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.
I had to jump onto my laptop to make a comment because holy shit, I haven't thought about this show in years. My dad was fucking obsessed with show a while back. Really fun show from what I remember.
I had to jump onto my laptop to make a comment because holy shit, I haven't thought about this show in years. My dad was fucking obsessed with show a while back. Really fun show from what I remember.
I had to jump onto my laptop to make a comment because holy shit, I haven't thought about this show in years. My dad was fucking obsessed with show a while back. Really fun show from what I remember.
It honestly is, a genuinely funny and really touching story, and Jason Lee was the best choice for Earl, I hope Ritter or Ward can live up to that reputation (if this gets made ITTL)
I swear, only Stephen King could write a novel about walking, and turn it into a horror masterpiece that makes one question the ideas of morality, one's own mortality and empathy, while also becoming somehow into a coming-of-age story where you find yourself rooting for everyone, even though you know some of them do not deserve it (save for the Major, fuck that tool!). This novel really makes you consider some of the things that you once take for granted, and it goes to dark places one would rather leave unanswered or unexplored. That it has yet to be adapted is one of life's greatest mysteries in my opinion.
I wanted to have Frank Darabont to work on it, since he's done great work in previous ones like The Shawshank Redemption or The Green Mile. However, I also remembered that there is a director whom we took one of his movies to make, and I think we kind of owe it to him. Not to mention that he could do wonders with this script in my opinion.
Thus, I give you:
Movie Pitch: Stephen King's The Long Walk GENRE: Horror/Psychological/Dystopia SUBGENRE: Suspense/Alternate History/Coming of Age
FORMAT: Movie
Set Up: In a dystopian America, a major source of entertainment is the Long Walk, in which 100 teenage boys walk without rest along U.S. Route 1. Each Walker must stay above four miles per hour. If a Walker drops below this speed for 30 seconds, he gets a warning. A Walker can lose a warning if he walks for an hour without getting another warning. If a Walker gets three warnings and continues to lag behind for 30 seconds, he is shot dead by soldiers. The last surviving Walker earns a large sum of money and a "Prize" of his choice.
Director: Irvin Kershner Composer: Jack Nitzsche
Raymond Garraty: He is a sixteen-year-old boy from Maine. He is the only competitor from the state of Maine, where the long walk is held, and is shown huge amounts of support from the crowd. During the walk, Garraty makes many revelations about mortality, and the imminent possibility of his own death. Garraty bonds with many of the competitors over the course of the long walk, including the enigmatic Stebbins. Garraty eventually becomes the winner of the walk after Stebbins's death. When the major comes to congratulate him, Garraty somehow finds the strength to run.
Played By: Robert Downey Jr. Alternate: Matt Dillon
Peter McVries: He is a young, cynical man with a sardonic sense of humor, and a prominent scar on his cheek. Of all the walkers, he bonds the closest with Garraty and saves his life multiple times. McVries admits during the walk that he applied for the walk due to subconscious death left from a broken relationship that left him in a suicidal depression. He also develops the most antagonistic relationship with Gary Barkovich. He tells Garraty that when he is done walking, he may just sit down. Near the end of the walk, he sits down in the street. Although Garraty tries desperately to save him, McVries refuses to budge, and he smiles one last time at Garraty before being killed by the soldiers.
Played By: Patrick Dempsey Alternate: John Cusack
Art Baker: He is a close friend of Garraty and McVries who is shown to be one of the kindest and honest competitors in the walk, and the least prone to speaking cryptically. He is one of the last walkers to die. When he decides that he can't go on, he asks Garraty for a lead-lined casket, a reference to a past conversation about Baker's uncle, an undertaker. He also asks Garraty "not to watch 'em do it." Baker's death affects Garraty so much that he can barely keep walking.
Played By: Anthony Michael Hall Alternate: Christian Slater
Hank Olson: He is a confident young walker who believes he has an edge on the other walkers. Olson starts out the walk cracking jokes and playfully insulting the other walkers, but quickly exhausts and turns into an empty shell. He is referred to by Stebbins as a demonstration of the mind to control the body, because although Olson is nearly dead, the mind commands him to keep walking to avoid death. Olson manages to outlast the majority of the walkers, because, as he admits to Garraty, "he does not want to die." He eventually rushes the halftrack, climbing aboard and seizing a gun from a sleeping soldier, shooting another one. After being shot he continues to walk, before finally dying.
Played By: Josh Brolin Alternate: Ralph Macchio
Gary Barkovitch: He is the one who every other walker wishes to outlast, and seems to be "running on high-octane hate." He teases the walkers with multiple threats of "dancing on their graves." Barkovitch antagonizes another walker named Rank, who attacks him, sparking an altercation resulting in Rank's death. The incident prompts the other walkers to think of him as a murderer, especially McVries. Despite his belligerence, Barkovitch later admits he wishes he had friends and that he didn't know how to act any other way. Some point during the night, the walkers hear shots. When Garraty asks if Barkovich has been shot, Barkovitch screams "Not Yet!" and tears his own throat out.
Played By: C. Thomas Howell Alternate: Kiefer Sutherland
Stebbins: He is the illegitimate son of the Major, and the most mysterious walker. He has many strange habits, including giving Garraty odd advice and then recanting the advice as lies. Stebbins becomes the favorite to win after Scramm's death, showing himself to be impossible to wear down. Near the end however, he breaks down in front of Garraty and admits to being the son of the Major (one of many). He tells him that the major deliberately distanced him psychologically to make him a "rabbit" (like those found in a greyhound race) to provoke other walkers into catching him. He is the last walker to die, clawing desperately at Garraty's shirt to stop him from giving out before collapsing.
Played By: Matthew Broderick Alternate: Emilio Estevez
The Major: The man who is in charge of "The Long Walk" for the last 13 years. A pristine methodical man known for his punctuality and decorum. He's also a narcissistic, society-supported sociopathic man who feels no qualms in seeing the bodies of the dead, cheering on the rest even as they walk around them. He mostly appears when someone has reached one of the milestones at predetermined sections of the track. IN the end Garrity can barely recognize him, calling him a "damn fool" and moving away from him as he chases the figure in black.
Played By: Michael Ironside
Curley: Had a Charlie Horse which slowed him down too much.
Ewing: He wore sneakers, which one of the Hints specifically said not to do. It caused blisters in his feet.
Zuck: He had excessive bleeding due to an open cut on his knee.
Travin: He slowed down due to having diarrhea. Soldiers shot him as he half-squatted, half-fell.
Fenter: He had a foot cramp.
Larson: He had fatigue. Sat down and was unable to stand up again.
Toland: He fainted.
James Baker: He attacked Barkovitch three times, violating the rule about non-interference with other walkers. Got three warnings and feel on the third time. Feeling woozy, he was unable to get up, and was shot.
Percy: Tried to escape into the woods.
Yannick: He got convulsions.
Gribble: Cramp near his crotch area, he feel and couldn't get up.
Harkness: Fatigue and burn out.
Tressier: Sunstroke
Aaronson: Cramps in both feet.
Wallace: Sunstroke
Jensen: Panic & blundered off road during hailstorm.
Roger Fenum: Fainted.
Scramm: Pneumonia. He sat down with Mike.
Mike: Stomach cramps. He sat down with Scramm.
Milligan: Severe headache from cheering.
Klingerman: Appendicitis
Tubbins: Insanity.
Collie Parker: Shot after attempting to hijack escorting half-truck.
Bobby Sledge: Tried to escape into the crowd.
Abraham: Fever-Induced fatigue.
A.N.: With only having the rights for the Novels Stephen King wrote up till the 80s, we have a limited amount we can work with, but I think we can still use them to good purpose. So far, I've made pitches to all the works save for Carrie from those we own, and with this one we only have left are Rage, The Stand and Firestarter. I don't think we're ever going to be adapting Rage, The Stand is a massive work that I think would work better as a TV Show rather than a movie (and now that I think about it, so does It), so perhaps I'll do Firestarter next.
A.N.: With only having the rights for the Novels Stephen King wrote up till the 80s, we have a limited amount we can work with, but I think we can still use them to good purpose. So far, I've made pitches to all the works save for Carrie from those we own
Do we own the rights to Night Shift? It's an anthology of King's short stories that came out in 78. Most of them were originally written before then. A few of the stories in there are a good choice for turning into films. To name a few. I know we've already had a pitch for Jerusalem's Lot, Children of the Corn's in there too and Sometimes They Come Back with a little polish could be a good movie. (in real life it was just an ok movie in my opinion). I Know What You Need might be neat and Strawberry Spring might make a good thriller.
Do we own the rights to Night Shift? It's an anthology of King's short stories that came out in 78. Most of them were originally written before then. A few of the stories in there are a good choice for turning into films.
Nolan Bushnell's day couldn't be better as he, perhaps uncharacteristically, patted his fine suit. Today would not only be a milestone for his career, but also for the entire gaming industry. He stood in the beating heart of Wall Street, inside the NYSE.
After the great success of Atari two years ago and nearly avoiding bankruptcy with the fiasco in Japan before that, he was approached by the suits of Wall Street with an offer he couldn't refuse: millions in upfront investment with a potential IPO in the future, if he could prove the long-term viability of the gaming sector.
And prove it he did. Atari machines and Pong consoles sold at a wild rate, even during a struggling economy. After securing a deal with Lehman Brothers for a reverse takeover, where the investment bank received a substantial portion of stock in exchange for a direct cash injection, Bushnell was able to fund further investment within the company like the Atari 2600 and give himself a nice payday after years of hard work.
As the seconds ticked by until the clock hit 9:30 AM, surrounded by friends and partners on Wall Street, he pressed the button, sounded the opening bell, and shouted,
"Atari is open for investment!"
October 1979
"...So when we look at the final numbers, we can see that while revenue has gone up, profits have been less than hoped," Bushnell said during his earnings presentation to his partners at Lehman Brothers and other shareholders.
"This is largely due to our new investment in the console development team for the eventual release of the Atari 5200. Are there any questions?" Silence descended on the room as Bushnell took a sip of water. The transition from a private company to a public one had been a bit of a pain in the ass for the company. Old men who grew up in an era before computers were even a thing had the gall to lecture him on how to run his company. Especially that damn weasel Ray Kasser, who was their 'representative' and hounded him about every little damn thing.
"Well... that could have gone better," Bushnell thought to himself. "Speak of the devil," he continued as Kasser opened his mouth to speak.
"Is this boondoggle, the Atari 2, really needed?" Kasser asked with an unspoken sigh.
"Of course," Bushnell responded calmly. "As technology improves, so too must we improve or risk being left behind."
"Yes, yes. I'm sure your old friends at Activision will really leave us in the dust," Kasser retorted. Before Bushnell could respond he continued "Even if we look beyond the 5200, I've noticed a worrying trend within Atari: our project development rate. It's been slow and the time to develop even a simple game has ballooned. This has hurt our bottom line and while our stock is growing, it's being crippled by this tardiness."
Bushnell felt himself growing angry, but he kept his composure. "So what do you want me to do, grab a whip and strike them into action? Look, I understand this may be less than ideal, but next quarter will surely assuage any concerns, right? We're investing in the future, and there may be some short-term pain, but it will pay off in the future-."
"Look, Bushnell, we've read the report beforehand and we've come to an agreement," Peter Petersome, CEO of Lehman Brothers, spoke up. "Due to recent… budgetary difficulties within Lehman, we need to find a short-term solution for profit, and we don't think you're the person for the job."
Bushnell felt ice in his veins. "You can't... you can't do that... It's my company!"
"Well, after some dealings were facilitated with me, some stock was sold to Lehman, and now it's the majority stockholder," Kasser added. "If you want, we can buy your shares out."
Bushnell was in shock. He was completely powerless as his company was stolen from under his feet and Kasser declared the new CEO.
February 1982
Ray Kasser, if he had to be honest, was stressing the fuck out in his office. It all started when he convinced Peter to buy out Nolan and give him the keys to Atari. It wasn't all that difficult with Lehman being in a bit of a rough spot and his promises of immediate, large profits if he was in charge.
Oh, how great things were in the beginning. He immediately started cutting costs and bringing some discipline to the company. The programmers didn't like it one bit, acting like spoiled brats after their mom stood her foot down. But they either complied, left, or were fired. Most of the old guard left, but were quickly replaced with his own men, and things went well for a while.
Until some time later, they found out that they wouldn't meet expected profit targets, even after his cuts. Faced with the Gordian knot of pleasing his boss and raising the stock with these results, he resorted to lying.
He forged some numbers to make it look like he had made more sales with higher prices, hoping that future results would cover up these lies and everyone would be happy. But that didn't happen. His boss set new targets based on these lies, and the numbers he desperately worked for just didn't appear. Ray did everything he could - he cut salaries, increased hours, demanded more games, and even brokered a deal with Universal, Columbia and others to develop games as advertisements. But it still wasn't enough. To bridge the gap, he took out some loans, played with the numbers and hoped to secretly pay them back in the future without his boss knowing. It was a downward spiral.
Then, in Christmas of 1981, what should have been a time of cheer and profit for corporations selling toys turned into the final nail in the coffin. Columbia's new movie, Superman II, was released and Ray wanted to release a game alongside it on Christmas. However, he only acquired the rights in mid-November, so his programmers only had a few weeks to work on it.
He hoped that the American Christmas spirit would overlook any drop in quality and that a large advertising push would drive sales. The game was bought in truckloads and became the must-have item of the season. There was finally light at the end of the tunnel, but it turned out to be the lights of an oncoming train.
The game was returned in truckloads as reviewers compared it to an unplayable mess. Ray couldn't afford to pay the storage costs for unsellable items, so he discreetly buried them in the Nevada desert. To make matters worse, his boss somehow found out and ordered an audit of Atari. Ray's empire of lies crumbled around him. The only thing he could do now was to hunker down in his office and think. Suddenly, the door opened and three men in suits walked in. "You're Ray Kasser?" one of them said. Ray didn't dare nod.
"We're from the FBI. You're under arrest for securities fraud. Please don't resist."
A.N: My idea for an even worse video game crash, just add some white collar crime! So because Warner is dead Atari picked becoming a public company, something they wanted to do before the Warner deal came. That stuff with Lehmans I added myself because I needed a reckless investment bank who would open the gold laying goose and Lehmans were in financial difficulty in the mid to late '70 and OTL they started the 2008 crisis so I picked them. I may have painted Ray as a worse person than he is but every story needs a villain and with his incompetence with Atari OTL and the need to make it worse in less time, my hands were tied. So the video game sector causes a panic as not only is it seen as unprofitable for banks and investment firms and lack of demand due to an angry customer base but it's also stained with the reputation of being fraudulent due to Ray's dealings. Also please forgive and point out any mistakes I made. Thanks for reading!
Bruce is the sort of guy that, if he put a public call out for men willing to help right a wrong, he'd probably have a small army not long after both because most would know he ain't the sort to ask that for nothing and because people have seen the good he brought.
Also for our Vietnamese animated sitcom I have the weirdest mental image of the style. I wish I could draw well enough to capture it but if you have seen mr Magoo then imagine that art style with a dash of the Flintstones and a hint of the wacky races.... It's hard as heck to describe and I can't help but feel there is an animated show that had this exact art style I cannot remember entirely for the life of me
Bruce is the sort of guy that, if he put a public call out for men willing to help right a wrong, he'd probably have a small army not long after both because most would know he ain't the sort to ask that for nothing and because people have seen the good he brought.
Heh, I get the distinct feeling that Bruce O'Brian is more or less untouchable from a political standpoint.
Less that he can't be touched so much as anyone who TRIES is almost certain to end up being easily skinned as the villain.
Seriously.... With the right PR team and Bruce being willing to play along he could probably bludgeon most of our enemies under the weight of public disapproval
I'd have no problem with the Thrawn Trilogy being done as a trilogy of books or even a tv series (being live action or cartoons), but I would be against it happening as a movie trilogy.
In my opinion, the trilogies show the Universe in a generational way. The OT showed Luke's generation, the Prequels showed Anakin's geenration, and the Seuqels should have shown us Jaina and Jace's generation instead of the abomination against everything that is good and Star Wars that we got.
Thrawn however, it's still Luke's generation, something they have to deal with that is still within their own cabilitites and skill. Not something that the new ones have to face against.
Vong the vong are the answer, their distinct, act as the big pacing of the torch and act as the book end of legends for many fans(though many also tolerate the existence of the legacy comics), a quest timeline take on traitor would probably be very well liked.
On the subject of vampires could we try our hand at adapting necroscope its apparently a cult classic?
Hayao Nakayama, current president of the Sega division in Japan, was not having a good day.
Heck, he was not having a good week or month at all!
And the source of all his anger and frustration could only be laid at the newspaper content in his hands.
"...Just how stupid can Americans be?"
He knew he was doing an unkindness, but frankly he did not care at the moment. Because of the rampant greed and stupidity of one man, because of the utter idiocy of Ray Kasser, the entire industry, not only his job, was at the risk of falling down a ravine after being poisoned and stabbed in the back twelve times!
Or perhaps those were the thoughts he'd had about what to do with the imbecile he'd just read about.
It had all started the week prior, when he was still the Vice-President of distribution. Nothing had seemed out of the ordinary at the beginning of his day, just the same old tired routine; get up at dawn, have some breakfast, take the transportation to his workplace at the Shinagawa Ward in Tokyo. The number of sales had been down for the last weeks, but even that was routine. There had been good weeks, and there had been bad ones, and they were currently in a bit of a slump. He would have to look for new ways to increase the demand, perhaps go a bit further and see if there were other companies who would need distribution abroad as well.
It had not been until the middle of the day when things started subtly shifting; sudden calls that kept his workers on the phone, small panicking movements and tones whenever discussing production and development, his superiors coming in and out of the offices at a faster rate than expected. He had been called at the end of the day, just as he was about to leave, for a quick meeting with the rest of the leadership in order to be given the brutal news...
The American gaming industry had collapsed overnight...and Gulf and Western Industries were now suddenly considering their investments in Japan.
Hayao barely remembered the rest of the meeting, only some key points; "all in this together", "show the spirit of the company", "overtime work to make up for lost revenue..."
It only took a week before most of the leadership jumped ship or was let go.
And now, here he was, President of what was left of Sega of Japan. Doing the same job he'd worked his ass off in order to make sure the company could survive, and even thrive, in the competitive market that Japan was famous for. Trying to keep the company afloat and alive while Gulf and Western Industries tried to somehow find a buyer for the parts. He could have left like many others had before as well, but that was not his style. Back when he'd left to begin his own company, Esco Trading, he'd done so with the desire to find a way to put his ideas into place, and when said company was bought he remained working for Sega as he had a responsibility for his men who were brought over.
Now, as president of Sega, he also had the same feeling of responsibility for his men, and he'd be damned if he abandoned ship before them.
July 1982
Rubbing his forehead and trying to find a moment to rest in his office, Hayao once more tried to find the resolve he'd had when he was made the president of the company. It was still there, but sorely tested and battered...
It had been a rough five months, with deals that previously solid had now disappeared like sand in one's hand. Where before the name Sega would have been able to use their connections and reputation to open doors, he now found them slammed in his face. Everyone knew that Sega was living on borrowed time after all, so why even take a risk for what was clearly a sinking ship at the time. Everything he did, everything he worked for, was to give Sega just another bit of time, a bit more breathing room, just enough for the main plan to take effect.
Right now, as they were, Sega was still part of Gulf and Western Industries, which meant that anyone could buy them at any point and do with them as they wished...which was just perfect. Both he and David Rosen, president of Sega of America, had been in as close a contact as possible since the industry collapse. Heck, from what he heard things were, if not as bad as in Japan, then at least as close as possible. At least Japan still had an industry, whereas in America it seemed like it had all disappeared in the blink of an eye. The only ones surviving it where those with funds to spare, and those too stubborn to quit just yet.
Kind of like them now that he thought about it.
Well, rambling aside, their talks together had slowly evolved into a plan to find enough capital for a buyout of Sega, allowing them to create a single independent company in Japan, and from there using the assets in America to serve as a foothold once they managed to stabilize enough. Right now, they figured that Sega would have an easier time growing and flourishing in Japan, so every bit of money they could save or obtain was being carefully hoarded for the eventual negotiations.
And as Hayao answered the call from a ringing phone, he never once thought how it would once `more change his entire world.
'Yes, Nakayama here.'
...
'David-San, yes. Any urgent news? We just spoke last night.'
...
'W-what do you mean we've been bought?! Who outside of Japan is even interested in buying a videogame company?!'
...
'Who the heck is LucasArts?!'
August 1982
Utada Kentaro liked to think of himself as a simple man and a simple worker. For him, the ideas of something grander than oneself, or philosophy were things that one could do without so long as you kept to the three maxims his grandfather taught him; Honor your word, be a good friend, and work hard. And so far, doing so had never led him astray.
He made promises to friends that he always strove to keep, which earned him a good reputation as well as recommendations right after college so he could begin working immediately. He kept to a well regimented working scheduled, which his bosses respected and had him put as "Reliable" by many, earning him a promotion just before the company began going under. He would have left like many of his friends suggested him to, but he had made a promise, and by his maxim he would keep it.
And once more, his grandfather's wisdom was rewarded. The Sega company that had once looked to be on the verge of bankruptcy had received, if not a revival, then at least a stay of execution. A new company, LucasArts (and wasn't that a mouthful to say) had taken an interest, bought all the assets and renamed it as well. A new surge of income allowed for much of what they had lost to be regained, and re-structuring of the employees meant that, as one of the old guards, and the most loyal, he had been granted another promotion, as well as being put on the fast track for further training in executive positions.
Which is why he was here now, interviewing new applicants for positions in the company until a new staff could be trained for it.
"We do have opening now, and you're among the first to apply. Why LucasArts though?" He asked, his voice still having trouble pronouncing it correctly, yet getting there with how many times he'd had to repeat himself.
"Well, it's a bit embarrassing..., but I am quite the fan of Raiders of the Lost Ark. So, when it came to finding a job it was between the company who made the movie or Konami. I chose this."
"Well, not the worst of reasons." He replied, his hands already putting pen to paper. "Well, let's start from the beginning then. Name?"
"Hitoshi Akamatsu"
Videogame Pitch: Castlevania
Set Up: The game depicts the exploits of a vampire hunter named Simon Belmont, who inherited a whip brimming with holy power from his father. Because of an ancient blood feud between Simon's ancestors and the vampire, Count Dracula, it was Simon's calling to enter Dracula's castle and slay its owner in order to stop him from drinking all of humanity's blood.
Game Developer: LucasArts Entertainment Director: Hitoshi Akamatsu Genre: Platform, Action-Adventure, Fighting.
Simon Belmont: Simon Belmont is a 22-year-old Vampire Hunter, and a descendant of Christopher Belmont, the legendary hero who killed Count Dracula in 1591. When the family's nemesis resurrected yet again due to a black mass ritual conducted by a group of cultists, Simon takes the mysterious whip passed down to him from his father, and sets out to seal away the evil vampire.
Phantom Bat: It is a giant bat whose symbolic ties to vampires strikes fear in all. It flies around the room and swoops down at Simon Belmont every once in a while. It can also spew fireballs on occasion, which are aimed at Simon.
Queen Medusa: A legendary monster with living venomous snakes in place of hair, whose gaze can turn her victims to stone. After crossing a long hallway, Simon Belmont arrives to a chamber decorated with stained glass windows in the background and a large marble bust of what appears to be an ancient Greek female goddess. The head of the sculpture will suddenly come to life, though, detaching itself from its neck and starting to fly around the room. A myriad of snakes will then grow from her hair and many of these will detach from the head and slither along the floor, attempting to bite the hero.
Mummy Man: A member of the royal family who became a mummy in search of immortal life. He appears in the Castle Ruins. They come from both sides of the room and pace back and forth while throwing bandages in low wave patterns. Even though they share the same life meter, each mummy will die once it takes the equivalent of half a meter's damage.
The Creature and Igor: The creature is a monster with immense strength and physical prowess. It may control electricity and sometimes can use different kinds of weapons. It is encountered alongside Igor, a hunchback who accompanied him in battle. His appearance and attack patterns are very similar to those of a regular Hunchback, although he can jump longer and faster, and he can also launch fireballs. He is also invisible.
Grim Reaper: He is Dracula's Second in Command, he possesses absolute and undying loyalty toward his master, always placing his lord above anything else, a loyalty that has earned him his place as Dracula's most trusted servant and a notorious recognition among warriors. He is never seen without his Scythe, and in general, he always summons floating sickles out of thin air to hunt down his opponents.
Dracula: The Prince of Darkness. The last time he was brought back into the world, it was completely covered in darkness, but his ambitions were crushed when Christopher Belmont set out to defeat him. Peace returned to the countryside of Transylvania for one hundred years, but when exactly one century had passed, the power of Christ weakened, and the hearts of men turned black, praying for the resurrection of Count Dracula. He rests in the castle's highest floor, awaiting the arrival of the Belmont Clan.
Hunchback: He is a diminutive foe who perfected the art of leaping long ago. They generally hop about in erratic patterns, forward and backward, with small and large hops. They generally make large hops when next to the player character.
Vampire Bat I and II: They are bats who usually hang down from ceilings until a hero comes near. Once close enough, they'll swoop down and fly at them. Other bats will fly from off the side of the screen and travel in a relatively straight path, moving up and down slightly as they go.
Medusa Head: Spawned from the hair of Medusa, Medusa Heads fly through the air in an attempt to ram into the player. They usually appear in areas where there is a hazardous series of platforms flying in a wave-like pattern, usually making them hard to dodge.
Dragon Skull Cannon: It is a construction made with the skulls of two dinosaurs stacked one on top of the other. They have the ability to shoot fireballs (usually in rows of three). They usually attack with the head facing the player either flashing or emanating a fiery glow from inside.
White Skeleton: It is a human skeleton brought to life as a monster by the fearsome dark power of Count Dracula. Despite their abilities, Skeletons are usually easy to kill. The bones they throw are presumably from their own rib cages.
Fish Man: They are aquatic monsters that live close to the shore and hunt prey near the water. They like to jump up from the water and begin to march toward the protagonist. After a while, they will stop and spew a fireball in the player's direction from their gaping mouths
Ghost: They materialize from out of a wall in the background and slowly moves toward the player, turning back and forth when it's directly above or below them.
Eagle: They are atrocious birds with broad wings that bear their charges into battle. They may carry a Hunchback with them. They fly in a straight line across the screen, drop a Hunchback onto the ground, and then continue on their way.
Zombie: They are rotten corpses animated by magic. These armies of undead corpses rise from the ground and slowly meander toward any humans that might be nearby.
Black Leopard: It is a jet-black predator that has lived in the castle for ages. It runs at great speed and, in some instances, it is referred to as a liquid creature that takes the shape of a panther.
Black Knight: It is an armor-clad soldier equipped with a deadly spear. A normally inanimate suit of armor, Knights patrol Dracula's castle. They can be tricky sometimes, as their defensive armor can withstand a couple of hits.
Raven and Crow: They are evil birds under the influence of the night that have developed a taste for human flesh. They usually are perched somewhere and wait for the hero to come near. When this happens, they either swoop at them or fly out of range.
Skele-Dragon: They are the fossilized remains of a long-necked dinosaur animated by a demonic force. There are two basic types, those with their necks bound to a wall and those which are free to roam around as they please (either floating, bouncing or burrowing).
Red Skeleton: It is a human skeleton stained in the blood of countless victims. It commonly walks forward steadily, and instead of dying, just collapses into a pile of bones. It will soon reassemble itself and can only be completely killed by using a special weapon or spell.
Axe-Man: They are heavily armored zombie warriors that wield an equally heavy axe which they may throw like a boomerang. Some Axe Armors can also hack with this axe. Some variants also hold shields, making them tougher to defeat.
A.N.: I'd like to thank @Nova_kaiser since his Omake inspired this one. I was originally planning to make one dealing with Hitoshi Akamatsu as the main protagonist, yet there is so little information on him, and he seems to have vanished from public life, with hardly anyone knowing where he might be or what is he doing, that I went with this other path.
[]A Manga in the West (A chapter prototype gets onto Stan Lee's Desk, and he has another wonderful idea)
[]Cyberpunk sees another explosion (Unkonwn Effect)
[]I think we Just got along well (Roll a d100 for Japan)
[]The King Has Come (Stephen has basically wrote a few things... he calls "Lucasfilms only")
[]Best Sellers are Hard To Come by (He tops it with three books in one year)
[]Wow (Unknown Effect)
[]Atari might survive? (Roll to see if Atari survives)
[]I think we are mightly fucked (The FBI gets a lot of people)
[]RICO This motherfucker (Unknown Effect)
Oh (Or, as Murdoch realizes he is surrounded by idiots and yes men, and it's all his fault.)
(Rupert Murdoch POV)
The Scotch in his hand was something that was a constant, unbearable thing… in the last 48 hours, when he wasn't sleeping, he was stressed out, he was drunk, or worse, he was hung over. He was trying to figure out what the fuck he had done since he heard the news from his lawyers.
George Lucas was suing him for trying to steal his film, the new Star Wars.
And that confused him to hell and back.
He had his victory with his film against that fucking Alien movie that that… friend of his was making that was a baby film that was nothing but a horrible waste of film. It didn't have anything that people wanted to see anymore, and anyone who thought otherwise on his staff had already been fired or demoted. He couldn't abide by people who didn't agree with him on that.
He had made tens of millions off of Alien and was still fucking struggling to find a damn director to make the sequel. He had wanted to bring one of Lucasfilm's brats over to his side, promising the world, and then some, he had the ability to do it.
But they said they were happy.
HAPPY! Pah, the very notion of it was laughable. No one was ever happy in this town, except maybe O'Brian, but even then he had his moments. He had to deal with those Japanese bastards who-
Who?
He had been drinking, but he set it down. And looked to his security man who had been watching him scared shitless to not say a word. "Sir?"
"Who was that cocksucker's name again?" He asked.
"Jack Wilson."
Why was that name so familiar? Was it- "Do we know a man with that name?"
There was a gulp. "He was the detective that you hired to get the… Projector project."
Ah the Sony guy, the one he wanted to find the dirt of those million-dollar people clogging up the screens with his… wait
And he was trying to steal Star Wars… which wasn't what he hired him to do, he told him to stay as far away from Lucasfilms property as possible. He slowly turned to his head of security. "Did you go through his accounts, see any irregularities, and that of his family?"
"No. Did you-"
Oh fuck.
He was surrounded by idiots. "GO FIND THEM AND HURRY. WE MIGHT BE ABLE TO STOP LUCAS FROM DESTROYING MY COMPANY! NOW!"
He had to hurry if he could show evidence that…
But then he would be liable for-
No, he'd rather deal with anyone, even the government… than deal with the wrath of those two fucking Lunatics running Lucasfilms.
This town had gone to hell and it was all those two… Visionary Lunatics' fault.
