Authors: Danika Stone
Liv stared at him: the balding head, stiffly pressed shirt, the sweat rings under his arms. “Like you and I should talk?” Liv coughed. “What would
that
accomplish?”
“Liv, please,” her mother said quietly. “I thought with another perspective we’d be able to find a way to get along and—”
“I just can’t believe you told him!” Liv shot back. “You and I talked! I’m doing
exactly
what you asked me to. I gave up fandom for you! Why is Gary involved at all?”
Her mother’s lips trembled. “Because it’s hard, Liv—
really hard
—to parent sometimes. And I can’t do it alone.”
“I don’t know what that’s even supposed to mean. I told you I’d stop, and I’ve stopped. I’m passing all my classes!”
“But that’s only the start,” Gary said. “Freshman year’s a cakewalk compared with real life. You think of that?”
Liv bolted from her chair, the glasses rattling as her knee smacked the edge of the table. “Who asked you!?” she shouted. “What makes you an expert? You don’t even have kids! You’ve never been married! You’re the manager of a—a goddamned printshop!”
“Liv!” her mother gasped.
Gary stared at her with his dull, colorless eyes. “So what’s your game plan?”
“My what?”
“What are you doing after college?” Gary asked. “Where are you going with all this tech stuff? What’s the plan?”
“I don’t have to answer that.”
“It’s a legitimate question, Liv,” her mother added. “What
are
you planning to do with your life?”
For a split second, Liv couldn’t answer. With fandom gone, she had no idea what she wanted anymore. And that was something Liv could never explain to her mother, never mind Gary.
She stormed from the kitchen.
“You wouldn’t understand!”
* * *
Liv glared at the laptop screen, the cursor pulsing in time to her thoughts. There was footage on her hard drive: unused segments from the bonus features of the various
Starveil
films and twice as many outtakes with Xander, music and audio clips. It was all there, ready to make another #SpartanSurvived vid.
She just needed to break her promise to do it.
“Liv?” her mother called from outside her bedroom. “Can we talk?”
“No.”
Liv slid her chair over to the door and locked it.
“Liv, sweetie,” her mother pleaded, “I know you’re angry I talked to Gary, but if you’d just listen you’ll—”
Liv put on her headphones and hit Play.
The well-known trill of the
Starveil
theme flooded her ears, and she let out a sobbing laugh, overwhelmed by emotion. This was it. This was where she felt at home. Not at the dinner table with Gary! Not doing stupid school projects that didn’t matter. The sound of her mother’s knocking faded, and Liv sighed in relief. She needed this the same way she needed air. The last few weeks, she’d felt trapped, but now she was free.
Decision made, Liv opened the video editor and smiled.
It was time to bring that passion back to fandom.
(BUFFY THE VAMPIRE SLAYER
)
Channel:
https://www.youtube.com/user/SpartanSurvived
Home page-Video 3: Sitrep
The video opened up to a grainy black screen, buzzing with interference. With a blare of trumpets and flashing lights, a line of military text shot forward into center screen, breaking through the haze. It read:
EVIDENCE MOUNTS! SPARTAN IS ALIVE AND PLANNING A RETURN TO TERRA!
The trumpets faded into the iconic Starveil theme as the screen cut to Major Malloy. He wore the same military uniform as in the previous video, his hair combed similarly, lighting identical. In fact, if not for the change in background—a star freighter’s dingy interior—you would almost think it was the same shot. A robotic voice announced him: “Rebellion leader, Major R. C. Malloy, en route to Terra, addresses Rebel Troops.”
Malloy nodded once at someone off-camera then, lifted his chin. “Attention, comrades,” he growled. “This is a message for Rebels across this star system and beyond.” The screen swung on a dolly, and a new image appeared on top of it: a fan-made manip of Spartan in a military hospital. A time stamp ran across the screen while Malloy’s voice continued.
“This footage was acquired by Rebel command a few hours ago.”
The screen snapped with static, the star freighter abruptly replaced with video of the smoking ruins of a Rebel holdout (clips that most die-hard fans would have recognized as behind-the-scenes shots from the second and third
Starveil
films). In the short segment, posters of Darthku’s face insolently plastered the side of random buildings, burning in the wake of an apparent attack. The footage shot forward through the flames, showing the face of a young man. It was Spartan—incongruously laughing at something or someone—alongside a lounging group of Rebel soldiers. With a buzz of interference, the footage ended.
The music switched to the thudding bass of Darthku’s theme. From the black background, Major Malloy emerged from the shadows like a wraith.
“Captain Spartan was assumed dead,” he said. “That assumption is incorrect!”
The robotic voice returned: “Rebellion leader, Captain Matt Spartan, as seen in the Rebel-controlled freehold of Adonis.”
Another (fan-created) clip began. This one featured spliced footage of a young Tom Grander, in another, lesser-known science-fiction role, deftly interspersed into later
Starveil
shots. Offscreen, Malloy’s voice rose.
“Your determination,” he said grimly. “Your research. Your proof of Spartan’s whereabouts is the only hope we have for Spartan’s safe return.”
The musical theme changed as another fan-generated video clip ran. This was followed by a series of photo manipulations showing Matt Spartan in various situations: flying a shuttle, fighting Darthku with a sword, saving a child from a burning building, drinking with a pixelated Malloy. With each new image, the beat of the drums rose until—with a blinding flash of light—both audio and video abruptly ended.
From the inky darkness, the first hint of an image appeared. Pixels? Stars? For several seconds, it remained murky black splotched with gray, then the scene faded into a wide shot of the galaxy. This cut to a medium shot of Major Malloy. He stood on the top step of a war-damaged colonnade, the filtered light falling in glowing bands around him.
“People in the Rebellion”—the screen jittered—“have seen Captain Spartan.” The image cut to a close-up of Malloy’s face, grooved with determination. “These people have given us the first hints of his whereabouts”—another jitter—“there is proof of his survival!”
The screen brightened until Malloy’s face seemed to glow. His gaze—directly into the camera—was hypnotic. “We will bring him back … alive!”
The #SpartanSurvived hashtag appeared, and the screen went black. For a few more seconds, the music trilled on, fading into the sound of static before disappearing altogether.
Liv leaned back from the computer and rolled her shoulders, wincing at the telltale pop of her back. The vid wasn’t as smooth as her others had been, and some of the viewers would certainly notice she’d reused a number of scenes of Major Malloy. (Thankfully, with Xander’s laughter, they had plenty of outtakes.) She smiled bleakly. The process of hashing this vid together from bits and pieces had wrung her out, but seeing it finished left her with a sense of accomplishment. Her smile faded. Now if only she could spread that emotion beyond
Starveil
to the rest of her life.
Liv opened the Spartan Survived YouTube channel, trembling fingers hovering over the Upload button. If she posted this latest video to the net, her mother would most certainly find out, but if Liv didn’t, she’d essentially given up, rolled over, and called it quits. She frowned, undecided. A sacrifice would be made either way, but Liv had felt alive the last two days, and that was more than she could say for the weeks of depression before. Taking a deep breath, Liv hit Upload.
She’d just thrown gasoline on the fire. Now it was up to fandom to keep it burning.
* * *
@JoesWoes:
@LivOutLoud Liv! LIVVVV!!!! Have you checked the #SpartanSurvived tag yet? THERE’S BEEN ANOTHER POST! *shrill fangirl screaming* WATCH IT!!!
@LivOutLoud:
@JoesWoes Cool!:) What’d you think of it?
@JoesWoes:
@LivOutLoud OMG-LOVE LOVE LOVEDDDDD IT!
@LivOutLoud:
@JoesWoes Sounds pretty good!;)
@JoesWoes:
@LivOutLoud Better than good! AMAZEBALLS!
@LivOutLoud:
@JoesWoes LOL
@JoesWoes:
@LivOutLoud I swear this whole Spartan Survived thing feels like a spin-off! MRM was vague in his livestream, but I KNOW there’s more!
@LivOutLoud:
@JoesWoes Spin-off for what?
@JoesWoes:
@LivOutLoud For another franchise! MRM can’t ignore the fans anymore! My gut says this means MORE MOVIES COMING!
@LivOutLoud:
@JoesWoes OMG Could you imagine?:D X 100000
@JoesWoes:
@LivOutLoud I am SO excited to see MRM’s panel at Dragon Con this summer. I WILL ASK HIM OUTRIGHT!
@SpartanGrrl:
@JoesWoes @LivOutLoud Joe-I never knew you were going to D*C. I’m going to Atlanta too! Oh Liv, you have to come with us! PLEASE!!!
@LivOutLoud:
@SpartanGrrl @JoesWoes I wish I could, Kelly!
@JoesWoes:
@LivOutLoud Why CAN’T you?
@LivOutLoud:
@JoesWoes I can’t afford it with school and everything.:(
@JoesWoes:
@LivOutLoud Get a job. Get a loan. Do whatever you need to do, just GET THERE!!!
@LivOutLoud:
@JoesWoes You are an enabler, Joe.:P
@JoesWoes:
@LivOutLoud For Spartan, I’d do more than enable!
@LivOutLoud:
@JoesWoes Hee!;P
@JoesWoes:
@LivOutLoud Just keep it in the back of your mind, all right?
@LivOutLoud:
@JoesWoes Deal.:)
* * *
Liv heard her mother’s staccato heels cross the hallway outside the bedroom, and she quickly opened a second tab to hide the Spartan forum. A tentative knock interrupted.
“Liv?” her mother called. “You in there?”
“Uh-huh. Why?” Liv struggled to her feet, grabbing clothes off the floor and throwing them into the hamper.
“Is your stomach feeling better, sweetie?”
“A little.”
There was a longer pause.
“Can I come inside and talk?”
Liv glanced warily at the chaotic jumble of her room. “Sure, I guess. I was just cleaning up.”
The door opened a crack. Her mother peeked in but made no move to enter. Liv rushed from bed to basket, sweeping dirty clothes into piles and throwing them aside. On impulse, she grabbed the edge of the sheets and tugged them free.
“Wow. You really
are
feeling better,” her mother said. “Haven’t seen you cleaning in ages.”
“Think I had a touch of the flu,” Liv lied. “Feeling better now.”
“Xander called while you were asleep.”
Liv’s hand faltered on the edge of the sheets, losing the fabric. It sprung back, flinging crumbs overhead. “He did?” That made no sense at all. Xander didn’t use phones. Texting was his form of communication. “Did he say what he wanted?”
Her mother shook her head. “I asked if he wanted to leave you a message, but he said not to bother you.” Katherine’s voice softened. “Are you guys fighting about something?”
“No, not at all.” Liv jerked the sheet one last time, and it sprang free from the mattress, coiling into a ball. “I can’t imagine why he didn’t just text.” When she turned back, her mother was watching, her narrow brows knit together.
“Was there something else?”
Her mother’s expression tightened. “I’ve been monitoring the
Starveil
fandom the last couple of weeks. I … I saw the new video, Liv.”
Liv took a breath, waiting.
The lines on Katherine’s face grew deeper. “So are you going to say anything?”
“Like what?”
“An explanation, for one. What were you thinking?”
Liv lifted her chin, heart thudding heavy in her chest. “There’s nothing to say. I did it. You saw it. End of story.”
“Oh for Chrissake, Liv,” her mother snapped. “I’m really getting tired of this teenage angst crap!”
“You don’t understand!”
“No, Liv, I don’t. I never have.”
Liv sat on the unmade bed. “Fandom is part of my life. A
good
part. I have friends—”
“Not real friends.”
“Yes, real friends! Just because you can’t walk to their house doesn’t mean a relationship is any less real.”
“Liv…”
“Fandom’s something I love! And I won’t let it affect my grades, but I
am
going to be part of it.”
Her mother’s hands rose to her hips. “Liv, you’re so close to finals. I won’t allow this.”