail? The ones that seemed the best made? Sometimes, a film you dismiss one year you eventually come to realize is actually very, very good. Other times (though more rare), a film you absolutely loathed comes around for you and you realize you made a huge mistake in your original harsh judgment. Ultimately, it has to come down to the most basic and inexcusable of fallacies: It just feels right to you, for whatever reason, and shut up, it’s my list. This obviously makes these year-end lists little more than a document of my utterly subjective whims in a given calendar year, so take any of these so-called lists, no matter how definitive they want to appear to be, with a giant salt-lick block. Withering disclaimers in place, let’s go ahead and do this.

The 20 Best Films of 2017

20. Wind River Taylor Sheridan’s directing debut – a whodunit conducted on reservation lands in frigid Wyoming, lead by a BFW hunter (Jeremy Renner) and a neophyte FBI agent (Elizabeth Olsen) -- does have some glaring weaknesses – he does seem preternaturally fond of the whole “female agent in over her head” dynamic, and there is certainly some White Guy in Native Lands stuff that might turn people off. But one thing he does get right is the landscape, in all its pitiless beauty, and a sense of just how thoroughly American society has largely turned its back to the plight of our country’s native peoples. It’s a murder mystery with more of a political kick than you might expect. Full Review

19. Logan Just when the superhero genre had about exhausted its bag of tricks, James Mangold’s more haunting vision of a Wolverine (played for the last time by Hugh Jackman) old, riddled with guilt and doubt, and loss of purpose felt like a revelation. The lion in winter, whose adamantium claws were still in effect – and to particularly bloody purpose, with the application of the hard ‘R’ rating – became a version of the character we hadn’t seen before, and one that proved to have much more emotional complexity. Full Review

18. The Meyerwitz Stories (New and Selected) I realize Noah Baumbach, with his archly literary sensibilities and dynamic wordplay between admittedly sad sack, often dislikable characters, isn’t everyone’s cup of tea. But I’ve always found his stuff riveting, and here, with a full-blown cast (including Dustin Hoffman, Adam Sandler, Emma Thompson, and Ben Stiller) and a bevy of characters whose intricate interactions yield emotionally rich scene work, he’s in fine fettle. Sandler, proving once again that he’s capable of far more than brainless, lazy fart comedies when pressed by a good director, is very strong, and Hoffman, playing an irascible, egocentric aging patriarch, is excellent. Full Review

17. Berlin Syndrome Another film I thought would do better than its limited-run-straight-to-video release might indicate, Cate Shortland’s cat-and-mouse thriller about an Aussie tourist in Berlin (Teresa Palmer) who has a brief affair with a German man (Max Riemelt) before he abducts her and keeps her locked in his apartment for months on end. The film is smart and riveting – featuring yeoman work from the two leads, and a pulse-tripping last act that welded me to my seat – and, in this unofficial Year of the Female, featured a strong-as-nails heroine standing up to the worst sort of male oppression, a perfect metaphor for 2017. Capsule Review

16. Free Fire Amongst an admittedly soul-searing line-up at the 2016 Toronto Film Festival, Ben Wheatley’s absurdly entertaining shoot-em-up struck me as exactly the kind of elixir I needed to pick myself up off the floor. With a sterling cast – including Armie Hammer, Cillian Murphy, and Oscar-winner Brie Larson – and a can’t miss bottle-episode premise – a pair of gangs during a gun-buy gone bad are forced to square off against each other in an abandoned umbrella warehouse in ‘70s-era Boston – work to make this thing pop like a series of firecrackers. I actually expected it to be a bigger hit than its more modest returns indicate, but I wouldn’t be surprised if it picks up steam after repeated viewings on cable and streaming services. Someday, it will get its due. Full Review

15. A War Quietly, Tobias Lindholm has been making tremendous films over the last decade, either working with director Tomas Vinterberg, or on his own helmed projects. This military drama stars “Game of Thrones” actor Pilou Asbek – a star in his own right in his native Denmark – as a captain of an outpost in Afghanistan forced to make a difficult, but totally understandable, decision that leads to his having to endure a court martial hearing. Asbek is absolutely masterful, and Lindholm has a way of creating difficult and complex narratives that puts his characters and his audience in a moral quandary. Full Review

14. The Salesman Every film from Iranian auteur Asghar Farhadi is a cause for celebration, and this film – an interesting meditation on repressive misogyny, Iranian social politics, and Arthur Miller – is no exception. The film utilizes Farhadi’s trademark tightly wound, concentric narrative wrapped around a central core mystery. While it’s not quite at the level of some of his best work (including A Separation, and The Past) it’s nevertheless a fascinating film further probing deeply into the human condition. Capsule Review

13. Strong Island I had the pleasure of watching Yance Ford’s deeply moving doc, about the murder of his older brother and the ways his loss devastated her once-happy family, at last spring’s True/False festival. Here’s what I wrote about it at the time: “Shot in a pastiche of styles – for most of the interviews, the camera keeps a respectful distance, but for Ford’s own confessions, he shoots almost uncomfortably close, almost daring us to look away – the somber themes are greatly enhanced by the addition of inspired poetic visuals: an angled roof against the blue of the sky, snow swirling in air against a dark night, a particularly haunting overhead shot of the grease stain on the concrete outside the garage where his brother lay down to die, which untether the film from clear narrative delineation, and send it into spiraling layers of grief and acceptance. The result is uncompromising and almost impossibly raw.” Capsule Review

12. Wonder Woman Just when we were all ready to take the DCU and chuck it into Zack Snyder’s garbage disposal, along comes Diana Prince, who revitalized the entire comic book genre, and breathed new life into what had been Warner Bros. desultory foray into comic book universes (a life almost immediately put back on life support after the disastrous Justice League debacle this past fall, but I digress). Gal Gadot’s star turn as the heroine of the summer could not have come at a more precipitous time, given the political wave of female empowerment, and Patty Jenkins’ film was thrilling and ground-breaking. DC might have only given us one winning film this year, but it certainly was a doozy. Full Review

11. Graduation Cristian Mungiu’s narratives always challenge his protagonists in deeply disturbing ways, either by dint of the oppression they are under, or the moral quandaries he elicits. His latest film, about a well-connected Romanian doctor (Adrian Tetieni) who uses his influence to illicitly aid his stricken daughter (Maria Dragus) on the eve of her college entrance exams, is another master study of moral nuance and precise scene composition. A single, wordless shot of the doctor coming home with his wife (Lia Bugnar) sitting in the kitchen tells us everything we need to know about their marriage, which is fantastic filmmaking. Mungiu greatly helped spur the Romanian cinematic revival over the last two decades, this film continues to cement his considerable legacy. Capsule Review

10. The Unknown Girl Recently, the Dardennes Bros. have been quietly making some of the more ethically absorbing films of the last few years. In 2014’s Two Days, One Night, we got to see the plight of a depressed woman attempting to get her old job back by pleading with her co-workers; here, we follow an obsessive doctor, Jenny (Adèle Haenel), after a young woman is murdered after first trying to gain entry into her small clinic after hours. Jenny devotes most of her time and energy not to try and solve the crime, but only to discover the identity of the woman so she can notify her family. You get the impression the Dardennes – whose previous oeuvre contains many unflinching dramas – want to lay out the ways we need to respond to our fellow human beings in order to be truly happy with ourselves. It says something that their protagonists stand out so much for simply just doing the right thing. Capsule Review

9. Personal Shopper Kristen Stewart has become far more than a starlet; she’s a bloody force of nature. Working again with Olivier Assayas (their previous collaboration, Clouds of Sils Maria, was also very strong), the two have made a film so filled with provocative energy, it can’t stay in one place for very long. Part ghost story; part fashion treatise; part character study; part Millennial ode, it moves in so many directions, you can’t catch your breath. Rather than feel scattershot, however, it’s anchored by Stewart and her undeniable screen presence. It will be fascinating to watch the rest of her career play out as she gets older and her muse carries her in different directions. Full Review

8. My Happy Family One of the joys of going to a festival like Sundance (and having critic friends with excellent taste) is getting to catch films you likely wouldn’t have seen under normal circumstances. Nana Ekvtimishvili and Simon Groß’s Georgian drama concerns a middle-aged matriarch (Ia Shugliashvili, in a fantastic performance) who suddenly decides to move out of her busy apartment where her vast extended family live, and move into her own flat where she can hear herself think. To her husband’s consternation, no matter how tightly the thumbscrews are applied, she remains resolute, which comes to make more and more sense as the drama unfurls. Currently on Netflix, I can’t recommend this one strongly enough. Capsule Review

7. I, Tonya One of the true surprises at last year’s TIFF, Craig Gillespie’s black comedy plays out the life and times of Tonya Harding with verve, wit, and absolutely brilliant performances, none more so that Allison Janey’s scene-stealing turn as Tonya’s witheringly acerbic mother. “Through a series of recreated interviews with the participants, screenwriter Steven Rogers has a grand time, breaking 4th walls, and giving glorious, epithet-spewing life to its decidedly lowbrow characters. Admirably, it also manages to make salient points as to the nature of celebrity culture, and the simple, one-dimensional character forms that American society so adores. It’s a colorful noisemaker, with a strand of barbed wire wrapped around the handle.” Capsule Review

6. Lady Bird Greta Gerwig’s directorial debut was a spiky, scintillating reverie on teen identity, and the difficulties of holding onto those things that most matter to you even as you strive to open yourself up to totally new experiences. “At its heart, too, through all of its sweetly comic undertones -- and laugh out loud bits of extemporaneous dialogue that flows through Gerwig's script like a guzzle of warm syrup -- it's an emotionally powerful evocation of the way loving parents and their children have to forge a way to learn to live apart from one another. "I want you to be the very best version of yourself you can be," her mother tells her at one point, and Lady Bird's struggle to figure out just who that might be is thoroughly captivating.” Full Review

5. The Florida Project A kind of reimagined Little Rascals, but set at an Orlando residence motel on the dirty outskirts of the strip outside Disney World, Sean Baker’s film is filled with the vitality and spark of life, even as the lives it depicts are difficult and often suffering. As far as the children of these hard-scrabble parents are concerned, the whole area is like an unsupervised playground. Featuring fantastic performances from the children – and a wondrous turn by Willem Dafoe, as the building manager – none more so than impossibly young Brooklynn Prince, the film is smart, sassy, and, at the end, extremely moving. Full Review

4. Get Out Much digital ink has already been spilled (um, generated?) in praise of Jordan Peele’s stunning directorial debut, a brilliant comedy/horror-based dissection of racial politics in this country, but here’s just a bit more: Peele’s film is so tightly constructed and carefully put together, it works equally well on multiple levels. That a film so loaded with racial politics can also be so damn entertaining is a marvel that needs to be seen multiple times before fully appreciated. Full Review

3. Phantom Thread Not that there was any serious doubt before but Paul Thomas Anderson is so fully in control of his craft he can make a riveting, emotionally wrenching film from a fussbudget dressmaker who likes his breakfast to be eerily silent. It helps when you have the luminescent efforts of a fantastic cast – lead by Daniel Day Lewis, in his reported last ever film role – but PTA is also the man who put that cast together and got such fantastic performances out of them. It’s a love story from a particularly obtuse angle – in this way, somewhat reminiscent of PTA’s earlier Punch Drunk Love – but takes such vibrant risks along the way, it’s all you can do to keep from applauding midway through. Delicate, fussy, nuanced, and absolutely gorgeous to look at (thank you, DP PTA!), with a wondrous score from Johnny Greenwood, it’s almost shockingly good. If this is indeed Day-Lewis’ last film, he’s gone out with a hell of a swansong. Full Review 

2. Call Me By Your Name I have written more about this film, and the year’s best winner, over this year than I can ever remember doing before. Hence, I quote but one of my various musings thusly: “The film’s first couple of hours are perfectly entertaining, but is in its closing scenes that it goes from engaging to sublime, including a monologue from [Michael] Stuhlbarg, consoling his now-bereft son, that is truly one for the ages. The closing credits, set over a long, single-take of Elio’s face in front of the fire, will sear your soul.” Full Review

1. A Ghost Story Ladies and gentlemen, David Lowery’s powerful meditation on love, time, and the fallacy of human legacy was the only film this year that very nearly dropped me to my knees in anguish as I departed the theater. You can actually view it as having something of a happy ending, but even so, it strikes nerves deep in your cerebral cortex you never even knew existed before. “It’s a film of felt, quiet spaces, whose emotional intensity builds in small increments to become at times almost overwhelming. It goes places you don’t expect, and keeps you there, frozen stiff in your chair, as it comes full circle. It’s definitely not a film for everybody – if, for example, you require three full acts and complete character arcs, you might want to take a flyer – but for the people who can hang with it, it has an enormous amount to offer.” Full Review

Other Worthy Mentions:

47 Meters Down, A Gray State, Abundant Acreage Available, Atomic Blonde, Baby Driver, Bad Day for the Cut, Beach Rats, Beatriz at Dinner, Blame, Did You Wonder Who Shot the Gun?, Dunkirk, I Don’t Feel At Home In This World Anymore, Jane, Killing Ground, mother!, Quest, The Cage Fighter, The Endless, The Force, The Square, Thumper

The 5 Worst Films of 2017

5. Mary Shelley “Unfortunately, working from a truly terrible script from Emma Jensen, Al Mansour’s film is at best inartful, and at worst, the kind of simplistic, every-scene-has-a-point! pabulum that would embarrass a high school English class. Each element of Frankenstein is foreshadowed (here, Mary learns about galvanism; here, she sees an article about sewing body parts together, et al.), as if all she needed to do to write the novel was to pluck them directly from the sources. Even the film’s strongest moments – where Al Mansour, the worlds first female Saudi director, gets to show 18th century male oppression at its most vile and condescending – get watered down under that lead weight of a script. Everyone deserved better.” Capsule Review

4. Hostiles “Cooper confuses macho bravado and grittiness for any kind of verisimilitude – there are a staggering number of plot holes, and character inconsistencies – including the continual presence of a pretty frontierswoman (Rosamund Pike), whose family was wiped out by a group of marauding Comanche – that only serve to move the meandering plot forward. Worse yet, the action sequences themselves are both incoherent, and oddly designed (one of the oddest choices is putting us outside a closed series of tents in one scene, such that the action sequence is totally lost on us). The male actors sport very real and copious facial hair, as to suggest the worthiness of the project, but any filmmaker that can take a pair of powerhouse actors like Bale and Ben Foster and reduce them to this level of low-wattage really needs to self-examine.” Capsule Review

3. The Promise “Worse than any of its stylistic decisions, however, is to take something as horrific and criminally under-represented as the Armenian genocide and saddle it with a hokey love story that is virtually lifeless on its own. Naturally, the timeliness of the film -- taking us back to another age where virulent nationalism ran rampant, and minority groups were targeted as the subjects of its wrath -- is all too sickeningly relevant in the age of Brexit and Steve Bannon's type of exclusionist populism, but even there, the film either falters on the side of its overbaked plot, or sticks its more relevant political points in blithely didactic lurchings. ("This whole country is a graveyard," one character says.)” Full Review

2. Aardvark “A turgid, draggy drama (mostly around the premise that Slate’s character has to be an almost impossibly bad therapist to do to her patient what she pulls off here), a pasty comedy, coddled around a fantastically unbelievable premise and its flailing execution, the film tries to play with our sense of reality, using Quinto’s recurring hallucinations, but it doesn’t even want to bother to play by its own rules. It’s hard for me to imagine those talented actors reading this script and signing off on it, but here we are.” Capsule Review

1. Kidnap “As a means of conveying information, Knate Lee's "script" calls for Karla to talk incessantly to herself in the car, narrating her dilemma ("So now what's the plan?" she asks herself at one point, quickly concluding that she hasn't got one) pretty much so former Oscar-winner Berry has something to do other than grit her teeth and bleed out the nose. She also has a penchant for broad exclamatory statements ("Wherever you go, I'll be right behind you, no matter what!" and so forth). The effect is like overhearing a young boy playing with his GI Joes.” Full Review

Other Dishonorable Entries:

Axolotl Overdrive, Baywatch, The Mummy

Random Notes:

Inexplicably Overrated: Three Billboards Outside Ebbing, Missouri

Biggest Welcome Surprise(s): I, Tonya, Lady Bird, Logan

Most Bitter Disappointment(s): Downsizing, Mary Shelley, The Killing of a Sacred Deer

Film That Critics Got Wrong: Three Billboards Outside Ebbing, Missouri

Film(s) I Totally Whiffed On: Coco, I Love You, Daddy

Best Upcoming Releases of 2018

1. The Rider 2. Lean on Pete 3. Happy End 4. Chappaquiddick

[shirlleycoyle]

‘Star Trek: Picard’ Revisits America’s Imperialist Dreams and Finds a Nightmare

Star Trek: Picard is all about nostalgia. It’s built into the premise. Star Trek: The Next Generation is a foundational television series not just for sci-fi fans, but also for what Star Trek would become throughout the 90s and early 2000s. It's the foundation the JJ Abrams movies pointedly demolished in favor of the more paranoid, militaristic visions of a literal 9/11 truther. The first season of Discovery, the first of CBS All Access's new Star Trek offerings, was in many ways a photonegative version of TNG as it explored what happens when a StarFleet captain, with all the power and discretion of that position, turns out to be the anti-Picard: violent, unethical, and vain.

By centering the latest series on the the return of Patrick Stewart's beloved captain, Star Trek: Picard promises both nostalgia and reassurance. One of fiction's great leadership figures is returning to duty. Picard can right the ship.

But nostalgia is a poison we feed ourselves to ease the pain of the present, and reassurance is an empty substitute for a reckoning. If Trek is going to have meaning and relevance again, it has to change. Star Trek: Picard seems to know that, rather than resolving that tension, it feels like a show fundamentally at odds with itself.

Eighteen years after his last adventure, retired Starfleet Admiral Jean-Luc Picard is sitting for an interview. It’s the anniversary of a tragedy—the supernova of the Romulan sun. Picard led a fleet of 10,000 ships in an attempt to rescue 900 million lives. Starfleet, in the end, did not support the effort and Picard resigned.

"It was no longer Starfleet. We withdrew. The galaxy was mourning, burying its dead, and Starfleet had slunk from its duties," Picard said. "The decision to call off the rescue an abandon those people we had sworn to save was not just dishonorable. It was downright criminal. And I was not prepared to standby and be a spectator.”

It’s a rebuke of Starfleet, a critique in keeping with a character often at odds with his superiors, and one that comes a little more than 10 minutes into Star Trek: Picard’s first episode. It sets a tone. Star Trek: Picard is not Star Trek: The Next Generation. This show will be something different. It absolutely trades on fan nostalgia, but it does so with an aim towards critiquing it and building something new. That something new, however, appears to be Firefly.

It's filled with elements that feel lifted directly out of Joss Whedon's beloved but short-lived space cowboy show. There’s a young woman with a mysterious past and the ability to kick ass for seemingly no reason. Dream sequences drive the plot forward. An expository conversation at the end of the first episode waves its hands and asks the audience to turn off its critical thinking and roll with the coming explosions and nonsensical plot twists.

I think I can see where all this is going. We saw this story in Firefly, and we even saw Stewart play a supporting role in another valedictory "iconic character mentors young murder-waif" film when he laid Professor Xavier to an uneasy rest in Logan. It's practically a trope in video games at this point. Everything on offer suggests that Picard will build a crew and protect the mysterious young, ass-kicking woman. He has to take to space one more time to solve a mystery and probably save the galaxy. Along the way he’ll meet a who’s who of aging Star Trek veterans. The show certainly seems to be preparing for this kind of action-packed adventure instead of cerebral introspection, and rather ominously, that is the exact direction that producer Alex Kurtzman took Discovery when he took charge for that show's second season

The biggest problem, however, is that Jean-Luc Picard is not Malcolm Reynolds. He is a product of the establishment that he now rejects, and if it has become unrecognizable to him in his hold age, he was deep in its machinery for much of his career.

Star Trek is an American dream, one born out of the hope for a better world and the often sincere belief that this Empire, the American Empire, would be different. Like all dreams, Star Trek is a complex web of truth and lies that reflects the desires and fears of the dreamers.

The Next Generation typified that dream. Running from 1987 to 1994, The Next Generation seemed to show a United Federation of Planets that could explore the stars, encounter and aid new and unknown civilizations (often by bringing them into the Federation's orbit), and colonize planets benevolently.

Captain Picard represented the best of what was possible with Starfleet. He was a man created by its system, but constantly forcing the system to do better. In “The Measure of a Man” he defends android Data’s right to self determination in court against Starfleet attempts to dismantle him. In “The Drumhead,” a Starfleet investigator accuses Picard of treason when he refuses to participate in a witch hunt on his ship. In “The First Duty,” he excoriates then-cadet Wesley Crusher for abandoning the truth in exchange for esprit de corps.

“The first duty of every Starfleet officer is to the truth,” Picard tells Crusher. “It is the guiding principle on which Starfleet is based.” These moments, and countless others, build up Picard as an ideal. He is the perfect officer—forthright, intelligent, and compassionate. Captain Jean-Luc Picard is the dream of what Starfleet could be.

But dreams aren’t real and Star Trek: The Next Generation, which I love, is art created by a colonial power at the height of its power. It reflects the America of the 1990s, one that thought it could police the world, one that thought history had ended. The uncomfortable tension of The Next Generation, with its lofty talk of the prime directive and constant crises on far-flung colonial outposts, was that the dream wasn’t true. That America, and by extension Starfleet, was the project of—in the words of Next Generation antagonist Q—a “dangerous savage child race.” The less-popular but vastly more honest Deep Space 9 spent its seven seasons deconstructing the core conceits of Star Trek. It trapped its characters in a single place with a history and a context that characters could not simply fly away from at the end of each episode, forced them to live with consequences and compromise.

Picard wants me to buy back into that old Star Trek dream. Yes, it says, Starfleet is corrupt. It lets people die and imposes its will on the galaxy. But there are good people, great people, like Picard who flourish in that system. That’s what it seems to be selling. “Be the captain they remember,” a friend of Picard tells him before he sits for the interview.

Watching the first episode of Picard as a long time Star Trek fan—one of my earliest memories is of sitting in the theater next to my father, watching ropes of pink Klingon blood filled the screen in Undiscovered Country—I felt as if Jean-Luc, the aging moralist, was speaking to me as he derided Starfleet.

Then, it quickly asks the audience to turn its brain off and engage.

As the credits rolled on a decidedly silly plot twist, I thought of the serious and well-delivered monologue that kicked off the pilot. “You’re a stranger to history,” Picard told the interviewer. “You’re a stranger to war. You just wave your hand and it all goes away. Well it’s not so easy for those who died. And it was not so easy for those who were left behind.”

That’s the show I want to watch, the one about an aging imperialist trying to make peace with ideals that empire betrayed. But all of that good work seems to be in the service of a story where Picard awakens from the dream of the Federation and, confronted with its ugly, complicated reality, flies away to the stars to protect an innocent android murder machine. It seems too easy. Like a dream of redemption.

‘Star Trek: Picard’ Revisits America’s Imperialist Dreams and Finds a Nightmare syndicated from https://triviaqaweb.wordpress.com/feed/

[ashport92-blog]

Where to Eat Dim Sum in Philadelphia: The Ultimate Guide

Guides

No matter where you are or what style you're looking for, we've got you covered with this list of all the best places for shu mai, soup dumplings, and scallion pancakes in Philly.

Devoted foodies and restaurant newbies love Foobooz. Sign-up now for our twice weekly newsletter.

Dim Sum Garden | Facebook

I know I don’t have to convince you how good dim sum is. Little plates full of awesome. A taste of home and comfort for those who grew up with it. A universe of dumplings, buns, and chicken feet.

And I don’t have to convince you that Philly has a deep bench of dim sum places, either. If you’re a Foobooz reader of any regularity, you know the places that we love, that we return to again and again. You know that we’ve spent years poking around the neighborhoods looking for new dim sum spots, overlooked gems, forgotten places. In a city that loves brunch the way Philly loves brunch, dim sum is vital. A man can only eat so many plates of eggs Benedict and shakshuka, after all. Sometimes, congee is what’s called for. Or shu mai and soup dumplings and taro cakes and sticky rice.

When that time comes, we’ve got you covered. Here’s where to find all the best dim sum in Philly, no matter where you are.

The Dim Sum You Must Try First

Tom’s Dim Sum | Facebook

Joy Tsin Lau, Chinatown Traditionally, dim sum is served for breakfast or brunch — and Joy Tsin Lau sticks to that, with a fully separate menu that’s served from 10 a.m. until 4:30 p.m. seven days a week. The menu includes an extensive selection of dumplings, wontons, rolls, shu mai, and sweets like egg custard and coconut pudding, plus items like chicken feet, taro cake, duck tripe, and squid topped with curry sauce. 1026 Race Street Ordering style: À la carte

Tom’s Dim Sum, Chinatown This spot in the 11th Street tunnel, sandwiched between Reading Terminal Market and the Greyhound bus station, isn’t much to look at from the outside. But the dim sum menu there is one of the best around and a perennial Foobooz favorite. The scallion pancakes are featherlight and less than $4, and the soup dumplings thin-skinned and piping hot — made by the titular Tom, an OG from the days when Dim Sum Garden occupied this spot, who has now returned to make the place his own, and better than ever. 59 North 11th Street Ordering style: À la carte

Dim Sum Garden, Chinatown Back in the old days, before the Chinatown buses were shut down, Dim Sum Garden occupied the 11th Street tunnel spot where Tom’s is now — and it was the perfect meal to welcome you back to Philly after a dirt-cheap trip to New York or D.C. Now, you can find their excellent dim sum (a batch of pork soup dumplings with turnip cake, shrimp dumplings, moon cakes, and some steamed bok choy is our go-to order) a few blocks away on Race Street west of 10th. 1020 Race Street Ordering style: À la carte

Nom Wah, Market East With its menu of traditional small plates, approachable buns, dumplings, egg rolls, and an extensive list of teas, this offshoot of the historic NYC tea parlor is a perfect spot for spending a rainy (or snowy) weekend morning. Or, you know, you could also go at lunch (the chef’s special ho fun will do you right). Or at night. Because Nom Wah serves straight through until 9 p.m. or 10 p.m. on every day but Tuesday. 218 North 13th Street Ordering style: À la carte

Best Dim Sum In Chinatown

Sang Kee Peking Duck House | Facebook

Imperial Inn Be sure to try the shrimp rolls, a fan favorite, at this old-school spot. You can also get your dim sum served with a side of “volcanic flame”: order the pu pu platter for an assortment of appetizers that you can “roast to your heart’s content.” 146 North 10th Street Ordering style: From a cart

Sang Kee Peking Duck House This spot, tucked just south of the Vine Street Expressway on 9th Street, is known for its crispy-skinned duck, roasted to a deep golden brown. But its extensive menu includes Chinese dishes from multiple regions (including Americanized dishes), Thai cuisine, ramen, and a solid list of dim sum. It’s all there, from spring rolls to bao buns, but don’t miss the barbecued spare rib “bits,” crispy shrimp rolls, and pan-fried dumplings. 238 North 9th Street Ordering style: À la carte

New Harmony Vegetarian Restaurant This place has long been a haven for vegans and vegetarians looking for meatless versions of kung pao shrimp and moo shu pork. But they’ve also got a sizeable dim sum menu, featuring everything from vegetarian versions of pork buns to taro cakes, sticky rice, and some of the best scallion pancakes out there. 135 North 9th Street Ordering style: À la carte

Ocean Harbor At Ocean Harbor, the carts are stocked with piping hot snacks like soup dumplings, fried taro balls, and sticky rice. And true to its name, the restaurant offers a wide variety of seafood options, from lobster and shrimp to braised abalone, cold jellyfish, and eel. 1023 Race Street Ordering style: From a cart

Shanghai 1 I like a place that considers French fries to be a dim sum dish. And Shanghai 1 does. I like that they have six different kinds of pancakes on the menu, four different soup dumplings, and Shanghai-style shu mai. And while you can get almost anything here (from cold pig kidneys to frog meat casserole), the kitchen takes the dim sum seriously and will serve it to you at all hours. 123 North 10th Street Ordering style: À la carte

Mong Kok Station Are the baked goods your favorite part of going out for dim sum? The egg tarts, taro buns, and everything else? If so, then Mong Kok is perfect for you, because it’s a fairly new Chinatown bakery that just happens to have a dim sum menu served in the back. Plus (as if you needed more reasons to go), they also sell all kinds of buns, all day long. They’re cheap, delicious, and wildly varied. The only drag about the place is that it’s cash-only. 153 North 10th Street Ordering style: Counter service plus à la carte

Ocean City Ocean City’s menu boasts nearly 250 items, from wonton soup to sizzling intestine with black pepper sauce. But it’s the roving dim sum carts, stocked with dumplings, salt-roasted chicken feet, congee, pork buns, barbecued scallops served in the shell, and dozens of kinds of dumplings that keeps us coming back. 234 North 9th Street Ordering style: From a cart

Best Dim Sum in University City and Logan Square

Dim Sum House | Facebook

Dim Sum House Jane Guo brought dim sum west along with her son and business partner Jackson Fu to open this spot, which offers not one but two styles of dim sum. The Cantonese-style menu includes bites like chicken feet, turnip cakes, and sticky rice, while the Shanghai menu offers soup dumplings, scallion pancake, and wontons with spicy chile oil, among other treats. Even better? For those who prefer late-night dim sum, it’s open till 2 a.m. — complete with a full bar and a pool table. 3939 Chestnut Street Ordering style: À la carte

Dim Sum & Noodle Sandwiched between the Rodin Museum and the Community College of Philadelphia, this spot offers a menu of Chinese classics along with ramen bowls and, of course, dim sum. Try the edamame spiced with peppercorns, the steamed dumplings stuffed with watercress, and the fluffy char siu bao. 2000 Hamilton Street Ordering style: À la carte

Best Dim Sum in South Philly

Bing Bing Dim Sum

Bing Bing Dim Sum Ben Puchowitz and Shawn Darragh’s dumpling-centric spot offers a hipsteriffic take on dim sum classics, with dishes like cheesesteak bao (with Cooper sharp, onions and long hots), turnip cakes with matzoh, and beef dumplings spiked with caraway seed, mustard, and dill. The full menu includes inventive takes on noodle and rice dishes, too — try dishes like a spicy, mushroom-based mapo tofu and a butternut squash-based congee topped with chicken meatballs and a soft-cooked egg. 1648 East Passyunk Avenue Ordering style: À la carte

Wokano South Philly’s only authentic dim sum spot features carts brimming with dishes like bean curd, both steamed and pan-fried dumplings, and barbecued spare ribs. There are also Americanized standards like fried rice, lo mein, and kung pao chicken — but we recommend starting with something you may not have tried before, like steamed lotus leaf rice or baked conch served in its own shell. 1100 Washington Avenue Ordering style: From a cart

Best Dim Sum in Rittenhouse, Center City and Market East

Suga | Facebook

Buddakan I know, not what you’re normally thinking of when you’ve got a taste for dim sum. But Buddakan has a whole section of the menu dedicated to Chinese small plates, and it has modern, fancy (and expensive) takes on many of the classics. So if you’re looking for crab and lobster dumplings spiked with Myoga ginger, lobster egg rolls, edamame dumplings swimming in a truffled shallot and sauternes broth or, you know, just some wasabi mashed potatoes, this is the place to go. 325 Chestnut Street Ordering style: A la carte

Jane G’s While Jane G’s specializes in Szechuan cuisine, the dinner menu includes a full section of dumplings, with many dim sum favorites on the hot and cold appetizer menus. Don’t miss the shu mai, open-topped wontons stuffed with meat, or the Beef Lover’s Quarrel, a combination of cuts served with peanuts, chili oil, and cilantro. 1930 Chestnut Street Ordering style: À la carte

SuGa Susanna Foo’s city outpost offers a full slate of dim sum delicacies every Saturday and Sunday for brunch: staples like potstickers, wontons, spring rolls, and cucumber salad, plus a few items with nontraditional touches, like yellowfin tuna tacos and mushroom ravioli with truffle sauce. But if you’re dining during the week, know that many dim sum items pop up on the dinner menu as well. 1720 Sansom Street Ordering style: À la carte

Best Dim Sum in Northeast Philly and Beyond

Kung Fu Dim Sum | Facebook

China Gourmet This huge space seats upwards of 400 people. And one some days (weekends, especially) you STILL might have to wait for a table. Why? Because this Northeast Philly location (a new expansion from the original China Gourmet on Bustleton Avenue, which now has new owners and a new name) is smack in the middle of one of the city’s largest populations of Chinese residents and serves exactly what the overflow crowds of friends and families want: a variety of beautiful, comforting, delicious Cantonese-style dim sum in vast amounts. 2842 St. Vincent Street Ordering style: From a cart

Jade Harbor The menu at this Oxford Circle spot is enormous, but it offers a solid list of appetizers and small plates that functions as a de facto dim sum list. Shu mai, congee, cold jellyfish, geoduck, shrimp dumplings, and snails with black bean sauce — all there. And if you’re looking for literally anything else, the regular dinner menu is like six pages long, so you’ll probably find it here. 6836 Bustleton Avenue Ordering style: À la carte

Kung Fu Dim Sum Their cartoon mascot has a dumpling for a head and a pair of nunchucks. I love that. And they’ve got a menu that leans heavily in the dumplings-and-buns direction. I love that, too. If you find yourself out in the ‘burbs and looking for some snacks, check it out and see for yourself. 2305 Darby Road, Havertown Ordering style: À la carte

Source: https://www.phillymag.com/foobooz/2018/10/25/best-dim-sum-philadelphia/

[tastegoal5-blog]

Where to Eat Dim Sum in Philadelphia: The Ultimate Guide

Guides

No matter where you are or what style you're looking for, we've got you covered with this list of all the best places for shu mai, soup dumplings, and scallion pancakes in Philly.

Devoted foodies and restaurant newbies love Foobooz. Sign-up now for our twice weekly newsletter.

Dim Sum Garden | Facebook

I know I don’t have to convince you how good dim sum is. Little plates full of awesome. A taste of home and comfort for those who grew up with it. A universe of dumplings, buns, and chicken feet.

And I don’t have to convince you that Philly has a deep bench of dim sum places, either. If you’re a Foobooz reader of any regularity, you know the places that we love, that we return to again and again. You know that we’ve spent years poking around the neighborhoods looking for new dim sum spots, overlooked gems, forgotten places. In a city that loves brunch the way Philly loves brunch, dim sum is vital. A man can only eat so many plates of eggs Benedict and shakshuka, after all. Sometimes, congee is what’s called for. Or shu mai and soup dumplings and taro cakes and sticky rice.

When that time comes, we’ve got you covered. Here’s where to find all the best dim sum in Philly, no matter where you are.

The Dim Sum You Must Try First

Tom’s Dim Sum | Facebook

Joy Tsin Lau, Chinatown Traditionally, dim sum is served for breakfast or brunch — and Joy Tsin Lau sticks to that, with a fully separate menu that’s served from 10 a.m. until 4:30 p.m. seven days a week. The menu includes an extensive selection of dumplings, wontons, rolls, shu mai, and sweets like egg custard and coconut pudding, plus items like chicken feet, taro cake, duck tripe, and squid topped with curry sauce. 1026 Race Street Ordering style: À la carte

Tom’s Dim Sum, Chinatown This spot in the 11th Street tunnel, sandwiched between Reading Terminal Market and the Greyhound bus station, isn’t much to look at from the outside. But the dim sum menu there is one of the best around and a perennial Foobooz favorite. The scallion pancakes are featherlight and less than $4, and the soup dumplings thin-skinned and piping hot — made by the titular Tom, an OG from the days when Dim Sum Garden occupied this spot, who has now returned to make the place his own, and better than ever. 59 North 11th Street Ordering style: À la carte

Dim Sum Garden, Chinatown Back in the old days, before the Chinatown buses were shut down, Dim Sum Garden occupied the 11th Street tunnel spot where Tom’s is now — and it was the perfect meal to welcome you back to Philly after a dirt-cheap trip to New York or D.C. Now, you can find their excellent dim sum (a batch of pork soup dumplings with turnip cake, shrimp dumplings, moon cakes, and some steamed bok choy is our go-to order) a few blocks away on Race Street west of 10th. 1020 Race Street Ordering style: À la carte

Nom Wah, Market East With its menu of traditional small plates, approachable buns, dumplings, egg rolls, and an extensive list of teas, this offshoot of the historic NYC tea parlor is a perfect spot for spending a rainy (or snowy) weekend morning. Or, you know, you could also go at lunch (the chef’s special ho fun will do you right). Or at night. Because Nom Wah serves straight through until 9 p.m. or 10 p.m. on every day but Tuesday. 218 North 13th Street Ordering style: À la carte

Best Dim Sum In Chinatown

Sang Kee Peking Duck House | Facebook

Imperial Inn Be sure to try the shrimp rolls, a fan favorite, at this old-school spot. You can also get your dim sum served with a side of “volcanic flame”: order the pu pu platter for an assortment of appetizers that you can “roast to your heart’s content.” 146 North 10th Street Ordering style: From a cart

Sang Kee Peking Duck House This spot, tucked just south of the Vine Street Expressway on 9th Street, is known for its crispy-skinned duck, roasted to a deep golden brown. But its extensive menu includes Chinese dishes from multiple regions (including Americanized dishes), Thai cuisine, ramen, and a solid list of dim sum. It’s all there, from spring rolls to bao buns, but don’t miss the barbecued spare rib “bits,” crispy shrimp rolls, and pan-fried dumplings. 238 North 9th Street Ordering style: À la carte

New Harmony Vegetarian Restaurant This place has long been a haven for vegans and vegetarians looking for meatless versions of kung pao shrimp and moo shu pork. But they’ve also got a sizeable dim sum menu, featuring everything from vegetarian versions of pork buns to taro cakes, sticky rice, and some of the best scallion pancakes out there. 135 North 9th Street Ordering style: À la carte

Ocean Harbor At Ocean Harbor, the carts are stocked with piping hot snacks like soup dumplings, fried taro balls, and sticky rice. And true to its name, the restaurant offers a wide variety of seafood options, from lobster and shrimp to braised abalone, cold jellyfish, and eel. 1023 Race Street Ordering style: From a cart

Shanghai 1 I like a place that considers French fries to be a dim sum dish. And Shanghai 1 does. I like that they have six different kinds of pancakes on the menu, four different soup dumplings, and Shanghai-style shu mai. And while you can get almost anything here (from cold pig kidneys to frog meat casserole), the kitchen takes the dim sum seriously and will serve it to you at all hours. 123 North 10th Street Ordering style: À la carte

Mong Kok Station Are the baked goods your favorite part of going out for dim sum? The egg tarts, taro buns, and everything else? If so, then Mong Kok is perfect for you, because it’s a fairly new Chinatown bakery that just happens to have a dim sum menu served in the back. Plus (as if you needed more reasons to go), they also sell all kinds of buns, all day long. They’re cheap, delicious, and wildly varied. The only drag about the place is that it’s cash-only. 153 North 10th Street Ordering style: Counter service plus à la carte

Ocean City Ocean City’s menu boasts nearly 250 items, from wonton soup to sizzling intestine with black pepper sauce. But it’s the roving dim sum carts, stocked with dumplings, salt-roasted chicken feet, congee, pork buns, barbecued scallops served in the shell, and dozens of kinds of dumplings that keeps us coming back. 234 North 9th Street Ordering style: From a cart

Best Dim Sum in University City and Logan Square

Dim Sum House | Facebook

Dim Sum House Jane Guo brought dim sum west along with her son and business partner Jackson Fu to open this spot, which offers not one but two styles of dim sum. The Cantonese-style menu includes bites like chicken feet, turnip cakes, and sticky rice, while the Shanghai menu offers soup dumplings, scallion pancake, and wontons with spicy chile oil, among other treats. Even better? For those who prefer late-night dim sum, it’s open till 2 a.m. — complete with a full bar and a pool table. 3939 Chestnut Street Ordering style: À la carte

Dim Sum & Noodle Sandwiched between the Rodin Museum and the Community College of Philadelphia, this spot offers a menu of Chinese classics along with ramen bowls and, of course, dim sum. Try the edamame spiced with peppercorns, the steamed dumplings stuffed with watercress, and the fluffy char siu bao. 2000 Hamilton Street Ordering style: À la carte

Best Dim Sum in South Philly

Bing Bing Dim Sum

Bing Bing Dim Sum Ben Puchowitz and Shawn Darragh’s dumpling-centric spot offers a hipsteriffic take on dim sum classics, with dishes like cheesesteak bao (with Cooper sharp, onions and long hots), turnip cakes with matzoh, and beef dumplings spiked with caraway seed, mustard, and dill. The full menu includes inventive takes on noodle and rice dishes, too — try dishes like a spicy, mushroom-based mapo tofu and a butternut squash-based congee topped with chicken meatballs and a soft-cooked egg. 1648 East Passyunk Avenue Ordering style: À la carte

Wokano South Philly’s only authentic dim sum spot features carts brimming with dishes like bean curd, both steamed and pan-fried dumplings, and barbecued spare ribs. There are also Americanized standards like fried rice, lo mein, and kung pao chicken — but we recommend starting with something you may not have tried before, like steamed lotus leaf rice or baked conch served in its own shell. 1100 Washington Avenue Ordering style: From a cart

Best Dim Sum in Rittenhouse, Center City and Market East

Suga | Facebook

Buddakan I know, not what you’re normally thinking of when you’ve got a taste for dim sum. But Buddakan has a whole section of the menu dedicated to Chinese small plates, and it has modern, fancy (and expensive) takes on many of the classics. So if you’re looking for crab and lobster dumplings spiked with Myoga ginger, lobster egg rolls, edamame dumplings swimming in a truffled shallot and sauternes broth or, you know, just some wasabi mashed potatoes, this is the place to go. 325 Chestnut Street Ordering style: A la carte

Jane G’s While Jane G’s specializes in Szechuan cuisine, the dinner menu includes a full section of dumplings, with many dim sum favorites on the hot and cold appetizer menus. Don’t miss the shu mai, open-topped wontons stuffed with meat, or the Beef Lover’s Quarrel, a combination of cuts served with peanuts, chili oil, and cilantro. 1930 Chestnut Street Ordering style: À la carte

SuGa Susanna Foo’s city outpost offers a full slate of dim sum delicacies every Saturday and Sunday for brunch: staples like potstickers, wontons, spring rolls, and cucumber salad, plus a few items with nontraditional touches, like yellowfin tuna tacos and mushroom ravioli with truffle sauce. But if you’re dining during the week, know that many dim sum items pop up on the dinner menu as well. 1720 Sansom Street Ordering style: À la carte

Best Dim Sum in Northeast Philly and Beyond

Kung Fu Dim Sum | Facebook

China Gourmet This huge space seats upwards of 400 people. And one some days (weekends, especially) you STILL might have to wait for a table. Why? Because this Northeast Philly location (a new expansion from the original China Gourmet on Bustleton Avenue, which now has new owners and a new name) is smack in the middle of one of the city’s largest populations of Chinese residents and serves exactly what the overflow crowds of friends and families want: a variety of beautiful, comforting, delicious Cantonese-style dim sum in vast amounts. 2842 St. Vincent Street Ordering style: From a cart

Jade Harbor The menu at this Oxford Circle spot is enormous, but it offers a solid list of appetizers and small plates that functions as a de facto dim sum list. Shu mai, congee, cold jellyfish, geoduck, shrimp dumplings, and snails with black bean sauce — all there. And if you’re looking for literally anything else, the regular dinner menu is like six pages long, so you’ll probably find it here. 6836 Bustleton Avenue Ordering style: À la carte

Kung Fu Dim Sum Their cartoon mascot has a dumpling for a head and a pair of nunchucks. I love that. And they’ve got a menu that leans heavily in the dumplings-and-buns direction. I love that, too. If you find yourself out in the ‘burbs and looking for some snacks, check it out and see for yourself. 2305 Darby Road, Havertown Ordering style: À la carte

Source: https://www.phillymag.com/foobooz/2018/10/25/best-dim-sum-philadelphia/