Tuesday, June 3, 2014

New Beginnings and Second Chances 4

The air was cool as the sun set in the mountains. Marco and myself were in front of my mountain lake cabin. If we were to walk a little further then we would reach the beach of the lake. We had gone in the lake shortly before sunset. Marco was wearing his swimming trunks and my feathers were still wet. I was perched on the back of Marco’s chair.

I had morphed my usual human self to swim. We hadn’t had sex while swimming, though, as Marco was having too much fun in beaver morph. I had thought about morphing another animal to chase him with, but that would expend too much energy.

I looked over his head at the sunset and enjoyed how the light hit the trees and mountains. I felt like spreading my wings and having a small flight before going in for the night. But my feathers were still too wet to fly comfortably. If I had to fly I could, but flying for pleasure now was impossible.

“So why did you make this cabin again?” Marco asked lazily, not really caring for the answer as he already knew. But I guess he wanted to talk just so he could hear my thought-speak replying. “I know that when it was built you didn’t come here often.”

I did do traveling, I explained again. So I needed somewhere to rest. Especially when the weather got bad. After it was built I eventually used it for both solitude and having sex. This is a place that I used a lot when I was on my soul searching journey.

“Yeah,” Marco said and he sounded sort of guilty. “I guess I should’ve been there for you more.”

If we didn’t part ways then I probably wouldn’t be stable right now.

“You call your current state stable?”

At least I wasn’t swimming around as a beaver humming the Batman theme song earlier.

Marco just shook his head. I rubbed my head against his and then one of his hands reached back and scratched my neck. It was wonderful to have him up here in this setting. There was no war and we didn’t have to deal with anyone but ourselves. This was the life.

The sun went down and I jumped to the ground. Marco stood up and we looked at each other.

“Did you put clothes on?” Marco asked and smiled.

Didn’t see a reason to. I said as I began the morph.

Marco smiled at my reply and I would soon have a mouth to smile back at him with. And it wouldn’t be a smile just because we were going to have sex and I was glad that I would be having it with him for one more night at least. No, it went deeper than the mere physical.

As my talons turned into feet as I started to rise to Ruffalo morph height, I thought how good it was to admit that I loved him. Hell, it was even better that he had admitted that he loved me.

The moment we had admitted our feelings for each other was…strange. It was strange because we had both hid our feelings for so long. We had hid them both from ourselves and each other. Maybe soul searching was the reason I was able to or maybe it was because Marco had finally not felt ashamed at his own sexuality.

Whatever the reason, I was glad we had said we loved each other.

As I neared completion with my morph, and only my tail feathers would show that I had been a bird, Marco put his hands on my shoulders and kissed my lips. It took all of my concentration to finish the morph.

“I’ve told you not to do that before.” I said with a small laugh.

“And every time you tell me…” Marco said as his eyes explored my body more intently than he did with his hands when we were actually having sex.

“I act like I don’t mind because it’s useless trying to teach you anything.”

Marco grinned as we walked back to the cabin.

Tobias Fangor. I told the alarm system.

Though you couldn’t see them with the naked eye, cameras and sensors were looking at my body and examining my DNA. I had entered Mark Ruffalo’s DNA into the system, though that was somewhat unsafe. Hopefully, though, the thought-speak recognition program would catch someone else trying to break in. My own human morph was the one no one else could morph and so I’d usually use that morph to enter the cabin.

Accepted. It replied and Marco went to open the door.

As soon as I followed him in I shut the door and pushed him against the nearest wall. I knew we had wanted to start in the bed for once, but that proved impossible tonight. Things got hot and heavy quickly and I didn’t think we’d ever make it to the bedroom.
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Monday, June 2, 2014

Godzilla (2014)



Title: Godzilla

Series: Godzilla

Director: Gareth Edwards

Starring: Aaron Taylor-Johnson, Elizabeth Olsen, and Bryan Cranston

Rated: PG-13

Released: 2014

Personal Rating: 3.5/6

Oscars: N/A

Plot: The world's most famous monster is pitted against malevolent creatures who, bolstered by humanity's scientific arrogance, threaten our very existence.
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Lack of Monster Fights
One big drawback of this film is the lack of monster fights shown. When I go to a movie like Godzilla I want some awesome monster on monster action. While the fights in the film were artistic, they were too artistic for the kind of film this is. I'm not saying don't focus on the characters, but when you promise a monster fight give the kindness to show it. The monster fight at the end was great but the other fights in the movie always had something lacking.

Bryan Cranston
For all the Breaking Bad fans that are going to see this movie because of Cranston, this is for you. Cranston does a great performance as Joe Brody and makes each of his scenes very enjoyable. However, Cranston is not in this movie for very long. You can basically blink and then he's out of the movie. I can see why Cranston would be heavily advertised in the movie. You've probably heard this from everyone else. But in case you're one of the few that this is the first time you're hearing this, I wrote about it here.

The Opening Credits
There was artistic style put into this movie and you can see it in the opening credits. They give the beginning of the movie a feeling that they were shot way back when. Seamus McGarvey, the cinematographer for the movie, used 1960s camera lenses and digitally tinted those shots to give them the look they have in the final product. I love when people working on movies spend a little time and effort to create things like this.

Final Thoughts
This is a good movie with the fight scenes being artistically done. The first time Godzilla appears he causes a tsunami which is beyond awesome. However, the lack of detailed monster fights makes me have to suggest you wait until this comes onto dvd/blu-ray. The human story is good and Cranston is used to good effect, which is why I didn't rate this movie lower.

Sunday, June 1, 2014

Sayings Sundays (June 1, 2014)

Revolution was recently cancelled. It was about a group of people living after the apocalypse which was caused by nanobots making electric power impossible. The journey with the main group of characters goes from fighting against Monroe to fighting against a group called the Patriots to realizing that the nanobots are bad and with a third season we would've seen more evil nanobots trying to take over the world.

The ending of Season 2 was a big cliffhanger and I'm mourning the fact that we'll never know for certain what will happen next.

This quote is from Charlie and I chose it to show off some of her sass.


Here is a nice sad graphic for today to combat the funny sass from the other graphic.

For awhile now "Fire and Rain" by James Taylor has been a good go to for a sadness song that fits a lot of fandoms. Especially the heartbreaking ones.

The Animorphs series is a series aimed for children that's actually pretty adult in certain themes like the moral grey area and the effects of fighting a war. So it fits that one of the main characters dies. Specifically Rachel.

Tobias and Rachel were a huge item and so Tobias ends up going into a big depression after the war. He ends up living in the wilderness as a hawk. So I figured to use those lyrics and a picture of a red-tailed hawk. I would've used a picture of Rachel but the lyrics are from Tobias' point of view.

Inbetween: The Works of Crayak 1

About the Inbetween Series:


I have some ideas for stories that I don't usually write because my four main series take up so much time (that and other blog work). So I decided that between writing sections of my main series, to write short little fanfics.


These fanfics will be HIGHLY self-indulgent. Because I work so hard on my other series that I deserve a little break.


Sometimes some of these "Inbetween Fics" might be samples of later works (that might turn out to be either a fanfic series OR original series).


About "The Works of Crayak":

Even though the Nickelodeon Animorphs tv series was horrible, Shawn Ashmore went on to do other things. Ashmore played Jake Berenson in the tv show and now he plays Mike Weston in the show The Following. Because I can’t stop thinking of Ashmore as Jake I decided a crossover fic was in order.


I have never done a crossover fic of this kind (aka exchanging characters from one series to another) and so I am a little nervous. This is also a test run as I may do another longer The Following/Animorphs crossover fic in the future.


Where It Takes Place in the Animorphs/The Following Timeline:


This takes place Post-War in the Animorphs timeline while taking place at the general start of The Following Season 1.
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It had been a year since the war had ended. A year since I had last heard from Cassie, except for official meetings and a rare phone call or two. I had found myself bored and the name Jake Berenson becoming used for cheap items and causes that I sometimes didn’t support. It was odd being a war hero and hearing your name being praised or degraded on a galactic scale.


Of course it was mostly humans that were the most forward about their feelings about me. The Andalites didn’t care about me, for the most part. The Andalite and human militaries had offered to let me teach humans about the ability to morph. I, and the other former Animorphs, were the ones most experienced with morphing. Even though the Andalites had invented the morphing technology, it had been five humans and one Andalite Aristh that knew the most about it.


As I sat down on my couch, and barely paid attention to the news, I thought that it must be a big blow to the Andalites’ egos to have a primitive species have more experience with their technology. A technology they had only recently decided to release for the different human militaries here on Earth.


If I had taken the offer I might not be so bored right now. No good shows were on so I had kept the news running so there would be something to ignore.


As I was about to get up to go to the bathroom, something interesting came up on the news. Now I cared about things on Earth but it was hard to get too concerned about things. Another person attempted to kill a Hork-Bajir saying they were demons and Andalite tourists made chaos in food courts around the world. I cared about those things but, at the same time, it was hard for me to get worked up over them.


But what was being reported now was like a slap in the face that brought me back to reality. The news report detailed a vicious new cult that had just been uncovered. But it wasn’t the cult part that got to me. There had always been cults and they had always done terrible things so that didn’t disturb me.


It should disturb me, right? I shouldn’t just be glancing over the thought of most cults. Maybe Cassie was smart not to be with me anymore.


There were two things that stuck out to me about this particular cult. One was that the leader was Esplin 9466 who was Visser One and before that Visser Three. How could he have gotten back to Earth? It wasn’t like the Andalites weren’t cautious. He had been the abomination, so I doubted he had had anything less than the highest security.


That fact alone would make me want to join in capturing him, but there was something else in the report. Something else that, if true, would mean anything but the fact this cult was anything us humans were ready for.


There was a clip of Esplin, now possessing the body of a middle aged man, ranting and raving about how he had seen visions of a being known as Crayak and that people needed to join his cult for redemption. It was bad enough to know that my old enemy was back, but to think that he could be joining forces with Crayak was beyond frightening.


If you compared the Ellimist to God, then Crayak would be the devil and then some. Crayak was a being who had made the simple-minded Howlers who just wanted to play into deadly killers that destroyed whole species without realizing what they were doing. If Crayak had sided with Esplin, then the Yeerk invasion of Earth would seem like a party in comparison of what could happen in the near future.


I quickly turned the tv off as I realized how tense I was getting. I didn’t want to shut down in case the FBI called to ask for my help. They didn’t usually ask for me and gave me lots of time off. I doubted it was because I was a war hero, or a war criminal depending on your point of view, and I was certain it was because I was publicity that wasn’t needed.


Any time the name Jake Berenson was mentioned, bad publicity was sure to follow quickly. To be fair: Cassie, Tobias, and Marco had the same problem. Cassie more than the other two as she was more involved with politics.


I walked over to the kitchen sink and splashed cold water on my face. I shouldn’t get involved with something on this scale as the last war I was in didn’t exactly treat me kindly. Cassie had done what she could to keep all of us sane. But I don’t think any amount of help could’ve saved me.


As I dried off my face I heard the phone ring. It hadn’t rung in a few days and so I started to instinctively morph tiger. I reversed the morph before picking up the phone. I shouldn’t have gotten scared like that.


“Hello, this is Jake Berenson.” I said.


“Berenson, have you watched the news?” The person on the other end asked.


“The news that Esplin is back on Earth?”


“Yeah, we figure that you’ve dealt with him before and can catch him again.”


“So am I working alone or are you pairing me up with someone?”


“You’ll be working with a nothlit. He used to be an Andalite and now goes by the name Ryan Hardy. We’ll expect you in three hours.”


“I’ll be there.” I said and sighed as I hung up.


I didn’t need to work with another Andalite who probably had the same arrogance the majority of his species had. But if he was trapped in the form of a human, which was the only way he’d be allowed into the FBI without a lot of hassle, then maybe the arrogance had gone.


I then went to get ready.
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All of Inbetween: The Works of Crayak

Saturday, May 31, 2014

The Revolution Cliffhanger

When it was announced that Revolution was cancelled, I was upset. It was a good sci-fi show that took place after the apocalypse (aka when the lights went out) and had interesting twists and turns. I wanted it to continue but I didn't think I'd be so heartbroken when the last scene of the series aired.

What kind of heartbroken? The "Dammit! Now I'll never know how this cliffhanger is resolved" kind of heartbroken.

I figured that with the show being cancelled the whole Patriots plot would be resolved in some manner. Maybe there'd be another plot introduced but it wouldn't be major.

Boy was I wrong about that.

Throughout the Second Season of the show there was a little nanobot sub-plot. Weird things happened and the nanos turned from friend to foe during the course of the Season. I figured that with the show being canceled that the nano sub-plot would be resolved simply. Such as Aaron's wife being fine and they realize that the nanos won't be able to enact their plan of world domination. Maybe a final shot hinting that the nanos have another plan but nothing as big as the final shot of the series.

It turns out that the nanobots are now taking over other people, since Aaron and his wife wouldn't accept being controlled, and making them all live in the town Bradbury. Bradbury, for those unfamiliar with the sci-fi genre, most likely comes from the famous author Ray Bradbury. That reference alone made me giddy.

Then there is the sign that lights up in the final scene.
This reminds me of the Stephen King book It where the villain is a clown. Well...the villain takes on the form of a clown for the most part. Also the town itself might be a King reference. In The Stand there is a town with the good guys and there is another town with the bad guys. That might just be me, though.

The series finale left me, and other viewers, with the plot of robots taking over the world. That is a cliffhanger that hurts! Now it is only through fanfiction that the fans will have a continuation of the series as it appears unlikely that it will be picked up by another network.

All The Cassie Hate

I talk about how people seem to loathe this Animorph.

Hannibal (Season 2)



Show: Hannibal

Season: 2

Episodes: 13

Created By: Bryan Fuller

Based on the Books By: Thomas Harris

Released: 2014

Rating: 6/6

Basic Plot: Explores the early relationship between the renowned psychiatrist and his patient, a young FBI criminal profiler, who is haunted by his ability to empathize with serial killers.
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Canon Characters Can Die
In this season it's shown that canon characters (aka characters from the Thomas Harris books) can die before they're supposed to. I think that is one of the most evil genius things a person can do. It makes it so that you can't say that this character or that character will be safe until a certain time. It makes you really worried from week to week. This is, by far, one of the best things about this season. I just love it when you don't know who is going to die.

Will Takes the Upper Hand
All of last Season Will was reacting and trying to figure out who the killer was. This Season he knows and does his best to get Hannibal arrested. Of course things aren't simple, but they never are in these kinds of shows. It is refreshing and interesting to see a different Will that appears to go dark. I like how this Season didn't just give us the same Will from the first Season.

Jack Crawford's Intelligence
Throughout the majority of this Season, Jack appears to be dimwitted. I admit that his actions at the end of last Season made me hate him this Season even more. There were so many times during this Season where I wanted to smack some sense into him. When he arrests a vegetarian I was facepalming so hard. By the end of this Season I at least had respect for him.

Final Thoughts
The love and respect I have for this show is too much to put into words. I admire the people behind and in front of the camera (and some of the people's behinds that are in front of the camera). This show could've easily been another cliche killer show with only the name 'Hannibal' tying it in to Thomas Harris' book. This Season continues to amaze me with the cinematography, acting, and music among everything else. We get to see some characters we thought we would never see again and an amazing Season Finale. There are around two scenes that I consider the most gut wrenching of the series so far. I'll let you discover those on your own. This is not a show for everyone and if you get nauseous easily I wouldn't recommend this show to you.