#i think there’s a lot of fertile ground with Tragic Stories that make people want to make it all better in an AU

[criticalrolo]

self care is coming up with THE Most Self Indulgent AUs and drawing little pictures to go along with the dumb stories you write for yourself

[thecruellestmonth]

Juni Ba is holding a Reddit "Ask Me Anything" session on May 7 at 4 PM CEST (10 AM EST).

Some of his answers in his previous interviews about The Boy Wonder, a reimagining of Damian's story—

This is a standalone graphic novel (Black Label), meant to be accessible to readers with no prior comic knowledge. It is meant for ages 13+.

Damian is Ba's favorite Robin, and he finds him very relatable.

On Damian comic influences, Ba says Son of Batman and Super Sons were two of his favorite books. *CORRECTION: In the AMA, Ba makes it clear that he's referring to Robin: Son of Batman, not the Damian: Son of Batman series or the Son of Batman movie. Which makes a lot of sense for someone writing a fairy tale about Damian, but I was confused.

Other than Damian, Talia and Jason are the characters that Ba has been most excited to work with.

Ba did the art for the "Happy Birthday Damian" story in Truth & Justice; while the art was a test run for some design ideas he's using in The Boy Wonder, the actual story isn't necessarily indicative of his own writing style or his version of the characters.

Ba is a big fan of Darwyn Cooke. Justice League: The New Frontier thematically inspired him here, possibly more than particular Batman comics.

Ba is aware of the racism discussion regarding the al Ghuls, and he intends to humanize them.

Ba started writing in 2020 or 2021, and the story is being released now after a period of waiting.

"This is very much I guess a Juni Ba book that happens to feature Batman characters."

To start us off, what can you tell us about the story of your new series, The Boy Wonder?

I usually introduce it to people by saying it's the story of a child with a lot of hang ups and preconceived ideas, both about himself and his family members. Over the course of this coming of age fairy tale he starts to learn about them, and himself, and grow into a better person. And it really leans into the fairy tale aspect to push the allegory and the magic in this story!

Why does Damian appeal to you so much as both an artist and a writer?

I find him both tragic and adorable. He and I share some things and I think that's why my brain started coming up with a story about him all by itself. Writing wise there's a fertile ground to tell a really heartfelt story. And art wise, he's such a fun character to draw. It's like a cute little gremlin who's always frowning and judging everyone, which can often backfire on him in funny ways.

How much does Damian's past with Talia and Ra's al Ghul influence Damian and this story?

A lot! They raised him after all, so that upbringing influences a lot of what he does. But that includes Batman too, even if his influence is more recent. There's a looming presence of all the parental figures and the pressure of what they'd have wanted you to do, how they would have judged you.

Since we were talking about Damian’s mother, there have been questions surrounding characterization and stuff, especially for characters like the Al’Ghuls, whose stories unfortunately do have a lot of racist elements in their origins. Are you doing anything to combat or alleviate those concerns in your book?

Stories often dehumanize them, so I try to do the opposite. I think I have a very character-driven style of storytelling, and a lot of the time I try to give the point of view of as many people as I can in the story.

There are five issues. Three of them have the Robins, and then eventually we get to my 2nd favourite team up, which is with Talia and it’s done from her perspective. The main goal was to try to give her more of a voice, because you start this story with a kid who tells you “My parents are messed up,” he was essentially raised to kill people, but we see how she was raised too, and the faults that she can see in her father’s philosophy.

Ra’s gets a bit of that as well later on, but the main goal was, I want to make it so that when you start the story with Damian, he has a lot of preconceived ideas about both sides of his family, which make his relationships to everyone very difficult. Every adventure he has, he gets to understand things in a different light by the end of every story, and one of them was, “What is his relationship to his mom like?” And you get to see it from the mom’s point of view and understand that she loves her son, but there are a lot of complications that come from being raised by someone like Ra’s.

Beyond that, this is an older Talia, more mature and less sexualized than the usual I’d say. As for Ra’s, I can’t say much, but a lot of what you see of him at first is rooted in Damian’s childlike, heightened, and scared perception. Just like the rest, it gets explored later.

It sounds like the book will see Damian coming to terms with his place in the Robin lineage. How does he feel about his brothers?

This Damian would probably say they're usurpers, ingrates, failures and profiteers! It's pretty hard being raised as the center of all the attention, as well as a successor who's never quite enough for his grandfather, and then when thrown into the Bat family, he becomes what feels like the fifth wheel. The last and least appreciated son. So his whole arc will be about processing that.

Is there a character other than Damian that you’re particularly excited to be writing and/or drawing?

Jason and Talia, by a lot. I think because the core of it is this is a world of people who seem very perfect. Damian works as this kid who feels like he’s not good enough for that. But aside from him, there’s Jason, who’s really a well-intentioned, good hearted person who really bad stuff happened to, and he’s struggling to get out of the traumatic impact of that. And I think the story works really well in showing that.

Talia is kind of the same. It’s someone who has a very idealistic view of the world and wants to essentially, be allowed to shape the world into what she thinks it could be, but she has to be under the boot of someone else who is not very reputable, and it has impacted a lot of her life in ways that she did not intend, including her relationship to her son and that’s also probably why those two characters also get like an issue told from their perspective. I really wanted to show you the inside of their mind and dispel a lot of the prejudice that Damian has about the way they are.

I really love the way you visualize Damian and the other Robins expressing themselves with their eyes. What design elements of the character were you most excited to highlight to help show readers what Damian was feeling in a given moment?

I do love using the eyes to express! It’s a very efficient and visually compelling way to do it, but more so than that I use character design. Their shapes, their colors, they all are designed to convey something relative to the story at hand. For example Jason takes cues from Taxi Driver and the general feeling of alienation and being a drifter. It’s all to give a shorthand into how he feels, to then unpack that and give it context. Everything is story basically. Damian looks like a cute angry potato! And that’s all because despite how abrasive he can be, he has to remain endearing and you must see that it’s still a kid learning.

Well, since this is your own thing, I assume that must mean that you’re giving your own spin on these characters. Is there anything without spoilers that you can tease that is going to be different? Like if you’re a long time reader going into this you’re going to be surprised by it.

I’m someone who really likes a more fairy tale and magical side to storytelling. Something that I added a bunch of, I mean, they talk about demons in the solicits of the first issue. It’s both an allegorical thing and a very, real thing that the magical aspects of certain parts of that world have been pushed more.

The other big thing for me was Damian is the heart of the story, so everything is seen from his point of view. So Batman looks a lot more like a dad. Talia looks a lot more like a mom, and with every one of the Robins, I try to take a core concept of every one of them and push it to the forefront to contrast it to Damian. So like, I would say that the more fun part of it would be observing how Damian interacts with what’s essentially kind of a mirror put to himself every time. But overall the idea is a sort of cartoon-making logic, of taking the general elements in various iterations of a character, synthesizing them for the story, into something recognizable but digestible.

The Boy Wonder has this beautiful visual style - fairy tale, as you just said - despite some strong moments of violence. Why did you choose to tell the story this way?

Fairy tales are great for allegory, larger than life concepts and leaning into the magical. There's also a story reason I can't spoil but it makes for a great framing device.

[...] There are narrative reasons in the book that I can’t spoil, but overall I’d say it’s because it’s my favorite format, as well as a great way to really lean into the larger than life aspect, the allegorical, the magical. Fables often contain a nugget of a message or meaning, and this is a coming of age story, so it fits rather well.

The Boy Wonder is as much about Damian as it is his brothers. Has that story not been told enough — how similar and different Bruce’s kids really are — and did you draw on your relationship with siblings at all?

Pretty much no one I talk to in the larger world ever even knows that there are multiple Robins, let alone read their stories. So I’m glad to be making a book that’s easy to access for new readers, with no prior knowledge needed, that appeals on its own and can tell them a cool story about family and overcoming pressure. A story that works both for the ones who know these characters and want a self contained tale, and the ones who know nothing and just want a fun comic to read. The comic is Black Label, which usually skews older, but this is a tale I wanted accessible from mid teens to as old as you want.

And I did pull from experience! I have two siblings, my best friends all do as well, and the inner workings of how you view yourself and your family members depending on where you fit is interesting to me. It’s very much a tale of reckoning with your assumptions about your family, as well as the impact your parents had on you and your siblings.

What about Damian Wayne is so interesting to you? Do you think he gets a bad rap even now in the grander DC Universe?

Damian is simultaneously the most insufferable and most touching little boy to me. There’s a mix of adorable and deadly that I find amusing to watch, and satisfying to write. Plus I sympathize with him on a few backstory elements which are the cornerstone of the whole story.

As for his reputation, I think I’m glad there’s a reminder that being coarse and ill mannered can hide a good heart.

What are some of the benefits of putting this out as a DC Black Label book?

Mostly freedom! I got to tell the story I wanted. I didn't have to worry about continuity, and thus made what I like making: a self-contained adventure that anyone can appreciate as a comic, with or without any prior exposure to that world. Plus we got to have fun with the design of the issues!

Do you have a favorite Damian-starring story that you drew on for this book? Or maybe another Bat Family story instead/as well?

I think my two favorites were Son of Batman and Super Sons. I just vibed a lot with the fun adventurous tone. But most of my inspiration comes from outside superhero comics, or even outside comics as a whole. I didn’t even reread those two books I mentioned aside from when I needed to check phrasing. In that case I read those, and the early Damian stories just to absorb how he spoke.

But outside superhero stuff, were there any influences that were working on you as you were writing this story?

So a lot of comics from the 60s and 70s, from France and Belgium.I have a thing for like 80s and 90s movies, including movies that I was not supposed to watch when I was a kid, so stuff that’s drama-oriented. The point of this book is, it’s basically a character study, mostly of Damian, but also Damian through his interactions with other people in his life. So, mostly the other Robins, but also his parents and more so his mother.

The events that happen are really just a setting for you to observe how the characters interact, and there’s a bunch of movies in the 80s that were really good at doing that and showing you a very flawed person and the way that they react to the world around them. So yeah, that’s more of a tone thing. The aesthetic aspect was really taken from 60s and 70s French and Belgian comics as well as very old sci-fi, fairy tales, and black and white photography.

What’s the process look like for you when you write and draw a comic?

Whoa. Let’s see. So the origin of every book is a little different, but usually I spend a year or two, maybe more just thinking about the story and putting ideas down and then once I have an idea of how every story step works into each other, I start storyboarding so there’s no script.

[...] I don’t write scripts because I prefer to have the storyboard of the thing already made, because that’s where I know if something is working or not. Then once the storyboard has been greenlit and all the corrections are done, the next step is drawing the final pages. I do the sketching on my tablet, and then I print that in blue lines and ink over that. It’s a recent thing, I started doing it the last few months. The Boy Wonder was made that way. [...]

[...] I mean, technically, I started writing it in 2020 or 2021. Yeah. I’ve been sitting on it for a while, and then I made a tweet about it and it got the attention of Chris Conroy, who basically runs Black Label. He just asked, like, “OK, sure. Show it to me. I want to see what that’s like.” Several months later, the book was greenlit by DC.

You talked about how Batman: The Animated Series is an inspiration for this. And also because it’s Damian, I assume that the Grant Morrison Batman stuff is also an inspiration in some ways. But what other Batman material were you inspired by, if any, when writing this book?

Well, I wasn’t so much using Batman as I was using other things. Like there’s a bunch of influences from a bunch of different places, but the superhero stuff was mostly influenced by Darwyn Cooke. So it wasn’t so much Batman as much as it was Cooke. Like the thought process I guess was, “What do I like about these characters? Like the concept of the superhero?” Because the idea came from me watching a documentary about The Dark Knight Returns and Frank Miller. They mentioned how he was given free reign to make the Batman book he wanted. I just had the thought of, “Yeah, that would be fun, having a superhero story where you can just do whatever you want. Like, it’s your personal take.”

I guess from then, my brain started imagining a story with Damian because he’s my favourite Robin and I have a lot in common with him in terms of his backstory. I think it was this sense of sympathy towards the kid and the story grew from wanting to talk about the feeling of “You’re not good enough to be a part of the group you’re in or the family you’re in.” So being a superhero was more of an allegory of, “I don’t feel good enough to be a part of those great people who seem so perfect.”

Then the Darwyn Cooke stuff came. He was probably the biggest superheroic influence, because he’s kind of the epitome of superhero storytelling to me. He makes all his stories very easy to understand, very accessible to someone who maybe has never opened or barely knows what that character is about. His storytelling is also strong on its own artistic terms and most of all, he has this great sense of making superheroes this idea of the ideal version of ourselves, like those people who, even if they have bad thoughts or flaws that they have to overcome, they always do the right thing and they represent the best in all of us, and there’s a sort of sense of joyful fun in the superhero stories that he does. He also can talk about very serious subjects through that at the same time. My favourite superhero comic is The New Frontier, and I kept reading it over and over again when I was rewriting the book just to look at how he was managing that balance of joyful, superheroic, and inspirational fun, and the more serious themes. So yeah, the biggest influence would probably be him.

When I was doing research for this, I noticed that this isn’t your first time with a Damian comic. It was the “Happy Birthday Damian” story for Truth and Justice. Even over there, there’s a lot of similarities in terms of the character design, and even to some degree, Damian’s own struggle with his family and all that. So did that story help inform or define where you wanted to go with the characters for this book?

Well, no actually because basically when they asked me to do that story, the way it happened was that I was originally approached for something else, and I said, “I don’t really want to do that, but I’ve been writing this Damian story just for myself. Would you like to take a look?” Truth and Justice was kind of a test like, “We already have this story written by Andrew Aydin, and the idea was, do you want to draw it? It’s kind of a test run.” So I just used the designs I had already made for my own book. The fact that the themes are very similar is kind of a coincidence and it was kind of funny actually. It was a good way to sort of try my hand at drawing these for the first time, get a sense of what works and what doesn’t. I would say my story is a lot more complex, and delves a lot more into the psychology of most of the characters.

This book is an anthology like you said, where it’s about Damian with all these characters. But in terms of the structure of the story, is there like a connection beyond that, like Monkey Meat is all about the corporation. So is there a connection like that in this story?

Yes. It’s a narrative cut into different, contained stories, basically. Because the idea is that Damian is on a quest to try and prove his worth by defeating an enemy, and it’s really more of a set up to allow for him to meet all the different characters that he does. But the goal is that every story progresses that main plot that he’s on and getting closer to the final showdown against the big enemy.

The whole point is this kid needs to grow up and understand the familial context that he was born into on both sides, like a lot of it is him learning how complicated his parents are, and the effect that they’ve had on the people around them and learning to move beyond the trauma and the more negative impact of being the son of a guy who dresses like a bat, or the descendant of a selfish egomaniac. The big plot of the thing is a young boy wants to prove his worth and every story is a step on that journey towards the final end.

For Damian, you said he’s your favourite Robin. You relate to him a lot, but was there anything beyond that that made you want to sit back and think, “Okay, this is the character that I want to give my own spin on?”

I love the concept of Robin. When I was a kid, that was probably the thing that I liked the most about the Batman world. The reason why Damian worked so well is that it was such a perfect way to also tackle the previous ones, so every one of them represents some aspect of what being a Robin is like, and you can use that as an allegory for being part of a group or family with a code and stuff. You can talk about being part of a group with specific ideas of how you should behave, what kind of things you should uphold as good.

Damian’s the runt of the family. He’s the kid who just showed up. He doesn’t really know these people. He has a lot of preconceived ideas and it was a good way for me to be able to also talk about the previous Robins through him. It’s not a meta commentary, it’s more like, “Why do you like these concepts? What speaks to you as a person when you watch those beacons of goodness do things?” Damian is kind of like the audience surrogate in discovering that aspect of things at the same time.

What’s Damian’s favourite sandwich?

Well, I’m going to try and focus on my version of Damian from The Boy Wonder specifically. That Damian, his favourite sandwich would probably be something made by the mystical creatures that serve his grandfather, who take care of the whole land that they live in. So it’ll probably be a sandwich made with vegetables and meat from supernatural sources, something that he would not be able to get in Gotham because no one even knows that this stuff exists.

I like the idea of how even his favourite food is inaccessible in the new place that he’s in, furthering the whole alienation that he’s experiencing.

If Damian had a favorite song, what would it be and why?

I’m now going to show my age and mention how my teen sister listens to these moody chill songs that sound like the softer version of the emo rock I listened to as a teen, so I’d say that style! (Don’t ask me to name them, I don’t know!)

A song from my angst phase? “Numb” by Linkin Park.

[dimonds456]

What was “A Picture Perfect Hollywood Heartbreak” Really About?

What was Zach Callison’s A Picture Perfect Hollywood Heartbreak really about?

Hey all you people out there! How are you surviving quarantine? I had a bunch of spare time, and so I decided to write an essay that focuses on Zach Callison’s album, A Picture Perfect Hollywood Heartbreak. The album has been out for a while, but most people either only know Interlude IV or are really confused about the story it tells. I think I’ve finally got an answer, and I wanted to share it with you all.

If you’re only here to better understand Interlude IV, you can skip down there if you want, but you’ll still be pretty confused. Besides, you should listen to the rest of the album. The whole thing bops. 

Personal favorite song is Phantom Love, but I’m pretty sure no one cares about that.

Anyways, on to the show! One song at a time, in order.

WARNING: REALLY, REALLY LONG POST UNDER THE CUT!!

Phantom Love

Phantom Love sets up the whole story for us. Juanita is Zach’s old GF, who appears to only have dated him so she could get ideas for a music album she was writing. However, she had no ideas and/or is a masochist, and so wanted to get Zach to either break up with her, do something horrible to her, or just create drama in general she could write about. Whatever happens happens, and she is successful. 

Juanita seems to be suffering from some form of depression, but whether that’s actually the case or she, again, just wanted something to write about is up for debate. But either way, it’s hinted at several times that she slit her wrists and other self-harm-inducing activities. 

Many people follow her- she seems to be popular enough (which makes sense, due to the album being about two celebrities dating each other, just like Zach’s irl relationship). However, she has two different faces- her showbiz the-cameras-are-on face and her real face. Zach seems to have the same thing, as hinted at in She Don’t Know, but we’re not there yet. Point is, Juanita used Zach to try and get a tragedy out of the whole deal.

It was a phantom love- it never existed. 

“Made me promise I would never break your heart

How was I to know that’s what you wanted from the start?”

Both people got into Hollywood from a young age and grew up with it, and so were surrounded by drama constantly. This takes a toll on Zach, but he tries to deal with it whereas Juanita actively wants to partake in it. She causes drama- little triggers to get him to snap- until one day, he does.

Interlude I - Frantically

This one is pretty straight-forward. After the two break up, it’s the perfect excuse for Juanita to start spreading rumors and stirring tension. She’s quick to make Zach out to be the bad guy, when in actuality, he was the one who was being loyal in their relationship.

We’re clued in that these rumors aren’t true from one line: “I heard he got fired from that cartoon he does. (Nooo wayyy…)” We, as the audience, know for a fact he didn’t, but things get shaky as we realize that some of them are also true. 

“I heard he does coke now and, like, screams a lot.”

“AAAAAAAAAAAAA!”

[laughter]

Zach overhears them talking about them and runs away, going off somewhere to be alone. Once he’s alone, we get the disturbing audio of him sniffing some drugs, implying that he actually does, indeed, do coke.

DISCLAIMER: Irl Zach Callison did NOT turn to drugs! It’s a metaphor for how many people he knows who have decided to do so, and so he;s aware of what it does to one’s mind. Don’t worry; Zach is okay in that department.

She Don't Know

After gaining the following knowledge, this song is easier to understand. Zach really did love Juanita, and he misses her, even though he knows at this point that she used and abused him. 

“There ain’t no drug in all the world like loving you

Cocaine and cigarettes will have to do

Won’t somebody save me? My heart’s beating outta m’ chest

I just wanna hold you with those hands I once possessed.”

Juanita isn’t aware of the effect she had on him, and he laments this quite strongly (hence the title). Once she had her heartbreak, she ran off, leaving a broken lover behind. 

Trigger warning: there are hints of suicidal thoughts in this song. They get more prominent as the album goes on, which becomes important later. This is where we really start seeing them, though.

“F***ed up on my bedroom floor

And my first thought’s ‘let’s do some more’

They say it all kills for thrills

And I hope it does!

Can you hear me, love?”

He speaks about “where did I go” later on, meaning that he is losing himself/doesn’t feel like himself. He still wants to be with her, and her absence has utterly destroyed him. He’s still in love with her, and wants her to know that. However, Juanita doesn’t give a bat of the eye in his direction, only caring that she now had the material she needed to write her album.

Interlude II - Christie Only Knows

Here, we are introduced to Zach’s make-believe sister, Christie. Only she is aware that he is going through this, and we find out quickly that she isn’t supportive.

“It’s getting late now, but to me, it’s just beginning

‘Cuz life’s tearing me to pieces and I know I’ve been defeated

Oh, no

And Christie only knows.

Never seen someone like this before

An eight-ball power on the floor

And I’m staring at the ceiling 

Wondering if the reaper’s close

But Christie only knows

That there ain’t no drug in all the world like being you

\Glory on the silver screen just had to do

Won’t somebody save me? I am screaming out of breath

And my shadow, he’s holding a gun…

With those hands that I once possessed…”

This is the only time I’ll put all the lyrics in here, I swear. However, this one is important as it paves the way to Nightmare, bridging the gap between the two moods. She Don’t Know is angry, stressed, unsure, and frustrated, whereas Nightmare is just… depression. Interlude II is the middle ground, showing us that once Zach got all that off his chest, he feels… numb. He doesn’t know what to do. 

Now, who exactly is Christie? I don’t think she really exists, in the context of the album, that is. I believe that Christie is someone he’s hallucinating, an embodiment of all his most negative thoughts, sugarcoated into something pretty and worth listening to. We’ll explore her character later on in Interlude IV - Showtime, but for now, what you need to know is that his suicidal thoughts are getting more and more intense now that she’s here.

A sister is someone who you’re bonded to, whether it be in blood, relationship, or cause. In this case, I think it’s more relationship. She is telling him to let go, to accept that things are this way and won’t get better. It’d be easier to end it. And Zach is listening to her. We know this because of the line “And my shadow, he’s holding a gun with those hands that I once possessed…” He is seriously thinking about it, and the fact that it’s his shadow shows that the thought is always in the back of his mind. The same thoughts that led him to love Juanita are now ready to kill him- those same, once-steady hands he used to hold her with. And he’s done. He’s holding on by a thread.

Nightmare

This song is told in the 3rd person as Zach really explains what he’s been going through each and every day that lead him to this fateful decision to end it. He is done. He’s decided it. 

Every day, he cries. He hates himself, he hates looking at himself, he hates all of it. 

“Prosecutor at his own trial, 

The floor below him becomes so fertile 

by his very own vile, Nile, and exile source 

By the pitter-patter of his tears on the bathroom tile… 

...you’re nothing more than your feelings 

from your floors to your ceilings 

and out the all-bloodshot ocular faucets… 

Boy vs brain, white noise vs the sane, 

always vs the same, cries for help exclaim 

that he’s beyond repair. He’ll swear, he’ll despair, he’ll stare 

straight ahead in the mirror at the source of his waking nightmare.”

There’s an instrumental break, during which he says “Are you writing this down, Christie? Yeah…” This shows that he’s lamenting to himself, as again, Christie doesn’t really exist. He’s venting to her, jotting down everything that’s wrong with him.

This tells me that he’s writing a note. He is telling someone where he’s going and why he did what he’s about to do. Remember, Christie is in Zach’s head, and so if she is writing this down, that means that Zach is writing this down. His worst, most negative thoughts are writing all this down, showing him that this was the right decision. This will end all his suffering, and whoever reads the note will understand and be happy for him. This was his solution.

“He’s standing on a bluff overlooking the city

The city’s biggest bluff is making itself look so pretty

He tells himself to be tough, isolated and gritty

But gritty’s kinda hard when his brain’s run by committee”

This is how he decides to die. Now with a gunshot like Interlude II hinted at. He is willing to jump for it.

Look at the album cover. Did he go for it? I don’t think so, but we’ll get to that.

The song concludes with him saying this:

“So who do I speak of and why is he grey?

He rejects all his love, see the prices he pays

To his vices he caves, in a crisis of fates

No tragic history, only a mystery 

So I say to you, ‘who?’

Why don't’cha tell me?”

This is him confirming to us, the audience, that this is Zach’s character speaking about himself. He’s been hinting and clueing at us to this song all along, and now he is making sure that we know what’s going on in his head. He’s ready to end it. 

His love for Juanita broke his heart so severely that it left him broken and bruised beyond repair. And if you can’t fix it, it’s time to throw it away.

So he heads back out to the bluff to jump.

Interlude III - Second Thoughts

He’s standing on a bluff overlooking the city. The bluff’s height is making itself not so pretty. Is this being tough? Or just being petty? But petty’s not likely, it’s a selfish, single entity…

Doe she really want to do this? Looking down, Zach thinks about what made him come here. The drugs? They’re messing him up. He’s aware of it, he’s been aware of it. Would jumping be giving in to their influence? Or Juanita’s? 

“We put his record on until he’s bleeding on the needle

And he’s weeping in the street

Cut down on his curtain call

That’s where he’s gonna sleep.”

Standing on top of the bluff now, he looks down onto the road. He can see that there is where he could die, but he’s suddenly not so sure. The idea just slammed into him, reality slapping him in the face. “Do you really want to do this?” 

“Take aim with these hands he once possessed

A dozen roses on the pavement laid the rest

Oh, my dear sister Christie, will I feel some remorse?

She says ‘no, pull the trigger, ‘cuz he’s left us no recourse.

His brain has a sickness, so kill it at the source.’”

He steps closer. He can see, in his mind, the image of his dead body lying on the road, forever resting. But, was that the right call? To just throw in the towel like that? So, in true metaphorical fashion, he turns and asks Christie. His inner demons. They’ve been straight with him before, right? And, of course, they say “yes, go for it.”

But Zach still isn’t sure.

I believe he backs off for now, leading the way to Curtain Call.

Curtain Call

This is where it really starts to get difficult when it comes to dissecting this album, and from here on out, I guarantee that I got things wrong. However, stay with me, because I’m open to and want to discuss what everyone else thinks it all could mean. I’m going to share my ideas, and if you have a better one, tell me and I can either agree or argue it with you. Point is, like English class (in high school), if you have the evidence to back it up, you’re not wrong. Let’s have a serious discussion about this.

On with the show! Now, it appears as though Zach is arguing with himself in this one, one wanting to show people that he’s hurt so he can get help- the side that wants to live- but on the other hand, his other half knows that there’s nothing they can do if he does. He’d just weigh them all down. Because all of him agrees that he’s useless and hopeless. 

He sends up a prayer (I think Zach is Christian, so this makes sense), asking for, basically, karma of some kind. He’s done feeling this way, and wants it to stop. So he asks for “some price to pay,” hoping that there’s a solution, but knowing that the solution isn’t going to be handed to him on a silver platter. He’d need to work to get better, and this is him saying that he’s willing to do that. He WANTS to live, but he’s just not sure he can anymore. And that’s his main argument. Can he do this? Was it even worth it?

Obviously, with Zach being a famous actor (both irl and in the album), he has a double life. One is bringing joy to others, while the other is a constant internal struggle. The world is a stage, and at this point, Zach is basically admitting- through metaphors- that he has been acting. Pretending. 

Consider this lyric, put there- side by side- very intentionally:

“I find that I’m anything but fine.

No, I’m okay. Oh please just look away!”

It’s all a mask. And it’s one he’s tired of wearing. Notice how tired he sounds when he sings those lines. He’s done. He’s been done.

“Bourbon to kill my pain

Curtains to hold my shame

No, they can’t look away

Cannot contain my rage…”

These lines are telling us that people around Zach have started to notice that he’s off, but he wants to believe that he’s okay, that he’ll be okay. So he continues his career (“curtains to hold my shame”), even though it’s hurting him to do so at that point. And people are starting to notice. And that’s making him frustrated. At himself. At them. He’s tired. Let him rest. He just wants to rest and forget. Bourbon, alcohol, kill the pain. Make it go away so they can’t see. But they already see. The mask is old and withering in decay.

Towards the end, Zach’s voice becomes more echoey and distant (discluding the Italian that I have no hope of understanding, which is why I’ve yet to mention it). This shows that he’s distancing himself, running away, if you will.

Running back to the bluff.

And this time, he jumps.

Interlude IV - Showtime

Okay, meme time. This is the one everyone knows. However, we are not going to be talking about a Connverse fight that honestly makes no sense given the limited context of the song (as cool as those animatics are). We will be talking about, however, Zach facing and challenging his inner demons. Christie does not exist. Why should she rule over his life?

Let’s break this one down, since this one is the hardest to fit into the story.

He jumps, but survives the fall. Maybe dazed, maybe broken. Maybe it was just a dream. Maybe this song IS the dream. We can’t be sure. Everything is metaphorical in this one. Perhaps he didn’t jump at all. We can’t be sure.

Christie congratulates him. She tells him that he’s free. He did the right thing, and now it was just the two of them. They could do whatever they wanted without feeling so weighed down!

Zach disagrees, coming to a realization.

He jumped. Christie had said that it’d make everything okay again, that it’d be bliss. Well, he jumped, and it wasn’t. It was worse. He felt anger and fear, and this leads him to finally, for once, counter her. 

“The world is ours!”

“No it isn’t.”

“Get in the car.”

“This isn’t finished.”

“...What?”

She’s shocked that Zach openly argues with her, and as their bickering goes on (which I’m sure a lot of you reading this can hear perfectly in your heads, so I won’t write the exact lyrics down), Zach gains more confidence. He accuses her of murdering him. “And they’ll all think that it was suicide, but Christie, I know that it was you inside.” Remember, she’s not real and therefore didn’t really “kill” him, but he blames her as he allowed her to control and manipulate him. 

Christie is shocked, stating that everything she did, she did to comfort him. ”I saved him! I held him ‘til the moment he [Zach’s “innocence”] died!”) However, Zach realizes what she really is now, and decides that enough is enough. (“You choked him out of his goddamn mind! Promised the world to him, a goddamn lie!”) He knows what she is, and won’t let himself be manipulated by her again. 

Now, the whole time, they’re talking about someone who is dead. Who is that someone? Zach. However, it’s all a metaphor. When Zach jumped, a part of him died. The last of his humanity? His sanity? I think his “innocence,” which I say in quotes because I’m sure there’s a better word for it out there somewhere. He’s done being blind to the truth, blindly following Christie around. The part of him that was naive enough to do that, to listen to her influence and complain about the world, is gone. He’s dead.

And that means Zach isn’t taking anymore s***. 

C: “I won’t help you take [Juanita] down.”

Z: “Fine. I’LL DO IT BY MYSELF!”

C: “You don’t need it!”

Z: “Oh, I know that I need it.”

C: “She’s been gone for years, I know you can beat it!”

Z: “Oh, look in the mirror, you know we both fear her…

But you let me kill him, you’re WORSE than Juanita!”

Juanita herself never killed him. She never physically harmed him, not in any way that counts here. However, Christie did. She pushed and pushed him, taking a fragile boy and breaking him even more. Zach is now his own worst enemy, not Juanita, and this is him realizing it. But he doesn’t want to be his own enemy.

C: “I won’t help you take her down.”

Christie doesn’t want Zach to face her, because she knows that that would be him really facing his demons and starting down the path to healing. Juanita is Zach’s biggest obstacle, aside from himself. He has to face himself first, and that’s why this song is so powerful. Zach is taking a step back and realizing what he has to do, who he is, and why things are like this.

Z: “Oh, look in the mirror, you know we both fear her. 

We’re one and the same, we’re afraid to be near her!”

There’s that mirror metaphor again, except that he’s not looking at himself with hatred; he’s looking at himself with understanding (and a side of hatred). He’s ready to face her. He’s ready to get everything to stop.

“1, 2, 3, 4

Is this what love is really for? 

Is this all I get for being yours?

The kid in front of me in blood and gore?”

The kid is, again, Zach’s “innocence.” He understands, he’s ready to not only move on, but also confront her.

5, 6, 7, 8

Years left to waste for all I hate

They’ll all know Juanita’s fate!

Show’s about to start; don’t be late.”

He knows that it’s going to be a showdown, a big, epic throw down. And Christie isn’t coming with him. He’s leaving her behind. He’s leaving his demons behind, breaking free from them and moving on.

War!

The ultimate throw down begins!

“A wise man once said, ‘time is money’

So how much money did I lose to you, honey?

Find it kinda funny you wanna keep this feud runnin’

But I’m glad I’m on your mind, keep that canon fire coming, woah!”

This is 100% a diss track. Zach confronts Juanita in front of a lot of her friends (we hear multiple girls go “huh?” as they realize that Zach’s here and he’s ANGRY), and immediately starts in. No introductions, no “hey it’s nice to see you again”s, nothing. He’s here to make a statement, and he’s gonna do so.

He realizes Juanita for who she is now, and she has done so many horrible things to him. Spreading rumors and lies to ruin his life, after dating him just to get a story to write about. He’s sick of it and done. He calls her out, and it’s important that he does this in front of other people so they see what she’s really done. He’s hurt, he’s been hurt, and it’s because of Juanita, this amazing person a lot of people looked up to and liked (“I know, Juanita deserves so much more [Interlude I]”. “Step inside the life of the men weak enough to follow you [Phantom Love]). 

Juanita also appears to be dating someone else by this time. This is really important, because now due to context clues we got from before, the only reason Juanita dates is to get a heartbreak out of it so she can have the motivation and drive to write her own album. That’s why she dated Zach. So, if she’s dating again, that means she either lost the motivation and drive again, or she never had it in the first place since it wasn’t a real love between them. She didn’t truly experience a heartbreak at all. This is further backed up by the claim that “we’ve been waiting on your album for ages, no traces, and baby, we’ve already run out of patience!” She’s only dating to get that experience again.

This means that, at least in Zach’s eyes, she hasn’t changed. “To your new boy, let he be warned: you’re her new toy for blood and gore! What, you didn’t know?” She is going to destroy him emotionally, and he’s going to go down the same path as Zach, ending in death- blood on the pavement. The gore part is to emphasize how horrific the whole ordeal was.

“Sit down with me and sign this armistice

Get your big proboscis outta my s***, miss”

A proboscis is the butterfly equivalent of a tongue. They use it for sucking nectar out of flowers. So, what he’s saying here is that they need to settle this between them (“sign this armistice”), and that she needs to mind her own business. By her talking about Zach like that, she ruined his life and he’s sick of it. She literally sucked the joy out of him like nectar. 

“Welcome to the new me!

Paint your nails black and unscrew me

But that’s okay, Juanita

Know my business is booming”

His business is a reference to his own album, the very one you’re listening to. His music career took off now because of her and the fact that she broke his heart, not the other way around. Juanita can never understand that because she “only loves to be broken [Phantom Love].” 

“That’s alright, that’s okay!

You barely wrote them anyway

Half your songs got thrown away

Like ballets on voting day

All my ballads had more to say

Like a bullet through a motorcade”

In a twist, Zach got the story Juanita had wanted. He experienced a heartbreak, while she never really did. So he writes an album instead of her. It’s a cool kind of karma that Zach- or, at least, his character- can’t resist. 

The whole song ends with him forcing her/her friends to sing along with him, repeating her name, then yelling. She screams, and it cuts out. 

I think he’s lost his sanity (or again, his “innocence”) here. He gets carried away, and either attacks her or makes like he’s about to. I think he makes like he’s about to, but stops. This is the final song; if Zach killed her, there would more than likely be another song depicting the consequences and an Interlude V to show the aftermath of the incident. But because he stopped himself, he’s satisfied. Juanita learned her lesson, Zach got everything off his chest, and the people around them know the truth. 

That’s all he’s wanted for longer than we can possibly know.

Final Observations

Zach Callison has gone on record to say that “Juanita” has finally published an album of her own, but that happened months later. I don’t have any specific dates for anything, though. No one knows who the real-life “Juanita” is, which in my opinion, is noble of Zach. He had a lot of anger to get out, but unlike her, he wasn’t going to ruin her life to try and get something out there. He can make a statement without ruining someone else along the way.

With that knowledge, let us all stand and clap for this man.

Not only is the album just a really good listen, but each song tells a cohesive story. The tones each song sets, as well as the far under-appreciated interludes (or over-appreciated in terms of Showtime), really shows how his emotional state changes. Phantom Love is a lament, She Don’t Know is a classic “I’m sad bc my gf broke up with me :(“ which is how Zach perceives that incident at that point in time, whereas Nightmare is him falling into depression stronger than anything he’s ever felt before. Curtain Call is him arguing with himself about whether or not he should even live anymore, and it all comes back around with the upbeat, heavy-rock literal song of War!. The interludes take the tone of the next song and combine it with the lyrics of the previous to show that smooth transition between emotions as he grapples with his mental state, the only exception really being Interlude I, as it has an overall bouncy tone to it.

Zach not only made every single song enjoyable, but also unique and heartfelt. Just listen to how his voice shakes during Christie Only Knows. He is genuinely upset and lost, and because of this, he’s better able to convey the HUGE emotion dump that was his album.

Do I recommend it? Yes. I think there’s something in there for everyone, even if you only enjoy one of the songs. However, doing a review is going to be an entire post in and of itself.

Thanks for reading, guys. Now go listen to the album and tell me your thoughts. Does my explanation make sense? Do you have a better idea? Let me know. I want to have a real discussion about it with other people who have listened to the whole thing, not just Interlude IV.

If you haven’t listened to it yet, it’s on YouTube and ITunes. Do yourself a favor and check it out. The whole thing is ~45 minutes long.

Have a link to the playlist: https://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=OLAK5uy_n1rA_1uUBtxoATot0ixiTgvdEHhj3lAn4

[bloodyshadow1]

just finished Alanna’s route and I gotta say, I’d give it a C, it wasn’t bad, but I didn’t see a lot of good either.  There was so much crammed in as much as possible between the Society (that we barely get to see anything of), Time travel (which is fine but done pretty poorly with little buildup or fanfare or explanation), Immortals (like time travel, a decent story enough on it’s own, but only mentioned in the final 3rd of the story and barely talked about afterward), and Magic power stones (pretty vague power system that no one seems interested in telling the MC about) it feels like they accidently threw 4 darts at the idea board this time and never bothered to throw again.  It’s such a mess that the MC has to take on faith without ever being given a real reason to side with the Circle over anyone else other than her ex girlfriend is part of it and they hate her dad.  It’s so quick and it doesn’t ever feel like the right decision at least to me since you spend so little time with the Circle even as background characters to Alanna’s story.

Alanna as a character is kind of meh for me overall.  Physically her design is fine, seems cute more than hot or sexy, but sort of bland and generic.  there are other cute love interests that never felt this generic, she feels like she should be the sister or best friend character instead of the love interest of the MC.  It doesn’t help that by making her the MC’s ex returned, we know little to nothing about her, so much of a romance arc is missing because even if the MC knows, we the player don’t know what’s so great about Alanna.  All of Alanna’s character feels told instead of shown, the MC seems to worship the ground she walks on, but the actual story leaves much to be desired because we don’t really see her do anything super charming or amazingly skilled.  She’s pretty, but she’s not even the most beautiful woman in her route much less London or the world. I could understand why the MC would love her since she’s still hung up on her, so I could believe it if I took the story with a grain of salt, but the fact that her personality seems to be she’s so charming and everyone loves her without every truly delivering on such claims makes her whole route fall even flatter than it’s plot led to. The fact that the MC slept with her right away as a ‘palette cleanser’ was sort of interesting, but it still felt like being told about her, nothing about what she and the MC had gone through felt like she was so irresistible that the MC would need to get her out of her system, because we don’t know anything really about her relationship with Alanna.  And that’s a big problem to her selling points as a love interest

  We don’t know all the stories the MC has with Alanna, especially if they only dated for 2 months, the audience/player/readers, need to understand why the MC is in love with their love interest besides the route being named after them, by making their entire relationship when they first fell in love we miss all of that and are left with empty feelings and gestures between the two of them. The little back and forths between them about their past are okay to start with, but nothing about Alanna as a character from her 12 chapters makes me believe that she’s so lovely the MC can overlook her massive flaws and go along with her very unpersuasive desire to have the MC join them to help the world.  Her depression and feelings of helplessness after 200 years was interesting, but it felt like it came too late.  I’m actually really glad the MC called her out on her bullshit, by the end of her first chapter, I get a bit of where she’s coming from, but what Alanna did to the MC was fucked up and she doesn’t get to just pretend it never happened.

Plot wise, the story is a mess, like Alanna, so much of the story is told to the MC and she’s supposed to take it on faith that the Circle is somehow more morally right than the rest of the Society.  It fails because the Circle has barely any real character, they have interesting traits that if they were around more to make me care about them as something other than the vehicle to do the time travel and nothing more.  In so many routes, you’re introduced to all your love interests at the same time and they’re already a group, while you spend the most time with your love interest, you get to know most of the characters as people outside of their routes, but the rest of the Circle is pretty bland.  Not to mention that the Society is built up as this big maybe evil maybe just powerful and in the wrong hands thing..., but you barely interact with them at all.  The only people tell  the MC and her brother that the Society is bad is the Circle who are actively members of it and nothing about what they say or do makes me feel like they’re any more trust worthy than the rest of the society except most of them are going to be future love interests.  In Alanna’s route, the only member of the Society not in the Circle that has a unique character portrait is Arabella and she’s kind of a more interesting character with a more sympathetic story than the Circle. We hear about how corrupt and morally bankrupt the higher ups in the Society are, and we know the MC hates her dad, who seems to be considered the worst, but aside from being a bit stuff and arrogant, (much like the wealthy elite of our world) we don’t see much evil, and it confuses me if the Circle wants to bring down the Society or try and take control of it for the greater good without much of a reason to trust them.

The Immortal plot point fell flat to me, like the story basically skipped over the time travel plot device by making it literally a this happens and barely talk about it, but adding the Immortality plot felt unneeded in a narrative that needed a lot more structure, not irons in the fire.  I feel like if Alanna/your love interest was the only one of the Circle that was immortal other than the Elites of the Society it would have made a better route to go.  Having an immortal character in your romantic story is fertile ground, they could be a tragic figure, a figure who is hedonistic and loving their immortality, etc, there are plenty of ways to go, an immortal character with a bunch of their pals who are already incredibly powerful and have a vague sense of goodness about them, makes it feel far from a curse or whatever they’re trying to portray it here.  It could have also been introduced better to the MC by say meeting Arabella in the present day and being shocked by seeing her and needing confirmation from the Circle or Alanna, instead of Alanna dropping it in a mood to the MC.  

Overall, it felt to complicated of a story to tell with all the moving pieces that didn’t deliver on any of them sadly.  the whole story felt like it was a mix between Queen of Thieves and Astoria Fates Kiss, without the charms of either the story or the characters, replacing Greek Mythology with time travel.  I will also say, it the plot made me kind of uncomfortable with how a bunch of mostly white young adults have decided to be judge and jury throughout time with the first antagonist being a powerful black lesbian in london 200 years ago, and we only have their word that something is afoot.  I know that she actually was doing bad stuff, but the Circle is just a vigilante group with no actual authority and using time travel as their own means of policing people and if it wasn’t a simplistic romance story disguised as a scifi fantasy story, I feel like more nuance would have saved it.

The good parts: Alanna’s route for Immortal Hearts Society wasn’t all bad, I  I will admit I am probably overly harsh since I just finished it.  I actually really enjoyed the both the Female and Male MC character designs, they both were surprisingly interesting compared to a lot of MC’s.  I really did enjoy the MC for the most part and I liked her relationship with her brother, most of the time I’ve seen sibling relationships in Lovestruck they’re fine but don’t tend to have much actual conflict, just superficial.  But I like that the MC loves her brother, but burned her bridges with him to keep him safe, she regrets what she had to do but not what happened which is a pretty interesting take.  Alanna was enjoyable as a love interest in the beginning, but as the story got more and more convoluted, it felt like she didn’t have much actual character.  I do have a soft spot for the Circle characters, except for the two current love interests, I’m more annoyed that we didn’t get to see and interact with them more, especially since it looks like they’ll be future love interests if the pattern holds.  It was a fine story and I know I’m being overly harsh, but it just felt underdone instead of bad, which tends to make it worse in my mind because the lost potential is frustrating. 

 I wouldn’t mind continuing if the writing got tighter next season, I’ll still give it a try.  I would very much like an Arabella route before anyone else, she has such a gorgeous design and despite not seeing a huge amount of her character being a warm genuinely kind person stuck between a rock and a hard place for her family was an interesting take instead of making her one of the many false sweethearts in Queen of Thieves that stab you in the back.  I also think that if she still is around in modern day she would have fit the story as a love interest better than Alanna. 

Not sure if anyone is going to bother to read this but it feels good to get it out.  Maybe you think I’m full of shit and I’m fine with that, maybe you love Alanna and she’s your favorite love interest.  I’m sorry you read this because I don’t want anyone to feel bad, this is simply how I feel after reading the first chapter

[escapetaleofficial]

“Welcome to The New AU that has been released to public, by EscapeTaleOfficial.” “We hope you enjoy your experience with this AU, as the story is finally being released to public.”  “Thank you all so much for giving my Story a chance, we have gained fan art, and my AU, is getting up there with Underfell, Outertale, X-tale, it’s fantastic what creativity can lead to.” -Nicholas/EscapeTaleOfficial

“If you all don’t want to wait on the next chapter, Visit my profile on Wattpad, where you can Continue the journey.”

Long ago, when two races had ruled upon Earth, Monster, and Humans.

Neither group was equal, each with their own distinctions. Monsters could not stand to live with such negativity.

Each suffered severe discrimination at the hands of Humanity.

On behalf of each citizen, others have grown tired of being poorly mistreated.

Name-calling is a consequence because of being different.

Both sides had taken matters to their own hands and formed an army of their own race.

The two nations proceeded to move forward with their plan and declared war.

Humans using Swords, Maces, and sharpened Spears, as for Monsters their combat defense had been Longswords, Flails, and Magic.

Humans showing no mercy to their enemies and had taken the victory and monsters left relinquished. After the tragic events of the war.

Monsters then had been sealed into one of earth’s surface’, MT EBOTT, where they kept away from the society of humans by an impenetrable barrier.

After the Monster's abuse had ended, they had formed their own land beneath the surface.

Others had contributed to making civilization for others who were homeless or no longer retained a refuge home.

Then one day two Monsters who were the same species had fallen in love and fulfilled their destiny. Their names were Toriel and Asgore.

Asgore had suffered multiple injuries during the war, he had also lost a bit of his left horn.

The two then made a promise to the underground to spread piece and acceptance for one another.

Every civilian in the underground had chosen the two to be the ruler of their new home.

Toriel, and Asgore had declared themselves officially the rulers of the underground, their bond had formed stronger as their love for each other continued.

The two decided to have come to terms, having a royal marriage.

After declaring themselves king and queen their next fate had been decided.

Toriel had assured to Asgore that she wanted a child, to love for and nurture.

As time had passed, Toriel and Asgore, huddled close together as they watch over their newborn child.

Asgore turned his head to Toriel with a warm smile.

Asgore:  “You really love this child, don’t you Toriel, dear?"

He said in a happy manner.

Toriel then turned her head left of where Asgore had been standing and gave a warm smile back toward her husband.

Toriel: “Yes Asgore, I always wanted to be a Mother.”

She then turned her head away from Asgore, and lowered her head looking into Asriel’s precious eyes.

Asgore: “Toriel, Dear?”

He spoke softly with his lips. Toriel’s eyes then turned toward Asgore, she then elevated one singular finger to hush Asgore.

Toriel: “Shhhh, be cautious, dear. Our little one is sleeping.” She said to Asgore.

Asgore: “Ah, yes. I had almost forgotten the ceremony, I apologies, let us not forget that it is his big day tomorrow.”

Toriel then smiles at Asgore only for a moment and turned back toward her child and she began to rest her head closer to him.

Asgore then smiled as he softly kneeled to the side with caution, trying not to disturb their sleeping child.

Asgore: “I say Toriel, I enjoy his name quite a lot.”

Toriel then turned to her husband with a nod of agreement.

Toriel: “I too, love the name Asriel, I think it suits him, and sounds rather comforting, does it not?”

Asgore then shared had his same view on his opinion as he simply nodded.

Asgore then had almost forgotten the time of the night, he lifted his head upward as he glanced the time on the wall clock.

Asgore: ”Toriel, it seems to be getting late, I think we shouldn’t bother him as much, would you like some help?”

Toriel ears had perked up as she had seen the time as well and turned her head to asgore shaking her head in disagreement for his help.

Toriel:  “I’m afraid not, dear. But thank you for your kind offer of contribution.”

Asgore gave a smile to his wife, trusting her that she had everything under control.

Asgore: “Okay, Toriel. I will meet you in our Throne Room, in the royal palace, all right, dear?”

Toriel had softly turned her head to her Husband.

Toriel: “Splendid, dear. You be safe now, okay, dear?”

Asgore then looked over his shoulder into her eye’s, only to be nodding and agreeing that he will stay safe, then takes his leave to the Royal Palace.

Toriel had turned her head, as she leans takes one singular step toward her child.

Toriel: “Good night, my child, I wish you the best of having a magnificent slumber. You have, the Underground Prince title awaits tomorrow for you.”

Toriel carefully leans down to Asriel’s crib as she softly kisses his forehead, then proceeds to carefully leave the room with caution.

Moments later, the King and Queen had both sat in their Thrones, Asgore had been sipping on some honey tea, as for Toriel, only sitting there.

Having a thought that kept circulating her head.

Toriel then placed her hands softly on her lap and lowered her head.

Toriel: “Asgore, dear? I would like to inquire your information of how I feel, about a thought that would not leave my head.”

Asgore became curious and turned his head to his beloved wife.

Asgore had then pulled a small table toward his throne and carefully placed his tea gently onto the wooden surface of the table.

Asgore: “Hm? Is something the matter, dear?”

Asgore grew worried and hoped for nothing serious.

Toriel had lowered her eyes to the corner left, as she did not hesitate one bit to tell him.

Toriel: “Well I suppose it would not harm to ask.”

Asgore grew more curious.

Asgore: “Hm?”

Toriel had softly turned her head to asgore with a smile filled with warmth.

Toriel: “Would we ever seek to have another child?”

Asgore had widened his eyes only for a few moments.

Asgore: “Tori...what is the meaning of this question?”

Asgore then became flustered by her question.

Toriel: “No reason in particular.”

Asgore then sat straight in his throne and took a gulp of air.

Asgore: “W-we should ask ourselves when we are prepared, should we not?”

Toriel had then lowered her head and staired at the orange and yellow square patterns of the royal palace.

Toriel: "Well, what I wish so badly, is for our child to acquire Bravery, Loyalty and for them to enable themselves to face difficult danger independently."

Asgore had turned carefully turned away from Toriel and looked forward while listening to his wife, but then interrupted her, selfishly.

Asgore: “Well, I'd like to leave this terrible prison, I promised our people, to have hope. The entire undergrounds rely on us, and their hope for freedom, to rule the surface in piece!”

Asgore then turned his head to his wife.

Asgore: “Wouldn’t you want peace more than anything else, Torie?"

Toriel grew uncomforted as she elevated her right hand as she softly begun to rub her left arm.

Asgore then turned away from Toriel, as he sprung off his throne, and walked to Toriel and softly kneeled to her height.

Asgore: “Toriel, dear?”

He placed his hand under Toriel’s chin and lifted her head to face him.

Asgore: “I would truthfully seek another child, but wouldn’t you want them to grow happily on the surface?”

Toriel straightened her back and turned away from Asgore.

Toriel: “Asgore, the prophesy had told us, the barrier seeks seven souls.”

Asgore then lowered his head, being filled with a little guilt.

Asgore: “I know Toriel, I don’t want to hurt anything, or anyone.”

Toriel: Asgore, the surface will be ours once more, someone from the heavens, who is Brave, Loyal, and filled with courage, who an outlast dangerous trials, will be our savior.”

Asgore then lifted his head up to Toriel with a smile, feeling better from her encouraging words.

Asgore: “They will be the savor for our people, we had enough of this discrimination, we will leave this place and never will have to look back, dear.”

Toriel then placed her paw beneath Asgore’s chin, feeling his soft yellow beard.

Toriel: “We must face this suffering together as of now for the least, but we shall stay brave together, dear.”

Toriel had given Asgore a warm smile as for Asgore giving one in return.

Asgore: “Yes...stay brave...heh...heh.”

The two, Toriel and Asgore had both given each other a kiss on the lips.

A large interval of time had passed, Asriel had rapidly grown to eleven years old as for Queen Toriel and King Asgore had then ruled the underground since they had been forcefully departure from the surface.

Their child was filled with joy or more of indicative pleasure.

He would gather anything that seemed visible or tangible, he would often travel to the center of the mountain to fertilized flowers and let them grow by having them sprinkled in water or let the seed receive rain from the sky that had entered from the hole that was in the center of the mountain as the sun’s ray that had helped them bloom when they reach their full form.

Asriel then walked back to the royal palace in a happy matter.

Asriel “I wonder what my Mom and Dad are doing?”

As he ran back to his folks, he had caught something in the corner of his eye.

Asriel: “Oh? What is this?”

Asriel had peeked in the corner that had the sensation of the color red. the object was glowing brightly. It had been a soul that was missing or lost from its body.

Asriel: “Could this be? A real Human soul? Just sitting on the ground?”

Asriel had known what would happen as he has thought of motion in his head of what his father, King Asgore, had told him about touching a soul.

Asgore: “My child, you’re at a youthful age where I think is appropriate to explain, of what would happen if one Monster had chosen to become one with a human soul,”

Asgore spoke in a soft pitch, as he began to Neal down at his child's height.

Asriel had given a lot of concentration of the mind on his father hearing him explain.

Asgore: “One shall not lay a finger or any contact of it, your body will form a bond that you cannot overcome, you will lose yourself, every part of your body will alter itself, and could form.”

As he remembers his father's words, he says it to himself.

Asriel: “Soul. Fusion.” Asriel had felt reluctant and feared what would have happened if he disobeyed his Father's warning.

He kneeled to the ground as he began to extend his arm to the soul as he felt excitable to see the act that could await him.

He then placed his paw onto it, as he became to contact it, then before he could take his arm back, was unable to move, the soul had tensed up and while entering his body forcefully.

Asriel had felt lightheaded crumbling to the ground as the soul took over his body.

Its power had merged itself with him as his body began to modify from the soul fusion.

He then woke up as he felt pain throughout his body, he softly placed his paw on the back of his head with rotary motion.

Then it struck him for a second, he had felt horns that had grown from the occurring soul fusion that had happened after he touched the soul that was mysteriously found on the ground. Asriel had felt terror noticing the change to his body.

His clothing was a black robe that had the symbol that served the purpose of the Dreemur family.

Asriel: “Oh no! W-what happened to me...? Goodness, my dad will punish me or even banish me from being a prince!”

He then lifted off the ground from levitation, as his eyes had changed form.

Asriel had felt astonished and chose not to believe that he was flying.

Asriel: “.... I am Flying? But was this being ACT of wrong, could it...?”

Asriel could not feel regret as he savored every moment.

Asriel then realized he had an idea.

Asriel: “Hey, if I can fly? That means I can finally experience what is behind this trapped mountain.”

Asriel then flew up to the hole as he began to peak what was kept from him.

Asriel: “Could it be...?”

Asriel had steadily gazed upon a village where there had been another race that ruled the surface, which were known as Humans.

From Asriel’s personal presence did he also see children that that were playing outside of their homes chasing each other with broken shrub that seemed to have been cut off by a smaller tree.

Asriel: “How come...? We live in these Mountains. What made us stay here...? And not there?”

He then begun to slowly make his way down from the extended height.

Asriel: “The air is freshly clean...!”

He then ran into a field of flowers then playfully fell into them as he felt the soft petals against his smooth fur!

Asriel: “I can’t wait to tell Mom and Dad! I do not regret touching that soul, something inside me has realized that I feel freer and smaller extent of being trapped! I can’t wait to visit this outside world even more!”

He was unaware that Monsters had been kept away from the outside world.

A Human who was related to the village as cried out a scream from noticing Asriel playing in the flowers.

Asriel then heard the shout of fright from the flustered human.

The entire village had heard an outcry to get their attention.

Asriel tried to escape cautiously then had been enclosed on all sides.

Villager: “Monster!”

Being more than two but fewer Humans had then begun to treat Asriel with contemptuous rudeness.

Asriel then felt threatened and tried speaking to a calm manner.

Asriel: “People who rule this surface, I mean you No harm!”

Asriel tried to reason with them but they chose not to listen.

Villager: “You know what we do to Monsters like you? If you are a Monster...it is Kill? Or be Killed.”

The Humans made sure to enclose Asriel so he would have to no access of escaping. Asriel then tightened his hands as his eye pupils turned bright.

Asriel: “You better stay away for me, or ill destroy everything in this wretched world of yours!”

Asriel’s soul fusion had taken over him mentally causing him to act viciously and threatening.

Villager: “He has Threatened us! EVERYBODY CHARGE!”

The humans then had no other choice to attack Asriel, throwing Spears, sharpened Daggers, causing Asriel to be in critical damaged, he had been stabbed and beaten #fandomgiven no pity or mercy.

After the tragedy had ended Asriel then fell to the ground from the wounds that had been caused by the Humans.

Villager: “Quick! Run away before it gets up, grab your children and run!”

Other’s quickly grabbed their children, grasping them by their arm as they take them into their home’s and lock their doors protecting themselves.

Time had already passed as Asriel had been covered in cuts, open wounds, scrapes and bruises.

He opens his eye’s barely as he held onto his stomach in pain and could even merely stand and then left him at a lame movement, limping carefully back to the Mountains.

Asriel: “I-...N-need help!”

He then fell to his knees as he used every bit of his power to get back and levitate off the ground to fly to the barrier of the mountain.

Asriel: “I’m not strong enough...Any moment, I'm going to faint I need to use every bit of my power left...”

He then teleported to the barrier placing his Injured paw as his body started to feel paralyzed.

He then made it inside the entry where around the corner his parents had their thrones set up.

Asriel: “M-mo-Mom! D-dad!”

He cried in pain, as he fell to his knees then the soul that he had touched left his body, causing him to return to his natural state leaving him still harmed.

Toriel: “My child?”

Toriel then heard the cry of her own child as she sat up from her throne and walked toward the next room where the barrier was present.

Toriel: “Asriel!”

She had begun to tear up as soon as she saw her child suffering from the severe pain he was.

Toriel: “Dear! Please wake up! Asriel! ASRIEL!”

Asgore rushed in the room as he witnessed his own son near death from being beaten severely.

Asgore: “Asriel!”

He then ran to Toriel, and kneeled next to her as she held Asriel cradling him as she was in tears.

Asgore: “Toriel, Dear it is ok! He will be ok!”

He then attempted to calm her down as she chose not to notice Asgore at all.

Asriel opened his eyes with little effort as his parents tried to comfort him.

Toriel: “My child, you will be all right! Please don’t go!”

Her tears make her way down her cheek and drop onto Asriel’s fur.

Asgore then dragged his knuckle across his child's cheek.

Asgore: “Asriel, you cannot give up just yet, ASRIEL you are a brave child! Do not lose hope My child! Stay brave! The fate of the underground's rests in your hands, ASRIEL! Stay brave!”

Asriel’s vision then turned blurry and then his eye’s closed softly.

Both Toriel and Asgore were then at grief and before they could carry their son to get seek medical help, his body turned into dust, and his soul appeared and cracked.

Toriel had dropped to her knees sobbing in a sad but more angry way for losing her beloved one as for Asgore he felt grief and regret for leaving Asriel alone.

Asgore: “Toriel...It’s all of my fault I should’ve-”

She then sprung up to Asgore crying heavily as he did his best to comfort his Queen as he looked down on what was left of his child, then from the corner of Asgore’s eye he had noticed that there was a human soul that shined brightly red.

Asgore: “Toriel, dear!...LOOK! Look at once!”

Toriel then turned to what Asgore was pointing at.

Asgore: “A human soul, do you know what this means?”

Toriel had wiped her tears away. Toriel.

Toriel: “Asgore, I could not bear to even show any remorse of care knowing our beloved son had passed in our own eye’s!”

Asgore turned to Toriel and Explained that seven human souls could be there way of freedom.

Asgore eventually tried to reason with her as she did not admire the idea of Killing innocent Humans, as she despises any type of harm toward others.

Asgore had went to retrieve a jar and carefully place the Human soul inside of it and kept it until the day of their freedom and finally came.

Months had passed, and the two King and Queen had trouble getting over the experience of losing their child in their eye’s, events had passed Toriel had discovered five innocent human children, that ran away from the surface village where Asriel had been attacked.

The Queen and King then decided to take the six as their own and formed a new family relationship.

There was two boys and three girls, Eventually Asgore then recruited a new defense system to protect their new children from any harm.

However, one Monster in the Undergrounds had studied and obtained Intelligence and tried to produce ways of trying to leave the mountain without using any sort of violence toward Humans.

However, tragically one day, there was no solution for any other way of leaving the Barrier that kept them from the outside world.

The scientist then brought Asgore to the side and to make it understandable that there was no other option.

Asgore: “I..i- See. Then- I have no further choice.”

Toriel had been absent at to their home as for the five other children had been at the Royal Palace playing.

Meanwhile Asgore retrieved his Trident that could easily kill any living creature in one hit or stab.

He then faced the guards, explained them the plan, and had no choice to follow the kings wish.

Royal Guard: “If Queen Toriel had entered, what are your wishes my king? What shall we do?"

Asgore looked down as shade covered his eyes.

Asgore: “Keep her, away she could watch in fear, this is our only hope of freedom.”

Toriel then walked to back to the palace where she ruled with her husband with Pumpkin pie for her children, as she enters, she heard a childlike scream for help.

Toriel then rushed to the throne as she witnessed four of her children dead, she covered her mouth as she begun to tear up as she could not believe what she walked in.

There was another frightful scream for attention.

Justice: “Mommy!”

A loud unlawful scream filled the halls of new home.

Toriel’s head perked up from being called.

Toriel: “My child! Where have you gone to?”

Toriel then saw her child along with Asgore, being covered in blood from the children who were defenseless and could not help themselves.

Justice: “Mommy, Help!”

The child yelled and cried for help.

Toriel had attempted to try and save her child but then had been tackled by one of the Royal Guards to prevent Toriel to Interfere.

Toriel: “Asgore, NO! You musn’t, Please don’t harm the child!”

Before she knew it, Asgore forcefully stabbed his trident inside the child's body as the child fell to the ground and the soul had appeared.

Toriel: “Asgore!! Y-YOU...m-MONSTER!”

She was then terrified of him as he turned toward Toriel.

Asgore: “Toriel- you don’t understand...”

Toriel did not accept any excuse and then cried and began to shout angrily at him.

Toriel: “Asgore...You just murdered our children..I- can no longer live with this way if you think harming such innocent children is ok...”

Toriel: “Asgore...i am leaving you, you should NEVER put any children in harm!”

Asgore's blood pressure begun to rise as he then pointed his trident at Toriel.

Asgore: “Banish her. Far away from the Royal Palace...where she will have no further interaction to me or these souls that could set us free...”

The royal guard then grabbed Toriel as she began shout again

Toriel: “Asgore! You can’t do this...You”

The royal guard then silenced Toriel by putting her to rest with force and took her far away from the Royal palace, leaving her throne and crown behind.

After the traumatic events had passed Asgore cleaned himself up and proceeded forward to his Balcony as every Monster in the Undergrounds had looked up to their crown.

Asgore: “Monsters of the UNDERGROUNDS, I as your ruler shall promise you, FREEDOM!”

Every Monster in the underground had begun to cheer for king Asgore.

As soon as Asgore finished preaching to him People, he then sat onto him throne where he then waited for the Seventh Soul to arrive to fulfill his selfish faith.

Meanwhile, Toriel had woken up in an empty place that she felt a lone and no other sign of her race anywhere.

Toriel: “Where could I be...? How have I gotten here?”

She then remembers everything that had happened.

She looks down in disappointment and then walks toward the flower bed of the Ruins that had not been finished.

Toriel: “Little one, I shall promise to protect you from ‘HIM’ I will make sure of it, that you’re safe and happy here on the day of your arrival."

Toriel then made a vow and pledged to herself whenever the child falls will be kept away from Asgore.

To this day, ex Queen of the underground visits the Flower bed to seek if any child had fallen.

-To be continued.

[thefolioarchives]

Reading of 2021, VI

30-33. The Murderbot Diaries 1-4 by Martha Wells (books: All Systems Red, Artificial Condition, Rogue Protocol & Exit Strategy)

I have a lot to say about these books. I read the first one while finishing my master thesis and I honestly remembered so little of what had happened in that book (even though I read book #2 earlier this year lol) that while I was reading the third and the fourth one I felt compelled to re-visit the entire series again because I felt like I was truly missing out. I often find it challenging to not read book series back-to-back because my memory isn't great. And that can sometimes be a challenge because I'm so keen to read all the things all the time and sometimes I can think to myself "you need to be reading other stuff, not just this stuff". So that's fun. Anyway.

Turned out, that was not a bad idea. The story of Murderbot starts on an alien planet where they're part of a research team doing a survey on an uninhabitable planet. Needless to say, things do not go well and from there the story evolves into a mystery of discovering why things went so wrong, how they were allowed to go so wrong, but it's also a narrative that explores discovering who you are, dealing with new and terrifying stuff in an environment that basically treats you like a rampant, unstable killer. Murderbot's journey is incredibly relateable, even though they're flying about in outer space, there is something incredibly human about them and what they're going through and I think a lot of people can find solace in these books.

Firstly, I really enjoy (not enjoy but like and appreciate) the world Wells has created. It feels so blatantly familiar and, to me, is definitely the course of action that would occur should humanity (god forbid) colonise the stars: capitalism becomes religion influencing terrible worker's right that also extend to bots and AI because you always gotta oppress someone right? Secondly, Murderbot is such a great character and the turmoil they experience as they're coming to grips with who they are is so universal and touching and UGH I just want to hold them and say it's all going to be ok! You're ok! (I went back to see what I read about the second book and included it in my summary for 2021 and I referred to Murderbot as a she! I'm sorry for misgendering you, please accept my humble apology.) Thirdly, all the relationships Murderbot forms with other bots (ok this is a lie, this is actually my favourite aspect of these books) on their journey to self-discovery is another highlight. The bots are all so different with distinct characteristics and voices and they all have different reactions to Murderbot. But what they all have in common is this desire to protect humans which is probably the most heart breaking of all. Basically, what I'm trying to say is that these books make me feel a lot of feelings and I think everyone should read them.

34. The Galaxy and the Ground Within by Becky Chambers (Wayfarers series #4)

Ugh… what can I say about this book? Like the Murderbot diaries, it's a book that makes me feel a lot of warm and fuzzy feelings. I'm in love with the world Chambers has created. Her alien races are so inspiring and they feel real, meaty. And humans aren't at the center (this story doesn't have a single human character) of the story or the universe. This is a story about how five strangers end up working together and helping each other during a minor-ish emergency, like "we're all stuck here for a while, how can we make the best of it?" so please don't be expecting much in the way of plot. That's not what Chambers does. Chambers does communities and relationships and how we struggle with those sometimes and how we struggle with finding our own place in the universe, trying to get by, trying to find happiness. I would read about her characters forever and I mean that, I honestly do. I'm quite heartbroken that this series have come to an end, but these are definitely books I will revisit time and time again and I'm so excited for whatever she does next.

35. Lynn Margulis: The Life and Legacy of a Scientific Rebel edited by Dorian Sagan.

This is an important book about a phenomenal woman. Margulis was instrumental in showing how symbiosis is at the heart of evolution, making us re-think Darwin's "survival of the fittest". Margulis argued, alongside others, that eukaryotic cells didn't devour each other all those millions of years ago, but instead absorbed each other and started "working" together. However, a lot of the essays included here are heavily repetitive. Does everyone have to provide us with a summary of Margulis' career in order to tell their one anecdote about her? Also, where are all the stories/essays written by other women? I refuse to believe that Margulis was only connected to men both in her life and career.

I did really enjoy the introduction by Sagan (her son, she was married to Carl Sagan from 1957-1965) and it includes this line about death that I found oddly comforting: "Death is a mystery, but it is also a sublation, a rising up to another realm, a reckoning, not just a negation but a planting and possible flowering, an archiving, a setting of the seed of the soul as information into the fertile if not eternal field of collective memory." I have been thinking about death a lot recently (if you're living in 2021 and not thinking about death constantly what are you even doing??) and however sad and tragic it is, those who leave never truly leave because we're here to still love and remember them until we eventually leave and I truly find that so beautiful, even though it might be a cliché, it's incredibly true.

[md3artjournal]

Only posting this so that if I get more ideas, I can easily access it and continue writing this without needing to boot up my laptop.

1:28 PM 9/21/2021

Dimitri craddled the yellow flowers between his fingertips. "Is this it?" He frantically dashed to check Dedue's notes again. "Three leaves, 2 flowers...It is!" There was also some inane scribble about the plant being an aphrodesiac. Dimitri recogized the handwriting. "Sylvain..." He shook his head and immediately began to pull the plant up by the roots. Then he paused. Maybe the legends were true, some childish voice warned him. Maybe pulling up a mandrake would kill him. He shook his blond head. No. He was an adult now. He knew that was just a myth. The reality was that the mandrake was good for sleep tonics---if he could find one---and he desperately needed sleep, away from his haunting ghosts. He set to pulling the plant at its base. With more fervor this time.

"OW!"

Dimitri let the plant go and glanced around him. Nothing but rolling foothills, covered in grasses, shrubs, and flowers. "H-hello?" He called out nonetheless. "Is anyone there?" He stood up, scanning across the landscape. "If you're hurt, I'll help you!"

"That's something, coming from the guy who hurt me." Someone muttered.

"Where---?" Dimitri almost jumped back.

The plant was moving by itself. Stems and leaves shaking from its base, the plant gradually rose up, with something like a human head emerging from the soil. An arm emerged from beside the plant and immediately began rubbing its stem base. "That really hurt, y'know?" The young man lifting himself out of the ground, rubbed at the plant on his head.

"Y-y-you...?!?"

"Yes, yes. I'm a mandrake." the green eyed man with tan skin rested his elbows on the ground. "So? Are you planning to cut me up and grate me? Or drown me in vinegar?"

"You seem exceedingly calm for such prospects." Dimitri was still frozen in place.

"Yeah, well," the mandrake rubbed his head again, "There's not much I can do if a human decides to kill me. Except talk my way out of it or get them to lower their guard."

"Lower their---?"

Both of arms immediately grabbed Dimitri's ankles, pulling his legs out from under him. He fell backards into the ground, almost slamming his head on a large rock. As he now rubbed his own head, the mandrake was now busily struggling out of the soil.

"Damnit!" He winced, still trying to pull himself out of the ground. "Did the ground permafrost while I was asleep?!" He managed to pull himself out and began running.

Well, tried to run. As it turned out, mandrakes don't have too much experience in running. Especially on sloping hills too steep and bumpy any habitation besides wild and rare plants. He immediately tripped, almost barreling into a very long tumble down the elevated hillside.

"Wait!" Dimitri got up as fast as he could and caught him.

The mandrake's green eyes slowly opened, realizing he didn't have to brace for a painful fall. "Oh." He looked up into the blond prince's blue eye.

"Are you all right?" Dimitri asked.

The mandrake could see the concern was almost frantic on his face. "Yes, I'm alight," he answered from the cradle of Dimitri's arms. "Um, thanks."

"I'm sorry." Dimitri balanced them on a flatter patch of the hillside. "I had no notion of mandrakes being sentient beings."

"We're just plants?"

"That is what I had heard. But I now that I know you are a conscious being, I would not dare hurt you!" Dimitri now realized the man sitting before him was compeltely naked. His face burned red and he quickly turned away.

The mandrake could not stifle a laugh. "I forgot! You humans are so weird about nakedness, huh?"

"Please," Dimitri undid his cloak's clasp. "Take this." He held out the weighty blue fabric towads the vague direction of the mandrake. He could hear the mandrake covering another fit of laughter behind his hand.

"No, you know what? You owe me a lot more than a cloak."

Dimitri couldn't make sense of his playful tone. "I'm sorry?" He didn't look back until he felt the cloak snatched from his hand.

"You owe me a tour!" The mandrake stood up in Dimitri's cloak.

Dimitri, still on the ground, could only once again watch with bewilderment on his face. "You want a tour? Of what?"

"Where you come from!" The mandrake spread both arms wide. "The human town! I've never been! I've been hibernating up here for gods know how long. I want to take advantage of being awake! See the sights!" He leaned down to Dimitri, with a finger waggle. "And you owe me retribution for scaring me half to death."

Dimitri nodded his head and slowly stood up. "Very well."

The mandrake almost spun with glee.

Dimitri extended a hand. "But I'm afraid I don't come from the nearby town."

~ ~ ~

"Welcome home, Your Highness." Dedue met Dimitri as his horse approached the castle gates. He quirked an eye towards the second rider beside him, wearing Dimitri's cloak, hood pulled over his head. "And you are?"

"He is a guest." Dimitri dismounted his horse, handing the reigns to Dedue.

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

2:30 PM 9/21/2021

Elements of scene 1 implies that mandrake fall into long hibernations. So maybe Claude will have to suddenly fall into a long slumber and not wake up until Dimitri's reincarnation appears during a museum visit, where the curator explains that this greenhouse was the ancient king's cherished garden. Then Claude just senses dimitri's soul passing by and grabs him.

Or, since mandrake are plants, the tension/conflict will come from Claude being very delicate to care for. He starts to fall ill, and they immediately need to return him to the ground and give him water. Or maybe he straight up almost dies because he is not in a carefully regulated environment. Maybe this sets off his long hibernation.

Before all that, Claude explains that he heard mandrake stories from his mother/father, but it had been so long, that his memories about it are jumbled up. In reality, mandrake are put under women's pillows to encourage pregnancy/fertility. Maybe Claude mistakenly remembers "mandrake in bed helps humans sleep". So Claude and Dimitri have an excute to get into bed together. Dimitri is still a prude, which still amuses Claude.

2:37 PM 9/21/2021

https://www.wired.com/2014/06/fantastically-wrong-mandrake/

Also says that mandrake were in such high demand around the Mediterranean, that people made fake mandrakes.

So maybe it's dangerous for word to get out that Dimitri has found a real mandrake. Maybe Claude's mandrake life will be in danger from people trying to hack off pieces of him.

Also, some plants are long-lived like tries, while some are delicate and die. What determines a plant becomes long-lived? Like those hydrangeas at FSHA?

10:40 PM 9/21/2021

During today's daily walk, I was thinking about how all the implications laid out in my first scene, suggested sad endings, but I didn't want sad endings! I wanted fluffy goodness! Not tragedy! Then I suddenly realized that I can write whatever I want. Maybe all the tragic implications can be the story conflict to be overcome, not the ending of the story! This doesn't have to end with Claude-mandrake dying like a delicate plant uprooted from his suited environment. It doesn't have to end with his centuries of hibernation, only to be reunited with a modern AU reincarnated Dimitri who doesn't know why this mandrake is throwing himself at him. All these omens can be the conflict that the protagonists overcome instead. *o*!!!

Also, Claude doesn't need to trip in that first scene if the hillside is so steep. That whole tripping thing might just slow down the scene and seem too awkward.

[casualarsonist]

Wolfenstein II, and the importance of tone.

B.J. Blaskowicz's pregnant lover, Anya, tears her burning shirt from her body as her grenades explode under the feet of the advancing Nazis. She straddles B.J's prone body and brandishes two machine guns aloft as blood showers her naked skin, and I roar with laughter. My girlfriend asks me what the f**k is happening. Hitler pisses into a bucket and vomits on the floor. B.J. rants against bourgeois pacifism in a drunken rage and passes out. And as the sword bites into his flesh, and his head falls into a pyre, only to be collected by a machine and reattached to a synthetic body, I rejoice at the moments wherein Wolfenstein 2: The New Colossus has the balls to embrace the absolute madness of its setting and take everything up to 11. 

But something doesn't feel quite right. Its predecessor - The New Order - subverted and exceeded the expectations of everyone that awaited it; I don't think anyone could have imagined what Machine Games would do with the franchise rights of the world's first FPS. As a pitch, the idea of taking the inherently daft premise of a man fighting Nazi-zombie robots in a retro-futuristic 1960's and grounding it all in a real emotional place with characters that understand and communicate the gravity of their situation to one another and to the audience alike...well, it's mental. And yet it worked. It worked really, really well. The action was intense and bombastic, but when it was over and the game asked us to understand what was motivating these people to do what they were doing, the drama felt earned, and every enemy you defeated felt like a cathartic victory rather than an exercise in psychopathy. When a friendly character died, it hurt because you cared, and because the death felt like a genuine loss amongst all the well-written personalities. The New Order was dark and visceral and at times terrifying, but always a joy to play, and in the end, no matter which turn the story took, you were invested. 

So why does The New Colossus feel like such a mistake?

To be fair to the game, as I've already said, there were moments that I was literally rolling in my seat with laughter, and it is certainly at its best when it says 'fuck it' to the concept of restraint and goes mental. It is, at times, incredibly fun, and funny. The aforementioned scene in which an insane, addled, syphilitic Hitler pisses in a bucket whilst auditioning actors for a terrible, terrible film he has written is one of the best in the entire game, not just because it makes an absolute mockery of the long-feared icon of human evil, but also because it is rendered and animated so well that looking into his eyes is genuinely chilling for how lifelike it all appears. But moments like these are few and far between, and it's regrettably rare that, buried amongst long, long cutscenes that have nothing important to say, one feels like they are genuinely being surprised and entertained. 

I suppose it's all about on which end of the crazy scale you heap your content - balance is good, as is committing to one style and tone on either side, but to be indecisive, or to miscalculate and mistime and portion your moments improperly so as to leave your audience confused as to your intention can be fatal, and in the case of Wolfenstein 2, it very nearly is. Whereas The New Order balanced the silliness in its gunplay with sincerity and moments of genuine tenderness in its story, The New Colossus couples inappropriate moodiness and melodrama with the violent actions of its characters, and leaves them looking like hypocrites. After tearing through a gauntlet of soldiers leaving little but a hallway littered with bloody chunks of flesh, B.J. chooses to wax poetic about the loss of a friend's life and the loss of all her experiences with it, in turn completely ignoring the dozens of lives and thousands of experiences he just erased. The moment is timed so perfectly and the recitation of the lines so genuine that the juxtaposition almost feels intentional, as if the game wants you to scoff at his lack of self-awareness, and it might have been a nice subversive moment if this game’s immediate predecessor hadn’t pinned all its integrity on the fact that its characters and narrative were supposed to be relatable. Instead, B.J. comes off psychotic, annoying, and unlikeable, and the writers seem less like they’re in on the joke and more like they just don't know what their doing. 

Which is rather baffling, given that it's the exact same creative team behind the The New Order - the same two writers that created a masterpiece of action storytelling, and somehow married an impossibly absurd premise with a genuine, heartfelt narrative. They created a terrifying villain, complex and likeable sidekicks, and together with the ambitious and intense soundtrack crafted a world that lived and breathed despite exploring all manner of ridiculous scenarios (moonbase FTW). The New Colossus is this, but less well made. It repeats a lot of the same beats of its predecessor, and so they all feel forced, unearned, and inferior. It's as if the setting of Nazi-occupied America wasn't fertile-enough ground for the creative directors, so they needed to borrow directly from their previous game. They delve into B.J's childhood and fill his backstory with caricatures that overstate the point they're there to make, and yet at the same time expect us to invest in a depressing world that is directly at odds with the light-hearted insanity of the rest of the story, and I think moments like this come from a desire to leave the tone of their previous game behind in favour of something a bit more fun, while still feeling like they need to bridge the gap with some kind of drama. Unfortunately, they fail to find the balance, and the attempts at seriousness reek of try-hard melodrama and smash against the humour like two cars travelling opposite directions down a one-lane road.

I could be mistaken of course; perhaps I’m just too thick to ‘get it’ and they were trying to ironically deconstruct their own work, but the drama is so heavy, and heavy-handed, that I just can’t believe that this is the case, which is such a shame because there are all the makings of an amazing game under the hood - fantastic components have been assembled together in a confused and chaotic manner, leaving the follow-up to one of the greatest shooters ever made (and one of the most unexpected underdog releases) feeling like a victim of its own success. And this is exemplified in no better place that at in the ending of the game, which is in almost every way the antithesis of that of The New Order. 

A recap: in The New Order you must fight a super-robot implanted with the brain of one of your former comrades. After defeating it and ending the suffering of your friend, you’re attacked by the main villain - General Deathshead - as you fight amongst an increasingly unstable network of gas pipes and crumbling concrete. When you finish the desperate battle and kill Deathshead from within a conflagration of fire and flames, a short, poignant cutscene activates in which the game implies the end of one of the most important parts of the franchise. It’s a perfect example of why the game did best as a whole, offering the traditional trope of a boss fight with a new coat of paint, and then ending with a no-nonsense but impactful piece of genuine drama. 

So how does The New Colossus conduct itself? Well not only does it unravel the risk of the previous game’s ending within the first few seconds, but it ends by making the player’s last interaction with its Big Bad a single button-press that then triggers a five-minute-long cutscene in which the characters stand around and spout cliche ideological platitudes about America rising up. Then B.J. stares at the corpse of his enemy like a fucking nutcase, before getting down on his knees next to the wrecked carcass and proposing to his girlfriend, which would be funny if this wasn’t the same character we were supposed to be rallying behind and is now clearly insane. It’s anti-climactic, tonally unbalanced, and boring, and worse than all this is that it commits the cardinal sin of second acts in that it ends unsatisfyingly whilst promising a third installment that will be much more interesting. 

Fuck off. 

This could all have been avoided if the creative rudder of the production had steered it directly into the eye of the storm - the setting, its violence, and its cast of characters are all ripe for parody, so why the hell did they feel like they had to spend so much time exploring B.J’s tragic upbringing in which his racist, wife-beating dad makes him kill his own dog? What purpose does that serve in a story that opens with a wheelchair-bound protagonist machine-gunning Nazis in the face? It’s just madness. And in my opinion it ultimately undid a lot of the good will that The New Order worked so hard at creating. Even if the incoming third game commits completely to its craziness, we’re still stuck with this strange Frankenstein’s monster, and the fact that from about the half way mark I was just waiting for it to end is, for me, a nail in the coffin. It’s just...it’s such a shame. The New Colossus is a smooth, beautiful shooter, and also an trainwreck of mismatched tones, confused pacing, regurgitated story beats, and an unsatisfying ending. It tries to vary its gameplay and somehow ends up feeling more of a generic shooter than it’s predecessor - a game that actually set out to reboot the world’s first FPS. It has moments of absolute brilliance that it just fails to perpetuate because it doesn’t let them gather momentum, which leaves it feeling starkly weak specifically in the areas that The New Order excelled, and that makes it a much larger kick in the nuts to me than it ought to otherwise be.

Of course, if you’re not a whiny little baby like me, or are like a friend of mine who’d never played a Wolfenstein game in his life before this one, you might just enjoy it for what it is - a gorgeous, ambitious, and gratuitous FPS set in a strange and fun alternate history, but if you asked me to recommend it as a sequel to it’s fantastic predecessor, I just can’t do it. 

6.5/10

P.S. I think I’m going to remove the qualification titles of my ratings from this point onwards. I’m not 100% certain that I’m going to get rid of them forever, but between my poor attempts at thinking of ‘names’ for half-marked titles and the fact that I’m tied to classifying a 7/10 game as ‘good’ even though my subjective impression of the game might not agree with that, means that the more complex my feelings about a certain title, the harder it is to put a specific label on it. Wolfenstein II is a good example of this conundrum. I don’t think it’s objectively good at a lot of what it’s trying to do, and yet I don’t think it’s objectively ‘just okay’ across the board.   With this in mind, if you refer to my review scoring system you’ll get a better idea of what each ranking means, beyond what a single word can convey. You’ll see that Wolfenstein II gets a 6.5 because I think it is largely unsuccessful in the pursuit of its intentions regarding its narrative and tone for the reasons I’ve detailed above, and yet I can’t at all say that it offers a poor return-on-investment for the average gamer. Hell, you might think it’s an excellent game and disagree with me entirely - this is just my opinion, after all - but given that I will obviously weigh certain aspects of a work’s design more heavily than other aspects, I still think this is the best way to understand what each score means for me (and thus for you), and why I might have come any given conclusion.

[unknownoutrider]

Inheritance

A Critical Role AU scene.

Disclaimer: This is based off of what I think is the reasoning behind why there are only half-elves and half-orcs, and no other hybrids, in D&D. I have gone into detail on the subject here: https://docs.google.com/document/d/1zVgV4fTCZCCh5gOeIlpHQr2iYp_GDtSl5zSyr2w7b8o/edit?usp=sharing

This is not how I think it should go. This is how I think it could go. It is only one possibility. Your games and stories do not have to include this complication. I happen to think it is an interesting element of drama - a sadder, more tragic way the story could go. Please do not think that I’m saying that D&D and Critical Role absolutely must follow this.

“I’m sorry, but it’s impossible.”

Pike’s heart wept as she watched the hope die in Vex and Percy’s eyes. She hated that she had to tell them this.

“Barring the intervention of a god, it’s impossible. Or, near enough to impossible that it’s not worth hoping for,” Pike continued.

Vex’s voice caught as she asked, “Wha - What do you mean?”

Pike sighed.

Vex and Percy had been trying to have a child now for three years. Whitestone needed an heir. But, for all their trying, Vex had never become pregnant. Finally, they approached Pike for help.

Pike had inspected both of them: physically, magically, and spiritually. She hadn’t found anything wrong with their bodies. Spiritually, they both suffered scars, but nothing that would interfere with fertility. Pike then began researching everything she could on fertility in libraries and consulting healers and sages. Finally, she consulted with the clerics of Ehlonna, the Goddess of Fertility. She hadn’t liked what she found.

“The gods tell us that a mother’s essence and father’s essence mix to create a baby at conception. But, the essences must match, in some way that we don’t understand, to successfully create a child. A gnome’s essence and a human’s essence, or a halfling’s essence and an elf’s essence, do not match, so they can’t have children.

“But, a human’s essence and an elf’s essence, or a human’s essence and an orc’s essence, almost completely match, allowing them to produce half-elves and half-orcs, respectively. The gods tell us this is because, at one time far in the past, humans, orcs, and elves shared a common ancestor. Over time, the three groups changed and became different from each other. Elves and orcs became so different from each other that their essences don’t match enough anymore to have children. But, both of them almost match with humans. Humans occupy a middle ground between the other two groups, able to reproduce with both.

“The almost-matching essences of the parents results in a child with an unbalanced essence. There is literally something missing in their core essence, putting it out of balance. Because of this missing bit of essence, half-breeds can’t have children, even with other half-breeds. This is why there are so few half-elves and half-orcs. They can’t have children with each other. They can only come about from cross-species mating.

“At least, that’s what most healers and sages think.

“The clerics of Ehlonna informed me that what ‘everyone’ knows is not quite true.

“It is true that male half-elves and half-orcs can never have children. Male essences are already slightly out of balance. Being a hybrid male puts the essence even further out of balance; making it impossible to match with anyone.

“However, female half-elves and half-orcs have, extremely rarely, managed to have children. The chance of them becoming pregnant, according to the clerics of Ehlonna, is one in a million - literally. And then only if the father is an elf or human - for a half-elf woman, or an orc or human - for a half-orc woman. It happens so rarely that most people don’t know it can happen.”

Vex was holding her hand over her mouth, tears in her eyes. “Then … Vax and Keyleth.”

Pike nodded. “Yes. I’ll have to inform them about this too. They will never have children together.”

Vex looked like she was about to burst into tears. She looked at Percy. “I’m sorry. Whitestone needs an heir. But because you married me…”

“Hush.” Percy pulled Vex into a hug and kissed her on the forehead. “I will never regret marrying you. You mean everything to me.” Percy turned to Pike. “You mentioned gods. I suppose a pact with a higher being could accomplish this too.”

“Please, don’t!” Pike nearly squeaked in her urgency. “Both of you have suffered enough from pacts with otherworldly beings! Please don’t make another pact! Please!”

They didn’t respond. Damn them! They were too good at controlling their expressions for Pike to tell what they were thinking.

“A pact with an extra-planar being might mean that you can have a child, but then never raise them. Or the child is taken from you after a certain age. Or the child is nothing more than a vessel for the outworlder’s spirit. Somehow, some way, you will end up worse off than what you were before.

“Can’t Cassandra bear Whitestone an heir?”

Percy sighed. “Technically, yes. But, she has gone through so much suffering. I want her to enjoy life. I loath placing this burden on her and forcing her to find a husband. Specifically a human husband too, as you have just informed us. I’m not … comfortable … limiting her options.”

Pike glanced at their faces. She still couldn’t tell if they were considering making a pact with an extra-planar being. “Th-there may be another way.”

She had their rapt attention.

Pike wrung her hands uneasily. “Listen, this is highly dangerous and experimental, but… but you’re not selling your soul…” She sighed. “The clerics of Ehlonna have heard rumors of arcanists that are trying to develop a spell that will allow any cross-species couple to have a child.

“We know it can be done because that is how we think the dragons made the dragonborn species; combining dragon essence with human essence - two very dissimilar and non-matching essences.

“These arcanists probably have a myriad of reasons as to why they are trying this. Likely, only a few of them are attempting to create this spell because they want a child with their lover; who happens to be of another sentient species. Others may want it for darker reasons.

“Even if you could find one of these arcanists and, after investigating them, you find that they are trustworthy, it will be very expensive. New spell research requires exotic components. Those components are expensive. You would be either paying a lot for the research and components while the spell was being developed, or paying a lot after the spell was created so that the arcanist can recoup their expenses.

“And there could be side-effects, maybe permanent ones, depending on how the spell operates. If the spell alters you both to be permanently compatible and fertile with each other, essentially becoming a separate species that is just the two of you, it might include other changes too. Possibilities like skin color changes, growing an extra limb, or becoming a water-breather come to mind.

“If the spell is a one-use-one-child kind of spell that operates on the mixing of essences at conception, the side effects might exist in the child. The child could end up looking very different than either of you, possibly with a very alien physiology or mentality: extra limbs, extra eyes, a tail, or odd hungers and behaviors.

“You might find that you have become test subjects for a very shady arcanist. Some sages think that similar spells, that mix essences of dissimilar species, created some of the monsters in the world.

“But… If you could find an arcanist you could trust, this could be a better way than making a pact with an otherworldly being.”

Pike glanced back and forth at their faces while they absorbed this last bit of information.

“Do you know of one such arcanist?”, Vex asked.

Pike shook her head. “No, I don’t. There might not be one. It was only a rumor.”

“Thank you, Pike.” Percy ran his hand through his hair. “You have given us much to think about.”

“I wish I could have given you better news.”

“Nevertheless, we needed to know.” Percy squeezed Vex again. “And you have given us options. Again, thank you.”

Pike nodded and got up to leave. Now, she would have to have this exact same depressing conversation with Vax and Keyleth. She hated telling her friends bad news like this.

[kennapaige68773]

Writing Prompt

The Gaia Virus This new type of virus effects every living creature on this earth. If you have a heart beat you can die. But this virus is different, this virus kills its host and uses its body to grow New life. As humanity dies, trees sprout, as humanity dies, mountains grow. Its trully beautiful, watching nature take the world back. My name is Clearora. I'm 17. And I'm one of the only people alive on this virus ravaged world. Agent Thornin told me I should write about my life because apparently punching a classmate in the face is aggressive. In my defense, he totally deserved it. We are all numbered, so when I'm extra angry at him I call him 30079 to piss him off. His actual name is Rinter. He's a huge prick. There are a total of 463 people in this bubble, only a 100 are teenagers like me. The way it works around here kinda sucks. Once we reach the age of 16 we are assigned a partner, someone we will one day produce offspring with. We have to do all of this to keep the human race going. Last year I was assigned to Rinter. We technically don't have to reproduce until we're both 20 but we aren't discouraged to start earlier. I was staying as far away from Rinter as humanly possible, considering our bed quarters are a mere 10 yards apart. My best friend, Josephinel, got assigned to our mutual friend Vernint. He's super sweet and hasn't once pressured Jose, unlike Rinter. We started virus training the same year that we got our partners. Its sort of an apology for the way life has turned out. If you are healthy you get to go outside, but if you have one little issue, you are stuck inside until forever. We learn all jobs before our health is evaluated and our positions are assigned. Today is our health evaluation and a lot of us are nervous. Its almost my turn. I get to go outside! I get to see the sun, breath the air, touch the trees. All of it. Tragically, yeah right, Rinter has a heart murmur and has to stay inside. Only a handful of others get to go out as well. Luckily we're all pretty close here, we have to be. Minchelle and Jarcy, have been cleared too, they're pretty chill but not as good as Jose. The happiness is short lived as we remember today is also the day We have to take a class on how to reproduce correctly. We learn what school kids decades ago would learn and then some, how to tune out if you dislike your partner is a skill we must master. Its gross and horrible. But it's our" duty to our humanity" or some bullshit. The older people sometimes tell horror stories of this class. One guy said the girls had to lay on a table while the boys practiced thrusting, thankfully fully clothed. Thankfully that guy was wrong. We had to watch cartoon videos of thrust motions. Embarrassing to say the least. I'm super excited to start work but that won't be until we're all 20. The same age we must start trying to reproduce. Another apology for this life. Today I turned 18, I'm in the middle when it comes to ages. Jose and Vernint tried to reproduce the other night, she tells me everything. She says it's a lot more than what the classes teach us. She says she's fallen in love. But that's not allowed her, love is risky. I try to help her see reason but she has herself convinced. That was the last time I saw her. Today we are all finally 18. Its a huge step in our lives, we are now adults. Rinter made advances on me last weem and I allowed it. I feared he would turn me in to the Reproduction Police, they have ways, much more painful than sex, to make us reproduce. I am not pregnant yet. Minchelle is, her partner Is very fertile and she brags about it a lot. 19. We are 19. We have never seen the sun and some of us never will. My only friend in the outside group has died. Jarcy was pregnent when her blood pressure got to high. She died quickly and took her child with her. I am not yet pregnant and I am beginning to fear that I am infertile. Rinter has gotten nicer to me, he isn't as rough and tough. He's seen something that's frightened him. That worries me as well. 20! I get to go outside. I've gone through years of training for this. I am so excited. It will be beautiful. It was terrible. The trees we saw were sprouting from human bodies. These human bodies were still very much alive, their brains had been long gone but their hearts beat and their lungs breathed. It was a scary thing to see. Their organs were encased in bark and leaves. There were only 26 of us to begin with, now there's only 9. I was one of the ones who dropped out. I can't see those faces every day. I'm going to research to find a cure. I am 2 months pregnant but there's something wrong with the fetus. They think I was exposes to the virus, a weak strain of it, and it infected the child. It will never breath on its own, it's heart will never beat without the virus doing it for her. Her. I was to have a girl. Her body is turning into plant life, she will never have a thought. Her brain is already gone, a few months before it would develope. They want me to continue with the pregnancy from within an outbreak room. I am alone with this virus. I have two more months until this parasite is to be delivered. They say I'm lucky because the virus is contained to the child's body, they say I'm lucky to be able to take part in this opportunity, they say I'm lucky to be alive But I don't see this as being lucky at all. I have nightmares a few times a night. I dream of this monster inside me. I'm going crazy. Its out. Its finally out. They had to deliver the thing through an opening in my abdomen. Then they scraped at my insides to ensure the leafy body left no trace inside my womb. It doesn't matter though, I'll have to stay here forever, with the growing virus child, and hope it doesn't get me too. I know my time is near but I can't seem to care. The sun is blazing overhead, the fresh scented breeze lifts my stiffening hair. I take my last deep breath as the vines creep up my throat and out of my mouth, claiming their territory. They invaded my lungs a day ago. I sink to the ground and use the last of my strength to roll onto my back. I can feel the bark and rock encasing my organs, hardening my outer features. I look at the cloudless sky and smile. Nature is taking back what we destroyed and I'm rooting for it. Number: 29025. Name: Clearora. Death: Gaia Virus. Age: 21. Last Documented Words: "So beautiful." Experiment Number: 00021. Report: subject showed early signs of infertility, making her a perfect candidate for the Gaia Pregnancy Experiment. Subject showed signs of decreased mental stability throughout entire term and later died from complications. Experiment is a failure.

[lindyhunt]

The Most Stylish Films of 2018

Last year, the fashionable film that people couldn’t stop raving about was Phantom Thread. Makes sense, given that the film is literally about a fashion designer. There are sumptuous silks aplenty, not to mention antique lace, tailored skirt suits and too many elaborate gowns to count. This year, though, the Most Stylish Film mantle could belong to any number of films whose premise has nothing to do with fashion, yet there’s style oozing out of every frame. Here’s our pick of the films whose sharp curatorial eye and strong sense of fashion made them a delight to behold in 2018.

The Favourite The costume designer for this period film is Sandy Powell, the Oscar winner behind the looks of films like Shakespeare in Love, Carol and Gangs of New York. She’s likely to add another nom to her name with her latest film, The Favourite, which stars Olivia Colman, Rachel Weisz and Emma Stone as the three leads. The 18th century absurdist drama about Queen Anne and the women jostling for power in her court provides the perfect setting for Powell to flex her style muscles, because rather than skewing to historical accuracy, the film’s director Yorgos Lanthimos wanted the film’s costumes to reflect the wicked humour and dark comedy driving the film.

Rather than the over-the-top gowns and pastel frills of the 1700s, Powell decided to embrace a black and white colour palette in order to create a “punk rock” version of the royal court. From repurposed denim for the servants to black laser-cut vinyl and cotton for the court costumes to a dramatic ermine-covered formal robe for the Queen, each look is full of personality.

“Normally I do spend a lot of time on colour. I love colour,” Powell tells Vulture. “But it was quite nice to do something that was different. So because it was black I had to really look into different textures and also things that would light. That sort of worked terribly well within the story and within the settings, and economically actually we had very, very limited funds and time. So there wouldn’t have been time to have done court costumes as they would have been.”

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The Favourite In select theaters November 23

A post shared by The Favourite (@thefavouritemovie) on Sep 4, 2018 at 5:46am PDT

Colette

Over the course of her lifetime, early 20th century French writer Colette lived many lives. Her journey from innocent young girl in the countryside to iconoclastic writer in Paris is a fascinating one, made even more compelling by the fact that she comes into her own as a gender nonconformist during an era when a woman wearing trousers was unthinkable. Costume designer Andrea Flesch used clothes to mirror Colette’s evolution in this biopic about her life starring Keira Knightley.

“What’s special in her character is that she always finds her way to be unique and modern. I feel her wardrobe reflects her independent, sensitive, pure personality, which breaks through the strict rules of fashion at the turn of the century,” Flesch tells Variety.

Flesch poured over archival photographs, paintings and the period fashions of the time to create the costumes, many of which were actually vintage and restored at the Museum of Applied Arts in Hungary.

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Breaking new ground. Breaking convention. Breaking free. #Colette Get tickets: Link in bio.

A post shared by Colette (@colettemovie) on Sep 25, 2018 at 9:04am PDT

Black Panther

Costume designer Ruth E Carter has two Oscar nominations to her name—for Amistad and Malcolm X—and has worked on over 40 films, but Black Panther was an experience like none other. The biggest source of inspiration, she tells Forbes, was in “bring[ing] ancient Africa to the foreground in a way that’s never been seen before in cinema.” Featuring an all African and African-American cast, the film depicts a fictional country known as Wakanda, telling the story of its rich history through vibrant colours, traditional crafts and ancient tribal designs.

“I selected things from indigenous tribes and implemented them in a futuristic model,” Ruth E Carter tells British Vogue. “Because the culture that [director] Ryan Coogler created is unique, I could combine elements of many African tribes – including the colour red, the triangle shape, neck rings and beadwork – without worrying about cultural appropriation.”

“The chevron marks on the armour of the all-female warrior clan known as the Dora Milaje, for example, mimic the sacred geometry and imagery found in African artwork,” explains the Vogue piece. “The stacked beadwork suggests the wearer’s marital status, and the tiny talismans on the fighter’s front tabard—a fertility doll, a piece of jade or amethyst perhaps—are symbolic of the wearer’s skill set and spirituality.”

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Wakanda awaits. Watch hours of bonus footage and more from Marvel Studios’ #BlackPanther on Digital, @Movies.Anywhere, Blu-ray, and 4K UHD today: [link in bio]

A post shared by Black Panther (@blackpanther) on May 25, 2018 at 9:05am PDT

Suspiria

Luca Guadagnino’s follow-up to last year’s runaway hit Call Me By Your Name takes place in a world far, far away from a sun-drenched village in Italy. Suspiria, a remake of Dario Argento’s 1977 cult classic about a dance academy in Germany, is dark and unsettling, its pall of terror amplified by the costumes.

“We made dresses out of real human hair extensions,” the film’s costume designer, Giulia Piersanti, tells Vogue. “They were all draped by hand onto a ribbon cage-like structure to keep the body free for movement and emphasize the bareness of the body, as well. Each piece was different in shape and colour and they were all inspired by Grecian, Madame Grès–esque draping.”

The film’s 1970s setting is evoked through dramatic caftans, printed pussy-bow blouses, midi skirts and patchwork cloaks, inspired by old issues of a West German fashion magazine that Piersanti found on eBay. “Neither Luca nor I wanted colour to be a prominent element in the costumes, but from the very beginning, I knew I wanted to make my own prints for the film,” she tells Dazed. “I was really interested in the works of artists I admire, like Louise Bourgeois and Rebecca Horn, who both use the female body as a tool. I used archetypes of the female body in a series of 70s-style graphic prints, which were then used to make blouses and skirts and dresses.”

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Best not to keep Madame Blanc waiting. #Suspiria

A post shared by Suspiria (@suspiriamovie) on Oct 19, 2018 at 1:00pm PDT

If Beale Street Could Talk Walking out of this film and back into the real world feels like you’ve just put a sepia filter over your eyes. After the deep colours and visual richness of Beale Street, everything else sort of pales in comparison. The colour language of the film is an important element of the story, and one that reflects the original text the film is based on—a James Baldwin novel.

“He gave us the colour. He is so descriptive of colour of the clothing in the book,” costumer designer Caroline Eselin-Schaefer tells The Hollywood Reporter. “Wherever James Baldwin is descriptive of clothing in the book, we wanted to honour it.”

Deep red, blue, yellow and green hues saturate the film, which is set in 1970s New York. Fonny, the male protagonist, wears a red and black checked jacket, while the mother of Tish, the female protagonist, wears a green summer dress, just as described in the novel. But when it came to Tish herself, there wasn’t much to go on. “He’s not really descriptive of Tish,” Eselin-Schaefer says. “We took artistic license with Tish and to show her sort of innocence and purity.”

One of Tish’s standout looks is the cream cape she wears on a date with Fonny. “That cape, to me, was the essence of optimism.… I just think it made her ‘angelic” to signify the hope of their new relationship.” As the story takes a tragic turn, so too does Tish’s style, the optimistic hues of her clothing replaced by darker, more sombre shades.

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Tomorrow. #BealeStreet

A post shared by If Beale Street Could Talk (@bealestreet) on Sep 19, 2018 at 11:25am PDT

Crazy Rich Asians

When Cartier is considered “too common” for Singapore’s wealthiest women, you know you’ve got to raise the style stakes way, way high. And it’s precisely what costume designer Mary E Vogt did to depict the OTT lavish lifestyle at the centre of Crazy Rich Asians. They turned instead, to Hong Kong–based bespoke jeweller Carnet, several of whose pieces were featured in the film, alongside dresses from labels like Missoni, Ralph Lauren and Dior.

Director Jon M. Chu advised Vogt to refer to classic fairytales like The Wizard of Oz and Cinderella as a starting point. “And a Wong Kar-wai movie, which is not a fairy tale, that he really loves: In the Mood for Love,” Vogt tells Vulture. “That movie was very influential on this film because of the colours.”

Vogt was also careful to incorporate pieces from local Asian designers, such as Dubai-based Michael Cinco and Kuala Lampur-based Carven Ong.

“Even though the people in Singapore wear a lot of high-end Western clothing, you want to mix in the local culture. That was really really beautiful,” Vogt tells Fashionista.

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So excited for @crazyrichasians to finally open in China next week! Love this new Chinese poster too ❤️ #crazyrichasians

A post shared by Constance Wu (@constancewu) on Nov 24, 2018 at 9:31pm PST

Ocean’s 8 This film has not one, not two but eight female characters with distinct styles of their own, from Sandra Bullock’s sleek sophisticate to Cate Blanchett’s rock ‘n’ roller to Rihanna’s Rastafarian. Plus, the plot line revolves around the “fashion Oscars” aka fashion’s biggest night aka the Met Gala, so suffice it to say, fashion plays a big role in this film.

“We couldn’t go to Macy’s and buy these dresses, it would never have looked real!,” costume designer Sarah Edwards tells British Vogue. “We had to have access to authentic designer gowns.”

They got access. And then some. Prada! Givenchy! Valentino! Burberry! Even if it wasn’t starring eight of the most sensational women in Hollywood, the film would still be a visual delight.

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Game on. #Oceans8 – Get tickets: link on page

A post shared by Ocean’s 8 (@oceans8movie) on May 28, 2018 at 10:00am PDT

Sorry to Bother You This surreal quasi-sci-fi film demanded strong costumes to convey its political, social and cultural themes, and costume designer Deirdra Govan was up to the challenge.

Starring Lakeith Stanfield, Tessa Thompson and Armie Hammer, the satirical comedy tells a complex tale of capitalism, racism and systemic oppression. At one point, Hammer wears an equestrian jacket with a sarong and a riding crop while Stanfield’s outfits range from sober beige and brown sweaters to dapper suits in hues like mauve and green, but the sartorial star of the film is undoubtedly Thompson, who plays a provocative artist named Detroit. Her outfit choices include earrings that read “Kill Kill Kill” and “Murder Murder Murder” and t-shirts spelling out slogans like “The Future is Female Ejaculation.”

“What I loved about the way [Riley] wrote Detroit is that she’s so clear about who she was and what she was doing,” Govan tells The Cut. “I definitely am a product of being here in Brooklyn and part of the afro-chic, Afropunk movement. I wanted to bring a little of that punk funk to Detroit and also let her be experimental, let her paintings speak not only on the walls or in her performance art but also in her clothing.”

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Sundance here we come! #SorryToBotherYou — shirt by @feedmyfeelings via @otherwild

A post shared by Tessa Thompson (@tessamaethompson) on Jan 18, 2018 at 11:40pm PST