#it wouldn't have been a good choice for a TV show trying to appeal to new viewers don't get me wrong

[thought-42]

Truly over here speedrunning the 'oh this piece of fiction looks neat' to 'well I see we have to gently place certain parts of canon into the sun once again' pipeline.

[brsb4hls]

I think one of the main issues with not only s2 but some of s1 as well as that only neil was involved with the creation of both of them because terry unfortunately passed away. It lost something vital in that moment. In s1, they still had the book and I think s1 did a good job as far as adaptations go with some grievances, but now in s2, it's whatever neil is going to do and with how active he is on tumblr and how the fans are and how he's reacting to them, it's losing the spirit of the original even further. Not BECAUSE the ship is canon, but everything else surrounding the ship and how we got there and how the writers and the actors are changing the characters more as they progress from one season to the next. I watched s2 feeling giddy for more good omens and very quickly that giddiness turned sort of confused and disappointed. I didn't want disjointed filler fanfic with a loose plot. It didn't fit. It didn't feel right. Overall, I didn't hate the season, but I didn't quite like it either. The handful of you good omens critical blogs have summed it up very well for me and I'm surprised it's not a more popular opinion. I've just seen a couple people talking about how book fans are complaining which is the most dismissive way to put it. I'm not sure if people are blinded by their theories and canon ship or they just don't care that this season felt almost fanmade, but I'm sad that the book and tv show versions are now miles apart rather than cousins.

That's a long ask, thank you for sharing!

I actually did like season 1, too. The book is very hard to transfer to tv imo and choices had to be made.

Technically, Adam is the main character, but putting more focus on him would either mean a) a kid show with a lot of stuff about the them or b) more Anathema and conspiracy theories discussion.

That probs wouldn't have worked that well, so Gaiman made the two most colourfull characters the protagonists and in order to flesh them out added to their relationship.

Other stuff was added for comedic reasons or drama. Which I get.

So season one was a fair interpretation with necessary (to appeal to a mainstream audience) changes.

And both actors were doing an amazing job, so that helps.

Another plus is that a lot of new fans had so much fun with the material and created a ton of art/fics and revived the fandom.

And then it went off the rails somehow.

The thing is, Good Omens isn't a drama. A lot of dramatic events happen, but they feel understated, it's mainly weird, quirky and funny.

It also isn't a love story. In the romantic sense.

There is a lot of love in the book.

And I truely do not know what exactly happened, that turned such a unique little thing into the most bland, generic romance.

Probably capitalism.

I mean, just watching Crowley and Aziraphale trying to weather everyday life without having their jobs anymore would have been hilarious, but probs to niche.

And I would love to know what made Gaiman change his tune in regards to the nature of their relationship.

He does not really answer stuff, though, he's good at circumventing.

I hope at least it wasn't tumblr that influenced him. In most cases a creative process suffers from too much social media interaction. (Season 3 could get even worse).

The fandom dynamics regarding criticsm are always complicated.

I do speculate that most hyper positive fans are fairly new, just in it for the ship and going with the flow.

Also critcism is kinda a four letter word these days.

Sadly.

I mean it can be fun and relieving to went or pick apart or even ridicule and as long as it's tagged correctly nobody gets hurt by it.

Maybe 'Good Omens' also is a sore subject, because after years of being vague, Crowley/Aziraphale actually got canonized, and no matter what they represent as, they do look like a gay couple to the general audience, and people might be afraid criticsm might reflect badly on the representation they finally got.

Who knows.

In the end, one can always cherry pick. I do like some scenes, I do ship Crowley/Aziraphale, but I'm disappointed that their characters went full on angel/demon cliche contrary to the appealing, nuanced book versions.

And yeah, there is no actual plot so we might as well have gotten smth like Crowley tries to earn money by becoming an uber driver or smth (there's great fanfic about that).

But that's just me, I do get why people enjoy it. Criticsm just helps to deal a bit with the disappointment, because, like you, I was initially thrilled about the second season.

[shokuto]

So we'll probably have to agree to disagree on a Gwiles ship (for a number of reasons, but in no dimension or version do I think Gwen should be Miles' main or only option for a romantic interest or relationship) :). But I appreciate your insights, and loved your response to the question "what makes Miles compelling as Spider-Man?" from a few weeks ago. I am kinda trying to figure out what Marvel is doing exactly? Between using just Miles' name instead of Spider-Man for the upcoming Strange Academy release, and Ziglar basically minimizing Miles in his own comic during this latest run in order to feature characters Ziglar seems to be enamored with, all while having characters constantly call Miles "boy" (see Mr. Morales who apparently has entered a black exploitation film), "kid" (practically every character being forced into the run is calling Miles this right now, which is funny given ATSV's take rightfully pushing back on that), "newbie" (Stark in the latest issue…meanwhile Civil War was a thing), basically everything but his name or Spider-Man…it's frustrating. Like, is Miles getting too popular for them or something? No offense to Ziglar, but I'm currently just sticking to reading and buying Bendis and Ahmed's comics going forward. Ziglar just doesn't seem to know how to write for Miles and his supporting cast, which is fine. They should put him back on Spider Punk since he said that he's wrote for that comic based on his time in a punk band. On top of that he hasn't done anything original so far? He's acknowledged Rabble is basically a reskin of Tinkerer from the Playstation game, he's obviously a fan of the Flash tv show given the electric sword (the idea of Miles' venom powers continuing to evolve in more novel and powerful ways is great though), plus the new character Hightale who = the Flash. And Misty Knight was just going over super basic things Aaron already taught his nephew. Also, Miles as any kind of detective was setup better by Bendis when he was toying with the idea of turning him into an agent of S.H.I.E.L.D (and that kinda came out of no where). If they extend Ziglar's time, it sounds like his plan is to constantly keep doing crossovers of other characters as "mentors", and given how he's handled that so far, I would not be to happy buying this run. :( Do you have a writer or writers in mind that you would like to see on Miles' comic? To be honest, I don't think there needs to be a ton of angst, I like that he has a great group of people in his life who know about him and have his and each others back against all odds (you can't tell me that comic Ganke wouldn't have tried to fight Miguel in ATSV even though he would lose, and Tiana would have 100% tried to pick Miguel up and drop him from the train if she saw him treating and talking to Miles like he did XD), it's one of the things that adds to Miles' uniqueness. But your analysis of Miles gets things about his character that the current run/Ziglar seems to be missing. On the plus side, the artwork is pretty good! And maybe the run will get better?

Eesh. I checked out of Ziglar’s run a while back, seems my criticisms with him minimizing Miles as Spider-Man in his own run hasn’t gotten any better, I probably made the right choice. Makes me sad though. I dislike Ahmed’s run a lot, but he at least had Miles on equal footing with the more seasoned guest stars like Captain America.

The disconnect is that Ziglar thinks Miles’ appeal lies in his youth. He thinks he’s a rookie, far out of his depth and in desperate need of guidance (from people he’s accomplished more than and with basic things he’s been doing since 2015 at minimum). I appreciate the callback to his origin from 2011, but it’s like he stopped reading that samw. Whoever I’d pick to write him moving forward would obviously be more up to speed on his history and the things that actually make him unique, but I honestly don’t trust that from anyone besides Phil Lord/Chris Miller, or Bendis. I always get the impression that everyone else either sees him as a blank slate, someone they need to reinvent or “fix”, if they simply don’t get it at all.

But besides that, if I could, I’d have his stories once again set in the Ultimate universe. Pulling him out erased one of his most prominent conflicts as someone bearing a legacy that makes him a target, that jeopardizes his future, and altered his relationship with his parents, which is why his comics were immediately made more lightheartedly and silly when he crossed over even with Bendis at the pen, because not only was Peter Parker alive and well, Miles was now one of four Spider-Men.

We’ll also have to agree to disagree on there not needing to be a ton of angst, I enjoy that Miles can inspire hope as much as the next guy, and I wish they’d let him do stupid fun teen shit without having to learn some sort of lesson at the end, but in the same vein that light without shadow is blinding, hope without tragedy is hollow. And as someone who’s been reading since Spider-Man cost him his uncle and [redacted until a mutual finishes the second volume], his stories have felt hollow to me for a very long time.

The artwork is good, but I don’t have faith that the writing’ll get better. I already held out hope that his comics would suddenly recapture that spark for eight years now.

[anasticep]

Why Julie and the Phantoms is a masterpiece of a show. Part 2. Heroes and Villains or Let that foil shine

NOTE: Thanks again for your kind response to Part 1. I never expected that. It being my first tumblr post and a first meta in quite a long time I was blown away. I read all the tags, some were really hilarious. About having more than one brain cell xDDD I laughed so hard. It means a lot.

NOTE2: Please remember that the gifs are made by me, so don't crop, edit or give as yours.

Part 1.

Before diving into meta, I have to mention that the Villain of the story is actually one of the best in the decade. He’s cool, evil from the start, we understand his motives and we certainly are not supposed to love and make excuses for him. The writers made sure of that. So back to the main topic.

A foil is a character who contrasts with another character; typically, a character who contrasts with the protagonist, in order to better highlight or differentiate certain qualities of the protagonist

Foils in literature are not necessarily antagonists. A friend can be a foil or sometimes even a thing, a song. Whatever can make a good and real contrast to the protagonist. But it’s not very simple to use this author’s device and not fall down a deep hole. Because you have to make sure you did just the right amount of work to make it understandable for a reader, the things you want to contrast are definitely there and still you don't waste a character. On TV it can be even harder given limited air time. And, well, I don’t come across this device being used in full very often nowadays. It’s usually good and evil fighting for the plot. That’s why I personally appreciate JaTP so much.

Caleb is clearly a foil to Luke. As much as I’d love to say that Julie also has one, that’s not entirely true, at least not this season. Carrie is not her foil though it may seem so, and I really think that’s cool as Julie’s journey is being presented through her own demons and I'm going to cover that next. That being said, of course Caleb doubles as an antagonist plotwise, but I personally consider him being written more as a contract to Luke so we could see and appreciate his character and journey better.

1. Origins

Caleb and Luke have extremely similar backgrounds. They are both natural performers. They know how to deliver, because c’mon, “Now or Never” is something and so is “The other side of Hollywood”. Stage is their natural habitat, their element, power. Although they channel this power from completely different places.

Let’s start with our little ball of energy. It’s emphasized TWICE that he doesn’t care about the money aka the physical side of art.

All Luke wants is to make music. Connect with people. He is so happy just to be heard despite him loving to perform. Making music is what makes him feel alive and basically that’s enough. I think if there was no “hologram” magic at all, Luke would have still been extremely happy to make music with and for Julie. Because that’s the way he is.

But Caleb doesn’t know that. He knows, and I’m standing by that, right away that Luke is the one to aim at. Because we always feel the similarity in people. If Luke said yes, Reggie and Alex would have followed. So Caleb recognizes the passion and shoots at them what he thinks is appealing. And, oh boy, he delivers.

“The Other Side of Hollywood” is a perfect song to emphasize Luke and Caleb being foils for each other. Follow me here:

But these lines come from very different places. For Caleb the only thing that matters is himself. He owns the show, he IS the show. It’s about being famous, drowning in applause, admiration. Look at how he performs. Confident, yes, but still very much in control. He must keep his perfect face. No flaws, no real emotions, no real connection (Did you miss ME? I did too // This band is back). Whereas Luke is simply living the best time of his life each time he performs. Is it just jamming? Bring it on. Doing fun riffs? He’s all for it. He doesn’t care how he looks (though who could deny gorgeous sweaty Luke), he owns the show just because he is a natural.

So back to the business. Caleb immediately puts the boys in his own shoes:

On the other side we live like kings // Your soulprint on the walk of fame on the boulevard of your wildest dreams // I got your glamour, got your gold, got all you’ll ever need

And, I mean, he is not that wrong. You can see the appeal on the boys’ faces. They are young, passionate, handsome, talented musicians. Of course they wouldn’t deny fame. Of course they would want all that to some extent. And Caleb is very sure he pulled the right strings.

Watch me make a move, I’m your number one choice

Also I have to mention, as we are talking about TOSOH (IKEA name again) and it being a foil for Luke, thy lyrics still don’t forget about what is important for Reggie and Alex (we’ll talk about that just a bit later):

Welcome to the brotherhood -> Reggie

Where you won’t be misunderstood -> Alex

Then again, lots of foreshadowing in the song, if you listen carefully the lyrics are stressing the true colors of the offer:

A tomb with a view

Man, what a metaphor. I would have run out of there the minute I heard this line. But our boys share one brain cell (I can’t get over how funny this is) and it’s currently taken by Julie, so I don’t blame them.

Disappointment is huge. Caleb read it all wrong. So we are moving to the next point in our Heroes and Villains essay.

2. Recruitment

It’s very cool that Caleb offers the boys to join his band right after Luke offers Julie to join Sunset Curve. They both are going out of their ways to get that (although have different budgets apparently. But look, they live in a garage). Luke made a hit with a bunch of Julie’s not very well structured lines (I love Flying Solo with all my heart as a song, but as a poem it just looks weird to me) to impress her, and we all saw the show Caleb had thrown to impress the boys. Plus food. And fancy dancing. But here is where contrast comes again.

Caleb offers to join the band, yes, but only as backup singers. It’s his show, remember? It’s only about him. He doesn’t care if they are even good. He wants their magic under control.

Share the spotlight with ME / How do you like MY new band?!

Luke offering Julie a spot in the band is a completely different story. He saw what she is capable of. He instantly knows she must be the key to a new sound, a new level. And he, a natural performer, frontman, lead guitarist, steps back and gives the spotlight to Julie. To think about it, he could have just got her magic under control by giving her simple lines, incorporating piano in the songs and that’s all. They would be visible, he would still be a center of attention, and Julie herself wouldn't mind that much. But that’s not who Luke is. Yes, there is a funny scene of “Hey, I’m your lead singer” and “you don’t have to be mean”, but it’s just messing around. Because right after that he finishes Flying Solo, writes several other songs with Julie, seeks her approval of Sunset Curve songs and basically follows her around like an adorable excited puppy.

Moving on and back to the rejection. Again the writers are mirroring them. Julie quits the band & the boys decline the offer. What does Luke do? Well, he tries the way he knows: books a gig, makes Reggie and Alex sing in perfect harmonies and does his puppy eyes thing. And it doesn’t work. And Luke goes to reflect and then probably try to come up with a plan. But something tells me he would not have haunted Julie until she joined them.

What does Caleb do after the initial rejection? Puts a cursed stamp that leaves them no choice but to join HGC. You don’t need to say more.

But in fact the more I think about it, the more I suspect Caleb also not possessing enough mental capacity for a human being. Like, if it wasn’t for Willie, how would they even know? Has Caleb planned to simply show up one day and casually explain? Look, foils in everything.

“You’re in a tough spot… So, you wanna join the band?” | “Looked like it hurt… you know where to find me”

But we sidestepped a bit.

3. Pulling the strings

After the song Caleb comes out to consolidate his success. What he does is clever and, btw, that’s the only time he becomes Julie’s foil. They are stating basically the same thing.

Again, Julie is concerned about the band and the boys, while Caleb is only concerned about having them under control. But they both are pulling basically the right strings.

What is interesting, Caleb actually impressed the wrong person (and that person is our sweet Reggie). Luke follows the string Julie pulled. Although the offer is tempting, he insists twice that they are in a band already directly to Caleb and then in Eats&Beats he says "It's like Julie said, we have a new band, a new sound». No matter what Caleb promised, Luke is not affected at all although Caleb’s offer is a very-very safe choice.

Speaking about using friends as foils, Alex and Reggie also serve as contrast characters for Luke at some points. Luke’s indifference to money is first stressed through Alex who is clearly the chief accountant for the band. His lines about not getting tips, living in a garage and «it’s a little bit about the money» are waved aside by Luke. Reggie is clearly the most affected by the whole Bobbie thing. His lines «I don’t care what Julie said, I’m glad we scared Bobbie», «So we’re gonna forget about getting back at Trevor?» are getting a clear contrast by Luke’s «It’s what Julie said, we have a new band, a new sound» and «He has to live with that guilt».

While editing the article I realised a very cool thing I haven't noticed before. How badly Luke wants to go on tour. And again that's another thing Caleb offers as if reading his mind. That's actually brilliant, to think about it.

Caleb is a VERY good reader. He tests the waters with a speech about disappearing from stage and going around the world and all dreams coming true. Still he doesn’t know the boys and especially Luke, so his phrase “no real connection” doesn’t register that much.

But he learns. Remember the lines I’ve marked before?

Reggie is afraid they will not be together after they cross over. He is in desperate need of a family. So wouldn’t it be nice to spend the rest of your afterlife with your brothers? (Reggie's main insecurity is loneliness, feel of a broken family. That's why he is the most concerned about crossing over. Will his family stay intact?)

Alex is insecure, and not being understood by the people closest to him will always hit hard. So welcome to a place where you won’t be misunderstood. And actually we know there is a guy you like and find comfort in. (Alex's insecurity is growing up in times when he could not truly be himself even with his family and for sure not believing he would ever be able to find someone meant just for him)

That mirrors the whole Luke’s beach speech perfectly. Only comparing them we can truly appreciate why Luke is the leader. He shuts down his own demons to make Alex and Reggie remember that they are not alone (“and I believe in you”. sorry. Olicity fan).

Caleb makes them suffer to get what he wants. But this time he is careful with the words aimed at Luke. Yes, he repeats his words about vanishing and applauses BUT he makes sure that his words about CONNECTION are the key words for Luke. Intense look, calming voice, touching - these are all elements of hypnosis. And Luke is in a daze. (Continuing the parents' thing, for Luke the main insecurity is not managing to connect with his mom. Maybe that's such a big thing for him: through all these people he wanted to find that connection with her)

4. The Hero’s journey

That’s the best part actually but I won’t be saying anything new or that you don’t know. Luke is made of lyrics and music. That’s his soul, heart, that’s the feeling running through his veins. He doesn’t need anything other than that in his life. Playing for eternity is “a gift no musician would ever turn down”. But he actually does turn it down. As well as his dream to go see the world with his band (is there covid in jatp universe?). He is the one who resists the hardest to the pull. Luke, who always has a guitar in his hands, doesn't want to play. Because it’s not only about the music now. He has this amazing girl in his afterlife who was willing to accept them for who they were, helped Luke battle his own demons, eased his pain and made him open up. And it doesn’t make sense any longer without her anymore. “And you’re a part of me now till eternity”.

Caleb, being Luke’s foil, completely misses the whole point of connection. It’s not in his nature. His house band are just recruits (Just so happens you’re in luck we’ve got a vacancy). For Luke his band is his family (We are the only family we ever gonna need). The Connection theme is one of the main in the show. And it’s so cool to show it focused through Luke whose best way of interaction is a touch. But not being able to touch Julie Luke has to find other ways, although it’s not that simple for him. And Julie backs that up: We connect in so many other ways. They literally touched each other's souls. Without knowing she put a stamp of her own on Luke, Alex and Reggie. They’ve never felt loved enough, appreciated enough, supported enough. They’ve only had each other. And Julie’s stamp is love. And for Luke (as well as Reggie and Alex) from now on this girl is worth dying for all over again.

_______

So yeah. I hope you enjoyed it, as I for sure enjoyed writing. There is gonna be a part 3 about Julie and a few honorable mentions of parallels of the Pilot and the Finale (I hope at least to do all that). I’ve also figured very very cool connections in the songs and I can’t wait to share.

Also as I was heavily speaking about The Other side of Hollywood, @catty-words has a wonderful meta on rain metaphors here (sorry for tagging, if you don't want to be tagged), check it out if you somehow missed it. It's super clever.

[eryiss]

Fraxus Week 2020: Day 4 - Drunk

Summary: After a crappy post-college first year, Laxus jumped at the opportunity to leave town for a week for a road trip with his friends. He intended it just to be a week away with his friends, but when he meets an unfamiliar stranger, the vacation turns into something much more. [Fraxus Multichapter]

This is the fourth part of my Fraxus Week admissions, hosted by @fuckyeahfraxus​. This year I’ve made the prompts into a single multi-chapter fic. You can see all the chapters in the Masterpost linked below. Hope you enjoy.

You can read this on Fanfiction, Archive of our Own, and under the cut. Read the other chapters from this masterlist.

Chapter Four – Out of the Rain

The contrast between the two days was ridiculous.

Laxus almost couldn't believe that it had been a day since he was lounging in the hot summer sun, whereas now he was narrowing his eyes as he drove the RV through the onslaught of rain. The storm had come from nowhere and according to the weather forecast, it would be sticking around for the rest of the night. The clouds were thick and covering the stars, meaning it was almost pitch black on the empty roads.

Unlike the day before, everyone was still awake as evening turned to night. They had spent the entire day driving, trying to catch up for the time they'd used at the water park. Bickslow had driven through the morning and early afternoon, and then had switched with Laxus.

At that moment, Laxus was fighting off sleep. They needed to find somewhere to park soon.

Not that they'd have a good night's sleep, though. The sound of rain battering down on the RV echoed loudly, and Laxus knew that it would sway and creak in the wind. It would be safe, but not anywhere near easy to sleep in. All he could do was hope that the forecast was wrong, and that the storm would end a lot quicker than they had stated.

He also hoped that he didn't fall asleep at the wheel.

"We have some money left over from renting the van, don't we?" Evergreen asked Bickslow, looking up from her phone.

"Yeah, a little over a hundred dollars. Why?" Bickslow asked, yawning into the thermos of coffee he was drinking.

"Well, there's nowhere close that'll let us park up and stay in the truck," Evergreen said, and Laxus cussed under his breath. "But there is a motel at the next rest stop. We should be able to get two double rooms with that."

"Sounds good," Laxus nodded. "Nobody's got a problem with that?"

When everyone agreed it was the best use of their spare money, Laxus got the directions from Evergreen and started to drive towards the motel. It was clearly a good choice, as soon after they made it lightning and thunder started splitting apart the sky, with even heavier rain following it. With his tired state, Laxus knew that it was best to get off the roads as soon as they could. It was certainly the safest thing to do.

Eventually they pulled off the highway and followed the illuminated signs to the motel. It was a nice enough looking place, which probably was a lot more welcoming in the day and when it wasn't a storm. It would certainly better than staying in the RV though the night.

Bickslow, who still had the money saved for the RV in his account, was the one who went to the reception. It took him a short while, but he eventually returned to them all with two keys from two double rooms, soaking wet with the water dripping off him. As he dried himself off with a beach towel they had brought yesterday, he claimed that he wished to share a room with Evergreen for the night.

"Why, exactly?" Freed asked, packing the clothes he would need for the night into a bag.

"Because I've had sleepovers with the two of you and you're both really boring," Bickslow claimed. "Evergreen lets me paint her nails and we gossip. You two just like sleeping."

Laxus was almost certain that it wasn't the real reason as to why he wanted to share his room with Evergreen. Given that both of them knew that Laxus had developed a crush on Freed, it seemed likely that this was some way for them to torture him by making him sleep in a room with him and nobody else. If the room they shared only had one bed, he was going to kill the bastard.

"It is appalling how we want to sleep at a sleepover," Freed commented, and Laxus sniggered.

"And that's the kind of boring attitude that makes me and Evergreen the best friends and you two the boring people on the side-lines," Bickslow grinned as he tossed a room key towards Freed, who managed to catch them without difficulty. It was an annoyingly attractive feat. "Room 203. Top floor."

Apparently leaving no room for argument, Bickslow turned is back and started to pack an impromptu overnight bag. Laxus and Freed shared a glance before picking up their own bags. They opened the door to the RV and winced at the rain they needed to walk to.

Despite the fact it had taken less than a minute to get under the protection of the building's veranda, both men had been drenched by the heavy rain. They quickly found their room and unlocked it, and Laxus let out a small breath when he realised that there were indeed two beds waiting for them. It was a nice enough room, with a small kitchenette – if a coffee machine, mini fridge, sink and microwave could be considered that – and a large enough TV mounted onto the wall. The large beds were rather appealing, given how Laxus had been curled up as he slept since they'd left Magnolia.

"It's better than I thought it'd be," Laxus commented, placing his bag at the foot of the nearest bed. "Kinda nice actually."

"It is," Freed agreed, walking to the bathroom and looking into it. "And a shower that might actually fit you inside of it."

Laxus grinned, mainly at the teasing tone in Freed's voice, and glanced into the bathroom to see that there was indeed a large shower. He reached over Freed and picked up one of the towel's hanging up. He started to dry himself off as Freed shucked off his jacket.

"I think I might have a shower before I go to sleep," Freed commented. "I need to wash my hair, might as well do it now."

"Sure," Laxus nodded, then he chuckled. "I get what Bickslow meant when he said we're boring."

"So do I," Freed said thoughtfully. "It's quite annoying that we're proving him right, isn't it," He sighed, and Laxus couldn't help but smirk. Freed really was quite a competitive person; Laxus enjoyed seeing it. "Why don't we try and prove him wrong instead?"

"How d'you suppose we do that?" Laxus asked with furrowed brows. He expected Freed wouldn't want to prove Bickslow wrong in any way Laxus was thinking.

"Well, our judgemental friend payed for this on his card, and all charges from the room will be his to pay," Freed commented absently as he walked towards the small kitchenette, and opened one of the cupboards. "And this place has a rather well stocked mini bar."

Laxus grinned when Freed pulled out a bottle of tequila.

"Sounds like fun."

~~~

"Oh come on," Laxus proclaimed with a slight slur in his voice. "That's bullshit."

"I told you, she's vicious," Freed said with a tipsy laugh. "It's why she always wins her fights."

They had gotten drunk. Well, maybe not drunk. But they had passed tipsy.

After they'd taken shots of the tequila, something that Laxus hadn't done since he was in college, they had both finished bottle of high percentage beer each. That was when they had turned on the TV, looking for something to watch to put off sleeping. That was how they had gotten where they were: sitting side by side on Freed's bed, a bowl of hot nuts, chips, and chocolate between them, watching The Real Housewives of… somewhere.

"She threw a plate at the guys face," Laxus argued. "It's bullshit."

"It's what she's paid to do, be stupidly annoying and start fights with people. It was probably staged anyway, so I wouldn't worry about it," Freed argued, reaching into the bowl of food between them. His head snapped up when the woman on the screen threw a champagne glass at the man she was arguing with.

"Bet that hurt," Laxus said with a grin. He was winning this argument.

"You can't be sure," Freed said indignantly.

"I can throw a mug at your face and we can see if it hurts ya," Laxus threatened with a grin.

Apparently, the alcohol in Freed's body had made the false threat hilarious, as he let out a loud and boisterous laugh. Laxus joined in, watching the shorter man as he almost doubled over as he laughed, the handful of food dropping onto his bedsheets.

"How often do you watch this crap," Laxus asked with a grin.

"Ever makes me watch it. Every night we went to one of our dorms common areas and watched something. Ever got obsessed with it, and then got Bickslow into it too," Freed laughed, shifting himself so he was sitting up again. "I would have complained about it, but Bickslow used to make me watch awful kids' films, so this is better."

Again, Freed started to laugh, and Laxus found himself unable to resist the charm of it and joined in too.

That was how they spent quite a lot of the night, eating the snacks that Bickslow would be overcharged for while watching crappy reality TV. They got a little bit more sober as time went on, as the only thing left in the minibar was champagne and they weren't going to be so cruel as to make Bickslow pay for that as well.

Part way through the night, Laxus had taken note of how close they were to each other. Their sides were pushed together, shoulder to shoulder and thigh to thigh. In his drunken state, Freed also seemed to be just a little bit more physical. He gesticulated a lot more, and Laxus often found himself with the other man's hand on his shoulder when he was making a point. At one point, Freed had even grabbed Laxus' wrist to get his attention, and it sent a thrill through Laxus that set his blood on fire.

On their third episode of rich people fighting, Laxus found his gaze on the man beside him. He was watching the show with contentment, a tipsy smile on his face as he made comments about the people on screen. It was endearing, and Laxus was left with an equally happy smile.

His smile faltered when Freed's did.

For a second, Laxus had thought that the other man had noticed him looking and was uncomfortable with it. But he didn't move away and Laxus realised he was now almost glaring at the TV. Laxus looked towards it to see that they were on the 'next time' part of the show. One of the women was shouting at a man, and it took a moment for him to realise that she was accusing him of cheating.

"He cheated on me," Freed commented, with a smile that was most likely sad. "My ex, not the man on the screen."

"Oh," Laxus mumbled, not sure of what else to say. "Sorry."

"Don't be," Freed sighed, closing his eyes. "I shouldn't be sad about it; I don't understand why I am. I wasn't in love with him, I'm not even sure if I particularly liked him by the end of the relationship. I was actually going to leave him, for heaven's sake. So I shouldn't feel bad that he found someone else, but I do."

"Well," Laxus began again, not sober enough to think of anything eloquent to say. "He cheated on ya. It's a shitty thing to do. You get to be pissed off at that."

"I suppose so," Freed sighed, almost as if he was disappointed in himself. "What does annoy me is how it happened, though. I didn't walk in on him, or find out myself. He just told me," He laughed bitterly at that. "Just sat me down, said he was seeing someone else and that we weren't together. I didn't get to be a dick about it, really. I didn't yell, or really react at all. It just sort of ended, and then I came back home again."

"Should have punched the fucker," Laxus commented indignantly. "Sent him to the other guy with a black eye."

"It wouldn't have been productive," Freed waved the idea off, eyes still closed. "It's a tempting thought though, I must admit."

"You can punch me if you wanna. Get it out of yer system, y'know," Laxus suggested, and it was clear the booze in his blood had made him suggest that. Freed looked to him with a small smile.

"You're far too good a man to be compared to him," Freed commented.

Laxus blushed a little at the compliment, even if it wasn't much. He looked down at the man, who was watching the TV and clearly trying to act like he wasn't affected by what he had just said. But even drunk, Laxus could tell that the man had lost his easy posture and his hands were clenched at his sides. Laxus frowned at this, reached for the remote and muted the show they were watching. Freed frowned and looked up at him.

"I'm sorry the bastard cheated on ya," Laxus said with as much seriousness in his tone as he could show. "I know that you said you wanted to leave him, and that ya think it's stupid you feel bad about it, but the guy betrayed ya. And you didn't deserve to feel like that, or to be treated like that. So, I'm sorry."

"As I said, you don't need to worry about it," Freed said with a sigh. "It's not your fault, and I'll get over it."

"But you shouldn't have t' get over it because you shouldn't have been cheated on," Laxus said with an insistent tone in his voice. "I mean if I were dating a guy like you, I wouldn't even think about looking at other guys. I mean who fucking would. Yer hot, you're and interesting, and know how to make a guy enjoy himself. Who wouldn't want that?"

"Well, it seems that my ex disagrees with you."

"Then he's stupid," Laxus said firmly. "Seriously, this guy is clearly a dick head. Because if he looks at you and thinks he wants something more, or different, then he's an idiot. Cause you're fucking… just look at yourself. Can't think of anything I'd change."

"Oh," Freed said, a little shocked. Was he blushing as well? Probably not. "Well, thank you. That… that's nice of you to say. I appreciate it."

Freed turned and looked towards him, and only then did Laxus realise just how close they were to each other. Their noses were almost touching, and Laxus' mind screamed to him that it would be easy to close the gap and press their lips together.

"Well, I mean it," Laxus shrugged.

With the booze flowing through him, and his good sense all but gone, Laxus listened to the voice in his head. He pushed his face forward, cupped Freed's face, and kissed him.

[dazstormretro]

My Final Retro Memories - Sept 1999

Now in my final year at uni me and a group of mates had decided to move out of our dilapidated student house and return to dorms for one final blowout. So in the September of 1999 with my bags packed and both my PlayStation and N64 boxed up I arrived back in Derby to finish off university in style.

Unfortunately as the year progressed the workload on my university course increased dramatically leaving less time for video gaming. Saying that I still tried my best to fit in the odd hour here and there. My next purchase would be Final Fantasy VIII in the October of this year on the PlayStation (probably not the best choice when your trying to write a dissertation!)

Having loved the previous instalments in the series I was looking forward to this particular title with great excitement. I must have invested a good chunk of time into FF VIII but unfortunately due to my course work stacking up and the stop/start nature of RPG progression the game eventually ended up on the shelf, yet another uncompleted Final Fantasy game.

Feeling I needed a change of pace and having recently watched Saving Private Ryan next up was Medal of Honour. A brand new game created by Steven Spielberg which would kick off the trend for WW2 first person shooters on consoles. Medal of Honour was indeed a fantastic addition to my PS1 collection. Taking on the role of Lieutenant Jimmy Patterson I soon found myself being completely immersed in war-torn Germany. With many varied objectives and missions to complete I must have played through this game countless times over the coming months, I especially enjoyed the sniper based stages, taking out Nazi soldiers with the perfect headshot was extremely satisfying.

Throughout 1999 and into 2000 I consumed yet more episodes of the X Files, enjoyed watching Peter MacNicol in Ally McBeal and first came across Spaced created and staring the very talented Simon Pegg. Crammed full of nerdy references to tv shows, movies and video games Spaced was (and still is) such a great show featuring zany characters, hilarious scripts and summed up the late 90’s to a tee.

Fast forward to June of 2000 and my university career had finally come to an end and I was thrust out into the real world to try and carve out some kind of career for myself. Having a full time job defiantly effected my gaming time during this period. I stopped buying the latest gaming magazines, new consoles past me by and most of my spare time was taken up with girlfriends and socialising.

Not being on the pulse of the latest console releases during this time may have actually worked to my advantage as in the July after saving up some cash I purchased Perfect Dark for my N64. Launching late in the N64’s life meant a lot of people missed out on Rare’s latest first person shooter.

Being a massive fan of Goldeneye which I had played to death the year previous Perfect Dark was an obvious choice. I remember it took me a good few weeks to save the £60 needed to purchase the title plus some extra cash to buy the memory expansion pack which was needed to play the game, increasing the consoles RAM storage capacity to 8 MB.

Once again I would jump into this game with both feet, playing and replying missions over and over. In fact I would play this game on and off for the next two years up until I finally sold my Nintendo 64. Like Rare’s previous shooter you took on the role of a secret agent (this time a female lead called Joanna Dark) and set about completing various missions armed to the teeth with futuristic weaponry and later in the game a sidekick alien by the name of Elvis?

Still to this day I enjoy a quick half hour session on Perfect Dark, taking out enemies with the Laptop Gun, launching grenades into glass elevators with the SuperDragon and watching the blood fly.

Perfect Dark was my last memorable exciting gaming purchase from back in the day. As a kid the anticipation of receiving a new game to play was overwhelming. Reading reviews over and over, researching every last bit of detail all while counting down the days until it’s release was so exciting. At the point of buying Perfect Dark I might have been in my early 20’s yet I still remember that buzz of finally receiving my copy after saving my hard earned cash over the summer.

That Christmas there would be no video gaming related items, instead I had asked for a Sony portable mini disk as my main gift. Gaming was once again starting to take a backseat with only the occasional Perfect Dark shooting rampage occurring.

Everyone has their own perception of what they class as retro. In my mind my retro gaming memories finished around 2001 when I sold my N64 and handful of games for beer money at a local videos games shop (a regret which I still have to this day). I would go onto purchase Final Fantasy IX on release in the February of this year but this wouldn't last long before also being traded in and like my N64 my PlayStation was soon after sold to help fund a lads holiday to Greece. I do remember going over to my mate Robs house the day he purchased a Sega Dreamcast and playing multiplayer Power Stone well into the early hours which was great fun but not enough to convince me to once again join the side of Sega. By mid 2001 I was consoleless and and it would remain that way for over a year. This was the first time since receiving my Sega Master System back when I was eleven that I didn’t video game.

By no means was this the end of my love for video games, far from it. In late 2002 I would once again join the console generation after purchasing a PS2. Over the coming years I would continue play games in my spare time owning such systems as the PS3, XBox, Wii and most recently a PS4 and Nintendo Switch. In fact my interest in video games (both modern and retro) is just as involved now as it was in my teens. Granted my multi-player gaming sessions have dwindled over the years and that initial excitement of getting a new game or console doesn’t have the same appeal that it once did but video games still rule in my book.

Nowadays my gaming time is evenly split between actually playing games and both reading and watching YouTube videos relating to the latest gaming news or retro perspectives. I also enjoy whipping out an old issue of Mean Machines or Super Play once in a while to get a little nostalgia kick. Only time will tell if this hobby will continue into my later years but as of 2019 I can’t see any signs of it slowing down.

So that’s the end of my my retro gaming memories. I hope you’ve enjoyed reading about my adventures in the world of video games, maybe it’s even helped spark a few gaming memories from your own gaming past? I must admit I’ve thoroughly enjoyed casting my mind back and reliving some of these amazing times from my childhood.

Since first playing Roland on the Ropes on my brothers Amstrad 464 back in 1988 which lead to my Sega Master System the following Christmas I’ve been hooked. I feel very lucky to have lived through so many momentous gaming moments over the years. From the UK launch of the Mega Drive to the Super Nintendo, the now famous Sega vs Nintendo wars, the heyday of the video games magazine, the 90’s arcade scene through to the launch of the first PlayStation. These are just a few examples of how great the 1990’s were to a young gamer like myself, exciting times indeed.

Anyway that’s enough waffling from me, it’s back to my man cave to see if I can remember how to play Goldeneye with that bloody controller!

[aetherscribe-blog]

soo, what if i have an idea for a character but no plot or whatever? like, i'd like to write a story about a young underground hacker/information broker, but I have no ideas for a plot or whatever. I thought I could set the story in a dystopian world but I seriously have no ideas. If someone even asked me why he's a hacker I wouldn't have an answer. And I seriously have no ideas for a plot?

   Oh, yes! The whole hacker/dystopian thing is my jam! You can get all kinds of awesome, gritty plots going with this set-up! That being said, I can understand somebody’s frustration when they simply cannot come up with a plot because I’ve been there too. We all have! So let’s get the creative juices running!

   First of all, your hacker is suffering from that bane of all stories - no motivational goal. I answered a bunch of questions on this and posted a blog specifically tackling character motivation here, but I can offer some specific tips right now as well!   Being a hacker or information broker usually breaks down into four categories:

White-Hat Hacker: Hackers employed by companies or governments as a protection against cyber crime, the proverbial “good hackers”.

Grey-Hat Hacker: These data miners are out for themselves and are usually motivated by a need for money through desperation or aspiration.

Black-Hat Hacker: These are the cyber criminals who maliciously attack companies for huge ransoms or even just because they can.

Hacktivists: These cyber revolutionaries use their hacking skills to bring low corruption or incite unrest and rebellion in the population.

   As you can see, simply selecting one of these will answer a lot about your character and open doors to possible plots. How or why did they become a hacker? Did they have a natural gift for it or did they have to learn all about it? Is it money that motivates them or something else? Do they want to become rich beyond their wildest dreams or do they want to change the world by bringing down corrupt companies and governments?   Now even set in a dystopian universe, both these many options make for refreshing and interesting stories! Does your character want to pull humanity out of a cybernetic dark age or are they just looking to make enough cash from a big hacking job to look after themselves (or those they love)? Understanding your character and your setting will often just reward you with a fun plot.   In short, your hacker could become what they are because they’re proud of their skills, they were forced to, they are desperate, they want to change the world or perhaps even because they find it fun to ruin lives (although this final choice is more a villainous choice but not limited to the antagonist).

   Now for the plot itself. If you find that your character isn’t singing an appealing plot to you then what I can suggest is that you look into other books, TV shows and movies about hackers. Some examples off the top of my head are Ghost in the Shell, Mr Robot, The Matrix and Blackhat. Understanding your themes and genres are absolutely important but in case that doesn’t help, here’s a few ideas!

- A hacker just trying to make money accidentally lands upon hugely sensitive government secrets and finds themselves hunted and must make the choice to either give up the info or put it to use.- A veteran hacker is forced to come out of hiding/retirement to do one last big job when somebody forces his hand. (Imagine Gone in Sixty Seconds with more coding and less cars)- A white hat hacker is framed with a huge cyber terror attack and is now on the run, using his own skills to hunt down the real culprit, punish them for their crime and clear his name.- An insane hacktivist unleashes a sophisticated and deadly computer virus upon the word that could very well cripple society and send humanity back to the stone age. Can the anybody stop it? Or is the main character the mad hacktivist?

   As you can see, there are dozens of cool ideas out there! If any of these particular plots take your fancy then don’t hesitate to use them and make them your own, but hopefully your mind should be going into overflow from all the awesome things you can do with a hacker story!   I hope this helped and if not, don’t hesitate to ask me further questions! I will do my best to answer everybody who has queries! Happy writing and I expect to see a bad-ass hacker story out there at some point! ;D

- CR

(PS, I’m in mood to write a hacker story now! NOOOoooooo *R.I.P. current book in progress* lol)