TBF, Mags, you have been doing a lot of the heavylifting for the quest, so this will be in good hands.
To be clear to everyone, this is just me burning out on imagination of the quest, since my muse has been hitting me over the head a lot with so many different ideas that I just can't find myself too interested in this.
I'll still hang out here, though, since this still does have a sepcial place in my heart.
I'd like to thank you all for making this a wonderful experience while it lasted.
I'd also like to thank @Magoose, @Fluffy_serpent, and @Martin Noctis for doing so much to help prepare and write this quest. I couldn't have done it without you all.
While I can certainly see this being the case, and can certainly see it being absolutely terrifying and awesome to watch, I will remind you that the closest analog we have to ODST and Helldivers are US Paratroopers, so methinks that George would be reluctant to give that type of advantage to what are ostensibly Space Nazis. In all honesty, I can see it being one of those things that comes in and out of favor because they're not only meant to act as shock troops but also acts of desperation.
Why would George be reluctant to give such an advantage to the Empire when they are depicted as having overwhelming military superiority throughout the OT? The lore of the Galactic Civil War was that from its start to Endor the Rebellion typically found itself losing most conventional battles and it was once Palpatine died and the Empire broke apart plus the many worlds openly joining the New Republic that the Rebels got military superiority.
If anything, the Empire's status as Space Nazis makes them most deserving of assault pods since it was Nazi Germany who pioneered paratroopers with their invasion of Western Europe and Crete and Cyprus. I don't see why the Empire using assault pods would suddenly make the public view the 101st Airborne as evil, not to mention I said that the Rebellion has some units like that.
I do like the lore idea of the Mandalorians being the ones to develop atmospheric drop tactics as it's very in character with them considering they use jetpacks to fly down to planets and the Crusaders rode Basilisks into battle from space onto a planet's surface. So I guess some Clone units do use assault pods but not most of GAR.
I do like the lore idea of the Mandalorians being the ones to develop atmospheric drop tactics as it's very in character with them considering they use jetpacks to fly down to planets and the Crusaders rode Basilisks into battle from space onto a planet's surface. So I guess some Clone units do use assault pods but not most of GAR
Man, this was a pretty fantastic turn. A bit bumemd about the Emerald Pimpernel, but we probably made one of the most iconic fights in the Rocky franchise, so that's that.
Now that we did Project Lighthouse, I wonder if when we make Scarface, we'll have Tony Montana have the desire to be seen as the "Cuban Bruce O'Brien", basically making himself the anti-thesis of Bruce in the process. That could be a cool element to his character.
Steve Dawson's life could be best summed up as "Never in the right place when it matters".
Growing up it had never been like that. But then again, how do you notice when you're a child? As a kid the world is briming with chances and opportunities all around, and whenever you lose or see one go by, you can always be certain that another one is just around the corner. So was the life of Steve, who enjoyed spending his time with both of his passions; fantasy stories and computer sciences.
It was not something he would see it as too disparate in his opinion. He enjoyed spending his time at home reading a good book to take his mind away after a hard day at school, letting his mind take him on a journey through lands of magic and knights, where clashes between the forces of good and evil would take place. You could perhaps call it an obsession of his due to his many books from nearly all authors from America and Britain; he owned the works of Tolkien and Lewis, he'd bought Le guin and Moorcock, anything that had something to do with fantasy quickly became a part of his collection.
In the past he'd thought of becoming an author like them, that is until his second passion came into place.
Growing up he was not that isolated so as to not see how technology was moving forward, how the miniaturization of the circuits and the sophistication of the different devices being made allowed for an entire new industry to be born. But, if he was being honest to himself, in the end it was simply a desire born after seeing a game of Pong for the first time and wondering:
Could a Fantasy game ever be made for it?
It was a ludicrous thought, too incredible and far out of his league. He'd never once given it a voice for fear of being told it was impossible. He could only watch as technology slowly, oh so slowly, advanced and made strides that while impressive for the age, made it torturous for him. Knowing that a time may come, yet not fast enough for his desires. he could only go to school, learn, go back home to immerse himself in his fantasy, and still wait for the right time to arrive.
Yet when the time came it slipped him by.
Atari was the premier videogame company in the United States. The one company that pushed the boundaries in technology, the one company that made so many different stories and ideas at once that never a Christmas Season went by without new entries for their consoles and arcades. When he finally graduated he immediately applied for a job there, certain that he could bring his passion to life, ready to spend as long as it was necessary to make it a reality.
Yet what he found was not the group of wise men that spend their nights and days thinking of ways to bring new worlds to life. instead he found a group of stoned men that while brilliant, had all but abandoned their previous work to only do the bare minimum to keep on getting paid. The Mecca he'd once dreamed to as the place for his dream to come true was now instead a location for many to just remember and repeat the glories of the past.
He could've left, but for all that he saw, he could still find some glimmer of potential there, some who still held on and were willing to teach him the ins and outs of the trade, guide him to the conferences where technological events were held for him to increase his knowledge. His efforts granted him an expansion of information greater than he'd ever thought, his dream becoming true step by step. Despite the many flaws Atari still reigned supreme in the Videogame Market, and the possibility of a true renaissance still loomed large. There was still a chance for his dream to come true.
Then it all came crashing down when Raymond Kassar became CEO.
At first he'd welcomed the order and efficiency that the new boss brought to the company, but all too soon he found that what he also brought was the stifling of creativity, the strangling of ideas, and the streamlining of a process that was rooted in art, not assembly line. He soon found himself working hard hours, too tired to sometimes study or work on his personal project. Many of his friends being squeezed as hard as him, with the resentment and anger at the "Sock King" growing.
It all came to a head however, the day when four programmers who were unsatisfied with their paychecks asked for a small commission. They'd argued that they'd made millions for the company with their designs for a paltry sum. it was understandable, reasonable, and a small bonus would certainly help with morale in a company that was already sucking out the life out of its employers. Yet what Kassar said struck you, and nearly all who worked at Atari as well:
You are no more important to that game than the guy on the assembly line who puts it together.
You gave in your resignation the next day, along with many others who could no longer work in the same environment. Perhaps an impulsive decision of your part, but one that you can't find yourself being able to regret; you'd learned all you could from them, and you knew that it would be impossible to advance any further in such conditions. You buried yourself on work once more, trying on any and all places that needed a technician for hire, applying your knowledge in repairing, assembly, whatever could help you in paying the bills while you kept on tinkering and working on your true passion.
It was while you were on your way to lunch when you happened to hear a conversation. Nothing too detailed, but something that made him stand still for a moment: Lucasfilms entering the videogame market. You'd heard about Lucasfilms, you'd have to be deaf and blind not to, a company that had shaken Hollywood to its core, made enemies from nearly everyone and recently entered into a tense peace after one of its co-owners, Bruce O'Brian, had fought of a Chinese Assassin on his own.
Yet none of that mattered to him. What did was what Lucasfilms represented; innovation and quality. Lucasfilms, no matter what it tried, went at it with everything it had, and always made sure to never rest on its laurels, always trying for something new and creative for its work, pushing technology to its limits, and improving it when they needed it to go further.
If they were entering the videogame market...what could they create?
He went back to work in a daze, only snapping out of it when he was back in his apartment. The news he'd heard still swimming around his head, his notes and work on his passion project still around his apartment, and a growing feeling of hope in his chest; Last time he'd felt it was in Atari, and for all that his dream had crashed and burned, he could not say that the experience had been wasted. He'd learned more than he'd expected, he'd refined his skills, he was not a novice but a veteran in the trade now.
This time, he could make it a reality.
Still, it would not do to go empty handed. He gathered his notes and began to transcribe them, fixing the areas that were too rough, adding the necessary technology and time it may take to make, all along with the story and setting he'd created for the game. This would be it, his work of so many years given form, it would be his...
Videogame Pitch: Final Fantasy
Created by Steve Dawson
Set Up: The game takes place in a fantasy world with three large continents. The elemental powers of this world are determined by the state of four crystals, each governing one of the four classical elements: earth, fire, water, and wind. This world is inhabited by numerous races, including humans, elves, dwarves, mermaids, dragons, and robots. Most non-human races have only one "town" in the game, although individuals are sometimes found in human towns or other areas as well. Four hundred years prior to the start of the game, the Lefeinish people, who used the Power of Wind to craft airships and a giant space station (called the Floating Castle in the game), watched their country decline as the Wind crystal went dark. Two hundred years later, violent storms sank a massive shrine that served as the center of an ocean-based civilization, and the Water crystal went dark. The Earth crystal and the Fire crystal followed, plaguing the earth with raging wildfires, and devastating the agricultural town of Melmond as the plains and vegetation decayed. Sometime later, the sage Lukahn tells of a prophecy that four Light Warriors will come to save the world in a time of darkness.
Game Developer: LucasArts Entertainment Director: Steve Dawson Genre: Fantasy RPG
There's four basic game modes: an overworld map, town and dungeon maps, a battle screen, and a menu screen. The overworld map is a scaled-down version of the game's fictional world, which the player uses to direct characters to various locations. The primary means of travel across the overworld is by foot; a ship, a canoe, and an airship become available as the player progresses. With the exception of some battles in preset locations or with bosses, enemies are randomly encountered on field maps and on the overworld map when traveling by foot, canoe, or ship, and must either be fought or fled from.
The game's plot develops as the player progresses through towns and dungeons. Some town citizens offer helpful information, while others own shops that sell items or equipment. Dungeons appear in areas that include forests, caves, mountains, swamps, underwater caverns, and buildings. Dungeons often have treasure chests containing rare items that are not available in most stores. The game's menu screen allows the player to keep track of their experience points and levels, to choose which equipment their characters wield, and to use items and magic. A character's most basic attribute is their level, which can range from one to fifty, and is determined by the character's amount of experience. Gaining a level increases the character's attributes, such as their maximum hit points (HP), which represents a character's remaining health; a character dies when they reach zero HP. Characters gain experience points by winning battles.
Combat is menu-based: the player selects an action from a list of options such as Attack, Magic, and Item. Battles are turn-based and continue until either side flees or is defeated. If the player's party wins, each character will gain not only experience but also money, which is known as Gil in universe; if it flees, it will be returned to the map screen; and if every character in the party dies, the game will be over and all unsaved progress will be lost. The player's characters will be shown on the right side of the screen and the enemies on the left side of the screen, as opposed to a first-person view.
The player begins the game by choosing four characters to form a party and is locked into that choice for the duration of the game. Each character has an "occupation", or character class, with different attributes and abilities that are either innate or can be acquired. There are six classes: Fighter, Thief, Black Belt, Red Mage, White Mage, and Black Mage. Later in the game, the player has the option to have each character undergo a "class upgrade"; whereby their sprite portraits mature, and some classes gain the ability to use weapons and magic that they previously could not use.
The game contains a variety of weapons, armor, and items that can be bought or found to make the characters more powerful in combat. Each character has eight inventory slots, with four to hold weapons and four to hold armor. Each character class has restrictions on what weapons and armor it may use. Some weapons and armor are magical; if used during combat, they will cast spells. Other magical artifacts provide protection, such as from certain spells. At shops, the characters can buy items to help themselves recover while they are traveling. Items available include potions, which heal the characters or remove ailments like poison or petrification; Tents and Cabins, which can be used on the world map to heal the player and optionally save the game; and Houses, which also recover the party's magic after saving. Special items may be gained by doing quests.
Magic is a common ability in the game, and several character classes use it. Spells are divided into two groups: White, which is defensive and healing, and Black, which is debilitating and destructive. Magic can be bought from White and Black magic shops and assigned to characters whose occupation allows them to use it. Spells are classified by a level between one and eight, with four White and four Black spells per level. Each character may learn only three spells per level. White and Black Mages can potentially learn any of their respective spells, while Red Mages, the Ninja, and the Knight cannot use most high-level magic.
Fighter: The Fighter wears bright red armor with shoulder pads, bracers, and boots. Its hair is red, with its armor being the same color, and is short and messy. The Knight has a more muscular build than the Warrior and its hair is slicked back. The Warrior has access to the best weapons and armor in the game, and impressive Strength, Stamina, and HP stats. The Warrior's main drawback is its dependence on powerful equipment, making it an expensive job to maintain. At the start of the game it has no special abilities and can only attack, but its high offensive stats make it a powerful attacker.
After completing the Citadel of Trials, Bahamut grants the party their class change and any Warriors in the player's party become Knights. The Knight can cast White Magic up to level 3 and have a wider variety of equipment than the Warrior. It can be advantageous to upgrade the party's classes sooner rather than later, as this will allow the Knight to accrue spell charges (MP in later versions) from a lower level and have more spell charges/MP in the endgame.
Thief: The Thief wears brown armor with blue hair. As a Ninja it wears a black body suit with a black sash and a hood and cowl. The Thief is a sort of "long-term investment" job; early in the game their stats and equipment draw are severely lacking compared to Fighters and Black Belts, making them much less effective in battle. Their Luck is the highest in the game, giving the party a better chance to run from battles. Their Agility is also high, giving them a high chance to act first during a turn.
After completing the Citadel of Trials, Bahamut grants the party their class change and any Thieves in the player's party become Ninjas. The Ninja is much more powerful than the Thief, able to cast Black Magic up to level 4 and having a much larger variety of equipment accessible. For this reason it is advised to obtain their class changes sooner rather than later; this also has the benefit of giving the Ninja more spell charges (MP in later versions) in the late game. Despite the Ninja's considerable increase in power, their offensive potential is still outclassed by the Knight and the Master.
Black Belt: The Black Belt wears blue robes with a black belt, brown bracers and a blue headband, and has brown hair. The Master looks identical to the Black Belt but with a more muscular figure and a taller-looking sprite. The Black Belt is a cheap class to maintain and upgrade; it is only able to use a limited number of weapons and armor, and cannot equip any sort of shield. To make up for this, the Monk gains a damage bonus when attacking without a weapon, and also gains a bonus to its defense based on its Stamina. Its Stamina is the highest of any job, meaning a Monk will have noticeably higher HP than other jobs. These benefits do not entirely compensate for the Monk's lack of equipment options, and its defenses are lower than other physically-inclined classes, but it is still more hardy than would be expected fighting without equipment.
After completing the Citadel of Trials, Bahamut grants the party their class change and any Black Belts in the player's party become Masters. The Master gains more Magic Defense than the Black Belt on level up, but the Black Belt's Magic Defense growth is lower, and both jobs still have low Magic Defense on the whole.
Red Mage: The Red Mage wears red armor with a red cape, a red hat with a wide brim and a feather, and they have long white hair. He also has gold trim on their cape and boots, and as the Red Wizard they gain a white ruffle on their collar and additional silver/white details on their armor. The Red Mage has balanced stats relative to other jobs in the game. It has higher physical stats than the White Mage and Black Mage, but lower magical stats, and the inverse is true comparing the Red Mage to the Warrior, Thief, and Monk. The Red Mage is the only job in the game able to use both Black and White Magic, and it can equip many different weapons and armor. This gives the Red Mage the most flexibility of any job, able to fill multiple roles in battle. Their weakness is that they are less effective in any given area than dedicated jobs; the Red Mage cannot equip the strongest equipment in the game or cast the highest-level spells. The Red Mage shines in the early game but not in the late game
After completing the Citadel of Trials, Bahamut grants the party their class change and any Red Mages in the player's party become Red Wizards. The Red Wizard is an invaluable upgrade to the Red Mage, granting them access to a small but useful handful of higher-tier spells that allow them to be more useful as support mages that can buff the party.
White Mage: The White Mage wears a white robe with long sleeves, a hood, and red triangle trim along the edges. She has red hair, and as the White Wizard they lower their hood to reveal their head, have a red collar around their neck, wear a red cape, and their sleeves are shorter and tighter around the arm, allowing their hands to be seen. The White Mage specializes in White Magic. This makes them invaluable throughout the game, as they can heal party members, increase their damage output with offensive buffs, and defend them against enemy spells. If a party member is KO'd, the player will need a White Mage to revive them while in dungeons or on the field, else they must trek back to a town with a church. The White Mage's skill in healing and buffing allies means they sacrifice their offensive potential; they have a poor equipment draw for weapons and poor Strength.
After completing the Citadel of Trials, Bahamut grants the party their class change and any White Mages in the player's party become White Wizards. The White Wizard has full access to all White Magic spells and higher stats than the White Mage, making them a pure upgrade. At higher levels the White Mage's lack of offensive potential is alleviated with access to the Holy spell, which can be very powerful.
Black Mage: The Black Mage wears long blue robes with loose sleeves and a pointed yellow hat. Their face is obscured with only two yellow eyes visible within the shadows of their hat. The Black Mage specializes in Black Magic, giving them the ability to lower enemy stats, inflict them with status ailments, and cast damaging spells against them. They are not strictly focused on offensive magic, however, and can learn a few spells that buff physical fighters to improve their damage output. As a downside, they have a poor equipment draw and the lowest HP of the jobs available.
After completing the Citadel of Trials, Bahamut grants the party their class change and any Black Mages in the player's party become Black Wizards. Black Wizards are able to learn all Black Magic in the game, giving them a large variety of spells, including many Instant Death spells to wipe out enemy parties in one turn. They also have the Flare spell to deal damage to enemies without an elemental weakness to exploit.
Chaos: He is the antagonist and the final boss. He is a demonic monster seeking immortality who creates, and maintains, a time loop to live forever. He is the antithesis to the light and harmony represented by the Crystals. The Four fiends seek to drain the crystals of the 4 elements into the dark crystal, allowing Garland, who was sent to the past, to absorve it and become Chaos until the Light Warriors defeat him. With Chaos defeated, the time loop is broken, restoring the land. Though Chaos is erased, Garland remains in the reformed present the Warriors of Light return to.
Garland: A former knight of Cornelia who has fallen from grace, the Warriors of Light pursue him after learning he has kidnapped Princess Sarah. Garland is an arrogant and proud knight, insulting the Warriors of Light for daring to challenge him and triumphantly declaring his name and that he will defeat them. He flaunts his success in creating a time loop to them at the end of their quest, declaring that he will be reborn while his enemies die in the endless cycle he has created.
Lich: The Fiend of Earth, he appears at the bottom of the Cavern of Earth. He is undead with the appearance of a skeleton. Lich drains the power of the Earth Crystal, rotting the soil in Melmond. After defeating the Vampire, The Warriors speak to Sarda, then return to the Cavern of Earth where they find the Earth Crystal. After confronting Lich, the party prevails. The Earth Crystal shines again, and the land rots no more.
Later, the Warriors fight a younger version of the Lich in the Chaos Shrine 2000 years in the past. They defeat him once more, preventing him from journeying to the future and causing the earth to rot in the first place.
Kali: The Fiend of Fire, she appears in Mount Gulg as a woman with the lower body of a snake and has six arms, each wielding a sword.
After defeating Lich, the Warriors of Light travel by ship to Crescent Lake and from there to the volcano Mount Gulg, where Kali had lain dormant by the Fire Crystal until Lich's demise disturbed her from slumber. The Warriors of Light defeat Kali and the Fire Crystal regains its glow. To truly exterminate the Fiends in the future and prevent them from sending Garland back in time, the Warriors of Light have to kill the Four Fiends before their pact with Garland is made. In the Chaos Shrine of the distant past, they defeat Kali once more.
Kraken: The Fiend of Water, he appears in the Sunken Shrine and bears a squid-like form, though his cape and stance give him a somewhat regal appearance. Two hundred years before the game, as the second Fiend to awaken, Kraken sank the Water Crystal's shrine to the ocean floor, whereupon the seas raged as the Crystal was drained of its power. The Warriors of Light face him twice; first at the sunken temple where they recover the Crystal, and then facing him once more when they go back in time, facing him as a stronger entity who's gained immunity to lightning attacks.
Tiamat: The Fiend of Wind, she appears atop the Flying Fortress as a multi-headed dragon. Four hundred years ago Tiamat tossed the Lufenian civilization into ruin with only a village, a single airship, and her personal haunt left standing. With the Wind Crystal under her control, the wind itself began to die down. As the first fiend to awaken, she is the most powerful of the Four Fiends, and uses several powerful attacks. A younger version of her appears on the fourth basement of the Chaos Shrine 2000 years in the past, where she is slightly stronger. Once she is defeated she dies again, preventing her from ever journeying to the future and wreaking havoc.
Bikke: He is a dangerous pirate, attacking Pravoka and the Warriors of Light using his pirates. When his pirates are defeated, he surrenders and promises that he won't do any more crimes. He gives his ship to the party as payment for his crimes.
Astos: He is the evil king of the Dark Elves. He is fought as a boss in the Western Keep where he is found disguised as a king and tricks the Warriors of Light into recovering the Crown from the dangerous depths of the Marsh Cave. When the Warriors return, Astos shows his true form, but the Light Warriors destroy him.
Vampire: A servant of the Lich, fought on the third floor of the Cavern of Earth. When the Light Warriors arrive to Melmond, they find the earth rotting and the people suffering. As the Vampire had attacked the town earlier and destroyed the church, the townsfolk believe he was also responsible for the earth rotting. The Light Warriors travel to the Cavern of Earth to confront him.
Bahamut: He is the King of the Dragons. He lives in a subterranean network underneath the Cardia Islands, and grants the class change to the Warriors of Light after they bring back a token of their courage, the Rat Tail, from the Citadel of Trials.
Sarda: He is a sage who lives in the Sage's Cave southwest of Melmond. To reach the cave, the Warriors of Light must pass through the Giant's Cave, which requires retrieving the Star Ruby from the Cavern of Earth. Once the heroes reach him, Sarda will tell them that the cause of the earth's rot lies deeper within the Cavern of Earth and relinquishes the Earth Rod to allow them to go farther down.
Matoya: She is a witch who lives in a cave. She is a gray-haired elderly woman wearing a red robe, orange scarf, and a red pointy hat. She cannot see without the use of a special Crystal Eye, which was stolen from her by the sorcerer Astos. The Warriors of Light recover her crystal eye by defeating the dark elf Astos, and for this she gives them a potion needed to wake the Prince of Elfheim.
A.N.: This came to me in a fit of passion as I was thinking how to get the Final Fantasy franchise for ourselves. I decided that perhaps an OC that could've made or thought of the game in a case of parallel development was the best option. not to mention that the entire idea of a former Atari employee wishing to create his magnum opus and coming to Lucasfilms in order to make it true just fits with the entire theme we have going on here. So, hopefully this mix of Omake and Pitch is acceptable for wha I'm trying to do here.
If anything, the Empire's status as Space Nazis makes them most deserving of assault pods since it was Nazi Germany who pioneered paratroopers with their invasion of Western Europe and Crete and Cyprus. I don't see why the Empire using assault pods would suddenly make the public view the 101st Airborne as evil, not to mention I said that the Rebellion has some units like that.
By that logic of the Original Trilogy being inspired by WWII films, wouldn't it make more sense for Drop Pods to be an experimental unit for the Imperials? I mean Star Wars already has shuttles which basically fill the role of helicopters and considering the spread of the average paratroop drop, the distance from orbit might have turn off military planners until recent technological developments. Combined with the construction of Death Star II, the Emperor isn't going to particularly keen to invest in ground warfare when he can just start blasting planets.
If you want Drop Troopers, I'd suggest making them Rogue One's introduction of Death Troopers. A small group of scary elite troops in distinctive armour who stand out from the average Stormtrooper both tactically and personality-wise. Then if we do make a Thrawn Trilogy we can expand them into an actual force that needed the kinks worked out before they could be scaled up.
Basalisk war droids feel like something uniquely Mandalorian. Yes it looks cool, but it requires great skill to pilot, is highly dangerous and can serve in a multi-purpose role. In essence the Ancient Mandalorians get remembered as "a proud and proficient warrior society… but they were also ****ing crazy."
We could bleed that into the Imperial Drop Troopers as being viewed as insane lunatics by the average Imperial officer (being asked to be fired at a planet from orbit), but with the Shield Generator in danger the Empire needs reinforcements on the ground now to push back the Rebels and natives.
If we do the thrawn trilogy it would be cool if the Rebels/New Republic army in the new series has better armor, heavy armor and proper warships and have them sublty look more disciplined and trained to give the viewers the sense that this is not the Rebels of the Original trilogy, those brave and plucky Guerilla fighters who were hopelessly outmatched against the overwhelming might of the Empire, this is a Rebellion that has evolved into a true and proper fighting force capable of beating back the Imperials and liberating worlds. If the previous trilogy of movies were the fight for survival this is a fight for liberation of Galaxy.
Don't think the Empire at large would adopt systems like the Basilisk unless it's someone involved with the Mandalorians like Gideon.
Speaking of, I'm conflicted on to what extent if at all Star Wars would adopt mecha. I don't think we'd have something like X-wings and TIEs dueling with Gundams, but I could see mecha being a component of ground warfare for some factions, though perhaps more mobile platforms in the vein of the AT-ST than humanoid mechs. I think there's enough clear precedent for the Empire to adopt mecha throughout the Imperial Army for crowd control, pitched urban warfare and fighting on planets with poor terrain. Rebellion probably wouldn't see it widespread beyond a few certain cells. I was planning on a Space Japan world who extensively use mecha in planetary warfare. Mandaorians would probably use it as a matter of personal honor and it being seen as similar to fighting directly.
Would you say that Carrie's music style is close to Joan Jett? That's the closest I'm imagining to Carrie's Scream Queen moniker considering Carrie OTL just did classical music and doesn't really seem to have the voice fit for metal.
Interesting. Final Fantasy would actually be a cool game for the debut of Lucasfilms' console since with the upgraded tech and the first Final Fantasy coming out in 1987, I think we're more than capable of making it, perhaps with even better gameplay and Final Fantasy can also introduce the concept of narratives in video games as well as introducing RPG elements to people who would be turned off from committing to tabletop.
However, do you plan on having Hironobu Sakaguchi in the game at all? The dude is the creator of Final Fantasy and unlike say Astric and Miraculous, Sakaguchi is a pretty decent dude from what I've read and he was pretty intimate in the creation of the first ten Final Fantasys. Maybe he works with Steve as a co-creator and fills in some of the gaps in narrative and art design while Steve handles the mechanical aspect of the game. It's something that seems plausible considering that Lucasfilms has so much Japanese involvement across the company, and even though Nintendo hasn't made its big debut yet I can see a decent chunk of LucasArts people being Japanese in composition similar to Dreamworks.
Also a reminder that we have Don Bluth so we could totally have him be intrigued by LucasArts and want to develop Dragon's Lair as a console exclusive for whatever we end up making:
By that logic of the Original Trilogy being inspired by WWII films, wouldn't it make more sense for Drop Pods to be an experimental unit for the Imperials? I mean Star Wars already has shuttles which basically fill the role of helicopters and considering the spread of the average paratroop drop, the distance from orbit might have turn off military planners until recent technological developments. Combined with the construction of Death Star II, the Emperor isn't going to particularly keen to invest in ground warfare when he can just start blasting planets.
I think Drop Troopers wouldn't be a common unit, but something that the Empire deploys in major battles with pitched combat and total war that the Empire can't easily win with orbital or space superiority. So in situations like Hoth or perhaps more appropriately Mimban, the Empire would deploy drop troopers behind enemy lines and direct them to create a breakthrough for the Empire to advance.
Would you say that Carrie's music style is close to Joan Jett? That's the closest I'm imagining to Carrie's Scream Queen moniker considering Carrie OTL just did classical music and doesn't really seem to have the voice fit for metal.
Counterpoint, neither does Elizabeth Zharoff of Charismatic Voice (her YT/Twitch Channel), whose source of training comes from Operatic Music (like she is a full on Opera Singer) and is a Vocal Coach, but she's legitimately one of the best metal vocals I've heard...and that was after only thirty minutes of instruction:
Interesting. Final Fantasy would actually be a cool game for the debut of Lucasfilms' console since with the upgraded tech and the first Final Fantasy coming out in 1987, I think we're more than capable of making it, perhaps with even better gameplay and Final Fantasy can also introduce the concept of narratives in video games as well as introducing RPG elements to people who would be turned off from committing to tabletop.
I figured that with our association with Talsorian that we should have a much bigger base of tabletop RPG players who might be interested when the game comes around. In OTL Final Fantasy did not make that much of a splash in the American Market, but I figure that if it's a homegrown product, and with good word of mouth from our RPG players, that it can grow to become a staple for videogames in America, not to mention a staple or brand for our company.
Still a bit undecided for the console though. I mean, I'm almost resigned since so many want to do so, but a console is nothing without its games, and we don't have that many at the moment.
However, do you plan on having Hironobu Sakaguchi in the game at all? The dude is the creator of Final Fantasy and unlike say Astric and Miraculous, Sakaguchi is a pretty decent dude from what I've read and he was pretty intimate in the creation of the first ten Final Fantasys. Maybe he works with Steve as a co-creator and fills in some of the gaps in narrative and art design while Steve handles the mechanical aspect of the game. It's something that seems plausible considering that Lucasfilms has so much Japanese involvement across the company, and even though Nintendo hasn't made its big debut yet I can see a decent chunk of LucasArts people being Japanese in composition similar to Dreamworks.
I would not be against Hironobu and Steve working together on FInal Fantasy. It's just that, while we do have a greater japanese involvement, I can think of no way in how Hironobu can come to work to Lucasfilms. If he can then great, he should work with Steve in Final Fantasy, bringing that game to greater heights. If not, then we still have Steve and the game.
I agree with the idea of bringing japanese programers and/or workers for LucasArts, their experience can be of great help for us in the long run.
Also a reminder that we have Don Bluth so we could totally have him be intrigued by LucasArts and want to develop Dragon's Lair as a console exclusive for whatever we end up making:
It would be fun to try Dragon's Lair as a videogame, if anything since it can be done as an Arcade (and the NES version sucks). I just hope Bluth is happy doing what he likes, since after Hiawatha and his work with Gundam he does not seem to be getting any new projects. We should at least let him do that movie about NIHM.
Growing up I really enjoyed this show. At first I think it was because it was one of the few shows that followed the same idea from Thundercats in having felines as the main characters, but I think that it was also the entire premise of having a vigilante group flying a plane and facing all different kinds of zany villains. I really loved the Metallikats as their main foes, even though Dark Kat was supposed to be the main bad guy. But, I just felt they were more human and relatable than him (ironically enough), and Pastmaster with his time travelling abilities was a delight whenever he appeared in the show.
But in the end, it was the friendship and comradeship that T-Bone and Razor displayed what hooked me to the series. That there was someone to your side whom you could always depend and pass the time, as well as fight baddies together. That feeling of family is what made the show as great as it was, no matter what Ted Turner said as an excuse for cancelling it (Too much violence my ass! I've seen more violence in Power Rangers episodes!).
As for why give it to Hannah-Barbera, well I just think that we've made many Anime Pitches or shows that could go to DreamWorks, so we should also try for some that can go for the children. Not to mention that I have the headcanon that the ideas for Hannah-Barbera were Bruce's trying to make something for his kids.
Thus, I give you:
Animated Show Pitch: Swat Kats GENRE: Action/Adventure
SUBGENRE: Science Fiction/Family
FORMAT: Animated TV Show
Set Up: The story takes place in the fictional metropolis of Megakat City, which is populated by anthropomorphic felines, known as "kats". The SWAT Kats of the title are two vigilante pilots who possess a state-of-the-art fighter jet with an array of weaponry. Throughout the series, they face various villains as well as competition from Megakat City's militarized police force called the Enforcers.
Animation: Hannah-Barbera Studios Series Director: Robert Alvarez Writer: Paul Dini Proposed Length: 4 Seasons
Jake Clawson/Razor: He is the smaller size but older member of the SWAT Kats. He serves as the duo's mechanic, gunner and maintenance expert. He's carefree, lion-hearted, faithful, self-assured, selfless, and sociable. He is also the brainier and more athletic of the two, using his genius intellect to create all the weapons the SWAT Kats use during their heroic exploits and martial arts skills to use them. He keeps this up even when under the guise of "Razor." However, unlike Chance, he is far more cautious and not much of a risk taker, something Chance likes to push him to do.
Played By: Barry Gordon Alternate: Cam Clarke
Chance Furlong/T-Bone: He is the larger size but slightly younger member of the SWAT Kats and pilot of the Turbokat jet. Personality-wise, Chance is like Jake; he's fun loving, wild, honest, sincere, and friendly. He keeps this up even when under the guise of "T-Bone". However, unlike Jake he is far more "reckless" and a risk taker pushing the Turbokat to the limit, something Jake doesn't take so loyalty to. Chance likes to be a funny guy, but also has his own hang ups, such as being afraid of bugs, or being unable to swim. All things that he nonetheless eventually manages to overcome.
Played By: Charlie Adler Alternate: Ron Pearlman
Mayor Manx: He is the great-grandson of famed war hero the Blue Manx and Megakat City's longstanding mayor. Whilst not wicked, neither can he be said to be "good". His regard for his city and its citizens is primarily directed as to how it affects himself. He is conspicuously fearful, opportunistic, amateurish, feeble, and to a degree rather work-shy, but in his own way is a consummate politician. Whilst not a particularly virtuous individual, in most situations he is able to direct the public view to a more positive light during a crisis, although many times his assurances are almost instantly proved to be premature. He has a habit of leaving the real work of his office to Callie Briggs, the deputy mayor.
Played By: Jim Cummings Alternate: Peter Renaday
Calico "Callie" Briggs: She is the deputy mayor of Megakat City and an invaluable ally of the SWAT Kats, being amongst their most fervent supporters. Callie is the one who often handles the day-to-day dealings of City Hall, as Mayor Manx is cowardly and incompetent. Callie is shown to be sweet-tempered, kind-hearted and self-reliant. She is also under constant pressure to singlehandedly keep the city running, and as result, she has very little time for herself and often vents her frustrations about her job to any who will listen, often the SWAT Kats. However, she regularly shows the confidence and courage to face any challenge in front of her and is always determined to turn the situation around.
Played By: Tress MacNeille Alternate: Jodi Benson
Dr. Abby Sinian: She is an Archaeologist and curator of the Megakat City Museum of History. Smart, beautiful and brave as well as tops in her field, Dr. Sinian doesn't hesitate to get down and dirty when working an archeological site or panic when in danger. Unlike most scientists in her field, Dr. Sinian does not limit herself to the factual and tangible; she is an expert on the supernatural and the occult and often proves useful in situations involving villains. As Curator of the Megakat Museum of History, Dr. Sinian often proves to be an excellent informational resource for when creatures and villains from the past manage to make a comeback in the modern realm.
Played By: Linda Gary Alternate: Susan Silo
Professor Hackle: He was a scientist who spent his life as a military weapons researcher for Pumadyne. He later renounced his profession and turned to the civilian sector. Professor Hackle was the one who built the robot bodies of Mac and Molly Mange and transplanted their brains into them while trying to make them model robots. Professor Hackle gave a complaint call to Pumadyne about his inventions being misused, and later provided Commander Feral with an EMP device to use on the Metallikats. He also created "Cybertron", a friendly and very brave little robot to help the SWAT Kats.
Played By: George Hearn Alternate: David Warner
Commander Ulysses Feral: He is the Head of the Enforcers. Feral has a strong and obviously deep hatred for the SWAT Kats, whom he considered "reckless vigilantes." This doesn't stop him from working with them when the situation calls for it though, but he more often prefers to use his own men. Despite his ego, he has a strict sense of justice and tries his best to battle the threats that plague Megakat City, and despite his dislike for them, he does appear to have some respect for the SWAT Kats.
Played by: Gary Owens Alternate: Charles Napier
Lt. Felina Feral: She is Commander Ulysses Feral's niece. She is something of a reckless hot-head who appreciates the help of the SWAT Kats and would openly work with them. Feral himself faces something of a dilemma over her: trying to keep her out of danger but not show any favorable treatment. Furthermore, he has stated that Felina is too good an officer to eject off the force, as his brother would never speak to him again.
Played by: Lynne Lipton Alternate: Heather North
Lt. Commander Steel: He is ahigh-ranking Enforcer who constantly seeks to replace Commander Feral as leader of the Enforcers. He is actually a bit of a coward and shows no real leadership skills, simply sitting at Feral's desk and dismissing people even if they were victims of a crime. He is also prone to getting airsick.
Played by: Hal Rayle Alternate: Ed O'Ross
Dark Kat: He is the main arch-enemy of the SWAT Kats. He is a very large, intelligent, and evil purple-skinned kat that wears a black and red hooded coat. Dark Kat wants to destroy Megakat City to create a new lawless town called "Dark Kat City". Being highly intelligent and calculating, Dark Kat often anticipates his foes' actions with great accuracy, and it is a recurring theme that all of his hideouts are rigged with explosives.
Played by: Brock Peters Alternate: Michael Dorn
Dr. Viper: Dr. Elrod Purvis was a greedy scientist who works at Megakat Biochemical Labs. He tried to steal an experimental regenerative formula that he, and his idealistic colleague Dr. N. Zyme, were developing. He became covered in the formula when he fell down the stairs and the shock ultimately killed him. The chemicals revived him from death, mutating Purvis into a sociopathic half-cat, half-snake creature. With expertise in the fields of biology, genetics, and robotics, he seeks to turn Megakat City into "Megaswamp City" and transform the residents into mutants like himself.
Played by: Frank Welker Alternate: Tim Curry
Mac and Molly Mange/The Matallikats: The husband-and-wife criminal team similar to Bonnie and Clyde, Mac and Molly Mange both used to head the most notorious mob syndicate in Megakat City. They drowned when the boat they were in was hit by a larger boat while attempting to escape from Alkatraz prison. Their bodies were found by Professor Hackle's robot servants and their minds were placed in the brains of robots. Instead of reforming they remained criminals and took on the moniker of The Metallikats. Mac and Molly often bickered with each other, but do love each other and would come to each other's aid when one was in trouble. Mac was considered the "muscle" of the team while Molly was considered the "brains."
Mac Played by: Neil Ross Alternate: Dan Castellaneta
Molly Played by: April Winchell Alternate: Kath Soucie
The Pastmaster: He is an undead sorcerer from the Dark Ages who tried to conquer his home city. He traveled through time using his magical mechanical pocket watch, and with his magical spellbook "The Tome of Time", he was able to summon extinct or mythical creatures such as dinosaurs and dragons. He despised all forms of modern technology and was constantly trying to rid the world of it and return things to the former "glory" of his beloved Dark Ages.
Played by: Keene Curtis Alternate: Mark Hamill
Hard Drive: He is a technological thief who generally dons his "Surge Coat" when working. This coat gives him a number of abilities focused around electricity and electronics, as the name suggests. He has an ability to transform himself into electrical energy, thus allowing him to travel through power, telephone, and computer lines. He is also able to manipulate electronic devices with a simple jolt of electricity from his fingertip and download and delete data quickly with a "plug" on his coat. He works for whoever pays him the most. However, he is powerless without his surge coat and is actually very scrawny.
Played by: Rob Paulsen Alternate: Roddy McDowell
The Ci-Kat-A: A race of cicada-like aliens with a mild resemblance to a cat that can transform a creature into a Ci-Kat-A with a bite. A Ci-Kat-A queen left its home planet and cocooned itself in space. The queen stowed away on a Masa space shuttle which landed on Earth. At a Masa lab, the queen infected Dr. Harley Street, other scientists, and the guards. The queen laid several eggs which hatched into Ci-Kat-A drones while Dr. Street fed the Ci-Kat-A radiation from the site, though the queen needed more.
Madkat: Ages ago, Madkat was an insane and powerful court jester who was replaced. He sought revenge on the jester who replaced him and the knight, queen, and king who imprisoned him in a jack-in-a-box. Centuries later, once brilliant comedian-turned-asylum patient Lenny Ringtail escapes and fuses with the jester's spirit after finding the jack-in-a-box in a store and gains the ability to warp reality at a whim, this makes him virtually unstoppable and his only weakness is the small balls at the end of his fool's cap.
The Red Lynx: The ghost of a Mega War II flying ace who pilots a red biplane. T-Bone says he learned a lot about dogfighting from studying the Red Lynx's maneuvers. The Red Lynx stole a prototype plane from the Enforcers and tried to kill Mayor Manx, who was the great-grandson of his greatest opponent, the Blue Manx, but in the end, the SWAT Kats, along with Mayor Manx sent him to his doom by destroying the plane.
Lord Mutilor: He is a giant lobster-like alien warlord who attacked Earth using a stolen Aquian spaceship to steal all of its water so he could sell it to a desert world. In the end, the SWAT Kats were able to kill him by blowing up his fighter craft and saving Captain Grimalken and his crew from harm.
Turmoil: She is a villainous she-kat that wants to conquer Megakat City by controlling the airspace, with the help of her flying fortress, the Sky-Lion, and her squadron of female pilots, if the citizens of Megakat City don't pay her due first. She tried to seduce T-Bone, by showing him some of the modified airplanes that supposedly never went as far as the drawing board. But in the end, T-Bone fooled her. With the help of Razor, T-Bone put Turmoil in prison.
Mega-Scorpions: When Tiger Conklin of a mining company was illegally dumping toxic waste into a mining cavern, harmless cave scorpions were mutated into humanoid mutants later dubbed Mega-Scorpions with a hive mind, bringing food to the queen Mega-Scorpion. The Mega-Scorpions began preying on the miners which they fed to their leader.
Zed: It is a Micro-Brain Repair Unit created by Dr. Leiter Greenbox, the robot later to be known as Zed was designed to analyze mechanical objects and reassemble them. However, after he was stolen by the Metallikats so they could repair themselves, Zed's programming was 'contaminated' by their criminal personalities, causing its artificial intelligence to evolve. As Zed evolved, it built a robot body out of metal parts it scrounged from machines all over the city (including the Metallikats), building his body bigger and bigger as he went along.
Ann Gora: She is the reporter for Kat's Eye News. She was usually on the scene whenever the SWAT Kats were in action, and had been rescued by the SWAT Kats twice. Besides Deputy Mayor Briggs, Ann had also warned the SWAT Kats a few times of dangerous situations.
Sgt. Talon: He is one of Feral's top Enforcer officers. He says little and carries out Feral's orders without question. He serves as Feral's second in command in the field whenever Felina isn't around.
Morbulus: An evil pilot who literally has eyes in the back of his head. He bombs oil refineries with his fighter jet until defeated by the SWAT Kats. He is found by Dr. Viper near a sewer pipe and mutated into a grotesque purple bacteria monster that divides into more of itself when hit.
Katscratch: A gangster who used to work for Mac and Molly Mange. He was known for smuggling catnip, which is seen as a narcotic in the SWAT Kats universe, in a trade with Fango. When Mac and Molly Mange returned as the Metallikats, they killed off Katscratch for his betrayal.
Rex Shard: A convict sentenced to life in prison, who was accidentally exposed to the radiation of an experimental diamond mining machine created by Dr. Greenbox when testing it out in a mine for Warden Cyrus Meece (whom Shard always hated). He turned into a crystal colossus and had the ability to turn anything he touched into a crystal.
Dr. Harley Street: He was a brilliant astronomer who was bitten by an alien insect creature and later mutated into one himself. Dr. Harley Street tried to help the alien queen to achieve its full power by letting her eat the radioactive material from Megakat Nuclear Power Plant.
A.N.: Another offering for Hannah-Barbera, this time with the legendary Paul Dini as the one writing the stories. From what I know, he began writing for He-Man and the Masters of the Universe in 83', so if we begin this at around this time we should still be able to get him to work for us. As for Robert Alvarez, he's a veteran of the studio, and directed the series in OTL doing an amazing job. So I think it all fits perfectly here.
Don't think the Empire at large would adopt systems like the Basilisk unless it's someone involved with the Mandalorians like Gideon.
Speaking of, I'm conflicted on to what extent if at all Star Wars would adopt mecha. I don't think we'd have something like X-wings and TIEs dueling with Gundams, but I could see mecha being a component of ground warfare for some factions, though perhaps more mobile platforms in the vein of the AT-ST than humanoid mechs. I think there's enough clear precedent for the Empire to adopt mecha throughout the Imperial Army for crowd control, pitched urban warfare and fighting on planets with poor terrain. Rebellion probably wouldn't see it widespread beyond a few certain cells. I was planning on a Space Japan world who extensively use mecha in planetary warfare. Mandaorians would probably use it as a matter of personal honor and it being seen as similar to fighting directly.
In old pre Disney canon besides the AT-ATs their were the SD series droids and the X-1 Vipers. They were droids but there is president for giant robots in star wars. Though I think they only really only appeared in the Dark Empire storyline so they didn't really catch on. And I personally don't really see the point for widespread mecha to be a huge part of star wars. Yes they're cool but star wars doesn't really need lots of mechs to be tacked on to it. And I don't really want us throwing mecha into everything jsut because we own Gundam. Star wars already has walkers so I don't really see the point of throwing actual mechs into the mix except for rule of cool.
That said I do have a fondness for the appearance of SD-6 droid.
John Lennon has a near-death experience, Death has a near Bruce O'Brain experience.
John Lennon has a near-death experience, Death has a near Bruce O'Brain experience.
There is a hot sensation from his neck, and the world has turned grey and frozen. The people around him have likewise turned grey and are frozen, pointing, screaming at something near where he stands.
He takes a step forward, and there, lying on the Ground, also colourless, is a body that looks a lot like him, wearing clothes that look a lot like his, just with a chunk missing from the individual's neck.
What is going on? The world has stopped, held between one second and the next. The only colour is his clothes, and there is a stinging sensation from his neck near where this look-alike has the injury.
Hesitantly, almost unbidden, his hand touched his neck and touched something wet. His hand comes away, fingers covered in red blood.
"oh"
He turns. Behind him, in a half crouch, another colourless man stands motionless, a pistol pointed in his direction, another bullet frozen in mid-air heading toward him.
A flicker of movement, and suddenly, HE is there. A tall figure with a scythe over their shoulder. A Black cloaked figure impossibly outlined in the faintest Electric blue. The figure's face is a skull, yet somehow, it is kind despite the inhuman visage.
The figure reaches its belt. Hanging from the simple cord are hourglasses. The figure picks off one with almost no sand remaining in the top section.
The future holds it out towards him, almost gently. The writing on the glass, impossibly beautiful and yet absolutely ugly glistens in the not light of the frozen tableau. The Hourglass is nothing he has ever seen, yet it is undeniably his.
JOHN LENNON?IT IS TIME.
The voice, like led slabs hitting a granite floor, echoing impossibly on the open plaza. Inevetibility in every word, but John is too entranced at the sight of his Hourglass. Looking closer, he can see his every moment, every thought, action and consequence echoed in the little grains of not sand that fall ever slower, emptying into the bottom half of the timer. Gone forever, spent some poorly, some well, but gone all the same.
Before he can move, before he can act, another figure appears. This one also has colour, and rather than electric blue, his outline is gold.
Tall, imposing, and incongruously wearing a Batman costume, the figure takes the scene and turns to the Skeletal Reaper.
"Can I challenge you for this man's life?"
Despite having an unchanging skull for a face, the Reaper now looks puzzled.
Why would you wish to save him? He has troubled you and spat on your works? Surely, there are many more worthy of your efforts to save?
Batman removes his cowel, revealing the familiar and somewhat hated face of Bruce O'Brian. "Yet by the Grace of God, I stand Before you now in this strange place with the opportunity to do so. Should I not try?"
There will be a price. It will Be Johns's Choice if He wishes to pay it.
"And the price is ?"
The price and the Challenge Shall be Music Yet to be Made.
The Reaper hefts the Hourglass, its not sand contents gleaming within, little pearls of moments crystallized moments of his life, here the first song With the Band, the pure joy of four young men playing music before they were famous or even good there one of the moments of looking on Yoko's eyes.
John Lennon, do you accept this man as your champion?
John remains frozen for a moment, caught in the mere memory of Yoko's eyes. Any chance to see them again is worthwhile, regardless of the cost, and it is better than none. "I accept."
Bruce O'Brian, Do you accept?
Frustration flows over Bruce's face before conviction settles in, and he nods his approval. John Lennon Knows in his bones that for all, Bruce is in a successful Band that is tearing up the charts and producing true works of art. Bruce has little talent. The band's musical success is due to his wife's skill as both a singer and songwriter, a thought that had warmed John's stomach on more than one occasion watching Bruce's many other successes. Now, it is ash in his Mouth that the lack of skill he once found amusement in may cost him everything.
John almost idly notes that the colour is fading from his left hand. Is there more blood on the Ground around his corpse? The sand in the Hourglass, with his name and his life, seems to fall slower than ever, but still, the minute amount of sand at the top is almost gone.
Death Lifts his Hourglass just so, and it catches the not light of the setting, momentarily blinding and forcing John to close his eyes.
When he opens them again, he is somewhere else. The plaza is gone, and he stands on a stage.
It is no stage he has ever seen before, yet it is as familiar as if it were the only stage he had ever performed on. A crowd of faceless people stretches out to infinity. Bruce O'Brian and Death are set up behind separate microphones, each equidistant to the centre of the stage. The audience in front is a sea of faceless silhouettes stretching to infinity, each with its own pearlescent outline.
Looking closer, these outlines reveal the moments he has touched these otherwise unknown or unremembered souls. Here is the excitement of a record purchased by an elder sister to share with a younger one and play endlessly, becoming part of how they remember each other once they grow and move apart. An older man remembers better years with a lover, listening to one of his songs. Further on, a father works hard to bring home a little extra so his child can go and see a band making music that the father has dismissed as noise.
The crowd seems endless. These are the moments he has given the people, strangers who, by chance or design, lives he has touched, however unknowingly. As he looks closer, he sees some figures have more detail and are almost lost among the crowd. Some he sees have real faces. With effort, he can make out Ringo, Paul, and Yuko. He turns again, and in a different section of the crowd, he makes out the scowling visage of his eldest son, Julan.
He looks for more but is interrupted by a voice like Tombstone's grinding together.
On this stage, you will sing for the last time. Who you choose to accompany you will shape how you are remembered.
Performing with me your passing will ensure the music you have sung will echo longer and further than it would have otherwise.
He gestured to the crowd. They will of songs that you had the potential to sing but did not and worship you all the more for them.
In their minds you will sing again and again, better than any of your performances in life. You will be remembered well for the songs you did not sing.
He opened his mouth to ask a question but before he could form the words, the skeleton's eyes faltered a deep blue like stars in a distant galaxy and answered it.
You stand on my door and have partially come through. Your wounds have already gifted me your voice and part of your mind. I cannot return them any more than I can make the sun come up in the west.
Perform with me and win the crowd over, and you will not go back to a crippled shell. You will be forever in their minds in your prime.
Perform with your champion and fail to win the crowd over, and you will come with me regardless.
As for the song, I am Death. Every song a singer stops singing, either by completion or interruption, every note that finishes echoing of a concert hall's walls, I can replicate with perfection. Those and more I can reproduce perfectly. But if you want your final performance to be indeed remembered, you must provide the soul. Your soul, to be precise.
The figure falls silent, seemingly content with his pronouncement. The crowd moves, cheering and calling to him, promising things as always. Can he risk being less than he is? Can he accept not having his music and arm never again having adulation from a crowd?
He turns to the other figure on stage.
Bruce O'Brian smiles. "Joining me and performing well enough to win over the crowd will not be easy. You are a better musician than me. I can back you up, but this will be the performance of a lifetime.
Something gold flashed behind him as his hand went to the belt of the Batman costume he still wore, his fingers playing with something as he looked out into the crowd, eyes seeingly alighting on Julina before returning to his face.
"The song I sing most likely to be remembered is Twinkle Twinkle Little Star."
He looks away, smiling softly at something in the distance. Gold light hinting at a wing beneath that dark cape him as he moves.
"It is the song I have sung to my daughter as she scribbles Spaceship designs in her crayons and begs for five more minutes before bed. My song will echo in my daughter's head as she leads mankind ascending to the stars…"
The crowd is silent, holding its breath at the insane proposition, at the assumption of greatness for his chilled. Then, Bruce turns to look at him directly, holding out his hand and showing the contents as a single white feather.
"…or it won't, and it will simply be the tune that puts my daughter to sleep knowing that her father is both here and loves her. But I doubt it is a tune that your audience cares to hear. But it is a tune that your son might."
Easy Guaranteed fame or a gruelling contest that he still might lose for the chance to reconcile with his son.
He thinks and makes his decision.
Waking up is hard. Everything hurts, and his left arm simultaneously feels numb and impossibly painful. But he is not on that impossible stage with the faceless crowd he is back in the real world.
There waiting for him in the utterly mundane hospital room is his wife Yoko, the pain in her face and concern over him making the smile she gives him now so much richer than the smile he… saw… hallucinated? In his near-death experience.
He goes to say something but is immediately tenderly hugged. This is what he played for and won. As he celebrates his wife's touch, he is held. He sees over his wife's shoulder and the other figure in the room, screaming, but concern is still evident on his face.
He goes to say something to invite him over to state his appreciation that he was here, but his lips don't move, can't move. As he tries and fails to do anything, the moment is lost. The concern on Julian's face rapidly erases itself; the hug that Yoko continues with is an ongoing reminder that this woman is his wife but not the man's mother.
Having had enough, the man, his son Julian, stands up to leave. "Guess now I know you're alright. I'll be going again. And leave you to your wife and preferred family."
The man walks out of the room, not looking back.
It hurts. He had hoped to reconcile with his oldest son, but it seems that the process will take time and effort
Hmm, inspiration for a song
He tries to bend his mind to the start of his usual process but the doors that transcendental meditation once opened no longer exist. He attempts to think back on songs he has written, music he has performed, things he knows better than the back of his hand and nothing comes.
The hug is getting painful, and he attempts to ask Yoko to let go, but he can't. He goes to move his arm, and it refuses to even twitch. Everything hurts. This is wrong. He wants to get up to go after his son, to talk, to mend everything, but he can't move his limbs, he can't move his lips, he cant say anything. He thinks back to the words of the skeleton from the hallucination that he already had John's arm and part of his mind and could not give them back. Does that mean that music is truly lost to him, that the performer, the singer, the songwriter, what most people expect John Lennon to be, died outside that New York hotel?
He pushes all of his panic and concern into his other arm, his right arm and with immense effort, his hand mores slightly.
"John?"
She pulls back, not truly letting go, but even that tiny effort has exhausted him.
Mercifully, blackness comes rushing in. His last thought is that living would be more complicated than hoped.
Dec 8 1980
Daily Mirror- Special issue- John Lennon shot in New York
Jan 26 1981 The Sun
– Here comes the son- Lennon and estranged son Julian seen talking on hospital grounds
Feb 16 1981 The Guardian
– Ballad of John and Yoko – Now we know John will never sing again is it curtains for the duo?
Mar 1981 - The Courier
- Getting better- Lennon seen in public with Son Julin and Wife Yuko. States will Not return to public life, citing Spending time with Family.
April 1981- Wally's Wall of Weird.
John Lennon goes on record categorically denying seeing Living Saint Bruce O'Brian dressed as Batman rocking out against Death in a battle for his Soul while in coma as anything other than the result of blood loss and not a miracle by New Saint.
Church suspiciously silent on the matter.
Well, after the comment that Bruce is considered A living saint, I wondered what miracles would be assigned ot him. A few posts later and it is revealed John Lennon has survived being shot.
Thus, the kernal of an idea was born.
And yes, it includes my poor emulation of Terry Pratchett's Death and bits stolen from Soul Music.
I've just come back from seeing Dune Part 2, and it was amazing!! oe of the best adaptations ever...if not for a certain character that I won't name for spoilers.
Well, at the very least I know that our adaptation of Dune won't have them acting like that anytime soon.
From what I have seen of this quest so far, it's great! What point in time are we in because I may or may not have a few ideas? Also, I think Lucasvision could work as a better name than LucasTV. Would Cartoon Network still exist? Or would TTL's CN by proxy of Lucasfilm now owning Hanna-Barbera and Looney Tunes being owned by Disney on those channels?
Also, how did Disney of all people get the rights to the Looney Tunes?
Oddly enough, the first time I ever heard of The Pirates of Dark Water was through its videogame, which I never managed to beat back then (mostly because I was more interested in Legend of Zelda: A Link to the Past). When I first found out that there was a series I was quite shocked, I mean, so far I had only known about Ren, Tula and Ioz through the game, and was not aware exactly what the entire thing was about as well.
When I first saw it I found a world rich in lore and with complex protagonists, so imagine my surprise when I find out that this was something made by Hannah-Barbera! True, it was made in the 90s, and it only had two seasons, with each having only 13 episodes each, but still! I really liked how the entire premise of the show had them travel through different locales, islands and having pirate adventures. The introduction of "Ecomancers" and fighting against what can only be described as a Lovecraftian entity is another point in their favor, as it upped the scales of the confrontation.
Frankly, I want this series to have at least three seasons, with 22 episodes each, give more time to flesh out the world and the different characters they would have to face in order to find the 13 Treasures of Rule. I want this to be more than just a cult series, though I would not mind if it became that as well.
Thus, I give you:
Animated Show Pitch: The Pirates of Dark Water
GENRE: Action/Adventure/Swashbuckler
SUBGENRE: Fantasy/Family/Drama
FORMAT: Animated TV Show
Set Up: Ren, the son of the dying King Primus of Octopon, sails around the alien world of Mer on a ship called the Wraith, searching for the "Thirteen Treasures of Rule". The treasures are prophesied to save Octopon and Mer from the threat of Dark Water, an all-consuming black liquid that has taken over the seas. His loyal crew of misfits that help Ren on his journey are the Ecomancer Tula, a monkey-bird Niddler, and the treasure-hungry pirate Ioz. Ren's opponent in his quest is the pirate Bloth of the warship the Maelstrom, who will stop at nothing to get the treasures and control the Dark Water himself.
Animation: Hannah-Barbera Studios Series Director: Tom Tataranowicz Writer: Michael Reaves Proposed Length: 3 Seasons
Ren: He is the prince of the once-grand kingdom of Octopon. Ren was raised by a lighthouse keeper in the outskirts of his homeland, unaware of his destiny and heritage. He wields the broken sword that belonged to his father in its whole form. Being seventeen, Ren still has a lot to learn about human nature and about his own limitations. The mythic quest for the Thirteen Treasures of Rule will bring about his slow evolution from boy to man...and from a lighthouse keeper's charge, to his rightful place on the throne of Octopon.
Played By: George Newbern Alternate:
Niddler: He is a monkey-bird who once belonged to Bloth until he escaped by aiding Ren's own escape from the pirate captain. He hails from the island of Pandawa. Niddler is usually a little greedy and constantly ravenous for food, his favorite food being minga melons, but he has a great loyalty to Ren and has flown him out of many a tight situation. Even so, his judgment can be influenced by fear of danger or his bottomless stomach.
Played By: Roddy McDowell Alternate: Frank Welker
Tula: She is a headstrong "Ecomancer" with the ability to control the elements and biological life, both sentient and non-sentient, as well as a natural affinity towards nature and animals. Tula is introduced as being a simple barmaid, but she stows aboard Ren and Ioz's ship, claiming she "wanted to get away from the drudgery of life on land." Her abilities are of great aid to the group, though the more demanding the task, the greater the weakness and vulnerability she will feel afterwards.
Played By: Jodi Benson Alternate:
Ioz: He is a rogue and pirate who joins up with Ren initially for the promise of treasure. Throughout the seasons, his character matures and he becomes fond of Ren and his idealism, evolving into a protective brotherly figure to him and often risking his life for Ren and the quest for the Treasures. He continues his attempts at getting rich quickly but is mostly unsuccessful. He also has a younger sister named Solia, who like him is also trying to get rich. Like Niddler, he originally worked for Bloth, but "it ended ugly" according to him.
Played By: Hector Elizondo Alternate: Jim Cummings
Bloth: He's the ox-sized, humanoid pirate captain of the feared pirate ship Maelstrom. He is after the Thirteen Treasures of Rule to control all the Dark Water in the world and in effect Mer itself. He destroyed Primus's fleet seventeen years prior to the timeline of the show and captured Primus and his aide Avagon, though the seven captains accompanying Primus were able to escape with the Treasures. Bloth has since been hunting them obsessively and destroying every remnant of the House of Primus just as obsessively, including killing every heir to the throne of Octopon that he could find and ravaging and pillaging the ailing city.
Played By: Brock Peters Alternate: Dick Gautier
The Dark Dweller: The Dark Dweller is a powerful, evil creature that created the Dark Water. He had the Treasures originally scattered because their power is the only thing capable of opposing him and his evil master plan to swallow Mer in Dark Water. Originally, both he and the Dark Water were trapped in their domain by the seal of the Thirteen Treasures of Rule, but after a time the Dark Dweller became powerful enough to cause a rift in the ocean bed, allowing the Dark Water to begin seeping out, thus beginning the Year of the Black Tide. He then sent Kiroptus to scatter the Thirteen Treasures across Mer, so that nothing could stop him from enveloping all of the world in the Dark Water.
Played By: Frank Welker Alternate: Peter Cullen
Morpho: He is a servant of the Dark Dweller and the leader of his worshippers, the Dark Disciples. He joins forces with Bloth and serves as the above-water liaison for the Dark Dweller, so that they can aid each other in their mutual goal of killing Ren and his friends, though they have two very different goals for the Compass and Treasures. He was an alchemist who was doing research on the Dark Water when the Dark Dweller captured him and transformed him so that he was no longer fully human, making him into an eternal servant. He possesses a tentacle in place of one arm, and half his body has been reshaped to resemble an amalgam of deep-sea creatures.
Played By: Neil Ross Alternate: Earl Boen
Joat: He is a pirate and the previous owner of the Wraith before it was stolen by Ioz in order to sail with Ren to look for the 13 Treasures of Rule. Joat now pursues our heroes, bent on getting his ship back at any cost. He always shows up at the worst time for our heroes, snarling, and challenging them for ownership of the Wraith. Joat used to be a swordsman until he lost his hand in a fight. Losing the extremity made him bitter, so he had it replaced with a wicked metal claw which he uses mercilessly in battle.
Played By: Tim Curry Alternate: Andre Stojka
Mantus: He is Bloth's second-in-command. His cool and calculating personality makes him the perfect battle strategist for Bloth's feet. In contrast to his commander's devastating emotional swings, he is always cool-headed and emotionless in battle--as well as in life. He is a schemer who revels in elaborate and creative maneuvers to snare Ren and the crew of the Wraith.
Konk: He is a short, fat pirate who works for Bloth. He lost his leg thanks to a close encounter with his master's ferocious pet the Constrictus. For a long time, Konk was the only one to ever survive being thrown to the monster. Although not particularly smart, Konk possesses more bluster than most of Bloth's crew and is always trying to win Bloth's praise.
The Lugg Brothers: They are two huge, dimwitted siblings who are members of Bloth's crew. They try to assist Konk, but their stupidity makes them more of a hindrance than anything. They only make appearances as main characters in the first five episodes of the show.
Zoolie: He is a fun-loving mountain of a man who doesn't let his good nature keep him from enjoying a good fight. A former crew member on Bloth's mammoth ship, Zoolie befriended Ioz when he too sailed with the bloated pirate. Zoolie now runs a tavern in Janda Town, home of Merian thieves, scoundrels and cheats. Master of the sword, Zoolie has been known to take on six men at a time! With an ability to show up at just time, bringing along the strangest assortment of exotic weapons confiscated from the customers at his gaming house, Zoolie has saved our heroes on numerous occasions.
Teron: He is a supreme Ecomancer who sprouts roots from his body in order to replenish himself from a portable supply of native soil when he is away from his homeland, Andorus. Tula has great respect for him as an Ecomancer, and she was sent on a mission to bring him back to Andorus to heal the Dark Water-ravaged Island. Teron also helps Tula adjust to her new powers as an Ecomancer when they first manifest themselves.
A.N.: Another entry for Hannah-Barbera Studios. I'm hoping that with the slew of animated pitches (which I expect we can bring to life through the 80s) we can bring in what would be the "Silver Age" for Hannah Barbera, where they show that their creativity was only due to their lack of funds, not lack of imagination. Now, I'll start working on a final pitch for them, and then I'll try for some movies.
You know, when I first started watching this show I didn't like it that much. I mean, the character always seemed to be running and had no powers or abilities in order to fight back so it just seemed weird to me. It was not until a few more episodes later (which I saw about a year after) that I finally understood the entire thing, what it was trying to show with the adventures of max, and the many different clashes he had with the villains as he travelled through the portals. In a way, it has its own unique charm, one that it took me a while to finally get.
Now that I've done so, I can fully appreciate the characters, the premise, the fights, the story and character arcs. Notot mention that amazing ending which really had me excited all the way till we see how Max has another hance, and leaves us wondering what he'll do now. Normally, such kind of endings would have had me raging, but with Mighty Max it makes so much sense, and it's very fitting for a kid to try for a do-over in order to fix what he sees as his greatest mistakes.
Thus, I give you:
Animated Show Pitch: Mighty Max GENRE: Action/Adventure/Horror
SUBGENRE: Fantasy/Thriller/Science Fiction
FORMAT: Animated TV Show
Set Up: The series follows Max, an adventurous teenage boy who receives in the mail a small statue of a fowl, inscribed with Egyptian hieroglyphs whereof the translation states: "You have been chosen to be the cap-bearer. Go to the mini-mart and wait for a sign, Mighty Max". Shocked by the message, Max drops the statue, shattering it and revealing a red baseball cap emblazoned with a yellow "M", which he dons. The cap is capable of projecting wormhole-like "portals" through which Max can teleport across space and time.
Animation: Hannah-Barbera Studios Series Director: Kevin Altieri Writer: Larry DiTillio Proposed Length: 3 Seasons
Max: He is a rambunctious, clever, and blond teen empowered, through a series of adventures, to protect the signature cap that enables travel through various places. Virgil revealed that Max must protect the key and the portals from Skullmaster, as well as maintain balance in the world. That often-meant foiling alien plots and defeating evil in all forms. Max made clear his reluctance to be the Mighty One, which only seemed to get him into trouble and even greater danger. He would rather get on with being a normal everyday kid and play with his friends, but Virgil and the cap leave him with little choice.
Played By: Rob Paulsen Alternate: Charlie Adler
Virgil: He is a fowl-like humanoid, the last living Lemurian, and Max's mentor. He is over ten thousand years old, and knowledgeable in both the past and the future. He is very serious and often frustrated by Max's carefree ways (which include teasingly calling Virgil a "chicken"), as well as being frequently reminded of having mentored Skullmaster, who consequently destroyed his people later on. Virgil would often send unusual messages to Max on where to go in order to get taken through a portal to meet up with him.
Played By: Tony Jay Alternate: Hamilton Camp
Norman: He is Max's bodyguard who, after failing to prevent his father's defeat, vowed to become the greatest warrior that ever lived. After a lifetime of battle, Norman was appointed by Virgil to his current role. He earned his immortality by defeating the Conqueror, an undefeated champion, and swore to defend the Mighty One with his life if necessary. As the Mighty One's bodyguard, Norman is usually serious but, unlike Virgil, seems to enjoy Max's carefree ways.
Played By: Richard Moll Alternate: Dorian Harewood
Skullmaster: He is the arch-nemesis of the Mighty One. Skullmaster is an ancient warrior-sorcerer whose cunning, relentlessness, lust for both power and influence and his own limitless ambition has driven him to destroy at least two civilizations. He and Virgil are of Lemurian heritage, a civilization fell to Skullmaster's wrath. Later, Skullmaster tricked the inhabitants of an ancient city to give their souls to him, which he used to power his Crystal of Souls. 5000 years prior to the start of the series, Skullmaster was imprisoned deep within the earth, where he sealed the reigning king, Lava Lord, into solid rock and took control of his minions.
Played By: Tim Curry Alternate: David Warner
Warmonger: He is the commander of Skullmaster's legions of Rock Monsters and Lava Beasts. Because they were trapped at the center of the Earth, Warmonger was, generally, little more than a slave driver, keeping the enslaved Lava Beasts in line. But after the reappearance of Lava Lord, Warmonger escaped to the surface with Skullmaster and got to play a somewhat more active role as Skullmaster's sidekick and henchman.
Played By: Ron Perlman Alternate: Neil Ross
Lava Lord: He was originally the ruler of Skull Mountain before Skullmaster overthrew him and imprisoned him in stone. When Max destroyed the Crystal of Souls, the spell containing Lava Lord was broken and he was freed. The Lava Beasts formerly under Skullmaster's control as slaves returned to Lava Lord and helped him build an ultimate weapon to get his revenge on Skullmaster, the giant robot Magus. Seeing Max, he agrees to join forces with Max since Skullmaster fears him, however he obviously only sees Max as a worm and just a figurehead ally.
Played By: Frank Welker Alternate: Jim Cummings
Cyberskull: Once known as Marlin Curt, he was a disgruntled ex-employee of Mega Corp. Wanting to get even, he creates a virus that would enable him to control matter and reality, shaping it into a digital world in the physical. Originally a vengeful geek of a man who wanted revenge, Morlen gains a god complex after becoming Cyberskull and attempted to digitize all organic matter to his own liking. He is shown to be petty and egotistical, and spiteful, fitting to his god wannabe persona.
Played By: Danny Goldman Alternate: Rene Auberjounois
Professor Eggbert Zygote: He is a mad scientist with plans to manipulate evolution. He had created a ray that could advance or regress any creature's place in the evolutionary scale, and used it to turn Max's pet Thor into a dinosaur and Virgil into a pterodactyl. After the pair of them defeated his Mutasaurus, a mutant creature composed of the major features of various species of dinosaur, Zygote turned the ray on himself and evolved into an ultra-intelligent futuristic form.
Played By: Kenneth Mars Alternate: Michael Bell
Max's Mother: She is a blonde archaeologist who works for the local museum. She often travels all over the world and usually leaves Max to his own devices. More than once Max has had to rescue her, but despite misgivings, she and Virgil often have historical discussions and she is one of the few people who can out-talk Virgil.
Bea: She is one of Max's two best friends. Bea is an intelligent young girl who has assisted and sometimes rescued Max. Level-headed and cool under pressure, she often balances Max's exuberance with a more intellectual approach.
Felix: He is Max's friend who takes Max's new heroism in stride. Felix has assisted Max on numerous occasions, but usually gets left behind when the adventure starts, only to be relied upon thereafter.
Thor: It is Max's pet green iguana and loyal companion.
Magus: He is a giant lava-powered robot working for Lava Lord who treated it like his own son.
Arachnoid: He is Dr. Stanley Kirby, a scientist who was mutated into the half-spider Arachnoid.
Talon: It is a giant skull-like entity that feeds on the souls of the living.
Fuath: It is a gigantic clockwork stone golem that was created by a sect of druids to plan revenge on humanity.
A.N.: Alright, and with this I'm done with the pitches for Hannah-Barbera. Hopefully, we have more than enough for at least the mid-80s, and from there we can think on what else we can work on for animation for children. For now, I'll focus a bit more on movies, perhaps some anime that can be done by Sunrise, or some animation by DreamWorks.
