#I thought it was theatres and I won't be able to afford that probably for the rest of my damned life

[lesenbyan]

kinda nice of the universe to let things go my way for a change once other things have reached "you have to handle or else" place

[thessalian]

Thess vs The Shooting

About recent news: I'm not going to enjoy the next few news cycles very much? But while this might be problematic short term, I don't think it's going to be the disaster people say it is. At least, not if everyone follows the advice that has been given all along - don't decide your vote doesn't matter, don't decide that third-party protest votes will be your best course of action, just vote and vote blue.

Here's why:

Look, at this point, everyone that's going to vote for Trump is going to vote for Trump no matter what - there is no getting them off that particular Titanic. Marginals? I'm sorry, but Trump does not appeal to marginals. Trump appeals to ... well, MAGA types, and there are a few too many of those. Getting shot at does not make one a viable political candidate, no matter how many people talk conspiracy.

And let's face it - Trump is not going to pull the "Biden conspired to have me killed" card. Not because he doesn't want to (and no one's going to gainsay it because the man who allegedly fired the shots is apparently dead), but because it would probably have that stupid decision the Supreme Court made about what kinds of immunity a president has being relevant sooner than Trump wants it to be. He wants to be able to pick up that tactical nuke that the Supreme Court dropped outside the White House. If anything, if he gets the presidency, he's going to pick it up and use it to round up political enemies "for his own protection" because "he got shot at once, you know". But that entirely relies on his being elected. Which, because of the above, can be stopped by the simple method of a bunch of people actually getting out and voting blue in November.

Plus ... seriously, this is going to eat a couple of news cycles and die no matter how hard Trump tries to capitalise on this. He's currently yelling that America must "stand united" when he's the one who went to such lengths to deepen the divides in the first place, but at the end of the day, it's a piece of news, and most of the news will move on. The ... I don't remember what the American equivalent of GB News is (the one that's worse than Fox), but that one'll run conspiracy theories for as long as it's allowed, and it'll be all over Truth Social and probably Twitter, but news cycles are way different than they were when I was a kid. They blow up fast and blow over faster, and this probably won't be any different.

Basically, I'm not going to panic. I'll keep a half an eye on it, but at the end of the day, news is theatre at this point. It's "what makes good TV" or whatever. It's put together by people who believe (sometimes rightly) that the populace has the collective attention span of concussed goldfish and about as much memory capacity. There's a lot we don't know, and news outlets will spend a fair bit of time analysing what we do know (and why we aren't able to know more, and I'm looking at the ones who apparently killed the alleged shooter, because now we can't ask that individual the kinds of questions that would indicate whether it was politically motivated or it was just like that guy who shot at Reagan to impress Jodie Foster). But after they've wrung out the last bits of information, it's going to fade away no matter what Trump does to keep it alive. And he's basically painted himself into a corner there because he's got that whole "toxic masculinity" thing going on and any attempts to drag out how brave he was in the wake of being shot at after the fact? They're going to look like whining.

But it's going to be a fairly gross week in the news while this gets processed, I'll give you that. I just can't afford to panic until the world proves me wrong about how shit like the news works.

Anyway, life goes on. (I admit to some very uncharitable thoughts about that whole situation in the immediate, though. I generally find it distasteful to wish death on anyone, but I do admit to being uncharitable enough as a person to have a few exceptions, if you see what I mean. But I'm not going to harp on about it at the end of the day because it doesn't help.)

[nokingsonlyfooles]

Are your children unsafe? Why not just lie to them?

Quoth the article:

Recently, Morgan Hook's nine-year-old daughter Elise came home from school and took her family by surprise when she said the drills would not be much use if the gunman just shot down the door.

Mr Hook tried to reassure his daughter that wouldn't happen, but he thought back to a recent shooting at a private school in Nashville when the suspect did exactly that.

"Sometimes when you try to comfort your kids, that means you're lying to them," says Mr Hook, who lives in Saratoga County, New York.

Yeah. Don't have all the details there, but I'm not hearing a kid came home from school crying and screaming and needing emotional support. I'm hearing a nine-year-old correctly assessed she was being asked to participate in security theatre, and YOU tried to gaslight her into feeling safer, Mr. Hook. Do you feel better now? Does she feel better? Is anyone any safer? Does it even matter?

Sometimes, when you lie to your kids, they stop trusting you, and you lose any ability to comfort them at all. And sometimes, when you lie to yourself, you send your kids somewhere unsafe and they die. Odds are they won't, but sometimes they do. So who's lying to whom here?

What's the truth?

"Elise, honey, sit down. Mommy and Daddy and the school are playing a numbers game with your life, okay? You're basically like a bicycle we lock outside everyday. Probably someone won't try to steal you away from us, but if a bicycle thief/murderer finds you, we just want to make sure he kills some other bike, not you. So we want you to have the best U-lock we can afford! Someone could beat it with bolt cutters, easy, but maybe they'll go after another kid who's not lucky enough to be in a locked classroom instead. That's all Mommy and Daddy want, for someone to kill someone else's daughter, and not you."

"Do you not have anywhere to put me where I won't get stolen/killed, Mom and Dad? Could I go learn somewhere safe? Or stay home?"

"Well... It's complicated, but no. The only way we know how to socialize you and teach you while we do our jobs and take care of the house is to send you somewhere you might die. And it's too hard and expensive to make that place safer for real. Like, we would actually have to address systemic injustice, poverty, disinformation and mental healthcare - oh, and gun control! - but not enough people want to. Or maybe they do, but it doesn't matter because the people in power don't listen. So please just take a few minutes out of your day to practice these things that don't actually help. Mommy and Daddy will feel so scared if you don't."

"Sure, I'm happy to help you regulate your emotions and absolve you of your feelings of guilt, Mom and Dad. No problem. You don't even hafta ask!"

"...You're very sarcastic for an imaginary nine-year-old, Elise."

"Just tryin' to articulate the feeling of utter pointlessness that must be in the real Elise's soul, Mom and Dad!"

We've got households where the school is the only daycare they're gonna get and all the caregivers have to go to work - it is not fair to make these folks choose the form of their destroyer, poverty or gun violence. However, if you actually are afraid your child is going to die in school, you should be making noise about how unfair that is. For everyone. Not buying a bulletproof backpack and lying to your daughter's face with an equivocating smile.

At least validate their emotions and admit something is wrong. "You're right, Elise. I'm sorry. We're trying to fix this, but in the meantime, you're going to have to help the school and the teacher play pretend. The real thing is that sometimes bad things happen, but they usually don't, so we're able to be brave and keep going. If you're feeling sad or scared, we're always here to talk about it, and we'll keep you as safe as we can. And if something bad happens, all we can do is keep trying to be as safe as we can, and get through it. Are you okay with that?"

"Pretty much how I live my life every day, Mom and Dad. I'm a kid, that's my job."

[batwhimpix]

Former Takarazuka Star Asumi Rio Special Interview: To Mirio, 10 Questions We Were Dying to Ask! | CLASSY

(translated by me 7/21/2021)

Bringing you the last in our series of short interviews celebrating Asumi Rio's name-bearing Hulu Original program, "Asumi Rio's Atelier." This time the topic is "10 Questions We Were Dying to Ask!" Mirio answers questions on subjects ranging from her Takarazuka era to her thoughts on marriage.

Q1 As the top star of Takarazuka's Flower Troupe, you gained an immense level of popularity. My impression talking to you is that you're a pretty understated person, but in a word, how would you describe your personality?

Hmm...Stubborn? I often get told I'm honest too, but I think I hear stubborn the most. I think it's probably because I have a very strong sense of how I want things to be, like "It has to be like this!" Even though I could really do to be a bit more flexible. Especially now that I've left Takarazuka and I'm deciding where to take my life next, I can't afford to just go with the flow. In order not to look back years from now and think, "How did I let this happen?", maybe I should be even more stubborn. (laughs) As long as I'm kind to the people around me, a little stubbornness is fine, right?

Q2 We've seen you make your skirt-wearing debut since leaving Takarazuka, and of course you look incredible in those too. How would you describe your personal fashion taste?

Since I can't dress up and go out for fun right now, I pick my clothes to suit the work I'm doing. Right after my retirement, I felt resistant toward wearing skirts. I was really nervous about being seen in them...But then I thought, "When I'm wearing one in a drama, it has to look natural!" And with that in mind, I mustered my courage and gave skirts a try. Now I've gotten to a point where I can freely choose between pants or a skirt depending on how I'm feeling each day.

Q3 You have a pet cat, Okoge-chan. What has he been up to lately?

He was staying at my parents' house until recently because I've been so busy with the dramas and theatre production. But he's home now, and it's back to being just the two of us. He's bringing me comfort everyday.

Q4 Do you have any music or artists you're really into right now? If so, shout them out!

I really never play any music at home. Of course I like music, but I end up listening to it too closely so I can't have it playing while I'm doing other things. But yesterday, I did listen to "Usseewa!" I really like the vocals, they're very easy on the ear.

Q5 What have you seen on stage recently?

I went to the closing night of my classmate Nozomi Fuuto's taidan production "fff -Fortississimo-"/"Silk Road ~Bandits and Jewels~". I was very happy I was able to see Nozomi in her graduation hakama.

Q6 What's tugged at your heartstrings recently?

There's so many things! My cat Okoge does things that make me melt everyday. In terms of work, I played Elisabeth in the Elisabeth Gala Concert the other day, and der Tod held me tight in his arms! Oh, maybe heartwarming is the wrong word for that... But in any case, I was overwhelmed with a kind of bliss I've never experienced before! I was playing a role with a son, so when my younger coworker who plays him called me "Mama," that warmed my heart as well!

Q7 If you were reincarnated, what would you want to be?

I'd want to be a human. I think I'd like to be a woman. And I would take the Takarazuka entrance exam again. With Nozomi! Actually we were together on her graduation day, tearing up like "In just a few minutes, the date will change and you won't be a Takarasienne anymore!" And the two of us were saying, "If we get reincarnated, let's hurry up and take the exam together again!" I don't really have any desire to be reborn as a man. I guess maybe because I've already experienced it through my roles. (laughs)

Q8 At your taidan press conference, you said, "I had four adorable wives (partner actresses), so I might have missed my chance for marriage." How do you feel now? Do you want to get married?

My desire to get married...I wonder where it went. (laughs) Actually, I might never have even had a time when I thought I wanted to get married someday. When I was around ken-5 (in her fifth year since her induction into the Revue), I was told by an upperclassman that I was "definitely the type to never marry." At the time I thought, "She's exactly right. I'll never marry." And since then, marriage has never once crossed my mind. If I got an offer from some rich oil baron I'd consider it, but. (laughs) Although, I say that as a joke, but over a luxurious refined lifestyle, I'd much sooner choose a path where I can say that my work is my greatest joy.

Q9 Appearing in serialized dramas for two cours in a row, you said you might be even busier now than when you were top star. What do you do to relieve stress and refresh yourself?

The simplest way is to eat something good! But to be honest, I don't really release my stress. I'm the type to condense it down, condense it down, and let it all pile up. I bottle it all up, and then release it all through my acting. I try to turn it into a more energetic performance. Even when I have a ton of stress piled up, I enjoy the feeling that "Ahh, I'm full up, I'm full capacity!" It's better not to be stressed at all, but I think it's important to fully experience this sensation as well.

Q10 First your classmate Nozomi Fuuto, and next your former partner actress Hana Yuuki announced their retirements. What did you tell them?

I'm so happy Nozomi was able to graduate without incident! First and foremost, I want her to take it easy. Moving is a hassle so I offered to help her but, always ahead of the curve in everything she does, by the time I reached out she was pretty much done. I had nothing to be worried about. (laughs) Hana has her closing night in Tokyo on July 4th. I told her before this on the phone, "Focus on what's right in front of you, and don't forget the gratitude you feel towards everyone." I'm positive it will be an excellent final performance.

Did you enjoy our last Asumi Rio special interview segment? You can see more of what the real Mirio is like on the Hulu Original program, "Asumi Rio's Atelier." Check it out!

[starlight-phantom]

What kind of random things do you think the thieves would be interested in? Aside from the obvious of course like I dunno uhhhh Ryuji being a car buff despite not being able to tell them apart like Makoto can or something? I know Labrys isn't a P5 character but I'm giving her a piccolo for fun and it's just got me thinkin about the thieves ya know?

Hmmmm, I've never really thought about this before but now that you've brought it up:

-Since I headcannon Ren as a musical boy, I think that he'd be really interested in video game soundtracks. Like, he can pick out composers by the general sound of the music and he can gush for hours about how the soundtrack is used in the context of scenes and any motifs that happen to be present within the soundtrack.

-I don't know why, but I like to imagine that Goro writes in his spare time. Like, it started off with writing diary entries, then he started writing letters to his mother, then he tried poems, and then he started getting ideas for stories so he wrote them down. It mostly started out as a way to vent without ruining his Detective Prince image but he began to enjoy it. So he could probably tell you all sorts of different techniques and writing styles... But he won't. Cause he doesn't want anyone to know he writes.

-I think Ann and Haru would both really enjoy baking. I know Sumire is confirmed to be a good cook, so I imagine the three of them just having nights together where they pick out recipes to try out. I think Haru would really enjoy making French treats like macarons and crepes, Ann would like things that are simple and sweet like cupcakes and cookies, and Sumire would like making homely recipes like apple pie and gingerbread.

-Yusuke would be interested in any form of art, so I think one that would shock his friends would be theatre. I think he'd be enthralled by the costumes and the music and the way the performers move around the stage. The only problem is he sadly usually can't afford to attend shows in person. When he does go, he considers it a lovely treat.

-Makoto, I think would be really knowledgeable about all forms of martial arts. Like, she studied aikido and became interested and now wants to learn the others but is worried about what people would think of her. So, she's kinda like Chie and Lisa, except she watches martial art movies in secret.

-Ryuji, I know not a look of people would think this, but I think he enjoys cooking. Like, in the dancing game, he mentions learning how to make one simple thing so he could stop pestering his mum to make it for him. So, now I just imagine that he learns how to cook all of their favourite meals so he can surprise his mum when she comes home from a really long day at work.

-And Futaba. A little out of nowhere, but I think she really enjoys playing the ocarina. Sojiro was quite surprised when she said out of nowhere that she started learning how to play the ocarina, and then he saw Ocarina Of Time next to her games consoles and immediately understood why.