tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-72212589806604421792024-03-09T20:30:46.823-05:00From the Mouth of the MunchkinReviews, fiction, commentary, and speculation from the one and only MadCapMunchkin!MadCapMunchkinhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05885944836313859245noreply@blogger.comBlogger945125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7221258980660442179.post-37948535355611212762023-12-20T03:00:00.176-05:002023-12-20T03:00:00.132-05:00What If... the Doctor's moral compass had never formed? (Part 2)<p><a href="https://madcapsrealm.blogspot.com/2023/12/what-if-doctors-moral-compass-had-never.html"></a></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiFaktSvE_nFaC5K9GbjqnMsu4x4slqyLzf1G4ZMLHLwMexdCQkZbOIUvMjyZx-0QIp8UMud0gLrAWTQaf35Qqp7oZKp5jM13ksZqQB8Keaa58DT-GLv1W4ftqTIHFTXvWaUoDYgAlbfLZ03fl9djF_utOakbJ4csho47t14I_jG29_alDLZr9RQkphkeEG/s350/the-revenge-of-frankenstein-peter-cushing-1958_u-l-ph3izk0.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="350" data-original-width="263" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiFaktSvE_nFaC5K9GbjqnMsu4x4slqyLzf1G4ZMLHLwMexdCQkZbOIUvMjyZx-0QIp8UMud0gLrAWTQaf35Qqp7oZKp5jM13ksZqQB8Keaa58DT-GLv1W4ftqTIHFTXvWaUoDYgAlbfLZ03fl9djF_utOakbJ4csho47t14I_jG29_alDLZr9RQkphkeEG/w300-h400/the-revenge-of-frankenstein-peter-cushing-1958_u-l-ph3izk0.jpg" width="300" /></a></div><br />Last time, we had seen a Doctor who had <i>not</i> taken on Ian and Barbara as companions. As a result he alienated his granddaughter Susan, who voluntarily chose to leave the TARDIS and her grandfather behind. He regenerated not long after, finding himself with new companions in the form of Vicki Pallister, Steven Taylor, and Sara Kingdom. Also, when we last left them, the last of their number had filled the Meddling Monk with so many holes that he whistled on the way to the ground, Sara knowing something that the Monk has yet to do and trying to prevent it... which might have worked, if the Monk were not a Time Lord and thus a regeneration had begun...<span><a name='more'></a></span><p></p><p>Having already been chased through time by the Daleks, leading this version of the Doctor into what he believed to be the origin of his now hated foes, the Doctor and his companions were aware that something else was at play that they were missing. A <a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Daleks%27_Master_Plan">Master Plan</a> that the Daleks were putting into play. The Doctor, between their journeys, confronts Sara about what she knows and Sara rebuffs him due to needing to preserve the proper flow of time. However, Sara privately confides to Vicki that she knows her death is coming soon... and there's nothing she can do to stop it.</p><p>To recap the entire twelve episode epic that is <i>The Daleks' Masterplan</i> in this story would be absolutely nuts...needless to say, I'll be hitting the highlights.</p><p></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiDeMeoRC8MjrCI0TFpKx67PQSFNf-89k8WcAySV_MPNA8DDPC1PiPRsGkDwErE1o_oVxhCx5wEnjPcIIC3a9z3Lf_yVsd7qZ8hajjG9LBsZT2Ig3pwLT-62Cu6yn2kTGkKwWIwy6VvJK8Y_WN_Tso0IxOUDqBa8OMj_UMx4hGLj-kQG38bjHW0Kyr0DWfI/s258/Monk%202%20(Richard).jpeg" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="258" data-original-width="196" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiDeMeoRC8MjrCI0TFpKx67PQSFNf-89k8WcAySV_MPNA8DDPC1PiPRsGkDwErE1o_oVxhCx5wEnjPcIIC3a9z3Lf_yVsd7qZ8hajjG9LBsZT2Ig3pwLT-62Cu6yn2kTGkKwWIwy6VvJK8Y_WN_Tso0IxOUDqBa8OMj_UMx4hGLj-kQG38bjHW0Kyr0DWfI/w304-h400/Monk%202%20(Richard).jpeg" width="304" /></a></div><br />Our old friend the Meddling Monk returns, albeit in a new incarnation (played by Richard Attenborough, seen to the left) and full of a desire for vengeance not only on the Doctor, but Sara Kingdom as well for the death of his previous incarnation.<p></p><p>Like the episode in the original timeline, the <i>Masterplan</i> is an absolute bloodbath that spans from 4000 A.D. to Ancient Egypt to the furthest reaches of the universe. A lot of death, a lot of Daleks, and... well, yeah, that's pretty much it. To focus on the important details, however, we see Sara attempting to avoid her eventual fate. In the midst of things, she breaks down and admits to the Doctor that she has known she was going to die from the moment she met the Doctor again.</p><p>As for the Monk, his involvement in events is a bit more extensive. However, ends roughly the same with the Monk ending up on that unnamed ice world with a TARDIS that once more no longer works. Irate, he is approached by a figure we do not see, offering him an escape... for a price.</p><p>The Daleks put the Time-Destructor to use, aging Sara to dust... as her younger self and her brother Bret Vyon become involved in events. Bret is later killed off as he is in the prime timeline. When the events have ended, the Doctor holds Sara responsible for her lies and deceit... of her future self. Vicki and Steven both attempt to appeal to the Doctor, but the Time Lord has none of it and kicks Sara off of the TARDIS back in the year 4000... setting Sara on the course to meet the TARDIS crew once more. Vicki and Steven take the path of umbrage on this, but the Doctor is not phased, claiming that he's only preserving the proper flow of the timeline but is ultimately upset at her withholding information from him.</p><p>Still, they continue to travel with the Doctor. They deal with some <a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Galaxy_4">Dravhins</a>, <a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Ark_(Doctor_Who)">the last of humanity 10 million years in the future</a>, and even a <a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Gunfighters">gunfight in the legendary OK Coral</a> with Steven and Vicki becoming more and more worried by the Doctor's methods and justifications for his actions. This comes to a head during <a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Massacre_(Doctor_Who)">a massacre on St. Bartholomew's Eve</a> where Steven, in particular, has had enough. However, just as it seems that he and Vicki are to leave in a huff, Dodo Chaplet comes into their lives. With her, brought along entirely by accident, they journey off into Space and Time once more. This, eventually, brings them to the realm of <a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Celestial_Toymaker">the Celestial Toymaker</a> and the Doctor's first battle. As you might expect from the ending of this universe's version of <i>the Daleks' Masterplan</i>, the mysterious figure who saved the Monk from the unnamed ice planet he'd been exiled from was indeed the Toymaker.</p><p>As in the episode, the Doctor's logic is put to the test in the tri-logic game while Steven, Vicki, and Dodo all</p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiXLtLTzvgUvR5-tap2ehOtY9z0Psu9CBtXNjYHpzVKYxB3tqDFT905UFg27WZSUv1J5NkeMilKOa-7JcUe6XidhbJB5v-K0OqMNG-OFeJFHb_r-I-M2mwV4HLhF1YqWOh4Xxzxkzjzl8SbW9w_hPD2KAH4lwvFIW-YWuTXTNa2WwSFs3oaWjpuBIjHKoOG/s429/9f7b906b1a3a64391142f4072626efd3.png" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="429" data-original-width="293" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiXLtLTzvgUvR5-tap2ehOtY9z0Psu9CBtXNjYHpzVKYxB3tqDFT905UFg27WZSUv1J5NkeMilKOa-7JcUe6XidhbJB5v-K0OqMNG-OFeJFHb_r-I-M2mwV4HLhF1YqWOh4Xxzxkzjzl8SbW9w_hPD2KAH4lwvFIW-YWuTXTNa2WwSFs3oaWjpuBIjHKoOG/w274-h400/9f7b906b1a3a64391142f4072626efd3.png" width="274" /></a></div><br /> contend with the strange creations of the Toymaker's games. The addition, here, is the Monk who is effectively reduced to serving as a henchman for the Toymaker. During one of the games, the Monk actually kills Steven while attempting to kill Vicki in order to win one of the games. The Toymaker, being a god-like being with nonetheless a sense of fair play, resurrects Steven and enacts a penalty on the Monk, sealing him away inside of a jack in the box.<p></p><p>The TARDIS crew escapes as in the original episode, the Doctor utilizing the Toymaker's voice to win the tri-logic game and destroy his realm. The event has done a little to restore the civility between the Doctor and his companions, as the Toymaker was indeed a threat that deserved the Doctor's level of response. All seems well as they return to their universe, the TARDIS dematerializing and leaving a certain box with a crank floating about in the time vortex, waiting for the day that it's discovered again.</p><p>Next up comes <a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Savages_(Doctor_Who)">The Savages</a>, in which Steven leaves to help the Elders and the Savages co-exist peacefully. With Vicki and Dodo, the Doctor eventually gets back to London in 1966 and comes up against <a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_War_Machines">WOTAN</a>, where the Doctor's morality is put to the test against the artificial intelligence. The introduction of Ben and Polly adds a few more to the cast of characters and makes up for the body count that is about to pile up.</p><p>By the end of this story, Dodo has died rather than unceremoniously being dumped off-screen. The mind control that WOTAN puts her under breaks, and she sacrifices herself to save the Doctor. This, in the end, drives a wedge between the Doctor and Vicki. Rather than Dodo, as in the broadcast episode, Vicki chooses to remain in London of the 20th century. Her parting from the Doctor was not as vicious or intense as his with Susan, but the echoes are there and it clearly still haunts the Time Lord very deeply.</p><p>Notably, in this version of events, Ben and Polly do <i>not</i> go traveling with the Doctor as a replacement but instead elect to remain in 1966 London. The Doctor is, for the first time since leaving Gallifrey, well and truly alone.</p><p>Some time later, he arrives at <a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Tenth_Planet">the South Pole in 1986</a> to have his first encounter with the Cybermen. As in the episode, the Doctor and the red shirts do manage to end the Cyberman threat. Also, as in the episode, the Doctor manages to get back to his TARDIS just in time to regenerate. This time, a third man will hold the name of the Doctor...</p><p></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiOztireg1-rbqPYfFeBYepr7QPUPAGyWa-AV7azmY4WSYXyA1UBplW8bpjxi2zm74s2U25VCLQXtFz0r4_tX4e1Ci43lhf0PkuFPnByprsaACrW202Cv960A-4k6EukAy74XtNLTClv7WoScPX9nbpUN1jDq-0DezrdoofAyFU0VqI6ZH4cw8SUQzE8lP-/s445/1593.webp" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="445" data-original-width="341" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiOztireg1-rbqPYfFeBYepr7QPUPAGyWa-AV7azmY4WSYXyA1UBplW8bpjxi2zm74s2U25VCLQXtFz0r4_tX4e1Ci43lhf0PkuFPnByprsaACrW202Cv960A-4k6EukAy74XtNLTClv7WoScPX9nbpUN1jDq-0DezrdoofAyFU0VqI6ZH4cw8SUQzE8lP-/w306-h400/1593.webp" width="306" /></a></div><br />...and that's where we're going to leave it off! Yep, not even a reveal of the new actor for you! Seethe! Seethe!<p></p><p>Soon: the Third Doctor of the Negligent Teachers Timeline, a new companion or two, and perhaps a bit more development to see if the Doctor can find a full sense of morality.</p><p>...or, y'know, it could get even darker.</p><p>Be there!</p>MadCapMunchkinhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05885944836313859245noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7221258980660442179.post-81973610631801588172023-12-13T03:00:00.182-05:002023-12-14T00:47:07.672-05:00What If... the Doctor's moral compass had never formed? (Part 1)<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhUpFfAas71EqZkclN8Wjgdt8JzfC_kURkiwM3Gk_B3W1SneFYrD52US2ZWZhB58O9EHTymbRGWCtt0eFirNRQZHyw1J_-52dwFxhlZhepybqdhgn0SWVTVVWd6G1rDNezen-yR67Yi2rP2eBK22yp8-X9HQ0E5hIcuL0nZg58ev3bR18a8ywnrwJ4i7qhU/s2213/OneThinks.webp" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1667" data-original-width="2213" height="301" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhUpFfAas71EqZkclN8Wjgdt8JzfC_kURkiwM3Gk_B3W1SneFYrD52US2ZWZhB58O9EHTymbRGWCtt0eFirNRQZHyw1J_-52dwFxhlZhepybqdhgn0SWVTVVWd6G1rDNezen-yR67Yi2rP2eBK22yp8-X9HQ0E5hIcuL0nZg58ev3bR18a8ywnrwJ4i7qhU/w400-h301/OneThinks.webp" width="400" /></a></div><br />Well, it is the 60th anniversary and there's no way I'm gonna finish (or even start, in some cases) the stories I wanted to do to celebrate. Blame real life, it happens.</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><br /></div><div>However, I do have enough time to shoot the breeze and talk about a continuation of a What If? scenario that I've already done - namely <a href="https://madcapsrealm.blogspot.com/search/label/Negligent%20Teachers%20Verse">a universe where Ian and Barbara never investigated</a> their strange pupil Susan Foreman. That's right, this is technically "What If Ian and Barbara never investigated Susan?" Part 5, but I decided to spin it off into its own for reasons that will become clear soon enough.</div><div><br /></div><div>Spoilers for Classic Who below the cut. You've been warned!<span><a name='more'></a></span></div><div><br /></div><div>So, when we last left <a href="https://madcapsrealm.blogspot.com/2023/03/what-if-doctor-remained-time-lord.html">Susan and the Doctor</a>, they had aided several of the Doctor's multiversal counterparts in defeating the Time Lord Victorious. From <a href="https://madcapsrealm.blogspot.com/2020/09/what-ifian-and-barbara-never.html">their perspective</a>, however, they had just left Shoreditch following a Dalek civil war spilled out over the Earth in an attempt to control the Hand of Omega, which the Doctor tricked Davros into using as he did in the OT. Unlike the OT, the Doctor doesn't destroy Skaro as he does not yet know of its existence in this timeline. More on that later.</div><div><br /></div><div>The Doctor and Susan have said their goodbyes to Ian, Barbara, and the burgeoning UNIT and have headed off once more into space and time. So what happens to them after this? Well, beyond the <i>Time Lord Victorious</i> events, they get up to quite a lot as you might imagine. Dealing with <a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Marco_Polo_(Doctor_Who)">Marco Polo</a>, some <a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Aztecs_(Doctor_Who)">Aztecs</a>, and others. Eventually, they partake in the quest for the <a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Keys_of_Marinus">Keys of Marinus</a>, which does not end as it does in broadcast. </div><div><br /></div><div>Indeed, without the influence of Ian and Barbara on him - and with only Susan acting as a bit of a morality chain - the Doctor is far more willing to kill to achieve his ends and in ways that one might call unnecessary. The Voord, for example, are not just exposed but are completely wiped out. The Doctor personally executes Yartek. The slaves end up taking control of the Consciousness of Marinus, Altos and Sabetha poised to essentially become unopposed gods with its powers of law and order. Susan finds this mildly worrisome, but the Doctor is uninterested.</div><div><br /></div><div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiVrOu1Uc9Jio31FJmhAB8WlCgNp5wiHwkex0I2HHWbO9LcNhdJJhqJwdz3Qi8UchmtcLBdAW03jIcFG6PSMdfPbVgQtEJsGu1GXOir42HyRDeXC8gZ1zCy0CTMBm7hjdH8Yk7jDRCJgWBQW8Ht-d_3bzElrO28BYXMaml_-zJhLawl0gwsOwxpX1fNrBeF/s300/download%20(1).jpeg" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="168" data-original-width="300" height="224" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiVrOu1Uc9Jio31FJmhAB8WlCgNp5wiHwkex0I2HHWbO9LcNhdJJhqJwdz3Qi8UchmtcLBdAW03jIcFG6PSMdfPbVgQtEJsGu1GXOir42HyRDeXC8gZ1zCy0CTMBm7hjdH8Yk7jDRCJgWBQW8Ht-d_3bzElrO28BYXMaml_-zJhLawl0gwsOwxpX1fNrBeF/w400-h224/download%20(1).jpeg" width="400" /></a></div><br />Eventually, bumbling around time and space, the two end up on <a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Dalek_Invasion_of_Earth">Earth in the 22nd century</a>, where they run into a familiar foe: the Daleks. The Doctor gets taken aboard their ship while Susan falls in with the Resistance that has been fighting the Daleks for almost a decade now. Susan finds herself being drawn to a resistance fighter named David. Using some of her knowledge gathered from the Shoreditch incident about the Daleks, Susan is able to help the Resistance improve their weaponry.</div><div><br /></div><div>The Doctor, meanwhile, learns of the Dalek plan to hollow out the Earth and turn it into a battle station to traverse across the universe. Doing what he can to sabotage them, he narrowly escapes extermination at their hands (or so it would seem) and finds his way back to Susan. Using the radio signal sabotage, the Doctor is able to convert the Robomen over to their side and the Dalek fleet is destroyed by the bomb... which, due to the Doctor not taking safety precautions, consumes a good bit of London and makes a volcano erupt in England.</div><div><br /></div><div>The world is, arguably, in even worse shape than it is in the broadcast episode following these events. The Daleks and Robomen are gone, but the world is still in ruins and arguably worse with the death toll in the hundreds of millions. At last, Susan confronts her grandfather over the immoral acts he's been committing. She mentions things like <a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Web_Planet">the Zarbi</a>, the <a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Sensorites">Sensorites</a>, and even the incident in hunting the Keys of Marinus that still haunts her. When it becomes clear through their conversation that the Doctor won't change, Susan angrily throws her TARDIS key at her grandfather and leaves with David. Despite his protests, she does not turn back and soon enough he leaves in the TARDIS with her last words "Don't come back." echoing in his ears.</div><div><br /></div><div>It is in the TARDIS that a familiar energy begins to glow all about the Doctor's body. It seems that he didn't quite escape extermination and was merely holding back the act of his first regeneration. He sets the TARDIS off to travel... and finds himself consumed by fire that transforms him into a new man.</div><div><br /></div><div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjbJcLvd0xZTF108UMsIqbSTMUbGQ6g1-nR8V9VENgPI0dVtEW5EHaL5b9SP1Znpwcg0kP7SuOsEsout5M6yUQ6O4S4udk2LDdriXvsiFUKKTF3T_vLfY8DoG7NMowK1xSsTGpmFlCMaZD3dWPOPz_R7_Mh4zgJzkZd_xfdeWahVEdVrXJKwGKep7upxX2C/s1000/peter-cushing-pictures-0aajjdtpfzdtys87.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1000" data-original-width="804" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjbJcLvd0xZTF108UMsIqbSTMUbGQ6g1-nR8V9VENgPI0dVtEW5EHaL5b9SP1Znpwcg0kP7SuOsEsout5M6yUQ6O4S4udk2LDdriXvsiFUKKTF3T_vLfY8DoG7NMowK1xSsTGpmFlCMaZD3dWPOPz_R7_Mh4zgJzkZd_xfdeWahVEdVrXJKwGKep7upxX2C/w321-h400/peter-cushing-pictures-0aajjdtpfzdtys87.jpg" width="321" /></a></div><br />...yep. I'm going there.</div><div><br /></div><div>Rather than the lovable, often goofy Patrick Troughton, we instead have Peter Cushing stepping into the role of the Second Doctor. Not <i>too</i> dissimilar from the First Doctor, fitting in more with the idea of regeneration as a "renewal" rather than a full on change of character for the Doctor. However, the Doctor now recovers from a truth that cripples him greatly - he died alone in his TARDIS, rejected by the only family he had left, dozens of years and millions of light years from his own planet and people. He tells himself that he must mend his ways. </div><div><br /></div><div>His first opportunity arrives when he <a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Rescue_(Doctor_Who)">arrives on Dido</a> and ends up rescuing Vicki O'Brien from the natives. In this timeline, being a bit more physically able, it is the Doctor who kills the Sandbeast after assuming that it's a threat. Bennett's gambit is revealed and, rather than being killed by the native Didoians, the Doctor allows him to fall off of a cliff. Vicki ends up joining the Doctor on his travels, finding a bit of a kindred spirit in him in that both are profoundly lonely and have no reason to stay where they are.</div><div><br /></div><div>The two partake in a few adventures through space and time, finding themselves <a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Space_Museum">in a Space Museum</a> or upon <a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Ark_(Doctor_Who)">an Ark</a> in space, Vicki stepping into Susan's former role as a sort of morality chain for the Doctor to keep him from using darker methods and entertaining his darker impulses. The Doctor, wary of the perception of him after Susan's departure, is more susceptible to Vicki's guidance and suggestions, but it is clear that the poor girl is very much out of her depth at trying to teach the Doctor to not be as cruel and murderous.</div><div><br /></div><div>Eventually, a <a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Chase_(Doctor_Who)">chase through space</a> with the Daleks tailing them leaves them to gain the company of Steven Taylor and Sara Kingdom, a woman who claims to have met the Doctor before but who has no recollection of her. Despite the risk to the flow of the timeline, the Doctor allows Sara to join him, Susan, and Steven onboard the TARDIS.</div><div><br /></div><div>This leads into this timeline's version of <a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Daleks"><i>The Daleks</i></a>. The TARDIS, either by accident or design, brings the TARDIS crew to Skaro to avoid the Daleks. Given that it is far enough back in the time stream, the Daleks actually do break off pursuit - since, as established, even they aren't crazy enough to threaten their own existence. The Doctor is happy with this... until the events of the episode happen, the Doctor learning about his enemies, but finding these Daleks to be even weaker than the ones encountered on Earth in the 22nd century and <i>vastly</i> weaker than those who attacked Shoreditch.</div><div><br /></div><div>In this version, the Thals are guarding a bunker - the reason why has been lost to them for many, many generations. However, they call it "The Tomb of Vro", which is not familiar to any of them. However, during a trip inside of it (after a Dalek gets in), they discover that it is a laboratory of some kind. Separated from the group at one point, Vicki brushes the dust off of a sign to reveal a "D", "A", and "S" on a sign by a pod... in pretty much the exact place you would expect to find them given who is inside. However, at the end of the episode, the Tomb's entrance is collapsed.</div><div><br /></div><div>In the end, the Thals have won the day (for now) and the TARDIS crew leaves. The Doctor laments having to once more kill off the Daleks, but Vicki reminds him that the threat of them would have harmed so many others. For once, the harsher methods were justified. Sara, having been fighting the Daleks in the future, agrees wholeheartedly. The Doctor tells them to not celebrate so much: this <i>is</i> the past of the Daleks, so there must be other pockets of them out there somewhere so they can appear in 1963 Shoreditch and then again in the 22nd century. Not to mention the thousands of years in the future that is Steven and Sara's times. Indeed, the Doctor is correct. Within the Tomb of Vro, the pod that was seen earlier begins to power down and slowly open...</div><div><br /></div><div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi57bm681PEqQTyM2boOCFDxZOXenlmTjtRiChe8XI21faASElt3RU3emrStVPdrevYOOO3Yj6Nv3ob8ZCt-7wro6F0WSu2KW0OpX-snQ7TfVGHVrG97ar0-d5GTwrO5sNV4iVM9XM1ZAfDxiyqFLmafAP1UhBBcH90BCGBY7xx3n1vWdqL5gnDJWcMp3Fu/s259/download%20(2).jpeg" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="194" data-original-width="259" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi57bm681PEqQTyM2boOCFDxZOXenlmTjtRiChe8XI21faASElt3RU3emrStVPdrevYOOO3Yj6Nv3ob8ZCt-7wro6F0WSu2KW0OpX-snQ7TfVGHVrG97ar0-d5GTwrO5sNV4iVM9XM1ZAfDxiyqFLmafAP1UhBBcH90BCGBY7xx3n1vWdqL5gnDJWcMp3Fu/w400-h300/download%20(2).jpeg" width="400" /></a></div><br />After a few other scattered adventures here and there, the Doctor is forced to cross paths with a foe that he hadn't been expecting... <a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Time_Meddler">the Meddling Monk</a>. As in the broadcast debut episode, the Monk is trying to change the course of the Battle of Hastings. The TARDIS crew becomes involved in events, which happen a lot faster than in the broadcast episode for a simple reason: Sara Kingdom has guns.</div><div><br /></div><div>The plot goes much as seen, just at a faster rate. At the end, the Doctor tries to reason with the Monk and get him to come with them - being an exile from their homeworld himself, but the Monk refuses. His plans are ruined and his TARDIS is shrunk beyond its use, leaving him trapped in 1066 (or so it would seem). To add insult to injury, though, Sara shoots him through one of his hearts claiming that she "knows what he'll do" and that she's disgusted by it. However, after she and the others have left, the Monk begins to regenerate...</div><div><br /></div><div>...and that's where we're going to leave it off for the time being. The Doctor has led quite a life since leaving Shoreditch following the Dalek invasion in '63, regenerating and finding himself alone for a while. Will his companions be sticking with him? When will the TARDIS team meet Sara Kingdom in the right order? What did the Monk do that was so bad that it disgusted Sara?</div><div><br /></div><div>Find out when we continue this What If? scenario another day!</div>MadCapMunchkinhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05885944836313859245noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7221258980660442179.post-19116643032495775712023-12-06T03:00:00.004-05:002023-12-06T23:33:35.905-05:00What If... the Trickster never reset the Timeline? (Part 3)<a href="https://madcapsrealm.blogspot.com/2023/10/what-if-trickster-never-reset-timeline.html"></a><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://madcapsrealm.blogspot.com/2023/10/what-if-trickster-never-reset-timeline.html"></a><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhCGhT92ntVUymFTHOTdkvpXpdCrzvli3GAuLieg4scMxAY24bPO3xt2AjSAESQI0q5YivHU_biwZj-7NSLRxeg364FwdWZjSy11P8ZoZ3OCirYIiCip61cftz9JmVD-UZqj7ywBnwBY6orEVW_qKZ6qgDuqI6dd41RokTh_Xpz1Y5SIPfzQ8Rgpu7F-xjN/s1140/Richard-Speight-Jr-in-Supernatural.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="570" data-original-width="1140" height="200" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhCGhT92ntVUymFTHOTdkvpXpdCrzvli3GAuLieg4scMxAY24bPO3xt2AjSAESQI0q5YivHU_biwZj-7NSLRxeg364FwdWZjSy11P8ZoZ3OCirYIiCip61cftz9JmVD-UZqj7ywBnwBY6orEVW_qKZ6qgDuqI6dd41RokTh_Xpz1Y5SIPfzQ8Rgpu7F-xjN/w400-h200/Richard-Speight-Jr-in-Supernatural.jpg" width="400" /></a></div><br /><a href="https://madcapsrealm.blogspot.com/2023/10/what-if-trickster-never-reset-timeline.html">Last time,</a> we ended on a bit of a sour note indeed. With his plan to reset the timeline blocked off by two of his older brothers, Gabriel found himself having to work to prevent the Apocalypse itself.<div><br /></div><div>...he failed. Despite some changes in the timeline everything, as Gabriel of the Prime Timeline might say, inevitably went down the same road. Sam still killed Lilith, which still released Lucifer. The Apocalypse is nigh... and the Devil is rising.</div><div><br /></div><div>So, what happens next? Well, as of this writing, I still haven't finished Season 4, but don't worry... I'm still going to mercilessly dig into spoilers for the show I haven't yet reviewed.</div><div><br /></div><div>You have been warned!<span><a name='more'></a></span></div><div><br /></div><div>This universe's version of <i>Sympathy for the Devil</i> begins as the ruined Church is flooded by Lucifer's angelic presence and Sam and Dean are pulled away by God as in the Prime Timeline. With his work done, Raphael retreats to Heaven while Gabriel manages to get Castiel and Anna both out of the church before Lucifer annihilates them all. Regrouping, the group learns of the prophecy through Chuck concerning the "Michael Sword", and Gabriel is able to point it out for the trap that it is. He is also able to exorcise the demon from Bobby before he can be crippled. Castiel and Anna also manage to kill Meg, so we have that particular unnecessary thread lost before it starts becoming an issue.</div><div><br /></div><div>...yeah, we'll get into that in my reviews when the time comes. Don't worry.</div><div><br /></div><div>At John's lock up, seemingly just the boys encounter Raphael, Dumah, and surprisingly Balthazar. Raphael gives the speech that Zachariah gave in the Prime Timeline (being that Castiel and Anna killed him to save Dean during <i>Lucifer Rising</i>) about Dean being Michael's vessel. When Raphael tries to get "creative", as he puts it in the Prime Timeline, Dean and Sam pull out a variety of Enochian sigils and send the three angels packing. Castiel arrives soon after to brand the boys' ribs with protection sigils.</div><div><br /></div><div>The wrap up pretty much goes the same, though again with Bobby not being paralyzed. Dean gives the "I've got a G.E.D. and a Give 'Em Hell Attitude" speech... and tells Sam the same thing he does in the Prime Timeline - he doesn't trust him after he chose Ruby over him. Gabriel pops in and tells him to get over himself, as they have much bigger things at stake. When confronted about Dean being Michael's vessel, Gabriel admits that he knew, but that it doesn't matter provided they can kill either Michael or Raphael and thus breaking their stranglehold over the timeline.</div><div><br /></div><div>Meanwhile, Lucifer possesses Nick as in the PT.</div><div><br /></div><div>Castiel comes up with the hairbrained plan of hunting down God, which he and Anna go to enact using Dean's necklace. Gabriel doesn't believe it will work, instead focusing on trying to bring down either Raphael or Michael, both of whom are trying quite hard to be incognito after the incident at John's lock up. Thus, the events of <i>Good God, Y'all!</i> play out much as they do in the Prime Timeline, including Sam and Dean splitting up at the end.</div><div><br /></div><div><i><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhKYEvQPvXab2aU0vXw1R-z44CShxZbiClSeAmhzemm7xmlu_ZCTKhU9OJWRpQ0vQIh8zeEYHdk36EtO82Ph3GpxyiOD8nURDRLhqQORaVfZm0okiZp6ieD_h8xrtMsKvMHoXAsdiBPNeHv0HO_bSJPwG1dTapfBMWoKYLCwCBNJ_YIzV1GEj5UWH9mSUQz/s275/images.jpeg" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="183" data-original-width="275" height="266" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhKYEvQPvXab2aU0vXw1R-z44CShxZbiClSeAmhzemm7xmlu_ZCTKhU9OJWRpQ0vQIh8zeEYHdk36EtO82Ph3GpxyiOD8nURDRLhqQORaVfZm0okiZp6ieD_h8xrtMsKvMHoXAsdiBPNeHv0HO_bSJPwG1dTapfBMWoKYLCwCBNJ_YIzV1GEj5UWH9mSUQz/w400-h266/images.jpeg" width="400" /></a></div><br />Free to Be You and Me</i> sees Dean reunite with Castiel and Anna, who plan to summon Raphael to find out where God is. Sam, meanwhile, gets menaced by Lucifer, who tries to convince him to let the archangel possess him. Lucifer drops the bombshell that Sam is his one true vessel, and Sam is saved just in time by Gabriel. When asked if he knew about Sam being Lucifer's vessel, Gabriel is forced to admit that he did. His attempt to reiterate that it doesn't matter if they can just get the timeline reset falls on deaf ears, Sam still not trusting himself and telling Gabriel to leave him.</div><div><br /></div><div>In <i>The End</i>, Dean is sent into the terrifying future of... 2014! This time, Dumah is the one who does the job, but is rebuffed just as Zachariah is in the PT. After Dean gets saved by Castiel and Anna, who manage to fend Dumah off, he reunites with Sam.</div><div><br /></div><div><i>Fallen Idols</i> sees the boys further patch up their relationship by killing Paris Hilton... as you do.</div><div><br /></div><div><i>I Believe the Children Are Our Future</i> sees the boys tackle the Antichrist. Jesse turns Gabriel, Castiel, and Anna into a collector's set of figurines before he willingly disappears to avoid being involved in the conflict between Heaven and Hell. While Castiel wants to pursue and stop him, Gabriel decides that it's best to let sleeping dogs lie.</div><div><br /></div><div><i>The Curious Case of Dean Winchester</i> happens. Moving on.</div><div><br /></div><div><i>Changing Channels</i>... doesn't happen. Gabriel is still hell bent on going after Michael and/or Raphael and is off trying to make sure that that happens. Instead of tormenting Sam and Dean for an episode, we follow him as he tries to weave through his contacts that remain on Heaven's side, finding them dead in various locations and it's eventually revealed to us that Dumah and Balthazar are the culprits. They manage to escape, but it's clear that Gabriel has no friends upstairs to call upon.</div><div><br /></div><div><i>The Real Ghostbusters</i> happens. Moving on.</div><div><br /></div><div><i>Abandon All Hope</i>... is set up pretty much the same way, with Crowley willingly giving up the Colt to the boys and them heading to Carthage to try and kill the Devil. One of Lucifer's demons manages to trap Castiel as Meg does in the PT... but Anna is there this time to release him from it. Thus, they save the group from being taken down by the hell hounds and thus Ellen and Jo survive to fight another day. Lucifer is still not killed by the Colt, Death still rises, and Gabriel arrives in time to spirit everyone way. The episode ends on a bit of a better note, Ellen and Jo now recruited to Team Reset as well.</div><div><br /></div><div><i>Sam, Interrupted</i> and <i>Swap Meat</i> can pretty much go as they do in the PT. No real change there.</div><div><br /></div><div><i>The Song Remains the Same</i> doesn't happen. Anna hasn't lost her damn mind and thus Mary and John... somehow don't retain knowledge of Dean's appearance in 1973. Or, perhaps, something of the future will cause that to happen? More on that later... maybe.</div><div><br /></div><div><i>My Bloody Valentine</i> and <i>Dead Men Don't Wear Plaid</i> go around about the same way as Gabriel, Castiel, and Anna are off trying to find a way to get to Michael and/or Raphael. They also deal a bit with Lucifer, though none of the lesser three angels are persuaded to join him.</div><div><br /></div><div><i>Dark Side of the Moon</i> plays out with Gabriel taking the lead to get Sam and Dean to navigate Heaven. Instead of trying to find Joshua, however, he wants them to find a way to open a door into paradise for him, Castiel, and Anna to enter. The boys travel through their heavens and find their way to Ash, who is only too happy to help them out as he is in the PT. Despite Raphael's continued attempts to go after them, the boys do succeed and open the door for their angels. While the angels square off, Sam and Dean are pulled away by Joshua. While he takes them to Eden, Gabriel and Raphael square off for the final time.</div><div><br /></div><div>RAPHAEL: You're not going to succeed, Gabriel. You never learn.</div><div><br /></div><div>GABRIEL: C'mon, Raphie. You know I don't learn. One of my quirks.</div><div><br /></div><div>In the end, Gabriel proves to be the better swordsman and kills Raphael. When he snaps to reset the timeline... nothing happens. Michael arrives to taunt his younger brother, telling him that <i>he</i> - not Raphael - is blocking Gabriel's ability to reset the timeline. While Gabriel attempts to kill Michael, he quickly finds himself on the back foot and Castiel and Anna have to intercede to get him out...</div><div><br /></div><div>...Castiel being stabbed in the chest by Michael in the process.</div><div><br /></div><div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhLmKwVG8BYJo_yQXIZ_j7N00AAxazCIoDQArKKg5zMPTBfOIJrhnXFAI3n19u3xnIbeARvxg0oQ538BraWxfi1PkmT6RGZ1VMJKiNya_4XiTaZVroCX1OM5XqADpP2hyMnuxIcONVyqPBSD2yFiiFwc7Z3N3JPqIbxpmE0tG5HHoU8x3zWjUhwWSr5SJcu/s1280/casdeath.jpg" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="720" data-original-width="1280" height="225" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhLmKwVG8BYJo_yQXIZ_j7N00AAxazCIoDQArKKg5zMPTBfOIJrhnXFAI3n19u3xnIbeARvxg0oQ538BraWxfi1PkmT6RGZ1VMJKiNya_4XiTaZVroCX1OM5XqADpP2hyMnuxIcONVyqPBSD2yFiiFwc7Z3N3JPqIbxpmE0tG5HHoU8x3zWjUhwWSr5SJcu/w400-h225/casdeath.jpg" width="400" /></a></div><br />That's right, Castiel is dead. D-E-D, dead.</div><div><br /></div><div>Joshua reveals to the boys what he does in the PT - God isn't interested in helping and will not be interfering any further, so they need to stop looking for him. The boys are sent back and relay this information to Gabriel and Anna, who also inform the boys of Michael's control over the timeline and Castiel's death at the first archangel's hands. With things looking more dire, Dean is clearly starting to lose hope and thus is leading us into <i>99 Problems</i>.</div><div><br /></div><div>The episode goes pretty much as broadcast. Anna retrieves the Cypress stake, her largely taking the place of Castiel in the episode on the whole, and Dean prepares to use it to kill the Whore of Babylon. Gabriel manages to arrive with the Horn of Joshua, having taken it from "a man who realized he didn't need it", and kills her before Dean can - giving some ambiguity if Dean is "a true servant of Heaven". However, the air is much the same and it seems that Dean is on a crash course to the...</div><div><br /></div><div><i>Point of No Return</i>. Dean gets locked in Bobby's panic room by Sam and Anna. When Adam is resurrected, Sam and Dean having met him the previous year in this universe's version of <i>Jump the Shark</i>, Gabriel goes to retrieve him. Being smart, he uses his powers to shield Adam's mind from Heaven. This has the unfortunate side effect of driving Adam... a little crazy. Dean manages to escape at some point and the host of heaven snatches him up. A showdown takes place, Sam, Gabriel, and Anna facing off against Dumah. Like he does to Zachariah in the PT, Dean turns the tables on Dumah and takes her out.</div><div><br /></div><div>They escape, although Gabriel was hoping to put the Horn of Joshua - a Hand of God - to use on his brother and put an end to all of this. Michael is, unfortunately, smart enough to stay away and that plan is a bust. Dean insists that they'll find another way... forcing Gabriel to reveal the plan with the four rings of the Four Horseman, two of which Sam and Dean already possess.</div><div><br /></div><div><i>Hammer of the Gods</i> goes a little differently, with Gabriel once more taking on the Loki persona to try and convince the pagan gods. Instead of trying to convince them to run to the hills, however, he attempts to enlist their aid. Mercury still betrays them as in the PT, however, and Lucifer arrives to slaughter all of them. Gabriel faces off against his brother properly for the first time since the latter's fall from Heaven. As in the PT, the two squaring off results in Gabriel taking an angel blade to the chest from a tearful Lucifer.</div><div><br /></div><div>Also, as in the PT, Gabriel doesn't actually die. Instead, his "trick" serves a purpose in making sure that both Heaven and Hell think he's out of the game... and thus, thinks that Team Reset is officially dead. It is Gabriel's hope that this will draw Michael out so they can complete their plan. For the time being, however, Sam and Dean decide to continue pursuing the rings of the Horseman in the hopes of trapping Lucifer as an alternative.</div><div><br /></div><div><i>The Devil You Know</i> has Sam get a little catharsis for Jessica's death (Sam taunting Brady by telling him he'll have the satisfaction of killing him twice for what he did, which only serves to confuse the demon) and stopping the Croatoan virus from being distributed across the world.</div><div><br /></div><div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhb-GOZMuohdxpvj1p5ZHJ5pJaWhVf64HZZN7bmdWiURb48GVhS2KHQzq6mHvZLX32Na1RdksOj_cmpYJ8xSHYqWxnePaDKi4SbbYieVGkhVc55vPsoMG_eZ77nYUka7JesBSsXa5bHzuOnGONIs_Ty-lx3JKX-pdC7aarXW343lPiOdr35wCGNic5JIRVD/s1202/Crowley_death.webp" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="800" data-original-width="1202" height="266" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhb-GOZMuohdxpvj1p5ZHJ5pJaWhVf64HZZN7bmdWiURb48GVhS2KHQzq6mHvZLX32Na1RdksOj_cmpYJ8xSHYqWxnePaDKi4SbbYieVGkhVc55vPsoMG_eZ77nYUka7JesBSsXa5bHzuOnGONIs_Ty-lx3JKX-pdC7aarXW343lPiOdr35wCGNic5JIRVD/w400-h266/Crowley_death.webp" width="400" /></a></div><br />In <i>Two Minutes to Midnight</i>, Crowley is obliterated by Gabriel and Anna (we'll be getting to my problems with him when we get to him - spoiler alert, <i>very</i> similar to the ones with Meg) when he attempts to con Bobby's soul from him, the two angels managing to locate Death without him needing to take a soul to do so. Death does give the ring to Dean as in the PT, informing him that he'll have to let Sam jump into the Cage if it comes to it... there is no stopping it. He also is aware of the break in the timeline, telling him that they need to sort it out.</div><div><br /></div><div>By <i>Swan Song</i>, the plan has been set. Sam offers himself up to Lucifer, Lucifer seemingly fully takes over, and it seems that the Apocalypse is nigh. This, however, is all according to plan. While Dean, Anna, and Bobby all despair, Gabriel hunts down Chuck and finds out about where the fight between Michael and Lucifer will take place...</div><div><br /></div><div>...and that's where everything goes belly up and fast.</div><div><br /></div><div>Dean tries to talk to Sam through Lucifer, but Lucifer has already worked out the plans of Team Reset and is having none of it. Anna arrives in time to use an angel molotov... on Lucifer. Michael, possessing the gibbering insane Adam (who managed to escape from Bobby's place), atomizes her for her attack on Lucifer. When Bobby attempts to fire off some shots to stop him, Michael runs him through with an angel blade and then he and Gabriel go head to head once again as they did in Heaven. Gabriel attempts to put the Horn of Joshua to use and, while he succeeds in damaging his brother, Michael ultimately destroys the weapon and beats Gabriel to a pulp.</div><div><br /></div><div>At Gabriel's urging, Dean uses the Rings to open up Lucifer's Cage, dropping both the archangels into it. Lucifer arrives just in time to see the Cage close up with Michael and Gabriel still within it. Outraged, he rounds on Dean, only for Bobby to use an angel-banishing sigil to send him away. Dean rushes to Bobby's side just as he dies, telling Dean to run... and run Dean does, taking to the Impala and driving off.</div><div><br /></div><div>...and <i>that's</i> where Part 3 will end. The Apocalypse has been stopped, but at a terrible cost. Michael and Gabriel are trapped in Lucifer's Cage, Lucifer is still in possession of Sam's body, and now Dean is all alone with the only archangel alive being the Devil himself. Team Reset managed to avert the Apocalypse, or so it seems, but the timeline persists...</div><div><br /></div><div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh00dN2d7PQ_H9OVNTS8PvyOwIhQe2F-lfO8eR-1Pf2ZnmQb5XZ4pbz6b6oXA2WVjU0nl0UXllSLRrZ-syG8npnBsymVHofrfKKvXpsyUSUCzhJTng20s1wmPSfMhy3gJSwZhvvso6DFL2SHufW0cuBiB_x8dSsymCbJMbmtN2ZcxwQ8mnjp9k3Z_q8Edc-/s1258/thread%20of%20prophecy.png" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="389" data-original-width="1258" height="124" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh00dN2d7PQ_H9OVNTS8PvyOwIhQe2F-lfO8eR-1Pf2ZnmQb5XZ4pbz6b6oXA2WVjU0nl0UXllSLRrZ-syG8npnBsymVHofrfKKvXpsyUSUCzhJTng20s1wmPSfMhy3gJSwZhvvso6DFL2SHufW0cuBiB_x8dSsymCbJMbmtN2ZcxwQ8mnjp9k3Z_q8Edc-/w400-h124/thread%20of%20prophecy.png" width="400" /></a></div><br />...but <i>is</i> this world doomed? Not quite, says I. After all, with Lucifer still on the loose, this story definitely isn't over.</div><div><br /></div><div>When we return to the Trickster Timeline, we'll see us going even <i>more</i> off-script as Dean now must find a way to save the day... all on his own... or does he?</div><div><br /></div><div>Be there!</div>MadCapMunchkinhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05885944836313859245noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7221258980660442179.post-76769519565501569562023-11-29T03:00:00.351-05:002023-11-29T03:00:00.145-05:00What If... Jenny survived "The Doctor's Daughter?" (Part 2)<p></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjXGwm3oUnT9pPZgHJ56W0pb2EQqbbEPmXgdYD0BgGHN1I-FgK0Z7p7T9bhmgGkig2leu-J6RKpWDuPNDtMrdiIn-W5-rUwFQLDvi_j25rE66rSJ0qF2QZ9mPOMOoqjw3g2FaMhnmmZ4SiiEBtHnU0PazX-QwTvBfKXSFwl1bZxBN0XQiJxkdjUcWfuA3nu/s1200/1528122792-jenny.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="599" data-original-width="1200" height="200" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjXGwm3oUnT9pPZgHJ56W0pb2EQqbbEPmXgdYD0BgGHN1I-FgK0Z7p7T9bhmgGkig2leu-J6RKpWDuPNDtMrdiIn-W5-rUwFQLDvi_j25rE66rSJ0qF2QZ9mPOMOoqjw3g2FaMhnmmZ4SiiEBtHnU0PazX-QwTvBfKXSFwl1bZxBN0XQiJxkdjUcWfuA3nu/w400-h200/1528122792-jenny.jpg" width="400" /></a></div><br />Alright, so... it <i>is</i> the 60th Anniversary of <i>Doctor Who</i>, so it'd be rather bad of me to <i>not</i> do something in the month of November to acknowledge that... even if I am about six days too late. Whoops!<p></p><p>And I'm sure the Fiction Corner stories will be finished at some point in the future, but I doubt we'll be seeing the rest of them in 2023 for sure.</p><p>That said...<span></span></p><a name='more'></a><p></p><p><a href="https://madcapsrealm.blogspot.com/2023/03/what-if-doctor-remained-time-lord.html">Last time,</a> Jenny and the Doctor were in a big ass kerfuffle. When that was all said and done, though, they went back to <a href="https://madcapsrealm.blogspot.com/2021/08/what-ifjenny-survived-doctors-daughter.html">where they were before.</a> With her newly-regenerated father somewhat addled and trying to repair the TARDIS, Jenny attempts to use the scant lessons she's learned to try and keep the TARDIS flying.</p><p>She fails, unfortunately, and she and her daughter crash into...</p><p><a href="https://madcapsrealm.blogspot.com/2023/03/from-madcaps-couch-doctor-who-eleventh.html"><i>The Eleventh Hour</i></a>... and Amelia Pond's back garden.<br /></p><p>With the addition of Jenny, things go a little bit differently as they do on that night in the PT. We still get the Doctor's post-regeneration antics involving food and the discovery of the crack in the wall of Amy's bedroom. Also, despite both the Doctor and Jenny insisting that they'll be back in five minutes, Amelia is once more left waiting for her Raggedy Doctor and the Soldier.</p><p></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiiDYS4XhFPpIrXlXTHwFx5nvgbhLs8jW90NLtQmiV4frxYTqODuMtRwbme_GdRFmYgdaLg3N-8jBh1YO3i_Xpdh-YoBD9YQhP3B9p0jofcIgh4t5aHQWmYzUcWUYow8Xn3X_lCkuB7jvrAxEHQUojKsG_lUu3sLSkXP6pfAS99vcMyhJUihJykY_HOHiHr/s1024/Amy-and-Doctor-Apple-1024x536.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="536" data-original-width="1024" height="210" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiiDYS4XhFPpIrXlXTHwFx5nvgbhLs8jW90NLtQmiV4frxYTqODuMtRwbme_GdRFmYgdaLg3N-8jBh1YO3i_Xpdh-YoBD9YQhP3B9p0jofcIgh4t5aHQWmYzUcWUYow8Xn3X_lCkuB7jvrAxEHQUojKsG_lUu3sLSkXP6pfAS99vcMyhJUihJykY_HOHiHr/w400-h210/Amy-and-Doctor-Apple-1024x536.jpg" width="400" /></a></div><br />When they return fourteen years later, they find a certain <strike>kissogram</strike> police officer in Amy's house, who Jenny manages to overpower and restrain - Amy's deception revealed early on. The emergence of Prisoner Zero leads into the events of the episode proper as we see from the original broadcast. Very little changes here, though Jenny most definitely would try to take on Prisoner Zero in a fight.<p></p><p>The Doctor and Jenny would arrive again two years later to take Amy away on her wedding night.</p><p>Thus, we lead into <a href="https://madcapsrealm.blogspot.com/2023/03/from-madcaps-couch-doctor-who-beast.html"><i>The Beast Below</i></a>, where Jenny actually questions the Doctor's drawing a conclusion from a crying child that there's a totalitarian police state. Nevertheless, they get distracted by the hijinks that follow, Jenny picking a fight with the Winders when they first pop up to cause trouble and even taking one down before realizing that they're not robots. Also, the tiny bits of the Doctor talking about the Time Lords and the Time War are a bit more meaningful with Jenny presence.</p><p>Amy ends up voting to forget and thus leading into the Doctor having his rant and, eventually, Amy getting Liz Ten to save the star whale from its eternal torment. When Amy makes her comment about why the Doctor saved the star whale, and how the two are alike, Jenny has to agree. Although, as she puts it, the Doctor isn't alone. Not anymore.</p><p><a href="https://madcapsrealm.blogspot.com/2023/03/from-madcaps-couch-doctor-who-victory.html"><i>Victory of the Daleks</i></a> comes next and, while Amy doesn't recognize them, the Doctor and Jenny definitely do recognize the Daleks and that they are bad news. Being that these Daleks survived this timeline's version of <a href="https://madcapsrealm.blogspot.com/2021/07/from-madcaps-couch-doctor-who-journeys.html"><i>Journey's End</i></a>, they also recognize Jenny. However, her testimony does not work as the Doctor's does and thus they are forced to go with Plan B. When the Doctor pops off to get onboard the Dalek mothership, Jenny sneaks aboard through the TARDIS back door (yes, there's a back door, listen to <i>Zagreus</i>). As he faces down the Daleks, Jenny digs through the toolbox beneath the TARDIS and finds <a href="https://madcapsrealm.blogspot.com/2020/06/from-madcaps-couch-doctor-who-sound-of.html">a key on a string</a> from before she was born. Recognizing a perception filter, she puts it on.<br /></p><p>The Doctor recognizes what Jenny is doing, trying to distract the Daleks. The New Dalek Paradigm emerges... and find their ship about to fall apart between the Spitfires attacking and Jenny using a Dalek plunger to deactivate the auto-destruct system, locking it out from the Dalek controls with her own sonic screwdriver - its light the same blue of her father's previous one. The Daleks freak out and activate Bracewell's detonation sequence prematurely.</p><p></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEibdBKgK-14G4dFzmEjQJX7PQk3PfiB1BLESop1Y1FoI1IAeQzKPb1OOm3-LKrUvM8nSxUIFycqtdnzHF3lD4_rIbJ8NnmAmJc5rIEPr9IE0uWJfrneEJkoszo7os5gQJZQdrptWSk6cu98D-dTHU4ZrHrnsbq30Im2IUJmc06tw6vE86h1u42oJDMQ1BTL/s540/Supreme_Dalek_-_Victory_of_the_Daleks.webp" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="304" data-original-width="540" height="225" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEibdBKgK-14G4dFzmEjQJX7PQk3PfiB1BLESop1Y1FoI1IAeQzKPb1OOm3-LKrUvM8nSxUIFycqtdnzHF3lD4_rIbJ8NnmAmJc5rIEPr9IE0uWJfrneEJkoszo7os5gQJZQdrptWSk6cu98D-dTHU4ZrHrnsbq30Im2IUJmc06tw6vE86h1u42oJDMQ1BTL/w400-h225/Supreme_Dalek_-_Victory_of_the_Daleks.webp" width="400" /></a></div><br />The new Dalek Supreme escapes in an escape pod while the Doctor and Jenny rush back to Earth and, with Amy's help, disarm Bracewell. Less "victory" for the Daleks, but they do survive... they always survive, in the end. With the wrap up, the Doctor and Jenny have a moment where they discuss the Daleks and how they always seem to survive no matter what. The Doctor laments that this is not the final end for his old foes, but - much as Amy does in the broadcast episode - Jenny tells him that they did save the Earth, which is worth the cost in the end.<p></p><p>The two also note that Amy not remembering the Daleks is more than a little worrisome.</p><p><a href="https://madcapsrealm.blogspot.com/2023/03/from-madcaps-couch-doctor-who-time-of.html"><i>The Time of Angels</i></a> sees the return of River Song into the lives of the Doctor and Jenny. Jenny is rather enthusiastic about seeing River again, though the Doctor warns her about alterations to the timeline. This makes when he calls River 'Professor' even funnier, River expressing amusement and surprise at it and Jenny giving the Doctor <i>such</i> a look. Her enthusiasm does take a turn, however, when she learns that River was imprisoned in the Stormcage for murder.<br /></p><p>When Amy gets entrapped by the Angel, the Doctor and River rush to get her out while Jenny gets every piece of explosives she can get her hands on and arrives with them all just as Jenny arrives with enough ordnance to put a hole through a moon... and is left standing there with it once Amy gets out, seemingly alright.</p><p>From there, things progress as broadcast with the Doctor, Amy, Jenny, River, and the clerics entering the wreck of the <i>Byzantium</i> proper and discovering... the Angels.</p><p>This leads into <a href="https://madcapsrealm.blogspot.com/2023/04/from-madcaps-couch-doctor-who-flesh-and.html"><i>Flesh and Stone</i></a>, which goes much the same way as broadcast. Jenny witnesses the Crack and, though she tries to get Amy to not, she looks at it regardless and is further traumatized. With Jenny's help, Amy's trek through the forest is a <i>little</i> easier, but still not great and they are saved at the last minute by River.</p><p>The Angels are taken out just as they are in the broadcast episode with the Crack sealing up behind them. The Doctor tells Amy and Jenny about the nature of the Cracks, so far as he can understand them, and explains why they can remember what went into it when the others can't. Nature of a time-traveler and all that. Jenny presses the Doctor in private, saying that she felt absolute terror from the Crack and felt an instinct to get as far away from it as possible. The Doctor nods in agreement, telling her that she's showing Time Lord in herself already.</p><p></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEibd4BnCNsXjy2u4G55Rrh0vJI52iuYs5E0K6cuJ66tPosMrHWL9hwCBjcQJ8nEsQsvPN_ROSRHCzmgEIFASOvJrsybW6Yc8IFFz_RMSC07KGfd8GM4k_4_iL9W_jE5FLT60-E7W3_1xWG7_WkF-sg4mIGlHCDRhjkumyK90rtBvX7Ym-WVG7joIBVzWWhP/s1280/30b6fe31-8793-4193-a326-26e153ea6a4d_1280x720.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="720" data-original-width="1280" height="225" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEibd4BnCNsXjy2u4G55Rrh0vJI52iuYs5E0K6cuJ66tPosMrHWL9hwCBjcQJ8nEsQsvPN_ROSRHCzmgEIFASOvJrsybW6Yc8IFFz_RMSC07KGfd8GM4k_4_iL9W_jE5FLT60-E7W3_1xWG7_WkF-sg4mIGlHCDRhjkumyK90rtBvX7Ym-WVG7joIBVzWWhP/w400-h225/30b6fe31-8793-4193-a326-26e153ea6a4d_1280x720.jpg" width="400" /></a></div><br />We get to the final scene, and we avoid the terrible sexual assault overtones, but it becomes clear that Amy has the hots for the Doctor following her horrific near death experience. Needing to right things and quickly, the Doctor shoves both Amy and Jenny into the TARDIS and we head into <a href="https://madcapsrealm.blogspot.com/2023/04/from-madcaps-couch-doctor-who-vampires.html"><i>The Vampires of Venice</i></a>.<p></p><p>In Venice, the episode goes mostly as originally broadcast. Jenny and Amy both pose as Rory's sisters and get into the Calvierri school. Calvierri sees through the psychic paper as in the PT, but finds a far more martially inclined Jenny proves to be too much for her guards and she holds them off for a time. Eventually, though, Francesco manages to get the better of her and takes a drink of her blood, finding it "intoxicating". He asks his mother for her, but the Doctor, Rory, and Guido soon arrive and they escape.</p><p>Unfortunately, as in the original episode, they are not able to save Isabella and she later becomes fish food. As Jenny recovers from the best medical care that the Doctor can provide her, they discuss their plans and the Doctor goes to confront Lady Calvierri, having worked out her species. Once more, she attempts to coax the Doctor into an alliance, but he refuses her because she couldn't tell him Isabella's name... and her son tried to eat his daughter.</p><p>From there, instead of Rory getting a comedy fight with Francesco, Jenny squares off with him in a magnificent sword fight through the streets of Venice. With her combat training, she proves to be quite adept against him as the two meet blow for blow. Like in the original episode, it is the assistance of Amy with a mirror reflecting the sunlight that ultimately does him in. Amy and Rory kiss in reconciliation and the trio head off to assist the Doctor, leading into the rest of the episode.</p><p>In departing, an enthused Jenny tells the Doctor of some maintenance she'd taken care of on the TARDIS and the Doctor is amused and impresssed... until Rory's words from earlier about how he makes people more dangerous comes to mind, making him muse on the thought of when Jenny might be driven to be too dangerous...</p><p>Next comes <a href="https://madcapsrealm.blogspot.com/2023/04/from-madcaps-couch-doctor-who-amys.html"><i>Amy's Choice</i></a>, which still has the same issues brewing as the broadcast episode. The four members of the TARDIS crew find themselves shifting between the TARDIS interior and Leadworth years in the future, all by the power of the Dream Lord. The Dream Lord, who seems to hold a particular contempt not only for the Doctor, but for Jenny as well. Instead of just Rory's first death <strike>of many</strike> in Leadworth, we get Jenny's death as she gets dissolved in acid trying to save Amy and the Doctor. Both deciding that they don't want to live in a world without their future husband and daughter, respectively, the Doctor and Amy break free from the Leadworth dream... and then the Doctor frees them all from the influence of the psychic pollen.</p><p></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiEfe2Qor8AZaFAYjl2KU8mKHnQR9ll6Yd0hNjesXeLLRvn7AvQ84XuAVZyTr7Vtw5L7PQT10CY1xCIcuxxncGC0IkpRaEOWrSweqlDCHwYgI6TCN6wsVbkBWArylKpVjEi0FStBNXrxDbcjWaXUR1QufBKwXDw60kvndxPlHstXx-ev0RgMhAn_jguGI92/s512/The_Doctor%2527s_Daughter.webp" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="288" data-original-width="512" height="225" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiEfe2Qor8AZaFAYjl2KU8mKHnQR9ll6Yd0hNjesXeLLRvn7AvQ84XuAVZyTr7Vtw5L7PQT10CY1xCIcuxxncGC0IkpRaEOWrSweqlDCHwYgI6TCN6wsVbkBWArylKpVjEi0FStBNXrxDbcjWaXUR1QufBKwXDw60kvndxPlHstXx-ev0RgMhAn_jguGI92/w400-h225/The_Doctor%2527s_Daughter.webp" width="400" /></a></div><br />Happy reunions all around and, when the Doctor sees the Dream Lord in the reflection of the glass on the TARDIS consoles... Jenny sees him as well, just for a second, she and her father sharing a meaningful look.<p></p><p><a href="https://madcapsrealm.blogspot.com/2023/06/from-madcaps-couch-doctor-who-hungry.html"><i>The Hungry Earth</i></a> comes next and we can pretty much go as was broadcast. Jenny would travel with Rory for the first bit, following Ambrose and Eliot about during that time leading into them learning about Amy's disappearance. When Eliot is later found to be out getting his headphones, Jenny is the one who goes out after him and fights off the Silurian. Tony still takes the tongue to the neck, however. When Jenny gives her father a description of it, the Doctor confirms it with the infrared specs and he, Jenny, and Rory trap it.<br /></p><p>From there, things go as broadcast up to the Doctor and Nasreen heading down in the TARDIS to confront the Silurians. Jenny remains on the surface (the Doctor telling her pointedly that he remembered to lock up the back door this time) and is there for Alaya's ranting and raving about how the war between the humans and Silurians is nigh. Jenny's response?</p><p>"Not on my watch."</p><p>She draws upon her <a href="https://madcapsrealm.blogspot.com/2021/06/from-madcaps-couch-doctors-daughter.html">own origin</a> and channels her father in a speech, trying to encourage Ambrose and Tony to be people that never would. Rory tells her that her father would be very proud of her to see her do this. This, however, makes it even worse when Ambrose decides to pull an Ambrose and kills Alaya anyway in the next episode...</p><p><a href="https://madcapsrealm.blogspot.com/2023/07/from-madcaps-couch-doctor-who-cold-blood.html"><i>Cold Blood</i></a> follows on from this, where the aforementioned terrible event occurs. Rory is unable to save Alaya and she dies.<br /></p><p>We get a set up of Restac as a sort of dark mirror to Jenny, both raised to be warriors but one having seen a better way. While Jenny tries to reach out and save her from that path, it becomes clear that Restac has no interest in learning anything from "stupid apes".</p><p>Apart from that, the episode goes more or less as broadcast. The Silurians have their domestic strife, Eldane sets up the gas that will put the entire city into sleep for a millennia, and Restac trying to kill Rory. Rory is consumed by the Crack in Time and Amy, tearfully, is pulled into the TARDIS by the Doctor. Jenny, terrified, follows as the Doctor locks the doors and gets them back up to the surface. Amy soon enough forgets Rory... and later sees just herself waving from the horizon.</p><p>When Jenny confronts him later, she brings up Donna, which clearly is still a very understandably sore spot for the Doctor.</p><p>JENNY: So she'll just forget him, then? Is that what people have to do? Like you forgot Donna?</p><p>DOCTOR: ...</p><p>JENNY: Dad, say something! Please!</p><p>DOCTOR: I didn't forget.</p><p>JENNY: What?</p><p>DOCTOR: I don't forget, Jenny. I remember all of them. All their faces, all their names, all their stories. I remember it, because sometimes... they don't.</p><p>He also shows her the fragment of the TARDIS he pulled from the Crack. When she asks him what it means, the Doctor has no answer for her.</p><p><i><a href="https://madcapsrealm.blogspot.com/2023/07/from-madcaps-couch-doctor-who-vincent.html">Vincent and the Doctor</a> </i>goes off more or less without a hitch. Not really anything to change there, although Jenny would no doubt get a few knowing looks exchanged with her father in the scene where Vincent points out that Amy is crying and doesn't know why.<br /></p><p></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhCYS3VvXp1_skq4xPHQVlgjJn3ZNSNYLjmAufLaeDtw_FiTymtM9e-fok6g6zGCEQsuRYtAEtbECtsVJ0XkWmfotEMo96AZInaFfiUeeBt86bbhNeTg2URJuLI0CfW4BUDphztphTnyJw6zZvFLkKOeYx7zgEKWuB2qhQe5f5sAETgykrLtrqHnufRfO-f/s1200/p01gr2bc.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="675" data-original-width="1200" height="225" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhCYS3VvXp1_skq4xPHQVlgjJn3ZNSNYLjmAufLaeDtw_FiTymtM9e-fok6g6zGCEQsuRYtAEtbECtsVJ0XkWmfotEMo96AZInaFfiUeeBt86bbhNeTg2URJuLI0CfW4BUDphztphTnyJw6zZvFLkKOeYx7zgEKWuB2qhQe5f5sAETgykrLtrqHnufRfO-f/w400-h225/p01gr2bc.jpg" width="400" /></a></div><br />Likewise <a href="https://madcapsrealm.blogspot.com/2023/07/from-madcaps-couch-doctor-who-lodger.html"><i>The Lodger</i></a> would not be any different. I see Jenny being stuck on the TARDIS with Amy, and thus being out of most of the events of the episode as she attempts to help her fellow companion get the TARDIS back to where it's supposed to be.<p></p><p><a href="https://madcapsrealm.blogspot.com/2023/07/from-madcaps-couch-doctor-who-pandorica.html"><i>The Pandorica Opens</i></a> is where we'll see some changes again. The Doctor, Amy, and Jenny follow the coordinates left by River on a cliffside on the oldest planet in the universe, and arrive in what is seemingly Britain during the Roman occupation. The Centurions mistake the Doctor for Caesar and Jenny for his daughter Julia and they are brought before "Cleopatra" - River. When River shows them the Van Gogh painting, Jenny immediately brings up the TARDIS fragment that her father pulled from the Crack in Wales. While the Doctor insists that the Pandorica is a fairy tale, he's visibly worried about the implications of such a painting.<br /></p><p>They discover the Pandorica and Jenny is the first one to realize that Rory is very much alive. The reunion is short-lived, however, as basically all of the Doctor's enemies descend on Stonehenge. Jenny is not there to witness her father's badass monologue, instead going with River back to the TARDIS.</p><p>Things go mostly as broadcast for the Doctor, Rory, and Amy. River and Jenny find the TARDIS behaving strangely and they find themselves back at Amy's house in 2010, both terrified about what it all means and knowing that things have gone wrong... and they're about to get much, much worse.</p><p><a href="https://madcapsrealm.blogspot.com/2023/08/from-madcaps-couch-doctor-who-big-bang.html"><i>The Big Bang</i></a> goes off up to the point where the Doctor saves River and Jenny from within the exploding TARDIS, him musing on the fact that the TARDIS' instinct was to not only provide light and heat for the Earth, but also to protect Jenny and River. She freaks out at the appearance of the dying Doctor and later cries out for blood when the Stone Dalek kills her father. River grabs Jenny's arm, whispering something into her ear that gets her to go with Amy and Rory. The three find that the Doctor has disappeared and River arrives after dealing with the Dalek to reiterate Rule #1: The Doctor lies.<br /></p><p>The Doctor plans to fly the Pandorica into the heart of the explosion, which should reset everything back to the way it was: Big Bang 2. When she learns that he'll be erased from existence, Jenny is more than reluctant - not just for her own existence, but his. However, the Doctor reminds her that she's a Time Lord... and she was born from a complicated space-time event. River promises the Doctor and she'll look after Jenny and he bids his goodbye, flying away in the Pandorica with that one last "Geronimo!".</p><p>When the universe resets, Jenny finds herself in a familiar place - Leadworth. Confused and disoriented, she rises to a familiar voice.</p><p>RIVER: Hello, sweetie!</p><p>JENNY: Did... did it happen? Is it...?</p><p>RIVER: Yes. It's done. </p><p>JENNY: My Dad's gone.</p><p>RIVER: Yes, that's right. Now we have to do our part.</p><p>JENNY: Our part? What... w-what do you mean?</p><p>RIVER: Can't you hear the bells? We've got a wedding to get to.</p><p></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj9BOdRI1WS_JWN1Pvz1TX8SAPNBazgmhtuEYSif8JR5Wq_gw096JvJwvUVlkcBINSkDaTU90aotSsFMWT6TiIgElKVeEqFnJtptOJ53kJ96JZInqF3IwELPNllbOp1TFkekmtLXXUXYcYKnGW1XaHX7JPyZL-2l4hM8yOfE-ildjiCQ_PKehGkTdflfgwW/s275/download.jpeg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="183" data-original-width="275" height="266" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj9BOdRI1WS_JWN1Pvz1TX8SAPNBazgmhtuEYSif8JR5Wq_gw096JvJwvUVlkcBINSkDaTU90aotSsFMWT6TiIgElKVeEqFnJtptOJ53kJ96JZInqF3IwELPNllbOp1TFkekmtLXXUXYcYKnGW1XaHX7JPyZL-2l4hM8yOfE-ildjiCQ_PKehGkTdflfgwW/w400-h266/download.jpeg" width="400" /></a></div><br />She hands Jenny a light blue dress and the two share a smile as Jenny realizes what she means.<p></p><p>We finally reach that heartwarming moment where all the things swirling around in Amy's head finally come into focus. Seeing River and Jenny in the window, as well as the blank version of River's diary, she's able to remember and brings the Doctor and the TARDIS back. Cue the happy ending for all parties involved. After questioning what the Silence is and if it will return, the Doctor and Jenny take Amy and Rory off for the honeymoon to end all honeymoons, capping off this universe's version of Series 5.</p><p>What's next for the intrepid TARDIS crew? Something a little more off-script, more than likely, but we'll see how that goes when we get there. Next time, we're going to be looking into a branching timeline from a <i>different</i> universe... namely, that of <i>Supernatural</i>. When we last left the timeline branching off from <a href="https://madcapsrealm.blogspot.com/2023/01/from-madcaps-couch-supernatural-mystery.html"><i>Mystery Spot</i></a>, Lucifer's on the rise and Team Reset has its work cut out for it. Will they succeed in stopping the Apocalypse and resetting the timeline? The only way to find out is to tune in next week.</p><p>Be there!</p>MadCapMunchkinhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05885944836313859245noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7221258980660442179.post-57294932905870949992023-11-27T03:00:00.078-05:002023-11-27T03:00:00.134-05:00MadCap's Reel Thoughts - "Bad Words" (2013)<p></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiy9LvlmF0HoxSTxfrvqQao7OjxUcrD-BMKrPkP2KuxWII9dqlgA1CaERWTYPvMTN4XyL48zCWoX9Yh72HRmSNXsyLu26OHMcV9bMBBdEqk9_YYZ7Pcr2kSU7h615eqJkmgnEJQmF4jpAIb_FXdxeHxBSrsyn3XJ8Tfw5FtgahWCtoNT-lmIZZGgBXEoQQ2/s2100/9ZOz1GTFsrfGZNziZHupOvqUdub.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="2100" data-original-width="1400" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiy9LvlmF0HoxSTxfrvqQao7OjxUcrD-BMKrPkP2KuxWII9dqlgA1CaERWTYPvMTN4XyL48zCWoX9Yh72HRmSNXsyLu26OHMcV9bMBBdEqk9_YYZ7Pcr2kSU7h615eqJkmgnEJQmF4jpAIb_FXdxeHxBSrsyn3XJ8Tfw5FtgahWCtoNT-lmIZZGgBXEoQQ2/w266-h400/9ZOz1GTFsrfGZNziZHupOvqUdub.jpg" width="266" /></a></div><br />Comedy is a rather subjective thing on the whole. What is funny can mean different things to different people. Sometimes, comedies are about a happy go lucky fella standing up against impossible odds through shenanigans and things turn out alright in the end.<p></p><p><i>Bad Words</i> is not that movie.</p><p>Because <i>Bad Words</i> is hilarious in a very, very different way. Very much in the dark and twisted way.<span></span></p><a name='more'></a><p></p><p>Guy Trilby (Jason Bateman) is forty year old asshole with no high school diploma and the biggest of all chips on his shoulder. With the help of reporter Jenny Widgeon (Kathryn Hahn), Guy has exploited a loophole in the "Golden Quill Spelling Bee" rules in order to join it... in spite of the fact that every other competitor is no older than ten. Why would he do such a thing? Well, despite Jenny's continued insistence, Guy is tight-lipped about the entire thing as he shoots up the standings to get to the national bee. Unwillingly befriended by a young Indian boy Chaitanya (Rohan Chand), nothing will get in Guy's way... and he'll willing to go to some frankly horrifically humorous lengths to achieve his ends.</p><p>I'll go ahead and tell you - this is not a film for your children. It is raunchy, rude, and unapologetic about it and takes it up to eleven... and then goes right past it. Several times. This <i>after</i> Bateman reportedly did edits where the script went "a little too far". This film, for the record, includes Guy doing things like - using a ketchup packet to fake a girl's first period or hiring a prostitute to flash the aforementioned Chaitanya. I am absolutely giddy thinking about what went "a little too far", as that is just two of the things that I could mention that happen in this film.</p><p>Now, from the previous descriptions of his acts, you may think that Guy is a completely irredeemable piece of human garbage. You would be correct. However, he's a <i>funny</i> completely irredeemable piece of human garbage who is never by the film made out to be a good person or anything but the protagonist in a very, very loose sense. He's awful, and we're <i>supposed</i> to think that he's awful. The film never tries to paint him in a positive light or try to sugarcoat any of his attitudes or methods. It honestly just makes it even funnier, as we watch this guy seemingly-haphazardly coast through everything he does while showing off a surprising amount of intellect and drive. He also draws the worst out of others, which leads them to committing acts that are almost as bad.</p><p>It's also helped by how Jason Bateman does a weirdly detached, yet somehow immensely energetic performance for the character that balances well with Chand's upbeat and wide-eyed young genius character. Also, Hahn and Bateman have a surprising amount of chemistry for two people who have two scenes of very graphic hate sex.</p><p>...nope, not joking about that, either.</p><p>It's honestly a great black comedy on the whole, but it's definitely something you'll need to be in the mood for or at the very least have a twisted sense of humor. It's not for everyone, but it's a pretty solid film that I have to say I very much enjoyed. Okay, that's not entirely fair. I was howling with laughter through most of it, but I'm admittedly someone with a ever-so-slightly twisted sense of humor.</p><p><i>Bad Words was brought to us by Darko Entertainment, Aggregate Films, MXN Entertainment, and Focus Features</i>.</p>MadCapMunchkinhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05885944836313859245noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7221258980660442179.post-70494399159859721052023-10-31T00:00:00.362-04:002023-10-31T00:00:00.150-04:00From MadCap's Couch - Kindred: The Embraced: "The Original Saga"<p></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiRApd4LpkQxxEkIbxfupM8qUlYgibA9erX_0WU_lwlaE2acVUU-F4FlVSKW6ZII0YJ6SxpaOlGUEzEL6QZjcLl--6aaTZ0yFh1DBzNCCsVUvj7DrCVdhaX5RUE8M8u_BoqZgt8NXhZJRUwiRC5HY3zys0J0Y4Am8OzatBR6eZFrm-I_osSmeYfXdNCatnu/s400/kindred-the-embraced-complete-series-banner.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="300" data-original-width="400" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiRApd4LpkQxxEkIbxfupM8qUlYgibA9erX_0WU_lwlaE2acVUU-F4FlVSKW6ZII0YJ6SxpaOlGUEzEL6QZjcLl--6aaTZ0yFh1DBzNCCsVUvj7DrCVdhaX5RUE8M8u_BoqZgt8NXhZJRUwiRC5HY3zys0J0Y4Am8OzatBR6eZFrm-I_osSmeYfXdNCatnu/w400-h300/kindred-the-embraced-complete-series-banner.jpg" width="400" /></a></div><br />Alrighty! New series! Don't worry, I highly doubt I'll be touching on this particular one at any time <i>other</i> than October, so it won't be getting in the way of the regular series reviews like <i>Doctor Who</i>, <i>Supernatural</i>, or <i>Sliders. </i>Plus, with only eight episodes of this series existing, this won't take long.<span><a name='more'></a></span><p></p><p>So, <i>Vampire: The Masquerade</i> had a TV series! Who knew? I did, actually, but hadn't really gotten around to it watching it beyond a few clips and giving Sybil Langtry her last name because of this show. I knew of it by reputation, of course, being that it was from the mid 90s and is something that is controversial at best to fans of the table top game due to the many, many, many, many, many, many, many, many, <i>many</i> breaks it makes with the lore even in the eight short episodes that it has.</p><p>Given my own <a href="https://madcapsrealm.blogspot.com/search/label/Seattle%20by%20Night">breaks from White Wolf's labyrinthine canon</a>, I would be rather foolish to judge the show based on that. I will point out inconsistencies between the show and the game, but I will judge the show based on its own merits. Apart from that, I am going into this show completely blind and with no expectations for what I will see going forward. So, if I don't mention something or I skim over something, I apologize ahead of time. Not just to the White Wolf purists who are know who are out there, but also to the fans of this show - yes, it has fans - who may not be all that pleased with my decisions regarding popular characters and certain plot developments.</p><p>If you have any problems with this, I invite you to send me a message <a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xvFZjo5PgG0">here</a>.</p><p>With <i>all</i> of that out of the way, let's get into <i>The Original Saga</i>. Said saga begins with an opening credits sequence involving the Golden Gate bridge and really unsettling chanting-esque theremin music, so points there. Our focus is drawn to three men running across a rooftop at what is clearly the middle of morning at the absolute latest. Keep this in mind, as it is a recurring problem throughout the entire show. Two cops, Detectives Frank Kohanek (C. Thomas Howell) and Doakes from <i>Dexter</i>, are following a lead about a supposed mobster named Julian Luna (Mark Frankel). More specifically, his bodyguard Stevie Ray (not htat one) who is being chased by one of the other two men on the roof. One of the men, Eddie Fiori (Brian Thompson), impales the man through his chest with an antenna before he and his partner leap off the roof much to the confusion of Frank and Doakes - who is actually one Sonny Toussaint (Erik King).</p><p></p><table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: right;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgKmpSPH0Ol5u6tjoiJE1UJTAG4IdTzpYijs9gedkimxbn5thEpOWEnk3YLv-rXnEJBfp_GtxL-SJGqo5lBdvZmXcCq9H2Xc4g5xAKtqF4LvqbLWcvLJWgmfALk6HuUZ-3EMona8WawTnKPHOE0sTK65QPsi56J_N8zOVF4rLuIg1vWneNsU0_23dBELWPD/s400/Kindred_-_The_Original_Saga_001.webp" style="clear: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="290" data-original-width="400" height="290" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgKmpSPH0Ol5u6tjoiJE1UJTAG4IdTzpYijs9gedkimxbn5thEpOWEnk3YLv-rXnEJBfp_GtxL-SJGqo5lBdvZmXcCq9H2Xc4g5xAKtqF4LvqbLWcvLJWgmfALk6HuUZ-3EMona8WawTnKPHOE0sTK65QPsi56J_N8zOVF4rLuIg1vWneNsU0_23dBELWPD/w400-h290/Kindred_-_The_Original_Saga_001.webp" width="400" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">"Mmm... those muffins smell like they're almost done..."</td></tr></tbody></table><br />The bodyguard, meanwhile, bursts into flame after telling the detectives to tell "his Prince" that "I told them nothing, I gave them nothing." The autopsy that follows reveals what can only be a case of spontaneous combustion, as no accelerant for a fire was found at the scene of the crime. Sonny tries to convince Frank to let the case of Julian Luna go, but he refuses.<p></p><p>Julian Luna, meanwhile, is absolutely distraught of the death of Stevie Ray and cries out for vengeance. However, his sire and advisor Raine (Patrick Bauchau) advises him to handle the matter of getting Stevie's body before he can be properly examined and thus reveal their nature to the world.</p><p>That night, Frank goes out on a date with his girlfriend Alexandra (Kate Vernon), who it seems has some knowledge of and connections to Julian in some way we aren't yet made privy to. She insists that he doesn't know how powerful Julian really is, but Frank is adamant that he's on the right path. Frank, despite being a hardened gumshoe detective, hasn't worked out that his girlfriend is a vampire despite some very obvious signs like she's ice cold, she's always pale, and she orders her steak very, very rare.</p><p>There's also a bit of a lesbianism tease at one point, because it's the 90s and bi vampires are hot.</p><p>Julian heads out to handle some business and we cut back to Frank and Alexandra, where it's clear that Alexandra is using Frank in order to feel human again. They seem about to bang when Frank gets a beep on his pager - because it's the 90s - and he heads off to follow his lead. Julian meets up with Lillie (Stacy Haiduk), the primogen of Clan Toreador and some members of Clan Gangrel such as Cash (Channon Roe), who were sired by him and seek vengeance for his death.</p><p>The Gangrel also rightly point out that Julian is out of touch with things going on on the streets, and Julian decides to bring Cash into his organization as a Gangrel he can trust. The Brujah, headed by Eddie, launch a drive-by that - besides tearing apart an intricately designed set - seems to not actually do any damage. Frank and Sonny arrive in the aftermath, Frank and Julian squaring off to no real effect between Frank being unable to make anything stick to the man and Julian just... not caring.</p><p>Later, at his home, Julian journeys down into his basement and encounters Daedalus (Jeff Kober), the head of Clan Nosferatu... which, in <i>Kindred</i>, translates to a bald cap and weird ears. Like many things, we'll be getting back to that later. Julian sends Daedalus to get Eddie to come to the table to talk and sets him to go and retrieve Stevie Ray's body from the San Francisco morgue.</p><p>They also share a bit of wine, which is... odd. Again, we'll be getting back to it.</p><p></p><table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: left;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEirzO3p2DtY3s0u60Xeu7QYzEWSOclp7vFDuelDn9F0tDsLQnrlGZ1QE3k7L2m-y3944i1tzkB4yvZzM9rmGK-C0zlKFM3oo4QN2ZROpX2NdnshXCvc73oII4_CC7ZNwKoNm3moVhJT9YjNap393h9S787_1iWM7H3lXVGrf-wnarrY5_O5ixxR_2rQ7VWm/s400/Kindred_-_The_Original_Saga_002.webp" style="clear: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="300" data-original-width="400" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEirzO3p2DtY3s0u60Xeu7QYzEWSOclp7vFDuelDn9F0tDsLQnrlGZ1QE3k7L2m-y3944i1tzkB4yvZzM9rmGK-C0zlKFM3oo4QN2ZROpX2NdnshXCvc73oII4_CC7ZNwKoNm3moVhJT9YjNap393h9S787_1iWM7H3lXVGrf-wnarrY5_O5ixxR_2rQ7VWm/w400-h300/Kindred_-_The_Original_Saga_002.webp" width="400" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">"...are you gonna eat that?"</td></tr></tbody></table><br />Frank speaks over the phone to the coroner, who is able to determine that it <i>is</i> Stevie Ray that he's autopsied... but something is horribly wrong with his internal organs, they're all significantly older than they should be. Frank tells the coroner he'll be down there shortly, but Daedalus gets to the man first and has him cut open the veins on his arm so he can take a drink. When Frank arrives, he finds the coroner dying on the slab and the body of Stevie Ray nowhere to be found.<p></p><p>A little bit of intimate time between Julian and Lillie gets ruined by some news that Raine delivers - Julian's last grandchild from his mortal lineage has passed away of old age, something that very deeply effects him. As he's leaving to somewhere else, Julian briefly meets with Alexandra, who tries to make a bargain for Frank's life. She promises to leave San Francisco with Frank, but Julian ultimately refuses. He rightly brings up that Frank is a cop and taking that away from him would e taking away part of his humanity, but Alexandra simply says it's vengeance against her for their relationship going bad.</p><p>After this, Julian visits the grave of his mortal wife and speaks to her about the death of their last grandchild in a rather touching scene that gets ruined a little by the effect when Julian melds with the earth at her tombstone.</p><p>Later on, Julian gives a eulogy for his grandchild - under the guise of "that uncle from the city who never gets older" - that is all meaningful and touching... and gets shattered with the arrival of the rude, crude, and disturbingly hot biker chick Sasha (Brigid Brannagh), Julian's great granddaughter. Despite scandalizing the family by downing the wine and giving her dead grandfather a quick peck, Julian is quietly amused and even praises her for the act.</p><p>Back in the illusion of domestic bliss, Alexandra mentions Frank's ex-wife (who committed suicide by jumping out of a window) and causes him to cut himself shaving. Alexandra licks the wound to seal it and Frank, for some reason, is just mystified rather than utterly confused given that he was looking into a big ass mirror and saw the wound not seconds before. It really contributes to one of the problems of this as a pilot - namely that they're inconsistent on what Frank does or doesn't know and what he can rationalize. More on that later.</p><p>Julian seeks advice from Raine, the former Prince, concerning current events. Raine reaffirms that he chose Julian for good reason.</p><p>Alexandra and Frank talk in the garden outside of what is presumably her home, her mentioning that the pair of them coming here helps to keep the roses red and lush. She spies one of Julian's men outside and later brings the unconscious... man?... back to Julian's doorstep, leaving with a warning that she will not be ruled by any man or Prince.</p><p>Lillie meets with Eddie, where she and Eddie plot concerning the future direction of the city.</p><p>The Clan heads meet, Julian demanding to know who murdered Stevie Ray and using the lawyer trick of asking questions he already has the answers to. It seems that the table is turning toward Eddie when Daedalus arrives with the body of Stevie Ray and declares Clan Nosferatu's loyalty to their prince. The Masquerade, in that instance, is saved. However, it seems that Alexandra is considered as having broken the Masquerade and the punishment for that is Final Death. Julian declares a Blood Hunt on her, which seems to get the others back onto his side.</p><p></p><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhEijfWbHVcDjLyM3rtoi2nNkGdPGg-qYxVoo19WOxpIVNGMWb3Ckzep4heSmtIgAe7izG9g6PQkJ-k6O2105tMMx7lnwSgPAW1wJOIYKXO0bL184anorL5JruSSKBynNqTmkohnDwuhq78LgwreSNznrWw78ax83pqRGm-g89Ia-nOKyU6qZqtQRzT4PkI/s720/Mark%20Frankel.jpg" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="536" data-original-width="720" height="297" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhEijfWbHVcDjLyM3rtoi2nNkGdPGg-qYxVoo19WOxpIVNGMWb3Ckzep4heSmtIgAe7izG9g6PQkJ-k6O2105tMMx7lnwSgPAW1wJOIYKXO0bL184anorL5JruSSKBynNqTmkohnDwuhq78LgwreSNznrWw78ax83pqRGm-g89Ia-nOKyU6qZqtQRzT4PkI/w400-h297/Mark%20Frankel.jpg" width="400" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Mark Frankel does pretty well with the material given. Ima just say that now.</td></tr></tbody></table><br />Alexandra tries to break things off with Frank, but he isn't having any of that. After the two sleep together, he suddenly realizes that he can't feel her heartbeat... and <i>now</i>, only now, does Alexandra finally relent and explain who and what she is. She explains that she was born in 1876, her father having come out to California during the Gold Rush. She is a vampire, who lives by drinking the blood of the living and thus can imitate them to a certain extent - even to the point of walking in the sunlight for a short time.<p></p><p>Frank becomes sickened after drinking some of Alexandra's blood... again, we'll get back to it. And after flushing his face with water, Frank hears Alexandra asking him to forgive her... and then he finds a wolf on his bed in her place. The creature flees into the night.</p><p>Getting back together with Sonny, Frank is on a warpath after finding out the shotgun shells used in the drive-by were phosphorous rounds and Sonny thinks he's crazy with his talk of vampires. After he asks to be let out, Frank drops Sonny off and Sonny tells him to call him when he gets his mind back on straight.</p><p>Finding Alexandra outside his home, Julian consoles her but demands to know why she would do this any of this. She was seeking to be consumed by love, love for and from a man who truly needs her. She ends up begging Julian once more to spare Frank, and he agrees. She leaves behind a pendant that Julian once gave her, and Julian weeps blood as he whispers that he needed her, too.</p><p>Julian and Lillie have a complicated moment where it becomes clear that Julian never completely got over Alexandra and that he gets no pleasure in what must be done involving her and the Final Death.</p><p>Alexandra, meanwhile, flees several vampires out for her blood only to end up in a cab driven by Daedalus. He slashes her throat and brings her off to the San Francisco Bay in the <i>very, very, very obvious daylight</i>. Laying her body out on the ground, he whispers to her that water is her sanctuary before leaving her there. She makes her way to the observation area and Frank has been contacted by the same creepy voiced man who tipped him off about Stevie Ray in the first place and rushes to her... finding her just as she bursts into flame in the sunlight and falls into the Bay while he screams her name in protest.</p><p>...whether or not she's actually dead is another matter, but never mind.</p><p></p><table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: left;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj1R-5rSTIXYGeJvQ1e0lwX9zVpZhrmAx_es7r_rFZ6Y0Q7DFhcqNsCGwIYqpIdvUWx3oaNxGmk6KswI6eIINZ84uDOfe3Uu7oidXukpPHUolHaIJT_zX020Wd32sUMg7rgAlt-Cf9yeGVH2g_mCEa-j91AAqpbBBA7mIhBG77RmdF5E3jcKGPYFfiZonJc/s640/kindred_rooftop.jpg" style="clear: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="480" data-original-width="640" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj1R-5rSTIXYGeJvQ1e0lwX9zVpZhrmAx_es7r_rFZ6Y0Q7DFhcqNsCGwIYqpIdvUWx3oaNxGmk6KswI6eIINZ84uDOfe3Uu7oidXukpPHUolHaIJT_zX020Wd32sUMg7rgAlt-Cf9yeGVH2g_mCEa-j91AAqpbBBA7mIhBG77RmdF5E3jcKGPYFfiZonJc/w400-h300/kindred_rooftop.jpg" width="400" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">"Glowing eyes, motherfucker!"</td></tr></tbody></table><br />At his home, Frank receives a call from a dispatcher, apparently not having answered his pager - the creepy voiced individual expresses his condolences and explains to Frank that he is Kindred and that he's looking to take out other Kindred... and we learn when he hangs up that Sonny is the Kindred in question! Working with Eddie, it seems that Sonny wants vengeance against Julian for siring him which Eddie is just too happy to give him. <p></p><p>Sonny had mentioned to Frank during that last conversation that he'd find Julian "among her dead roses", and so Frank returns to Alexandra's home to find a mourning Julian there. The Prince attempts to make peace, warning Frank to stay away from it. Frank responds by shooting Julian not once but multiple times to very little avail. He declares that he's going expose Julian for what he is and take his life like he did Alexandra's. When Julian leaves after declaring that he is the law, Frank finds Alexandra's locket on the ground.</p><p>Julian, returning home, looks out over the Golden Gate Bridge stoically... and we come to the end credits.</p><p>...well, that was a bit of a slog.</p><p>Setting aside the adaptation (or lack thereof) that the show is, looking at it from the basis of a product of its own: the show is cops vs. mobsters with the supernatural sprayed in generous heaps over it. Honestly, if you take out the vampire bits, it's not <i>bad</i> for that... but the episode is still pretty bloated even without that. Now, this is a problem with a lot of television pilots - you have to introduce the characters, their dynamics, and what is essentially a sample for the series to be within a good hour or so. However, it is <i>how</i> that is all delivered that makes it work.</p><p>The focus here should have been more on Frank and him discovering the world of the Kindred... and it's really not. Granted, Julian having time to shine works well and we do well by seeing some of his part of the world, but we switch perspectives far too often and so there's nothing really to intrigue or surprise us going forward.</p><p>If I were to rewrite this one, I'd either have A) the focus and our perspective as the audience kept <i>entirely</i> on Frank and following him as he goes through the police procedural clichés in order to learn the truth about the world around him. Or, B) do the diametrically opposing story lines with the focus being on Frank and Julian, with Alexandra being the link between the two.</p><p>That's what they were <i>trying</i> to do with <i>The Original Saga</i>, but it quickly gets bogged down by... <i>everything</i> around it.</p><p>With that settled, there's all of the changes that they made from the original source material for one reason or another. Some of these are for budgetary reasons, such as the monster prosthetic for the Nosferatu potentially being very expensive or the costs for night shoots in San Francisco being astronomical, but then there are just so many things that make absolutely no sense. For example - insisting that it's "just before dawn" when it's clearly the middle of the day, or mixing up the Disciplines that vampires can use. </p><p>Even the clans are mixed up in some cases from how they are in the game, such as the Brujah no longer being the <i>Lost Boys-</i>esque rebels, but being essentially the Ventrue but being overall grumpier, more brutish, and power hungry. The Gangrel, who are more animalistic and wild... basically end up becoming what the Brujah are in the games, at least in terms of aesthetics. Having a super rebellious faction going around trying to bring down The Man<span face="sans-serif" style="background-color: #fdfdfd; color: #202122; font-size: 14px;">™ </span>isn't really what you need when trying to run a mafioso story, so they end up becoming yet another Clan that falls into line with the status quo.</p><p>Needless to say, <i>The Original Saga</i> is not the most auspicious start to the series. Will it get better as it goes along? We'll have to wait until next October to look into the next chapter.</p><p>For now, it is Halloween... and I think it's time to enjoy the spooky before the morning sun comes to vanquish the horrible night. Horror Month 2023 is almost over, my readers! But... remember:</p><p>The dark side is always there, waiting for us to enter - waiting to enter<i> us</i>.</p><p>Until next time...<i>try</i> to enjoy the daylight...</p><p>Happy Halloween!</p>MadCapMunchkinhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05885944836313859245noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7221258980660442179.post-8448983486168832912023-10-30T00:00:00.218-04:002023-10-30T00:00:00.143-04:00MadCap's Reel Thoughts - "Halloween Kills" (2021)<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjjNwvSplNWxUqR0OA7et5_MTBMNAJ-0Vk-D7udChM3tYECJlEid-G2LyXFckM_fBJ_N77SqJzS3g1lKEFqIKrp3EfEkALDkBHhs4QzFoWstl4D71zbTcaW2jE66YfJqLxOK3E05nl-2ot0nCfXk9ihrldG2D23Clk2x9fa3qo32AWfhGBiB9N-TtJ3DLVl/s1000/81Hwl-5-B9S._AC_UF894,1000_QL80_.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1000" data-original-width="670" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjjNwvSplNWxUqR0OA7et5_MTBMNAJ-0Vk-D7udChM3tYECJlEid-G2LyXFckM_fBJ_N77SqJzS3g1lKEFqIKrp3EfEkALDkBHhs4QzFoWstl4D71zbTcaW2jE66YfJqLxOK3E05nl-2ot0nCfXk9ihrldG2D23Clk2x9fa3qo32AWfhGBiB9N-TtJ3DLVl/w268-h400/81Hwl-5-B9S._AC_UF894,1000_QL80_.jpg" width="268" /></a></div><br />Alright, so we've come to it at last. Is this going to be the glorious middle part of a trilogy like <i>The Empire Strikes Back</i> or is it going to be a horrible, horrible mistake like... y'know what? It's 2023 and I'm not beating <i>that</i> particular dead horse any more dead than it already is. Let's just get into it.<span><a name='more'></a></span><div><br /></div><div>We begin where we left off <a href="https://madcapsrealm.blogspot.com/2022/10/madcaps-reel-thoughts-halloween-2018.html">last year</a>. Actually, we don't. Laurie's (Jamie Lee Curtis) granddaughter's (Andi Matichak) ex-boyfriend finds the guy who drunkenly tried to coerce her into sex having been impaled through a fence and Deputy Hawkins (Will Patton) still alive and having a flashback to Halloween night 1978... where a younger him was apparently pursuing Michael Myers... a night that sits firmly in his mind and affirms his modern affirmation that he must kill Michael.</div><div><br /></div><div>A brief note here before continuing the plot summary: We get a few links to the past, much like we did in the 2018 film. Here, they're... way more overt and obvious, sad to say. The recreations of Haddonfield in 1978 are good, of course and go through a lot of detail (they even got the original Myers House right in most of the details from the '78 movie), but it shows how little there is actually going on in the modern era... and what does go on is... anywhere between intense and frankly very odd. One last note about the 1970s scenes - the recreation of Donald Pleasance as Loomis was not only masterfully done, but only done with makeup rather than with CGI. Well done indeed!</div><div><br /></div><div>Anyway, Frank had an opportunity to kill Michael Myers that night, but wasn't able to finish the job. The cops captured Michael after he murdered one additional victim that night, bringing his body count up to seven for Halloween 1978 in this continuity. But hey, at least Ben Tramer is still alive!</div><div><br /></div><div><table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: right;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjLKBlYPoHzJE9S-WeKF5yDmNIn36aKJhPxOKUXIIQDnBJ3N0YkH7clUr9BjZ_NbtGuEXK-vBeRa91pdVFghQv_LdhIipSmtY_3htiGYUazcuXJKZqLlX5VqFlYnDjm5kjOZayPLX-7JD46JW_x6dK_eLKoC7trqIzpUyHduFY5k9HNVb2Q9gLNeas8AikY/s3789/MV5BNDU2MWEwZjEtMDQxMC00OTUzLWI3NDYtZjJkM2YxZGMwODE0XkEyXkFqcGdeQXNuZXNodQ@@._V1_.jpg" style="clear: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="2131" data-original-width="3789" height="225" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjLKBlYPoHzJE9S-WeKF5yDmNIn36aKJhPxOKUXIIQDnBJ3N0YkH7clUr9BjZ_NbtGuEXK-vBeRa91pdVFghQv_LdhIipSmtY_3htiGYUazcuXJKZqLlX5VqFlYnDjm5kjOZayPLX-7JD46JW_x6dK_eLKoC7trqIzpUyHduFY5k9HNVb2Q9gLNeas8AikY/w400-h225/MV5BNDU2MWEwZjEtMDQxMC00OTUzLWI3NDYtZjJkM2YxZGMwODE0XkEyXkFqcGdeQXNuZXNodQ@@._V1_.jpg" width="400" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">"I don't know what happened! All I did was pour a bowl of cereal!"</td></tr></tbody></table><br />Forty years later, Hawkins remains haunted as does pretty much all of Haddonfield and tonight is the night that they rectify that mistake. As is said in the film about thirty times by various characters - "Evil dies tonight!".</div><div><br /></div><div>Spoiler alert: It doesn't.</div><div><br /></div><div>Let's get this out of the way - I know this is a polarizing film in the fandom and I completely see why. The flashbacks are done very well and with great detail and love clearly given to the franchise. It is very clear that the people who made this film <i>love</i> the <i>Halloween</i> franchise... at least the '78 film. Unfortunately, that is tempered with the modern era scenes, which get repetitive really, really fast and don't really have too much of substance I'm sorry to say.</div><div><br /></div><div>The kills tend to be pretty alright and Michael <i>really</i> works on getting his total back up after the 2018 movie nerfed him back down to just who he killed in the '78 film. In the first sequence after escaping Laurie's burning cabin, Michael downs seven firefighters in rapid succession (and we later find out he killed <i>eleven</i> in total) and it's only the beginning of a frankly staggering killing spree for just one movie even in the slasher genre. So, if you're up for the kills, then <i>Halloween Kills</i> most definitely has you covered.</div><div><br /></div><div>Oh, and by the way: Michael Myers has killed Marion Chambers <i>twice</i> by the end of this movie. Spoiler alert.</div><div><br /></div><div><br />What it doesn't have is a consistent tone, which is also a problem its predecessor had in points but not <i>nearly</i> to this degree. I'm aware that Danny McBride and David Gordon Green are more famous for their comedy (although Green didn't start as a comedy director and McBride has been in several movies outside of comedy), and there are plenty of scenes here where that is showcased, such as when Michael breaks into the house of a comic relief couple... and I'm not sure whether I'm supposed to be terrified or supposed to be laughing, given the banter between the husband and wife before Michael unalives them in gratuitously gory fashion. This really needed to be toned down a <i>lot</i> and it really wasn't, so the film suffers for it.<table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: left;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh45Hu3NmQ2D1UL7_augi1j66izgPH1G1bvrvVaKuxN71X3l4WOaEnbCyD4HzjGO5TLFeRG8nI4_ryCWQwcwCH-QpoGq1mokoZHZliMCSQn64STu1xN45bzoHSp_TnbRzJAuy5wKFFe4RkqC_UJEWNZ23xrarWt4M-eJAEZQeLWC9iz57ABFtW1tJVmo_Bf/s1581/5756_D032_00242R.webp" style="clear: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1054" data-original-width="1581" height="266" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh45Hu3NmQ2D1UL7_augi1j66izgPH1G1bvrvVaKuxN71X3l4WOaEnbCyD4HzjGO5TLFeRG8nI4_ryCWQwcwCH-QpoGq1mokoZHZliMCSQn64STu1xN45bzoHSp_TnbRzJAuy5wKFFe4RkqC_UJEWNZ23xrarWt4M-eJAEZQeLWC9iz57ABFtW1tJVmo_Bf/w400-h266/5756_D032_00242R.webp" width="400" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">"Okay, so the safety word is 'Samhain'."</td></tr></tbody></table></div><div><br /></div><div>Another example is outside a bar where Tommy Doyle (Anthony Michael Hall) leads a mob to attack a vehicle that has not Michael Myers in it as they believe, but a wounded and terrified Smith's Grove patient who is severely injured by the crash that follows and barely escapes.</div><div><br /></div><div>And for three, we have a scene where a woman tries to shoot Michael and his hits her hand with a car door, forcing her to shoot herself through the face. I actually got an audible laugh out of that one, but it's also the same scene where Marion Chambers is brutally murdered and Lindsey Wallace is brutally attacked... and then later, Tommy and the others find three bodies on a playground with the masks from <i>Halloween III</i> put on them by Michael (nice touch, by the way). I'm just not sure, tone-wise, what is it I'm supposed to think.</div><div><br /></div><div>Hell, let's go four for four: we have Michael stalking a stoned gay couple that now live in the Myers house intercut with the mob mistaking Smith's Grove patient from earlier for Michael (...somehow) and eventually causing his death at their hands when he jumps out of a window to escape them. There you go, four prime examples of how absolutely schizophrenic the tone is throughout pretty much this entire movie.</div><div><br /></div><div>The film's second biggest problem is... it's adoration of the original. Now, I love the original film. Love it. I do. I <i>really</i> do, but if I wanted to watch the original movie, I'd just watch the original movie. And there is <i>way</i> too much "Yes, we've seen the original movie" in this movie. This isn't a problem specific to this movie, <a href="https://madcapsrealm.blogspot.com/2017/10/madcaps-reel-thoughts-halloween-4.html"><i>Halloween 4</i></a> was particularly guilty of this. Simply repeating or paying homage to the original film is not enough to make the movie interesting or good. The reason why I like <a href="https://madcapsrealm.blogspot.com/2018/10/madcaps-reel-thoughts-halloween-5.html"><i>Halloween 5</i></a> so much, despite its own flaws, is that it didn't just try to repeat or drown itself in the original '78 film, but instead tried to do something different. <i>Halloween Kills</i>... does very little different and doesn't make much of an attempt to do so at points where it really would have helped.</div><div><br /></div><div>A minor complaint of mine is that Laurie is barely in it, spending a majority of the film confined to a hospital bed after the events of the previous movie. It's understandable, of course, but it really brings the film down when we're left with only Laurie's daughter (Judy Greer) and granddaughter that we barely know... and are left with the survivors of the '78 film and a bunch of brand new yahoos that we don't really know and most haven't been introduced until this film.</div><div><br /></div><div>Paraphrasing Noah in the <i>Scream</i> series, you have to care so it hurts when the bodies start dropping. We don't care about these people and we don't have any real reason to. More to the point, other than them just being the people of Haddonfield being sick of Michael's shit, the film gives us no <i>reason</i> to care about any of them. To give the film credit, it <i>tries</i>... but we really have no time to get invested in or care about anyone outside of Laurie and her family. Even the familiar names like Tommy Doyle, Lindsey Wallace, and so on... don't resonate like they should.<table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: right;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgQnB8yRYW0UJeQhyYeXVkHy4gzkyXEFA56hzyKggK4otXU0lqFcrxMOyEn0m4Ul8Qv4BisL8WbQsyGMZFuZvLN3BMKJCdkWJuOD4xYa0RiiJikQhclnVgb2hVM4v7aqMzyGueVrlBzENSvAHSEvZGWTxUI-7a_M-DyYAYgV8kZHgiiY4ExNjqSEKgIA6o_/s1200/88d29453a9520814e8b5383cb08af70f.webp" style="clear: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="675" data-original-width="1200" height="225" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgQnB8yRYW0UJeQhyYeXVkHy4gzkyXEFA56hzyKggK4otXU0lqFcrxMOyEn0m4Ul8Qv4BisL8WbQsyGMZFuZvLN3BMKJCdkWJuOD4xYa0RiiJikQhclnVgb2hVM4v7aqMzyGueVrlBzENSvAHSEvZGWTxUI-7a_M-DyYAYgV8kZHgiiY4ExNjqSEKgIA6o_/w400-h225/88d29453a9520814e8b5383cb08af70f.webp" width="400" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">"It's Halloween, everyone's entitled to one good movie... it just isn't this one."<br /></td></tr></tbody></table><br /></div><div><br /></div><div>Also, by the way, Paul Rudd was actually contacted about reprising his role as Tommy Doyle from <a href="https://madcapsrealm.blogspot.com/2019/10/madcaps-reel-thoughts-halloween-curse.html"><i>The Curse of Michael Myers</i></a>, but he... literally had anything else better to do, and I'd say he dodged a bullet on this one.</div><div><br /></div><div>In the end, <i>Halloween Kills</i> is a stop gap film. It's abundantly clear that it was filler between what the filmmakers wanted to do... and what they wanted to do. Given that with the 2018 film this was intended to be only two films rather than three, I guess they didn't quite know what to do with the time in the middle that they were given by Blumhouse. It leans so heavily on the '78 film that it's about to break that film's legs, the tone is wildly inconsistent for its genre, and we are given an entire town full of characters that we really just have to see as sacks of meat that exist to be busted open as soon as Michael puts on Drowning Pool's "Let the Bodies Hit the Floor".</div><div><br /></div><div>If you're wanting a high body count, the film does provide... but that's really it, and I'm not sure even the fans of the blood and gore enjoy this one. If you want a <i>good</i> movie from the franchise... well, it's not this one. It's not the worst, that I will say, but it's definitely one that needed more work done on it than what we got. This is bad, make no mistake, even for the few qualities it does have that are good.</div><div><br /></div><div>But hey, we have <i>Halloween Ends</i> coming up. The clear second half of what the filmmakers wanted to do to begin with. I'm sure that <i>that</i> won't turn out to be a complete and utter pile of garbage specifically made to piss people off and be even worse than this one, right?</div><div><br /></div><div>...right?</div><div><br /></div><div>...hello?</div><div><br /></div><div>...I have a bad feeling about this.</div><div><br /></div><div><i>Halloween Kills is brought to us by Miramax, Blumhouse Productions</i>, <i>and Trancas International Films</i>.</div>MadCapMunchkinhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05885944836313859245noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7221258980660442179.post-44386686301777657582023-10-26T00:00:00.155-04:002023-10-26T00:00:00.152-04:00MadCap's D&D Builds - Axel Palmer (5e)<p></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgKsMsW2_3U969Z8pFP6RTqDiD5fjHoajJ8uN1DZtmAq7UrKEpWieaIyCk0qexAgJl4iVfF8uKnnWaUP4K0G8W_9WPJS83r5qbFFMakmsJMwfK-DM0WSepEElhZmSiDbjFoydxPTLd5m54hsFdrZNlqw41FzXGjAj5_j19-4p6SWTZ9F2tvWKRsoNO94v6T/s850/Axel1.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="476" data-original-width="850" height="224" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgKsMsW2_3U969Z8pFP6RTqDiD5fjHoajJ8uN1DZtmAq7UrKEpWieaIyCk0qexAgJl4iVfF8uKnnWaUP4K0G8W_9WPJS83r5qbFFMakmsJMwfK-DM0WSepEElhZmSiDbjFoydxPTLd5m54hsFdrZNlqw41FzXGjAj5_j19-4p6SWTZ9F2tvWKRsoNO94v6T/w400-h224/Axel1.jpg" width="400" /></a></div><br />Well, we are finally down to our final build for Horror Month 2023 - Axel Palmer from the classic slasher 1981 slasher film <i>My Bloody Valentine</i> - which I probably need to get around to reviewing for a Horror Month at some point in the near future. Born in the town of Valentine Bluffs... somewhere on the East Coast of Canada?... Axel was the son of a miner who was killed after an accident in the minds had made him resort to cannibalism. Who killed him? The Miner, of course... A warning was left that, if the town were to celebrate Valentine's Day (the day of the accident), then the Miner would return.<p></p><p>As such, the town of Valentine Bluffs hasn't celebrated the holiday that they're named after... until 1981, when the town tried to reinstate the holiday... and the Miner did return as promised, killing again. Axel picked up the ol' pick axe and sought vengeance...<span></span></p><a name='more'></a><p></p><p>So, we're gonna make him a D&D character! </p><p>Goals for this build? We really just have one - stabbing and stabbing good. Almost all of Axel's murders in the film are done by stabbing via the pick axe, so we're going to make sure that we can stab the absolute best that we can no matter what! While Axel is a pretty durable dude, he's nowhere near the level of killers like Michael Myers and Jason Voorhees, but he's strong enough to cut out people's hearts and we can definitely do a lot with that.</p><p>For stats, we'll be using the Standard Point Array from the <i>Player's Handbook</i>. Roll for stats if you like and use these numbers as a guide to where to put your stats.</p><p>Strength: <b>15</b></p><p>Axel shows remarkable strength as the Miner, able to tear people's hearts from their chest "like a butcher" (according to one coroner) on the regular as though it's nothing.</p><p>Dexterity: <b>14</b></p><p>Despite the clunky equipment he wears, Axel can move pretty fast when the need arises.</p><p>Constitution: <b>13</b></p><p>Axel isn't as durable as Michael Myers or Jason Voorhees, but he can deal with quite a bit of abuse and does so pretty well in the film for an average guy with a chip on his shoulder. In fact, the most damage done to him in the film is self-inflicted.</p><p>Intelligence: <b>12</b></p><p>Axel was able to outfox the Valentine Bluffs PD. He also left taunting notes at several of the murders for the police to find, all of them with flowery language.</p><p>Charisma: <b>10</b></p><p>Axel is able to pass as a normal human normally and can be quite intimidating with his mining gear on and that pick axe a-swingin'.</p><p>Wisdom: <b>8</b></p><p>Maybe cutting your own arm off wasn't the <i>best</i> idea...</p><p>For background, we'll be going with <b>Haunted One</b> from <i>Van Richten</i>'<i>s</i>. Axel can choose two skills from <b>Arcana</b>, <b>Investigation</b>, <b>Religion</b>, and <b>Survival</b>. We'll be going with <b>Investigation</b> and <b>Survival</b>.</p><p>For race, Axel is a human and thus we'll be using <b>Variant Human</b>.</p><p>We get a +1 to two different attributes (<b>Strength</b> and <b>Constitution</b>), a free skill (<b>Intimidation</b>), and a free feat. <b>Athlete</b> increases Axel's Strength or Dexterity by 1 (go with <b>Strength</b>), he uses only 5 feet of movement while getting up from being prone, climbing doesn't cost extra movement, and he can make a running long jump or running high jump after moving only five feet on foot, rather than ten feet. All things that would be very useful in navigating through the mines.</p><p>For class, we're going to go into <b>Fighter</b> (1). Fighter gets two skills from the class list, we'll be going with <b>Athletics</b> and <b>Perception</b>. Fighters also have to pick a <b>Fighting Style</b> and we'll be going with <b>Dueling</b> - meaning that Axel gets a +2 to damage rolls when he's wielding a melee weapon in one hand and no other weapons. Fighters also get <b>Second Wind</b>, allowing them to heal 1d10 + their fighter level per long or short rest.</p><p>Second level <b>Fighters</b> (2) get their first use of <b>Action Surge</b>, allowing them to take an additional action on top of any regular action and possible bonus actions in a round.</p><p>At third level <b>Fighters</b> (3) pick a <b>Martial Archetype</b>. We'll be going with <b>Samurai</b>, more for the abilities than for how fitting it is as we'll soon see.</p><p>At third level, Samurai fighters receive a free proficiency bonus in History, Insight, Performance, or Persuasion. We'll pick up <b>History</b>, seeing as Axel knows the story of his father's murder as he lived them, his mind cracking from that. They also get a <b>Fighting Spirit</b>. As a bonus action on his turn, Axel can give himself advantage on all attack rolls until the end of his turn and gain 5 temporary hit points when he does. The hit points increase by 5 at 10th and then again at 15th level. Axel can do this three times per long rest.</p><p>At fourth level, <b>Fighters</b> (4) get an <b>Ability Score Improvement</b> or a <b>Feat</b>. We'll be taking <b>Piercer</b> from <i>Tasha's Cauldron of Everything</i>. Axel bumps up his Strength or Dexterity by one (go for <b>Strength</b> again) and one per turn when he hits a creature with a piercing attack, he can reroll one of the attack's damage dice, using that instead of the previous. When he scores a critical hit that deals piercing damage, he can roll one additional damage die when determining the extra damage.</p><p>At fifth level, <b>Fighters</b> (5) gain their first instance of <b>Extra Attack</b>, which allows them to attack twice while using the attack action.</p><p>At sixth level, <b>Fighters</b> (6) get another <b>Ability Score Improvement</b> or <b>Feat</b>. <b>Savage Attacker</b> allows Axel to reroll weapon damage totals and use either roll once per turn.</p><p>At seventh level, <b>Fighters</b> (7) who follow the path of the Samurai receive <b>Elegant Courtier</b>, which lets them add their Wisdom modifier to Persuasion checks. With a Wisdom bonus of -1, we're not going to be using this much. However, he does gain proficiency in Wisdom saving throws, so that's pretty good!</p><p>At eight level, <b>Fighters</b> (8) gain an <b>Ability Score Improvement</b> or a <b>Feat</b>. Time to start beefing by <b>Strength</b> and <b>Constitution</b> again.</p><p>Ninth level <b>Fighters</b> (9) get one use of <b>Indomitable</b>, which allows Axel to re-roll a saving throw if he fails. He has to use the new roll, and he can't use the feature again until he finishes a long rest. Fighters receive a second use of this at 13th level and a third at 17th.</p><p>Tenth level <b>Fighters</b> (10) walking the path of the Samurai gain a <b>Tireless Spirit</b>. When they roll initiative and have no uses of their <b>Fighting Spirit</b> ability left, they gain one.</p><p>Eleventh level <b>Fighters</b> (11) gain the second use of <b>Extra Attack</b>.</p><p>Twelfth level <b>Fighters</b> (12) gain an <b>Ability Score Improvement</b> or a <b>Feat</b>, add a +1 to <b>Strength</b> and <b>Constitution</b>.</p><p>Thirteenth level <b>Fighters</b> (13) get their third use of <b>Indomitable</b>.</p><p>Fourteenth level <b>Fighters</b> (14) get yet another <b>Ability Score Improvement </b>or a <b>Feat</b>. You know what to do.</p><p>Fifteenth level <b>Fighters</b> (15) following the path of the Samurai gain <b>Rapid Strike</b>. Trading advantage on an attack (if they have it), they can make an additional weapon attack as part of the same action, but only can do this once per turn.</p><p>Sixteenth level <b>Fighters</b> (16) once more get an <b>Ability Score Improvement</b> or a <b>Feat</b>... I mean, I think I made it clear what you're doing here, folks.</p><p>Seventeenth level <b>Fighters</b> (17) get their second use of <b>Action Surge</b> and their third use of <b>Indomitable</b>.</p><p>At eighteenth level, <b>Fighters</b> (18) who are samurai gain <b>Strength Before Death</b>. Whenever Axel takes damage that will reduce him to 0 hit points, he can use his reaction to immediate take another turn. Taking damage during that turn (while at 0 hit points) will cause death saving throw failures as normal, and three death saving throws can still kill Axel. When that extra turn ends, Axel still falls unconscious if he's at 0 hit points.</p><p>Once he's used this ability, he can't use it again until he's finished a long rest.</p><p>At nineteenth level, <b>Fighters</b> (19) get one last <b>Ability Score Improvement</b> or <b>Feat</b>. ...you know what to do.</p><p>Our capstone is the twentieth level of <b>Fighter</b> (20) and the third use of <b>Extra Attack</b>.</p><p>Now that we've hit level twenty, let's look at our pros and cons!</p><p>Pros:</p><p></p><ul style="text-align: left;"><li>Axel can indeed do a lot of damage with the bladed weapons, particularly the piercing kind as a miner's axe would be. With a high Strength score, the Duelist fighting style, the Piercer feat, and the three Extra Attacks (technically six if set up with Rapid Strike and Action Surge), you can definitely put the hurt on your enemies with a sharp point. Add in Savage Attacker and you have the potential to be just plain unfair against anyone you cross paths with.</li><li>Axel is pretty durable (ironically while not having the feat Durable), having a high Constitution and the Fighter Hit Dice Pool to work from. Coupling this with Strength Before Death, and even death isn't going to keep you down... for one more round, at least.</li><li>You have proficiency in Wisdom saving throws, one of the most called for saving throws in the entire game. Even with a low Wisdom score, that's not a bad thing.</li></ul><p></p><p>Cons:</p><p></p><ul style="text-align: left;"><li>You can do a lot of damage, but the damage you're geared towards is very specific. While Axel can use many weapons, he's most associated with Piercing damage and enemies that are resistant or immune to that will need the use of other methods to deal with them.</li><li>You don't have a lot of people skills, which doesn't seem like a good deal until you need those skills for something. Also, Charisma is probably the third-most called for saving throw in the game... and you not only don't have proficiency in it, but your modifier is 0. Not great...</li><li>You have no natural magical talents, so enemies that take damage only from magical weapons or better aren't really going to be cowed by your pick axe.</li></ul><p></p><p>But hey, you're the Miner! Pick up your pick axe, strike some fear into the hearts of people before cutting them out, and make sure that Valentine Bluffs doesn't dare put on that Valentine's Day dance. Just make sure you keep a look overhead, otherwise you might find yourself getting buried before your time...</p><p></p>MadCapMunchkinhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05885944836313859245noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7221258980660442179.post-55190775961262743782023-10-25T22:46:00.150-04:002023-10-25T22:46:00.147-04:00What If... the Trickster never reset the Timeline? (Part 2)<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgvp657C4lgRn83UMLYaEyZy1HkBfQ2NpEfZ2SfYxKTi28GgzyL52JvKyi5y1s3CG7KGBFER9JKrQ6cCR4pV8NlGGeJf6NqX8mO-VuQQQMC0xkReQG_9FU_basrKn-IBZFKaM2xVNQVnQfDNLZpVgqoZqRk5fC3McS1VBdJccoATjhzgTSAEa2Z4-cxG9v7/s299/aaaagabriel.jpeg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="168" data-original-width="299" height="225" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgvp657C4lgRn83UMLYaEyZy1HkBfQ2NpEfZ2SfYxKTi28GgzyL52JvKyi5y1s3CG7KGBFER9JKrQ6cCR4pV8NlGGeJf6NqX8mO-VuQQQMC0xkReQG_9FU_basrKn-IBZFKaM2xVNQVnQfDNLZpVgqoZqRk5fC3McS1VBdJccoATjhzgTSAEa2Z4-cxG9v7/w400-h225/aaaagabriel.jpeg" width="400" /></a></div><br />Oh, c'mon, you knew we'd be <a href="https://madcapsrealm.blogspot.com/2023/02/what-if-trickster-never-reset-timeline.html">coming back to this one</a>. I basically all but completely guaranteed it eight months ago.<div><br /></div><div>As almost always now - spoilers below the cut for things I may not yet have covered in my <i>Supernatural</i> reviews. You've been warned.<br /><span><a name='more'></a></span><div><br /></div><div>Last time, after denying Sam a reset of the timeline at the end of <i>Mystery Spot</i>, The Trickster/Gabriel decided to reset everything anyway and learned that... he couldn't. Sam began walking down a dark road with Ruby as in the Prime Timeline and it seemed like all would be lost... or would it? Let's read on.</div><div><br /></div><div>As we know from last time, Gabriel was unable to reset the timeline that he started in <a href="https://madcapsrealm.blogspot.com/2023/01/from-madcaps-couch-supernatural-mystery.html"><i>Mystery Spot</i></a>, meaning that Dean Winchester was dead and in Hell as per his deal with Lilith. No bueno! In this timeline, Ruby (still in her Katie Cassidy body) has been tutoring Sam on how to use his demonic abilities, complete with demon blood drinking to power up. He's also progressed further in this timeline than the previous, being more willing to go further given the six months he spent tossing his moral compass aside to hunt down the Trickster.</div></div><div><br /></div><div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhhXL1OfUOiyWfV6DkFbrXwkw-AcW4mWhYb7WChk9_l5hIsBDxxoLEtGmd6hS7xPn7e0j6oAtUNthhYimUiWMTpgScgnEvVnPX8ckSwXYjgkdXQdq8AyWvGpQ45Y56Man6Yq7x5uRMTMwJLXu4Qo_tehDbsL96Sr5_-ijv73AyDA6N2yxZ_NIY2E5gGo8je/s1280/Raphael.webp" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="720" data-original-width="1280" height="225" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhhXL1OfUOiyWfV6DkFbrXwkw-AcW4mWhYb7WChk9_l5hIsBDxxoLEtGmd6hS7xPn7e0j6oAtUNthhYimUiWMTpgScgnEvVnPX8ckSwXYjgkdXQdq8AyWvGpQ45Y56Man6Yq7x5uRMTMwJLXu4Qo_tehDbsL96Sr5_-ijv73AyDA6N2yxZ_NIY2E5gGo8je/w400-h225/Raphael.webp" width="400" /></a></div><br />The Trickster, or rather Gabriel, has been skulking around trying to find information on what's going on. His powers are intact, it just seems that something is blocking him from resetting the timeline, and he knows of very few things that can do that. He interrogates demons, but they can only tell him that Hell is being besieged... by angels.</div><div><br /></div><div>He soon learns why by tuning into angel radio: Dean Winchester has been rescued from Hell. Gabriel rushes to try and beat the other angels to him only to find that, <a href="https://madcapsrealm.blogspot.com/2023/08/from-madcaps-couch-supernatural-lazarus.html">as in the prime timeline</a>, a surprisingly fresh Dean has already pulled himself free. He tails Dean for most of the episode in secret, so we largely get the same events we did in the actual episode with the exception of dealing with Ruby (much like in the later <i>Metamorphosis</i>, she and Dean would tussle but she'd ultimately live due to Sam's insistence). Castiel arrives at the end and confirms what Gabriel fears - the Apocalypse has begun. The archangel knows that someone had to be accelerating the plan and he has a fear he knows who's really behind it...</div><div><br /></div><div>Thus, for his part, Gabriel decides to do the most outrageous thing he can think of - infiltrating Heaven to find out what's going on. He returns home to find Michael and Raphael are less than pleased with his disappearing act and reveal that, yes, they took advantage of his little trick and advanced their plans to bring about the Apocalypse. Just when the deception is revealed, they capture Gabriel and throw him into Heaven's prison (as seen in later seasons of the show). It seems that they've forgotten in the... however long that he's been gone... that you can't trick a Trickster and Gabriel reveals his own twist - he was never <i>in</i> the prison. As the archangels attempt to mobilize Heaven against him, Gabriel has already left the building... for the second time, no less!</div><div><br /></div><div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhlgFs1mjZc1udyWhVrMv7b_nUSy9i0-Wd8CqF72y4X70zydEo5woaezAdbk16qk6w0Tg7nwtK96fxDaeWn8_0k1bF8o_oSLN2YsbsvsjUCQ0PxF64JOpCJdW9xu0RPfQYVRolVxAsexAONtiuVRh-xKIkjC4UlG82zd-vEJeBkN5Te4OsMvQWLWeB3LSWo/s500/Ruby3.jpg" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="500" data-original-width="343" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhlgFs1mjZc1udyWhVrMv7b_nUSy9i0-Wd8CqF72y4X70zydEo5woaezAdbk16qk6w0Tg7nwtK96fxDaeWn8_0k1bF8o_oSLN2YsbsvsjUCQ0PxF64JOpCJdW9xu0RPfQYVRolVxAsexAONtiuVRh-xKIkjC4UlG82zd-vEJeBkN5Te4OsMvQWLWeB3LSWo/w275-h400/Ruby3.jpg" width="275" /></a></div>On Earth, following <a href="https://madcapsrealm.blogspot.com/2023/08/from-madcaps-couch-supernatural-are-you.html">the Rising of the Witnesses</a>, Castiel receives revelation: Gabriel has revealed himself, gone rogue, and is considered to be persona non grata when it comes to the Winchesters. If he shows up to either of them, he is to be reported to Heaven immediately and left for Michael and Raphael themselves to deal with. It isn't until <a href="https://madcapsrealm.blogspot.com/2023/08/from-madcaps-couch-supernatural-in.html">Castiel has whisked Dean away to 1973</a> that Gabriel is able to approach a Winchester brother, namely Sam. Sam is more than a little reluctant to believe Gabriel or that Gabriel <i>is</i> Gabriel, but a few exertions of angelic power prove it to him... and scare Ruby shitless.<br /></div><div><br /></div><div>Despite warning them about the Seals and the angels trying to get them to open, Gabriel plays it close to the vest about the final plans for Sam and Dean regarding them being vessels for Lucifer and Michael, respectively. Basically, he's taking the approach of not bringing that up until they <i>need</i> to know it, which he hopes that they won't. More or less, they have to set up conditions where he can kill either Michael or Raphael or both. If they can do that, then they can reset the loop back to that Tuesday. He projects the image of two Enochian sigils into Sam's head - one for protection and one in order to call him, then leaves before he's discovered.</div><div><br /></div><div>Ruby doesn't remotely trust Gabriel. When Dean comes back, after dealing with the knowledge of Sam's abilities and learning the truth, he doesn't either. However, Dean in particular is even more wary of Castiel and the other angels. Plus, if they reset the timeline, then they can use their foreknowledge of the events that have happened since in order to keep the Apocalypse from happening in the first place. Basically put, the timeline gets reset, they kill Lilith, and Dean doesn't go to Hell and then boom! No Apocalypse! Or, at least, that's the working theory.</div><div><br /></div><div>Getting either Michael or Raphael into conditions where Gabriel could easily kill them, however, isn't so easy. With him out and powerful enough to kill either of them, they're on high alert. For the time being, the boys decide to continue playing their roles and circumvent the angels where they can. During this time, Dean builds a bit more of a rapport with Castiel, which becomes even more crushing when we go into the events of <i>I Know What You Did Last Summer</i> and <i>Heaven and Hell</i>, where Anna Milton becomes involved in affairs and the boys find themselves actively at odds with Castiel and Uriel.</div><div><br /></div><div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEggMv6bDyvdA8xb39WXbYaAfUFU-3ngrvAUbQkwcQXn4hSXY0d8YhP9ijF-_t0Qubj0ilI5CzXJiPmpOv8EaGjyTEkCdROx3YItJc6vXHa6vh1PY_Xk4uUYQ9so-lorniAB_cwWdHWupIAiKKACGJoZMGeskn3_8jYa-BEG2ZbWwzTjNKC_N10TeVk0kEeW/s375/Supernatural_Anna.webp" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="375" data-original-width="250" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEggMv6bDyvdA8xb39WXbYaAfUFU-3ngrvAUbQkwcQXn4hSXY0d8YhP9ijF-_t0Qubj0ilI5CzXJiPmpOv8EaGjyTEkCdROx3YItJc6vXHa6vh1PY_Xk4uUYQ9so-lorniAB_cwWdHWupIAiKKACGJoZMGeskn3_8jYa-BEG2ZbWwzTjNKC_N10TeVk0kEeW/w266-h400/Supernatural_Anna.webp" width="266" /></a></div><br />Everything goes pretty much as broadcast up until the ending fight. Anna gets her grace and seemingly disappears in an explosion of light... and is met by Gabriel in the ether after. He explains the situation to her and reconstructs her body for her to inhabit as a way to sweeten the pot. Soon enough, Gabriel has brought Anna into Team Reset.</div><div><br /></div><div>The rest of the season goes pretty much as broadcast. Anna intercedes to save Castiel during <i>On the Head of a Pin</i> and kills Uriel being a particular important part. The events of <i>The Rapture</i> go the same, with Castiel getting the Heaven brainwashing to keep him from spilling the beans early to Sam and Dean. However, when Anna confronts him during <i>When the Levee Breaks</i> and Castiel jumps her with a swat team to take her back to Heaven... Gabriel arrives and smites all of them, defending Anna and telling Castiel that it's time for them to talk. They manage to convince him of what's happening and how Gabriel's mistake has allowed for all of this to happen. Despite his conditioning, Castiel has grown close to the Winchesters (particularly Dean) and agrees to help.</div><div><br /></div><div>By the time of <i>Lucifer Rising</i>, Dean gets snatched up by Zachariah and Sam and Ruby are on a crash course to take down Lilith. The three angels split up, Castiel and Anna not only managing to save Dean but actually kill Zachariah in the process while Gabriel goes to stop Sam and Ruby. Unfortunately, the latter half of this was anticipated by Raphael, who arrives and battles his brother. The archangels' brawl holds Gabriel off just long enough for Sam to kill Lilith and break the final seal. Dean arrives with Anna and Castiel in time to kill Ruby as in the prime timeline, but they are too late. Alas, too late...</div><div><br /></div><div>Lilith is dead... and Lucifer is rising...</div><div><br /></div><div>...and that's where we're ending off for this look into this timeline. Thought things went a little too close to how events already played out? Well, that's going to take a hard turn in Part 3, just you wait. And unfortunately, wait you will, as that's a long ways off... by the time of this writing, I haven't even finished Season 4 in my reviews! Don't worry, loyal readers! One day, the Trickster Timeline will continue!</div><div><br /></div><div>Be there!</div>MadCapMunchkinhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05885944836313859245noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7221258980660442179.post-11590330288438191032023-10-24T00:00:00.224-04:002023-10-24T00:00:00.152-04:00From MadCap's Couch - Sliders: "The Alternateville Horror"<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhFRRtQ0RAqAlNleY_qLkq-QyVwTOBMvcrNOFh1MnLDTiEeA376PYaYWhsCb_c9-3dyNtLuF4T2-Ohmyoo-XYSRiO3-MyUwUecVZJOc_JGaBw4i7oRemz01i2ILewwDHNrGrGynM-TjJNrnxQ8GaQJzcIkHozDjkDZXFU2dp_rZQOfio1H6lqwLBQkNxnCI/s720/MV5BZDMxMTM3YzAtZjhhMi00NGZkLTlmZDQtZDJjMzgzNzNhNjk4XkEyXkFqcGdeQXVyMjQwMDA3Mzc@._V1_.jpg" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="540" data-original-width="720" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhFRRtQ0RAqAlNleY_qLkq-QyVwTOBMvcrNOFh1MnLDTiEeA376PYaYWhsCb_c9-3dyNtLuF4T2-Ohmyoo-XYSRiO3-MyUwUecVZJOc_JGaBw4i7oRemz01i2ILewwDHNrGrGynM-TjJNrnxQ8GaQJzcIkHozDjkDZXFU2dp_rZQOfio1H6lqwLBQkNxnCI/w400-h300/MV5BZDMxMTM3YzAtZjhhMi00NGZkLTlmZDQtZDJjMzgzNzNhNjk4XkEyXkFqcGdeQXVyMjQwMDA3Mzc@._V1_.jpg" width="400" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">"He said it was called 'Shining' and then he said he had to meet somebody named 'Optimus'."</td></tr></tbody></table><br />Oooookay, so it's been a long while since I reviewed <i>Sliders</i>. Like, a <a href="https://madcapsrealm.blogspot.com/2016/08/from-madcaps-couch-sliders-last-days.html">ridiculously long time</a>. We are also, like the <i>Quantum Leap</i> review for this month, jumping a good bit ahead. Chronologically, we ended on Season 2. This episode is the eighth one of Season 4 and you'll notice some changes right off the bat.<span><a name='more'></a></span><div><br /></div><div>First off. Wade and Professor Arturo? Gone, and in a way that ultimately did no justice to either character, but more on that later.</div><div><br /></div><div>...or is it earlier?</div><div><br /></div><div>Instead, we have two new characters - Maggie Beckett and Collin Mallory, played by Kari Wuhrer and Charlie O'Connell (yes, the brother of Jerry O'Connell) respectively. I'll get the pair of them in more detail when I get to their introduction episodes but, spoiler warning, Maggie is a character that I dislike highly for a variety of reasons and Collin is Quinn's brother who was stuck on a parallel Earth for various reasons that get increasingly more stupid the longer you think about them. Said parallel Earth also has him speaking like someone out of the 1600s which, if you don't believe it gets old very fast, believe me it does.</div><div><br /></div><div>But hey, at least we still have Quinn Mallory and the legend himself - Rembrandt "The Crying Man" Brown! Heck yeah!</div><div><br /></div><div><i><table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: left;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjxFD1ZXKolw91qgf1tpMRcvk-UdoAqwyATDFNd4kj_9bLoqvsWvn1cH4BFi2F7k2EfUPujt-fIB1M6YOOkVuCCrpCtVUszjUmR703TBoQkT9se1VDLIQYrTR9nzYvOOFy_uCjYSuXoC9cAPgLjKp0xlvOe070lNs3Mk0nnE-lPtBLYp-Z0gp6SlgHYhbiz/s500/MV5BOTgzNzE5MDU5M15BMl5BanBnXkFtZTgwNjEyMzQ2MjE@._V1_.jpg" style="clear: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="375" data-original-width="500" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjxFD1ZXKolw91qgf1tpMRcvk-UdoAqwyATDFNd4kj_9bLoqvsWvn1cH4BFi2F7k2EfUPujt-fIB1M6YOOkVuCCrpCtVUszjUmR703TBoQkT9se1VDLIQYrTR9nzYvOOFy_uCjYSuXoC9cAPgLjKp0xlvOe070lNs3Mk0nnE-lPtBLYp-Z0gp6SlgHYhbiz/w400-h300/MV5BOTgzNzE5MDU5M15BMl5BanBnXkFtZTgwNjEyMzQ2MjE@._V1_.jpg" width="400" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">"Ah, yes, your room key, sir. Room 667."<br />"...uh..."<br />"Yeah, we left that one out. Don't ask."</td></tr></tbody></table><br />The Alternateville Horror</i> starts out with a joke about men crossdressing that works in 1999 but wouldn't in the present year for a variety of reasons. This is thankfully cut off by Collin asking the three veteran Sliders (he, himself, joined only at the beginning of Season 4) if they ever get tired of sliding from world to world and into dangerous situations. This, in turn, is cut off by the inhabitants of the world they have landed on trying to get out of the rain... the acid rain. They hop into the nearby Chandler Hotel, the replacement for the Dominion Hotel of the first two seasons, and find a receptionist - Holly - eagerly welcoming them in and putting their acid-scarred clothing in a nearby trash can.</div><div><br /></div><div>Not all is well, however, as it seems the guests that are trying to leave the hotel en masse. One of them in particular claims she would rather be out in a typhoon in her birthday suit than spend another night in the hotel. Holly brings the group up to the presidential suite, dodges questions about why the other guests would leave so suddenly and brave the acid rain, and leaves them to get settled in. With twelve hours to go before they slide, Quinn, Maggie, and Rembrandt hit the bar while Collin decides to stay in and rot his brain with some television.</div><div><br /></div><div>We get a good moment where Quinn questions whether or not he was right in bringing Collin along with them, clearly still holding some regrets not only dragging him out of his life, but also Maggie and Rembrandt (and, no doubt, Wade and Professor Arturo as well). He lets the others know that, if they ever find a peaceful world that they want to stay on, he understands. By this point, however, the three have become True Companions and they're in with Quinn for the long haul.</div><div><br /></div><div>Upstairs, Collin is watching the 1931 <i>Frankenstein</i> when the television seemingly shuts itself off. Looking over, Collin sees the image of a little boy holding the TV Remote. Without a word, the boy walks away. Collin follows him out, finally catching up with him at the door to a room 315. Try as he might, however, Collin cannot hear the words that the boy is saying. Soon enough, the boy simply walks through the door... which is locked.</div><div><br /></div><div>Collin shows up at the bar and is met with suspicion, the others thinking that he may have just fallen asleep while watching <i>Frankenstein</i>. While they are suspicious, Holly catches an ash tray moving on its own out of sight of the Sliders. The others don't believe him and Collin is less than pleased, declaring himself a man of science and that he knows what he saw.</div><div><br /></div><div>Who else knows? The <i>Shadow Knows</i>... or, rather, a guy who is wearing a fedora and a half-mask that shows only the eyes... for reasons that don't exactly pan out.</div><div><br /></div><div>Quinn tries to console Collin, but it doesn't help in the least and is honestly a rare moment of dickishness from Quinn. A rare miss. Maggie goes to get ice, finding the fedora-wearing man running around with what is clearly a hand vacuum that makes humming noises. He leaves before she can confront him.</div><div><br /></div><div>Rembrandt gets a creepy message of "Help Us" scrawled on the mirror while he's shaving and Maggie sees her own head in the ice machine, and they're both more keen to believe Collin. After rushing to tell the Mallory brothers, all four miss one of their drinks floating away...</div><div><br /></div><div>As they investigate the ice machine, <i>something</i> is watching them... something that turns and moves toward their room, picking up the Slide timer.<table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: right;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgoM8D0fP520cWN48qf1PMF3BwCsjJRcjVM_ii_ABOsRjK1eeGw1yLapQqWs9FUXMUrdqGwgXnm0PuOlOd6rzuALVXmfB6QyMtoMfDazMfHjgaJsWnCf4QiEz6g7iD6gFk_ZZI8NmRy6Hxn4vK3YRgcu2YU6vhGgSoWQs7uJ8BM9ibjtVhDcl2xEMXrlc_t/s580/Screen-shot-2013-01-25-at-10.04.09-AM-1-580x436.jpg" style="clear: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="436" data-original-width="580" height="301" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgoM8D0fP520cWN48qf1PMF3BwCsjJRcjVM_ii_ABOsRjK1eeGw1yLapQqWs9FUXMUrdqGwgXnm0PuOlOd6rzuALVXmfB6QyMtoMfDazMfHjgaJsWnCf4QiEz6g7iD6gFk_ZZI8NmRy6Hxn4vK3YRgcu2YU6vhGgSoWQs7uJ8BM9ibjtVhDcl2xEMXrlc_t/w400-h301/Screen-shot-2013-01-25-at-10.04.09-AM-1-580x436.jpg" width="400" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">"Jazz hands activated!"</td></tr></tbody></table><br /></div><div><br /></div><div>The fedora man picks up some of the ice cubes from around the machine after the four leave.</div><div><br /></div><div>Quinn remains skeptical, trying to come up with any other explanation until they realize that the timer is gone. The four split up, Quinn going to speak to Holly while the other three go to speak to the mysterious fifth guest. Quinn finds Holly, who agrees to help him look for the timer... and I almost feel as though there's a vague hints of an attraction between the two, which is kind of par for the course.</div><div><br /></div><div>Maggie, Collin, and Remmy barge into the room of the mysterious man - finding a bunch of scientific equipment. The man, John Smith (yes, that's apparently his name), insists that he's taking a meteorological survey. After Collin messes around with a device, it begins to beep strangely and gets Smith's attention. They resolve to keep an eye on Smith, deciding to check the rest of the hotel is well... and Smith is likewise watching them, a smile on his face that is altogether menacing.</div><div><br /></div><div>Down at the bar, Maggie is met with the lights going out and bad writers' jokes. Also, apparently, the whales from <i>Star Trek IV </i>if the noises they use are any indication. Alas, George and Gracey aren't going to get them out of this one, although that might possibly make this the best episode of <i>Sliders</i> ever. Taking a flashlight and calling out for Quinn, Maggie wanders off in a way that would definitely get her killed in an actual horror movie.</div><div><br /></div><div>While they walk around, Holly drops some exposition to Quinn - she and her husband bought the Chandler two years before and her husband unfortunately promptly died of cancer two months after they opened the doors. When Quinn asks if she wants to go somewhere else, she insists that she's... <i>invested</i> in this place. Again, we get a moment of human connection between the two where it seems that they're trying to show hints of an attraction between the two, touching on a bit of Quinn's loneliness having been bouncing from world to world to world for so long.</div><div><br /></div><div>Maggie gets trapped in the basement. With rats that they don't have the budget to show.</div><div><br /></div><div><table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: left;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhyJ0myLqamCbctBmomI7uY1L8EiTuN7KF9uoBNG3ZjnWXRssy16SytCQIj9Eo_6cgq0M89F_-Td4Sqknj8uQhvc8NH8ASTt3XesYgUOidwLLy3FkV2p9n3cNzYJuxdBq08iwvE01vdEWJLuiZR5HGsEmGI8vkDqVW2i8wbQ3Oh9yXCdygS5BsnEVQcXXhc/s644/Screen-shot-2013-01-25-at-10.05.15-AM-1.jpg" style="clear: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="496" data-original-width="644" height="308" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhyJ0myLqamCbctBmomI7uY1L8EiTuN7KF9uoBNG3ZjnWXRssy16SytCQIj9Eo_6cgq0M89F_-Td4Sqknj8uQhvc8NH8ASTt3XesYgUOidwLLy3FkV2p9n3cNzYJuxdBq08iwvE01vdEWJLuiZR5HGsEmGI8vkDqVW2i8wbQ3Oh9yXCdygS5BsnEVQcXXhc/w400-h308/Screen-shot-2013-01-25-at-10.05.15-AM-1.jpg" width="400" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Concentrated pain. Every moment of it.</td></tr></tbody></table><br />Meanwhile, Remmy and Collin reach Room 315 and Remmy leaves to go get a key for the door. Collin remains and sees the boy again, once more trying to communicate with him and once more being unsuccessful. Over Collin's shoulder, John Smith is scanning with his device. The boy points to room 315... with a key suddenly in the door to open it. Stepping in, Collin finds the boy pointing to... <i>something</i> offscreen, which he follows the boy toward. John Smith enters not long after, shocked by what he sees and recoiling from it almost immediately. The door slams shut on its own immediately after.</div><div><br /></div><div>Collin hears Remmy coming back, who now cannot see or hear him. When Collin tries to touch him, his hand passes right through him. He has become Sam Beckett!!!</div><div><br /></div><div>...I'm kidding, but still.</div><div><br /></div><div>Collin finally properly meets the young boy, who introduces himself as Matthew. It seems that Matthew has been here on "[his] side" for an unknown amount of time and Collin is the first person who has seen him in all that time. Matthew doesn't like to go to "the other ones" because they're mean, which intrigues Collin.</div><div><br /></div><div>In the basement, Maggie dodges rats and uses a wine bottle to attack Remmy with extreme prejudice. Again, something that works in 1999 but in 2023 would be a hate crime. He helps her out of the basement, giggling at her predicament.</div><div><br /></div><div>Regrouping with Quinn and Holly, Remmy brings up some exposition - there is no key to Room 315. He also informs Quinn that Collin is missing. Whatever is going on, that is the only other connection that they have. Fed up with it, Maggie and Remmy demand to know what is <i>really</i> going on and Holly has to admit the truth - the Hotel is haunted. Quinn is skeptical until a chair pulls itself out and nearly knocks him over. Holly also reveals why she can't leave - she has a son, Matthew, who went missing.</div><div><br /></div><div>She unlocks Room 315 for the Sliders and we see what Collin and John Smith saw before - a Slide portal, but not one of theirs. Finding Smith's equipment left behind in the room, which Quinn identifies as an EM scanner, they corner him and he explains: he's a ghost hunter, namely debunking ghosts as travelers from parallel universes. After CalTech cut his funding, he's been trying to prove his theories on his own and the Hotel is his best chance.</div><div><br /></div><div>Quinn is able to bridge the gap between normies and science tech and gives a very brief explanation of the quantum realities and the frequencies they operate at. Using Smith's tech, they are able to seemingly bridge the gap and reveal Collin and Matthew along with a fine-suited Rembrandt Brown, an exotic dancer Maggie Beckett, and... the most annoying version of Quinn Mallory in the multiverse. However, they're only visible not actually there. The equipment lets them be seen... and it seems that before, they were only able to interact briefly and in ways that made the place seem haunted.</div><div><br /></div><div>As they fade out again, Collin shouts "Frankenstein!". The vortex is collapsing, according to Smith, and Quinn says they'll be crushed by the collapse if they can't save them. When they get back to Room 315, they find that the vortex isn't collapsing yet but is highly unstable and generating more power to handle Collin being in the mix. Quinn hits upon the idea of using Smith's equipment and - as Collin gave him the idea with his comment - using lightning to empower it.</div><div><br /></div><div>Using the fact that Maggie saw her head in the freezer, Quinn adjusts Smith's tech to project colder temperatures in the hopes of opening the vortex again. Holly agrees to the risk, but Smith snatches the device away and refuses to give up his work to them... and gets electrocuted for his trouble as he unplugs the power supply.<table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: right;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgMMB8w_28XLkTDsf4mipigXObmM_B9dyfM8K-dGQwoXRtlpjW-o7xr_eCD3-0p0MHohICK7lvSvJlaO5xa9xccqMCYu1VxKNrtLpOUmQtR1kpb4fyVTJnQHRUygqv8pG2O0qfRUQyFRvFHQ82fd9LIheoPIDENf3nkvLtZdw2tENF5yRfUH6ya4tfDwp81/s320/55-006.jpg" style="clear: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="240" data-original-width="320" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgMMB8w_28XLkTDsf4mipigXObmM_B9dyfM8K-dGQwoXRtlpjW-o7xr_eCD3-0p0MHohICK7lvSvJlaO5xa9xccqMCYu1VxKNrtLpOUmQtR1kpb4fyVTJnQHRUygqv8pG2O0qfRUQyFRvFHQ82fd9LIheoPIDENf3nkvLtZdw2tENF5yRfUH6ya4tfDwp81/w400-h300/55-006.jpg" width="400" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">"Hey, baby! How about a little head? AHAHAHAHAHAHAH!"</td></tr></tbody></table><br /></div><div><br /></div><div>He survives, and Quinn gets the device. On a crazy hunch, Quinn takes the device into the portal to go after the cable. Re-attaching, Quinn opens the portal for the other Sliders to return to their Earth. Douchebag Quinn tosses the brothers back the Slide timer. They leave with Matthew and, for a moment, it seems as though all three are lost... and then they all emerge from behind the sofa. Holly embraces her son, the Sliders reunite, and even Smith gets his happy ending as his technology did take the readings and he joyously runs out.</div><div><br /></div><div>Holly invites them all to stay as long as they like, but Collin is the first to speak up: they have a lot of traveling to do. And, like the end of many a horror movie, the sun is rising outside... the rain is gone...</div><div><br /></div><div>And that's it for <i>The Alternateville Horror</i>. Not a bad ghost story on a TV budget, even if no actual ghosts were involved. The atmosphere is pretty well done. The power is out in the hotel for almost the entire episode, creating dark environments without tossing us into full pitch black. The direction isn't exactly inspired with any unique camera angles or setting, but is set up like a stock horror movie would be. The special effects are largely done practically and to pretty okay effect. Nothing too out of place or too cheesy to break the tension, particularly early on in the episode. Add in a good score by series composer Danny Lux placed at really good moments for it and you have a pretty enjoyable haunted house, or rather haunted <i>hotel</i>, story.</div><div><br /></div><div>We also get the human element in Holly, who is one of the more memorable guest stars in the show's back half as well as having a relatable story told in a small amount of time with her dead husband and her missing son and her determination to find the latter.</div><div><br /></div><div>As much as I rag on his character, Collin proves himself to the other Sliders in this one as not just a country bumpkin from backwoods Earth. Like his brother Jerry, Charlie isn't a bad actor, it's really just the writing for Collin that I'm not the biggest fan of.</div><div><br /></div><div>That's all I have to say for this Slide. Don't worry, we'll be getting back to the adventures of Quinn, Remmy, and all our Sliding pals (and in the right order, too!) soon enough now that I have access to the entire series once again. We have one more episode review for Horror Month 2023 and on October 31st itself, no less! What could I do for such a momentous occasion?</div><div><br /></div><div>Well, since we're already in the late 90s, early 2000s, why don't we take a little trip from the Chandler Hotel down to the city of San Francisco. We've dealt with vampires plenty of times here on the blog, but now I think it's a good time for us to really get <i>embraced</i>...</div><div><br /></div><div>Be there!</div>MadCapMunchkinhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05885944836313859245noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7221258980660442179.post-29814245878475781492023-10-23T00:00:00.083-04:002023-10-23T00:00:00.154-04:00MadCap's Reel Thoughts - "Fright Night Part 2" (1988)<p></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjnwbV8hf6mNVE8pMVL1tQRmcoLvRPL5bWfDZO84Hh1he0K9Kni2Mh49Ww3cJVodWW0Ucx3jwfsUePrHas1EI-3hKMVfvKToEljukx0jQm1V6Rg5kPkkjOa3fd00QjZj74sZn569-xzEjxZrVxoTQ_bggboprXao4YsSYSMYbxAThD55eCNGUQ_4GjncfxC/s2265/MV5BZWJmMjM2OTEtZjI3Zi00MDMwLWEyNjktMzk0YmVjMzY2YWRmXkEyXkFqcGdeQXVyMjUzOTY1NTc@._V1_.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="2265" data-original-width="1474" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjnwbV8hf6mNVE8pMVL1tQRmcoLvRPL5bWfDZO84Hh1he0K9Kni2Mh49Ww3cJVodWW0Ucx3jwfsUePrHas1EI-3hKMVfvKToEljukx0jQm1V6Rg5kPkkjOa3fd00QjZj74sZn569-xzEjxZrVxoTQ_bggboprXao4YsSYSMYbxAThD55eCNGUQ_4GjncfxC/w260-h400/MV5BZWJmMjM2OTEtZjI3Zi00MDMwLWEyNjktMzk0YmVjMzY2YWRmXkEyXkFqcGdeQXVyMjUzOTY1NTc@._V1_.jpg" width="260" /></a></div><br />Huh, well... kind of thought we'd be getting to this one <i>much</i> sooner. Like, <a href="https://madcapsrealm.blogspot.com/2014/10/madcaps-reel-thoughts-fright-night-1985.html"><i>much</i> sooner</a>. Regardless, we're here now and I can finally put this monster to rest with a stake through the heart.<p></p><p>This is <i>Fright Night Part 2</i>.<span></span></p><a name='more'></a><p></p><p>So, it's been three years since the events of the first movie. Charley Brewster (William Ragsadale) is now a college student who has been undergoing psychiatric therapy and... believes that Jerry Dandrige was nothing more than a psychopath who used the trappings of being a vampire in order to commit acts as a serial killer.</p><p>...yep, here we go again.</p><p>We are also without Amy in this movie, so Charley has a new girlfriend in Alex (Traci Lind). Lemme just go ahead and say it: Charley? Good upgrade, bro. Amy does get mentioned in the opening of the film, but otherwise her absence is unaddressed. However, returning from the previous film is Peter Vincent, the great vampire killer (Roddy McDowall), who is still the host of the late night <i>Fright Night</i> show. Unlike Charley, he still fully believes the truth that Jerry was a vampire and promotes this view even on the show as he continues to crusade against evil. As he puts it, "forewarned is forearmed".</p><p>However, Charley's illusion gets shattered when a mysterious, seductive woman by the name of Regine (Julie Carmen) moves into the same apartment building as Peter. After a dream in which Regine bites him and turns him into a vampire, Charley begins to exhibit strange symptoms that he can't explain, in particular sensitivity toward garlic and sunlight.</p><p>Yes, Charley, there <i>is</i> such a thing as vampires... and there are <i>still</i> a great many reasons to be afraid of the dark...</p><p><i>Fright Night Part 2</i> does continue on in the tradition of the first movie. The tone is pretty much the same, though it does an inversion of tropes much as the original film did. While the original film was a love letter to the Golden Age of Horror Films and played with the tropes that came from those movies, putting it in suburbia and having a "boy who cried wolf" storyline, the sequel flips that dynamic on its head with the former Doubting Thomas Peter Vincent being the one who cries wolf and <i>Charley</i> being the one who doesn't believe... at least at first.</p><p>Also, Charley being the one slowly turning into a vampire shows shades of Mina Murray/Harker from the original <i>Dracula</i>, but done with the male character rather than the female one. How progressive!</p><p>Speaking of progressiveness, I wasn't just saying that Alex was an upgrade from Amy due to the fact that Traci Lind is hotter than Amanda Bearse (no offense, Amanda, you're a gem) - Alex is kind of a total badass, shown to be insightful, capable, and resourceful in ways that are believable and, more to the point, are helpful to advancing the plot and saving Charley's sorry ass.</p><p>You also have the late, great Roddy McDowall once more stepping into the tweed suit of Peter Vincent, which is always a joy even in this movie.</p><p>Then, there's Julie Carmen playing Regine. She's definitely hitting all the vampire stereotypes of being seductive, threatening, and bloodthirsty. The sister of the recently re-deceased Jerry (somehow), she seeks vengeance against both Charley and Peter for his death and comes up with revenge rather creatively when it comes to dealing with Jerry... not so much when it comes to Peter, who she just ends up taking over <i>Fright Night</i> from.</p><p>Admittedly, later, Peter gets committed when he attempts to stake her onscreen, but that clearly wasn't part of her plan in the beginning.</p><p>What <i>doesn't</i> work about this movie? Well, Regine's entourage is... mixed at best. Some clearly vampires, others appear to be ghouls much like Billy Cole was in the original film, but they are largely there for comic relief and not much else... and they are very hit and miss.</p><p>The film itself is not as well regarded as the original and it's not particularly difficult to see why, a lot of it <i>is</i> rehashed from the original. However, I really don't think this film gets the credit it deserves. What is done well here is done really well and you could find a lot worse ways to spend 103 minutes. As a conclusion to the storyline, even though it leaves it open for a sequel, it's not a bad one. The morning sun rises to banish the horrible night and Charley, Alex, and Peter all walk off to live their lives. Whether or not there are other vampires, they have to live... but they'll live prepared for what comes next.</p><p>As for what comes next for us, we're going to end Horror Month 2023 (at least for the film reviews) with our annual trip back to Haddonfield, Illinois. There's one thing you can be sure of - evil dies tonight!</p><p>...seriously, they won't stop saying it.</p><p><i>Fright Night Part 2 is brought to us by New Century/Vista and Tri-Star Pictures</i>.</p>MadCapMunchkinhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05885944836313859245noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7221258980660442179.post-54415329207892174262023-10-19T00:00:00.300-04:002023-10-19T00:00:00.156-04:00Madcap's D&D Builds - Christine (5e)<p></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEheljiYmycwmAVnG02UmMelwCnDxbMIxi8K9Kr93NnLYEpre8FrYtLyQe1ssza0pZyPyBiM810u9i1mdsbMxs2QfFpIggNZrSlG7ZAWm3llcn8f4wbu9PKQ0TMb-kPDdnjhwWeJ-U_FLfkQOpVA6CU720cnEQcDbbno52iIMfIbHA739X8n8OmHHulB3dBL/s1711/Christine-Movie-Car.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="862" data-original-width="1711" height="201" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEheljiYmycwmAVnG02UmMelwCnDxbMIxi8K9Kr93NnLYEpre8FrYtLyQe1ssza0pZyPyBiM810u9i1mdsbMxs2QfFpIggNZrSlG7ZAWm3llcn8f4wbu9PKQ0TMb-kPDdnjhwWeJ-U_FLfkQOpVA6CU720cnEQcDbbno52iIMfIbHA739X8n8OmHHulB3dBL/w400-h201/Christine-Movie-Car.jpg" width="400" /></a></div><br />Huh? What's that? I <i>can't</i> make a character build around a possessed 1958 Plymouth Fury? That's insane? Ridiculous?<p></p><p>Well, you may be right. I may be crazy. But guess what?</p><p>I'm MadCapMunchkin and I can do whatever the hell I want. Let's do it!<span></span></p><a name='more'></a><p></p><p>So, for those unfamiliar, <i>Christine</i> was a novel written by Stephen King about a possessed 1958 Plymouth Fury. There's more to it than that, but that's the basic idea. In 1983, it was brought to the silver screen at the directing hand of the legendary John Carpenter, so you had two horror pedigrees going to make this beauty... and it shows, because it's still well remembered even today.</p><p>Besides, with thirteen previous builds made up of nothing but dudes, I think it's time to throw a little girl power in... with some horse power.</p><p>So what are our goals for this build?</p><p></p><ul style="text-align: left;"><li>Durability. Christine suffers a hell of a lot of abuse throughout the film and (despite Stephen King not looking for a sequel) we aren't even 100% sure that she's actually defeated by the end of the movie <i>and</i> she has cameos in other King works like <i>The Stand</i> and even <i>IT</i>, so who knows?</li><li>Speed! Christine is hell on wheels, after all. Let's just make it literal!</li><li>Burn, baby, burn! - Christine has pyrokinesis. No reason not to add that to the pile.</li></ul><p></p><p>For stats, we're going to use the Standard Point Array from the <i>Player's Handbook</i>. As always, I recommend rolling for stats and just using this as a guide for where to place your attributes. Also, make sure that your Intelligence is at <i>least</i> 13 for multiclassing later on.</p><p>Constitution: <b>15</b></p><p>As I said above, Christine is chonky and takes a lot of abuse.</p><p>Intelligence: <b>14</b></p><p>Christine is shown to be very calculating and intelligent in how she pursues her targets. It's also part of the reason we <i>won't</i> be taking a specific class when the time comes.</p><p>Dexterity: <b>13</b></p><p>Like Lightning McQueen, Christine <i>is</i> speed. Unlike Lightning McQueen, her speed kills. Indiscriminately and to great effect.</p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhWnd_HuhOiqYRQCUgHKJXAPmszp_4d2glvpFWZuTgbu4qFz4M4ZCFLIXbG_KYailuOkIjcQh9IUvfiqefZ1er6aZN2pPFHSVbMXvTF1nATbJQF2hGiOl34YbKia_KFED8Iusdnj6GZFi1cqeW1FHvy1grBoCg_qBfUcJxU2zUCwY-cvhSLP2ywV7Brwcd9/s1280/Chirstine1.jpg" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="720" data-original-width="1280" height="225" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhWnd_HuhOiqYRQCUgHKJXAPmszp_4d2glvpFWZuTgbu4qFz4M4ZCFLIXbG_KYailuOkIjcQh9IUvfiqefZ1er6aZN2pPFHSVbMXvTF1nATbJQF2hGiOl34YbKia_KFED8Iusdnj6GZFi1cqeW1FHvy1grBoCg_qBfUcJxU2zUCwY-cvhSLP2ywV7Brwcd9/w400-h225/Chirstine1.jpg" width="400" /></a></div><br /><p></p><p>Wisdom: <b>12</b></p><p>As said in the Intelligence section, Christine can be very calculating in how she pursues targets.</p><p>Strength: <b>10</b></p><p>Christine does destroy opponents through physical force, we just need other things more.</p><p>Charisma: <b>8</b></p><p>Charisma is getting dumped. She's a beautiful car, but has no respect for or connection to human life.</p><p>For background, we're taking up the <b>Haunted One</b> background from <i>Van Richten's Guide to Ravenloft</i>. While it's never completely confirmed, we do know that a lot of death has occurred around the car even before the story starts, so I think the bloodshed more than qualifies given the subject matter.</p><p>The Haunted One background gives you two skills among Arcana, Investigation, Religion, and Survival. Pick up <b>Arcana</b> and <b>Investigation</b>. You also receive two languages... but you're a car, so...</p><p>And how do we make a car a race in D&D? ...not that kind of race, stop snickering.</p><p>Well, it's simple. (I said stop.)</p><p>Christine is a <b>Warforged</b> as seen in <i>Eberron: Rising from the Last War</i>. Starting out, Warforged get a +2 to their Constitution and a +1 to one other ability score of their choice. Beef up Constitution and Intelligence, setting us at a nice 17 and 15 right off the bat.</p><p>Warforged start off with a walking speed of 30 feet, and possess a <b>Constructed Resilience</b>, which gives them several benefits such as:</p><p></p><ul style="text-align: left;"><li>Advantage on saving throws against being poisoned and having resistance to poison damage.</li><li>Don't need to eat, drink, or breathe.</li><li>Immune to disease.</li><li>Don't need to sleep and magic can't be put to sleep.</li><li>Immune to magical aging effects.</li></ul><p></p><p>Pretty hefty to start out, right? And we aren't even done!</p><p>Warforged still have to rest, but get the benefit of a long rest with only six hours and they are motionless and inactive rather than asleep. They aren't unconscious and can see and hear around them as though they were "awake".</p><p>They also gain the benefit of <b>Integrated Protection</b>, which gives them:</p><p></p><ul style="text-align: left;"><li>+1 bonus to Armor Class.</li><li>You can only don armor with which you have proficiency and it takes you an hour to incorporate it into your body. It also takes an hour to remove in this fashion. Warforged can also rest while donning and doffing armor.</li><li>Your armor cannot be removed from your body against your will while you live.</li></ul><p></p><p>With <i>all</i> of that out of the way, let's get into the class selection.</p><p>My first thought was <b>Barbarian</b> as Christine definitely has quite a bit of intense rage. However, it's a bit more subtle than a full-on rage monster, so that went out pretty quickly. Still... something very destructive. What could we do? What could we do?</p><p><b>Fighter</b> (1) starts us out with proficiency with all armor and shields, all weapons, and proficiency in Strength and Constitution saving throws. You also choose two skills from Acrobatics, Animal Handling, Athletics, History, Insight, Intimidation, Perception, and Survival. We'll be taking <b>Athletics</b> and <b>Perception</b> to make a good use of our bonuses.</p><p>Fighters at first level must pick a <b>Fighting Style</b>. We'll be going with <b>Defense</b> to boost our AC by 1 whenever we wear armor. Fighters also get a <b>Second Wind</b>, allowing Christine to use a bonus action to regain hit points equal to 1d10+her fighter level, regaining the ability to use it again after a long or short rest.</p><p>Second level <b>Fighters</b> (2) gain an <b>Action Surge</b>, giving them a second action on top of their regular and bonus action each turn. After using this, they regain this ability after a short or long rest.</p><p></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEitnhFlZ1l5vppetlKD4uu1w_aOG1g70CzTmtmAWV1doeU_k55HXIfRIjrvhD35JXwSGIyi3K8rNWlSFV_5jOaYuERlb671RruDB0axh2zEFj77AJk040Fi9p8XjHhPLGg8z9PKHaqKE25SH1TgfhywuSCzFEaLCrHtCuaRcJmjMTuXqUlMHrjSfbaPSMaC/s1012/aaacrash.png" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="447" data-original-width="1012" height="176" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEitnhFlZ1l5vppetlKD4uu1w_aOG1g70CzTmtmAWV1doeU_k55HXIfRIjrvhD35JXwSGIyi3K8rNWlSFV_5jOaYuERlb671RruDB0axh2zEFj77AJk040Fi9p8XjHhPLGg8z9PKHaqKE25SH1TgfhywuSCzFEaLCrHtCuaRcJmjMTuXqUlMHrjSfbaPSMaC/w400-h176/aaacrash.png" width="400" /></a></div><br />At third level, Christine takes <b>Fighter</b> (3) to the next level by picking a <b>Martial Archetype</b>. We're going with <b>Battle Master</b>, which is heavily detailed on page 73 and 74 of the <i>Player's Handbook</i>.<p></p><p>As a <b>Student of War</b>, you gain proficiency in one type of artisan's tools. I will remind you, you are a murderous car. Your art is gratuitous and indiscriminate murder.</p><p>A Battle Master learns some <b>Maneuvers</b>, three of them, and some Superiority Dice (four d8s) to go with them.</p><p>We will be going with:</p><p><i>Evasive Footwork</i> - When moving, roll a superiority die and add that number to your AC until you stop moving.</p><p><i>Menacing Attack</i> - On a successful hit against a target, spend a superiority die to force a Wisdom saving throw on the target. On a failed save, the target is frightened of you until the end of your next turn.</p><p><i>Pushing Attack</i> - On a successful hit against a target, spend a superiority die. Add the number to the damage and, if the target is Large or smaller, it must make a Strength saving throw. On a failure, they are pushed 15 feet away from you.</p><p>At fourth level, <b>Fighters</b> (4) gain their very first Ability Score Improvement or Feat. <b>Tough</b> gives you 2 hit points for every level you have and every level you get from here on out. Pretty much just a great feat to have no matter what your build.</p><p>Fifth level of <b>Fighter</b> (5) gives us an Extra Attack, allowing for two attacks in one round instead of just the one.</p><p><i>However</i>, we will be leaving the Fighter class behind. Our next stop will be <b>Wizard</b> (1) when we hit sixth level. Becoming a wizard gets Christine <b>Spellcasting</b> as well as <b>Arcane Recovery</b>, letting her recover spell slots equal to half of her wizard level (rounded up) after a short rest once per day. <i>However</i>, this does not affect spells over 6th level, so there's no cheesing it trying to get more.</p><p>With access to spell casting, Christine gets a few cantrips and spells. For cantrips, we'll be going with <i>fire bolt</i>, <i>light</i>, and <i>dancing lights</i>. For our first level spells, you get six to start out. <i>Burning Hands</i>, <i>Expeditious Retreat</i>, <i>Longstrider</i>, <i>Mage Armor</i>, <i>Protection from Evil and Good</i>, and <i>Shield</i> are some great all-arounder options.</p><p>Seventh level brings us to the second level of <b>Wizard</b> (2) and we must choose an <b>Arcane Tradition</b>. In this cae, we'll be going with <b>Bladesinging</b>. Seems like an odd choice, but bear with me.</p><p>Christine gains <b>Training in War and Song</b>, which gives her light armor proficiency she already has and proficiency with a melee weapon of her choice... which she already has them all.</p><p>Gains <b>Performance</b> as a skill, though. Shame Charisma is our dump stat.</p><p>The real benefit at 2nd level comes with <b>Bladesong</b>. While not wearing heavy armor or using a shield, Christine can invoke ancient elven magic to provide a variety of benefits such as:</p><p></p><ul style="text-align: left;"><li>a bonus to your AC equal to your Intelligence modifier (minimum of +1)</li><li>walking speed increases by 10 feet.</li><li>advantage on Dexterity (Acrobatics) checks.</li><li>gain a bonus to any Constitution saving throw you make to maintain your concentration on a spell. The bonus equals your Intelligence modifier (minimum of +1).</li></ul><p></p><p>So, we're able to beef up, move slightly faster, and get a boost to our ability to concentrate as needed. This can be used a number of times equal to Christine's Proficiency bonus, and then she must take a long rest.</p><p>What's that? A car can't sing? <a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=pNVk9I7P-KI">Checkmate, atheists!</a></p><p>You also get two new spells just for being a wizard! Neat!<i> Feather Fall</i> and <i>Grease</i> have some use in protection and environment control, which is never not fun to have.</p><p>Eighth level gives us <b>Wizard</b> (3) and unlocks second level spells. <i>Continual Flame</i> and <i>Scorching Ray</i> bring us a bit more pyrokinesis.</p><p>Ninth level gives us the fourth level of <b>Wizard</b> (4) and gives us another Ability Score Improvement or Feat. I was jokingly going to say to get <b>Mounted Combatant</b> given the subject of our post here, which I suppose you could get a re-flavor with the permission of your DM if you <i>really</i> wanted to do this. Instead, we'll go with <b>Mobile</b>, which as +10 to Christine's speed, makes difficult terrain not cost extra movement when she uses the Dash action, and basically denies an opponent opportunity attacks after she's made a melee attack against an enemy whether or not the attack hits.</p><p>Also, something something two new spells! <i>Flaming Sphere</i> and <i>Gust of Wind</i> can fill out some extra need nicely there.</p><p>Christine also gets her fourth cantrip from being a wizard. In this case, let's go with <i>mending</i> as it's particularly useful to a Warforged.</p><p>Tenth level and we're at <b>Wizard</b> (5) and we get access to 3rd level spells! It's finally time for the myth and legend itself - <i>fireball</i>! Also, we'll be going with <i>haste</i> to increase our speed even more.</p><p>At eleventh level, <b>Wizards</b> (6) who take the path of Bladesinging gain an extra attack... but that unfortunately does <i>not</i> stack with the same ability we gain from Fighter. Oops!</p><p>For spells, go for <i>Fear</i> and <i>Protection from Energy</i>.</p><p></p><div style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjzSCPDVOwa4Tkf3mbiElWWntuTy7ZtqtbD4ko5T8UlfdXpg3n9p2m-i6iHozqX9Lgxq_hW6P9gv60MCcJD94WYeM_TCE2gCST9ApMZ0YvA7Lkxjqkt3djfQ8So_4OrdhjuzMRjncb1apVQ3GfMu9RChsTGZ6tQErQuHR12deuyGz8Z0kQbzFK4G28iXQU-/s1440/aaaaafireshield.jpg"><img border="0" data-original-height="593" data-original-width="1440" height="165" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjzSCPDVOwa4Tkf3mbiElWWntuTy7ZtqtbD4ko5T8UlfdXpg3n9p2m-i6iHozqX9Lgxq_hW6P9gv60MCcJD94WYeM_TCE2gCST9ApMZ0YvA7Lkxjqkt3djfQ8So_4OrdhjuzMRjncb1apVQ3GfMu9RChsTGZ6tQErQuHR12deuyGz8Z0kQbzFK4G28iXQU-/w400-h165/aaaaafireshield.jpg" width="400" /></a></div><br />At twelfth level, <b>Wizards</b> (7) reaching the seventh level get access to fourth level spells. <i>Fire shield </i>gives us exactly what it says on the tin, and <i>wall of fire</i> will make sure none of those deserving of Christine's vengeance can get away from her so easily.<p></p><p>At thirteenth level, Christine once more takes the path of <b>Wizard</b> (8) and receives another Ability Score Improvement or a Feat. Boost your Constitution and Intelligence for better bonuses (should be 18 and 16 now, not bad) to your concentration and your spell save DC.</p><p>For spells, <i>Confusion</i> and <i>Phantasmal Killer</i> will make for a fun time.</p><p>Fourteenth level and Christine is once more going with <b>Wizard</b> (9) and gets access to 5th level spells. <i>Telekinesis</i> from 5th level popping back to 4th level, we'll pick up <i>Dimension Door</i> to give us more mobility options.</p><p>Fifteenth level and the dip into <b>Wizard</b> (10) continues! As a Bladesinger, Christine earns the <b>Song of Defense</b>. Using a reaction, Christine can expend a spell slot to reduce damage by 5 times the spell's level so long as Bladesong is active.</p><p>Christine also gains her last cantrip from being a wizard. I'll just throw <i>Blade Ward</i> in, because why not?</p><p>Sixteenth level, <b>Wizard</b> (11) brings us sixth level spells. <i>Globe of Invulnerability</i> and <i>Sunbeam</i> come to the list.</p><p>Seventeenth level and <b>Wizard</b> (12) gives Christine an Ability Score Improvement or a Feat. Keep pumping into Constitution and Intelligence for reasons we've already discussed (19 and 17 for those keeping score at home).</p><p>Eighteenth level and Christine's journey into <b>Wizard</b> (13) continues with access to 7th level spells. <i>Delayed Blast Fireball</i> and <i>Teleport</i> are two spells that I really do think speak for themselves.</p><p>Nineteenth level puts us to <b>Wizard</b> (14) and gets us the final ability from Bladesinging - <b>Song of Victory</b>. When Bladesong is active, Christine can add her Intelligence modifier to the damage of her weapon attacks.</p><p>Twentieth level puts us at <b>Wizard</b> (15) and gives us our capstone level as well as access to 8th level spells. <i>Incendiary Cloud</i> and <i>Sunburst</i> will round out our spell list.</p><p>Now that we've hit level 20, let's look at our pros and cons for this build.</p><p>Pros:</p><p></p><ul style="text-align: left;"><li>You have a lot of options for all out attacks, enemy controlling, and even environmental control. Between your fighter abilities, your Bladesong, and your spell effects, you're a force to be reckoned with.</li><li>You have a lot of mobility. Your uptick in speeds from both the Mobile and your Bladesong putting you at a natural speed of 50 is pretty damn good. Add in spells like <i>expeditious retreat</i> and <i>haste</i> and it gets even better. Then, of course, you have spells like <i>dimension door </i>and <i>teleport</i> just to take you that much further.</li><li>You have a pretty good armor class starting out. If you're going with 10 + Dexterity + Modifiers, you're at a +2 starting out and a +3 when using Bladesong. With half plate (the best medium armor), that's putting you at a solid 18 to start off. Not too bad.</li></ul><p></p><p>Cons: </p><p></p><ul style="text-align: left;"><li>You have a lot of options for attacks, but almost all of your spells involve fire and you're likely to have a very bad time with enemies that are resistant or are outright immune. You also lose a big one in <i>meteor storm</i> at 9th level... which you can't reach.</li><li>Your armor makes you a tough nut to crack, but those d6 hit dice from Wizard are not doing you too many favors even with a high Constitution score. It is hard to hit you, but you're pretty boned once they <i>do</i> hit you.</li><li>A lot of your best abilities only really work while Bladesong is active. When it isn't or you run out of uses, you lose a lot of what makes this build work.</li></ul><p></p><p></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhteVeQhyO58nYNRzpnC7k-VikHAPDgt05NI7ieLuICKqGnR6E08oFimxI-Ept_Y0EfDpHYf40lwa0xrslTUWRtjdA58E3thmsAZcwwzQEo9HtP1hzgDLBqI1UZtpRt7hlKd5flX3tCZ1HBpzwxOtOS0Sn4dGhfRGlMBAYV30OT7XDjtnzM6z8767dWFH63/s500/aaaachriste.png" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="280" data-original-width="500" height="224" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhteVeQhyO58nYNRzpnC7k-VikHAPDgt05NI7ieLuICKqGnR6E08oFimxI-Ept_Y0EfDpHYf40lwa0xrslTUWRtjdA58E3thmsAZcwwzQEo9HtP1hzgDLBqI1UZtpRt7hlKd5flX3tCZ1HBpzwxOtOS0Sn4dGhfRGlMBAYV30OT7XDjtnzM6z8767dWFH63/w400-h224/aaaachriste.png" width="400" /></a></div><br />But hey, you're a possessed car from one of the best eras in the American automobile industry. Crank up the tunes and go cruising for murder. Just make sure to keep a close eye on the people you're trying to kill and stay away from the junkyard. You never know, you might end up getting squished...<p></p>MadCapMunchkinhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05885944836313859245noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7221258980660442179.post-24850294319884969132023-10-18T00:00:00.154-04:002023-10-18T00:00:00.159-04:00What If... Freddy Krueger had never resurrected Jason Voorhees? (Part 3)<a href="https://madcapsrealm.blogspot.com/2022/10/what-if-freddy-krueger-had-never.html"></a><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://madcapsrealm.blogspot.com/2022/10/what-if-freddy-krueger-had-never.html"></a><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhtppgT_8vD7AdqgKv2M2C6N70mDQplHKNN1NEtRJNlERv39Gj6atFT_szxck0y_6ICkU51h07oVGi3mOSJWxKmvY-q6XUwhJxbvpgnlk6ere6LkrjpTUDZdvEL2nJo0jorG_irrCfuGh2rdWrZpiudHINbkWUwi0Yil_IvKuRbB4OO89H8HhR3UL3cniNb/s1400/Apin.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="700" data-original-width="1400" height="200" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhtppgT_8vD7AdqgKv2M2C6N70mDQplHKNN1NEtRJNlERv39Gj6atFT_szxck0y_6ICkU51h07oVGi3mOSJWxKmvY-q6XUwhJxbvpgnlk6ere6LkrjpTUDZdvEL2nJo0jorG_irrCfuGh2rdWrZpiudHINbkWUwi0Yil_IvKuRbB4OO89H8HhR3UL3cniNb/w400-h200/Apin.jpg" width="400" /></a></div><br />Last time... well, you all <i>clearly</i> read the description I gave last week, right? I mashed together multiple horror franchises with gleefully reckless abandon like I was a child playing with action figures.<div><br /></div><div>But, the forces of darkness are powerful, but splintered...Freddy getting his monster mash on and Pinhead getting lost in the Necronomicon Ex Mortis. The good guys are not, even though they are currently running on just two and a head number of members (that last one <i>most</i> unwillingly) and have no clue where to go from where they are.</div><div><br /></div><div>So, I know what you're all thinking... what happens next?<span><a name='more'></a></span></div><div><br /></div><div>Well, we pick up with our heroes, where we last left them. Ash explains to Maggie who he is and what his connection to events is - namely, recapping the events of the original <i>Evil Dead</i> trilogy. He's been all around, hunting down leads on the Necronomicon, which led him to her bedside at the hospital. Maggie gets him up to speed on what's been going on - namely the re-emergence of her father and how Pinhead now possesses the book he's been looking for.</div><div><br /></div><div>Definitely <i>not</i> groovy.</div><div><br /></div><div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjN_3xDLvm9SlD6MkdKOmi7n70T5vyijPXnkuaTfp0jOFoP3TNKoAm3Np6SnKam8iqB7_1Bk1K9ZbDaEdrbidT1W5UOVSV9-az53qaCAoVOE8lT9yDxBOX5GXOwJqivSvytCb5745t7iROrn9Sz9M2upmSZgRNJwuy2K1Cq2-Z0squL7VKi9yeGXLJJ0xAu/s1296/Ash.jpg" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="730" data-original-width="1296" height="225" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjN_3xDLvm9SlD6MkdKOmi7n70T5vyijPXnkuaTfp0jOFoP3TNKoAm3Np6SnKam8iqB7_1Bk1K9ZbDaEdrbidT1W5UOVSV9-az53qaCAoVOE8lT9yDxBOX5GXOwJqivSvytCb5745t7iROrn9Sz9M2upmSZgRNJwuy2K1Cq2-Z0squL7VKi9yeGXLJJ0xAu/w400-h225/Ash.jpg" width="400" /></a></div><br />The two, unfortunately, have no idea where to start with both the Necronomicon and the Lament Configuration gone.</div><div><br /></div><div>In Hell, Freddy is just looking for a few evil men and dredges up the soul of <a href="https://villains.fandom.com/wiki/Esther_Coleman">Esther Coleman</a> and puts her to work on Earth giving Maggie a big wake up call. Apparently, Freddy remains a fan of extreme irony after all this time. Unfortunately, the head of one Charles Lee Ray - being a thing animated by voodoo magic - is able to detect when something is supernaturally awry and thus she finds Ash and Maggie ready and waiting for her. Taking her down, the two question her on Freddy, but she remains tight-lipped and only tells them that Freddy is planning to go head to head with Pinhead one last time... and win! She taunts them over the fact that Freddy is going to swallow their souls. Ash, naturally, is ready to off her.</div><div><br /></div><div>MAGGIE: We can't kill her. She's a little girl.</div><div><br /></div><div>ASH: Can't kill her if she's already dead, sweetheart.</div><div><br /></div><div>Boomstick goes boom, as you might expect and Esther is once more dead. When she returns to Hell, reporting in to Freddy that everything went exactly to plan. He's overjoyed... and begins to look into more people he can resurrect and put to work in the interest of gathering souls.</div><div><br /></div><div>Ash and Maggie make their way back to Springwood, where things are still looking pretty rough as they<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEidNK_DAm__mZaay4BoPevc3SAh_2vYmBhJ1x6gKh0my-QpZduUV1FrxXhv1v4RTZFwt7un_vR3oZy2fmPwDQBGWUKYzUi6ZxloFHUJpiVTePZ1vOJjm6ZUnhJJRM2C9Iy7cMpsv4xnth_1PvenR8zE6EO_clZK7oe5dz8OQGIhVq6jisNQhcZobh2YmpOu/s341/Scott_Stubbs.webp" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="288" data-original-width="341" height="338" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEidNK_DAm__mZaay4BoPevc3SAh_2vYmBhJ1x6gKh0my-QpZduUV1FrxXhv1v4RTZFwt7un_vR3oZy2fmPwDQBGWUKYzUi6ZxloFHUJpiVTePZ1vOJjm6ZUnhJJRM2C9Iy7cMpsv4xnth_1PvenR8zE6EO_clZK7oe5dz8OQGIhVq6jisNQhcZobh2YmpOu/w400-h338/Scott_Stubbs.webp" width="400" /></a></div><br /> were back during <i>Freddy's Dead</i>. While the teenage population has miraculously repopulated in the last few years (as seen in <i>Freddy vs. Jason</i>), it's still a pretty rundown place. They run into (now former) Deputy Stubbs, still recovering from the <a href="https://madcapsrealm.blogspot.com/2021/10/what-iffreddy-krueger-had-never.html">his previous battle</a> with Freddy and the Cenobites. Ash gives the man a pep talk in about the most assholish way he can (he is Ash, after all), but Stubbs is a bit too scarred from it all and refuses... until he's told about the others who have come out from Hell at Freddy's direction. Knowing that Freddy with that much power is definitely a bad thing, he agrees to help out where he can.</div><div><br /></div><div>Ash explains a bit of his own history - basically the first three <i>Evil Dead</i> movies - and the significance of the Necronomicon Ex Mortis. The thing is most definitely bad news and shouldn't be in the hands of either Pinhead or Freddy. The trio look through some of Agent Marcus' case files that were left during the Freeburg investigation, learning about the network of individuals that the Cenobites use to distribute the Lament Configurations across the world to the people who seek the pain and pleasure that they bring. With the head of Chucky, him being essentially a supernatural divining rod, Ash thinks they can use him to track down one of the boxes. When they attempt this, Chucky gets overloaded by the energy from <a href="https://madcapsrealm.blogspot.com/2021/10/what-iffreddy-krueger-had-never.html">portals having been opened here before</a> and leaving an echo, which gets the attention of both Freddy and Pinhead.</div><div><br /></div><div>Freddy arrives back in Springwood, utilizing the power of the souls that he's gathered to force his army of damned souls into the real world and it's a massive slaughter. With time running out, Stubbs hunts down and steals the Lament Configuration out of the evidence locker at the Springwood PD and opens it, bringing back Pinhead. </div><div><br /></div><div>In the Labyrinth, Pinhead has been studying the Necronomicon Ex Mortis and deciding how best to use it. Certain spells within can be used to put down wayward spirits like Freddy Krueger's for good, but almost all of them come at a terrible cost. The Cenobite also doesn't know that the longer that the book is in his possession, both he and the domain of the Labyrinth are becoming corrupted irrevocably. Another Lament Configuration is activated and Pinhead leaves to fulfill his position as the Lead Cenobite...</div><div><br /></div><div>He and Ash get into a knockdown, drag out brawl that only ends when Ash actually manages to cut off someone <i>else</i>'s hand for a change and separates Pinhead from the Necronomicon. A tense alliance is formed between Pinhead and Ash, Maggie, and Stubbs and the former party is able to reveal that he did find a passage in the book that will banish an individual into the deepest pits of Hell, a place where they will be most unlikely to return from ever again. With no other plan, they get to work. The Cenobites battle the souls that Freddy has conjured, taking them down and dragging them back into the Labyrinth with them for their punishments.</div><div><br /></div><div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEijX0zXDvK4B7LjXkZc5rVkWEvKLJ90kC8mwhyfZBIFhF5K9z9_yB0UowotN0PeYC3Avk4S8BJYxlydb7n3o8jbbMF7p3hQszFueOoFeFygsLj10oDBJXh3pCuY_9Nh4KqRiDGg7tsjL7c0MNtLuY9l501aUlAJ4FVYVQwdDTaXKh4Hx-DddxizkBsBBLFo/s1005/freddy%20oops.jpg" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="551" data-original-width="1005" height="219" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEijX0zXDvK4B7LjXkZc5rVkWEvKLJ90kC8mwhyfZBIFhF5K9z9_yB0UowotN0PeYC3Avk4S8BJYxlydb7n3o8jbbMF7p3hQszFueOoFeFygsLj10oDBJXh3pCuY_9Nh4KqRiDGg7tsjL7c0MNtLuY9l501aUlAJ4FVYVQwdDTaXKh4Hx-DddxizkBsBBLFo/w400-h219/freddy%20oops.jpg" width="400" /></a></div><br />At the last, it comes down to a fight between Ash, Maggie, and Pinhead versus Freddy. Freddy more than meets his match in terms of wisecracks from Ash, although the Dream Demon still holds far more power than he should in the waking world... at least until the Cenobites coach Stubbs through using the Lament Configuration to close the portal, cutting Freddy off from his power supply and any reinforcements he might have cooked up.</div><div><br /></div><div>Maggie uses the book, chanting the Sumerian incantation to send her father deep, deep down into Hell for what - she hopes - will be the final time. Rather than banishing him, as she believes it will, it instead does something far worse - renders Freddy mortal. Taking the opportunity, Pinhead is quick to riddle the Springwood Slasher with chains aplenty, promising him a great deal more pain and suffering than he has yet endured at the hands of the Cenobites. Or, as he puts it...</div><div><br /></div><div>PINHEAD: We have such sights to show you...</div><div><br /></div><div>Pinhead attempts to claim custody of the Necronomicon once more, but Ash refuses. Rather than break their truce, the Lead Cenobite relents and returns with his fellows to the Labyrinth. He does warn them though that, the next time they meet, they <i>will</i> be enemies. Stubbs sees to it that the Lament Configuration will be destroyed much as Ash intends to do with the Necronomicon. For now, however, the battle is over... for now, at least...</div><div><br /></div><div>In the Labyrinth, Pinhead enjoys the torment of one Frederick Krueger, powerless and afraid as he is torn apart again and again and again down to the last of his body's fibers.</div><div><br /></div><div>In Hell, the spirits that Freddy scrounged up are rip-roaring mad and looking for a way out. Unfortunately for them, they don't have long to think about it before <i>something</i> starts taking them all out one by one by one... something that is far angrier and far more destructive than all of them...</div><div><br /></div><div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhrW41XhIjfk_MMfwuyiaIDTXZS3LsYKVRbbkA08noi-pa6nllAO87sOPsIl_MvoRrlmMrIEKjqsj1sIofbwWonIY09OnI102_7MB8R4-ICaPWUfUfc4Nsp6DGB9ouvgXpPoQZTjeNcXJc4u4y3N4eO7S1160BRII_RUCO4aMvx-GJXxabl5mZqIDU0N_3y/s2048/Savini_Jason_Concept_Art.webp" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1284" data-original-width="2048" height="251" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhrW41XhIjfk_MMfwuyiaIDTXZS3LsYKVRbbkA08noi-pa6nllAO87sOPsIl_MvoRrlmMrIEKjqsj1sIofbwWonIY09OnI102_7MB8R4-ICaPWUfUfc4Nsp6DGB9ouvgXpPoQZTjeNcXJc4u4y3N4eO7S1160BRII_RUCO4aMvx-GJXxabl5mZqIDU0N_3y/w400-h251/Savini_Jason_Concept_Art.webp" width="400" /></a></div><br />Something that is trying to come <i>back</i>...</div><div><br /></div><div>...and that's where we're going to leave off on this one. This was a fun <i>What If</i> to do, but I think this will be the final part of this one unless I can think of a good continuation. As it stands, I think this one has gone as far as I can take it without stretching. Freddy is dead, for real this time, and Pinhead is back to doing what he does best. And, it seems, there's a ruckus going on in Hell for extra fun.</div><div><br /></div><div>...and I just wanted to put the Savini Jason skin to use again, eat me. It looks <i>amazing</i>!</div><div><br /></div><div>Next time, we'll be hitting up one of the parallel universes of <i>Supernatural</i> as we take another stab at the question - <i>What if the Trickster never reset the Timeline</i>?<i>. </i></div><div><br /></div><div>Be there!</div>MadCapMunchkinhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05885944836313859245noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7221258980660442179.post-28825107382886072632023-10-17T00:00:00.186-04:002023-10-17T00:00:00.143-04:00From MadCap's Couch - Supernatural: "It's The Great Pumpkin, Sam Winchester"<p></p><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg093QEbEKbEauINNiNtphELA7VyPVBivStvRf9VnGX2MtGKu5Ek58naXkrFYbAf0S1_If37Lf04rM44DBkGMs6HE1hYvZGLAZla52WgZ2n1GLcDuUQI6xUtjVcEq8kyqCtJCBdAZqYerT3BGq5Uf-h2yz4VwCBIMdA0q6Ikd0Nvg0md7Ac6jyTUDZhMtHv/s800/image0-2-e1603573698457.webp" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="437" data-original-width="800" height="219" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg093QEbEKbEauINNiNtphELA7VyPVBivStvRf9VnGX2MtGKu5Ek58naXkrFYbAf0S1_If37Lf04rM44DBkGMs6HE1hYvZGLAZla52WgZ2n1GLcDuUQI6xUtjVcEq8kyqCtJCBdAZqYerT3BGq5Uf-h2yz4VwCBIMdA0q6Ikd0Nvg0md7Ac6jyTUDZhMtHv/w400-h219/image0-2-e1603573698457.webp" width="400" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">"Dean, I just don't see Halloween-themed Junior Mints catching on."</td></tr></tbody></table><br />See? I told you we'd be getting back to it...<span></span><p></p><a name='more'></a><p></p><p>When we last left the Impala, Sam and Dean had just dealt with some Yellow Fever. This time, we get a pre-credits sequence with more or less a montage of a whole gaggle of things the boys have fought and a recap of the Season Arc - Lilith starting an apocalypse, Sam using his psychic abilities to exercise demons, etc. - before we show up in small town America "two days before Halloween".</p><p>A husband, wife, and infant child - the Wallaces - are living the suburban life, the wife having brought back some candy for the big day and denying her husband some. He snatches some anyway once her back is turned... and then coughs up a pair of razor blades after a frankly unnerving scene of him pulling a razor blade out of his mouth. Wife finds him on the blood-spattered floor soon after, dead as a door nail.</p><p>Sam and Dean arrive as duly appointed Federal Agents the next day, learning that there were four more razor blades in Mr. Wallace's stomach and one in his throat. In searching around while Sam interrogates, Dean finds a hex bag - witches are afoot! Mrs. Wallace denies anyone would want to kill off her husband.</p><p>Back at the motel, Sam has been doing some research. The hex bag is a heavy duty thing. Its contents include an actual Celtic coin, an herb that's been extinct for at least two centuries, and a boiled bone from an infant... that's at least a hundred years old. Dean has done some poking around, but can find no reason why someone would want Mr. Wallace dead.</p><p>At a frat house Halloween party, bobbing for apples goes horribly wrong for a girl in a slutty nurse outfit who dunks her head until the water... and then drowns when she can't pull back up out of the water. Oh, and her face gets flash-fried, but that's basically just overkill by that point.</p><p>Sam and Dean investigate, speaking to the Ashley Benson-shaped cheerleader who witnessed it. Dean investigates, learning that the cheerleader has no idea who Luke Wallace was. Sam finds another hex bag.</p><p></p><table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: right;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi4tzvMzJUEiYGffdWrrcsNXsgF90BeGZ64k7mMMkJPCgseoV0iL78gtum0UGEOfHs3bPP3BcvGqvXXALhhxAoFXSbhIAb3i-FENXX7RLapWgb35ZntaJNcNnTkPQbab3qBV23jlflgdpGRkt67ItEd1gqs9dJpoFlXzVvmL3GEl8gYCU2oRL-Brryz3ZKz/s500/spnits.jpg" style="clear: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="281" data-original-width="500" height="225" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi4tzvMzJUEiYGffdWrrcsNXsgF90BeGZ64k7mMMkJPCgseoV0iL78gtum0UGEOfHs3bPP3BcvGqvXXALhhxAoFXSbhIAb3i-FENXX7RLapWgb35ZntaJNcNnTkPQbab3qBV23jlflgdpGRkt67ItEd1gqs9dJpoFlXzVvmL3GEl8gYCU2oRL-Brryz3ZKz/w400-h225/spnits.jpg" width="400" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Dean's been looking for a limited edition for <i>years</i>!</td></tr></tbody></table><br />Back at the motel, Sam comes up with a theory - the killings aren't for revenge, they're for a spell. Specifically, a ritual to summon a demon called... <i>Samhain</i>. Here we have the <i>Halloween II</i> problem again with pronunciation, since the holiday is pronounced <i>saa-wn</i>, not <i>Samhain</i>, but nevermind. It's the name of a character rather than the holiday, so I'm willing to let it slide. The lore <i>Supernatural</i> gives is that Samhain is the reason that Halloween exists and, while he was exorcised centuries back, bringing him back would bring... basically everything that Sam and Dean would fight that lives in the shadows, all at the beck and call of the demon. As Dean puts it, a slaughterhouse.<p></p><p>In the next scene, Dean is staking out the Wallace's and finding nothing. They find a connection, however, as the cheerleader from earlier comes over to the Wallace's - Tracy is the babysitter! Tracy apparently got into an altercation with a teacher and was suspended, the boys going to investigate.</p><p>In the art room, some of the masks trigger some of Dean's flashbacks to Hell that he pushes off. The teacher - Don Harding - apparently holds no ill will against Tracy, but says her artwork was getting disturbingly inappropriate. Page after page after page of symbols and drawings of ritual killings that she depicted herself in the middle of. They show him the coin they found from the hex bag, and he confirms that he thinks they're one of the symbols. They also learn that Tracy has no parents she's living with, she's an emancipated teen. Getting back to the motel, they apparently went and found no sign of her. It's like she's dropped off the face of the earth.</p><p>After an altercation with a boy in a spaceman outfit, the boys enter the motel... and find Castiel and who we will later learn is Uriel. Sam is star-struck and tries to shake Castiel's hand... and finds the angels are all business. The angels inquire if the boys have found the witch, having discovered a hex bag hidden in the wall of their motel room. Apparently, adding onto the stakes, the rising of Samhain is one of the sixty-six seals. The angels are unable to find the witch due to the magics the witch is using, and Castiel introduces Uriel - a "specialist" angel that is going to destroy the town.</p><p>Dean and Sam try to argue for the people in this town, insisting that they'll stop the witch before the Seal can be broken. When it seems they can't convince them, Dean puts his foot down - they aren't leaving. Castiel relents despite Uriel's reservations on the subject and gives Sam and Dean the time they need.</p><p></p><table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: left;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh86lxoHB6zwOmXJVIslWIoqzLLbA1yyCNJTaC-bNF9W8gatiMpMt_rk8Tf5ENwC8eAihGvi729Ac7LaNzBqRF6TKRF6mqyWCaVgob9y28H4eMSuIyqSP6iZBsqJdjcvureNSnPnj0E3naC2JR2fSJkaFTKQw9aQhAHYcDIi0TxammxNaldBpfxwwg5YEMz/s299/download.jpeg" style="clear: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="168" data-original-width="299" height="225" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh86lxoHB6zwOmXJVIslWIoqzLLbA1yyCNJTaC-bNF9W8gatiMpMt_rk8Tf5ENwC8eAihGvi729Ac7LaNzBqRF6TKRF6mqyWCaVgob9y28H4eMSuIyqSP6iZBsqJdjcvureNSnPnj0E3naC2JR2fSJkaFTKQw9aQhAHYcDIi0TxammxNaldBpfxwwg5YEMz/w400-h225/download.jpeg" width="400" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">"Hello, one of us is definitely <i>not</i> the villain!"</td></tr></tbody></table><br />In the egged Impala, Dean consoles a Sam who has had his illusions shattered a bit by meeting the actual angels. Despite not believing in it himself, Dean encourages Sam to not give up in it just because the angels they've met are dicks. One of my favorite quotes of his comes from this episode: "Babe Ruth was a dick, but baseball's still a beautiful game". Going through the hex bag contents again, Sam comes up with an idea - the baby bone that was boiled would need some extreme heat. The boys return to the art room at the school and find baby bones in the teacher's desk. Harding is the witch!<p></p><p>Elsewhere, as children head out for Halloween trick or treating, Castiel and Uriel talk on a park bench. Uriel makes his disdain for humans clear as well as his desire to drag Dean out of here and blow this place to kingdom come and Castiel makes it clear that they have their orders... their <i>true</i> orders... and pointedly asks Uriel if he's prepared to disobey.</p><p>The boys break into Harding's basement and shoot him down just before he can ritually sacrifice Tracy... who is also a witch as they find out once they release her. Knocking them down, Tracy completes the ritual to summon Samhain. While she does so, Sam takes some of the blood from Harding's body and smears it all over his and Dean's faces, much to Dean's confusion.</p><p>Samhain is freed and enters Harding's body, having a tender reunion with Tracy... just before he snaps her neck and calls her a whore. As you do. Interesting to note, however, Samhain walks past both Sam and Dean without bothering with either of them... Sam had a hunch masking them, as per the lore, would hide them from the demon.</p><p>Also of note - Samhain does not have black or red eyes, but instead has a pale green with visible irises for his demonic visage. Just an interesting little note.</p><p>On the way to the cemetery, reasoning that Samhain will go there to raise the armies of the night, the boys debate the use of Sam's powers to take him down - Sam arguing for it and Dean being adamantly against it.</p><p>The teenagers from earlier get locked into their mausoleum rave by Samhain as the dead begin to rise. The boys come in to let them all out just before the dead begin to rise, Dean getting to deal with some nice, wholesome therapy in the form of rekilling some zombies. Going deeper in, Sam finds Samhain and gets to work. Samhain uses the demon white light on him to no effect as <a href="https://madcapsrealm.blogspot.com/2023/02/from-madcaps-couch-supernatural-no-rest.html">Lilith had before </a>and the two get into a proper tussle. Sam attempts to use the knife, which Samhain holds some resistance to and eventually disarms Sam of. As a last, desperate act, Sam uses his mind once more.</p><p></p><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiiJT-119tNyr4bB3ZPamICGZk_kKzUECfjwn1-TvftCR8c4o-qAILP_wEZdOD7omz7C04kFw4x-oLz8MAwqhMbK9otp1JxESsZn6wLuHqU82_sR_3q-88YXcetKrD3ixCOb--9l_RV8yorbiy7k2SSETlcXbKuKSnrPFHYswlL4tSEzOka-kizbTg0EHip/s800/asam.webp" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="433" data-original-width="800" height="216" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiiJT-119tNyr4bB3ZPamICGZk_kKzUECfjwn1-TvftCR8c4o-qAILP_wEZdOD7omz7C04kFw4x-oLz8MAwqhMbK9otp1JxESsZn6wLuHqU82_sR_3q-88YXcetKrD3ixCOb--9l_RV8yorbiy7k2SSETlcXbKuKSnrPFHYswlL4tSEzOka-kizbTg0EHip/w400-h216/asam.webp" width="400" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">"Use the Force, Sam! Let go, Sam!"</td></tr></tbody></table><br />It seems more difficult, Samhain resisting powerfully and Sam's nose beginning to bleed, but soon enough, Sam exorcises him... just in time for Dean to come up and witness it happening.<p></p><p>Later, Uriel chastises Sam for using his powers despite Sam having been stuck having no real choice in that particular situation. Uriel threatens to turn Sam to dust as soon as he stops being useful and tells him to ask Dean what he remembers of his time in Hell.</p><p>Elsewhere, Dean meets with Castiel. He reveals the truth to Dean - the angels' orders were to follow Dean's orders, not to stop the summoning of Samhain. A test of Dean's ability in "battlefield conditions". Despite thinking he failed, Dean says he'd do the same thing again if he had the chance to do it again, because this town is still here because of himself and his brother.</p><p>Castiel tells Dean that he's misjudged him, explaining that he wanted Dean to choose to save the town. He reveals a secret to Dean: he does have doubts about his orders, about what's right and what's wrong. Cas knows that Dean is going to have to make some hard choices in the months to come, and he doesn't envy him that burden that he carries. Dean looks away thoughtfully and, when he looks back, Castiel has disappeared...</p><p>And that was <i>It's The Great Pumpkin, Sam Winchester</i>. <i>Supernatural</i> is a show that digs into the lore quite a bit and their Halloween episode definitely isn't a bad one by any means. The mispronounciation of Samhain aside, they don't necessarily do <i>much</i> with it, but you get your standard Halloween pack of ghosts and goblins along with a tie-in to the myth arc. We meet our <strike>third </strike>second angel in the series so far in the form of Uriel and we learn that Castiel is a bit more complex than we may have at first been led to believe.</p><p>Samhain gives a unique look for demons that we sadly don't ever really see again on the show - most demons defaulting to either black or red eyes for most of the rest of the series. The twist in the story that two witches were needed for the ritual rather than one was set up well, although Sam and Dean likely should have been a bit more suspicious of Tracy even after saving her if I'm being entirely honest.</p><p>Anyway, the apocalypse looms ever onward on the horizon. Will Sam and Dean be able to circumvent it? When we return to the adventures of Sam and Dean in the Impala, it'll be time for some <i>Wishful Thinking</i>. Next time, however, we're going to be heading into the multiverse to pick up with some old friends we haven't seen in quite some time here on the blog.</p><p>Be there!</p>MadCapMunchkinhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05885944836313859245noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7221258980660442179.post-15251881455653570772023-10-16T00:00:00.104-04:002023-10-16T00:00:00.141-04:00MadCap's Reel Thoughts - "Doctor Who: The Movie" (1996)<p></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgtG1jKLS0c00PuJK57wbSwngvW7-dYhubq7t37hkvbrr7_K3f2gVN8yfmL8iqFEqDOfgM1btsE3nkrR789QagToxjrKB_FfI9y27TLUIkAhUEjcf9aJZDZoXdcKpI7hCDaza3a1JwJ2zvkW_sWnIfQjPZBmdqkCVICNVQeSB2YIa5Z4gDyK-gOZuLZ53fk/s1481/Doctor%20Who.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1481" data-original-width="1000" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgtG1jKLS0c00PuJK57wbSwngvW7-dYhubq7t37hkvbrr7_K3f2gVN8yfmL8iqFEqDOfgM1btsE3nkrR789QagToxjrKB_FfI9y27TLUIkAhUEjcf9aJZDZoXdcKpI7hCDaza3a1JwJ2zvkW_sWnIfQjPZBmdqkCVICNVQeSB2YIa5Z4gDyK-gOZuLZ53fk/w270-h400/Doctor%20Who.jpg" width="270" /></a></div><br />...oh, you thought this was gonna be <i>Hellraiser</i>? Nah, I decided to bring you some <i>real</i> horror: The Doctor Who TV Movie from 1996.<div><br /></div><div>It's only the 60th anniversary year for my favorite TV show of all time and the major plot of this does involve an alien parasite trying to steal bodies, so it's <i>technically </i>horror-<i>themed</i> if nothing else. Beyond it, of course, being one of the most controversial entries in all of <i>Doctor Who </i>canon, which is <i>not </i>a statement I make lightly.<span><a name='more'></a></span><p></p><p>So, how did this come about? Well, the original <i>Doctor Who</i> was cancelled by the BBC in 1989 with the final episode - "Survival, Part Four" airing on December 6, 1989. The Doctor and Ace disappeared in the TARDIS, but never disappeared from the hearts of the British public and thus attempts were made to bring back the show proper. This in combination with a bunch of other productions and fan productions and frankly things that I could literally spend ages covering that built up the <i>Doctor Who </i>Expanded Universe between 1989 and 2005.</p><p>Another reviewer, Diamanda Hagan (who I've referenced before) covers a lot of this on <a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ZjjGPYA7FSk">YouTube</a>, if you're <a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=bLPG9VNnQ2Y">interested in it</a>.</p><p>Focusing on this movie, however, the project eventually came into the hands of British-American producer Philip Segal who shopped it around to multiple production companies in America. Long story short, the end result of his search brought him to Fox. If you know anything about Fox in the 1990s... you know that science-fiction programs that weren't <i>The X-Files</i> were absolutely boned. Fox would not agree to commit to a full series, but instead agreed to a TV movie with the potential that - if the ratings were good - it would be the backdoor pilot to a series to follow.</p><p>Given that Paul McGann's Eighth Doctor never <i>got</i> a series on television, you can tell how well <i>that</i> went.</p><p>Unfortunately, we aren't here to talk about what could have been, but what <i>was</i>. So, let's get into <i>Doctor Who: The Movie</i>.</p><p>Our film begins with the Doctor (Sylvester McCoy) being charged to take the remains of his old enemy - the Master - back to Gallifrey from some Daleks that could be heard (sort of) but not seen due to licensing rights with the Terry Nation estate. However, the Master being the Master means that being disintegrated is just another Saturday. Thus, the Master escapes in the form of a CGI snake and causes the TARDIS to malfunction, forcing the Doctor to land in San Francisco in 1999, specifically, December of 1999. There, because he has a momentary lapse of judgment, the Doctor goes out without checking the scanners and gets riddled with bullets. This, however, isn't what kills him but the corrective surgery after to try and fix the bullet wounds. Doctor Grace Holloway (Daphne Ashbrook) unintentionally kills the Doctor.</p><p>The Master, meanwhile, possesses the body of a paramedic named Bruce (Eric Roberts) and begins some time as the Terminator while he seeks out the missing Doctor. The Doctor, meanwhile, regenerates into a new body (Paul McGann) for their eighth incarnation. Unfortunately, the Doctor has been stricken with amnesia, and so has to work through broken fragments of memory with the help of Grace - the last person he remembers - in order to recover what he has lost before the Master enacts his plans to defeat the Doctor, claim the TARDIS, and... profit? Actually, he wants to steal the Doctor's body in order to steal his remaining incarnations, which is where our Horror Month connection kicks in.</p><p>I'll go ahead and say it - structurally, this film isn't bad. The issues that it has come from two things - bad performances and lore breaks. There's one lore break in particular that's <i>still</i> a sore subject with a lot of old school fans, the revelation that the movie makes that the Doctor is half-human.</p><p>...they're not, by the way. At least so far as we've been able to figure it out... and ignoring the Timeless Child retcon that Chibnall tried to force on us that makes this even more hilarious.</p><p>I <i>personally</i> don't have an issue with the Doctor being half-human, but I understand why people would be up in arms about it. Making the Doctor in any way like us does really take away from what makes the Doctor special and unique in being an alien. Longtime writer Terrance Dicks once said that one should never be completely comfortable with the Doctor. After all, they are something entirely alien to us, although that has come through in some incarnation's portrayals more than others.</p><p>Paul McGann is a more human (for lack of a better term) Doctor... and he's a beloved actor to play the role for good reason, he's great. How do I know? He's been doing the role since this movie and has been doing the Big Finish audio plays literally to this day. I personally enjoy him, and he's one of the high points of this movie.</p><p>One of the low points, unfortunately, is Eric Roberts. EpicApathy (that handsome devil!) and I once came up with what I'm going to term "The Rule of Eric Roberts":</p><p></p><blockquote>If you're watching Eric Roberts, and you aren't watching <i>Best of the Best</i> or <i>Best of the Best 2</i>, you're in for a bad time.</blockquote><p></p><p>...you can deny it, but you'd be wrong.</p><p>As the Master, Eric Roberts spends the first half of the film acting like a bad rip-off of Arnold Schwarzenegger as the Terminator and the back half he spends being, charitably, <i>hilariously</i> campy. It's as if he flips a switch midway through and just cranks it up to eleven. I don't know how much of this is just the man's acting chops and how much is bad direction, so I'll split the difference and say both.</p><p>The special effects are okay for the mid 90s. I will say one particular effect where time starts screwing up in a big way and the Doctor walks through a bit of stilled time is really good for the time it was made.</p><p>Special accolades should be given to the production design team - particularly for the interior of the TARDIS, which is absolutely phenomenal. It's likely the largest the console room has been until the 2005 revival and it's clear a lot of attention was put into the fine details. I honestly can't do it justice, it just looks amazing and puts a few of the other console rooms to absolute shame.</p><p>In the end <i>Doctor Who: The Movie</i> is... not good. The effort was clearly made, but a lot of its problems stem from what I've said before as far as the film itself goes. Could it have been the start to a new series? Absolutely, but it unfortunately was brought out by Fox... who have the same relationship with science-fiction that isn't <i>The X-Files</i> that Casey Anthony has with her child. They put the movie up against a Sweeps week episode of <i>Roseanne</i>. If ever there was something that was hilariously doomed to complete and utter failure, there it is.</p><p>I am happy to say that Paul McGann did get and is still getting his due thanks to Big Finish, who have built up the Eighth Doctor hardcore and have even smoothed out some of the issues that the movie had in terms of continuity. Even Eric Roberts has gotten a fair shake by them, I'm told the plays that he has shown up in as the Master have been really good. The film, for all its bad points, did inspire later showrunner Russell T. Davies, and we all know where <a href="https://madcapsrealm.blogspot.com/2018/12/from-madcaps-couch-doctor-who-rose.html">that led to</a> for better and for worse.</p><p>There are worse things than this, and it's certainly not as controversial as it was in 1996... but you are never going to catch me calling this good. Don't get me wrong, not all of the Doctor's adventures are hits as we've seen many times on this blog, but this one you can chuck into the Eye of Harmony without too much worry.</p><p><i>Doctor Who: The Movie is brought to us by the BBC and Fox</i>.</p></div>MadCapMunchkinhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05885944836313859245noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7221258980660442179.post-89988961335846859932023-10-14T00:00:00.909-04:002023-10-14T00:00:00.134-04:00MadCap's Fiction Corner - Seattle By Night: "Hell is For Children"<p></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiPaUMkTOGMRoymOD-5AhF9KktwePZ5vcYosELPjo2MG9v0KJ9PdX_WpnSq_OEVLnIrO4_hBB1ItiX4Q8GveWAqgREqLoql2v5l7A8Y6QulogGqPwFt5pPzvNAR7_N2jdSz32lj2ziM8GvX20_gNXSGbtwmG3f9j2rW0zW6-LvlHMI8HWAACYXeBEAP8JtU/s800/Seattle%20By%20Night.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="534" data-original-width="800" height="268" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiPaUMkTOGMRoymOD-5AhF9KktwePZ5vcYosELPjo2MG9v0KJ9PdX_WpnSq_OEVLnIrO4_hBB1ItiX4Q8GveWAqgREqLoql2v5l7A8Y6QulogGqPwFt5pPzvNAR7_N2jdSz32lj2ziM8GvX20_gNXSGbtwmG3f9j2rW0zW6-LvlHMI8HWAACYXeBEAP8JtU/w400-h268/Seattle%20By%20Night.jpg" width="400" /></a></div><i>Seattle By Night is based on the Vampire: The Masquerade Tabletop RPG</i>. <i>It can and does cover serious subject matter and will not shy away from R-rated topics. Reader discretion is advised</i>.<br /><br /><div>It had been less than a week since the Methuselah Lamdiel had come through Seattle. Well, the <i>official</i> story told among the Kindred was that a powerful Malkavian had tried to rise up against Prince Blanchard and had been taken down by a small coterie that was beginning to get more than a little attention. Eyes were on them, and just <i>what</i> had <i>actually</i> happened seemed to vary from night to night and from Kindred to Kindred. Nevertheless, the sun continued to set, the moon continued to rise, and life went on in the Emerald City just as it had in the nights before.<p></p><p>And, some might be foolish enough to think, would continue into the nights after...<span></span></p><a name='more'></a><p></p><p>This particular night saw a particular Tremere sending out a particular summons. Sent to a particular apartment building where <i>another</i> Tremere had been squatting at, at least for the time being.</p><p>Anthony rolled back down the sleeves of the white shirt he'd been wearing, frowning in the mirror at the now covered bits of his skin that had taken on a slate gray sheen. Under his fingers, they had felt like stone, which unsettled him greatly. However, he was drawn out of his thoughts by a knock at the door. Grabbing the handgun that Hugo had given him and had briefly trained him in the use of. Making sure that a bullet was racked into the chamber, he approached the door and stared through the peephole. Outside, he found a man standing there, someone that he recognized.</p><p>'<i>Peter</i>?' He mouthed, recognizing the ghoul of an old acquaintance of his. Theodore Simpson was a Tremere a few circles above him, one who had been among the Kindred long enough to gain the power and influence to largely insulate himself from the affairs of others, within the Tremere and without. Peter was his Ghoul, and was seen often much more than the man himself on the rare occasions that he had to interact with others outside of his immediate sphere.</p><p>In truth, Anthony had thought the man had survived the Halloween massacre that the Baali had inflicted upon the class. This was largely due to the fact that Anthony was certain the man would be too caught up in his own studies to notice. Not, of course, that he was anyone to look down on anyone else for doing <i>that</i>. Clicking the safety off and keeping the chain look secured, Anthony opened the door just enough to peer through.</p><p>"What do you want?" He asked, trying to deepen his voice.</p><p>"Anthony, I know it's you. Open up!" Peter protested. The ghoul yelped as he was suddenly pulled into the apartment and the door slammed shut behind him, the barrel of a gun pressed against his forehead after Anthony's other arm came up to press against his neck.</p><p>"How did you find me?!"Anthony asked. "Where is Simpson?"</p><p>"Wait! Wait! Wait! Let me explain!"</p><p>"Talk! Now!" Anthony snapped.</p><p>"He asked me to come and find you! He needs your help!"</p><p>"Oh, right. Like I'm going to fall for <i>that</i>!"</p><p>"It's true! It's his childe! She's gone missing!"</p><p>"Rebecca?" Anthony removed the gun from Peter's forehead, but continued to bar his neck with the outstretched arm.</p><p>"Does he <i>have</i> another one?!" Peter asked, exasperated. "She was supposed to meet up with him two nights ago, and she never showed up at their meeting place."</p><p>"And what concern is that of mine?" Anthony asked. "How do I know this isn't some kind of Baali trap?"</p><p>"I have no reason to lie to you!" Peter protested. "Can you please put your arm down? You don't have to breathe, I do!" Anthony lowered his arm, but kept his handgun ready. "Thank you..." Peter said, rubbing his neck after sighing with relief.</p><p>"Answer my question." Anthony said. "How do I know this isn't a trap?"</p><p>"Simpson has been locked in his studies. Blackwell tried to get him out and the Primogen tried before him. No luck." Peter said. "When a message came from Rebecca, though, he answered... and she never showed up."</p><p>"What did she want to see him about?" Anthony asked.</p><p>"I don't know, I didn't read the message." Peter said. "All that Simpson told me was that I needed to find you."</p><p>"Why me?" Anthony asked.</p><p>"You survived the Baali takeover, a lot of the Tremere didn't. Kindred and ghouls." Peter said. "That, and he <i>technically</i> said I had to find Preston Wilson first."</p><p>"Bastard's a pile of ash in that building the Baali torched," Anthony said, "he's only slightly less dead than disco."</p><p>"I know that." Peter said. "That's why I had to find <i>you</i>."</p><p>"Which brings me back to my original question - why me?"</p><p>"Wilson... owed Simpson a boon."</p><p>"...ah, that sins of the father crap."</p><p>"Well, if I'm not mistaken, you are still Jewish are you not?"</p><p>"Low blow."</p><p>"Sorry."</p><p>"Just the same," Anthony said, "I'm... willing to hear him out."</p><p>Elsewhere in Seattle, three other phones went off with a text message from a new number.</p><p><i>Need to meet. Red Rooster. Tonight</i>.</p><p>A Gangrel, a Toreador, and a Malkavian all read the message. A Gangrel, a Toreador, and a Malkavian all arrived (at various times) to the diner in question. The Tremere who had summoned them and the ghoul who had come to him originally were also there.</p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiEzMiYeFyhaA3kBV2EDY2p9glkedTllk7LrIjF4Le0E2l8RZilv2F8iSyojvch9jV9XkUm_wtjuZQmtVKldFMfl5ZN--SOvdIbxwdKYi4dilDrpMF6FkeshyCEMlMyKb3rY2s1OPx0jJuLK5_J_QFF5NzV-C8UJzLSP5WCvZaXXbQi7FqcSBKoxroavn-0/s1920/Red%20Rooster.jpeg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1080" data-original-width="1920" height="225" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiEzMiYeFyhaA3kBV2EDY2p9glkedTllk7LrIjF4Le0E2l8RZilv2F8iSyojvch9jV9XkUm_wtjuZQmtVKldFMfl5ZN--SOvdIbxwdKYi4dilDrpMF6FkeshyCEMlMyKb3rY2s1OPx0jJuLK5_J_QFF5NzV-C8UJzLSP5WCvZaXXbQi7FqcSBKoxroavn-0/w400-h225/Red%20Rooster.jpeg" width="400" /></a></div><br /><p></p><p>"Who's the new meat?" Ben asked.</p><p>"Hi, I'm-" Peter began.</p><p>"Someone who will wait his turn to talk." Anthony cut the ghoul off. "Ben, could you lock the door, please?"</p><p>"Still a bit miffed you decided to invite yourself into my domain..." Ben commented, going and doing just that, the door locking with a click.</p><p>"Please, explain what's going on, Anthony." Grace said, giving the Tremere member of their coterie a pointed look. Once Ben came back from locking the door, only then did Anthony raise and set the safety on the gun he had been holding to Peter's gut. "What the hell?"</p><p>"Sprinfeld XD. Not bad." Sybil said, nodding with an approving look.</p><p>"This is Peter, he is the ghoul to one of my superiors within the Tremere, Theodore Simpson." Anthony explained. "Peter, tell them what you told me."</p><p>"Oh, can I talk now?" Peter asked.</p><p>"Don't be a smart ass."</p><p>"Right." Peter said glumly. "You've only taken me halfway across Seattle at gunpoint. I'm sure it's fine."</p><p>"You're a Tremere ghoul." Anthony said. "The Tremere have been compromised by the Baali. If <i>you've</i> been compromised, you won't be leaving this diner alive."</p><p>"I serve Theodore Simpson, a high-ranking member of Clan Tremere." Peter explained. "Master Simpson does not generally concern himself with the affairs of the Clan by and large, preferring his studies and his solitude. He did, however, sire one childe - a woman by the name of Rebecca Benedict, one of the few people he kept in regular contact with. Two nights ago, she had sent a message asking him to meet up, but she never showed up at the location she specified in the message."</p><p>"So what?" Ben asked. "A Tremere apprentice went out on a bender. Hardly the first time somebody decided to flip off the pyramid for a night."</p><p>"No, you don't understand." Peter shook his head. "Rebecca was working undercover for the Primogen. Primogen Brook. She had infiltrated the Baali." The ghoul sighed. "I think something terrible must have happened."</p><p>"Okay, so a Tremere went missing. What do you want us to do about it?" Grace asked. She looked to Anthony and quickly added. "No offense."</p><p>"None taken." The Tremere replied.</p><p>"<i>I</i> don't want you to do anything, Miss Penderghast. Master Simpson does." Peter said.</p><p>"Right, well..." Anthony said, reaching up and taking his glasses off, wiping the lenses. "Sybil, would you mind checking to see if his story checks out?"</p><p>"You... want me to go poking around in his brain?" Sybil hesitated.</p><p>"If you don't mind." Anthony said. "As I recall, you do have such a discipline."</p><p>"I... do." The Malkavian seemed to shift uncomfortably in the booth they sat in, leaning forward. "Alright, well, Peter... if you resist, I'll have to push harder and it will hurt more."</p><p>"Hurt <i>more</i>?!" Peter began to protest, but Sybil was already channeling the power of her blood. Hey eyes locked onto his, and Peter's eye began to twitch, mouth drawn down in a frown and every so often wincing and hissing as though he'd just touched something hot very suddenly.</p><p>"He's honest," Sybil said after a few more moments, "or at least he <i>thinks</i> he's honest."</p><p>"How can you be sure?" Anthony asked.</p><p>"Trust me... I know." Sybil said, tapping her temple. "If this is a trap, he's not in on it."</p><p>"How do you live with him in there?!" Peter stared at Sybil with abject horror. The ghoul was visibly shaking as he looked at her, as though he'd seen something that had unlocked some sort of deep, primal fear.</p><p>"<i>Anyway</i>, let's get moving, shall we?" Sybil asked. "Burning moonlight and all that. Harriet's getting an itch..."</p><p>"Who is <i>him</i>?" Anthony asked. "What are you talking about?"</p><p>"The man. The laughing man with the empty neck. He dances in the lonely places." Peter was still trembling.</p><p>"Snap out of it!" Anthony shouted at him.</p><p>"...snap out of what?" Peter asked, suddenly stopping, catching his breath as though he'd just stopped running. "What... what happened?"</p><p>"Something to keep the plot going," Sybil said, "best not to dwell on it. Now let's <i>go</i>." The group quickly moved from diner. Grace's driver Martin awaited them, opening the back door of her Phantom, allowing those who would be coming in. Before she could step in, Sybil found her way blocked by Ben.</p><p>"Are you alright?" He asked.</p><p>"I'm... fine, why?" Sybil asked.</p><p>"No, you aren't." Ben said, a frown twisting his lips. "You committed diablerie on a Methuselah. That isn't something you're just <i>fine</i> about after."</p><p>"I'm like... ninety-nine percent sure that the voices in my head are mine." Sybil said. "Sometimes they're Dick Clark, but mostly they're mine."</p><p>"Sybil..."</p><p>"I'm fine, Ben. Promise." Sybil said, her eye catching a familiar visage in the window. Lamdiel smiled and waved at her before vanishing once more. "You don't have to play the big brother. I'm managing."</p><p>"Alright." Ben still frowned, and Sybil wasn't quite crazy enough to believe that he believed her. Nevertheless, the troop made their way across the city to not the home of the illustrious Theodore Simpson, but instead to a club all too familiar to them by now - The Moon and Star.</p><p></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEijmk_503rMXkMkx6wjRFg9LaqbcCcJgfQM-KMy6e-WRGnvRSPCOemzOkEaVLN0ZdlTMq-_TUe5rsI2qLZUa_ofAgtIv0qW8Eo86bBoe4bYf9mcm_gI4IlRwPPOIodiASKw9YgqCwMtHTw5FBY0GE_t7SuIzt2d0I2uKavnkxEFXNvgJcAPJv4fMPQS5jxM/s350/night-club-furniture-booth-seating-london-bs5.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="233" data-original-width="350" height="266" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEijmk_503rMXkMkx6wjRFg9LaqbcCcJgfQM-KMy6e-WRGnvRSPCOemzOkEaVLN0ZdlTMq-_TUe5rsI2qLZUa_ofAgtIv0qW8Eo86bBoe4bYf9mcm_gI4IlRwPPOIodiASKw9YgqCwMtHTw5FBY0GE_t7SuIzt2d0I2uKavnkxEFXNvgJcAPJv4fMPQS5jxM/w400-h266/night-club-furniture-booth-seating-london-bs5.jpg" width="400" /></a></div><br />"Elysium. Interesting." Grace commented.<p></p><p>"Master Simpson thought it best as a show of good faith." Peter said. "A rare thing from him."</p><p>"So he's either playing into it well or he's <i>really</i> desperate." Ben said.</p><p>"He's not-" Peter began.</p><p>"Quiet." Anthony said. "We're here." Soon enough, they were leaving the car and entering the place.</p><p>"<i>Everybody have fun tonight! Everybody have fun tonight! Everybody Wang Chung tonight! Everybody have fun tonight!</i>" The singing from within signaled the terrible truth of their situation - karaoke night.</p><p>"Welcome, welcome! Kindred only tonight!" Isaac Carroway greeted the group coming in, pouring a drink of a familiar red, piping hot substance that smelled utterly divine... if not to them, then most definitely to their Beasts... into a glass for the patron before him. "What's your pleasure?"</p><p>"We're here for Master Simpson, Mr. Carroway." Peter said.</p><p>"Ah, right, of course." Isaac said, gesturing with a hitchhiker's thumb. "Booth six." He glanced at Grace. "Well, hello, Miss Penderghast." The sire had a smirk on his lips.</p><p>"Hello, Isaac." Grace gave her sire a vixenish smile.</p><p>"Could you please keep your hormones under control?" Anthony asked, giving the younger Toreador a look.</p><p>"Oh, one day you'll meet a nice Kindred who will make you feel all sorts of wonderful things, Anthony." Grace gave him a patronizing pat on the shoulder as she passed, blowing a kiss to Isaac before she moved to follow the others over to Booth Six. Anthony stared after her for a moment, a memory stirred.</p><p><b>2017</b></p><p>"Robin... what's with that look?"</p><p>"I've made some headway in our research." Robin said, bringing his lover a dusty tome that he set on the table before him. "Read it, see what you think."</p><p>"You've found a new source?" Anthony asked. "I was afraid we'd have to ask for permission to speak to some of the more liberal Giovanni..."</p><p>"Pretty sure they're going by 'Hecata' now." Robin commented with a chuckle.</p><p>"Regardless." Anthony opened the book, beginning to read from the old, worn pages. The further he got into it, the symbols seemed all too familiar, the formulae was... Thaumaturgy, but wrong. It was as he turned the page and found a Chthonic being, tendrils extended out in many directions, that it began to sink in what it was he had been given. "Robin... this isn't Necromancy."</p><p>"No." Robin was smirking. "No, it isn't."</p><p>"This is forbidden Thaumaturgy!" Anthony choked out, his voice dropping low. If his face could have gotten any paler, it would have. "Where did you get this? <i>Why</i> do you have this?"</p><p>"Lover, relax." Robin said, walking over and grasping Anthony's shoulders. "You know I wouldn't do anything reckless, don't you?"</p><p>"This is <i>beyond</i> reckless, Robin! This is... this is <i>sacrilege</i>!" Anthony said, gazing back into Robin's eyes. "We can't even have this. We shouldn't. We need to destroy it before-"</p><p>"We don't need to destroy <i>anything</i>," Robin shook his head, "that tome is our ticket to power. Safety. Security."</p><p>"You're talking nonsense."</p><p>"I am <i>not</i>." Robin said. "The study of Necromancy isn't going to take us anywhere, Anthony. The Covenant is going nowhere fast and soon it won't matter either way. This is all going away. All of it."</p><p>"...as I said, you're talking nonsense."</p><p>"I have made new friends, Anthony. New friends within the Pyramid. They want to bring change, to show Clan Tremere for what it really is."</p><p>"What are you <i>saying</i>? This isn't funny."</p><p>"I am not joking. This is the truth. Everything we were told - the Pyramid, our power, our status - it's all been a lie. A terrible lie going back through the centuries, and it's time for that wrong to righted. In blood and fire." Anthony rose at that point.</p><p>"Who are these friends, Robin?" He asked. "What have they poisoned your mind with? Where are they?"</p><p>"They wait for us." Robin said. "Tonight is the night where it all begins, and I want you by my side... my love..." He extended a hand to him, palm raised toward the ceiling of Anthony's room.</p><p>"I don't-" Anthony started to respond, the door slamming open as he did.</p><p>"Both of you! Look alive! The gargoyles are going mad!" Marion Ravencroft charged in. "Someone has been performing-"</p><p>"Dark Thaumaturgy?" Anthony asked, glancing through his glasses at her, then back toward Robin. His boyfriend of a little under two years now had his hand still stretched out to him as if he hadn't even noticed Marion at all.</p><p><b>2018</b></p><p>"Anthony? Anthony? <i>Earth to Anthony</i>!"</p><p>"What?!" Anthony blinked, looking to Sybil, who was glancing up at him with her brow furrowed in thought.</p><p>"...you need to watch your caffeine intake. Very jumpy."</p><p>"I don't drink... never mind." He said, passing through to join the others. Seated at the table was one Theodore Simpson. Anthony had only seen him rarely, once or twice in the years he'd been a member of the Kindred and the Tremere. He was an older man when he had been turned, somewhere in his later 40s, his formerly black hair having grayed a bit to give him just enough of a silver fox look. Like Anthony, he too wore glasses, though his were thin of frame rather than Anthony's more rounded ones.</p><p>"Apprentice Wallace." He said, standing to greet him. "Welcome."</p><p>"Magister." Anthony said, being polite, if terse. "Welcomes remain to be seen."</p><p>"How do you mean?" Simpson asked.</p><p>"I mean, our clan has entered into a bit of trouble of late." Anthony said. "Those thought friends cannot be so easily called so."</p><p>"Yeah, alright, George R.R. Martin, calm down with the high fantasy word salad." Grace quipped.</p><p>"...you know who that is?" Sybil and Ben asked her at the same time, both rather surprised by the revelation.</p><p>"...I read!" Grace protested after a moment of staring at the pair of them just as incredulously as they had been at her.</p><p>"Into the booth, please." Simpson said. "If you will. We have much to discuss and I do not wish for ears to overhear and lead to tongues wagging." He gestured to a large, circular booth that would indeed comfortably seat all of them. "Peter, the curtain." The ghoul nodded, pulling the curtain to the room shut once they were all inside and seated. "There we are..."</p><p>"This is private?" Sybil asked, her eyes catching the inch or so in the door frame between the curtain and the floor.</p><p>"Of course." Simpson said. "Who do you think enchanted these rooms for Mr. Carroway out there?"</p><p>"To the point, if you please." Anthony said.</p><p>"Yes. My childe, Rebecca. She has gone missing." Simpson said. "Despite my best efforts, I have been unable to locate her. I fear something terrible has happened."</p><p>"As I recall, Peter had said that Rebecca was working undercover?" Ben asked. "Within the Baali?"</p><p>"At the behest of Primogen Brook, yes." Simpson said. "She was to make contact with me two nights ago, but she never showed up at the destination she had asked to meet at."</p><p>"Alright, but you're a Tremere Magister. What exactly do you think that we can do that you can't?" Ben asked.</p><p>"You've had some experience dealing with the Baali." Simpson said. "More than most."</p><p>"...and?"</p><p>"I am willing to give you access to what resources you need, whatever I am capable of." Simpson said. "But I have no one else I can trust. As Wallace said, these are times where friend and foe are not so easily distinguished."</p><p>"Well, I guess we'll see what we can do." Anthony said.</p><p>"We?" Grace asked with a raised brow.</p><p>"We're a coterie, aren't we?"</p><p>"We are." Ben said. "And it's time we start acting like a coterie. Especially now."</p><p>"I mean, the gang is all here... minus the other four people." Sybil added in.</p><p>"You were the original four that Primogen Brook gathered, as I recall." Simpson said. "Yes, Wallace, I do <i>occasionally</i> look up from my work. Particularly now, what with the war and all."</p><p>"Alright. We'll see what we can do."</p><p></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjQcpxW1Q9AW7g1Zm9zRrM8unmSnLIQA-y4EDOEGpiIvBF5rHifLtdT8sSb1LADjFQADQH52Fzi929WqlC6P-M83ABIAKwo5_vXQCvPJyDv3IrCHrAfrgOtEWz-aI6hxacv5GHuMwtdqn16-PVIFxhe0-5DsgMlMxT_0ipthIWM2kLGrairSYSehAzd-fjW/s1280/Aaaaseattlestreet.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="720" data-original-width="1280" height="225" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjQcpxW1Q9AW7g1Zm9zRrM8unmSnLIQA-y4EDOEGpiIvBF5rHifLtdT8sSb1LADjFQADQH52Fzi929WqlC6P-M83ABIAKwo5_vXQCvPJyDv3IrCHrAfrgOtEWz-aI6hxacv5GHuMwtdqn16-PVIFxhe0-5DsgMlMxT_0ipthIWM2kLGrairSYSehAzd-fjW/w400-h225/Aaaaseattlestreet.jpg" width="400" /></a></div><br />"You know, it's a little weird." Grace said later after they had all returned to her car and Martin was driving them off.<p></p><p>"What is?" Ben asked.</p><p>"You being all 'power of friendship' in there." Grace said. "Kind of weird."</p><p>"We're not friends." Ben said, looking to her. "We're a coterie. There has to be a certain level of trust and cooperation involved. It's about survival."</p><p>"Noted." Grace said, a bit of a smirk on her lips, clearly feeling he was deflecting. Perhaps she was even right.</p><p>"We need to figure out where we can find Rebecca." Anthony said. "If she's even still alive."</p><p>"The Baali seem to have all gone underground after Lamdiel popped up." Ben said. "They're laying low."</p><p>"Well, we can't go to the Tremere Chantry." Anthony said, plainly.</p><p>"What about Marion?" Grace asked. "Where has she been?"</p><p>"I don't know," Anthony shook his head, "I haven't seen her since Halloween. Before that, actually. If she wasn't at the massacre that night, then... I don't know."</p><p>"So you're assuming she met the Final Death?" Ben asked.</p><p>"I feel like she would have said something if she were alive." Anthony said. "So, between him, Preston, and Robin... that's three people."</p><p>"Three people that what?" Sybil asked. The Tremere gave no answer, staring out the window and into the night.</p><p></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjd8ARy4CAK1tfIHK5qkCFFJYbVdl5ios_NQK_zPkWjnYpc7B91qE7d24p6RCyjeLROQB3MPvWoHqMGhtWyvrqn4BTlKg5u9VHFZkXBBUPBePmvo0MC-ZCScCSthuJOm_9gvOek8jEneJJKje0Yg4MWeAbt4TVqR9MSjRHzkUXmMflo8h2WkkubU77MHbJ3/s1920/Underlaver_Sewer.webp" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1080" data-original-width="1920" height="225" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjd8ARy4CAK1tfIHK5qkCFFJYbVdl5ios_NQK_zPkWjnYpc7B91qE7d24p6RCyjeLROQB3MPvWoHqMGhtWyvrqn4BTlKg5u9VHFZkXBBUPBePmvo0MC-ZCScCSthuJOm_9gvOek8jEneJJKje0Yg4MWeAbt4TVqR9MSjRHzkUXmMflo8h2WkkubU77MHbJ3/w400-h225/Underlaver_Sewer.webp" width="400" /></a></div><br />"Well, well, well... I'm surprised to see you back."<p></p><p>"Hello, Harold." They had come again to see the Nosferatu, Grace staying outside with the car for not wanting to have to enter... <i>that</i> again. Given the smell, none of the other three could blame her overmuch. Particularly not when coupled with the putrescence of their host. Even for a Nosferatu, Harold was hard to look at both in demeanor and appearance.</p><p>"What brings you around to see me, Benjamin?" His beady eyes flitted between him and two of his three coterie-mates. "And where is your illustrious princess? Too good to step into my home?"</p><p>"She's getting her tiara refitted." Sybil quipped.</p><p>"We need some information." Ben said.</p><p>"As I recall, our bargain was made and done with that business with Dr. Crane." Harold said, threading his long, gnarled fingers together as he leaned back in his chair that sat before a bunch of computer monitors. "Are you saying you wish to make another bargain?"</p><p>"I'm saying that we need information and the Camarilla is at stake." Ben said. "Thought you'd probably care about that, just a little bit."</p><p>"...you working for Prince Blanchard?"</p><p>"Indirectly." The Gangrel gave him a hard look. "We need to find a missing Tremere apprentice."</p><p>"And why would I have any idea where a missing Tremere apprentice is?" Harold asked. "Whole or as a pile of ash?"</p><p>"Look, we need-" Anthony began.</p><p>"I know what you need, Wallace." Harold glowered at him, cutting him off. "Trust me, I've been watching Clan Tremere's little spat with the Baali for a hot minute. Shit's better than cable."</p><p>"Then you'll help us?" Ben asked.</p><p>"I will... if you help me." Harold said. "A favor for a favor."</p><p>"I'm listening. Hesitantly." The Gangrel deadpanned. The Nosferatu smirked.</p><p>"Oh, I won't tell you that." Harold shook his head. "Not yet. For now, I'll give you the information... if you accept."</p><p>"Fine. What is it?" Ben asked.</p><p>"Very well... a boon has been offered and accepted from your coterie." Harold said. "If you're looking for a Tremere apprentice, I can tell you that more than a few have gone missing in the past few nights. With all the chaos and uncertainty, most of them are getting written off as piles of ash."</p><p>"But not by you, I take it?"</p><p>"Not after a few nights ago," Harold shook his head, "seems the Baali have been playing around with a few of the cell phone towers in the city, and yours truly knows a few algorithms that let me listen in on them. They've been moving around, targeting the younger Tremere to get them out of the way."</p><p>"For what?" Anthony asked.</p><p>"Not sure." Harold shrugged. "Although in the few talks I did hear, it's clear that they staked them and dragged them off - didn't kill them. And they've been making some <i>serious</i> headway. I've intercepted at least six calls in that vein, all from the same set of burner numbers."</p><p>"If you have their numbers, you can track them, right?" Ben asked.</p><p>"Not until they make a call." Harold said. "Didn't really think I'd need to be pinging the towers for a location, just listening in at the moment."</p><p>"But you <i>can</i> do it?"</p><p>"Of course I can do it!" Harold snorted. "What sort of idiot do you take me for being?"</p><p>"I dunno," Sybil interjected, "what kinds are there?" Harold ignored her.</p><p>"What's going on with you, anyway?" Harold asked, eyes passing over Anthony.</p><p>"...what do you mean?" Anthony asked, squinting at him.</p><p>"You keep fidgeting. Like something's bothering you."</p><p>"My Clan is turning into shit and several people I know have either died or betrayed me." Anthony replied sharply. "I fidget."</p><p>"Alright, alright. To each their own." Harold said. An electronic ringing came from one of his computers, the Nosferatu sliding over on his wheeled chair to look it over. "Oooh, we got a hot one!"</p><p>"<i>We have another one, we'll bring them back to the safe house.</i>" The voice of a man came through the speaker on the computer.</p><p>"<i>Are you sure that's wise? We've already contained so many-</i>" A woman's voice responded.</p><p>"<i>Are you questioning the Father's plan?</i>"</p><p>"<i>No. No, of course not</i>."</p><p>"Who is 'the Father'?" Ben asked.</p><p>"No idea, but they mention him a lot, whoever he is." Harold said, listening in with his bat-like ears.</p><p>"<i>See to it that they're brought in. And bring the Benedict girl. We need all we can get</i>."</p><p>"<i>Of course, brother. See you soon</i>."</p><p>"I know that voice..." Sybil said.</p><p>"So do I." Ben replied glumly.</p><p>"Figured he'd survived being chucked out the window." Anthony replied glumly.</p><p>"You know this guy?" Harold asked, hiking a thumb at the computer.</p><p>"Anton. He's a Baali." Ben said. "Has a fetish for dressing up in a priest's frock. He and his... brother?... they're the ones running the show. Or so we thought."</p><p>"What? So he's not the Father?"</p><p>"I would have thought so before, not so sure now." Ben shook his head.</p><p>"Hmm... well, either way, I got them pinged for you." Harold said, pressing a few keys on his keyboard. A printer whirred into life and started printing out a page that he soon pulled from it, holding it out to Ben. "Here are the two closest places to where their cell phones were at the time of the call. Gives you somewhere to start, at least."</p><p>"Thanks, Harold." Ben said.</p><p>"Oh, don't thank me..." The Nosferatu gave a wide, toothy grin. "This means you owe me one..."</p><p></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjp5JnX-cmg1pZFcs6ii21xGomNvo008X-PosHRErGQ157In8taCCQVHcHsvMRGtgaWWNurotKgj9piAxWL10rY2_7GLEbHaxrHHZsxbonSeC7_WLUANEHq4ty21szzDsaSZbxnz7n-MDTaM7rqv_oyt6vg4FSS0ehzYmHd99UPSbbtCotYeWqhSb7E08T7/s612/istockphoto-1220490283-612x612.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="459" data-original-width="612" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjp5JnX-cmg1pZFcs6ii21xGomNvo008X-PosHRErGQ157In8taCCQVHcHsvMRGtgaWWNurotKgj9piAxWL10rY2_7GLEbHaxrHHZsxbonSeC7_WLUANEHq4ty21szzDsaSZbxnz7n-MDTaM7rqv_oyt6vg4FSS0ehzYmHd99UPSbbtCotYeWqhSb7E08T7/w400-h300/istockphoto-1220490283-612x612.jpg" width="400" /></a></div><br />Upon returning, they got Grace up to speed.<p></p><p>"So... what's the plan, then?" Grace asked. "My car is good, but we're still not gonna be able to be in two places at once. Even then, they could have moved off quite a bit before we get to those locations."</p><p>"They've been moving out of sight for several nights now." Ben said. "That tells me that they aren't moving far and, when they are, they're trying to move as quickly as possible."</p><p>"What? Do you have experience kidnapping people and taking them away?" Grace asked. Seeing how Ben's face did not even slightly change from a hardened expression, Grace's eyes widened a bit. "...anyway..."</p><p>"They did the attack on the Toreador at that play, now they're targeting the younger Tremere, why?" Ben asked. "What is it that we're missing?"</p><p>"The Maw of Lotan was being used to harvest vitae, for some reason." Anthony said. "Not that that's of use to anyone now... I lost it while we escaped from the sewer Lamdiel was being held in."</p><p>"Who knows what he might have done with it?" Grace asked.</p><p>"He didn't." Sybil said. "It was a fake. The real one is still out there."</p><p>"How the <i>hell</i> do you know that?" Grace got her answer by Sybil's raised brow and her tapping her temple with two fingers. "...I'm sorry I asked."</p><p>"So... what? The first one was a test run?" Anthony asked, then a realization hit him. "...that makes sense, actually."</p><p>"Well, as Grace said, we can't be in two places at once. Sybil and I can take one location. Grace and Anthony, you two can take the other." Ben said firmly.</p><p>"I'm calling Hope in on this." Sybil said. "Hugo, too. They can both help."</p><p>"I can put in a call to Fabian, see if he can-" Grace began.</p><p>"No, not yet." Ben said, shaking his head.</p><p>"What?"</p><p>"No, Ben's right." Anthony said. "We can't be certain who's been compromised. They've gone after the Toreador and the Tremere. Who knows how many other pies they've stuck their fingers into?"</p><p>"Basically, if they aren't in this car right now - we can't trust them." Ben said. "If and when we need to call others in, we will, but not yet."</p><p>"Weren't you making a big stink about trusting each other?" Grace asked the Gangrel.</p><p>"I said we need to trust <i>each other</i> more." Ben said. "And, even then, I'm not a fool."</p><p>"What about your lover girl?" Grace asked, pressing him further.</p><p>"She'll be fine, and she needs to stay out of this."</p><p>"Does <i>she</i> get a say in this?" The Toreador continued, and immediately regretted it as Ben rounded on her with a hard look. Try as she might to look away, Grace found she could not. Utterly and completely transfixed was she as his gaze seemed to bore into her soul.</p><p>"I've already failed her once." Ben said plainly. "I am <i>not</i> going to fail her again, is that clear?"</p><p>"...I..."</p><p>"Good." Ben said, leaning back in his seat.</p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg0PrRToS6lNJSV7z906syUIN9hT5VfuLBOpYFCkyapDjatM2Zvtx2Q1TDMlY4qmQXH-LnUHOR2qoWiq2Dcv8maniNpKwWYIJSKhrkyC_HtY0KxBEntpU6GSbOTUIYdaoE63LiGt6KwbJtgCTV7lY8v6ySAGzyyRuxlv3Hy4oI0sldHT1mBUSKeqSV65AIT/s612/istockphoto-931072504-612x612.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="408" data-original-width="612" height="266" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg0PrRToS6lNJSV7z906syUIN9hT5VfuLBOpYFCkyapDjatM2Zvtx2Q1TDMlY4qmQXH-LnUHOR2qoWiq2Dcv8maniNpKwWYIJSKhrkyC_HtY0KxBEntpU6GSbOTUIYdaoE63LiGt6KwbJtgCTV7lY8v6ySAGzyyRuxlv3Hy4oI0sldHT1mBUSKeqSV65AIT/w400-h266/istockphoto-931072504-612x612.jpg" width="400" /></a></div><br /><p></p><p>The group of four did indeed split up. Ben and Sybil split off from the other duo when they got near a police precinct and a little bit of fast talking and a bit of Dominate on Sybil's part netted the pair an unmarked police car.</p><p>"Man, they're gonna be giggling when they read the logbook." Sybil said, putting the keys in the ignition and cranking the engine. "I signed us in under 'Geri Dandridge'."</p><p>"And you avoided the cameras?" Ben asked.</p><p>"Duh." Sybil snorted. "I mean, I can't shapeshift like you can, but I can be sneaky. Ish. Sometimes."</p><p>"Uh huh." Ben said, buckling up.</p><p>"Harriet says you ought to lighten up a little more."</p><p>"No thanks."</p><p>"Depressing."</p><p>"Uh huh." Sybil drove the pair off, heading to the address that they'd taken from their half of Harold's print out. "Okay, so... Industrial. Now what?"</p><p>"Keep your eyes peeled." Ben said, unbuckling his seatbelt and rolling down the window.</p><p>"What are you going to do?"</p><p>"Get a better look." In the blink of an eye, Sybil saw Ben had vanished and was replaced with a peregrine falcon with smooth, black and gray plumage. With a flap of its wings, the creature flew out of the vehicle, disappearing into the night. Sybil sighed, craving the nights when she could down a nice cup of coffee on a stake out and watched the area, waiting for any sign of their quarry.</p><p></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh7dw8IMwpjazAtxd0YnTy8NQVSmroQPGJcazrvGEPGngforj6rU1RA4BH6pugGDzqN6mPQlceU4tv81TuIBRwBpaLTL0SRj98kFqRyizHi7VLYNBDu3g8jAIcw5Vbm1ettHI0EhvbPBRSfeZPwVf6alRxNMDvYrTn-kBEMj3lvzj1m-NHYBa7gra7zQ30M/s1280/Drive-thru-night.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="961" data-original-width="1280" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh7dw8IMwpjazAtxd0YnTy8NQVSmroQPGJcazrvGEPGngforj6rU1RA4BH6pugGDzqN6mPQlceU4tv81TuIBRwBpaLTL0SRj98kFqRyizHi7VLYNBDu3g8jAIcw5Vbm1ettHI0EhvbPBRSfeZPwVf6alRxNMDvYrTn-kBEMj3lvzj1m-NHYBa7gra7zQ30M/w400-h300/Drive-thru-night.jpg" width="400" /></a></div><br />"Why did <i>we</i> end up with the fast food joint?" Grace asked.<p></p><p>"Would you prefer to have taken the other location?" Anthony asked. "I imagine you'd be complaining about going through a dingy warehouse if we had."</p><p>"Fair point." Grace said. The place was pretty inconspicuous by the look of things. Grace hadn't cared for such places when she was breathing, and even less so now with the inability to eat. This place looked like a place the middle and lower classes took their two point five kids to shut them up for an evening...</p><p>'<i>Problem, Miss Penderghast?</i>' The voice of Marquis echoed in her head. Grace did her best to ignore it, focusing on their stakeout. '<i>If your blood could boil, I bet it would be right now... wishing you had those two point five kids</i>...'</p><p>"Shut up." Grace gritted her teeth.</p><p>"What?" Anthony asked.</p><p>"Nothing. Sorry."</p><p>'<i>Such a shame...</i>' Grace shook her head, trying to shake off the voice of the former ghoul she'd devoured. He was supposed to have dropped away into her subconscious by now, but it seemed he'd had other plans.</p><p>"Okay, there's something going on in there." Anthony said.</p><p>"How do you kno-?" Grace looked to Anthony, seeing his hands raised, making various gestures as his eyes glowed. "...right."</p><p>"Quickly." Anthony said, unbuckling and slipping out the handgun he'd been carrying from his coat, checking the magazine and reloading it, safety clicked off.</p><p>"Do you know what you're doing with that?" Grace asked.</p><p>"Point and shoot. Not that hard." Anthony said.</p><p>"It's a little more complica-" Grace started, but Anthony was already getting out of the car. "Martin, keep the car running."</p><p>"Yes, Mistress." Martin nodded, watching as Grace slipped out of the vehicle. Rather than going to the front door as she expected him to do, Anthony instead slipped around behind some parked cars and to the side of the building.</p><p>"What are-" Grace began to ask, covering her mouth to prevent a loud gasp from escaping as Anthony rolled up the sleeve of his shirt, dug a nail into the vein, and muttered some words as he smeared blood all over a particular cable running up along the wall. The blood on the cable began to bubble and smoke, eating through it as though it were acid.</p><p>"Had to shut off the alarm. Just in case." Anthony said, rolling up his sleeve again. "C'mon."</p><p>"I feel like I could have just stayed in the car..." Grace muttered, but followed regardless. Anthony headed into the restaurant, marching up to the registers.</p><p>"Welcome to McBurgy's, Home of the-" A pimply-faced teenage boy behind the counter, looking quite burnt out, began to drone out the restaurant's traditional greeting.</p><p>"Drop the pretense. Where are they?"</p><p>"...I'm sorry?"</p><p>"Grace?"</p><p>"Got it." Grace said, making eye contact with the young man. "<i>Answer</i> him." The young man seized up for a moment, eyes glassing over for a brief moment.</p><p>"Who is they?"</p><p>"The ones hold your leash. Where are they?" Anthony asked.</p><p>"They took... the packages... into the freezer." The cashier droned. "Boss said not to touch 'em. Said they'd pull them out soon."</p><p>"Let's go." Anthony said, moving behind the counter to be stopped by a portly man who had been working the grill stepped forward.</p><p>"Sir, you can't come back behind the counter." He began.</p><p>"<i>Go away</i>." Anthony met the eyes of the manager. Like the cashier, he seized up for a moment and became glass-eyed before quickly moving away from Anthony as quickly as he could. Anthony continued, unimpeded, to the walk-in freezer. The employees were either scared stiff or otherwise doing very little to go anywhere near the bespectacled Kindred or the redhead trailing quickly behind him. Pulling the lever, Anthony opened the door. A burst of cold air served as a prelude to the sight before them. Several people have been chained up to the ceiling, all of them with a stake driven into their chests.</p><p>"Oh, what the hell?" Grace groaned.</p><p>"L-Look, you can't be back here!" A man in a button-down shirt, wearing a manager name tag stepped in after the pair. He suddenly stopped, throwing his hands up as Anthony put the gun to his head.</p><p>"Who put you up to this? Start talking." He demanded. "<i>Now</i>!"</p><p>"Oh, god!" The manager was shaking out of fear more than the cold around them.</p><p>"Look, stop. He's already terrified." Grace gave Anthony a look. "Let me try a little more carrot than stick, if you <i>don't</i> mind?" She looked at the manager, making sure to meet his gaze. "Excuse me, sir."</p><p>"Please, d-don't hurt me-" He said, noticing that Anthony hadn't put away the gun.</p><p>"If you please?" Grace asked, looking back over her shoulder at her comrade. Anthony grimaced, but holstered his gun down beneath his coat once more. "Splendid, now... <i>Kenny</i>. Kenny, can you do something for me?"</p><p>"I'll do a-a-anything y-y-you want!" The manager, Kenny, still shivered.</p><p>"Good. I'm gonna need you to forget the last few minutes of this interaction." Grace said, giving a casual wave of her hand. The manager seemed to seize up, his eyes glassing over for a moment before returning to their normal tone.</p><p>"I... oh..." Kenny blinked several times, surprised. "What... who are you? What are you doing back here?"</p><p>"Oh, we're here for the packages." Grace said. "You were just telling us how you kept them safe for us all this time."</p><p>"I was?" Kenny blinked.</p><p>"Yes. Quite." Anthony said through gritted teeth.</p><p>"Oh, yes. I must have. Right." He nodded. "Well, I'll leave you to take as you like. You have my money, right?"</p><p>"Been a change of plans," Grace said, "the boss says he'll be sending your payment over tomorrow night. Lump sum."</p><p>"Oh. Okay, whatever." Kenny shrugged. "Just so long as I get paid."</p><p>"Oh, and you will, believe me." Grace said. "Just a quick request, however... do you mind if we take a look at your security tapes?"</p><p></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEigwWNMrT_0u0hOTGoy7UGPHjF2fMPmmMjdGqYLCk0fiwHNMOFay_KPRYB1v-M9Y8iOlyHx6gT9ORz2D8Jyq_OK6T-iLECF6yM9naeZQkY_vwiVl66hGmpZbp0adyaHU99ZynxWv0Jnv3yybOwSvunMrCCoYeQJPdm_IHMBuUOWm6aEIM8jwf1nl49lKWmv/s612/istockphoto-1226165153-612x612.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="344" data-original-width="612" height="225" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEigwWNMrT_0u0hOTGoy7UGPHjF2fMPmmMjdGqYLCk0fiwHNMOFay_KPRYB1v-M9Y8iOlyHx6gT9ORz2D8Jyq_OK6T-iLECF6yM9naeZQkY_vwiVl66hGmpZbp0adyaHU99ZynxWv0Jnv3yybOwSvunMrCCoYeQJPdm_IHMBuUOWm6aEIM8jwf1nl49lKWmv/w400-h225/istockphoto-1226165153-612x612.jpg" width="400" /></a></div><br />"Oh, yes. Very <i>Raiders</i>."<p></p><p>"...the football team?"</p><p>"Brother, your lack of pop culture knowledge depresses me." Aleister shook his head as he walked, hands in the pockets of his white suit jacket, through the tall and broad shelves of the warehouse. "Regardless, we have a good place for it."</p><p>"Tremere by the dozen!" Anton said with a grin, peeling back the lid of a crate to reveal the staked individual lying in it, the man's face frozen in permanent surprise as the last face he'd made before being paralyzed. "Shame we can't start cracking them open right away..."</p><p>"Father left very strict instructions, not until the proper Maw is ready." Aleister reminded him gently.</p><p>"I know that..." Anton said, reaching into the crate and lovingly caressing the prisoner's face, imagining all those horrified screams that the man couldn't make. "I'd love just a few drops..."</p><p>"No." Aleister said sharply. "We lock them up here, have them shipped out in the morning. Every drop is going to Father's efforts. Astaroth is supposed to be bringing the batch from that McBurgy's tonight."</p><p>"Right." Anton said, putting the lid back into place, then taking out a hammer and using it to re-secure the nails and the board into place. "There we are."</p><p>"We <i>do</i> have those two Catholic schoolgirls in the back... I think they could use a trip to see their Maker..."</p><p>"<i>Now</i> you're talking!" Neither brother paid any notice or even heard the movement up above. Ben, in falcon form, had heard everything and swooped out of the busted window near the ceiling. Gliding around, he was soon back in the passenger seat of Sybil's car, where he returned to his humanoid form.</p><p>"Have fun flying the coop?" Sybil asked.</p><p>"Anton and Aleister are in there." Ben said. "There are at least six others, but I don't know if they're Baali or ghouls or what."</p><p>"So, Judas Priest and the Man of Wealth and Taste have backup." Sybil said. "Is there where we call the others in?"</p><p>"No." Ben shook his head. "They said there was going to be a pickup from a McBurgy's."</p><p>"...please tell me it's not the other one."</p><p>"Oh, it is." Ben said. "We need to get to that other address. <i>Now</i>."</p><p></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiA6w2Ura3D31fBV4LYQq1turf5wi17VGc1GQn3bwx3DPiO16xDiq7iDo3oymltCcYAZx8dKqnFM83CeZUUv0liM3WRUw6s0SoRH_jBaHpRii6PjOUMZrO2OW7ytI855d28v0KwS0TMIGmaVCa6_qeecSC8lkX0Q0ePTq8BNlk-HgXgSvYVlr2OAXRw8GGn/s272/download.jpeg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="185" data-original-width="272" height="272" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiA6w2Ura3D31fBV4LYQq1turf5wi17VGc1GQn3bwx3DPiO16xDiq7iDo3oymltCcYAZx8dKqnFM83CeZUUv0liM3WRUw6s0SoRH_jBaHpRii6PjOUMZrO2OW7ytI855d28v0KwS0TMIGmaVCa6_qeecSC8lkX0Q0ePTq8BNlk-HgXgSvYVlr2OAXRw8GGn/w400-h272/download.jpeg" width="400" /></a></div><br />"There's somebody outside." Anthony heard the commotion from outside as he pulled out the third stake from a hanging Kindred, causing them to scream out from the pain and the isolation they had endured. A few he recognized, others he did not. It was as he was going to pull the stake out of the fourth one that he heard the speech from outside. Yanking it out quickly, he moved out to join Grace and the staff that were looking rather terrified.<p></p><p>"Several somebodies, it looks like." Grace said, noting the figures outside. Anthony did not recognize any of them... save for two. Astaroth and...</p><p>"Robin." Anthony said, his teeth gritting as his Beast was once more pulling at its chain.</p><p>"Friend of yours?" Grace asked.</p><p>"Not anymore." Anthony said, lifting his hands and channeling his vitae. A muttered incantation and Thaumaturgical symbols appeared just for an instant as if they had been branded onto the front door and the windows adjoining it. "There. Got a ward up."</p><p>"Will that help?" Grace asked.</p><p>"They can still <i>try</i>." Anthony said. "Alright, you all... in the freezer. Now."</p><p>"...are you out of your fuckin' mind?" Kenny asked. The gun in his face was the answer he received. "Everybody in the freezer! Now, right now!" The hapless mortals ducked into the freezer just in time to pass the recently unparalyzed Kindred.</p><p>"What the hell is going on?"</p><p>"I was just studying when I-"</p><p>"Alright, everybody stop!" Anthony shouted, getting the attention of all those present. "We have at least one Baali out there, possibly more. How many of you know how to fight?"</p><p>"What the fuck's a Baali?"</p><p>"Hey, I know that guy! He bit me in a bar!" From the chatter, it became clear what they were dealing with.</p><p>"Oh, crap! They're-" Grace began.</p><p>"Yep." Anthony said.</p><p>"Well, what do we do now?"</p><p>"What we can." Anthony said just before the entire restaurant was deafened by a loud explosion as one of the windows was taken out with a shotgun blast.</p><p>"Oh my... what have you done here?" Astaroth, holding the weapon in question, chuckled. She tossed it to a dejected-looking Robin, who barely had time to react fast enough to catch it. Anthony noted that his ex seemed to be fidgeting, Robin's hands twitching a bit as if they were uncertain of what they were grasping. "A peck of Tremere and a little Toreador Queen."</p><p>"Leave now." Anthony said. "You've lost this night." The Baali threw back her head and laughed uproariously.</p><p>"Says the little Blood Witch cowering in the burger joint behind his magic shields?" Astaroth asked patronizingly. She tutted. "No, I think not." Her eyes flickered to Grace. "Tell you what, Rosebud. You can leave. No harm, no foul."</p><p>"And I'm supposed to believe you because...?" Grace asked.</p><p>"Oh, you're not. But if you don't take the chance, then I'm gonna close the window that I just opened for you and we'll be om nom noming on you for nights to come. Trust me." Astaroth licked her lips. "Me and my brothers get awfully hungry..."</p><p>"Gross."</p><p>"You aren't taking them." Anthony said. "So, again... <i>leave</i>."</p><p>"I don't think I will." Astaroth sneered at him, raising her hand toward the door, beginning to mutter an incantation. Anthony likewise raised his, protecting the ward he had placed. The runes that had previously appeared and then vanished on the metal and glass had returned as the will of the Tremere and the Baali struggled against one another. "Hands! Make yourself useful and blow his fuckin' head off!" Anthony's eyes flickered to Robin, who suddenly snapped to attention. Lifting the shotgun, he took aim and squeezed the trigger. The shelf nearest Anthony's head exploded, breaking his concentration for just long enough to break the spell. Astaroth broke the ward with a loud grunt of effort, the doors being thrown open and slamming against the walls hard enough to shatter the glass they were largely made from. "Advance!"</p><p>Anthony ducked quickly behind the counter and readied his pistol, a stray shot blasting the thing out of his hand.</p><p>"Oh, give me that!" Grace huffed, snatching the pistol up off of the ground and popping off several shots that forced the advancing opponents to either draw back or find cover to duck behind.</p><p>"Where the hell did you learn to shoot like that?!" Anthony asked, surprised.</p><p>"Daddy voted Republican." Grace replied dryly. "You have any more ammo for this?"</p><p>"No." Anthony said. "The other clip was back at the safehouse."</p><p>"Alright, then we have four bullets and... whatever the hell is in this kitchen." Grace said. She glanced to the others who had been rescued from the freezer, who likewise were cowering in fear. "Don't just sit there wetting yourselves! Grab <i>something</i>!" The fledglings scattered about, grabbing whatever they could find.</p><p>"We're still pretty badly outnumbered..." Anthony said, keeping watch. "And outgunned. Literally."</p><p>"Call Ben or Sybil. Hell, even Hope at this point." Grace said. "We need <i>some</i> kind of backup."</p><p>"...no bars." Anthony said, checking his phone.</p><p>"Fuck!" Grace hissed, taking another shot. "Three bullets."</p><p>"I just don't know why they aren't charging us." Anthony said through gritted teeth, eyes darting around to the members of the strike force that he could see. "It makes no sense!"</p><p>"Let's focus on getting out of here first." Grace said. She looked to the nearest of the recruited Tremere fledglings, a young woman with dyed blue hair. "You. Check the back door. If they haven't gotten there, we might be able to slip through."</p><p>"O-Okay." The young woman nodded, turning and heading toward the back of the restaurant.</p><p>"You realize you probably just sent her to get killed, right?" Anthony whispered to Grace.</p><p>"Not if she's observant. Hopefully." Grace said, gritting her teeth. "I don't get it. Why aren't they advancing?"</p><p>"Because you both seem to not know it when you've walked into a trap..." The blue-haired woman spoke up, her voice a great deal less shaky and her demeanor overall less frightened. She stood to her full height, having just opened the back door. </p><p>"Rebecca..." Anthony said, the realization hitting him like a gut-punch, "I didn't recognize you with dye job..." Rebecca gave Anthony nothing but a mock-consolatory smirk as in rushed three men, led by Robin.</p><p>"Kill the Toreador." Robin said, pointing a finger at Anthony. "That one is mine." Grace yelped as she leaped away from the register as it exploded with gunfire both from in front of her and behind. Narrowly dodging it, she met the eyes of one of the gunmen.</p><p>"Protect me." She ordered. Unlike a mortal, she felt the willpower of the Kindred fighting back against her. In the end, her power triumphed over their Beast. The man turned, taking his gun and firing on his fellows. The chaos erupted out into the foyer, where the Baali attackers were now shooting at each other.</p><p>"Subdue them, Phillips! <i>Now</i>!" Astaroth barked from her position behind a support beam. Robin turned to obey, shotgun raised and intending to blow Anthony away. To his surprise, his fellow Tremere gave a bestial roar and leaped at him, grabbing him by the collar as he tackled him back out of the back door.</p><p>"Oh, crap..." Grace muttered, trying to sneak around only to find herself face to face with an advancing Astaroth, who pulled her back into the main seating area and tossed her onto the floor.</p><p>"And where are you going, little rose?" The Baali asked, drawing that wicked-looking scythe out and tapping the flat of the blade against her own cheek.</p><p>"You had it right the first time." Grace said.</p><p>"Had <i>what</i> right the first time?" Astaroth asked, giving a superior smirk as she loomed over the diminutive redhead.</p><p>"That I'm a Queen," Grace said, taking aim with her pistol. "Now, <i>bow</i>..." Astaroth moved to cover her face, but soon screamed out as just after Grace readjusted her aim and a bullet found purchase in her left leg. hen A second quickly followed into her right. The scythe clattered to the floor and Grace fired off the third bullet, which sailed straight into the Baali's open mouth and out of the back of her head. With the agility of a cat, Grace got to her feet - dropping the now useless gun as she did so - and snatched up the scythe, bringing it to bear across Astaroth's throat.</p><p>As Grace was having a run of luck to beat the Devil (an oddly appropriate metaphor if ever there was one), outside Anthony found himself slamming Robin into the ground. Robin, through choking out of blood and aching in great pain, found in himself the ability to laugh.</p><p>"Why are you laughing?!" Anthony roared at him. "<i>WHY ARE YOU LAUGHING, YOU BASTARD?!</i>"</p><p>"I didn't... didn't think it would work..." Robin coughed up a bit of his own vitae, the smell lingering from him. "I thought the ritual had been disrupted, but... it wasn't. It still worked, just slower..."</p><p>"<i>What</i> worked?!" Anthony snapped at him.</p><p>"Look at your hand." Anthony did, looking to the one that was in vain trying to throttle his former lover. The skin, like that he'd found on his arm and his chest, had begun to turn that same slate gray and harden into... stone.</p><p>"You tried to turn me into a <i>gargoyle</i>?!"</p><p>"Did... didn't <i>try</i>. I <i>succeeded</i>." Robin laughed. "Just not in the way I expected."</p><p>"Undo it!" Anthony snapped.</p><p>"If only I could!" Robin laughed, headbutting Anthony and forcing him back, getting out of his grasp. "I offered you a place with me. Twice... and you rebuffed me both times. I had no other choice."</p><p>"You had plenty of choices!" Anthony gritted his teeth, feeling the sting of pain from the impact and being forced back. "You chose to turn your back on our Clan, you chose to turn your back on <i>me</i>! And now you do <i>this</i>!"</p><p>"Still haven't mastered that <i>listening</i> power, have you?" Robin asked. The two began to circle each other, the shotgun having clattered to the pavement between them. "I told you that night that the truth needed to be known. That Clan Tremere had to pay for its crimes."</p><p>"By siding with Devil worshiping <i>freaks</i>?!" Anthony snapped. "By killing off our Clan mates and twisting the others into abominations of blood magic?!"</p><p>"They don't worship the Devil, Anthony... they never have." Robin said. "It's all smoke and mirrors. If you knew what they were <i>really</i> after... you'd be itching to join them."</p><p>"I doubt it."</p><p>"Believe what you want." Robin said. "But I've seen the truth. The Father has shown it to me, and to all who have joined his cause." The two circled, getting closer and closer to the fallen gun. "Shall I tell you?"</p><p></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgS3FLSOvz4znKqzs460w50x0Lgq_Ms4Tr1B46w9d-shSEz7LtlLFR1P1yj9aZrlsJKwrSsGKJ2WHPvTt9Y4nngSlidYoC2_u1QtIkU9dA_PcGGfYe6ea_TAVWyRWCQQLWVkVwAjp8liG2IbAMrHsG6r-R2ptHvJeEzm89uwQLja6n-Rp4KCg3Dl9lqQ6FW/s348/348s.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="348" data-original-width="348" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgS3FLSOvz4znKqzs460w50x0Lgq_Ms4Tr1B46w9d-shSEz7LtlLFR1P1yj9aZrlsJKwrSsGKJ2WHPvTt9Y4nngSlidYoC2_u1QtIkU9dA_PcGGfYe6ea_TAVWyRWCQQLWVkVwAjp8liG2IbAMrHsG6r-R2ptHvJeEzm89uwQLja6n-Rp4KCg3Dl9lqQ6FW/w400-h400/348s.jpg" width="400" /></a></div><br />Back inside, Grace's efforts were not in vain as Astaroth backed away from her. Hatred burned bright in her eyes as she reached forward, hands intended to grab at Grace. She made contact just as the wound on her neck was sealed up and she received another as Grace thrust the sickle into her shoulder before backing away. With a grunt of rage and irritation, Astaroth pulled the blade from her neck and once more began to heal up that damage.<p></p><p>"Filthy little harlot!" Astaroth yelled, advancing on the Toreador once more and pushing her to the floor. "I'll be happy to take every last drop of your-" She was stopped by the sound of a pistol going off, and then going off two more times. Astaroth was thrown back, crumbling to the floor once more and struggling to recover. Grace looked back over her shoulder to find.</p><p>"Hey, bestie! Sorry we were late to the party!" Sybil Langtry had her pistol out.</p><p>"Sybil, I am literally wanting to vomit out all of my internal organs when I say this - but <i>boy</i> am I happy to see you!"</p><p>"The feeling is mutual. Please do not vomit on Harriet. She hates when I have to clean her." The Malkavian said, giving Grace cover to come behind the support beam. "So what's going on?"</p><p>"Baali, Tremere. Rebecca's a traitor, it seems."</p><p>"Ha! Should have known that from her last name. Can't trust those fuckers!" Sybil angled her gun at the fallen Astaroth. "I wouldn't move if I were you. It's bad for your health."</p><p>"My men... my men will kill you..." Astaroth laughed, smugly smirking. "Just like they're gonna kill those brats!"</p><p>"Oh, I wouldn't worry about them... they're being handled." Sybil said, giving the Baali a smug smirk right back that wiped hers clean from her face. A window had been left open and a certain falcon had flown in before turning into the form of a man. Benjamin Grayson was tearing into what remained of Astaroth's men. The first to fall, staked and at the far wall by the door, was Rebecca Benedict.</p><p>The rest, Ben was... less merciful toward.</p><p>"We have more of these little places... you won't be able to stop us all..." Astaroth sneered at the two women. "You'll never find all of them..."</p><p>"Oh, we won't have to." Sybil said. "You're gonna be <i>real</i> helpful and tell us <i>everything</i>."</p><p>"Why would I-?" Another gunshot slammed into her body, causing her to cry out in pain as she was suddenly and violently cut off.</p><p>"Because I'm gonna pull a Vulcan mind meld on your sorry ass!" Sybil grinned brightly, pulling from her coat a stake. "After a brief word from our sponsors!"</p><p></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhoDhl5n4RyYMiEcV23lfHnd-sQM_xRTnPNNScC1jvbAHVN3p-a1if2_IeblbWZ9_XE51oi-TuGI4Tw-j_nY3mUJqF5nuTNFSKsY_8lsufDDbAdsSbQ9Ki94KJjbwlpvK7mmijnnTCpF8yJXLjFkFuar4FJTXZjDfS7apeqZRjBnAMAF2UkQ_3qlNgyHmJ2/s800/shotgun-barrel-20167937.webp" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="570" data-original-width="800" height="285" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhoDhl5n4RyYMiEcV23lfHnd-sQM_xRTnPNNScC1jvbAHVN3p-a1if2_IeblbWZ9_XE51oi-TuGI4Tw-j_nY3mUJqF5nuTNFSKsY_8lsufDDbAdsSbQ9Ki94KJjbwlpvK7mmijnnTCpF8yJXLjFkFuar4FJTXZjDfS7apeqZRjBnAMAF2UkQ_3qlNgyHmJ2/w400-h285/shotgun-barrel-20167937.webp" width="400" /></a></div><br />"Come on... I know you want to know. I know it's eating at you, isn't it?" Robin still taunted his former flame as the two circled the shotgun that had clamored to the ground in their brief struggle.<p></p><p>"I don't care." Anthony said, even as he knew the truth of Robin's words. The other Tremere smirked at him.</p><p>"I suppose it doesn't matter." Robin said. "Even if you were to kill me, there's no one left that can undo the ritual... so you can't kill me."</p><p>"Wanna bet?"</p><p>"You couldn't back at the Chantry, and you couldn't at the Gangrel's lodge. I don't think you'll be able to now..." Robin said. "In fact, I know you won't be able to..."</p><p><b>2017</b></p><p>The Seattle Chantry had erupted into pure chaos. Tremere fought Tremere, even the Gargoyles that had been crafted by them were tearing Tremere apart under those who had somehow invaded and were now trying to wipe out their fellows. Through it all, though many fell horrifically, two in particular had fought tooth and nail. One would burn the blood out of the other with a gesture and a muttered incantation, the other retorting with the last bit of his vitae to tear the blood back out of his opponent with a hand wave, the first then firing several shots at the other as he ducked behind a pillar. From the room they had occupied through the chaos of the hallways and even down into the foyer of the Chantry itself, the two fought one on one and neither seemed willing to give the other so much as an inch.</p><p>In that foyer, moving among the piles of ash and gore, Robin Phillips was trying to cast a hex in blood that would bring an end to this fight once and for all. A tossed dagger from Anthony's brought an end to that quickly, his hand quickly grabbing a sword from the shattered display case on the wall and holding the blade to Robin's neck.</p><p>"Are you going to kill me, lover?" Robin asked, that damned smug smirk still on his lips. "Then do it." Anthony hesitated, at the last moment.</p><p>"Get out." He said. "Leave, and don't ever come back." Robin looked upon Anthony with shock and surprise.</p><p><b>2018</b></p><p>Robin made a move for the shotgun while Anthony seemed lost in his reverie. This would be the final mistake that Robin would ever make as Anthony's hand and arm of stone shot forward, the hand twisting and distorting into a sharpened claw that he forced right into Robin's neck. Skin tore, sinew snapped, and bone cracked as that claw tore into him, Robin clawing at the hand in vain, trying to wrench himself free. As he felt the pain of that claw tear through the back of his neck, he knew what was about to happen.</p><p>"Leave, and don't ever come back." Anthony said, forcing the claw the rest of the way through and ramming his arm through Robin's neck at the side. The head came off, not cleanly, and fell to the ground. Robin's body began to sort of melt. Not old enough to be consumed by the ravages of time, he left not dust but his body seemed to melt into a sort of pile of semi-solid gore. The flesh bloodied and twitched as he became an organic slop at Anthony's feet.</p><p><b>2017</b></p><p>Anthony waited until he was certain that Robin had left, the sword clattering to the floor of the Chantry and falling to his knees. Bloody tears dripped down his face, him unable to hold back the sting of it all any longer. His friend... his love... gone to him now, in the blink of an eye.</p><p><b>2018</b></p><p>Much as it was in the present, Anthony was on his knees as his found himself weeping. His vitae fell from his eyes and onto the concrete and onto the gore that had once been the man he had loved. He did not react as he felt a hand fall onto his shoulder, not needing to look back to see the person there.</p><p>"I'm sorry." Grace said softly.</p><p>"Why?"</p><p>"I've been here, before..." The Toreador said. "Just like this..." Anthony did not look up, did not need to to realize what was falling onto him.</p><p>The rain had begun to fall, washing it all away.</p><p>Washing it all away...</p><p></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjv8kWnMktwHM1RmxvJeDmYreDaZuYXKSOjrPsM6UZioAIB_kx_Ig7rcgSRdW2N6pdFW8x7ik1u1OqU2dbd0C31wq2d-tdWCpDc2sAMLD-QqDq2nmOaWRSjMjz9zmjBoXGmWgcNk5lD9s_8EzRUbJiay4eXaTq61Ss_z8fFyaEDzKPT9PREjS4-yr-Vf4mU/s612/istockphoto-1318374423-612x612.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="432" data-original-width="612" height="283" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjv8kWnMktwHM1RmxvJeDmYreDaZuYXKSOjrPsM6UZioAIB_kx_Ig7rcgSRdW2N6pdFW8x7ik1u1OqU2dbd0C31wq2d-tdWCpDc2sAMLD-QqDq2nmOaWRSjMjz9zmjBoXGmWgcNk5lD9s_8EzRUbJiay4eXaTq61Ss_z8fFyaEDzKPT9PREjS4-yr-Vf4mU/w400-h283/istockphoto-1318374423-612x612.jpg" width="400" /></a></div><br />The night continued on. A little bit of Dominate to erase and alter Kine memories and some crack persuasive work from Sybil saw the Seattle PD attribute all of this to an act of gang violence. The security tapes had been scrubbed clean as well, credited to interference with the power supply, the same that had taken out the alarm system.<p></p><p>The matter was settled, the staked bodies of both Rebecca Benedict and Astaroth were taken in. While Anthony and Grace took the captured Rebecca back to the home of one Theodore Simpson, Astaroth was taken back to a place that had become all too familiar to the coterie - 1201 Third Avenue. The stake hidden, the pair were able to bring her in without incident and bring her up to the office of the Prince, where Wren Blanchard greeted the pair of them.</p><p>"What is it that you've brought me tonight?" She asked, looking with a bit of surprise upon the offering that Ben and Sybil had brought her.</p><p>"An interloper." Ben said, looking to the paralyzed Baali. "A soldier of the renegades that are attacking the city. I think you know what Clan she's from, as well."</p><p>"Do <i>you</i>?" Wren asked, giving the Gangrel a wary look and getting a flat, blank expression back. She could have divined more by looking at a slab of concrete, though she knew well that he knew as she knew. "I see...well, we have some work to do, then. Don't we?"</p><p>"Happy to reach out and give her some things to think about, your mightiness." Sybil said with a grin. Wren visibly hesitated.</p><p>"I... believe we have <i>others</i> better suited to that task, Miss Langtry." The Prince said. "But your contributions to the effort are very much noted."</p><p>"So... no pulling a 'This is your brain on drugs'?" Sybil asked.</p><p>"Not this night, I am afraid."</p><p>"Poo." Sybil pouted, turning so that she was certain that Astaroth could see her. "You're lucky. I usually get to keep my promises."</p><p>"I assure you, Miss Langtry," Wren told her, "that this one is <i>far</i> from lucky..."</p><p></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhT27hj0STxSx7SHnTXdQlPIbk3wevKtQ2jO_4PNtGTfFrZcsG4uzrdCy1imkKVAIYnfCu4Ys7JU7T6ubrVAO5pT0tGeEcWMUs0IHALvr4H62a-a_EOSfqwhT3Hrx016EAaIiTB6elV9hF0wfmg1GVpAEyPmsZE0qI_mbpqQrIjI34esqTb1fgzMqvEpolR/s480/a271b90e156a12fd25b9c8c6a3a3ab09.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="360" data-original-width="480" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhT27hj0STxSx7SHnTXdQlPIbk3wevKtQ2jO_4PNtGTfFrZcsG4uzrdCy1imkKVAIYnfCu4Ys7JU7T6ubrVAO5pT0tGeEcWMUs0IHALvr4H62a-a_EOSfqwhT3Hrx016EAaIiTB6elV9hF0wfmg1GVpAEyPmsZE0qI_mbpqQrIjI34esqTb1fgzMqvEpolR/w400-h300/a271b90e156a12fd25b9c8c6a3a3ab09.jpg" width="400" /></a></div><br />"My childe... oh, my childe..." Simpson looked distraught as Peter assisted Anthony in bringing the paralyzed body of Rebecca in. The library had been set up with a ritual circle at its center, Thaumaturgical symbols<p></p><p>"She's been compromised." Anthony said. "She was working with the Baali."</p><p>"What? How is that possible?" Simpson asked.</p><p>"Someone in an undercover job getting compromised?" Grace asked, an incredulous brow raised. "Sure, that's never happened before."</p><p>"Show some respect, Miss Penderghast!" Peter looked to her, wide-eyed. "Please!"</p><p>"No, Peter... she does have a point, there." Simpson said, raising a hand to his ghoul. He cut eyes at Grace. "Don't push it. You <i>are</i> in my house."</p><p>"My apologies." Grace said in sudden supplication, suddenly quite aware of that fact.</p><p>"I should think so." Simpson said. "Well, I will begin the binding rituals... she will need to be... cleansed."</p><p>"As you wish." Anthony said. "I will be contacting you as soon as I have some other supplies gathered... I'll be needing that boon."</p><p>"Of course, of course." Simpson said, nodding. "Peter, please see them out."</p><p>"Yes, Master." Peter said, gesturing for Anthony and Grace to follow him. They did so, being led back out to where Martin remained with the car. The ghoul had been smart enough to remain in the car during the fire fight, though he clearly had not been happy about the affair.</p><p>"Good night, Peter." Anthony said, offering the ghoul his hand for a shake. Peter looked at him in confusion, but accepted the handshake. After that, Martin got out to open the car door for Grace and Anthony and they both entered. Soon enough, he was driving them off.</p><p>"What was that thing you slipped into Peter's pocket?" Grace asked, having seen Anthony do just that as the two were shaking hands.</p><p>"It's a bloodstone. Bit of Tremere sorcery. Anywhere he goes for a month, we'll know."</p><p>"Won't he get suspicious about a stone in his pocket?" Grace asked.</p><p>"No, he'll know what it is." Anthony said. "He'll believe that his master put it there."</p><p>"Why are you tracking him, anyway?"</p><p>"One, Simpson was able to find me in hiding." Anthony said, holding up a finger, then adding another. "Two, because that ritual circle was <i>not </i>for purifying anything."</p><p>"What was it, then?"</p><p>"Gibberish. But very well disguised gibberish."</p><p>"...you don't think?"</p><p>"Yes. Theodore Simpson is working for the Baali." Anthony said. "So keeping an eye on him without him knowing? Warranted."</p><p>"I guess I can't argue with that..." Grace said, glancing out the window as Martin drove them off into the night.</p><p style="text-align: center;">NEXT TIME</p><p style="text-align: center;">EACH ACCORDING TO HIS SINS</p></div>MadCapMunchkinhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05885944836313859245noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7221258980660442179.post-1710780048384804692023-10-12T00:00:00.403-04:002023-10-12T00:00:00.133-04:00MadCap's D&D Builds - Pinhead (5e)<p></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhmI4kSNmK5lsBP7n3STTshZUg04XbplxeTv3zQpsredlaDYsaCNsU3-5x4OOf7C0YSFpdLUrksrjhjAQl_li95pmRPg7858IBU6jIT4qXK_Qu0V_HNkPXko9LPBclr2ehU5cLTQ-VWG5dPqNDbDr1Rrj8qvs6Mz9b0REq16pB5JEXYtXldjsOJ4WXxBBZz/s2500/Pinhead-Hellraiser1.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1406" data-original-width="2500" height="225" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhmI4kSNmK5lsBP7n3STTshZUg04XbplxeTv3zQpsredlaDYsaCNsU3-5x4OOf7C0YSFpdLUrksrjhjAQl_li95pmRPg7858IBU6jIT4qXK_Qu0V_HNkPXko9LPBclr2ehU5cLTQ-VWG5dPqNDbDr1Rrj8qvs6Mz9b0REq16pB5JEXYtXldjsOJ4WXxBBZz/w400-h225/Pinhead-Hellraiser1.jpg" width="400" /></a></div><br />Another Thursday in October, another D&D build of the horror vein. I guess that you can tell from the title, I have such sights to show you...<span><a name='more'></a></span><p></p><p>It's Pinhead, originally from Clive Barker's novella <i>The Hellbound Heart</i>, has become one of the most iconic villain in all of horror movies. I hesitate to call him a slasher film villain seeing as (despite some of the later entries into the series), the <i>Hellraiser</i> movies really aren't slasher films as much as they are precursors of the later torture porn in some cases, but we'll not be holding that against him in this build.</p><p>So, what are our goals for this build?</p><p></p><ul style="text-align: left;"><li>Whips and Chains Excite Me - Being the leader of the Order of the Gash (yes, that's the name of the Cenobite group), Pinhead is all about pain and pleasure, and thus we'll need hooks and chains and all sorts of wonderful things to string people up and make them taste our pleasures.</li><li>Such Sights To Show You - Pinhead is, despite his odd choice in headwear, a very charismatic individual with a great force of personality. Of course, that's largely due to the fact that he's played by Doug Bradley in eight of the eleven films in the franchise.</li><li>Tear Your Soul Apart - Pinhead will need to punish those who escape the Cenobites, and that largely involves incredibly gory messes. Jesus wept.</li></ul><p></p><p>So, for stats, we're going to use the Standard Point Array from the Player's Handbook. Roll for stats if you want and use this as a guide for where to put your rolls.</p><p>Charisma: <b>15</b></p><p>As I said before, Doug Bradley as Pinhead is very Charismatic despite his face. He is a man who has spent decades visiting pleasure and pain upon those who summon the Cenobites, and thus is deeply connected to life.</p><p>Constitution: <b>14</b></p><p>Pinhead is durable, and it usually takes something blowing up in order to take him down. Hell, in the third film he even retained his living status while stuck inside a pillar. It seems to be a case of him being immortal unless he's killed. That sort of thing.</p><p>Intelligence: <b>13</b></p><p>Pinhead is educated and well-spoken. Again, if it weren't for the pins in his head and the whole BDSM torture fetish, he seems like he'd be an interesting person to have a conversation with.</p><p>Dexterity: <b>12</b></p><p>Pinhead can move quickly when the need arrives, but isn't often on the end of the fight where he needs to be the one running away.</p><p>Wisdom: <b>10</b></p><p>Pinhead is observant, but has been bamboozled a few times, particularly by Kristy Cotton.</p><p>Strength: <b>8</b></p><p>We're dumping strength. While Pinhead is by no means physically weak, his powers and his Cenobite minions more often tend to do the heavy lifting for him.</p><p></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh2IpB_m0DxJAD72vS_QmlKUs8mFQ6K9LO41DUld9UTPDonxFaiq6AxUjJdIxlRBCvhUk9GwcI2D3K0sJbfdM5cIJ7AY1-5HE4U_38mdbpeoSWRMqtbZvnygZu0C9jbmwl0zo7ctEGqgo69LapduLJ9_oVZIbaeJhnjfYv7VCV4YKgWoZ6wRtPrzBCihpba/s1297/PinheadColor.webp" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1297" data-original-width="1042" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh2IpB_m0DxJAD72vS_QmlKUs8mFQ6K9LO41DUld9UTPDonxFaiq6AxUjJdIxlRBCvhUk9GwcI2D3K0sJbfdM5cIJ7AY1-5HE4U_38mdbpeoSWRMqtbZvnygZu0C9jbmwl0zo7ctEGqgo69LapduLJ9_oVZIbaeJhnjfYv7VCV4YKgWoZ6wRtPrzBCihpba/w321-h400/PinheadColor.webp" width="321" /></a></div><br />For race, we'll be going with a first for the blog - <b>Custom Lineage</b>. I was going to go with <b>Variant Human</b>, but Pinhead is something more human than human now after so many years doing what he does. With <b>Custom Lineage</b>, you are humanoid but determine your own appearance. You can be Small or Medium in size, have a walking speed of 30 feet, and one of your ability scores goes up by 2 (go for Charisma). You also can gain a skill of your choice or Darkvision going out to 60 feet, we'll be taking a free skill in <b>History</b>. Pinhead is, after all, very well-read.<p></p><p>You also get a free feat at 1st level so long as you qualify for it. Pick up <b>Magic Initiate</b>, which lets you pick up two cantrips and one first level spell from the bard, cleric, druid, sorcerer, warlock, or wizard class spell lists. For our choice, we'll be going with <b>Cleric</b> and picking up <i>Sacred Flame</i> and <i>Thaumaturgy</i> in order to fit our latter aesthetic and give Pinhead the booming voice he deserves, respectively.</p><p>For the first level spell, which can only be used once before a long rest, we're going with <i>Ceremony</i> from <i>Xanathar's Guide to Everything</i>. The spell is detailed on page 151 of <i>Xanathar's</i>, but the spell in question can allow Pinhead to help a creature atone (restoring its original alignment), bless a vial of water to become holy water, give a young adult humanoid a d4 they add to their ability checks for 24 hours, bring people in the service of his deity and give them a d4 to add to one saving throw within the next 24 hours, keep a corpse from being turned into undead in the next seven days, and... perform weddings.</p><p>...look, I'm sure <i>somebody</i> would ask Doug Bradley if he were ordained. Is he ordained? I'm too lazy to Google it.</p><p>For background, we're going with <b>Soldier</b> due to Pinhead's mortal life as Elliot Spencer, a British soldier during World War I. Taking the Soldier background nets you proficiency in <b>Athletics</b> and <b>Intimidation</b> as well as proficiency with one gaming set of your choice and land vehicles. Maybe... I don't know, Pinhead has a Rubik's cube that he's particularly fond of?</p><p>For our first level, we'll start off with <b>Warlock</b> (1) specifically a <b>Fiend Warlock</b> to get access to some aesthetically awesome things. Starting off as a Warlock, though, you can pick two skills from Arcana, Deception, History, Intimidation, Investigation, Nature, and Religion. We're going to go with <b>Arcana</b> and <b>Religion</b>. You also get proficiency in <b>Wisdom</b> and <b>Charisma</b> saving throws, two of the most often called for saving throws in the game. Not bad, right?</p><p>As a Fiend Warlock, Pinhead has <b>Dark One's Blessing</b>. When Pinhead reduces a hostile creature to 0 hit points, he gains temporary hit points equal to his Charisma modifier.</p><p>A first level <b>Warlock</b>, through their patron, gets access to <b>Pact Magic</b>. In RAW 5e, Warlocks get kind of screwed as far as spell slots go, but this can be circumvented later on, don't worry. While you start off with 1 spell slot at first level, you do get two cantrips. <i>Eldritch Blast</i> is pretty much a must-have as a warlock and you can easily re-flavor it as chains of magical force and starts out at 1d10 damage but gains four beams by the time you reach 17th level. <i>Mage Hand</i> is another good one, essentially giving you a free "pick it up if it's less than ten pounds and within thirty feet of you" button.</p><p>For your choice of spells, <i>Hellish Rebuke</i> is a fun one. You point a finger and a creature that damaged you is surrounded by hellish flames. They make a Dexterity saving throw against your spell DC and, if they fail, they take 2d10 fire damage and half as much if they succeed. You can cast it in a 2nd level or higher slot in order to increase the damage by 1d10 for each level. <i>Hex</i> places a curse on a creature that you can see within 90 feet. For up to an hour (depending on your concentration), the creature takes and extra 1d6 necrotic damage every time you hit it and you can choose one of its abilities that it will have disadvantage on checks for that ability until the spell ends.</p><p>If they drop to 0 hit points while under the effects of <i>Hex</i>, you can use a bonus action on your next turn to curse a creature without having to cast the spell again.</p><p></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjX3YY5Jl2HuquWn54U2CnoWWR8lyjeMUI6jWYRThqzLDdhpxlabtMLWhN9WOhsCHfCFYMdD6OxX6hjdwio4OW4h1slLsxFyBuElEntbiTn-2Msu2GQlXxICvg2fu0nHiKZ3HR7p1MaLMX3JrmrlMWRkOcDsVyw_hyGsi_VZeFh1LQ_27d13QN0e4GSo9CO/s1200/Hellraiser-e1557166919967.jpg" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="675" data-original-width="1200" height="225" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjX3YY5Jl2HuquWn54U2CnoWWR8lyjeMUI6jWYRThqzLDdhpxlabtMLWhN9WOhsCHfCFYMdD6OxX6hjdwio4OW4h1slLsxFyBuElEntbiTn-2Msu2GQlXxICvg2fu0nHiKZ3HR7p1MaLMX3JrmrlMWRkOcDsVyw_hyGsi_VZeFh1LQ_27d13QN0e4GSo9CO/w400-h225/Hellraiser-e1557166919967.jpg" width="400" /></a></div><br />Second level of <b>Warlock</b> (2) gives you access to your first <b>Eldritch Invocations</b>. Pinhead's servitude to the Leviathan is finally starting to pay off as he gets special powers from his patron. In this case Pinhead receives two and we'll be going with <b>Beguiling Influence</b> - giving him proficiency in Deception and Persuasion skills - and <b>Agonizing Blast</b> - which lets him add his Charisma modifier to the damage he deals on a hit with <i>eldritch blast</i>. Those chains are gonna hurt people for sure... and they're only going to get worse!<p></p><p>Pinhead also receives a new spell and a new spell slot. <i>Arms of Hadar</i> is a fun 1st level spell that conjures up tendrils of dark energy (re-flavor them as chains, because aesthetic!) that forces creatures within ten feet of Pinhead to make a Strength saving throw. If they fail, they take 2d6 necrotic damage and can't take reactions until their next turn. On a successful save, they suffer only half of 2d6 and do not suffer the secondary effect. When cast in a 2nd level spell slot or higher, the damage goes up by 1d6 for each slot above 1st.</p><p>Third level of <b>Warlock</b> (3) sees Pinhead getting a <b>Pact Boon</b> for his service to Leviathan. Now, while <b>Pact of the Chain</b> seems like an obvious pick, that's largely bit around summons and that isn't really Pinhead's thing per se. So, we'll be taking <b>Pact of the Talisman</b> from <i>Tasha's Cauldron of Everything</i>. Your patron gives you an amulet that aids the wearer in a variety of ways. One such way right off the bat is that when Pinhead fails an ability check, he can add a d4 to the roll to potentially turn it into a success. He can do this a number of times equal to his proficiency bonus and regains all uses on a long rest.</p><p>Now, obviously, re-flavoring this into being the Lament Configuration or something of that kind shouldn't be too much of a problem with your DM. Maybe it'll just mean changing "wear" in descriptions to "having it in your possession".</p><p>Third level also sees a Warlock get access to 2nd level spells (even if they still have only two spell slots), Hold Person is a concentration spell that forces a Wisdom saving throw on a humanoid within 60 feet. If they fail the save, they are paralyzed for up to a minute depending on your concentration. They do get a save at the end of each of its turns, the spell ending if they succeed.</p><p>Casting it in a 3rd level slot or higher will let you target <i>another</i> humanoid per each slot. Same rules apply for them getting their saves, however.</p><p>Fourth level of <b>Warlock</b> (4) and we get our first Ability Score Improvement or Feat. We'll be picking up <b>Eldritch Adept</b>, which gives us a free Eldritch Invocation. <b>Rebuke of the Talisman</b> is an ability that activates any time Pinhead (or anyone wearing or using his talisman) is hit. Pinhead can use his reaction to deal psychic damage to his attacker equal to his proficiency bonus and then knock them back 10 feet.</p><p>Pinhead gets a new cantrip from the warlock list. <i>Chill touch</i> creates a ghostly, skeletal hand in a space of a creature within 120 feet. After a successful hit, the target takes 1d8 necrotic damage and cannot regain hit points until the start of <i>your</i> next turn. Until then, they have a hand stuck on them. If the target's undead, they get disadvantage on attacks against you until the end of your next turn.</p><p>The 1d8 increases to 2d8, 3d8, and finally 4d8 at 5th, 11th, and 17th level. That is <i>character</i> level, not warlock level.</p><p>You also get another spell, let's go with <i>ray of enfeeblement</i>. A black <strike>beam</strike> chain of enervating energy springs from Pinhead's finger and goes after a creature within 60 feet. On a hit, the target only deals half damage with weapon attacks that use Strength until the spell ends. The target gets a Constitution saving throw at the end of each turn to shake it off.</p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjb5RY0ZSqdkbFeCvTM7F3iZ15k1TDBENQkyUT7mTp99YV-e3Wm5IecDecPipIoLpwAVLWlaLFQewad-DmW9Rtf4FLP3KU5TZpNIOdpTdsUkiNC8e3H3tnfEz3AgxHdtEi4VOLjYfHEnxz2qqOrHOIQVBJy4SNZZhcTEX73rZ2uAqt7cA-HB75NMj0LcJly/s1000/Pinhead-and-his-Cenobites-from-Hellraiser-1987-scaled-e1633624166953.webp" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="600" data-original-width="1000" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjb5RY0ZSqdkbFeCvTM7F3iZ15k1TDBENQkyUT7mTp99YV-e3Wm5IecDecPipIoLpwAVLWlaLFQewad-DmW9Rtf4FLP3KU5TZpNIOdpTdsUkiNC8e3H3tnfEz3AgxHdtEi4VOLjYfHEnxz2qqOrHOIQVBJy4SNZZhcTEX73rZ2uAqt7cA-HB75NMj0LcJly/w400-h240/Pinhead-and-his-Cenobites-from-Hellraiser-1987-scaled-e1633624166953.webp" width="400" /></a></div><br /><p></p><p>At fifth level <b>Warlock</b> (5), Pinhead receives access to third level spells... and still has only two spell slots. Yay! <i>Fear</i> forces a Wisdom save on a creature in a 30-foot cone. If they fail, they see a phantasmal image of their worst fear and must drop whatever they are holding and run away from it as quickly as possible, unable to do anything other than run scared unless they literally cannot move. If the creature ends its turn where it cannot see you, it can make a Wisdom save to end the effect. Otherwise, it lasts up to a minute depending on your concentration.</p><p>Pinhead also picks up his third Eldritch Invocation. <b>Eldritch Spear</b> increases the range of <i>eldritch blast</i> to 300 feet. Pinhead also gains a new spell and we'll go with <i>fireball</i> from the Fiend Warlock spell list. Honestly, fireball is just a fun spell to have, isn't it?</p><p>At sixth level <b>Warlock</b> (6), Pinhead receives the <b>Dark One's Own Luck</b>. When he makes an ability check or saving throw, Pinhead can add a d10 to the roll. Once he uses this feature, he can't use it again until he finishes a short rest.</p><p>For another spell, pop back to 2nd level for <i>Cloud of Daggers</i>, which summon a bunch of daggers within a 5 foot cube within 60 feet of you when you cast the spell. A creature in the cube takes 4d4 slashing damage when they enter the area or start their turn in the area. This can last for up to a minute depending on your concentration. When using spell slots of 3rd or higher, the damage increases by 2d4 for each one.</p><p>Seventh level <b>Warlocks</b> (7) get <i>another</i> spell to add to their repertoire but can now choose from 4th level spells! <i>Hallucinatory Terrain</i> bends a 150-foot area to your will, shifting the terrain into some <i>other</i> kind of terrain... perhaps a forest becomes hellfire or an M.C. Escher painting? Anyone who carefully examines the illusion can make an Investigation check against your spell DC. On a success, they see what you've done as a superimposed image over the <i>actual</i> terrain.</p><p>Pinhead also gets another Eldritch Invocation. We'll be going with <b>Maddening Hex</b> to play off of his use of the <i>Hex</i> spell. When <i>Hex</i> (or another ability that curses) is used on a target, Pinhead deals psychic damage to the cursed target and each creature of his choice within 5 feet of that target. The damage is equal to his Charisma modifier, and he has to be able to see the target within 30 feet of him.</p><p>At eighth level, a <b>Warlock</b> (8) receives another Ability Score Improvement or a Feat. <b>Spell Sniper</b> doubles the range of any spell that requires an attack roll, allows you to ignore half-cover and three-quarters cover, and you can learn one cantrip that requires an attack roll from the bard, cleric, druid, sorcerer, warlock, or wizard spell list. The ability for the cantrip is tied into whatever class you pick. <i>Booming Blade</i> works fine for our purposes, upon striking a target with a weapon worth at least a silver piece, that target is sheathed in energy. If they willingly move more than 5 feet, they take 1d8 thunder damage.</p><p>When the warlock gets to 5th level, they take an extra 1d8 thunder damage on the hit <i>and</i> the damage for moving increases to 2d8. This bumps up to 2d8 and 3d8 (at 11th level) and 3d8 and 4d8 (at 17th). Now, is it a little cheap to use a non-distance spell for this feat? Sure, but we're a) running out of good cantrips that fit our theme and b) we all know why I <i>really</i> chose this feat and it has nothing to do with the free spell we get.</p><p>Also, something something another spell... <i>Counterspell</i> allows you to interrupt a creature within 60 feet that is casting a spell. If the spell is a 3rd level or higher one, it fails immediately. If the spell is 4th or higher, Pinhead makes an ability check using his spellcasting ability (in this case, Charisma) versus a DC of 10 + the spell's level. On a success, the spell fails.</p><p>Using this in a slot of 4th or higher will auto-cancel a spell that is of less or equal to the level of spell slot that the warlock uses. By the way, you still only have two.</p><p>At ninth level, a <b>Warlock</b> (9) gets <i>another</i> spell as they can now dip into 5th level spells. <i>Hold Monster</i> works like <i>Hold Person</i>, but for non-humanoids. They also gain their fifth (in our case, <i>sixth</i>) Eldritch Invocation. <b>Bond of the Talisman</b> allows you to teleport to someone <strike>wearing</strike> using your talisman provided the pair of you are on the same plane of reality. This isn't <i>exactly</i> the travelling from Hell to come to the Earth, but we'll get there soon enough don't worry. For now, consider this just how Pinhead finds someone who has gotten their hands on the Lament Configuration. After all, they opened the box... and he came...</p><p>Tenth level <b>Warlocks</b> (10) who made pacts with a fiend receive <b>Fiendish Resilience</b>. Upon finishing a short or long rest, Pinhead can choose to gain resistance to a specific damage type until he uses his feature again. Damage from magical or silver weapons ignores this resistance.</p><p>We also get a new cantrip. <i>Prestidigitation</i> is a good utility spell. That's about it.</p><p></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEidwJSUVCO0PwtoGwnei4893Pp1szEcrPVPQyl7moOAEKw3DLAe1RDwpzjIyIuiMEfgryfSE2X4-5j4igbA9nwMZA9TkJf3kRSsfhtuAbRa9ijLoFMLcPKjyMKHQhsHvf8DCjUPgzhzc2HPKETrTi6-Lgw7KSsSUepGSSWy1bytxEdENsfxvlQWVyidjQ5Y/s528/Pinhead_Hell_Priest.webp" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="396" data-original-width="528" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEidwJSUVCO0PwtoGwnei4893Pp1szEcrPVPQyl7moOAEKw3DLAe1RDwpzjIyIuiMEfgryfSE2X4-5j4igbA9nwMZA9TkJf3kRSsfhtuAbRa9ijLoFMLcPKjyMKHQhsHvf8DCjUPgzhzc2HPKETrTi6-Lgw7KSsSUepGSSWy1bytxEdENsfxvlQWVyidjQ5Y/w400-h300/Pinhead_Hell_Priest.webp" width="400" /></a></div><br />At eleventh level, <b>Warlocks</b> (11) receive their very first <b>Mystic Arcanum</b>. In this case, Pinhead receives a spell that he can cast once without expending a spell slot, getting the power back when he finishes a long rest. <i>True Seeing</i> allows Pinhead to see through pretty much every deception or illusion, so he'll be much better able to find Frank Cotton hiding out wearing his brother's flesh.<p></p><p>We also, shockingly, get another spell slot! Now we're up to 3! <i>Magic Circle</i> allows you to create a 10-foot-radius, 20-foot-tall cylinder of magical energy centered on a point on the ground within 10 feet of you. You choose a creature type from celestials, elementals, fey, fiends, or undead and those creatures:</p><p></p><ul style="text-align: left;"><li>cannot enter the cylinder willingly.</li><li>have disadvantage on attack rolls on targets within the cylinder.</li><li>targets within the cylinder can't be charmed, frightened, or possessed.</li></ul><p></p><p>You can also work this spell in reverse and <i>trap</i> something within the cylinder. Not really good to deal with the humans, but pretty damn useful if Angelique shows up.</p><p>At twelfth level, <b>Warlocks</b> (12) get an Ability Score Improvement or Feat. In this case, we're going to add a +1 to our Constitution and Charisma for better bonuses.</p><p>Pinhead also gets another Eldritch Invocation. <b>Lance of Lethargy</b> allows you to reduce the speed of a creature that you hit with your <i>eldritch blast</i> by ten feet until the end of your next turn.</p><p>Thirteenth level sees a <b>Warlock</b> (13) getting a new spell - pick your own at this point, other than Mystic Arcanum, I'm just gonna tell you when they happen - and their 7th level Mystic Arcanum. <i>Plane Shift</i> allows Pinhead and up to eight willing creatures who join hands to transport to a different plane of existence. It can also be used to banish an unwilling creature to another plane if they fail a Charisma saving throw following a successful melee spell attack.</p><p>So, boom, we have Pinhead being able to travel to and from Hell. You're welcome.</p><p>At fourteenth level, <b>Warlocks</b> (14) who follow the Fiend pact receive their capstone ability <b>Hurl Through Hell</b>. On a successful attack, this feature can instantly transport the target through the lower planes. They return at the end of Pinhead's next turn in either the space it left or the nearest unoccupied one. If the target isn't a fiend, they take 10d10 psychic damage. Pinhead regains this feature upon finishing a long rest.</p><p>At 15th level, <b>Warlocks</b> (15) get their 8th level Mystic Arcanum. <i>Demiplane</i> allows Pinhead to conjure a door large enough to allow Medium creatures to pass through unhindered that leads to an empty room that extends for 30 feet in all directions made of stone and word. After an hour, the door disappears and anything inside remains trapped there.</p><p>Each time the spell is cast, the door can be restored or connect to a new demiplane if you happen to know of it. I know, like a lot of things, this could do with some re-flavoring to become Pinhead's private little Hell dimension.</p><p>They also receive their seventh Eldritch Invocation. <b>Mask of Many Faces</b> allows Pinhead to cast <i>disguise self</i> at will, an ability he showcased having in the direct to video sequels.</p><p>Also, new spell. Moving on.</p><p><b></b></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><b><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiuB5YoBeM_u9d9Y-hvnRdOfHEksjc9EWqbCDLfQfZFm2udUQlk_NgWpi8GmLkGw71n0ORwkmEdgBo-ijvDnWOLzJQ4wWA2Orw6dImTgybriGFSkWtI8ol2MAO6Wvjk4rvf5mqEq1jwE1s8GGNZR-W5jyNy_0s05HOYKtKH_tVbYja287Y6qca4MF0gZtn8/s427/Hr3-pinhead2.png" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="427" data-original-width="232" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiuB5YoBeM_u9d9Y-hvnRdOfHEksjc9EWqbCDLfQfZFm2udUQlk_NgWpi8GmLkGw71n0ORwkmEdgBo-ijvDnWOLzJQ4wWA2Orw6dImTgybriGFSkWtI8ol2MAO6Wvjk4rvf5mqEq1jwE1s8GGNZR-W5jyNy_0s05HOYKtKH_tVbYja287Y6qca4MF0gZtn8/w217-h400/Hr3-pinhead2.png" width="217" /></a></b></div><b><br />Warlocks</b> (16) that reach sixteenth level receive another Ability Score Improvement or Feat. We'll go with <b>Metamagic Adept</b> from <i>Tasha's Cauldron of Everything</i>, which gives us access to two metamagic options that are usually reserved only for Sorcerers as well as giving us 2 sorcery points to work them.<p></p><p>We'll be going with <b>Distant Spell</b> - which has you spend a sorcery point to double the range of a spell and make the range 30 feet instead if the spell is a cantrip - and <b>Empowered Spell</b> - spending a sorcery point to reroll a number of damage dice up to your Charisma modifier. However, you must use the new rolls. Also, just to let you know, Empowered Spell stacks with other Metamagic abilities.</p><p>At 17th level, <b>Warlocks</b> (17) receive their final Mystic Arcanum. <i>Imprisonment</i> creates some form of magical restraint against a creature within 30 feet. If they fail a Wisdom saving throw, they are bound by the spell (immune to it if they succeed and you try to cast it again). The spell essentially renders the target immortal and bars all divination spells from locating the target. There are multiple forms that this imprisonment can take, but the one we'll be going with is Chaining, where heavy chains root the target into the ground and they are stuck there until the spell ends... and <i>Imprisonment</i> lasts until it is dispelled.</p><p>You can also specify a condition by which the target can be released. Work with the DM about it, more details are on page 252 and 253 of the <i>Player's Handbook</i>.</p><p>Also, fourteenth spell... at least you finally have four slots now. <i>Four</i>.</p><p>At 18th level, <b>Warlocks</b> (18) receive their eighth and final Eldritch Invocation. <b>Protection of the Talisman</b> allows Pinhead (or whoever is using his talisman) to add a d4 to their roll in the event of failing a saving throw. This can be done a number of times equal to Pinhead's proficiency bonus and the expended uses are restored on a long rest.</p><p>At 19th level, as a <b>Warlock</b> (19), Pinhead receives his final new spell as well as a final Ability Score Improvement or a Feat. Bump up that Charisma and Constitution for better bonuses.</p><p>Our capstone is 20th level, where the <b>Warlock</b> (20) becomes an <b>Eldritch Master</b>. In a moment of need, Pinhead draws upon his inner reserve of mystical power to have the Leviathan restore his expended spell slots. This ritual takes one minute and, after it's done, Pinhead must finish a long rest before he can do so again.</p><p>Now that we've hit level twenty, let's check out our pros and cons.</p><p>Pros:</p><p></p><ul style="text-align: left;"><li>Your <i>eldritch</i> <i>blast</i> is absolutely insane. With four beams channeling 1d10 damage, adding your Charisma bonus (which should be 18 by the end of this build without any items or other additions, so +4) to it, and then with the range increased to 300 feet with Eldritch Spear and then <i>doubled </i>with Distant Spell. You're doing a <i>lot</i> of damage and you can go <i>very</i> far.</li><li>You, ironically, make a great party face with a high Charisma that leads to good bonuses to Deception, Persuasion, and Intimidation, all of which you are proficient in.</li><li>You have some pretty good debuffs like <i>ray of enfeeblement</i> and <i>hex</i> and some spells that just automatically "No" your opponent such as <i>counterspell</i>.</li></ul><p></p><p>Cons:</p><p></p><ul style="text-align: left;"><li>Warlocks are one of my favorite classes in D&D... and I hate the fact that their spell slots are so limited. I get <i>why</i> they are, but it seems disproportionate as not all of the Eldritch Invocations are great and worth the effort to get to, particularly ones that use warlock spell slots... which kind of defeats the point.</li><li>Concentration spells are a pain for anyone, and especially with the limited selection that warlocks have, you have to pick and choose very carefully. You don't really have the safety cushion of more slots if your magic fails.</li><li>You're very squishy and a lot of your spells require you to be at close range or indeed right up on your enemies. Beefing up your Constitution and a few of your abilities like <i>hellish rebuke</i> or Protection of the Talisman help with this, but only just so much.</li></ul><p></p><p></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgi82f-5Un6_1cATdR-WjOgUS6wjy8xNah1wKLvY5-BGm3atFljuf1OeCHusxZHqYor9pGoEDgSnByfasavKMi98Orsaw-iEIiO91COn28XgO3OKLGHvY0uSjJ49l7Bdz7IGCVSuuE7QvXw8iQ0tQ6nYsVCZW38gd6-d-9ZepGDfX0yaRKza-KXVHG376Mg/s1200/2272.webp" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1200" data-original-width="1200" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgi82f-5Un6_1cATdR-WjOgUS6wjy8xNah1wKLvY5-BGm3atFljuf1OeCHusxZHqYor9pGoEDgSnByfasavKMi98Orsaw-iEIiO91COn28XgO3OKLGHvY0uSjJ49l7Bdz7IGCVSuuE7QvXw8iQ0tQ6nYsVCZW38gd6-d-9ZepGDfX0yaRKza-KXVHG376Mg/w400-h400/2272.webp" width="400" /></a></div><br />But hey, you're the Hell Priest, the Lead Cenobite. You're Pinhead! Prepare yourself to be an explorer in the further regions of experience. You're a demon to some, angel to others, and you're gonna be an absolute menace to any opponent that you take on. Just keep your eyes peeled for anyone who might just be that much more quick witted than you are, or you might end up with your final words being "NOOOOOOOOOOOOO!" right before you explode.<p></p><p>How lame would <i>that</i> be?</p>MadCapMunchkinhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05885944836313859245noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7221258980660442179.post-18473096399633328082023-10-11T00:00:00.331-04:002023-10-11T00:00:00.155-04:00What If...Sam Winchester killed John Winchester? (Part 5)<p><a href="https://madcapsrealm.blogspot.com/2022/10/what-ifsam-winchester-killed-john.html"></a></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjOtgx7VkIJi1z1dAE-VzHnFQmN4f5rcHPuIq6xxyY16JwdQDTOq6h8duusQ9JMhc3vwyeKWIugzDbqDcLGHKhLH1AnvrEZmIwan2d1pFcHGHVS2FTWQWuekJeoafAI7MG6MvJ80rW9E5Z7XK2wQbqSLU0VTyeCuZFt0Hmd7fDfx1Z8RFMm9BfKcwPdKFog/s1450/SPN_310.webp" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="967" data-original-width="1450" height="266" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjOtgx7VkIJi1z1dAE-VzHnFQmN4f5rcHPuIq6xxyY16JwdQDTOq6h8duusQ9JMhc3vwyeKWIugzDbqDcLGHKhLH1AnvrEZmIwan2d1pFcHGHVS2FTWQWuekJeoafAI7MG6MvJ80rW9E5Z7XK2wQbqSLU0VTyeCuZFt0Hmd7fDfx1Z8RFMm9BfKcwPdKFog/w400-h266/SPN_310.webp" width="400" /></a></div><br /><a href="https://madcapsrealm.blogspot.com/2022/10/what-ifsam-winchester-killed-john.html">Last time</a>, we took another look into the world where Sam Winchester had shot the demon Azazel dead when the latter had possessed John Winchester during the events of <i>Devil's Trap</i>. On the latest part, Dean once more made the deal that would see Sam resurrected after being killed and the brothers teamed up with Bobby, Jo, and Ellen to stop Lilith and Ansem from opening the Devil's Gate.<p></p><p>As in the OT... they failed.</p><p>Also, it seems there's already some interplay between Heaven and Hell, as Lilith met with a grumpy Raphael to tell him that things were indeed back on schedule.</p><p>So... what happens next? Let's take a look!<span></span></p><a name='more'></a><p></p><p>We pick up with the boys and company in this universe's <a href="https://madcapsrealm.blogspot.com/2022/10/from-madcaps-couch-supernatural.html"><i>The Magnificent Seven</i></a>, which will play out pretty much the same way as it did in the OT - up to and including the introduction of Ruby.</p><p>This will continue into <a href="https://madcapsrealm.blogspot.com/2022/10/from-madcaps-couch-supernatural-kids.html"><i>The Kids Are Alright</i></a>, but stops at <a href="https://madcapsrealm.blogspot.com/2022/10/from-madcaps-couch-supernatural-bad-day.html"><i>A Bad Day at Black Rock</i></a>, where we see the first of a few changes to events. If you recall, <a href="https://madcapsrealm.blogspot.com/2022/03/what-ifsam-winchester-killed-john.html">Dean blew Gordon's head off back in Part 2</a>, meaning that he is not alive to tell Kubrick, Cready, or any other hunters that Sam Winchester is the anti-Christ, which will save the boys a fair bit of trouble moving forward.</p><p>What it doesn't do, however, is spare them from running into Bela. However, besides the lack of Gordon, the episode would otherwise play out largely the same, up to and including the boys being left caught with the bag when Bela steals the lotto tickets from Dean's jacket.</p><p></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhrbV4GmR_n6T9wWoldS3c2sRcxCiFrsbLB7bOATmgNLoFl8KP_0c05D71VPeLwQkNZYTCSMPtoIoZ5N_N-9sOKV4p1JySulmNjMrjUHrXyVlQuuCAo-coA2txSHuZ-6llfRJG-adXVISP44kMl5S5VUcz9D0Gx1UPaB5jiGUqm9euDSkm2Hai1vfp4VwgW/s1920/vampire.webp" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1080" data-original-width="1920" height="225" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhrbV4GmR_n6T9wWoldS3c2sRcxCiFrsbLB7bOATmgNLoFl8KP_0c05D71VPeLwQkNZYTCSMPtoIoZ5N_N-9sOKV4p1JySulmNjMrjUHrXyVlQuuCAo-coA2txSHuZ-6llfRJG-adXVISP44kMl5S5VUcz9D0Gx1UPaB5jiGUqm9euDSkm2Hai1vfp4VwgW/w400-h225/vampire.webp" width="400" /></a></div>The next few episodes would, again, play out pretty much unchanged from their counterparts on the OT (including <i><a href="https://madcapsrealm.blogspot.com/2022/10/from-madcaps-couch-supernatural-sin-city.html">Sin City</a></i>, where Bobby gets to work on making new bullets for the Colt, with the help of Ruby) up until we reach <a href="https://madcapsrealm.blogspot.com/2022/11/from-madcaps-couch-supernatural-fresh.html"><i>Fresh Blood</i></a>. No Gordon? No problem! Dixon is still a vampire hellbent on revenge against hunters. He captures Dean, having heard about the whammy that Dean and Gordon had done on Lenore's nest of vampires the previous year. Like Gordon, Dean goes on a rant about vampires being a bunch of inhuman freaks... and thus, Dean gets the free blood transfusion.<p></p><p>Yep. Dean Winchester is a real, live vampire.</p><p><br />...well, <i>undead</i> vampire, but you get my meaning.</p><p>As you can expect, this goes a ways of changing where things are going. Rather than having to deal with a souped up vampire Gordon, Sam fights and ends up tranquilizing a souped up vampire Dean. Hauling ass back to Bobby's in the hopes of finding a cure, we miss out on the events of <i><a href="https://madcapsrealm.blogspot.com/2022/11/from-madcaps-couch-supernatural-very.html">A Very Supernatural Christmas</a> </i>due to Sam and Bobby holing up and trying to find a cure for Dean's condition - all the while keeping Dean under heavy tranquilizers in Bobby's panic room so that he doesn't get the chance to kill again.</p><p>This leads to Ruby being summoned by Sam as - after a month - they are running out of options and all their leads have led to dead ends. Ruby agrees to help, but when she learns that Dean has already drank human blood, she gives him and Bobby the bad news - it's too late. Unlike the werewolf myth of killing the werewolf that bit you severing the bloodline, once a vampire has drank their first drop of human blood, the only known cure is death.</p><p>Instead, she decides to bring up the next best alternative - a vampire who has mastered her hunger and is known for trying to teach other vampires to do the same thing.</p><p>That's right... it's Lenore, the same vampire whose nest that Dean and Gordon destroyed the previous year. She is, at first, terrified at what she is dealing with. However, with the compassion with which she has brought other vampires to her line of thinking, she agrees to help Dean.</p><p></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjHG2BHSTH023RawkntoXpV4PvoUCMfk8PQrgQbKwpvznBtvKgTZYvJZJtx7k43zqJxXgJXYwJEQQ0OMUE2nD4LlL2OyJa_fYiLipbUQ8_Q0fgg9N_fs9v_POrgAAKzrjMvflmtvaWsfg5BJFhqY9xygZ0j0sktD6YevVEGlivTfiJjpnCARy2h-f5gQEQr/s684/Lenore_S6.webp" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="684" data-original-width="649" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjHG2BHSTH023RawkntoXpV4PvoUCMfk8PQrgQbKwpvznBtvKgTZYvJZJtx7k43zqJxXgJXYwJEQQ0OMUE2nD4LlL2OyJa_fYiLipbUQ8_Q0fgg9N_fs9v_POrgAAKzrjMvflmtvaWsfg5BJFhqY9xygZ0j0sktD6YevVEGlivTfiJjpnCARy2h-f5gQEQr/w380-h400/Lenore_S6.webp" width="380" /></a></div><br />Dean is woken up and - after a brief fight that ends with him taking a bag full of cattle blood right to the mouth - Lenore begins his training.<p></p><p>This leads to a discussion between Sam and Bobby where they debate whether or not they made the right choice, allowing Dean to live on as a monster. In the end, Sam decides that they did, but Bobby is not convinced. There's also the question as to whether or not Dean's deal is still on under the circumstances, but they have no proof one way or another.</p><p>Ruby returns, pointing Sam in the direction of a <a href="https://madcapsrealm.blogspot.com/2022/11/from-madcaps-couch-supernatural-malleus.html">new job</a> without fully realizing what's going on with it. Sam, assured by Lenore that she is capable of handling Dean, goes and begins to investigate solo (or so he thinks - Ruby is not far behind). </p><p>While this is happening, Dean begins training under Lenore to get better control over his hunger. The opening steps are frustrating and he fails not a few times as he seems determined to just give in. Despite what he's done to her family, however, Lenore refuses to give up on him which - Dean being Dean - frustrates him even more. However, we start to see the first hints of a sort of bond develop between the two. Friendship? Romantic? Otherwise? Time will tell...</p><p>Back at the plot, Ruby tries to convince Sam to get the hell out of dodge when she realizes what they're up against, and Sam ignores her and gets himself into trouble again. As in the OT, however, the witch book club gets broken up and the demon is killed off - this time by Sam.</p><p>We miss out on Ruby giving the "I remember what it was like to be human" speech, but Sam already seems convinced that Ruby is... <i>mostly</i>... on their side, so it isn't as necessary.</p><p>Also, as we know from Season 4 in the OT, we know that <i>that</i> is an outright stinking lie... something I'll get into when we get to <i>Lucifer Rising</i> in my reviews.</p><p><a href="https://madcapsrealm.blogspot.com/2023/01/from-madcaps-couch-supernatural-dream.html"><i>Dream a Little Dream of Me</i></a> plays out a wee bit differently. For one, Dean is still in Bobby's lockup with Lenore, so it's Sam and Ruby that come to check up on the comatose Bobby. Because Ruby is more in tune with magic than the brothers Winchester, Bela doesn't have to be called to get the Dreamroot and thus the Colt and its new bullets are not taken by Bela to give to Lilith. Other than that, the same beats play out just with Sam getting the focus rather than Dean.<br /></p><p>Dean, meanwhile, reveals to Lenore a secret that he's been keeping - he's having nightmares of Hell.</p><p><i><a href="https://madcapsrealm.blogspot.com/2023/01/from-madcaps-couch-supernatural-mystery.html"></a></i></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><i><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiq9pAaI3_YR6eEqrb7S7hnOUmHbKzsw9TL1DSqzjmVHhqhfgZ9pBlA9LW0IO1GyEJ7uCh7bt54G5_pShuib1KBpt2_yDC2l2gPJmqJxK2bYzjR0kx0dwB52rASw1lfoK00WpciJ-E_P-oZD4W2FqwtmhLana5jb3gurtF1ygdHnxuCNGA4FS1ZGkUC1-Ab/s400/Gabriel%20Finger%20Snap.gif" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="220" data-original-width="400" height="220" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiq9pAaI3_YR6eEqrb7S7hnOUmHbKzsw9TL1DSqzjmVHhqhfgZ9pBlA9LW0IO1GyEJ7uCh7bt54G5_pShuib1KBpt2_yDC2l2gPJmqJxK2bYzjR0kx0dwB52rASw1lfoK00WpciJ-E_P-oZD4W2FqwtmhLana5jb3gurtF1ygdHnxuCNGA4FS1ZGkUC1-Ab/w400-h220/Gabriel%20Finger%20Snap.gif" width="400" /></a></i></div><i><br /><a href="https://madcapsrealm.blogspot.com/2023/01/from-madcaps-couch-supernatural-mystery.html">Mystery Spot</a> </i>sees Dean back in action for the first time since being turned. He manages well enough, at least until the killing starts. Rather like in <a href="https://madcapsrealm.blogspot.com/2023/02/what-if-trickster-never-reset-timeline.html">another what if scenario</a> that we'll be getting back to at another time, Dean gets killed on a loop by the Trickster... and gets back up due to his vampiric nature. After the first loop, however, the Trickster has caught onto the little problem and <i>cures Dean of his vampirism</i>!<div><br /><div>And so the episode continues more or less as normal: Dean dies again and again and again until Sam breaks and Wednesday happens... followed by Sam spending six months in a hellish landscape trying to try and bring Dean back after he seemingly permadeaths. He does, but the Trickster brings him back exactly as he was before the first loop. So Dean is still a vampire despite the fact that he can be cured with a literal snap of the Trickster's fingers.<br /><p></p><p>In short, Gabriel's a <i>dick</i>!</p><p><a href="https://madcapsrealm.blogspot.com/2023/01/from-madcaps-couch-supernatural-jus-in.html"><i>Jus in Bello</i></a> doesn't happen in this timeline due to Bela not having the Colt, and thus not being able to trick Sam and Dean into being captured by the FBI. So, Henrikson and the people at that police station remain among the living! ...also, Sam and Dean remain wanted by the FBI. We'll be getting back to this in due time. Of note, Sam and Dean do not learn the name of the demon gunning for Sam - Lilith.<br /></p><p><a href="https://madcapsrealm.blogspot.com/2023/01/from-madcaps-couch-supernatural.html"><i>Ghostfacers</i></a> likewise is completely different, in that the Ghostfacers are now very, very dead at the hands of Freemon Daggett. Sir, we salute your commitment to getting rid of very, very annoying side characters! God bless!<br /></p><p><a href="https://madcapsrealm.blogspot.com/2023/01/from-madcaps-couch-supernatural-long.html"><i>Long-Distance Call</i></a> plays out much like it does in the OT. Lenore is along for the ride, trying to keep a level head on Dean and eventually assisting in taking down the crocotta - able to figure out that it's Clark by his scent and saving us the trouble of having Sam captured and needing to Glenn his way into killing the monster of the week. The end of episode stinger has Dean wondering if the real John would have helped him, knowing what he is now. Sam tells him that John would have done so, but Dean is... unconvinced. Either way, just to hedge their bets, they're going to find the demon that holds Dean's deal and end it once and for all.<br /></p><p>Again, <a href="https://madcapsrealm.blogspot.com/2023/02/from-madcaps-couch-supernatural-time-is.html"><i>Time Is On My Side</i></a><i> </i>goes roughly the same, save for us not getting an introduction to Rufus and no backstory given on Bela. She manages to get the drop on Sam and Dean in their motel room, injuring Dean's right shoulder with a gunshot before Sam disarms her of her gun. With her tied to a chair, the pair interrogate her as to who put her up to killing them given that they've had less interaction in this universe and even <a href="https://madcapsrealm.blogspot.com/2022/11/from-madcaps-couch-supernatural-red-sky.html">saved her from an incredibly violent and unpleasant death.</a> Bela explains her situation, having made a deal with the demon Lilith - the demon who holds all the deals. What for? She doesn't say, though we see some of the same flashbacks from the actual episode.</p><p>The boys attempt to get her to safety, using goofer dust and salt to try and keep the hellhounds at bay. Eventually, however, worse comes to worse. Bela dies screaming, in agony, as her body is torn apart by the hellhounds - Sam and Dean driving away as they watch it happen in the mirror, and they know what's coming for Dean...</p><p></p><p><a href="https://madcapsrealm.blogspot.com/2023/02/from-madcaps-couch-supernatural-no-rest.html"><i>No Rest for the Wicked</i></a> sees them hunting down Lilith with extra help. Lenore agrees to come and assist where she can, both as a friend and as a mentor to Dean given his vampiric nature. Plus, it's never a bad idea to have an experienced badass in your corner. Sam and Dean pull the same trick with Ruby to get her knife, although Sam seems a bit too eager to pick up on Ruby's plan of using... whatever he is... to fight Lilith. Speaking of experienced badasses, they also call up Ellen for a little extra backup and we get the first mention of Jo being in Michigan... and from what Ellen says, we can infer that she isn't hunting anymore.<br /></p><p>After what she's been through in this timeline, I can't say I blame her.</p><p>They get to New Harmony and, as in the OT, shit goes down in the biggest way. The demons swarm, Lilith possesses the little girl and then later Ruby. Dean, as in the OT, gets torn apart by Hell Hounds while a tearful Sam and Lenore watch. Lilith escapes, leaving Ruby's host body seemingly dead. Lenore, however, recognizes something... because Dean's head was not cut off, he begins to regenerate. His vampiric nature, it seems, has rendered him unable to be killed by the Hell Hounds. And thus, the day is saved!</p><p>...or so it seems.</p><p>Elsewhere, as they did at the end of the previous season, the chief forces of Heaven and Hell meet once more.</p><p>In a formerly very ritzy hotel ballroom, a brunette little girl is found wandering around by the lone security guard. She insists that she's waiting for "The bestest friend of all [her] friends!" and she can't leave until he gets here. The guard plans to call in assistance... and the girl's eyes roll back to reveal their milky white hues and we hear a wet, crunchy sound as he's torn apart off-screen in a way that splatters blood all over the little girl's dress.</p><p>Sometime later, a familiar archangel arrives - Raphael. Lilith gleefully licks the security guard's blood off of her fingers as she greets him.</p><p></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgvctbQD6QcTOk6OtyN2ZIeajNW2QMrGsFEv9qsP6OpfzP-AKr71cFhgpPFQrEV-KsbTos4kdCOrAuyp48_zCID7QB6zO7bxwfsKUd9QgWSf27zRql0tj2AISyP1mRxz_HXVzA7bZR3mDVaVWVo3AAszuTzr4jivX8leOni1N6zbhSlMufPaq8bzsccufxy/s706/Lilith.webp" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="391" data-original-width="706" height="221" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgvctbQD6QcTOk6OtyN2ZIeajNW2QMrGsFEv9qsP6OpfzP-AKr71cFhgpPFQrEV-KsbTos4kdCOrAuyp48_zCID7QB6zO7bxwfsKUd9QgWSf27zRql0tj2AISyP1mRxz_HXVzA7bZR3mDVaVWVo3AAszuTzr4jivX8leOni1N6zbhSlMufPaq8bzsccufxy/w400-h221/Lilith.webp" width="400" /></a></div>LILITH: Raphie!<p></p><p>RAPHAEL: You had a task to perform, Lilith. Why is Dean Winchester still alive?</p><p>LILITH: One of <i>her</i> children got their fangs into his neck. I can't claim his soul.</p><p>RAPHAEL: ...how?!</p><p>LILITH: The boys are hunters. They hunt things. This one just happened to hunt <i>them</i>.</p><p>RAPHAEL: We must have Dean Winchester in Hell or this entire plan is ruined. '<i>And it is written, the first seal shall be broken</i>-'</p><p>LILITH: '<i>-when a righteous man sheds blood in Hell.</i>' Blah, blah, blah! I've heard it, you winged rat! And I know the part I have to play in it! If his little brother hadn't tried to bleed me like a stuck pig, I would have had him!</p><p>RAPHAEL: Your failures in this regard are disappointing, to say the least, Lilith. Perhaps I should ask Michael to come and speak to you?</p><p>LILITH: [visibly afraid] ...I can fix this.</p><p>RAPHAEL: No. I think you have done enough. It's our turn, now. And I have just the angel in mind to finish the job. You should focus on your end of things.</p><p>LILITH: I will... if you and the boys upstairs are sure you're ready for this.</p><p>RAPHAEL: <i>We</i> have been ready for millennia, Lilith.</p><p>And with the fluttering of wings, Raphael is gone and Lilith is left sitting alone in that dilapidated hotel ballroom.</p><p>But we aren't <i>quite</i> finished yet. Given that in the OT, we never actually saw Ruby's original host body's actual death (though she is presumed dead), I decided to throw a little bit of a wild card in here. In a hospital room in Indiana, the young blonde woman is comatose after the ordeal her body was put through. When she awakens with a start, she has no memory of who she is... but knows that she has to find Sam Winchester and has to save him, before <i>she</i> does what she plans to do to him...</p><p><br /></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiDWxp-9aacGFtLqOb6QENXgXqYbsIpI0wYRyrAnOQt4MaUKpS6iXkg9JQ0tSThE0WmMMa-jMgrEJiQweT4u31IxXiBJ4CrficHGOdRcNO3Z0Q_P-TyB793_MEDyFQg0HfNmjJ3a4a3wE0J2i1ur83CJ2AO8sGWk_3_Z2XGQBuFEgQAkrtat0wV_a3l9M0B/s1296/Ruby%20hospital.webp" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="730" data-original-width="1296" height="225" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiDWxp-9aacGFtLqOb6QENXgXqYbsIpI0wYRyrAnOQt4MaUKpS6iXkg9JQ0tSThE0WmMMa-jMgrEJiQweT4u31IxXiBJ4CrficHGOdRcNO3Z0Q_P-TyB793_MEDyFQg0HfNmjJ3a4a3wE0J2i1ur83CJ2AO8sGWk_3_Z2XGQBuFEgQAkrtat0wV_a3l9M0B/w400-h225/Ruby%20hospital.webp" width="400" /></a></div><br />...and that's where we're ending off with Part 5! Season 3 is in the can in both the reviews and in this new universe. Things are going off the rails for Heaven and Hell thanks to the actions of Dixon during <i>Fresh Blood</i> and it seems they're scrambling to get their plan back on track. With the addition of Lenore as an ally to Team Winchester, Ruby being MIA, and Heaven finally deciding to get the ball rolling on correcting a mistake.<p></p><p>Also, who is the <i>she</i> that Ruby's former host is worried about? Who is the <i>she</i> that Lilith was talking about?You'll have to wait for Part 6, likely to come during Horror Month 2024!</p><p>Next time, we'll be glancing back into the world where <a href="https://madcapsrealm.blogspot.com/2022/10/what-if-freddy-krueger-had-never.html">Freddy Krueger fought Pinhead</a> instead of Jason Voorhees. Last we left it, Maggie Burnham aka Kathyrn Krueger had managed to defeat both Pinhead and Freddy through the use of the Necronomicon Ex Mortis and tossing the Lament Configuration into the portal it was created by. With Pinhead having the book in his possession, Freddy searching through the bowels of Hell to recruit his own team of murderers and maniacs, and Maggie finding herself teaming up with Ashley J. "The King" Williams, it seems we have all the ingredients for a good old fashioned horror smackdown!</p><p>Next time, we take a third glance into that world and we ask the question once more...</p><p><i>What If Freddy Krueger had never resurrected Jason Voorhees?</i></p><p>Be there!</p></div></div>MadCapMunchkinhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05885944836313859245noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7221258980660442179.post-51879677495716921442023-10-10T00:00:00.219-04:002023-10-10T00:00:00.149-04:00From MadCap's Couch - Quantum Leap: "The Boogieman"<p></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhlxh3WTrbzVmoTgOAjJTwH-AZSQGq7VVjDblD2b79rBU24wb49FBp9KnizMAvDFCf36aZaRO8_HTi9UzwshTTurTGXwoggIn2Oo2o968E6w0fAXQpcqJGGRQT43hvIcj0TSyZ-XW60dTd1VNWEZS0b3n_Nsdidj6Bvy2EybMO7G1Y6DPK3-IMcKG_Qu27A/s740/boogieman.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="542" data-original-width="740" height="293" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhlxh3WTrbzVmoTgOAjJTwH-AZSQGq7VVjDblD2b79rBU24wb49FBp9KnizMAvDFCf36aZaRO8_HTi9UzwshTTurTGXwoggIn2Oo2o968E6w0fAXQpcqJGGRQT43hvIcj0TSyZ-XW60dTd1VNWEZS0b3n_Nsdidj6Bvy2EybMO7G1Y6DPK3-IMcKG_Qu27A/w400-h293/boogieman.jpg" width="400" /></a></div><br />So, the last time that we left <a href="https://madcapsrealm.blogspot.com/2022/09/from-madcaps-couch-quantum-leap-play-it.html">Dr. Sam Beckett</a>, he had just leaped out of a <i>Casablanca</i> homage and into the body of the woman...<p></p><p>...so, are you ready for <i>Quantum Leap</i> to not only get weird, but <i>spooky</i>?<span></span></p><a name='more'></a><p></p><p>Like Sam, we are traveling to another point in time and space. In this case to the episode <i>The Boogieman</i> in Season 3. The good thing about classic <i>Quantum Leap</i> (as opposed to QL2022 - yes, I know I need to catch up, get off my back!) is that a great deal of it is self-contained episodes where you can slip in at pretty much any point in the series other than a few minor arcs and you won't really be completely lost for context about what is going on.</p><p>In this particular case, Sam Beckett leaps into the body of horror author Joshua Ray on October 31, 1964... and it is about to go <i>down</i> in the spoopy-est of ways. Let's begin!</p><p>Now, <i>The Boogieman</i> is at the beginning of Season 3, but there's really not much I have to catch you up on. Even if there were (at least in the version of the episode I watched), there is a handy little intro that catches you up on the basics: Sam is unstuck in time, Al shows up and helps as a hologram that only Sam and see and hear, and Sam sets right what once went wrong while hoping that each leap will be the leap home.</p><p></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgNlXwtn848JCJZmnQ_lvUQ_ijQpRWMprTQo4vQHG-tVdDt38VEvIKdnlXZxj-82AI1umH6teyHD9bI7lv92FDNgdb2LRxVWSziNCNGoEF-TJOmG-7_xyTvHNulXPnjUHZLHgnxIuR7LaLKg0GXmXrKJz5t8C1vOlQdILWb8XhLRcv1kJ-f8BdB-jS8S_y9/s450/everybody-got-that-spaceballs.gif" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="252" data-original-width="450" height="224" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgNlXwtn848JCJZmnQ_lvUQ_ijQpRWMprTQo4vQHG-tVdDt38VEvIKdnlXZxj-82AI1umH6teyHD9bI7lv92FDNgdb2LRxVWSziNCNGoEF-TJOmG-7_xyTvHNulXPnjUHZLHgnxIuR7LaLKg0GXmXrKJz5t8C1vOlQdILWb8XhLRcv1kJ-f8BdB-jS8S_y9/w400-h224/everybody-got-that-spaceballs.gif" width="400" /></a></div><br />Sam appears in a candlelit sitting room in an old, dusty house. Finding a book with a publishing date of 1857, Sam thinks that he's leaped outside of his personal timeline - something which should be impossible via his own theory - and begins to investigate the house he's found himself in. At the top of the staircase, he is spooked by a figure in a devil mask and falls down the steps, seemingly rendered unconscious.<p></p><p>Following the credits, a woman calling Sam "Josh" comes to his aid. The person in the devil mask is revealed to be a kid - a young Stevie King - who apologizes profusely scaring him and leading to an injury. It seems that Halloween is coming and Sam notes his host's reflection in the mirror (another face not his own, alas) before leaving. It seems that "Josh" is big into Halloween, Sam's inner monologue mentioning how Quantum Leaping makes him feel like the incredibly life-like scarecrow sitting on Josh's lawn.</p><p>Speaking with his fiancée Mary, "Josh" learns that he's a writer (specifically a horror writer - I can relate) that is apparently working on a book and the pair are making a haunted house in a house that is already haunted according to local legend. As Sam heads up to speak to a contractor - Tully - working on the house. Tully proves to be the Crazy Ralph for the evening, warning Sam about "Old Scratch". To punctuate this point, a goat pulls the man's ladder out from under him and he falls to his death via broken neck.</p><p>Talking to the police, Sam insists that the goat was responsible even if the nearest farm was twenty miles away. Al pops in to listen in and give Sam half a conversation to run with and confuse the others with. When the cop and Mary leave, Al insists that Ziggy said nothing about Tully getting killed off. He does fill in some blanks about what Sam's doing here - specifically that tonight at midnight, Mary will be found strangled in the haunted house that she and Josh were getting together for the local church.</p><p></p><table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: right;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhtE9gQXFL3P0RRVd8VKaRHGr6mLurYxcuoqUfntMoxhFtMQ0IbX2nTjFLsJiWTMTkR5icsZZgK4_mpBJFn6witFO7BBBvyc3Zs41V8RO7D9u_OARvnFdWdco1sd7WlPEkBy3KSneRCezCnD2XcMwCGlxgNnSdZCLm3bnjaUj7P0_pgcLb0SLMgAxZUiCEH/s1050/spoopy.webp" style="clear: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="649" data-original-width="1050" height="248" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhtE9gQXFL3P0RRVd8VKaRHGr6mLurYxcuoqUfntMoxhFtMQ0IbX2nTjFLsJiWTMTkR5icsZZgK4_mpBJFn6witFO7BBBvyc3Zs41V8RO7D9u_OARvnFdWdco1sd7WlPEkBy3KSneRCezCnD2XcMwCGlxgNnSdZCLm3bnjaUj7P0_pgcLb0SLMgAxZUiCEH/w400-h248/spoopy.webp" width="400" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">"I don't think we should have hired that Chaim Witz kid to be the scarecrow, Mary..."</td></tr></tbody></table><br />Sam, naturally, is not pleased with the thought that he may have to murder an innocent person. Al brings up that she might not be innocent after all, which does nothing to settle Sam. Also, Josh has a Black Mamba snake, which... not sure how you'd get that even in 1964 without the government coming down hard on you, but alright. In Josh's office, Sam finds that a new line has been typed for Josh's latest novel - one that describes the death of Tully by the goat, something that was not written by Sam and clearly had not been there before. Al thinks that it's Mary, being that she's the only other person who could have done it.<p></p><p>While Al goes to have Ziggy work out a plan, Sam and Mary speak to the town gossip - Dorothy Jaeger. Mary leaves for a moment to get candlesticks from Dorothy's car and, after she returns, Dorothy steps away to get some punch. Al pops in again to tell Sam that Ziggy has confirmed that he's 100% there for Mary. As Sam and Mary talk about potentially stopping the haunted house, there is a scream from the kitchen and they find Dorothy dead, bitten by the black mamba that somehow got loose. Sam attempts to kill the snake, but it escapes down a vent. Interestingly, the sheriff had been there just before... and Sam finds his matchstick on the floor.</p><p>Back at the house, in the study, Sam and Al try to work out what's going on. Al still thinks that Mary is the culprit, but Sam disagrees. There's something "hinkey" going on (as Al calls it), and this is no better illustrated than Sam seeing that Josh's latest manuscript has a new paragraph describing Dorothy's murder. Unfortunately, Al's existence as a hologram comes back to bite their efforts as Mary pops in just in time to hear Sam ask Al if he thinks Mary is a demented psychopath, which she does not take well to at all, quite angry.</p><p>As she shouts at him, the skull on the fireplace mantle begins to shake and eventually flings itself at Sam, who dodges it nimbly. Mary freaks out a bit at this... and begins to have a seizure. Doctor Sam Beckett <i>puts a belt in her mouth</i> (by the way, real world note here: never put something in the mouth of a seizure victim. Ever) and they get her to the hospital. The decision is made to check Mary's house - 966 Salem Avenue (and, yes, the numbers by her door are altered by the breeze). Sam and Al keep debating whether or not Mary is innocent or not and Sam finds the church bulletin and they learn that all the victims thus far have been on the Deacon's list.</p><p>The sheriff pops in and believes that Josh is the murderer. However, Sam has just as much circumstantial evidence to put against him as he has against Sam, the two having a bit of a stalemate for the time being. Also of note is the sheriff's tattoo, which he claims to have gotten on a drunken night in the Navy (sarcastically claiming to be a warlock).</p><p></p><table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: left;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjRd_SZHa5vFsd9scEl7g7ob_LJ0FNPptbSoGGzhtzou_3KbY-lNWZM9IH2SqMN8WFwlOJZYq9oZA6MMDq5TW_5cB9oaZWQ7dl1rAtUS9BYV9sNJ28CnAhtyHiao20WupeHI_0gbt4VukMCcl3Yes7YA6-7Vv7XHttciXciQjOC3Ew6-AXk4C2yg0H9ipC_/s658/Dean%20Kootz.webp" style="clear: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="648" data-original-width="658" height="394" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjRd_SZHa5vFsd9scEl7g7ob_LJ0FNPptbSoGGzhtzou_3KbY-lNWZM9IH2SqMN8WFwlOJZYq9oZA6MMDq5TW_5cB9oaZWQ7dl1rAtUS9BYV9sNJ28CnAhtyHiao20WupeHI_0gbt4VukMCcl3Yes7YA6-7Vv7XHttciXciQjOC3Ew6-AXk4C2yg0H9ipC_/w400-h394/Dean%20Kootz.webp" width="400" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Dean Koontz?! What are <i>you</i> doing here?!?!?</td></tr></tbody></table><br />Back at the hospital, Mary has recovered and seems to be in a better mood overall. She brings up how his attitude has changed a bit, him seeming more decisive now. Sam decides to continue his investigation, still trying to rationalize things and still believing that the sheriff is the likeliest suspect. Down a darkened road, an old pick up truck follows Sam for a while in a way that definitely isn't creepy. He gets spooked by a cat in his car, narrowly avoids a goat, and then gets run off the road by... Stevie, who is wearing the scarecrow outfit. Apparently, he was just trying to flag the man down for a ride, his car having broken down again.<p></p><p>Also, Sam mentions <i>Christine</i>... and mentions that the goat was there. Stevie claims to have not seen any goat and, when he looks into the car, Sam can't find the cat, either. Back in Josh's study, Sam begins reading from the book he found upon arriving at this place, learning a bit more demonology and getting a jump scare from a sudden appearance by Al. According to Ziggy, Mary is still who Sam is here to save and thus he decides to spring into action to stop the sheriff. When he calls the office, however, the man isn't there. They've been unable to find him for a half hour.</p><p>When he calls the hospital, Sam learns that Mary had checked out and was waiting for the sheriff! Heading out, he soon finds the sheriff's truck and the man himself dead following an accident... and that goat outside, braying angrily. When he gets out to confront it, Sam finds it has disappeared once again. Sam's inner monologue talks about Halloween growing up and how it was all harmless fun... and now, this night has brought only death. Getting back to the haunted house, Sam forcefully dismisses Stevie before heading in to find Mary is alright... and so is the sheriff. When Sam grabs the man's arm, he turns into... <i>Al</i>?! They attempt to flee, but the doors lock themselves.</p><p>Sam confronts Al - who Mary can now see - and Sam pulls out the full detective as he points out several inconsistencies in how Al usually operates. He didn't use the imagining chamber doors (phasing in and out like he usually does), he repeated lines from Tully that he could not possibly have heard, and (most damning of all) he was the only person who could have written the messages on the typewriter. The <i>actual</i> Al shows up through the Imaging Room door and has a minor freakout moment. Evil Al finally reveals himself...</p><p>Evil Al: "Ying and Yang. Good and Bad. God..."</p><p>Sam: "...The Devil."</p><p>Evil Al: "In the flesh, so to speak." </p><p><br />Yeah, that's right. We not only have Doctor Sam Beckett taking on Satan, but we have Dean Motherfucking Stockwell playing Satan! ...yes, that is Dean Stockwell's legal middle name. Look it up.</p><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjqNkiki2qxpRAcZvk62WYdpza-9tsZdR1XVJbxDh5RuY7QOmJ4wPiOpDEfJXnq6DRimALCKuFQwY4txlq6VZYtWmkgGyeKcpKyfiYCTy-5ghSXhMavr3sYLzZ1t5rSQfTtLHtquMJ37svU7Qu7EqNBD37iCGtmO3GKvkQf4mIEWhU_rEevKDViRLB2Ku5j/s1214/spookyaf.jpg" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="904" data-original-width="1214" height="297" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjqNkiki2qxpRAcZvk62WYdpza-9tsZdR1XVJbxDh5RuY7QOmJ4wPiOpDEfJXnq6DRimALCKuFQwY4txlq6VZYtWmkgGyeKcpKyfiYCTy-5ghSXhMavr3sYLzZ1t5rSQfTtLHtquMJ37svU7Qu7EqNBD37iCGtmO3GKvkQf4mIEWhU_rEevKDViRLB2Ku5j/w400-h297/spookyaf.jpg" width="400" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Dean Stockwell is magnificent as Satan. RIP.</td></tr></tbody></table><p></p><p>Al confirms that the Devil is in fact very real and he is apparently really, really, really pissed that Sam has been meddling around setting right what the Devil once set wrong. Satan tries choking Sam out and the room begins to spin around them. While Al is encouraging him, Sam attempts to throttle the Devil, who changes faces to be that of Tully, Dorothy, the Sheriff, Mary, and even the goat. The spinning soon becomes too intense...</p><p>...and Sam is once more on the floor of the haunted house, being comforted by Stevie and Mary following his fall.</p><p>Al, in his traditional suit, appears and Sam puts a hand through his image to ensure that he is actually who he says he is. Al thinks it odd, but tells Sam that he's there to save a man named Tully-aannnnnd Sam is charging up the stairs to save Tully from falling to his death. All's well that ends well, though, as "Stevie" is picked up by his mother and who is actually supposed to be is spelled out for us as he greets the family dog, Cujo.</p><p>Sam realizes he's inspired a few dozen different things from Stephen King's earliest works... and he leaps, finding himself on a bus, a woman speaking to him... and Sam walking out, realizing that he's in a blouse, skirt, and wearing makeup... it seems that he's "Miss Sugar Belle" and he's about to be going to a beauty pagent.</p><p>Sam's words? "Oh, boy..."</p><p>And that was <i>The Boogieman</i>. Not a bad episode, though... it's a little weird. That largely has to do with the ending. We have kind of had overtones from the beginning that something supernatural or religious in that vein might be pushing Sam along on his journey, but here we have kind of the opposite view where something supernatural is actively trying to prevent Sam from setting right what once went wrong. In this case, apparently, the Devil.</p><p>However, the way the final fight is shown and the fact that Sam essentially wakes up at the beginning of the episode kind of casts major doubt as to what happened, if indeed anything happened at all. We may be inclined to think the whole thing was just a dream, but then how did Sam know that Tully would be in the exact same place at the exact same time? The lack of the goat causing the fall honestly makes it all the more confusing to me, since... what caused him to trip and fall off the ladder in the "real" world?</p><p>This episode is not only noteable for Dean Stockwell doing a stellar performance as Evil Al/The Devil (there are little changes peppered here and there that make a clear distinction between the two after watching the episode a second time - not just the difference in the costume), but also for a few neat bits of trivia. The first is the fact that this episode is the first appearance of the colored-cube handlink to Ziggy that most people remember Al as having used. The second - this is the only time in the five seasons of <i>Quantum Leap</i> that Scott Bakula and Dean Stockwell ever actually physically touch onscreen. Pretty neat.</p><p>Apart from that, the Halloween imagery is done well even if a few things (in particular the 666 and the mentions of Salem) are a little on the nose in making it obvious that there is something supernatural behind all this. That said, this isn't the last time that <i>Quantum Leap</i> would be talking spooky and out there, but that is a story for another day.</p><p>For what it is, barring the somewhat confusing ending, <i>The Boogieman</i> is a good episode. It has a good mystery to it, the music is great and helps the tension quite a lot at key moments, and it's always fun watching Scott Bakula playing the determined hero trying to save the day. If you're looking for a spooky fun 50 minutes, I would definitely recommend!</p><p>Next time, we'll be picking back up with those two crazy brothers and their '67 Chevy Impala as <i>they</i> try to take on the Devil... well, <i>a</i> Devil, at least. Sort of. Kind of. A bit. Next time, <i>It's The Great Pumpkin, Sam Winchester</i>.</p><p>Be there!</p>MadCapMunchkinhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05885944836313859245noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7221258980660442179.post-21588931269594430962023-10-09T00:00:00.125-04:002023-10-09T00:00:00.144-04:00MadCap's Reel Thoughts - "Friday the 13th Part VIII: Jason Takes Manhattan" (1989)<p></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh3CuMQe0erd8jiBYQBkTUiEX2hcTUOvpzo7gtK8XdFpSvzjrl1PTySyzRS2r_iPJtWa9tWxKf9SALBxuhPZo10pN0JuXz3FxB0jvVlfeidJ4EM7DuWtVh0yQK_ZgqFQjCK5xkXlTxXQfGUepfd0Og13PDji4odSTjU8YK0cvm07JuJEgoAQjMtOhz6aTAN/s1480/It's%20a%20lie!.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1480" data-original-width="1000" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh3CuMQe0erd8jiBYQBkTUiEX2hcTUOvpzo7gtK8XdFpSvzjrl1PTySyzRS2r_iPJtWa9tWxKf9SALBxuhPZo10pN0JuXz3FxB0jvVlfeidJ4EM7DuWtVh0yQK_ZgqFQjCK5xkXlTxXQfGUepfd0Og13PDji4odSTjU8YK0cvm07JuJEgoAQjMtOhz6aTAN/w270-h400/It's%20a%20lie!.jpg" width="270" /></a></div><br />...yeah, it's a lie.<p></p><p>I know people have been making this joke literally since 1989, but it is. Literally the only parts of this movie's title that are accurate are which <i>Friday the 13th</i> movie this is and the word "Jason".</p><p>There is no taking of Manhattan.</p><p>There's barely any Manhattan.</p><p>I mean it.</p><p>...let's just get on with it. I'm already not happy with having to review this to begin with.<span></span></p><a name='more'></a><p></p><p>Alright, so <a href="https://madcapsrealm.blogspot.com/2022/10/madcaps-reel-thoughts-friday-13th-part.html">last time</a>, we saw Tina Shephard - a psychic with very vaguely defined powers that included telekinesis and raising the dead - defeat Jason by bringing her father back from the dead long enough to have him chain the Crystal Lake killer to the bottom of Crystal Lake once again.</p><p>...just to let you know that you can literally skip the previous film and miss nothing.</p><p>...you can also skip <i>this</i> film and miss nothing.</p><p>Mind you, you'll have to contrive a reason why Jason got out of the lake after the events of <a href="https://madcapsrealm.blogspot.com/2021/10/madcaps-reel-thoughts-friday-13th-part.html"><i>Jason Lives</i></a> and ended up hunted down by the FBI at the beginning of <i>Jason Goes To Hell</i>, but... honestly, yeah, just go with that. The massacre in <i>Jason Lives</i> coupled with the massive weekend-long massacre Jason committed in 1984 was enough to get the attention of the FBI and they came looking. Let's go with that.</p><p>Getting into the plot, such as it is, a young couple is on a boating excursion and the boyfriend is explaining the origin of Crystal Lake's most prolific serial killer. Then he pulls a prank on her involving a hockey mask and a prop knife before his boat's anchor cuts into an electrical cord and resurrects Jason, who proceeds to get aboard the board, steal the boyfriend's hockey mask, and kills them both.</p><p>Apparently, Tina's ghost father was on break at the time.</p><p>Also, Tina was on break at the time because Lar Park Lincoln asked Paramount for more money.</p><p>Also, <i>why does the hockey mask the boyfriend uses for his prank have the exact same axe mark from <a href="https://madcapsrealm.blogspot.com/2017/10/madcaps-reel-thoughts-friday-13th-part.html">Part 3</a></i>?!</p><p>No, really, it's the same mark! I'd ask the same of how Tommy got a hold of the mask in <i>Jason Lives</i>, but the mask did at least <i>exist</i> at the end of <i>The Final Chapter</i>. Improbable as it might be, I could see how he would at least be physically capable of acquiring it. Tina <i>destroyed the mask with telekinesis</i> during the final fight in <i>The New Blood</i>.</p><p>So someone would have had to replicate it exactly.</p><p><i>How</i>?!</p><p>This becomes the least of this movie's problems when Jason somehow ends up washing out of Crystal Lake and onto a fishing boat that the movie's crew <i>really</i> wants us to think is a cruise ship. This is where the biggest lie of the film is revealed. 'Jason takes Manhattan'? No, more like <i>'</i>Jason killing teenagers on a fishing boat', as a good two-thirds of the film... takes place on this boat. We'll get into the why of that later on, but needless to say the excuse does not make the end result any better.</p><p>So, you have your main cast, but the only three people who actually matter are Rennie (Jensen Daggett), Sean (Scott Reeves), and Charles (Peter Mark Richardson). Mostly because 2/3 of them actually end up surviving the film. Charles is Rennie's uncle, having taken over her parenting after her parents came down with a terrible case of "We don't want to be in this plot"-itis. He also tried to cure Rennie of her aquaphobia by tossing her into Crystal Lake.</p><p>Because he's a dick.</p><p>Also, Rennie wants to become a writer or something and she keeps having visions of Jason, because it's too little too late to skimp out on the psychic mumbo jumbo eight movies into the franchise. Why exactly is she having visions of Jason? Because the Kool-Aid man is red. Also, it's implied that she saw baby Jason when she was being drowned by Charles, but it doesn't look like Jason from any other movie and by that point in the timeline, Jason should have been chained down to the bottom of the lake, not a child and-</p><p></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjpFafhuLDr31cqGNB6NwZm7QpUxTVzUEhTV_FzWI7LhHp3rQz3LyAxMGk-seanFW5n1gYnoz30bocU7Xh2-YXEB1duP_Rw1TwOAYhm4oX0QRW8uL35TBJUabyW2I0bzau2OhEu1fZbmnrVXpMhUnURORkklT2fGQrGaKEmApZ3aaenPySyjDER5W47Ez66/s498/oh%20not.gif" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="199" data-original-width="498" height="160" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjpFafhuLDr31cqGNB6NwZm7QpUxTVzUEhTV_FzWI7LhHp3rQz3LyAxMGk-seanFW5n1gYnoz30bocU7Xh2-YXEB1duP_Rw1TwOAYhm4oX0QRW8uL35TBJUabyW2I0bzau2OhEu1fZbmnrVXpMhUnURORkklT2fGQrGaKEmApZ3aaenPySyjDER5W47Ez66/w400-h160/oh%20not.gif" width="400" /></a></div><br />...oh, and Sean. He's there. And he's a sort of, sort of not love interest for Rennie. I think. Maybe. It's not clear.<p></p><p>I will say three things to this film's credit. Number one: We see the return of Kane Hodder in one of the best Jason designs in the franchise (although I'm partial to his look in the previous film, myself), and Kane Hodder is so synonymous with the role even by this point that he's showing up in the main credits. Number two: Some of the deaths are creative this time around, though generally get cut down too much to really be enjoyed. Number three: It gave us a <a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=NHLQLkFU-pE">frankly badass theme song</a>.</p><p>I'm not even kidding, I know it's about New York and I use it while writing <i>Seattle By Night</i>, just to give you an idea of what we're working with.</p><p>And now, we can get back to the raging.</p><p>So, the ship sinks and the five survivors dawdle around on a life raft until the heat death of the universe until they reach the second unit footage of New York. Because, the secret of <i>Jason Takes Manhattan</i> is this: there is no Manhattan. So little of this film is set in New York that Paramount frankly should have been sued for false advertising. By most estimates, less than a minute of footage that was shot in New York actually made it into the movie. The rest was done in Vancouver and - even more shockingly - <i>Los Angeles</i>.</p><p>Two places that are... y'know... <i>not</i> New York.</p><p>There's no rampage of Jason through the streets of New York, like the reveal trailer <a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Y10jRZLzTAE">all but outright promised word for word</a> to audiences in 1989. There honestly are all but maybe <i>one</i> scene that's set in Time Square any scenes that <i>are</i> actually in New York.</p><p>This, however, does not come <i>close</i> to the hilarious confusion that is the ending of the film. Paramount ordered writer-director Rob Hedden to <i>not</i> kill off Jason Voorhees as they thought it would write future sequels into a corner... so, he came up with what is frankly one of the biggest WTF?! moments in the history of the franchise.</p><p>...so, toxic waste floods the sewers of New York every night, and getting washed in this reverts Jason into being a child again.</p><p>...</p><p>...</p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh4695Qe3Q5607GAT9mybERgRTgr1xXlXj0dvdkOCK5_IGKMrPTrbc6gk95o2ndlZhLp3qheODp5jOnQEHPy1Oo8VSO4s94rTZev5oZ4tNZN1_z-ophnzF6tsrE4g3rBrbK6GfmiMJvgi6ROjoxNdCToLWbq-gZMZ7FugsUhtvJS-Un__8jv1tkQQdjmtcy/s498/carrie.gif" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="219" data-original-width="498" height="176" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh4695Qe3Q5607GAT9mybERgRTgr1xXlXj0dvdkOCK5_IGKMrPTrbc6gk95o2ndlZhLp3qheODp5jOnQEHPy1Oo8VSO4s94rTZev5oZ4tNZN1_z-ophnzF6tsrE4g3rBrbK6GfmiMJvgi6ROjoxNdCToLWbq-gZMZ7FugsUhtvJS-Un__8jv1tkQQdjmtcy/w400-h176/carrie.gif" width="400" /></a></div><br /><p></p><p>...exactly, Carrie. Exactly.</p><p>Yeah, for some reason, they decided to wash Jason in toxic waste and he gets reverted to being a child at the end of the movie. And then Rennie and Sean just leave him there because... reasons? I honestly have no idea and it's something that gets completely ignored by the next film.</p><p>Hedden had originally approached Paramount with two separate ideas - a sequel set on a boat and a sequel set in New York. Paramount liked both ideas and so the writer-director performed the fusion dance and put the two ideas together, and so we get that weird dichotomy where nothing is actually happening for large swathes of the film and yet it still feels horrifically bloated and padded.</p><p>Now, to not put <i>everything</i> on Rob Hedden, the lack of New York in the movie was largely due to Paramount slashing the budget multiple times during production, so many of the things that were in the original script such as a big scene on the Brooklyn Bridge or Jason rampaging through a packed Madison Square Garden had to be cut. The film had a budget of somewhere around 5 to 5 and 1/2 million by the end of it, and ended up making a box office gross of around $14 million, making it the lowest grossing film in the franchise to date. I can see why.</p><p>I might blow the dust off of the old <i>MadCap Fixes Movies</i> moniker sometime later and fix it, but it honestly comes down to one thing - Hedden should have picked one concept or the other, not both. Both certainly have so much potential. Throwing Jason into a major metropolitan area and letting him hack his way through the mean streets would be an interesting concept to explore. On the other side of that, him being stuck on a boat - an isolated area with very little chance of escape or rescue - with a bunch of teenagers to hack up, could also make for a very interesting, even tense and atmospheric slasher film.</p><p>This film used to piss me off, but now it just makes me sad. There was so much that <i>could</i> have been done to make this better. So many choices that could have at least made a passable film if not a <i>good</i> one in the franchise. As it stands, it was so bad that Paramount decided to sell the rights to New Line Cinema. Four years later, they would produce <i>Jason Goes To Hell: The Final Friday</i>, a film we will discuss <i>next</i> year. Spoiler warning: It was a very controversial entry into the <i>Friday the 13th</i> series!</p><p>Be there when we take it on!</p><p>As for next week, we're going to start on a new franchise. One that I've referenced here before, many, many times. Which one, you ask? Well, I don't want to spoil the surprise. Needless to say, you definitely want to be here come October 16th. After all...</p><p>We have such sights to show you...</p><p><i>Friday the 13th Part VIII: Jason Takes Manhattan is brought to us by Paramount Pictures.</i></p>MadCapMunchkinhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05885944836313859245noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7221258980660442179.post-69354071819050891312023-10-07T00:00:00.384-04:002023-10-07T00:00:00.136-04:00MadCap's Fiction Corner - Seattle By Night: "End of Madness"<p><i></i></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><i><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiVsi_yCJ7MAk5Lxw0JTQERdIcjnaNys6pJ0u8ejR-G_Dtya-FcToVfkiauoEU64qQpcSW6fwdG1QasZEZWRlrV0WigBGFZGqoY_qn-Ei8hmIctN7qyKYh8dXxAJo8aHX0R3kIQjcOysEI-Y-mXuESMiP2-U_LHHoHDvC9_9G1e0XQXVQIRHg9qEFaQz5Uk/s612/dagger.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="350" data-original-width="612" height="229" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiVsi_yCJ7MAk5Lxw0JTQERdIcjnaNys6pJ0u8ejR-G_Dtya-FcToVfkiauoEU64qQpcSW6fwdG1QasZEZWRlrV0WigBGFZGqoY_qn-Ei8hmIctN7qyKYh8dXxAJo8aHX0R3kIQjcOysEI-Y-mXuESMiP2-U_LHHoHDvC9_9G1e0XQXVQIRHg9qEFaQz5Uk/w400-h229/dagger.jpg" width="400" /></a></i></div><i><br />Seattle By Night is based on the Vampire: The Masquerade Tabletop RPG</i>. <i>It can and does cover serious subject matter and will not shy away from R-rated topics. Reader discretion is advised</i>.<span><a name='more'></a></span><p></p><p>"Okay, but <i>how</i>-?"</p><p>"It was a museum display case, not Fort Knox." Hugo sneered, rolling his eyes at Anthony's surprise and his continued questions toward him. "Seriously, you'd think you'd be a little less surprised."</p><p>"And you stole <i>that</i> from the display case?" Grace asked.</p><p>"Yes, it's like I <i>didn't</i> just go over this!" Hugo rolled his eyes yet again.</p><p>"You say that running into a Blood God in a museum that turns one of our friends into dust and makes us go on an acid trip only to find out he didn't turn one of our friends into dust and that our friend stole the magic knife we were looking for to begin with." Sybil said. Everyone in the van - besides Hope - glanced back at the Malkavian. "Sorry, was that <i>not</i> an accurate summation of the situation?"</p><p>"I'm just trying to figure out why you think we're friends." Hugo commented.</p><p>"Regardless, we have a magic dagger and a likely very pissed off Methuselah who wants it." Ben cut in. "We have to figure out what to do next."</p><p>"Well, lucky for you, I happen to know what we need to do next." Hugo said. He leaned his head over to look to Hope via the rearview mirror of the van. "Get us back to Langtry's place."</p><p></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgJuILfJFu3Oz3MOsKV3Dfd55v16qXcsP_MSLPI0TT17fE8vgy3cbTMsejk-TFiKKCVvoB3ZSeSlA9qsQWOs_LribmtmydDPO2nOXfhimntW_hqHK0LGkEttbZUsQC6cganyYkbJJyTCTvpL41hcAnbrrWoVNThkdP4zFdm50tSD2_Qj0TAnYyc4JMOizfY/s612/Glaziers.jpg" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="408" data-original-width="612" height="266" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgJuILfJFu3Oz3MOsKV3Dfd55v16qXcsP_MSLPI0TT17fE8vgy3cbTMsejk-TFiKKCVvoB3ZSeSlA9qsQWOs_LribmtmydDPO2nOXfhimntW_hqHK0LGkEttbZUsQC6cganyYkbJJyTCTvpL41hcAnbrrWoVNThkdP4zFdm50tSD2_Qj0TAnYyc4JMOizfY/w400-h266/Glaziers.jpg" width="400" /></a></div><br />"Master?"<p></p><p>"Yes, my child?"</p><p>"Is it time?"</p><p>"Soon. Prepare the many. When the next sun falls, we will claim this Emerald City."</p><p>"By your will, Grandsire."</p><p>"Yes, indeed... by my will... yes..."</p><p>***</p><p>"You have retrieved the weapon in question, I take it?"</p><p>"Of course, Prince Blanchard."</p><p>"Excellent." Wren said. "Let me see it." The Ventrue gave the Nosferatu a sharp look. "No tricks, Mr. Combs."</p><p>"Wouldn't dream of it." Hugo said, unwrapping the weapon from the cloth he'd wrapped it in, revealing it to her and holding it out to her. Wren took it in her hands.</p><p>"Yes, this is the knife in question. I recognize the make." She said, turning it over, pulling it from the small sheath enough to check the blade itself. "Lamdiel wanted this weapon, but why?"</p><p>"Well, the prophecy." Samuel said.</p><p>"Yes, but... a weapon like this cannot kill a Kindred. Not even a less powerful one than a Methuselah." Wren said, she held it up. "Mr. Langtry, Miss Langtry, are either of you versed in weapons of a... extranormal nature?"</p><p>"Are you asking us if the dagger is magic?" Sybil asked.</p><p>"...yes."</p><p>"Yeah, no, I don't think it is." Sybil said, shaking her head. "I didn't hear it whisper to me when Hugo was showing it."</p><p>"I could examine it in more detail, my Prince." Anthony offered. "I have some experience with these things."</p><p>"Very well, Mr. Wallace." Wren said. "Quickly, if you please." She set it upon a table in Samuel's front room and Anthony came over, examining it. Drawing a knife from his belt, he cut into the flesh of his palm with the sharper edge of it, drawing out some of his vitae.</p><p>"<i>Spiritus terreni et celi! Aperi oculos meos ad hoc, ut sciam!</i>" The blood that had been pooling in Anthony's palm floated up into the air, suspended in small, rippling orbs of the liquid that floated around his fingers. The orbs moved across the body of the dagger several times before fizzling out of existence. "There is nothing magical about this dagger."</p><p>"Then it was a deception, perhaps?" Grace offered.</p><p>"Not necessarily." Wren said, hand resting against her chin. "Perhaps something else is needed."</p><p>"Another piece?" Anthony suggested.</p><p>"Indeed." Wren said.</p><p>"The Master of the Moon shall come, but their victory over him shall be as bitter as defeat." Samuel said suddenly, getting the attention of all parties involved. The Malkavian had a distant look in his eyes as he seemed to be staring beyond the others, looking to something else. Something that was not immediately before them. "Dagger to his heart, drained of all his blood, he lives on..."</p><p>"...interesting." Wren said. "Ignoring the Malkavian talent for gibbering insanity, that phrase comes up again. Master of the Moon."</p><p>"Again?" Ben asked.</p><p>"I've been busy." Wren said, cutting eyes at the Gangrel before returning to her out loud thinking. "Master of the Moon, Dagger of the Moon, Clan of the Moon."</p><p>"...umm... excuse me?" Angelica Knox got the attention of all parties.</p><p>"What is it, <i>caitiff</i>?" Wren asked.</p><p>"Umm... well, the Moon, that's... that's something to do with the Malkavians, right? Ben was telling me. Clan of the Moon or whatever have you."</p><p>"Yes, that's right."</p><p>"Right, well... what if the Dagger needs a member of the Clan for it to work?" The redhead's question caused Wren to raise a brow, taking the dagger over to Sybil.</p><p>"Hold this." She ordered, putting it in her hand. The moment that the metal touched Sybil's flesh, nothing seemed to happen. Then, there was a gentle humming noise as her fingers surrounded the hilt of the silver blade.</p><p>"Oy vey!" Anthony exclaimed, surprised.</p><p>"What is it, Mr. Wallace?"</p><p>"The dagger... it's Thaumaturgy. <i>Old</i> thaumaturgy..."</p><p>"Blood Sorcery from its earliest years. Makes sense." Wren said. She turned once more to face Sybil. "Well, it seems that we know who the Master of the Moon is..."</p><p>"..."</p><p>"..."</p><p>"...you like me," Sybil deadpanned, "you really like me."</p><p></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEidpVb1t8XkKxk9FsGwzHqdfXqJFv5K9aav6LKtOqP_FzfzerG-u2evsg0QvL7qnVBe7DQ5Hn1TOMD3oEKLHCX0i8qqLjx0zJDrPfPYXfdCphdfY5fI47y8AmwFz0IM9pNrxvcs-It3DKjElZcBZM-R_F_AvStwOHNN-jRHFSYLmvqAbo3bqNdTswbVW_7L/s600/1201-1_orig.jpg" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="600" data-original-width="600" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEidpVb1t8XkKxk9FsGwzHqdfXqJFv5K9aav6LKtOqP_FzfzerG-u2evsg0QvL7qnVBe7DQ5Hn1TOMD3oEKLHCX0i8qqLjx0zJDrPfPYXfdCphdfY5fI47y8AmwFz0IM9pNrxvcs-It3DKjElZcBZM-R_F_AvStwOHNN-jRHFSYLmvqAbo3bqNdTswbVW_7L/w400-h400/1201-1_orig.jpg" width="400" /></a></div><br />The instructions for the next night had been made clear: meet at 1201 Third Avenue, the Prince's court, just after sunset.<p></p><p>"Is everything in place?" Ben asked.</p><p>"Yeah." Hugo said. "Just in case."</p><p>"Good. If this goes sideways, we're gonna need it." Ben said.</p><p>"Then let's hope it doesn't."</p><p>"Right."</p><p>"Someone call me?" Hope asked.</p><p>"No, but we need to get moving." Ben said. "Go with Hugo."</p><p>"For what?"</p><p>"Insurance." Hope had a confused look, but a gesture from the Nosferatu got her to follow him while Ben turned and left to rejoin the other three.</p><p>"Are we ready?" Ben asked them.</p><p>"As we'll ever be." Anthony said. "I can't find anything else in any of the books I have about the Dagger, so we're going in mostly blind. Hopefully the Prince has found out more."</p><p>"I suppose we're in for it now, either way." Grace said. Her eyes flitted over to Sybil. "Got your new sidepiece?"</p><p>"Yep, Bestie! Got it right here." Sybil said cheerfully.</p><p>"Stop calling me that."</p><p>"When I'm dead, sure."</p><p>"Let's go. We're burning moonlight." Ben cut them both off. The group quickly made their way to Hope's van and were off down through the streets.</p><p>"So, this is normal, then?" Angelica asked.</p><p>"What do you mean?" Sybil asked.</p><p>"Like... this. Going to meet the Prince, right after sunset. This is normal?"</p><p>"Meeting the Prince right after sunset? Sometimes. Meeting the Prince right after sunset in order to try and take down a blood god? No."</p><p>"Oh. Right. Blood god. Because that's a normal sentence to speak." Angelica said.</p><p>"Well, blame that one annoying ass farmer who decided to bash his brother's brains out with a jawbone." Ben quipped.</p><p>"Blame <i>who</i> now?" The redhead turned to Ben with a shocked expression.</p><p>"Either way, you're staying here with Hugo and Hope."</p><p>"What?!" Angel and Hope both exclaimed in unison.</p><p>"...sorry, did I stop speaking English?" Ben asked. "You're staying here. With them."</p><p>"But I want to go with you." Angel protested.</p><p>"And people in Hell want ice water," Ben said, "this isn't some hoodlum who pops up and threatens your homeless shelter, Angel. This is something that passes for flesh and blood that has enormous power, even for one of his own kind."</p><p>"So you're going to need all the help you can get, obviously."</p><p>"I have the help I need, trust me." Ben said.</p><p>"You mean <i>we</i> have the help we need." Grace said. "This is a team effort, I'm given to understand."</p><p>"Yes, and you're barely on the team. Don't get cocky." Ben said.</p><p>"What's <i>that</i> supposed to mean?"</p><p>"You stopped breathing... what? Five years ago?"</p><p>"Yeah. So?"</p><p>"You're <i>slightly </i>better prepared for this than <i>she</i> is." Ben said, gesturing to Angel. "Hell, I've been dead a little over thirty and <i>I'm</i> not much better prepared for this than <i>you</i> are. And I was trained for this."</p><p>"What?" Angelica asked. No response came as the van continued to move along, soon enough arriving at the street outside of 1201.</p><p>"Hugo."</p><p>"Yep." Hugo started to move to close the side door.</p><p>"Ben." Angel made one more attempt to protest, stepping between the Nosferatu and the open side of the van.</p><p>"Angel. Please." Ben said, grabbing her shoulders. "If this gets bad... and this could get bad fast... this <i>will</i> get bad fast... you need to not be here when it does. I can't lose you. Not like this."</p><p>"What about <i>you</i>?" Angel asked.</p><p>"I don't matter-"</p><p>"You do to <i>me</i>!" Her protest were met by his lips against hers, sealing them both for an endless instant in a heated kiss. Counting on her forgetting that she did not in fact have to breathe, Ben broke off the kiss after a few seconds and nudged her back with a strong arm into the van.</p><p>"Hugo, now!" The Nosferatu pulled the door shut and the van shot off down the street.</p><p>"You're a regular Casanova, Grayson." Grace muttered.</p><p>"Shut up." Ben said, turning to Anthony. "Are you ready?"</p><p>"Much as I can be." Anthony said.</p><p>"Good." Ben turned to Sybil. "And you?"</p><p>"Yep." Sybil said, showing the Dagger of the Moon hidden under Harriet.</p><p>"Good. Let's go." The group made their way into the building, passing through the glass doors into the lobby. They were met, almost immediately, by the receptionist at the desk: a young, blonde woman with high cheekbones and a freckled face.</p><p>"Umm, excuse me-"</p><p>"I'm gonna need you to forget you saw us." Grace said, waving a hand in front of the young woman's face. Her eyes seemed to glass over as she stood exactly where she had risen from her chair behind the desk. Leaving her there, they passed by her and headed into the elevator. They stood silently as they made their way up to the penthouse floor... everyone other than Grace, who attempted multiple times to engage in a conversation and received no response. Particularly from Ben, who may as well have been a stone statue for all the reaction he gave to her failed attempts.</p><p></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjW0J05ZSGHZTCLbpkwG5Z9W80KREcAD6d4F_1CZRyRQVEbEoMIBZ3GYl2t3Szh-camWJRIpv2ymXmdm-NkfeiAmCre8MIdsbygShJHiFgQyB-6R8X-Qr8ce0b1WptBTYrAWEeK1izh2MZBM8Dge4SWRMWenEObb_ZcLnVc1zJlcfBdqPRqq61fdpJANC4k/s527/istockphoto-916808664-170667a.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="326" data-original-width="527" height="248" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjW0J05ZSGHZTCLbpkwG5Z9W80KREcAD6d4F_1CZRyRQVEbEoMIBZ3GYl2t3Szh-camWJRIpv2ymXmdm-NkfeiAmCre8MIdsbygShJHiFgQyB-6R8X-Qr8ce0b1WptBTYrAWEeK1izh2MZBM8Dge4SWRMWenEObb_ZcLnVc1zJlcfBdqPRqq61fdpJANC4k/w400-h248/istockphoto-916808664-170667a.jpg" width="400" /></a></div><br />The elevator stopped at the penthouse floor, opening to the office that the four knew well to be that of Prince Wren Blanchard. She was indeed there at the desk with her back to the large windows that made up most of the far wall. The Ventrue wasn't alone, however, as they found a familiar figure standing beside her. His presence likely also explained the wooden stake that had been plunged into her chest.<p></p><p>"Good evening," Lamdiel had traded his more Middle Eastern garb for a black suit and midnight blue tie, turning as they exited the elevator, "forgive me, I find myself rather enjoying this new... fashion."</p><p>"So glad you're happy with last season's threads." Grace said, clearly attempting to seem braver than she felt. Were she not already dead, her skin might have gone a touch paler.</p><p>"After you've been locked within a cesspool for half a century, the flavor of the moment is rather irrelevant to you." Lamdiel said, the Malkavian's eyes focused upon the shorter Toreador. "Perhaps I'll let you experience it yourself, since you were so keen to refuse my gift."</p><p>"That's enough." Ben said, reaching into his pocket and pulling out a burner phone. He flipped it open and pressed a button, holding it up to his ear. "Do it now." A loud, mechanical whirring was heard from above as metal shutters slid from above and secured themselves over all the windows.</p><p>"...what's this?" Lamdiel asked.</p><p>"Metal plating put in in the event of a terrorist attack." Anthony said. "Installed in 2002. Once these shutters are down, you'd need a nuke to get in here."</p><p>"Or to get out." Ben said. </p><p>"And, pray tell, how do you plan to get out?" The Malkavian Methuselah looked amused at this sudden revelation.</p><p>"After we finish with you." Ben said. Lamdiel threw his head back and laughed.</p><p>"You mean after I turn you, the Prince, and this entire building into a pile of ash after you <i>try </i>to kill me with a magic dagger one of my grandchilder is holding?" Lamdiel asked, the laughter having died to mere chuckles. "Seriously, did you think this through at <i>all</i>?"</p><p>"Anthony?" Ben asked.</p><p>"Yes?"</p><p>"Abracadabra."</p><p>"Got it." Anthony pulled a now-familiar leather bound book from within his coat, opening to a page.</p><p>"...where did you get <i>that</i>?" Lamdiel asked, focusing upon the book in Anthony's hand. Anthony began to read in Latin and the air suddenly became tinged with a strange, metallic taste. A light fixture exploded, and then another... and another... electricity crackling around the room as it arced about. Lamdiel exclaimed as those arcs of lightning immediately met his body. Anthony continued to chant as the lightning formed around him into a sort of cage. "You dare...?" A wave of the Methuselah's hand sent the arcs flying away, bouncing about the room for the others to dodge before dissipating. "Did you really believe you could-HRRRK!" The Malkavian was wrenched forward, his suit tearing as the tip of the Dagger of the Moon came through his chest.</p><p>"I dare!" Sybil, at the man's back, pulled back on his shoulder to further press the dagger through.</p><p>"I... see..." Lamdiel choked out, then grabbed the tip of the dagger, yanking it the rest of the way through the new hole in his chest. "Really... did you really think that this was going to work? Who do you think <i>made</i> the prophecy about the Dagger?" He looked to Sybil, who shared a wide-eyed stare of shock with the rest of her coterie. With a gesture, the Dagger of the Moon was split neatly in half and dropped to the floor. "Really... this is just pathetic." His eyes flitted toward Sybil. "The seer with the voices in her head," His eyes flicked to Anthony, "the boy who was betrayed again and again and again," his glance turned to Grace, "the sad little girl still crying for the mother and father who abandoned her", finally, his eyes turned to Ben, "and the fallen soldier, valuing no life less than his own." The ancient Kindred wore an amused smirk, "I gave you the chance to rise above what you are and you spurned me. You should take comfort, knowing that you will not live to die in the firestorm that is to come."</p><p>"What are you talking about?" Ben asked.</p><p>"What is it that playwright said? The one from the Kine... Shakespeare? <i>Hell is empty and the devils are all here</i>. You all should know that better than anyone, the things you've been doing these nights." Lamdiel said, looking to the staked Prince. "I tried to warn her, too, but she refused even faster than all of you did." He tutted, shaking his head. "In the end, just creatures of id... nothing more than beasts fighting tooth and cla-HRRRK!" For the second time that night, Lamdiel was caught off-guard as a pair of fangs sank into his neck... specifically, those of Sybil. "I...<i>you</i>! How-" That characteristic slurp was heard as it became very, very clear what she was doing.</p><p>Grace, in a moment of awareness, moved forward and wrenched the stake from the chest of Wren Blanchard and leaped over the desk to plunge it into Lamdiel's heart.</p><p>"If her mouth wasn't full, she'd be punning you to death right now." Grace said. Paralyzed, the Methuselah could do naught but stare as Sybil's fang dug into his flesh and she drained him. The process was not a short one, but they soon saw the body of the ancient vampire beginning to break down. The pale skin darkening around the eyes and mouth before it spread across all the exposed flesh. That blackened skin began to crumble away, starting from the top of his head and working down. Soon, the dust of literal millennia was left falling from the suit as it made a large pile upon the ground.</p><p>"...Sybil?" Ben asked, watching the Malkavian for a moment with hands falling through the dust as she took the last of the Methuselah's heart-blood. The blood lust remained in her eyes even after, if only for a few fleeting moments. She seemed to come down from the extraordinary high, her body no longer showing the signs of respiration as they had as she had drank from Lamdiel. "Sybil?"</p><p>"I'm alright..." The detective said, reaching up to her own lips, touching the vitae that remained there and sucking it from her fingers. "I'm alright."</p><p>"I should say so, Miss Langtry." Wren Blanchard had come to stand once more, having recovered from being impaled. Her suit, alas, looked quite the mess. She looked down upon her chest disdainfully before closing up the jacket, buttoning it at the front. "Your coterie has successfully claimed the blood of a renegade and terrorist who I just so happened to call a Blood Hunt for. You are all to be commended."</p><p></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgr0V_3iL5hOP-flg74fwjDd1yw_S61SLoGsIlCcg9IZ6kZoe_jETeZCnL3j4lq2izFYufegAoDQdch-VzMQbI7iD1_bQzwN55BAdQt_eEZDPL8DiLsvaLgmXGGZI8yhtGHSR-fBkLtXpyAmOzhTJEA2pQNB5opJtUXwDNxxufVUGaWKMeODtAj0c8iEyRq/s1280/Aaaaseatle.jpg" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="720" data-original-width="1280" height="225" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgr0V_3iL5hOP-flg74fwjDd1yw_S61SLoGsIlCcg9IZ6kZoe_jETeZCnL3j4lq2izFYufegAoDQdch-VzMQbI7iD1_bQzwN55BAdQt_eEZDPL8DiLsvaLgmXGGZI8yhtGHSR-fBkLtXpyAmOzhTJEA2pQNB5opJtUXwDNxxufVUGaWKMeODtAj0c8iEyRq/w400-h225/Aaaaseatle.jpg" width="400" /></a></div><br />Indeed, that was the case. Over the next few hours, the word was out and the group were sent away as the remainder of the Prince's staff cleaned up the mess left behind.<p></p><p>"I still feel like it was a little too convenient." Anthony said.</p><p>"I think you're overthinking it." Grace said.</p><p>"No, I mean it. If you believe the tales, Lamdiel was descended from the blood of <i>the</i> Malkav." Anthony said. "If that's the case, then we just took out a being only three steps removed from-"</p><p>"We're standing, he's not." Ben said. "I don't think we need to look the gift horse in the mouth on this one."</p><p>"Maybe <i>you</i> don't." Anthony said, pressing his glasses back up onto his nose. "And I don't know about you, but I could use a drink."</p><p>"I think I'm good for a while." Sybil quipped, hands in the pockets of her trenchcoat as she walked along with the other three. "I'm just surprised that your plan worked that well, Ben."</p><p>"Well, <i>did</i> it?" Ben asked, looking to her.</p><p>"What do you mean?"</p><p>"I mean, you did just drink a big, tall glass of Methuselah." The Gangrel shrugged. "Did it work? I mean, we are pretty sure you're still you, yeah?"</p><p>"I'm definitely me." Sybil said. "At least that's what the voices in my head say." She glanced into the mirror glass of a window, seeing a familiar form of an Arabian teenage male behind her, smiling brightly. "...pretty sure, anyway." A problem that would need to be dealt with, sooner if not later. </p><p>"Good enough." Ben said, not privy to the vision she saw, nor were the others. Better that way, she decided. Further thoughts on that were dismissed by the roaring of an engine as a familiar van made its way down the street toward them once more. The siding opened and a certain redhead stepped out and slapped Ben across the face once with a firm hand. "...owww!"</p><p>"Had you let me in on the plan, we could have avoided that argument." Angelica Knox glowered at him. "And nudging me back into the van? What were you thinking?"</p><p>"This has been my entire night, by the way." Hugo muttered from within the van.</p><p>"<i>Your</i> entire night?" Hope's voice piped up as well.</p><p>"See what I mean?" The words of the Nosferatu and the Brujah were ignored by Angelica, who still stood with eyes narrowed on Ben, demanding an explanation.</p><p>"Guys..." Ben sighed deeply. "Angel and I will meet up with you later..." There was a loud cracking noise that was sharp and sudden, everyone soon realizing that an overly giddy Sybil had just made her version of a whip noise with her mouth. "Smart ass."</p><p>"The funny voice in my head remains intact." The Malkavian said cheerfully as she got into Hope's van.</p><p></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiYhysFDNey6-nZH77-IULnyDNLV3Fm_H4Pd11W_0Q7Jz9Uh92F4Goq6c-ThXmw8jm0gWvE7zNGXps1JPqWHs4N0DB1ucsMvnvyuPT5L5p5S2bTWTkXGrqiwD_kw7TEnUi2dWV0N9PQtLCQiYYzpmbHeZ8kTVBcjjxJdx5Oul4iLus3OtYrFf65nZm6TrM9/s800/aLamdiel%20dust.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="522" data-original-width="800" height="261" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiYhysFDNey6-nZH77-IULnyDNLV3Fm_H4Pd11W_0Q7Jz9Uh92F4Goq6c-ThXmw8jm0gWvE7zNGXps1JPqWHs4N0DB1ucsMvnvyuPT5L5p5S2bTWTkXGrqiwD_kw7TEnUi2dWV0N9PQtLCQiYYzpmbHeZ8kTVBcjjxJdx5Oul4iLus3OtYrFf65nZm6TrM9/w400-h261/aLamdiel%20dust.jpg" width="400" /></a></div><br />"My Prince, are you sure that this-"<p></p><p>"Oh, I am not foolish enough to believe that his 'death' was anything but planned, no." Wren shook her head as she gazed upon the jar of collected dust. "Not by a long shot."</p><p>"Hence your... security measures?"</p><p>"Oh, yes. Several rows of heavy duty firearms. Constant, twenty-four/seven surveillance for even the tiniest sign of trouble. The works."</p><p>"And a few protective sigils crafted by yours, truly."</p><p>"Your efforts are greatly appreciated, Angela, but it is a boon delivered."</p><p>"And paid in full?" The Tremere sorceress asked with a raised brow.</p><p>"Indeed so," Wren said, turning to her, "let us hope that your power is more effective than that of your colleagues."</p><p>"In this case, I think it shall." Angela said. "Of course, if that <i>is</i> just a jar of dust..."</p><p>"It isn't, and we both know it." Wren said. "For tonight, however, at least one great danger to my city is curtailed..."</p><p>"And what of Miss Langtry?" Angela asked. "If she carries the blood..."</p><p>"An eye will be kept upon her, at least for a while." Wren said. "Regardless, my old friend, your task is done."</p><p>"So it is." Angela said. "Have you any further need of me, my Prince?"</p><p>"No. You may go." The Ventrue rested a hand on her chin, her attention entirely upon that container that held the ancient dust, all that remained of the Methuselah that little coterie had sealed away within the sewers all those nights ago.</p><p>"Very well, old friend. Good night."</p><p style="text-align: center;">NEXT TIME</p><p style="text-align: center;">HELL IS FOR CHILDREN</p>MadCapMunchkinhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05885944836313859245noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7221258980660442179.post-39271238866335852512023-10-05T00:00:00.306-04:002023-10-18T18:02:32.695-04:00MadCap's D&D Builds - Jigsaw (5e)<p><br /></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgKC3aeqKjCs2SmYuUR28QvYdY62REpKjMlXtpTVbfeV81nLZW3dZ8hfNU6DLFiXEgi4imqAGMRdBcTEuyg0_yCJ6xsO-EpNNYBPpe-Dg5ZseRuVLv7Jsr052WW4URCGiepxt9tzhUMPPhzk2q-oXLFi2aEpfWAC0sihHV8r0sZU9NfqAFl0w40pqC0Ktau/s1600/Billythepuppet.webp" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="900" data-original-width="1600" height="225" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgKC3aeqKjCs2SmYuUR28QvYdY62REpKjMlXtpTVbfeV81nLZW3dZ8hfNU6DLFiXEgi4imqAGMRdBcTEuyg0_yCJ6xsO-EpNNYBPpe-Dg5ZseRuVLv7Jsr052WW4URCGiepxt9tzhUMPPhzk2q-oXLFi2aEpfWAC0sihHV8r0sZU9NfqAFl0w40pqC0Ktau/w400-h225/Billythepuppet.webp" width="400" /></a></div><br />Another Horror Month and another set of Halloween builds using 5e rules for Dungeons & Dragons. Now we have a new banner for them - since the <i>Tabletop Tales</i> banner is now a distant memory - let's get into the father of the modern slasher film, John Kramer aka the Jigsaw Killer. A man dying of terminal cancer who uses his skills to put those who deserve punishment into lethal situations that they either sacrifice to get themselves out of... or die horribly as you can see in... well, <i>any</i> of the <i>Saw</i> movies.<p></p><p>I'm not a huge fan of <i>Saw</i>, but Epic Apathy (that handsome devil!) dropped this idea into my lap and it was too good to <i>not</i> go with.<span></span></p><a name='more'></a><p></p><p>Before we start, let's talk about our goals for this build:</p><p></p><ul style="text-align: left;"><li>Highly intelligent!</li><li>Charismatic! - He was able to seduce a couple of apprentices to his side after putting them through death traps, after all. Speaking of which...</li><li>Traps! - Not the kind that make the internet really, really angry with you, the other one</li></ul><p></p><p>So, let's start with our attributes. As always, we're using the standard point array from the Player's Handbook. As always, I saw roll for your stats and just use this as a guide where to place them.</p><p>Intelligence: <b>15</b></p><p>John Kramer is a very intelligent man, very skilled in the construction and application of the various traps he invents in order to test people.</p><p>Charisma: <b>14</b></p><p>Charisma is next, the man is very persuasive as he is able to somehow persuade several people into either joining him or assisting him in his endeavors. Also, even after his death, his influence is felt throughout the entire series.</p><p>Wisdom: <b>13</b></p><p>Wisdom is next. John is observant and rather skilled at reading people, able to pick out who requires his "testing".</p><p>Dexterity: <b>12</b></p><p>Dexterity comes next, John is a man dying from cancer and so is not going to be as physically adept as someone without.</p><p>Constitution: <b>10</b></p><p>Same here, and this is one of the few builds I've done where it would be perfectly in character to <i>have</i> a low Constitution given Jigsaw's battle with cancer.</p><p>Strength: <b>8</b></p><p>I'm pretty sure it's obvious why this score is here now. If it's not, please do try and keep up.</p><p>For race, we're going to go a little bit outside of the box here and make a <b>Gnome</b><i>. </i>Specifically, we'll be going with a <b>Rock Gnome</b> from right out of the <i>Player's Handbook</i>. As a gnome, John's Intelligence score gets bumped up by 2 and as a Rock Gnome his Constitution bumps up by 1, not making too much of a difference there, sad to say.</p><p>I was tempted to go with a <b>Revenant</b> and play on the whole "one year to live" flavor that a lot of people like to forget about them, but Epic suggested gnome and... honestly, there was literally no reason to <i>not</i> just fuse him with Billy the Puppet.</p><p>Gnomes receive <b>Darkvision</b> out to 60 feet and<b> Gnome Cunning</b> that gives them advantage on all (Intelligence, Wisdom, and Charisma) saving throws against magic.</p><p>As a Rock Gnome, John has the power of <b>Artificer's Lore</b>, which allows him to add twice his proficiency bonus on Intelligence (History) checks related to magic items, alchemical objects, or technological devices. He also gets the ability to <b>Tinker</b>, which allows him to use his tinker's tools and 10 gp worth of materials to create a Tiny clockwork device, such as Clockwork Toy, a Fire Starter, or a Music Box. Check out page 37 in the Player's Handbook for the full details on what they are and what they do.</p><p>For background, we'll be going with <b>Guild Artisan</b> to best reflect John's former career as a civil engineer. With that background, he gains proficiency with one set of artisan's tools (just pick one, trust me we're gonna have plenty by the end of this build) as well as proficiency in <b>Insight</b> and <b>Persuasion</b> skills.</p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj1CQEWqY_ahx7nlWMBhkxxRBo4ms22Hj0rQSH8RpuACnvd9SCQMSuhhbmC1nTr5Miz5mKQppuNxViJ5ZWuyHvMXaeenlhSJ7DupsGueh7ZFSJLjNvkb0Pw0r6YQNjHfR6rqJ7dfs_1Yvf9exupAgeB7eswExKnGO49XTe0CFrWHcb8c2If-akPdTG_A_y0/s350/Sawiii.jpg" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="233" data-original-width="350" height="266" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj1CQEWqY_ahx7nlWMBhkxxRBo4ms22Hj0rQSH8RpuACnvd9SCQMSuhhbmC1nTr5Miz5mKQppuNxViJ5ZWuyHvMXaeenlhSJ7DupsGueh7ZFSJLjNvkb0Pw0r6YQNjHfR6rqJ7dfs_1Yvf9exupAgeB7eswExKnGO49XTe0CFrWHcb8c2If-akPdTG_A_y0/w400-h266/Sawiii.jpg" width="400" /></a></div><br /><p></p><p>So, starting out we're going with <b>Artificer</b> (1). Artificer gets John proficiency with Light and medium armor and shield, as well as simple weapons. He also gains proficiency with Thieves', tinker's, and one other set of tools of your choice. In this case, go with Alchemist's supplies, we might be able to put them to better use later on. You also gain proficiency in Constitution and Intelligence saving throws as well as two kills from Arcana, History, Investigation, Medicine, Nature, Perception, and Sleight of Hand. We'll be going with <b>History</b> and <b>Perception</b> for now. Don't worry, we'll pick up some others later on.</p><p>At first level, the Artificer receives <b>Magical Tinkering</b>, which is detailed on page 55 of <i>Eberron: Rising from the Last War</i>. Think of it as an extension of the <b>Tinker</b> ability that gnomes have, meaning that you can create a Tiny nonmagical object that can do something like shed a bright light in a 5-foot radius around itself or emit an odor or (nonverbal) sound that can be perceived up to 10 feet away. Maybe it's a little cube you use to introduce your victims to your game.</p><p><b>Spellcasting</b> also comes to those starting on the path of the Artificer, specifically two cantrips as well as having two first-level spell slots. The full spell list for Artificer's is on page 56 of <i>Eberron</i>, and I don't normally point out selections unless there's a very specific one for the build, mostly because these posts are already long as is. In this case, however, I can spare it.</p><p>For cantrips, I would definitely choose <i>Guidance</i> - you touch one willing creature and they can add a d4 to any roll on an ability check for up to 1 minute depending on your concentration - and <i>Spare the Dying</i> - you touch a creature that has 0 hit points and they become stable.</p><p>For your first level spells, you have <i>Sanctuary</i> - creating a ward against attacks upon a target that the attackers will have to pass a Wisdom saving throw against your spell DC. If they fail, they either must choose another target or lose the attack (this doesn't work against area effects, by the way). There's also <i>Snare</i>, which is your first trap. With <i>Snare</i>, you create a circle using rope or some other cord that takes up a five foot space. A creature looking for it will have to pass an Intelligence check against your spell DC to see it. If a creature that is Small or bigger walks into it, and they fail a Dexterity check (again, against your DC), they fall prone and are restrained three feet up in the air. Trapped targets can make Dexterity checks to get out, but at disadvantage. Another creature can make an Intelligence check in order to help them get out of it.</p><p>Second level <b>Artificer</b> (2) receives the ability to <b>Infuse Item</b>, allow them to imbue mundane items with magical power and you know four of them to start out at level one, and you can find those on page 62 and 63 of <i>Eberron</i>. Personally, the ability to <b>Replicate Magic Item</b> is infinitely useful, and you can come up with quite a few fun things even at just at 2nd level from that list. Like the spells, I'm not going to list them all, but sending stones are always a fun thing to have around and don't require an attunement. Just think about it.</p><p></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgc_aLiRGBfE5WQaJt8JZr0nHwGV1oMNRRUcnAeqYck4eSiswb4XZnXMzU63a5L3RUkLzuAr2U1CgZ4gOclHVdWg7O9atGpsdw92ldf5xJfXJO1Cgeo9ag-H30KbN1XV8dudV9hKznIj-Bw6jl88mXB9LGSjjVZ8nIZrC5tBocd_lfkUENxR6vtOXNNqNVH/s616/79808c4813f3d43274a51dea89aa5c26-616x342.jpg" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="342" data-original-width="616" height="223" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgc_aLiRGBfE5WQaJt8JZr0nHwGV1oMNRRUcnAeqYck4eSiswb4XZnXMzU63a5L3RUkLzuAr2U1CgZ4gOclHVdWg7O9atGpsdw92ldf5xJfXJO1Cgeo9ag-H30KbN1XV8dudV9hKznIj-Bw6jl88mXB9LGSjjVZ8nIZrC5tBocd_lfkUENxR6vtOXNNqNVH/w400-h223/79808c4813f3d43274a51dea89aa5c26-616x342.jpg" width="400" /></a></div><br />If you want to, go with <b>Homoculus Servant</b> so you can ignore the humor here and make your very own Billy the Puppet.<p></p><p>At the third level of <b>Artificer</b> (3), we have to select an <b>Artificer Specialist</b>, and I thought about this one for not a small amount of time. We've already done an <a href="https://madcapsrealm.blogspot.com/2021/10/madcaps-table-top-tales-dr-frankenstein.html">alchemist</a> and an artillerist really doesn't fit the Jigsaw aesthetic at all. So, I went with <b>Battle Smith</b>, which right off the bat allows John to add another proficiency to his belt with Smith's Tools as well a giving him specific spells for that subclass - all of <i>one</i> of which we will use for this build.</p><p>Apart from that, John now has proficiency with martial weapons and can use his Intelligence modifier instead of Strength or Dexterity, for attack or damage rolls with a magical weapon.</p><p>He also gains the ability to craft a <b>Steel Defender</b>, the statblock of which is on page 61 of <i>Eberron</i>. The specific details of it can be found there, but be nice to your DM and maybe he'll let you make it a really 'roided out Billy the Puppet. Basically, though, it can do the heavy lifting where you can.</p><p>As a specialized artificer, John now always had <b>The Right Tool for the Job</b>, allowing him to use his tinker's tools to replicate one set of artisan's tools in an unoccupied space within 5 feet of him after completing a 1 hour ritual. The tools are non-magical and will vanish when this ability is used again.</p><p>At fourth level, <b>Artificer</b> (4) gets their first Ability Score Improvement or Feat. We're going to go with a Feat - in this case, <b>Fade Away</b> from <i>Xanathar's Guide to Everything</i>. With Fade Away, a gnome-specific feat, John increases his Dexterity or Intelligence by 1 to a maximum of 20 (go for Intelligence - you should be at 18 by now and even numbers are your friend!). John also gains the ability to use his reaction to turn invisible until the end of his next turn or until he attacks, deals damage, or forces someone else to make a saving throw. Once used, the ability can't be used again until after a long or short rest.</p><p>As a <b>Battle Smith</b>, John at fifth level <b>Artificer</b> (5) gains an <b>Extra Attack</b>, meaning that he can attack twice instead of just once on his turn when he takes the <b>Attack</b> action. He also gets access to 2nd level spells and more than a few spells on this level fit our aesthetic - <i>heat metal</i>, <i>magic mouth</i>, <i>pyrotechnics</i>, <i>rope trick</i>, <i>spider climb</i>, and <i>web</i> in particular - and so should definitely be put to use.</p><p>Also, by the way, you have access to <i>branding smite</i> at 5th level - the one spell I mentioned we'd be using from <b>Battle Smith</b>. Holding your concentration for up to one minute, hitting a target will hit them with an extra 2d6 radiant damage. The target is also rendered visible if they're invisible (and they can't become invisible until the spell ends) and makes them shed light in a 5-foot radius. Using a higher spell slot gives an extra 1d6 damage to the spell.</p><p>At sixth level, an <b>Artificer</b> (6) like John gets <b>Tool Expertise</b>. Having worked with his tools for so long, John's proficiency bonus is doubled for any ability check he makes that uses his proficiency with a tool and that applies to all of them, not just his tinker's. He also gains two new <b>Infusions</b> and if you haven't gotten it by now, it may pay to pick up <b>Enhanced Weapon</b>, <b>Radiant Weapon</b>, or <b>Returning Weapon</b> to gain the benefits of being able to use your <b>Battle Ready</b> ability.</p><p><b>Artificer</b> (7) characters that make it to the seventh level of their class receive a <b>Flash of Genius</b>. When John or another creature within 30 feet of him makes an ability check, he can use his reaction to add his Intelligence modifier to their roll. He can do this a number of times equal to his Intelligence modifier and then regains all expended uses of this ability after a long rest.</p><p>At eight level, an <b>Artificer</b> (8) gets another Ability Score Improvement or Feat. In this case, we're going to with <b>Skilled</b>, which grants three proficiencies that can be either Skill or Tool, depending on which ones you're going for. Given that John is swimming in tool proficiency, let's beef up his skills - take <b>Deception</b>, <b>Intimidation</b>, and <b>Investigation</b> to fill in some of the skills that John has in the movies. Congratulations! You now have the skills to match most of what John does in the movies... but, just for fun, let's keep going!</p><p>Ninth level <b>Artificer</b> (9) will see John gain the ability of the <b>Arcane Jolt</b>. When he strikes a target with a successful attack or his steel defender strikes a target, John can channel magical energy that can either:</p><p></p><ul style="text-align: left;"><li>cause a target to take an extra 2d6 force damage.</li><li>heal a creature within 30 feet of the target 2d6 hit points.</li></ul><p></p><p>Ninth level also opens up 3rd level spells. <i>Dispel magic</i> is always a fun one to have on hand, as if <i>glyph of warding</i>, which as a bunch of fun abilities that can be found on page 245 and 246 of the <i>Player's Handbook</i> and can definitely be set up into traps.</p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjAmQK2hpSW6hrXReswsG01Odkw4i3a8hLMGZcJe_9JWqz-ce9n0HWRzqJRy_q47V90VjULP-Amert-UcBGQ6rN0NVZ0UR_i_TnCXW2GAyb7uAutFhaqpY7c1QUEnrvd7Cx6EFYP_idMsuCRDr2gPAAj51pfNNLC9dY8bNm0opvSk2-Us5OjY6h2V5jHqSi/s586/Tobin-Bell-John-KramerJigsaw-586x330.jpg" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="330" data-original-width="586" height="225" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjAmQK2hpSW6hrXReswsG01Odkw4i3a8hLMGZcJe_9JWqz-ce9n0HWRzqJRy_q47V90VjULP-Amert-UcBGQ6rN0NVZ0UR_i_TnCXW2GAyb7uAutFhaqpY7c1QUEnrvd7Cx6EFYP_idMsuCRDr2gPAAj51pfNNLC9dY8bNm0opvSk2-Us5OjY6h2V5jHqSi/w400-h225/Tobin-Bell-John-KramerJigsaw-586x330.jpg" width="400" /></a></div><br /><p></p><p>At tenth level, an <b>Artificer</b> (10) gains a fun ability called <b>Magic Item Adept</b>. John can now attune to up to four magic items at once and when he crafts an item that is common or uncommon, it takes him a quarter of the normal time and half as much gold.</p><p>Next up is eleventh level, and an <b>Artificer</b> (11) gets the ability to create a <b>Spell-Storing Item</b>. It does exactly what you think it does - allows you to store a spell within an item. That is, so long as the spell is a 1st or 2nd level one from the Artificer list that requires an action to cast. The item can then produce the spell's effect a number of times equal to twice John's Intelligence modifier or until he uses this ability to store a spell in a different object.</p><p>At twelfth level, an <b>Artificer</b> (12) gets an Ability Score Improvement or a Feat.<b> Observant</b> bumps up your Intelligence or Wisdom score by 1 (obviously, going for Intelligence here), gives you the ability to read the lips of a creature and understand what it's saying if you know the language that they're speaking, and gives a +5 to Wisdom (Perception) and passive Intelligence (Investigation) scores.</p><p>At thirteen level, an <b>Artificer</b> (13) gets... nothing, except for unlocking 4th level spells - at least one slot for them. A <i>freedom of movement</i> spell would allow John to get himself out of sticky situations, <i>stone shape</i> would let him... well, shape stone to fit his purposes, and <i>fabricate</i> lets him converse raw materials into products of the same material such as a wooden bridge from a clump of trees or so on. Literally with that last one, the possibilities are nigh-endless. Mind you, the created objects can't be particularly complex and, of course, you can't use them to replicate magic items and the like.</p><p>At fourteenth level, an <b>Artificer</b> (14) becomes a <b>Magic Item Savant</b>. John can now attune to up to five magic items at once and can ignore all class, race, spell, and level requirements on attuning to or using a magic item. Like his other abilities, this doesn't just apply to magic items he creates, but <i>any</i> magic item(s).</p><p>An <b>Artificer</b> (15) following the path of the <b>Battle Smith</b> gets the <b>Improved Defender</b> ability. The damage/healing from <b>Arcane Jolt</b> increases to 4d6. The Steel Defender also gets a big boost, a +2 to Armor Class and does 1d4 + your Intelligence modifier in force damage to enemies that it uses its Deflect Attack reaction ability against.</p><p>At sixteenth level, <b>Artificers</b> (16) get another Ability Score Improvement or a Feat. In this case, we're going to add a +1 to Intelligence and Charisma.</p><p>At seventeenth level, <b>Artificers</b> (17) get access to the last level of spells for their class, the 5th level. <i>Animate object</i> and <i>Bigby's Hand</i> are fun ones and everybody loves a little <i>skill empowerment</i>. Oh, and <i>creation</i> of course, but I'm pretty sure that was obvious. That and <i>transmute rocks</i>.</p><p>At eighteenth level, an <b>Artificer</b> (18) becomes a <b>Magic Item Master</b>. The artificer can now attune to six magic items at once.</p><p>At nineteenth level, <b>Artificers</b> (19) get their last Ability Score Improvement or Feat. Once again, Intelligence and Charisma go up by 1.</p><p>Our capstone is the twentieth level of <b>Artificer</b> (20) and John has captured the <b>Soul of Artifice</b>. John now as a +1 bonus to all saving throws per magic item he's attuned to. He can also, when he's reduced to 0 hit points but not killed, use his reaction to end one of his infusions and drop to 1 hit point instead of 0.</p><p>Now that we've hit 20th level, let's look at our pros and cons.</p><p><b>Pros:</b></p><p></p><ul style="text-align: left;"><li>Soft skills - You have plenty of them and you're really good at them. With this build's focus on your soft stats, particularly Intelligence and Charisma, you can be a very observant, insightful, and very charismatic party face that can persuade, deceive, or intimidate with the best of them to get what you want. With your tool proficiency, you can do a lot of very useful things for yourself and for your party in terms of crafting.</li><li>Magic items galore! - With twelve known infusions, you can creature some seriously cool magic items. More to the point, by the time you reach the end, you get a +1 bonus to <i>all</i> your saving throws per item you're attuned to... and you can be attuned to six in all. A +6 to <i>every</i> Ability Score Check? Not bad, not bad at all.</li><li>Battlefield control - Some of your spells work very well for keeping control of the battlefield, such as <i>grease</i> to slip up your enemies, <i>sanctuary</i> to no sell their attacks, or things more overt like <i>stone shape</i> to really pull your enemies' feet out from under them... <i>literally</i>.</li></ul><p></p><p><b>Cons:</b></p><p></p><ul style="text-align: left;"><li>Your spell selection... isn't super great. Artificers get a lot of cool abilities to counteract the fact that their spell selection is so shoddy... but you don't have a lot to work with and the choking up of spell slots means you need to plan more carefully.</li><li>Your hard stats suck. Granted, there are things that counteract that such as John's <b>Battle Smith</b> ability to replace Strength/Dexterity bonuses with his Intelligence bonus... but that only applies to attacks, not Ability checks. Sure, you have that +6 if you have six items attuned to you with <b>Soul of Artifice</b>, but that only puts you at a +5 at most with Strength. They wanna push you around? Well, they will. Well, they will.</li><li>Your Constitution is also absolutely awful, by design given who this build is trying to emulate. Having heavy armor and letting your Steel Defender do most of your fighting isn't just a good idea, it's pretty much your only option in combat.</li></ul><p></p><p></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhpnmIJz9XfNnels3Dtk42fRU0q_byJv2Sgi_rWsDMfpwt-5A3wAt4QDvldVhmgD6Iu-ljM-eHGasPmuk2chyYAFr0_KNwMzvHMF-Tcw9JieH12e13qfSmm-CiU3Sl4eORf4yfpIYgZYIexjZ5uPh3wjyIaoPrtoJK1_avFpfcHHC8-lAIQiFm6bUGPW097/s599/image-35.webp" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="297" data-original-width="599" height="199" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhpnmIJz9XfNnels3Dtk42fRU0q_byJv2Sgi_rWsDMfpwt-5A3wAt4QDvldVhmgD6Iu-ljM-eHGasPmuk2chyYAFr0_KNwMzvHMF-Tcw9JieH12e13qfSmm-CiU3Sl4eORf4yfpIYgZYIexjZ5uPh3wjyIaoPrtoJK1_avFpfcHHC8-lAIQiFm6bUGPW097/w400-h199/image-35.webp" width="400" /></a></div><br />But hey, you're John Kramer, the Jigsaw Killer. There are many terrible people out there in the world that need to be tested, either to be taken out of the gene pool or winning their freedom and have a richer life for the experience. Just make sure you be mindful of just who you are manipulating when you do this, because one of them might just fight back and then it's game over!<p></p>MadCapMunchkinhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05885944836313859245noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7221258980660442179.post-67812608526737327102023-10-04T00:00:00.304-04:002023-10-04T00:00:00.135-04:00What If... Jamie Lloyd was the killer after Halloween 4? (Part 2)<p></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh5Bo14oiZzzzmMILjOEi08TF3JZWsPywiiG51f3u1OejE-Vy8TKu42LzweXYI2HCHXnqb9SeP8vJTx68in8yvjbTQTRbMIzIG4gToq72NmfRjgC2AwJjzjFdDRvYpfq8bo2bAdmfZL71kOD82rE1DHrpBnUt6gjJ0vbtD_YASRKYnO5hMGY7dkBzfh6Q/s1934/danielle-harris-halloween-2.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1088" data-original-width="1934" height="225" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh5Bo14oiZzzzmMILjOEi08TF3JZWsPywiiG51f3u1OejE-Vy8TKu42LzweXYI2HCHXnqb9SeP8vJTx68in8yvjbTQTRbMIzIG4gToq72NmfRjgC2AwJjzjFdDRvYpfq8bo2bAdmfZL71kOD82rE1DHrpBnUt6gjJ0vbtD_YASRKYnO5hMGY7dkBzfh6Q/w400-h225/danielle-harris-halloween-2.jpg" width="400" /></a></div><br />We caught back up with Jamie Lloyd, Rachel Carruthers, and the closest thing we have to Dr. Sam Loomis some nineteen years after <a href="https://madcapsrealm.blogspot.com/2017/10/madcaps-reel-thoughts-halloween-4.html">Jamie stabbed her foster mother to death</a>.<p></p><p>Needless to say, the reunion <a href="https://madcapsrealm.blogspot.com/2022/10/what-if-jamie-lloyd-was-killer-after.html">did not go well</a> for seven people in that small town in Connecticut.</p><p>But, as we saw there, the body of Dr. Sartain had been left out in the morgue by a person or persons unknown. More specifically the mysterious Man in Black, whose motives are unknown and unknowable at the present. So, the question becomes... what happens next?</p><p>Let's find out, shall we?<span></span></p><a name='more'></a><p></p><p></p><table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: left;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEio65jl8Ip-SC__4CAgvORLtRLBIN06AbVQYQ6duH1yzO-H19PSuVKJmjM1cFjbvhZi__bmjKjg0jjzLrYH51XikxTb3KjvrQy9yYvnDEcArjBwKWt_WTwvRpJ02qYT9YCTpcu67PLL2rTXl8L0-siZIPC2XGjTwRhfSqdkevS3gkCAb_iS8QdAnLojBw/s1920/alexisbuffy.jpeg" style="clear: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1080" data-original-width="1920" height="225" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEio65jl8Ip-SC__4CAgvORLtRLBIN06AbVQYQ6duH1yzO-H19PSuVKJmjM1cFjbvhZi__bmjKjg0jjzLrYH51XikxTb3KjvrQy9yYvnDEcArjBwKWt_WTwvRpJ02qYT9YCTpcu67PLL2rTXl8L0-siZIPC2XGjTwRhfSqdkevS3gkCAb_iS8QdAnLojBw/w400-h225/alexisbuffy.jpeg" width="400" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Alexis Denisof portrays David</td></tr></tbody></table><br />We pick up four years later, putting this film in 2011. Jamie Lloyd is still missing after escaping the morgue.<p></p><p>David Loomis, her former psychiatrist, was dismissed from Smith's Grove following the incident in Connecticut and has spent the better part of those four years trying to track her down and stop her. Rachel and her family have moved from their home and are currently MIA.</p><p>Every time that David has gotten close, however, Jamie manages to elude him by various means. However, he has been unable to find a rhyme or reason to the locations that she's going, nor to the people that she kills. While David revisits his father's theories that Michael and now Jamie is a being of pure evil made only to destroy, the elusiveness confuses him. It seems almost as if someone else is helping Jamie out.</p><p>After coming across a gas station that Jamie has slaughtered, he finds a single word painted onto a wall, the paint made up of the blood of Jamie's latest victims.</p><p>"MOMMY"</p><p>A car tears away from the gas station, previously having been believed abandoned by David. He goes off in pursuit of it, unaware that it does not contain Jamie - she slinks away in the other direction. David pursues the car all the way across the state to a run down motel. He finds the car without an occupant, but inquires inside and is told by the man at the desk that there is a call for him. Picking up the phone, David finds himself conversing with the mysterious Man in Black, who is cut to in between the bits of dialogue.</p><p>DAVID: Hello?</p><p>MAN IN BLACK: ...</p><p>DAVID: Who is this?</p><p>MAN IN BLACK: You have traveled quite a distance in search of Jamie Lloyd, Doctor Loomis. It is time for you to stop.</p><p>DAVID: You didn't answer my question. Who-</p><p>MAN IN BLACK: Jamie Lloyd's work is not done. You will not interfere any longer.</p><p>DAVID: Who <i>are</i> you? What do you want with Jamie?</p><p>MAN IN BLACK: The time is nigh, Doctor Loomis. The time is nigh.</p><p>The line goes dead. David looks at the calendar on the desk and sees that the date is October 29, 2011. A mere two days before Halloween. With the clue from the gas station, David goes to the one person who should know anything about it in relations to Jamie - that being Marion Chambers, now happily retired and living in the former home of the senior Doctor Loomis back in Langdon. Knowing he does not have much time, he journeys to Langdon.</p><p></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEglK0k7sDQbDoxW7MewWi2-JAC___nG5kXzQ7tHHQEBSSbb8JlsKXoq53C5e-MYe8oHf1MiIsn9jss8OODFMhM2y3YvYeE6-Ck0-arBKmg08jeO2SAbvNHkqDehS7-zzLNWFN_0aLNyxNqu6MP6YNyGVjG1LdxbWCaq1SqISBwoznnQDXcAsXVMF1mXgA/s451/MarionChambersdeath.jpg" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="258" data-original-width="451" height="229" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEglK0k7sDQbDoxW7MewWi2-JAC___nG5kXzQ7tHHQEBSSbb8JlsKXoq53C5e-MYe8oHf1MiIsn9jss8OODFMhM2y3YvYeE6-Ck0-arBKmg08jeO2SAbvNHkqDehS7-zzLNWFN_0aLNyxNqu6MP6YNyGVjG1LdxbWCaq1SqISBwoznnQDXcAsXVMF1mXgA/w400-h229/MarionChambersdeath.jpg" width="400" /></a></div><br />In Langdon, Marion finds herself at the mercy of none other than Jamie Lloyd. It seems, however, that Loomis had prepared the house for such a situation and there are some tricks at her disposal, such as emergency panic room doors and even a few traps like some electrified nets and some tranquilizer darts. Jamie gets subdued and Marion thinks all is well... and then the power gets cut off to the house. Having looked away for a brief moment, Marion finds the fallen form of Jamie is gone. She's managed to get behind her and Jamie stabs her in the spine multiple times. When Marion falls, Jamie raids her files, taking one in particular that we don't get to see the label of.<p></p><p>By the time David arrives in Langdon, the police and paramedics have gotten to the house and Marion is being wheeled away, barely alive. David fast talks his way onto the ambulance and speaks to her. In a great deal of pain, the life ebbing from her body, Marion manages to get out a few words.</p><p>"Keri Tate" "Summer Glen" "Hillcrest".</p><p>However, despite the treatment of the paramedics, she dies on the way to the hospital. Armed with this new knowledge, David consults Google and discovers something that shocks him. Of course, having seen H20, we know what's coming.</p><p>In Summer Glen, California, "Keri Tate Brennan" is celebrating her retirement party after having spent the last two decades as the headmistress of the Hillcrest Academy, which has had several successful graduates such as her son John and his now-wife Molly, who have gone on to have successful careers and a family of their own. We, of course, know the truth that this is Laurie Strode and she is ironically living a much better life than either her H20 or Blumhouse timeline counterparts. She's well-adjusted, happy, and seemingly has no problems with drug and alcohol abuse.</p><p></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgv3giSpmoXw5H7gIvVLWXeBvih2pUBLUEJceObKGFVBl44NtmGZk1zRLoKNDmknfpSw27BhVtJ3dwNsHal_3Y5uNL-KbpXQ96_xO5l1V31rJ_nB2nR6jZoKPmoEr5G-VrKin8m9T6Mu6hkRmVjk5p7PDzEsPiYRhI6j0l_jt9IfFEKpPQGAW0WSOqKug/s477/Laurie.jpg" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="455" data-original-width="477" height="381" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgv3giSpmoXw5H7gIvVLWXeBvih2pUBLUEJceObKGFVBl44NtmGZk1zRLoKNDmknfpSw27BhVtJ3dwNsHal_3Y5uNL-KbpXQ96_xO5l1V31rJ_nB2nR6jZoKPmoEr5G-VrKin8m9T6Mu6hkRmVjk5p7PDzEsPiYRhI6j0l_jt9IfFEKpPQGAW0WSOqKug/w400-h381/Laurie.jpg" width="400" /></a></div><br />Michael has been dead since 1988 and Jamie has been locked away in Smith's Grove (again) since 2007. For the last thirty-three years, Laurie Strode has been considered by most parties to be dead. This reality comes crashing down, however, when David Loomis appears on her doorstep and tells her that there is great trouble ahead.<p></p><p>The troubles are not Laurie's, but John's at first. John is an Army veteran, having served two tours in Iraq, and now works as a Regional Manager for a construction company. During a day on a new build site, as he's working at his office, John glances out the window to find Jamie staring at him from across the road in a very <i>Halloween</i>-esque manner. When he looks away and looks back, she's disappeared and he doesn't think much more of it.</p><p>That night, two drunken members of his construction crew pop back onto the site and are brutally killed by Jamie. Their bodies are found the next morning, their blood used to scrawl out a message of "BROTHER". The police begin investigating, John is immediately under suspicion due to the two men having been repeat troublemakers that he's disciplined in the past. David, Laurie, and Laurie's husband Will journey to the town where John, Molly, and their family live and explain the situation to Molly. John and Molly's daughter Judith (named after Molly's grandmother) is stalked by Jamie and we get a tense scene where it seems like Jamie might actually do in the eight year old before she is picked up from school by her mother, grandmother, and grandfather.</p><p>Because H20 never happened in this continuity, David has to play some exposition to get John and Molly up to speed on the franchise. While John knows about Michael and his mother's trauma from the original 1978 incident, the fact that he has a half-sister comes as a complete shock. Laurie genuinely feels great shame and guilt at having left Jamie behind in Haddonfield, thinking she would have had a better life without her in it after her father, Jimmy from <i>Halloween II</i>, had died in that car wreck. While she has since found ways to deal with her trauma and move beyond it, hearing of the events in 1988 and hearing that Jamie was incarcerated was something she had tried to ignore, thinking that that chapter of her life needed to stay in the past.</p><p>John, understandably, gives her Hell for it.</p><p>Being the two heading things up, David and Laurie attempt to make some kind of plan. Without knowing where Jamie is or where she will strike, however, they are sitting ducks. In the other room, Will gets a phone call from the same voice that spoke to David earlier. Unlike earlier, however, we don't get to hear the entire conversation.</p><p>MAN IN BLACK: You are going to do as we ask, Mr. Brennan. You have no choice.</p><p>WILL: You can't make me do this. I <i>won't</i> do this.</p><p>MAN IN BLACK: Yes, you will, because you know what happens if you do not...</p><p>WILL: What?</p><p>We do not hear the Man in Black, but whatever it is is so bad that Will is devastated and agrees.</p><p>That night, the family plus David is holed up in the Tate household. Will brings the adult folks - namely Laurie, John, and David, a few cups of coffee. Upstairs, Molly is tucking Judith in. Unbeknownst to either of them, Jamie is right outside the window in that creepy stalker way.</p><p></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg0YUvmFOZAeL8pQKGrEhXo_TneTlZLOrKqSOvUqkokSUpd9tJ8M58BtN1Rm0QUcVPiQnHWy0IVKh6XOpq33lJd5ackkL1CNQg0H-Koq1qWwtLfGopfLrDIQHl-Y1X4f-_huzIf7ArdosejKnm9pqZ080MfVLXEGUGdQ7xBgtlJ4oTlAERXh-7Ew0yXF0fj/s780/badman.gif" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="330" data-original-width="780" height="169" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg0YUvmFOZAeL8pQKGrEhXo_TneTlZLOrKqSOvUqkokSUpd9tJ8M58BtN1Rm0QUcVPiQnHWy0IVKh6XOpq33lJd5ackkL1CNQg0H-Koq1qWwtLfGopfLrDIQHl-Y1X4f-_huzIf7ArdosejKnm9pqZ080MfVLXEGUGdQ7xBgtlJ4oTlAERXh-7Ew0yXF0fj/w400-h169/badman.gif" width="400" /></a></div><br />Downstairs, David is explaining the path he has taken over the last four years in pursuit of Jamie. He has found no rhyme or reason to her movements, as though she has simply been wandering... until the incident at the gas station, which is what led him to Laurie and the others. He speaks of the Man in Black, which Will is clearly perturbed about and hides poorly. David notices.<p></p><p>John begins to fall asleep after drinking his coffee. Laurie, too, begins to get drowsy and drift in and out. David, however, has not touched his cup and pulls his gun on a surprised Will. David grills him about the Man in Black, Will claiming to not know anything - only that they promised to leave him and Laurie in peace. David is prepared to shoot Will when they hear a scream from upstairs. David rushes upstairs to find Jamie has shattered the window and terrorized Molly and Judith. However, she is no longer there and a loud banging noise from downstairs gets their attention. David instructs Molly and Judith to barricade themselves in and goes to investigate, finding that the Man in Black has busted in... and it is no one that we know.</p><p>Nope, it's actually not Terrence Wynn. I've decided to dig back into an even older theory. The Man in Black reveals himself to be none other than a man named Samuel Myers - the twin brother of Michael, and thus an older brother of Laurie. When Michael killed Judith Myers in 1963, Samuel was placed into foster care and all records of his existence were sealed away - even the original Dr. Loomis knew nothing of his existence. While he is not Dr. Terrence Wynn, he was adopted by the man who was in fact... the leader of the Cult of Thorn, keepers of the dark power that festered inside of Michael and now exists within Jamie. When Wynn died in 2002, Samuel took over the cult and thus took over watching Jamie.</p><p>David is subdued by two members of the cult, who render him unconscious and drag him out. An unconscious John is likewise taken out by another two members of the Cult. As Laurie finally succumbs to the sleeping pills, Will confronts Samuel and demands that the Cult honor their part of the bargain.</p><p>SAMUEL: Oh, you misunderstand. I won't be leaving you in peace. I said that I would leave you alone.</p><p>WILL: I, wha-NO!</p><p>Samuel uses a silenced gun to fire three bullets into Will's chest, leaving him slumped over onto the table. When asked about Laurie, Samuel orders two of the cult members to bring her along: they aren't finished with her quite yet.</p><p></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEho2y13lzZo_xubIIh9GoIcN0zijjZhVOhhJqzu-dARV9X0X5Z5csO9Q7ZTwmwZK9cf2OS2e0dRFBbJJ5HpAfHNElm_hoptX3yt5L8C7iegWgSfSo_jz6EPpDsJ9diTu3_Ivo2EOpdRLgzVc33kti8IPClU6xfwzYRW6PCFpvqJd_Smy8VD5dyHNSfRoNkD/s323/Thorn.jpeg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="156" data-original-width="323" height="194" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEho2y13lzZo_xubIIh9GoIcN0zijjZhVOhhJqzu-dARV9X0X5Z5csO9Q7ZTwmwZK9cf2OS2e0dRFBbJJ5HpAfHNElm_hoptX3yt5L8C7iegWgSfSo_jz6EPpDsJ9diTu3_Ivo2EOpdRLgzVc33kti8IPClU6xfwzYRW6PCFpvqJd_Smy8VD5dyHNSfRoNkD/w400-h194/Thorn.jpeg" width="400" /></a></div><br />When David and John awaken, they are tied back to back in a darkened room with no idea of where they are. It's all very <i>Big Trouble in Little China</i>. Samuel enters, telling them that the time has come for Jamie to make the final sacrifice - namely Laurie and John, and John's children - in order for the Curse of Thorn to pass, protecting the tribe. After informing the pair that there is nothing they can do, he has two cult members take John away for the sacrifice. John attempts to escape, but gets beaten down and taken away. In the chaos, though, David is able to loosen the ropes holding him without drawing too much attention to that fact. When he's left by the cult, he begins to work his way out of them completely.<p></p><p>The Cult gathers and we learn where they are - Smith's Grove Sanitarium, once again. Samuel tells Laurie that Jamie will arrive soon, and he will make certain that she is the last of her line to die. For yes, it is indeed Halloween night 2011, and the constellation of Thorn is high in the sky over the Sanitarium. Before long, Jamie will arrive. He also explains that nature of the rune to Laurie and what it is for, and that Jamie inheriting it from Michael when he died in 1988 was something that was never intended to happen and thus is the reason why the Cult has had some difficulty keeping control over her in the past few years. Now, however, she's on the way back to Smith's Grove and the end is nigh.</p><p>Jamie arrives and all seems lost as the Cult directs her to kill off Laurie, John, and Judith. However, to the surprise of all, Jamie pulls out a kitchen knife and rams it through Samuel's throat. The leader of the Cult falls over, gargling his own blood as Jamie turns on the other members of the Cult and starts to kill them off one by one. David has managed to escape and reveals that he took a rune from Samuel's office, one that essentially switched who was an acceptable target for Jamie - namely, the Cult and Samuel.</p><p>David tries to get everyone out as Jamie finishes off the Cult. Unfortunately, Judith pulling on his arm causes him to drop the rune and it shatters, breaking the control over Jamie. Everybody runs up until they get to the exit. Laurie gets everyone outside and then locks the door behind them, turning to face Jamie. Laurie tells Jamie how sorry she is for abandoning her and it seems for a moment that she's going to relent and things may take a turn for the better...</p><p>Laurie dies as Jamie rams the knife that killed Samuel Myers through her chest, her mother's last action before slumping to the ground dead being to shakily press a hand to the mask-covered cheek of her daughter. With the Cult dead and Laurie dead, Jamie has two targets left - getting outside just in time to see John, Molly, Judith, and David drive off in a Smith's Grove van. Jamie flips the blood-covered knife in her hands and begins the slow serial killer walk toward her targets.</p><p>Alas, we aren't quite done here. With this settled, we get an end scene (or a post-credits scene if you prefer) that returns us to Haddonfield, Illinois. A police car rolls up to a graveyard. The young cop inside is responding to a call about screams coming from the cemetery. Thinking that it's just some kids pulling an out of season Halloween prank, he decides not to wait for back up and heads in himself. The cop finds a gravestone smeared with blood, and comes across the first body - that of the gravedigger. He reports this into his dispatcher, and then discovers another body... and another, and another... and yet another... all leading to four particular graves.</p><p>Donald Myers, the father.</p><p>Audrey Myers, the mother.</p><p>Judith Myers, the sister (with the gravestone restored from the 1978 incident).</p><p>and... Michael Myers - born October 19, 1957 and died October 31, 1988.</p><p>The first three graves are undisturbed. The fourth, however... is not.</p><p>The dirt has been upturned... from the inside. The young cop is about to radio this in when he hears deep breathing at his back and turns... just in time to get a knife in his gut, his last view being that of the blackest eyes... the devil's eyes... as he falls back into the open grave. A pair of worn, leathern hands picks up the gravedigger's shovel and begins to fill the grave back in...</p><p></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjjOWf5QVKvs5fyh5TsefbrnknNWPHqOcyXRajKZc73Nawbyj3-H-v3sTivKX6GQA3YRoR5YyZCYLU2ljbQDZm1CtLaF0oDKaCi7LCIceDUR4OGmFNVyIQveSNBvMpSkKadjbZB-Cr9rzXorE_uaFZioFLJP63kbvrNl8V9m_Rh1ZgvzBZk4613P-Ztf4_h/s290/Michael.jpeg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="174" data-original-width="290" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjjOWf5QVKvs5fyh5TsefbrnknNWPHqOcyXRajKZc73Nawbyj3-H-v3sTivKX6GQA3YRoR5YyZCYLU2ljbQDZm1CtLaF0oDKaCi7LCIceDUR4OGmFNVyIQveSNBvMpSkKadjbZB-Cr9rzXorE_uaFZioFLJP63kbvrNl8V9m_Rh1ZgvzBZk4613P-Ztf4_h/w400-h240/Michael.jpeg" width="400" /></a></div><br />...aaaaaand that's where we're going to leave off. Has Michael, after twenty-three years, risen from the grave once again? What does that mean for Jamie and the others? Will the curse of the Myers family finally, perhaps, be broken?<p></p><p>A question for another day. Next time, we'll be hearing the fifth part of the story of what happened... in...</p><p><i>What If... Sam Winchester killed John Winchester?</i></p><p>Be there!</p>MadCapMunchkinhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05885944836313859245noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7221258980660442179.post-20132057882531275942023-10-03T00:00:00.082-04:002023-10-03T00:00:00.136-04:00From MadCap's Couch - Doctor Who: "The Curse of Fenric"<p></p><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgiwZPh36KbC9ib75T3L-j8Hphfli9igzGG72MJqupRCA7cCwcUBqscK6v2Bf91YiaCiFRvd_q3eBDMnmWbMdNT5yhtqGomFsJTZfAR9Sd7swOikDvzar89WI4c_dHWYGGrPGebzKQCeCjWI_nIv_H_eneghdqtAMmRwte1mONKTlL_GGl7uFhYH2sw8A/s768/Fenric%201.jpg" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="509" data-original-width="768" height="265" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgiwZPh36KbC9ib75T3L-j8Hphfli9igzGG72MJqupRCA7cCwcUBqscK6v2Bf91YiaCiFRvd_q3eBDMnmWbMdNT5yhtqGomFsJTZfAR9Sd7swOikDvzar89WI4c_dHWYGGrPGebzKQCeCjWI_nIv_H_eneghdqtAMmRwte1mONKTlL_GGl7uFhYH2sw8A/w400-h265/Fenric%201.jpg" width="400" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Excuse me, do you have a moment to talk about our lord and savior Ug-Qualtoth?</td></tr></tbody></table><br />Alrighty, a little bit of a notice before we start. Generally in the past, the Horror Month TV reviews have been <i>Supernatural</i>. We will have a <i>Supernatural</i> episode up for this month. However, I decided that I'm going to change it up a little this time as the title of this post may have clued you in to. Rather than going with just one series - I'm going to skip around the various series that I've reviewed and pick a spooky episode from each one. So, given that there are five Tuesdays in this October, I have decided to review at least one episode from:<p></p><p></p><ul style="text-align: left;"><li>Doctor Who</li><li>Quantum Leap</li><li>Supernatural (duh)</li><li>Sliders</li><li>...and one other special thing, which may come from any of those series or something else entirely!</li></ul><p></p><p>Everybody got that? Good! Then we can get on with this episode (the penultimate one of the <i>entire classic show</i>), one of my favorite episodes of not only the Sylvester McCoy era (which we've <a href="https://madcapsrealm.blogspot.com/2020/08/from-madcaps-couch-doctor-who.html">touched on before</a>), but of all of <i>Doctor Who</i> in its entirety.</p><p><i>The Curse of Fenric</i>!<span></span></p><p>Seriously, this is honestly one of the best episodes of the entire show. Old or new.</p><p>...no, really. I'm not even kidding.</p><a name='more'></a><p></p><p><b>Part One</b></p><p>If you recall from my review of <i>Remembrance of the Daleks</i>, classic <i>Doctor Who</i> was serialized into multiple parts of anywhere from 25 to 45 minutes. In the case of the McCoy era, all of his stories were serialized in four such parts. The number of parts for an episode and per season varied wildly between 1963 and 1989. If you'd like a more in-depth look as to why that is, I'd recommend checking out <a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=RYxngGV1QPo&list=PLOt8i0lTzwaxKp9n--_sYKWSGxEMRN30o">Diamanda Hagan's Guide to Classic Who</a>. She goes over it significantly better than I ever could and I think we have given our subject more than a little ado, so... let us get into it.</p><p>Part One begins with the McCoy opening credits, some of if not the first set of opening credits ever on television to use CGI. After that, a company of Russian soldiers on a pontoon boat row toward a cliff, one proclaiming "We're almost there!". Soon enough, they make their way to the shore and are making camp.</p><p>The Doctor and Ace arrive at a supposed top-secret naval base, where Ace insists that this can't possibly be a top secret naval base because "you don't just <i>stroll</i> <i>in</i>!" The Doctor looks rather offended. Ace's belief is proven right when a bunch of Royal Marines show up to put them at gunpoint. The Doctor fast-talks his way through them, getting directions to the office of a Dr. Judson.</p><p>On the beach, the Russians resolve to speak only English (saving money on the subtitles) and find one of their comrades in a catatonic state, veins bulging from his neck, unable to tell them where the sealed orders that they're looking for can be found.</p><p>Arriving in the wheelchair-bound Dr. Judson's office, the Doctor once more fast-talks his way into the man's good graces, even having Ace show off her knowledge of his logic puzzle. The base commander arrives to find that the Doctor has a letter from the War Office... which the Time Lord forged himself within about five minutes, evidently thanks to his <a href="https://madcapsrealm.blogspot.com/2023/03/from-madcaps-couch-doctor-who-victory.html">knowledge of old Winston</a>.</p><p>On the beach again, the Russian commander chides his men for believing in "Armenian substitions", sending one to investigate the area. We get an ominous shot of the bow of a Viking ship and then return to the beach to find a soldier having found and opening a packet of sealed orders, which contain a picture of Dr. Judson. As he moves to join his fellows again, <i>something</i> is stalking him... and he manages to get away from it... until he doesn't...</p><p>The next morning, Vicar Wainwright is saved from the British equivalent of a Karen by the Doctor. While he takes the Doctor to go meet with Judson in the crypt, Ace befriends and chats with two young women who have evacuated from London due to the bombings.</p><p>In an office somewhere, complete with a Nazi man, a mustachio'd man in a British uniform stares at a chess set thoughtfully. This is Commander Millington, who is <i>not</i> a Nazi, but we don't find that until much later.</p><p>In the crypt, the Vicar drops some exposition about a superstition about the crypt - namely that evil had been buried there long ago. Deeper within, Judson has uncovered some Viking runes which he is enthusiastically working on translating. Ace mentions she heard some kind of machinery in the crypt, but the Doctor dismisses it. Outside, the Doctor notes that the dirt in front of one of the graves has subsided... after it had been dug. When Ace mentions she's to meet her two new friends at Maiden's Point, the Doctor resolves to go with her.</p><p>Back with British Karen, she is warning the two young women off from going to Maiden's Point. She tells them of tales of young women who went to that place with evil in their hearts, girls that were damned forever, and that you can still hear the screams from the cliffs. On the beach, the Doctor and Ace find the Russian sealed orders. The Doctor, in the traditional way they do in their seventh incarnation, is planning three steps ahead and resolves to go back to the church - but warns Ace to <i>not</i> go into the water.</p><p>While Millington and Judson talk briefly about the code breaking, the Doctor meets with Vicar Wainwright, who gives him a book that contains translations made by the Vicar's grandfather, the former Vicar. As Ace refuses to go swimming (she has a fear of water, we'll get back into that later), the Doctor reads from the book and learns that the Vikings that settled the area did indeed believe themselves to be under a terrible curse for stealing a great treasure.</p><p>The two girls go swimming seemingly without incident, but find a sort of jeweled thing that they say feels "electric" when they try and touch it. After the pair leave it and narrowly avoid being sniped by one of the Russian soldiers, who heads down to retrieve the item and ends up tossing it into the water.</p><p>As Judson reads the translation, ominous as it is, a decidedly inhuman hand grabs the thing its claws and we cut to another shot of the Viking ship... with the body of the Russian soldier from earlier left draped across the bow.</p><p>The Doctor and Ace pop into the room where several women are working on breaking the German radio transmissions, where Ace finds a baby and immediately bonds with it like a... well, like a mother to a child. At least until she learns that the baby's name... is Audrey. The Doctor remains non-committal, but clearly knows something.</p><p>Millington comes in and, clearly displeased, tells the woman who has been tending to the baby that she has twenty-four hours. Ace, despite her issues with the name, is not pleased and has to be taken out by the Doctor. He pulls her over to Millington's office, where the Doctor explains that Millington has merely created a recreation of the Nazi intelligence office, wanting to think as the enemy thinks... save for a portrait from his school days, from which we learn that Judson and Millington went to school together.</p><p>Millington who, when Judson reads the translation to him, is convinced that the end of days is now... and that the first step is the Wolves of Fenric coming back for their treasure...</p><p>On the beach, the Doctor and Ace find a dead Russian soldier with one of the pieces of treasure... and several live ones without them, who put them at gunpoint, ending Part One.</p><p><b></b></p><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiz4Oe2gdfdDikUmH0Be6t6hWNCy48HucXoRYqdWXd04-lrLe7SqCpGa8Y61GfO-eDL7qxyg9xfSeYhQjMDJkJS3wCJpLJoH07QElAudjywu56P8pu-u98o3sXXIDilK2BwADNYazuAI4MdCQarS3Xb7LZH2JDsdXi5a44XykKLkVUVwN9b07JSZNCfmg/s1024/cs26ep3h.jpg" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="768" data-original-width="1024" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiz4Oe2gdfdDikUmH0Be6t6hWNCy48HucXoRYqdWXd04-lrLe7SqCpGa8Y61GfO-eDL7qxyg9xfSeYhQjMDJkJS3wCJpLJoH07QElAudjywu56P8pu-u98o3sXXIDilK2BwADNYazuAI4MdCQarS3Xb7LZH2JDsdXi5a44XykKLkVUVwN9b07JSZNCfmg/w400-h300/cs26ep3h.jpg" width="400" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">I thought Tinkerbell did well in the first official Disney/Marvel crossover...</td></tr></tbody></table><b><br />Part Two</b><p></p><p>Part Two begins with the Doctor and Ace being taken to the Russian Commander, a Captain Sorin, by his men.</p><p>Judson continues to read the translation, speaking of the Curse of Fenric. As he does so, runes within the church begin to light up. Beneath the waves, the Russian soldier who had been stuck to the bow suddenly opens his eyes.</p><p>On the beach, the Doctor attempts to question the wounded Russian soldier, getting the man to be coherent enough to hand over <i>another</i> piece of the treasure. He eventually convinces them to let them go, or more of their men are going to die.</p><p>Judson, having been pulled from the crypt by his assistant, is ordered by Millington to use his machine - the ULTIMA device - to translate the runes. While this happens, the Doctor and Ace return to the church to find it... different, or so the Doctor says. When they get into the crypt proper, they find the runes that were lit up - older than the others in the crypt and, more to the point, ones that were not there the night before. Looking for clues, the Doctor finds the muzzle of Millington's pistol as his answer.</p><p>The Vicar gives a brief sermon to an empty church about Corinthians 13:11-13, although he hesitates and we cut away before he ends the "and the greatest of these is love" quote.</p><p>The Doctor and Ace are brought to the basement beneath the church, where Millington reveals his plan to end the war - gas that will packed into bombs that he plans to use destroy the Nazis once and for all. Where does this gas come from? The world serpent... apparently, Millington is a Norse mythology nut and believes that the Doctor will help him in his cause.</p><p>Upstairs, Ace is left with the Vicar at Commander Millington's insistence and the pair talk about the nature of belief. Millington claims to be unsure about his faith in the future, Ace encouraging him to have faith in the future. And faith in her.</p><p>Judson and Millington reveal that they know the Russian's orders to steal their ULTIMA and reveal their own Trojan horse - a bomb holding the gas within. In the basement, Millington demonstrates the use of his gas on some caged doves, telling him that the ultimate plan is for the Russians to take the ULTIMA and have them use it. Judson has programmed the bomb within to detonate when a particular word - love - is translated. The Doctor is horrified by this... and given some of the frankly terrifying things the Doctor gets up to (in just this story alone: spoiler alert!), that is not a statement that can be made lightly.</p><p>Elsewhere in the crypt, two workers find a broken bit of brickwork after it glows and drops a vase of some kind. They leave it and continue their work.</p><p>Back at Maiden's Point, after British Karen has told them off again, Ace's two refugee friends go back to Maiden's Point for a swim. Both scream as they disappear into the mist...</p><p>Back in his office, Millington instructs his immediate subordinate to cut off all outside communications. He also orders every chess set in the complex to be found and burned. No exceptions.</p><p>We get a shade of the Cartmel masterplan in a bit where, when Audrey's guardian questions him about his family, the Doctor is very cryptic about their status. While looking for Ace, he pops back into Judson's office just in time to find him translating the runes with his ULTIMA. The message? "Let the chains of Fenric shatter"...</p><p>On the beach, the refugee girls are looking decidedly less human - their hands with the long, stringy Nosferatu fingers and their faces looking so very pale. They lure a Russian soldier into the water, and a bunch of blue-green barnacle-covered things with those same fingers pull them down into the water.</p><p>The Doctor goes to check in on Ace's friends while Ace is left with Judson. After being chided off, she suggests to him that the runes aren't a puzzle in the way he's trying to solve them - but a logic puzzle. She suggests using a computer, which Judson excitedly has his assistant - Crane - take him to.</p><p>British Karen gets offed by the two monster girls and the Doctor and Ace arrive later to find her completely drained of blood. The pair quickly pop out to save Vicar Wainwright from being the next victim of the two girls, who taunt him about his fear... not of German bombs falling, but of British bombs falling on German cities and killing German children... and they promise to return.</p><p>Leaving the Doctor is trying to formulate a plan and says that so long as Judson doesn't translate the runes, then they'll be alright. Ace reveals she gave him the tip to solve it... and they rush to stop things before it's too late.</p><p>A cavalcade of the creatures - mutated vampires in various modes of dress going all the way back to the Elizabethan era - begins rising from the water at Maiden's Point, stalking menacingly toward the shore.</p><p>The Doctor, Ace, and the Vicar bust into Judson's office to stop them, only to find that ULTIMA is operating at four times normal speed and the power cannot be shut off. Part Two ends with Millington proclaiming that the Doctor is too late...</p><p><b></b></p><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgiiE1-sLQVuAr8wagXIKPXhBA5KWgBt6z-XwQblyqFzv66E0HDRK5z4g0sRf-nENjiax3J47xaAAwS-OMjsyEBx6q9QdIjGxGyOKoXDykSh7onFEs3qrvZwnG-SlMFOoI8AUoSzR1gArcXeOnVArA7KbZXX5N6df4RP3spkcLMleH7wdOHH926K5cNLA/s500/curse-of-fenric.jpg" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="263" data-original-width="500" height="210" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgiiE1-sLQVuAr8wagXIKPXhBA5KWgBt6z-XwQblyqFzv66E0HDRK5z4g0sRf-nENjiax3J47xaAAwS-OMjsyEBx6q9QdIjGxGyOKoXDykSh7onFEs3qrvZwnG-SlMFOoI8AUoSzR1gArcXeOnVArA7KbZXX5N6df4RP3spkcLMleH7wdOHH926K5cNLA/w400-h210/curse-of-fenric.jpg" width="400" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Я пришел сюда, чтобы надрать задницу и пожевать жевательную резинку, а у меня кончилась жевательная резинка!</td></tr></tbody></table><b><br />Part Three</b><p></p><p>Part Three kicks off with Millington ordering reinforcements be sent to help bolster their defenses, only to be reminded that he ordered communications be cut off... and the British military are apparently surprisingly efficient about that sort of thing.</p><p>The Doctor explains to Ace and the Vicar that these creatures aren't vampires - they are Haemovores, creatures that humans will evolve into in the far far far future and have an insatiable need for blood. Ace goes to check on baby Audrey while the Russian soldiers retrieve their fallen comrade and narrowly avoid the armies of the damned stalking toward them.</p><p>In Millington's office, he and Judson debate the nature of the curse. Judson, being a scientist, believes it to be superstitious poppycock, but Millington is almost driven insane by the thought of taking the power of Fenric for themselves.</p><p>The Doctor tasks the Vicar with looking into who the descendants of the original Vikings who settled the area are while the Doctor and Ace snoop around the crypt. Ace finds the vase from earlier and puts it away in her pack. The Vicar learns of several descendants of the Vikings... just in time for us to learn why the graves were subsided in Part One, more vampires are rising from them. They attack the church, Ace escaping out onto the roof and getting a rope ladder out of her bag of tricks to get away... into the waiting arms of some Haemovores...</p><p>The Russians begin moving in on the church while Ace struggles to escape... and the Russians surprisingly come to her rescue!</p><p>Back in the church, swarmed by the vampires, the Doctor encourages the Vicar to use faith. He begins mouthing something to them and - whatever it is (I tried reading his lips a few times and got "Ian", "Barbara", though that could just be me projecting a bit) causes an angelic chant to be heard and the Haemovores to flee, holding their heads as if in pain. The Doctor explains, once they're all locked up in the basement, that it was the use of faith. The legend about vampires being repelled by crucifixes come from the use of faith, not the actual object itself. It creates a psychic force that can repel them, and the Doctor's psychic force must be pretty damn strong by that account.</p><p>Sorin refuses to leave his men behind and prepares to brave the insanity saying, "If I fail, I fail." The Doctor questions him on if his faith is so strong. His response? "If we meet again, you will have your answer."</p><p>Bad. ASS.</p><p>Man, I sure hope nothing bad happens to him!</p><p>We also get an oddly tender moment where Sorin gives Ace a favor - a white scarf he was wearing before - and tells her to be careful. Kind of makes me wonder if a scene got cut where something more was being developed, but never mind.</p><p>In the crypt, Ace puts some Nitro-9 to use to blow open a doorway that had been sealed (the Doctor chiding her for it as they duck in). She prepares to try and open the vase - or rather, a flask - to use as another carrier for more Nitro-9, which the Doctor instead identifies as the treasure they've been looking for.</p><p>Upstairs, Sorin is able to use his Soviet Union pin as his symbol of Truth Faith, repelling the vampires and walking through them like they're nothing to the point where they willingly leave him be. </p><p>The Doctor, Ace, and the Vicar arrive at the other end of the tunnels. They are met by Millington, who confiscates the flask and the book and seals the two redshirts in the crypt with the Haemovores, much to the outrage of our heroes.</p><p>Sorin attempts to entreat with Millington and only gets captured for his trouble, though his men are able to escape thanks to his code phrase. Millington proudly tells the Doctor that everything's under control, the Doctor reminds him that the Haemovores have been welding metal under the water with their bare hands... an iron door isn't going to stop them.</p><p>Ace lays into the Doctor for not letting her in on anything, having worked out that the Doctor knows <i>everything</i> about what's going on. She's right, of course. The Doctor gives an explanation about dark and evil forces that are converging and will rise once more, forces that they have to stop. Fenric is a primordial evil from before the universe, something that is the closest to true evil that exists in all of creation. They have to get the flask, it's the only way that they may be able to stop him. Ace hits upon the idea of seducing the guard away from Sorin so they can jailbreak him, succeeding in doing so long enough for the Doctor to successfully spring the man from a holding cell. The Doctor informs the two that they have to stop Fenric before he finds a body...</p><p>The Haemovores bust out, and the Vicar is there to greet them - packing two barrels of True Faith via the Bible... for a few seconds, until it ends up failing and he gets eaten.</p><p>...best two out of three, Vicar?</p><p>All this time, ULTIMA has been putting out Viking names at lightning speed. A discharge of energy knocks Judson out of his chair just as the Doctor, Ace, and Sorin arrive. Millington begins to speak frantically about how the gods have lost the final battle and the chains of Fenric will shatter, leading Ace to proclaim that he is the body that Fenric has found. Over the Doctor's shoulder, however, Judson stands up and opens his eyes to reveal yellow eyes not unlike a certain Yellow-Eyed Demon from <i>another</i> series I've covered. His first words?</p><p></p><blockquote>"We play the contest again... Time Lord."</blockquote><p></p><p><b></b></p><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiUQ6_s69TCUf75B182X4yWLZAN60dmm19biAYFinnRiXyIouTi9g_b20a_O0QSGugnO0XnujUSLg1O7zTovYMynil7gkS9pPXTl5k_RY_SZCZ7r2VfEG5UditucPnjYFKDGB4qAyqo88RdMdtClKRHLf4r28Y2L_Hxjv6L_LeGsOtTxeLrCnCCz_ZjSA/s1200/ACe's%20mother.jpg" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="675" data-original-width="1200" height="225" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiUQ6_s69TCUf75B182X4yWLZAN60dmm19biAYFinnRiXyIouTi9g_b20a_O0QSGugnO0XnujUSLg1O7zTovYMynil7gkS9pPXTl5k_RY_SZCZ7r2VfEG5UditucPnjYFKDGB4qAyqo88RdMdtClKRHLf4r28Y2L_Hxjv6L_LeGsOtTxeLrCnCCz_ZjSA/w400-h225/ACe's%20mother.jpg" width="400" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">"Have you seen this child?"</td></tr></tbody></table><b><br />Part Four</b><p></p><p>The final segment of <i>The Curse of Fenric</i> begins with a short recap of the last few minutes of Part Three, Fenric expositing that the Doctor trapped him "seventeen centuries ago", but now he's free and the preparations are complete. He then escapes, returning to the Haemovores and saying he was only expecting one of them. He orders them to fetch him the Ancient One, as there is much to do...</p><p>The Doctor, Ace, and Sorin are put before a firing squad at Millington's orders... only to once again be saved by the Russians! As the Russians and the British duke it out, the Doctor reveals to Ace that the game he played against Fenric is simple - a game of chess. They just need to find the chess set, and Ace recalls the one from Millington's office, the pair heading off with Sorin to go after it.</p><p>As Fenric prepares in the bomb room, the Doctor and Ace avoid not one but two bombs in Millington's office. The second, unfortunately, destroys the chess set. They are still able to get the book, and Ace recalls the woman who was taking care of Audrey earlier - Dudman - as one of the names. She also had a chess set, which the two quickly go to get from her.</p><p>Sorin and his last man are witness to several soldiers being killed by the Haemovores and Millington's poison. In the basement, Millington finally realizes what is happening when Fenric spells it out for him - there's enough poison in that room to corrupt the entire Earth... forever.</p><p>With their forces decimated, the remaining British and Russian soldiers agree to a truce. We get another scene between Sorin and Ace where he's rather sweet on her, giving her a real Soviet pin after seeing her fake one on her jacket. Ace stays with Dudman and Ace after the Doctor gets the chess set, the Doctor warning her not to leave the hut.</p><p>Fenric smiles with glee as he has two Haemovores kill Judson's assistant, Crane. The Doctor sets up the chess set in bomb room. Ace mentions the events of an earlier episode - <i>Ghost Light</i> (a story for another day) - and Dudman questions why someone would bring a child into a world like this. The philosophy has to wait, though, as the Haemovores bust in. Ace manages to get Dudman to an army van, getting a picture of Aubrey from her before she escapes. She tells her to go to London to her Nan's home, knowing that she'll take them in.</p><p>Fenric has the Ancient One kill the other Haemovores in a terrifyingly over the top fashion, the two refugee girls dying and crumbling to dust just before they could kill Ace. Fenric arrives to answer the Doctor's call to face the Game, the Doctor stepping away to speak to the Ancient One and trying to sway him to his side. This act, he says, will be the beginning of the end of the Ancient One's world in the far future.</p><p>Ace arrives to find Fenric losing his mind trying to figure out the Doctor's puzzle. However, Ace doesn't know it until she finds a British and a Russian soldier standing over the body of Millington... and figures out that the pawns working together is the move!</p><p>Sorin enages Fenric, revealing that his grandmother was English as the reason why he was chosen for this particular mission. Fenric tells Sorin that he, too, has been touched by the Curse of Fenric... and we cut away just as Sorin is about to kill him only to return to Ace coming and revealing to a hunched over Sorin at the chess board the winning movie. He in turn turns around to reveal those yellow eyes - Sorin is gone, Fenric has taken him over. Fenric then reveals to Ace what has been hinted at over the last few parts. She, Dr. Judson, Commander Millington, and Sorin were all descended from the Vikings who buried the flask and were effected by the Curse - the Wolves of Fenric.</p><p>More to the point, Ace has ensured her own future. Audrey, the baby who has her mother's name... <i>is</i> her mother, the mother she despises in the future. She has ensured her own existence, all according to Fenric's plan. With his release assured, Fenric orders the Ancient One to kill the pair of them. However, the Ancient One is unable to even touch Ace. She has faith in the Doctor... total faith, and the psychic force is too strong. Faced with this, Fenric offers the Doctor a choice - kneel before him, or Ace dies.</p><p>The Doctor's response?</p><p></p><blockquote>"Kill her."</blockquote><p></p><p>Fenric is amused and Ace is distraught as the Doctor reveals that he knew all about Fenric's machinations and about his hand in what happened to Ace. Ace didn't cause an explosion that transported her from Earth in the 1980s to Iceworld (the planet where the Doctor found her on, story for another time), Fenric did it. All throughout Season 26, Andrew Cartmel had left hints as to Fenric's involvement in a few stories, one specifically mentioned here from <i>Silver Nemesis</i> with a chess set. The Doctor cruelly berates and demeans Ace, telling Fenric that he essentially used her for a pawn... and this breaks Ace's faith in a very brutal way. However, the Ancient One was apparently swayed by the Doctor's words and locks himself with Fenric in the demonstration chamber from earlier, using the gas to kill them both as the chess set burns...</p><p>On the surface, the Doctor tries to comfort Ace, telling her that the things he said were not true. At Maiden's Point, Ace wonders why she can't stop hating her mother, even though she was able to love the baby (not knowing that it was her mother). The Doctor tells her that love and hate are more closely related than most would believe, and can be quite frightening when left trapped. Ace leaps into the water, swimming to the shore, telling the Doctor that she's not afraid anymore. As the two leave, the two pass a sign warning of Dangerous Undercurrents, which the Doctor happily says isn't the case anymore. The two laugh as they leave for the TARDIS...</p><p><i></i></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><i><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj4e-JlIdCYJAqTNLJMY1Ob5Opo-S_h7iyF7yCn_g3vzXaU_JSfoWsf2RL2LTpo1f2yIu9tCsctsGRY2Z9bqfQI2g4OraeUQZJy8T3L1_xpKa3PMXqmLt_5dUy_4ez-cGfzfSm99eTl0HKONnHbHcCCsVIycWhWxeO4gt6weNEo5-D6MP-HpOd2ODb1Hg/s710/vlcsnap-2012-11-24-23h28m25s198.png" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="540" data-original-width="710" height="304" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj4e-JlIdCYJAqTNLJMY1Ob5Opo-S_h7iyF7yCn_g3vzXaU_JSfoWsf2RL2LTpo1f2yIu9tCsctsGRY2Z9bqfQI2g4OraeUQZJy8T3L1_xpKa3PMXqmLt_5dUy_4ez-cGfzfSm99eTl0HKONnHbHcCCsVIycWhWxeO4gt6weNEo5-D6MP-HpOd2ODb1Hg/w400-h304/vlcsnap-2012-11-24-23h28m25s198.png" width="400" /></a></i></div><i><br />The Curse of Fenric</i> is an episode that a review just can't do justice to. It's the culmination of the Seventh Doctor's chessmaster nature (onscreen, anyway) and is tied deeply into the personal life of the then companion Ace in a way that really wasn't done in <i>Doctor Who</i> up until that point. In a way, the Fenric storyline with Ace is a precursor to a lot of what we've seen in the Revived Series with how companions and their personal stories are treated. Before Ace, the companions were basically around for the Doctor explain things to so that we had an excuse for exposition. That didn't mean they didn't have specific characteristics and the like, but they were basically there to be an audience surrogate and not much else.<p></p><p>Ace introduced a depth to companions that hadn't been seen as the companions' lives would become plots within themselves going forward, both for <a href="https://madcapsrealm.blogspot.com/2021/04/from-madcaps-couch-doctor-who-partners.html">great</a> <a href="https://madcapsrealm.blogspot.com/2023/03/from-madcaps-couch-doctor-who-eleventh.html">good</a> and for <a href="https://madcapsrealm.blogspot.com/2018/12/from-madcaps-couch-doctor-who-rose.html">great, terrible evil</a>.</p><p>The episode itself, though, is brilliant without that connection. A mystery built around something from the Doctor's past, a chilling foe who you can feel the presence of from almost the very first shot of the first episode, and an escalation of threat over the course of the episode to where it feels (rightly so) like the destruction of Earth would be only the beginning. Add in frankly fantastic music by composer Mark Ayres, some questions of morality and faith in the face of great and terrible evil, and some sterling performances from not only Sylvester McCoy and Sophie Auldred, but also Dinsdale Landen and Tomek Bork (who respectively played Dr. Judson and Sorin as well as two aspects of Fenric), and it makes one hell of an episode.</p><p>The design of the Haemovores is fantastic and actually manages to look properly scary while not being hilariously cheesy like it easily could have gone. The scene where the entire mass of them are rising from the water at Maiden's Point and showing off the garb from various points in human history shows us that they've been doing this for a long, long time. As someone who has more than a little bit of megalohydrothalassophobia, it's a bit chilling in particular for me at wondering just what might be slinking around beneath the surface. I'm not 100% sure what made them decide to have the haemovores be from the far future of Earth, but it's <i>Doctor Who</i>. Things like an ancient evil trapped inside a flask in a Viking crypt having a legion of vampires from the future at their command isn't completely ridiculous, especially when you consider where vampires came from in <i>Doctor Who</i> lore.</p><p>...I know I've said it a few times in this episode, but it's a story for another day.</p><p>In the end, with all the horrific elements, this story ends how I like a lot of my horror to end: the heroes end up triumphing over evil. Not just the evil from without, but the evil from within as well as Ace conquers her fear of water and maybe, just maybe, lets go of her hatred of her mother. If only just a little.</p><p>The pacing of the episode is absolutely pitch perfect. I know I mentioned the two scenes that seemed a bit odd where Sorin and Ace were clearly forming some kind of connection and scenes were cut, but there isn't a scene in any of the four parts that shouldn't be there. This may be the benefit of the episode being in four twenty-five minute parts, but it did mean that everything that happened did so and nothing was too long or too short with explanations given masterfully for the things going on.</p><p>But our journey of horror has only just begun! Come back tomorrow for the first "What If?" of Horror Month 2023 and, as for the TV reviews... well, I think it's time for a <i>leap</i>...</p><p>See you then!</p>MadCapMunchkinhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05885944836313859245noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7221258980660442179.post-28619628781669324082023-10-02T00:00:00.142-04:002023-10-02T00:00:00.141-04:00MadCap's Reel Thoughts - "A Nightmare on Elm Street" (1984)<p></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjiTh1uKzzXSJRvb8VeW6lEoZG9aVSrTT9I3Xwfr8pMn_smrSmqCHJKw4EG9bFGd1_3k4hBsxgx8U0zBnwtBkjwSq9xq7ZCkm9EX_OMgJYb7g-nobN5nbxoEmXL6DjyV_9hj1TUicX1tvpy1IltX51C0aRztA7nlcMQDhkAhcXjeot54kq69bOprAC_mA/s1000/61CsXp-qnnL.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1000" data-original-width="667" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjiTh1uKzzXSJRvb8VeW6lEoZG9aVSrTT9I3Xwfr8pMn_smrSmqCHJKw4EG9bFGd1_3k4hBsxgx8U0zBnwtBkjwSq9xq7ZCkm9EX_OMgJYb7g-nobN5nbxoEmXL6DjyV_9hj1TUicX1tvpy1IltX51C0aRztA7nlcMQDhkAhcXjeot54kq69bOprAC_mA/w266-h400/61CsXp-qnnL.jpg" width="266" /></a></div><br />Well, with the release of my <a href="https://madcapsrealm.blogspot.com/2022/10/madcaps-reel-thoughts-wes-cravens-new.html"><i>New Nightmare</i></a> review, I really don't have any <i>Nightmare</i> films to review. This is a weird feeling. Sure, I could review <i>Freddy vs. Jason</i>, but I really want to save that for when I finish the <i>Friday the 13th</i> reviews, of which we still have quite a few to get through... including my least favorite one this year. However, this creates a gap in my reviews for Horror Month that hasn't existed since at least 2015. What exactly could I fill it with?<p></p><p>...</p><p>...</p><p>...what do you <i>mean</i> I only reviewed <a href="https://madcapsrealm.blogspot.com/2015/10/madcaps-reel-thoughts-nightmare-on-elm.html">the remake</a>, not the original?!<span></span></p><a name='more'></a><p></p><p>Yeah, I have no idea how I could have overlooked this. I guess my brain must have overlooked it when going through the list of films I've reviewed and my brain said "Oh, I already did that" and thought nothing else of it, going on to <a href="https://madcapsrealm.blogspot.com/2016/10/madcaps-reel-thoughts-nightmare-on-elm.html">Freddy's Revenge</a> and thus further on into the series and now having gone through all of them... except for the original.</p><p>I will never be able to forgive myself for this faux pas.</p><p>Even so, what the hell could I even <i>say</i> about the original that hasn't already been said in the almost forty years since the film first hit theaters? It's groundbreaking even within the genre that it comes from. In an era where silent killers like Michael Myers and Jason Voorhees were ruling the box office, along comes <i>A Nighmare on Elm Street</i> with something... different.</p><p></p><table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: left;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjTMpgRjuizu9ruliiuY8ETVEaGebCkOjnpm_nsVxDKA-7BfVzTEjqVNk3tQHj_JBL8jitE2srndWTCYfGjzvZrdTYP_Dlk7yLfVbnIm6LdBR53iIA6WctKPPMcMidSovvUoCQo04v0nGcGAz-NAyFmrP-xSWPrNtbAsF2znV_8A5LEhzO7H4JHDWTnGw/s1920/is%20god.jpg" style="clear: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1080" data-original-width="1920" height="225" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjTMpgRjuizu9ruliiuY8ETVEaGebCkOjnpm_nsVxDKA-7BfVzTEjqVNk3tQHj_JBL8jitE2srndWTCYfGjzvZrdTYP_Dlk7yLfVbnIm6LdBR53iIA6WctKPPMcMidSovvUoCQo04v0nGcGAz-NAyFmrP-xSWPrNtbAsF2znV_8A5LEhzO7H4JHDWTnGw/w400-h225/is%20god.jpg" width="400" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">"How many fingers am I holding up?"</td></tr></tbody></table><br />Granted, much like the second film, the first film isn't <i>too</i> different from the slasher films of the day. Freddy isn't the pun-spewing, chattering jackass that he becomes in the later movies, but there is definitely a great deal more personality than either Michael or Jason were able to give. With those two, they feel more like forces of nature or people carrying out the business of the day. Freddy, though, he is a man who <i>loves</i> what he does and he does it with a song in his heart. Even if that song is the screams of dying teenagers.<p></p><p>While he does talk in the movie, it's very rarely and always with a surprisingly devastating effect when he does so. Robert Englund is, I'm just gonna say it, scary as hell in this movie.</p><p>I could recap the plot, but I'm pretty sure everyone knows it by now: A girl named Nancy (Heather Langenkamp) and her friends are all having the same terrible nightmare about a man in a red and green sweater, with knives for fingers, who stalks them through a boiler room. Kind of creepy how they're all having the exact same nightmare, isn't it? With her boyfriend Glen (Johnny Depp), Nancy attempts to assuage the fears of her best friend Tina (Amanda Wyss) with a sleepover. With the return of Tina's on again, off again boyfriend Rod (Nick Corri), all seems well... until Tina is thrown around like a rag doll in her sleep and severely cut apart. Rod flees, pursued by the Springwood Police, but there's no way that he could be the killer... right?</p><p>The marks on Tina match those terrible knives that they've been seeing in their dreams, and Nancy begins to unravel a dark secret that the parents of Springwood have been keeping from her and from all the rest of the teenagers. A man by the name of Fred Krueger, a child murderer who got off on a technicality, was burned alive by the parents of Springwood. They thought he was dead, and they were right... and he became something much, <i>much</i> worse. With her friends being murdered one by one, Nancy must find a way to stop Fred Krueger once and for all, before this nightmare becomes her reality.</p><p>Director Wes Craven wanted to do something different from the usual slasher films of the 1980s as I said above, and this is what he came up with. Burned skinned rather than a mask, and the now-iconic bladed glove as Freddy's weapon of choice rather than a machete or a kitchen knife. So, from the jump, Freddy was intended to be unique and that indeed did show. Even details about him like the sweater's colors, red and green, were chosen because of how those two colors together are more difficult for the eye to process and so added that subconscious edge of discomfort to the character for audiences.</p><p>As Red Letter Media put it: "<i>You</i> may not have noticed it, but your brain did".</p><p>Given that this was the early days of the franchise, the kills are a little more simplistic than they would be in later entries. No roach motels or nails on a chalkboard to the deaf kid or (god help us all) the power glove. Instead, the deaths are a little more straightforward save for that of Glen. The being pulled into the bed only to be spewed out in a shower of blood and gore is not only fantastically done, it's probably one of the best deaths in the entire series and done all with practical effects as well.</p><p>Now, of course, there is the matter to consider if this is better than the 2010 remake. Definitely yes, obviously, but it's important to note something here. Wes Craven's original script called for Freddy to be a child <i>molester</i> as well as a child murderer, but New Line apparently vetoed him on that and basically up until <i>Freddy vs. Jason</i> all we had was implication. This is why that particular revelation in the 2010 remake doesn't bother me at all. Why? Well, let me apply a quote from my review of the 2010 movie to explain:</p><p><span face="Arial, Tahoma, Helvetica, FreeSans, sans-serif" style="background-color: white; color: #444444; font-size: 13px;"></span></p><blockquote><span face="Arial, Tahoma, Helvetica, FreeSans, sans-serif" style="background-color: white; color: #444444; font-size: 13px;">There's also people who take issue with Freddy being changed in this version from a child </span><i style="background-color: white; color: #444444; font-family: Arial, Tahoma, Helvetica, FreeSans, sans-serif; font-size: 13px;">murderer</i><span face="Arial, Tahoma, Helvetica, FreeSans, sans-serif" style="background-color: white; color: #444444; font-size: 13px;"> into a child </span><i style="background-color: white; color: #444444; font-family: Arial, Tahoma, Helvetica, FreeSans, sans-serif; font-size: 13px;">molester</i><span face="Arial, Tahoma, Helvetica, FreeSans, sans-serif" style="background-color: white; color: #444444; font-size: 13px;">. I don't. The fact is this - </span><i style="background-color: white; color: #444444; font-family: Arial, Tahoma, Helvetica, FreeSans, sans-serif; font-size: 13px;">Freddy Krueger is a deranged, murderous, psychopath</i><span face="Arial, Tahoma, Helvetica, FreeSans, sans-serif" style="background-color: white; color: #444444; font-size: 13px;">. He was that was in the originals, he's that way here, and it's amazing that people seem to think that a man who was burned to death and </span><i style="background-color: white; color: #444444; font-family: Arial, Tahoma, Helvetica, FreeSans, sans-serif; font-size: 13px;">kills people in their dreams for the hell of it</i><span face="Arial, Tahoma, Helvetica, FreeSans, sans-serif" style="background-color: white; color: #444444; font-size: 13px;"> has anything remotely resembling </span><i style="background-color: white; color: #444444; font-family: Arial, Tahoma, Helvetica, FreeSans, sans-serif; font-size: 13px;">standards</i><span face="Arial, Tahoma, Helvetica, FreeSans, sans-serif" style="background-color: white; color: #444444; font-size: 13px;">. I know why, of course. It's because - as I said before - people have fallen in love with the representations of Freddy in the sequels where he's all witty an charming, rather than the </span><i style="background-color: white; color: #444444; font-family: Arial, Tahoma, Helvetica, FreeSans, sans-serif; font-size: 13px;">original</i><span face="Arial, Tahoma, Helvetica, FreeSans, sans-serif" style="background-color: white; color: #444444; font-size: 13px;">. The joker and pun-maker who kills rather than the </span><i style="background-color: white; color: #444444; font-family: Arial, Tahoma, Helvetica, FreeSans, sans-serif; font-size: 13px;">former child killer</i><span face="Arial, Tahoma, Helvetica, FreeSans, sans-serif" style="background-color: white; color: #444444; font-size: 13px;"> who kills.</span><br style="background-color: white; color: #444444; font-family: Arial, Tahoma, Helvetica, FreeSans, sans-serif; font-size: 13px;" /><br style="background-color: white; color: #444444; font-family: Arial, Tahoma, Helvetica, FreeSans, sans-serif; font-size: 13px;" /><span face="Arial, Tahoma, Helvetica, FreeSans, sans-serif" style="background-color: white; color: #444444; font-size: 13px;">I'd say it's like the mindless devotion that Batman gets, but at least </span><i style="background-color: white; color: #444444; font-family: Arial, Tahoma, Helvetica, FreeSans, sans-serif; font-size: 13px;">that</i><span face="Arial, Tahoma, Helvetica, FreeSans, sans-serif" style="background-color: white; color: #444444; font-size: 13px;"> can have an argument made for it: Batman's ultimately (for the most part) heroic...if he's not being written by Frank Miller. People who are screaming "Betrayal!" at the portrayal of Freddy in this movie, saying it's nothing like the original, are trying to defend the "good name" of a </span><i style="background-color: white; color: #444444; font-family: Arial, Tahoma, Helvetica, FreeSans, sans-serif; font-size: 13px;">deranged psychopath</i><span face="Arial, Tahoma, Helvetica, FreeSans, sans-serif" style="background-color: white; color: #444444; font-size: 13px;">.</span></blockquote><span face="Arial, Tahoma, Helvetica, FreeSans, sans-serif" style="background-color: white; color: #444444; font-size: 13px;"></span><p></p><p>Hope that clears it up for everyone. The fact that that was Craven's original intention kind of makes the complaining about it even more ridiculous. Now granted, my attitude on the remake has soured somewhat upon reviewing the film, but I will still hold that that change is not a bad one. I will say that the overuse of CGI for effects that don't <i>need</i> CGI was bad and shouldn't have been done.</p><p></p><table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: right;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjDyLZ7KYlMFnbSEwqHr5IAph-jeUJrv6tsNwCKBaUmlac8duhRG7q1x3O5h7kULKjmk92T9vOxrgj2F_OEzCmnIg_YguKAh_bOeUkiKCr_THh4i9RLTLLlOZn04YUc5F1aKA-hbwfT-GaiRbpPsXkf7i0Jw5sUK6fedz-mMrUp5asCjNf8hYkEU1oQPQ/s579/better.jpg" style="clear: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="579" data-original-width="575" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjDyLZ7KYlMFnbSEwqHr5IAph-jeUJrv6tsNwCKBaUmlac8duhRG7q1x3O5h7kULKjmk92T9vOxrgj2F_OEzCmnIg_YguKAh_bOeUkiKCr_THh4i9RLTLLlOZn04YUc5F1aKA-hbwfT-GaiRbpPsXkf7i0Jw5sUK6fedz-mMrUp5asCjNf8hYkEU1oQPQ/w398-h400/better.jpg" width="398" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Another case of practical being better than CGI.</td></tr></tbody></table><br />Getting back to the original, it's a classic and for very good reason. It broke the mold of the then-hip trend of slasher films with their silent killers like the aforementioned <i>Halloween</i> and <i>Friday the 13th</i> franchises. Instead of a faceless, voiceless killer that killed simply because it was what they did, along came Freddy with not only some personality, but a more intense (if direct) motive: revenge.<p></p><p>You feel for Nancy and you want her to succeed against Freddy as she contends with not just him, but also her alcoholic mother falling into a talespin, her father (the legendary John Saxon) not believing her, and - of course - her friends getting picked off one by one.</p><p>The only thing I don't really like about it is the ending, which is something I have in common with Wes Craven himself. Craven intended for this movie to be a one-off. Literally a nightmare that the main character wakes up from at the end, and that seems to be what is happening in the film's final sequence after Nancy has turned her back on Freddy and taken away his power.</p><p>...and then she gets into a car with Glen, Tina, and Rod that the top comes up over (looking now red and green-striped) and the doors lock before their driven off to who knows where while a mannequin of Nancy's mother is pulled through the small window in the Thompson's front door by Freddy's gloved hand.</p><p>If you didn't know the franchise that was going to spring up from this, it just kind of feels remarkably cheap to have Nancy overcome such odds just to have it all snatched away again in the end. Honestly, even <i>knowing</i> where it goes from there, it still feels very cheap. Ultimately, the series would go through some <a href="https://madcapsrealm.blogspot.com/2017/10/madcaps-reel-thoughts-nightmare-on-elm.html">highs</a> and some really, really <a href="https://madcapsrealm.blogspot.com/2020/10/madcaps-reel-thoughts-nightmare-on-elm.html">bad</a> <a href="https://madcapsrealm.blogspot.com/2021/10/madcaps-reel-thoughts-freddys-dead.html">lows</a>. I hate to be the one to say it, since I know a lot of people put a lot of work into the movies (I've reviewed all of the currently existing <i>Nightmare</i> films as of this writing), but this is a concept that has worked all of three times - the original three movies, after that (with the exception of <i>New Nightmare</i>) it's just... not good.</p><p>Next year, being that I have - again - reviewed all of the films in this franchise with the exception of <i>Freddy vs. Jason</i>, we won't be seeing Mr. Krueger again for a little while, at least within <i>Reel Thoughts</i>. I'll have to find something else to fill the gap, I wonder what it will be...</p><p>...but, while I'm debating that (and maybe seeing a merchant about a puzzle box), you get ready for next week, where we'll be getting into <i>another</i> slasher film that is <i>actually</i> a complete lie.</p><p>In 1989, Jason Voorhees finally made the move from Crystal Lake... to Vancouver. Sure, there was actual New York for five seconds, but it's otherwise a complete and utter lie. Also, the movie sucks harder than the vacuum of space - which Jason will ironically be going to in a few films' time and it will be far less of a lie than this piece of trash.</p><p>Next week... it's <i>Jason Takes Manhattan</i>.</p><p>God help us all...</p><p><i>A Nightmare on Elm Street, of course, is brought to us by New Line Cinema.</i></p>MadCapMunchkinhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05885944836313859245noreply@blogger.com0