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denimbex1986 · 10 months

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'Few – if any – filmmakers in the world right now command quite as much interest as Christopher Nolan, and the auteur has another hit on his hands with the recently released epic Oppenheimer.

A three-hour immersive character study of the 'father of the atomic bomb', the new film boasts a career-best turn from Cillian Murphy – and has hugely outperformed box office expectations on the back of a wealth of rave reviews.

But the question is, how does Oppenheimer compare to the rest of Nolan's filmography? Since debuting with the ultra-low budget Following in 1998, the director has made twelve features – each of which has further cemented his reputation as a modern master.

From his expertly executed non-linear thriller Memento to his gritty reinvention of Batman with The Dark Knight trilogy, and from his operatic sci-fi epic Interstellar to his stirring Second World War flick Dunkirk, Nolan has tackled all manner of subject matters and themes while developing a number of instantly recognisable trademarks and motifs.

And so, with the new release putting Nolan back in the spotlight, we at RadioTimes.com got together to rank all his films in order of preference – read on to find out which took the top spot.

12. Following

Nolan’s first feature marked him out as a sharp talent keen to experiment with structure and twisty narratives – a skill that he’s been developing and refining ever since. Shot in streets familiar to Nolan from his time as president of the film society at University College London, and starring uni friends Jeremy Theobald and Lucy Russell, Following is a lesson in how to create a piece of art on next to no budget.

Given the limitations, it’s tough to compare favourably to what came later, when Nolan began to work with the financial backing and behind-the-camera personnel that allowed him to dream a little bigger. Looking back on the black-and-white, 69-minute debut, the themes of memory, identity and deception have been explored to greater effect in the director’s later films, but that doesn’t take anything away from this impressive calling card. – Christian Tobin, Production Editor

11. Insomnia

One of Nolan’s earliest films, Insomnia feels as such – even though it is still an impressive achievement, particularly as one of the director’s first films, he hasn’t quite lasered in on his best qualities as a director. Insomnia is also distinct in that it is the only one of Nolan’s films for which he does not have a writer’s credit, and you can tell.

For some who are put off by the writer-director’s love of complex storytelling and interest in subverting narrative structure, this may be a blessing, but for those of us who love Nolan’s bold vision and distinct voice, it’s something of a disappointment.

That’s not to say this is a bad film – far from it. As a thriller, it really works, with some shocking reveals, a compelling concept at its core and some stunning central performances, particularly from the late, great Robin Williams. It just remains a lesser light in Nolan’s canon, thus finding its place near the bottom of this list. – James Hibbs, Drama Writer

10. The Dark Knight Rises

Nolan’s third and final Batman entry arrived with impossibly high expectations after the brilliance of The Dark Knight, so it was perhaps inevitable that the follow-up felt like something of a comedown. The set-pieces are still strong – the aeroplane extraction, the stadium explosion and Batman’s back-breaking showdown with Bane are among the most impressive scenes in the trilogy – yet the whole package is disjointed and unusually plodding.

Anne Hathaway is a standout as Selina Kyle, and although Tom Hardy gives it his all as Bane, the character is simply less interesting as a threat than what’s come before. Elsewhere, Joseph Gordon-Levitt is largely wasted and poor Marion Cotillard has a thankless role even before that much-criticised death scene.

And while even Nolan’s best scripts aren’t 100 per cent watertight, The Dark Knight Rises requires more suspension of disbelief than usual (every available police officer in the tunnels… really?). – CT

9. Tenet

Many have longed for a James Bond film directed by Christopher Nolan - perhaps even Nolan himself - and the influence of these films is evident in his work. However, the closest we have come yet to Nolan’s own espionage adventure has to be the ambitious science-fiction puzzle that is Tenet.

With arguably his sexiest cast to date, Nolan zips across glamorous locations and narrative tricks with style and pizazz (but with some slightly questionable sound mixing). John David Washington is suitably enigmatic as The Protagonist, while Robert Pattinson’s charisma jumps off the screen as the dapper Neil.

Elsewhere, Elizabeth Debicki offers a textured turn to what could be a one-note role as “the wife of evil villain”, while Sir Kenneth Branagh is at his scenery-chewing best as Nolan’s take on a Bond baddie.

While the logic of the film may be off-putting - and some areas are needlessly complicated - it is hard to not get swept up in the tension and gravitas of Nolan’s Tenet. – Lewis Knight, Trends Editor

8. Memento

After first making waves with the ultra-low budget Following, this was the film that really launched Nolan's career and announced him as a cinematic force to be reckoned with. Based on a short story by his brother Jonathan – who has also co-written several of his other films – it tells the story of an amnesiac insurance investigator desperately attempting to piece together clues from tattoos and notes he has left to himself.

The film's fascinating non-chronological structure, which like the newly released Oppenheimer makes excellent use of scenes shot in black-and-white, has become the stuff of legend – although perhaps ensures that no rewatch will ever quite live up to the thrilling experience of solving the puzzle the first time around. But complete with neo-noir trappings, a mood of distinct unease, and an impressive turn from Guy Pearce in the lead role, this was a major step up for Nolan – and it speaks to the strength of the rest of his filmography that it finds itself outside the top half of the list. – Patrick Cremona, Senior Film Writer

7. Dunkirk

This 2017 Oscar nominee is a Second World War film as only Nolan could have made one, following the 1940 evacuation of Dunkirk from three different perspectives: land, air and sea. With help from some superb practical effects work, tremendous sound design, and another terrific Hans Zimmer score, Nolan crafts an immersive spectacle brimming with tension.

Nolan's attention to detail has always been a key part of his appeal, and it's arguably never been better than here – with the director employing historic boats and period airplanes to create a sense of realism that puts the audience firmly in the thrust of the action.

Meanwhile, in addition to boasting impressive performances from a handful of relative newcomers – famously including Harry Styles – the film's cast also features many of Britain's finest thespians, with Mark Rylance, Kenneth Branagh, Cillian Murphy and Tom Hardy chief among them. But crucially, none of these stars take centre stage – this is very much an ensemble piece speaking to the collective heroism of the evacuation, building to a stirring conclusion that proves Nolan can do emotion just as well as technical brilliance. – PC

6. Batman Begins

The first film of Christopher Nolan’s foray into mainstream popularity and the first in his Dark Knight trilogy, Batman Begins is the director at his world-building best. Never has Gotham City felt so alive, visceral and gritty.

The outing introduces us to Christian Bale’s stellar playboy Bruce Wayne in an origin story that feels fresh, emotionally fraught and strong in character. Nolan regular Cillian Murphy puts in a memorable turn as the Scarecrow, while Liam Neeson defies expectations in his performance as Wayne’s mentor and later nemesis.

With a strong ensemble including Sir Michael Caine and Morgan Freeman - and, yes, even Katie Holmes - Nolan gives a Batman outing that feels show-stopping yet character-driven at the same time, and began a new era in superhero filmmaking.

Coupled with Hans Zimmer’s now iconic theme for Nolan’s Dark Knight, Batman Begins stands as a real testament to Nolan adapting and redefining the modern blockbuster – LK

5. Interstellar

Few sci-fi films have felt as epic in scope in cinema history as Nolan’s Interstellar: A glorious visual feast of a film that features an emotional odyssey across time and space, but is grounded in a heartwarming relationship between a father and his daughter.

Matthew McConaughey offers some of his best work as roguish astronaut Cooper as he ventures out into deep space for humanity’s salvation, promising to return to his daughter Murphy, played by a tearjerking Jessica Chastain as an adult.

While its sentimentality and scientific exposition may not be everyone’s cup of tea, rarely has the usually cold filmmaking of Nolan ever had such heart, and for a film covering such complex ideas, Interstellar feels oh so personal.

We cannot forget the mesmeric score from Hans Zimmer, either, which serves as one of his best collaborations with the director. All of the operatic storytelling and jaw-dropping filmmaking techniques build to a finale that will leave you breathless and feeling ever so tiny in the universe thereafter. – LK

4. Oppenheimer

Nolan’s latest film is also one of his best – a stirring rumination on one of the most crucial, deadly moments of the last century, and an epic in every sense of the word. Nolan brings all of his technical know-how, developed over almost three decade of filmmaking, to bear here – there’s the time manipulation of Tenet and Memento, the mind-boggling practical effects of Dunkirk, and the heart-stopping tension of The Dark Knight, all of which have been perfected.

He also benefits from his years of experience and acclaim allowing him to cast every available acclaimed movie star in even the most minute of roles. Robert Downey Jr, Emily Blunt, Matt Damon, Florence Pugh, Tom Conti and more are all exceptional in the film, but Cillian Murphy is truly extraordinary, giving a performance for the ages in a role which is written with nuance and complexity to spare.

Some minor pacing issues aside, when you leave the film you’ll likely be gripped by two sensations – a drive to find out more about Oppenheimer’s unbelievable story and a deep sense of existential dread. Don’t say we didn’t warn you. – JH

3. The Prestige

The Prestige might not have initially opened to quite as rapturous a reception as some of the other films in the upper part of this list, but its reputation has grown over the years to the point that it's now rightly regarded as one of the finest offerings in Nolan's impressive oeuvre. A period piece set in 1890s London, it follows two rival magicians played by Christian Bale and Hugh Jackman as they attempt to outdo each other with increasingly outlandish – and dangerous – tricks.

Consistently engrossing and drenched in atmosphere, the film intelligently explores themes of rivalry and obsession while delivering a typically intricate plot that packs all sorts of twists and turns into its runtime – including a corker of a final reveal that reframes everything in a completely different light. Bale and Jackman make for perfect foils and there are also impressive performances from Rebecca Hall and Scarlett Johansson, but it's arguably a supporting turn from David Bowie as Nikola Tesla which is the most memorable performance in the film. This truly is a feat of movie magic. – PC

2. The Dark Knight

The Dark Knight has gone down in cinema history for good reason. Undeniably the best of Nolan’s Batman trilogy, many have tried and failed to replicate its unique gritty tone, bringing us comic book characters that were heroic, monstrous, flawed, and all too human.

As one of Heath Ledger’s final performances, it is also one of his greatest - with his Joker becoming instantly iconic. No one else could have offered up a performance so crazed, unhinged, chilling, nuanced and unpredictable. Over the course of two and a half hours, Ledger creats the blueprint for a comic book villain. Not only that, he takes a character that had already been through numerous iterations - and would go through many more after him - and makes his portrayal so unique that no one else could come close to rivalling it.

From its beautifully crafted arcs to its shock factor, its originality to its addictive rewatchability, its intensity to Nolan’s clear vision, The Dark Knight is undoubtedly a stone-cold classic. – Louise Griffin, Sci-fi and Fantasy Editor

1. Inception

Inception is Christopher Nolan’s greatest cinematic achievement; in a line-up of enormously heavy hitters from a blockbuster career, this 2010 thriller is the pinnacle.

With an all-star line-up, as is par for the course with the director, a Hans Zimmer score which has become iconic (if you can’t hear that horn sound in your mind at the mere mention of Nolan then you’re probably not a fan) and spectacular cinematography, this is where it all comes together – so much so it took home four Oscars at the 2011 ceremony and was nominated for a further four.

Here, Nolan strikes the perfect balance between his penchant for grandiose explorations of such trivial topics as time and reality and the kind of tight direction and editing that makes for a pop-culture hit. Leonardo DiCaprio shines as protagonist Cobb, a specialist thief tasked with delving into others' subconscious for corporate espionage, who is himself attempting to bury a perilous personal tragedy deep in the recesses of his own mind.

A layered thriller (in every sense of the word), Inception also sparkles with the ice-blue eyes of Nolan muse Cillian Murphy – and his acting skills – as well as comedic levity courtesy of Tom Hardy and the earnestness of Joseph Gordon-Levitt's Mr Exposition. Add Marion Cotillard and Michael Caine and you've got a quintessentially Nolan cinematic celebration. – Minnie Wright, News Editor'

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longitudinalwaveme · 3 years

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Longitudinalwaveme Reviews Some More Old Comics (and One New One), Part 2

Batman #321, “Dreadful Birthday, Dear Joker...!”

The story opens with Commissioner Gordon receiving an invitation to the Joker’s birthday party. “Black tie optional, funny hats mandatory”. A few seconds later, everyone in police headquarters doubles over laughing, the victims of Joker’s, well, Joker gas.

Batman is on the scene only a few seconds later, and starts punching out Joker’s goons. Unfortunately, by the time he’s finished doing this, both Joker and Commissioner Gordon have disappeared.

Eminently Quotable Joker: “Ah---the Batman! What an expected surprise! And what a waste of a perfectly good window! Couldn’t you have used the door?”

As Joker leaves in his Jokermobile, the police officers tell Batman that the Joker also captured Robin earlier that day (by pretending to be a woman with car problems!)

Meanwhile, Selina Kyle, Lucius Fox, and Alfred are talking when the Joker bursts in and kidnaps them as well. Notably, Selina mentions that she’s been having terrible headaches.

Selina Kyle wakes up in a room with Batman; the other kidnapees wake up in the Joker’s “Ha-Hacienda” on his “victim-go-round”.

Eminently Quotable Joker: “Tomorrow is my birthday, and by way of celebration, I intend to eliminate all you who’ve crossed me, while all of Gotham watches! It’s not exactly the catcher’s mitt I really wanted...but it’s a pretty fair second place! HAHAHAHAHAHA!”

Hawkman stars in a Hostess cupcake ad!

The Joker murders one of his own henchman with his “BANG!” flag gun for not laughing at his joke.

Eminently Quotable Joker (in response to Robin saying “You’re out of your mind!”): “Gloriously so! Isn’t it wonderful?”

In order to get his audience, the Joker put an ad in the newspaper that states that the “Harlequin Baking Company” will be inviting all of Gotham to sample its wares at the Seaside Coliseum. AND IT WORKS, because everyone in Gotham has the IQ of turnips. A bazillion people come to the Coliseum to get free food.

Joker dramatically reveals himself to everyone and explains that he’s going to blow up all the people he hates with a giant cake bomb. Then Batman arrives and offers himself in exchange for the other hostages. This goes exactly how you’d expect it to go, but Batman manages Batman his way out of the trap, saving both himself and all of his friends.

Joker runs away and jumps into a boat. Batman follows him, they fight for a bit, and then the Joker apparently blows himself up. But he’s not dead, because nothing can kill the Joker. Batman even says so.

This would’ve made a great episode of B:TAS.

Batman #322, “Chaos--Coming and Going!”

And now for something completely different!

Catwoman looks at a bunch of old newspaper clippings of herself, as the comic hints fairly subtly that she might be unwell (just as her headaches last issue did).

Meanwhile, a van is delivering issues of the tabloid The Gotham Guardian...when a thrown bundle of newspapers is intercepted by a boomerang! Captain Boomerang is in Gotham City!

The two men in the van react by promptly trying to run Digger over....only for him to slice their van in half with a boomerang!

Digger yells at them to tell their boss that this was only a warning: the mysterious boss owes him a million dollars, and he wants it in 24 hours or else.

Then Batman shows up out of nowhere and he and Boomerang get into a fight. Digger distracts Batman by using his exploding boomerang to damage a nearby building. This causes some rubble to fall on one of the drivers. Batman goes to rescue him, and Digger vanishes.

Green Arrow stars in a Hostess fruit pie ad!

Batman talks to Alfred about Captain Boomerang, telling him to ask Lucius Fox to find out who owns the Guardian, since he’s probably Boomerang’s next target. He also refuses to call the Flash in for help. “The night I can’t handle a punk like Boomerang is the night I hang up my cowl!”

Catwoman goes to a doctor and it’s confirmed that she is, in fact, dying. She has less than a month to live and the only cure is some Egyptian herbs that have been lost to time.

Meanwhile, Captain Boomerang lets us know that he hates Gotham. “Lor’, but I hate this cronky town! I never would’ve come her from Central City if it wasn’t for my million quid!”

Apparently, Captain Boomerang set up a retirment fund for himself and is ticked off that has money was subsequently stolen.

“It’s really rum--downright ironic! The one time I play the game by their rules--and it’s me who gets taken for a sucker! Well, nobody crosses “Digger” Harkness--and gets away with it intact!” That’s our Digger!

Also, he has a giant boomerang hidden under a tarp.

Catwoman goes to the museum to see a display about cats...and conveniently, some ancient Egyptian medicinal herbs are there. Catwoman determines to take them so she can save herself.

Batman asks the most Irish Irishman to ever walk the pages of the comic book about where he might be able to find Captain Boomerang, but he hasn’t heard anything. Then Alfred calls Batman and tells him that Lucius has discovered that the Gotham Guardian is owned by a corporation which serves as a front for a guy named Gregorian Falstaff.

The man in question is eating dinner at a hotel when he is rudely interrupted by Captain Boomerang, who knocks out Falstaff’s bodyguard and demands his money. Falstaff plays dumb, claiming that the whole thing was an unfortunate accident and offering to write him a check. Boomerang insists that it’s cash or nothing (since he doesn’t trust Falstaff). Then Batman shows up, and Digger throws a smoke bomb boomerang that distracts Batman long enough for him to knock him out with another boomerang.

“You gave it a fair dinkum try, cobber-but fair ain’t enough when you’re dealin’ with the likes of me!’” Didgeridoo! Crikey! Steve Irwin! Can you tell I’m Australian yet?

Selina Kyle tries to call Bruce but can’t get ahold of him, so she decides to take matters into her own hands and pulls out her Catwoman costume.

When Batman comes to, he’s been tied to the giant boomerang.

“Nothin’ permanent, mate--you’re simply tied to my giant rocket-powered boomerang! Only Flash’s super-speed saved him from the original--and without super-powers you’ll never escape this improved version!” So...which one of the giant boomerangs you used to launch the Flash into space are we talking about here, Digger? Because there’ve been at least four at this point.

Boomerang launches the boomerang into the air and it explodes. Digger is naturally convinced that he’s killed Batman, only for Batman to promptly prove him wrong by showing up alive and well. “Nobody could possibly survive a flight on my Doomerang!” Oh, Digger...

Batman explains that he survived by “maneuvering my bonds toward the Doomerang’s rocket-jets--and the ignition-flames freed me! Then I simply slipped away under the cover of all that smoke before the Doomerang took off!” I love that Batman also calls the thing a Doomerang (with a totally straight face, mind you.)

Then Digger throws a boomerang at Batman at the same time Batman throws a Batarang at him. But because Batman is Batman, he wins the boomerang duel and knocks Digger out. Way to take away Digger’s only accomplishment there, Batman. It’s like if Superman won any of his races against the Flash.

Batman decides to investigate Falstaff.

Meanwhile, at the museum, someone who looks like Catwoman is stealing one of the exhibits....

Flash #286, “The Color Schemes of the Rainbow Raider”

This issue introduces the greatest villain of all time...the dreaded Rainbow Raider!

After a long day at work, Barry Allen is heading home...only for an alarm to go off at the Centrex Art Museum! Barry has to promptly go into action as the Flash as Barry thinks about how tired he is. Apparently, his new police chief, Darryl Frye, has made him work overtime three times in one week alone.

Suddenly, a rainbow appears, bewildering Barry, as it hasn’t rained for the past week. Barry runs inside the museum to find the guards crying inexplicably. Barry deduces that the thief has been altering their emotions and realizes that this is probably not one of his established Rogues.

Sure enough, he soon comes face-to-face with the Rainbow Raider!

“Welcome, Flash! I didn’t think you and I would be meeting so soon...but sooner or later we were bound to clash! Allow me to introduce myself! I am the Rainbow Raider---the most colorful criminal this city’s ever seen!” Oh, Roy. You’re so amazingly silly, and we wouldn’t have it any other way.

Roy shoots a beam of blue light at Barry, who somehow deduces that this was what enabled him to mess with the emotions of the guards. Barry dodges the blast of blue light, but it hit and knocked out by a blast of black light.

The police are suitably baffled by the Rainbow Raider, who, incidentally, signed his crime scene with “The Rainbow Raider was here!” That’s amazing.

Meanwhile, the Flash runs home, for the Rainbow Raider has...uh....sucked all of the color out of his body! Somehow! Wha?

Meanwhile, in a mobile trailer, Roy is gloating to himself. “Now I know I’m ready for the big leagues--on a par with seasoned criminals like Captain Cold and Mirror Master!” Uh...sure, Roy.

Batman and Catman star in a Hostess cupcake ad!

“Roy G. Bivolo is compelled by higher motivations--like art appreciation!”

Roy reveals that he suffers from achromotopsia, a rare form of colorblindness that means he sees the world entirely in greyscale. This fact apparently scuppered his burgeoning artistic career, because the art critics of Central City have never heard of black-and-white artwork even though it totally exists.

Also, Roy’s dad was apparently a, quote, “leading world-renowned optometrist”, and he tried to create goggles that would allow Roy to see color. He passed away shortly after Roy turned 21; having finished the googles just days before.

When Roy tested them a few weeks later, he found that they hadn’t cured his colorblindness...but that they could shoot out “bands of multi-colored solid light particles that I could literally “ride” through the sky”. Roy then uses his father’s notes to unlock even more abilities with his goggles. Eventually, his mother also passed away, and Roy decided to turn to crime.

“Since I was robbed of a brilliant art career as a painter--I think it’s only fitting that I rob others....rob them of the pleasure they’ve derived all these years from priceless works of art I myself have never been able to enjoy! If I can’t see them in all their glory---then neither will anyone else!” Roy...that’s insane.

Barry Allen fails in his attempt to flirt with Fiona Webb, then exposits about pseudoscience. “The color black appears black because it absorbs the light waves of all other colors...without reflecting them! Those black beams the Rainbow Raider enveloped me with must’ve had a similar effect--saturating my body with radiation that prevents me from reflecting any and all light-waves...leaving me totally colorless!” SCIENCE!

Barry uses makeup and hair day to make himself look normal. As a result, he’s 20 minutes late to work and gets chewed out by his boss.

Also: “The unnatural inner-vibrations from this color drain are steadily sapping more and more energy from my molecules by the minute!” More SCIENCE!

Barry is about to get to work when he hears about the opening of the Skytop Art Gallery. Assuming that this would be an ideal target for the Rainbow Raider, he goes into action as the Flash.

Roy has created a distraction by using his emotional manipulation powers to get all of the art patrons to fight each other while he escapes. Barry runs up a building and onto Rainbow Raider’s rainbow...whereupon Raider shoots a blinding light at him, causin him to slip off the rainbow and almost fall to his doom. Luckily, his ability to vibrate through anything saves his life, as he manages to vibrate through a green car he was about to land on.

Barry then finds that he’s turned totally green. ‘I must’ve been vibrating on the precise wavelength of the color green when I passed through this heap--somehow allowing me to regain my capacity to absorb green light-waves!” SCIENCE! He then starts running through vehicles of other colors to regain his capacity to absorb those light-waves, too. Since Raider is colorblind, he can’t figure out what the Flash is up to.

When Raider takes one last blast at the Flash, the effects restore him to normal, and Flash is able to make quick work of the Rainbow Raider.

I love the Rainbow Raider so much.

#flash comics #batman comics #dc comics

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echidnapower · 4 years

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EP’s FanFiction Master Post

So this is something I should have done a long time ago on my previous account, but better late than never. For those of you who find me, this is going to be a place where you can find all the fics I’ve written over the years. This will be added to over time as I fight to revive my muse.

It’ll be categorized by fandom, so you can quickly find what you do or don’t want to read. Here we go.

Pokemon

A Valentines Dream Come True - It's Valentines Day, and a certain redheaded Gym Leader is finally getting to enjoy it with the boyfriend of her dreams. During their time together, they get into a little discussion about dreams, and Ash doesn't wanna tell her his! So to get him to spill, she tells him her dreams...when she finally learns Ash's dream...will both their dreams come true? - Based on a drawing from @miyatoriaka, which can be found HERE.

AAML: Diamond and Pearl Version - Follow me as I remake the DP episodes in order and in sequence, all so I can add the biggest star besides Ash himself. Misty! Watch her and Ash's love grow as they go on their journey. The absolute LONGEST story in my portfolio, and you will see my writing evolve the longer you go on. Be prepared for a massive read that even now is STILL going.

All I Want For Christmas Is You - It's Christmas time and the Ketchum household is hosting a party with all of Ash's friends. But while Ash and Misty dance around their feelings for each other, another Sensational Sister is about to find herself in a situation she never could have expected, but she'll be darned if she lets it slip through her manicured fingers. (Spinoff of @hollylu-ships-it‘s "A Christmas in Kanto" comic which can be found HERE.

Best Friend - "Why? Why did I have to be so stupid as to make the mistake of falling in love with my best friend?" - Story told in Misty’s POV.

Blessings From Heaven - I'm Ash Ketchum, and I'm getting married today! But how did this come to be? Through God's devine planning is how. Here's my story: I'm marrying Misty. - Warning for religious themes, told in Ash’s POV.

I Miss You - Misty misses Ash terribly, and it's affecting her emotionally as she's more irritable than usual, if that was even possible. But Daisy has a plan to get Ash to come and see Misty again. Will her plan have the desired effect? Or will it cause something she never could've seen coming? - Based on a trio of drawings from the long lost Simply-Nicole. The old art can be found on my dA page HERE, HERE, and HERE.

I’m Misty, and You Are? - Misty tells the story we all know and love...literally. She's telling the story. Based on artwork from the long lost Simply-Nicole, which can be found on my old dA page HERE.

Keep The Faith - This time it's May and Drew getting married, and it takes place in the "Blessings From Heaven" universe. Warning for religious themes.

Looks - It's Ash's birthday and all of his friends have gathered together in the woods to reminisce on the time they spent traveling with their favorite Pokemon Trainer. But something's about to happen that could change the way that Ash and Misty look at each other forever…the question is, is it for the better?

Lovesick - Kenny is feeling strange...he feels like he's sick...but is he really ill? Or is he just lovesick?

Madam Zara - When Misty decides to get experimental with her appearance, she finds herself in the hands of a world-famous beautician named Madam Zara. With most of Misty's makeovers ending less than ideally, will this be the one to shatter the mold? And how will Ash react? - Based on a drawing and idea from @hollylu-ships-it which can be found HERE.

Our Own Sunset - Ash and Misty watch the sunset together, but Misty's bothered by it. - Set in the AAML: Diamond and Pearl version universe.

Pokeshipping Week 2015 - My first time participating in Pokeshipping Week ever, hard to believe it was five years ago.

Pokeshipping Week 2016 - This year of Pokeshipping saw me collab with @hollylu-ships-it, you can see the art she put together on her Tumblr page.

Symptoms of Love - Ash and Tracey are hit by a Vileplume's Stun Spore, and Misty has to fend for herself in order to find a cure. But once she gets Ash back to health, Ash still feels many of the same symptoms from before. Why is that?

Tell Me I’m Pretty - It isn't easy being the youngest sister, especially when your oldest sister is getting married and you're the only one without a date for the once in a lifetime event. Misty can't help but feel like she doesn't measure up somehow, but a surprise visit from her closest friend is sure to make her feel pretty once more. - Inspired by THIS piece from @hollylu-ships-it.

The Road Not Taken - When Ash gets some bad news from home, he goes into a depression and starts doubting both himself and the choices he's made. But luckily, someone is there with him to remind him he's loved and cared about. - Based on yet another drawing from @hollylu-ships-it. Look at it HERE.

Warmth - It's New Years Eve, and the recently married Ash and Misty Ketchum are ready to host their first ever holiday party at their home together, but when a snowstorm makes it so no one can arrive safely, Misty is saddened. But will they really end up spending their New Years Eve alone? Or will surprise visitors warm their hearts?

Super Robot Monkey Team Hyperforce Go

Iron Girl - A robot girl who hates the fact she's a robot...will she realize just how important she is or will she continue to simply wallow in self-pity?

War Between the Living and the Dead - The war between the living and the dead has begun, and the Hyperforce has to go up against their biggest challenge yet. But with help from their allies across the galaxy, they can triumph! Or can they? This is my take on what Season 5 would've been, plugging plotholes and making sense out of a series that left us all hanging.

Buzz Lightyear of Star Command

Reflections of a Legend - Buzz Lightyear Personal Log - Stardate 92893.81. I don't quite know how to explain this, or what I'm feeling, so I guess I'll just start talking and tell you what's on my mind. There's someone I just can't get out of my head, and truthfully, I'm not sure I want to. - This is a first-person dive into Buzz’s character.

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Kim Possible

Angels Watching Over Me - Kim and Ron are going down a dark path that could eventually end in their own destruction...literally, not figuratively. When the Sloth dangles over a cliff that holds their fate in the balance, who will come in their time of need? How about...someone they never could have dreamed? - Based on a true story, warning for religious themes.

Busted - Hana wants cookie, Hana tries to get cookie, Hana gets caught trying to get cookie.

The Running Back - All-star Running back Ron Stoppable is about to face the biggest challenge of his life. He's got just a few seconds to win the championship for the Middleton Mad Dogs, but more importantly to him, he's got just a few seconds to make his girlfriend proud.

The True Meaning - Both Ron and Kim are well aware of the true meaning of Christmas, and that's why they're volunteering at a church's Bethlehem Revisited event to spread the word. Kim's happy to help and all, but...why is Ron calling her such a weird name? - Warning for religious themes.

Trick or Treat - Kim is pulling a trick on Ron, will it be a great treat, or is he about to suffer the wrath of Kim Possible? He has no clue, yet.

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Fillmore!

A Promising Tomorrow - Takes place immediately after the end of the episode "A Forgotten Yesterday." Fillmore's lost two of his old friends now and needless to say, he's tired of losing people to the darkness he was lucky enough to escape from. Luckily, Ingrid's there to show him that his efforts to rehabilitate his delinquent friends haven't exactly gone to waste. There's one person who's benefited.

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Miraculous Ladybug

You’re Loved - Adrien Agreste, Chat Noir, different identities but more alike than he would like to admit. No matter who he becomes at any given time, there's always something very important missing in his life. Will he ever find what he's looking for? Or is it possible he's always had it and never realized it?

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Beyblade

We Are One - Kai gave it his all battling against Brooklyn and his bit-beast Zeus. Now, after his close brush with death, Kai must summon the strength to go and support Tyson before disaster strikes the world. But there's no way he's strong enough to do it on his own...but thankfully, he won't have to, which is what Kai is about to learn. Sister story to "I Can't Lose You."

I Can’t Lose You - A week after Tyson's battle against the evil bit-beast Zeus and his trapped blader Brooklyn, the world is slowly making its way back to normal. Kai managed to survive and is recovering in the hospital, and Tyson is getting some much-deserved rest. But when Kenny comes to tell Tyson that Hilary has quit the team, he loses it, and goes to find out why. My first Beyblade story.

Save a Dance For Me - With the all new BBA launching with a gala to celebrate the occasion, Tyson finds himself in the uncomfortable position of needing to ask someone to be his date. He has someone in mind, but will his greatest beyblading rival get in his way and turn out to be his greatest rival in love?

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Teen Titans

Healing Touch - With several Titans pairing up, the lingering emotions are taking a toll on Raven's empathic senses and causing her to lose control of her own feelings. When she gives in and does something completely crazy, it's up to Beast Boy to pull her out of a dark place and bring her back to the light. - There is accompanying artwork from @hollylu-ships-it HERE and HERE.

More Than a Hero - I've learned a lot of lessons under Batman, he taught me everything I would ever need to know about being a superhero, about being Robin...but Starfire taught me how to be Dick Grayson, and she taught me how to fly. - Story from Robin’s POV, accompanying artwork from @hollylu-ships-it is HERE.

Robin Rising - Life is good for Dick Grayson, he's the leader of a team of superheroes he's blessed enough to call his family, and he's about to turn 18 which he figures will open up a whole new world of possibilities for him. But when his old mentor and "father" calls in, showing that he captured a criminal that had eluded the Titans forever, things get flipped upside-down. - Multichapter fic which is part of a much larger universe, plenty of accompanying artwork can be found over on @hollylu-ships-it‘s account. Go give her a follow and fav.

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Sonic the Hedgehog

A Light in Darkness - A small band of heroes go back in time to try and prevent a cataclysmic event that would eventually destroy all of creation as they knew it. But what is the nature of this threat? How dangerous is it? And how far will they have to go in order to stop it from viciously destroying all they hold dear? Features a deep cast of Sonic characters, and a very special OC owned by @e-vay

Anonymous - For Shadow the Hedgehog, Christmas doesn't mean what it means to his friends and the rest of the world. Instead, he has a self-appointed mission he needs to carry out. But this year, he may find something that he's never really had before, and it could change the way Shadow sees Christmas for the rest of his life.

Christmas Wishes - For ten years, Amy Rose has only wanted one thing for Christmas, and she's finally come to accept the reality that she'll never receive it. But a conversation with Rouge rekindles her hope and her Christmas spirit. Will she be let down again? Or will her one wish finally come true this year? Read to find out. (Sister story to my other story titled "Anonymous")

Comfort In the Storm - When a thunderstorm strikes and leaves Cream quivering in fright, it's up to Tails to find a way to alleviate his crush's fears, and maybe even give her a reason to enjoy thunderstorms instead of fearing them.

Cream Adventure DX: Author’s Cut - A redo of an old story. Cream finds a strange statue in the meadow, and she knows just who to go to to figure out what it is, but she gets more than she bargained for when she goes looking for him. What happens?

Dreams of an Absolution - Silver lays awake at night and reflects on his life in this apocalyptic world Iblis has destroyed...but most of his reflections revolve around a certain fire girl with lavender fur. He wants to be happy with her, but a warzone is a bad place to kindle love, and so every night he lays awake, and dreams of an absolution.

Relations - Knuckles has a problem. He's in love...but...that presents a very unique problem...or does it?

Running to the Point of No Return - Sonic is the fastest thing alive, and Amy is told that that's the biggest obstacle keeping her and Sonic away from each other. But what's she supposed to do to keep up with him, when there's NO ONE fast enough to keep up with him?

Scars - Some things that happen in life leave scars behind that go with us for the rest of our lives. For Miles "Tails" Prower, such a thing happened to him in the depths of space many years ago...the loss of his first true love...though the pain weakens and the scars fade, they never go away completely, and Tails has learned to live with and embrace that fact.

Seven Rings and Five Fingers In Hand - A redo of the final battle in Sonic and the Secret Rings, Sonamy style!

The Heart of Chao - Chao are adorable little creatures, and they make great pets for anyone who's looking for something to take care of. But there's more to chao than just being cute, they're filled with more heart and love than anyone can imagine, and that can sometimes lead to bringing others closer together. Here are just a few stories of that very thing happening to our favorite characters.

Trapped In This Machine - Sonic has seemingly fallen madly in love with Amy, but is this sudden romance truly sincere, or is it only skin deep, hiding something sinister underneath? - Inspired by a drawing from @e-vay, found HERE.

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tessatechaitea · 5 years

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Teen Titans Spotlight #14: Nightwing

So that's why I finally dropped this series: they dropped the "on:".

You might have forgotten that the biggest gang in Gotham in 1987 were the Jewish Surrealists.

I don't even care how many people don't know what the fuck I'm on about. Did you know this world is on fire? Batman is busting a cocaine shipment into Gotham in the prologue of this comic book. According to the cover, he's about to be crucified. I guess the Jewish Surrealists are still micro-managed by Caesar's Hand. Speaking of unbelievable things in comics (this segue works because I believe I was speaking about it fifteen hundred commentaries ago when Nightwing drove a motorcycle up the wall of a building), how does Batman always wind up unconscious and in some form of complicated trap and yet, in all the time it takes to put him there, nobody ever takes the mask off. Not one henchman is curious? Not one henchman binding Batman to the cross ever thinks, "If I knew Batman's identity, I could quit this henchman gig, sell the information, and retire"? I don't believe it. My theory is that thousands of henchmen have tried this plan but Alfred intercepted all of the blackmail notices, hired Jason Bard to find who sent them, and then hired Tommy Monaghan to kill them. I would just like it on the record that I spelled Tommy's last name correctly before looking it up. The Jewish Surrealists capture Batman because they had a sniper with a tranquilizer gun on overwatch during the deal. Batman gets drugged, blackjacked, and spit upon before nobody thinks to take off his mask.

At least I hope that's spit.

I guess if that isn't spit, I now understand why nobody took his mask off.

"Are ya kiddin' me, Rudy?! Put yer fuckin' dick away and help me schlep this bastard into tha van! The boss can take tha fuckin' mask off. Ugh."

Alfred calls up Dick Grayson when Bruce doesn't show up for morning stitches. Dick sighs, hangs up the phone, and goes off to do a literally thankless job because Batman thinks expecting people to be there for him is the same thing as gratitude. I hate complaining about the art because I never complain about the art. So when I finally complain about the art, that means I really fucking think the art sucks. And, well, I'm complaining about the art now.

"Fuck dinosaur references! I got this!" -- Stan Woch

This is some of Woch's earliest work with DC so I shouldn't be too hard on him. Plus he's still alive and he might read this. Although wouldn't it be worse if I were criticizing the work of a dead man? Also, he draws a pretty decent studio apartment and jizz dribble. Nightwing heads off to save Batman even though he knows Batman doesn't need saving. If Batman seems to need saving, it's only because Batman misses Nightwing and this is the only way he can see him without admitting that he misses him. "Oh no!" says Batman as he tries to remember what it's like to feel sleepy from tranquilizers or to feel concussed from a blackjack to the back of the head. "My legs are all, um, wobbly? I'm, um, falling now, right? OH! I'm helpless! I just peed a little too!" Then he lets the bad guys kidnap him and waits for Alfred to worry way too soon and call for backup. And of course Batman would choose a night when Jason Todd is off in California and Superman is off on Oa and Wonder Woman has her anniversary dinner with Steve Trevor.

Oh, just because he's suddenly half-robot, I'm supposed to believe some high school football star can now design high tech contact lenses?! Fuck you, comic books.

Dick finds a vial of acid left behind as Batman as a clue to who murdered him. I mean kidnapped him, probably! Who would kill Batman when they had the chance? I mean if they actually had a chance and Batman wasn't completely faking and ready to start breaking kneecaps the second somebody tugs at his cowl or tries to put a bullet in his brain. Anyway, the acid vial reminds Dick of that one case which was the only one ever in which Batman used a vial of acid which leads him to Drakkar, a Gotham drug lord. This is less evidence that Batman was in trouble and realized Nightwing would come looking for him and more evidence that Batman wasn't in trouble at all and was expecting Nightwing to come looking for him because Batman misses him.

With all the Batman themed stuff in this picture, that marquee obviously says Debbie Does Batman.

Nightwing threatens to beat up some cowardly punk named Skates who Batman apparently beats up every time he needs information. And even though Skates always gives up the information, he somehow hasn't been killed by any other Gotham criminal. Skates tells Nightwing that Batman is going to be killed at midnight in the graveyard. It's going to be a huge party. But instead of thinking, "I'll go to the graveyard and stop this!", Dick wastes precious time tailing Skates hoping he'll lead him to Batman or Drakkar. When Nightwing loses him due to Nightwing's fandom crowding around him, Nightwing thinks, "Wait. What did Skates say? Oh yeah! He gave me everything I needed to know! But now it's so close to midnight, I might not make it in time! Shoot!" Drakkar's plan is to auction off the right to unmask Batman and put a bullet in his brain. So, you know, almost the plan I proposed when they first knocked him unconscious! Stupid greedy thugs! Now Drakkar won't be rid of Batman or rich because Nightwing has found him! And he saves Batman in the nick of time! Time for hugs and demonstrations of familial love and intimacy!

Oh Batman!

Nightwing should know Batman cares because he didn't disappear the instant Nightwing looked away. Batman does smile at the end but not until Dick leaves. Only the reader gets to know Batman is capable of the tiniest bit of joy! And that joy probably wasn't due to Nightwing telling Batman that he's proud to have been Robin. The joy was probably in getting away with not thanking somebody for saving him yet again. Teen Titans Spotlight #14: Nightwing Rating: C+. If I had written this issue, it would have been from Batman's point of view. And all along the way, Batman would be thinking things like, "I'll drop this acid vial which will remind Dick of the Great Dragon caper which will lead him to Drakkar and the subway graveyard where I'm certain Drakkar will take me to kill me!" Then Batman will think, "I bet Dick and Alfred are brainstorming how to find me right now!" And later, as the gun is being put to Batman's head, he'd be all, "The lights should go out just about now! Dick will save me in the nick of time which I'll totally razz him over. Should I say, 'Cutting it pretty close, Boy Wonder' or 'Jason would have been here five minutes sooner'?" Then the final panel of Batman's life will be a bullet passing through his head as he's unmasked. The final page would show Dick Grayson sitting in his apartment listening to Cat's in the Cradle with the phone off the hook.

#Teen Titans Spotlight #Nightwing #Batman #DC Comics #DC

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eternallyyoungjustice · 5 years

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Wherever the Winds Take You: Chapter 8

A/N: As promised, here we are. This one’s probably going to be the shortest chapter this time around at just under 3k words (hard to believe that would have been considered a long chapter in the old instalment). Also, I’d love to get some feedback from those reading, good or bad. I’m always looking for new ways to improve and I want your guys’ opinions/ideas ;)

Deléson, France

July 8

16:02

As Lina waited just outside of the old building on the empty field lot, she found herself floating anxiously outside it's threshold and pulling anxiously at a strand of hair.

The cool early afternoon breeze that blew around her was lovely for floating, but it was also very cold and gave the French girl goosebumps despite the denim jacket she wore. The girl yanked at the hem of her sundress, which she was now regretting wearing with the wind.

Casual street attire, or as Wally like to call them 'civvies', felt alienish on her flesh. Being in the presence of the Justice League and her comrades without her uniform? That just seemed odd to her. She felt that it blended the line between 'Lina Dubois' and 'Zephyr'. So much so that, just to add a little bit of normalcy, she had worn the gold sash that usually was worn around the waist of her uniform. It helped ground her, and she was thankful for it.

As the zeta-tube beside her whirred to life and announced Red Tornado's designation, Lina suddenly snapped to attention. Her hands dropped to her sides, her shoulders straightened, and her feet made contact with the ground. When the shape of a large man began to appear, Lina to an excited step toward the figure.

"So?" Lina asked once Red Tornado had fully formed. She was bouncing on the balls of her feet. "What's happening?"

"I am to escort you to the decided location, where you will be given the 'run down'." The robot explained.

Lina quirked an eyebrow, tipping her head to the side like an animal. "And what location is this?"

Red Tornado paused, then replied. "Happy Harbor."

Lina's mind automatically began to race. Happy Harbor? Why did that name sound so familiar? She must have read it in the League's files somewhere…but what made it special.

"Oh, the sea currents are so nice there…" A cheerful voice rang out.

"So much nicer that the stuffy Paris air." Another, stricter voice sounded.

Lina paid the voices no mind as she happily bobbed over to the computer, wasting no time as it read of both her and her mentor's names and numbers.

Mount Justice, Happy Harbor

July 8

8:30

Mount Justice.

The answer to Lina's question had been ‘Mount Justice’.

The original HQ for the League, before an informant accidentally disclosed their location and it was attacked by the Joker and his evil Joker Venomed Monkeys. Mount Justice appeared to be as advertised, a mountain. But the reality of it lay in the bottom foundation where a hollowed out cave was secured tightly. It was right on the water, so mixed with the smell of wet rock and metal was the salty scent of the sea.

Even inside, Lina could feel the cool yet friendly sea currents. They were marvelous. Almost wonderous enough to distract from the fact that she; along with Kaldur, Robin, Wally, and Superboy, were all standing in a row and being spoken to by the co-leader of the Justice League himself.

"This cave was the original secret sanctuary for the Justice League's operations. We are calling it into service again." Batman explained. "Since you five are determined to stay and fight the good fight; you'll do it on League terms."

"Red Tornado volunteered to live here and be your supervisor. Black Canary is in charge of training."

Although she raised an eyebrow and sent a quick glance at her two teachers, Lina felt at ease. She knew both's teaching methods and personal principles. Red would be level-headed, a good den mother, but he also leaves people to do and learn on their own, lets them lead their own lives. He wouldn't try to control the team, he trusted them. And Dinah, although tough, was a great martial arts teacher. She could be the motherly, but strict hand the team needed for adult guidance.

"I will deploy you on missions." Batman explained.

"Real missions?" Robin asked.

"Yes, but covert." The Bat explained.

"The League will handle the obvious stuff." Flash piped in, and then tapped on his lightning-themed insignia. "There's a reason we have these targets on our chests."

"But Cadmus proves the bad guys are getting smarter." Aquaman explained. "Batman needs a team that can operate on the sly."

"So we're the Justice League's spies now?" Lina thought to herself. "Doesn't sound too bad…"

"The six of you will be that team." Batman finished.

"Cool!" Robin exclaimed, then recoil. "Wait…six?"

Batman turned, and all five teens looked past to see Martian Manhunter stepping forward, accompanied by a young Martian girl. She couldn't have been older than 16 judging by her appearance, green skin the same time as the man beside her, shoulder-length red hair, a face full of freckles, and a tentative but friendly smile. Her outfit was much like the Manhunter's as well, red X on the chest included, only hers appeared to look more like a white t-shirt and blue skirt.

"This is Miss Martian, Martian Manhunter's niece." Batman explained.

"Hello." The Martian girl greeted shyly.

"Oh mon dieu! Finally!" Lina exclaimed, throwing her hands up in victory. "We finally get another young, female hero!"

She heard Dinah let out a snort of laughter, and Miss Martian's smile seemed to widen at the welcome. But the moment was cut off by Wally leaning over to Robin and fake-whispering.

"Liking this gig more every minute." He muttered, then raced over to the new recruit. "Welcome aboard! I'm Kid Flash. That's Zephyr, Robin, Aqualad, Superboy; it's cool if you forget their names."

"I'm honoured to be included." Miss Martian replied with a shy nod.

"Awww." Lina thought. "She's super cute!" The French girl smiled back and flew closer, taking the alien's hands in her own. "Please, ignore Kid Mouth. We're honoured to have you here, seriously."

The green girl blushed, and something seemed to spark in her reddish-hue eyes. "Thank you."

"Hey Superboy!" Robin called out, and Lina turned her head to see that the clone had been the only one not to step up to greet the new girl. Turning away, Lina gently let go of Miss Martian's hands and faced everyone. As Superboy stepped forward, a small blush seemed to grow on the green skin of the Martian. Then, her white t-shirt faded to a dark black, the same tone as the red ‘S' shirt the clone wore.

"I-I like your t-shirt." The girl stuttered.

Feeling his gaze on her, Lina looked up to see Kaldur peering down at her. The moment their eyes met, they knew what they both wanted to say.

"The team has found its couple"

After a moment where Robin elbowed Superboy in the ribs and Wally slung his arm around the boy of steel's shoulder, Kaldur broke his gaze with Lina to look at everyone.

"Today is the day." He spoke.

And everyone knew that he was right.

As everyone broke off and began to chat; Robin, Wally, Lina, and Kaldur grouped together, the youngest two with a scheming look in their knitted brows.

“We’re missing someone.” Robin whispered. “We should try to talk to Seedy-Roy-again.”

“Once we explain this great gig, he’ll have to want to join, right?” Wally asked. “I mean, it’s been nearly four days. Surely he’s calmed down a little.”

Lina and Kaldur looked back to one another, silently communicating. Both of them had reached out to their friend, with varying degrees of success. But the probability that Roy would leave his anger and betrayal behind him and move on…

“We may not have the best chances.” Lina shrugged. “But I’m more than willing to try, we have to.”

Kaldur nodded. “Agreed. Last we spoke, he was working on getting the best of an illegal weapons smuggling ring, run by a man named ‘The Brick’.”

“The Brick, real name Daniel Brickwell. One of Green Arrow’s rogues.” Wally nodded, recalling the man’s file. Robin pulled up his holo-watch.

“According to bat/league files, there’s been talk on the streets about a new shipment of weapons coming in a little over a week...in Star City.” Robin read in a whisper.

“Then Roy will definitely be there.” Lina spoke as she propped her hands on her hips.

“And so shall we.” Kaldur added, nodding at all of his comrades.

Star City

July 17

23:16

The shipment came just as it had been predicted, located on an old fishermen dock that hadn’t been legitimately in-use for upwards of five years. But according to League files, the place was popular amongst gangs for covert overseas shipments. Just like the one that was going down tonight.

There was only a small team handling the illegal weapons, which gave everyone the feeling this wasn’t going to be a fair fight.

As two men carried out the first crate, an arrow shot down at their feet and began releasing a thick gas. The men dropped the box, causing one of the guns inside to topple onto the gravel ground, sliding straight to the feet of a man that was easily seven feet tall, and thick with muscle. Dark red skin the colour of baked clay, and light hair pulled into tight dreadlocks; The Brick kicked the gun up into his hands.

Aiming the pistol, The Brick quickly spotted his target. Up on top of a crane, a redheaded male not yet a man, but too old to be a boy. He was dressed in a familiar red and yellow tunic, but the absence of a feathered hat made re his outfit appear incomplete.

"You again!" Brick bellowed. "I'm starting to get insulted Green Arrow's not messing up my operations personally!"

Brick shot at Roy, who easily dodged by flipping onto a nearby piece of metal and as shots continued to fly at him he ran across a bridge, loading up his bow. When the arrow was notched, he whipped around and fired; the arrow meeting its target and blowing up the gun and the air around it.

Brick faltered, looking down at the shredded pieces of cloth hanging from his body that used to be suit.

"Do you know what I pay for for a suit in my size." The giant man bellowed, then turned to the four men beside him. "Scorch the Earth boys."

But just as the men took out their pistols, two of the gangbangers were knocked out by a yellow blur. As the other two directed their aim at the direction the blur had escaped, their guns were knocked out of their hands with flying metal projectiles. The two men went to step back, but they were stopped by a dark-skinned boy with glowing arm tattoos slashing them in the chests with whips made of water.

Brick, angered that he had become outnumbered, dug his hands into the Earth, pulled up a chunk of it, and launched it at the redhead from before.

But just as the boulder of concrete was about to hit the archer, a young girl dressed in yellow and gold flew out and waved her hands, whisking the boulder safely to the edge of the dock.

"Speedy." The girl greeted, throwing a look over her shoulder.

"Zephyr." The archer replied.

As Brick threw another boulder of concrete, Kaldur leapt up and sliced through them with his water swords as if it were warm butter. Just as the young heroes were in the clear, Roy shot an arrow at Brick which erupted into the same thick smoke as before.

"The cave is perfect, it has everything the team will need." Kaldur explained.

"For covert missions." Robin added, popping behind them seemingly from nowhere. "Y'know, spy stuff."

"Plus I have it on good authority that our only supervisor isn't the, as you say, 'helicopter parent' type." Lina explained. "No overbearing Leaguer watching over our shoulders."

"And wait 'till you see Superboy and Miss. Martian…" Wally pipped up, running up the side of the wall they were on, "but I saw her first!"

With a loud and angry roar emitting from their adversary, the five young adults turned to see Brick wrenching another piece of concrete free.

Moving on instinct, Lina flew forward and created a bubble around her and her friends. The boulder crashed into it and promptly crumbled.

Once the bubble was released, Roy ran out and sent a barrage of arrows to the giant-sized man, but they only succeeded in causing him to lose his footing.

"Tell Arrow not to send boys to do a man's job." Brick growled.

"Uh, rude." Lina thought, but shook it off.

Roy glared as he loaded another arrow, aiming straight at Brick. Grinning, the man opened his arms to welcome the attack.

"Go ahead."

With a sharp 'thwap' the arrow met the redish man's chest and a thick, lumpy substance emitted from the point, quickly beginning to engulf the man until he could no longer move.

Regrouping around Roy; Robin, Kaldur, and Lina found themselves behind the archer while Wally zoomed in front to observe the damage.

"High-density polyurethane foam, nice!" Wally spoke as he gave the archer a thumbs-up.

Roy gave the boy a curt nod and then turned, walking towards a gap in the shipment containers surrounding them.

"So Speedy, you in?" Robin asked.

There was a long pause as Roy stopped, sending a look to Kaldur and Lina. The look he gave them was friendly, but distant.

"Pass." Now he was addressing everyone. "I'm done letting Arrow and the League tell me what to do. I don't need a babysitter, or a clubhouse to 'hang out' with the other kids. You're just playing their game, this is something they're doing to keep you busy and 'in your place'." As he began to walk away, the shadows seemed to swallow him up. "If you guys want to run around and play Jr. Justice League, be my guest...but I don't want any part in it."

And then he was gone.

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iamdanielyoon · 7 years

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Blade Runner 2049 Review

***/*****

B-

80%

9:30pm

2D Digital

10/17/17

--------------------------

Notes:

Mostly empty theater but there were possibly 15 people in the 160 seat theater.

Got seats in row C, seats 11 and 12. Smack dab in the middle and a place where the screen was close enough to fill most of my field of vision.

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Audiences, and critics, called the original Blade Runner an esoteric film. Never before has a film been characterized so aptly. Wes Anderson is niche. David Fincher is focused. Steven Spielberg is talented. J.J. Abrams is new cinema. I hate to be so condensed in my perspective of them, but I’ll chalk it up to the short attention spans present in the online world. I hope I got my point across, though. All of these attributes I attributed to each of these accomplished directors can be seen as positive or negative. I, personally, am a fan of all of the directors I mentioned. I haven’t loved all of their works, or even seen all of their works, to be honest, but I do acknowledge their ability in crafting stories (although I have finished viewing the filmographies of J.J. Abrams and David Fincher). Their narratives have a distinct flair and I respect the craft they bring to the industry.

The connotation attached to the term ‘esoteric,’ however, was that the film was meant for those who liked noir & sci-fi stories. The film is not like Looper (2012) or Star Trek (2009), far from it. So don’t expect anything like that sort of thing going into it. The film is, at its core, a detective story. In terms of mature film, the Coen brothers can be comparable in terms of pacing, I suppose. But where the Coens have fascinating dialogue and well-executed editing, Blade Runner (1982) was more of a plodding crime story. It meanders and it doesn’t pander. It is for a specific set of people yet the film has been a major influence in the sci-fi genre, in all mediums. In this rare instance, the scathing, often empty, certain critiques of CinemaSins on the film were accurate. The fantastical visual imagery of its time nonetheless does not make a sufficient story, a well-told narrative or a propelling plot. Critics and audiences complain about that in cinema to this day and yet they gladly overlook those faults in this film.

So let’s get my thoughts on the original Blade Runner out of the way. I watched The Final Cut (2007): the one recommended by Blade Runner 2049’s director Denis Villeneuve. Like films of the past that had dark, gritty, grimy, seedy sci-fi worlds, Blade Runner had great production design. Ridley Scott is a flawed director, one who has had his fair share of duds and head-scratchers, but one thing you cannot deny is the man’s attention for detail and his extensive use of practical effects. The props used in The Martian (2015) were gorgeous. Blade Runner is no different. To cut my thoughts on the original short, here are my thoughts in a nutshell: Overrated; interesting sound design; weird parts; strange change in atmosphere/tone in final act (something I believe CinemaSins touched on) and overall a mediocre experience.

What’s lovely about this film is the fact that this film remains grounded within a future of that universe. Time has not been altered or changed to reflect modern tastes. Touch screens and head-up-displays that are prominent in our modern cinema have very little to do with the established world of Blade Runner. The Voigt-Kampff test is a technology that was interesting in the sense that it remains iconic and fascinating from a filmmaking perspective. And this film adds new vehicles, weapons and a great cinematographer to its established universe and polishes out the rough edges that were present in the original.

Blade Runner 2049 stars Ryan Gosling in his second role in which he actually gets to show that he can act (the first being La La Land (2016)). Most of the time, people submit that acting, in its best (see Oscars) form is subtle. Other times they suggest that powerhouse, extremely emotional performances like Hugh Jackman’s from Prisoners (2013) is what constitutes a great performance. While I do realize that acting requires immense talent, incommensurate kinds of methods for getting into character, a cooperation between all the major filmmakers involved, and more, I lean more towards James Franco’s performance in 127 Hours (2010) than Colin Firth’s in The King’s Speech (2010). #JamesFrancowasrobbed. But rarely do I say that the casting for a film was impeccable. Sometimes certain performances win over the people, sometimes it’s a great chance for actors to branch out, sometimes there are surprises from left field, but in a few rare cases, it’s hard to see anyone else in a role. Ryan Gosling is great for K, Harrison Ford returns in good form as Deckard, Bautista brings something truly unexpected in his role and there is an integral character with a small role overall that is pitch perfect. After I saw her and Robin Wright’s subtle acting it cemented my thoughts on the film in the acting sphere. It’s superbly cast. The small important character was the actual performance that I was most pleased by in this film, however. Jared Leto was interesting as the eccentric, blind, rich man… I think.

Hans Zimmer’s talents are squandered in this film. He’s been able to collaborate to great effect in films like The Amazing Spider-Man 2 (2014), as flawed and bad as it was, and the first two Kung Fu Panda films (2008 & 2011). But instead he’s to do his rendition of the original film’s compositions. He’s got to do Vangelis, again. Thirty-five years later. I get it. People like the original’s score. People worship Zimmer and Blade Runner, sometimes they happen to do both. For the original Blade Runner, that composer’s sound was an iconic part of it, sure. Doesn’t mean it was timeless. Hans Zimmer got a lot of flak for making his own version of the Batman theme in The Dark Knight trilogy, and the world is all the better for it. Here, he is boxed in the world of Blade Runner. Here, he is chained by the fans of the original. The film suffers because of those fans. Instead of going in new directions like Giacchino for Jurassic World (2015), Star Trek (2009), Dawn of the Planet of the Apes (2014), War for the Planet of the Apes (2017) or Rogue One (2016); instead of bringing back the composer that he previously collaborated with in 2015 for Sicario, Johann Johannsen, we are given a bland fan offering. There are moments when I notice the film’s music is about to head to something great, and then it veers towards synth sci-fi. Film score snobs, music critics and whoever else may heap praise upon Zimmer and his Dunkirk (2017) collaborator Ben W. for this film, but I won’t be one of them. Zimmer and his new buddy (Zimmer worked well with Junkie XL in Batman V Superman (2016); Junkie XL previously crafted a great score for Mad Max: Fury Road (2015)) are forced to placate the appetites of voracious fans instead of going in bold, new directions. I dislike the music. You might like it. And you’re free to do so. Music, I find, is a far more divisive medium concerning tastes than film. So go nuts and go crazy for all I care. Yo Yo Ma spoke about music that sounded good to him. The music in the Blade Runner universe doesn’t sound good to me. For more perspective on how the original film’s sound and soundtrack are layered and the like, you can see Nerdwriter1’s video on the matter.

The cinematography is so darn good. When used right, the visuals in a film can heighten the action, improve the pacing and make meaning of everything. The locked camera of Jackie Chan and Hong Kong directors make the action far more interesting than in Hollywood blockbusters with people flailing around in darkness (See EFAP’s video on Jackie Chan). Blade Runner 2049 reunites director Denis V. and cinematographer Roger Deakins. I’m just going to state for the record that I’m a fan. A big fan. I want to watch every film Deakins has ever done because seeing his work in this century’s films, I’m truly blown away. Directors need to work with a bunch of people to block and all, but a cinematographer like Deakins makes the final product that much better. Everything moves with purpose. The camera work is streamlined and masterful. I can’t really express in words how he does what he does besides a few interviews Deakins has done himself and a video by Tony Zhou (Every Frame A Painting, a truly artful man with a way with words. And a quick message to Zhou, if he somehow stumbles across my writing: Please come back to your channel and continue to do video essays. Please. We all miss you. Come back. Please.). The visual artistry of this film is profound. Denis and Roger should continue to work together for as long as possible.

The story of Blade Runner 2049 has a similar progression to its predecessor, in certain aspects. Its broad narrative is an investigation with mystery in a sci-fi setting. Whereas the previous film meanders, wastes time with its groundbreaking visual effects (there are shots of the iconic buildings that are just viewed from different angles with synth music blasting) and overall the plot devolves in its final act (turning into a slasher film, as noted by CinemaSins, I’m not calling CS good or critic-worthy but they occasionally do make some valid points)—this film is much more focused. This film finds a solid story progression but it too finds ways to slow down its story. There are lulls in between the acting, the spectacle, the visuals and the narrative. Although the argument can be made that the lulls are necessary, how you react to them can be a large indicator of what kind of moviegoer you are. If you perceive The Revenant (2015), Memento (2000), No Country For Old Men (2007) or Gravity (2013) as niche, indie, weird, dumb or boring, Blade Runner and its sequel are definitely not for you. Of note: all the previous films I mentioned in that sentence are ones I enjoy. Note: I enjoy them. You don’t have to. You can have your own dang opinion. You’re free to express that... For the most part. Anyways, on the bright side the film finds philosophic ideas to explore, interesting sci-fi settings to discover and the like… but I found it to be more of a specifically satisfying affair. Like the original Blade Runner, Rogue One, Star Wars: The Force Awakens (2015), Captain America: Civil War (2016), The Avengers (2012) and Terminator (1984), I understand why people like this film. But it doesn’t mean that I have to. I respect the craft and artistry. I do. But it’s not something that connects with me. It’s not that it falls flat. It’s just that the sum of its parts do not add up to a greater whole. I shouldn’t be analyzing a film based on math but I’m just trying to make a point. BR 2049 is exceptional filmmaking… but it’s rare in its appeal. It’s finely tuned, for the right group.

TL;DR: Not for me, but I respect the craft. 3/5 stars

#Blade Runner #Blade Runner 2049 #Review #Film #Cinema #Movie #Discussion #2017 #October #Movie references #Text #Long #80%#B-#3 stars #3/5 #Sci fi #Blockbuster #denis villeneuve #Thoughts

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justanothercinemaniac · 7 years

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Epic Movie (Re)Watch #179 - Scooby-Doo (2002)

Spoilers Below

Have I seen it before: Yes

Did I like it then: Yes.

Do I remember it: Yes.

Did I see it in theaters: No.

Format: DVD

1) According to IMDb:

The idea of a live action Scooby-Doo movie languished in "development hell" throughout most of the 1990s. In 1996, Jim Carrey was attached to play Shaggy and Sara Gilbert was attached to play Velma. At one point, director Kevin Smith was attached, but later dropped out. Later, Mike Myers accepted the project and was the one who most often had his name linked to it (Myers' friend Janeane Garofalo was supposedly tapped by Myers to play Velma). Eventually, even Myers had to leave the project.

This film was originally set to have a much darker tone, essentially poking fun at the original series, and was set for a PG-13 rating. Shaggy was set to be a stoner, Velma and Daphne had a side relationship, and there were many marijuana references. According to Sarah Michelle Gellar, after the cast had signed on, there was a change and the film became more family-friendly.

2) The Case of the Luna Ghost

The Luna Ghost was heavily featured in promotional material, to the point where it seemed like it would be the primary antagonist of the film. This is likely because visually the Luna Ghost is comparable with some of the best monsters from the original run of cartoons. From a storytelling standpoint the prologue wastes no time in establishing the tone and characters which - in my opinion - is actually pretty spot on. It doesn’t waste time in telling us, “This is Fred, this is Daphne, this is Velma,” because you either are familiar with these characters or will figure out who they are very quickly. Also the prologue plays out like the end of a Scooby-Doo episode, where the group tries to execute a plan to catch the villain but it ends up failing.

3) Wait, that’s…that’s Pamela Anderson? AS PAMELA ANDERSON!?

I did NOT catch that as a kid, although in some ways it makes sense. In “The New Scooby-Doo Movies” there was ALWAYS a celebrity guest star who worked on the case with theme (Don Knotts, Phyllis Diller, Sandy Ducan, Batman & Robin, etc.).

4) For whatever problems this film has (but more on those later), they get the characters VERY right. Writer James Gunn (yes, writer/director of both Guardians of the Galaxy films) 100% nails the film’s characterization of Shaggy, Scooby, Fred, Velma, and Daphne. Even when he makes them different from how they were in the show (notably Daphne and Fred) it FEELS right. It feels in line with who the characters are/were in the show and like a natural extension of those people. The reason I enjoy this film as much as I do is because in so many ways they FEEL like the cartoon characters through and through.

5) There are surprisingly deep life lessons between this film and its sequel.

6) Matthew Lillard as Shaggy.

Honestly, Lillard gives the standout performance of the film (although Linda Cardellini’s Velma is VERY close). Like all the actors he is able to support the characterization found in the script with a true to form performance, but he is by far the most chameleonic. You can see shades of Freddie Prinze Jr and Sarah Michelle Gellar in their performance, but Lillard IS Shaggy. He gives off the heart/warmth - as well as the occasional stoner vibe - associated with the character since the late 60s. There is not an ounce of ego in his performance, being totally honest and committed. AND he acts with the CGI Scooby incredibly well. When working with a character who is not actually on set (namely: an animated one) it is important to see them and not see through them. Through all of Lillard’s scenes you believe Scooby is there with him. There’s not a doubt in your mind that he was on set, it’s not like he was added with CGI in post production or anything. And considering Shaggy’s relationship with Scooby is the heart of the film (and that Lillard shares the most scenes with the great dane), the fact that he’s able to nail this is all the better.

7) There are a number of deleted scenes in this film which I think are actually NEEDED for it to make sense in a lot of ways. Namely: when Fred, Velma, and Daphne meet at the airport and we get a juxtaposition of how they’re not as great in life as they say they are.

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8) Sarah Michelle Gellar as Daphne.

This is the first time I’ve watched this film since having become a fan (and completing) “Buffy the Vampire Slayer”, so seeing the lead from one of my favorite show in that new light adds a level of fun to the movie. In the cartoons Daphne is not always the most consistently written character (although more modern entries into the franchise do better with this), often being relegated to the role of damsel in distress. But writer Gunn and actress Gellar are able to make Daphne more than that without disrespecting the source material. She’s unique, has her own personality which isn’t always true for the original show. Gellar adds warmth, humor, and gusto to the performance, while her striving against her own role as damsel in distress makes for surprisingly interesting conflict.

9) Wait, ISLA FISHER IS IN THIS!?

(GIF originally posted by @scoobycloos)

10) The gag above is a good example of how this film was originally meant to be darker and poke fun at the original source material. While the movie ends up much more family friendly, some of these jokes do find their way into the final cut.

11) Rowan Atkinson as Emile Mondavarious is an occasionally fun role (more so for the reveal at the end than anything else), but unfortunately the comedic talent doesn’t get too much of a time to shine. He’s fine it what he does I just wish he could do more.

12) Linda Cardellini as Velma.

Favorably comparable to to Matthew Lillard as Shaggy, Cardellini similarly is able to 100% abandon any sense of herself/ego to support the strong character writing. You don’t SEE Cardellini, you only see Velma. She is able to embrace the intelligence and work with the occasionally cartoonish tone of the character/film in a way which never comes across as annoying but is instead a treat to fans of the cartoon. Also able to play Velma’s occasional insecurities well, Cardellini shines as Velma in a standout performance.

13) I get a big kick out of some of the jokes this film makes.

Bartender: “We got a Mr. Doo here? I got a call for a Mr. Doo?”

[Random guy stands up]

Melvin: “Melvin Doo?”

Bartender: “Nah. Scooby.”

14) Splitting up Mystery Inc. for the first chunk of the movie on Spooky Island makes the film a little scattered from the beginning. We never commit to one point of view or the other and this is another case where a deleted scene on the DVD (I believe it’s called Nightmare Boulevard) helps to slow down the pacing and establish some things better. Because I can hardly fault the script for equating in this film’s structural problems (as I haven’t read the script on its own), but it seems like every deleted scenes in the DVD would have improved the film. So the fact they’re cut is disappointing.

15) I actually really dig the sense of place Spooky Island conveys. Its fascinating, supported by a unique art style and conveying a sense of tone which makes the movie pleasantly macabre.

16)

Shaggy: “Like, Scoob and me don't do castles. Because castles have paintings with eyes that watch you, and suits of armor you think is a statue with a guy inside that follows you every time you turn around!”

This all happened in the first episode of “Scooby Doo” ever.

17) I have a head canon here. So Daphne does the usual bit of, “I’ll give you a Scooby Snack if you go into the spooky castle and be detectives.” Except she was planning on solving the mystery by herself and she came to Spooky Island expecting to be solo. I think she carries Scooby Snacks around out of habit. As a reminder for the friends she used to have, it just so happens that right now they’re actually useful.

18) Freddie Prinze Jr. as Fred

Much like Daphne, the film takes the occasionally flat character of Fred and builds on who he is in the cartoon to make someone who is unique. Fred is utterly buffoonish in the most fun of ways, but he is still human and sympathetic. Prinze Jr is able to make Fred a jerk when he has to be a jerk, but we’re still rooting for him and we still see that he’s Fred from the cartoon. Just with more of a personality.

19) Oh Fred…

(GIF originally posted by @kpfun)

20) The brief set piece of the Spooky Castle ride gone haywire is kinda fun to watch. Slapstick, madcap, energetic, but it makes me understand why the ride was shut down. It’s lethal.

21) I think one of the reasons this film is not so well received by critics is because the mystery can be confusing. Each time I watch it I have to remind myself how one seemingly random piece of information connects to the other (which I think is the victim of some deleted scenes), but here’s what I got: “Mondavarious” is planning world domination after having taken over Spooky Island from the real Mondavarious because the island has demons just living below the surface (I don’t how “Mondavarious” learned this but whatever). He uses the park as a front while at night he lets the demons posses the college kids. He needs to teach the demons HOW to act like “normal” teenagers so he creates an instructional video. His reach is far, even infecting the Coast Guard so no one can help people out on the island. But apparently just by knocking over the vat of souls everyone around the world is cured and we’re assuming all the monsters burst into flames. But why does “Mondavarious” want to take over the world? Just because he’s evil? And why would these super powerful demons let him lead them? I think I’m just going to move on.

22) Did we really need to have a burp/fart off in this film?

23) Mystery Inc. hiding in the armor is very cartoonish, which I mean in a compliment as it feels like it’s right out of the cartoon.

(This was the best image I could find of the scene. It conveys what’s happening well enough, I think.)

Heck, it is at this point in the film when they start really working together as a team again. Which is fun for us as the audience ot watch.

24) Okay, Velma’s boy friend always looked like Orlando Bloom to me. Am I just crazy?

25) Scrappy-Doo.

Scrappy is almost exclusively despised in the Scooby-Doo fandom and this film WORKS with that. As I understand it, James Gunn wanted to make sure Scrappy never appeared in a piece of Scooby-Doo media again. And outside of jokes about the character, he never has.

In the film Scrappy is portrayed as bossy, arrogant, and a general pain in the butt (as he was perceived by the fandom). He even pees on Daphne in what Fred calls, “marking [his] territory!” before getting kicked off the team. And potentially the best part is this:

Velma: “He wasn’t even a puppy! He had a glandular disorder!”

26) Apparently in the original script, Velma and Daphne were having a relationship on the side. This deleted scene plays into that more than anything else.

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Is it wrong that I ship Velma & Daphne? Even if it is, I don’t care.

27) The CGI for the monsters is - at times - sort of lacking. I think this may be a key reason that the Luna Ghost was heavily marketed instead of the actual demons which make up the majority of the film: he’s more interesting to look at.

28) As a kid, I LOVED “Man with the Hex”. That songs did and still gets me pumped, so I always smile when it plays in this film under a chase scene. Also, the use of the song during the previously mentioned chase is very in style with the original cartoon (which would often use songs by The Monkees during chases).

29) It’s fun seeing Daphne stepping up to take charge in the absence of Fred and Velma. Although unfortunately the deleted scenes and lack of focus the film has means we don’t get to see this as much as I would like.

30) Another example of deleted scenes making the plot confusing: it is never established that Velma is possessed, we never know why there’s a random scream from somewhere in the island to tip off demon Fred that something is wrong. But a deleted scene establishes this. Making me wonder: why was it even deleted?

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31) While I do love James Gunn’s characterization and tone in the script, could the film not come up with a better reason for Shaggy & Scooby to have conflict instead of them fighting over a girl?

32) Similar to note #31, the scene which established Daphne getting possessed by a demon is deleted. So we just see her kidnapped then Shaggy finds her head in a vat. That’s it. Another instance of a deleted scene which should’ve probably been kept in.

33) And here I was thinking Shaggy was the only one of the gang who dabbled in hallucinogenics.

Fred [when Shaggy is holding his disembodies ectoplasm head]: “Listen man; someone must’ve spiked my root beer last night. Talk me down man. Talk! Me! Down!”

34) It’s kind of fun seeing Sarah Michelle Gellar perform as her then-boyfriend-future-husband Freddie Prinze Jr and seeing Freddie do the same for his then-girlfriend-future-wife. Although I must say Prinze does a better job playing Gellar than vice versa, but that’s not to mean she isn’t good playing her partner.

35) So Scooby-Doo theory is that it’s always the first person they talk to. And guess why the first person they talked to was when the gang arrived to Spooky Island: “Mondavarious”.

36) This hits me harder than I expected it to.

Shaggy [trying to save Scooby’s life after they fought]: “Who’s your best buddy?”

Scooby: “Raggy?”

Shaggy: “That’s right. And who’s my best buddy in the whole wide world?”

Scooby: “Rooby-Roo?”

37) Let’s just just take a moment to appreciate the fact that this movie decided to make Scrappy-Doo the bad guy.

THEY MADE FREAKING SCRAPPY THE BAD GUY! Oh my god, I love that so much more at twenty-one than I did when I was six. Although, unfortunately Tim Curry turned down the role of Mondavarious because Scrappy was in the film (THAT’S how much Scrappy is hated).

38) The “Buffy” fan in me smiles every time I get to see Sarah Michelle Gellar get her martial arts on.

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39) It is really satisfying - if a little expected - that Fred allows Velma to take credit for the plan which captures Scrappy.

40) File this one under “Jokes I Didn’t Get As A Kid”.

Scrappy: “If not for you meddling sons of -”

[He’s cut off.]

So I know this film isn’t exactly Oscar worthy. The structure is a mess due to messy editing, some of the humor is infantile, it’s a little scatted. But you know what? I like it. I’m a fan of the franchise so watching this film is fun. It makes me feel like a kid again. The characters are spot on in both the writing and acting, the tone is fun, and it’s just a good 90ish minutes to shut your mind off too. If you’re a fan of the series, there’s a good chance you’ll be a fan of this film.

#Scooby Doo #James Gunn #Sarah Michelle Gellar #Linda Cardellini #Matthew Lillard #Freddie Prinze Jr #Isla Fisher #Pamela Anderson #Epic Movie (Re)Watch #Movie #Film #GIF

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pixelgrotto · 7 years

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Episodic Dark Knight I plowed my way through all five episodes of Batman - The Telltale Series over the weekend, and last night I played the first episode of season 2, The Enemy Within. And I had a really great time. I’m not one to “binge” TV shows, since I would rather read or play video games than watch much stuff on TV. (This includes that Batman-related prequel show Gotham, which I consider to be a huge waste of potential.) But I could binge these Batman Telltale episodes all day, and I’m currently wishing that this series goes on forever, eventually bringing us Robin, Nightwing, Red Hood, Batgirl, Batwoman, Ace the Bat Hound and all the other craziness that exists within Batman’s extended universe. (I don’t think it’ll happen, but I can hope.)

I put off playing Telltale’s take on Batman for a while, since I wanted to wait until all of the episodes had been released. Also, while I’d heard a lot of praise over the years regarding Telltale’s efforts to revitalize the adventure game genre, I’d heard some mixed stuff as well. Their games tended to be buggy and were filled with Quicktime Events, and Telltale’s famous “illusion of choice” was supposedly becoming more and more iffy with each new series. Also, Batman - The Telltale Series was supposed to be another story set in the beginning days of Batman’s’ crimefighting career, and if there’s anything more overdone than the trope of Bats being a tortured, obsessive loner who’s a dick to everyone (see: Batman v Superman and pretty much all of Frank Miller’s recent writing), it’s Year One stories. (Hm, stories that fetishize the Joker might be up there too.) So yeah, I wasn’t in a hurry to play this. But goshdarnit, now that I have, I’m happy to report that despite frame rate drops and silly Quicktime Events, Telltale’s version of Bats might just be the best non-comic book interpretation since Batman: The Animated Series.

The reason I liked it so much is probably because it shows a Batman who’s heroic rather than an overaggressive bruiser (once again, see Batman v Superman). Don’t get me wrong - if you wanna play through the whole thing like the Goddamn Batman, then you can do that by breaking more bones and being gruff to your allies. But even if you go down this route, the story still tends to portray Bats as more of a noble, willing-to-work-with-others Caped Crusader, kinda like the version established by classic creators like Denny O’Neil and carried on by modern comic book dudes like Grant Morrison and Scott Snyder. This is the Batman that I consider definitive, and it was satisfying to see it finally portrayed in a video game, because the other major games starring Bats - Rocksteady’s Arkham ones - have never done a great job at making the Dark Knight particularly interesting, with one notable exception that I’ll get to in a minute. Sure, they have gameplay far more elaborate than anything in Telltale’s episodes, and I consider playing Arkham City for the first time to have been one of my top ten most impactful gaming experiences. But the Arkham titles always had lousy stories, perhaps even moreso if you’re someone like me who’s read a fair share of comics. Paul Dini might have written the first two Arkhams and pulled off a Clayface twist in City, but he’s capable of much better, trust me. And if you wanna know how I feel about Arkham Knight’s plot, well, you should read what I wrote about it two years ago.

Going back to Batman, though, in the Arkham games, the Dark Knight was frequently portrayed as a nearly emotionless dude. He’s stone-cold throughout Asylum, City and Knight and so focused on “protecting” the people around him that he intentionally drives them away, completely falling into the “tortured, obsessive loner” trope that I previously mentioned. Some people like this, but I find it such a lazy way of writing the character. It’s easy to script a stoic rock who has no friends. It’s much harder to write a nuanced person who balances light and dark and is actually a hero, which is why I really liked how Batman was portrayed in Arkham Origins, which I know is the unpopular, developed-by-another-company black sheep of the franchise. But its technical issues aside, Origins had the best boss battles in the series and also showed the most human Bruce Wayne, making him into a dude who actually wishes a Merry Christmas to his butler over his radio comm. The game’s plot, while revolving around the Joker and existing in that overused Year One setting, managed to also break stereotypes by offering new looks at underutilized bad guys, as well as a take on Batman’s relationship with the Clown Prince of Crime that ended up being more nuanced than any of Rocksteady’s efforts. (Oh, and it had the best version of Bane, who is treated atrociously in the other Arkham games.) Batman - The Telltale Series follows in these footsteps by also doing something new, remixing established Batman players like Vicki Vale, the Penguin and Two-Face in ways that are downright surprising. Without spoiling anything, a lot of these characters end up subverting the expectations that have been built up for them after countless media portrayals and stories in 70+ years of comics, and that’s grand, both for the newbie and the longtime Batman geek like me. And the other characters who act in a more expected manner - like Catwoman, for instance - end up being very well written. (It’s worth reading this article from The Mary Sue on how Catwoman’s portrayal in Telltale’s series is leagues ahead of most other stuff she’s been in lately.) Finally, just like in Arkham Origins, Telltale is interested in showing a relatable man under the Batman mask rather than an emotionless rock, which means that the sections where you play as Bruce might even be more interesting than the ones played as his alter ego.

It’s worth noting that not everyone was quite as enthralled as the first season of Batman as I was. A look at Steam reviews seems to indicate that most liked it, but several say it isn’t as good as other Telltale efforts like Tales from the Borderlands or The Walking Dead. I can’t speak on that, since this is my first Telltale game. But judging this effort solely on the premise of delivering a good Batman story, I think that my expectations were blown out of the water, and even though Arkham Knight’s tagline was “Be The Batman,” I felt more Batman-ish after 10 hours of Telltale investigation than I did after 60 hours of driving the Batmobile around and hunting for Riddler trophies.

Make of that what you will. Ultimately, I’m glad that my favorite comic book hero is making moves in the 2017 adventure game space, and I had a good enough time that I am very, very eager for more. Judging from the first (stellar) episode of Batman: The Enemy Within, it looks like Telltale’s gonna keep delivering, and I’m totally down to see how they continue to develop Batman’s relationship with “John Doe.” (They made the Joker feel fresh again. Would ya believe that?)

Screenshot and concept art courtesy of Telltale Games. There’s some more cool behind-the-scenes art visible here.

#pixel grotto #now playing #video games #batman #batman the telltale series #batman telltale #arkham #batman arkham

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eddycurrents · 5 years

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For the week of 8 April 2019

Quick Bits:

Asgardians of the Galaxy #8 throws the team into the chaos of The War of the Realms on Earth as they join the rest of Earth’s forces trying to fight back against Malekith’s army. It’s interesting as their own earthbound connections pull them apart.

| Published by Marvel

Avengers: No Road Home #9 seems to be taking a different turn as this penultimate chapter goes off in an entirely new direction with Nyx. The snuffing of the light might be something we don’t expect, making for a very interesting conclusion to this issue. Also, again Mark Waid, Jim Zub, and Al Ewing give us some amazing character introspection.

| Published by Marvel

Batman #68 continues “Knightmares” with Tom King, Amanda Conner, Dan Panosian, John Timms, Mikel Janín, Paul Mounts, Jordie Bellaire, and Clayton Cowles giving us a look at Selina and Bruce’s respective bachelorette and bachelor parties (at least as interpreted through whatever Bruce is currently going through). It has some moments of humour, especially as Selina and Lois continue to bond, but we’re still no closer to finding out what’s really going on and being a “simulation” (or at least seeming to be) kind of robs the story of any character development.

| Published by DC Comics

Bettie Page #3 sees Bettie and Queen Elizabeth II attempt to unravel the plot of the flying saucers. Great art from Julius Ohta and Sheelagh D as the intrigue is ratcheted up.

| Published by Dynamite

Captain Marvel #4 gives us a rematch between Carol and Rogue and it’s bloody brilliant. Wonderful action and twists as we head towards a finale from Kelly Thompson, Carmen Carnero, Tamra Bonvillain, and Clayton Cowles.

| Published by Marvel

Detective Comics #1001 brings Arkham Knight (he’s probably not Jason Todd this time around) to the DCU amid mysterious deaths of entire bat colonies and an explosion causing a miniature sun to appear in the sky. Incredible artwork from Brad Walker, Andrew Hennessy, and Nathan Fairbairn.

| Published by DC Comics

The Empty Man #6 unleashes the chaos of the virus fully on the world as society begins to tear itself apart. There’s some interesting bits as the old face of the virus is fed to its new form and the body horror art of Jesús Hervás and Niko Guardia is just amazing.

| Published by BOOM! Studios

Fairlady #1 is an impressive debut from Brian Schirmer, Claudia Balboni, Marissa Louise, and David Bowman. It’s a kind of detective tale set across the backdrop of a fantasy world that just went through a devastating war and this opening case delves into some of the aftereffects on people as we’re introduced to our lead of Jenner Faulds.

| Published by Image

Faithless #1 is...something. I’m not really sure what. This first issue from Brian Azzarello, Maria Llovet, and AndWorld Design introduces us to Faith and her very odd encounter with Poppy, who may or may not be a pile of maggots. It’s more strange than sexy.

| Published by BOOM! Studios

The Flash #68 continues the Trickster’s reign of “happy” terror across Central City, giving a bit more insight into what he’s doing, and delivering a nasty blow to the Flash. Scott Kolins and Luis Guerrero again make this look stunning.

| Published by DC Comics

Friendly Neighborhood Spider-Man #5 is a gut punch rollercoaster from Tom Taylor, Yildiray Cinar, Nolan Woodard, and Travis Lanham. Taylor is doing his damnedest with this series to knock Chip Zdarsky off his roost for funniest and most heartfelt run.

| Published by Marvel

Hawkman #11 unleashes an army of Hawkmen on the Deathbringers as it feels like Robert Venditti, Bryan Hitch, Andrew Currie, Jeremiah Skipper, and Richard Starkings & Comicraft are bringing “Cataclysm” in for a landing. Just some all out chaos this issue with some brilliant fight sequences and surprising revelations.

| Published by DC Comics

Infinite Dark #5 returns from its trade break with new terror, and new problems, as Deva awakens to find herself in the chaos after she saved the station in the first arc. Ryan Cady, Andrea Mutti, K. Michael Russell, and Troy Peteri are building some great horror here, with some existential terror and interesting science.

| Published by Image / Top Cow

Justice League Odyssey #8 lays bare all of Darkseid’s plans for the Ghost Sector in the wake of the breaking of the Source Wall and it feels suitably epic. It feels like Dan Abnett is building something big here, with gorgeous artwork from Daniel Sampere, Juan Albarran, and Ivan Plascencia.

| Published by DC Comics

The Life & Death of Toyo Harada #2 might well be even better than the first issue as we get more development from Harada’s past and a deeper look into Angela, her plans of betrayal, and how much of a monster she really is. Great work from Joshua Dysart, CAFU, Butch Guice, Andrew Dalhouse, Dan Brown, and Dave Sharpe.

| Published by Valiant

Livewire #5 starts off a new arc as Kano takes over the art duties, joining Vita Ayala and Saida Temofonte. This first part introduces a new player to the game in the form of the Psiot Safety & Education Program, which looks like a government-sanctioned shackling program.

| Published by Valiant

Low #21 reveals what happened to Stel and Zem, caught by the Neo Sapiens, and essentially kept as lab rats. Gorgeous artwork from Greg Tocchini and Dave McCaig.

| Published by Image / Giant Generator

Murder Falcon #7 cues up for the end as Jake battles Magnum Khaos as an existential threat, and the remaining members of Brooticus attempt to defend reality alongside the Tokyo Musical Defense Force. Daniel Warren Johnson, Mike Spicer, and Rus Wooton are really giving this their all and it shines through in a highly captivating, entertaining story.

| Published by Image / Skybound

Oblivion Song #14 continues to explore the new status quo of Nathan’s life after prison and the Oblivion colony having a team of gatherers attacked by the Faceless Men. Robert Kirkman, Lorenzo De Felici, Annalisa Leoni, and Rus Wooton never waste a moment in this series. Some very great moments in the art as De Felici and Leoni nicely convey how Nathan’s feeling alone, even amongst a crowd.

| Published by Image / Skybound

Orphan Age #1 has a premise similar to Jeremiah and the “Miri” episode of Star Trek, wherein all of the adults have died for some reason and the children have inherited the Earth. It’s not a bad start from Ted Anderson, Nuno Plati, João Lemos, and Marshall Dillon, introducing us to our three leads as they come together in a town besieged by the “New Church”.

| Published by AfterShock

Outer Darkness #6 concludes the first arc from John Layman, Afu Chan, and Pat Brosseau as the planetbound crew hunt the demons stalking them. Also a cat scaring the crap out of them.

| Published by Image / Skybound

Rat Queens Special: Swamp Romp #1 gives us a taste of the new creative team of Ryan Ferrier, Priscilla Petraites, and Marco Lesko as the Queens take on a quest from a creepy dude with a severed unicorn’s head to hunt and kill the Slog Chimp. It’s a funny adventure, with things not being as they seem, and the revelation that unicorns are assholes. Definitely a good start for this new team.

| Published by Image / Shadowline

Ronin Island #2 throws the islanders at the demons, while demonstrating further class division as Sato and his soldiers basically subjugate all of the farmers, imprisoning their leaders. Highly entertaining story here from Greg Pak, Giannis Milonogiannis, Irma Kniivila, and Simon Bowland, while still leaving us wondering what’s really been happening on the main Japanese islands.

| Published by BOOM! Studios

Savage Sword of Conan #4 sets up for the finale of Gerry Duggan, Ron Garney, Richard Isanove, and Travis Lanham’s tale, “The Cult of Koga Thun”, as Conan, Menes, and Suty inch closer to the treasure. Nice bits of humour and a sad note as Suty’s wounds turn sour.

| Published by Marvel

She Could Fly: The Lost Pilot #1 begins to follow-up to one of the best, most unique series last year, from Christopher Cantwell, Martín Morazzo, Miroslav Mrva, and Clem Robins. It picks up shortly after when the first series left off, but there’s a text piece giving a recap that should help new readers coming in. This continues on the various forces trying to learn about the device that allowed the pilot to fly, but the real draw again is Luna’s struggles with her mental illness and the oddities around her. Beautiful, inventive artwork abounds from Morazzo and Mrva.

| Published by Dark Horse / Berger Books

Star Wars: Age of Rebellion - Grand Moff Tarkin #1 is the first of two in this series of one-shots focusing on the prominent characters of the Rebellion-era. Greg Pak, Marc Laming, Jordan Boyd, Neeraj Menon, and Travis Lanham tell a tale displaying just how disturbing Tarkin’s cold calculus can be.

| Published by Marvel

Star Wars: Age of Rebellion - Princess Leia #1 is the second of these one-shots this week, with a story bridging Han Solo’s capture in Cloud City and his rescue, from Greg Pak, Chris Sprouse, Will Sliney, Karl Story, Marc Deering, Tamra Bonvillain, and Travis Lanham. It’s interesting in that this is really the first of these stories to serve up plot points relevant to the larger Star Wars story instead of just being a character piece. It still works well as the latter, though, giving us an insight into Leia’s capabilities pretending to be a bounty hunter.

| Published by Marvel

Supergirl #29 answers a lot of questions about the Circle and their actions to “protect” the universe. Kara’s quest has gone in some interesting directions but it feels like Marc Andreyko, Eduardo Pansica, Julio Ferreira, FCO Plascencia, and Tom Napolitano are guiding us to at least some kind of conclusion. Plus, hints of more to come from Rogol Zaar.

| Published by DC Comics

Superman #10, I think, almost brings this series in line with the current time period in Action Comics as Jon finishes his tale of escaping Earth-3 and the crazy battle that Jor-El seems to have embroiled himself in.

| Published by DC Comics

Symbiote Spider-Man #1 begins a limited series set after Secret Wars while Peter was still wearing the pre-Venom symbiote suit, not knowing it was a living entity, from Peter David, Greg Land, Jay Leisten, Frank D’Armata, and Joe Sabino, with a flashback section with line art from Iban Coello. It’s interesting to look back at this time, especially with what’s going on with Black Cat as well in the current comics.

| Published by Marvel

Titans #36 concludes “Into the Bleed” by Dan Abnett, Bruno Redondo, Marcelo Maiolo, and Dave Sharpe, and with it the series. There a very nice last hurrah between the team and Mother Blood as the multiverse hangs in the balance.

| Published by DC Comics

Vampirella vs. Reanimator #4 concludes what has been an excellent series from Cullen Bunn, Blacky Shepherd, and Taylor Esposito. The art continues to be a highlight, with an excellent use of black and white with spot colours.

| Published by Dynamite

The War of the Realms: Journey into Mystery #1 kicks off the first tie-in mini-series to the event with the weirdest gathering of the team for the weirdest road trip as this motley crew of heroes come together to protect Thor’s baby sister. It’s an interesting set-up from The McElroys, with some excellent artwork from André Lima Araújo and Chris O’Halloran that is worth the price of admission alone.

| Published by Marvel

Web of Venom: Cult of Carnage #1 is a one shot from Frank Tieri, Danilo S. Beyruth, Andres Mossa, and Clayton Cowles building upon the ongoing Carnage thread as he’s become a harbinger for Knull. There’s some very nice expansion on existing history and it’s great to see Misty Knight and John Jameson being used again.

| Published by Marvel

Wonder Twins #3 is another entertaining issue from Mark Russell, Stephen Byrne, and Dave Sharpe. I’m really quite liking how this series is structured, with a satisfying feature story that is concluded with each issue, while still building a broader narrative across each issue.

| Published by DC Comics / Wonder Comics

Wonder Woman #68 brings “Giants War” to an end with some interesting developments leading to more questions. There’s some nice interpersonal character building between Wonder Woman and Giganta from G. Willow Wilson that looks like it’s going to possibly explode in the future.

| Published by DC Comics

Other Highlights: Age of Conan: Bêlit #2, Amazing Spider-Man #19, By Night #10, Catwoman #10, Clyde, Doctor Who: The Thirteenth Doctor #6, DuckTales #20, Ghostbusters 35th Anniversary Special: The Real Ghostbusters, Go Go Power Rangers #19, Gunning for Hits #4, Hit-Girl Season Two #3, House of Whispers #8, Invaders #4, James Bond: Origin #8, KISS: The End #1, The Long Con #8, Marvel Tales: Thanos #1, Noble #17, Prodigy #5, Spider-Man/Deadpool #49, The Unbeatable Squirrel Girl #43, The Unstoppable Wasp #6, Winter Soldier #5

Recommended Collections: Absolute Scarlet, Catwoman - Volume 1: Copycats, Hot Lunch Special - Volume 1, Justice League/Aquaman: Drowned Earth, Kick-Ass: The New Girl - Book Two, Mech Cadet Yu - Volume 3, Patience! Conviction! Revenge! - Volume 1, Rose - Volume 3, Runaways - Volume 3: That Was Yesterday, Star Wars - Volume 10: Escape, Strangers in Paradise XXV Omnibus, Unnatural - Volume 2

d. emerson eddy might be a sleepytime gorilla.

#This Week in Comics

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spaceboitakesflight-blog · 7 years

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Imagination as Respiration, as Regiment for Pain. Imagination as Fuck it. Imagination as Fire.

Note: This article is much more helpful if you click the links. They range in types of content (articles, research, data, organizations to support) and have a lot of useful information! The majority of bold sections are lyrics from Mos Def & Talib Kweli are Black Star (1998).

I trust, I hope Philando Castile’s spirit finds rest and justice in the fires lit for him.

Police are pigs, and should be treated as such.

The state arrested 18 protesters in Minnesota after the verdict came out.

The jury was more over 50% middle aged whites.

Bill Cosby rape case ended in mistrial.\ Could be 365 days til re-trail, but they're "pushing it along"... \ And how many white rapists will they let go low-profile in the span of that time?

Charleena Lyles.

Say: Her name

How many more cops will go free after committing murder?

“Every year $9 billion dollars are wasted incarcerating people who've not been convicted of a crime, and insurance companies, who have taken over our bail system, go to the bank.”

2.3 million people incarcerated. And if you are aware of anything in this country, you already know the racial breakdown. The state will inflict fear in whatever ways it can. How physically, how psychologically difficult will they make it for any person of color to [fill in the blank].

How many immigrants detained? How many people (”terrorists”) held in Guantanamo? How many survivors of domestic violence unjustly convicted? How many queer folks, how many trans women of color locked up or killed for existing?

“Same song, just remixed, different arrangement Put you on a yacht but they won't call it a slave ship Strangeness, you don't control this, you barely hold this Screaming "brand new", when they just sanitized the old shit Suppose it's, just another clever Jedi mind trick”

Why the fuck should anyone wait for these racist patriarchal systems to magically change, when we could burn it down and start again? How much longer will white people continue to lie to themselves? How much time can be bought, to “hide like thieves in the night from life”?

This year I worked for a college access organization that serves first generation college students. After one of our weekly tutoring sessions, a visiting tutor asked “how we could have possibly ended up here”--”here” meaning, high school students not being able to pass basic math courses. I said there’s no question, the system is designed for these students to fail... In too many ways to count.

Colorism: an intentional set of lethal mindgames.

“The paradox of education is precisely this - that as one begins to become conscious one begins to examine the society in which he is being educated.” -James Baldwin

Enter the need for critical consciousness.

amerikkka creates its own twisted history. Writes a false narrative of motion. Spits it down our throats with pat on the back after every swallow. amerikkka stores archives of criminal evidence in its basement. Inconvenient, for gentrification, for the colonization agenda. Perfect for a culture of gas-lighting. Where violence hides behind the innocence of an opinion.

“Because white men can’t/ police their imagination/ black men are dying.” - Claudia Rankine

Imagination is deadly. Hence the state’s thirst to monitor and control the ways we think, the concepts we imagine.

“A lot of people don't understand the true criteria of things Can't just accept the appearance, have to get the true essence”

amerikkka chooses to stay mentally and emotionally disturbed, caught in an abyss of disgusting history, frantically running through the same corporate racist cycles that are killing every good thing on this earth.

amerikka will do anything to fuck with your head. Will force you to accept shit that is slowly killing you, or quickly killing the people around you, just to make it through another day. It will do anything to brainwash, to separate you from your own body, to wrap you in isolation until the fear of explosion is so great, dying doesn’t seem like a bad option. Suicide among people of color then, is not counted as murder by the state?

Enter the truth.

“This life is temporary but the soul is eternal Separate the real from the lie, let me learn you”

Put in the work your mind deserves to undo the lies it has been soaked in.

“Yo, I'm sure that everybody out listening agree That everything you see ain't really how it be A lot of jokers out running in place, chasing the style Be a lot going on beneath the empty smile Most cats in my area be loving the hysteria Synthesized surface conceals the interior America, land of opportunity, mirages and camouflages”

I don’t think any of us will see a day of reconciliation and justice in this life. But the idea of freedom fuels revolution. “Freedom” can exist in our minds. It is the act of imagining that makes freedom more readily available in the mind than it can exist among these physical systems of oppression.

“At exactly which point do you start to realize That (life without knowledge is death in disguise?) That's why, knowledge of self is like life after death”

"I will continue to say murder because where in this planet do you tell the truth and you be honest and you still be murdered by the police of Minnesota?" Valerie Castile asked.

Every time I see an american flag, i burn it in my imagination. I kill trump in my imagination. shoot him, chop his head off. i feel nothing but satisfaction. kathy griffith did it, for fake. a photoshoot. a stunt./ they took it for real life/ no fucks about the death toll in his name/

“So much on my mind that I can't recline Blastin' holes in the night 'til she bled sunshine Breathe in, inhale vapors from bright stars that shine Breathe out, weed smoke retrace the skyline Heard the bass ride out like an ancient mating call I can't take it, y'all, I can feel the city breathing Chest heaving, against the flesh of the evening Sigh before we die like the last train leaving”

A lot of us are just trying to hold on. Not “go crazy”. Pay bills. Navigate relationships. Survive pain, hurt, trauma, loss. How can we move past survival?

“Life or death, if I'm choosing with every breath I'm enhancing”

Taking care of your mental health is important in order to use your mind to your advantage, to build structures of resilience and resistance. Understand what resources you need in order to do the work. Make steps to start the organization you have always dreamed of forming. Write your business plan. Pull the bars of music hiding beneath your chest. Write those poems simmering in your belly. Tag that building or train with your art. Be the teacher, mentor, parent you imagine yourself to be. Be the role model Philando was, and should have had more time to be.

Free yourself to take productive risks in your efforts to self-sustain.

Because for real, lets start our own healthcare networks. POC run history archives. POC art galleries. POC therapy centers. Our own economies, our own ways to exchange food and skills.

Collective revolt calls for collective imagination. No justice, no peace. Do the healing to find your peace. Allow yourself to form community, and ride for that community/chosen family “Who are knowledge, truth, and peace seekers”.

Fight for your imagination and the wonders it feeds you. Preserve your energy. Direct it in places of healing. Talk to your ancestors. Allow yourself days to feel sad and tired. Allow yourself days to feel strong and motivated. Keep trying.

They will never know where your inspiration comes from. Where your fire originates. They will not understand your ability to keep breathing. to hold the fire in your chest and not burn. to drink water then spit bombs on cop cars. to grieve so hard your body thrashes salt against the walls, then still grow so soft, so centered.

Imagine: create: like your life depends on it.

#blacklivesmatter #nojusticenopeace #blackstar #qtpoc #sayhername

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