#at first you think its whole purpose is to show that A) Miguel is so much smarter than his coworkers

[icedteaandoldlace]

Y'all, I just noticed the ominous reprise of Smart Smart Smart Smart Baby playing in the background when Miguel's boss asks him if he took down the firewall, and I'm dying. 😂

[kairiscorner]

rAHH HH YOUR NOIR FICS ARE SO SWEET I LOVE THEM SM!! ! ! f its okay to request some fluffy headcanons!! noir having a romantic partner from a different dimension who's also been bitten by a radioactive spider and whom is new at the whole,, spider-man stuff👀👀👀

AWWW TYSM ANON (人*´∀｀)｡*ﾟ+ OFC THAT IDEA SOUNDS SO CUTE OMG okie here >:))

spider noir with a newbie spider person partner

• okay, if noir was assigned to help you break in, HE'D BE THE MOST GENTLE ONE FOR THE JOB TBH

• he would be pretty awkward at first, because i like to think that miguel, jess, or peter b usually does this stuff and not just anyone else. but if they were busy, then noir wouldn't mind doing it.

• the first time be met you, you'd probably be so overwhelmed with the whole facility and thought of being a superhero. then it occurred to him–"you have no doggone idea what you're supposed to do"

• he'd see it in the way you were practicing your swings, much like how miles was in the first movie, you were rough around the edges when it came to this–very inexperienced. noir, out of the goodness of his heart, decides to help teach you personally.

• he'd ask you first if it was okay with you if he could touch you this way–by the waist and by the wrist–to teach you how to swing. if you told him it was okay, he'd mutter a, "good", and hold you close and tight, and swing you around.

• that was probably the moment you fell for him, when he held you so gently and carefully that he made it clear he wasn't going to let you go, despite all your fears that he'd lose his balance, or his grip, or drop you on purpose. he meant to protect and teach you, and you felt a growing fondness for the man :>

• now i think the moment he'd fall for you was when you went on your first mission, whether he'd be there or just heard about what happened it is up to you, but i'd like to think he was there for the whole mission and was preoccupied by another villain. he wanted to be the one to defend and protect you, but instead, you saved him, kicking the villain's asses without anyone teaching you how to do it that way.

• he fell in love with the way you fought–the way you kept going despite the physical strain, the anxiety you were feeling, the rising adrenaline that made you want to quit because you weren't used to this–you disregarded all of that when you realized noir needed your help.

• "wow... color me surprised, newbie. you've got some sweet moves you gotta teach me."

• from that day on, you two have been exchanging moves and tactics with each other. and you two have been doing things outside of missions together, like maybe visiting each other's home dimension and showing the other all kinds of things in their universe that the other doesn't have.

• if you had a disco ball in your room, noir would be SO OBSESSED WITH IT. you told him it was just decor, it was usually used for dancing. noir would insist on dancing with you under the light of the disco ball, AND THAT'S WHEN YOU TWO REALIZE JUST HOW CLOSE YOU TWO ARE–WHEN YOU TWO FINALLY SHARE A DANCE.

• "y'know, i've been watching you from afar, in a concerned, friendly way. but now that... i've realized you don't need me as much as i thought you would... i've gone from watching to admiring you. if you'd let me... i'll admire you for a whole eternity."

a/n: WHAT DO YOU SAYYYYYYY

@thecoolerdor @miguelswifey04 @sabcandoit @binibinileonara @luvstarrstruck @k4tsu3 @connors-cumslurper @maxoloqy

[quotesthatgotmehelpless]

Sorry for the late review but seeing Dear Evan Hansen as a movie was so freaking exciting and I was in the “THIS IS THE BEST THING THAT HAS EVER HAPPENED TO ME EVERYTHING ABOUT IT IS SO PERFECT” mood.

But after taking a few days to reflect and get out of that hyped mood I am ready to roast as much as praise so let’s get into it 

Also I actually had planned to take notes as I was watching it so I don’t forget what to share on my review but I was too busy eating my chocolate and crying so this is what you get

Warning: It’s a bit long and I’ll make a “keep reading” for the parts with spoilers so don’t worry! 

Okay first of all movie Connor was my least favorite Connor and it’s not because of Colton Ryan, I love him so very much.

The thing is that in the musical Connor was kind of like an iceberg. He gave off the vibe that there was more to him beneath the surface that you can’t quite see. In the book, they elaborated that (by introducing Miguel) and showed us what Connor’s really like underneath. But it felt like in the movie they took that from him and he was just more stereotypical, all the depth of his character was kind of gone and I didn’t like it. (Again, it’s just how the movie made me feel. I just didn’t get the same energy from Connor that I always do) 

And Kaitlyn Dever, she was EXACTLY how I imagined Zoe Murphy. I literally have nothing to say, she was simply outstanding and has an amazing voice. 

And I already knew Nik Dodani was going to be an amazing Jared from his former role in Atypical. (Zahid and Jared together would be unstoppable and the most chaotic duo) 

His Jared was definitely different than the musical, but not in a bad way. My only disappointment about him was not seeing him more in the movie. Which I really want to scream more about but can’t without spoiling a few things so I’m going to save my ranting for the part with spoilers. 

I think all the adults (Heidi, Cynthia and Larry) were amazing and so well-done. I just wish Larry wasn’t Connor’s step dad because it adds up to my first point,  stereotypicality. Problems between children and their step parents are more likely to be seen. Larry and Connor’s relationship was a great example of how every father-son can’t connect or can have trouble connecting with each other. Larry didn’t have to become a step father for that purpose. 

And “Good For You”. It was a song that definitely shouldn’t have been cut. With how the events were unfolding and the dynamic of the movie, it would fit in perfectly and I really felt its absence. 

And for Ben Platt, his performance was beyond amazing as always, he also made me cry several times, no surprises there. And the whole age situation didn’t bother me as much as I thought it would. Like he didn’t completely blend in, but he also didn’t stand out at a disturbing level. 

AMANDLA STENBERG- How did I come this far without mentioning her she was literally one of my favorites. Alana’s personality was also a bit different than the musical but by all means not in a bad way. I actually liked the changes and the song they gave to her.

I’m only a little pissed about how Jared didn’t get treated the same way as Alana. Alana wasn’t just the smart girl just like Jared wasn’t just the funny guy. They enhanced Alana’s backstory and gave her a song to explain her character better. WHY ON EARTH DIDN’T JARED GET THE SAME THINGS WE WILL NEVER KNOW. (okay maybe I’m more than a little pissed) 

Overall, the events mostly followed the musical and the songs were mostly the same as the musical, it was all so similar and yet so different at the same time. 

It was quite an ~experience~ 

If you’ve read this far, thank you so much for taking the time to read my ranting and let me know what you think!

And now, even more rambling, but with spoilers! 

OKAY LET’S TALK ABOUT THE ENDING. 

I was so happy to see they included the part from the book where Evan tried to get to know the real Connor and read his favorite books.

After seeing that, I was really hopeful Miguel would come too, but he didn’t. And I truly don’t understand why. They could have made Miguel the guy who sent Evan the video of Connor. They also could have added the line from the book to the email where Miguel said:

“Connor, he was just... I’ve never met someone like that. That innocent. That pure. Sometimes I think maybe he was too pure... for all this.”

And people would be like, “that doesn’t sound like the Connor that was described throughout the movie”, “who the fuck is this guy anyway”, “how does he know Connor so well” 

And they would be like, “oh, so you want to know more? we have a book that explains it all! why don’t you buy it?” 

See, quite simple and beneficial for everyone. 

Other than the fact that it was missing Miguel, I loved the ending, seeing that video of Connor really made me tear up. 

Moving on, let’s talk about JARED KLEINMAN/KALWANI 

Why did they cut the heated argument between the two family best friends? 

Where was “FUCK YOU EVAN, ASSHOLE” ??? 

I mean at least Jared didn’t disappear completely like he did in the musical but also they literally hugged and took a graduation photo at the end like nothing happened. A little apology scene wouldn’t have hurt anyone. And a little song for Jared wouldn’t have hurt anyone too. 

Moving on, let’s talk about two little changes before I finally shut up. 

First one is when Connor said, “That’s the saddest fucking shit I've ever heard.” After that scene I thought maybe none of the characters are cursing but then Zoe said “No fucking way!” or something like that. So why didn’t they let Connor curse? 

And the second one is when Zoe came to Evan’s house and they didn’t make out on her dead brother’s bed. 10/10 arrangement.

Again, if you’ve read this far, thank you so much for taking the time to read my ranting and let me know what you think! 

[cobra-shy]

Karate Kid/Cobra Kai survey

tagged by the very sweet @hunkydorkling for the cobra kai survey!!! I have no idea what I'm going to say but let's do this!! >:-)

It's the year 2021 and you're obsessed with The Karate Kid. How are you feeling?:  great!!! I never would've imagined meeting so many kind and talented people through this karate show and my humble doodles inspired by it haha, and I know I sort of came to it late but its been crazy to watch how much the fandom has grown in just the last 6 months?? Absolutely bananas, I cant wait until the next season 🍌🥋

Did you grow up with TKK or are you new to the series?: kind of new!! Like obviously my friends and family had seen it, (I think I remember my cousin telling me she really liked it when we were kids, which made me spitefully REFUSE to watch it on tape while I was at her house because we were beefing over little kid shit at the time?? afsgdhfjf god bless) and like obviously it was available to me through popcultural osmosis and so on, but it was never really something I took an interest in or went out of my way to watch, so last year was the first time I sat down and actually watched all three movies from beginning to end, so I'm pretty fresh to it!! (and LOL sorry to my cousin!! you were right!)

We gotta do the basics. Favorite character:  UHHHHHH this is so hard oh my god, because I feel like I flip flop on this pretty much daily but uhh?? Daniel? And maybe more specifically adult Daniel, because there's something incredibly moving watching the karate kid grow into a complicated adult whose sort of living like he's trapped in the second verse of a Bruce Springsteen song T___T (and OBVIOUSLY adult Johnny too omg, I mean he's the soul of the show and the reason I ended up falling in love with it, and I literally cry about him all the time, so T____T I don't know this is a tough call! also Miguel!!)

Favorite ship:  🚗Tom Cole 💕 Pawn-Shop Guy💰 (...I'm joshing you of COURSE it's Lawrusso omg 🌳💖🐍)

Underrated character:  I mean obviously Aisha, there was so much they could've explored with her character in the canon, and she had such a specific and unique relationship to the themes of the show that would've been awesome to have seen developed further, and the sort of flippant "didn't you hear? Her parents sent her to private school" was just :-((( but I guess Counselor Blatt too!! Like I have loved what I've seen of her character explored in fanfic, but I'd also kill to see more of her on screen, because like?? She went to high school with these guys omg, it'd be great to see all three of them interacting with each other in some capacity, and I want more unsubtle Daniel-thirsting ("I was kinda hoping you would show up in costume. Maybe a karate gi?" ;) for a whole show dedicated to karate, this poor lady has yet to realize her gi kink omg, someone fix this)

Underrated ship (don’t say therapy, lol): Louie/Anoush!!<33 (would love to see a Loush & Lawrusso double date honestly)

Wax On, Wax Off or Sweep the Leg?: Sweep the Leg!

Which of Daniel’s dumb little outfits is your favorite?:  oh gosh, a difficult choice to be made from this lesbian fashion icon, who's always batting 1.000, wardrobe-wise--- I think I'd have to go with the prom suit!! I'd like to think him and Mr Miyagi picked that out at JC Penney's together 😂

Character from the films you most want to return, who’s not Terry Silver: Mike Barnes!! Would love to see if he chilled out over the years 👀

Scene that lives in your head rent-free: ahhhhhhh it's so hard to choose, but I think the bonsai trimming scene from the first movie T___T<3333 it always chokes me up.

(also the Bill Conti solo training montage directly after Mr Miyagi shares his grief with Daniel, making him approach this pursuit with renewed gravity & grace & purpose in this silent, perfect way ;_; the editing was so beautiful)

(ALSO, a lá RiffTrax and GIF courtesy of @howard-ly

Will Anthony LaRusso ever be relevant?:  PLEASE GOD!!!!!!! IM BEGGING 🙏🙏🙏 fanfic has once again totally spoiled me in this regard (when I first started watching the show I read @storyshark2005 's incredible (No) Mercy for the Midlife Crisis before I had even began season 2, which incorporates Anthony's character in such a convincing and satisfyingly brilliant way that, after finishing it, I erroneously believed that he'd be given a similar depth and necessity in canon and like!!! NOT EVEN CLOSE OMG 😭) but if he ever does get his moment to shine, I hope it's via him joining the current Cobra Kai as like, a white elephant ringer wherein Kreese and Terry think theyve totally gotten one over Daniel by indoctrinating his son, but actually he's such an intentional nuisance and obstacle to their evil plans that Kreese and Terry are like "fuck it, this ain't worth it-- let's just retire to Tahiti", thereby saving the entire valley, and Daniel's like, SO proud :"-) but Anthony's just like ¯\_(ツ)_/¯ yeah that was cool, can I order Mortal Kombat 11?

You live in The Valley and are forced into the karate gang war.  Which dojo do you join?:  As much as I'd like to ogle Johnny's sleeveless karate physique in action, I completely disintegrate any time someone yells at me (or even in the face of loud noises in general afsgdhdjfj) so I would definitely have to defer to Miyagi Do🌳 (and also I actually enjoy doing fastidious, mind-emptying chores and yard work 🤷‍♀️)

What’s your training montage song?:

It’s the crossover event of the century! Which TV show are you combining with Cobra Kai for an hour-long Saturday night special?: QUANTUM LEAP!!!! it would be so seamless omg, I can vividly picture the opening scene where Sam has already leaped and he's like why is it dark and why is there a gang of teenage skeletons chasing me across this field, and just after he's been peeled off the fence and Johnny sneers "you couldn't leave well enough alone, could you, little twerp?? No, you had to push it. Well, now you're gonna pay!" and then Sam just kind of reels back and says OH BOY in his little Scott Bakula voice, with Al all the while just puffing on his cigar in the background and saying ya gotta break the cycle of violence, Sam!! The soul of the Valley depends on it!!

(WAIT I just read that that said "Cobra Kai" and not the TKK universe in general agshdjjfjgkjgj soooooooo... the Newlywed Game, wherein Johnny and Daniel kind of slay it?? Or fucking, Judge Judy, who tries to settle all of the small-claim legal disputes in the Valley with all of the patience and elegance of Judge Judy-- somehow Terry Silver wins his case against Daniel and Johnny owes Raymond [he tries to be recognized as Stingray but is immediately shut down by Judge Judith Sheindlin who insists that this isn't Animal Planet, buster] up to $3,000)

And afshsjdhfjkfj I THINK most of the people I would've tagged have already done this at this point?? But if you havent and you'd like to then consider this your invitation!! Go forth!!<3333

[nobeliumoxygenoxygenmisc]

Main 6 with MC in the snow (HCs)

(modern au - these got long-ish so portia, muriel, and lucio are under the cut!)

Asra

Don’t lose him in the snow because asra’s hair is snow so be sure to keep your asra near you at All Times

snow snakes because faust (later when you facetime her, coz she’s being babysat by muriel, and show her the pictures of the snow snake she’s ecstatic its adorable “twins!”)

He always makes sure you’re bundled up enough but show the slightest shiver and he’s piling more layers on top

if you two go tobogganing down together, asra doesn’t realise anything he’s just kinda cuddling into you and ignoring how fast you’re going down

“asra i think we’re gonna fall” “hm??” asra we’re gonna fall ohmyg--” “you’re so warm y/n” “a s r a”

he says so many stupid snow related pick up lines tho

e.g. “asra where’s your scarf??” “hmm... oh looks like it lost it... can i wrap you around me instead?” “... asra did you lose it on purpose”  

or, you two make a snow angel “you’re the real angel here y/n”

Warm up cuddles later on!! Because you gotta!!

Depending on your skills, asra can either a) pretend he sucks at skiing etc. or whatever just so you can teach touch him a bit or b) become your teacher to “correct” your stance just so he can teach touch you a bit - he’s flexible like that

And you know he’s playing but it’s a good game

Nadia

Grace elegance and beauty even in the freezing cold

shes so happy to be able to have time with you in the snow because she’s so far away from her responsibilities and it’s just the two of you

You two make a fabulous snowman that … honestly looks really good wow

But the best part is not even out in the snow it’s when you’re both inside and you’re sipping your hot drink and nadia’s smiling at you and you’re like ??? and she just goes “You look charming MC” and you don’t quite believe her because your nose is running and your eyes are watery from the cold but nadia is so genuine that you’re not flushing just from the cold anymore

She’s super supportive when you go skiing/whatevering down and takes loads of pictures and videos and tells you you were amazing even if she’s already a pro at it

if you fall, nadia makes sure you’re alright first and foremost and frets just a bit before you reassure her you’re fine

if she falls (if that’s possible) she laughs it off and asks you to teach her with a very sly but subtle smile that makes you go >.>

on the snow lifts, she looks at you like flynn looked at rapunzal in that one tangled scene as you’re looking at the scenery

Julian

Snowball fights but julianised. So like every time you get a hit in he’s crying out in pain and dramatically falling to the ground because of course he is

You two probably reenact a death scene and it’s very very dramatic

“MC… remember i love you… my dear my sun my stars … not even the harsh coldness of this weapon of snow … could ever erase your warmth from my heart”

If they’re there, mazelinka and portia are not impressed but they do remark that you two are a match made in heaven considering you indulge in his drama

A few passerbys probably go wtf but it’s okay because you’re having fun with your dear, sun, and stars

And he does exude a sort of charisma so some kids aren’t afraid of taking a shot as well and its hilarious for them when he “dies” so this leads to a huge game of snowball fights and julian thinking he cant wait to have fun like this with your future kids

Going down the hill in whatever form more than likely ends up with julian on the ground with a face full of snow because he tried to do a trick five levels higher than his own

julian probably says stupid snow pick up lines like asra but his make you roll your eyes when he says it because he’s so smug and dramatic saying them

Portia

You two do everything there is to do in the snow

snow angels turn into snowball fights with portia making impressive fortresses and throwing snowballs with more force than someone her height should be able to use that turn into snowmen that collapse because you two are really just chucking as much snow as possible into one huge pile before just sculpting it into this vague humanoid shape that you two take one look at and go ...

“it kinda reminds me of vlastomil!! ” “maybe volta if you tilt your head..?” “oh! you’re so right y/n!” *snow figure collapses* both of you, in sync: “vulgora”

Go tobogganing down together and portia’s laughs and squeals are enough to last you the whole year who needs warm clothes or fireplaces when portia is the sun herself

of course that’s before she uses your weights to speed up as you go down and inevitably crash and burn and now she’s not so much squealing but screaming but still in joy let’s be real and now you’re not so much warm but panicking

The snow lift is fun but hopefully you’re not afraid of heights because portia unintentionally (or intentionally…) rocks your seat as she waves to people down below and probably gives you a mini heart attack when she holds the phone over the edge to take pictures

Muriel

You two are in your own little corner because there’s a lot of people so you should definitely find a quiet place but not to worry inanna is with you of course and the whole experience is very very soft and wholesome with muriel

the only person you’d leave the snow super unharmed with. everyone else are varying degrees of a mess

He won’t do snowball fights but if you join in with someone else’s he may be coaxed into making snowballs for you to launch from behind your little snow fortress that has to be big to cover your mountain boyfriend

comment on how adorable he is in his seventeen layers of clothing and he’ll shortcircuit like. “!!!! w-what?? ...it’s-it’s cold. stop smiling.”

Snow angels are just sad comparisons of your angel to his, really, and you have to convince him to do it because why?? whats the point of that??

and that’s if inanna doesn’t come over and trample them as soon as you two finish and get up because she’s curious

You two try to make a snow companion for her but the resemblance is … not uncanny

Still it’s enough to get pictures!!

Take the opportunity to cuddle more than usual indoors because you can use the excuse that you’re “cold so let’s cuddle” and maybe some puppy dog eyes thrown in so muriel’s conflicted but ultimately kind heart is compelled to warm you up

Lucio

snowball fights start off with one innocent ball that is a bit rougher than you’d like and then it snowballs into something bordering on vicious - people steer their families away from you two

at first he was just trying to annoy you but assuming you fought back, it is so on - good luck

If lucio wins he’s rubbing it in your face but if you win? He’s playing it off like “well it’s just a game anyway!” sure it is lucio sure it is

if a stranger throws a snowball at you, whether intentionally or not, he’s ready to protect you even from a little kid. no one can hit you with snowballs but him thank you very much

Snowboarding, skiing, whatever it is he wants to get to the bottom first. and lucio might not even be trying to win against you - someone passes him and he’s speeding the hell up

Take the snow lifts and he’ll take the opportunity to cuddle up with you under the guise of “don’t be scared MC, i’ve got you” but it’s more like you’ve got him if the lift stops and he’s like “what is going on??? Why have we stopped??? Has something happened?? This is ridiculous do they know who i am--” “lucio please--”

probably looks at you like miguel looked at tulio in that one road to el dorado scene

dare him hard enough to lick his arm and he would actually do it to show you he’s not a coward so like. your move

[mst3kproject]

Tobor the Great

This was a movie YouTube thought I ought to watch. It’s so bad even Leonard Maltin didn’t like it.

Two scientists, Dr. Harrison and Dr. Nordstrom, are concerned about the effects of space travel on the human body, and so they attempt to convince the Civil Interplanetary Flight Commission (think NASA, but with funding) to use an alternative form of test pilot.  No, sit down, dog- and monkey-lovers in the audience, I’m talking about a huge, unwieldy, unnecessarily humanoid robot!  Obviously, foreign agents want to steal this machine and turn it into a huge, unwieldy weapon instead of a huge, unwieldy astronaut, but Nordstrom’s grandson Brian saves the day using his special telepathic link with Tobor!

The movie does not believe we’re smart enough to figure out why the robot’s name is Tobor.  It spells it out for us, literally and on more than one occasion.

Tobor the Great is a children’s movie – the main character is eleven-year-old Brian, who is mostly addressed by his nickname, Gadget or Gadge.  He’s established as an engineering genius in his own right, who gets to hang around in his grandfather’s lab and make friends with this cool robot.  He’s what every white American boy in the 50’s was supposed to want to be.  All of which makes it sort of weird that we don’t meet him until nearly fifteen minutes into the movie.

Consider some better children’s movies.  In Coco, Miguel is the literal as well as the metaphorical narrator – we begin with his voice telling us the backstory.  Lilo and Stitch gives us one title character almost immediately, and then brings in the second as quickly as it can to get us to the point where they meet.  Of course, you don’t have to introduce the main character first in a movie, but if you’re going to put it off you have to do it skillfully.  Star Wars takes its time getting around to Luke Skywalker, but it’s already given us somebody to follow in the form of C-3P0 and R2-D2, who make good audience proxies because 3P0 doesn’t know what’s going on any more than we do.  Tobor the Great lets nearly a quarter of its running time go by before we finally meet Gadge, and even more before we get to Tobor himself, and that time is spent setting up what seems to be a rather different movie.

The opening does establish the need for Tobor, but it takes way too long about it.  We start with narration and stock footage about the American space program, which is as deathly boring as it always is in these movies. Maybe it seemed more exciting in the fifties, when space rockets were the coolest thing around.  Then we get into Dr. Harrison and his complaints about unsafe practices, which lead to his resignation and to him trying to dodge the press before meeting the likeminded Dr. Nordstrom.

These seem like strange things to put in a children’s movie. I feel that a lot more time is spent justifying the need for a robotic astronaut than is really necessary, and the early close focus on Dr. Harrison makes it seem like he’s going to be our main character – but he fades into the background once we get to Dr. Nordstrom’s lab and at the end he’s not much more than a completely unnecessary love interest for Gadge’s widowed mother.  In Star Wars the two droids stick around and participate in the plot for the whole movie – Dr. Harrison doesn’t.  The politicking within the CIFC is not something children are likely to be interested in, nor is the nagging newspaper man, and all of these scenes are just guys in suits talking.  Very little actually happens and none of it involves robots carrying off beautiful women like the poster shows us!

The annoying reporter is a particularly odd inclusion. His name is Mr. Gilligan, which Joel and the ‘bots would have found hilarious.  I went into Tobor the Great totally blind, having never heard of it when the thumbnail appeared in my YouTube recommendations, but if I’d read a plot summary or something beforehand, maybe I wouldn’t have expected Gilligan to play a major role in the plot.  As it was, I figured he was either a Soviet spy or would unintentionally pass information on to them – but he vanishes after the first press conference, and the question of whether he has the right to compromise national security in the name of selling newspapers is never dealt with.  Instead the spies are a bunch of guys we’ve never seen before.

Once all this is over with, though, we do finally get to see Tobor strut his stuff.  Nordstrom and Harrison work on programming him to do things like type reports to be sent back to Earth and dodge meteor showers (as all 50’s space rockets had to do), while Gadge sits and watches… and does very little else.  You’d think this part of the movie would continue the thread of Gadge being the equal of the adult scientists, maybe overlapping with him and Tobor bonding, but there’s almost none of either.  Why set up Gadge as a prodigy if you’re not going to make use of it?  At the climax we expect Gadge to save the day by figuring something out, as he showed he could do earlier.  Instead he just shuts his eyes and thinks really hard at Tobor, like Ichi trying to summon Gamera. It works, but it’s not as satisfying as it could have been.  At the end the movie has neatly avoided almost all of its potential and anything that might have been cool to watch, and failed to give us anything it seemed to promise.

To make things even worse, Gadge is played by one of those insanely cloying 50’s child actors who say things like “oh, gosh!” and “gee whillikers!”  I cannot imagine anybody actually talking like this.  Actor Billy Chaplin sure makes it sound fake as hell.  While Chaplin is a decent actor physically, everything he says sounds stilted and unnatural, like he’s reading it off notes while trying to project his voice to a full auditorium.  The adult actors are much better, which just makes Chaplin look all the worse by comparison.

Tobor, on the other hand, is wonderful, in the ‘stupid cardboard movie robot’ way that makes Torg from Santa Claus Conquers the Martians and the delightfully awful robot of Devil Girl from Mars so much fun.  It’s got lots of blinky lights and moving parts, and stamps around with a pretty convincing sense of weight.  Unlike some movie robots it actually moves at a good clip when it wants to, perhaps helped by the fact that it has working knees.  The movie makes the point that Tobor is a large and dangerous piece of kit at the same time as it’s able to be gentle and dexterous, which reinforces the idea that it would be frightening as a weapon.

My favourite part is when Tobor drives a car.  I wonder if the guy in the costume could see anything. That must have been a hell of a day on set.

What you want me to get back to, though, is the bit where the robot is psychic.  Yes, that’s actually the premise of this movie, a telepathic robot!  I’m not sure how plausible that would have seemed in the 50’s, even in such an explicitly silly movie.  Dr. Nordstrom doesn’t expect the reporters to believe in it without a demonstration, and yet the same decade also produced films like The She-Creature that present such ideas with an entirely straight, albeit incompetent, face.  Psychic powers as hard-ish sci-fi seems to have gone out of style by the 90’s, and nowadays it sounds like something you’d see in the Weekly World News.

Man, I miss the hard copy Weekly World News.  It was so nice to have that little isle of humour in the sea of garbage that was (and still is) the supermarket tabloids.  Remember Hilary Clinton’s space-alien lover?  Classic.

The function of telepathy in this story is not just to give Gadge a way to summon the robot after the spies break Nordstrom’s control mechanism.  It is also a means whereby Tobor may acquire human traits and emotions.  How to make a robot feel things is a perennial problem in science fiction… a lot of the time the mechanism is simply glossed over, as an artificial intelligence becomes more human by interacting with humans. Emotions are just chemicals in our brains, though, and the more we learn about how they work, the harder it gets to justify a machine feeling them.  In Star Trek: the Next Generation Data and Lore have a special bit of hardware that must be installed to enable emotions, and really seem like they’re better off without it. In Saturn 3, Hector has a processor made of cloned brain cells that can produce their own chemistry, as well as a direct neural uplink to its programmer.

As such solutions go, I actually kind of like how Tobor the Great goes about it, even if the mechanism is silly.  Rather than having emotions of its own, Tobor senses and mirrors those of the humans around it.  When Gadge is panicking, worrying that Tobor is out of control, Tobor panics and goes around smashing things, thus making for a self-fulfilling prophecy. When Gadge thinks of Tobor as a hero, the robot comes to his rescue, carrying him to safety like a rescued princess, and responds to the anger and rage of the spies by turning these emotions back on them and beating them up.  This is quite different from many ‘emotional machine’ stories, in that it doesn’t actually require Tobor to be in any way self-aware.

Unfortunately the movie is not very consistent about this. There’s a scene in which Tobor gets frustrated and breaks stuff after being put through too challenging a simulation, which does imply that the robot has an intelligence and emotional capacity of its own.  This bit has a purpose, as it serves to make us worry that Tobor will be unable to tell the difference between friend and foe at the finale, but it just doesn’t fit with the way this machine is treated in the rest of the movie.

Like many others both from MST3K and from the Episodes that Never Were, Tobor the Great has a couple of good ideas at its core.  It even predicted how much easier and safer it is to send robots into space than people, although those robots don’t look much like the lumbering humanoids of 50’s sci-fi. Sadly, the film is uneven, rushed, and poorly-acted, and nothing particularly fun or exciting happens in it. Various people over the years have seen its potential and Tobor has starred in a couple of comic books and an unproduced TV pilot, but these never went anywhere either.

[sweetiepie08]

Musician with the Poison Tears (Chapter 10)

Miguel Rivera’s been fascinated by the story of the legendary ghost, the Musician with Poison Tears, since he was a kid. He’s always wanted to know the full story behind the weeping specter that haunts the train station with its invisible guitar. Now 18, the travels to Mexico City to try to observe the ghost from afar and get some clues about its origin. Who knows? He might even get a song out of it.

This story is based on the art and ghost!au created by @melcecilia14​. Go check out her artwork here, here, here, and here. It’s really awesome.

Chapter 1. Chapter 2. Chapter 3. Chapter 4. Chapter 5. Chapter 6.Chapter 7. Chapter 8. Chapter 9. Chapter 10. Epilogue.

Bonus.

Miguel and his cousins watched from the doorway as their Abuelita sat in the courtyard reading the newspaper.

“You think this is a good idea?” Abel asked?

“Not really, but it’s the only one I’ve got.” Miguel spent all night preparing what to say to her. He rubbed his thumb over the cover of the journal in his hands. He figured, if she wouldn’t listen to him, she might listen to Mamá Coco. Even then, it might not be enough, but he’d never forgive himself if he didn’t try.

“Maybe it would be better if one of us did the talking,” Rosa suggested.

Miguel shook his head. “No, it has to come from me.”

With one more breath, he stepped out into the morning sunlight. “Abuelita?” he said approaching the table. She flipped one corner of her paper down and peered at him over it. “I have something to show you.” He sat down beside her and set the book on the table. “I opened Mamá Coco’s gift. You know? The one she gave me right before she died?”

Abuelita put her newspaper aside, looked inquisitively at the book, and opened the cover.

“Careful,” Miguel instructed. “It’s very old and there’s a few loose pages.”

She turned to a random page and her eyes went wide when she saw the handwriting inside. “Miguel, what is this?”

He grinned. It was a small victory but those were the first words she spoke to him since that awful fight. At least he was making progress. “Mamá Coco gave me the journal she kept when she was young. She writes about a lot of things in here. She talks about Mamá Imelda and Tío Oscar and Tío Filipe. She talks about growing up in Santa Cecelia and working in the zapatoria… and she talks about music.”

Abuelita threw him a sharp look.

“I know, I know, it’s not your favorite subject,” he conceded, “but if you read her words, you’ll know she loved music too. Though, I already knew that because she’s the one who introduced me to music in the first place. She used to sing to me when no one was listening.”

Her lips curved downward into a hard frown. “You’re trying to use your Mamá Coco to justify your lies?”

“No, that not it,” he backpedaled. “I just meant that she loved music and she wanted to share it with the people she loved. She did it because that’s what her father did. She loved him and he loved her. She never believed he abandoned them on purpose and she was right. I know because I met him.”

Abuelita looked at him like he was trying to convince her the earth was flat.

“I know how it sounds, but it’s the truth. He’s the ghost who’s haunting the train station. I talked to him. Rosa and Abel talked to him. He went on tour with his best friend, Ernesto de la Cruz, always planning to come home, but when the time came, Ernesto wanted him to keep going.  He tried to go home anyway, and Ernesto murdered him for it, stole his songs, and became famous off of them. Now he’s trapped, but he’s still trying to come home.”

He placed the small photograph corner on the table, showing her Héctor’s face. She looked at it like she’d seen a ghost. Well, I guess she has.

“That’s him,” Miguel explained, sliding the picture closer. “His name is Héctor. Mamá Coco kept this for a reason.”

Abuelita kept staring at the photo. The initial shock left her face, but now, Miguel couldn’t tell what she was thinking.

“All he wants is to see Mamá Imelda and Mamá Coco again. That’s his unfished business. It’s why he’s still hanging on. He’s too late to meet them in person now, but there might still be a chance. You’re Mamá Coco’s daughter. I think if her met you, if he knew his family still loved him, it’d set him free. He’d be able to cross over and he’d finally return to Mamá Coco and Mamá Imelda.”

She was silent for a long time. Miguel resisted the urge to fill that silence. He knew she needed it and it was best to let her take this in at her own pace. “You lied to me,” she finally said. She didn’t sound angry, but hurt. “You lied to your whole family for years. After all those lies, why should I believe you are telling the truth now?”

Miguel felt a lump form in his throat. “I’m sorry I lied,” he began, gently taking her hand, “and I’m sorry for what I said to you on the night we fought. I regret that the most. I have no excuse for that. I was wrong to say those things. All I ever wanted was to share my love of music with my family. I still hope I can someday and I hope you’ll be there when I do, but this isn’t about me. Héctor is part of our family and he needs our help.”

She went quiet again and looked off into the distance. He thought he could see tears brimming on her eyes. “You don’t have to answer me right now. Here,” he slid the journal closer to her, “I’ll leave this with you. I hope you’ll read through it. I think Mamá Coco wanted us to know how she really felt.”

He waited for a response. When none came, he picked up the picture of Héctor and left her with her thoughts. He wasn’t sure how long she would think it over or if she’d consider it at all. He hoped she would, but not just for Héctor’s sake. Their whole family revolved around this one painful event. If they put Héctor to rest, maybe they could put that pain to rest as well.

[-]

A few days later, Miguel had his answer. He was hanging out in the living room with his cousins when Abuelita walked it, journal in hand. “Alright, when do we leave?” she asked, looking at Miguel.

He went dumb for a second. “Leave for what?”

“To see this ghost of yours of course.”

“You mean Héctor?” he asked, jumping to his feet. “You want to help him?”

She nodded. “At the very least, I can see what he has to say for himself.”

“Great, so when do you want to leave?” It was really best to let her take the reins from here.

“Tomorrow, bright and early” she said. Her voice made it clear there would be no argument.

“Right, of course Abuelita. Tomorrow.”

[-]

The drive back up to Mexico City was tense to say the least. It was nearly silent. The no-music rule was still in effect, after all. Rosa and Abel sat up front and exchanged a few words but that was about all the sound they had. Miguel sat in the back with Abuelita, who looked out the window with a determined look on her face. At least the quiet gave Miguel time to think about how best to approach this whole day. That last thing he wanted was for Abuelita to chew out her long-dead grandfather in front of a crowd who couldn’t see who she was yelling at. And he definitely didn’t want Hector’s first encounter with his long lost family to leave him feeling even more alone than he already did. He just had to cross his fingers and pray this all went smoothly.

When they arrived at the train station, Miguel begged Abuelita to let him introduce her. “Fine Miguel,” she agreed with a shrug. “This is your ghost. We’ll do it your way.”

Once they got inside, it didn’t take them long to find Héctor. He popped up in front of them as soon as they walked through the door. “Miguel, what are you doing back so soon? I thought you had a promise to keep with your family.”

“I did and kept it. In fact, I brought some of them.” He jabbed his thumb over his shoulder at his cousin.

“I see. Hola Abel. Hola Rosa,” Héctor said cheerfully as he waved at them.

“I also brought my Abuelita,” Miguel said, gesturing toward her. “Abuelita, this is Héctor.”

“Can she see me?” Héctor asked.

Abuelita nodded. “I can.” From her awestruck expression, there was no doubt.

“That’s great! It seems your whole family can…” Something seemed to click in his mind and his face shifted into a thoughtful expression.

“About that, I did some more digging while I was at home and there’s a good reason we can all talk to you.”

Abuelita clutched Mamá Coco’s journal in her hands. Miguel gestured for it and she handed it to him without taking her eyes off Héctor.

“This Journal belonged to my great grandmother,” he said, showing it to Héctor. “She started it when she was fourteen. She wrote about her life in Santa Cecelia, her love of dancing and music, and she wrote about how much she missed her father. You see, he disappeared when she was a little girl. And her name was Coco Rivera.”

Héctor’s eyes went wide. If he could still breathe, it would have left him. “My Coco?”

Miguel nodded with a soft smile. He put his hands on Abuelita’s shoulders and gently guided her closer to the ghost. “Héctor, this is your granddaughter, Elena Rivera.”

“My…” He stared at her like he was seeing the sun for the first time. “I can hardly believe…”

“You…” Abuelita started. Miguel held his breath. “You…” she said again, apparently searching for the right word.

Miguel braced himself. Would it be an insult? A tirade about how he abandoned his family? Could he even hope she’d say something kind? Please God, let this go well.

“You’re a baby!” she said at last.

Miguel’s jaw hit the floor.

Héctor drew back and blinked. “Excuse me?”

“How old were you when you died?” she demanded.

Héctor’s eyes darted between her and Miguel. “Twenty one?”

“Are you asking me or telling me?”

“No I’m telling…” He looked helplessly at Miguel who could only shrug. Neither were able to comprehend the awesome power of Abuelita.

“Dios mio, I have grandchildren older than you,” she sighed, shaking her head. “My boys were idiots at that age. It’s no wonder you got those ideas in your head. All this time I thought you were cruel and careless. Turns out you were just young and stupid.”

Héctor’s eyes turned to the floor. “You’re right. I was stupid. My stupid choice caused my whole family pain. I’m sorry.”

“Is that all you have to say for yourself?”

Héctor shook his head. “It’s all I think I have a right to say.”

“Don’t give me that,” Abuelita scolded. “I want to know exactly what you were thinking.”

“Abuealita,”Miguel interjected, “Héctor only recently got his memories back. I don’t think he’ll remember.”

“It’s alright Miguel,” Héctor said, floating closer. “I do remember.” He straightened himself up and looked Abuelita in the eye. “I remember that we were poor. I remember wanting to give Imelda and Coco a better life. I thought becoming a famous musician was the only way I could do that. I always planned on coming home. I never thought I wouldn’t make it and I never could have imagined why.”

“Your friend murdered you?” she asked frankly.

“Yes.”

“How long did you know him?”

He sighed. “My whole life.”

“How did he do it?”

“He toasted our friendship with a poisoned drink,” he answered with a bitter sneer.

Abuelita shook her head in disgust. “Coward,” she spat with the venom of a snake. “Well, you were stupid, but you didn’t deserve to die.”

Héctor’s face seemed to lighten up slightly. “Miguel mentioned before that after his great-great grandfather left, your family hated music. That you believed music tore your family apart.”

“That is true.”

He nodded sadly. “I am ashamed to be the cause of that. If I knew how much my family would suffer for my mistake, I never would have touched a guitar.”

“That’s nonsense,” Abuelita snapped, taking both Héctor and Miguel by surprise. “Miguel tells me your songs became very popular.”

“More like iconic,” Miguel corrected.

“If you have a talent like that, you should use it,” Abuelita affirmed.

Miguel thought he might lose his breath now. “Do you really mean that, Abuelita?”

She cast a teasing smile in his direction. “Do you think I’m a liar, Miguel?”

He beamed. “No, ma’am.”

Abuelita returned his grin and turned back to Héctor. “My family spent generations being angry at you. I used to think you were the slimiest, most self-centered snake to ever slither across the planet. I must say,” she let out a breath and smiled up at him, “you are not what I imagined. I think you’ve been punished more than enough, don’t you?”

Hope grew in Héctor’s eyes. “Does this mean you forgive me?” A faint glow began emanating from him.

Abuelita nodded. “I could never stay mad at my family, not when I know they meant well.” She gave Héctor a once-over and tsked. “Look at you. So skinny. That’s the real curse you put on my family. My sister, my son Enrique, and just look at Miguel.” She swung her arm in his direction. “All twigs thanks to you.”

Héctor laughed. “Now that I’m not sure how to apologize for.”

“Look at that, Miguelito,” she said, putting her arm around him, “you’ve got his dimple.” His cousins gathered around him as well. Héctor’s joy at seeing them all together radiated off him like the orange glow.

“Now what are you waiting for?” Abuelita said to him. “I think you’ve kept your family waiting long enough.”

Héctor’s light dimmed. “Do you think they’ll take me back?”

Abuelita gave him a sad smile. “I’m afraid I don’t know the answer, but I read my mother’s journal and I do know this: she still loves you.”

Tears fell from Héctor’s eyes once again. There was no scent of tequila and not a trace of poison. These tears were real.

The orange glow around him grew brighter. The flesh on his fingers faded, revealing bone underneath.

“Héctor! Your hand!” Miguel cried as the skin continued to disappear.

Héctor smiled as he examined his hands, completely unalarmed by this change. “It’s alright, Miguel,” he laughed. “It’s alright. I feel better than I have in a century.” His flesh continued to burn away and he laughed as if filled with pure delight. “I love you all. I couldn’t wish for a better family.” His smile was enough to warm the hearts of everyone around him. “You set me free. I can’t thank you enough. Please never forget how much you love each other.”

“We won’t,” Miguel answered, tears filling his own eyes.

Héctor’s grin somehow made his glow even brighter. The light became blinding as it enveloped him. He let out one last jubilant laugh and he was gone.

[planetoban]

Savin’s Answers from Twitter, Part 3!

Well, looks like it’s been nearly 2 years since the last SAfT post... sorry about that! Time really got away from me on this one. Due to the backlog, this post covers tweets from October 2017 through April 2018

As always, tweets are in order from most to least recent, and answers may not 100% true/canon since things may change during production of the sequel. Text is unedited save for formatting; in a few places I added [comments] for context.

Part 1 | Part 2

Also: If you’re going to ask Savin something, please be respectful and appropriate. He’s a person just like you and me.

@fictionjustis: Out of curiosity can a Nourasian and human have a child together? Also can humans conceive children with other humanoid species in the galaxy?

@EiffelSavin: I don't think any such birth have been recorded in the Oban universe, at least yet. But humans and Nourasians having a very similar DNA, it should be theoretically possible. There have been quite a few fanarts on that topics already 🙂

(x)

@PudgyDragonLair: Also how big is the Arrow in comparison to Molly like actually height and length?‏

@EiffelSavin: From my original notes: Whizzing Arrow 1 - length 8m, height 7m, weight 10t Whizzing Arrow 2 - length 10m, height 7m, weight 14t to be compared with the final designs

(x)

@PudgyDragonLair: hey Savin I'm not sure if this would be considered a spoiler or not but how Long are Nourasian life spans in comparison to humans and other alien species?

@EiffelSavin: I'm not sure anymore. I'd have to find my old notes... But if Nourasians approximately live the same number of "years" as humans, they are "Nourasian years" which are much longer  than our "Earth years" due to the longer distance between Nourasia and its sun. May be 2 or 3 times+

(x)

@JPLangley_: Something I've been wanting to ask is how was Eva able to get away with not following the gender-specific dress code at Stern? Did faculty just give up trying to discipline her since she nor Don didn't care?

@EiffelSavin: I think my justification for that was that Stern's school rules only stated that wearing the school uniform was compulsory, without specifically mentioning that the short dress was for girls and the long pants for boys. Also they had bigger issues with Eva than just her uniform.

(x)

@PudgyDragonLair: what was the Arrows original purpose before Don and the Goverment took it ? Me and my friend rewatched OSR and we noticed alot of things that would be atypical for a Star Racer (key among them a gun turrent ). Was the Arrow made to be some kind of stealth ship?

@PudgyDragonLair: It has capabilities to check Molly vitals and mental state while she s racing, as well as the hyperdldrives which I doubt would be allowed in racing circuits, and a remote access to the gun torrent, and hand off access shoukd the pilot be unable to man it.

@EiffelSavin: You got a point there. For better or worse army funding helps develop new technologies that are later reintroduced into civilian life/products. The "prototypes" Miguel had been working were not your typical star-racer and aimed at a different market...

(x)

[continued from thread below]

@Helloworld1012: And the fact that Eva was a beautiful young girl certainly didn’t hurt

@EiffelSavin: Yes but more than that the fact that she's not your typical girly girl beauty. A long haired bimbo would not have awoken  Aikka's interest.

(x)

@ILOVE659709491: Is there any chance one of the reasons Eva was so quick to trust & befriend Aikka was because the prince’s personality was similar to her father’s personality before Maya’s death? Both were reserved,well cultured & gentlemanly but kind + both had a passion for racing

@EiffelSavin: Freud would like the implications no doubt, but I think the relationship with Aikka is more simple and direct. He's good looking, a prince, well mannered. She's feels rejected  - especially by her dad - a bit of an "Ugly Duckling" and he takes an interest in her.

@ILOVE659709491: I’m curious though why was Aikka interested in Eva ?

@EiffelSavin: Just as he's the opposite of what she's known, she's a total opposite for him: tough, outspoken, pure - and touching. The noble girls he's met in Nourasia's palaces were not like that!

(x)

@JPLangley_: Also, unrelated question, but if the second season of Oban does ever make it to the public, will it explore what happened to Thunderbolt and Jordan after the events of OSR?

@EiffelSavin: Can't guarantee both...

(x)

@JPLangley_: Did Spirit originally have wings, and him transforming into a bird was a second thought?

@EiffelSavin: The concept was always that he would transform into his own ship but judging by Thomas's drawing I guess we tried more classic wings first.

(x)

@Helloworld1012: Stern boarding school prided itself on disciplining their students what did they mean by discipline? Also, considering DW’s personality before Maya’s death seems to have a anime rich kid with controlling parents background vibe to it, what social class was DW born to

@EiffelSavin: In my view, Don Wei comes from a modest background. Being a self made man he can be very demanding, expecting from others to obey the rules he's imposed on himself in order to succeed. Maya and young Eva soothed him up, but that went away after Maya's death

@Helloworld1012: Yeah but everything else about him doesn’t seem like he’s a self made man. Or just a selfmade man. It got to me, he’s still young when Maya died & also it’s possible that he could have grown up rich & still be a self made man because his parents gave up on him.‏

@EiffelSavin: That could also be possible yes I put him out there, but you're totally untitled to make him yours now !  🙂

(x)

@ardaozcan98: Did you get any inspiration from B-2 Spirit aircraft while designing Spirit in OSR or is the resemblence just a coincidence?

@EiffelSavin: Interesting. I came up with the name without being aware of the connection & I don't think the plane was ever a reference for the design, but we should ask @thomasintokyo and @Brunetstanilas too.  As you can see below (2002 rough by Thomas) Spirit went through a lot of phases

@Thomasintokyo: Never heard of this plane. That’s a coincidence!

(x)

@emaf_CntCmnd: I wonder if you have known who works for BANDAI VISUAL and helps to release Japanese ver. of BD like Mr.Takanashi Minoru. (I wish he were still alive.)‏

@EiffelSavin: Mr. Takanashi disappearance came as a terrible shock. But we're working on establishing new connections with Bandaï.

(x)

@ardaozcan98: Do you consider producing comic books or novels instead or alongside with the sequel. There are lots of unknowns and potential for backstories of the galaxy and species i think. And books may be cheaper or easier to create. Loved the original art-book.

@EiffelSavin: That's not a bad idea. Any talented manga-comic book artists interested around here ? 🙂

(x)

@Valeria_Lacava: Could you do something for the italian rights? Jetix closed and it's impossible to find online the episodes in italian

@EiffelSavin: STW doesn't own those rights but we'll try to negotiate them if Disney agrees and if this can be done within the bluray budget.

(x)

@Helloworld1012: How was Don Wei able to pay the financial cost to form a race team with Maya and make her a champion? Race teams cost a fortune, but sponsorship was unlikely since DW stated & the timeline shows Maya was the first person he was a manager to, so he had no credibility.

@EiffelSavin: Mostly true but not completely true. If things were always so then I would never have been able to produce Oban Star-Racers, having no hard cash of my own, and having never produced nor directed an entire series before 🙂

(x)

@dragbax: Do you have any idea how big of an impact this show had on me as a kid??? Plz don't disappoint me of backing down or handle it poorly... My heart can't handle that. Especially how Samurai Jack was treated with its last season.  :(

@EiffelSavin: It may still be a long road ahead, especially since we don't intend to sell out, but I can promise we'll do our best!

(x)

@Helloworld1012: I’m curious did Don Wei stop caring about Eva after Maya died? I mean he did abandon her just for resembling her mother & tried to forget she even existed for 10 years and would have CONTINUED to do so Had Eva not done anything about it, so did he stop caring?‏

@EiffelSavin: He tried to forget so well that he almost completely did

@Helloworld1012: Wait, doesn’t that basically mean that yes Don Wei did  stop caring about Eva once her mother died?‏

@EiffelSavin: Yes basically (what an awful dad!). Seeing Eva reminded him too much of Maya and of his guilt. He couldn't bare it and walked away, at least until he was ready to face her again.

(x)

@n0sichan: I hope subtitles  for disabled peope will be available this time.

@EiffelSavin: If we have enough presales yes

(x)

@MattGiusti: What is your thought process when it comes to animating characters speaking?Do you need to keep in mind how other languages will line up to the animation?Or do you do everything with one language in mind and alter the script accordingly later on?

@EiffelSavin: One concentrates on one main language. On Oban i wrote all scripts directly in English and the lip sink was based on those. But then i spent a whole month in front of an editing machine rewriting french dialogues that matched that lipsink

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@McKhendon: How do you accomplish 16:9 without losing parts of the picture?

@EiffelSavin: You're bound to loose part of the picture but if you address the process creatively you can produce new strong images by selecting shot by shot what u keep & what you discard

@SonicMrgame2017: The show was made on 16.9?

@EiffelSavin: No, in 4/3. It was still the transition period between the 2 formats at the time and our investors required 4/3. The remastered 16/9 version was done this year, reframing the original master shot by shot under my supervision.

(x)

@ardaozcan98: All the dubs would be really nice especially for children.

@EiffelSavin: We'll see if something can be done but it sounds complicated. Sav The World doesn't own the rights of these other versions.

(x)

@Wnika457: Is it possible that the online game wil be reopened? That would be awesome, I remember playing it when I was a kid :)

@EiffelSavin: That would be cool but we don't have the rights nor even a copy. But there'll be other games if we manage to pull through the sequel project

(x)

@RadekFalhar: I just found out you are making Saya no Uta adaptation. I really hope you don't think the abortion that is the US manga is in any way related to the VN.

@EiffelSavin: The US comic probably had good intentions but turned Saya into smthng very different & sometimes opposite to what it is. The adaptation I work on also take liberties with the original material, but I try to remain very faithful to its spirit & to the mindset of the characters

(x)

@lilacwondercat: Is there really a sequel in the works? I am such a huge fan, please say it's true!

@EiffelSavin: It's true but still a long to go. Creation takes time and the financing is the most pressing issue...

@lilacwondercat: Is there anything die hard fans can do to help?

@EiffelSavin: Most certainly though I can't think of anything precise right now. Helping spreading the word about the bluray is one though. The more people buy it, the stronger we can be when talking to potential financial partners.

(x)

@Ekana_Stone: Does Blu-ray have the English dub, I would assume so

@EiffelSavin: Yes, French and English language are guaranteed. We would like to add Japanese too but there are question of rights we must try to sort out.

(x)

@fictionjustis: Considering the fact that Oban star racers indeed had Japanese influence, I’m curious did u base Maya’s character design on a character from sailor moon, ( The 1990s version not the 2010s version) a well known anime & manga?

@EiffelSavin: Maya's character design clearly has anime influences but it was developed organically, drawing after drawing. It was not influenced by one show in particular.

(x)

@Zeether77: Would love to see this on Blu-ray here, but not cropped to widescreen...does Shout Factory still have the rights?

@EiffelSavin: DVD & Bluray rights have reverted to us

@Zeether77: Would the BD release be a limited time thing? I just got a player but I don't think I could commit to a preorder sadly

@EiffelSavin: Can't confirm right now

(x)

@ILOVE659709491: I’m trying to figure out what it is exactly because he [Savin] could be saying that the wei surname was meant to be Chinese or DW was Chinese but I just can’t figure out what it is, & unfortunately for some reason it has been driving me crazy yesterday so what is it in that question?‏

@EiffelSavin: Don Wei is of Chinese origin or at least his family is

(x)

@sergeigaponov: #obanstarracers Could you write a list of countries in which you can send blu-ray Oban: Star Racers?

@EiffelSavin: Too early to confirm but my guess would be in all countries.

(x)

@Nick_Kharin: How much can Blu-ray boxset will cost (approximately or the maximum price)? I’m very excited about the news about the project.

@EiffelSavin: Still evaluating.

(x)

@Adultito: Will the Blu Ray have the Japanese audio and the original OP+ED

@EiffelSavin: Japanese audio we'll try. There could be pbs of rights. French and English at the minimum.

@Adultito: speaking of Japanese audio, will there be the original OP "Chance to Shine" (shown in most international broadcasts) on the English dub because the US broadcast (as well as the Shout Factory DVDs) used "Never Say Never"

@EiffelSavin: We have the rights to all the original songs and tracks but not to "Never Say Never" which was produced by the US broadcaster of Oban. So we would use "Chance to Shine" for the opening.

(x)

@Maj0r_Crisis: Will we ever see a release of the cancelled second volume of the Original Soundtrack?

@EiffelSavin: If we have enough preorders, one of our plans is to add most of or even all of Iwazaki Taku's 80 original tracks as a bonus to the bluray edition

(x)

@delicatedowner: I wish you good fortune on making the blu-ray release a reality (will your company self-publish the BDs like with Ankama and their Wafku sets?).

@EiffelSavin: We may self publish too but could go the kickstaryer way. Unlike us Ankama is a rich company!

@delicatedowner: Even Ankama went the Kickstarter way.  And it backfired on them.  I hope you'll do a better job.

@EiffelSavin: We'll see. But if you meant "selfpublish" as in "creating the design packaging etc" ourselves, yes that would be the plan. We have some good people we can work with.

(x)

@nothisiswindii: Do you think you guys should make a 4:3 aspect ratio version of the Blu-ray? A lot of studios tend to simply "zoom in" their old shows to fake a 16:9 ratio, and they end up losing a lot of detail on the top and bottom as a result.

@EiffelSavin: Probably but it's something we'll discuss with all those who register with the Oban Bluray project when the times comes. In all cases, I can guarantee the 16/9 remaster is not a "zoom in". We took care of things on a shot by shot basis (see the video on http://obanstarracers.com )

@docsane: I'm curious: why was Oban not originally shot 16:9? I thought it was unusual at the time to still see an animation being released 4:3.

@EiffelSavin: Oban was signed just at the time when productions were beginning to shift from 4/3 to 16/9. But our financial partners asked for 4/3 so we produced and delivered 4/3.

(x)

@harpnote: The new site looks slick! I am sad the forums are no longer up. It was a good time there.

@EiffelSavin: We have the copies. We may put them back online but already have our hands full right now

(x)

@MattGiusti: Will [OSR] HD be exclusively a blue ray release? Or can one buy a digital version online?

@EiffelSavin: The first goal is the bluray release.

(x)

@ILOVE659709491: Considering Wei is a Chinese surname & with the exception of his temper DW’s manners and taste indicate a certain upbringing is there a possibilty that Don is the son of a high class family in Asia and he moved to America or Europe because of his passion for racing?

‏@EiffelSavin: In spite of the obvious connection with Japanese anime, Wei is a Chinese name indeed and it was meant that way.

(x)

@sergeigaponov: There are no such scenes [dramatic scenes in children’s shows], because people are interested in toilet humor. The time has already passed when people cried over such scenes. There are few people who are crying. I hope in the #second #season of the drama will be more, because #Eva has matured.

@EiffelSavin: If it 's only up to me I'll say definitely yes and in all cases that what we want to aim for. This said, I have a feeling traditional broadcasters are targeting younger and younger audiences and aim even more for comedy than before.

(x)

@ILOVE659709491: Considering Maya was DW's first champion, DW  stated her charm was her recklessness, That Maya seemed to be more dominant in the relationship, & considering DW's and Maya's personalities in the past is it possible Maya introduced Don to the racing world?

@EiffelSavin: Interesting thought. But I'd say no. Don Wei was born to be a race manager.

(x)

@lbigreyhound: Any idea when and where it [the HD remaster] will be available?

@EiffelSavin: The new HD master will be used in future broadcasts of OSR, at least one of whitch is planned for 2018. When we go ahead with our plans for a bluray relase, we may use it as well, or else chose to stick with the original 4/3 format.

(x)

@ILOVE659709491: so I’m curious, what inspired the idea for OSR I’m super excited for the sequel but I am curious on what inspired the idea for OSR 2 Since it’s been over a decade since OSR?

@EiffelSavin: The 10 year anniversary of the first release brought the original artistic team together. We all thought it would be nice to look back at the world we created.

(x)

[Not sure who he’s replying to here, but the question seems to be about Maya’s race with Spirit]

@EiffelSavin: If I remember correctly there just wasn't enough time and she gestured Spirit to stand out of arm's way.

(x)

@RedVioletPanda: Why is the Holy of Dol, well, holy? In the artbook, there is a mention of elemental magic of the Nourasians, what is that exactly?

@EiffelSavin: Nourasian are close to nature. Magic and the use of natural ressources more than makes up for the lack of technology. As for elemental magic its source of power is nature itself.

(x)

[Again, not sure who he’s replying to]

@EiffelSavin: We continue to work on dvlpmnt but it's a costly project & bringing the right financial partners together is the long and uncertain part...

(x)

[a-motivation-to-study]

Books to Read in 2019

This past year I finished reading MAYBE 2 books. How incredibly disappointing is that? In high school I read ALL THE TIME, and I have a whole wall covered in books, yet I have barely read! I’m really going to force myself to read more this next year. I know for a FACT that my semester next year will hinder my goal, but I’m hoping to follow this plan as closely as I can (although I am darn positive that I probably won’t be able to finish all of these). Most of these books I have selected relate to other personal goals I hope to achieve. The boldened titles are the books I feel are most important in my personal growth (and thus the books I will read first). I’m also hoping my love for reading can be reignited. I know a lot of us can lose the habit of reading, especially with busy college schedules, so I’ve added the descriptions of the books (from the back or from the amazon descriptions) I hope to read in case any of you would also like to read more!

Productivity Books

1. The 7 Habits of Highly Effective People by Stephen R. Covey

In The Seven Habits of Highly Effective People People, author Stephen          R. Covey presents a holistic, integrated, principal-centered approach for         solving personal and professional problems. With penetrating insights and pointed anecdotes, Covey reveals a step-by-step pathway for living  with       fairness, integrity, honesty, and human dignity- principles that give us the      security to adapt to change, and the wisdom and power to take advantage of the opportunities that change creates. 

2. Getting Things Done by David Allen 

In today’s world, yesterday’s methods just don’t work. Veteran coach and        management consultant David Allen shares his his breakthrough methods for stress-free performance that he has introcued to tens of thousands of people  across the country. Aleen’s premis is simple: our productivity is directly   proportional to our ability to relax. Only when our minds are clear and our thoughts are organized can we achieve effective results and unleash our creative potential. From core principles to proven tricks, Getting Things Dones can transform the way you work an live, showing you how to pick up the pace without wearing yourself down. 

Meditation and Buddhist Books (from Wisdom Publications mostly)

3. Zen Vows for Daily Life by Robert Aitken

Zen Vows for Daily Life is a collection of gathas, vows in verse form for daily practice, similar to prayers or affirmations for use at home, at work, and in the meditation hall itself. Reciting these poetic vows can help us be fully present in each moment and each activity of our lives. These gathas serve as gentle reminders to return again and again to our highest aspirations, with acceptance, joy, and compassion—for ourselves and all beings. Zen Vows for Daily Life will be a steadfast companion in keeping the reader inspired and committed on their spiritual path.

4. A Heart Full of Peace by Joseph Goldstein

Love, compassion, and peace—these words are at the heart of all spiritual endeavors. Although we intuitively resonate with their meaning and value, for most of us, the challenge is how to embody what we know: how to transform these words into a vibrant, living practice. In these times of conflict and uncertainty, this transformation is far more than an abstract ideal; it is an urgent necessity. Peace in the world begins with us. This wonderfully appealing offering from one the most trusted elders of Buddhism in the West is a warm and engaging exploration of the ways we can cultivate and manifest peace as wise and skillful action in the world.

This charming book is illuminated throughout with lively, joyous, and sometimes even funny citations from a host of contemporary and ancient sources—from the poetry of W.S. Merwin and Galway Kinnell to the haiku of Issa and the great poet-monk Ryokan, from the luminous aspirations of Saint Francis of Assisi to the sage advice of Thich Nhat Hanh and the Dalai Lama.

5. Open Mind by B. Allan Wallace 

Lerab Lingpa (1856–1926), also known as Tertön Sogyal, was one of the great Dzogchen (Great Perfection) masters of the nineteenth and early-twentieth centuries and a close confidant and guru of the Thirteenth Dalai Lama. This volume contains translations by B. Alan Wallace of two works that are representative of the lineage of this great “treasure revealer,” or tertön. This volume will be of great interest for all those interested in the theory and practice of the Great Perfection and the way it relates to the wisdom teachings of Tsongkhapa and others in the new translation schools of Tibetan Buddhism.

6. Interconnected by Ogyen Tinley Dorje

Plucked from a humble nomad family to become the leader of one of Tibet’s oldest Buddhist lineages, the young Seventeenth Karmapa draws on timeless values to create an urgent ethic for today’s global community. The Karmapa shows us how gaining emotional awareness of our connectedness can fundamentally reshape the human race. He then guides us to action, showing step by step how we can change the way we use the earth’s resources and can continue to better our society. In clear language, the Karmapa draws connections between such seemingly far-flung issues as consumer culture, loneliness, animal protection, and self-reliance. In the process, he helps us move beyond theory to practical and positive social and ethical change.

7. I Wanna Be Well by Miguel Chen

A punk rocker’s guide to grow, learn, and appreciate the present moment—in short, to live a life that doesn’t totally suck.

8. Discovering Your Soul Signature by Panache Desai

Your soul signature is your spiritual DNA - it is who you are at your core, the most authentic part of you, and your singular contribution to this world. And yet, we reject our authentic selvs. We allow our soul sigature to become blocked by any number of emotional obstacles that life throws in ou path: anger, fear, guilt, shame, sadness, despair. Any or all of these feelings overtake us and create a density, a heaviness that doesn’t permit us to embrace who we truly are, deep inside. We are energetic beings, Panache Desai reminds us, and emotions are energy in motion. When we are blocked we feel unworthy, less than, unloved, incomplete. 

In Discovering Your Soul Signature, Panache Desai invites us on a 33-day path of meditations-- shot passages to be read at morning, noon, and night that are designed to dismantle the emotional burden that holds us back and open us up to changing our lives. Through this distilled, poetic, practical, and inspiring course, he invites us to live a life of authenticity, to rediscover purpose and passion, and to believe from our soul in the possibility of all things.

9. As Man Thinketh by James Allen 

This little volume (the result of meditation and experience) is not intended as an exhaustive treatise on the much-written upon subject of the power of thought. It is suggestive rather than explanatory, its object being to stimulate men and women to the discovery and perception of the truth that -

"They themselves are makers of themselves"       by virtue of the thoughts which they choose and encourage; that mind is the master weaver, both of the inner garment of character and the outer garment of circumstance, and that, as they may have hitherto woven in ignorance and pain they may now weave in enlightenment and happiness.

Religious Books 

10. The Miracle of Forgiveness by Spencer W. Kimball

In The Miracle of Forgiveness, President Spencer W Kimball gives a penetrating explanation of repentance and forgiveness and clarifies their implications for Church members. His in-depth approach shows that the need for forgiveness is universal; portrays the various facets of repentance, and emphasizes some of the more serious errors, particularly sexual ones, which afflict both modern society and Church members. Most important, he illuminates his message with the brightness of hope that even those who have gone grievously astray may find the way back to peace and security. Never before has any book brought this vital and moving subject into so sharp a focus. This classic book is a major work of substance and power.

Science Books

11. God’s Equation by Amir D. Aczel

In God’s Equation, Amir Aczel tells the story of what lies between these events: the history of modern physics and the development of the sciene of cosmology, the study of the nature of the universe. 

Other Books

12. A Clockwork Orange by Anthony Burgess

In Anthony Burgess's nightmare vision of the future, where criminals take over after dark, the story is told by the central character, Alex, who talks in a brutal invented slang that brilliantly renders his and his friends' social pathology. A Clockwork Orange is a frightening fable about good and evil, and the meaning of human freedom. When the state undertakes to reform Alex—to "redeem" him—the novel asks, "At what cost?"

13. Walden and Civil Disobedience by Henry David Thoreau

In 1845, Thoreau moved to a cabin that he built with his own hands along the shores of Walden Pond in Massachusetts. Shedding the trivial ties that he felt bound much of humanity, Thoreau reaped from the land both physically and mentally, and pursued truth in the quiet of nature. In Walden, he explains how separating oneself from the world of men can truly awaken the sleeping self. Thoreau holds fast to the notion that you have not truly existed until you adopt such a lifestyle—and only then can you reenter society, as an enlightened being.   These simple but profound musings—as well as “Civil Disobedience,” his protest against the government’s interference with civil liberty—have inspired many to embrace his philosophy of individualism and love of nature. More than a century and a half later, his message is more timely than ever.

14. The Art of Worldly Wisdom by Baltasar Gracian

In the Art of Worldly Wisdom Baltasar Gracian gives us pertinent and pithy advice on friendship, leadership, and success. Think of it as Machiavelli with a soul. This book is for those who wish to have an ambitious plan for success without compromising their integrity or losing their way. Audacious and captivating!

15. For One More Day by Mitch Albom

For One More Day is the story of a mother and a son, and a relationship that lasts a lifetime and and beyond. It explores the question: What would you do if you could spend one more day with a lost loved one?

[goodvibesatpeace]

Transcending the Ego and Awakening to the Real You

The ego is a third dimensional tool our human body uses for and identity and protection.

As we move toward the fifth dimension, some say we need to get rid of it, some say we need to tame it, and some say we should love it. What actually is our ego and what should we do with it?

The ego’s job is to protect us and to keep us from knowing who we are in the veiled experience of third dimensional incarnation. It has been termed the “lower self” compared to aspects of our oversoul that exist in higher vibrational dimensions.

As multidimensional selves, when we came into this body we knew that we would forget who we were as part of the experience of lower dimensional existence.

The ego is not who you really are. It is your self image and is not even the image that others may see.

It is a mask of approval, it wants to be in control, and it is driven by fear. It is partially responsible for not allowing you to love yourself 100% because it hides who you are.

Identifying why we have this lower self and the aspects of it is essential in the awakening process of ascension.

Removing this veil sheds more light upon areas of ourselves that need healing. In order to get to the core of the self, we have to begin peeling the layers of the mask to reveal what lies beneath.

The shadow self

A shadow self is part of the “alter ego” and facing it is called going through the dark night of the soul.

Part of the ego’s job is to allow other parts of your soul to come forward to be healed in this reality because we cannot take this part of with us into the higher dimensions due to the Law of Vibrational Attainment.

The goal is to heal all of our lower energies and become whole again in a higher vibrational existence.

Facing our shadow self can be a frightening experience, and is probably the number one fear of an individual. When you are ready, the third eye mirror mediation is a good way to see the different multidimensional aspects of yourself.

Just by acknowledging that they are a part of you but intending that they be healed and integrated into your heart space, light is shed on the shadows and a new way of being can finally be achieved.

Our subconscious mind is connected to Source. Our conscious mind (ego) sometimes feels the opposite.

For example, if a person has a life threatening illness, the ego may be in fear of dying, whereas the subconscious mind or higher self knows that there is no real death of the energy that is your soul.

Awakening to who we really are

As we planned, at a trigger point in our life we begin to awaken to the fact that we are multidimensional souls having a physical human experience.

When we realize that there is a higher aspect of us that we are tethered to, the ego begins to fear that it will lose its identity. Part of the ascension up the spiritual ladder is to “lose” the ego and expand your consciousness to focus on a higher aspect of yourself.

Eventually as we strengthen this connection with our higher selves and our oversoul, we will not need the ego’s identity or the third dimensional experience anymore.

However to completely lose it would defeat the purpose of living in physicality right now. Instead, we can work with the ego to help it lessen its hold on the veil that shelters the truth from us as we continue to move toward being able to handle the truth.

How to work with the ego

In order to “lose” the ego it is important to first recognize that is was a very necessary component of our spiritual awakening process.

Having an identity other than what we really are sparked a deep withdrawal into needing something more in order to fulfill ourselves. This led to trying to fulfill ourselves with many things over and over until we realized that there was nothing that would fulfill us but love for ourselves.

At this point we owe our ego a big round of applause for getting us to the breaking point from searching for answers outside of ourselves. Gratitude is necessary in order to release the ego of its job that it was created for.

In order to work with the ego in releasing it of its duty, thank your ego out loud for the stellar job it did of providing identity during the veiled aspect of your consciousness in the third density expression.

Let it know that now you wish to explore the higher aspects of yourself and that you need to work together to allow this to come forth in your reality, even if that means it will need to eventually step aside in order to let your higher self take the wheel.

Becoming aware of programming

Part of the “taming” of the ego involves reversing the programming we have received as a part of societal living. If the ego is the lower aspect computer, then programming is the software. It is time to uninstall the software that keeps us in the illusional lower vibrational reality.

Here are a few programs that can be reversed with awareness and intentional thought:

– Stop being offended. As Don Miguel Ruiz says, do not take anything personally. What others say or do is a projection of their own reality through their own false self. Often people consciously say the opposite of what their subconscious is thinking.

Our subconscious follows the golden rule, and as we let more of our subconscious or higher self in our reality, we begin to refrain from saying things to others that may offend them as well.

– Let go of the need to win. Although games and challenges can sometimes have a positive influence on our advancement, we are in the process of letting go of third dimensionalgames as we move toward a higher way of living where there is no competition.

– Let go of the need to be right. One person’s right is not necessarily another person’s right, as we all see things differently. When you let go of the need to prove that you are right, you reduce the opportunity for friction and argument.

This is not meant to become passive or to stop standing up for your truth. Rather it is better to walk away from lower vibrationalsituations and instead focus on keeping your vibration up by standing in your truth by example. Choosing your battles wisely this time around is the key to advancement.

– Let go of the need to be superior. We are all a spark of the one Creator having an individual experience. While some are on a faster track to enlightenment than others, we should not judge those who take a different path as all paths converge to one.

In the higher dimensions, we still retain our individuality but we know that we are all swimming in the sea of love that makes up the whole. Superiority is often confused with having knowledge or experience, and is one of the things that cause the patterns of falling civilizations over time.

– Let go of the need to have more. Ego driven materialism is the downfall of humanity and is fueled by those who wish to keep us indebted as slaves to an economic system. Once you realize that these things do not fulfill the black hole within, you begin to let the need for them to fall away.

A balance of having things that are necessary for comfort while losing the obsession or emotional attachment to them is the higher path. By getting rid of the unnecessary clutter in your life you make space within yourself for expansion.

– Let go of identifying yourself by your achievements. Many people fear looking within themselves to find out who they really are apart from their title from a job or family status.

This leads to crisis in life when it comes time for retirement or when the kids go off to college. There is no college degree, job title, social status, or award that will serve you in the ascension process.

– Let go of your reputation. What other people think of you is none of your business. Some people get so obsessed with how they are seen by others that they lose themselves in false identities.

It becomes a chore to try to remember who they are with one person or another. Being your true, authentic self is the best way to show love for yourself.

Some people have much they could share with others about their awakening process or extraterrestrial contact but their ego will not allow them to share for fear of ruining their reputation.

Much love to all... go in peace my friends

[dogbearinggifts]

Elegy, Part Eleven

A/N: This is Part Eleven of an AU, based on an idea by @daughterofthemoon99, where Imelda, rather than Miguel, visits the Land of the Dead within her lifetime. If you would like to read previous chapters of this fic, they are available here: 

Part One   Part Two   Part Three   Part Four   Part Five   Part Six   Part Seven   Part Eight   Part Nine   Part Ten

The whole fic is also available on AO3.

********

Even before taking up work with Ernesto de la Cruz, Raúl Badilla had been no stranger to the shanties clustered around the edges of the city.

It wasn’t the sort of place most people liked to visit. Communities comprised primarily of the sick and dying were never a thing the healthy approached with any sort of comfort, in life or in death. Raúl could hardly fault the general population for keeping their distance, even if their aversion meant wide hats and gloves had always been the order of the day, lest his white bones stick in someone’s memory.

There was an art to approaching strangers with an unusual question, and the technique varied widely based on where those strangers happened to be. Who you approached was every bit as important as how you approached them. In Shantytown, that often meant taking a moment to judge who had drunk enough to be loud, and who had drunk enough to be talkative. It was a game of sorts, one that became easier with practice. 

Fortunately for Raúl, a necessary piece was already in place.

His name was Lazaro—Tío Lazaro to those who’d died younger, Lazaro to his peers, and a slew of other names to those who had known him in life—if you believed half the stories he told. Raúl believed about a quarter of them, and didn’t need to fake a smile at his approach. 

“Hola.”

“Look who’s here another year,” Lazaro said, offering a bottle by way of greeting. Less than half the contents remained, though it was impossible to tell how full it had been when found. “Still no photo?”

Raúl shook his head, both in response to the question and to the bottle.  

“Ay, you’re still young.” Lazaro refilled a chipped shot glass and took a swig. “Gotta remember you sometime.”

Raúl smiled, less wistfully than Lazaro likely expected, though he doubted the older man noticed. His photo might be permanently absent from the family ofrenda, but the things he’d done in life would be remembered for generations to come. He liked to picture his sobrinos overhearing whispers from parent and tíos and carrying the news, wide-eyed and low-voiced, to their primos. 

On some occasions, Raúl would have taken him up on the unspoken invitation to sit and talk awhile. But there was work to be done and a problem to find, so he plunged ahead. “You haven’t seen a man in a mariachi suit, have you?”

The description was vague enough to suit a number of men throughout the city, but so far as Raúl was aware, it suited only one who frequented this particular cluster of shanties. “Saw Héctor walk by not too long ago.”

“No one else?”

“Think a woman followed him? Not sure. Just saw Héctor and waved.”

A woman. So he’d found his widow. Raúl shook his head again. “No, not looking for Héctor. I think this one’s name was Andrés.”

Lazaro frowned. He often did that when searching his memory for something relevant to the conversation—although Lazaro’s definition of relevant often differed sharply from that embraced by most. “Andrés….I think I knew an Andrés once. Was he the one I was with at the river, when we….no, that wasn’t him….”

Raúl smiled and patted his shoulder. As much as he would have liked to hear three different stories unravel before Lazaro got to the one he wanted, he had to be seen leaving Shantytown before Héctor did, preferably well before. Despite the disguise, despite covering his tracks with a false target, despite the unlikelihood of his friend implicating him in what was about to happen, it was best not to take more chances than were strictly necessary.

******

He could have come home.

The thought took root as the hollow ache in Imelda’s middle numbed. He’d purchased a ticket and had it in his pocket, had his suitcase packed and guitar in hand. A train had been ready to carry him back to Santa Cecilia. Depending on exactly when his train left the station, he could have arrived in early darkness or close to first light.

She would have been asleep when he arrived. Perhaps he would have knocked, waking her and Coco before dawn. More likely he would have simply come inside and gently shaken her awake, brushing callused fingers against her cheek, smiling in that brief moment of muted awareness—those few seconds before she slapped him for leaving and kissed him for coming back. Coco would have bounced on the bed, chattering happily and hugging him over and over.

He could have seen her that day.

And not just that day, not just Posadas or Noche Buena or her quince or her wedding. He could have seen her on any of the ordinary days that followed, days where they cooked and cleaned and laughed and bickered and made shoes.

He could have met Julio. Victoria. Rosita.

They could have heard his music.

He could have heard them talk.

He’d wanted to come home. He’d chosen to come home, and the choice had been taken from his hands. Snatched away by a man he’d trusted with his life.

Imelda wanted to storm out of the bungalow and march straight to the city, find the first person who knew where Ernesto might be and demand they take her there. She wanted to scream what he’d done to anyone who would listen. She wanted to burst into tears all over again, but she whispered instead.

“I’m going to find him.”

******

Shantytown had more than one entrance, more than one exit, but many of those required tools or some level of creativity to use. Leaving by water meant a boat and a stunningly brave or stunningly reckless willingness to see what lurked beyond the horizon. Smaller doorways required disassembling one’s bones in some fashion—little issue for one held together by faint wisps of living memory, but impossible for the living. Even if she were to slip through that jagged hole ten feet off the ground, la Señora Rivera would still need to take the same rickety wooden stairs back to the city.

The question of where to wait remained, however. Lurking beside the entrance, such as it was, would allow him quicker access to the couple, but anyone close enough to hear would rush to their aid. A near-forgotten tío or tía might not move quickly or be capable of much in the way of fighting, but they had him outnumbered and could still block the stairs.

Stairs that would be difficult enough to negotiate with one hostage, let alone two.

******

Héctor heard the words, he understood them all, and yet it took a moment to comprehend what they all meant together.

He pulled back, not out of her embrace but enough to search her eyes, her expression, for any trace of humor. Any indication, no matter how small, that she had made an awful joke. He saw only steel.

“He killed you, Héctor.”

It was the truth, the only story that set all the pieces in their proper places and filled in the gaps, but he would have rather had the same lie he’d believed since awakening in New Arrivals all those years ago. Ernesto smiling, handing him a glass of poisoned tequila that he drank without a thought. He shuddered, and Imelda pulled him close again.

“He’ll pay for this.”

“It’s fine, Imelda.”

“Is it?”

Poisoned.

The word sank in as shock eroded. He’d wanted to go home. Nothing more. He’d only wanted to go home and see his wife, his daughter. There could have been other tours, shorter ones; other shows in Santa Cecilia and the surrounding towns. Cut their overlong tour short, negotiate a compromise, and spend some months at home before setting about whatever they’d agreed to.

Murdered.

Not by a stranger out for whatever money and valuables he could scavenge, but by the man who’d watched him lift a guitar for the first time. The man who’d pushed and pulled until he got on that train and then used every trick he had to keep him from boarding another back home.

He’d purchased a train ticket and paid with his life.

“You’ve seen him, Héctor.” Her voice was still soft, but sharper than it had been. “You’ve seen more of him than I have. They adore him, and I…”

She paused, biting her lip. Tears glimmered in her eyes. He’d seen them glistening on her cheeks, felt them as they fell, and she still had more tears to shed for him.

He wanted her to go. He wanted to go with her, to stay with her as she vented her fury, to add his own to the pyre. The word murdered circled his mind, bringing a rage so hot he could almost taste it. Only one thing held him back.

“You can still die, Imelda.”

******

Shantytown did not begin where the city ended, not precisely. A set of stairs—two, if you counted the rickety wooden ones built on top of the stone—separated the shanties from the rest of the city, but the city ended even before that. A wide stretch of cobblestone gave way to stone, which gave way to stairs leading to Shantytown. Structures littered the stone plain—a crumbling house here, a dilapidated bungalow there. Some enterprising soul had built a tiny shelter onto a wider step, although the door stood open and no light shone from within.

But those were the structures closest to the actual town. There were others scattered across the space between city and water, but unlike the odd few near the staircase, there were no lights in any of these. Windows were simply dark or missing entirely; some doors listed on their hinges. Balcony railings and walls alike were partially collapsed. Traditional decay involving mold and parasites was not a danger in the Land of the Dead, but things still crumbled if left forgotten.

Not everything crumbled, though. Some things stood. Not in any desirable condition, but perfect for certain purposes. One in particular had caught his eye, chosen less for any aesthetic appeal and more for its strong walls, its functioning door, its sweeping staircases and high ledges. But that was some distance away. Nearer, far nearer, were the tools Raúl had brought along for the job.

******

Anger flared, but he was right. The only beating heart in the Land of the Dead could be stopped easily, too easily, by a man who would most likely find killing a woman he’d barely tolerated to be far easier than it had been to kill his brother.

Héctor gazed at her a long minute. His eyes—Dios mio, they were exactly the same as she remembered. There was sorrow there, and fear, but fury too.

Imelda traced his cheekbone. The shape of it was the same, and in her calcified hand the sensation wasn’t as jarring as she’d expected. She wanted to hold him close again, feel his arms around her, stay until sunrise forced her to seek some means of going home. She had never forgotten the sensation of having him near, but she had recoiled from memories of how right it felt, how right it made the world feel.

There was a reason why she had spent the better part of twenty-one years pushing those thoughts away, and that reason walked streets lined with admirers and passed beneath murals where his likeness cradled a stolen guitar.

“What about the police?” Héctor said.

“What about them?”

“I’m sure they’d want to know. I’ve heard it happen before—people getting arrested for things they did while alive. Murder, I mean.”

Imelda turned it over. The thought of Ernesto’s smug grin fading, of him led away in cuffs, was a good one. He would protest, of course, but provided the evidence contained in the songbook and Héctor’s testimony was convincing enough, those protests would fall on deaf ears.

Then she looked to Héctor again. She didn’t know what had been done to him during that first visit to Ernesto. She didn’t know what others had said when he tried to claim the songs he wrote as his own or how far he traveled for work or what he’d done—Dios mio—what he’d done year after year when agent after agent turned him away at the bridge.

She only knew what she saw, and she saw her husband in threadbare clothes and tattered shoes, crumpled on a dirty floor beneath a roof that wouldn’t keep out a stiff breeze.

Compared to what Ernesto deserved, prison would be a reward. 

She thought of him pouting in a cell as the years of a too-short sentence ticked away. 

She thought of Coco staring out the window, gazing off down the road in search of a mamá who would not, could not, come home. 

“I suppose the police will do.”

Héctor’s smile was small and faint, but no less amused. He started to his feet; Imelda did the same, but he stood first and offered his hand. There was no reason for him to offer, and no point in taking it. She had stood on her own for twenty-one years.

She took his hand anyway.

******

They had to leave Shantytown before sunrise. 

Raúl resisted the urge to pace. It wasn’t that he had ever considered himself a patient man; rather, many things he did required patience and so he had adopted the virtue as his own. But if given the choice between taking care of business immediately and waiting another hour, he would choose the former—though he didn’t know of anyone who wouldn’t.

The ancient steps afforded him easiest access to the couple, but he’d chosen a spot behind a vacant structure some meters back. Shantytown’s music did not reach him there; it usually disappeared somewhere on the steps or just before, depending on who had decided to sing and which level of volume they preferred that evening. A shame, as Raúl had always enjoyed Gaspar’s renditions of de la Cruz favorites.

It was never completely silent in the Land of the Dead, but some places were quieter than others. This collection of abandoned and half-abandoned buildings, and similar collections near other places where the near-forgotten dwelled, was the closest to noiseless Raúl had yet seen. So when the boards making up the wooden stairs rattled, he tensed, and inched ahead for a closer look.

They walked up the steps close together, though he couldn’t tell if they walked hand in hand. The woman had her hair covered with a dirty, tattered cloth; the man wore a mariachi suit somewhere between pink and red. Their steps were quick, and although Raúl heard voices, he only made out a handful of words over the racket of the stairs. Station was one; cempasúchil was another. But it was the word police that told him everything. Not only did they know, but their apparent quest for aid from law enforcement confirmed what Raúl had already guessed, so far as his employer’s past went.  

And unlike Raúl, they were inclined to condemn. Which was understandable, but also the reason for Raúl’s presence.

The pair had fallen into silence by the time they reached Raúl’s hiding place. His grip tightened on the knife as their footsteps slapped against stone, crunched against gravel. He peered around the corner.

Not close enough.

Closer.

There.

Neither expected him, and neither was looking in his direction when he sprung out. In seconds, he had her in his grip, pinning her hands to her sides with one arm, pressing the knife to her throat with the other.

“Get—“ he began, but she drove her shoe into the ground repeatedly, trying to find his foot. Raúl rolled his eyes, spaced his legs further apart, and pressed the knife closer.

******

The knife pressed harder, warning away Imelda’s cry for help, cutting off the same from Héctor.  

There was no room for doubt as to who had sent this man. Nor was there time to wonder why she hadn’t anticipated it. She could only think frantically through her options and dismiss those that would bring the knife to break her skin.

The list was long.

The attacker’s head nodded toward her right. “Get in that trunk.”

Imelda followed Héctor’s shocked gaze as best she could. A large wooden clothes chest sat at the corner of her vision. In the darkness, she couldn’t make out a lock or anyone waiting to keep it closed; though if someone else lurked, it seemed more likely they would simply force Héctor into the trunk rather than wait for him to climb in on his own.

His gaze moved back to the attacker. She caught it and mouthed Go.

He took a single, cautious step backward, lifted his foot for another.

She caught her breath at a sharp sting on her neck as Héctor cried out, moved a few steps closer before the knife shifted, ever so slightly, in warning.

“I said get in the trunk.”  

Go, Imelda mouthed again. Police.

Héctor glanced to the right, back toward the shanties, and then to her again. His next step carried him toward the trunk.

Imelda tried to breathe steady. There was nothing else for Héctor to do. No other choice for him to make. He could do as he was told, or watch her blood spill.

Tiny bells jingled as he opened the lid.

No choice. He had no choice.

The sound accompanied the hollow slam of the lid’s closure. A few seconds passed in silence.

There was nothing else he could do. Nothing else she could do.

“If I hear those bells again,” the attacker said, raising his voice only slightly, “you’ll hear her scream.”

The knife did not move from her throat as the attacker tugged her backward, toward something she could not see.

******

A/N: Enjoying this fic? Read on to Part Twelve.

[eurolinguiste]

Engaging with the language that we’re learning in meaningful ways is not important to our learning the language, but also to staying motivated, connecting with the language, and learning more about the culture. 

Discovering music, podcasts, books, tv shows, and movies in Spanish is an amazing way to dive into the language. 

But how do you know just what native source material to choose?

Hopes high, you take to Google hoping to find great Spanish books or tv shows, but lo and behold, the majority of the suggested material is what we politely call ‘classic’. In other words, it’s old.

You wanted recommendations for songs, tv shows, books or podcasts in Spanish that are fresh, relevant and up-to-date. Not some list that’s been passed around by generations of Spanish learners without ever once getting an update.

Today, Tamara is here to help.

Today, I’m excited to share a post from Tamara Marie. She’s worked hard to curate this list of 10 Spanish books, 10 Spanish songs, 10 Spanish podcasts and 10 Spanish tv shows that are not only interesting and relevant, but they also contain language that is suitable for those at the beginning level all the way up to the advanced level with straightforward vocabulary.

Take it away, Tamara!

10 Spanish Songs for Spanish Language Learners

Latin music has a special place in my heart because it helped me to learn Spanish and shed my fear of speaking. Learning Spanish with music is a great strategy to learn proper pronunciation, new vocabulary, and understand the culture. And it doesn’t hurt that you’ll know the songs at your next party with Spanish-speaking friends.

Here are 10 songs I recommend for Spanish learners that will boost your vocabulary and give you a better understanding of Latino culture:

1. Stand By Me by Prince Royce

I’ll admit I usually don’t like translations of songs originally in English, but this bilingual version of Stand By Me by Prince Royce is pretty well done. The song is slow and is already translated for you since he switches seamlessly between Spanish and English, sometimes in the same line. A great song. (Note: If you don’t know the original by Ben E. King, check it out here.)

2. No Hago Ma’ Na’

This salsa by El Gran Combo de Puerto Rico gives you a ton of examples of reflective verbs. You’ll just have to take a minute to get used to the accent, but once you do you’ll love the song. It makes me think about retiring and buying a beach house. (Note: Ma’ Na’ is Puerto Rican speak for “más nada”)

3. Ojala Que Llueva Café

You may have guessed from the title, but this merengue song by Juan Luis Guerra will help you practice the subjunctive. This song is about his hopes for bringing prosperity to el campo (the countryside) in the Dominican Republic.

4. Pedro Navaja

This is a classic salsa song by the iconic Ruben Blades. It tells a story that unfolds on the streets of New York. You’ll learn a lot of Spanish sayings and expressions in this song, and the story will keep you engaged until the end.

5. Despacito

This is a song by Luis Fonsi that you should know because of its popularity. The vocabulary isn’t exactly G-rated, so I wouldn’t recommend this song is you’re a teacher looking for a song to teach to your class. But the lyrics are flirty and fun, and you get bonus points if you can understand what Daddy Yankee is saying.

6. Obsesión

If you’re looking for a challenge, this classic bachata song by the now defunct group Aventura will definitely test your listening skills. The chorus is pretty simple to understand, but the lyrics tell a story that you’ll have to pay attention to closely to figure out what happens.

7. El Rey

I discovered this Vicente Fernandez song when I was at a party and found out that everyone knew this song but me. This is one of those cultural things that you probably wouldn’t get if you didn’t grow up in a Spanish-speaking household. So if you want to be in on the next sing-a-long, you’ll want to learn this one.

8. Cuando Salí de Cuba

This Celia Cruz song is a blast from the past. Its lyrics are slow, so you should be able to understand most of it. It gives you an emotional sense of how Cubans who left the island felt about their homeland. I think anyone who has moved or been homesick at some point can understand this feeling.

9. Nadie Como Ella

This Marc Anthony song is about a woman he’s enamored with (like most Marc Anthony songs). The language is on the informal side, but it’s a great song for Spanish learners because it’s pretty easy to understand the lyrics.

10. La Rebelión

This Joe Arroyo salsa song teaches you about Colombian history while making you want to dance at the same time, no easy feat. The song is about a slave rebellion in 17th century Cartagena.

10 Spanish Language Books

One of my favorite things to do when I’m driving is listening to audiobooks. And pairing up an audiobook with the written version can be a killer combo for improving your Spanish vocabulary. Books are great because they have rich vocabulary and stories that engage you. I’ve found a ton of great Spanish audiobooks on Audible.com. Here are some of my favorites:

1. Ágilmente by Estanislao Bachrach

This book’s subtitle says it all: learn how your brain functions to enhance your creativity and live better. This book gives a unique take on how our brains evolved and how to adapt to modern life.

2. Stranger by Jorge Ramos

In Latino media in the United States, it’s hard to avoid the topic of immigration. This book by Mexican-American journalist Jorge Ramos tells the tale of what it means to be an immigrant living in the US. He talks about identity and the feeling of being a stranger in your own country.

3. Los 7 Habitos de la Gente Altamente Efectiva by Stephen Covey

The Spanish version of The 7 Habits of Highly Effective People is worth checking out. Covey shares some great principles to live by. If you majored in business in college, this book was probably required reading. Even if you’re already familiar with the principles, this book will help you learn how to talk about them in Spanish.

4. La Reina del Sur by Arturo Pérez-Reverte

This thriller tells the story of Teresa Mendoza, whose life changes when she gets a call that her drug smuggler boyfriend is dead. She has to learn how to survive in his absence, and learns how to find her own way. The story was also made into a popular TV series.

5. Padre Rico, Padre Pobre by Robert T. Kiyosaki

The Spanish translation of Rich Dad, Poor Dad is a good choice because it teaches some fundamental financial management principles through stories. You’ll also expand your Spanish vocabulary as it relates to personal finance.

6. El Hombre en Busca de Sentido by Viktor Frankl

The English version of this book is Man’s Search for Meaning, and it’s one of the most recommended books of all time. It tells the story of how Frankl found meaning and purpose in life despite living in a Nazi concentration camp.

7. Cómo Ganar Amigos e Influir Sobre las Personas by Dale Carnegie

This is the Spanish version of the classic How to Win Friends and Influence People. It’s worth reading (and of course, listening to the audiobook) because it teaches some fundamentals of interpersonal relationships and will expand your Spanish vocabulary in this area.

8. La Chica del Tren

This book is about a girl who’s daily routine of taking the train suddenly changes. A suspenseful story about the life of a couple that lives in an apartment nearby the train station.

9. Don Quijote de la Mancha by Miguel de Cervantes

No list of Spanish book recommendations would be complete without Don Quijote. This book is a classic in Spain and the narration in the audiobook is almost like a movie production. It tells the tales of Don Quijote’s adventures throughout Spain.

10. El Alquimista

This book is a classic tale about a boy named Santiago on a journey where he learns many life lessons. It’s one of Paulo Cohelo’s most popular books and is a must-read.

10 Spanish Language TV Shows

There is a ton of Spanish content on TV…you just have to know where to look. In the US, you can find plenty of telenovelas, news shows, sports, and kids programming on both the Univision and Telemundo networks.

Expert Tip: Call your cable provider and ask for the Latino package to get more Spanish language channel options. You’ll find the prices are comparable to your current package, but you’ll just have more Spanish exposure!

Here are 10 series you will find entertaining, addictive, and informative. Most importantly, they’ll increase your Spanish exposure and help you improve or maintain your level of fluency.

1. Celia

This series is loosely based on the life of beloved Cuban singer Celia Cruz. The characters and story will have you hooked from the first capítulo (episode), and you’ll also learn some Cuban Spanish words like asere (buddy, amigo). The accent may take getting used to, and spoiler alert: the real life romance between Celia and Pedro wasn’t nearly as colorful as presented in the series.

Note: Celia originally aired on Telemundo in 2015 and is available on Netflix at the time of this writing. I’d recommend, however, that you view the series on the Telemundo website because you’ll be able to turn on closed captioning in Spanish.

2. Ingobernable

Kate del Castillo stars in this Netflix original series, a political drama based in Mexico City. It begins with Castillo, who plays the first lady of Mexico, experiencing a shocking event that she spends the rest of the series trying to reconcile. You’ll be exposed to the Mexican accent and slang, and after the first episode I challenge you not to binge watch the whole series.

3. Narcos

Narcos is the wildly popular Netflix series about drug traffickers. Although the lead actor who plays Pablo Escobar in the first season is actually Brazilian and only learned Spanish to play the role, the series is based in Colombia. The family scenes are laughable if you’re looking for an authentic Colombian accent. Instead, you’ll hear a variety of accents from throughout Latin America, but you’ll be so into the story you won’t really care. The narration is in English but some of the scenes are in Spanish. This is about drug trafficking so it’s full of cursing and violence, but the stories about Pablo Escobar and the Cali Cartel are intriguing nonetheless.

4. Pablo Escobar, El Patrón del Mal

It’s hard to avoid the topic of drug trafficking in Latin American TV shows. But if you watch Narcos and find that you want a more in-depth, authentic take on the story you’ll want to check out this series. It’s 100% in Spanish and covers some nuances and details that Narcos does not.

5. ¿Quién fue?

This original and quirky show gives you a comical look at some of history’s most infamous figures. The series recounts stories from their lives with hilarious reenactments (picture Ben Franklin with abs of steel). Good for a laugh when you have some downtime.

6. The Cuba Libre Story

This series isn’t about rum and coke with a twist of lime. It tells you the story of Cuba’s struggle for freedom beyond Castro’s infamous 1959 revolution. I’m glad I watched this before my visit to Cuba, since it tells the country’s history from their perspective. Make sure you watch the Spanish version, although you’ll still hear English, German, and French in some of the interviews.

7. La Reina del Sur

Another series starring Kate del Castillo and based on the book by the same name, this is a critically acclaimed series.

8. El Señor de los Cielos

It’s impossible to talk about Spanish TV shows without includes some telenovelas (soap operas). Sometimes criticized for being almost exclusively Mexican with lighter-skinned actors, and overly dramatic, they are still quite popular and a cultural phenomenon that you really can’t ignore. This Mexican telenovela is about yet another drug trafficker in the post-Escobar era.

9. En Pocas Palabras

This show covers a different topic in each episode, covering everything from fad dieting to cryptocurrency.

10. Black Mirror

This series has a cult following and is originally shot in British English. Think of it as The Twilight Zone 2.0, where everything from online dating to prison is given a technological twist that will have you scratching your head. It’s such a great series, and you can watch it dubbed in Spanish. It’s actually done pretty well unlike some where the voices don’t seem to match the characters and are overly dramatic.

Caution: If you’re going to watch this (or any other show for that matter) with Spanish subtitles, be mindful that the words on the screen often won’t match the words being said by the characters. I think the creators assume that if you’re watching the show in one language, you’d only need subtitles in another language. This can be mildly annoying, but you’ll still get the general idea of the story.

10 Spanish Language Podcasts

Podcasts have engaging stories, newsworthy content, and interesting conversations. Once you’re done listening to podcasts made for language learners, check out these podcasts that are 100% in español.

If you like podcasts, you’ll want to download the iVoox app. It has a great selection of Spanish language podcasts.

1. Te Invito Un Café

I listen to this podcast every morning on my way to work. The host Robert Sasuke broadcasts a new episode every weekday morning from Santo Domingo, Dominican Republic. A psychologist and consultant, Sasuke covers a broad array of topics around self-improvement, relationships, and entrepreneurship. It’s a great way to start the day.

2. ¡Buenos días, Mundo! with host Oliver Oliva

¡Buenos días, Mundo! with host Oliver Oliva is an upbeat, energizing podcast. Topics from health to science and technology are covered in a humorous way that can make even the most dull topics intriguing.

3. DIAS EXTRAÑOS con Santiago Camacho

This podcast covers a range of interesting concepts through conversation and interviews. The host is from Spain so it will also help you get used to the European accent.

4. Somos Afrobolivianos

Alejando Guitierraz hosts this podcast the celebrates Afrolatino culture in Bolivia. It’s a dirty little secret in some parts of South America that huge populations of descendants of Africa have been suppressed and even erased from history. There is an ongoing effort to elevate and celebrate these populations.

5. Potencial Millionario

A personal finance podcast by successful Mexican entrepreneur Felix Montelara. In Dave Ramsey style, he gives practical financial tips and makes the information accessible to listeners. You’ll improve your finances and your Spanish at the same time .

6. TED Talks (Spanish)

Hear the latest Spanish-language TED talks on this podcast. TED (technology, entertainment, design) is a network of conferences where speakers discuss interesting topics that the organizers call “ideas worth spreading” in 18 minutes or less.

7. Liderazgo Hoy

This podcast is hosted by Venezuelan entrepreneur Victor Hugo Manzanilla. He draws on his experience from working in management in Proctor & Gamble and advice from well-known experts to give practical advice on leadership and professional development.

8. Conocimiento Experto

Each episode of this podcast summarizes the key concepts in books by experts. This is a good way to save yourself time and get exposed to a variety of topics. And if you want to go deeper, you can always pick up a copy of the books covered in this podcast.

9. Historias del Más Allá

If you like mysteries and scary stories, this podcast is for you. The host Rubén García Castillo announced in a tweet that after listening to this show, you won’t be able to sleep with the lights off. The show tells stories “from beyond” and he even takes callers that tell their own stories live on the show. A great pick for Halloween.

10. Radio Ambulante

Saving the best for last, Radio Ambulante is a staple among Spanish learners because it’s so language learner-friendly. Not only do they provide full transcripts of each show in English and Spanish, but they also have a Vimeo channel with videos with audio and real-time transcriptions. This podcast explores a variety of interesting topics and tells stories from throughout Latin America.

What about you?

What are some Spanish native materials you’ve used to up your ability in the language?

We’d love to hear your thoughts in the comments below!

About the author: Tamara Marie is a Certified Neurolanguage Coach and founder of SpanishConSalsa.com, a website that teaches Spanish with Latin music. Tamara is a language lover, proud mom, and self-described dance addict.  She taught herself Spanish as an adult after being frustrated with language learning in an academic setting. She trained with Efficient Language Coaching in 2016 and obtained her language coaching certification to specialize in brain-friendly methods that accelerate fluency. Tamara is from the United States and speaks English, Spanish, and has started learning Brazilian Portuguese. Tamara is a lifelong learner and loves helping people learn languages. 

The post The Ultimate List of Resources for Intermediate Spanish Learners: Books, Songs, TV Shows, and Podcasts appeared first on Eurolinguiste.

[aion-rsa]

Sky One Sci-Fi Intergalactic: ‘It’s a Road Movie Through Space’

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The time is February 2020. The place? Manchester’s Space Studios, on the extraordinary set of Intergalactic, Sky’s new sci-fi drama series. From an immersive set, cramped within the bowels of a prison ship, to concept art of stunning sci-fi landscapes, there’s nothing to remind us of a mundane present that will, only a month later, come to seem like something of a lost utopia.

Well, almost nothing. The screensaver on one of the ship’s computers bears the logo of Her Majesty’s Government. Is time travel involved, then? Nope. It’s a relic from previous work on Cobra, the Sky political drama about the collapse of British society in the aftermath of a disaster. Oddly fitting, really…

Mercifully, we come back to the future. First things first, though: this isn’t the galaxy as we know it. “We are set 150 years in the future,” explains producer Iona Vrolyk. “A meteorite has come from outer space that’s landed on Earth, bringing with it an element called new aurum, which makes something that’s currently impossible possible: intergalactic travel. There has been an ecological collapse on Earth, and with the arrival of this new element and being able to go out into the galaxies, all of the nations on Earth came together to form one global authority called the Commonworld, which was set up to revive planet Earth. So humanity’s gone off to the other planets and galaxies and has colonised, but the overriding message of and reason behind that is to bring things back and to be able to rehabilitate Earth. But, in 150 years, there’s been some corruption within that global authority.”

As any fan of the genre will agree, science fiction stands or falls on the quality of its ideas. Lucky, then, that they’ve got showrunner Julie Gearey at the helm. The creator of Prisoners’ Wives is, as Vrolyk notes, the ideal choice for a series that follows a motley crew of female prisoners on a hijacked transport ship, fleeing from an authoritarian society as they forge new bonds and strive for freedom.“She’s a brilliant character writer, and she always innately puts women and women’s stories at the front of her shows.”

That psychological depth and intensity is at the heart of Intergalactic. As Vrolyk puts it, new worlds are found through the characters as they make their way through stories built around “a very mythic structure” of escape and adventure. Producer Simon Maloney’s keen to highlight this hard-edged realism.“One of the things that Julie and Iona have put in that I really love is that if somebody gets shot in episode one, that scar stays with them the whole way through the show! The ship, the Hemlock, has degraded through the shoot itself, as it’s got gradual nicks and marks from camera people and being shot at, and that only adds to the patina of the show. Although it’s shot in this incredible world that’s been created, it’s got a real kind of humility and grittiness.”

Read more

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There’s more than a hint of the Nostromo in the transport ship’s grungy corridors, and the comparison to the 1979 classic, Alien, doesn’t faze Vrolyk. “It’s an old reference, but why not? I mean, Ridley Scott’s a genius…The original design of the Hemlock was a prison transporter ship. This is like a sweatbox for an intergalactic age. The thought behind it was, what’s going to be the most practical design for it? We didn’t want to design anything just because it would look cool. Humans will still be humans in 150 years. They’re still going to need tables, they’re not going to reinvent things they don’t need to reinvent. Also, in an age where there’s been ecological collapse on Earth, we made a decision with the design that humans were putting all of their efforts into going out into the galaxy and bringing things back. It was about being really practical. We were constantly asking questions like, “What’s its purpose? Why is it there?”

“I think a lot of science fiction can be quite shiny, quite metallic, with long corridors, and we consciously, from the beginning, said that we wanted this to feel more organic: to use shape, texture and colour an awful lot.”

Even the prisoners’ uniforms were visually significant, with Vrolyk and the art team asking themselves why inmates in US jails wear that distinctive orange. “It’s because of the visibility, so we went for a very striking turquoise and bright yellow prison uniform to try and make sure that we were bringing colour to the piece.”

Maloney highlights the contrast between the functional interiors and the incredible galaxy beyond, which evokes the sweeping vistas created by Ralph McQuarrie for the original Star Wars trilogy. “The landscape has gone big, shot in Valencia. The science park there looks completely unworldly, which has translated to give [the show’s] New London that feel. Then in episode three, there’s a sequence in some underground relief motorways that run underneath Madrid, an incredible structure. The different planets we visit in the course of the series feel like they have huge scale and colour and attention to detail, which is a really nice counterbalance to the functionality of the Hemlock.”

“We’ve got an incredible production designer, a guy called Mark Geraghty, who’s been building worlds. Quite often, we go out and find a location, but you have to adapt it so much that in the end, it’s just better if Mark builds it! There’s an action sequence at the end of episode five – we looked and looked and looked for a location for a snowy planet.” They “snowed up” a house but ended up building a set for the action sequence itself. “It’s a constant battle between letting Mark go,” Maloney says with a laugh, “and things that we can find on location.”

As for the nuts and bolts of this brave new world, they haven’t tried to reinvent the wheel, as Vrolyk emphasises. “Guns still have bullets! Dr Maggie Aderin-Pocock, who’s a BBC presenter and an eminent astrophysicist, has helped us with the research on the show. One of the things when Julie and I first sat down to do this was that yeah, we love watching sci-fi, but we’ve never actually worked on it.”

Their scientific adviser has been a treasure and was thanked with a well-deserved cameo in some “archive” footage that features in the show. “She’s been amazing and phenomenally helpful in terms of coming up with science fiction at the heart of our show that, whilst it’s obviously fiction, [ensures] that, if this element existed, it’d be consistent with the rules of science. The way we travel intergalactically in our show is through something called the Alcubierre drive. That’s named after [theoretical physicist] Miguel Alcubierre who’s come up with the theory that, if one could generate negative mass, it could be possible without defying the laws of relativity to travel intergalactically.”

Ultimately, though, it’s all about the characters, and their journey’s become more relatable than ever. As they run for freedom in the face of overwhelming odds, we’ll be cheering them on. In our world or in theirs, it’s time for a fresh start. 

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All eight episodes of Sky One’s Intergalactic will be available to stream on NOW from Friday the 30th of April.

The post Sky One Sci-Fi Intergalactic: ‘It’s a Road Movie Through Space’ appeared first on Den of Geek.

from Den of Geek https://ift.tt/2QD5BAv

[lavadog]

Coco - Time Travel

You know, for as happy as things turned out in the movie, I can’t help but wonder how Miguel would handle it if he was somehow forced to go back in time and relive that fateful Día de los Muertos. You would think the obvious answer would be that he’d try to follow the original course of events as closely as possible, because everything turned out fine that way. Except, the way things originally went they cut it very, VERY close. Miguel was an inch away from being trapped in the Land of the Dead forever, and Hector was nearly forgotten. And even ignoring that, there were several other things that could have gone wrong the first time around that could go wrong this time around. 

The best case scenario for Miguel here is probably if he manages to go back in time before Elena smashed his homemade guitar. Knowing what he knows now, it would simply be a matter of Miguel sneaking the guitar to Coco and playing Remember Me for her right away. That way, Miguel is never put in danger in the Land of the Dead, and Hector’s stories are passed down with time to spare so that Hector won’t be in danger of being forgotten. Plus, he’d actually be able to visit his daughter once before she died. But while Miguel not going to the Land of the Dead this time around wouldn't really affect getting the family ban on music lifted, the lack of confrontation where his guitar got smashed that subsequently lead to him going missing for the entire night might. His family was undoubtably very worried when he went missing for so long without any of them being able to find him, and they were also undoubtably guilty about how they mishandled the situation that lead to Miguel running away in the first place. This worry and guilt might have affected how willing they were to listen to Miguel after the fact, but even if it didn’t, Miguel would still have to carefully engineer the situation so that (1) Elena’s heart is still softened towards music by its help in restoring Coco’s memories, and (2) his family is still willing to put Hector’s photo back on the ofrenda so that he can visit Coco and listen to/remember Coco’s stories about Hector so that Miguel doesn’t replace Coco as the sole keeper of Hector’s memory. 

Of course, in doing this the safe way, Miguel would also forced to make a few sacrifices, the main one being that Hector would no longer know Miguel personally, and that the relationship they developed over the course of the film would be gone. The rest of them being things that, while they certainly wouldn’t happen right away, could/would still eventually happen. Those things being (1) Dante’s transformation into an alebrije (Which would undoubtably still happen like it did to Pepita, who was Imelda’s cat in life), (2) Ernesto being exposed as a fraud and a murderer in the Land of the Dead (Miguel wouldn’t have been able to use his adventures in the Land of the Dead in the first place, and he still has everything he had at his disposal the first time around to destroy Ernesto’s reputation in the Living world, which would eventually carry over to the Land of the Dead), and (3) Hector’s reconciliation with Imelda (The possibility is still there because she’d have to interact with him when he visited Coco, and now that he’ll survive after Coco’s death, Coco would probably make an effort to get them back together after she dies. Though Miguel would have no way of knowing what happened until he died himself). But as sad as this might make Miguel, I think Miguel would undoubtably be willing to make the sacrifice, because he’s learned that family comes first, and he wouldn’t be willing to risk family just for a faster happy ending. 

But the real complication in this Time Travel scenario would come from Miguel going back in time to the point just after he was cursed. Because if he goes back in time to after his guitar is smashed but before he gets cursed, he could maybe still go back and at least sing to Coco to get her to remember, but now he has no other choice but to go the Land of the Dead again. He can’t just accept Imelda’s blessing right away, because no music means no singing as well as no guitar, and he'd have no way of keeping Hector from being forgotten. He can’t just go to Hector and tell him he’s his great-great Grandpa right away so can I please have a blessing condition free, because he’d have no way of explaining how he knew they were related (He could possibly lie and say that Coco told him and showed him a picture of Hector so that Miguel could recognize him, but then that would bring into question why he didn’t put the photo up and Hector might very well go along with whatever conditions Imelda has because there’d be no reason for him not to and he wouldn’t want Miguel to make his mistakes, and that would again mean Miguel has no way of helping Coco remember). 

From there, he could try to go follow the original course of events because he doesn’t have much of a choice at this point, but I’m pretty sure he’d rather gargle rocks than tell his real great-great Grandpa Hector that Ernesto is his great-great Grandpa, and I don’t think he’d be able to pretend to adore Ernesto again, let alone repeat all those hurtful words that he dished out in the final leg of making it to Ernesto. And he’d be putting Hector and himself in danger again in more ways than one. 

So the only real option he’d have left is to manipulate the whole situation so that it stops conveniently letting both Hector and Miguel narrowly miss all clues that they are actually related until the cenote scene. If he’s careful, this reveal would happen after Miguel and Hector have had a chance to bond, but before reaching Ernesto, and give Miguel the reason/purpose he needs to be able to defend Hector from Imelda (Hector still screwed up leaving. There is no denying this. But he DID try to make up for his mistakes and he did try to come home) and get her to listen to Hector, and to get them to rally behind figuring out how to get Hector remembered again, and not just able to see Coco one more time before he fades away. 

It’s all pretty interesting to think about. 

[teenwolfpotential]

Season 4 Sterek: Scenes & Dialogue

Purpose: To identify and catalog all the direct and indirect Sterek interactions in season 4 of Teen Wolf.

Notes:

“Stiles Talking” or “Derek Talking” indicate only one person is present in the scene while the other is talked about or referenced with an image

if not labeled that, a scene incudes Stiles and Derek directly interacting

names for each scene are how the scenes are tagged on my blog, if a scene has a “/” it’s because there are tags relating to different parts of the scene

“…” indicates a scene jump or unrelated dialogue that’s been cut out

() have been added to clarify unheard actions in a scene that affect the dialogue or to clarify the presence/awareness of Derek or Stiles throughout the scene

dialogue source is http://transcripts.foreverdreaming.org/viewforum.php?f=137, episodes were watched to clarify in some cases

Ep 1: The Dark Moon

Stiles Talking: Poor Conversationalist

Lydia: We're here for Derek Hale. 

Araya: Is that so? 

Lydia: We know you have him. We've heard you can be bought. 

Stiles: It's 50,000 for Derek.

...

Araya: Grief and loss, mija. I wonder why, when you and your friends have suffered so much loss, you would risk it again for someone like Derek Hale. 

Stiles: 'Cause we don't like to lose.

...

Stiles: Aaaa... Come on. Just give us Derek. You don't want him anyway. Haven't you noticed what a downer he is? No sense of humor, poor conversationalist. Just come on, take the money. 

Araya: Severo? Show them how the Calaveras negotiate.

Stiles Talking: Derek Texts

Stiles: Ok, so how long has it been? 

Scott: Weeks. He hasn't gotten back to any of my texts. 

Stiles: Has Derek ever returned your texts? 

Scott: Once. Definitely once. But this time it felt different. So I went to the loft. The alarm was on. Everything looked okay. But then I found these. So I sent a picture of it to Deaton. He said that it's the mark of a family of hunters based out of Mexico. The Calaveras. 

Lydia: What would they want with Derek? 

Stiles: You don't think they killed him, do you? 

Scott: I... I don't know. That's why you're here.

...

Stiles: Lydia, what? Is he dead? 

Lydia: No. But I'm not sure he's alive either. 

Scott: What does that mean? 

Lydia: I don't know. There's something not right. I just... I don't know. 

Stiles: So if the Calaveras have him, how do we find them? 

Scott: Mexico.

Stiles Talking: Kate’s Impossible

Kira: But if the Calaveras don't know where Derek is, that means they didn't take him from the loft. Right? 

Stiles: Maybe he left on his own. 

Scott: Maybe someone else got to him.

...

Scott: Kate. 

Stiles: That's impossible. It's impossible. That can't be what he said. 

Malia: Why? Who... who's Kate? 

Stiles: She's a hunter. An Argent.

...

Stiles: So what now? 

Scott: She thinks she knows where we can find Derek. 

Malia: She gonna tell us where? 

Scott: Uh, actually, she's giving us a guide.

Stiles Talking: Kate Killed His Family

Malia: Okay, I'll ask. Who's Kate Argent? 

Kira: Uh, I'd like to know, too. 

Stiles: Well, we were at her funeral. So, I'd like to know how she got out of a casket that was buried six feet underground. 

Scott: She was never in it. 

Lydia: She was Allison's aunt. And a total sociopath. 

Kira: You don't have to talk about it now if you don't want to. 

Malia: Um, yes, he does. 

Scott: Yeah, she's right. You guys should know. You need to know. 

Stiles: All right. Kate was the one who set the fire that killed most of Derek's family.

Scott: Some of them survived, like Cora, and Peter. 

Lydia: A very angry Peter.

Scott: Yeah, he's the one who bit and turned me. 

Lydia: And the one who finally caught up to Kate and killed her.

Stiles: And we saw her buried. 

Scott: No. We saw a casket, remember? She wasn't in it. The Calaveras heard that Kate had been killed by an Alpha's claws. They wanted to make sure she was really dead. Her body was healing. More and more, as she got closer to a full moon. She was coming back. So they switched out the bodies. If a hunter is bit, they have to take their own life before they change. The Calaveras, they treat the code like law. They make it their responsibility to enforce it. 

Stiles Talking: Someone Find Derek

Braeden: What happened? 

Stiles: I don't know. It felt like we hit something. 

Braeden: Scott, we need to get there by night. It's too dangerous otherwise. 

Stiles: Go. 

Scott: Not without you. 

Stiles: Dude, someone needs to find Derek. We'll figure something out. We always do. Just go.

Scott: Okay

Young Derek

Malia: Is that him? Is that Derek? 

Stiles: Uh, sort of.

Ep 2: 117

So Not Ok With This

Deaton: Wow. 

Stiles: Wow? Wow as in, "I've seen this before and I know exactly what to do," kind of wow? 'Cause that's the kind of wow we were hoping for. 

Deaton: I think you might be overestimating my abilities. 

Lydia: He's cold. Really cold. 

Scott: Do you think this is permanent? 

Deaton: I'm not sure a medical diagnosis is even adequate. This is well beyond my experience. 

Stiles: So what do we do with him? 

Deaton: Until he wakes up. Probably not much. It might be best to leave him with me. He'll be safe here. 

Stiles: You mean from Kate? 

Deaton: If she's alive and she is what you say she is, she won't be able to walk past that gate. 

Lydia: Why would she want do this to him? 

Deaton: Knowing Kate, it's probably for a reason that won't be any good for anyone but her.

Stiles: And bad for everyone else. 

Deaton: You guys should probably go home. He doesn't look to be in any danger. So maybe the rest of you should get some sleep? It is a school night... And you all need to start taking care of your own lives again. 

Scott: Someone should stay with you. 

Lydia: I'll stay. My grades are fine... despite missing a few classes. 

Stiles: I'm so not okay with this. 

Lydia: Guys, go. 

Stiles: No. 

Scott: Text us if anything happens. 

Stiles: Nope, still not okay with it. Not going anywhere. All right, just 'cause you're stronger...

Stiles Talking: No Memory

Deaton: I don't think he's just younger in body. I think he's younger in his mind too. 

Lydia: He didn't recognize either of us. And he looked like he was scared out of his mind. 

Stiles: So if you're a teenage werewolf and you're scared, where do you go? 

Scott: A wolf goes back to its den. But Derek lives in a loft. 

Stiles: Not when he was a teenager. 

Lydia: The Hale House? 

Deaton: He wouldn't remember the fire. It wouldn't have happened yet. 

Lydia: Hold on. Say you do manage to catch up to him? What are you going to say to him? That his whole family is dead? 

Scott: I guess I'm going to have to. 

Lydia: Oh... Good luck with that. 

Stiles: She's probably right. Maybe you shouldn't. You know, at least until we figure out how to get him back to normal. 

Scott: I can't lie to him. 

Stiles: Okay, I'll do it. 

Scott: I don't think any of us can. Remember, he can hear a heartbeat rising. When we find him, we tell him the truth. 

Deaton: If he gets to the house first, you won't have to.

Stiles Talking: Time Traveling

Sheriff: I'll handle this. I want you to be honest with me. Absolutely and completely honest. Have you been time traveling? 

Stiles: Hang on, what? 

Sheriff: Because if time traveling is real, you know what? I'm done. I'm out. You're going to be driving me to Eichen House. 

Scott: We found him like that. 

Sheriff: Where? Swimming in the fountain of youth? 

Stiles: No. We found him buried in a tomb of wolfsbane in an Aztec temple in Mexico underneath a church in the middle of a town that was destroyed by an earthquake.

Where’s My Family

Derek: Why would I go anywhere with you? 

Scott: There was an accident. You lost some memory, but we can help you get it back. 

Derek: How much memory? 

Scott: A lot. But you can trust us. 

Derek: You're an Alpha. Okay, who are you? And who is he? Who are you? 

Stiles: Oh, we're the guys keeping you out of jail. 

Scott: Let us help you. 

Derek: No. 

Stiles: Okay, dude, you almost tore apart two cops back there. You need to listen to us. And that starts with no fangs, no claws, no wolf man. You got that? 

Derek: I'm fine as long as it's not on a full moon. 

Scott: You still have trouble with the full moon? 

Derek: I said I'm fine. 

Stiles: All right, you coming with us or not? 

Derek: You want me to trust you? Where's my family? 

Scott: There was a fire. And... They're not here anymore. They're fine. Just had to move out of Beacon Hills. And we're going to take you to them as soon as we figure out how to get your memories back.

Stiles Talking: Ass is Fine

Scott: I shouldn't have done that. I lied my ass off. 

Stiles: Hey, your ass is fine. You saved him a ton of unnecessary pain. We'll figure this out in a day or two, he goes back to being old Derek, everyone's happy. Except for Derek, who's never happy. 

Scott: It's just another person that we're lying to. I always feel like it's always been better when we tell the truth. With Lydia, my mom, your dad. 

Stiles: Yeah, but that is Derek Hale in there. He may be a kid right now, but he's still Derek Hale. 

Scott: All right. Take him to my house and don't let him out of your sight.

Stiles: And where are you going? 

Scott: I'm going to go talk to the guy we should have gone to before. 

Stiles: Uh... Yeah, I hate that guy.

My Cousin Miguel (Young Derek) / Spanish

Stiles: We're going to wait here for Scott. We're going to sit quietly. We're not going to call or talk to anyone. 

Derek: Do I talk to you? 

Stiles: No. 

Derek: Fine. 

Stiles: Good. 

Derek: Who's going to talk to him? 

Stiles: Ah! Are you getting taller?

 Agent Mccall: What are you guys doing here? 

Derek: We're waiting for Scott. 

Agent Mccall: Yeah, so am I. We're supposed to have dinner. I brought extra. You guys hungry? 

Derek: Yeah. 

Stiles: No. We're not hungry. 

Derek: No, I'm starving. 

Stiles: Neither of us are hungry. Thanks, though. 

Agent Mccall: Okay, well if you're not hungry, Stiles, your friend can still eat with us. What's your name? 

Stiles: Miguel. My cousin Miguel. From Mexico. So... 

Agent Mccall: (SPEAKING SPANISH) 

Stiles: Oh my God. 

Derek: (SPEAKING SPANISH)

Agent Mccall: Fantastic. Egg roll? 

Derek: Hell, yeah.

...

Agent Mccall: So, uh, Miguel. What did you say your last name was again? 

Stiles: Oh, it's Juarez. Cinqua... Tiago. 

Agent Mccall: That's a mouthful. How do you spell that? 

Stiles: Phonetically. 

Derek: Mr. McCall, you're an FBI agent? 

Stiles: He's low level. Very low level. He doesn't even have a voice. 

Derek: So do you investigate murders? 

Agent Mccall: Sometimes. When it's a federal crime. 

Derek: What about fires? 

Stiles: Oh my God, I wonder where Scott is. Shouldn't Scott be here by now? We should call Scott. 

Agent Mccall: What kind of fires are you talking about?

Derek: Do you know anything about the Hale family?

Wall Scene Redux

Stiles: Okay, I didn't lie. I omitted certain truths. Vital truths now that I think about it. 

Derek: I don't want to talk to you. I want to talk to the Alpha. I'll talk to Scott. 

Stiles: Okay. I'm going to go get him. My phone's downstairs. Going to call him real quick. You stay here, just don't move, okay? Don't move. Don't... I thought you...

Stiles Talking: Out the Window

Stiles: No, he's in your bedroom, he'll be totally fine. To be honest, I'm starting to miss the old Derek. So, if you actually think that Kate's coming to find him... You might be right.

Ep 3: Muted

Stiles Talking (maybe?): Muted Board 

Stiles: Okay... I promised I'd help you study. Then we can go back to that. Lots of that. Like, so much... What's with all the highlighters anyway? 

Malia: Green is for the things I understand. Yellow, is for "I'm working on it," and... Red means I have no clue. I am mostly using red.

(Malia explains her highlighter system ending with red, Stiles looks at his half-dismantled crime board that has his similar colored thread system, a picture of Derek is the most visible with red thread, Stiles turns forward again and smiles for a moment, he turns to kiss Malia)

Ep 4: The Benefactor

Stiles Talking: Stealing Lines

Stiles: Liam, hey! Scott: We need to talk. 

Liam: No, you need to back the hell up, okay? Both of you. 

Scott: Can you just listen for one second. Please? Liam... We're brothers now. 

Liam: What? 

Stiles: Oh, God. That's... 

Liam: What are you talking about? We just met and you bit me. 

Scott: The bite... The bite is a gift. 

Stiles: Scott, stop. Please stop. You, you, we're trying to help you, you little runt.

Ep 5: I.E.D.

Stiles Talking: Murder Review

Stiles: So, the Walcott's were the first. At least the first that we know about. Four murders. Sean, his brother, and their parents. They were killed by a professional assassin called The Mute. Weapon of choice, a military tomahawk. But then The Mute was killed by Peter Hale after he tried to blow up Derek with a Claymore mine. Next was Demarco. He delivered a keg to the party at Lydia's lake house. And got decapitated outside his car.

...

Stiles: And then last night, 23-year-old Carrie Hudson. 

Scott: It's a dead pool. A hit list of supernatural creatures. This is only part of it. The rest still has to be decoded.

Ep 6: Orphaned

Werewolf Strength

Stiles: What the hell is happening to this kid? 

Deaton: He's been poisoned by a rare wolfsbane. I need to make an incision and you need to hold him as still as possible. 

Stiles: Hey, Derek, how about a little werewolf strength? 

Derek: Yeah, I'm not the only one here with werewolf strength. 

Deaton: If you can't hold him still, the incision might kill him. 

Stiles: Derek, he's slipping. I don't think I can hold him. Ah! 

Peter: I guess I still have a little werewolf strength myself. 

Derek: Yeah, maybe more than a little. 

Stiles: Hey, Doc, I don't think he's breathing. Is he okay?

Deaton: I think he'll be fine, but probably out for a while. 

Stiles: Guys, can you hear that? I think he's saying something. 

Brett: The sun... The moon... The truth... The sun... The moon... The truth... 

Deaton: Three things cannot long be hidden. The sun, the moon, and the truth. It's Buddhist.

Peter: Satomi

Derek Talking: Hyperactive Spaz

Malia: Maybe we need to try something different. Maybe we need to think like Stiles. 

Derek: Like a hyperactive spaz? 

Malia: Like a detective. If they're really Buddhists, then maybe instead of asking where werewolves hide, we should be asking... 

Derek: Where would Buddhists hide. When Buddha sat under the Bodhi tree, he looked to the east for enlightenment. 

Malia: Is there some kind of eastern point in Beacon Hills? Derek: Yeah. At Lookout Point.

Stiles Talking: Deadpool Key

Stiles: Okay, well, we know one thing. Both of the first two keys, Allison and Aiden, they're both names of the dead. Right? 

Lydia: But we've already tried every other dead person's name we could think of. And if you haven't noticed, there were a lot of tries. 

Stiles: Yeah, I noticed. You okay? 

Lydia: The only other Banshee I've ever met. And I think I might have just drove her over the edge. 

Stiles: Lydia, it wasn't your fault. I was there, too. And you're probably not the only... Hold on. Banshees predict death. Right? So what if the third key is someone who isn't dead... 

Lydia: But will be... Call Parrish. We need to call Parrish.

Ep 7: Weaponized

Stiles Talking: Peter’s Money

Stiles: It's half a million dollars. Scott. What are you going to do, just slide it under your mattress? 

Scott: I have to talk to Derek. The money's his. 

Stiles: You mean his and Peter's. 

Scott: What does that mean? 

Stiles: It means maybe we should proceed with caution. 

Scott: You don't think we should tell Derek? 

Stiles: No. No. No, of course we have to tell him. I'm just... I'm just saying, some of that money's Peter's, right? 

Scott: Yeah. 

Stiles: Right? Peter. Homicidal killer? Remember? You want to give $500,000 to him. 

Scott: So we should give Derek his money back. But not Peter? 

Stiles: I didn't say that. 

Scott: Stiles, what are you saying?

Stiles Talking: Satomi’s Pack

Malia: We found Satomi's pack. Derek and I. But they're dead. 

Scott: All of them? 

Malia: All the ones we found. 

Stiles: Then where's Derek?

Derek Talking: School Quarantine

Derek: What's that? 

Melissa: Naloxone. We need to wake her up. 

Derek: I thought you said she needed to rest. 

Melissa: That was before I found out the CDC just put the high school under quarantine with Scott and Stiles still in there.

Melissa: Braeden, look at me. You were shot, but you're in the hospital now and you're fine. Do you understand? Good. Okay. Last night you were in the woods and you came across another pack? Do you know what happened to them? 

Derek: I told you, they were poisoned. 

Braeden: No. No, they were infected. It was a virus designed to kill werewolves. It did. It killed them all.

...

Derek: I have to get to the school.

Satomi: What about the others at Lookout Point?

Ep 8: Time of Death

Stiles Talking: Evidence Board

Stiles: Hey. Where have you been? 

Malia: Talking to Peter. 

Stiles: Okay. You think that's a good idea?

Malia: If he can help me find my mother, I don't think I care. 

Stiles: You might be related to him, but you're not like him. 

Malia: Maybe I am. That night I caused the car crash... 

Stiles: You mean when you were out-of-control on the full moon. 

Malia: There's a part I didn't tell you about. Right before we got in the car, my mother... My adoptive mother, I guess... We got into a huge fight. I don't even remember what it was about, but... I remember what I said. 

Stiles: Malia. 

Malia: I said, "I wish you were all dead." 

Stiles: Killing doesn't run in a family. 

Malia: Maybe it does in mine.

(Malia puts the deadpool sheet with Derek’s name as the key up on the murder board with red tape before leaving, Stiles stares at the board with the camera zooming towards Derek’s name on the sheet)

Ep 10: Monstrous

Derek Talking (Scott talking to Derek): Stopping Deadpool

Braeden: Scott, you heard anything from Stiles or Lydia yet? 

Scott: Lydia's still talking to Meredith. Stiles and Malia are headed to the lake house. They're trying to stop it. 

Brett: What if there is no stopping it? What if it doesn't end until we're all dead? 

Derek: Then let's send a message. Let's make something perfectly clear to anyone with a copy of that list. It doesn't matter if they're professional assassins, hunters, or an amateur who just picked up a gun. Anyone who thinks they can hunt and kill us for money, is gonna be put on another list. Our list. They get to be a name on our dead pool.

Ep 11: A Promise to the Dead

Date Kidnap

Stiles: What the hell happened? 

Derek: It was supposed to be a date. 

Sheriff: They were both here? 

Braeden: And they're both gone.

Ep 12: Smoke and Mirrors

We Really Bringing Him

Derek: We really bringing him? 

Stiles: We really bringing him? 

Peter: We're bringing everyone that we can. And considering Scott and Kira were taken the night before a full moon, we should probably get going. 

Malia: What's that mean? 

Peter: If Kate took Scott back to the same temple that she took Derek, how do we know she's not planning to do the same thing to him? 

Liam: What, she wants to make him younger? 

Derek: Or take him back to when he wasn't a werewolf. 

Peter: A werewolf can't steal a true Alpha's power. But maybe a Nagual jaguar, with the power of Tezcatlipoca behind her... Maybe she can. So, if everyone is sufficiently freaked out, I say we get going. 

Stiles: We can't. Not without Lydia. 

...

Derek: What's she doing at the school anyway? 

Malia: We got Kira's sword, but we need something with a stronger scent. Lydia went to get a jacket out of her locker. 

Stiles: Nothing. 

Braeden: If she has a car, she can catch up to us. 

Peter: That's a good point. We'll call from the road. 

Stiles: No. What if something happened? What if she's in trouble? 

Peter: Fine. You stay, you find her. We're gonna go on without you. 

Liam: I could call Mason. He has a study group at school. Maybe he could look for her. 

Stiles: All right. Fine. I need to be back there with Derek and Liam. I've got some experience dealing with out of control teen wolves. You'll be okay riding with Peter? 

Malia: He is my father.  Maybe we could do some bonding. 

Stiles: No. No bonding. Play the radio, play it loud. 

Peter: Remember what we're dealing with. It's not just Kate, it's Berserkers. You might see human eyes behind those skulls. Do not assume that there's any humanity left. Oh. This little one is terrified of them, aren't you? Don't worry, my friend. It is that fear that will keep you alive. A reminder to everyone. You do not fight Berserkers to survive, you fight to kill.

Mexico Van

Derek: All good? Okay. I brought something to help you. This has been with my family for centuries. It's a very powerful, supernatural talisman. We use it to teach Betas how to control themselves on a full moon. 

Stiles: Yes, it's powerful. Very powerful.

...

Liam: Whatever you’re gonna teach me, I think you better start.

... 

Derek: Liam, you with me? We have a mantra that we use. You repeat it, you focus on the words. It's like meditating. You say the words until you feel control coming back to you. 

Liam: Okay. Okay, okay! What are the words?

Derek: Okay, look at the triskelion. See the symbol? I have a tattoo on my back, it's the same thing. Each spiral means something. 

Stiles: Alpha, Beta, Omega. 

Derek: It represents the idea that we can always rise to one and fall back to another. Betas can become Alphas. 

Stiles: Alphas can become Betas. 

Liam: Can Alphas become Omegas? 

Derek: All you have to do is say the three words. And with each one, you tell yourself you're getting calmer, more in control. Go ahead. 

Liam: Alpha, Beta... 

Derek: Slower. 

Liam: Alpha... Beta... Omega... Alpha... Beta... Omega... 

Derek: Good. Say it again. Remember, every time you say the words, you're getting calmer. 

Liam: Alpha, Beta... Omega. 

Derek: Say it again. 

Stiles: Derek, I don't think the powerful talisman of self control is working. 

Derek: Liam, say it again! Liam! 

Braeden: Derek? 

Stiles: I think we're gonna need to go a little faster. 

Derek: Keep going!  Liam! Liam... 

Braeden: We're almost there.

...

Stiles: Focus!  I really don't think Alpha, Beta, Omega is resonating with him. 

Derek: You know any other mantras? 

Stiles: Yeah. I do. Liam, Liam. What three things cannot long be hidden? Liam! Liam, look at me. What three things cannot long be hidden?  What three things?

Liam: The sun... the moon... the truth. 

Stiles: That's it. Say it again. 

Liam: The sun... the moon... the truth. 

Braeden: Derek? 

Derek: We're okay. 

Liam: The sun... the moon... the truth.

...

Liam: I can't believe I did it. For a minute there, I thought I was gonna tear the two of you apart. 

Stiles: Yeah. That would've made for an awkward ride home. So, thanks. 

Derek: Think you can bring the same level of control and strength inside La Iglesia? 

Stiles: Alright, we might actually be able to do this.

Save Him

Peter: How bad is it?

Derek: I'm fine, I'm fine. Just get to Scott. Just find him. 

Derek: We'll be right behind you. Go. Go! 

Derek: Hey, hey, save him.

Goodbye for Now

(Stiles comes up to join Scott, all of Malia, Liam, Scott, and Kira end up looking at Stiles almost at the same time with no dialogue, the scene cuts to Derek nodding at Scott and leaving with no wide shot to show if anyone else is still standing there)

[sassycabs]

Game Of Thrones S8, E3

There will not be a show with the same gravitas, impact, and scale as Game of Thrones for a very long time. This show has changed the way battles are shot and directed, the way dialogue can have layers and layers of subtext (although this is mostly thanks to GRRM’s writing), and the way different actors’ chemistry are showed on screen as their characters. That being said, fuck this episode.

Here I outline all the arguments I keep having with myself, after reading reviews and Reddit threads, and watching numerous 30-minute analysis videos. And no, I still don’t know exactly how I feel. Betrayed, yes. Dissatisfied, yes. But is this the end for me? No, I want to know if my dissatisfaction is only a hurdle I need to cross to end up with a great sense of relief and pleasure for what’s about to come in the last three episodes.

Of course, all information and assumptions are based on the TV series since I’ve never read the books, and whatever information I’ve gathered about/pertaining to the books, I researched only online. I’m a med student, okay, as much as I want to, I have no time, energy, or patience to read books anymore.

Visuals and Direction

Miguel Sapochnik and Fabian Wagner don’t dissapoint. As the director and cinematographer for both Hardhome and Battle Of The Bastards, we knew to have high expectations and they were met -- sure. Yes, the entire episode was dark and dimly lit, but it is called “The Long Night.” It may be annoying but it’s seriously one of the lesser sins of this episode.

The direction is also obviously inspired by other apocalyptic/zombie films, TV shows, and maybe even games. Of course people will never forget to compare it to Helm’s Deep, which is way, way above this episode’s league; this episode is not even in the top three battles in the entire series. But you can also see some instances of World War Z, The Walking Dead, hell, even The Last Of Us. Arya’s scene in the library? The Last Of Us underground train station vibes.

Overall, the visuals were great--not the greatest, and not even as great as some people say it is, but still, I doubt any other pair of people could achieve what was done.

Addressing and Justifying Everything That Happened

We have to start with the big picture: why and how is the Night King already dead? Yes, he’s and his army of the dead have been hyped up, foreshadowed, and talked about by every single character in the series and we’ve established that they are the biggest threat to humanity itself. But, just as everyone else who isn’t from or hasn’t gone to the North is asking, what’s his deal anyway? Well, most people, myself included have forgotten that one scene from Season 6 when Bran finds out that the Night King was made by the Children to defend themselves from Men. Obviously, as we know now, that didn’t really work out as they planned. The Children and the First Men ended up joining together to keep the Night King away into the North of the Wall/“Lands Of Always Winter”. So after all the hype and the theories, the bad guy really is just some bad guy: something made to defend but ended up becoming an evil that wants to take over the world (Ultron, is that you?). So where does that leave us? Apparently, back to giving a shit about who sits on the Iron Throne.

It isn’t a secret that GRRM is deeply inspired by LOTR, and after reading more about it, you’ll find out that his favorite part of the story is the Scouring of the Shire: 

I love the way he ended ’Lord of the Rings.’ It ends with victory, but it’s a bittersweet victory. Frodo is never whole again, and he goes away to the Undying Lands, and the other people live their lives. And the scouring of the Shire —brilliant piece of work, which I didn’t understand when I was 13 years old: ’Why is this here? The story’s over?’ But every time I read it I understand the brilliance of that segment more and more.

So GRRM’s leaning towards this type of ending: bittersweet. The heroes win, we literally defeat death and save humanity, but people still end up squabbling over stupid things like... who gets to be the big boy/girl sitting on the Iron Throne. Really, it could be great and I have little doubt that this is the outline GRRM gave to D&D on how to end the series.

Lastly for this portion, of course Arya kills the Night King. In Deep Geek explains all the reasons why better than I ever will. But since I started lurking in Reddit threads, she’s always been my best bet to kill the Night King and I’m glad she did. Having Dany or Jon do it does not do anything for their character, not even for any prophecy. Dany and Jon’s story arcs have been moving towards gaining responsibility, power, and respect of people--in two contrasting ways (that will warrant its own rant on itself) and killing the Night King doesn’t add any value to their character’s progression. Dany is on a quest for the Iron Throne and as we now know, this is just a side quest for her. Jon has also been on the path to the same power and importance, all unknown to him, but he earned it just as much as Dany, and I would go as far to say that he’s earned a lot more Throne Points™ than she has. But what does killing NK do anything for their ascent to power? How does it play against what has happened and what they’ve learned so far in the story? Dany and Jon have been focusing on doing what they think is best for the living; what they haven’t learned about is fighting, killing, or death. I think Battle of the Bastards and The Long Night battle tactics are enough of an argument for us to know that’s true; so thank you Stark Sisters for saving their asses on both occasions. As Ideas of Ice and Fire puts it, Arya’s journey has always been about death and defeating it. If I go on any more about Arya, I’d just be retelling what IOIAF already said, so just watch the damn video.

Now that we know what we’re talking about, let’s now argue why it’s all wrong.

Me Complaining For 7 Paragraphs Straight

For years now, we’ve been building up the story that the White Walkers and the Night King are the biggest threat to Westeros’ humanity and I’m not gonna lie, along with the rest of the fan base, I’m really disappointed. After learning about the Scouring of the Shire, yes, I feel the bittersweet-ness of it now and I hate it. I guess I’m still the 13-year-old GRRM asking, “Is this really it?” I said this is probably the outline GRRM gave to D&D, and I’m open to accepting it only I’m not convinced this is exactly how he meant to play it out. All GRRM gave was an outline; as someone who has been trying to figure out how to end the books, he probably doesn’t have it all figured out himself, how could we expect the showrunners to know? And that’s the problem.

Despite GRRM being inspired by Tolkien’s work, are we really expecting an exact copy paste of the formula? This, I doubt. And I’m gonna say it now: yes, I agree that the writing of Game of Thrones has suffered tremendously since they ran out of book to copy-paste dialogue and pacing from. Just watching Robert and Ned’s conversation on The Kingsroad from Season 1 will show you how incredibly different and layered even simple dialogue is and how it still pays off even now. The problem is that GRRM’s writing had set down rules and pacing that the fans of the show have grown to love, and delivering a payoff to 6 Seasons (yes, six!) of build-up with just 6 expensive episodes does not give the story and even the characters any justice. So yes, this may really be the checkmate ending to A Song Of Ice And Fire, but no, this is probably not exactly how the pieces will move in the books.

I’m still dumbfounded by the fact that the evil was defeated so easily, by some sneak attack, and we’re left to Scour Westeros, with dragonfire instead of ice. We already know the people are afraid of the dragons; but they will never know about the reality that the dead literally rose with the arm raise of an ice man, that they can dampen dragonfire suddenly like they’re wet pieces of cloths, and that they can take seven seasons to get to The Wall but only three episodes to get from The Wall to Winterfell. All this will just be another Northern folktale to the hard-headed Southeners. To have this “great evil” be defeated so easily and have what is now majority of the humans in Westeros think so little of our “heroes” because this threat never even met the horizon for them feels like it missed the purpose of being the evil that it is. The people in the North have been warning the world about this threat, and it came--for them, but it didn’t come to those who it would have mattered.

We could say that Cersei was the greater evil after all, but now that the evil has been defeated, what does she have against two dragons, invincible characters, and her own brother/lover? She has nothing left but sell swords and a pirate. The story could have moved forward the way GRRM had outlined it, but there are too many cracks popping up in a story that started out air-tight and it’s impossible to just turn a blind eye just because you loved the beginning. There’s a reason why GRRM is taking so long to write: he’s been building a world that has rules, with characters whose actions have consequences.

As a show that was released in the same speck of time as Endgame, I can’t help but feel like GoT is out of touch with the standards fans have with the stories showrunners and filmmakers get to tell. We can argue that, yes, Thanos is not the most complex villain out there, but his brand of villain has deviated from the cookie-cutter villains previous films have been feeding to us. Watching GoT after watching a year’s worth of great TV shows and films with the most exceptional writing and direction that has ever been shown in history (i.e. The Good Place, Into The Spiderverse, Eighth Grade), it feels like this show has just turned into pulp and fan-service. 

I’ve always been a firm believer in asking more from these big companies that are the moving blocks for the type of entertainment that is readily available to us. We as fans deserve better than feeling good that our favorite character didn’t die, or even worse, having the ease to recline on our chairs and know they won’t. Most of the best stories don’t end up making us feel relieved, they make us question characters’ motives and actions; they induce our critical thinking skills. We deserve to come out of a theater or to put down our laptop and have some sense of introspection, even just for five minutes. The development of the first four seasons made us feel this way: for Jaime, Olenna, Sansa, Tyrion, Jon, and many others. Now the story just feels as if it’s just moving towards the plot goal rather than individual characters’ actions driving the collective story forward.

It could take me all day to rant about Dany and Jon’s battle tactics, despite having some of the best military minds in their group of heroes, or how the plot armor is so thick right now Rhaegal and Drogon are still lost in it, or even just the physiology of Wights (how did they go from walking like glaciers to Usain Bolt after season 7?). But all of these complaints are already everywhere online, you just have to find the Reddit threads for them. I’m hoping the next episodes will surprise us, maybe half of the heroes die by Cersei and Euron’s hands after all. And oh dear god, bittersweet or not, I hope the quote still stands: 'If you think this has a happy ending, you haven't been paying attention.'