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clumsyclifford · 3 years

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don’t need money, don’t need sleep (just need your pretty face)

hi !!!!! some jalex fluff for you all :)

back when i was looking to start writing some jalex i requested prompts from my friends and @tirednotflirting gave me three from this list: 14, 23, and 82. sam i am sorry it took me so long to get this done (and that it’s not like, my best work or anything) but i am treating this like a prompt fic even though you never actually sent the prompt to my inbox so here it is as its own post. how exciting

title is from bottle and a beat by all time low god that song really did not deserve to be a b-side have i mentioned i love all time low?? was that evident?? anyway. onward

read it here on ao3

Jack yawns. “I’m sleepy.”

“Then go to sleep, you dolt,” Alex says, although it’s dripping with fondness and he’s sure Jack can tell, even over Skype.

“No,” Jack says. “Talking to you.”

“We can talk tomorrow,” Alex says logically. “I’ll be home tomorrow.”

“Mm, that’s too long,” Jack says, and then yawns again. “Alex,” he says, stretching out the vowel, “I’m tired. ” He closes his eyes and buries his head on his pillow. The angle of his camera really should be unflattering, but Alex is so in love, and he misses falling asleep with Jack so much, that even getting to see his almost-asleep face is feeding a part of him.

“You want me to sing you something?” Alex asks. Jack smiles, or at least the visible half of his face does.

“Just tell me about your day,” he says. His voice is barely audible and his lips hardly move; he’s clearly just on the verge of falling asleep completely. Alex is concerned for his phone battery.

“I’ve told you about my day already,” he says.

“Tell me again. I like to hear your voice.”

They’re so ridiculous, Alex realizes. They are the shitty rom-com couples that people point at to say look how unrealistic that is. Nobody acts like that in real life. But Alex is happy with Jack, happier than he’s ever been, and he thinks that’s more than worth the cheesy tropes.

“Alright,” Alex says. He settles back against the hotel pillows. They’re too soft; if Jack were here he’d have a lot of choice words about that. Jack’s firm anti-soft-pillow stance has taken over their bed — all of their pillows are relatively unyielding. Yet another way that Jack has made himself a permanent fixture in Alex’s life. God, Alex loves him. “Well, I woke up at the hell hour of five in the morning, and then I tried to Google Maps my way to the radio station, which didn’t work, and I ended up kind of lost. So then I called Rian, because obviously I didn’t want Bryan to know I got lost, and Rian just laughed at me, and then together we figured it out — there are two places here with the same address, like, one is the radio station and the other is, like, a convenience store, so I don’t know what kind of planning went into that? Anyway, the radio promo stuff was fine, and then I went and got coffee and called my boyfriend, except he didn’t pick up because he was still asleep, and I should have probably known better than to try and call, so I left him a really cute message that I bet he still hasn’t listened to.”

Alex pauses, watches the screen. Jack’s breathing is even. He’s never been the kind of person who could fall asleep right away, but now must be an exception, or maybe he’s more tired than usual, because he’s already dropped off, and his phone is moving irregularly until it finally slips out of Jack’s grasp and the screen goes dark, face-down on the bed. Alex smiles. “And then I had a boring day and then I Skyped my boyfriend and he had the audacity to fall asleep while I was in the middle of talking to him,” he concludes. “And I love you, and I’ll see you tomorrow. Goodnight, sweetheart.”

Jack doesn’t reply, so Alex resolves to remind him tomorrow. Maybe without calling him sweetheart, though. Jack doesn’t take kindly to nicknames unless they’re grossly unrealistic (sugarplum, and such).

For the moment, though, Alex listens to Jack breathe slowly, and then he hangs up the call, sets his phone aside, and pulls the covers over himself. Sleeping alone is one of Alex’s least favorite things, but he’s lulled to sleep by the promise of not having to do it again tomorrow night.

“Hi,” Jack breathes, throwing his arms around Alex’s neck. Alex gives a little, wrapping his arms around Jack’s waist and squeezing tight.

“Hi. I missed you.”

“I missed you,” Jack echoes. “More. Fuck, it’s good to hear your voice.”

Alex laughs. “You heard my voice yesterday.”

“Not like this,” Jack says, bringing his hands reverently to Alex’s throat like he wants to feel the way it moves when Alex talks. “It’s so much better in person.”

“That’s rude,” Alex says. “You listen to my voice on recordings all the time. Are you saying I’m worse on albums than I am live?”

“Whatever,” Jack says, drawing Alex into a kiss. He’s managed to suspiciously sidestep the question — Alex will have to interrogate him further later on — but for now he just hugs Jack close. Yet another cheesy rom-com trope: kissing on the doorstep.

It makes Alex chuckle, so it might do it for Jack too. Alex pulls away. “They should make a Hallmark movie about us.”

“Fuck, I’d love that,” Jack says, grinning and stealing another kiss off Alex’s lips. “I don’t think I’ve ever seen a Hallmark movie, but I’d watch it if you were in it. Or if I was in it, honestly.”

“I don’t think they’d cast us as ourselves.” Their acting careers begin and end with the “Something’s Gotta Give” music video. “And I would want to be played by Jason Statham.”

“Jason Statham? Why the fuck?”

It had really just been the first name to come to mind, so Alex shrugs. “Handsome and British?”

Jack snorts. “I want to be played by Brad Pitt then.”

“What the fuck do you and Brad Pitt have in common?”

“Uh, excuse me? We’re both sexy and have cult followings.”

Alex laughs, loud. “Got me there.” It makes Jack smile indulgently, all pleased like he’d gotten precisely the reaction he’d wanted, and Alex loves him so much it threatens the break the seams holding his heart together and just flood him. It might already have done.

“Okay, it’s cold,” Jack says. “You’re letting all the fucking air in, you asshole.”

“You can’t be nice for more than one minute.” Alex edges past Jack into the house. It’s true they’re letting the cold night air inside, but if Jack’s going to be a shithead then two can play that game.

“It’s late and I’m tired,” Jack whines as they walk together to the bedroom. Alex drops his bag on the floor. He can unpack it later. Tomorrow, or the day after, or next week — definitely at some point. Maybe he can harass Jack into unpacking it for him. Bribe him with sexual favors or a fancy dinner or something.

“Babe, you’re preaching to the choir,” Alex says. He’s exhausted. Travel takes it out of him, and the prospect of curling up with Jack, cold feet pressed against calves under the warmth of the blanket, is so appealing it almost makes Alex cry. Putting on a silly affectation, he says, “Prepare the bed, monsieur, and I shall join you presently.”

“Ah, yes,” Jack says, rolling with it — because he’s the best and weirdest boyfriend ever, and so perfect for Alex — with an exaggerated bow. He jumps into bed, already pajama-clad in boxers and one of Alex’s shirts, kicking down the covers so they’re far back enough for Alex to slip underneath. In a French accent, he says, “Le bed is prepared, monsieur Gaskarth.”

“Merci,” Alex says, which is about the extent of his French knowledge. Carelessly discarding his travel clothes, he grabs a comfier shirt and pulls it on. Then he clambers into bed, Jack’s arm settling comfortably over his shoulders. Even more than their reunion hug/kiss/debate at the door, lying down with Jack in their bed at home restores in Alex a sense of peace that he only finds here. He wishes it existed in words instead of just feelings, but it doesn’t. Alex would know; he’s tried, hundreds of times, to write it down, has filled pages with efforts to find an adequate description, but there’s nothing like the feeling. Nothing like just being at home with Jack, redundant though that is.

(If it’s Jack, it’s home. But it’s nice to have a place where they can mutually agree to be at home with each other.)

“I missed this,” Jack murmurs, leaning his head onto Alex’s shoulder as Alex shifts to accommodate him. “Before you say it, I know you were only away for a day, but I can still miss it.”

“I was going to say I missed you too,” Alex says. “But now that you’ve mentioned it, Jack, come on. I was only gone for a day. Don’t get clingy.”

Jack bites Alex’s shoulder and Alex laughs. “You’re an asshole.”

“I know.”

“I’m joking,” Jack adds, yawning.

Alex reaches across Jack’s lap to grab his hand. It’s a little awkward, holding Jack’s left hand with his own, but they make it work. “Okay. Tell me about your day. We didn’t talk all day because I was traveling.”

Jack hums. “Seriously, now?”

“I talked you to sleep last night,” Alex protests. “It’s only fair.”

“So you don’t even want to know about my day? You’re just going to fall asleep?”

Alex shakes his head as Jack straightens up in mock-indignance. “Come on,” he entreats Jack, shuffling lower to curl up against him. Jack’s not small in most ways, because he’s the tallest in the band, and his personality fills every room like a gas, reaching the corners no matter how far they are. But he’s so skinny, so many lean lines, that it should be more difficult to cuddle up to him. Still, Alex finds it surpassingly easy. He rests his head against Jack’s chest, immediately attuned to the steady beat of his heart. When the foundations of Alex’s world are crumbling to the ground, when he’s grasping at straws or gasping for air, he can always sink an anchor into Jack’s heartbeat.

Objectively, it’s just a ba-bump rhythm like any other, but it’s music to Alex, and music has always been his driving force.

“Fine,” Jack huffs, curling his fingers into the cotton of Alex’s shirt. Alex burrows into him, closing his eyes, sliding his legs between Jack’s under the covers and slinging one arm over Jack’s stomach. “But it wasn’t that exciting. Mostly I just waited for you to get home.” Yeah, right. Even Jack can’t sit around doing nothing for a full day. “I don’t know. I washed my dishes from yesterday. Listened to all of Enema start to finish. Called my mom. It wasn’t that eventful.”

“You’re so ridiculous,” Alex mumbles, feeling his lips buzz against fabric. “Proud of you for doing the dishes, though.”

“Don’t get your hopes up. It won’t happen again.”

Alex smiles, too tired to laugh. “Sure.”

Jack is gently rubbing his knuckles against Alex’s back. “That was it. Not a lot to report, I told you.” “How’s your mom?”

“Good. She asked about you.”

“Oh? What did you say?”

“That you went dark side and became a drug dealer.” Alex snorts. “She took it well, of course. Told me she always knew you were a drug dealer inside and that she was glad you were living your truth.”

“She did not say that.”

“I am one hundred percent serious, I can call her right now and ask.”

If Alex weren’t so worn out, he’d keep up the banter, but he’s pretty sure neither of them are up for it at the moment, so he lets it drop. For a few minutes, they sink into an easy quiet. Alex sighs, content. His soul has stopped its restless search for comfort, now that he’s home, now that they’re reunited, and the calm washing over him is stronger than a sedative. “Mm, I’m so tired,” he says, mouth barely moving. “Wanna sleep.”

“I’ve been tired for, like, twenty-four hours,” Jack says. “Go to sleep. I’m right there with you.” He drops a kiss onto the top of Alex’s head, knuckles still tracing their pattern just under Alex’s shoulder blades, a sweet soporific lulling Alex to the edges of consciousness. He wants to kiss Jack goodnight, but he doesn’t have the energy to move. As it is, he’s pretty sure he’s already drifted off.

“G’night,” he remembers to say.

Jack drums his fingertips over Alex’s back, and even though Alex can’t see him, he knows Jack is smiling. “‘Night. Love you.”

Fuck, that’s what he’d forgotten. “Love you,” Alex exhales with the last of his waking energy, and falls asleep after that, with no reason left not to.

(He would say I’m happy to be home, but he’s already said it with love you, and he knows that Jack knows.)

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legobiwan · 4 years

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Just got home from The Rise of Skywalker. No pithy intro, I’m just going to jump right in and it’s going to be a LONG rant here so buckle up, my friends, and be sure to read below the cut. SPOILERS AHOY YOU HAVE BEEN WARNED

Okay, so yes, the first third of the movie went at a blistering, nearly nonsensical pace. JJ really had to cram a whole watermelon’s worth of exposition into a...well, you know, there was a lot to take in. This movie had to do so much telling instead of showing because it was such a departure (and middle finger to TLJ) from what came before.

The thing was, the first third was also the most interesting part of the movie. I actually wish the whole trilogy had started with all of the Sith nonsense. (Actually, I wish they had started with Kylo absolutely wrecking shit like he did and then the Palpatine scene. People would have made all the wrong assumptions and it would have been glorious to unravel it over three films.) There is a strong history of Sith artifacts in both Nu-Canon and Legends, and it wouldn’t have been out of place, considering what we know now, to have made Rey, Poe, and Finn’s quest for these artifacts the start of the new trilogy, and then told the rest of the story in a non-linear timeline. Probably too experimental for a Star Wars reboot, but it would have grabbed attention and everyone like creepy Sith shit.

Frankly, I would have dropped zombie-robot Palpatine at the very start of the trilogy, as well. It’s bonkers but I don’t hate the Rey Palpatine thing and they could have spent the rest fo the movies explaining this weird-ass lineage and how it relates to Kylo, Snoke, etc. and then have built back to the final confrontaion on Exegol.

Leia. Trained. Rey. I so so so so so wished we had been able to get more of this. This, in my mind, is what it should have been all along. I liked TLJ (okay, so shoot me) but Master Leia is a whole other level of awesome. If I had to rewrite Luke and Leia’s roles, it would have went something like this:

Luke was searching for Sith artifacts. Luke was becoming disillusioned by what he was learning of the Jedi through “The Sacred Texts.” WHO DOES THAT SOUND LIKE? Hmmmm, I wonder....

Could you imagine Luke started to go a little Dooku in this respect, and so instead of fucking off the Ach-To because he had a feeling that was more “gravy than of grave” about Ben Solo’s dark sidedness, he fucked off to Ach-To - or even better - gave up training in order to keep himself from going down a darker path.

And so instead, Leia is getting involved with training (and probably also governing at the same time because she would be an overachiever like that.)

Enter Ben Solo, who is Force sensitive, strong, being trained by his mother and occasionally his uncle, who is not totally plugged into the light side at the moment, which can rub off on Ben. Meanwhile, Han is maybe not the best father (he wants to be, he tries, but it all comes out wrong. I’ve been watching a lot of Psych lately, so I’m thinking of a dynamic similar to Henry and Shawn, but a little more dramatic.)

Of course, Palpatine is seeing all of this behind the scenes, he’s fostering ill will and discontent through the scattered remains of the Empire, sending Snoke clones out to be almost pseudo-religious/cult figures in the wake of the economic and social devastation left by the Empire’s fall and the floundering new government. Extremism, in pockets, rises. Extremism which preys on discontent, which preys of the desire for family, for belonging.

Enter again Ben Solo, who has been pitted against the other strongest trainee, Rey (insert whatever last name you want. She knows it’s not her real name, she knows she was an orphan on Jakku, but she was brought by Luke to be trained). Ben is pissed how she and Leia bond, has been talking to his uncle, and perhaps encountered a Snoke clone on the way.

Rey, on the other hand, is no one but wants to be someone, and that manifests in weird ways during her training. Perhaps she leaves at some point, perhaps not. But the seeds of her being Palpatine’s bloodline are laid within her. She wants to seek that belonging Ben has.

Okay, but getting away from my personal rewrites of the sequels, Star Wars is about family and lineage, both blood and found. There was so much potential to play on this throughout the trilogy with the Skywalkers, with Rey’s relation to Palps that if they had just planned the damn thing, it could have been brilliant.

Moving ...(for now)

I felt so bad for Oscar Isaac. I felt like I watched his soul slowly depart his body over almost 3 hours. That man was not a happy camper and it came out in his performance.

Power levels. Here’s the thing, guys. Magic needs to have consequences. Sure, you can cast a spell, but what does that take from you? You can use the Force, but to what degree? How much? Even Anakin exhausted himself at some points, and he was (allegedly, according to one Qui-gon Jinn), the Chosen One. It’s the first law of thermodynamics - energy can neither be created nor destroyed - and the Force is literally the energy of every life thing in the galaxy. You take the energy, use it towards something else, it has to drain from somewhere. This is what bugged the hell out of me with Rey’s Force Healing abilities (an ability that doesn’t thrill me to begin with as it’s so easy to overuse). Kylo keels from resurrecting the dead (and yeah, he was pretty beat up already), but Rey barely seems to breathe a beat harder. Once you start ignoring the consequences for magic, you end up like a shitty video game, and one of the criticisms I’ve leveled at the movie is that it feels like a montage of Battlefront and I can’t say that’s totally off point.

JEDI HUNTERS. Ochi. I will bet my right liver we’re going to hear something about this on The Mandalorian.

So I know a lot of people wanted to see Rey Kenobi, but there was one piece of glaring evidence in the film why that would never be. (Aside from Kylo just announcing it to Rey.) She has a lightsaber, but she still ends up using a blaster. So uncivilized.

Speaking of The Mandalorian - Stormtroopers with Mando jetpacks. Hmmm.....

I loved techno-Sheev hooked up to all the equipment just floating. That was creepy as hell and played with the whole cloning and extension of life that was such a large part of the Darth Plagueis novel (which I still consider to be canon, higher powers be damned). Also, Palpy’s glowup with the wardrobe was hilarious.

Dark!Rey was hot. There, I said it.

Let’s talk about romance. Or the lack thereof. Or the shoehorned thereof.

Poor Rose got shafted in this film with no explanation. I didn’t buy that whole thing in TLJ, but god damn anyway. (Finn also got shafted, for different reasons, which I will talk about later.)

If they were going to romance, just let it have been Finn and Poe, Finn and Rey, or fuck it, even a trio.

I mean, I could have bought Reylo if it had been presented better. (With context. Adam Driver is an amazing actor, another thing I’ll talk about later.)

The Reylo kiss though - my theater laughed. No joke.

Of course, this was the same theater that thought Lando was trying to mack on Jannah at the end, so who knows what we were all thinking in there. (On that note, Lando was hilarious because no matter what, he was just having a grand ‘ol time in the movie. I like to think he got a medical spice card in his retirement years and was just enjoying anything that came his way, be it Wookiees, Jedi, starships, wars, whatever.)

While the Reylo kiss didn’t hit the mark the space lesbian background kiss got cheers, so there was some hope for my fellow theater-goers.

Did anyone pick up on Threepio saying the Senate made the bill that would render him incapable of translating the Sith language? No doubt that was a Palpatine move from TCW era.

What is up with these movies and desert/jungle planets? Ugh. Thank everyone for Kijimi, at least that was interesting.

New characters I loved: Babu Frik and DO.

Finn’s Force sensitivity. Yes, I totally buy it. I wanted more. I wanted more fucking context of a Stormtrooper who would have known nothing of the Jedi getting these feelings and then bailing from the First Order (or, if I were writing the movies, bailing from the remnants of the Empire/Snokes weird military cults.) Totally underutilized character development.

We. Were. Robbed. of Good!Ben. Adam Driver is so phenomenal. Form the little we saw of redeemed Ben, he is the perfect mix of his parents, from the “Ow” to the eyebrow wagging, the swagger, the smirks...I LOVED good!Ben. I wanted so much more good!Ben. What a transformation.

Speaking of which - the scene between Kylo/Ben and Han was terrific. I wish we had had more context for why everything went south, but it was so good and the type of family dynamic we really needed more of.

The Knights of Ren looked awesome in this film? They needed to be like the Black Order of Star Wars, and they were getting to it, but not quite there. Gods, they could have been the enforcers of Snoke’s cults (Palpy’s puppet cults) that could terrorize far more than a normal, brainwashed Stormtrooper, who was only useful as cannon fodder (I mean, if we look at the history of the clone army to the Stormtroopers, it would be terribly fitting.)

That ship tug-of-war was DUMB. (See my rant about magic and consequences). But, if Rey was going to shoot lightening Palpy-style and blow up a ship, Chewie should have died. I’m sorry, that’s terrible, I love him, but there needed to be consequences for actions and throughout the film, there were either no consequences or random consequences that were a narrative convenience rather than developed into the plot/characterization/worldbuilding.

Here’s the thing with the ST - there is so much potential. There are some awesome ideas. But they wanted to play if safe with JJ by rebooting the OT, Rian was too far out for them, there was no cohesive storytelling, and so we get these little glimpses into what could have been amidst a shitstorm of trailers for Battlefront 17.

we could have had it allll....

Final rating: 4/10

#the rise of skywalker #the rise of skywalker spoilers #tros spoilers #tros #hello there #rants from the lego compound #and what an appropriate tag it is #rey #kylo ren #finn #poe dameron #sheev palpatine #leia organa #luke skywalker #han solo #bunch of other characters i'm not tagging right now

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glow-moss · 5 years

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Thoughts and feelings about TDC : AOR S1 E10

This was something I had wanted to do since I finished The Dark Crystal: AOR. Just talk about the moments in each episode that made me emotional, had fun hidden details, or moments I just liked or disliked in all 10 episodes.

Disclaimers:

These posts are most likely going to be lengthy. Since all episodes are around an hour long, there’s a lot I wanna talk about. So prepare for a lot of reading.

I do not own any media used in this post (Pictures, gifs, etc.) All images and gifs belong to their respective owners.

Most, if not all images will be scenes I screenshot from Netflix.

I apologize if any images are blurry/pixelated. Due to my old computer and bad wifi, some images may be of lesser quality.

This post will include some personal opinions towards certain scenes and characters, and these opinions may not match yours. I will respect your opinions, I just ask that you respect mine.

I also apologize for any formatting issues. I type these up in Google Docs (So if my computer restarts unexpectedly, my work will be saved. Plus I use it for spelling and grammar checking.)

New disclaimer. While I do make sure to add some review elements to these posts, these will mostly include random bits that don’t hold a lot of significance, mainly just me talking about why I love the characters so much. But there will be a couple review elements, don’t worry.

THESE WILL INCLUDE SPOILERS

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EPISODE 10 : A SINGLE PIECE WAS LOST

The rebellion has begun. The battle rages on. But how many will live to see the end of the Skeksis reign?

“No. It will be better.”

“I don’t think anything will be like it was again.” In this line, was Deet talking about Thra, and the way life will be from now on? Or was she talking about herself being affected by the darkening? Whatever it was, I’m glad that Rian is now being optimistic about the entire thing, about all the clans coming together for battle, and that the Skeksis rule will end

“For mother”

I’m loving the sisterly moments between Seladon and Brea. And that’s when I started liking Seladon. She’s changed, seen the errors in her ways, and is now working on improving herself, and fixing her relationship with Brea. She has a long way to go, but it’s a start

“Just you and me”

Can we talk about the puppeteering in this scene? Managing to make two puppets have a realistic fight scene seems like a hard feat, but it was done, and it was done well! I loved the fluidity of the movements, and how the scene isn’t drawn out length-wise

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(Video posted by GeeklyTV

“Your mother would be proud.”

What made this scene so touching to me was how even though Seladon insulted Fara, and injured her in the past, Fara still protected Seladon in battle, even though it cost her life in the end. Seladon may not have been the best towards others, but you can see how bad she feels for not being able to save Fara

“Get away from my friends!”

I have cried at this scene more than I care to admit. Deet absorbing the darkening to save her friends, that just hit hard. Seeing Deet with all those veins on her face, and the sadness in her eyes as she looked at Rian one more time before isolating herself in the woods just tugged at my heartstrings.

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“Guess you want a hug. Alright.”

Aughra was one of the people who tries to sway Seladon from going down the wrong path. So I really like how Seladon decided to hug her, and how Aughra actually gave her one, and didn’t push her away.

“Guess everyone wants to hug a hero.”

Gurjin hugging a spitter. That is all.

“For the song has changed. It sounds like hope. But take care. Hope is fragile. Hope is like a crystal shard, once lost, now found, and easily stolen. This day’s victory does not belong to a single gelfling or a single clan. It belongs to all of us. All of Thra, united! This day, the many become one!”

The crystal shard has been found, hidden in the duel glaive. Many have lost their lives, before and after the battle at Stone-in-the-wood. Mira, Ordon, Mayrin, Tavra, Fara, and countless others. But hope can still be found in the wake of all that has happened. The shard has been found, meaning the crystal can be healed. The key to ending Skeksis reign has been discovered. Even though the Garthim go after the gelfling, and even though the Skeksis still rule, don’t give up hope. Continue fighting.

For Thra.

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That’s a wrap! All 10 episodes covered! I loved rewatching the series, seeing all the things I missed the first time, reminiscing in all my favorite moments for a second time, and shedding a couple tears every now and then. I will definitely do this again for future seasons. If you’ll excuse me, I’m going to rewatch the series again. And the documentary. And the movie. Anyway, see ya next season!

#The dark crystal : age of resistance #aor

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lovato-demid · 4 years

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And Babies Make 4 (April 7) | Remi

Rian: Over the course of the last week, Rian had spent more time doing live streams and video chats than ever before. It had been a tough decision to not do any kind of promo tour, or plan an actual tour for the new album that they had just released, but he knew with Demi so very pregnant and they babies supposed to be here any day now, he wouldn't want to be anywhere but here with her. He had spent the morning outside washing the truck and just now headed back inside to grab something to drink. "Babe? I was thinking we could order in dinner tonight, what do you say?" he called from the kitchen, grabbing a bottle of water from the fridge and uncapping it to take a sip.

Demi: Demi was so over being pregnant. She was uncomfortable all the time, she couldn't see her feet anymore, and was starting to get massive cramps. She heard Rian talking to her from the kitchen, and managed to get herself off the couch so she didn't have to yell. As she walked into the kitchen, another cramp hit and she felt a rush of water fall at her feet. "Um...babe?" she said calmly as she walked into the kitchen. "I think we need to order dinner at the hospital. I'm pretty sure my water just broke and the cramps I've been feeling all day are contractions." Another cramp hit, this one much stronger than any of the others. She grabbed onto the door frame and yelled out in pain.

Rian: Rian was one-handedly closing the fridge when Demi almost waddled into the kitchen. "Why would we have dinner at the hospi- oh." The realization of what she was actually saying took a second to sink in, and then Rian's eyes widened. "Holy shit," he cursed, putting the bottle of water on the counter before even taking a sip. The babies were coming... He tried to stay calm, but on the inside he was freaking out a little. He had struggled to picture this day, always kind of seeming unreal to him, but now here he was grabbing the bag that they had prepared in the bedroom. On his way back to Demi he almost stumbled over the dogs as he texted Alex to let him know and ask him to care for the dogs. "Alright, Alex will be coming over here later to feed the dogs, now uh.. come on, babe." Rian wrapped an arm around her in a desperate attempt to sooth her in any way as he lead her out to the car.

Demi: Demi watched as the reality of what was happening, hit Rian. Their babies were coming, and Demi was both excited and absolutely terrified. She managed to sit in one of the chairs at the table while Rian ran to ge their go back. She started laughing when he nearly tripped over the dogs. "Baby. Breath." she chuckled. She managed to get back up and let Rian help her out to the car. "We may want to put a towel on the seat. My pants are wet." she suggested, knowing he had just washed the truck.

Rian: Rian paused to take a breath, but he couldn't stop his nerves from pushing him to go. "Towel, yes." He hurried back inside to grab one and cover the seat with it before helping Demi in. On his way around to the drivers seat, the drummer took anoter deep breath. "Alright, let's uh.. get you to the hospital." He reached over to take her hand and give it a squeeze, before looking back and backing out of the driveway and onto the road.

Demi: It was kind of cute, how nervous Rian was. As soon as they were both in the car, she smiled as Rian took her hand. His hand was practically shaking in hers which made her chuckle. "Babe. It's gonna be okay. Look at me, I'm fine. It's just contractions." she said, trying to ease his nerves. "I'm going to text our mom's, and Selena." Another contractions washed over her but she didn't want to spook Rian while he was driving so she focused on her breathing and did her best to not let him know she was in pain.

Rian: It was almost ridiculous thinking about it, how Demi tried to calm him down while she was the one in actual pain and not just battling the nerves. "Okay, yes," Rian said with a nod. He reached over while he was driving, resting his hand on her knee momentarily before taking her hand again. "We're almost there," he murmured. He was probably speeding a little bit, they made it to the hospital quickly, and alright. "This is really happening," Rian muttered, more to himself once they were inside the building.

Demi: Demi texted both their moms and Selena letting them all know they were on the way to the hospital. She had called her doctor when she was waiting for Rian to get the go bag, so she was at the hospital, waiting for them when they arrived. "How far apart AR the contractions?" the doctor asked as Demi got into the waiting wheelchair. "About ten minnnUTESSSS." Demi answered as another contraction hit. "MOTHER FUCKER THIS HURTS!"

Rian: Rian almost jumped a little when Demi yelled out in pain, and he moved beside her to place a hand on her shoulder. "I'm sorry, babe," he murmured. He was feeling a little guilty now, especially since he couldn't exactly do anything to take the pain away. Reaching for her hand, Rian offered his for her to squeeze.

Demi: "Remember your breathing, Demi." the doctor reminded her as she wheeled the expecting mother down the hall. A nurse was waiting for them in the room and helped Demi out of the chair. "Why don't you get changed into a gown and then we'll see where you're at." the doctor told her before stepping out of the room. "Just crack the door open when you're ready. My name is Annie. Please let me know if you need anything." the nurse said with a big smile. "Thanks Annie." Demi said as she started taking off her jacket. Once they were alone in the room, Demi turned to Rian who looked like a deer caught in the headlights. She pulled he shirt off and stood in front of him. "Babe...unhook this Damn bra and help me get my pants pants off." she told him calmly. As soon as she was undressed, and had the hospital gown on, she had Rian help her up onto the bed before cracking the door open. The nurse came in almost immediately and brought Demi a warm blanket. "The doctor will be right in." Annie said with a soft smile. She set up a tray of instruments and set the off to the side. "All set?" the doctor asked as she walked into the room? "Let's see how far we are." She put on a pair of gloves as she walked over to Demi. "Why don't you slide down, knees bent and open. I'm going to check your cervix." Demi slid down on the table as best as she could. "That's great. Drop your knees open if you can." the doctor said, placing a hand gently on Demi's knee. "Perfect. Let's see...that's good. Great momma. You can relax now." she smiled. "You're at four centimeters right now so we still have a bit to go. Annie here is going to get you hooked up to some monitors and I'll have the anesthesiologist come in and give you an epideral." she smiled.

Rian: Rian was overwhelmed, and that was putting it lightly. He just followed behind as Demi was wheeled into a room, and he saw the almost amused look she gave him. When she asked him to help her undressed, he was glad to have something to do. He walked over, helped her undress and put the gown on and then made sure she could lay down on the bed safely. When the nurse, and then the doctor came in, he lingered close, resting his hand on Demi's are to reassure her and make sure she knew he was right by her side.

Demi: Having someone with their hands all up in her hoo-ha was super uncomfortable. The pressure in her stomach was intense. Another contraction hit as the nurse started putting the monitors on her. Demi screamed and squeezed Rian's hand as she tried to do her breathing. She could swear they were getting more and more painful. She didn't know if she could do this. She didn't know if she was going to be strong enough to deliver two babies. "You did so good." Annie smiled down at her as she finished putting the monitors on Demi. "You're already a pro." she laughed. "Now this monitor here," she said, pointing to a machine that showed two different numbers, "is showing the heart rates for both babies. And this one over here is going to monitor your contractions. Once you get the epidural, you won't feel them anymore and we need to be able to tell how far apart they are." she explained. "If you see here, it looks like you've got another one coming on. Hmm...five minutes apart now. That's good." Annie told her as another contraction hit. "OW, OW, OW, OW...FUCK...." Demi cried out. "You're almost there Demi." Annie said as she watched the monitor. People had told her it would hurt, but she always thought they were just exaggerating for effect.

Rian: Rian watched curiously as the nurse hooked Demi up to the machines, and he didn't let out a sound when Demi squeezed his hand. He was freaking out just at the thought of what his girlfriend was going through, and he cringed a little as her hand squeezed his tighter. "Babe," he said. "You're doing so good baby, I'm here, I'm so proud of you," he murmured, trying his best to be encouraging. "And I mean, I guess I understand if you hate me right now.." he chuckled lightly.

Demi: "I don't hate you, but that might change later." she said through gritted teeth as the contraction started to fade. Her contractions started to come closer together, and after 45 minutes of contractions ever five minutes, the anesthesiologist finally arrived to give her and epidural. "Oh thank god." she said when the doctor walked into the room. She had been concerned about getting an epidural, afraid it might make her backslide in her sobriety but she talked to her sponsor and her doctor about it, and they all guaranteed her it was safe. Once the epidural was done, Demi was able to lay back and relax a little. Annie had come back into the room to check on her. "Looks like that epidural is working." she smiled, motioning to the contraction monitor. "Holy shit. I don't feel a thing right now." Demi laughed. "That's good." Annie said. "Now you rest up. You're going to need all the energy you can muster for when those little babies decide it's time to meet you."

Rian: Rian felt like he was in some kind of trance. He was trying to focus on everything that was going on, but really he couldn't say much or do anything but be there, and make sure Demi knew just that. He had managed to get a chair to sit beside her and let her hold on to and squeeze his hand tightly. He knew she had been hesitant to get an epidural, but since everyone assured her it was safe, she did get it, and Rian thought he saw her visibly relax. "I can't fucking wait until thery're here now," he chuckled lightly, running his thumb over the back of Demi's hand encouragingly.

Demi: When they finally had the room to themselves, Demi looked over at Rian. "Me too babe. I'll just be happy to not have them kicking me at night anymore." she chuckled. She could see how stressed out he was. She leaned her head back and smiled at him. "Baby, why don't you take a break and go find some cold brew. Call Alex and update him." she suggested.

Rian: "Why, you're not enjoying their kicks?" Rian chuckled lightly. He considered her suggestion and let out a breath he hadn't really been aware of holding. "Are you sure? I don't wanna just.. leave you here. You can't really take a break either." He looked at her, concerned, questioningly. "I'll be quick. Just give Alex a quick call and get some coffee."

Demi: "My bladder is not a soccer ball." she laughed. "I'm sure babe. I have a feeling things are going to get worse, so why don't you take the break why you can." she smiled. "I'll be fine. Tell Alex hi for me. And maybe find Annie and find out if I can have some water or something." she suggested.

Rian: "Alright," Rian said. He leaned down to steal a kiss from her lips. "I'll tell him hi and see if I can bring you water." He offered a smile before reluctantly leaving the room. He found coffee, no cold brew, but he settled for it anyway because it was better than nothing. Alex immediately picked up the phone when Rian called him, as if he had been waiting for him to finally call and he quickly filled his best friend in on what was going on. Annie wasn't hard to find thankfully and she told the drummer where to get water. He carried both, water and coffee into the room when he returned to Demi. "Did not find any cold brew, but I got coffee. And water for you."

Demi: Demi managed to close her eyes for a bit while Rian was out of the room. Her doctor came in to check her and said she had progressed to 8 centimeters so it would be anytime now. "Thanks baby." she smiled as Rian walked back into the room. "How's Alex?" She sat up a but and took a sip of the water her brought to her. "The doctor said it should be any time now." she told him.

Rian: Rian took his seat by the bed again and sipped on his coffee. "He's good. Almost jumped through the phone thinking I was gonna tell him you had the babies," he chuckled lightly. "He's saying hi back, by the way." When Demi mentioned what the doctor said, his eyes widen a little. "For real? How are you.. so chill?" He finished his coffee and put the empty cup away, then ran his hand through his hair. "This is nerve-wrecking."

Demi: "I think he may be more excited that we are." she laughed. "Baby, I am far from chill. I am absolutely terrified. I have to squeeze two watermelons out of an opening the size of a lemon. But it's not like I turn back now." she chuckled nervously.

Rian: "He probably is," Rian chuckled. Her words caused him to grimace slightly and he shook the images from his mind. "You look way more chill than I feel, I'll give you that," he admitted. He reached over to take her hand and give it a gentle squeeze. "You'll do just fine baby, I know you can do it. And I'm right here with you."

Demi: A few hours later, the epidural started wearing off and the doctor said it was time. Demi's eyes got big as she started to feel the contractions hit. It felt like they were coming right on top of each other. Annie pulled out the stirrups and had Demi slide down on the table. The doctor came in, fully gowned up and smiled at Demi. "You ready mama? On the next contraction, I want you to push." The next contraction, Demi pushed as hard as she could. The doctor counted to ten and told Demi to relax. "Okay, let's go again. You can do it." After ten minutes of pushing, Demi was exhausted. "One more Demi. The head is out, we just need to get his shoulders and he'll be here. You can do it." the doctor said. "I can't. I'm too tired." Demi cried. "I can't do anymore."

Rian: The waiting was rough. Rian had never felt this impatient about anything in his life before. He was thankful Demi seemed overall relaxed until the epidural started to wear off. He reached for her hand, encouraging her as she started to push. He felt like passing out at how stressful the situation was, he was exhausted just by being a part of this. It was impossible to imagine how Demi must've been feeling. "You can do it, baby. I know you can," he told her, stroking her hand with his thumb while she wasn't squeezing it tight.

Demi: With tears running down her face, Demi looked over at Rian. "I can't do this." she sobbed. "I just need one more push and he'll be here Demi." the doctor said. "You can do this." Demi looked at Rian for reassurance then shook her head. "One more?" she asked weakly. "One more." assured the doctor. "Okay." She braced herself for one more push and pushed with everything she had left in her. She felt a wave of relief and suddenly the musical sounds of a baby crying filled her ears. The next thing she knew, she heard the doctors talking between each other. 'Okay Demi. The second baby's heart rate dropped. We need to get you prepped for an emergency c-section. We can't risk having it drop more during delivery."

Rian: "You can, you're strong as fuck," Rian told her with an encouraging smile. He held onto her hand, letting her squeeze it as hard as she needed to. He murmured encouraging words as she pushed. When a new set of lungs filled the room, it seemed like time was stopping for a moment. "Holy shit," he murmured under his breath, staring at the baby the doctor was holding. He was still trying to wrap her hand around the fact that there was a crying human baby in the world right now when someone said 'c-section'. "A what now?" he said, eyes widening.

Demi: Before Demi could say a word, the sides of her bed were being raised and she was being pushed towards the door. "A C-section." the doctor said again. "We gotta get this baby out right now. I'm sorry, we don't have time to waste." the doctor assured Rian. "Rian?" Demi cried, terrified she was about to lose a baby. "Rian, stay with Noah. Don't leave Noah!" she called out as she was pushed out the door. "We don't have time to give you a spinal block, so we're going to have to put you out." the doctor said as Demi was wheeled into a freezing cold operating room. The anesthesiologist who had done her epidural earlier in the day was putting a mask over her face and telling her to breath deep. Ten minutes after rushing out of the room, the doctor went back and told Rian he had another beautiful baby boy and that Demi was doing fine and was in recovery. "The baby will have to stay in the NICU until we can do some tests, but everything is looking good." the doctor assured him.

Rian: Everything happened so quickly. Rian had barely processed the first baby actually brought into the world, when the doctors were taking Demi away, out of the room. He promised her to stay put and he did, in awe of the new baby, and yet worried sick about what was going to happen. "Thank god," he let out a breath as soon as the doctor told him the baby was fine. "Can I go see him? And Demi?" he questioned. He didn't want to leave Noah's side, but he was dying to see his other son, and share this moment of pure bliss with his girlfriend.

Demi: "Not just yet." the doctor told him. "We've got to monitor him for just a bit. As soon as his stats are good, we'll bring him down to meet his mommy and daddy." she smiled. Demi is just waking up from surgery. She'll be brought to the room shortly. I'll check back in and let you know if anything changes. Congratulations dad." she said, putting her hand out to shake Rian's.

Rian: Rian nodded slowly. "Alright," he said. He couldn't wait to meet him, and for Demi to return soon. He took the doctor's hand and smiled, a goofy grin that spread on his lips as he registered what she had just said. A dad. Not a future father, soon to be dad.. he was really a dad now. "Thank you." He was smiling ear to ear when Demi finally was brought back into the room. Noah was wrapped in a blanket and he was holding him cradled in his arms. "Say, hi mommy," he said softly, walking over to the bed with the little baby boy.

Demi: By the time Demi was brought back to her room, her boys were already an hour old. She was exhausted, and she hurt, but most of all, she was sad that she didn't get the chance to hold her boys yet. Annie had stayed with her in recovery and assured her that both babies were doing well and that she'd get to see them real soon. Still groggy as she was pushed into the room, she had her eyes closed until she heard Rian's voice. "Hi" she said weakly, trying to sit up. Her eyes landed on the baby in Rian's arms, and tears hit her eyes. "Noah?" she asked, looking at the baby. "Is he perfect?" she asked

Rian: Rian had lost all sense of time while he waited with Noah. He was dying to see Nash, even though the doctor said he was alright, he wanted to make sure of it himself. And he hated that he couldn't share this moment with Demi. He smiled when she was finally brought back in, and he immediately found the way over to the bed. He didn't wanna let go of his son, he could hold him for hours, for days. But he knew Demi must be dying to hold him too. "He's absolutely perfect, yes. Here," the drummer said softly, shifting the baby carefully in his arm to then rest him in Demi's and on her chest. Rian bit his lip, smiling widely as he looked at them.

Demi: The second her son was placed on her chest, Demi felt herself start to cry. He was so tiny and perfect. "Hi baby boy." she sniffed. "I'm your momma." She covered his small head with kisses. "I'm the one you and your brother have been kicking for the last 8 months." she chuckled. After what seemed like forever, Annie came into the room, pushing a bassinet. "Well hello there mommy and daddy. Someone here is very anxious to get to meet you both." she smiled, picking Nash up out of the bassinet. "Is he okay?" Demi asked quickly, her heart stopping for a moment. "He's absolutely perfect." Annie assured them before laying Nash on Demi's chest next to his brother. "I'll let you four get to know each other." she chuckled. "Congratulations again." Demi sobbed, finally being able to hold both her babies.

Rian: Rian was overwhelmed by the love he felt in that moment, and he had no clue just yet that he'd feel like bursting the moment Annie would bring in Nash. Rian crouched down beside the bed so he could be on the same level as Demi and the little baby boy that was now resting securely on her chest. "You did so good, baby" The drummer said and for a brief moment he focused his attention on Demi, stealing a kiss from her lips before looking back at the baby boy. A sudden relief surged through him when Annie finally brought in their other baby boy and said he was perfectly okay. He swallowed hard, a proud grin spreading on his lips as he finally looked at his girlfriend holding their two perfect baby boys. "Holy shit, this is amazing," he chuckled, reaching over to take Demi's hand and giving it a loving squeeze.

#boombangrian #[done on fb messenger]

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atlfics · 5 years

Text

Hiding It- All Time Low Fanfiction

Alex tries to hide that he’s unwell from his bandmates. Word Count: 2797

More notes at the end.

Alex was always happily surprised when he managed to go a long time on tour without getting sick, since he seemed to be under the weather more than his bandmates. When he woke up with a sore throat one morning in the middle of their current tour, he didn’t give it much thought, thinking it was from having to sing for ninety minutes almost every night.

He had maintained an impressive streak of not getting sick, and decided it was going to stay that way as he got out of his bunk, making his way to the back lounge where the rest of the band was, playing a video game.

“Hey, you’re finally up! You know, it’s been almost a whole six weeks since you’ve gotten sick or had problems with your voice, that’s pretty impressive for you,” Rian jokingly stated.

“Yeah, it’s been nice feeling normal for once,” Alex replied, making everyone laugh.

He sat down and grabbed a controller, so he could play, too. After about ten minutes, Alex started to feel warm, and paused the game that they were playing.

“What’re you doing?” Zack asked.

“I want to take this hoodie off, I don’t really need it,” Alex said, earning confused looks from the rest of the band. “What, is it not kind of hot in here?”

“I guess, maybe we just didn’t notice or something,” Rian replied.

“Are you okay, Alex?” Jack asked.

“Yeah, I’m fine, why wouldn’t I be?” Alex asked, already knowing what Jack meant.

“Well, do you think that your six-week streak is ending?” Jack questioned. Alex knew that it probably was, but didn’t want to admit it, and he didn’t want everyone to worry about him.

“Not really, you guys are just being weird. Let’s play again,” Alex said, resuming the game.

“What do we have to do today?” Rian asked the group.

“We have an interview at the venue we’re playing at tomorrow night, then probably dinner and some sightseeing,” Jack replied. As Alex listened to the itinerary, he hoped that his body would just let him get through the next couple of days without getting sick, so he could do his job.

——

When Alex got out of the shower a couple hours later, he was freezing; the whole time he was in the bathroom getting ready, his teeth were chattering. When he was finally ready for the day, he took a good look at himself in the mirror.

Luckily, he didn’t look as bad as he felt, which was good, because he was starting to feel pretty bad. He had chills, which likely meant that he had a fever, he felt very tired, and his body was starting to hurt. On top of that, his throat was sore, and his head was very congested, so he blew his nose before leaving the bathroom.

“Great, Alex is here, now we can leave for the interview. After it’s over, we can go to a restaurant then do some sightseeing,” Rian explained to everyone.

They all walked off the bus, and over to the venue. It was currently fall, so it wasn’t cold or warm outside, it was a nice in between, but Alex was still freezing, and pulled his jacket tighter around him. Jack quickly noticed this and felt a cross between suspicious and concerned.

“You alright, man?” Jack asked, sounding a bit worried.

“Yeah, I’m fine,” Alex replied, walking ahead of Jack, not wanting to have this conversation right now.

When they got into the venue, they went backstage, and found a seating area with a camera. Rian and Zack talked to the crew, and found out that their interview would start in just a few minutes, so the four of them sat on the couch, Jack on the end, Alex next to him, then Rian, and Zack on the other end.

Suddenly, Alex broke into a coughing fit.

“Are you okay?” Rian asked, patting his friend’s back.

“Yeah, I’m good,” Alex replied, once the fit subsided. Jack gave him a look, but Alex pretended to ignore it. Seconds later, the interviewer walked over to them, and sat down.

“Are you guys ready to get started?” she asked. They all said yes, and then the camera started rolling. The interview went by fast, she asked all the usual questions, some having to do with the city they were currently in.

Once the interview was over, they walked out of the venue, and roamed the streets until they found a place that they wanted to eat at. If Alex wasn’t feeling so bad, he would’ve tried a bunch of new things, but he ended up ordering a cup of soup, and some water.

“That’s all you’re getting?” Zack asked.

“Yeah, I’m not super hungry right now,” Alex lied, no one questioning him further. They started a conversation about their tour, but Alex didn’t participate in it very much, because his throat was hurting more now, and talking seemed to make it worse.

Once their food was brought out, all of the different smells made Alex’s stomach feel queasy, but he did his best to ignore it, and focus on eating his soup. Eventually, he finished it, hoping that it would just stay down.

When they left the restaurant, it was about eight at night.

“What should we do now?” Rian asked the other three.

“I kind of want to go back to the bus, I’m a bit sleepy,” Alex replied, earning surprised looks from his friends.

“Suit yourself, we’ll all go out then and be back later,” Zack said back.

“See you guys later,” Alex said, before walking back to the bus. He figured that this was going to make everyone even more suspicious, but he wanted nothing more than to be wrapped up in a blanket and watching a movie in the back lounge.

When he got on, he quickly changed into sweats, and grabbed his blanket from his bunk, before turning on the TV in the lounge, and going to Netflix. After browsing for a while, he decided on Friends, which he’d seen it many times, but didn’t know what else to watch.

After clicking on the first episode that came on, he burst into a coughing fit. He knew that he wouldn’t be able to hide this much longer, but he was going to try to for now. Once the fit was gone, he got as comfortable as he could, and fell asleep not much later.

——

“Alex, you need to wake up,” Jack said, shaking his friend. Alex groaned as the sun shined in his face from the blinds.

“Are you okay?” Jack asked. As Alex slowly came to his senses, he remembered that he didn’t want his friends to know how he was feeling, at least for now.

“Yeah, I’m fine, I was just really tired for some reason last night,” Alex replied.

“Is that because you’re not feeling well?” Jack questioned.

“I feel just fine,” Alex replied before sneezing.

“Alex,” Jack sternly stated.

“I’m okay don’t worry. How long until we have to be ready?” Alex asked, desperately hoping Jack would let up on him.

“Well, we have to be there in a few hours, then do soundcheck, then we’re all going out to eat, and we’ll have about an hour before the show starts after that,” Jack explained.

“Okay, I’ll get up to shower like thirty minutes before we have to be in the venue,” Alex decided.

“What’re you going to do until then?” Jack asked.

“I’m just going to relax, I don’t want to do anything right now,” Alex replied.

“Suit yourself, I’m going to go to the front with the rest of the guys,” Jack said, getting up.

Alex knew that Jack was onto him, but he didn’t want to tell him how awful he was feeling, for now.

——-

Three hours had passed, and it was time for soundcheck. Alex had gotten up to get ready about thirty minutes before. Unfortunately, his appearance was starting to show how felt, which he knew wasn’t good. His throat hurt even more now, his entire body was aching, and he had no idea how he was going to make it through the rest of the day.

When they got inside the venue, they all took their places on the stage. The prominent aches he was feeling made his guitar feel ten times heavier than it really was.

“Let’s do this, so we can go out to eat!” Rian exclaimed, making Jack and Zack laugh. Normally, Alex would laugh at something like this too, but his head was really hurting, so he decided that laughing would be a bad idea.

Seconds later, they started their soundcheck with their opening song. As it went on, Alex felt progressively worse, feeling absolutely terrible by the end of it. While he wanted to rest in the dressing room, he knew that if he didn’t join the rest of the band to get dinner, they would be able to figure out that something was up.

“Where are we getting dinner at?” Alex asked. Food was the last thing he wanted, but he knew he had to act like he normally would to avoid questions from his friends.

“There’s a Steak N’ Shake right near here, let’s go there,” Jack suggested. As much as Alex didn’t want fried food and ice cream, he went along with it.

Everyone agreed to it, so they walked out of the venue, and to the restaurant. It was a short walk, but Alex was so tired that it felt like it took an hour.

When they got there, they were immediately seated by the hostess.

“What’re you guys getting?” Zack asked.

“Not sure, but definitely a milkshake,” Jack replied.

“Let’s all get shakes!” Rian suggested. Alex groaned, but gave a smile as a yes. Eventually, a waiter took their orders, and Alex got a salad with a vanilla milkshake, feeling very nervous about how his stomach would handle this food.

“That’s a boring order, Alex, you usually get better stuff,” Rian criticized. Jack gave his friend another suspicious look.

“Well, I’m just in the mood for something plain, I’ll get something more exciting next time,” Alex promised. Everyone stopped questioning Alex, but Alex was certain that Jack knew what was going on with him.

When their food came out, Alex’s stomach turned at the smell, but still started to eat his food. He ended up eating the whole salad, and finished almost all of his shake, which he was happy about.

After everyone payed, they walked back to the venue. A mixture of the shake and the fever running through his body made Alex’s chills worse than they had been earlier.

“We have thirty minutes until we have to go on, so let’s all meet at the stage entrance about five minutes before we go on,” Rian suggested. They all agreed to this, then walked into the venue from the back door.

After his friends walked away, Alex went straight to his dressing room. His stomach was killing him because of the food he’d just put into it, and he didn’t want to throw up, so he took some anti-nausea medicine.

He sat on the couch until he was due at the stage entrance, feeling much worse than he had that morning, and he knew that he would only feel worse after the show. Starting to accept defeat, Alex promised himself that he would tell his bandmates about how he was feeling as soon as they walked offstage that night. They had a few days off after this show, so Alex figured that this would be the best time to tell everyone.

Once it was showtime, he took a deep breath before walking out of the green room, and to the stage entrance. The rest of the band was already there, they were talking and looked extremely excited.

“You’re finally here!” Zack exclaimed.

“I sure am, let’s do this!” Alex stated, trying his best to make everything seem okay.

“It’s time for you guys to go on!” their stage tech exclaimed. Rian, Jack, and Zack all ran onstage, but Alex trailed behind a bit. He really wanted to walk right back off and lay down, since he felt completely miserable at this point, but he knew that he just had to do his best to get through the night. They greeted the crowd, then started to play their first song of the show.

As the show progressed, Alex continued to feel worse. He’d just barely made it through Therapy, and he knew that he probably wouldn’t be able to last much longer. When the rest of the band came back onstage, they started to play Weightless. Jack looked over at Alex, and could tell that something was up with him, and he hoped that Alex wasn’t feeling as bad as he looked.

After the first chorus, Alex’s stomach flipped, and he quickly backed away from the microphone, making his bandmates look at him, starting to feel concerned. Seconds later, he knew he couldn’t last any longer, so he ran offstage to be sick.

Their touring manager told them to get through the rest of the set somehow, since they only had about five more songs left. Backstage, their manager helped Alex until he was done getting sick, then took him back onto the bus, and helped him change into his PJs, and set him up in the back lounge.

Back onstage, Jack and Zack explained that Alex wasn’t feeling well enough to come back onstage that night, but they said that they were still going to finish out their set. The two of them did their best to sing Alex’s parts in the songs and they had a few fans from the crowd help out as well.

Once they were done, they all apologized one last time before walking offstage.

“Let’s go right to the bus,” Rian decided, the other two agreeing. They walked out of the venue, then onto the bus, and immediately heard coughing coming from the back lounge. They opened the door, and found Alex on the couch, looking miserable, and a bit pale.

“Alex, what the fuck?” Rian harshly asked.

“Wow, what a way to talk to a sick person,” Alex replied, blowing his nose.

“Alex, I think what Rian meant, is why didn’t you tell us that you were feeling sick?” Jack asked, sitting next to his best friend on the couch.

“We only had one more show before a few off days, I thought I could just make it through this one, then rest up. I didn’t expect all of this,” Alex explained.

“Please just tell us next time,” Zack requested.

“I will, I’m sorry, guys,” Alex replied, sneezing.

“Now that we’re all on the same page, Alex, have you taken your temperature?” Jack asked. Alex just shook his head, so Jack grabbed the thermometer, and gave it to Alex.

“101.7, that’s high, you must be feeling pretty bad,” Jack said.

“Yeah, I do, I-“ Alex cut himself off, bursting into a very painful sounding coughing fit. Jack started to rub Alex’s back until the fit went away.

“I hate this,” Alex sadly mumbled.

“Why don’t we all relax and watch a movie with you?” Jack suggested.

“Good idea, I’ll get us some blankets and pillows,” Zack offered.

“I’ll get the three of us some snacks,” Rian said, following Zack out of the lounge.

“I’m sorry,” Alex to Jack said out of nowhere.

“Please just don’t do this again. I know how much you love to be onstage, and that’s great, but don’t risk your health like this,” Jack replied.

“I won’t I promise,” Alex said back.

The other two came back, and they all got comfortable, making sure that Alex was warm, since he was still shivering from his chills. The spent the rest of the night watching movies and helping Alex when he needed it.

——

Three days later, it was finally time for another show. At this point, Alex was feeling almost perfect; he still had a bit of a cough, but was nowhere near where he was a few days ago. They had all taken turns looking after him, but it was mostly Jack.

They were all backstage, just minutes until they were set to run onstage that evening.

“Alex, if you start to feel bad again, please tell us,” Rian instructed.

“I will, don’t worry. Thank you, guys, for taking care of me, especially you, Jack,” Alex said, smiling at his friends.

“If I get sick, it’s on you, Gaskarth,” Jack joked.

“Yeah, whatever,” Alex replied with a laugh.

“It’s showtime guys!” the stage tech yelled. They all smiled at each other, then ran onstage to do the thing that they all loved.

A/N: I’ve had this one written for a while, and decided to finally share it! I started this one on February 2, 2018. I hope you enjoyed it! Lots of love, Liv

#alex gaskarth #jack barakat #rian dawson #zack merrick #sickfic #atl #all time low #hurt comfort #hurtcomfort

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gskarth · 7 years

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Secrets Don’t Make Friends

All Time Low Imagine - requested by Anon, hope you enjoy this! Request: Can you create a imagines where the reader is transgender and they come out to the guys? Word Count: 1,320 A/N: I’ve been requested similar things to this a couple times before, but I’ve put it off because I don’t have a lot of knowledge/experience with stuff like this, so forgive me if any of what I wrote isn’t exactly how you would’ve liked it to be. I tried my best, although I did struggle ahaha, so I hope this turned out to your liking!

Send me an All Time Low imagine request

If you read & enjoy, please leave a like to show support!♡

“Hmmm,” you grumble as you begin to stir; the sound of your phone buzzing on the nightstand weaving in amidst your blissful sleep. You reach over, your eyes still tightly shut as you snuggle further into your pillow, trying to dull the burning red of the sun, pouring in through the cracks of your blinds, against your eyelids. You blink a few times, regaining vision, and take a glimpse at your phone.

You had 2 missed calls from Alex and a text from Rian asking where you were. You groaned, before stripping the duvet from your body and rolling out of bed. You'd totally forgotten that you'd agreed to hang out with the boys today. Rubbing at your eyes, you make your way into the bathroom.

You let out a deep sigh as you're confronted with your reflection; some days were a lot harder than others when it came to coming to grips with the person you saw in the mirror – and you could already tell that today was going to be a difficult one. Taking a few steps forward, you place your phone beside the sink and have a closer look at yours. Your fingers run over specific features; the bags under your eyes, the acne on your cheek, the imperfect arch of your brows and the crookedness of your nose – features that no one else except you seemed to notice.

With another sigh, you began running the water. Another buzz from your phone egged you on as you quickly splashed the water over your face; the cold rush still not managing to wash away the bitter taste in your mouth. You grabbed a towel and dried yourself off, glancing down to see it was Jack who'd text you this time.

'Are you still coming over?' it read. You let out another sigh, wanting so badly to just continue ignoring your phone, but you knew you couldn't. Today was a big day; it was the day you were finally going to confide in your best friends about what you had been struggling with lately; your gender identity. You could tell that they knew that something was up with you, but anytime they asked, you just brushed it off. You were still coming to terms with things yourself, and telling people was going to be difficult, but you desperately needed to talk about it – preferably with your best friends who knew everything about you and always gave the best advice.

You grabbed your phone and quickly shot a reply to Jack. 'On my way,' you lied as you quickly threw some clothes on and headed out the door. It was just going to be a typical Friday with the guys – spending the day watching them rehearse, playing video games, watching old movies and eating junk food. Usually, you looked forward to days like this, but as you hopped in your car you noted just how hard your heart was hammering against your chest.

“Y/N!” Zack exclaimed as he opened the door to Rian's house, revealing you stood outside. You mustered up a smile as he pulled you into a quick hug, simultaneously dragging you inside. “We thought you were standing us up,” he chuckled as he shut the door behind you. You let out an awkward laugh, looking around – for what? You had no idea. Zack cocked a brow at you; noticing that you were acting a little strange, but he shrugged it off. “Hey guys! Y/N is here!” Zack called out, leading you through to the living room.

You smiled shyly as you entered the room filled with happy, familiar, comforting faces, however, right now, they stirred up the nerves in you. “Sorry, Y/N,” Rian began, patting the seat beside him. You moved to sit down next to him. “We had to start the movie without you.” he chuckled.

“I told them to wait!” Jack spoke up, “but they wouldn't listen,” he shrugged, smiling at you. You let out a lacklustre laugh, turning to watch the movie playing on the TV screen. It was some action movie from what you could tell – something that didn't really interest you anyway.

About half an hour into the movie you get to your feet, letting the room know that you were going to get a drink, before heading towards the kitchen. You let out a sigh as you grabbed a soda from the fridge; you knew that the boy's were a little suspicious. You'd been practically silent since you'd arrived; only laughing uncomfortably and nodding awkwardly when necessary.

“...Y/N?” you heard Alex's soft voice behind you. You turned to face the floppy haired boy, who was peaking around the door frame like a child; a cheeky smile on his face. You couldn't help but smile in return, popping open your soda and taking a drink as Alex stepped into the room. “Is everything okay?” he asked, his voice gentle as he spoke.

You nibbled on the inside of your cheek, weighing up your opinions. You let out a small smile; knowing what you needed to do. Your heart was pounding in your chest, your hands were clammy all-of-a-sudden, and your breath was stilted. “Um... I kinda wanna talk to you guys about something...” you finally admitted, avoiding Alex's gaze.

“What's up?” he asked, worry coating his voice as he moved closer to you, placing a hand on your shoulder comfortingly.

You swallowed. “Um... can you...” you motioned to the door and somehow Alex knew what you meant. He called for the other boys; the serious look on his face greeting them as they entered the room and telling them that this wasn't a laughing matter.

You let out a deep breath which you'd been holding in; your eyes were still downcast as you played with your fingers. “I just wanted to let you guys know...” you trailed off. It felt like your heart was in your throat, suffocating the words as they spilled from you. The boys had moved in closer to you now, but they remained at a comfortable distance; their eyes boring into you. “...that... uh, I am... transgender,” you finally spit the words out, feeling winded as they leave you.

You look up at the circle of boys surrounding you; tears which you hadn't felt until now trickling down your cheeks. Immediately you felt arms around you; they were Alex's. He shushed you, holding you tightly to him. Jack's eyes were on yours, whilst Rian rubbed up and down your arm comfortingly. Zack was off to the side; concern and worry dripping from his hazel eyes as he watched you.

“Don't cry, Y/N,” Jack whispered, leaning forward to wipe the tears from your face. “This isn't something to be sad over,” he continued, a genuine smile spreading across his face. His words seemed to lift a weight from your chest.

“Yeah, this is a good thing!” Rian chimed in, his pearly whites flashing your way.

Alex pulled away now, resting his arm around you casually. “And this doesn't change anything,” he added, the rest of the boys nodding profusely in agreement.

You sniffled a little, breathing a sigh of absolute relief. It felt so good to have said the words out loud, and to know that you had the support of your best friends was incredibly reassuring.

“You're still Y/N and you're still our best friend,” Zack spoke up, the corners of his lips tugging up into a smile.

“Thank you guys,” your voice was weak, but you no longer were.

“...And I can still beat your ass at Mario Kart,” Jack snickled, a cheeky smirk on his face. Alex scoffed as Rian rolled his eyes at the taller boy.

You let out a laugh as you watched Jack sprint for the front room. “Oh, it's on!” you call out, chasing after him.

#all time low #all time low imagine #alex gaskarth #jack barakat #zack merrick #rian dawson #fanfic

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n0torious-awg · 7 years

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Alex stood in the kitchen, leaning against the counter. The familiar stench of marijuana filled his nostrils, his head perking up. He moved to the stairs, calling upstairs to his teenaged twins.

“King? Kins?” he called up, shaking his head as he heard no response. He pushed open the sliding glass door that led to their deck, walking towards the back door to the garage. He peered into the small window, seeing Kingston and Landon smoking a joint.

The singer barged into the garage, giving his son a look. “You’re fucking kidding me, right?” he took the joint from Landon’s hand, stomping it out under his shoe.

“D-Dad, wait, it’s not what it looks like –“ the sixteen-year-old tried. “Okay, I’ll give you both the walk back to the house to come up with a story. Get the hell in the house,” he gave them both a small shove against their shoulders.

“Uncle Alex, are you going to tell my dad?” Landon sighed lowly, looking up at the singer with blood-shot-eyes.

“In your book, he already knows. Of course I’m going to tell him,” he closed the door behind them, seeing that his band had arrived and was waiting in the living room.

“Kingston, you and your sister were grounded for breaking curfew, so you decide to smoke a joint in MY garage?” Alex questioned his son, “You don’t pay for that garage. Who are you to go smoke illegal substances in it?” he reached into the teenager’s pockets, pulling out a bag with the rest of his stash.

“Nice, we can flush this down the toilet together,” he smirked. “Go call your dad, Landon. You tell him. It’ll break the news easier.” He kept his eyes on his own offspring.

He walked his oldest son upstairs, stopping to peek into Timmy’s room, seeing him and Noah busy with video games. He opened the bathroom door, pulling the toilet seat up and pointing to it. “Everything,” he demanded, watching as Kingston’s face flushed red in embarrassment, tossing his illegal substance into the toilet.

“Flush it,” Alex directed, smirking smugly as his eldest son did it. He gave him another look, licking his bottom lip, “your mother is going to skin you,” he warned, grabbing the back of his son’s t-shirt as he walked him towards his bedroom. He ducked his head into his daughter’s room, his eyebrows furrowing as he noticed she wasn’t in it.

Alex looked down at Kingston, his teeth gritting together as he gripped the back of his shirt in a bunch, pulling him closer. “Kingston James, I will sell you for two magic beans and a can of sprite if you don’t start talking,” he said lowly, trying to calm his breathing.

Kingston stammered over his words, stuttering as he tried to avoid contact.

“I will take pity on your soul if you sell her out,” he offered, his voice barely above a whisper.

“She snuck out with her friends. She’s at a house party,” he said quickly, his voice high from nerves.

Alex released his shirt, picking up his phone and calling his band mate, Rian. As the drummer picked up his phone, Alex pressed his fingers to his temple. “Yeah, Fallon’s out of town for some art pricing and my children have decided to go wild,” he began, “I just caught my sixteen-year-old son smoking pot in my garage next to my Porsche,” he said dramatically, using his chest to push Kingston towards his room. “Now I have word my daughter has snuck out to go illegally drink,” he sighed.

“I’m on my way over with Jack and Cass,” Rian said quickly. Alex licked his bottom lip, looking at Kingston sternly. “I won’t tell your mother you had a stash of pot, nor will I tell her how I suspect this isn’t your first time,” he started, “but you have to get in the car and you have to take me to the party she’s at.” His oldest son just nodded, nervously gulping as he agreed to the deal.

The singer sighed softly, leading his son down the hall. “Timbo, Noah, I’m stepping out with your brother, your aunt Cass will be downstairs if you guys need anything,” he nodded, closing the bedroom door as he led Kingston downstairs.

He peered out the window until he saw his friend’s car, yelling towards the kitchen. “Both of you get in the car,” he demanded, locking the door behind them. The group took off ass Kingston gave directions, the singer fuming in the backseat as he thought of the wrongdoings of his twins. His leg bounced up and down in the backseat, every so often glancing over to look at his son and nephew. He shook his head as he thought of what Fallon would say, doing his best to channel her as he thought of how to handle the current situation.

He gritted his teeth as they arrived at the party, stepping out of the car. He tugged on his son’s hood as he went to walk, laughing as he shook his head. “Nah, dude, stay at the car with your Uncle Jack,” he motioned for Rian to follow him as he made his way into the crowded, teenage-filled party. He scanned the living room; unable to see the face he was searching for. Jack followed him as he covered the first floor, his hand covering his face.

“My daughter isn’t the girl upstairs, right?” he asked his best friend lowly, sighing.

“God, I hope not,” Jack mumbled, looking around.

The singer climbed the stairs slowly, looking one way down the long hallway, sighing as he began to check the rooms. His head turned as he heard a commotion, a girl crying and a door slamming. He saw his daughter, his eyes narrowing until he realized how upset she was.

“Kinsey Eliza!” he shouted, her face dropping as she saw him.

“Dad?” her voice cracked from the state she was in.

He stormed towards her, his hands on her shoulder as he looked down at her. “Are you trying to give me a fucking heart attack?” he exclaimed, forcing her to make eye contact. “Why did you sneak out? You think because your mother is gone you can fool the village idiot?” he lectured.

He saw a teenaged male open the door, his mouth ajar before he looked back down at his oldest child.

“Kinsey,” he breathed, his tone low. He watched as his daughter cried harder, her hands gripping his sweatshirt as she tried to compose herself.

“He told me he was going to show me where the bathroom was!” she cried, her makeup now running down her face. “He took me into his bedroom,” she continued as Rian charged up the stairs.

Alex looked from Rian, to Kinsey, to the teenaged boy, his blood boiling. “Jack, take the twins down to the car,” he said lowly, feeling himself go numb. He watched as Jack put his arm around Kinsey, leading her and Kingston to the car as Rian joined him.

“How old are you?” he asked the boy lowly, sliding his sleeves up.

“Eighteen,” he said lowly, his eyes wide.

“What’s your name?” Alex interrogated, slowly approaching the boy as he locked eyes with him.

“Jake, Jake Arthur,” he answered, his body tensing.

“Eighteen?” the angry father of four repeated as the boy nodded.

“As of last month, sir,” he heard.

Alex charged towards him, his hand grasping around the teenagers neck as he slammed him into the wall, making sure his grip wasn’t tight enough to cause harm.

“My daughter is SIXTEEN,” he shouted, slamming the teenager against his closet door as his eyebrows furrowed in rage. “She is a CHILD according to the state of California. She asked for the bathroom!” Alex screamed, hearing Rian try to calm him down from behind him. “Send all these kids home,” the singer demanded, releasing his neck as the boy shouted down the stairs at his friend as he returned, Alex lifted his sweatshirt over his head, tossing it over his shoulder. He looked behind him, smirking as he stepped on to the balcony above Jake’s room, watching as the guests poured out on to the lawn.

“Come here,” he demanded, the boy hesitant until Rian gave him a small push. Alex pointed to the group forming on the lawn, his finger landing on his daughter who was still in tears. “That’s my daughter,” he began slowly, turning to look at the nervous male. “She tells me you tried something that sounds a little funny to me,” he continued, Rian appearing at the other side of the teenager.

“I-I just thought-“

Alex cut him off, shaking his hand in his face.

“You thought wrong kid,” he gave Rian a head nod, each of the older males grabbing one of his ankles. The singer held him over the balcony; tightly gripping his ankles to ensure he wouldn’t actually injure the kid, just scare him.

“NO! NO,” Jake shouted, his body trembling, “Please, I’m about to go to college!” he pleaded.

Alex watched as the teenaged party guests stopped to watch the scene, laughing softly as he looked over at Rian. “Apologize,” he said lowly. When the boy was silent, Alex shook his leg by the grip on his ankle, getting angrier by the second. “APOLOGIZE TO HER!” he demanded, watching the boy. “Look at her, fucking look at her and say you’re sorry, say you learned a fucking lesson and you’ll never even glance at her again.

Alex looked down at his twins who were shocked, licking his bottom lip.

“I’m sorry,” the boy said lowly. At the same time, both Alex and Rian gripped his ankles, shaking them to scare him.

“You can be louder, make sure everyone hears,” the father instructed.

“KINSEY, I’M SORRY!” the boy screeched, obviously crying.

“What’re you sorry for?” Alex probed, the two males lowering him slowly to scare him more. “Tell her what you’re sorry for before you get dropped,” he said lowly, his voice stern. “You think I’m scared to go to jail?” he tormented.

“Kinsey!” the boy let out a cry. “I’m sorry I tricked you,” he said loudly.

“You’re also sorry for trying to take advantage. You’re sorry you thought she was stupid. You’re sorry you upset her. And you’ll make sure to express you’ll never do it again,” Rian finally spoke.

“Kinsey, I’m sorry I did that. I’m sorry I tried to take advantage, you’re not stupid. I’ll never do it again!” the boy cried in front of the fellow partygoers. Alex gave Rian one nod, the two males pulling him up by his ankles, Alex making sure he fell to the floor on his back. “If you ever go near my daughter again, I’ll be back for you,” he threatened lowly, “If I ever hear a peep about your name and a girl in danger, I’ll be back for you,” he said, his voice low but scary calm.

He stepped over the teenager’s body, making his way through the empty trashed house and out the front door. He ushered Landon and Kingston into the car along with his band mates, looking down at his daughter, her eyes filled with tears.

“Daddy, I’m sorry,” she cried, her arms wrapping around the singers torso as she buried her face in his chest.

“You took advantage of me while your mother was gone,” he said lowly, his anger tone gone, as the father could never truly be mad at his daughter.

“I’m sorry,” a sob escaped her chest. Alex rubbed the back of her head softly, sighing.

“It’s okay, toots,” he said softly, using her childhood nickname. He helped her into the SVU, his arm wrapping around her shoulders as he sat next to her.

“I worry about you every second of the day, Kins,” he said softly so only she could hear. “You were grounded. You disobeyed me,” he scolded softly as she hid her face.

He rubbed her side softly as she sniffled, “Are you going to tell mom?” she asked lowly.

“Oh, of course,” he laughed softly, shaking his head.

“I’m sorry,” she repeated, looking up at him as Rian drove them home, “it was the worst idea I ever had, I’ve never ever been that scared,” she whispered.

Alex just nodded, pulling her in to her chest as his head rested on top of hers. He let out another small sigh, licking his bottom lip as he looked over at Kingston, who clutched his twin’s hand for the ride. “You both are so fucking grounded,” he said a little more light heartedly. “But if anyone tells your mother that I just threatened a high school student with death gets evicted,” he joked, smiling wider as he heard his daughter laugh for the first time since he found her.

Kingston looked over at him, his eyes bloodshot from smoking weed. “I’m fucking telling her,” he let out a loud laugh, “I have nothing else to lose.” The car erupted into laughter, Alex rubbing his face before he looked back over at the two children he watched become teenagers. His son gently rubbed his eyes, distracted by the scenery passing in the window; his daughter sighing softly, her breathing calming as she gripped her brother’s hand, her head pressed fast to her father’s chest.

“I’ve had a headache since you two were born,” Alex shook his head.

#sorry if you're mobile #the start of this has been in my drafts for a year #writing #alex

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fakesam · 6 years

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Stopped Procrastinating just in time for “Games of 2017” List

The worst year most of us could’ve imagined wouldn’t have been much worse than 2017. This year gave us the following: dystopian nightmares brought into reality by sycophants and cowards. Capitalistic greed reaching its inevitable, destructive conclusion. A bigoted baby as a president and given free reign by people who chose money and power over morals. Despair is constant. Hope is scarce. Next year might be worse. But at least we had good video games?

Referring to this year’s crop of games as simply “good” is like describing Ajit Pai’s face as “slightly punchable”. This was an all-time year for the medium, with a full catalog of memorable games that will be talking about for years to come. Every type of gamer was satiated. You could explore open worlds with diverse environments and secrets to discover. You could play tiny, affecting indie games that helped the expand the notion of what games are capable of. You could play games that leave you exasperated and angry at the depths publishers will steep to in order to extract maximum profits. There were more games than anyone could ever keep up with. At this time, I’ve only played seven games released in 2017, so rather than scoop the diamonds out of the muck, I decided to just rank the games I had the chance to play over the course of the year. Overall, these games are a good mix of brilliance and profound disappointment, which is a pretty good description for 2017 as a whole. If your favorite game isn’t on my list, It’s simply because that game sucks and you have bad taste. Here's to 2018!

8. Danger Zone

I wiped this game from my memory until I wrote most of this list. I reviewed the game when it was released over the summer. Go read that if you want more detailed exploration of my disappointment. There was a rumor floating around a couple weeks back about a remastered version of Burnout: Paradise. I will pray to whatever deity makes that happen.

7. Battlefront 2

Star Wars was the first thing I chose to love. My earliest childhood memory is watching the remastered original trilogy tapes. I convinced my mom to fake a doctor’s appointment to see Episode three on release day. My first viewing of The Force Awakens is the best theater experience I’ve ever had. Star Wars means a lot to me. This backstory is why I feel Battlefront 2’s total failure so heavily. It’s almost impressive how thoroughly EA managed to poison the well for three giant franchises (Mass Effect, Need For Speed, and Star Wars). But Battlefront 2 is the Mount Everest of completely preventable fuck-ups. Enough’s been written about the predatory design of the multiplayer and the various ways that segment of the game is awful. But the single-player is even more of a letdown.

Viewing the end of Return of the Jedi from the Empire’s perspective should be fascinating, the writing ruins the plot before it has a chance. The premise collapses under the simplest questioning. It’s taken as a given that Iden Versio’s reversal is inherently meaningful, but Battlefront 2 does little to justify this. Why does the destruction of her home planet upset her to the point of defection? What was her life like there? How is this the first time Iden has seen evidence of the Empire engaging in nefarious tactics? She goes from diehard Empire defender to joining their sworn enemy in the span of about ninety minutes. The gameplay is just as dull. Sometimes a space battle gets thrown in and those are enjoyable, but those sequences aren’t prevalent enough to elevate the dreck that surrounds them.

Rather than tell an original story that earns its own space in the canon, the campaign becomes an edition of Star Wars Madlibs. Heroes from the original trilogy show up constantly, for little rhyme or reason other than EA wanted to give players the chance to demo each character before, in an ideal world, you move on to the multiplayer you don’t want to play. This overwrought deference to the past is put into even more stark relief by what Rian Johnson did with The Last Jedi. The thing that makes that movie so great is the number of chances it takes to add to the universe in surprising ways, such as the casino planet full of war profiteers, or the quad-boobed slug seal monster that provides Luke Skywalker with delicious space milk (These points are equally important in my mind). Battlefront 2 had the opportunity to really show what it’s like to be indoctrinated in the ways of the Empire from the moment a person is born, and it chooses to do the exact opposite. Bummer.

6. Nier Automata

There’s a chasm of quality between Nier and Battlefront 2, but many people might be surprised to see Nier this low on my list. I really wanted to like Nier more than I currently do. Let me explain: I loved the way the game’s experiments with form and storytelling, treating each playthrough like a season of television. The commitment to world building all the way down to the mechanics of how you save the game is impressive. The list of side characters I’ve ever met who have affected me as much as Pascal is short. Every encounter with him left me wanting more. He’s the robot stepdad of your dreams.

But after playing through the game three times, the idea of roaming through the world destroying generic machine enemies for the 800th time fills me with dread. Nier Automata needs to be open world to get its ideas across. But the environments are very drab and crossing this overly vast expanse became very tiresome very quickly. You should’ve seen my face when I unlocked the ability to fast travel. Christmas presents don’t give me that much joy. The combat would’ve been described as uninspired ten years ago. My completionist streak is urging me to see the two endings I have yet to see, but the dozens of enemy mobs I have to shoot and slash to see it through actively impede me from doing so.

And it’s all in service of a story that, while filled with cool images and presented incredibly well, isn’t really tailored to my tastes. The way the machines and androids reckon with their autonomy is fascinating at times - some of the context given to boss battles in later playthroughs is heartbreaking, but Nier is ultimately another “robots discovering they have feelings” tale. The future horror stories that interest me the most - Black Mirror, Twilight Zone, The Fallout series - are more focused on how humanity reacts to such calamities. When you remove humans from the picture altogether, it becomes more of a science experiment, and I struggle to invest in that. Sorry!

5. Portal Quest

If you’ve never heard of this game, it’s a free-to-play mobile action-RPG. Its art style could accurately be described as ‘Tearaway on a lesser budget’. There are a lot of modes, most of which use timers and daily limits to control how you play them. One of these modes comes attached with a story, but it never calls attention to itself. The gameplay mostly resembles strategy games, in the sense that the player has very little control once combat actually starts. Portal Quest is deceptively simple enough to worm its way into the slivers of boredom that accent everyday life, where mobile games are at their most seductive. I play it in line at the grocery store. I played it while waiting for my screening of The Last Jedi to start. I play it when I’m avoiding hard/meaningful work during my small time on Earth. There are guilds you can join which add a substantial multiplayer component that plays on my deep-seated displeasure at letting other people down. I’m currently in a guild named after the devil. My old guild kicked me for reasons unknown and I was sincerely annoyed when I found out. I’m not making this game sound very good, am I?It’s probably because I’m so confused by it. Mobile games tend to be non-starters for me (I actually tried to look at my phone way less this year), and the only reason I downloaded this game at the suggestion of an app that claimed that credits I earned for using certain apps could eventually be used as currency for many online marketplaces. I didn’t stick with that very long. And now we’re here. Is Portal Quest’s standing on this list a mediocre joke from an unfunny man? It might be. Did I place this above Nier Automata just to mess with that game’s passionate fanbase? Possibly. Do I feel good about placing a mobile game this high on a game of the year list? Not especially. I dunno man. It’s the one app that keeps me checking my phone more than any other. It’s free on the Android store (I assume it’s playable on iPhones, but I also don’t feel like checking?). Go check it out.

4. Fifa 18

When it comes to sports games, I don’t ask for much. The FIFA franchise has reached a baseline level of good that means that EA would have to seismically screw up to keep me from playing the newest rendition for forty hours at the minimum. Career mode dominates my time in this genre, and FIFA 18 was the year that this mode finally got the overhaul that’s been needed for years.The AI tactics still aren’t where I want them to be, and their version of Jordan Henderson continues to look more “Vegas wax figure” than man. But these details are small in the grand scheme. It’s the only reality where I can see Liverpool not shoot themselves in the feet, hands, and superfluous third nipple to win the Premier League. The Journey is also the best story in a sports game, and it’s not even close. That’s worth something.

3. Persona 5

Following Persona 4 is basically an impossible job. That game was a comet across the sky that dropped from the heavens and into my heart. I’ve watched the endurance run multiple times, played through the game twice on my PS2, and played through most of the game again on my Vita (Rest in peace.). Whatever Atlus followed that with would be a comedown. It’s definitely colored how some of the characters and the story affected me. The crew in Persona 4 was a much cooler hang than the Phantom Thieves were, and I missed some of the small-town intimacy of Inaba. But when taken on its own merits, Persona 5 is a spectacular RPG. It just plays so well. Every annoying quirk from Persona 4 was dealt with in a way that kept dungeon crawling from feeling too stale. Coercing enemies to become your persona was a surprisingly engrossing tactic. Being able to switch out team members on the fly is a game changer. I was able to capture hearts in a couple in-game days and focus on the social interactions that make this series so special. I eventually grew to love this version of Tokyo, and realized its sense of big city culture shock was a feature, not a bug. And no discussion of Persona 5 would be complete without commending the game for its impeccable style. It’s not quite Persona 4, but it never could be.

2. Horizon: Zero Dawn

Robot Dinosaurs! Is there a more attractive combination of words in the English language? No one expected Guerrilla Games, a developer who had previously been such purveyors of sludgy monochrome shooters with the Killzone franchise, to suddenly discover the entirety of the color spectrum and create a universe that pulls from the earliest parts of human civilization and far-flung science fiction pontifications. Fewer expected that such a fusion would be so successful. It’s been a while since I fell for an open world this hard. I had to see everything this world had to offer, and document it via Horizon’s photo mode. Watching these machines go through the motions of real animal behaviors became a regular past time (Although it still frustrates me that I couldn’t make the machines fight each other more easily).

Horizon is iterative more than innovative, but I enjoyed playing it much more than the recent Far Cry or Assassin’s Creed. I usually hate bow and arrows, but I loved how the weapons felt in this game. The moment to moment story about the three tribes was just okay, but uncovering the mysteries of the world and how it became this way kept me going until the end. They even made audio logs a powerful storytelling device again. One of 2017’s few pleasant surprises.

1.Super Mario Odyssey

Nintendo is a company defined by reinvention. Their consoles and games refuse to follow market trends and exist in their own world, for better or worse. The last couple years had skewed towards the worse end of that dichotomy. I’ll die on “The Wii U wasn’t actually that bad” island, but the system was still a commercial disaster. Nintendo’s genius is singular and vital to the industry, but, outside of Splatoon, there had been few examples of their creativity delivering on its potential. It was fair to question whether the company could make their increasingly fleeting moments of brilliance slightly less fleeting. But Nintendo tends to show out when their backs are against the wall, and this year proved that axiom true yet again. The Switch is the great console the Wii U should’ve been, and the games released for it are good and interesting in surprising ways. I was excited for Super Mario Odyssey by the time I heard the phrase “New Donk City”, but by the time I started playing it, I was feeling full up on open-ended sandbox games with dozens of hours of side content and an overarching story that only unfolds at my pace. Over 200 hours of Persona 5, Nier, and Horizon will change a man. Nintendo showed why that sentiment was false. It wasn’t the genre. It was the imagination.

Each kingdom is an intricately designed diorama that constantly throws new things at you while continuing to be a peerless platformer we’ve come to know and love an indulging fan nostalgia along the way. There doesn’t seem to be any idea that wasn’t met with anything less than an affirmative “hell yes!” The childish exuberance that courses through most of Nintendo’s best work somehow becomes more surreal and gleefully discordant as Mario explores more and more worlds that are completely alien to him. Super Mario Odyssey has so many moments that make me smile involuntarily, from the hundreds of moons I’ve found due to blind faith in Nintendo’s design process to the NES-style levels that somehow exist in the world without a loading screen, to the objectively perfect festival scene in New Donk City. How many other games would reward you for sitting with a lonely man on a bench? This game is so damn weird, I love it. I’m not usually inclined to obsessively mine every bit of minutiae out of a game, but I definitely plan on finding every moon and purple coin that’s evaded me so far. I’m 600 moons in, and I’m still nowhere close to being sick of Super Mario Odyssey. This game is special.

#games of 2017 #writing

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furederiko · 7 years

Photo

Lots and lots of news to catch up folks! Unfortunately, despite my desire to post more (I kept getting distracted by this and that since the start of the month), this is inevitably the first and also last Random-News-Digest for October...

(Images courtesy of Lucasfilm, Marvel Studios, Marvel TV/Hulu, LEVEL-5, The Pokemon Company/GameFreak, and CAPCOM. Taken from Official Trailers, Official Sites, and Entertainment Weekly.)

Pacific Rim

The much anticipated sequel "Pacific Rim: Uprising" released its first full-length trailer earlier this month (October 6th, to be precise), and well it... felt similar but also different? Unlike many people in the North American region, I'm among the few who thought the first movie was okay... but not as mindblowing as those people claimed. I guess, robot fighting giant beast... can be considered a norm for Japan afficianado like yours truly. We get that on a weekly basis through Super Sentai and Ultraman. That's probably why I didn't feel as big of an excitement when I saw this one too. In fact, somehow I'm inclined to agree with both Birth.Movies.Death and Collider, that likened this to two other big franchises: "Power Rangers" and "Transformers".

But still, if this movie IS your thing, then don't let some subjective comparisons bring you down. John Boyega is leading as Jake Pentecost, with the charming (but can't seem to find his groove, relegating him to be bland supporting character in like... every movie) Scott Eastwood shadowing as his Jaeger partner Nate Lambert. Other new actors include Cailee Spaeny as young hacker Amara, Tian Jing, Adria Arjona, and Burn Gorman. Charlie Day nerdily returns as Dr. Newt Geiszler, and Rinko Kikuchi is back as Mako Mori, who seems to be taking over his adopted-father commanding role this time around. By the way, please don't expect Charlie Hunnam character to be in this movie. LOL. From the hands of Stephen S. DeKnight, "Pacific Rim: Uprising" arrives on March 23rd, 2018.

Star Wars

Aaaah, "Star Wars: The Last Jedi". Winning the battle of trailers (against Warner Bros, who previously released one for their upcoming team-up movie) earlier this month (October 9th. Yeah, I kept track), Lucasfilm stole every attention through a cool looking poster, and a neat official trailer that pretty much riled up everyone in the world, fans and non-fans alike. Hey, the brilliant editing of this trailer got me highly interested, so indeed it was the winner of the not-really-a competition.

Part of it was due to the Porgs, to be honest. A creature specially created by director Rian Johnson for the movie. Seriously, that shot of Chewbacca and the little planet Ahch-To native screaming together, instantly numbed down plenty of weak hearts. The reason why they are headlining this post. LOL. That's not all. This movie will be the last appearance of the late Carrie Fischer as well, a swan-song to her General Leia. So it's clear that Lucasfilm consciously honored her with this trailer. If anything, I believe that would be a great reason to see this movie. "Star Wars: The Last Jedi" arrives on December 15th, 2017.

Somewhere else, Ron Howard has completed his work on that Han Solo spin-off. And he has personally (via instagram and/or Twitter) revealed its official title: "Solo: A Star Wars Story". I actually prefer 'Han Solo', but I'm not complaining. It's still short, easy to remember, and follows the pattern of "Rogue One: A Star Wars Story" nicely. Beside, it might also meant to describe Han's solo adventure (get it?), before he met his lifelong partner Chewbacca. Before Chewbacca ends up with Porgs, that is. LOL. You can expect this movie to arrive ontime on May 25th, 2018.

Sonic the Hedgehog

Gear up for a speedy adventure in ultimate velocity. Tim Miller's big screen adaptation of SEGA's initial mascot has moved from SONY Pictures to Paramount. Miller is still attached as executive producer, and his buddy Jeff Fowler as the director. This time around, Neal Moritz has joined the party as the other producer, alongside Toby Ascher, Dmitri Johnson, and Dan Jevons. The movie remains to be a hybrid of live action and CG animation.

As far as I know, SONY hasn't had good success with their animated projects lately, while Paramount has fared better. So this move might be a good thing. Of course, there's still that video-game adaptations curse to put into our concern. It's looming not just Hollywood, but even other countries like Japan. But you know what? If the team can at least produce something along the line of "The Angry Birds Movie" (which was highly enjoyable, albeit not doing so well with critics), and are able to keep the characters faithful to the source material, I'm totally down with it.

Dark Universe

Oh NO. Bill Condon's "Bride of the Frankenstein" has been officially delayed!

This news was a bit of a bummer, especially for several few (like me) who somehow curious to see what Universal would do next with their Dark Universe. Sure, "The Mummy" was a seriously flawed movie, and that it should and could have been WAAAAAY better. But is that hard for me to see more of Russel Crowe's Dr. Jekyll? Anyway, "Bride of Frankenstein" was already in pre-production, set for a February 1st start, but the crew has been dismissed. Good thing is, the movie has NOT been cancelled so far, but only postponed temporarily. Meaning, it might still be released somewhere late 2019. Just not in February as it was intended to be. It also doesn't mean that it's a sure thing though. Oh well... we'll see.

Akira

New Zealand director Taika Waititi confirmed to IGN (October 10th) that WB has indeed approached him to work on a Hollywood "Akira" adaptation. As it turns out though, the deal is not yet set in stones, at least for now. Waititi still has an array of projects on his sleeves, not including the potential of a 4th "Thor" movie that has been making the rounds through the internet lately. One which I'm sure is totally happening some time after 2019.

The director however, didn't hesitate to offer his thoughts on the movie. He said that IF he does take the job, then it will be based on the original 6-volume manga, and not the popular classic 1988 animated movie. More importantly, he would definitely be looking for Asian leads. "Yeah. actually Asian teenagers would be the way to do it for me and probably no, not, like no name, I mean sort of unfound, untapped talent. Yeah, I'd probably want to take it a bit back more towards the books.", he confirmed. That's reassuring, isn't it? After seeing the latest "Thor" movie under his guidance, I have complete confidence that Waititi would be able to bring an anime to life in a grand but personal way. Let's just hope his vision is inline with WB...

DC Films

Aaaaah yes, WB. The one studio that never ceases to amaze me.

Remember that time when I used to be soooo confused to why many people are calling their recent DC movie adaptations as DCEU and not DC Films? You don't? Don't worry, I forgive you. It was posted in January 2016 anyway, and I'm too lazy to look for it to provide a link. Anyway, as I've long suspected, DCEU was NEVER the name of this movie universe that began with the dull and boring "Man of Steel". It's nothing more than a fan-made term! LOL. To be more specific, it was courtesy of Keith Staskiewicz of Entertainment Weekly back in July 2015. Beside, surely I wasn't the only one who remembered that CW Special thingy with an over-excited Kevin Smith and bashful Geoff Johns, right? The branding "DC Films" was used heavily in that TV special, so it's clear that's what the bigwigs have always wanted to call it.

What's baffling to me, is that WB also NEVER tried to openly correct this, to the point that even I have started using the term despite my initial reluctance. Ouch. As for how this truth was finally revealed? Through a thorough article released on September 29th by Abraham Riesman of Vulture. Go ahead and make a detour to read that fine article, because it's truly an eye-opener. Ironically, reading this article gave me a clear mind of what went wrong with DC Films, and why its movies just didn't work for me. As I've suspected, WB has indeed been the culprit, by being bullish and ignoring the advice from DC Entertainment. And I'm not even kidding here. The studio greedily wanted to copy Marvel Studios, a studio developed by people behind the comics, yet ridiculously refused to accept feedbacks from DC Comics. Well, DUH?!! No wonder "Man of Steel", "Batman v Superman: Dawn of Justice", and "Suicide Squad" could never reached the heights of their respective source materials. They were given to people who did NOT understand the comics from the start. DC Comics was sidelined, to the point that they turned head towards developing TV shows instead. It wasn't until "Wonder Woman" that Johns and the folks from DC Entertainments were given the reign to provide input and assessment. Look what happened to that movie!

Could we be seeing the same result with next month's "Justice League" then? There's no certainty about that, but one thing for sure, Zack Snyder is no longer directly involved since Joss Whedon came in to tackle the movie's reshoot and post production. Apparently Whedon even cut the movie from a rumored 3 hours duration to mere 121 minutes! Yep, that running time has indeed been confirmed, officially making this title as the shortest DC Films movie to date. Naturally, the response to this was easily mixed (some segment of the 'DC fans' just can NOT change, huh?), which was relatively understandable considering this movie has not one nor two, but FIVE major characters to put in the spotlight. SIX if Henry Cavill's Superman is included. Can they all be given a proper screentime, alongside Ciarán Hinds' CG antagonist Steppenwolf, and those hordes of supporting cast (assuming they haven't been cut off) in such a limited duration? Let's just wait and see. I can only hope this does NOT mean WB is planning to release another 3-hours 'Ultimate Edition' later on. They HAVE done that before, haven't they? TWICE. That's like giving audience a major reason NOT to watch this movie right away.

For now, here's a new and possibly final trailer (actual one, not quick TV spots... expect loads of that fairly soon) to help you decide whether you want to see this or not. I know I won't, but don't let that stop you from going. "Justice League" arrives in less than 3 weeks on November 17th.

"Shazam!" has found one half of its leading actor! Zachary Levi, the actor formerly known as "Chuck", and has appeared as Fandral the Dashing in the "Thor" series, as well as the mischievous Flynn 'Eugene Fitzherbert' Rider in Disney Animation's "Tangled" and its TV series, is set to portray the hero form of young Billy Batson. This news hit the internet not long after director David F. Sandberg confirmed on a Reddit thread, that the movie will be released in April 2019. I think Levi has the right personality, but probably the body to portray Shazam. Naaah, that can be tweaked.

It remains to be seen if this movie will be in the same continuity to "Justice League", considering New Line Cinema is in charge on this. Not to mention, that article above HAVE mentioned and confirmed that there WILL be movies outside of the unified universe. I have a inkling feeling that "Shazam!" will be a stand-alone series, but as always, we'll see.

One last thing! Remember how Joe Manganiello was cast to play the super-villain Deathstroke, and was meant to show up in both "Justice League" and "The Batman"? It seems both ideas have been scrapped, leaving his poor Deathstroke without a home. But that's where Gareth Evans swoop in. Yes, according to The Wrap, the acclaimed director known for his gritty and bloddy "The Raid" series, has entered talks to develop a stand-alone Deathstroke movie. Well, how cool is that? Of course, in talks does NOT mean that it's a done deal. But it's a fitting marriage, if you ask me. Manganiello gets to play his version of Slade Wilson, the movie can be a gruesome R-rated assassination flick, and it can even exist outside of the continuity. So no need for unnecessary call-backs to the "Justice League" characters, am I right?

X-Men Universe

F**K continuity! That might be the message that FOX was sending through the first official trailer of Josh Boone's "The New Mutants". In particular, to a certain segment of audience who can't seem to stop complaining about that massive lingering issue that's been plaguing the studio for a loooong time. You know, folks like... yours truly *grins*.

So there you have it, a very HORROR-styled X-Men movie, inline with the director's promise. Ooookaay, I get that FOX badly wants to 'differentiate' itself to Marvel Studios, but is this really a good way to work with this particular material? I can't really answer that. It didn't come close to what I've expected, and I'd be a huge hypocrite if I say I can finally ignore its whole continuity angle. THAT part is still bugging me, because I'm literally confused to where and when this takes place in the X-Men universe. So much of wanting something akin to "X-Men: First Class", huh? I'm not even sure if I like this or not, because it tried to be creepy and spooky but... it did not. Sure, I'm a fan of that supernatural Netflix show that has a bunch of kids encountering creature from a dark realm and all. But an X-Men movie that feels like a copy paste of it? Hmmm... hold on, now that I think of it, this DOES feel inspired by that "LEGION" TV show. That could be the reason why it feels strangely... repetitive. "The New Mutants" arrives on April 13th, 2018. Here's hoping the 2nd trailer would do... better.

"Gambit" is moving forward! That's a surprise, huh? I actually thought the studio would eventually shelve this title after numerous delays. Nope, because Gore Verbinski has been hired to work on it, and Channing Tatum is still very much attached as titular character Remy LeBeau. From the looks of things, "Gambit" might also exist in its own separate continuity, inspired by the success of "Deadpool" and "Logan". FOX has even given an official release date! Yes, this movie will be released on February 14th, 2019. That day was initially booked by Universal's "Bride of the Frankenstein", but now it's an empty slot for superhero movie. "Deadpool" did wonders in the same week last year, can "Gambit" fare the same or even better?

Speaking of the Merc with the Mouth, "Deadpool 2" has completed principal photography. Ryan Reynolds hit his personal social media to thank everyone involved. In the spirit of Wade Wilson's character, obviously. Josh Brolin was mentioned in the post, as it should be, because the actor had almost turned down the role, if it wasn't due to a certain personal persuassion. Not surprising, because an actor of Brolin's calliber has the tendency to go with indie drama, and was already involved with Marvel Studios at the time. Director David Leitch got a mention, but sadly Tim Miller didn't get one. That's a shame really, because if Miller didn't go all out to make the first movie, this sequel and potential more wouldn't even existed. Miller doesn't have any hard feelings, and has since moved on to other grand projects instead. I guess all's well ends well, right? I hope so. "Deadpool 2" will arrive on June 1st, 2018.

I'm not done. There's one more project on the horizon, and it's a spin-off for "Logan". Dafne Keen's X-23 was a standout in that movie, and it's safe to say she has inherited the legacy of Wolverine from Hugh Jackman. So it's natural that she's being eyed for her own solo movie. Director James Mangold shared this news to The Hollywood Reporter, confirming he's currently writing a sequel for Laura. Mangold referenced director Patty Jenkins and her success with "Wonder Woman" that led to this step. Indeed, my sole hope for that DC movie, was that it paved way for more female-led comic book adaptations, so I'm glad that ended up to be the case.

IF, and it's a big if, this X-23 spin-off gets made, producer Hutch Parker admitted that it will have its own tone or genre not similar to "Logan". But you know what? FOX is being ambitious lately, always trying to be one-upping WB in terms of doing things 'different'. That's why I'm positive this spin-off WILL be made. Just look at "Gambit" as the best example. Beside, unless FOX eventually decides to re-cast Wolverine (since Hugh Jackman has approved of that), they can only rely on Keen as the successor, right?

SONY Marvel Universe

Eventhough many people are still doubting this project, the Spider-Man-less Spider-Man spin-off "Venom" has actually begun production. The movie even had its own official Twitter account, created to boldly announce this news just last week. We can see Tom Hardy among other guys there, presumably the director Ruben Fleischer. No sign of Michelle Williams, Riz Ahmed, or Jenny Slate who were said to be in talks for the movie, nor Reid Scott and Scott Haze. But I guess it's enough to prove the doubters that this movie is definitely in the works.

Additional detail has been revealed as well. This time, courtesy of Andy Serkis, whose The Imaginarium studio might be involved as motion-capture consultant. Apparently, Hardy would be portraying Eddie Brock, but his Venom form will be achieved through motion capture CG. Serkis' work is phenomenal though, as proven through how realistic Mark Ruffalo's Hulk has become, so it looks like we can expect more of the same for this movie. "Venom" is expected to be released on October 5th, 2018, which is less than a year from now. Do you think it will be a success? Hmmmm...

Marvel Studios

Let's start with "Thor: Ragnarok" first. The movie opens in North American this very weekend, but has already landed in international markets since Wednesday last week. Go ahead and read my Non-Spoiler Review if you somehow don't believe me.

Reviews from various critics have also been published in pretty much every entertainment sites you could encounter in the internet. Had this Random-News-Digest was released much earlier (prior to last week), I would've gladly detailed some of the responses. Whether it's the early social media responses, or the actual full-length reviews (two weeks ago). However, doing so now while every site has already published their own digest, would be too redundant. So I'll stop right here and give that a pass. For the record, the movie started at 98% on RottenTomatoes (October 21st, 2017 01:20AM local time) when the first 47 critics submitted their scores. It has fluctuated since then, but just like the other Marvel Studios releases, I'm predicting it will end at above 80%. It's really fun and Hela Good, so it would make sense...

Second trailer (but actually the first full-length one) for Ryan Coogler's "Black Panther" has been released on October 16th. It was dropped without any warning, startling pretty much every Marvel fans on the planet. A new fancy poster was also released online on that same date. If you haven't seen both, then what are you waiting for?! All signs are indicating that this is going to be a special movie, and well... I think every scenes in this trailer only amplified said notion. Those entertainment journalists weren't kidding when they compared this to a 007 movie, because it DOES feel like one. Direct comparison to DC's Batman was also inevitable.

Quite surprisingly, the Prelude Comic for the movie revealed something more interesting. Remember how "Iron Man 2" somehow hinted at the location of Wakanda? Many seems to think that it was a continuity error, but as it turns out... it's NOT. Chadwick Boseman's T'Challa had already received his rights to use the Black Panther suit... the same time Robert Downey Jr.'s Tony Stark came out as Iron Man in his first solo movie. Black Panther's appearance in last year's "Captain America: Civil War" was NOT his debut outing. That's T'Challa's 8TH year already! It might also be the same reason why Michael B. Jordan's Erik Killmonger somehow has his own gold-colored suit. Daang it, this movie is going to be grand. "Black Panther" arrives really soon on February 16th, 2018, so you better mark that date!

Possible new details for "Ant-Man and the Wasp" MIGHT have been revealed. Specifically, its time setting among other Marvel Studios releases. If this report is to be believed (grain of salt please, because this kind of report usually does NOT pan out), the movie will take place over a very short period of time following Paul Rudd's Scott Lang's breakout from The Raft. Remember that ending of "Civil War"? Yep. Stuck in house-arrest, Scott will spend most of the first arc with his daughter Cassie, played by Abby Ryder Fortson. Michael Douglas' Hank Pym and Evangeline Lilly's Hope van Dyne on the other hand, will be busy finding a way to rescue Michelle Pfeiffer's Janet van Dyne from the Quantum Realm. It looks like they might be on the run as well, presumably from Randall Park's Jimmy Woo. If I'm getting this right (again, assuming the source is credible), the theme of the movie will no longer be about heist. Of course, things might play out very differently, being just a rumor and all. So let's just wait for the first trailer to get the answer. Hopefully soon, because turns out the movie had just wrapped production!

Actor Ben Mendelsohn, is said to be in negotiations to join Brie Larson's Carol Danvers in "Captain Marvel". According to Variety, Mendelsohn is being approached to play the main villain. Directors Anna Boden and Ryan Fleck apparently had him in mind for the role, which led them to arrange a meet up. If the movie is indeed about the war between Kree and Skrull, that means highly likely he will be playing a Skrull Leader. But I digress. Again, this type of obvious speculation can sometimes be... red herring at best. He could always play a Kree gone bad, right? Mar-Vell himself, or, even Yon-Rogg, the Marvel supervillain who's responsible for Danvers' Kree powers. Until we have official announcement from the studio, all we can do now is speculate. "Captain Marvel" arrives on March 8th, 2019.

Untitled "Avengers 4", a movie that writer Jim Starlin has called out to be "delightfully different", continues filming. That means, more and more details as well as actors are confirmed on set. As usual, this could be spoilery, so if you're avoiding one, stop right here and skip to the next category. Still here? Okay then, let's go.

Remember how Jeremy Renner's Clint Barton has been rumored to be taking a new moniker in the movie? Well, there's a photo of him sporting this new look, partially confirming this report. Apparently, Scarlett Johansson will also have her own new hairstyle. Letitia Wright's Shuri has also been spotted on set, alongside Boseman's T'Challa, confirming that she will be in the movie as well.

Meanwhile, during a promotional tour for "Ragnarok", Mark Ruffalo shared to Cinema Blend that his Hulk will have his own three-part character arc. The character re-inventing, which is a collaborative effort with Marvel Studios President Kevin Feige, has already begun in "Ragnarok". It will then continue in next May's "Avengers: Infinity War", and seemingly concludes in "Avengers 4". Does this mean Ruffalo will be ending his appearance as Bruce Banner by then? It's hinted that way, though I badly sure hope NOT. I would love to see him and Chris Hemsworth's Thor teaming up for more galactic adventure. Trust me, I'm sure you'd totally want that after watching "Ragnarok".

Speaking of future movies, "Avengers 4" will mark the end of Phase 3, and also a long-running arc of the Marvel Cinematic Universe. It will serve as a conclusion, but not exactly the end of MCU. Feige confirmed this to Uproxx, by saying that the studio "will go places beyond that. And, of course, we have ideas of where we go beyond that. But, really, it is all good stories.". Even director James Gunn affirmed that the report of "Avengers 4" being the 'grand finale' of MCU was highly overblown. "It’s the end of one long story & the beginning of another", he stressed. He might be stepping back from doing a potential 4th Guardians of the Galaxy movie, but that doesn't mean his working relationship with Marvel Studios will end after "Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 3". After all, his "Vol. 3" (its first draft might have been completed, by the way) will be wrapping the current "Guardians" franchise, while also serving as one of the important movies to kickstart the next story arc. Kind of like, "Ragnarok" then...

Last but not least, Marvel Studios held a not-so-secret (it's public secret really) massive photo shoot earlier this month. It featured most if not all major actors, directors, and also producers who have been involved with the studio, quite possibly to commemorate the Studios' 10 Years Anniversary. Several big names like Mark Ruffalo, Samuel L. Jackson, and even the Russo Brothers have even shared some quick scenes from the event through their social media. Will us, the fans be able to see the result of this event, alongside the official timeline of the movies, as promised by Feige himself? I'm sure, but who knows when. Perhaps, sometime around next year, in Marvel Studios' very own Comic Con? *grins*. Hey, it doesn't hurt to dream BIG, right?

Marvel TV

Marvel's "The Inhumans" is close to ending its first (and possibly ENTIRE, due to the huge loss it's causing IMAX?) season run. Just two or three more episodes, I think. I can't say that for sure because I'm not even bothered to follow the show. LOL. That means, the 5th season of Marvel's "Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D." is just weeks away from starting.

Indeed, during their panel at the recent New York Comic Con, Marvel TV announced that the new season will start on December 1st, 2017, with a 2-hour premiere. Actress Natalia Cordova-Buckley has also been promoted to series regular before hand. Her Yo-Yo has always been a fun addition to the show, both in character and as person of color, so it's a great thing to know she will mostly be around now. Too bad we couldn't say nor haven't heard anything about Juan Paulo Raba's Joey though. Such a wasted potential right there.

The NYCC panel included several details that teased some fun changes in the new season. First, the team has been abducted by aliens, and are placed in a space station filled with all kinds of aliens. Ian de Castecker's Fitz will be the only member on Earth, which could lead him to work together with Nick Blood's Lance Hunter somehow. The two Brits had fun chemistry back then, so it would nice to capitalize on that. There's time travel twist in place, a horror/sci-fi vibe, and the return of the Inhuman Monolith in form of Obelisk too. Those who expected S.W.O.R.D. however, would be disappointed, because the space organization won't be featured. I doubt Marvel TV has the rights, anyway. The Kree on the other hand, will definitely show up. Does this mean, the season will be tied to "Captain Marvel"? Hmmm.

For the time being, I'm still on the fence of following this new season. Unless it's a final season, in which I will literally force myself to watch, I'm not sure I have extra patience and time to spare for a long 22 episodes that leads to... nowhere, not Knowhere. It still depends on the trailer though, because if it manages to capture my attention, then... the rest is history.

Take for example, Marvel's "Runaways". Its first teaser that was officially released during NYCC week was just okay, but the air of mystery it exuded was enough to grab my attention. Its follow up trailer was even better, by showcasing the lead character's various abilities. And then there's that positive reaction from its initial screening. These are the kind of buzzes that snatch everyone's attention... in a good way (looking at you, "Inhumans"). Anyways, the first three episode of "Runaways" will premiere on November 21st. Don't be surprised if Hulu doesn't drop every episodes at the same time like Netflix. This is just the way they roll...

Meanwhile, Marvel's "Cloak and Dagger" will air weekly on Thursday night, as part of Freeform's Winter lineup. The show doesn't have a premiere date for now, but I'm guessing Marvel TV is pending the announcement until after "Runaways" hits the road.

Netflix

Joining the array of new Marvel TV shows, Marvel's "The Punisher" will also arrive in November. As it turns out, the Jon Bernthal's leading series was supposed to come out early October, but it has been delayed in the wake of the terrifying Las Vegas shooting tragedy. Not just the series, the NYCC panel was also pulled from schedule, to respect the victims. This new series will now debut on November 17th, 2017. Do check out the new trailer to wet your early Thanksgiving appetite. You are free to choose your allegiance (Marvel TV or DC... who is releasing a movie in the same date) when the day comes.

Meanwhile, Finn Jones' Danny Rand (with better hair-cut) will at long last show up in the 3rd season of Marvel's "Luke Cage". EW even has the official image to back up this news. Looks like we might be getting a discount "Heroes for Hire" show we've always wanted after all. Which is nice I guess, because the chemistry between Jones and Cage's Mike Colter was undoubtedly strong in Marvel's "The Defenders". It was one of the highlights of that disappointing mini-series.

Things are looking good with the 3rd season of Marvel's "Daredevil" as well. Vincent D'Onofrio has been confirmed to reprise his iconic role as Wilson 'Kingpin' Fisk. Considering Marvel TV actually went all out to announce this, that means we can expect him to be more than a mere cameo (Season 2, anyone?). Hmmm... is it just me or Marvel TV is desperately trying to attract audience to COME BACK to their shows? Hmmm... can Loeb, the man of many excuses, be trusted this time around? That remains to be seen. One thing for sure, "Daredevil" will join "Luke Cage", and definitely the 2nd season of Marvel's "Jessica Jones" in 2018.

Have you seen the much-anticipated 2nd season of "Stranger Things"? I was actually going to talk about this series in preparation of its release, but I guess I'm a little late for that am I? LOL. I have only seen the first episode so far, and though it was mostly set-ups, it's definitely as good as the 1st season. If you're a fan of this supernatural thriller, then you might want to visit Netflix' official Youtube channel and check out some of its weird promotional materials as well. There's one to celebrate Friday the 13th, and also one featuring... Nose Bleeds. Yikes!

If you haven't had the chance to watch the new season though, you might want to refrain from seeing its Final Official Trailer. That's NOT a good trailer IMHO, because it literally spoiled soooo many things happening in the later episodes. Even the mystery of Eleven's whereabout was easily revealed, just like that! Unless you're among those folks who's okay with spoilers of course. But even so, just watch the season instead. All 9 episodes have already been made available since October 27th anyway.

DC Television

"Titans" have found its Beast Boy! And it's a Disney alumn. Well, technically that is, considering Ryan Potter voiced lead protagonist Hiro Hamada in Disney Animation's "Big Hero 6". Potter actually publicly campaigned to play Batman's third Robin Tim Drake (after Dick Grayson, and Jason Todd) in the movies, something more inline with his role in Nickelodeon's "Supah Ninjas". But looks like DC saw him fit as Garfield 'Gar' Logan instead. Hmmmm... I would actually prefer to see the Japanese-American young actor portrays, I don't know, someone like Amadeus Cho in Marvel Studios movies... but sometimes we can't expect too much with casting. I wish the best for Potter nonetheless.

Super Sentai

We got more rumors surrounding the 2018 Super Sentai series, "Keisatsu Sentai Patoranger" and "Kaitou Sentai Lupinranger". Courtesy of the ever-informative Dukemon, of course. Since we haven't gotten its official look, reports surrounding both titles have been changing and shifting by and by. One rumor claimed there will be 7 members between two teams, with the usual colors of Red, Blue, Yellow, Pink, Green, Black, and White. Latest one said that Lupinranger will consist of LupinRuby, LupinSapphire, and LupinEmerald, while Patoranger will Include PatoFire, PatoWater, and PatoThunder. That's Red, Blue, Green, Yellow, Blue, and Yellow. Whoops? That can't be right. LOL. "Uchu Sentai Kyuranger" has Kyutama, so the collectibles for both titles will be in form of COINS. A nod to "Kamen Rider OOO" then? Hmmm....

Professor Layton

International version of "Layton's Mystery Journey: Katrielle and the Millionaires' Conspiracy" has been released for the Nintendo 3DS. Layton fans who have been waiting for one since the Japanese version was released on July 20th, and somehow couldn't purchase it on Smartphone (either due to preference, or space limitation), can now begin their puzzle-solving spree right away. LEVEL-5 celebrated this by releasing a special launch trailer, depicting the characters, main cases, and also main features from the game.

But if you think this spin-off is the extent of the franchise, then you're mistaken! In an interview with License Global magazine, senior Vice President of Marketing and Licensing Simon Waldron shared that there are two major releases arriving in 2018. The first was none other than another Professor Layton game, set to be released in Summer 2018. Since Nintendo 3DS is reaching its final years, it's most probably being developed for Nintendo Switch. As for the story, I suspect it will be a direct sequel to Katrielle's adventure, especially if we put into account the overwhelming response to that Global Puzzle Hunt marketing. I totally would LOVE to be involved in another one of that.

The second project, was what completely stole my attention. A 26-episodes TV anime series is being developed to start broadcasting next year! How cool is that? *grins*. Of course, there's a common concern that video game adaptations are plagued with bad reputation, and this news doesn't escape such concern. Even the anime adaptation of "BlazBlue" and "Gyakuten Saiban" were generally... sloppy and disappointing. I sincerely hope Layton will not be affected by this curse. On the other hand, the "Inazuma Eleven" and "Youkai Watch" series rangeg from above average to actually really good. Those are the other big titles produced by LEVEL-5, as extensions and/or alternatives to the video games. That gives me hope that Layton will be as good, if not better. Can't wait to hear more details about this one!

Dynasty Warriors

As has been promised by producer Akihiro Suzuki, the release date for "Dynasty Warriors 9" was announced on October 26th. The new open-world styled iteration for the franchise, will arrive for PlayStation 4, Xbox One, and PC on February 8th, 2018. Several special editions have also been announced, like the "Treasure Box", "Ikkitousen Box", and also "Digital Deluxe". Visit Gematsu to read more details about them.

Pocket Monsters

Several new trailers have been released by The Pokemon Company, to raise awareness and hype for their upcoming "Pokemon Ultra Sun & Ultra Moon". The two titles that have been confirmed to be the last core Pokemon games released on Nintendo 3DS, once again marking the handheld console's imminent retirement. My oh my, how quick time flies by, huh?

The first trailer came with a startling tagline, "This is Not the Alola You Know Anymore". It indicated that the region have gone through significant changes during the gap of years following "Pokemon Sun & Moon". In fact, producer Shigeru Oumori and director Kazumasa Iwao shared to Famitsu, that the new scenario for this new titles is said to be twice the volume of "Sun & Moon"! An English-language version were also released several days after, to provide ease of understanding for international players.

Three new Ultra Beasts; Adhesive, Assembly, and Burst; were revealed through a follow-up second trailer. The more important reveals however, was the 'Ultra Wormholes', as well as 'Ultra Megalopolis'. These new games will allow players to use Legendary Solgaleo and Lunala to travel to another realm! The Megalopolis also heralds the arrival of several new characters. Dulse, Zossie, Soliera, and Phyco who are part of the 'Ultra Recon Squad', will appear early on in the game, altering the core of the story. They are pretty much people from alternate reality! These are first in the Pokemon franchise, that I'm not even sure how to feel about their addition.

Another trailer unveiled special new additions to the game. There are Z-Crystals called Solganium Z and Lunalium Z, that led to new Z-Moves called "Searing Sunraze Smash" and "Menacing Moonraze Maelstrom" (get it? SSS, and MMM... Sun and Moon?). They are exclusive for the new Necrozma Forms, the Dusk Mane and Dawn Wings Necrozma. Rotom will also received its own Z-Move called Z-Power, that will allow a second Z-Move to be used in battle.

I think we can expect more trailers coming very soon, ahead of the games' November 17th release. There are rumors of new Alolan forms, and also possibly new Pokemon to be added in these game. Let's just see if they do pan out, okay?!

Marvel vs. Capcom

"Marvel vs. Capcom: Infinite" has been released. And the response to the game was... mixed at best. Having seen the Story Modes and Ending online (hey, that's what Youtube is for, right?), I can personally attest this. Those complaints are totally not exaggerated, because the game feels and mostly looks... unappealing.

CAPCOM can still count on the arrays of DLC characters, to boost the reception for this title. Following Black Panther, Sigma, and Monster Hunter (all of them released on October 17th), three other characters of the "2017 Character Pass" have been confirmed. Complete with their designs, as datamined from the game's data.

Quite surprisingly, all three are coming from the Marvel side: Winter Soldier, Black Widow, and Venom. Exciting characters, but even I would argue that Winter Soldier is nothing more than a clone of Captain America and/or Chris Redfield, Black Widow could very well be a clone of Gamora and/or Jill Valentine, and Venom... is well Venom, a brutal version of Spider-Man. I can't help but wonder why CAPCOM doesn't use more colorful characters like Ant-Man (NetherRealm has already gone one step ahead by debuting DC's shrinking hero Atom), Vision, or Scarlet Witch, among others. Oh well, perhaps they are being saved for the "2018 Character Pass", inline with the release of "Infinity War"? Here's hoping...

Street Fighter

Sixth and final Season 2 DLC character for "Street Fighter V", has been released. As has been rumored, and speculated over and over again, it's indeed Guy's Bushinryu master Zeku who debuted in "Street Fighter Alpha 2" many years ago. Nope, let me correct that... FORMER master. Apparently he resurfaced after starting his own ninja group, with his own fighting style as well. The character has already been released on October 24th, but here's his reveal trailer anyway, in case you've somehow missed it (like yours truly)...

Zeku's arrival felt like an after-thought now, because there's an even bigger news from the franchise. CAPCOM will be releasing "Street Fighter V: Arcade Edition" early next year! Yes, the rumor and report based on fan's datamining discovery as well as listing on online stores have been confirmed, by none other than executive producer Yoshinori Ono himself. To be released on January 16th, 2018 for PlayStation 4 and PC, this updated version will add various new contents like Arcade Mode (with numerous endings, if the latest report is to be believed), Extra Battle, Gallery, new V-Triggers for every characters, and more. The 12 DLC characters from Season 1 and 2, will also be included as unlockables in game. Best of all, true to their initial promise for this series, players who own the original "Street Fighter V", can obtain their upgrades free of charge. This is a great opportunity to those who have been interested in the game, but decided to postpone their purchase due to various reasons (bad launch reviews, to name one?). They can get everything, all in one package now.

In a way, CAPCOM might also be using this release to prepare for Season 3 of DLC characters. You know, the one rumored to contain fan favorites like Sakura Kasugano, Sagat (there's an icon reserved for him in the datamining result), and some others. It's not confirmed for now, but that's certainly the general assumption among fans. Let's just wait and find out if that's the case when the "Arcade Edition" hits the market next year. For now, you can watch the official announcement trailer and start preparing for more "Street Fighter V" in the future...

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