#fallen kingdom footage

[walkonpooh]

Top 10 Backlog Movies of 2023

Hey everyone!

Okay so for this list, I have a huuuuuuuuuuuge list of backlog movies I want to see. Movies I just haven't had the chance to see, movies I've wanted to get to that I haven't. If it happened 2018 and beyond, there's a good chance I didn't see it. Life got complicated around that time personally for reasons I'd rather not share at the moment, but if you know, you know. Then Covid, then at the beginning of Covid my wife and I had a baby. So yeah!

I'm slowly making my way through this list of movies. They're in a sort of order of "want to see them" mixed with mixing up franchises. The list includes rewatches, or movies like one on this list I *know* I've seen before but I can't really remember much of. So every year, in addition to my Favorite Movies of _____ year, I'll also be doing one of these lists.

I'm working through my list of 2023 movies I want to try to check out before the end of the year now, so I *know* i'm not going to be watching anymore off my backlog list. So anyway, here is my 10 Favorite Movies I Watched in 2023 That Were NOT Made in 2023!

10.) The Lost Footage of Leah Sullivan (2018)

To be honest, I don't even remember how I heard of this movie or why I wanted to watch it. This year, my wife and I made our way through The Blackwell Ghost franchise (mixed results there, my wife likes them more than I ended up, they're worth a watch though because they're so short) and this is in the same wheelhouse as those. It's obviously a found footage horror movie judging by the title. I'd never heard of it before, but yeah some of the best acting in what I assume is an indie horror movie?

The two leads had great chemistry, the tense parts were appropriately tense. It's not going to blow you away, but if you're like me and you know nothing about it and you're a fan of found footage horror movies, you'll probably like it!

9.) The Matrix Resurrections (2021)

Was The Matrix Resurrections everything I wanted it to be? No. Not remotely. I sort of wonder if it isn't a franchise killer type of movie. The Matrix sequels (which I really like for the most part, taking them aside from the first which is a masterpiece) already had a bad (?) reputation for the average movie goer and then you add this movie on top of it? Yikes.

But for me, having a two year absence from the release of the movie, knowing the reactions to it, I was able to just watch it without any hype (which had deflated) and I just enjoyed seeing Keanu and Carrie together again. It was like a warm hug. I think the movie is fine, obviously the lack of Yuen Woo-ping hurts the action and the movie never tries to do anything special really with it, but again taking all of that aside just being in this world with these characters and getting them a happy ending instead of the dour ending (for them) of Revolutions, you know, I enjoyed it for what it is instead of holding it up to what I expected/wanted.

8.) Ant-Man and the Wasp (2018)

I had absolutely next to no expectations for this movie. In fact, was sort of dreading it, which is why it's taken me until 2023 to watch it. I'm not really sure why. I enjoyed Ant-Man for what it was, it's like mid-tier Marvel, which to me is really enjoyable still. But for me, Ant-Man and the Wasp is a step up from the original in every way. Not quite on the level of the best of Marvel, but for me it was a good 4 out of 5 stars. Paul Rudd is, well, Paul Rudd, he's a national treasure and this is probably the most I've ever liked Evangeline Lilly in something and their chemistry is great. The B story with Michael Douglas and Michelle Pfeiffer really worked for me and then I thought the villains were everything you could want out of a villain, sympathetic, but doing the wrong things. So yeah I was with this movie from the first frame, so fun!

7.) Jurassic World: Fallen Kingdom (2018)

Like the above movie, I was *dreading* watching this movie. Like the above movie, I could not have been more pleasantly surprised by it. So Jurassic Park is my favorite movie of all time. Still. To this day. I saw it six times in theaters as an eleven year old and I've watched it hundreds of times since.

I...like Jurassic World. It's not the same quality as Jurassic Park, obviously, but for a modern Jurassic movie, it's really fun. One thing I do not understand is the way this franchise treats like the loveable dinosaurs like the brachiosauruses (screw you spell check I looked up the plural for that) and I tried to watch this closer to it's release for my 2018 list and turned the movie off at well, you know the scene I turned it off at with that critique.

So it got added to my backlog and I just got around to it. Dreading it. I really liked it. First, I mean baby Blue. Come on! Second, unlike most of the internet, I still really like Chris Pratt. And once they left Isla Nubar, I just really liked the plot and where this movie went. I love that they gave us a new creature like the first movie, but for me this one actually worked better than the first World. I loved the Indoraptor and love that they keep reminding us that this is a living being who is just doing what it knows to do and then of course, I loved that it was an antagonist for Blue.

6.) Labyrinth (1986)

So this was the example I was talking about when I talked about a movie I *know* I've seen. I've seen it a lot even. But before this year I couldn't have told you too much about it. I knew a baby was taken and Jennifer Connelly had to go save it in a labyrinth. I knew David Bowie was in it and sang. That's about all I could remember, so getting to revisit it is exactly why I made my backlog of movies and I enjoyed seeing this again sooo much. I love the feel of these 80s movies. Absolute classic.

5.) Godzilla: King of the Monsters (2019)

Again, not sure if it was due to the reactions of movie fans I had read for this movie, but I wasn't really looking forward to watching it. Spoilers for this year, but this was a year of Godzilla for me. Again, I know I've seen lots of Godzilla movies. As a kid you love the monsters fighting each other, but I only have vague memories of most of those movies, so I'm revisiting them.

This movie had a meh (?) reaction and I'm baffled by that! It's pure kaiju porn. It's so weird because audiences critiqued Godzilla (2014) for not having *enough* Godzilla in it, then this movie gives us this 22 minutes of kaiju bliss and gets critiqued again. I don't know, I feel like I watched a different movie.

Just to be clear, I think the Japanese Godzilla is a very different thing from the American Godzilla. I love both equally, but in different ways, but yeah, gorgeous shots in this movie, fun action. It's everything I could want.

4.) The Fly (1986)

File this one in the "can't believe I hadn't seen this" list (along with The Blob, which I watched in 2022 and loved as well). I obviously love Jeff Goldblum. I think I love David Cronenberg? Lol, not sure about that and what it says about me, though I need to watch his newer stuff, I think Eastern Promises is the last one I was able to get to. I had a huge crush on Geena Davis growing up and she's a great actress obviously. But man, this movie is just so good.

I love movies like this, someone trying to do something for the good of humanity, but also sort of pride and getting their respect and, welp, nope, it's not going to go well. The slow deterioration. The effects. Ahhh, I just love 80s movies. Haha, they hit so good when they hit and I can see why this one is beloved as it is and is definitely among my favorite horror movies now.

3. Gojira (1954)

So I watched the first four Godzilla movies this year and the latter three are fun for what they are, but they're more what I think of when I think of Japanese kaiju movies. This movie (like two more Godzilla movies I can think of, more to come on that later) are just great movies regardless of the big green guy showing up. There's just so much here to chew on and the big thing (most) Godzilla movies miss is that, yo, this dude is terrifying.

I don't know who does the score, uhhh.... Akira Ifukube according to wiki, but man, it's very, *very* Bernard Herrmann who has done many of my favorite scores of all time and it's so iconic. *The* Godzilla theme is up there with the best of the classic themes in film. I just love it so much and it just adds to that horror aspect of the character.

The effects are, charming, but I don't know if it's the lack of color or what, but hold up better for me here than it does in the first few subsequent movies in the franchise. Godzilla doesn't *feel* like a man in a suit, even though I absolutely know that's what he is.

And just the meaning of what this movie meant for the original audience it was made for. This is a Japan that isn't even a decade out of having nukes dropped on them. They're actively still living with it and your heart just goes out to those people. Like I'm as pro-America, raa raa, as you can get and obviously understand the justification from our side, but war is awful regardless of justification and it's innocents who get hurt most.

ANYWAY, don't want this to turn into a political rant, but there's a hurt in this movie, a people struggling to *survive* that (no spoilers) is reflected in the latest Godzilla movie, Godzilla Minus One and I think when the Godzilla franchise is at it's best, it's building off everything *this* movie set up!

2.) Eyes Wide Shut (1999)

1999 is one of my favorite movies in movie history. Just so many classics, so many bangers from that year. For whatever reason, I had decided that I wasn't super into Stanley Kubrick movies. I have no clue why lol. Maybe just being counter culture or something. Which is dumb, because I love The Shining and Full Metal Jacket. So no clue why I decided that. But I was completely wrong.

So I remember around release, this was thought of as an oooo, steamy thriller, along the lines of those movies like Original Sin with Angelina Jolie and Antonio Banderas. And then it was known, obviously, for being the first movie released posthumous Stanley Kubrick movie and edited by the studio and then smacked from an NC-17 to R rating by the MPAA, just all of this stuff that took focus off the movie itself.

So Eyes Wide Shut is based on the novel Traumnovelle (Dream Story) by Arthur Schnitzler, which I also read this year (which was good, but Kubrick elevated the material as he did *gasp* with The Shining). So in admitting I was wrong, Kubrick was absolutely an artist. Everything is done with a meticulous eye of detail. Are there mistakes in his movies? Sure. Movies are made over a period of time and not *every* mistake will be caught or be able to be corrected before release and I think some of his devotees (maybe another reason I had decided I didn't care for him) go a little too far in excusing some of that (Tolkien fans are similar).

I'm a huge Tom Cruise fan and love Nicole Kidman's work in this era (haven't seen much of her recent stuff). So that's a big reason why I was interested in this movie. I kind of wanted to see it for awhile, cause I'm really interested in cults and the like and I knew this movie had something to do with that. But man, I was taken with this movie pretty much from frame one.

There's an unease. A danger in every conversation. This isn't untreaded territory in Hollywood movies, lots of movies have had plots similar to Eyes Wide Shut, it's just that Eyes Wide Shut does it *so much* better. Like with Gojira, I just love movies that give you things to chew on, things to think about long after the movie is over and I think about the cult scene *all the time* now.

I love when a movie can just get you on the edge of your seat, waiting with bated breath to find out what happens. The best movies are movies like this where, some of the danger is potentially off screen. Or is it? Ahhh, just so good, I love this movie, I haven't done a ranking in awhile of my favorite movies, but I know this would be Top 50 if I did. So good and again, I was so wrong.

1.) Shin Godzilla (2016)

God help us.

Shivers as I write that.

That's the tagline to the American version of the poster to Shin Godzilla.

Shin Godzilla is my favorite Godzilla movie. It's not even close. It's in my Top 5 movies of all time. So I had seen this before, sort of, it's one of those movies where like I wasn't really paying attention as I watched it (at home, I'm not a monster) while on my phone, because I was like *deep voice* "uh, so much talking in my monster movie". Haha, I'm an idiot.

I'm not the first, nor last, to point out there's a sort of Lovecraftian, existential dread to Shin's version of Godzilla. It's no surprise really, as Shin Godzilla is co-directed by Hideaki Anno of Neon Genesis Evangelion fame which through the veil of giant robots fight giant monsters (? in case you haven't watched it) depression and existential angst is explored, which I also *finally* got around to watching this year and love just as much as Shin.

So yeah I watched this again this year and I've watched it several times and watched the above scene, gosh I don't know, 50 times on YouTube? This movie is a masterpiece in my opinion. Supposedly, it's based on governmental malfeasance, or like, I don't know haven't drank enough coffee, but failures or inadequacies in protecting it's society, something Japan (hello Gojira 1954) knows quite a bit about.

But what set Anno about making this movie was not the failures of World War 2, but something far more recent and would hit modern Japanese audiences, the 2011 Fukushima nuclear accident where 61 people were injured due to failures of bureaucracy and the 2011 Tohoku earthquake and tsunami. Now, obviously, a tsunami is an act of god and can't be helped, but it was the reaction to the events as they were happening were the malfeasance comes in.

Particularly, if you don't know, and I'm paraphrasing, but you can look it up, but there was a a bunch of bureaucracy that happened to this elementary school (not sure what that's called in Japan or if it's just called that?) where they could have evacuated, but the info to get to them just went through these slow channels and sadly, the entire school was lost in the floods.

So all of this is what set Anno about creating his version of Shin and man, what a movie. What a creature. So Shin like evolves based on his situation, at first as he hits land, he's like a big salamander without legs and is just sort of flopping through the streets causing destruction and chaos. Mind you, like the best Godzilla movies, it's unprompted. This is just a creature doing what it does.

And if this is your first time watching this and you're more familiar with the American Godzilla's, you're like, okay, so this is the thing Godzilla needs to show up and defeat. No. This is Godzilla. Slowly, but surely, Shin evolves into a form that we recognize. But this isn't a Godzilla we recognize. Yes, he's causing destruction, chaos and terror, but simply by walking. Until attacked and provoked...

Leading to one of my favorite scenes in movie history. The "Who Will Know"/Atomic Breath scene. Just absolutely incredible. Music. Effects. Directing. Acting. All just so amazing. I probably think about this scene once a day.

And again, it's doing all of this in self defense. Shin is a creature in pain. A creature not aware of what is going on and the destruction it's causing. And the commentary on the bureaucracy is just spot on for how governments handle this sort of thing. It's not dissimilar to the US government's handling of the Covid crisis.

There's just an awe in this movie. Godzilla is an awesome creature and not in the "whoaaaa duuuuude" way, but in the awe inspiring way. Even with Godzilla Minus One (a movie I love, but for different reasons) there just hasn't been another movie like this. Even as the Shin series has continued (sadly, not continuing where this movie leaves off, but with Ultraman. Haha it was fine) there isn't another movie like this. Just so incredible and one of my favorite movies of all time.

[jinnie-ret]

could we maybe get a part two to fallen Angel? Maybe it could have her healing process, like her physical therapy process, and the fan reaction? I just love reading your work :3

fallen angel pt 2

Stray Kids x Ninth Member!reader (Platonic)

content warnings: mentions of injuries (ankle, rib)

genre: fluff, angst

word count: 2.2k

after suffering a nasty fall in a Kingdom performance, Y/N is eager to get back on her feet, only to feel downhearted when she receives some less than motivating news. it's a good thing she has the boys there to support her.

Thank you so much @mynameisnotlaura for this request!! I hope you enjoy! :)

As always, if you enjoy please like and reblog! And my asks are open so be sure to leave in some requests if there's anything you'd like to see!

MAIN MASTERLIST

Stray Kids' Fans in Uproar as Second Member is Removed from Kingdom: Legendary War

With just a few more weeks until the finale of the competition between six boy groups, a second member of the group Stray Kids has been removed from the show.

MNET have released an official statement saying:

"Due to faulty equipment that had not been properly authenticated by outside distributors, Y/N of Stray Kids sustained an injury that has prevented her from continuing in the competition. This is a very unfortunate situation and we wish her a speedy recovery."

However some fans have speculated that it was actually MNET's fault and that they should have checked the equipment themselves.

What do you think? Let us know down below:

Comments:

First Hyunjin, and now Y/N, this is so sad to see our group of 9 go down to 7...

It's clearly MNET's fault! You could tell Chan was angry about something before making sure Jeongin was ok

I wouldn't be surprised if Bang Chan went off at the staff, we all saw how annoyed he was in that one vlive...

Our poor maknaes, I hope they're both doing ok! Jeongin, Y/N, fighting!

I hope the rest of the boys are doing ok, now that they're down two members...

The way you can see the moment things go wrong in the performance and Y/N still manages to keep a calm face!

Okay but you wouldn't have been able to tell that Y/N got injured until they showed it after the performance.

Y/N put her phone down sighing. She was glad there was no nasty comments from what she read but she still didn't feel all too optimistic. MNET had blamed someone else for her injuries, and had also denied her requests of participating in the competition once more. Sure, she wasn't fully healed yet, but they could have let her be a part of it somehow without her dancing too strenuously. And no, she wasn't going to accept their request to just sit backstage and watch. In any other world she wouldn't mind doing so, but she knew that MNET would manipulate their footage and craft a vision that reflected badly on her own part.

It had been a couple of weeks since they filmed that performance, and a week since the episode was released, and Y/N was still on bed rest. Anytime a member saw her hobbling about they'd immediately do the thing she wanted for her, or escort her back to her room. Cutting a long story short, she felt like she was in a hell of some kind. Y/N longed for her independence, which added on top of the reasons why she was feeling so angry and upset and just... jumbled at the moment. It wasn't even like she could hang out with Hyunjin, because when the members left for practice, not before checking up on her of course, she would be left alone in the dorms. Hyunjin was spending his hiatus at home at the moment, but she was excited to see him soon after filming for Kingdom was finished.

Shuffling out of bed, and letting out a harsh breath at the pain that hit her mid section, Y/N slowly stood, now having to hobble across her bedroom floor with crutches, careful not to further distress her sprained ankle. Some say she was lucky it was only a sprain, but really it was a pretty severe one that was she lucky it didn't do any permanent damage.

"You should be in bed," Lee Know sternly said, back turned to her as she entered the kitchen.

"How did you know it was me?" Y/N pouted, letting out a groan as she leant against the kitchen counter.

"Here let me, careful, careful," Han gently supported her weight momentarily, helping her into a seat and offering a smile at her.

"Thanks, Hannie," Y/N smiled at her squirrel like member, turning back to Lee Know.

"Not hard to distinguish the difference between crutches and hobbling, to normal footsteps. Plus you normally run in for my breakfasts but you can't do that at the moment," Lee Know tapped Y/N on the nose as he put a plate of pancakes in front of her.

"Hey... don't remind me," Y/N said, shoulders feeling tense as her irritation was evident on her face.

"Yeah, you'd normally be the first one in here," Seungmin chuckled.

"Stop," Y/N slammed her fork down against the table, feeling bad for suddenly lashing out but she also felt so annoyed at the fact she currently couldn't do less.

"Sorry, sorry, we won't mention it no more, unless you want to, okay?" Felix calmed her down, one hand on her shoulder as the other ran through her hair.

"No, it's okay, I'm sorry, it's just... It's really annoying, I've ranted enough about it, you guys already know what I think about it all," Y/N waved her hand dismissively after her apology.

"Doesn't mean we don't want to hear it," Changbin reminded her, as he always did, being the great listener he is.

"Yeah, plus you know you've got our support and the fans' too, right?" Jeongin quietly pitched in, still not fully awake himself.

"I know, I know," Y/N nodded, taking a bite of her pancakes, humming in delight.

"Good?" Lee Know rose an eyebrow from across the table at her, a satisfied smile appearing on his face when she nodded enthusiastically.

Bang Chan emerged from his room just a everyone was finishing breakfast.

"Come on, time to go!"

"You missed breakfast," Changbin tutted at him, Chan only able to respond with a sheepish smile.

"You have to go so soon?" Y/N asked quietly. She could already predict how her day was going to go. Lay down, watch Netflix, sleep, repeat.

"Sorry sweetheart, got a lot of recordings to do today and we need to practice for collab stages on the show," Chan felt bad for his dongsaeng, he could tell she was feeling lonely, but they all tried their best to keep her in the loop.

"I can't even sing on the tracks?" Y/N asked hopefully, but even she knew that the answer would be...

"No, I'm sorry, you know it could make your ribs feel worse if you do. And you know you've got a physio session today, right? Seojun hyung will come round to pick you up and take you there," Chan reminded her, as she let out a groan.

"Ugh, I forgot about that. At least it gets me out of the dorms for an hour or so," she tried to see the positive side.

"See, not too bad!" Jeongin tried to encourage her, but it fell on deaf ears, knowing no one else would want to be in her position right now.

"Can someone help me to the sofa before you guys head out?" Y/N asked awkwardly. She always was awkward when doing so, feeling a guilt of some sorts that crept up on her in these types of situations.

"If we must," Seungmin playfully rolled his eyes, but was gentle nonetheless as he and Felix supported her onto the sofa.

"You comfy?" Felix double checked, shoving a pillow underneath her lower back to help with the healing of her ribs.

Y/N nodded as she took in some deep breaths, the short walk from the kitchen to the lounge leaving her a bit breathless.

"Are you sure you'll be okay, Y/Nnie?" Han bit the top of his thumb worriedly.

"I'm fine, I've got Netflix to keep me company for now, I'll see you guys later," Y/N didn't even look at them as they left, turning the TV on and hoping to block out her jealousy and irritation.

There was a knock on the door before it was unlocked and Y/N couldn't believe that she had already watched 6 episodes of Modern Family.

"Hi Seojun oppa," Y/N greeted him as he helped her stand and grabbed her crutches.

"Hi, Y/Nnie, how are you feeling today? Ready for your physio?" Seojun said warmly.

"I'm never ready, you know that," she laughed as he helped her out of the dorms and took her to the physio session.

On the way there they listened to some music, and Y/N fought deep within herself to not put her all into singing along. She couldn't make things worse. She wanted to recover as soon as possible.

Throughout the session Y/N herself felt like she was making good progress. Seojun and her physiotherapist, Soyeon, praised her as she did her exercises.

"So, only 2 more weeks left, yeah? Then it's been 4 weeks like you said and I can start working again," Y/N said with a big smile on her face. She was in a good mood from how the session went, which was soon to disappear.

"Yes, I did say 4 weeks, but I also said 4-6 weeks. Unfortunately it seems like your body is taking longer to heal than we initially expected, which isn't anything to worry about but I believe your healing process will be more in the 6 weeks," Soyeon informed Y/N, feeling bad for the younger girl.

"Right, okay, yeah, that's fine... thank you as always, Soyeon," Y/N said with a tight lipped smile and turned to Seojun with a look that said 'I want to go home now'.

And he complied. The manager felt bad, hearing the sniffles Y/N tried to hide during the journey back to the dorms. But knowing the girl, he didn't want to make a big deal of it, and simply passed her a tissue, knowing she would be thankful.

He helped her back into the dorms and took her to bed, letting her rest and feeling slightly reluctant to leave, he eventually did, sending a text to the other Stray Kids members to let them know how she was doing.

'Y/N isn't feeling too cheery. Not a good result to the session today, she's back home now. Could do with some comfort I think.'

And with that, the boys rushed home as soon as they could, not wanting their fellow member to be feeling upset. They knew she was angry, but they hadn't really seen her sadness or tears since the day her injury happened.

"Y/N?" there was a tentative knock on the door.

But Y/N didn't answer, she was too busy being curled up warmly under her duvet, her own sobs sounding muffled to her as she listened to some sad music through her airpods.

"Y/Nnie, hey sweetheart," Chan said softly, brushing her hair out of her face and removing her airpods.

"Adele? Damn she is going through it," Seungmin muttered to himself as he put the listening device to his ear, wincing lightly when Changbin heard and smacked him on the back of the head.

"Go away," Y/N tried to pull the duvet over her head not wanting the boys to see her upset but failed.

"Hey, hey, none of that, what happened at the physio appointment today?" Chan asked worriedly, thumbs swiping away the tears that ran down her face.

"Was it something serious?" Jeongin asked frowning, hoping that it wouldn't be.

Felix sat around the other side of Y/N cuddling her behind gently, for comfort.

"I've got 4 more weeks of this. 4 more weeks of doing nothing," Y/N sniffled, Felix rubbing her stomach in circles with his hand that was draped lightly across her midriff.

"I thought it was 2 more weeks?" Lee Know wondered out loud.

"Me too, but now I'm stuck here like this for even longer. Something about not healing as they expected," Y/N hiccuped on her sobs.

"Calm down, you're working yourself up, it'll be ok, those weeks will fly by," Changbin soothed her as he patted her head.

"I just hate doing nothing. I feel like I'm making you guys do all the work and making you babysit me when I should be pulling my own weight," Y/N confessed after calming herself down a bit.

"It's not like that at all. Plus, we love babysitting our maknae," Han let her know, patting her leg from where he was perched on the bed.

"Speak for yourself," Seungmin joked, making Y/N laugh, and then stop from the pain in her ribs.

"Here, silly, take these," Lee Know handed her some paracetamol to take, shaking his head fondly at her.

"I'm not silly," Y/N sleepily muttered after taking the tablets, leaning back into Felix's arms.

"You are for thinking you're making us do all the work," Chan sighed, still smiling at the girl.

"Yeah, don't worry, there's plenty for you to do when you're up and about," Lee Know said with a devilish smirk.

"That's fine by me," Y/N yawned, eyes fluttering shut.

"She's the only person I know that can sleep so comfortably at the idea of having lots of work to do," Jeongin shook his head with wide eyes.

"Told you, works like a charm," Lee Know laughed quietly at his shocked face.

They all stayed until she fell asleep, leaving just her and Felix in the room in peace.

tagged: @oo-li

[alienssstufff]

been thinking about how there was gonna be one more stream where c!slime and c!quackity we’re gonna find solace,,,how do you believe their story ended? (since you are the ceo of dapduo)

With what we currently have in canon here is how that final stream would have panned out: NOTE- the following happens after the HO16 fic, after Wilbur apologises to everyone except Tommy, and the 9/10 LN ending

The beginning of the stream starts with c!Wilbur leaning against the pool balcony area of Las Nevadas in the early morning as c!Quackity joins him, they both look visibly haggard and fucked up (also Quackity is in a wheelchair). It's a very darkly lit scene, clarity only shown by the light of the cigarettes they share. If I were to pin a Hamilton song to this moment it would have the lines from Angelica's 'Congratulations' notably

I look at us and think, "God, what have we done with our lives, And what did it get us?"

Though I don't know if any of them would actually say anything. None of them say anything, as stubborn as the other despite everything they've been through separately, it'd take hell for either of them to truthfully open up to the other about anything let alone themselves. It's stubbornness but it's also mutual, an agreement that neither of them would apologise to the other. Two sides of the same coin, the reflections of eachother in the water being reminders of this. The both of them leave in opposite directions of the shoreline, towards bringing an end to their final arcs.

[ok ACTUAL part with c!Quackity and c!Slime are undercut. I promise]

After the title screen, this new scene actually opens a week prior to the tntduo scene up top. Quackity on his last canon life wakes up exactly where he had fallen from the hotel, a green puddle noticeably on the floor next to him.

In my headcanon, it is implied (offscreen) that out of guilt Slime jumps off the ledge after pushing Quackity - paralleling when Quackity jumped after Slime in the 27/11/2021 finale.  "the consequences will be bitter. I will not fail. Because Quackity from Las Nevadas, we have one thing in common. Through everything we've been through. The same human ruined our lives. Because you are not a good person." -Slime

The camera is a long shot, from POV of one of the deck chairs and it shows c!Foolish hurriedly rushing to Quackity's aid to help him up. [Cut to black]

At this moment in time, there is no war on the server. Las Nevadas instead dealing with a completely new problem that is the slime clones infestation. Security footage showing different places of the country just filled with the clones aimlessly wandering around. Foolish and Quackity, the only remaining members of Las Nevadas left discuss in the now-empty and ruined Amongus research bunker on what to do next. Quackity ponders, thinking about what Slime said to him on the balcony and all the things Quackity did wrong -- and so begins the true reprise of Quackity's lessons.

The general format of this section of the stream being the same as the 27/11/2021 Las Nevadas finale: Quackity says the new (revised) Lesson, and it shows Quackity teaching these lessons to the slime clones. Hypothetically there could also be a scene of Quackity making amends with Kinoko kingdom and him sending the letters to the Syndicate etc.

Meanwhile I would have liked to think Slime, now finally free from... anyone really - spends its time wandering the server interviewing all forms of life and figuring out itself on what it truly means to be human. These wouldn't happen in the one Quackity stream but small bits of Charlie's, every new day starting with Slime watching Quackity from afar. (Featuring this also helps better portray Slime as its own person beyond Quackity's influence). If I were to pin another Hamilton song to this it would be 'It's Quiet Uptown'

ANYWAY the true finale, after having grown in their respective ways - ends with the two of them in the bright dawn at the beach. They go to each other and embrace, crying and happy as the world burns to white :,]

[nightskydragons]

Really hope we get some video diary type footage similar to what was shown in fallen kingdom but with the handler and atrociraptors

For example, showing her witness the atrociraptor hatch while thinking of names for them or a video of her getting really excited about ghost actually following the whistle commands

[dearinglovebot]

fallen kingdom (real footage)

[angelasscribbles]

Insurrection Chapter 3: King in Exile

Series: Insurrection

Fandom: The Royal Romance

Pairings: Liam x Riley

Word Count: 1,125

Rating: MA

Warnings for this chapter: None

My other stuff: Master List.

Map make on inkarnate.com. I really like this but it isn't exactly how I picture it. I wanted it taller, I picture it longer than wide but there is only the square template available on the free version. I might have to spring for the paid version to create what I see in my head. But for a first attempt, I'm really pleased with the result!

The dark-haired man who bore a passing resemblance to the new king had spent weeks passing among the homeless, the sick, and the downtrodden. He had brought what material goods and words of comfort that he could.

Arriving back in Valtoria, he made a beeline for the main gathering place of resistance fighters.

“Hey Theo,” he greeted the bartender as he entered the dingy drinking establishment, giving his eyes a moment to adjust to the dimness within before making his way to the bar. Despite the run-down appearance, it was one of the few places that still had working cable. It was the place to be to catch news from the outside world. Once a high-end nightclub, it now served as a gathering place for the resistance. A small but determined group of people committed to stopping the current government and restoring Cordonia to its previous glory.

Even they didn’t know his true identity. He didn’t know who he could trust, so he trusted no one. Anton had spies everywhere. The former king of Cordonia was living under an alias and building an army from the ground up.

“Hey yourself, Zio, haven’t seen you around in a bit.” The man behind the bar grabbed a glass and a bottle off the shelf. He didn’t bother to ask what customers wanted anymore. There was only one choice: vodka.

Supply lines were inconsistent, and vodka was easy to make from scratch. Bottles that had once held whiskey, rum, and wine now held homemade vodka. Valtoria’s vineyards lay in ruins, burnt and ravaged from months of war.

“I’ve been in the coastal territories,” he offered in the way of explanation.

Portavira, Domvallier, The King Fisher Isles. He had gone to smuggle medical supplies to the people who were displaced by Anton’s forces, determined to hold the ports against any outside interference.

“Recruitment mission?” Theo asked as he slid the glass over.

The man known by most of the resistance as Zio shrugged, “Every mission is a recruiting mission, but the main point of this was humanitarian aid.” His fingers tightened around his drink. The state his country had fallen into since the outbreak of civil war weighed heavily on his heart.

Theo shook his head. “I don’t know what that maniac hopes to accomplish starving out the very people he wants to rule. That’s not earning him any points with anyone.”

“Turn that up, please,” Liam’s dark eyes locked on the TV screen above the bar as footage of troops rolled across the screen.

Theo clicked the volume button a few times.

“…. The Cordonian National Army was repelled once again by the Lythikosian Armed Forces. Lythikos has issued a formal statement of independence from the new Cordonian National State. Olivia Nevrakis, formerly a duchess under the old government has publicly decried the new regime as illegitimate and refuses to enter into any peace talks with King Anton Severus.”

The camera cut to a map of Lythikos as the reporter continued. “Blockades have had no effect as Lythikos shares a border with Drakovia, a country long allied with the Rys dynasty. Drakovia has recognized Lythikos as an independent kingdom. Trade routes between the two remain open. Any attempt by the new Cordonian government to disrupt those supply lines would risk war with Dravokia, something the fledgling monarchy can ill afford as they are still struggling to put down Rys loyalists within their own borders.”

“Yes!” He pumped his fist in the air with a grin. Leave it to Livvie to not only hold out but turn the tide against the usurper.

His attention was drawn back to the screen as an image of his brother flashed across it.

Leo was in Monterisso rallying Cordonia’s allies. He stood at a podium with the grimmest expression Liam had ever witnessed on his face. “Anton Severus has no rightful claim to the Cordonian throne. He has committed treason against the legitimate government and must be held accountable. His unlawful regime has been responsible for numerous war crimes and atrocities, starting with the murder of my father, stepmother, and brother.”

Liam grimaced. He hated letting the world believe he was dead, but it was safer that way. Besides, he had no way to get a message to anyone. Any correspondence addressed to Leo would be intercepted and read by the new authorities.

It was the same reason he hadn’t been able to get into Lythikos. Anton’s men were actively looking for him. The border to Lythikos was heavily patrolled.

The country was divided into factions. Nationalists and Loyalists. Coming forward would rally the loyalists behind him, something he was itching to do. But the timing had to be right because coming forward would also put a target on his back and he was living behind enemy lines.

He had to proceed with caution.

The resistance was struggling. They needed food. They needed weapons. They needed hope.

He had to get to Lythikos. Liv could get a message to Leo. They could combine Lythikos' forces with Liam’s and recruit help from their allies. Drakovia, Monterisso, Rivala.

Auvernall had sided with Anton. That was going to be a problem.

Then there was the issue of Cordonia’s original military. His intelligence told him that roughly a third was left intact, under Anton’s command. The rest had been killed, fled, or were imprisoned.

If he could just locate a few of his key officers, he was sure they could infiltrate what was left of the original forces. When faced with a choice, the men would follow Bastien, he was sure of it.

That’s assuming Bas had survived the assault on the capital.

His forces plus Liv’s plus support from some key allies combined with a skeleton crew of men familiar with the palace defenses and a few inside sources would be more than enough to overwhelm Anton’s forces.

The new military had suffered heavy losses in the initial takeover as well as during repeated failed attempts to secure Lythikos. Anton had double-crossed his co-conspirator and killed or imprisoned many members of the Liberation Core.

Anton ruled through fear and intimidation. He used force to negotiate. Many of his soldiers were mercenaries, men from other countries in it for the money. Historically, people fighting for their homeland, and for their families, fought harder and stayed committed to the cause.

His odds of success were high.

With the decision made, he threw back the rest of his drink. “Is Marco in town?”

“Should be. He was just in here yesterday.”

“Perfect. I’m going to need his help with something.”

He left the bar and headed home. Such as it was.

He had one person he had to see before he embarked on what might be a suicide mission.

[pixelartarchive]

Footage from my upcoming game Fallen Kingdom

[litcityblues]

'Echoes of Honor' --A Review

Hey, remember when I reviewed In Enemy Hands and said that Honor Among Enemies felt a lot like a bridge novel to something else in the series? Well In Enemy Hands was definitely that, but Echoes of Honor dials everything up to eleven. Don't get me wrong: all of the books in the series have been good. I would genuinely say that it's a series that gets better the deeper you get into it, but Echoes of Honor is the absolute pinnacle of this series so far. (New prediction for those keeping scores at home: In Enemy Hands, Echoes of Honor, and Ashes of Victory are going to be the best three-book arc in this series.)

Echoes of Honor starts, shockingly, with footage of Honor's execution being broadcast on galactic newsfeeds. Witnessed by Honor's parents on Grayson, it leaves the Star Kingdom of Manticore with a grim determination to avenge her and sends Grayson into an absolute fury. Funerals are held on both planets and an empty coffin is interred in the Royal Cathedral. The first part of the book deals with the immediate fallout of Honor's purported death. Her parents mourn along with her household staff on Grayson- including her faithful steward, Mac. The question of succession to her steading is a tricky one, but ultimately, her parents- who had always planned on having more children, eventually- because, thanks to the genetic prolong treatments, they could- decide to have them-- but only after some contemplation of their own.

What no one knows- but the reader does- is that Honor is very much alive and well and on the Prison Planet Hades and starts formulating plans with her crew to find some allies and get off the planet.

Behind enemy lines, we see Esther McQueen continue to build her power structure as Haven deals with the fallout of Cordelia Ransom's death and the explosion of the Tepes-- believed also to have killed Honor and the rest of the prisoners. Esther is formulating a plan to hit Manticoran Alliance hard and in places they're not expecting and wants the help of Admirals Theisman, Tourville and Giscard to help her-- all three Admirals that had fallen out of favor with the Ministry of State Security, formerly headed by Ransom. She gets the Admirals that she wants-- and we find out some interesting things: Tourville and Foraker have kept silent on the footage on her console that seemed to indicate that someone could have survived the explosion of the Tepes. Giscard is having an affair with his People's Commissioner, Eloise Prichard. But nevertheless: the Peep Offensive pushes forward.

On Hades, Honor has found some allies-- including what might be my favorite callback to earlier books, the father, presumed dead of Tomas Ramirez. (I wish I could remember which book, but Tomas is a Marine, from San Martin and hates the Peeps. His Dad Jesus is pretty much the same, but older and really hates the Peeps.) They put together a plan to take over the main command and control center of the prison planet and set about figuring out what to do next. The Prisoners-- many of whom have been on Hades for decades want some measure of accountability against their jailers- for obvious reasons, but Honor is not interested in vigilante justice. She wants them to be put on trial-- but there's a hitch: she puts them on trial using Peep Laws, because she doesn't want to hand State Security a potential propaganda victory. She also has to figure out how to acquire shipping to get nearly half a million prisoners off the planet and home, a job made that much harder by the start of the Peep Offensive, entangling Alliance forces in a frantic defense and making it highly unlikely they would be able to send assistance to evacuate everyone.

Hey, do you remember Alice Truman? (She's one of the characters that sort of wanders in and out of these books, the same way Michelle Henke does.) She's been 'up to something' and what that something is sure seems like an aircraft carrier in space, except instead of fighter jets, she's stocked with LACs and when things kick off on the military front, they kick ass. (Also, White Haven, still riddled with guilt, is hounding his superiors to get his fleet fully put together so he can do something with it and when things kick off for him, he sends the whole damn fleet on a two-jump, incredibly risky, insane amount of tonnage hyperspace hop through to Manticore (from Grayson) and then onto Basilisk. Also very badass, even if it doesn't prevent the Allies from taking heavy losses in the system.)

Honor and company, having concluded that they're on their own start acquiring ships bit by bit, and eventually their luck appears to run out as the disappearances start to be noted and a sizable force concludes that something has gone badly wrong in Hades and sends forces enough to put down any potential takeover. Honor being Honor lures them into a trap, gets all the ships she needs, and with her 'Elysian Space Navy' heads back home to inform a stunned White Haven and the rest of the Alliance that reports of her death, were, in fact, exaggerated.

Overall: I love how this book is structured-- we go from non-Hades (Peep, Manticore, Grayson, points between) to Hades sections alternating throughout and it just works. The whole story takes place over the course of two years, which feels about right to me-- it's time enough for news of Honor's death to get out, for people closest to her to mourn and start to move on, but also gives her and her crew enough time to find allies, make plans, take over and do what they need to do. The timeline is just right. The structure is perfect.

I get that you're always going to see Honor Harrington front and center in these books- it is, after all, kind of her series. But these books also become exponentially more interesting to me when Weber pulls his focus out just a bit wider and we see more of the Honorverse at large. I like exploring the political tensions in the Alliance. I like seeing the Graysons muddle through what to do about her steading. I like that we get to see more of her parents than we've ever seen before. It makes the universe deeper, richer, the stakes higher and more meaningful.

I've often thought that naming her Honor was just a bit too on the nose, but you know what? I don't care. She's awesome. She brings people up and doesn't tear them down. I don't think she'd like the notion that she inspires devotion and loyalty amongst the people that follow her and I think she would be the first to tell you that 'there's no I in team' and that's probably what I find most compelling about the character. She doesn't make it all about herself, in fact you could argue that her character flaw is a tendency to go hard in the opposite direction, even past the point of what seems reasonable and achievable, but she always seems to get there in the end.

Best book of the series so far, hands down. Can't wait for the next volume. My Grade: **** out of ****

[39minormovements]

excerpts from karen mcveigh, “‘It’s going to finish the village’: how morecambe bay’s tragedy changed cocklepickers’ lives for ever” in the guardian (2 feb 2024)

"Twenty years ago, on 5 February 2004, 23 Chinese migrants drowned in the bay, off Hest Bank, after the water engulfed them as they picked cockles in the dark during a high spring tide.

Aged between 18 and 45, the victims, some of whom had only been in the UK a few months and did not speak English, had been lured to the UK from poor provinces in China and exploited by gangmasters, later jailed after being convicted of manslaughter.

The tragedy shocked the nation and exposed the dark side of a 'wild west' cockle industry in Britain. Tough regulations followed, including the establishment of the Gangmasters Licensing Authority, to prevent labour exploitation, which later became the Gangmasters and Labour Abuse Authority.

On Sunday, those who died will be remembered at an event to be marked with music and the lighting of lanterns at Morecambe’s West End beach."

///

excerpts from jonathan watts, "going under" in the guardian (20 jun 2007)

"In Britain, the Morecambe Bay disaster is history. More than three years [and now in 2024, 20 years] after 23 Chinese cockle pickers perished on the Lancashire sands, most people in the United Kingdom believe justice has been done. All but two of the bodies have been found, identified and repatriated. The gangmaster Lin Liangren has been sentenced to 14 years in prison. The authorities were so pleased with the outcome of Operation Lund (as the case was called) that investigators won last year's top criminal justice award... It is as though the Chinese tragedy became a triumph, a vindication of Britain's way of dealing with disaster. But 5,000 miles away in Fujian province, on the south-eastern coast of China, lives are still being sucked into the sands."

"It is as if they have fallen into a crevasse between justice and charity, from which there is no way out."

///

excerpts from "ghosts: a haunting portrayal of the morecambe bay tragedy" in socialist worker (6 jan 2007)

"Hsiao-Hung Pai: We can no longer pretend that migrant workers’ deaths are not our responsibility, as many people did after the Dover tragedy in 2000 when 58 Chinese people suffocated in a container as they were being smuggled into the country. At Morecambe Bay, Chinese workers lost their lives selling their cheap labour to the big corporations, producing products to be consumed in Britain and abroad. British society can no longer say, 'It’s none of our business.'”

image: still captured in news footage "cockle pickers' families recall morecambe bay tragedy" in bbc news (5 feb 2014)

[image description: a close-up shot of 2 people's clasped hands, one pair closer to the camera than the other. they look wrinkled and weathered.]

[mainsflexi]

Mokey mokey duel links

She also allegedly let her dog chase Milly around the house. In another clip, the mother of four can be seen trying to get the primate to lick cocaine off her fingers. The animal abuser was also ordered to pay £420 ($496.78) in costs and a £128 ($151.40) victim surcharge. “With Moon at her side, she has been able to relax and enjoy her life, finally.” GoFundMe Holland, meanwhile, has been banned from keeping all animals for life and slapped with a 12-week jail term, which has been postponed for a year, per the Telegraph. WALES NEWS SERVICE “The key to saving Milly was companionship of her own kind,” said Monkey World director Dr. Milly was filmed clinging desperately to the toilet bowl as owner Vicki Holland attempted to flush her. Three were shown in court, including an appalling clip of Holland laughing as she tries to flush a “distressed” Milly down the toilet while she clings desperately to the bowl. The abuser reportedly had over 22 cellphone videos depicting her mistreating the monkey. The footage was recovered during a drug raid on the Brit’s home, which uncovered Kinder Eggs containing £1,600 (nearly $2,000 worth of cocaine), the Telegraph reported. It’s been a tumultuous road for Milly, who was rescued two years ago after footage emerged of her owner and narcotics peddler Vicki Holland abusing the simian at her home in Newport, Wales. The lovesick marmoset currently resides with her paramour, named Moon, at Monkey World, a Dorset, England, specialist shelter that’s rescued more than 120 monkeys from the country’s illegal pet trade. “This was a very disturbing case but I am pleased to see Milly is doing well,” Sophie Daniels, the heroic RSPCA inspector who rescued Milly, told the Telegraph. United Kingdom’s Royal Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals recently shared the primate’s heart-rending saga as part of their “Cancel Out Cruelty” campaign. SeaWorld denies creating giant ‘Jurassic World’-style orcasĪ monkey named Milly that endured years of abuse - including getting flushed down a toilet and fed cocaine - has finally discovered what it means to be “loved” after finding a boyfriend. NYC stable that housed fallen carriage horse keeps malnourished animals in horrific conditions: video Repeat offender arrested for abandoning sick puppy in dumpster: cops Manhattan DA’s Office ‘reviewing’ case of Ryder the ailing carriage horse

[kingoftieland]

Now eventually you do plan to have dinosaurs in your – in your dinosaur movie, right? 🎦

[brokehorrorfan]

Jurassic World Dominion will be released on Steelbook 4K Ultra HD, 4K Utlra HD, Blu-ray, DVD, and Digital on August 16 via Universal. It includes both the theatrical cut and an extended cut with 14 minutes of additional footage.

The 2022 third entry in the Jurassic World trilogy (and sixth installment in the Jurassic Park franchise) is directed by Colin Trevorrow (Jurassic World), who co-wrote the script with Emily Carmichael (Pacific Rim: Uprising). Chris Pratt, Bryce Dallas Howard, Laura Dern, Jeff Goldblum, Sam Neill, DeWanda Wise, Mamoudou Athie, BD Wong, and Omar Sy star.

Jurassic World Dominion is presented with DTS: X audio. Special features are listed below.

Special features:

Theatrical cut (146 min)

Extended cut (160 min) with 14 minutes of additional footage, including an alternate opening

Battle at Big Rock - Short film directed by Colin Trevorrow set one year after the events of Jurassic Park: Fallen Kingdom

A New Breed of VFX featurette

Dinosaurs Among Us: Inside Jurassic World Dominion

Together for the First Time featurette

Underground DIno Market featurette

Mayhem in Malta featurette

Spit Take: The Return of the Dilophosaurus featurette

Inside the Dimetrodon featurette

Creating a Plague featurette

Passing the Beta-n featurette

Giga-bite featurette

Final Night featurette

Jurassic World Dominion takes place four years after Isla Nublar’s destruction when dinosaurs roam the Earth again. Facing the cataclysmic consequences of a planet once again dominated by prehistoric predators, two generations of Jurassic heroes unite as doctors Ellie Sattler (Laura Dern), Ian Malcolm (Jeff Goldblum) and Alan Grant (Sam Neill) return to join Owen Grady (Chris Pratt) and Claire Dearing (Bryce Dallas Howard) for an incredible adventure that will determine the destiny of humans and dinosaurs once and for all.

Pre-order Jurassic World Dominion.

[legendofzoodles]

BoTW 2 trailer 3 analysis

So, another trailer for Breath of the Wild 2 just dropped in the September 2022 Nintendo Direct and gave us a lot of new information. We have a release date of May 12th next year (I thought it would come on the anniversary of BoTW but nevermind), we have a title and some more gameplay footage.

I wanted to quickly break down this trailer starting with the title: Tears of the Kingdom. “Tears” could just mean literal regular tears or it could be a reference to the drops of blue Sheikah magic that come from the Observation Towers and the Hateno Ancient Tech lab. However, the ancient Sheikah don’t seem like they’re going to play a significant role in this game, so it could be a reference to the green spiral magic- specifically Link’s ability to swim through solid rock. Another interpretations is to see it as a metaphor for the water cascading from the floating islands, maybe they are crying out for help. 

The next question is: what kingdom? The obvious answer would be Hyrule, right? The game is revisiting the same Hyrule as the previous game, so could the title be a reference to the hardships Hyrule has had to endure to the Calamity? Perhaps with an emphasis on the one that occured 10,000 years ago? Maybe. But there’s a possibility that it’s referencing another kingdom, say, the islands in the sky that Link will be exploring? Those floating temples and buildings could be differents parts of a lost civilisation, one that must have something to with the Calamity 10,000 years ago. 

Moving onto the actual trailer, it starts with elaborate cave carvings similar to the ones seen in the first two trailers. One shows a battle. On the left hand side we have the forces of Hyrule (I think it only shows Hylians, but I’ll assume the other tribes were there), Then on the left- which is covering most of the image- shows Ganon’s forces, specifically moblins and bokoblins. If you look carefully, you’ll notice that the monsters are surrounded in what looks like malice, suggesting that they were powered up in some way (you can see a fallen soldier in between two moblins suggesting that they were too strong for the regular armies), and that the bokoblins have large horns. Like the ones seen in trailer 2. 

Next up is this guy:

I have no idea of what that could be. It is probably Zonai related...maybe? There are spiral runes circling the deity. Maybe it is the protector of the sky islands? This could be the thing who’s hand is trapping Ganondorf- it does seem to have arm bracelets.

The guy here is probably Ganondorf, who’s being sealed by that^ thing:

Here’s Zelda, probably the ones from 10,000 years ago, holding Link’s hand? If it was him there’d be no reason to not have him in frame, so it could be someone else:

I don’t know what the runes to the right of her mean though. 

After all that lore stuff we got some awesome gameplay footage! There was an amazing time travel-looking sky elevator, which is probably using the same mechanic as the altered stasis rune seen in trailer two (the one that sent the spiked balls back). The sky diving looks like it’s going to be so much fun, and speaking of look at this:

Sorry for the poor quality images, but above Link’s head is the image of a person. They are in the same style as the cave carvings and even better have their hand sticking out like they’re reaching for something. This could be the person Zelda was holding hands with and possibly the one keeping the seal on Ganondorf (if it’s not the deity looking thing). 

~~~

Thanks for reading! Sorry it’s a mess, I had too many thoughts and had to write them down.

[greenwingspino]

Is the footage of Owen petting Baby Blue teasing a bit of a teaser trailer on Thanksgiving?

From what I heard so far there will be a full length trailer on December 13th.

[puppypeter]

These are all dark fics, READ THE TAGS before reading the fics. It is your responsibility to check whether what you are about to read is something that you can stomach. While most of these fics are based around trauma, recovery etc many feature triggering scenes or flashbacks as well as darker themes. Please be safe and don’t read them if they can be triggering for you! Proceed with caution! Most of them are Hydra Trash, but still not just the ugly bits as I like there to be a plot. Hiding them below the cut:

between scylla and charybdis | 21590 words

Sam Wilson has been witness to a lot of things he wishes he could unsee. Civilian families shot dead in their cars because of miscommunications at checkpoints. Riley’s body spiralling to the ground in a smoke-plumed plummet. His own face in his bathroom mirror after waking up hung-over as hell at two in the afternoon, the day after the anniversary of Riley’s death, year after year after year.

And now, in an abandoned bunker on the outskirts of Boston, a seemingly unremarkable manila folder at the bottom of a filing cabinet.

Berceuse | 10730 words

There are strange, new things Bucky needs from Steve.

Dreamers Often Lie | 11040 words

As far as Bucky remembers, sex is something that is painful and terrifying if you wake up while it's happening. As the Asset, sleeping through sex was a rare treat. When Steve lets Bucky know he's interested in a sexual relationship, what Steve doesn't know is that they have fundamentally different ideas of what that entails.

despite the threatening sky and the shuddering earth (they remained) | 71532 words

“They really didn’t want the mask to come off.” Hill thumbed through the scans, and pulled out a film that she then handed over to Sam, face mostly expressionless but for the flat line of her pursed lips.

Sam accepted the film and held it up to the light, angling so both he and Steve could see it, squinting at the outline of the Winter Soldier’s skull, and the blips of unnatural white that showed up, God, in his brain, not to mention about half his teeth, plus the mask, with its thin protrusions—

“Those are pins,” Steve realized. He looked over at Hill. “The mask—it’s nailed to his face.”

Hill’s face was as unmoved as ever. “Like I said. They really didn’t want it coming off.”

Fire And Water For Your Love | 77084 words

When the Avengers investigate an abandoned HYDRA base on behalf of S.H.I.E.L.D., they unexpectedly encounter a dark-haired man with a torn metal arm, who leads them to an even more shocking discovery deeper inside the base. The Avengers must reconcile what they have found with the lies S.H.I.E.L.D. has been telling for decades.

Give An Inch | 5070 words

The Captain has a warm smile and clear, open eyes. The Soldier knows these are tricks. He's fallen for them before and he won't do it again.

Humans As Gods | 4818 words

"HYDRA's scientists had been delighted to find their serum-reversal procedure had worked. Their jubilation was dampened by the discovery that Steve's smaller self might no longer be Captain America-sized but was still 100% Steve Rogers, and Steve Rogers was now mad enough to spit nails. A minor oversight in the design of the containment area meant that smaller-Steve had simply wriggled out of the now ridiculously-oversized restraints like an angry ferret escaping a paper bag, and punched the nearest technician in the nuts.

Chaos ensued."

HYDRA scientists successfully de-serum Captain America, only to discover that they are utterly unprepared for Steve Rogers. Meanwhile, the Winter Soldier follows his instructions to the letter. This works out just great.

The Only One That Needs To Know | 6571 words

Bucky can't control his body. He can only control what secrets he keeps.

I Was Wearing My Blue Coat | 11503 words

Following exposure of his past as the Winter Soldier, anonymous postings of explicit video footage, 63 charges of murder and the wrath of the Internet, James Buchanan "Bucky" Barnes finally steps into the limelight and tells his story to Zenat Patel of the New York Times.

Compliance Will Be Rewarded | 4767 words

Someone told him once: "Compliance will be rewarded," and he remembers pressing his head against a man’s leg in open supplication. He remembers hands in his hair, and a gentle grip on the back of his neck. He remembers a man telling him "so good, so good for me aren't you?" And he remembers nodding his head in a desperate attempt to be exactly as good as he was supposed to be.

~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*

Bucky Barnes is physically free from Hydra, but the hold on his mind lingers still. All he wants is to go home, and he'll do anything he can to get there.

To Burn Your Kingdom Down | 12370 words

The Avengers go after a Hydra splinter cell with a nasty habit of brutalizing their prisoners. Steve has some ugly history with them, and when a rescue mission gone wrong leaves him and Sam in enemy hands, the situation gets uglier still.

Worth The Wound | 7709 words

The asset knows that maintenance is better than punishment. But with Steve, maintenance becomes more pleasant, soft and gentle and everything he could dream of. It was only natural that he decided to prolong that maintenance a little longer.

The Spaces In-Between | 6971 words | Part 1 of What We Tried So Hard To Hide Away

"Memories are like buckets of water: they weigh on the heart and the brain until the body fails. You're blessed to stay forgetful and young, Soldier."

Sometimes blessings feel like curses.

Illuminate The Scene | 7086 words | Part 2 of What We Tried So Hard To Hide Away

The doctors had wanted to keep the Soldier. Shock him and freeze him until he was fixed, or tear him to scrap if he couldn’t be repaired so that he wouldn’t be an entirely wasted investment. Steve is the only thing stopping them.

When the Soldier can't trust his own body, how can he trust anything?

All These Riots Of Broken Sound | 83790 words | Part 1 of Forever Is A Close And Honest Friend

When Steve and the team return to Avengers tower to find Bucky gone, they must venture into B.A.R.F. to figure out what triggered him to leave and hunt those who wronged him. Trapped in a simulation of Bucky's worst memories with rogue HYDRA agents waiting to strike, 100 years of secrets, lies, pain and love drive the team to their limit and push Steve towards a realisation that is a century in the making.

I Was Lost But Left A Trace | 3585 words | Part 2 of Forever Is A Close And Honest Friend

Disorientated, the Asset reached up to wipe at the moisture on its cheeks and was shocked to find it clear, instead of the crimson it has been expecting. It didn’t understand why this misidentification had caused uproarious laughter from the technicians.

“It is not blood,” the Asset told him, “but it is still a malfunction.”

This sobered the technician a little, and he nodded tightly.

“Yes. It is. But we will fix you.”

I’ll Always Be Blamed For The Sun Going Down | 9907 words | Part 3 of Forever Is A Close And Honest Friend

He knows he’s in the right place. He has heard the guys at the docks laugh and joke about the queers who come out after dark, looking to earn a little extra cash. He has seen the johns, when he’s been out late enough, skulking in the shadows like predators hunting for their next meal, looking for something in particular. Sometimes they look at him.

A small, rusty pen knife that his father had picked up in Europe during the Great War sits heavy in the breast pocket of his jacket. Just in case.

Book Of The Moon | 16019 words | Part 4 of Forever Is A Close And Honest Friend

In 1929, Bucky Barnes falls in love for the first time and resigns himself to never telling a soul, let alone Steve, the object of his affections. In 1943, half a world away from the man he can never have and fighting for his life and his sanity, something new begins to bloom.

Habeas Corpus | 18054 words

An unexpected incident in the field leaves Steve Rogers facing the infiltration of a Hydra base and retrieval of important intelligence, all while pretending to be the Winter Soldier. Unfortunately, there are important aspects of the Soldier's past that Bucky hasn't disclosed, and Steve has no idea what he's really walking into.

Bullies | 14979 words

Written for the MCU trash meme prompt:

I wanna see Steve being messed with by his secretly-HYDRA coworker buddies. I want them generally fucking with him, "accidentally" doing terrible things to him or getting Steve into awful situations, telling jokes that aren't really jokes, gaslighting, performing sexual-assault hazing under the guise that "that's what people do now," pressuring him into other sex shit, anything, just fuck Steve up.

Steve isn't failing to fully catch on because he's dumb or oblivious: it's just that he is Steve, so he wants to believe the best of everybody, and he doesn't want to believe that he could be working for/with bullies and that (as Natasha says) he essentially died for nothing.

Not Unwanted, Not Unloved | 50320 words

They'd resigned themselves to never becoming parents - until Bucky gets pregnant and drops off the grid without even a whisper to his mate about his condition. Steve will still raze the earth to find him, but that doesn't mean he likes what he finds.

The Tones That Tremble Down Your Spine | 13889 words

Tony tells him they’re planning a party for Steve’s birthday. He knows how parties are supposed to go.

Lacuna | 62875 words

The Winter Soldier doesn't remember Steve Rogers, but he needs Rogers' help.

OR: The one where Bucky doesn't remember Steve, but falls in love with him anyway.

Not A Perfect Soldier | 93354 words

In a world where HYDRA was wiped out in the '40s, Steve is found by the Army rather than SHIELD. General Thaddeus Ross wants a perfectly obedient super-soldier at his command, and to that end, he sets out to break Steve to his will. As Steve struggles to come to terms with all he has lost, his life in captivity is only made bearable by the presence of another prisoner-- another super-soldier known only as "Soldat". Then the Avengers strike a deal with Ross to "borrow" him for missions, and Steve is faced with a team who dislikes him, an organization he doesn't trust, and the question of what he's willing to do to escape Ross's clutches.

For Want Of Him | 103174 words

It's the twenty-first century, and Steve Rogers has never been more alone. Everything he knew, everyone he loved, is now gone, and a dark, bitter loneliness claws at him, raking bleeding gashes into his heart. And then there's Brock Rumlow. Rumlow is like salt in his wounds; vicious, and cruel. But his dark brown hair and teasing smirk reminds Steve of someone long dead, and his New York accent sounds like home...He's a soldier like him...he understands. And Steve makes the fatal mistake of trusting him.

The Same Measure | 4943 words

The Winter Soldier was never allowed to stop unless an injury was too grievous.

To Be Unmade | 5114 words | Part 1 of Alexander Pierce Should Have Died Slower

For the asset, things only ever get worse. The external scars fade quickly enough. The internal ones dig deeper and deeper.

But the internal scars are called love, and doesn't that make them worth the hurt?

Do Not Put In The Icebox | 7143 words | Part 2 of Alexander Pierce Should Have Died Slower

When the asset malfunctions on a mission, Rumlow and Rollins learn more than they ever wanted to know about Pierce's hobbies.

And then everyone has pancakes.

The Knowing Makes It Worse | 4130 words | Part 3 of Alexander Pierce Should Have Died Slower

No is a bad word and invites punishment.

Or, Alexander Pierce is a very bad man who delights in manipulating and degrading the asset.

Love Is For Children | 5303 words | Part 4 of Alexander Pierce Should Have Died Slower

Bucky understands how the game works. He can't understand why it makes Steve cry.

But Natasha and the other Avengers are there to help.

I Just Wanted To Be Sure Of You | 4461 words | Part 5 of Alexander Pierce Should Have Died Slower

Bucky has Bucky Bear; it's only fair for Natasha to have something of her own.

Visiting a toy store wasn't strictly necessary, but if Tony wants to throw money around, no one's going to complain.

“Till The End Of The Line | 6069 words | Part 6 of Alexander Pierce Should Have Died Slower

It's hard to take a friendship right back up when so much has changed over seventy years.

Particularly when HYDRA's conditioning resurfaces.

*if you feel that any of these fics shouldn’t be in this list please just send me a message! :) I have read them all but over the past 1+ years so some of them I might not remember all the details of :)

[tapas-and-stuff-productions]

Here we go! Just fired up the TAPAS Tumblr. Posting a few things both old and new, starting with this banner.

We unveiled this a year ago, at the beginning of what we call "Phase Two", and it depicts the characters from nine original IPs we hope to create. Let's give them a little skim.

TAPAS logo by Sadie Allen

Trent Kane from "Better Yet?" created by Mason Ellison art by Casey Gosselin

Official Summary: "Life has reached a low point for Trent. Following a failed suicide attempt, months of therapy, medication, and a stay in the hospital, Trent has gotten over his suicidal thoughts but still struggles with his depression. Sent across the country to be taken in by his aunt and recover away from the judgmental eyes of his community, Trent is forced to face his problems and his flaws in the company of his overprotective aunt, emotionally distant uncle, and tactless cousin."

This was our first major fiction project, and half of kicking off Phase Two - to date it's the only story to be launched in any capacity. It was done as an audio drama, and I like to think we presented something pretty good.

Zaya and Airi from "Keys & Kingdoms: The Choices" created by Sage Mann art by Casey Gosselin

Official Summary: "In a cosmos that calls itself simply Cosmos, magical things abound. Zaya is a young neo-fairy, a recently-born creature of pure magical energy, fascinated by the world and how she may protect it. Having found her nemesis in Jax, a priestess of the fiery serpent god Apep who seeks to burn down the gods' creations, Zaya aims to put a team of heroes together to put an end to this sinister plot. Assisted by Airi, a small gargoyle who lives as a street urchin, they assemble a team of amateur adventurers from all walks of life to march against Jax and put a stop to Apep's destructive schemes."

The "Keys & Kingdoms" universe, well, hopefully hasn't fallen too far from what it once was as the main focus of the TAPAS enterprise, we've become super-invested in a certain non-original IP... we'll talk about that thing later, hopefully K&K is still a companion piece to that thing.

"Keys & Kingdoms" is a fantasy universe and RPG campaign setting which started its life with the notion of combining the two places we spend most of our time: the high-fantasy realm of a Dungeons & Dragons campaign, and the sort of universe where Disney fairytale musicals take place. "The Choices" is a small-scale story we're telling in that universe as a way to introduce it; hopefully the RPG and even more stories will follow!

Daniel Hudson from "Luno Canyon" created by Naty Jenfjord art by Stacy Lord

Official Summary: "Daniel Hudson is a twelve-year-old, self-proclaimed paranormal investigator, like his mother before him prior to her recent, mysterious death. To heal and bring the family together, Daniel's father takes a job opportunity in distant Luno Canyon, Arizona. Little do they know that Luno Canyon is where strange things are... where the strange things Daniel seeks live. Armed with his mother's old tape recorder, Daniel logs all he learns about the supernatural in Luno Canyon: the vampires, werewolves, and much darker things that lurk in the shadows."

Initially inspired by "The Magnus Archives", this audio serial will be part character blog, part found-footage. Excited for this one to come around, after the ones we're currently working on - Naty's projects definitely have more of an air of appealing to kids, and that... that would just be pretty sweet, to have people grow up on our stuff.

Gurichi and Kashya from "Mina" created by Sage Mann art by Stacy Lord

Official Summary: "In the tiny world of faeries, young village boy Gurichi dreams every night of Mina, a faerie girl his own age, living in a big city far across the world. Gurichi has never met Mina in person, he doesn't even know for sure if she truly exists, but every night he dreams of the experiences of her entire day, and he's grown very fond of her. When his village is invaded and Gurichi alone escapes with his life, he is encouraged by Kashya, a blind cave faerie who has already lost her home to these same invaders, to venture out into the world and see if he can find the all-too-literal girl of his dreams."

A short and sweet mini-series - not every fantasy world needs endless lore and exploration, after all. Silly me, I've neglected to mention the medium in which we'll be telling the majority of these stories - one might call them motion comics. Not quite animated. We might call them "anemics", but that gets a really visceral response from people. Didn't realize anemia was such a sensitive topic. Regardless, it's a process we're only just beginning to master. Teasers for our first few big fantasy stories will be coming along sometime soon.

Miwa Raisuelmo and Rabel from "Spaced Out!" created by Naty Jenfjord art by Naty Jenfjord, color by Stacy Lord

Official Summary: "Miwa is a teenaged fighter pilot from the planet Lactarion, daughter of the high general of the planet's forces. She is constantly under the guidance of the artificial intelligence Rabel, a gift from her father to keep a close eye on her following the death of her elder brother, an ace pilot himself. Though Miwa and her father are not close, she is known to be the one soft spot of this indomitable master of war. During a skirmish with space pirates, she crash-lands on Earth and is taken in by a group of college roommates. Miwa must now live in hiding, away from both the governments of Earth and the enemies of Lactarion, who have broadcast the location of the general's one weakness. In spite of the galactic threat, Miwa finds comfort in the penthouse apartment of her resucers, and shenanigans ensue which might be described as wacky."

This is the one we, well, knew the least about, hence having the longest summary, we basically had to spell it out to ourselves. Basically, yeah, long space-opera introduction to what turns out to be a pretty chill sitcom, with handfuls of alien foes still turning up now and then.

Reese Howell and Depression from "Depression & Me" created by Naty Jenfjord art by Naty Jenfjord, color by Stacy Lord

Official Summary: "Reese is in a dark spot in their life; struggling with employment, distant from their family, with no real friends, and grappling with their own gender expression. One day, Reese hits rock bottom, and finds in their home a tall shadowy figure which identifies itself as Depression. Reese must now deal with not only the symptoms and disorder that depression brings to their life, but also its manifestation as a freeloading roommate that no one but Reese can see."

Nice high-concept for a... what might it be? Comic strip? Another motion-comic but with much shorter episodes? We'll see.

Tom Burroughs and Harriet Sheldon from "Some Sweet Kind of Vampire" created by Sage Mann art by Stacy Lord

Official Summary: "Tom is nothing special. Gloomy and disaffected, he's mechanically making his way through college at a prestigious Virginia campus. Just starting his sophomore year, he makes the startling discovery that his roommate Harriet is not only a vampire who has herself been drifting aimlessly through life for over fifty years, but is deeply attracted to him. With his childhood friends at his side, Tom explores the secret supernatural world he now has no choice but to be able to see now that the veil has been lifted, while also exploring the intimidating depths of Harriet's feelings for him, feelings he is not ready to return."

At this point we come upon stories which are very, very far in the future before we attempt to produce them. This is actually the oldest story on the slate, but its time hasn't come yet. It's based on the paranormal romance trend, of course, good-naturedly ribbing on its usual melodrama by making it a romantic comedy. Hopefully we can whip it out in just the right decade in the future to capitalize on 2010s nostalgia!

Iris from "Iris" created by Sage Mann art by Stacy Lord

Official Summary: "In a distant future Earth ravaged by heat and disease, nature has taken back much of what humanity stripped from it. As small pockets of civilization slowly return, Longsaddle University has created genetic experiments known as Abominations, ever testing the capabilities of these human/animal hybrids to see how mankind might conquer Earth once more. Longsaddle's enemies, the underground rebellion called Gaia, have acquired five Abominations and given the young mutants not only their freedom, but also a chance to join their cause and make the world a better place; but Iris, the eldest and loneliest of the Abominations, has no hope for the soul of a world that would have allowed her to be born."

A companion piece to SSKV, the dystopian future to the paranormal romance of, like... that decade. This trend went in a weird direction, always ended up more about the cool factions than the actual politics, didn't it? Well, we'll see where this goes. It's had a lot of identities over the years, but it seems to be heading in a direction relating to caring for one's mental health, and... drastic revolution!

Holly Ford from "Page Turners" created by Naty Jenfjord and Sage Mann art by Naty Jenfjord, color by Stacy Lord

Official Summary: "Holly is an adventurous nine-year-old girl from a big city, visiting her grandpa in his rural little town and loving her chance to explore over the summer. At the local library, Holly finds a long-hidden magical book containing all of the stories known to humanity and the power to bring these stories to life. The book is infected with dark magic, and the fairy tales that play out in the town are the darkest possible variant. Holly and four local kids must team up with a secret clan of fairies and pixies to turn the book from evil to good, one page at a time, while avoiding an enemy who seeks to use the book for a dark purpose."

This story is meant to be a nice piece of nostalgic throwback for all kids of the 80s and 90s, whatever you watched after school, whether it was magical-girl anime, low-budget cartoons on PBS or HBO, or the strangely twisted live-action children's films of the time.

So, that's it, thanks for reading the first post to the TAPAS Tumblr. More to come, we'll be bringing just about everything over here! We've been having a bit of a rough time... and I know this because every time I type that something is going to happen in the future I have a gigantic panic attack.

Members of TAPAS who beat us to Tumblr: