#I'm Oprah Winfrey in here

[hopeymchope]

References to other media in the first 10-12 hours of The Hundred Line

This is just a collection of some of the various references to other media I've noticed in The Hundred Line so far. As the title implies, I'm still fairly early in the game.

I've made sure to not include any screenshots that would reveal plot details.

I've also blacked out the "Day" counter in the top-right corner and some of the "location" titles in the top left so as not to give away when you will see/hear these things or any eventual unlocked areas. (Much like Danganronpa titles, The Hundred Line has that "unlock more areas of the school/map as you progress" thing going on. They start giving you additional rooms in the school very early on).

There are likely even more that I haven't caught on to yet.

With that out of the way...

Danganronpa

As I said previously, Darumi makes a lot of references to Danganronpa in the early game. I think she's maybe starting to tone it down, but here are just two of the references she makes during the early game. There are others.

Persona

If it's anime-styled, it's in a high school, and the high schoolers can unlock the otherworldly powers within themselves, there's a good chance somebody is thinking about Persona.

Undertale (?)

This could well be a case of independent invention, because it's similar without being directly the same... but I personally think the dialogue here is likely a deliberate shout-out. Your mileage may vary on this one.

Wayne's World (1992)

To me, this feels like a reference that probably got added during the localization process. Nevertheless, it exists.

The Oprah Winfrey Show

Specifically, the "You Get a Car!" meme.

[grits-galraisedinthesouth]

"Pipe Down Harry!"

"You could hear the jingle of the golden royal rattle being thrown out of the platinum playpin..."

"...if anything is likely to upgrade the danger to you is to tell people publicly, for money, that of course you killed 24 Taliban. I'd say that was nailing quite a big target on your back. Come to think of it, why is this country so much more dangerous than America where gun crime is endemic or Nigeria, Columbia or any of the other places where the Sussexes have gone on these faux royal visits and indeed, why try and recrecreate a lifestyle you so signally left behind when you left this country?"

"Spare was a 3rd re-write...so what we got when it was finally released was yes, this story of disaster, dog bowls, broken dreams, and necklaces..."

"...Expecting his father, the king, to somehow intervene in a live court case would provoke a constitutional crisis, the king is the ceremonially head of the judiciary, he can't do that!"

"My goodness listening to all of this stuff, Ravec portrayed almost like a secret cult somewhere with dark doings, an establishment stitch up. Which of course the government has completely rejected."

"...Why would you then EVER want to be half in something you portrayed to the world is so toxic, it drove you to suicide? You would want to kick the dust of the royal threshold from your feet & go to your sun lit Camp of Montecito and never look back. Wouldn't you?"----Caroline Aston

His summing up of the whole thing is very succinct, he accepts that the prince is frustrated and feels he's been badly treated, but quite clearly that does not add up to a solid legal arguement to make him win his appeal. He lost. End of. Forensic examination.

So we then segway into this BBC interview given in America. An interview that I will point out was supposed to last 10 min but went on for 30 minutes instead. I was then minded of the now notorious Oprah Winfrey interview back in 2021 when the prosecution presented its case, but there was not a single bit of defense offered and the BBC have had to already apologize that some of the comments were not followed up, were not forensically questioned leading to a very skewed thing indeed. In fact, you could hear the jingle of the golden royal rattle being thrown out of the platinum playpin.

He is totally tone deaf, isn't he?

In normal everyday life, if you sign on to work for a company, a firm, knowing what your package is, knowing what it consists of, you do the job for a bit and think hang on a minute, I'm not really comfortable here, I'll do another job. You don't take the package with you! If you relocate outside this country etc do you really expect the perks you had when you were a working royal?

You decided to go to another country. You decided to and let me quote, "become financially independent," and that dependence was based on marketing yourself and one of the means of marketing himself was to write Spare and I would say if anything is likely to upgrade the danger to you is to tell people publicly, for money, that of course you killed 24 Taliban. I'd say that was nailing quite a big target on your back. Come to think of it, why is this country so much more dangerous than America where gun crime is endemic or Nigeria, Columbia or any of the other places where the Sussexes have gone on these faux royal visits and indeed, why try and recrecreate a lifestyle you so signally left behind when you left this country?

The whole thing doesn't add up. I'd hate to be 1 of the PR Team, well the constantly changing PR Team, attempting to advise Harry and his wife, because advice is only good you know, if it's listened to and from where I'm sitting, not much notice seems to be taken.

The optics are bad. The words are crass. He doesn't know how long his father's got left, well none of us know do we, how long we've got left? So maybe there's an arguement there for Harry to pipe down, do good use his substantial resources on good things and not squander 1½ million pounds of your fortune on a legal action. He's got to pay the Home office's costs along with his own.

I know so much and I could write another book.

Yes but that's been hovering off stage for some time because his contract with Penguin Random House was for 3 books and actually Spare in the form before it was released was actually a 3rd rewrite because to begin with they didn't think there was enough oomph in it, enough peek through, some murky royal keyholes to up the sales. So what we got when it was finally released was yes, this story of disaster, dog bowls, broken dreams, and necklaces, and stories that when they were forensically examined didn't always add up to the facts as known.

There's a lot to be said for that old royal motto of never complain, never explain. Sometimes silence is actually golden, you can say too much. Of course a lot of what he said showed a complete ignorance of workings of constitutional monarchy. Expecting his father, the king, to somehow intervene in a live court case would provoke a constitutional crisis, the king is the ceremonially head of the judiciary, he can't do that!

Looking deeper at this, a father is a father. Blood they say is thicker than water. The king is undergoing ongoing gruelling treatment, he's living with cancer, and yes the outlook may not be hugely long, but while we are there surely surely the prince should back off a little bit and not do what his father specifically asked him to, "don't make my final years a misery."

My goodness listening to all of this stuff, Ravec portrayed almost like a secret cult somewhere with dark doings, an establishment stitch up. Which of course the government has completely rejected. Ravec is supposed to be politically neutral and there have to be royal representatives there because they are the ones in charge of the royal diary. There's a lot being made here of really stuff that if the prince bothered to analyze it, or look at what he's actually saying, well would just not be happening.

If you believe Dark Forces are amassing against you from the State which mean you harm, why would you want the State then to make sure you have protection? That just doesn't make any sense!

Yes but equally I would argue that when this saga began with megxit back in 2020, you originally wanted to be half in and half out of the royal family and when you're told, "...you're either in or you're out. Off you go, we'll see how you get on. We'll review it all in a year. Let's be civilized about this."

Why would you then EVER want to be half in something you portrayed to the world is so toxic, it drove you to suicide? You would want to kick the dust of the royal threshold from your feet & go to your sunlit up Camp of Montecito and never look back. Wouldn't you?

"Happy Birthday Princess Charlotte. Isn't she a pretty girl, pretty!! She could be Princess Corker!"

"The Royal Family is trying to get me killed! " 🤪

Harry is really angry at his lawyers and disabled by his uber wealth, but he is unmotivated to change. His contentious relationship with his family is like that of a stalker. He likes to irritate the BRF because stalking them is better than no contact. -Raj Persaud, MD

@robinisalwaysright thank you for the Ravec gift box

Raj Persaud, MD podcast:

[madamepestilence]

2024 US Election Information

We have roughly 1 year until the 2024 US election. I've put in some research, and here are my conclusions.

TLDR for those of you who don't have time or focus: Cornel West (Democratic Socialist running as People's Party -> Green Party) is the ideal candidate to vote for - normally I wouldn't advocate voting third party, but we may actually have a shot for once, and he has excellent policies. Jill Stein (Green Party) is a potential backup, though if West drops out, our best option for Democratic party is Marianne Williamson.

Please spread this information, especially to residents of Texas, Pennsylvania, Georgia, Arizona, Wisconsin, and Nevada. Detailed information under the cut.

Current Fascist and Republican Candidates

Donald Trump, Nikki Haley, Vivek Ramaswamy, Asa Hutchinson, Tim Scott, Ron DeSantis, Chris Christie, Ryan Binkley, and Doug Burgum.

I'm not going to entertain their details, but I will note that the information I picked up while being exposed to alt-right communities from the inside via my fascist parents earlier this year shows strong evidence that Republicans are likely going to split between Donald Trump, Ron DeSantis (viewed as a betrayal by Trump supporters), and openly fascist Robert F. Kennedy, Jr. (I'll cover him later).

My guess is a 6/3/1 Republican vote split between Trump/DeSantis/Kennedy, Jr..

Current Democratic Candidates

Joe Biden, Marianne Williamson, and Dean Philips.

Biden has overall failed to complete the majority of his campaign promises, and has been directly supporting Israel during the genocide of Palestine, as well as deferring to Republicans to be "bipartisan" (I don't think I have to stress enough that a bipartisan democrat is not a democrat) - do not vote for him.

Williamson is a high-school educated 71-year-old author from Los Angeles, California. She is known for being Oprah Winfrey's, "spiritual advisor," (double red flag), and dropped out during the 2020 election (another red flag).

While she supports the reinstatement of Roe v. Wade, the decriminalization of cannabis and psychedelic drugs, the reduction of CO2, and moving to 100% renewable energy by 2035, her advocacy for the outright banning of assault and semi-assault weapons for civilians without military reform of the same is a slight red flag when combined with her relationship with Oprah Winfrey (an Obama supporter, the president who authorized quite a lot of drone strikes in West Asia) and drop-out makes her not a great candidate.

Philips is a Bachelor's (Brown University) and Master's Business (University of Minnesota) educated 54-year-old three-term congressman who is noted for criticizing Biden running for a second term on account of both political moderacy and medical concerns.

Philips unfortunately wants to increase police funding for some reason, but advocated for better training, including mental health training. He also advocates for what he calls, "comprehensive immigration reform," in the form of increased border security and streamlining legal entry (this ignores the problem outlined by the UN that people seeking asylum are likely to have to enter a country illegally before they can seek support), and the only real good stance he has is giving reproductive rights to patients, rather than politicians.

Philips is essentially a moderate Republican, and is a bad candidate. Do not vote for him.

Current Independent Candidates

Fascist (not his stated political stance, but it's what he is)

Robert F. Kennedy, Jr. is a fascist that has openly quoted Nazi propaganda in his political campaigns, is an anti-vaccine activist, and has spread anti-science conspiracy theories such as vaccines causing autism and the non-existence of the SARS-CoV-2 pandemic. I cannot stress this enough, do not fucking vote for Kennedy, Jr.

Democratic Socialist

Cornel West is a Bachelor's (Harvard University), Master's, and Ph.D. (both Princeton University) educated 70-year-old progressive activist that switched his running party from the People's Party to the Green Party, despite being a both public- and self-described democratic socialist.

When asked why he wasn't running as a Democrat against Biden, he stated that, "Neither party is speaking to the pressing needs of poor and working people."

His party plans are a wealth tax on the rich, a national $27 minimum wage, a federal Universal Basic Income, 6 months of paid family leave, a 4-day work week, national free Pre-K childcare, "Immediate cessation of all oil and gas leasing projects on federal lands and waters," "Federal moratorium on fracking, carbon capture, and direct air capture technologies, geoengineering, and other false climate solutions," putting abortion rights in the Constitution, and nationalized healthcare.

Here's where I want to lay out something important. I normally wouldn't advocate for voting for a third party candidate due to the Spoiler Effect, but

Considering the United States' Democratic majority, popular vote records showing a common Republican minority, the absolutely incredible policies West stands for,

The growing support for third parties in the United States, and his policies aligning with public opinion,

Cornel West is the ideal candidate to vote for. Spread this information like wildfire - we may have one shot at the first third party win in US history in the upcoming 2024 election, and

If successful the dominant parties will be Fascist vs. Socialist, denying most, if not all, future Republican wins.

Our target toss-up states are Pennsylvania, Georgia, Arizona, Wisconsin, and Nevada.

Converting Texas to third party, or even just Democrat, will throw the Republican vote entirely and all but guarantee a Democrat, or hopefully third party, 2024 election win,

Which is absolutely possible, as Texas is majority Democrat and wins Republican votes via gerrymandering despite public opinion, which is why it swings occasionally.

Democrat states also need to be switched to majority third party votes, with particular emphasis on California, New York, and Illinois.

GET PEOPLE TO VOTE FOR CORNEL WEST!

Reference map of polling for the future 2024 election:

Libertarian (slightly Conservative to alt-right, really depends on the person)

Chase Oliver is a surprisingly progressive high school educated 38-year-old anti-war Libertarian that left the Democratic party after witnessing Obama's aggressive anti-West Asian war policies who has expressed desires for criminal justice reform and ending wars abroad, though hasn't elaborated on either.

Green Party

Jill Stein is a Bachelor's (Harvard University) and Medical (Harvard Medical University) 73-year-old Jewish doctor who previously ran for and represented the Green-Rainbow Party as the governor of Massachusetts.

Stein is notable for being an activist and protestor who has both protested outside buildings and testified before legislative and other government bodies against coal plants, mercury leaks, and unclean and unsafe groundwater.

Presumably, her stances will focus on environmental protections, trans rights, and Jewish protections, making her a potential alternative should West drop out.

Conclusions:

Again, don't fucking vote for Trump, Haley, Ramaswamy, Hutchinson, Scott, DeSantis, Christie, Binkley, Burgum, Biden, Philips, or Kennedy, Jr..

Our potential backup Democratic candidate is Williamson.

The ideal candidate is West, with Stein as a viable backup.

As absurd as it sounds, I want you to vote third party for Cornel West.

If you want a wealth tax on the rich, a national $27 minimum wage, a federal Universal Basic Income,

6 months of paid family leave, a 4-day work week, national free Pre-K childcare,

"Immediate cessation of all oil and gas leasing projects on federal lands and waters," "Federal moratorium on fracking, carbon capture, and direct air capture technologies, geoengineering, and other false climate solutions,"

putting abortion rights in the Constitution, and nationalized healthcare,

VOTE FOR CORNEL WEST AND GET OTHER PEOPLE TO DO THE SAME.

WE HAVE A CHANCE AT THE FIRST THIRD PARTY WIN IN THE UNITED STATES AND THE DENIAL OF FUTURE REPUBLICAN WINS.

[popculturebuffet]

Belated MLK Day Special: Our Friend Martin AKA Martin Luther King: Time Jesus (Commission for WeirdKev27)

Hello all you happy people and a happy very belated MLK day to you all. What happened was the slot only opened up for this review on the day itself and it took me a while to watch it but frankly any day is good for honoring Martin Luther King. And today we're honoring the good doctor, hero, legend, and man of peace with a look at a bizzare educational film that attempts to do the same. It... it certainly tried.

Our Friend Martin comes to us from 1999 and from 90's animation and home video giant DiC. I don't have much more: the film was shown in classrooms as my friend cory has vauge memories of it and was nominated for the outstanding animated program emmy, but wikipedia didn't have much more. It does have an absolutely STACKED cast: LaVar Burton, Jaleel White, Ed Asner, Angela Basset, Whoopi Goldberg, Samuel L. Jackson, James Earl Jones, Ashly Judd, Susan Sarandon, John Travolta, Adam Wylie and current at the time of this writing Behind the Bastards subject Oprah Winfrey. Most of these are small rolls, a scene a piece, but it's still impressive and heartwarming just how many big names showed up for this.

Our Friend Martin is a lot. It has a child's shirt being ripped off as a running gag in the same film as an entirely accurate look at the Birmingham Riot. It's a film that's geninely educational as I learned some stuff from this specail.. but also uses time travel and has Martin Luther King sacrifice himself to save the future. It's a film that despite being behind I still badly wanted to review as it's something you just kinda have to get out of your system. Something so singularly weird yet exactly what you'd expect of it's time. it's our friend martin and it' under the cut.

Our Friend Martin is the story of Miles, an enthusastic young boy who dearly loves baseball and is a huge Hank Aaron fan but is bad at school. What I like is that there's some nuance to it, as Miles later tells his teacher part of why he focuses on it is he figures there's no real out for black people besides being famous and thus isn't focusing.

He's also 12 so his mom threatens to take away baseball and his teacher admits the principal wants to hold him back if his grade keeps up. Miles knows what most kids, and this grown ass man tend to know about Martin Luther King: he was a good man, did a lot of great things for civil rights. I know a bit more, his orignization of the march on washington.. but the fact I don't know much more than a fictional 12 year old is fucking damming and something that shamed me as I watched this. I mean.. I should know more about a man who helped make the world far better and was taken far too soon than what I barely remember from school. Granted my missouri education whitewashed a lot of stuff about the civil war, so i'm not super surprised we didn't have a big deep dive into martin luther king and all the horrible shit racist assholes did to him.

Miles is played by Robert Ri'chard. As I learned thanks to the magic of wikipedia, the child cast here all went on to do stuff, and Ri'chard went on to be the love intrest in One on One, a sitcom I dearly remember for being great fun when it was on the N, starring Proud Family's Kyla Pratt and having a bitching theme song.

His mom isn't in the movie much but is played by film legend and 911 superstar Angela Basset, one of many big names here for about 5 seconds but doing a terrific job.

Miles has other problems too in this case Kyle, his bully who as is standard for 90's bullies, wants to beat on him because shut up, is mildly dumb, has a weird haircut and gets comically humilated. In most cases this would be tripping in a puddle or having a dog bite him or getting escorted out of a ballet school after chasing Alfalfa and Spanky in there. In this case he chases Miles to the bus every day where he gets on just in time and the crazy old buss driver shuts the door on his shirt and drives off. This does not as you'd guess lead to Kyle being drug along the road to school to think about what he did and possibly be scarred for life, but instead his shirt just gets ripped off.

Now this is already fucking weird. When descirbing this to my good friend Jess, her response was an understandable

But it gets weirder, as Kyle now needs a ride in the car from his chainsmoking dad. His chainsmoking dad is only in one scene smoking it up, berating his son for being a half shirted looser and because they could get John Trevolta for a cameo. Weirdly he does not return later when they come back and the future is a back to the future part 2 style hellhole. Yes we're going full biff tanen for this one.

So on top of this, not only does this bus driver rip shirts off, but he also nearly runs children over. A lot. To the point miles is used to it. His name is Wild Man Willis and he's voiced by Richard Kind though we don't hear him till he shows up in the biff tanen timeline. Now granted all but one white person in the Biff Tanen timeline is a violent racist but the fact Mad Dog nearly runs over a black child every day tells me that maybe he always was and this is just plausable deniablity. Not all that plausable mind you as "I hit a child with a bus because I can't publicly do hate crimes again yet" isn't a defense in 1999, but hey.

So yeah already we have attempted comedy and attempted manslaughter and while it won't get WEIRDER it certeainly comes close.

For now let's meet the rest of the main cast as they prepare for a field trip: First up is Randy, Miles Token White best friend with a questionable southren accent, played by future fast in the furious tokyo drift star Lucas Black, once again in a roll he just was not ready for. Tokyo Drift speaks with a horrible southren accent they shoudl've just abandoned as young mister black cannot keep it up. Randy is a skateboarding cool dude who unforutnately is in most of this movie. I do not blame his voice on BLack whow as a children at the time, but more on the voice directors for not getting a better performance or dropping the southren accent.

Filling out the class is Maria, played by Jessica Cruz of On my Block and Liv and Maddie fame, both shows I haven't watched but I will give credit where it's due for. Maria is poorly written as the brains. She's not stupidly written but she is a know at all type a who constantly downtalks the main cast and whines constantly. It's a case of me appreciating that they made the only latina member of the cast smart.. but then being annoyed that she's that sort of smart that grates. The kind of person who just ahs to waggle their brain in your face.

Teaching these annoying children is Mrs. Dale, a hippie teacher who is wise and kinda there and played by Ashley Judd. That's about it.

Now we've met our cardboard cutouts their taken to visit Dr. Martin Luther King's home, and meet the curator, Mrs. Peck.

Yup Whoopi Goldberg taking a break from the Enterprise and the View to help with time travel. Or maybe this is Guinan as she is hundreds of years old. Point is Whoopi Goldberg is helping children travel through time so we should get back to that. When shown MLK's childhood bedroom miles notices some sparks and decides to visit the roped off room.. and is let in when Whoopi notices he has the touch, winds the magic time watch and off we go.

First stop is Martin Luther King Age 12, whose playing some baseball. We get the usual "We've traveled back in time?!" stuff you expect, not realizing it, realizing this is young version of person, etc. You get it.

It's also one of the more effective segments as young martin is playing with some white kids... whose racist mom shows up, berates them for playing with the "colored" and tells Randy, whose also here, point blank if he keeps hanging out with black people "he'll hang from the same tree as them" I... I don't have a pithy reaction image for that this special went fucking hard and it won't be the last time. For all it's flaws and weirdness.. this specail dosen't sugarcoat racisim. It isn't as blunt as it could be, but it's still blunt enough to make it clear just how bad it was. While most kids films, especailly edutainment like this, woudlnt' shy from the racisim part, the mention of hangings and some of the later stuff is pretty damn blunt, as well as the whole biff tanen future.

Next they join a teen martin on a train, finding out about segregation first hand. Danny Glover is the train conductor. That's.. not the best use of your Danny Glover film. They do make better use of their other stars for this bit: Jaleel White plays teen martin very well and I appricate having a diffrent performer for each time period. I"m already a fan of Jaleel as a voice actor, and i'd say he's my faviorite of the martins, injecting some energy into him. James Earl Jones plays Martin's father Reverened King, who the boys meet as they join MLK for supper and I like emphasising that his father made rounds, visting the sick and those who can't leave the home for prayer and such, imparting WHY MLK was like this: he had a good role model who taught him to look out for people. It's simple, sure, but it works and makes me want to learn more about the good reverened, which is what an educational film should do: teach you but also make you want to learn MORE about the thing. To make you enjoy the subject.

Next up is the Mongomery Bus Boycott, the famous one inspired by the rosa parks incident and something I had heard of because who hasn'.. and this is where the film once again goes hard. After the film's usual repitive round of our heroes trying to get martin to remember them, it happens almost every time and never stops being annoying and it's clear he dosen't from timeline to timeline, Martin gets some horrifying news from his friend Turner, played by Samuel L. Jackson himself who unlike a lot of the cameos in this film, actually gets a decent chunk of time to do stuff. Martin's house has been bombed

I had not heard of this and frankly this should be taught in more classes: The reverend's house is bombed. It woudln't even be the last time as the Birmigham Riots we'll get to next were caused by a bombing in a hotel room Doctor King had stayed at and the bombing of his brother Dexter's house. It's not at all suprising there were attempts on the good doctor's life before the one that sadly succeeded. It dosen't make it any less horrific as his wife , played by Behind the Bastards Subject Oprah Winfrey, Coretta is in deep fear.. and his friend Turner wants blood. It's understandable frustration: all Martin did was the right thing, boycotting the busses for equal rights.. and he was attacked for it. And it's telling his response isn't to join them in the attack (If hammily called by Jackson calling for people to use "guns and bricks") but for peace like Ghandi. IT's overwrought sure but I get the message: we are not them. The sad part is sometimes.. that just dosen't work. I respect dr king, he was a truly wonderful man who fought with peace despite how much he went through, how many hoses were turned on him how much time he spent in jail he persisted. I respet him. I wish peace always worked. I really did and I wish the world he dreamnt of would exist... but even if I don't agree that peace is the only option... I can agree that it should be the main one, and that he's one of the most courageous, kind and brave people i've ever known for fighting for it so damn hard, for fighting for what everyone should've had all along.

So to hammer this in our heroes are transported to the Birmingham Riot of 1963, something I dove into on wikipedia and was.. ugly. The short version is that Civil Rights Protestors were targeted and after bombings on Dr King's brother and an attempt on his life the people took to the streets and riots broke out, not unfairly given .. everything. What the special cuts is that John F Kennedy decided to quell the riots.. after all the violence against black people essentially sending the national guard to beat up black people rightfully upset that racists attempted to murder people just doing the right thing and had already taken several firehoses to the face from Bulll Connor, racist politican bafflingly voiced by Frank Welker here.

It's.. a bizzare experince to be sure. I don't doubt frank as a voice actor, he's one of the best in the buisness. He's scooby fucking doo, nuff said. And he has played villians, most famously president megatron

But it's very werid to hear one of his staple voices coming out of historical monster bull connor. He's a pitch or two from Megatron turning the fire hose on protestors. It's .. a lot.

The rest is fantastically done.. a horrifying panoply of dogs, fire hoses and bottles broken as violence spirals and our heroes are just.. lost in it. Their not hurt because edutainment, but I apricate the effort. It's a truly horrifying scene.

So it's back to the present and while he's genuinely learned some stuff Miles main takeaway is "time travel is rad" and "Martin Luther King is my friend now" so he plans to go back with randy tommorow.

The next day in class we get one of the weaker scenes. After a quick check that yup Kyle lost his shirt again and escaped death once again, our heroes chime in on a discussion of MLK and narrate over a video shown historical facts about King's arrest by bull connor, his being held and how after days of hearing nothing his wife called JFK who while a piece of shit about the riots, let's not mince words, did the right thing here and put pressure to get the good doctor released. IT's interesting stuff but I question both why this wasn't another stop on their time journey. Was it because King woudl've been absent if theyd idn't visit the jail itself? I dunno. It's weird.

Speaking of weird we have the weird way a lot of historical footage is used.. with a lot of color filters over grainy old footage. It looks weird isn't great and is mostly there to paper over where they didn't have the budget to animate something.

During the footage miles and co are spotted by Maria. Suspcious she tails them to the king house.. and brings Kevin because.....

So Miles and skrateboard get let back in while Whoopi Goldberg warns them about alterting witht he fabric of time. With a vauge warning instead of saying "Don't change the past dumbass". She lets Maria and Kevin in because why not send more dumbass children through time, and they end up in the room and end up traveling to the march on washington.

Kevin looses his shirt, again and he and miles prepare to throw hands but are stopped by Dr King. He was played by Levar Burton in the previous flashback and now by King's son Dexter, who does a great job especailly for someone who dosen't voice act regularly. The kids encounter their teacher as a younger woman, a bit I love, and Miles buys kevin a shit to bury the hatchet. The running gag comes full circle.

So we get the I Have a dream Speech.. which is done via archival footage but is still as stirring as ever and is the only time the use of historical stock footage works. The man's audio himself is the only way this really coudl've gone and while i'ms ure his son could've recited the speech well, and by heart, it feels right to use Martin's own words.

The kids are inspired and return and Miles is ready for more adventures.. till he finds out the awful truth... Martin Luther King was assassinated. And here's where I feel the film slips up: while the idea of this last act isn't horrible.. I question why it was necessary. The film's already nearly an hour long, it's more than long enough to fill up a class period or tv schedule. Why did we need Miles to go back in time to save Martin Luther king but destroy the present? It dosen't really add much... we get from the various flashbacks how important martin is, and Miles hearing the I have a dream speech in person feels like a better climax. Or if you have to touch on his assination have him be too late and instead go to the funeral. Or talk to martin shortly before and have MLK comfort him. THere were other methods

but instead miles grabs 12 year old martin.. whcih itself is just.. why? I get it was th efirst he met but woudln't it make more sense to grab him BEFORE he died? As a result time is destroyed and everyone else looses their memory.

So after ominously hinting at it all review, let's talk about the Biff Tanen Timeline. With MLK disappearing at age 12 miles is living in a beaten down apartment, MLK"s childhood home is rubble, and Randy's now Racist Randy, while Miles stupidly goes to his school and gets shooed out by the racist principal played by Ed Asner in a wasted part. Also maria can no longer speak english which... kay.

I'm... very mixed on this. I do like some touches like Randy being racist, showing had things just been slightly diffrent he woudln't be the kind annoying dullard we know but a racist asshole. And I may fucking hate randy but Racist Randy is even worse. Kevin would largely be the same but without his shirt based face turn from the sacred timeline.

My two big issues are

Miles is a fucking dumbass the whole segment and while I get not all fictional kids are going to be Marcy Wu levels of genre savy and spot the tropes, it's too blindingly obvious for him to not get, let alone for Martin alone to figure out.

While the present would be worse, which yes is possible, if MLK never existed, it feels insulting to all the other brave men and women (And probably a few nbs) in the civil rights movement, men and women who I wish I knew more names of and feel like researching more after this entirely due to this section of the film, to insuiate NO PROGRESS would be made without him. I get it, this is a late 90's edutainment specail. It's not going to be subtle. But MLK, while one of the biggest faces of civil rights was not the only one who fought for them. History would not be the same, things would've taken longer to set on the right course. It would not be good.. but I refuse to belivie all those involved would've done nothing. That Malcom X would've done nothing had MLK not existed. That's bullshit. It dosen't mean things wouldn't be much worse, or that Randy might be racist or what have you, but it wouldn't be the same as it was in the 60s. For all the fuckery we have now, I have to belivie humanity's better than that.

So Martin realizes he has to go back and die and become time jesus. Miles begs him not to.. but Martin returns and so does all of time. The actors play it very well and the moment is done shockingly well. As for why he can't just go back in time and save MLK... it's because the creators realized having Whoopi Goldberg explain MLK Has to die because time reasons goes against the message just the time. She also has ripple effect proof memory so she lived through all the horrors of the biff tanen timeline are left glued to her memory.

Miles is left sad though, if happy his friends are back to normal, but takes a good message: that we still do what we can and the work continues. Granted the work in this case.. is painting a mural of mlk while a bunch of acid washed clips of king are filtered in and a very 90s cover of ain't no mountain high enough plays

There are not enough drugs in the world to explain this ending, and i'm not on enough of those drugs to explain this ending. So with that inspiring acid trip done, our heroes stare at their handiwork as the movie ends.

Our Friend Martin means well. It does teach a lot about Dr King and to it's credit got me intrested in the man's life on a deeper level. Part of it is wanting the full story without the editing down for children, but i'm still intrested in something I shoudl've studied long ago and that counts.

This special's still trapped in the confines of it's time, being incredibly 90s and thus not having the budget something like this really deserved or the time it needed. This specail REALLY needed to be a full movie to get the full impact of things and truly use it's cast, but they barely had the budget for 40 minutes, and would've been better served shaving it slightly. We didn't need the biff tanen timeline or the montage at the end.

Our Friend Martin is a decent special, easy for me to poke fun at, fun too, but I can't deny that unlike a lot of other edutainment specials it does the best it can for it's time to be honest about it's message and about the horrific times MLK lived in and a good reminder of what the "good old days" many a jackass wants to go back to meant for the bulk of Americans. I can mock Martin Luther King being made into time jesus all I want, but I still give credit where it's due. This specail may be choppy, on the nose and with one timeline too many.. but it's heart was in the right place. Thanks for reading

[justanotherrpmeme]

The Fall

I'm pretty sure it's the thought that counts. Come on, it's Saturday night. You should be out having fun. Maybe I should just accept the fact that I'm going to be alone. One of them had a micro-penis, but the rest were absolutely normal. There's a few things on my iPad you probably shouldn't see anyway. So why are you hanging out here on a Saturday night? I want a man who's there when I want him I will give you $20 if you get a dog and name it Oprah Winfrey. Are you guys having issues? I mean, more than usual? If you look past the icy exterior, and the layers of walls, there's actually an amazing [woman|man|person] in there. No, my reflexes are sharper when I'm high. Can I try the Uber Fudgey Brownie Batter again? I'm sorry, you guys are blocking a fire exit The doctor's reviewing your x-rays. He'll be right with you. Stop catastrophizing. I did not break my hip. What we want to worry about is tissue necrosis. I'm sorry, is surgery absolutely necessary? I don't want to have surgery. I've never had surgery. What, are you writing a book about me? When's the last time you had something to eat? You'll do better next time, but that was good. Are you in pain? What can I do? Can I get you some pudding, or Jell-O? You can leave. Why are you even here? I'll tell you what I'm doing great at is keeping my hands off your throat. Oh, look at you, all wise-cracking. You must be feeling better. I was on drugs! I'm here, aren't I? You want to be in this hospital alone? You can be a real asshole sometimes, you know that? I'm concerned that you hit your head when you fell after all. To rule out any brain trauma I'd like to do an MRI. Would you like me to get you some Ativan? I went to the cafeteria to get pudding. It's like I'm just some annoyance you're forced to put up with. I'm just like you… but with a better personality. I don't want to face this crappy part of my life alone. [name] just friended me on Facebook. It's kind of creepy. We need a girls' night. Just us girls.

[jazlynriddle-legacy]

Heavy Is The Crown Ch 3:

Summary:

In the wake of Solomon's death, Ominis decides that Sebastian cannot be trusted to make sound judgement and takes measures to ensure that Sebastian will present no danger to himself or others. Sebastian was lucky this time, the new fifth-year and Anne were willing to spare him, but the next time Sebastian crosses a line, Ominis might not be able to save him from death or Azkaban. Ominis has practically lost Anne, he cannot lose Sebastian too, and he will do whatever it takes to protect Sebastian. Even from himself.

Warnings: Sebastian x Ominis! Smut! Dubious consent (that is actually very consensual)! Post-canon! These idiots can't communicate to save their lives, but they'll get there by the end, I only write happy endings.

You can also read on AO3! (chapter specific warnings below)

Notes:

Warnings: Mindfuckery, torture, mental breakdown, PTSD, angsty sex. The “sex as coping mechanism” tag is here for this chapter lol

We're gonna rewind a bit at the start of this chapter, so ya'll get to see poor Ominis, leading up to him showing up at the end of the last chapter xD

Sweet Merlin, he hated the Minister. Ominis sighed as he waited outside the Ministry building for a carriage to return to the Gaunt estate, rubbing his fingers over his brow to soothe his headache.

Next chapter's the happy ending you've all been waiting for! =D

Edit: Hey, I found a nice quote for this chapter, Oprah though, wow, that's a surprisingly good line.

"The thing you fear most has no power. Your fear of it is what has the power. Facing the truth will set you free." ~ Oprah Winfrey

The man was so bloody selfish and lazy, Ominis didn't even need to do anything more than flash the creep a demure smile to convince the prick to steer wizarding Britain in the direction he wanted. Or at least, the direction that his father wanted.

Though, Ominis supposed that he was grateful, at least, that the Minister was a first generation half-blood, so his family didn't expect him to bend over for the man. If he'd been a mudblood, Marvolo would probably have just kidnapped the man for a week to break his mind and throw him back into the seat, a puppet.

Ominis paused and pinched the bridge of his nose as the carriage arrived, and the cabbie opened the door for him with a click. Muggleborn, not mudblood. Bloody hell.

“Are you alright, sir?” The cabbie asked.

“I'm fine.” Ominis snapped irritably.

“Of course, my apologies, sir.” The cabbie gave a flustered bow, scampering out of the way as Ominis stepped towards the carriage with a sigh.

Halting his stride and forcing down his pride, Ominis paused to face the cabbie.

“No, it is I who should apologise. I'm just having a bad day, here's a little extra in remuneration.” Shaking his head and slipping his free hand into his coat pocket, Ominis withdrew several coins to drop into the cabbie's hand.

“T- thank you, sir!” The cabbie exclaimed and Ominis stepped inside, sitting down before the carriage pulled out of the drive.

He really wished he could just apparate back to the estate, but his damn paranoid family had anti-apparition wards on the grounds and the bloody manor wasn't hooked up to the floo. At least the estate wasn't very far away, but anything that kept him away from Sebastian longer than necessary grated on his nerves.

He needed Sebastian. This job, these people, were driving him insane. Ominis ached to return to those years he'd spent living with Sebastian and Anne in Feldcroft, even if Solomon wasn't the nicest person, he was far better than Ominis’ own parents. After having had a taste of a life with warmth, returning to his place as a pureblood lord was agonising.

Now, the only thing he had to look forward to every damn day was coming back home to Sebastian, and coming in Sebastian, Ominis chuckled to himself. The brunet's terrible humour must be rubbing off on him.

At least his parents weren't pressuring him to come inside anyone else, worried that he might pass on his defects to any future heirs. He supposed that was something to be grateful to Marvolo for, if Ominis had been the only son, they'd probably expect him to carry on the family lineage anyway.

So, he could play with Sebastian as much as he wanted and remain loyal to his beloved, without worrying about much else besides upholding the ‘family honour’. He supposed, in the grand scheme of things, that he was lucky. He'd escaped his family for several years and brought home a souvenir, that was something, right?

A bitter voice in the back of his head reminded him that, even if he managed to build his own contacts and network, even if he left the family manor, even after his parents died, he would simply be forced to follow Marvolo's political dictation then.

Ominis would still be expected to tow the line, but at least Sebastian would be safe, even if he must suffer the shame of being a pretty mouthpiece for the Gaunt family. Even if he must bear the guilt of knowing how many people his manipulation was fucking over, even if the ease with which it came disgusted him.

As such thoughts plagued him, Ominis felt the wards around Sebastian's cell go off, and he sighed. He just had to choose to escape today, again. Not that there was ever a good time for Sebastian to escape, but still.

Leaning forward, Ominis raised his cane, the serpent eyes carved into its handle glowing red as he tapped it against the glass window between himself and the cabbie, to get his attention. “Excuse me, please hold the carriage for a moment.”

“Yes, sir!” The cabbie replied, bringing the carriage to a stop.

“Nobbs.” Ominis called, and a moment later, he heard the sound of a house elf's pop across from him.

“Yes, young master?” The elf asked politely.

“My pet has escaped again, find him and detain him till I return.” Ominis instructed simply.

“Yes, young master.” The elf answered promptly and popped away when Ominis waved a hand in dismissal.

Leaning across the gap again, Ominis called to the cabbie. “Thank you for halting, now please make all due haste to the estate. I need to be there urgently.”

“Yes, sir!” The cabbie nodded and cracked the whip, spurring the horses into a sprint.

Reclining once more against the back of his seat, Ominis sighed, hopefully the elves wouldn't have a hard time finding and detaining Sebastian. His wilful lover had managed to trip and injure his leg - while trying to dodge the elves’ magic - the last time he'd escaped, and Ominis didn't want to apologise to his parents if Sebastian managed to break something again.

It felt like forever before the carriage finally came to a stop outside the Gaunt manor and Ominis hurried inside, calling for Nobbs once more.

“My apologies, young master, but we haven't been able to find him.” The elf apologised and Ominis could practically hear him wringing his hands. “None of us saw him leave the manor so he must still be on the grounds, but we're not sure where he might be.”

Ominis was about to respond, when the sound of one of the vents opening nearby, came accompanied by soft hisses. “Younglings are all home, tis rare indeed.”

Frowning, Ominis hissed in parseltongue. “Esmerelda, have you seen my pet?”

“Younger youngling's spotted pet? Not today, but I smelled him near the low stairs.” The snake hissed in reply.

So, he'd left the dungeon... hang on, Ominis paused. “All younglings? Nobbs, has my brother returned from his trip?”

“Yes, young master. He returned this morning.” The elf confirmed and Ominis felt a spark of alarm.

“Esmerelda, did you smell my older brother there too?” Ominis hissed, hoping that she would say no.

Unfortunately, the snake answered with a simple. “Yes.”

Ominis felt his stomach turn to ice and he took off running, he checked his brother's room first, banging on the door and hearing nothing within, before hurrying down to the dungeons, trying desperately not to panic.

This was the absolute worst possible scenario.

The door to Sebastian's cell was still slightly ajar and he checked inside momentarily, before going to the other doors and opening them one at a time, poking his wand inside to scan for his beloved. Esmerelda and the elves hadn't found evidence that Sebastian had left the manor, so Marvolo couldn’t have stolen Sebastian away, but which cel-

A muffled scream came from further down the corridor and Ominis’ heart clenched in fear, following the cries till he found its source and with no time to waste, he threw the door open.

“Ominis...” Sebastian’s voice was hoarse from screaming and Ominis could hear the sob in his throat.

A fury unlike anything he'd ever felt before burned through him when his wand told him that, inside the room, was Sebastian, uncovered and strung up by his wrists, on his knees, while his older brother knelt behind him, those filthy hands on his Sebastian's bare and bleeding arse.

“Little brother! How nice of you to join us!” Marvolo laughed and Ominis had never wanted to commit fratricide so much. He ripped his wand from its cane sheath and pointed it at his brother, breath hissing through his teeth as Ominis seethed.

“Oh, now, now, don't do anything rash. I've got a knife here and my hand might just slip and...” Marvolo chuckled meaningfully and fear cut through Ominis’ rage like a blade of ice.

“Stop!” He shouted, feeling as helpless as he'd been as a child, being told to cast the Cruciatus curse. “Just give him back to me, he's mine!”

“Oh, of course my dear, I just wanted to know for sure.” Marvolo's smile was audible in his voice and Ominis wanted to rip it off his face. “You know, I was worried when you first came back, I thought you might be trying to get dirt on our family. Wouldn't want a traitor in our midst after all.”

“Just shut up and give him back.” Ominis pleaded.

He couldn't give less of a fuck what his brother thought of him right now, he could still hear Sebastian wheezing in pain as he hung in that awful position. He needed to go to Sebastian, needed to heal him, hold him and comfort him. He had no idea what his brother had already done to Sebastian and the thought turned his stomach.

“Come now, there's no need to rush, I just want to express how proud I am of you.” Marvolo's tone was disgustingly sweet, and it took several moments before Ominis could process what he'd said.

When it finally did sink in, Ominis was left no less confused and couldn't help but blurt out a bewildered. “What? What in Merlin's name are you on about?”

“Why, your ingenuity and exquisite taste, of course.” Marvolo laughed. “I never thought of getting a toy that needs to remain sane for love. He’ll never break and never stop fighting. Clever.”

Ominis bristled, deeply offended by the garbage his brother was spewing. Whatever, his brother could think what he liked about Ominis as long as it didn't affect him. “...are you done?”

“Not quite, please, tell me little brother, I'm absolutely dying to know, is his sister still alive?” The question sounded genuinely curious and Ominis stiffened, how did he know about Anne?

Marvolo seemed to take his surprise as hesitation, and he quickly followed up with. “Oh, right, sorry, wouldn't want to spoil your fun. Here, I'll knock him out. Stupefy.”

The spell hit Sebastian, and his chains rattled as he went limp.

Ominis’ mind raced, how should he answer? He wasn't even close to ready to move Sebastian out of his family's reach.

Should he lie? No, Marvolo would check, and he didn't doubt that his brother would be able to find Sebastian's identity, with enough time. His slimy brother would tell his parents and they would start scrutinising his activities even more than they already did. That would hinder his attempts to gain some independence from them.

The freedom to protect Sebastian.

If he told the truth... Marvolo would hold it over him. Ominis knew his brother. Marvolo would threaten to tell Sebastian the truth if Ominis didn't comply.

But even if Marvolo told Sebastian, that was fine, wasn't it? Sebastian loved him, if Ominis told him that Marvolo was lying, Sebastian would believe him.

Sebastian would trust him over his brother.

Sebastian loved him.

Ominis bit his lip, why did it still feel so terrible? “...she died last year.”

Marvolo burst into laughter. “Oh that is incredible! You must really hate this poor little thing.”

“What?” Ominis hissed, offended and confused in equal measure, and he was getting tired of feeling that ungodly mix. His patience was wearing thin and his strength draining by the moment.

“To hold him in a state of suspended anxiety and desperation, of course!” Marvolo cackled in delight. “Oh what glorious torture! I must rescind my title of ‘most cruel’ in the Gaunt house, my dear, that is positively evil!”

Evil? Me? Ominis’ eyes were wide, struck speechless by the very notion. Torture? What I've don-

He could hear Marvolo stepping closer. “Tell me, little brother, does it feel good to fuck him, knowing that she's already dead?”

“...!” Ominis choked, tasting bile on his tongue.

“You must let me watch if you ever tell him, ahhh, it'll be spectacular I'm sure, knowing that his jailer kept him on the edge of madness for years while fucking his pretty freckled arse.” That's not what I- “Speaking of which, do you want him to carry your children? Is that why you plug him up? I mean, I get that too.”

“That-” couldn’t be further from the truth, I don't want to bring more of our cursed bloodline into this world!

“I know a ritual, there's a high chance of death in childbirth, but if you want, I can give it to you. Your seed wouldn't go to waste then.” Shutupshutupshutup- “Though, in exchange, I must ask that you let me have a go at him if you do. I happen to have a thing for pregnan-”

“Crucio.” The spell slipped out of Ominis’ mouth easily, so easily, too easily. The pain that had been building in his chest, from the insane and vile, horrendous, nonsense that his brother was spewing.

The spell seemed to catch Marvolo off guard, and for a moment, there was blissful silence.

Then the screams began, they were nothing like the sounds that Ominis had heard in the Scriptorium, when they had been forced to cast the spell to escape. These were real shrieks of agony, all the pain he'd wanted to inflict on his brother after years of torture, torment and scorn, after what he'd done to Sebastian, to my Sebastian.

What Marvolo wanted to do to Sebastian, was inexcusable, unacceptable, he should suffer, it was right for him to suffer. For Marvolo to taste the fruits of his own making, for him to experience the same curse he'd cast on Ominis, the curse he'd forced Ominis to learn. This was what he deserved. This was justice. This was righteousness. This was-

Madness.

Ominis felt his face contort with horror when, mingled within the screams, he could hear laughter. His brother, under the Cruciatus curse... was laughing.

Shock and confusion disrupted his focus, his anger replaced with disgust and the spell broke free from Ominis’ grasp, the sound of harsh panting interspersed with giddy laughter filled the room.

“Ha... ha... ha... my my... brother, I didn't think- think you had that in you.” Marvolo's wheezes were tired and pained, but despite it all, his tone was still as cheerful as it had been, even as it trembled. “Alright, I- I get it, he's yours to torture. Didn't... hah... think you'd be so... territorial, but I suppose... you'd have to be pretty obsessed to play such- such a long game.”

He couldn’t take this any longer, Ominis gripped the sides of his head between his hands - he felt like he was losing his mind - and he shouted desperately. “Shut up! You don't know anything! We're in love!”

There was a long moment of silence following his declaration, stretching into the void, before it was finally broken.

“...pfffttt hahahaha!” He could hear Marvolo rolling on the floor with the force of his laughter, coughing and hacking for a moment, before propping himself up on his elbows with a satisfied sigh. “Good one, little brother!”

“Come on, are you really talking about love? In a relationship like this?” Marvolo's voice was snide and relaxed as he caught his breath. “I've yet to own a pet that doesn't bend over readily to keep me happy. Say anything I want to hear. And the fact that he keeps trying to escape, that he even has reason to seek escape from your grasp, means neither of you love each other.”

It felt like his words were touching something, something deep in the pit of Ominis’ stomach, something he'd buried a long time ago. Something he'd tried to forget, to ignore, digging it out to the surface and exposing its rotting carcass to the air.

Ominis shook his head frantically, trying, struggling to bury it again, as he choked out a weak. “You're wrong.”

“Ha! Call me evil, call me sick, but I'm not wrong, even I know that love doesn't look like this. Disarming and disempowering each other, you don't think mother and father love each other, do you?” Marvolo scoffed in amusement, getting to his feet in a rustle of cloth. “Maybe you haven't quite outgrown your naivete, but that's fine, you're heading in the right direction.”

Marvolo strolled over towards him, the leisurely taps of his shoes against stone echoing through the cell as he spoke, as though the man hadn't just been under the Cruciatus curse mere minutes ago.

“You're finally one of us. My holier-than-thou little brother, it's so satisfying to see you lose your wings.” His voice was disgustingly happy as it hissed in Ominis’ ear, his hand bitingly cold against Ominis’ shoulder. “I look forward to the day when you're just like me.”

“Have fun with your toy, little brother.” With that, the man left the cell, and devastation in his wake.

Ominis clutched at his head for several more minutes, breath shaky as he struggled to hold himself together, scrambling to put his pieces back together.

His brother was wrong. What did he know about Sebastian or Ominis. They'd been best friends since they were eleven, they'd been through thick and thin together. Their bond had been strong enough to survive everything from Anne's curse to Solomon's murder.

Sebastian had listened to him in the end, become quiet and obedient, after Solomon. Even before Ominis put him in chains, Sebastian had chosen to submit, to follow Ominis’ lead.

Because he trusted you.

Ominis shook his head. No, because Sebastian loved him, because Sebastian knew that everything Ominis did, he did for Sebastian.

Yet you betrayed his trust and kept him locked up when he wanted out.

He hadn't! He hadn't betrayed Sebastian, he'd done what was best for Sebastian.

Lied to him.

He- but- it was to protect Sebastian-

If you really believed in your bond... wouldn't it have survived Anne's death too?

A soft groan of discomfort came from Sebastian's unconscious form and Ominis jolted from his thoughts. What was he doing? Sebastian was still hanging from his chains, on his knees, bleeding, and here he was having a crisis in the bloody doorway.

Stumbling forward and crouching, Ominis removed his coat and set it on his knee for the moment. Before wrapping his arms around Sebastian, carrying the brunet's weight against his chest as Ominis flicked his wand and released the chains from the bar on the ceiling.

It was such a relief, to hold him, to feel his warmth, to have Sebastian safe in his arms again. He pressed his nose into Sebastian's hair and breathed in deep, cradling the brunet close for a soothing moment.

Wrapping his coat around Sebastian's body, Ominis carefully lifted the young man in his arms, his stomach tightening when he did so with ease. Uncertainty gnawed at Ominis’ insides as he stood and began carrying Sebastian back to his own room.

Would Sebastian have lost so much weight if he knew the truth? Was it just from disuse and being locked up in here, or was he the reason that Sebastian’s condition had been worsening over the years? Was he really torturing Sebastian emotionally? Would moving out with Sebastian, and giving him a better environment, really change nothing?

The clattering of Sebastian's chains dragging along the floor grated on his ears, reminding Ominis that his own chains - the chains he'd put on Sebastian - had been used by his brother to bind Sebastian.

To tie him up while Marvolo did whatever he wanted with his Sebastian.

The thought brought Ominis’ anger back as he set Sebastian down on his bed and shut the door behind him. It took nary a moment's thought, to wrap the chains around the bed frame and melt the ends together, before Ominis began to inspect Sebastian's injuries, finding three large gashes, a cut, and a puncture wound.

It felt disgusting to think that Marvolo's hands had been on Sebastian, touching his bare skin, and there was a moment of fear as Ominis checked between his legs. Before being quite overcome with relief, when he found the butt plug still in place and just to be certain, Ominis carefully eased it out and slipped a finger inside, finding to further relief, only the fading remnants of his own seed.

What else had his brother done to Sebastian? His Sebastian. That ugly feeling reared its head inside Ominis once again, his claim had been challenged, his ownership of his treasure's heart and body had been challenged. Sebastian was his.

Right?

Grinding his teeth together, Ominis slipped another finger in.

As he did so, Sebastian groaned again, flinching as he jolted into wakefulness, disoriented and confused, experiencing his own moment of fear when he felt someone between his legs and fingers in him. Was it Ominis? Or-

“Sebastian, it's okay. It's me.” Ominis murmured, and Sebastian relaxed, releasing a sob of relief and reaching out to cling to his shoulders. “Did he touch you in here?”

Sebastian shook his head immediately, pretty glad that he could say as such. “No, he- he just- just the plug.”

“What else did he touch?” Ominis demanded, removing his fingers and absently casting a vanishing spell, destroying the plug with a flick.

“That- er, my mouth, I guess.” Sebastian sounded confused, though when Ominis stiffened, he quickly followed up with. “With his hand! Not his- though he said he might later, but you got there so- unless he did something else after stunning me...”

He was audibly disturbed by the possibility, and Ominis moved to reassure him. “Nothing, he did nothing further to you.”

Sebastian released a shaky breath at his words, and pressed his forehead against Ominis’ shoulder, whispering a quiet. “Thank you...”

As Sebastian clung to him, Ominis reached into the bedside drawer and removed a vial of wiggenweld potion, pouring it into his mouth, before leaning back slightly. Taking Sebastian by the chin, Ominis pressed their lips together, feeding Sebastian the potion as he'd often done before, trying not to think about how routine this action had become.

Thank you.

Sebastian had thanked him, Sebastian was grateful to him, for protecting him, for taking care of him. He wasn't thinking about how it was Ominis’ fault that he was here to begin with, right? He didn't secretly hate Ominis, and only said what Ominis wanted to hear, right?

Sebastian loved him, right?

A whimper of pain came from Sebastian's throat, and Ominis realised that his hold on the brunet's chin had tightened without his notice. Loosening his grip, he parted their lips to rub his fingers over Sebastian's mouth, itching to erase any traces of contact his brother had made with the soft skin.

“Ominis?” Sebastian murmured.

“Sebastian, you love me, right?” Ominis asked after a moment.

“Wha-”

“Answer.” Ominis hissed, tightening his grip, before flinching and letting go as though burned, swallowing. “...please...”

“I- yes, I love you, Ominis.” Sebastian's voice was shaky and confused.

His heart sank, it wasn't going away.

“Again.” Ominis pleaded, on the edge of desperate tears. “Tell me again.”

“I love you.” Sebastian whispered, leaning forward to press their lips together sweetly. “Love you.”

“Again.” Tears rolled down Ominis’ cheeks, it wasn't working, that fear wasn't going away.

Ominis’ hand moved to grip Sebastian's hips, feeling the drying flakes of blood on his skin as he slipped his fingers inside Sebastian's body again and the brunet's grip tightened on his shoulders.

“Lo- love you, Ominis...” Sebastian gasped when he brushed across his prostate, before withdrawing.

“Again.” Ominis murmured, desperately chasing freedom from the guilt gnawing at his insides as he released Sebastian and straightened to loosen his belt.

“I love you.” Sebastian breathed, sitting up with a wince as the dried blood tore from his healing wounds, clinging to the fibres of Ominis’ coat. Before pressing his lips to the half-hard member that was revealed, mouthing eagerly at the tip, seeking his own distraction from that awful encounter with Marvolo.

Sighing at the sensation against his crown, Ominis threaded his fingers into Sebastian's hair and guided his hardening length into that hot waiting mouth. He would sooner kill his brother than let him - or anyone else - take Sebastian's mouth like this. His grip tightening at the thought, Ominis pressed himself in further and began to thrust, seeking reassurance that this was still his.

If words wouldn't work, he would get it from Sebastian's body. Surely.

Bracing a hand against the headboard he pushed in till he felt the back of Sebastian's throat. It was love, wasn't it? That was why Sebastian didn't resist, obediently letting Ominis use his mouth, letting Ominis take his pleasure from his body, right?

Merlin, it felt good, it always did, being inside any part of Sebastian. Ominis wrapped his fingers loosely around Sebastian's throat, feeling the skin stretch around his length, but it wasn't enough, this wasn't what he was looking for. Maybe he needed to hear Sebastian's pleasure, to remind himself that Sebastian wanted this too.

He could hear Sebastian gasp for air as he pulled out and Ominis gave him time to catch his breath as he removed his pants fully. Before retrieving lubricant from the bedside drawer and returning to kneel between Sebastian's legs once more.

“Tell me you love me?” Ominis murmured as he pressed kisses against his neck.

“I love you.” Sebastian sighed, wrapping his arms around Ominis’ shoulders and moaning softly as he spread oil along his insides. “I love you, Ominis.”

They were so sweet, those words, and Ominis wished they would stop leaving a bitter taste when they touched his tongue. Leaning down, he captured Sebastian's lips.

Hearing them was starting to hurt.

Pressing himself inside, he listened instead, to the way Sebastian's breath caught, the deep groan in his throat. Felt the shudder that shook Sebastian's body, moaning against Ominis’ lips and tightening around his length.

Holding Sebastian's thighs around his hips, Ominis thrust into him, pleasure dancing along his spine, and panting into Sebastian's mouth as he ground against his prostate.

The sound of Sebastian moaning and keening was exactly what Ominis needed, he wanted this, clearly. Wanted to be stuffed full of Ominis’ cock, nails digging into his shoulders and legs clamped tight around his hips. Begging him to go harder, faster, Sebastian wanted this. Surely.

That hot splatter of sticky fluid as he came against Ominis’ stomach, whining into his ear as Ominis continued thrusting, holding back his own orgasm with everything he had. He didn't want to stop.

Fear of returning to that sea of doubt, bereft of the escape that pleasure provided, drove him onwards, and Ominis lapped at the beads of sweat pooling in his collar, rocking in and out of Sebastian's oversensitive body, dragging wails from his throat. Unheeding of his whimpers of pain as Ominis coaxed another - now dry - orgasm from Sebastian, his nails leaving burning lines across Ominis’ back as he thrashed.

At which point, Ominis could no longer contain himself and emptied his heat into Sebastian's body, but it still wasn't enough. The fear began creeping back, even as Ominis panted against Sebastian's nape, and he attempted to distract himself. Running his hands along Sebastian's thighs, digging his nails into the healing gashes and suckling on the closing puncture wound on his collar, feeling Sebastian jolt and tremble in his arms.

He wanted to forget, wanted to forget the truth that he'd buried for five years, the truth that Marvolo had revealed. That he'd discarded the reason he'd locked Sebastian up to begin with. The truth, that he'd panicked when Sebastian confessed his love, that he'd surrendered to his fear of losing that love. That he'd gone from wanting to protect Sebastian's light, to desperate to keep Sebastian by his side, no matter what.

Ominis, please, let me go. I'm already yours, I promise, you won't lose me.

Sebastian's words that day... he hadn't been able to believe them, because deep down, he'd known, even then, that he couldn’t trust anything Sebastian said in here. Not while Ominis held power over him, over Sebastian's agency.

He bit down on Sebastian's heaving chest, feeling the brunet's length slowly hardening against his stomach again as Sebastian whined and clutched at his arms. So, he'd sought reassurance in Sebastian's body. The body could surely not lie. If Sebastian felt disgust or anger towards him, how could he produce such moans of delight? How could he offer Ominis his body so eagerly?

His own length almost hurt when Ominis resumed thrusting into Sebastian, his erection only barely recovered in the few minutes he'd spent... claiming? Cleansing? Reinstating his ownership of Sebastian's body?

Was there even any point in that? Marking Sebastian, claiming him, caging him. Fighting so hard to maintain the status quo, freezing their relationship in time, for fear that it wouldn't survive the grief of Anne's loss, that Sebastian would never recover. That he wouldn't be able to handle it if Sebastian needed to rely on him.

It was so much easier to provide for Sebastian in a material way, feed him, clothe him, fuck him. He knew how to handle an angry Sebastian, raging and railing against fate, but how could he carry a grieving and broken Sebastian when he couldn’t even carry himself? When he hadn't even managed to be with Anne in her last days, the pain in her voice too much to bear.

The thought of hearing her breath stop, of carrying that memory for the rest of his days, was too painful to even consider.

He'd robbed Sebastian of the chance to be with her in her final moments, even if she'd said she'd rather Sebastian not carry the vision of her passing. That it was enough that he'd borne the weight of their parents’ death, and it'd driven him mad with fear.

Ominis knew deep down that this was worse. If he hadn't chained Sebastian down, he'd have gone to her side, regardless of what she'd said.

Sebastian would have gotten some form of closure.

Ominis clutched tighter at his hips and thrust with abandon, trying to drown his guilt with painful pleasure. Heavy pants and whimpers in his ears as he wrung another dry orgasm from Sebastian, who then went limp, slumping on the bed in exhaustion, too worn out to cling to Ominis further.

When he was spent, Ominis replaced his soft length with his fingers, mouthing at freckled skin as the slick of his seed oozed around his digits, and Sebastian simply laid under him, moaning softly, letting Ominis use him till neither could think any more.

Notes:

I know some might argue that Ominis would not cast the Cruciatus curse ever again, but remember that this Ominis isn't the same 15 year old kid in the Scriptorium. Take into account his current mental state, and that unlike in the Scriptorium, Marvolo isn't a classmate or his best friend. We see from Ominis saying “Rookwood got what he deserved”, that he's not opposed to revenge or vigilante justice.

Hell, he thinks Sebastian should face some form of punishment for his actions, so, clearly, Ominis has a strong sense of personal justice. And here he's in a situation where he knows Marvolo will see no justice beyond Ominis’ own hand, and he's had five years of stress, living as a Gaunt, telling himself that he's doing a good thing for Sebastian, that he's selflessly sacrificing his own happiness for Sebastian, living the contradictory dichotomy of behaving like his family while telling himself he's a martyr.

When Ominis said “I'm as guilty as the worst of my family” in the Scriptorium, and that one “always has a choice”, he's referring to his choice to be selfish, to save himself pain by inflicting it on someone else, it's because the Cruciatus working, made it undeniable that he had made an active and conscious choice to hurt someone to save himself. It's not specifically the curse that he regrets, it's the genuine selfishness of choosing himself, for choosing to take his pain out on someone else. (Which is ridiculous to feel guilty for, kid, you're not Jesus, you were a child scared of pain. Selfishness here is completely understandable.)

If he meant the curse specifically, he'd have treated MC or Sebastian with the same disdain and bitterness that he regards his family with, after they cast it. If he really could never forgive casting the Cruciatus, he wouldn't have been able to forgive MC/Sebastian, but he doesn't, because he does understand that it's not that simple, that casting the Cruciatus doesn't make you cruel or evil.

He's convinced that Sebastian/MC will regret casting the Cruciatus, but not because he thinks they “should” regret it, but because Ominis himself regrets it. He's afraid that they will feel the same self-hate as he does, but they don't, because his self-hate here is irrational and a result of his C-PTSD, not the spell itself.

It's him beating himself up for becoming like his family, the one thing he is terrified of. He wants to see himself as not-like his family, people who hurt others for selfish reasons. He wants to avoid associating himself with anything that reminds him of what he considers a failing. And in this fic, he's had five years of not being able to look away.

I think all that stress could drive him insane enough to cast it.

Particularly when it's on one of the people who forced him to cast it the first time as a child too. The thing about hurting others, is that when it's been done to you a lot, you become accustomed to it and once you yourself have done it once, it gets easier. And the more stressed and angry and cornered a person feels, the easier it is for inhibitions to slip. That's why abuse victims have a higher chance of resorting to inflicting the same type of abuse they suffered, when having a breakdown.

Ominis knows what it feels like to regret a choice, that's why he avoids making any choice at all, that's why he pushes responsibility to others so hard, because he knows what it's like to regret so much that he hates himself.

Next thing I wanted to address is; just because someone is willing to forgive you for hurting them, stepping over their boundaries, or breaching consent with them, doesn't make it okay to keep doing it. That's something Sebastian learned during the game and that Ominis learns here. It's one of the few things that I was frustrated that Ominis didn't learn during the game.

Everyone talks about how much Sebastian hurt Ominis during the questline, but what about all the hurt that Ominis dealt Sebastian? Regardless of whether one thinks Sebastian was reasonable or not, it's undeniable that Ominis hurt Sebastian a lot with his lack of support and constant virtue-signalling that indicates a lack of faith in Sebastian's character and love, as both a friend and brother.

Treating Sebastian like you think he's stupid and wrong isn't going to stop him from doing shit. It'll just make him stop listening. Sebastian is driven by genuine and pure love, the desire to protect, and naive curiosity. Such feelings need to be held in check by caution and responsibility, but they're not malicious or negative in nature. When such innocent feelings are called wrong or framed as negative, it's hurtful and makes a person feel like you're not seeing them.

“If you start out being wrong about what my motivations and feelings even are, why should I believe that the conclusions you came to apply to me? If the values in your equation are wrong, your result must also be wrong.” That's the logic behind why Sebastian doesn't listen to Solomon and Ominis. Not understanding that some trends are strong enough that even if you change a few values, it still results in a similar conclusion.

But the inexperienced cannot understand this, sometimes one must touch the fire to realise it's hot, try again and get burned again, before deciding that maybe bare hands can't hold fire. (Though these people are usually the ones who eventually invent tongs or insulating gloves, so maybe the persistence to find a way to hold fire isn't a bad thing, hm?)

So, the best way to avoid burned hands, is to reach the kid by proving to them that you see them accurately, and understand them, then they'll be more likely to listen. Letting your own frustration make you push the kid away doesn't help anything Solomon you asshole.

Vander's talk with Vi in Arcane's episode 2 is a very good depiction of good guidance, because he doesn't condemn her desire to fight, he meets her with understanding, acceptance and reason, and because of that, when he tells her the dangers of what she wants to do, she listens to him. In fact, he tells her to never stop fighting, because Trying isn't the problem. It's how you try.

Even if it's objectively and factually bad to smoke and it's “for their own good” that a parent doesn't allow their kid to smoke. That still does NOT make it okay to tell the kid “you're wrong/bad/disrespectful/rude/stubborn for being curious and wanting to smoke”. You can guide a child without hurting them or making them feel bad for just being curious.

Naturally this also applies to friendships and romance. You can tell your friend or partner or kid that “you're panicking and rushing headlong into this, you need to stop and think, or you'll make a mistake and make things worse, let me help you” without using shitty prescriptive words like Solomon's “you don't know when to stop”.

MC does the first one on the mountain and it works. Sebastian calms down and then starts thinking. Going at someone who is already agitated with aggression and anger only makes them stop listening.

Sebastian does the right thing in this chapter too, he gives Ominis what Ominis needs. Sebastian's confused and Ominis isn't making sense to him, but he doesn't need to understand what's upsetting Ominis, it doesn't need to be rational. All you can do is help the upset person calm down and feel better first, then they can think.

In the game, Ominis is too upset with Sebastian endangering himself, taking Sebastian's recklessness personally, as though Sebastian's actions were because he didn't care about Ominis, rather than desperation to cure Anne and driven by Sebastian's own despair and anger. Both of them were too upset to talk or think straight and they just kept butting heads because of that. But it's because they care so much that they couldn't help but be upset, that means they just need a clear head and then they'd be able to reconcile.

Real friends are those who, when you've made a fool of yourself, don't think you've done a permanent job. And despite everything, Ominis and Sebastian are real friends. Real love understands that everyone has bad days/weeks/months or even years. We see in-game that Ominis understands this, when he said “poor Sebastian” before we speak with him to make the decision to turn Sebastian in or not.

While he is afraid that Sebastian won't be willing to change, and while he rightfully thinks it is not the best result for Sebastian to receive no consequences for his foolishness. He also understands that Sebastian is as much of a victim of the circumstances as Anne, that Sebastian was also suffering.

I think, if he can see that, if he can empathise with Sebastian, he can forgive Sebastian too, when he sees Sebastian try. He can believe that Sebastian hasn't done a permanent job of making a fool of himself.

[wei-ying-kexing-apologist]

Bengiyo's Queer Cinema Syllabus

For those of you who don’t know, I decided to run the gauntlet of @bengiyo’s queer cinema syllabus, which is comprised of 9 units. I have completed four of the units (here is my queer cinema syllabus round up post with all the films I’ve watched and written about so far). It is time for me to make my way through Unit 5- Lesbians, which includes the following films: The Incredibly True Adventure of Two Girls in Love (1995), Bound (1996), Water Lilies (2007), Saving Face (2004), D.E.B.S. (2004), The Watermelon Woman (1996), Set It Off (1996), The Handmaiden (2016), Carol (2015), Imagine Me and You (2005), Two of Us (2019), Rafiki (2018), and The Color Purple (1985).

Today I will be watching:

The Color Purple (1985) dir. Stephen Spielberg

[Run Time: 2h 34m, Language: English]

Summary: A tale spanning forty years in the life of Celie, an African-American woman living in the South who survives incredible abuse and bigotry.

Cast:

Whoopi Goldberg as Celie

Oprah Winfrey as Sofia

Danny Glover as Mister (aka Albert)

Margaret Avery as Shug

FIRST OF ALL, AN APOLOGY TO THE LESBIANS. PLEASE KNOW THAT I LOVE YOU AND THAT I AM SORRY THAT IT TOOK ME EIGHT MONTHS TO GET THROUGH TEN FILMS. 

Secondly, I was really excited to get to this film because I have actually seen it before, but not for a long time and I watched the movie musical when it came out a few years back which meant that I was setting myself up nicely for an adaptations project. 

So, before I started this film, I decided to read the book, that way I could spend some time actively comparing the different iterations of this beautiful story. So I’m going to talk about some of the things I noticed: 

Love for the Source Material 

I think there is always a risk when you take a novel and try to turn it in to something else. There are plenty of instances where the original story is torn to shreds, completely ignored, rearranged to the point of being unidentifiable, or otherwise disrespected. That is absolutely NOT the case here. When I was reading the book, I got to the letter Celie wrote about Sofia coming to confront her after Harpo beat her and saw some lines that were directly turned in to lyrics in the song ��Hell No’ that Sofia sings in the musical. 

Which caused me to actually go back through the book for a time to try and see what other lines from the book may have made it in to the songs. And there were a few, for example: 

Some more indirect references: 

Shug’s song “Push Da Button” in the book does not have any lyrics that match dialogue in the book, however the song itself is a direct reference to a conversation Shug and Celie have regarding Celie’s “button” (clit) and learn how to masturbate. 

Sofia’s song “Hell No” is a direct reference to Sofia’s mantra of “Hell no” 

Celie’s song “Dear God” is a direct reference to Celie’s letters since she starts almost all of them with “Dear God”

Celie’s song “I’m Here” is a direct reference to the line “I’m poor, I’m black, and I may even be ugly, but I’m here” 

The song “A Tree Named Sofia” is potentially a more subtle reference, but the book itself has a recurring theme of making yourself in to a tree

Some almost word for word lyrics that reference the book:

From the song “She Be Mine”: “I sews "Olivia" on her didies / Lil' stars and flowers too“ is taken from the line “I embroder Olivia in the seat of all her daidies. I embrody lot of little stars and flowers too.” 

From the song “Dear God (Shug)”: “I wash her body and it feel like I'm prayin'” is taken from the line “I wash her body, it feel like I’m praying”

From the song “Hell No”: “I feel sorry for you, to tell you the truth / You remind me of my mama / Under your husband's thumb, nah / You under your husband's foot” is taken from the line “To tell the truth, you remind me of my mama. She under my daddy thumb. Naw, she under my daddy foot”

And there are more, but perhaps the one I find the most interesting is actually the lyrics from “Hell No” because it appears in the book, the musical, and the movie word for word and it is like the largest chunk of unedited text in all cases. Those lines being: 

“ All my life I had to fight. I had to fight my daddy. I had to fight my brothers. I had to fight my cousins and my uncles. A girl child ain’t safe in a family of men. But I never thought I’d have to fight in my own house.” [...] “But I’ll kill him dead before I let him beat me.”

While there are a couple other lines that appear in all three versions, it is not lost on me that these lines about having to fight men are the ones that show up all the time. 

And the film itself? Almost all of the dialogue is straight out of the book. (I’m not saying the musical doesn’t, btw I just haven’t watched the musical in awhile so I can’t make a definitive statement about it) I spent quite a bit of time highlighting parts of the book that fit the film dialogue. Here are two examples:  

My favorite part of watching this film through an adaptations lens is that it allowed me to discover just how much love, care, and respect for the story that Alice Walker told. 

Adaptation Additions

Violence

In some ways the book is more violent than the film, but not in all ways. One of the most jarring and painful changes from the book to the film is Nettie’s departure from Mister’s house. In the book, Celie references it in just a few lines. “He say one night in bed, Well, us done help Nettie all we can. Now she got to go. Where she gon go? I ast. I don’t care, he say. I tell Nettie the next morning. Stead of being mad, she glad to go. Say she hate to leave me is all. Us fall on each other neck when she say that.” but in the film? 1) we get a moment where Mister tries to rape Nettie, 2) when Nettie is kicked out of the house, both her and Celie are sobbing, clinging to each other as tight as they can and Mister physically separates them. 3) Mister keeps punching Nettie’s hands to try to get her to let go of a pole so that he can more easily throw her out 4) He physically carries Nettie out past the boundaries of his land, and she is fighting him the entire time. Like to the point where she falls out of his arms and collapses on the ground because she’s fighting so hard. 5) When he finally gets a better grip on Nettie and has her securely in his arms, Celie is clinging on to his ankles sobbing and being physically dragged along the ground. 

Similarly with Sofia, while Celie does mention that Sofia was dragged to the ground and beaten by police. That is all that we hear. In the film, she is knocked out via pistol whip so we avoid seeing any further of a physical beating. However we get two different acts of violence/violation against her 1) in the film she is verbally assaulted so we are hearing slurs being flung at her 2) when she collapses to the ground the wind picks up her skirt and her underwear is exposed. I’m not sure if that was even intentional but it was an added little detail that further solidified the violence she went through.  

Shug Backstory

Now, one of the most major benefits of adapting something in to a different medium is the room you have to give audiences a different view  of what is happening. The Color Purple by Alice Walker is told through letters from Celie to God and to Nettie and through letters from Nettie to Celie. There are no other perspectives in the book. What this means is that we do not have the ability to obtain deeper information about a character without Celie or Nettie specifically knowing/hearing about it. 

The place where I saw the biggest narrative change as a result of this is around Shug’s backstory. In the book, all we really know about Shug’s relationship with her parents is that she does not have much of one. We don’t know what her father does for work, we do not see Shug trying to get her Dad to engage in conversation with her, we do not see them repair their relationship at the end of the story, etc. 

But because this is a film, it is not required for us to stay in Celie and Nettie’s perspectives and thusly we get this whole side plot about Shug meeting up with her father who is a preacher. Which is an addition that I love because so much of this story is about the ways relationships shift and change over time, the ways people harm each other, and the ways they can find themselves back together again. And I do distinctly remember Shug being referenced as the peacher’s daughter in the musical, which means that while this piece of Shug’s backstory is not carried over from the book, the musical adaptation carries on that canon for Shug. 

Other smaller additions that I think are fun when it comes to the film: 

Just the visual cues for things. My favorite being the cut to the men building the railroad in Georgia happening at the same time that we get Nettie’s voiceover about the road being built through the Olinka village. 

The way some of the motifs change. In the book, one of the recurring themes is being turned to wood/being a tree (“I make myself wood. I say to myself, Celie, you a tree. That’s how come I know trees fear man”). But the recurring motif in the film is shadows being cast. 

SEEING! CELIE! SMILE!

Diminished Themes

Okay that said, obviously the run time of a movie or a musical will often be much different from the time a person can spend with a book. As such there are some plot points that are cut or changed, and while there are some that I think make sense, there are others that I do feel diminished the story. 

Some changes that I think were good from a run time stand point:

Cutting Shug’s additional romance with the 19 year old was something I do think was a good decision. 

Cutting the part where Celie thinks Nettie is dead (again) after getting a telegram saying that ship Nettie and the children were on sank in the Atlantic

Harpo eating so so much

Sofia having to deal with Eleanor Jane

Some changes that I feel neutral about:

There was much less emphasis on Nettie’s time in Africa and therefore there was not really a point in the film where the audience or the characters was having to grapple with the complexities of being a Black American in Africa. I can totally see why they would cut this section for time, I don’t think it is necessary for the fundamental story, but it definitely was a recurring theme throughout the book. Just something to note if anyone is thinking about reading the book or watching the film…or both. 

Some changes that I think harmed the overarching themes: 

Less lesbianism between Celie and Shug. I assume this was a film that needed to be careful in its portrayals of queerness. And while I am glad that Shug is still such an important factor in Celie’s life, I think minimizing the time they spent interacting when they were living with Albert and also after they leave does detract a lot from both the strength and complexity of their relationship and also the emphasis of The Color Purple being a fundamentally queer story. 

Celie’s pants only coming up right at the end. It was a super important detail for me that Shug taught Celie how to sew pants and how much pants are a symbol of freedom and independence for Celie and the fact that she spends so much of her time when she’s living with Shug just nonstop sewing pants. 

Most Importantly: I am not super thrilled with the way they handled Albert’s redemption in the film compared to the book. While I do like that the film keeps the overall theme of reparations between people, I wish we’d had more of the change in Albert. (Though I will say the ending we get for Albert in the movie does map better to the change in how Albert handles removing Nettie from the house in the film). I have a lot of thoughts on this so bare with me:

Albert

OKAY SO! Before Celie leaves, she curses Albert, and in the film we really only see Albert looking rough, in the movie musical it gets even worse for him, and in the book, we only hear about the hard times Albert went through after they have already passed. While I do think it is more fun to have the visual of all the ways Albert suffered for what he did to Celie. It was so incredibly important to me that in the book Albert truly turns his entire life around. 

I loved that the thing that got Harpo and Sofia back together after like decades separated was Sofia seeing the way Harpo started to care for his father when Albert was in the deepest pits of his suffering. 

And I loved that in the book, when Celie and Albert start interacting again he truly has changed, changed for the better, and is a much more secure and happy man than he ever was before. Like I think this is one of the most beautiful things I ever read:

“After all the evil he done I know you wonder why I don’t hate him. I don’t hate him for two reasons. One, he love Shug. And two, Shug use to love him. Plus, look like he trying to make something out of himself. I don’t mean just that he work and he clean up after himself and he appreciate some of the things God was playful enough to make. I mean when you talk to him now he really listen, and one time, out of nowhere in the conversation us was having, he said Celie, I’m satisfied this the first time I ever lived on Earth as a natural man. It feel like a new experience. [...] When I was growing up, he said, I use to try to sew along with mama cause that’s what she was always doing. But everybody laughed at me. But you know, I liked it. Well, nobody gon laugh at you now, I said. Here, help me stitch in these pockets [...] “Then he say something that really surprise me cause it so thoughtful and common sense. When it come to what folks do together with they bodies, he say, anybody’s guess is as good as mine. But when you talk bout love I don’t have to guess. I have love and I have been love. And I thank God he let me gain understanding enough to know love can’t be halted just cause some peoples moan and groan. It don’t surprise me you love Shug Avery, he say. I have love Shug Avery all my life. What load of bricks fell on you? I ast. No bricks, he say. Just experience. You know, everybody bound to git some of that sooner or later. All they have to do is stay alive. And I start to git mine real heavy long about the time I told Shug it was true that I beat you cause you was you and not her. I told her, I say. I know it, he say, and I don’t blame you. [...] …Near bout to broke my sorry heart. If you know your heart sorry, I say, that mean it not quite as spoilt as you think. Anyhow, he say, you know how it is. You ask yourself one question, it lead to fifteen. I start to wonder why us need love. Why us suffer. Why us black. Why us men and women. Where do children really come from. It didn’t take long to realize I didn’t hardly know nothing. And that if you ast yourself why you black or a man or a woman or a bush it don’t mean nothing if you don’t ask why you here, period. So what you think? I ask. I think us here to wonder, myself. To wonder. To ask. And that in wondering bout the big things and asking bout the big things, you learn about the little ones, almost by accident. But you never know nothing more about the big things than you start out with. The more I wonder, he say, the more I love. And people start to love you back, I bet, I say.”

Genuinely, I think it is such a kind thing for Alice Walker to have done. Like I think there is a lot that can be said for misogyny, and patriarchy, and cycles of abuse and poverty, and the way that people are pressured by the people around them to conform in certain ways. Celie was abused for the vast majority of her life, and she told Harpo to beat Sofia. I am really glad that she leaned so much in to accountability and repairing of harm. Not only that, but he asks Celie if she was in love with Shug, ends up being understanding of her queerness, he helps Celie with her business, and they become like genuine friends.

In the film (and I think the musical too) the way that Albert does right by Celie is to pay the money that is needed to get Nettie and Celie’s children the documents they need to immigrate back to the United States thus fostering the reunion between Nettie and Celie after decades apart. And don’t get me wrong, that is an important thing for him to do. Because he is the biggest reason they had no communication between them for so long. But I just personally do not feel it is as strong of a message about how it is never too late for anyone (never too late to be reunited, never too late to be free, never too late to laugh, to hug the children you never thought you’d get to meet, never too late to love) to just have this secret grand gesture. 

Okay that was a lot, sorry! If you are still with me let’s get on to the rest. 

Favorite Scene

Favorite scene in the film is far and away the scene where Shug holds Celie’s hands down so she cannot cover her face and we get to see Celie’s huge and beautiful smile. There is so much love and care in that moment, and it is the first time that anyone really calls Celie beautiful and god it’s just…AHHH

Favorite Quote

“I’m poor, black, I may even be ugly, but Dear God I’m here! I’m here!”

Maybe it's just because I'm Here is my favorite song in the musical, maybe it's just because to be alive is ultimately such a miraculous thing.

Final Score

9/10

THIS WAS EGOT WINNER WHOOPI GOLDBERG’S FIRST FILM!!! AND SHE FUCKING CRUSHED IT. SHE WAS NOMINATED FOR AN OSCAR AND WON A GOLDEN GLOBE AND THEN WAS ONE OF THE BUSIEST FEMALE STARS BETWEEN THE YEARS OF 1985-1988. WHY? BECAUSE SHE MADE ***SEVEN*** FILMS

And with that, Unit 5 is done and it is on to Unit 6: Gems! See ya later!

[rametarin]

I hate it here.

Communicating when I don't feel well is absolutely pointless when I live with a fucking delusional narcissistic piece of shit. No matter what my symptoms or how I'm feeling unwell, it's always whatever stupid bullshit she has on her mind at the time.

"Oh you feel sick [in this way]? You must just be hot. Lets do something about the heat. Because clearly your problem is you're just hot. You don't have a problem, you're just hot. It's easily solved by spending no money and doing nothing, you just have to deal with the heat."

The air conditioner is on, it's only 70F in the house, and there's a fan blowing in my room, you fucking psychopath. I tell you I'm feeling unwell with breathing problems, you proceed to ignore my actual symptoms and then turn the AC off the dry setting.

And it has always been like this. It doesn't fucking matter what the illness or the problem is, it has to be whatever she wants it to be or it doesn't exist. She's quite sincerely one of those fucking assholes that saw Oprah Winfrey's "Power of Positive Thinking" and The Secret type bullshit and decided she could bend the universe backwards to make it whatever she wanted it to be, if only she gave into her delusions and tried to force reality to be whatever she wants. Just, trying to browbeat the universe.

I absolutely hate women like this, because only a sheltered being can think this way. To be a man that thinks this way, you have to have a certain degree of wealth and people working under you that feel the heat and friction and destruction before it gets to you, to insulate yourself from consequences. If you're a woman with men around you, you have people between you and the consequences of your actions that are socially obligated to do the shit you aren't on the hook to do. And that translates to someone in more of a moderator position that can try and stubbornly close their eyes and "BLAHBLAHBLAH UNIVERSE IT'S A CERTAIN WAY I CAN'T HEAR YOU" and think they're somehow beating back causality and entropy, while the men around them are burning alive.

We could stop spending money on frivolous shit and she could help me. She chooses instead to buy troves of bullshit that will rot in a week and refuses to buy or invest in anything else. But if I have any spending cash on me, suddenly my money goes into HER expenses. And there's fuckall I can do about it but go live by myself in a fucking gutter. I can't afford to leave, but I can't make any money staying. It is MARGINALLY safer than living in a ditch in any season but I can't make any progress while here.

And she refuses to stop buying enormous piles of shit for the simple reason she's too proud and indignant that SHE would have to help ME. From her perspective, she's supposed to have access to all my income and then if she spends it, I'm unable to escape. I can't make income in my condition until I'm well. She refuses to help me get well, for the simple fact that if I have to do it, then I'm on the hook for thousands of dollars of medical debt that I need a hole to live in to save money to pay off. Which she intends to pioritize herself first in my spending, so I'd be stuck paying TWO FORTUNES on minimum wage.

Despite my vocabulary and despite having nigh infinite space to write, I can't quite verbalize just how much I despise this cunt. I'll be happy after she dies of natural causes and she's no longer a pain in my ass. She has deliberately destroyed my life, my entire life, just for vanity and pride. Just, over and over again, chronic and sustained. Unfailingly. Choosing to be a fucking monster when she could just fucking stop at any point. But having absolute control and a noose around my neck and the fucking abyss if I try and just fucking leave is how she's decided to control my life. Threatening me with homelessness and implying she'll trump up stories about fake ass domestic abuse just to sic the state on me if I try and up and leave.

This worthless bitch uses denial as a weapon to manipulate everybody, including herself.

[coquetteprincesss]

manifestation is bullcrap you little delulu girl

yea, right. all these proofs and manifestors are lying about everything. neville goddard, edward art, ariana grande, jim carrey, lady gaga, alexa demie, oprah winfrey, will smith, jason momoa, halsey, megan fox, etc, etc lied. yup, they lied.

you shit- oh my god. so dumb. well, yes, i'm dEluLu. and my delulus come true. we are not here just to waste our time. we have experienced it, that's why we share, thinking that our advice might be ideal to someone. we want others to live their desires and experience this beautiful reality, just like we did. if you don't believe, then. fucking. leave. it's already mentioned in my pinned post, you blind ass. if you don't believe, don't pay attention to manifestation, go live your dumb life.

ps

manifestation you are bullcrap. don't send me anything like this again. i speak fluent sarcasm.

[janeaye]

2024 Golden Globes

Hello!! I watched the Golden Globes tonight and like many others was underwhelmed and off-put by the monologue at the top of the show. Bored and reading too many Buzzfeed "Best Dressed" and "Check Out These Awkward Moments" posts after, I decided to take a sorry stab at a shortened, substitute monologue. I'm no comedy writer, but consider it award-show alternate universe fan fic. Enjoy :)

---------

Welcome to the Golden Globes!!!

The Golden Globes of course are a unique time where television and film combine for a night of joint celebration. Which differs from our more categorial counterparts in the Oscars for film and the Emmys for TV. And so for those of you looking to claim a Globe tonight for either medium, please know this does not make you one step closer to the EGOT. Okay? That G is for Grammy. Leave that to Taylor Swift & Billie Eilish. (Hi Taylor *smooch*. Billie *wink*.)

Tonight the Golden Globes competes with the likes of the final games of the regular season of the American National Football League. Thank God we’re only competing for ratings and not actually competing. Although these folks may portray the occasional superhero or athlete on screen, these are a bunch of theatre and improv kids, okay? Wouldn’t be pretty.

We also have a couple new awards this year. We have one for stand-up comedy. You’ll notice no current late-night show hosts are nominated in that category. That’s because they perform 80% of their comedy sitting down. Doesn’t qualify. Not a high enough threshold.

Another new award is for cinematic and box office success. Because if there’s one thing those nominees need more than all of the money they made at the box office is the acknowledgement of all of the money they made at the box office. In the form of solid gold handed to them on a glittering stage.

Amongst that gold, true Hollywood Royalty is here. We have Emma Stone. Margot Robbie. Oprah Winfrey. All people that exude the confidence and message and grace of Barbie. But perhaps not quite that of Poor Thing's.

The content nominated tonight really is magnificent. Killers of the Flower Moon is nominated tonight. Or what women used to be called in the olden days before menstrual cycles were truly understood.

The cast of Oppenheimer is here tonight. Oppenheimer has one of the most star-studded ensemble casts I’ve ever seen...From Matt Damon to Cilian Murphy to RDJ..It’s the stuff Valentine’s Day and New Year’s Eve dreams are made of. (Sorry Bradley Cooper.. Robert De Niro..)

Saltburn made it in under the wire for a nomination for the outstanding Barry Keoghan. Barry, somehow I was more comfortable when you portrayed a deranged joker at the end of The Batman than I was when I saw you in a mere bathtub. 

Speaking Batman, William Dafoe is here tonight. He’s one of a select few nominees who have multiple projects up for awards tonight. William, of course, voiced the Noble Pelican in the English dubbed version of The Boy and the Heron. And yet Batman himself, Robert Pattison, was actually the voice of the eponymous heron and not William, which, if you’ve seen the film, I mean believe me you’d understand why I’m mentioning that tonight. Truly a shocking non-plot-related twist for us viewers.

And, finally, you know what, forgive me for the delay folks, Happy New Year! Welcome to 2024. It’s a big year. Big year for our industry following what our incredible writers and actors advocated for last year...Big year for world events too. Leap Year. The Olympics. The Election. Because at the end of the day, can’t we all agree that Paris & [insert US politician’s name here] don’t get enough attention as it is?…

:)

[oscarupsets]

Picking an upset was fun for this year! Everyone had a different opinion but all agreed that Out of Africa was OUT.

Between The Color Purple, Prizzi's Honor, and Witness, I probably could have picked any one of them. There seemed to be a bit more chatter for The Color Purple, plus I had some personal bias because I really enjoyed the 2023 version.

Ultimately though, we're only here to destroy Out of Africa. Put it on my Top 5 worst Best Picture winner list. It's overwhelmingly too long and too boring, which is unfortunate because I love both Meryl Streep and Robert Redford.

It might be moving if it spent less time on this love triangle and more on her actual accomplishments. I also can't entirely speak to if the depiction of colonial Africa is problematic, but the combination does leave a weird taste in my mouth.

The Color Purple was Steven Spielberg's first dramatic project and introduced both Whoopi Goldberg (in her first major role) and Oprah Winfrey (in her first acting role).

The drama is overly sappy, and the pacing is a bit weird, but it's understandable with the amount of Celie's life to get through. Whoopi Goldberg completely transforms into Celie, and you can't take your eyes off of Oprah as Sofia. The 2023 musical version gives Sofia a bit more screen time, so I wish some of those storylines could have been drawn out to give us more of Oprah.

It's a standard feel good movie. The production is nice, the score is nice. No major complaints.

Out of Africa and The Color Purple were the most nominated films at the 58th Academy Awards, with 11 nominations each. Tied with The Turning Point, The Color Purple has received the most nominations to date without a single win.

The Color Purple was recognized by the National Board of Review as the top film of the year, with Out of Africa listed as #2 and picking up the Golden Globe Best Drama win. Whoopi Goldberg won her first Golden Globe for Celie.

Out of Africa won a considerable number of awards for its cinematography, so I made sure to include that on that slide as well.

This year had some of the lowest Rotten Tomato critic reception we've seen in decades. It's the lowest we've seen from a winner since The Greatest Show on Earth (1952) and the lowest from an upset since In Old Arizona (1928). Granted, I partially chose the upset, so that might be my fault. Prizzi's Honor and Witness both have higher critic but lower general audience reception. Go figure!

The Color Purple is part of the OFTA Hall of Fame, but that's all you'll get for these two. Out of Africa was listed #13 on AFI's 100 Passions list and #15 for score. The Color Purple was listed #51 on the 100 Cheers list.

Unofficial Review: Anything is an upset against Out of Africa. If you enjoy it, I'm sorry for my harsh words.

[bllsbailey]

Not Taking It Lying Down: WH Reminds Selena Gomez of All the Victims She DIDN'T Cry for on Social Media

You may have seen the video that went viral Monday of pop star/actress Selena Gomez bawling uncontrollably because she was concerned that the Trump administration was actually carrying out their campaign promise to repatriate illegal aliens to their home countries. This after former president Joe Biden welcomed in untold millions of illegals during his failed one term in office.

Let me just say, I have no personal animosity toward Ms. Gomez; my daughters watched her Disney show back in the day; her pop songs are catchy enough if that’s your jam; I enjoyed the show “Only Murders in the Building” where she starred alongside funnymen Steven Martin and Martin Short; and although she’s had her share of personal drama like most stars who hit it big when they were just kids, she seems like a nice enough person.

That being said, the video is cringeworthy to watch – and in full disclosure, I stopped just a few seconds in because it was that uncomfortable. Who would want the world to see themselves in that condition, much less go out of their way to blast it out over the interwebs?

Cue the Violins: Selena Gomez Cries Uncontrollably Over Trump's Repatriations: 'The Children!'

But the problem isn’t just that it’s hard to watch; it’s that it represents much of what has gone wrong with so many Hollywood celebrities: they spout off in highly emotional diatribes when they have no idea what they’re talking about. On Saturday, the White House communications team decided to educate Gomez and remind her of all the terrible tragedies that she and so many others in her world have been noticeably silent about in the past.

The reality that Selena seems unable to grasp can be summed up with three names: Kayla Hamilton, Jocelyn Nungaray, and Rachel Morin.

Powerful stuff. Watch the mothers of the three victims who were brutally murdered by illegal aliens and ask yourself where you can find Selena’s crying video about them. Hint: you can’t, because it doesn’t exist.

The president’s appointee to solve the crisis that Biden left had a similar response as the White House’s to the infamous video, see below; meanwhile, RedState’s Brandon Morse opines about how the episode exposes a “disgusting” side of the left:

Trump Border Czar Tom Homan Responds Accordingly to Viral Selena Gomez Crying Video

Selena Gomez's Meltdown Really Highlights One of the Left's Most Disgusting Issues

As a mother's son, a husband, and a proud #GirlDad (I'm equally proud of being dad to a cool young dude), I take no joy in watching a young woman sobbing uncontrollably, nor do I feel like eviscerating her in the manner that I would someone like, say, the odious Sen. Adam Schiff (D-CA). I don’t think she’s evil; I think she’s… [searches for a nice way to say it]… just not very well informed.

I come to two conclusions about the entire affair: 1) Hollywood celebrities have been regularly jumping the shark with their hyper-emotional hot takes on subjects they know almost nothing about (but nevertheless will, in knee-jerk reaction, almost always side with the clueless progressive take). People are tuning them out, and we know this for a fact because dozens of big-name music and Tinseltown stars, from Bruce Springsteen to Oprah Winfrey to George Clooney to Taylor Swift to LeBron James, stumped for the Harris team—to no avail.

No one cares what they have to say anymore because, frankly, so many of them are idiots.

2) Trump has taken the lessons of his first term to heart. He will not sit idly by while taking incoming. The new administration will clap back at every BS narrative thrown at them, and they will do so effectively.

Just like they did here. This ain't 2016.

[happydazy82]

Coffee Hour

SELF-CARE, 12/03/2024

"It is confidence in our bodies, minds, and spirits that allows us to keep looking for new adventures, new directions to grow in, and new lessons to learn -- which is what life is all about." Oprah Winfrey

It takes more than confidence, Oprah. This is a fine philosophy for a first world potentate. The majority of humanity is simply trying to eke out a living. Like most of the natural order, "life" is about food, shelter, and procreation. I am better off than many, but I am far from comfortable. My body, mind, and spirit are all heading south, eroding with age, and that's OK. Adventures lie in the past; the only direction is downhill. Fortunately, I'm still learning new stuff, which profits naught for anyone but me (and ye who read here my thoughts). © keefderpoet, 2024

[jaringgg]

The greatest glory in living lies not in never falling, but in rising every time we fall. -Nelson Mandela

The way to get started is to quit talking and begin doing. -Walt Disney

Your time is limited, so don't waste it living someone else's life. Don't be trapped by dogma – which is living with the results of other people's thinking. -Steve Jobs

The future belongs to those who believe in the beauty of their dreams. -Eleanor Roosevelt

If you look at what you have in life, you'll always have more. If you look at what you don't have in life, you'll never have enough. -Oprah Winfrey

If you set your goals ridiculously high and it's a failure, you will fail above everyone else's success. -James Cameron

You may say I'm a dreamer, but I'm not the only one. I hope someday you'll join us. And the world will live as one. -John Lennon

Here

[danelsashideout]

Where do birds go?

Have you ever looked up at the sky and wondered where the birds went? Because I have. They are always flying into the sky and soar high. It's so amazing. After finding out about birds, I now know that birds go to different places depending on the time of day, season, and species. However, the details of their journey can be a mystery.

When I was a child. I always wondered what it would be like in other places. In this big world, there must be something beautiful that I never knew before. So I asked my dad about it, because he was an expert on it.

Dad started telling me everything he knew and gave me a book called "Atlas". From that book, I could see how the world looked like from a map, there were so many countries that I had just recognised. It makes me even more excited to read the book. In addition, I could also learn about the culture of each region in Indonesia and I was very happy about that. Then I started thinking that one day I would visit those places and see how beautiful they were with my own eyes. Could i?

One day there was a conflict in my extended family. Everything happened so fast that I couldn't understand the situation, keeping in mind that I was a child at the time and I never knew how the world worked in adult life. At that time, I just sat in the car and watched them fight with each other from the car window. I still remember the screams and the look on my friend's face. Had I been a bird, maybe I could have flown away from that place, so that I could avoid those loud shouts and mocking looks from my friends.

After the accident, my extended family was split into two parts. Then dad slowly started to turn into a serious person and rarely joked around, even he no longer said “sayang kata” to me. Sayang kata were strange words that I was most happy when I heard them - I hope I can hear that word someday, but I'm 25 years old now -because I could feel how dear dad was to me. Dad's sweet treatment also started to change into a more firm and unflappable treatment. No matter what the reason was, if he said no it meant no. That's why I started to feel scared to face him and started to become quiet.

From that moment on, i realised that my wings were starting to break. Therefore, I wondered, could I fly and see all the beautiful places with my own eyes if my wings started to break? Or would I always be in this place?

Now I'm an adult and I'm still here. Just watching everyone fly off and move somewhere else. A place where they can explore things. But that's okay, maybe this is my journey and everyone has their own story.

To the daughter girls in my life who believed they had broken wings. My hope for you is to not just fly but soar. - Oprah Winfrey

So, from now on I will try my best to heal my broken wings and fly high in the sky. Spread out my wings and soar high. Just like birds do.

Wednesday, October 2, 2024

[breakingnewsbreakthrough]

Monday, September 16, 2024

Football, Oprah, and P. Diddy

approx. 10:30 a.m. EDT: "Kamala Harris, Oprah Winfrey to hold livestream rally from Michigan"

I never realized Oprah was politically active. There's a certain image of her I've never been able to shake, whether it's a result of my age or the fact my mother watched a lot of daytime TV. Every time I see her, I just think of free cars and prizes under seats. Perhaps that's reductive, given her long career as a journalist, but I'm not sure "Oprah" and "political rally" belong in the same sentence.

12:31 p.m. EDT: "Michigan Football to start Alex Orji at quarterback on Saturday vs. USC"

I will never understand why The Detroit News considers every banal college and professional sports update to be breaking news. I promise I'm not signed up for any sports updates. I suppose I'm happy for him. Or sad. Whichever.

1:14 p.m. EDT: "Second man dies after Eastern Market shooting"

I hope it doesn't seem like I'm making light of this situation, but I don't think Detroit can have successful sports teams. Follow me for a second, if you will: Philadelphia is notorious for the destruction that follows sporting events. I once heard it said "Whether the Eagles win or lose, a car is being lit on fire." Detroit is becoming like that. Our teams were all garbage, so disappointment was all but assured, and no one had to get hurt about it. Gun violence isn't as common here as some think, yet the second our newly-decent football team loses, someone picks a deadly fight at a tailgate. I was also shocked that the TV news didn't consider the initial event to be important enough to cover at 7pm, about an hour after it happened.

3:32 p.m. EDT: "Jeep cuts production of Gladiators and Wranglers at Toledo plant"

Something something Motor City. I know a lot of people whose parents are employed by the Big Three, but I cannot bring myself to follow every corporate twitch of the automotive industry. This one is also novel for the pure fact that it mentions Ohio, one of the Michigan cardinal sins.

10:34 p.m. EDT: "Sean 'Diddy' Combs faces federal charges in New York, his lawyer says"

Send this man to jail. I don't care about anything he's ever made that people have ever liked, and if I have to hear one more person bring up his relationship to Biggie, I'm going to lose it. Being the protégé of a beloved man does not make you better, above reproach, or incapable of committing crimes. It might make you incapable of committing crimes in places not recorded by security cameras, but that also may just be a Diddy problem.

On a personal note:

I'm not sure what to write here. Journalism school has been frustrating in both familiar and completely new ways, and I've never felt worse about my writing. I skipped out on keeping a journal in my adolescence (unless the occasional embarrassing tumblr post counts), which is odd when you consider my general affect, both then and now. I've never felt the need to put my reflections in writing - I spend enough time in my own head - but perhaps getting these mundane thoughts out in a directed manner will stop me from taking a long walk off a bridge named after some hockey player.

Until tomorrow,

DM