Hey there,
Yeah still milking the starship troopers thing in loo of real writing haha. I dunno I think I’m dreading doing prose again for some reason, keep trying to put it off but now I really can’t get away from it. Having to commit my heart and soul to something again, it’s like a relationship almost, I feel like I lose a little piece of my soul every time I write something just for some unmarried cat lady in an office in new york or london who smells like box wine and elevator farts to shit on it haha.
Especially since all the bullshit around chritmas, I just feel so fucked recently, by everything but I keep on not killing myself like the selfless prick I am haha. Hey those videogames don’t play themselves.
For some reason I was thinking about how bad american horror story apocalypse was last night in the shower and I realised the part that pissed me off the most was how ambitious yet incompetent it was. It’s the first season where I noticed how little money actually went into it. Because it’s set initially in a ‘bunker’, now the reason I say that is that it’s basically just a house with no natural light where the windows are covered up and they tell you its underground and ‘naturally shielded’. It also handily functions as a school for teen warlocks so that’s convenient, don’t need to make two sets, you literally just use the same set over and over.
And the reason the school is underground is because ‘muh persecution’ apparently there was a time where weird effeminate warlocks were seen as ok then here comes ‘trumps america’ stirring up all this gay warlock hate and they need to make a new school that’s underground. And I literally mean they’re all gay because apparently in this universe testosterone suppresses magic so only women and really effeminate men can be warlocks. Which gives way to one of the best Cheyenne Jackson characters that was criminally under used. He basically played a camp Constantine haha. He’s just shoved out of the way for the boring witch characters that weren’t interesting in season 3.
So they have a post apocalyptic show set in a bunker and they don’t have the cash to get a real bunker set, so it’s all just set in this dark house. It’s incredibly lame and you never get to see any of the other bunkers or the sanctuary they hinted at, it’s just one big flashback cheesy clip show.
Ok all my rage out for that show, it’s apparently been renewed but the original writer has gone on to work for netflix so it’ll either get a new life under a new writer or be peacefully sunsetted.
Anyway, about this actual scene, in the movie starship troopers Rico’s father is just kind of this two dimensional character, rich dad man, rich dad man angry because son not want to go to harvard and continue the family business. He’s a little like that in the start of the book but he’s much more than that. He does get mad when Rico disobeys him and goes off to join the MI because he really has no good reason to. There’s no family tradition, he never really has a good reason, he says it’s not to impress a girl but it kind of is, more so in the movie but also because his friend is doing it and he has no real direction and just wants to strike out on his own and find himself.
His father has an understandable position, he doesn’t want his son to get killed fighting some war he thinks is pointless but he’s happy to send other people’s kids off and he doesn’t have a good perspective on what’s really at stake. That’s it’s not just about the individual, I think that’s one of the major themes of the book. That being a citizen is more than just voting, it’s about understanding that you’re part of something greater and the responsibility is on your shoulders to carry the society. And not everyone can be entrusted with that right, because some people are happy just to be part of it, just to be carried and they choose not to see the things and the people holding them up and in some regards they even resent them. Which I think is perfectly highlighted in the book by intellectuals who scoff at the system but don’t have the fortitude of character or the selflessness to take part in it.
And rico’s father lives in the book and he has a change of heart and it’s a really interesting part of the book that I would love to see in a tv show. It’s not something they could really go into in the movies because they’re so surface level. They don’t want to tell a real story with real characters like in the book, they just want a big set piece explosion movie to make money off the fans of the original. Like all these animated movies, they use the names of the characters only as a draw for all the explosions and bugs being killed, they don’t actually have the balls to do anything with them. They’re just there to appease the fans when there’s no way there can be any development of these characters.
In a way these characters are just sort of frozen forever, waiting for someone to actually thaw them and give them an arc, bring them to life.
Anyhoo, waffled enough for one day. Gonna try and get some more eyes on Cur for now I think, try and get a publisher possibly, I dunno, getting an indie publisher didn’t really work out for me last time. I’m thinking of writing all three books and releasing it as a full trilogy.
See you…
–
InT. rico’s bedroom. Night.
RICO is getting ready for the senior dance, he’s wearing a tux and his parents are helping him get ready.
Rico’s mom
You look wonderful sweetheart.
RiCO
Thanks mom.
RiCO’S MOM
Go see your father before you go, I’m sure he’ll want to see you too.
RICO
Sure thing mom.
InT. Rico’s house living. night.
Rico’s dad is in his chair reading the news paper smoking a pipe in front of the fire. He puts his paper down and smiles at Rico as he comes in.
Rico’s Dad
Looking sharp boy.
RiCO
Thanks dad.
Rico looks hesitant but he has something he want to say.
RiCO’S DAD
Something on your mind son?
RICO
Dad, I wanna join up for federal service.
Rico’s dad puts his pipe down.
RiCO’S
DAD
Boy, have you lost your mind?
RiCO
Sir?
RiCO’S DAD
Are you looking to get yourself killed?
RICO
No, sir.
RicO’S DAD
Have you told your mother about this?
RiCO
No, sir.
RICO’S DAD
(sighing) I suppose there’s a time in every boy’s life when he wants to do something phenomenally stupid.
RICO’S DAD (
CONT’D
)
I remember when you learned to walk just yay high and you were a little
sonofabitch
, breaking everything not nailed down.
RICO’S DAD (
CONT’D
)
I remember the time you and your friend Karl stole one of my cigars and I didn’t say anything because some mistakes it’s good to learn on your own. How sick it made you was a lesson on it’s own.
RicO’S DAD (
CONT’D
)
This, isn’t one of those mistakes, this could ruin your life if it doesn’t take it first.
RicO
I wouldn’t ruin my life, just a term of service that’s all, not a career.
RicO’S DAD
This family has stayed out of politics for over a hundred years, why would you want to stray from that? We made our own way, followed no man but our fathers before us.
RICO’S DAD (
CONT’D
)
Why would you want to change that proud tradition?
RiCO’S DAD (
CONT’D
)
Tell me it’s not for a girl?
RICO
No, sir.
RicO’S DAD
It’s that teacher of yours, the veteran?
RICO’S DAD (
CONT’D
)
What was his name.
RICO
Mr. Dubois.
RiCO’S DAD
That’s it, did he put you up to this, there ought to be a law against turning a classroom into a recruitment centre.
RICO
No, sir. Mr. Dubois, he isn’t like that, if anything he tries to talk us out of service.
RiCO’S DAD
Son, your life can be so much more than this, you can go to
harvard
and study business, do some travelling and when you come back the business will be waiting for you to take over.
RICO’S DAD (
CONT’D
)
It would be different if there was a war on but there isn’t you’ll just be wasting two years of your life for nothing.
RICO’S DAD (
CONT’D
)
Is Karl doing it?
RiCO
Yeah but dad, it’s not…
RiCO’S DAD
(sighing) he’s a fine boy, but misguided.
RicO’S DAD (
CONT’D
)
I wanted to keep this as a surprise for after when you graduate.
RicO’S DAD (
CONT’D
)
How does a vacation to mars sound instead of all this federal service nonsense?
RICO
Wow, dad, I had no idea.
RiCO’S DAD
Have fun at the dance son, and think about what I said.
RICO
I will, thanks dad.
Darkly Dreaming Demographic. 
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