#AND it has themes of questioning authority and what the government tells you!

[fishyfishyfishtimes]

Thinking about how one of the points of The Sea Beast is that maybe we shouldn't demonize non-human creatures regardless of their behaviors because applying human morals to non-human beings is pretty rude, actually, so let's not hunt these creatures to near extinction because they belong in their territory, and frankly maybe we're the ones trespassing and being disrespectful (intentionally or not)... 🤔

But it gets swept under the rug of questioning your education, history, government, and traditions/ways of life, which are also important things to do, but not the only things the movie has to say.

Oh true! I didn’t really like Sea Beast — just a personal taste thing, I was hoping I’d like it but it wasn’t meant to be — but I liked the messages in the movie a lot! The point about propaganda was really good, so was the subtler message of the aforementioned sea beasts only behaving how they do because they’re animals who have their own instincts and behaviour. Not to mention these humans are literally coming to their territory and hurting and killing them! And they’re not supposed to act aggressive in retaliation!? Yeah, right.

I hope we get more of these kinds of movies! I always like a good creature movie and themes of learning that every animal is different with different instincts and behaviour and none are good or evil. I don’t think I’ve ever seen any that feature a thing, maybe a creature, character, whatever, that is thought of as wholly good but turns out to not be (not a twist villain though, moreso they turn out neutral), yet also doesn’t end with demonising said thing because now we know their “true self”. This pretty much happened with dolphins in marine bio circles *~*

[flowers-of-tenebrae]

Random DotF musings pt. 1

(spoilers for the whole book)

A Savior Lost - Ardyn:

So I uh totally forgot there was an "animated prologue" to Ep Ardyn. I did watch it...back in 2019. That means between Episode Ardyn, the animated prologue and DotF, his story has been told thrice in three different forms. Huh. (Well it's par the course for FFXV tbh)

It starts off rough tbh, but I like how the author reminds us of Noct's "shaggy hair and wayward nature" in the opening paragraph. Then you realise it's set in chapter 13 so any slight amusement - at Noct's expense - becomes 😭

I've had DA brainrot, so the justice (Somnus) vs. vengeance (Ardyn) themes stood out. In executing his ideals of justice and governance, Somnus corrupts Ardyn's purpose (his calling) and leads him on the path of vengeance... Culminating in Ardyn doing unto Noctis/Somnus what Somnus did him: 1) Somnus slaying Aera before Ardyn vs. Ardyn stabbing Luna in Altissia, and ofc 2) Ardyn vowing to destroy Somnus' entire legacy and lineage (through Noctis), much like how Ardyn's past as the "savior healer and future king" was demolished/buried and how his wondrous future (as king with Aera by his side) was cut short. This all seems v obvious, but it sounds cool to me when framed with DA's concepts of spirits vs demons - i.e. "if you see them as a demon, they'll become demons and reflect your expectations back at you".

Also obv Jesus/Judas parallels

The last line goes hard ✍️🔥🔥🔥

Now, the train has clearly steered off the rails of canon and into new territory

Not a fan of them casting Bahamut as the big bad antagonist (so cliché). Like the way his speech (as an Astral) is formatted though

It's easier for me to accept the Noctis/Somnus and Luna/Aera parallels in 2024 than it was back in 2019. But even more important than those are the Ardyn/Luna parallels, which we can see taking shape in this part.

Verdict: A slog to read, denser than expected, less exciting bc I've experienced Ep Ardyn - and the animated prologue. Certain parts felt more like reading a "dry impassive timeline" than a story. (I still question Aera's judgement in telling Somnus.) But this chapter does set the stage, so I can see why they still included it. And it's worth re-treading for that last scene alone.

The Beginning of the End - Aranea:

There's anti-food promotion for once, too much of it really. (Ew stale popcorn)

We learn a little bit of Niflheim's past state and its decline. Cool

Omg mentions of Aranea's parents!? Do we know more about her parents than Iggy's?? 😂

Wow they have an aerial safety net system in Gralea (for dragoons...?) Also, Gralea 🔄 Garlean empire - yeah the ff devs weren't subtle (it's a FFXIV ref)

Aranea's penchant for nicknames strikes again -> Tiny = Diamond Weapon

I liked seeing more of Aranea's dynamic with Biggs and Wedge and learning a bit about the latter two. Not as much Aranea + Sol in this ch as I'd expected, but that's okay for now.

While not quite as impressive as [ME2 spoiler] Miranda giving her resignation to the Illusive Man, Aranea going "I really can't stand you" to Ardyn, winking, then diving off the edge of Zegnautus Keep is still pretty awesome

The ffxv devs keep trying to make me care about Loqi but it's never worked

BONUS: FFVI ref spotted! (dancing mad) + minor Tenebrae lore drop (they were a tourist trap /jk)

Verdict: Some parts were repetitive ngl BUT this was more engaging than the prev ch bc 1) it's new content, 2) ARANEA!! - however the action scenes would've been more exciting to play through vs. reading. I'm going to sound like a broken record here; I feel robbed we didn't get to play as her (DRG ladies ftw) and see her wink on screen 🥲

[amateurvoltaire]

In one of your last posts you mentioned you were studying the civil war in Vandée. Have you ever seen the rather new movie "Vaincre ou Mourir" on the topic? If yes, what do you think of it? I was very curious to give it a try, hoping it's not the usual demonisation of the revolutionary government. Not that I expect it to be portrayed positively in a movie focused on the Vendéean insurgents pov, of course...

Thanks a lot for your question! It’s the first one I've ever received, and I’m really excited to dive into it. (I might have gone a bit overboard, so grab a coffee or a drink before you tackle this beast… TLDR at the bottom…)

I watched "Vaincre ou Mourir" a couple of months ago. Before I dive into my thoughts, the man himself would like a word:

All jokes aside, have you ever been to one of those medieval theme parks where they offer a "realistic" medieval show with dinner? As a kid, every summer, my parents took me to a jousting show at an Italian theme park. We'd watch two knights fight each other for an hour while being “medieval” and munching on chicken legs without any cutlery.

That's pretty much how I felt watching this movie: it’s flashy and fun but doesn’t have much going on underneath. It makes more sense when you discover that the film was funded by Puy du Feu, a large historical theme park in Vendée.

The context

And this is the thing: despite the Canal+ distribution, most of the production is local. The Vendée itself is often defined as a memory space (1), which can lead to a community feeling a special connection to their past. This is often reflected in local traditions, commemorations, and even political leanings. I remember watching an interview from the bicentenary where some locals said they don’t celebrate the 14th of July as a matter of principle—200 years later!

It’s also worth noting that the Vendée has a history of conservative and right-leaning political preferences, and Canal+ is also a right-leaning media outlet.

The Experts

Is it a documentary? Is it a fictional film? It's hard to say in the first few minutes.

The movie attempts to project historical accuracy by introducing four experts right at the start. If a film opens with such a direct appeal to authority, I tend to scrutinise who these experts are. So, who are they?

Reynald Secher: a historian who has been a massive proponent of the Vandean genocide theory. He is very anti-Republican, and his research methodologies are rather sketchy…

Nicolas Delahaye: I don’t know much about him, but I see he publishes primarily regionally in a Vendean publishing house. That doesn’t necessarily mean he’s particularly biased, but it does mean his audience is very limited to people with specific views.

Anne Rolland-Boulestreau: a historian at the Université Catholique de l’Ouest specialising in the Vendée counter-revolution. Her articles in the Annales Historiques de la Révolution Française seem unbiased and well-researched. I own one of her books but haven't read it yet, so I can't speak to her longer-form content.

Armand Bernand: if you google de la Rochejaquelein, you will find this guy everywhere. He owns a publishing house, loves the Château de la Durbelière (2), and wrote a series of books set there. He clearly has a historical crush on M. Henri. I think he cosplayed him during some re-enactments and wrote a book about Henri’s brother Auguste.

It’s worth mentioning they either hail from Vendée or work exclusively within the region. This is my bias speaking because I’ve pretty much read all his work, but if you make a movie about the Vendee and can’t get Jean-Clément Martin to say something on camera about it, you should probably not feature any experts…

The Story

After an awkward three minutes of experts telling us how important the revolution was and introducing Charette, we get to the actual movie, which opens with a pile of bodies, burnings, a hanged person, and an awkward first-person voiceover of Charette saying that they made the Vendee into an inferno. This will be a theme for the next hour or so.

If I were to describe this film in two words, "tragedy porn" would fit. What occurred in Vendée was horrific, and its rightly violent portrayal should help viewers understand and appreciate the human and historical impact. However, the film often prioritises shock value over explaining the underlying reasons.

Charette is, by all accounts, a very compelling subject. The guy was a libertine with bucket-loads of courage and style who had a woman as an aide de camp in 1793! Despite spending 1.5 hours with him, narrated from his perspective, I would be hard-pressed to tell you what he’s actually fighting for. Is it honour? Is it revenge? Is it stubbornness? Your guess is as good as mine!

There is absolutely no character growth whatsoever. The film presents as a sequence of battles and shocking scenes narrated by a somewhat detached Charette. Remember what I said about the medieval show? This shock-value approach might work for a short performance during dinner but falls flat when stretched across an entire film.

Despite the weak script, the actors are quite good. Nothing Oscar-worthy, but they can act. The guy that plays Charette does a very good job and is quite charismatic.

The Historical Accuracy

On the whole, I can’t see glaring historical errors. It is fairly historically accurate with some minor issues. This is obviously not an exhaustive list, but there are things I noticed and jotted down:

The main one is the bizarre theory that Charette agreed to the peace of 1795 because he was promised that Louis XVII would be handed to him. This has absolutely no credible historical basis whatsoever. It’s a myth that has been propagated for over 200 years.

I’m pretty sure Charette didn’t sign the treaty of La Jaunaye. In fact, as far as I remember, no one from the insurgent side signed it.

While not a historical inaccuracy per se, it's a missed opportunity that the film often portrays Charette as the sole leader of the Vendean army. Though he mentions being one chief among many, this aspect is quickly glossed over. His historical relationship with the Catholic and Royal Army and its leaders was complex and would have been interesting to explore further. It's a shame the film likely didn't have the budget to delve into this, as it could have also demonstrated that Vendée wasn't a monolith.

The depiction of the republican army as well-equipped is somewhat exaggerated. If they were as well-appointed as shown, Carnot and Prieur (Cote D’or) would be out of a job, and Saint-Just wouldn't have needed to requisition shoes for the army.

Lastly, the film underexplains the context of why the counter-revolution started. In my opinion, it manipulatively emphasises the king's execution more than warranted, suggesting it triggered the popular uprising when it really did not. The conflict in Vendée began as a peasant revolt, where the local population was far more concerned with religious issues than royal politics. Most Vendean peasants likely couldn't name the king—they probably knew he was a Louis since there had been a Louis on the throne for 200 years, but that's about it. Their concerns were local: when parish priests who had taken the civic oath replaced their traditional priests, and the Levée en masse was decreed, forcing them to fight random Germans 600 km away for a regime threatening their way of life, they rebelled.

Is the movie anti-Republican propaganda?

To wrap up, is the film anti-Republican? Frankly, I don’t believe it is overtly so. It adopts a somewhat clichéd stance: the revolution's ideals were noble, but things eventually went too far. While I have plenty of thoughts on this—which I'll keep to myself for now—I wouldn’t say this perspective is inherently anti-Republican.

Charette is depicted as initially supportive of the revolution, which is accurate for many aristocrats, especially the minor nobility. The portrayal of Republican soldiers is balanced, with General Jean-Pierre Travot sometimes appearing more honourable than Charette. As the main character, Charette is shown as lazy, indecisive, and sometimes brutal, so the film does not attempt to heroise him. The princes, especially Artois, are also depicted negatively. So, the film isn’t overtly royalist.

Is there a specific stance against the Government (aka the CSP)? I don’t recall them being mentioned, which, again, is accurate since most Vendeeans, including the nobility, were not deeply involved in Parisian politics.

That being said, Carrier and Turreau are portrayed very negatively, and rightfully so. Republican generals are also shown as less likely to spare the "brigands" when captured, which aligns with historical accounts. The movie leans heavily on shock value, featuring hard-to-watch scenes of executions, guillotines, and drownings. Unfortunately, even the staunchest republican historians would be hard-pressed to find the evidence to call those scenes revisionists.

Beyond that, the only thing that stood out to me about the Republicans is that they made Kleber look about 60 years old.

In conclusion, is this the most accurate film ever? Certainly not. Is it counter-revolutionary propaganda? I genuinely don’t think so, and if someone claims otherwise, they’re likely being disingenuous.

TLDR:

Watched the movie "Vaincre ou Mourir," which felt like a medieval theme park show—entertaining but lacking depth, probably due to its funding by an actual historical theme park. Despite its attempt to appear historically accurate with expert interviews, the film fails to deeply explore its characters or the complexities of the Vendée region's history. While it doesn't contain major historical inaccuracies, it oversimplifies the causes and events of the Vendée uprising, focusing more on visual shock than factual explanation. Not outright anti-Republican or counter-revolutionary, but doesn't offer new insights into anything. Overall, flashy but not as informative as it could be.

Notes

A memory space is defined as a location (physical or otherwise) where memories, histories, and narratives are preserved, shared, and understood within a society or culture. Things like museums, monuments, rituals, stories and in this case a region can be memory spaces

Château de la Durbelière was the home of La Rochejaquelein

PS: Thank you again for your question! I had a lot of fun answering it.

[kingocats]

Ok I’m finally going to fucking say it because someone has to: fiction does in fact have relation to someone’s behavior irl. Obviously there are caveats here and I’m going to expand on them below but I’m tired of someone spouting their absolutely terrifying rhetoric IRT fiction and then saying it doesn’t matter what they say because it’s not real. Ok nuance:

1. As a reader: if I’m reading silence of the lambs and saying I love Hannibal lecter and cannibalism rules that doesn’t make me a bad person who actually supports cannibalism. Let’s just get that out of the way. However as a reader, there are times when it’s important to have the ability to examine what you’re reading critically. Like with buffalo bill, I’m not going to read this and say trans people are evil because I have the ability to critique what I’m reading. But there are times when someone might not be a bad person but eventually if say they’re reading or watching a lot of things that have pro cop sentiments for example, well that’s going to eventually have an effect on you if you are unable to question the media you consume. ( I can hear people saying well this does t affect me because I only consume good clean media, guess what? You don’t)

2. As a writer: I wrote a novels about a serial killer. Does that mean I love serial killers irl and support them? No. But the themes and values I discuss in my work are very much mine. Isolation and loneliness and how trauma can change you for the worst if no one helps you. Those are things I believe. And that’s where thinking critically comes in. A manga I had previously enjoyed just ended. It’s a superhero story. Do I think the author believes we should change our government so that it cycles entirely around superhero’s? No. But the way the manga ended spouted some ideas that I find dangerous and irresponsible. In the end the author had the superhero’s kill a bunch of characters who had previously been essentially described as marginalized, disenfranchised homeless people. The characters were ‘villains’ but mostly they were mentally ill victims. The messaging here spoke to me as a call to eliminate any homeless, mentally ill persons who didn’t follow the law exactly. You could argue we don’t really know this authors values but I think he said them to us loud and clear. When someone tells you who they are, listen! Examine your favorite books, question your favorite authors

3. In fandom: bla bla bla we all have to be nice and respectful each others opinion, it’s just fiction bla bla bla. Ok! Fair! But! If someone’s opinion about a work of literature or a film or tv series is that all the women in it are bad bad evil Mary sues and they hate all of these women and the men who do the exact same thing but worse are all hero’s then I don’t think it’s bullying for me to call them fucking sexist! And I resent people for telling me to back off when no one says the same thing to them and when it’s clear that this person too prefers these men just in a quieter way. When someone tells you who they are, believe them! And call it out! It suck’s to be on the less popular side but my god, we have got to call it out

Ok, my floodgates are open, fucking come at me

[mh073099]

“I’ll Find You” - Captain Rex x Reader Fic Part 3

TRIGGER WARNINGS - Sexual Harassment- a bit. Themes of Torture, Terrorism, Murder, our girl is a separatist spy okay she's not the good guy yet. Age Gap- 18/19 to a 24/25. Don't Worry not for long, I am a fan of age gaps.

Author Note- SOOOOOoooo It has been a really Long time since I posted anything for this and almost abandoned it but I reread it earlier and got some inspiration again, to anyone that cares reading this. Also, pay attention to the time stamps.. they will be important in the future.

Gif rights to creator

Part 3

Paris, France 05/21/2067 01:45

As we sat down in the café, I suddenly felt awkward. Here I was, sitting down with the first person in ages that really noticed me, regardless of if it was real or not. I felt naked. Laid bare under his gaze. 

“Relax, princess. I’m not going to bite.” He smiles at me. Never in my life has someone smiled at me this much. 

“Not even if I ask nicely?” I snark back, leaning forward onto the table with my hands. Rex just looks at me, smirk on his face, not taking the bate. 

“You know what’s scary?” I ask him. I’m unable to help myself.

“What?”

“Knowing that you could destroy everything I’ve ever known, and yet I think I’d let you.” What the fuck am I saying? And that thought must be showing on my face because he starts to speak again.

He regards me carefully. “Maybe that’s what you need,” comes out slow and soft.

“I don’t need saving.” I look him square in the eyes.

“I’m not taking about saving you. I’m taking about freeing you.”

“You don’t know what you’re talking about.” I feel we are dancing around the obvious.

“Hmmm. Tell me something about yourself. Something honest, real.” He asks while sipping his hot chocolate. He looks so normal, so calm and at peace. While we sit here and dance around elephants in the room. 

“Oh, well I don’t know. Um… I speak 6 languages.” I offer up. Kinda at a loss to answer, for Am I really that much of a person? I do what I’m told. I am the makeup of ash and ember that has been molded by pain, over and over again. My whole life is a lie. A secret. Something I cannot share, for the so called greater good. Honest? Something Real? Am I even real? These thoughts aren’t ones I should be having. Conversations like this lead down a dark road.

“Wow, that is impressive.” He really does look impressed by that fact. “What Languages? Even though that’s not what I meant by my question, obviously. But I have to ask.”

“Maybe I am Deflecting.”

“You are most definitely deflecting.” Then he looks at me expectantly.

“Well, English obviously,” earns me the low chuckle that I am growing to adore. “As well as French, Spanish, Geonosian, Huttese, and Kittat.”

His head snaps up from where he was drinking his coffee. “Kittat? That’s a dead language, used by- “

“Yes, The Old Empire. My mother is a historian. Translated a few things for the republic. Taught me as she was teaching herself.” The lie falls easy and quick from my mouth. The dead language isn’t as dead as everyone thinks. It’s what the separatists use to pass information along. An Illegal language has its benefits.

Which of course he brings up. “Mhhmm. And Isn’t it an illegal language?” He cocks his head; his eyes harden the slightest bit.

"Technically yes but Historians like my mother have permits and clearances for such things. Teaching me? Now that wasn’t necessarily legal but what kind of government prohibits a whole language? Its just words.”

“Dangerous words” he counters carefully.

“As if words in any other language can’t be dangerous?” I lean back. “It was William Douglas said ‘The most important aspect of freedom of speech is freedom to learn. All education is a continuous dialogue- questions and answers that pursue every problem on the horizon.’ Without the freedom to criticize, question and challenge the dominant narrative, societies cannot make progress.” I finish with a huff.

Rex leans back, with a smile on is lips, and something bright gleaming in his eyes. “You’re very passionate about this.”

“There is only passion.”

Rex pauses, licks his lips and smiles. “Of course, you’re 100% right about freedom of speech. But progress is slow. We must learn from the past. Not repeat it.”

“And isn’t that what’s happening?”

“I don’t think so. I work for a great senator, Her efforts and even the quiet efforts of her husband have shown that they actually care for their people. And truly want to make the world a better place. The right way.”

“What’s your job title exactly?” I bait him.

“What’s yours?” 

I sigh. He had me there. “Hmm.” The right way. Is there really such a thing as right and wrong? Or did it come down to Just you and them? Two sides of the same coin? I look down at my hands, unable to look him in the eye anymore. “Still feel like you’re following me.”

“Maybe it’s not you I am following.” His response makes me freeze, and then surprisingly relax. That is a loaded response…but maybe. Just maybe.

He reaches his hand down across the table, pinky touching mine and interrupting my thoughts.

I loop my pinky with his. Looking down at our entwined fingers. His pinky finger is calloused but warm. I hope he couldn’t tell how sweaty my hand was while being hooked on my pinky.

“Where do you see yourself five years from now?” I asked, still staring at our pinkies.

His inhale makes me look up, and I can’t make the expression on his face. “You don’t ask easy questions.”

“You’re one to talk.” I fire back.

We both dissolve into giggles. I just feel giddy, and his smile in intoxicating. For the first time, I feel clean. Like I don’t have to hide. 

“In five years? A promotion, with better pay and better hours. My schedule now is nowhere near stable, but a set work schedule would be nice. And hopefully, a relationship. I’m a little young to think about starting a family, but I want that someday, and in 5 years, I hope to have that person by my side.” He answers, taking hold of my whole hand as he finishes.

“Hmm. That sounds nice.” I say absent mindedly, imaging what a family would even feel like.

“What about you?”

“What about me?”

“Where do you see yourself in five years?” He squeezes my hand in reassurance.

Dead. For a cause that I am not even sure I believe in.

“Honestly? I don’t know. Right now, my work keeps me busy, as well as in the moment. Success is seen in immediate results. Long term is not something I am looking at yet” I try to keep it vague.

“You haven’t thought about it?” He pushes.

But pushing starts to irritate me, and I snap back with, “I’m young, what’s there to worry about? Who cares for future.” I say in a huff. A dark look overtakes my face and I pull my hand away. Hands in my lap, looking at him in all his handsome goodness. Curse life for dangling him in my face. His eyes are filled with sympathy as if he could possibly understand what it was like to not know what happens tomorrow. To have your fate completely out of your own hands.

“Princess, you asked the question.” He pauses then leans a little more forward. He looks so open. “I don’t know what you’re caught up in. But I have friends. People that could help-“

“Woah let me stop you right there. I do not need saving. I am perfectly fine thank you very much. I don’t know what you think you know, But I can tell you, You are wrong. I have a well paying job that provides for me, I get to travel, I-“ I loose track of where I was going with this. How do you try and stand up for living a life you don’t want? “Rex,” I sigh. “I’m fine. You will just come to find that I tend to be pessimistic at times.” I offer up.

He just looks at me, taking in the sight of me. I wonder what he sees?

Then he reads my mind and goes, “When I look at you, I see a strong, beautiful ruthless young woman with her whole life ahead of her. But you have this look in your eye. You’re not happy. Not even close.”

“How do you know?” I shake my head.

“I recognize that look because I used to stare at it in the mirror every day. Until I found a way to stop living like that.” He offers. Rex cocks his head at me, looking concerned and sympathetic. I hate it. I can’t understand why he cares.

“Sounds easy.”

“Hardly.”

The silence seems comforting. I don’t feel as alone as I normally do.

“I’d gladly let you ruin me if you asked.” Left my mouth unbidden.

First, I see surprise flash across his face. Determination settles in its place.

He pulls out a card, and slides it across the table. I don’t look at it, just slip it in my pocket.

Rex goes to say something, But at that moment, the door to the 24-7 café we’re in opens.

When I connect with his eyes, all I feel is dread. The anger is rolling off him in waves. The card heavy in my pocket.

Rex must notice the color drain from my face because he turns slightly and catches sight of Maul.

“I’m so sorry.” I whisper to Rex, as Maul approaches with long strides. He arrives at our little table in just a few steps.

“Let’s go.” Is not question. “I’ve been requested to make sure you arrive home safe. Your mother was worried.” His deep voice oozes with thinly veiled venom and misplaced passiveness.

“Is everything all right?” I hear, Rex’s tone firm, calm and dangerous. I look over at him, and the look he is shooting at Maul rocks me off balance. He looks positively murderous. Never could I image his face set in stone like this.

“I wasn’t talking to you.” Maul sneers, slowly moving his gaze to Rex. The heat in their stare was almost Nuclear. As if at any moment, they would collide and explode on each other, leaving devastation in their wake.

"Everything is fine John,” I quickly say making sure not to give his real name out, hand reaching out to his and I go to stand up.

His gaze shifts to me and his eyes soften. “It was nice talking to you princess. Stay Safe out there.”

I softly smile and look to Maul. His eyes burn me, promising trouble that he will enjoy, and that I certainly will not. “Well? Let’s go then.” I bark out bitterly.

We turn and leave.

It took everything in me not to look back.

 Paris, France 05/21/2067 02:15

The whole drive was silent on the way back to the manor, but the smugness was rolling off Maul in waves. I didn’t know what lied ahead of me. But I did know one thing. Rex knew I was trouble. This could go one of two ways. I could give rex up, milk him for what he knows and dispose of him. The thought twisted painfully in my chest, and it became hard to breath. Or I could toss Rex a bone. Slowly bring down the cause. I’d be betraying everything I had known. But what was a cause that killed and stole for their own gains? An Ideal that the Republic is the oppressor while simultaneously oppressing not only those they deem an enemy to the cause, but to their very supporters as well. That idea made the weight on my heart ease a bit.

Oh God, what have I gotten myself into?

When we arrived at the manor, I was hesitant. The place held a blanket of doom that did little to keep the cold out. Maul stalked forwards while I meekly followed behind. I was scared. Maul was excited.

We entered the haunted manor and made our way to the main parlor. In the room stood the Count, my Mother, and Him. The Chancellor of the separatist movement. Everything about him was absolutely Sidious. My mother’s face was blank. Just an empty shell with her face. The Count looked bored. Maul looked like a dog, drooling for a bone.

“Hello, my darling girl.” His voice was like poison. It took everything in me not to flinch. “I have a job for you.”

Here. We. Go.

  Paris, France 05/21/2067 04:00

I lied there, in my own blood and vomit. Left alone to pick myself up.

The Humiliation of this night will forever be burned into my spine. All for what?

To test my strength, He said. To assure everyone but more importantly to assure myself, that I have the will to continue this path. To kill doubt that lingers within myself and within our circle about my abilities. After all, I was just a young girl. They needed proof of my loyalty. My undying loyalty. To remind myself that Peace is a lie. To become what I pretend to be, he said. To prove I am enough for this job, that I will see it through. No matter the pain, the costs.

“Tell me, do you have anything to say for yourself? To prove yourself worthy?” In all his Sidious might, he stood over me. Brand still glowing, the smell of burning flesh overtaken my senses. I looked over at my mother. She looked at me as if I was nothing. I didn’t recognize her anymore. 

Turn back to him, Looking him in the eye. “There is no peace, only passion.”

 His smile is wicked, and he continues.

  Paris, France 05/24/2067 13:47

I lay in bed, just staring at the wall. Ace by my side. I have to keep him from trying to lick my wounds.

I need to get up. I need a plan out of this. This…this isn’t me, right?

“Peace is a lie, there is only passion.”

I sit up, pushing myself through the pain.

“Through Passion, I gain Strength.”

Standing up was hard. My legs gave out, and I had to learn heavily on the bed until I could get my feet underneath me.

“Through Strength, I gain Power.”

I slowly make my way over the mirror.

“Through Power, I gain Victory”

The Woman looking back at me is unrecognizable.

“Through Victory, My chains are broken.”

A lie. All I see are chains.

“Through Victory, My chains are broken.” I repeat.

Tears cloud my vision, and I am filled with rage.

“Through Victory, My chains are broken.”  I whisper, before I slam My fist into the full-length mirror.

My knees hit the floor, digging into glass. I relish the pain.

“I am set Free.”

I reach for the Card.

Paris, France 05/24/2067 13:59

He picks up after the first ring. “Hello?” His voice deep, and rumbles through me. I take a deep breath.

“Did you know?” I ask, voice hoarse and sore, but full of force. No room for argument. 

“Princess, is that you?” I ignore the butterflies in my stomach at the nickname.

“Rex. Did you know when we first met? Back in D.C.?” I ask again. There’s no way he didn’t know now. Not with the way our late-night conversation went.

He sighs. “No. I didn’t know back then.” 

“You Promise?”

“I promise.”

“When did you find out?” My voice breaks.

His voice is soft when he replies, “I didn’t find out until after seeing you that afternoon at the cafe. I went back to the embassy after that and... well.”

I took a deep breath. He was honest with no hesitation. I don’t know how I knew that, but I did. I believed it deep in my bones. 

“You let me walk away.” My vision starts to get blurry.

“I knew you’d make the right choice in the end. I believe in you.”

“That doesn’t make any fucking sense,” I whisper.

“Princess, are you ok? The other night you-

I choke out a laugh. “Yeah. I’m fine. Tell you’re bosses I’ll help. That’s what their expecting right?” 

I let out a sniffle. God, I’m really doing this.

“Look, Let’s talk about th-”

“No. No talking. One condition. You’re the person I talk to. No one else.”

A sigh. “I wish you would stop interrupting me.” His voice holds 1000s emotions, and I can’t place any of them. 

“Get used to it. Good-bye Rex. I’ll keep in touch.”

I hung up the phone. 

[jadeglas]

Wow, it's been a hot minute since I was last here in an interacting, not lurking way, but let's try this again!

I'm Jade, a 30-something year old mama and storyteller cleverly disguised as a grown ass woman. I have trouble with consistency and I hate being in charge, but I promise I can tell a good story.

Things have been gradually getting to be too much over the past ... 8 or 9 months or so? I have a bad habit in which I'll set reasonable goals and schedules for myself, get bored at the difficulty level, and start increasing the intensity of too many things, too quickly, without giving myself time to adjust to anything properly, and then wonder why I feel like I'm drowning. It's something I'm working on.

There's this app called Sprout? It helps. You get a cute bird friend to help encourage you to complete tasks and take care of yourself. Message me if you're on Sprout, too, and you want a friend!

So yeah, I'm a mama first, always. I started working part time at my youngest gremlin's preschool, but I'll be backing off that a little bit soon, so that should give me a consistent day to create.

My original stories that I first started telling everyone about? They've changed so much! I have a different structure, now, and so many potential new stories to write. The same premise, though - A world in which a small portion of the population has superpowers. A country in which you either register your superpowers with the government so that you can use them legally (sanctioned), or don't register them, gaining the title non-Sanctioned, and risk imprisonment or worse if you're found out. And of course, the theme to the series is action/thriller romance in which the villain (or vigilante) gets the girl, because heroes are nice and all, but at the end of the day, don't you want someone willing to burn the world down just to see you smile? I'll go on more about it in another post, don't want to make this one drag on too long.

Oh! And I started a business, bc of course I didn't have enough I was trying to do already, but it's already registered and legal and everything, even if I don't have my own website up yet. I've been learning about how to put websites together, so if you have any questions about that, feel free to drop a question to me! Once I get over the imposter syndrome, I'll be wanting to work with authors, especially romance authors, and I know Squarespace best, but I know a lot of "best practice" stuff that's helpful for any platform, too.

So yeah, if any of this peaks your interest, feel free to say hi. Like I said, I'm inconsistent and trying to work out why I'm not getting notifications that people have been messaging me? I set an alarm to help me remember to check that regularly, so communication should improve (if you have messaged me and are waiting on a response, I'm so sorry!)

And if you're a writer, too, tell me about what you're working on! I like most stuff and I'll be happy to gush about your fic with you, fan or oc!

Take care of yourself, ok?

~ Jade

[canyouhearthevoices]

I was reading your analysis of the BOUNCY MV and loved it (your comments also made me laugh eheheh)! Also since you said you weren't sure about the red lights in the bike part of the MV, I was talking to a friend about the MV and they mentioned how SeongSang's shots are very reminiscent of AKIRA (the manga/film). The plot goes something like post-apocalyptic Tokyo which is corrupt and there's anti-government protests, terrorism, and gang violence etc etc. There's a bunch of biker vigilantes etc etc etc~ And the scenes are also very reminiscent of the MV itself, which I found super cool (I once mentioned how it'd be super cool if ATEEZ had footnotes for all the references they make lolol)

Ahh thank you, I'm glad you enjoyed it :)

Yes, I completely agree with it being similar to AKIRA. I've never actually watched AKIRA (which is probably why it didn't come to mind) but I agree that the themes and aesthetics are similar. The shots you have included are great examples. I imagine that KQ/ATEEZ/the creative directors did this on purpose - AKIRA is very influential and impactful on anime media, so this is yet another visual shortcut they've used for storytelling. Thank you for bringing this to my attention... maybe I should watch AKIRA.

We know that ATEEZ have a lot of inspirations from influential texts from various cultures - Britain, America, Korea, China, Japan - so it makes sense that they have done this. I think it's amazing, because, as I said, it synthesises and plays with older media to make something new, and it uses those medias to make the story easier for the audience to understand.

One of my film professors is big on the idea of using conventions of a genre to make your story easier to understand, while adding a unique flair to it - and that's exactly what ATEEZ do.

As far as their references - yes I would love to see them (although I think we can get a pretty good idea just from the way they express these inspirations). Believe it or not, I have had a not insignificant number of dreams that just involve me grilling Hongjoong on the storyline and begging him for the answers. I wake up in the middle of the night sometimes and see my ATEEZ poster and break out in a cod sweat because Hongjoong is staring at me and I know that he knows all of the little details of the storyline and gleefully watches us get it wrong but will never tell us...

It's a love-hate relationship.

Cromerteez also added this;

I think I probably forgot to add this but the Z logo on the wanted posters is very zorro logo-ish 👁️👄👁️ (again, I'm pushing the footnotes agenda lol)

For those (like me) who don't know - the Zorro logo looks like this;

Or at least, I hope this was the one you meant.

Yes I definitely see it. I had a little Google and it seems that Zorro is about a man who is hunted by the authorities but continually outwits them, and uses his sword to carve the 'z' into his defeated enemies. I can definitely see the similarities to ATEEZ's storyline. The only question I then have is - did they write the symbol on their own Wanted posters - to show that they would never be caught? Or is someone/something (Guardians?) else hunting them and has put the symbol on the posters as a threat?

The scene is ambigious enough that it could be interpreted either way - and we might need to wait for another MV, the Diary version of the album, or the next comeback to get an answer.

But thank you so much for sending this ask in! I really appreciate it and it definitely sorted out some of the questions I had about the MV. And reinforced my point about visual shorthand in storytelling.

<3

[alectology-archive]

Dear Aelia, your ask box reads "love letters only." In lieu of that, as I could not find any good templates online (although I was able to find a wonderful apology for stealing a girlfriend, an apology for apparently screaming in shock at a German Shepard named Otis on Monday, and two faux apologies promising that in the future, the sender will plagiarize/shoplift better, among others) and do not know you, I would like to suggest three poems about love by William Shakespeare.

The three poems in question are "Take all my loves, my love, yea, take them all," "Since brass, nor stone, nor earth, nor boundless sea," and "Shall I compare thee to a summer’s day?" I find them all very enjoyable and hopefully you will too! My question is what are your (general) thoughts on Brandon Sanderson (Branderson Sandon)? I have heard a lot of very vague and conflicting information recently, which has left me quite confused. Hopefully you can clear things up for me!

You're the sweetest person to ever drop by my inbox and while the love letters only tag mostly exists to mess with people trying to be rude to me it's always lovely to get love poems in the mailbox - and I enjoyed those sonnets immensely, thank you! I do think it's incredibly romantic to suggest that you'll be a better thief to a prospective lover, though, but I hope Otis and the person who stole the girlfriend are having a very nice day, wherever they are.

I would've ordinarily linked you to the various other posts where I do vent about my feelings towards him, but I think I tend to express very passionate feelings in ways that don't necessarily convey my thoughts very well so this ask was certainly an exercise in attempting to do so. My thoughts on him broadly fall under two categories: the dismal quality of his writing and the questionable ethics of offering him any monetary support, and my thoughts will be accordingly organised.

I'm particularly irked by people dismissing my annoyance with his prose because anybody fairly familiar with a standard body of literature would find his sentences frankly a massive headache to get through (examples can be attached if you like, but I recently deleted all his ebooks from my devices because I thought that attempting to analyse his body of work was affording him more credit and effort than he deserved - it's very much like trying to analyse a seventh grader's creative writing assignment and I just don't have the energy to do that for a 50 year old guy. I don't think his worldbuilding is actually any good either, no). More specifically, I think his characterisations are shallow and that he's incapable of creating people with unique blueprints (I can never quite tell any two people apart) and that his writing of women is frankly misogynistic and designed to convey the more conservative feelings he really harbours in accordance with the faith he keeps. He repeatedly denies his women the opportunity to form sisterhoods while he goes out of his way to set up systems of friendship and support between men, forces them into marriages when they're barely past their teenhood, assigns them so-call "feminine hobbies" if he doesn't force them to undergo arcs of feminisation and has a bad habit of making his male characters insinuate that powerful women should go back to the kitchen whenever they clash in his books. It also particularly... irks me that he was reported as saying that western philosophy is more interesting to work with despite deriving inspiration from several asian cultures for his stories and it doesn't help matters that I don't agree with his politics - I just don't care for authors who can't critically deal with themes of class conflicts and the divine right to rule, who introduce race conflicts with racist undertones that seek to sermonise oppressed peoples to moderate their movement, and ultimately derides revolution and an overturning of oppressive and flawed systems of governance in favour of preserving them (it also certainly doesn't help that he fully chooses to assign moral, righteous, redemptive, religious weight in a positive sense to the side that actually misuses its power). As a whole, I think his books are representative of the kind of talentless white man the industry and reading community at large praises and upholds even if he isn't deserving of any of those commendations.

Coming to the ethical side of things, I think it's kind of ridiculous to say that his stance on queerness has improved (unless you mean like. in the sense that he's gone from being a raging queerphobe who proudly declared it to the internet multiple times in the past to a guy who "only" limits himself to continuing to associate with institutions that discriminate and hurt queer people and women). He's still an active member of the (racist, misogynistic and queerphobic) mormon church which means that he still donates 10% of his income to it, participated in mormon missionaries to seoul in the past, and still works for a college that has an appalling track record for the way it treats victims of sexual abuse and still bans various forms of queerness and advocation for lgbt rights on its campus. So I... actually loathe people who think sanderson's amiable nature makes him more deserving of more respect or kinder treatment - activism just doesn't work that way.

[davebookmarking]

Best Science Fiction Books That Every Nerd Should Read

Who does not like to read science fiction books? Just the idea of traveling into a different galaxy and unraveling stories of that place makes our hearts excited! These are more than just regular stories, they are stories that open doors to fantastic worlds. So, naturally, science fiction books are like the best friend of any bookworm. But when it comes to the best science fiction books, the list is truly endless.

This is why, today we are bringing this blog to you that will help you buy books from discount book shops. Here, we will talk about some of the best science fiction books that are definitely a must-read.

List of the Best Sci-Fi Books

Science fiction is like an invitation to give a chance to your imagination to run wild. It is a space where you can dream big and give wings to the most abstract thought. Science fiction books are always a good read. They introduce us to things like futuristic gadgets, artificial intelligence, and mind-bending ideas. You can get an idea about the genre from the best science fiction books mentioned below:

1. Meet Me in Another Life:

Silvey Catriona tells a mysterious and heartwarming story in "Meet Me in Another Life." In this story, you will get to join two characters as they journey through different lives, discovering the enchantment of being reborn. This book encourages you to think about the wonders of life and the special connections that stay with us through time.

2. Brave New World:

Aldous Huxley has gone on a gripping exploration of a society obsessed with stability. Uncover the consequences of a world driven by conformity, where the pursuit of perfection comes at a steep price. This classic talks about the complexities of a utopian vision and the sacrifices made for it.

3. The Martian:

This book takes you on an exciting journey with Mark. Mark Watney is an astronaut who is stuck on Mars and fighting hard to stay alive. Through this book, Andy Weir gives us a blend of funny moments and real science. Moreover, this story is more than a fun story, it also teaches us about the tough parts of exploring space. So, brace yourself for an adventure through the space scenery as you read this book.

4. The Resisters:

Gish Jen's "The Resisters" shows a world where some people have more while others have less. Dive into the story's exciting themes of standing up against unfairness and how technology changes how we live together. Jen mixes science fiction with thoughts about how societies work, giving readers a new way to look at this kind of storytelling.

5. Red Mars:

In this book, Kim Stanley Robinson takes you on a journey to the red planet. This amazing book mixes real science with exciting political plots, showing how people make Mars their home and change its environment. Dive into a believable story of what humans might do on Mars, with lots of details and accurate science. Come join the adventure!

6. Rosewater:

Tade Thompson brings together a special mix of science fiction and African mysticism in "Rosewater." The tale unfolds in Nigeria, focusing on a mysterious biodome and the government's efforts to manage strange happenings from outer space. Thompson skillfully weaves in rich cultural details with elements of science fiction, offering a new and captivating outlook on the story.

7. Exhalation:

Take a trip into the amazing worlds of imagination in Ted Chiang's "Exhalation," a bunch of short stories that go beyond the usual limits of science fiction. Chiang dives into tricky questions about thoughts and morals, giving deep thoughts about being human. You get to go on an adventure with every story that has new ideas and compels you to think differently.

8. The Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy:

Author Douglas Adams takes us on a funny trip through space in this amazing book series. Through this, you will be able to go on an unplanned space adventure which will let you meet strange characters and cosmic oddities. Adams' clever jokes and funny moments make this a classic and fun journey through the galaxy.

9. Hyperion:

Come join us in the exciting world of "Hyperion" by Dan Simmons! This space adventure is packed with all kinds of characters and amazing stories. Take a journey through a universe that's about to go through some big changes. There are mysteries to discover and destinies that weave together. Simmons is really good at telling stories, making this sci-fi masterpiece an immersive experience you won't want to miss!

Key Findings

So that was it, everything you needed to know about some of the best science fiction books available on Booksmart. The love for sci-fi books has been around for a long time and it will only grow with the coming time. We hope this will help you when buying books from discount book shops. Happy Reading!

[notsp1derman]

a displeased review of the house in the cerulean sea, by tj klune

[may contain spoilers]

First of all, let me tell you all my experience with this book. I saw a bunch of people talking about it, recommending a sweet queer-found-family-cozy-fantasy comfort book, saying how this was one of the best reads of the year. This book was HUGE on tiktok and other platforms, and even as of today it still has 4,4 stars on goodreads.

So after a bit of stalling, when I next wanted a comforting read, I picked up the house in the cerulean sea, and I wasn't nearly as impressed. The writing was exaggerated to the point that every character felt like a charicature defined by a one or two traits: the Plain and Normal main character; the Intolerant and Bitter boss; even the CEOs were called only Extremely Upper Management lmao

So I thought "okay, so this is some sort of satyre right?" nope. It's just a normal YA fantasy book that desperately wants you to think it's cute and funny. The author wanted to write witty dialogue so much that every character has the same personality; everyone sounds like a snotty 13 year old really proud of the "sick burns" they deliver; everyone, even the children (half of whom are also so sarcastic, of course), uses every possible opportunity to embarass and shame the protagonist.

Which, by the way, I was already getting annoyed by. He was never pathetic by his appearance or way of living, as all the characters tried to express by their dialogue, but his trait of being so emphatetic for a second just to be painfully ignorant of the power of is actions the next get on my nerves SO FUCKING MUCH. Linus Baker's knack for saying "this isn't my jurisdiction, I only have a small, simple job" clashes so hard with the author constantly telling us how we should like him because "he's good with children and also responsible!!", which just makes him seem an average white man unable to see his privilege.

And all of this could be simply averted if Klune just made Linus a very innocent man, who was told a lie by DICOMY that all the kids from the orphanages he closed down were in better places, or even adopted. This would even make his development a lot more sympathetic, because he would suddenly discover everything he believed was a lie. But no. Linus does know, from the way he feels guilty or changes the subject or gives excuses for DICOMY the second someone questions it. How could I root for him when he just chooses to ignore what he doesn't want to acknowledge and with the author trying so hard to paint him as an inoccuous man?

Clearly, I wasn't really finding the house in the cerulean sea neither comforting nor well written. So, after almost a 1/3 of the book, I went into goodreads to see if there were other people disliking the book as well, or if I was just the biggest and bitterest asshole on the planet. And then I found out about the Sixties Scoop.

I still can't wrap my head around the fact that a white man really got inspiration from a terrible situation that brought a lot of pain and trauma, sterilized and made it cutesy and admitted to it on an interview.

"Let me be up front about something: I’m a white dude. There really isn’t much I should be preaching about. I’m queer, and a loud one at that, but the marginalization I’ve faced because of this isn’t to be compared to others facing bigotry. It’s not a contest. It sucks across the board, but I’m a mid-thirties cis man in America. I’m privileged in ways others are not. I know this, so when I wrote Cerulean, I knew I had to do so carefully, to make sure that what I’d decided on to be the central theme of the story wouldn’t be lost."

I'll not jump to conclusions, he really does seem to have had good intentions, but despite all of that, sometimes it still isn't a good idea to follow. I'm a white person myself, but I've seen a lot of the struggles of the indigenous people of my country even near my home, so I get the indignation against a government that never does shit and the want to help as much as we can, specially because of our privilege. But telling the story of a minority group from a point of view you will never have just does more harm than good, even more so when the apparent moral of the story is "oh well, the problem isn't the organization at all, just a bunch of people in a room, so we just have to wait for some dude to get tired of it all and change things"

I'll try to be less bitter, alright? I get the existence of books that focus more on found families, queer happiness and comforting emotions than something more realistic. We all need to hope that things can be better and easier, so I'm not hating on the genre or anything. But it angered me to read how easy it was to change bigotry just with "the power of talking and morals!!1!", specially when the inspiration was a real life event that we KNOW wasn't just solved with some words and a pat on the back. I'll hand to Klune that things weren't exactly solved at the end of the book, and systemic discrimination and oppression still existed, but something about the solutions and the tone of the book just didn't seat right with me.

All in all, I think the main problem was just that things didn't fit well together. A hopeful but realistic story inspired by a real event that talked about disrupting the organization and stripping down positions of power of bigot people maybe would work, but that's too much pain and delicate themes to fit into a "clean and cute" comfort book. I also thought the moral a bit too simple and black-on-white for a YA book, but as long as it makes people more kind and understanding, I can't truly hate it.

I still don't hate the millions of people who loved this book, and I also don't hate the author. But I can't in good conscience agree that it was a good idea to do or a book well written at all. Sometimes we have to use our privilege not to tell the story of others, but to force an opening and have them tell their story themselves, from their perspective. Also, I hope he is donating at least a bit of the huge profit he made with sellings to organizations related to the cause he chose to speak about in the first place.

edit: I would like to say that after posting this I've seen more people talk about the problematic stuff online, and make better points in a clearer way than me. So this is just to say that this is definitely NOT a super hot take I had. There are a lot of people more qualified to talk about this subject than me. It's always nice to research different opinions!

★ ☆̸ ☆ ☆ ☆

[wewerewords]

#03: Tender Is The Flesh

By Agustina Bazterrica

Genre: Dystopian Fiction

Publisher: Scribner

ISBN: 978-9821-6092

Price: $17.99 US

Page Count: 209

Date Started: February 5, 2024

Dated Ended: February 6, 2024

Back Cover Blurb:

Working at a local processing plant, Marcos is in the business of slaughtering humans — though no one calls them that anymore.

His wife has left him, his father is sinking into dementia, and Marco’s tries not to think too hard about how he makes a living. After all, it happened so quickly. First, it was reported that an infectious virus has made all animal meat poisonous to humans. Then the governments initiated the “Transition.” Now, eating human meat — “special meat” — is legal. Marcos tries to stick to numbers, consignments, processing.

Then one day he’s given a gift: a live specimen of the finest quality. Though he’s aware that any form of personal contact is forbidden on pain of death, little by little he starts to treat her like a human being. And soon, he becomes tortured by what has been lost — and what might still be saved.

Review and Rate:

This book depicts graphic scenes of procurement and harvesting of human meat. The contents of this book might be upsetting to some readers. If you are not okay with reading about the death of children, pregnant women, or people in general I would not recommend reading this book.

Tender Is The Flesh follows Marcos Tejo, a processing plant employee who recently lost his child, and is currently separated from his wife. Marcos is navigating his life while he deals with the grief of losing his child, which forces him to view his life with “Pre-Transition” eyes. Which just means that things everyone else views as normal now seem strange or even grating to him. Tasks that he use to be able to preform for his job now seem monumentally difficult, the foods they all eat seem disgusting, and he doesn’t have the will power to keep doing the same things over and over again.

While the main theme of the book is not the struggle of grief I would say it’s a very important driving power for Marcos. Without his grief he would not be the person he is at the end of the book. Without his grief he would not do the things he does. The grief of loosing his child is not the only grief he suffers under. Marcos also grieves the world there was before the “Transition”. A world where it was okay to have pets. A world where humans filled the streets. A world where you didn’t have to think about the meat you were eating. That world weighs on his shoulders because he believe the absence of it took his father away from him. Marcos is a man full of grief and his choices reflect that.

The main theme of the book is corrupt governments, and the willingness to follow them. To adapt to the new world order because it’s easier to follow instructions than to think for yourself. The Government tells the people that animals have a virus and eating their meat, being bitten or scratched by them, will kill you. Even though some scientists have come out to disprove this, and wound up dead as a result. Even if many people didn’t believe them, they still killed and burned as many animals as they could because it was easier to believe than ask questions. The Government tells the people that vegetables aren’t enough to keep them healthy, that they need meat, and that they have a solution. People meat — “special meat” — is government sanctioned. It’s the solution. It’s not a means to control populations, to control people. Curfews are in place to keep them safe, to keep them healthy. People aren’t really people if you don’t give them a first and last name.

That being said I found the writing style very interesting. It’s obviously a very intentional aspect by the author to refer to the main character (mc) as “he” the entire time. It creates a distance between the reader and the mc which I really enjoyed. The only time we hear his name is when another person chooses to use it. While he is a person with a first and last name, we as the reader do not see him as that. He is simply him. Not Marco, not Tejo, just him. Another nameless cog in the processing plant. I think this helps to normalize the things happening in the book, just like the government normalized cannibalism. 

I usually have a favorite quote from the book by the time that I finish, but I didn’t for this one. I was waiting for some profound sentence to help explain away the human experience, but one never came. There was no need to understand why the things in this book were happening, because they were happening simply because the people in the book allowed and wanted them to happen. I kept waiting for the moment I would understand why this story was written but what I have come up with is that at the end of the day, humans are capable of great evils and when give the chance, they will willingly do them.

I really enjoyed this book. It was not my usual read so I won’t be giving it 5 stars because I didn’t enjoy it as much as I could have, but I definitely think that is my own bias. ⭐️ ⭐️⭐️/5 for this one. It was captivating. The whole point of the book was to make me feel gross and at the end of the read I did feel gross. My cousin read it with me and she enjoyed it way more than I did because she likes when books make her uncomfortable, I don’t. Even thought it wasn’t my type of read I did enjoy it.

[queen-street-news]

New Post has been published on https://bloornews.com/blog-toronto/theres-no-way-books-can-be-banned-in-canada-just-for-criticizing-trudeau-it-sounds-too-crazy/

There’s no way books can be banned in Canada just for criticizing Trudeau. It sounds too crazy

I’m here this morning at the Federal Court of Canada.

“Ezra Levant is a human rights activist, journalist and founder of Rebel News Network. He is the author of multiple best-selling books including Ethical Oil: The Case for Canada’s Oilsands, The Libranos: What the media won’t tell you about Justin Trudeau’s corruption, and most recently China Virus: How Justin Trudeau’s Pro-Communist Ideology Is Putting Canadians in Danger.”

For the next eight hours, Ezra Levant (Rebel News) will be on trial for writing a book called The Libranos.

There is an army of lawyers here from the Trudeau government. If they win, they will set a terrible precedent, making it illegal to publish books critical of politicians without first “registering” those books with the government.

Here’s a quick recap: In the 2019 Canadian election, there were 24 books published about Justin Trudeau.

23 of those books were pro-Trudeau or neutral. And then there was my book, “The Libranos: What the Media Won’t Tell You About Justin Trudeau’s Corruption”.

That enraged Trudeau — especially when it became a best seller. So Elections Canada assigned more than a dozen staff to investigate me and prosecute me. They’ve been hounding me for four years. They have already fined me thousands of dollars. And I’ve had to spend $100,000 in legal fees.

But I’ve appealed to the Federal Court. And today is the day that political freedom — and the right to criticize the government — lives or dies.

You might be thinking, “There’s no way books can be banned in Canada just for criticizing Trudeau. It sounds too crazy.”

Let me quote from an official notice I received from the “Manager of the Compliance Unit” of Elections Canada’s censorship branch:

the book title’s reference to “Librano$“, which was clearly designed to create an association between the name of a registered party and The Sopranos, a mafia-themed television show, and to link the party to corruption… drawings of the show’s characters were replaced with drawings of the leader and other public figures of the party.

Seriously. Trudeau’s staff are now deciding what words and even what pictures we can use to criticize Trudeau. He really meant it when he said China’s dictatorship is the country he most admires.

Speaking of which, Elections Canada hasn’t lifted a finger to stop Communist China from interfering in our elections. They’re too busy prosecuting my book.

You might recall that they specially hired two 30-year veterans of the RCMP to go after me — one of whom specialized in counter-terrorism.

Those senior cops interrogated me for an hour. I’ll never forget it: one of their most bizarre questions was to ask me why I didn’t register my book with the government before I published it. I secretly recorded that interrogation — you can watch it here if you haven’t seen it before.

Here’s their theory: they claim that because my book criticized Trudeau, it was campaign propaganda and had to be registered with the government. Even though Canada’s election laws specifically exempt books and the promotion of books. But Trudeau doesn’t care — he is trying to censor the Internet, so obviously he wouldn’t hesitate to censor an old-fashioned book.

I note that not a single journalism organization or civil liberties group has said a word to support me. Amnesty International, PEN Canada, the Canadian Association of Journalists, Canadian Journalists for Free Expression, and the Canadian Civil Liberties Association — not one of them has even issued a statement, let alone intervened in court. They don’t believe in freedom anymore — but I do.

https://www.thelibranos.com/

[zorilleerrant]

Fansplaining's latest episode is saying how there's a generational difference in woobification, and while I would agree, I don't think it's in the generation of the fan, it's in the generation of the media. because it happens to older people, even who don't usually do this, getting into very new media that isn't part of an established world, but you don't see it as much in very young fans who are getting into decades old fandoms for the first time.

I've had a theory about this for a while, and I think it's that there's a lot of woobification going on in the original texts for newer texts - including franchise texts, it's just easier to backfill stuff from earlier installments so it's not always as obvious - where all the characters are built like that or built to be looked at like that.

main characters tend to be a lot more flat and engage in a lot more black and white thinking, and then endings of novels and movies tend to be very unambiguous that either the good guy won and all is right with the world, or the bad guy won and everything is just as bad as it ever was. like even in Star Wars there was a huge fight to manage to include one line that indicated that the massively militarized government of The Rebel Empire was also engaged in trafficking and atrocities, despite the fact that like. they're America. the Rebels have always been America. but they have to be unquestionably perfect to be The Heroes.

then there's this weird trend with lady villains. like you see it with other marginalized people sometimes, the whole, oh he wasn't evil all along he was just black so he had no choice but to be aggressive, or the, oh, it's just a poor repressed gay guy and now he isn't violent anymore now that he came out. (people say this about people in real life and it's super creepy, but that's another conversation.) I can't tell whether this is just people blatantly having prejudices and not bothering to question them, or people attempting to be less prejudiced, not by making the characters heroes, but by saying their marginalization pushed them into villainy. (which is the same reason so many fans get attached to and excuse villains, except like... without bothering to think it through I guess.)

but the Lady Villain thing is that so many things seem to just go, oh she's a woman, she's not in charge of her own actions, she's not agentive in that way. a man forced her into it. she was traumatized from her body being assaulted. she just wanted to be a wife. she just wanted to be a mother. she can't hurt men really so it's okay if she hurts them. and it's not like this is a new phenomenon, but I feel like I see it more and more under the guise of feminism, in the original work and not just in fandom.

the big example I keep coming back to is Poison Ivy, where the current run - don't get me wrong, I love it, it's so well written - is entirely preoccupied by how she would never be what she is if she hadn't been assaulted by her professor, and her powers weren't her choice, and her ideas about what was ethical were just his brainwashed thoughts, and everything she is is actually his victory, not her own. and I get why that's a theme an author might want to explore, but at the same time, this is a character who in so many incarnations has absolutely nothing to do with a man. she invented her own magic powers, or they were an accident from her own research, and she had her ideas herself without anyone telling them to her, and she decided to be evil for fun. she weaponized their sexualization of her against them and used it to advance her evil plots. and now it's all put back in the frame of 'she's just a man's evil experiment there was nothing else she could've done'.

this combined with the weird woobification of Harley Quinn as someone who was simply kidnapped, tortured, and abused by the Joker with absolutely no choices of her own, and he taught her how to fight, and he forced her to be a villain, etc. ignoring the part where she was already a trained acrobat and a practicing doctor who engaged in inappropriate conduct with her patient. (which, of course, they declare the Joker only wanted Harley for her body, despite the fact that she was always pushing sex on him when he didn't want it, as far as they could get away with in a kids' show.) and then Harley and Ivy bond over asshole men deserving all the credit for everything cool about them???

and for people who have engaged with a lot more media this is clearly just a current trend in stories and it'll die down after a while, and you can make things more or less that in fanworks. but for people who are just getting into media through these extremely popular properties, it's shaping the way they think media should be - and since these are not only the most popular but also the most homogenized properties, they're trying to make other stories fit what they think the Regular Mold is. which probably means this tendency will become less both as the people doing it engage with more texts and as this black and white morality trend goes away again, but it'll still be a formative thing they think of as a Normal Story and that idea probably won't become less internalized.

[oneplusoneequalstwoblog]

Root Cause Analysis Delivers an Answer to our Race Fixation

A reader told me, “My head hurts when I read your pieces!” I thought, “Good! You’re thinking for yourself now.” To a certain extent, writers are prisoners of a requirement to share stories that are either unique, new or put a different spin on something you thought you knew about already. Often, writings by well-known authors are either superficial or just plain inaccurate. Sadly, that doesn’t seem to stop them, though!

I’m always looking for new or under-discussed subjects to tell important stories, which can enlarge an understanding of familiar themes. But taboo topics exist which have the power to hurt people or are so controversial that some of us are not ready to have those potentially divisive conversations. Yet, authors, thinkers, and others privately discuss subjects not generally aired openly.

American Thinker is a high-level thought-piece outlet for conservative-leaning writers. Due to editorial space restrictions, writers are limited in the depths of their arguments and presentation of proofs. Most of us agree our country is in crisis, but symptoms rather than root causes are frequently cited as causative. Root cause analysis (RCA) is the method of discovering the root causes of problems to identify appropriate solutions.

I believe there are two issues from which most societal problems flow. RCA allows you to identify first-order issues that too many writers frequently bypass. Such sidestepping may be due to an underlying paradox.

Racism is a paradox, i.e., logically untenable and simultaneously self-reinforcing. But is Racism a cause or effect? If it is more an effect, why do some push the Racism narrative despite the considerable progress we’ve accomplished in rooting out old-style vestiges of Racism? Can everything terrible about America be rooted in Systemic Racism allegedly practiced by white people?

What if Systemic Racism is a falsehood perpetrated by a system using it to advance specific narratives such as;

To create victims of virtually everyone except white males

To paralyze people of good character. People are effectively neutered through government policies, activist special interest groups, and even our educational systems.

To create narratives based on lies that creep through every aspect of society. Such lies are often unquestioned by people who fear being ridiculed or canceled.

To ensure that citizens will have less opportunity and less happiness, and will engender deep distrust toward society and our government.

America’s position on Race is intentionally flawed, and official sources specifically reject identifying any racial difference in intelligence or ability to succeed. Conversely, far too many governmental policies attempt to fix natural discrepancies despite scientific evidence to the contrary.

Although trillions have been spent, all that has been done in the name of Diversity, Inclusion, and Equity leaves us where we began. Why? Because DIE is not the actual objective, while control of the individual is the Destroyer’s endgame. Since the early 70s, the government has increased its control of our people through laws, policies, and the millions of zealots and drones released on us by our failed educational systems. For example, a popular source of information, Wikipedia, too often uses one-sided pseudo-science on many controversial pages.

Regarding Race, Wikipedia states, “Today, the scientific consensus is that genetics does not explain differences in IQ test performance between groups, and that observed differences are environmental in origin.” This statement is not valid! But the assertion predominates online because definitive answers to scientific information regarding differences between the Races are suppressed through overly broad claims that cannot survive scientific rigor. Big Tech controls much of what you see in search results.

Ask yourself the question, what if the Woke view is wrong? What if our bedrock beliefs for the last 10,000 years are being subverted through intentional contrivance and misdirection solely to achieve absolute control over us? Racism and the passage of time are the Destroyer’s tools of choice used to hammer us into submission with as little pushback as possible.

Regardless of where anyone falls on the intelligence scale, they have a God-given right to achieve whatever is possible for themselves without regard to bias or predisposition. However, the results that one earns in life or a career are neither guaranteed nor assured. Life is not fair. Practical people understand this; the demi-gods who wish to control us know better while promoting their goals to achieve Marxism, one-world government, or control through Climate Change mania or even strict population control, are foreign and abhorrent to Americans.

If you reject Racism as an issue in our country, these may be the results:

Excuses for failure are removed. People try again to succeed, maybe this time catching the golden ring. Hope and effort are the human conditions that the Destroyers seek to undo.

We begin to repair our fractured society, allowing individual accomplishment to be the only metric that matters. Once we accept that humans live predictably along a scale from poverty to riches, from successful to unsuccessful, we once again become more comfortable in the skin tones God gave us.

Respect for personal achievement rather than through class protectionism, which manufactures victims by the tens of millions.

Our educational system is reborn. We spend a gazillion dollars more than other countries on education and fail to teach fundamental topics of reading, writing, arithmetic, civics, and actual history, which should once again become our primary focus.

Identify the Destroyers. Name them to make them real to us. Hold them accountable for the damage they have done to our young. We must identify their selfish avarice and be responsible for the millions who have perished already and their future victims yet to be consumed.

Change the Electoral System to make it impossible to manipulate. Same-day voting, such as is done in most of the world, should be mandatory. A personal appearance at the ballot box is essential, and absentee voting should be reserved only for restricted legitimate reasons.

God is returned to our pluralistic society, which has somehow forgotten his importance.

The concept of Racism is cruel. Hatred for races other than ours is evil and should never be condoned. Since Racism lives in the heart and minds of people, it is not something the government can prohibit or even eliminate through legislation. Men and women must succeed or fail on individual merit.

White people created much of what is good and, unfortunately, some of what is bad in this country. Now, efforts are being made by another group of mostly white people to enslave us all. Government as constituted today is blasphemous.

The government today masquerades as Daddy, wreaking havoc among us! The anger created by a government putting its thumb on the scale of each individual’s life must be countermanded. Remove artificial constructs designed to erase the immutable truths of Natural Law.

And we must understand that freedom can never be free. Every true American must instinctively realize that, and individuals must rise to accept the responsibility of maintaining our freedom. Unfortunately, if we ignore the reality of that challenge, we and our democracy are well on our way to perishing from this earth.

Reference Link : https://1plus1equals2.com/root-cause-analysis-delivers-an-answer-to-our-race-fixation/

[vampireonastick]

Chapter 101: Questions and Theories

(Spoilers up until chapter 101 of the manga)

Alright so I’ve had a couple of days to process the new chapter, and now I can’t stop thinking about the questions that have been raised in my mind as a result of all the new information we got. 

In this post I will be talking about why Dazai’s explanation of how he receives information from Ango is full of holes, as well as Agatha Christie (and her possible role in this arc).

I have a number of questions involving that ‘time-stopping’ ability user. 

1. Why is Ango allowed to have repeated contact with this prisoner?

Dazai gets encrypted messages from Ango through this woman every single day, to update him on the state of the conflict outside of the prison. But this means that Ango needs to relay this information to this woman every single day. So how is he allowed to have contact with her?

2. How would Ango have the authority to shorten her prison sentence in exchange for her help?

The most simple and logical answers to these questions is that Ango has permission from the government overseeing Meursault to both give information to this ability user, and shorten her sentence. 

But this answer suggests that Dazai and Ango have help from people in the government. 

At first I thought, okay, that might make sense. Dazai had a full month to plan his stay at Meursault, perhaps he made plans with some high up government officials. But while this is still possible, the fact that Dazai tells Sigma he killed all of the guards in the security room makes the idea that he is working with government officials unlikely. 

So, if Ango is not actually allowed to directly communicate with the ‘time’ ability user, then how does he?

Another Ally

My thoughts is that Dazai and Ango must have another ability user they are using as a ‘middle man’, to transfer information from Ango, to the ‘time’ ability user, all under the guards noses. 

An ability user with some form of telepathy would be my guess as to who this ‘middle man’ would be. 

Telepathy would be the easiest way to communicate while in Meursault. The only reason why Dazai couldn’t do this directly is because of his nullification ability.

Who Has A Telepathy Ability?

As far as I know, no character has been introduced that has a telepathy ability. Meaning this ‘middle man’ would either be a new character we have never seen before, or a character we have seen before but never learnt what their ability does.

As I cannot really speculate on the first scenario, I’d like to speculate on the second, that being that the person with a telepathy ability has already been introduced, we just don’t know their ability yet.

I think the most likely character in this case would be Agatha Christie.

Agatha Christie:

Ability: And Then There Were None (no information is known about her ability as far as I am aware)

- Personality is ruthless but not unreasonable

- Apart of a group that protects the royal family

- Her group controls One Order

- Would explain why Ango could ask for One Order to be sealed so easily. They already had an ‘in’ with the people who control it 

I have not read “And Then There Were None”, but I have read a synopsis of it’s plot, main themes, and motifs (thank you sparknotes, and for being the only reason I was able to get through the hellish nightmare that was reading Shakespeare in high school with a passing grade)

From what I read, one of the main recurring themes throughout the book is the use of hallucinations and dreams. Which I thought was quite interesting. What if Agatha Christie has an ability that allows her to telepathically communicate with people in their dreams?

If this is the case, then she could have negotiated with the ‘time’ ability user on Ango and Dazai’s behalf without the Meursault guards ever being aware, and could regularly send updates from Ango to her.

As for the ‘time’ ability user’s sentence being reduced, Agatha Christie has a connection to the royal family; if Meursault is under their jurisdiction, then she might have the authority to make such a promise. 

Or Dazai may just be planning to break her out of her cell. Just because he says she will receive a ‘shortening of her prison term’ doesn’t necessarily mean he plans to offer this to her through legal means.

------------------------------------------

This is all I have for right now. I am still reeling over the new chapter, I love it so much, and I really hope we don’t have to wait too long before seeing what happened to Chuuya and Fyodor.

As always feel free to talk to me or ask me questions about this theory or any others. I’d love to hear if anyone else has any differing takes or ideas about this whole prison scenario. It’s one of my favourite plot points throughout the series so far so I love talking about it!!

[captnjacksparrow]

As someone who tries to stay away from analyses because they tend to bash other characters to prove a point and they very often have a tendency to see the view from one stand point and never think of others, I find your analyses soothing. You rarely take just one side and you're not doing any mental acrobacy to prove your point and that's critical thinking, being able to see things from more sides and not seeing things in black and white. Of course you're not perfect but no one is and it's fine. Keep on doing this and I hope others will learn from you, if you had any recommendations for similar blogs, feel free to share

Thank you so much, Anon.

I think my write-ups are nothing new. It's just that Kishimoto's writing reflects in my posts. So, all your words in this ask is something I would direct it towards the Author. Because there are stories which talks about Revenge, Discovering oneself, Anti-Government, Good vs Bad, Righteousness and all that. But this story's core theme is Understanding and Anti-War.

Best Example is, Pain Arc.

What impressed me in that Arc was that scene when Naruto was seething with Anger and Hatred after seeing Nagato for the first time, as he rightfully should be because he is the looking at the person who is responsible for the death of his Master and Sensei. But Naruto had the strong mental integrity to control his hatred and started to ask Nagato, the right question.

"I don't know a thing about you... Tell me your story... And then I'll give you my Answer"

Naruto actually wants to listen to the other side of the story and come to a conclusion rather than striking at him just like that. And this is what Naruto has been doing from the First Arc... Haku, Gaara, Nagato, Obito were all the people he put an effort to understand before straight-up killing them like the rest of the other ninjas.

Look at the other side and see if you can still say the same thing. Otherwise, you are just a total hypocrite. Wonderful Message!!!.

This scene just explains it all.

“What about my Master? My Sensei? My Friends? My Home!?”

As an Audience, I was extremely devastated and couldn't move on from the shock I received after Pain obliterated Konoha. I was also feeling just like Naruto.

But the tables turned... All in a second.

"But what about my family? My friends? My Home? You Konoha Ninja aren't the only ones allowed to speak of Peace and Harmony, especially after you did to my village what I just did to yours."

Pain is simply asking some painful, logical, hard-hitting questions for which Naruto had no answer...

And Look at Naruto's dejected face. Even as a viewer, I didn't have an answer either. I can't even pick any sides and Nothing is black and white anymore. Unlike Kakuzu, Hidan, Deidara and Sasori... Nagato is not doing this for fun or money. He has a purpose and has an extreme pain behind that purpose.

But it doesn’t mean that Nagato was right though. His pain is understandable but his methods are not. 

And that’s why Naruto’s decision of “It’s enough... Let’s stop this.... You have suffered because of us. And We also have suffered because of you... Let’s put an end to this vicious cycle of revenge/hatred and let’s think about the future” is the right decision, no matter how you look at it. It’s idealistic. Yes. But also, It’s a tough choice to make considering the loss Naruto & Konoha has suffered....

Which is also very similar to...

How Hashirama and Madara came to an agreement of Peace by setting aside their Generation after Generation of their ill-feelings and decided to unite together. 

So, If the Narrative itself is pushing this dilemma where you cannot take sides because there are no innocents on one side but an Understanding could stop pointless conflicts and ill-feelings, then I feel while writing my post, I should also think in a similar way, think through others' POV and stop being biased by putting the blame on a single entity...

As for the blog recommendation, 

I got this inspiration to write lengthy posts with Panels only after reading one of the Quora writer’s meta posts over there. However she is a NaruSaku Shipper, though. But she is my favourite when it comes to bringing up her points and explaining it in an understandable way. It’s been months since I read her posts last time... But her link is here.. [Link]. (She covered good topics other than shipping if you scroll down her page but stupid people disgusted her comment section it seems, so she is not writing those topics anymore)

However when it comes to Tumblr though, I’ve seen this person (senjuhashirama) wrote an excellent post about Will of Fire. That post clearly explained as to how Will of Fire concept can be used in a good way as well as in a bad way. [[I didn’t mention their blog explicitly because I never had a conversation with them, so I feel it’s inappropriate to specify them here.]]. I’ll attach that post... [Here]

And then there is this Excellent Analysis post about Obito in all of the internet.. [Post Link].. It's just WoW!!! Even if you don't like Obito, but by the end of that post you would eventually understand the depth of that character. There's no bias, no tear wiping, no blame shifting or no asspull agenda making. It's exactly how the author has written his character. These are the kind of posts I truly crave for.

I’ve never seen anyone here in Tumblr writing about all the topics... And Even if they do, they go full on Anti-Anti-Anti Konoha and Pro-Pro-Pro Uchiha (mostly Sasuke stans) and you will see them hating half of the characters in Narutoverse (especially Naruto) which goes against everything the story has set up and eventually they blame it on bad writing which I can't suggest from my side.

As for my imperfection, I think I know what you mean and I am kinda being intentional (??). Lol. You mean my Sakura/Hinata bashing (mostly Sakura)... in posts they are not relevant, Right?. I do think about this a lot and was conflicted about it... But then, her fans are self-insertive in every part of the story (even in a story where she isn't relevant) and it's very very hard to take part in the public fandom discussion without having her fans forcefully spamming their ideas everywhere. So, I kinda want to show their theories are utterly wrong through my posts.

So, Thanks again for this Ask. I thoroughly enjoyed writing this.