Stories by @alabasteri

Mad Max: Fury Road [2005]

A lone warrior with a shattered past navigates a post-apocalyptic wasteland where water and fuel are currency and survival is measured in miles. When a tyrannical warlord's prized possession—a truck laden with precious cargo—is stolen by his war rig driver, an explosive chase erupts across a barren desert. The driver, haunted by his own sins, becomes an unlikely protector as he races toward redemption. Pursued relentlessly by an army of fanatical followers, he discovers that some battles aren't won with bullets alone. Amidst explosions, impossible stunts, and moral reckoning, two damaged souls forge an unexpected bond. This visceral action epic transforms a simple chase into a meditation on humanity, sacrifice, and the possibility of grace in a world stripped bare.

Smallville [2001-2011]

A young Clark Kent looks for his place in the world while preparing to become the world's greatest hero.

Rick Riordan's Heroes of Olympus [2016-2022]

Fight the Earth Mommy.

The Avengers [2022]

Assemble.

Gladiator [2010]

Now we are free.

Actresses who could play Aphrodite the goddess of love through the decades

Across centuries, Aphrodite moves through mortal lives—not as a distant deity, but as a woman who understands the ache of wanting and being wanted. She witnesses love's quiet devastations: the marriage held together by habit, the affair that blooms from loneliness, the devotion that curdles into possession. Each era reshapes her, yet her core remains unchanged—a mirror reflecting back our deepest desires and their consequences. She is both the architect of passion and its most vulnerable casualty, forever caught between the power to inspire love and the inability to control it. Through her eyes, we see how desire transcends time, how connection remains our most dangerous and necessary hunger, and how even a goddess cannot escape the weight of the hearts she's touched.

The Hunger Games: Sunrise on the Reaping [2016]

They will not use my tears as their entertainment.

Eragon [2006] alternate cast

In a war-torn fantasy realm, a poor farm boy discovers a dragon egg hidden in the mountains. When the egg hatches, the young man—now a Dragon Rider—becomes the last hope against a tyrannical king's dark magic and unstoppable army. Thrust into an ancient conflict he never sought, he must master his newfound powers while navigating treacherous alliances with rebels, mysterious elves, and dwarven warriors. Haunted by his mentor's tragic past and hunted by the king's most fearsome servant, he races to unlock the true source of his dragon's strength. As kingdoms crumble and magic awakens, the unlikely hero discovers that destiny demands sacrifice—and that the line between good and evil is far more complicated than legend suggests. An epic tale of courage, magic, and the burden of becoming something greater than yourself.

The Chronicles of Narnia: The Last Battle [2016]

The Last Battle tells the story of the last war of Narnia, when King Tirian and his loyal followers fight the Calormene invaders and their allies. This conflict leads to the end of the old world of Narnia and the beginning of a new adventure in Aslan's real country.

The Golden Compass [2007] alternate cast

Another British fantasy YA series, also by an author named Philip.

Larklight Trilogy [2011-2015]

I know none of you have heard of these books except maybe Micah but they're very good.

Spider-Man: Brand New Day [2016]

Just saw the film last night: Heavy Spoilers Alert.

Star Wars: the Original Trilogy [1997-2003]

I flew the Kessel Run in 12 parsecs.

Cobra Kai [2008-2015]

Cobra Kai NEVER dies!!

Cobra Kai [2018-2025]

Karate War.

The Gatekeepers [the Power of Five] 2020-2026

Orphan Matthew Freeman discovers he has telekensis and is being hunted by powerful enemies. With the help of his friends and the Nexus he manages to defeat a village cult of sorcerors from bringing back the all-powerful Old Ones: however this is only the very first challenge. Matt discovers that he and four others-Pedro, Scott, Jamie and Scarlett-are the five Gatekeepers and that when the Old Ones return no one but them can confront them. As the stakes deepen and twists attack them from all sides, to stop the Earth being razed the Gatekeepers will have to sacrifice everything for everything....

Squid Game USA Version [Seasons 2 and 3]

Hundreds of desperate Americans, drowning in debt and desperation, are invited to a secret competition promising life-changing money. Stripped of their identities and thrust into a high-stakes arena, they compete in deceptively simple childhood games that turn deadly. As alliances form and betrayals mount, players discover the true cost of survival—their humanity. A charismatic but ruthless organizer orchestrates the games from the shadows, while a conflicted insider questions the morality of the operation. Among the players, a determined protagonist fights to expose the conspiracy and protect those they've come to care for, even as the games grow more brutal and psychological. Themes of inequality, greed, and redemption collide as players confront impossible choices: sacrifice others or sacrifice themselves. The competition becomes a mirror reflecting America's darkest impulses—and its capacity for unexpected grace. Each game raises the stakes, each elimination reshapes alliances, and each season peels back another layer of corruption.

The Good Place [2016-2020] [Darker Tone]

Four people and their otherworldly frienemy struggle in the afterlife to define what it means to be good.

Casting James Gunn's DC-Verse

Into the Gunn-verse.

A Series of Unfortunate Events [2004 Film]

Three orphaned siblings—clever Violet, resourceful Klaus, and infant Sunny—are thrust into a nightmare when their parents perish in a mysterious fire. Placed under the guardianship of the sinister Count Olaf, a failed actor obsessed with their inherited fortune, the children must outwit his increasingly elaborate schemes to steal their wealth and eliminate them. As Olaf pursues the orphans across gothic landscapes and crumbling mansions, the siblings rely on ingenuity, research, and each other to survive. Violet invents mechanical solutions, Klaus decodes cryptic clues, and even tiny Sunny contributes her surprising talents. Each escape leads to darker revelations about a shadowy organization called V.F.D. and the true circumstances of their parents' deaths. Darkly comedic yet genuinely suspenseful, this tale weaves mystery, danger, and unexpected humor into a richly atmospheric adventure where childhood innocence collides with adult villainy.