Shang Chi

by on January 17, 2022 at 12:01 am
Posted In: Diaries

I watched Shang Chi over the weekend, and I enjoyed it. It had a good three acts, from introducing the new hero, giving him some complications, and going into the final confrontation. It is a general style that Marvel has perfected well, and it worked in this instance. The main character was someone I enjoyed cheering for, and his companions all had time to shine and contribute to the story. We even got to see some characters from other movies return and put their stamp on the movie. It is one of the joys of a shared universe that makes each movie feel like part of a larger whole. It helps them all. I give Shang Chi two rings up.

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Jack

by on January 16, 2022 at 12:01 am
Posted In: Diaries

There are times I marvel at the fact that so many of us managed to make it through twenty years of total war with our souls still intact. Those of us with cybernetic partners owe that to them. They were always willing to talk us through our demons, our depressions, and all the times we wanted to give up. Those times came for all of us, and none of us who saw the end were the same people who started the war.

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Jack

by on January 15, 2022 at 12:01 am
Posted In: Diaries

The United States military didn’t care much why I volunteered back in the day. They were desperate for recruits to fight off the alien Shang menace. But there was one person who did care. She chose the name Betty when she was born, and she made me promise her something. That I wouldn’t fight just for revenge. That I would fight for a life at the end. That we would go places when it was done. That we would live. She held me to that promise over the years that followed. And if I’m being honest, I held myself to it as well. I was too stubborn to give up on a promise to a pretty lady. Especially one that looked so much like Julie. That wasn’t an accident, by the way. There were times I thought it was, but I’m older and wiser now. And I know that she saved my life when she extracted that promise from me. And when she chose that form.

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Jack

by on January 14, 2022 at 12:01 am
Posted In: Diaries

I wanted to kill all of the Shang when I volunteered to serve. The United States military was willing to go with me on that, but one thing stood in my way. I really wanted to be a starfighter pilot. I knew I could do it. I was Ageless. I could do anything I wanted. But the cybernetic families had made a deal with the military to provide us the very best cybernetic partners to run our starfighters, as long as they got to choose their pilots. That’s why I had to talk a cyber into picking me. They did not want to bring a daughter into the worlds who would only ever know war. I totally understand their position. And I understand why most of them walked away from me. I really wasn’t a good candidate for a lifetime commitment back then.

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Jack

by on January 13, 2022 at 12:01 am
Posted In: Diaries

I loved my home. I loved my family. I loved those girls. But the Shang had killed the world I’d given up everything to hold to, and I was angry. I was so very angry. Way too angry to pack it all up and follow the girls that saved my life. The Shang wanted to kill us. Well guess what? I wanted to kill them right back. I wanted to kill them all. So I left those amazing girls that put me back together again and I volunteered to kick those alien asses to the other side of the galaxy. To make sure they never did to someone else what they did to me. There was nothing patriotic about it. Not then. I just wanted revenge, and the United States military was perfectly happy to accept my service on those terms.

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