#Operation Kino

[supersunsetnova]

What an incredible release from Arrow Video, I can’t wait to get home to watch this, for me and I am proper excited to see what a job Arrow did. One of my fav QT movies.

2 DISC 4K ULTRA HD LIMITED EDITION CONTENTS

Limited edition 'Operation Kino' packaging with new art by Dare Creative

60-page 'Films & Filmmakers' collector's book with writing by film critics Dennis Cozzalio and Bill Ryan

Double-sided fold-out poster

Replica Nation's Pride Premiere programme booklet

La Louisianne beermat

3 postcard sized double-sided art cards

Strudel recipe card

Reversible sleeve with original and newly commissioned artwork by Dare Creative DISC 1 - FEATURE (4K ULTRA HD BLU-RAY)

4K (2160p) Ultra HD Blu-ray™ presentation in High Dynamic Range

Original lossless DTS-HD MA 5.1 audio

Optional English subtitles for the deaf and hard of hearing

Brand new audio commentary by film critic and author Tim Lucas

DISC 2 - EXTRAS (BLU-RAY)

What Would Sally Do?, a new interview with editor Fred Raskin, Blood Fiction, a new interview with special make-up effects supervisor Greg Nicotero

Doomstruck, a new interview with actor Omar Doom, Making it Right, a new visual essay by film critic Walter Chaw, author of A Walter Hill Film, Film History on Fire, a new visual essay by film scholar Pamela Hutchinson, author of BFI Film Classics Pandora's Box

Filmmaking in Occupied France, a new interview with film scholar Christine Leteux, author of Continental Films: French Cinema Under German Control, Extended and alternate scenes

Nation's Pride, The Making of Nation's Pride, an archival featurette, Roundtable Discussion, an archival interview with Quentin Tarantino, Brad Pitt and Elvis Mitchell, The Original Inglorious Bastards, archival featurette, A Conversation with Rod Taylor, archival featurette, Rod Taylor on Victoria Bitter, archival featurette, Quentin Tarantino's Camera Angel, archival featurette, Hi Sallys, archival featurette, Film Poster Gallery Tour with Elvis Mitchell, archival featurette, Trailers

[bitacoradecine]

No cuz what tf was Dieter Hellstrom doing in La Louisiane 😭

[rolling-veins]

AU in which Hans Landa was a part of operation kino from the beginning

My ramblings from twitter: -I thought this up because when I first read the inglourious basterds movie description, it mentioned an undercover agent (who I thought to be Landa rather than von Hammersmark at the very beginning before the scene with Shosanna) -I just wanted Shosanna to work with the basterds -I have no idea how she gets on board. Maybe Landa mentions her to the basterds and they get her on board. Maybe he doesn’t get her family killed here. -Landa is still known as the jew hunter because he still gets on board only after the basterds are formed (1944) -Idk details -I would assume the german basterds survive, and so does Hicox and Von Hammersmark. So Aldo is in his usual getup instead of his Italian cover -Marcel also survives. I need Shosanna and him to be happy together -Landa doesn’t get swastika carved in his forehead -in this AU quite obviously the basterds and landa met much earlier than in the movie

[8unginfo]

✍ Inhalt / Handlung: Die Schöne und das Biest - La Belle et la Bête

Die Schöne und das Biest: Die Liebe

siegt. Wer wirklich liebt, wird reich belohnt. Dieses Märchen vom Sieg des Guten über die Raffgier kommt in fast allen Kulturen vor.

Die Schöne und die Hässlichen.

Wie erwartet macht sich die Schöne auf den Weg. Im Schloss findet sie ein Zimmer für sich vorbereitet, mit einer goldenen Harfe, einer Rose und einem Kanarienvogel, der zu ihrem Spiel singt. Das Untier zeigt sich kurz. Es zieht sich zurück, als es merkt, wie die Schöne bei seinem Anblick zu Tode erschrocken ist.

Die Schöne und das Biest - Ausschnitt aus dem Zeichentrickfilm

https://youtu.be/xsT5MLndJxk Die Schöne tanzt mit dem Biest Nach anfänglichem Entsetzen kommen sich die Schöne an das Biest näher. Allmählich gewöhnt sie sich an sein Aussehen, lädt ihn zur Gesellschaft oder zum Essen ein. Entgegengesetzt zu seinem Äußeren gefällt er ihr immer besser, weil er ein höflicher und freundlicher Zeitgenosse ist - sogar Humor hat er. Sie lachen viel miteinander. Mit der Zeit vermisst die Schöne ihre Familie, wird vor Heimweh immer trauriger. Da reicht das Biest ihr einen Zauberspiegel, in dem Sie Ihr Zuhause erblicken kann. Als sie darin ihren vor Gram abgemagerten Vater erkennt, wird sie von Tag zu Tag schwermütiger. Nichts kann sie aufheitern. Das Biest mag es nicht mit ansehen. Es lässt sie vor der Zeit gehen. Zum Abschied schenkt es ihr den Spiegel. Zu Hause bei Vater und Schwestern angekommen, geht ihre Herzenswunsch in die umgekehrte Richtung. Sie sehnt sich nach dem Biest, seiner zuvorkommenden Art und seiner lustigen Gesellschaft. Als sie sehnsüchtig in den Spiegel schaut, sieht sie das Untier wie tot am Boden liegen. In Windeseile begibt sie sich zum Schloss. Das total geschwächte Biest fragt, warum sie wieder gekommen ist. Die Schöne küsst ihm die Stirn und sagt die Zauberworte: „Weil ich dich liebe“. Damit ist der Bann gebrochen. Aus dem verwunschenen Ungeheuer wird ein schöner Prinz. Die Hochzeit wird gefeiert. Und wenn sie nicht gestorben sind, dann lieben sie sich noch heute. Das Schicksal der Schwestern kann sowohl grausam als auch belehrend sein - angenehm ist es in keinem Fall!

„Die Schöne und das Biest“ als Bilderbuch für Kinder und Erwachsene.

Diese Inhaltsangabe wurzelt auf dem Text von Jeanne-Marie Leprince de Beaumont. Zusammen mit den zarten Bildern von Gabriel Pacheco ist es im Bohem-Verlag erschienen. Sowohl Kinder als auch Erwachsene lieben das Bilderbuch mit dem kostbaren Leineneinband. Hauptsächlich in den Erdfarben schwarz, grau und braun gezeichnet sind die langgestreckten Figuren, die hohen Räume des Schlosses, die Schiffe des Kaufmanns. Zart und filigran wehen die Haare, die Kleider, die Mähne des Pferdes, wenn die Schöne eilig zu ihrem Biest reitet, das sie leidend im Spiegel sah. Klar gezeichnet mit vielen liebevollen Details. Ein Märchenbuch zum Träumen.Gut & Böse: Read the full article

[melmedardasworld]

Personally, I love the intrigue that Arcane introduced through Mel. (I also find myself gravitating toward shows and books with this added (sub)genre.)

Mel is not only one of the most fascinating and mesmerizing characters but also serves as a stage to the wider world of Runeterra. Through her connection to Noxus—a colonizing, imperial meritocracy—we get a glimpse of the stories we might explore in future spin-offs focusing on other regions, such as:

Noxus: Mel's former home. A land where strength and ambition reign, driven by a desire to bring all of Runeterra under their empire.

Ionia: Enchanted lands steeped in spirituality and natural magic, targeted by Noxus in their conquests.

Demacia: A kingdom that discriminates against mages, with classism woven into its core, and also a target of Noxian aggression.

Despite her richness as a character, Mel is often demonized in fandom discourse (clinging onto S1 stuff yet ignoring the S2 monstrosities like eugenics but alright coo), reduced to a manipulative archetype (temptress) while the context and complexity that shapes her is stripped away. Yes, her ability to navigate power and people is undeniable, and she wields it with precision, but love her for it and it's not all she is.

Beneath Mel's poised and polished exterior, she wrestles with rejection, craves approval, and strives to carve out her own path in rebellion against her upbringing after her exile—all while maintaining an unwavering belief in progress, shaped largely by the values she learned from her brother Kino.

Piltover, with its focus on innovation and advancement, became the perfect stage for Mel to blend and utilize the "fox" traits she (and Kino) inherited from their her mother. In many ways, she seeks to prove that Kino’s and her own ideals do indeed work—almost as a “see, I wasn’t wrong and this is proof” directed at her mother. This sentiment also echoes in her confession to Jayce about feeling she falls below the Medarda standard.

Noxus emphasizes strength and brutal pragmatism through the ways of the wolf, traits her mother embodies because Ambessa from her lore had to fight and kill to get to where she is. Her children partially and didn't have to do that much of the fighting Ambessa did for the Medardas to propser, I think. It's why Ambessa teaches that the fox and the wolf must operate together, not in isolation.

This scene in S1 was so cool with Ambessa standing in front of Mel's painting of Noxus and the ships. And to see Mel's ending now, going back to home, on these same ships, the place she was exiled from more than ten years ago. [Internally crying]

Mel rejected this brutality and violence (of C.L Clark I know you'll touch upon this!!), and in return, she was rejected—exiled for her pacifist ideals by her own mother. Though, by now it's clear it was Ambessa protecting Mel her from the Black Rose and LeBlanc due to her powers as a mage.

From Kino, Mel embraced diplomacy and the belief that power should be wielded with wisdom and restraint and mercy when you have defeated the enemy. In Piltover, she found a place to push through with these beliefs. Mel channeled her sharp mind and ideals into diplomacy and progress, defined by strategy and vision, rather than violence and conquest. Which makes her return to Noxus all the more terrifying being pushed to face all of this with her mother's last 'I love you' esque line echoing in her mind.

Random HC, but can you all imagine Kino and Mel in their lessons on warcraft and diplomacy? Kino passionately babbling about how "war is a failure of statecraft," with Mel hanging onto his every word because she adores him so much.

[wingedshadowfan]

⚠️arcane s2 act iii spoilers⚠️

can anyone explain what went down between ambessa and victor?? i feel like both of their motivations confused me and there was alr so much happening so here's my interpretation of it all:

ambessa came to piltover to check in on her daughter (see how her city is doing, maybe check if there's any black rose mages causing her trouble, to tell her of her brother's loss) and maybe get a slice of that hextech progress pie, and only after she saw the undercity "misbehaving" did she decide something needed to be done about it and that she needed to take the reigns because in her eyes, mel was too soft just like she was as a child. she was losing control over her subjects.

after teaming up with caitlyn (and i've said it in another post but caitlyn had clear objectives, didn't want innocent casualties, and didn't intend on making the whole undercity kneel unlike ambessa), originally ambessa only wanted warwick to use as a weapon, until singed told her (and she saw for herself) what the herald was capable of. victor could turn her entire army basically invincible and immortal so they could finally stand a chance against the mages (which she originally thought they could do with hextech before she got distracted by her desire to conquer zaun into submission) and get her revenge for kino's death.

so ambessa waged war on the whole city, her daughter's city that she gave her to rule over, just so she could get to the anomaly that would allow victor to turn her warriors (and because caitlyn betrayed her and warwick killed her right hand man i guess, although i think those, esp the former, were an afterthought for her). when she first asked victor to turn her people, he agreed, which was already weird to me. maybe he just wanted a chance to turn more people perfect, other than the willing zaunites that came to him for salvation, but a part of his idea of perfection was incompatible with what ambessa had in mind as well as what he himself later used those puppets for - violence, war, revenge, destruction. he'd said to jayce that he didn't want them to have those ugly, dirty human qualities. he also said to ambessa he'd do it to the ones willing - he changes his mind after jayce and mel beat his ass and singed does the thing which completes his final transformation.

and then victor's last form ends up trying to turn everyone to his image of the glorious evolution... so did victor always plan to betray ambessa and just do what he wanted?? or did his objectives (and in general his beliefs) change after jayce blasted a hole into his chest, or maybe after ambessa died and he no longer "had a deal" with her and wasn't operating under her command, although he never officially was? or did he get corrupted beyond repair after singed did his thing? why did he even let singed do it? didn't he realize what ambessa wanted from him? were they both just using each other?

[amywritesthings]

[ + ] = 18+ with explicit content, MDNI

> ATTACK ON TITAN ( SHINGEKI NO KYOJIN )

// series

silver underground. [ongoing] / levi ackerman [+] They say you dedicated your heart to the Scouts. They tell you a lot of things. You remember none of it.

press four for more options. [complete] / levi ackerman [+] After seeing your ex with his new girl at a work party, you take the not-so-smart advice to call a sex hotline to get over him. Your match? Levi. dating on airplane mode. [ongoing] / levi ackerman [+] So you're dating your neighbor who also happens to be a sex hotline dom named Levi Ackerman. Stranger things have happened, right?

seven days. [ongoing] / Armin Arlert gets bamboozled into joining the annual Yeager family beach vacation — and accidentally meets you.

// one shots

first christmas. / armin arlert (holiday ‘23) [+] gingerbread sweet. / reiner braun (holiday ‘23) in the wrong. / levi ackerman (levimonth24) [+] war of clarity. / levi ackerman (levimonth24)

> BALDUR’S GATE 3

// series

the better strategy. [hiatus] / astarion/tav [+] After saving Druid Grove, Astarion has one goal in mind: secure his safety. His strategy? Seduce Tav. But what if that plan goes horrible wrong?

// one shots

valentine’s special / astarion

> FIELDS OF MISTRIA

// one shots

halloween at the inn / march

> JUJUTSU KAISEN

// series

operation battlepass: aka the totally awesome plan to play wingman by yuuji itadori. [ongoing] / choso kamo

// one shots

mistletoe on the clock. / nanami kento (holiday ‘23) something in the movies. / gojo satoru (holiday '23) [+] new year, new choso. / choso kamo (holiday '23)

> THE BUBBLE

// series

famous last words. [hiatus] / dieter bravo [+] Follow Hollywood’s most notorious feud (and secret romance) through Just Old Habits, a one-shot set in 2020, and Same Old Mistakes, the prequel.

// one shots

hallmark, holiday, horny. / dieter bravo [+]

> THE LAST OF US

// series

seeing you, seeing me. [complete] / joel miller [+] After handling a life-or-death favor for Tess, you’re in deep shit. Until she can make things right, she suggests you lay low at her place. The issue? It’s also Joel Miller’s place, and you’re pretty sure he hates you.

// one shots

reckless. / joel miller [+] boston holiday. / joel miller

> MARVEL

// one shots

a first for breathing. / steven grant (moon knight) [+]

> STAR WARS

// series

point a to point b. [hiatus] / din djarin (the mandalorian) [+] Escorting a former Empire prisoner of war to a Rebel Alliance safe zone? It should be a piece of cake. No problems whatsoever.

ownership of mine. [complete] / kino loy (andor) [+] The Empire has integrated their prison systems, one being Narkina 5. The unit manager takes you under his wing - but for reasons you didn’t anticipate.

// one shots

about you. / cassian andor (andor) [+]

> STRANGER THINGS

// series of interconnected one shots for eddie munson

where shadows meet spaces. [+] meet me at the usual.meet me on the other side. [vol2 fix-it] meet me on christmas. (holiday '23)

> MISC

ficlets tag of misc reader pairings. hallo-sleepover '24 drabble challenge '24

[peachdues]

DYLANNN. DYLAN NO. DYLANNNN.

“Who owns it?”

Kaigaku shrugs. “Some overseas corporation. They made their billions selling weapons to armed militias and underground groups in other countries that then took power.”

Uzui whistles through his teeth. “Ain’t that how it always goes?”  

The dark-haired boy nods. “Seems like they’ve got storage all over the place – mainly in countries they know won’t sanction ‘em even if the regimes they arm turn out to be shit.”

“Or pay to keep their own fat cats in power.” Sanemi quips darkly.

Kaigaku flashes him a sly grin. “We oughta help lighten their load a bit. Gotta be hard to keep track of all that steel.”

Sanemi doesn’t return the boy’s smile, too off-put by the way his teeth seem rounded and sharp in the dingy light of the basement. “Place like this has to be teeming with security. How’re we supposed to get in unseen? Or at least enough that we can neutralize any interference?”

Kaigaku leans forward and shuffles through the blueprints until he pulls out an old, water-stained sheet. “According to the old building plans, there’s a basement. That’s probably where they keep the bulk of the goods.”

He runs a finger along a sketched path. “This is a delivery channel – it’s like an underground tunnel that runs up. Connects to an emergency exit. A truck could back up to it, and someone can run crates. Load it right into the back.”

Sanemi studies the blueprint for a long while, his eyes looking for any obstacles, any potential flaw that could leave them open to attack. But, he finds that as loathe as he is to admit it, the boy’s plan is surprisingly sound.

If at least two or three of their ranks could work the basement, then they could conceivably fill up a truck with the loot and slip out without being caught. And even if they were, by Kaigaku’s own intel, the security wouldn’t be nearly as tight as it might be if the warehouse was fully operational.  

Really, the benefits outweighed whatever marginal risk there was. And, judging by the increase in violence from the Kizukis, the Corps would need all the extra metal they could get their hands on to prepare for the inevitable war that loomed on the blooded horizon.  

Sanemi turns his attention to his junior. “Tell Iguro we need a cab. Whatever they’ve got in storage, clean it out. If you think you can’t split away clean, take a handful of Kinoe and get them to put down as much C4 in the basement as we can take. Get out and send that shack sky-high.”

“Big boom like that will have the place swarming with cops in no time.” Uzui points out. “You’ll have to be quick – I give you ten minutes, tops. Probably less.”

“But an explosion will cover up any trace of us.” Sanemi counters. “Plus, a warehouse stuffed full of live ammo? Not beyond the realm of possibility that it’s holding explosives in there, too. Could look like an unavoidable accident.”

“What about cover?” A dark-haired Junior speaks up, voice shaking, but eyes determined.

Sanemi turns to Kaigaku. “Will we need a sniper?”

The boy chews on his bottom lip for a moment as his eyes scan the blueprints scattered across the table. “Nah,” he decides after a moment. “That warehouse has been gatherin’ dust for at least a year. Security guards likely will be armed, but they won’t have nothin’ more powerful than a handgun. Should be easy enough to take out, if it comes to it.”

Sanemi cuts his eyes back to the two Juniors. “One Pillar should go. This seems too big a job to leave to a bunch of rookies.”

Uzui raises an eyebrow. “You volunteering?”

“Your ass sure as shit won’t. Not on a Friday night.”  

The silver-haired Pillar taps a single finger to his nose and winks. “And it’ll be payday for the Business District. My joints are gonna be full of big spenders.”

“Then I guess I’m on.” Sanemi says smoothly, folding his arms across his chest. “We’ll meet here Friday evening. Ten o’clock.”

🤐🤐🤐

[velvet-waltz]

Character study: Hans Landa

With Stranger in Paradise back in full swing, I thought it might be fun to dissect my concept of Landa (both in the movie and the Velvet Waltz-verse), and answer some questions I've gotten over the years.

(I'll mark spoilers for VW and Stranger accordingly)

What is it about this guy?

Hans Landa is a FASCINATING character. Like everyone else writing fic about him, I wanted the opportunity to rummage around in his head a bit. Put him in situations outside the scope of the movie and see what happens.

The 'point' of my fic is imagining how differently (and the same) Inglourious Basterds would play out if Hans' motivation were to change, early on. I was surprised at how many of his decisions still made sense. And how little I actually had to change about his canon characterization to accommodate this shift.

So why write a romance about Landa? He's a Nazi!

He sure is. And generally a very cold, calculating, and selfish man. I kinda think of movie/"before" Hans as the Landa Machine, operating one way, for one person's benefit (Landa's.) In my fic universe, I introduce an original character - a Jewish American spy, motivated by a strong sense of justice - who immediately throws a wrench in the Landa Machine when Hans develops a weakness for her.

He tries to have her on his preferred terms…and fails. The only way he can have her is to behave in ways that jeopardize his power, status, and personal safety, thus compromising his primary motivation. This is why the Hans Landa Machine starts to unravel: he finally wants something he can only have by putting himself second.

Love is interesting that way. Does Hans go out of his way, sacrifice his own power and status, and endanger himself, out of true love for Sylvia, or out of his selfish need to have what he wants? It's a good question, and one that she continues to ask throughout.

(Also Christoph Waltz is very hot in the movie and there's something about power and danger and etc etc etc. But really, there's no better way to crack a character like Landa open than with a love story, imo.)

What I think is true of Landa both in canon and in my AU:

Hans' primary loyalty is to Hans. He joins the SS because it's an opportunity for him. In the movie, he joins Operation Kino last minute because he sees which way the wind is blowing and determines he could benefit from switching sides. He's always gotten whatever he wanted, and the means never mattered. Until Sylvia, of course.

He doesn't really subscribe to the Nazi party's ideology. As a true opportunist, he makes whatever decision will ultimately benefit himself most. In VW, Sylvia's Jewishness is neither here nor there to him. Inconvenient for sure but having her is just one more thing he can get away with.

Hans sees himself as superior to others, and all evidence supports him in this.

Hans hates lying, or anyone else bending the rules besides himself. I think this is why he strangles Bridget in the movie - because her lies are pathetic and insulting to him. And he freaks out at Aldo for shooting the other German soldier because it wasn't part of the deal they agreed on. (VW spoiler) In Velvet Waltz, he similarly freaks out at Aldo during the prison liberation when he realizes Stiglitz is killing everyone in the building, not just the witnesses. Which is typical Basterds m.o. but not specifically part of their arrangement. [Aldo is a great foil for Hans because they're so diametrically opposite.] Hans doesn't necessarily hold himself to those same standards, lol.

Hans helped the Basterds and has a relationship with a Jewish woman. Does that mean he's 'good' now?

Great question. Honestly, THE question. I don't believe in moral absolutes myself so I keep this complicated throughout my fic.

What does it mean to be "good"? Is it enough to do good deeds that benefit others, even if you ultimately benefit as well?

(VW spoilers) There's no "switch flip" in my story, and I don't think Hans catches what's happening to him until it's too late, but there is a moment, when he's called to a house very clearly sheltering Jews, and can't bring himself to pull the trigger. He doesn't fully understand why he can't do it and feels nauseated as he goes downstairs to lie to his men. But he knows he can't do it and go home to Sylvia. I think that's the moment he really knows he's cooked, lol.

He's also very aware that by Sylvia's standards, he's a monster and will never be fully worthy of her. He tries to shield her from the details of his past for as long as possible.

(Stranger spoilers) I won't go into detail here because I haven't posted all of these chapters yet, but in Stranger, a character shows up from Hans' past who observed him from his SS days through his 'hero' turn and life with Sylvia and sees no conflict between those actions. To him, it all squares with the Hans Landa he knew from the beginning: selfish and opportunistic.

Is Hans even capable of goodness? I went into this fic with the presumption that somewhere, locked away, is a softer, more human Hans (which I'm sure Tarantino would disagree with.) How that part of him operates in conjunction with the rest is what makes him so damn interesting to me.

And what about that scar?

In the movie, Hans seems to be getting away with his crimes without an ounce of remorse. Because we have no access to his inner life here, it's satisfying to see him given the scar to ensure he's haunted by what he's done.

(VW spoilers) In Velvet Waltz, where he's been cracked open and tormented by his memories, I decided the much more insidious punishment was for him to be branded a hero. To carry the sickening knowledge of all he's done while honored and celebrated for decades. The dissonance between fact and fiction would be unbearable for him.

(mild Stranger spoilers) I left the door open for a sequel at the end of Velvet Waltz because I knew there was more to dig into, and that Hans' past would never be resolved. More crucially, that his marriage to Sylvia was still underpinned by the ugly truth neither one could fully acknowledge: the many, many innocent people he had killed. In Stranger, I'm utilizing a real event, Operation Paperclip - in which the US government quietly invited Nazi scientists to help the US develop weapons against the USSR - to force Hans to confront his past on a deeper level. Which of course brings all of that internal dissonance roaring back to the surface.

Please feel free to leave questions in the comments, and I'll answer as many as I can. And if there's interest, I'd love to do a series of these about all the characters, including my OCs. So feel free to ask about them as well!

[colleybri]

Does Kleya Marki save the Rebellion in Andor?

“Receiving messages is just as dangerous as sending them,” Kleya icily reminds Vel when the latter insists on a meeting after the heist.

Two episodes later and we get a horrifying illustration of the dangers of radio communications. Bix, trying to get hold of Cassian to let him know that Maarva is gravely ill, insists on using the hidden radio in Salman Paak’s yard . She signals Luthen on Coruscant, who she knows only as ��the buyer”, hoping that he can provide a lead.

Kleya picks up the signal and tells Luthen who it is and what it’s about. He wants to answer as he thinks, somewhat ironically, that Bix might have a lead that is useful to him. Because by this point in the story… he also wants to find Cassian. So as to kill him - as a loose end. (Cassian himself is out of reach – in the Narkina 5 prison. In a twisted way, considering what a wanted man he is, it’s about the safest place he could be right now. )

Kleya can see that Luthen is letting his desperation to close off this loose end cloud his good judgement. “You’re slipping!” she tells him, sternly. Their dynamic is so fascinating. She tells him she’s “shutting down Ferrix: the frequency, everything,” but waits for his direct instruction to do exactly that. “I’m thinking clearly and you’re not,” she tells him, starkly. Her behaviour is not really that of a subordinate but not of an equal either. How do they know each other, I wonder? How long have they worked together? She seems so good for him… keeping him exactly where he needs to be. He absolutely respects her and I think there’s some love there too. Of what kind, I’m not sure.

Anyway, Luthen concedes in the end. And thank goodness he does.

Because the Imperials were listening. That evening they come for Salman Paak who is tortured into spilling everything about the radio and Bix being the sole user of it. Bix herself is then caught and tortured to the brink of insanity. Paak is hanged.

But were it not for Kleya, Luthen’s operation would have been exposed too. “Nobody’s listening!” Cassian yells to Kino in Narkina. He’s right in that case. Unfortunately, the Imperials were listening to that broadcast from Ferrix. Many pay the price for that. But thanks to Kleya, Luthen escapes… for now. 

[daughter-of-sapph0]

star wars, at least modern faloni/favrou star wars set after the empire, is completely devoid of political nuance.

take andor for example. it had different characters from all sorts of different flavors of the political spectrum. and all of them had flaws to their characters because of their ideology. obviously we follow andor and see his political growth, both by people who encourage him (nemek and luthen) and people who mirror his own views and inspire him to grow (skeen and kino). all characters have their own depth and nuance and different opinions.

now compare that to mando and ahsoka. you only have two types of characters. all the good guys who support the new republic no matter what, and neo nazis who want the empire to continue/return. there is no other political ideology. we're told that the new republic had struggles and differing opinions on how to govern, and because of that Leia left and formed the resistance. but we never see any of that conflict. the new republic consists of rebels leaders from all different factions, senators from thousands of different planets, and tons of "reformed empire supporters" ala operation paperclip. and all of them just get along fine without any issues? and the most interesting thing we get out of it is that sometimes theres people who still support the empire and try to kill the protagonists of the story? it doesn't say anything meaningful. or anything at all.

stupid losers keep saying star wars is too political. when they say that, they actually mean that star wars has women and black people and queer people in it and that upsets them. star wars isn't nearly political enough for a series that involves war in space.

[applebuttercringe]

Episode 5 immediate thoughts

Spoilers ahead!

-Oh hey it's the big guy who used to be on Caitlyns strike team.

-Get em Vi

-Jinx is betting on Vi's fights

-Average lesbian breakup experience

-Did she dye her hair black? Or did she just cry enough eyeliner onto herself that it turned it black?

-THE SISTER REUNION

-Vi is reminded by the shimmer tear that Jinx isn't fully in control of herself.

-Proud of Jinx though for being able to be in Vi presence without a breakdown

-Last time they saw each other Vi was fully ready to kill Jinx. Most brutal fight in the series. Now they can work together? Thats kinda rushed.

-Caitlyn using her detective skills again!

-"Peacekeeping operations" Yeah right Caitlyn.

-Caitlyn is full on racist

-Full on fascist

-The Caitlyn stans are gonna be fighting for their LIVES trying to defend her.

-This is the first time we've seen Mel not collected, or at least put together and considerate.

-ELORA!!!

-Mels brother?

-Mels brother!

-Well Vi got over basically all the Jinx stuff pretty quick.

-I mean this is basically what both of them really wanted, to be a family again, and it was achieved with very little ceremony.

-Did Jinx find out the mushroom aren't toxic by eating them? Does she eat every new thing she finds just to check?

-If Vi thinks this is Jinx lying why would she follow her?

-"BITCHMITTENS"

-Typical sibling behavior

-Vi is a child hitter confirmed. Considering Jinx's lingering trauma from Vi's reaction to the explosion in S1 Ep3, I'de think she would have a worse reaction to Vi hitting Isha.

-Whaarwhick is more savage than any beast in Noxus? Knowing Noxus from league I find that hard to believe.

-Wait, did Silco kill Vi and Jinx's parents? Is that why they split? I need to rewatch this frame by frame.

-Singed holding his daughter

-Singed real name is Dr. Reveck

-If Mel and Kino are surprised Ambessa has a love child, were they her hatechilds?

-Mel herself is a magical maguffin for the cult running a foreign nation. I thought she was just a super cool girlboss.

-Jinx is a jacket sniffer.

-Was Vander in love with their mom? I thought he was their adopted dad, has he been their bio dad the whole time?

-Vi defending Jinx 🥺

-Is that Singed daughter on the record Felicity is playing.

-Oh no young Silco is hot

-Felicity sounds like Jinx when she says "working up the nerve"

-That one tweet was right, Arcane music is horrifically literal.

-I don't care if it's rushed. This scene is straight out of a feel good fix it fic and I love it. Happiness and family for the Zaun sisters!

-Is this Salo after being healed by Viktor?

-Knew it

-Jayce, where ya been buddy?

-Viktor broke Jayce out so he could come see him. I mean it is probably not Viktor, it's the hexcore taking people over, but still.

-And once again the dynamic is reversed

-Just leaving Ekko and Heimerdinger in their huh?

-JAYCE STRAIGHT UP MURDERED HIM! HOLY SHIT! WHAT!?

-I THOUGHT HE WAS JUST GONNA BONK HIM TO KNOCK HIM OUT!

-WTF HAPPENED TO HIM!

Overall: Ok, so this felt rushed. The last 4 acts have been tearing these sisters apart, entirely centering on the traumas and outside forces that keep them from being a family. Then Jinx shows up and it takes one sentence to get Vi back, granted Vander being alive is big news, but Vi thinks Jinx is lying to her. Why wouldn't she be mad at Jinx?

Jayce straight up murderred a guy, I wish we got to see more of how he got to this point.

Caitlyn is still as much of a dictator as she has been all, but she does get consistently worse.

Mel is in a totally different story now.

Things are only looking up for Jinx and Vi.

Even with it being rushed I do like Jinx and Vis story here, I want happiness for them , sue me. But I don't see how they could possibly meaningfully redeem all the other characters in the 4 episodes left. Which means I think Arcane season 2 might not be peak anymore, entertaining? Yes. Interesting? Yes. Exciting? Yes. Peak? Maybe not. I still love it, but the cracks are showing.

[landofanimes]

Sailor Moon Musical - Nogizaka46 5th Generation Version 2024

Cast reveal

Team Moon (from Nogizaka46)

Nagi Inoue as Sailor Moon / Usagi Tsukino

Aya Ogawa as Sailor Mercury / Ami Mizuno

Hina Okamoto as Sailor Mars / Rei Hino

Mao Ioki as Sailor Jupiter / Makoto Kino

Teresa Ikeda as Sailor Venus / Minako Aino

Team Star (from Nogizaka46)

Satsuki Sugawara as Sailor Moon / Usagi Tsukino

Aruno Nakanishi Sailor Mercury / Ami Mizuno

Miku ​​Ichinose as Sailor Mars / Rei Hino

Nao Tomisato as Sailor Jupiter / Makoto Kino

Sakura Kawasaki as Sailor Venus / Minako Aino

General Cast

Yuzuha Uesegi as Naru Osaka

Miyu Nakano as Gurio Umeno

Tenju Mitsuki as Tuxedo Mask / Mamoru Chiba

Tsukasa Hiryu as Kunzite

Aya Akane as Zoicite

Makise Rui as Nephrite

Mayuko Ohara as Jadeite

Rinko Matsubara as Queen Beryl

Iroha Okuda as Queen Serenity (appears in projection) from N46

Misato Matsumoto and Hiroko Wakasa return as Luna's puppet operators

Ensemble: Misaki Aoki, Yazawa Asuka, Amane, Haruka Ikeda, Misakura Ikeda, Ito Wako, Nanaka Suzuki, Mina Minoru Suzuki, Akari Matsushima, Ayano Watanabe

The musical will be playing in Tokyo from April 12 to 29, 2024!

[rolling-veins]

Ngl I’ve been kind of unmotivated to draw so it’s surprising I managed to pump out two artworks in three days

anyway this is more of my “Hans Landa was a part of Operation Kino from the beginning” AU

[epicfranb]

Rewatching Kino's Journey and I'm like Kino is so non-binary coded. But then episode 4 comes around and it's such major honest to god non-binary coding, I'm not even sure if it's unintentional anymore. So here's my little essay about it, ig.

Fair warning for potential spoilers under the cut! Before reading, I highly suggest watching this anime (it's really good) or just the episode in question. You don't really need any context for this, other than the basic premise of the show: Kino travels with a sentient motorcycle called Hermes. As for where to watch it, I always watch on aniwave.to. Again, this is episode 4, so go watch it!!

Since this is about the non-binary coding, I'm gonna keep the summaries short and to the point. The backstory starts with Kino saying she doesn't remember her past name anymore, but expresses the only thing she remembers about it being the bullying. This moment in itself doesn't have an obvious meaning, it is purely symbolic. The episode starts with her in a field of the flowers she was named after, long after she forgot her name; she is there later as a child, starting a new life with a new name; and it ends with her as an adult, which is the moment that leads to the scene in the beginning, nicely looping back in this circle-like narrative. This has more to do with the general ideas of freedom that the show has, rather than specifically to the topic of this essay. I just thought it was interesting how it explicitly shown that she did not like her birth name.

To avoid confusion from this point on, I'm going to refer to Kino the main character as "this girl". This is because she meets a traveler named Kino. The two spend a lot of time together, and the girl explains to the traveler the tradition of this country. This is that when children turn 12, they get an operation to "become an adult". Children are free to do whatever they like, while adults must work and nothing else, and, since this is such a big burden, they get an operation to always be happy despite it.

The girl asks if Kino has a job, and Kino says that traveling is his job. The girl then asks, "Do you hate your job?" and Kino says "No, I like it." and the girl says "Then it's not a job."

Kino realizes this is kind of fucked up and is visibly conflicted on whether he should leave the place as is, or help this girl he's made friends with somehow. He talks to this girl about the tradition, and this exchange happens:

In a world with such a clear distinction between a child and adult, it is unthinkable to the girl that someone could just be neither. This man is grown up, but he does what he likes. And he doesn't even have an answer for "what" he is. He's just "a man named Kino, that's all. And I'm on a journey."

"Doing what you like to do?" The girl asks.

"That's right, I like traveling." Kino says.

He asks the girl what she likes to do. She says she loves singing! He suggests she then should become a singer. She says she can't, because she has to grow up and take over her family's business. But it's fine, because it's about to be her operation and day and she "will be happy, even if she has to work at the inn".

The next day, the girl is conflicted. She asks her parents if it is necessary to have the operation. "Is there no other way that I can become an adult by just being myself?" Her parents are terrified and very mad at her, and the whole street gathers up to tell her off, calling her a "failure", "defective", "a waste of a girl", which are also common attitudes towards queer people in our world. They realize it was the traveler that planted the ideas in her head. The traveler agrees that each country has its own customs, and the people allow him to leave peacefully... Except the girl will be killed, for "defying her elders". Her father charges at her with a knife, but Kino shields her and dies. at this point, Hermes, the motorcycle, starts speaking to her.

This exhange continues the theme of "the secret third thing" and the freedom of choice outside of defined norms. Within the norms, it becomes clear in this scene that you either become "an adult" or you die; but, just like the traveler Kino was "a secret third thing", the girl can also run away and continue being herself. That is the third choice she gets here. And she takes it.

She rides away, Hermes giving her instructions on how to ride properly, she breaks the country gates and escapes to the grand outside. She stops and falls over on a field of flowers, the ones she was named after. She looks back and whispers "Kino..." but Hermes assumes it was her introducing herself to him. Surprised he referes to her as Kino, she throws away the last part of her past she had on her and accepts her new name.

Now that we're done with the summary, let's dissect this.

First off, Kino in her childhood looks very feminine. She has long hair, wears a pink dress and a pink headband with a cute bow. And, s we know her from the future, she looks very androgynous, her hair is short, her voice is much lower, she wears masculine clothing and an oversized coat that she got from the traveler.

She changes her looks, she changes her name, from one that she did not like to one that reflected her better, which is something that many trans and non-binary people go through. Here, I want to mention that even the traveler she met also looks sort of androgynous, which is also coding in itself, imo.

In the country where she used to live, there were two ways to live: being a child and being an adult. One did not have any sort of choice in the matter, it was decided for you. This is, of course, similar to the way that we get assigned a gender at birth and are expected to pefectly perform that gender, with no option to switch or be something else.

But young Kino meets a person who defies everything she believed in her life. He's free to go and do whatever he likes, he doesn't fit in the binary of this country, and he grew up free to be himself. This is wild to Kino at first, but she keeps thinking about it and realizing she does want to keep doing things she likes. She doesn't want to get brainwashed into doing things she hates with an unchanging smile on her face. She wants to be herself, to be free. She doesn't get that choice, of course, not while she's still in the country. She admits that becoming an adult like them would be as bad as dying; because she would lose all her personality and individuality. That's when Hermes opens her eyes to this: she DOES have a choice. Actually, this is her only chance to take it. She runs away, and she's finally free, and she throws away her past and continues life under a new name.

Even if all this is unintentional, this episode's themes still speak to the ideas and beliefs of trans and non-binary people. It is an episode about freedom of choice, freedom to be yourself despite what your culture may impose on you. This is an episode about leaving your past behind for a better future. So, in a way, this episode IS about being non-binary.

Thank you for reading!! I hope there aren't any major mistakes in here. If there are, please let me know so I can fix it (kindly, please). Like, obviously I said words like "feminine/masculine/androgynous" which are labels which don't always fit everything they get assigned to. I hope that it's clear that I used them intentionally for the purposes of getting a point across. Hope you enjoyed, and I've convinced you to watch (or rewatch) this awesome anime!! Bye-bye ^_^

[elwenyere]

Just thinking...about Andor Inception heist au...and who would be what role...

Ohhhhhh what a terrific question, my friend!!! Thank you so much for this. <3<3<3 Here are some initial thoughts, and I would love to hear what other people think as well.

Cassian and Luthen both strike me as incredible forgers. They're super adept at reading people, and they have very flexible, intuitive relationships to identity. I feel like they could observe, impersonate, slip in and out of roles as needed, and seize very quickly on the most essential emotional/relational pressure points in any problem set in front of them. If you want to incept someone, you want a Cassian and/or Luthen there: someone who can read the emotional terrain and modulate their performance to become exactly the kind of figure who can leave you thinking something they suggested was your idea all along.

I think Cassian would also be a great extractor, for some similar reasons, as would Dedra, probably, if we're including the show's villains. They both have a sense of how and where to apply force to encourage people to reveal what's most important to them and of how to use the emotional power of larger events to their advantage (thinking about the different ways they both attempt to use the Rix Road funeral as an opportunity to extract a person of interest).

Kino and Kleya would both be stellar point people, I think. They're thorough, meticulous, competent, loyal - able to see the full scope of a process and get the right people and weapons to the right places. They might not have the same kind of theatrical imagination as Cassian or Luthen, but they have a terrifyingly sharp grip on how to make a team of people work together, where to direct energy and resources, and how to solve problems in a pinch.

Nemik and Melshi seem like architects to me. They're both idealists (in their different ways) who also have very pragmatic grasps of how systems of navigation and crowd control work (Nemik builds the model of the Aldhani garrison and handles navigation on the way out, and Melshi handles the demolition pragmatics on Scarif and sees right through the operations on Narkina). And they both seem like characters who would dive into dream architecture in particular: they strike that balance between understanding how a structure is put together in the real world and having the divergent urge to bend the laws of accepted physics to imagine something more daring and beautiful that could exist.

I'm less certain about chemists, but my first thoughts are Mon Mothma or Bix, for different reasons. Mon demonstrates that she has a sense for what levers need to be adjusted to influence people's patterns of thought and behavior, though not in quite as dramatic or improvisational a way as Luthen or Cassian: her interventions are subtle, intellectual, precisely calculated. And Bix is a mechanic and a salvage specialist. She knows how to spot substances of value and how to reformulate and recombine them in creative ways that will enhance their effect for particular audiences and purposes.

This was a very fun thought experiment!!! I hope folks will feel free to chime in with more possibilities.