#People joked about 100 Day Academy being just like DR but it's not actually like it. It's a whole different genre from what I know

[rubberduckyrye]

You ever see a post that you agree with and you wanna add on your own two cents but your brain is like "Hmmmm.... nah. I wanna watch House MD clips instead."

[raraeavesmoriendi]

note that I am 100% just thinking out loud to myself here

there’s this tendency I notice sometimes that like. people are very loudly Against bigotry, sexism, racism, etc. until it happens to someone/something they consider Immune to it

like. one example I recall vividly, there was this author who got p popular in a specific queer lit scene, held up as as a Much Needed New Voice

but on their social media I had seen them taking regular kind of potshots at like. people they considered to have “passing privilege,” aka people who are usually invisible in their communities to some degree.

which, like, okay, people sometimes say rude things without thinking, it happens.

but someone makes so many jokes about bisexuals with differently gendered partners when they aren’t bisexual themselves

or a lot of jokes about “why does the woman need the award for the doll movie”

and you kind of start to wonder if it’s really about punching up, yknow

so one day there’s this article about this famous person who came out and used “they” pronouns for a while, but then announced a while later that they got so frustrated with the way the media talked about them, they finally had to give up and tell people to use their agab pronouns again to save themself the headache

and this author, who again, I’ve seen widely admired in the queer genre where I hang out, makes a point to repost this with smth like “who cares. literally, why is this even news.”

but I couldn’t help but think, if even this rich, very privileged, insulated famous person feels like navigating being non-binary in public is exhausting and frustrating to the point they give up altogether —

what does it mean is acceptable for the rest of us who are not rich, privileged, or thus insulated? who don’t have this famous person’s resources for self-care or time, etc.?

if it’s acceptable towards a target that can ostensibly withstand it, what then makes it unacceptable to do to a target that can’t?

and when someone tried to point that out to this author, they just shrugged it off with “well fascists are actually killing people, so”

which they were and are, and that’s not something to lose sight of, especially now in the midst of multiple genocides and other attacks on the inherent humanity of people across the globe

but it’s that whole thing about something worse happening somewhere else doesn’t make less shitty things okay, I guess, because then when would we stop to solve anything

like. it’s not even about the doll movie winning anything, to be clear. it doesn’t need to win, it was a fun playful movie but there’s other historical precedent going on in the academy this year (the star of killers of the flower moon being the first native woman nominated in her category, IIRC)

and even then the academy isn’t really anyone’s first priority, with Everything IRL

but if even the big pop feminism 101 movie still had to deal with what seems like kind of a sexist decision, despite that being the center of the movie in bold neon letters

isn’t that worth commenting on, to a degree?

not recentering the world around it or dismissing other things, mind you, just discussing and acknowledging ‘hey, this is a p bad look?’ within reason?

and if it isn’t — will we make time to have that conversation for other works that don’t have as much marketing power or money behind them? the art and the people that are more easily overlooked?

I guess tl;dr — if we get into the habit of dismissing things we would normally find wrong, somehow, as unimportant/acceptable when it happens to seemingly big, unassailable things

will we still make sure we don’t dismiss it when it happens to the people who can’t defend themselves the same way?

idk, maybe I’m thinking about this backwards. ig I still think maybe systemic bullshit still sucks, even when it happens to something/someone who can shrug it off

idk, I know some posts have given it outsized importance and there’s bigger stuff going on

but I do think it kind of blows a bit that the conversation went so quickly from “hey why did this sole man get nominated for this film that dips into frustrations with the system we exist in under patriarchy, but not the woman that wrote it or the woman that starred in it, this seems kinda blatant ” to “why should this woman deserve an award for a pop feminism 101 tumblr post toy commercial lmao get real problems”

like. it felt like there was Almost a discussion there that that could’ve happened in its own right, and didn’t necessarily have to take importance or attention away from anything else.

but that is. Not the Internet’s Forte, so. another time, perhaps

[cherrymagik]

How tua tv show ruined hotel oblivion

Before I say anything: THIS IS IN NO WAY AN ATTACK TOWARDS ANYONE YOU ARE 100% FREE TO ENJOY WHATEVER CONTENT YOU WANT THIS IS JUST MY OPINION AND YOU ARE FREE TO DISAGREE (just don’t be an asshole abt and we’re good) also SPOILERS!!! for both tv show and comics

(a while back I saw a post by @fivehargreeves and i have since then been putting off this post bc i want to elaborate on it but i am too lazy and i know i never really post stuff here but this is something i feel really strongly abt especially after that s2 finale)

When I first read the umbrella academy comics one of the things I loved the most about was the world building. It was so crazy and weird (in a good way) and while I still loved the story and characters, for me the most fascinating part of them was the world. It was a world so much like ours, yet completely different and the little details in the background or those offhand mentions of aliens or other "weird" stuff made the tua world feel more alive and interesting. So obviously when n*tflix announced they were adapting the comics into a show i was thrilled. But when I watched it I was... disappointed to say the least :/

Ex. 1 The Umbrella Academy's debut- In the comics, the first time the world met the umbrella academy was when "the day Eiffel Tower went berserk" (literally)

It turns out the Eiffel Tower had been a spaceship all along establishing the first villain in the comics: Zombie Robot Gustave Eiffel. But the innthe tv show we get.... a bank robbery 😐 (not as impressive as the Eiffel Tower imo) THEY ARE SUPPOSED TO BE SUPERHEROES FOR GODS SAKE! Why are they fighting petty crime? Let them fight the Eiffel Tower you cowards!!!

Ex. 2 The Orchestra Verdammten- (@/fivehargreeves post talks specifically abt this issue and summarizes most of my thoughts so i will say very little on this point) In the comics the main antagonist for vol.1 was an orchestra made up of musicians who had gone crazy (for one reason or another) and gone missing after joining the Orchestra Verdammten. But once again the villain is replaced with something very common and might I say mediocre. This as we will see is a running thing in the show: make most of the elements that made the comics stand out and replace them with more common/normal elements.

Ex. 3 Watering down/changing most characters' powers- Would you believe me if I told you it was Klaus that stopped the moon from colliding with earth? No you wouldn’t because in the tv show his powers are so... useless. And he was not the only one who’s powers got watered down (even though he is one of the most notable examples)

Luther/Spaceboy: his powers remain the same (as far as we have seen) however I am detaching points bc i don’t like how his character arc was handled in the show

Diego/The Kraken: first of all WHY THE FUCK DO YOU THINK HES CALLED THE KRAKEN -A MARINE MONSTER- YOU IDIOTS???!!! but seriously, why did they ever think it was a good idea to ever change his powers? It takes away so much from his character! Diego’s power is breathing underwater not whatever object manipulation bullshit they gave him in the show. His powers have NOTHING to do with knife throwing yet he is still as good at it in the comics as in the show; he got that good just from practice. He obsessive with his goals and we don’t get to see that in the show bc they completely changed his powers!!! They just took part of The Séance's and gave them to him! (@/fivehargreeves also has another post on this so go check it out bc it’s better worded than mine)

Allison/The Rumor: Oh my god I could talk about her all day and how dirty they did her in the tv show!!! In the comics Allison has the power to alter REALITY ITSELF

see: (click images to view)

she manifested a whole ass statue to life! And in vol.2 (the Kennedy assassination one) she was the one that killed Kennedy! She made his head explode just by rumoring him. But noooooo they had to sideline her in s2 so they could pursue a side plot for 'wokeness points' (i am happy that they dealt with the racism she would most likely have faced in the 1960's BUT they took away ALL her protagonism in the comics and had her be a minor character) if it hadn’t been for Allison the world would have ended -> murdering Kennedy was the only way to save the world

Klaus/The Séance: ugh where do i start? Klaus is extremely powerful in the comics, like I said he was able to stop the moon from colliding with earth. Not only did they have his powers watered down, they also took away all his telekinetic abilities in the show. Also, the only way his powers can be blocked is when he’s wearing shoes not drugs (i also want to point out that the way his addiction is treated in the show is weird and sometimes even uncomfortable to me but that is another topic for another time). His ability to summon the dead are almost nothing like in the show as compared to the comics he is called The Séance you know but whatever where he not only does he speak TO the dead he can also MANIFEST them through him which was probably the most important factor in stopping Vanya/The White Violin in Apocalypse Suite + not giving him his EXTREMELY WELL DESERVED FAME!!! 😤 THE AUDACITY!!! (I have talked abt Klaus before on another post)

Number Five: I don’t have much to say about him except that he is a lot darker in the comics and not as loving about his family as they make him in the show *cough* shooting vanya in the head *cough* but for the most part.... he’s fine ig (my main problem is they make him idk? too playful(?) in s1 when he actually he is all dry humor and dark jokes)

Ben/The Horror: doesn’t really appear in the comics so nothing to say here

Vanya/The White Violin: not including her transformation in the show was cowardly and having her be manipulated by a man was uh kinda problematic if I may say so. We only ever see her use her powers in vol.1 since she was crippled by getting shot in the head at the end of it and hasn’t been able to do much since then. Her story has been completely changed in the show and i am still not completely sure i like it. Her dealing with trauma and coming to terms with her childhood are quickly brushed away and not really delved into as opposed to the comics where she is still trying to process it

Ex. 4 Technology- The World in the comics is a lot more sci-fi than in the show where it almost an exact copy of ours. For one: the chimpanzees. In the comics Pogo isn’t the only one, we can see a lot of others in the background

Also stuff like the televator or the hotel oblivion are never mentioned or alluded to in the show

Now to get to the main point of this post: IT IS IMPOSSIBLE AT THIS POINT THAT THE TV SHOW WILL BE ABLE TO FOLLOW HOTEL OBLIVION'S PLOT BECAUSE IT DEPENDS ON THERE BEING VILLAINS!!!

This are superhero comics! Maybe we don’t see them fighting all the villains that appear in hotel oblivion, but the fact is that they are there! They are part of the world and part of what makes it breathe and come alive on the pages. To paraphrase (albeit a VERY simplified paraphrase) Watchmen (don’t tell me it didn’t influence tua bc IT DID and i can prove it) 'if there are superheroes then there are villains' especially in a world where superpowers exist and technology is a lot more advanced than in watchmen where they were all normal people (with the exception of dr. manhattan). But by dumbing down the world in the show we are left with a flavorless setting that has no effect whatsoever on the plot (compared to the comics). Maybe some aspects like the Sparrow Academy will be included (I am kinda scared to think where they will go with it) but it won’t be Hotel Oblivion. In s1 I could point out where the comics had influenced the show, hell even in s2 you could see the comic's influence but... Hotel Oblivion? I don’t see any possibility of it getting to tv and that’s the truth

[introvertguide]

Tootsie (1982); AFI #69

The film under review is the 1982 comedy Tootsie, directed by Sydney Pollack and starring Dustin Hoffman. The film was nominated for 10 Academy Awards and was also inducted into the National Film Archives by the Library of Congress in 1998. I read over my notes about this film from when I watched it in 2014 and I didn’t think much of the film at the time, but I read Roger Ebert’s review and saw that it has very good Rotten Tomato and Metacritic scores so I figured I was just missing something. I watched it twice over the last couple of days and I think I feel the same as I did before. Bored. Here is a quick plot summary before we get to the breakdown:

SPOILER ALERT!!!

Michael Dorsey (Dustin Hoffman)  is a respected actor, but nobody in New York wants to hire him because he is a perfectionist and difficult to work with. After many months without a job, Michael hears of an opening on the popular daytime soap opera Southwest General from his friend and acting student Sandy Lester (Terri Garr), who tries out for the role of hospital administrator Emily Kimberly. In desperation for work, Michael impersonates a woman and, auditioning under the name "Dorothy Michaels", gets the part. Michael takes the job as a way to raise $8,000 to produce a play, written by his roommate Jeff Slater (Bill Murray), which will star himself and Sandy. Michael plays his character as a feisty feminist, which is not how the part is written, and quickly becomes a national sensation. 

Michael gets into his part a little too much and he finds himself trying on clothes at Sandy’s house. She catches him and he covers up by claiming he wants to have sex with her. Exacerbating matters further, he is attracted to one of his co-stars, Julie Nichols (played by Jessica Lange), a single mother in an unhealthy relationship with the show's amoral, sexist director, Ron Carlisle. At a party, when Michael (as himself) approaches Julie with a pick-up line that she had previously told Dorothy she would be receptive to, she throws a drink in his face. 

Michael becomes close with Julie when he is dressed up as Dorothy and he is invited to a weekend at her father’s house. Michael starts to really fall for Julie, but it is Julie’s father Les (Charles Durning) that falls for Dorothy and even tries to propose. Michael freaks out and goes to his agent George Fields (played by Director Sydney Pollack) to try and get him off of the show. George refuses because he has assisted Michael in getting the part and worries there will be blow back over the deceit. 

Sandy visits Michael, asking why he hasn't answered her calls.  Michael admits he's in love with another woman, and Sandy screams and breaks up with him. The tipping point comes when, due to Dorothy's popularity, the show's producers want to extend her contract for another year. Michael finds a clever way to extricate himself: when the cast is forced by a technical problem to perform an episode live, he improvises a grand speech on camera, pulls off his wig and reveals that he is actually Edward, the character's twin brother who took her place to avenge her. 

The revelation allows everybody a more-or-less graceful way out. Julie, however, is so outraged that she punches him in the stomach once the cameras have stopped rolling, before storming off. Some weeks later, Michael is moving forward with producing Jeff's play. He also gives Les back his ring, and Les tells Michael: "The only reason you're still living is because I never kissed you." Michael later waits for Julie outside the studio. She is reluctant to talk to him, but finally admits she misses Dorothy. Michael tells her, "I was a better man with you as a woman than I ever was with a woman as a man." She forgives him and they walk down the street. The end.

This might seem abrupt, but that is really the ending. There are so many plot lines that were left unexplored, but realistically they weren’t going anywhere so maybe the sudden ending was a benefit. But what happened to Sandy? She was screwed over by Michael for the whole movie and then her fate is left pretty much unresolved. What about the agent? I guess he was disgraced and kicked out of the business? The dad was really OK with being fooled into proposing by a guy who was trying to trick his daughter? The movie is very incomplete. 

A strange almost irony is how bad the score is in this film (very generic 80s busy music) and that the story has recently become a stage play. On the other hand, taking a good premise and stripping it down to just the characters and then adapting it to the stage has worked well with Broadway. 

One virtue of the film is the different approach to portraying gender roles. I was raised in the 80s but I have long since forgotten the idea that a relationship was considered a  joke if the people involved were of the same gender. Gay relationships of the 80s were portrayed on the big and small screen as comical, with the men being flaming and effeminate and the women being butch and mean. This film does not do that. There are some scenes of gay panic, but that is because the characters are being caught up in their lies. The message is to be who you really are and I don’t feel like there is judgment against a particular lifestyle beyond when it is false to the character’s true nature. 

I personally find the premise of this movie much more interesting than the actual film itself. I can imagine that “an actor who crosses gender to earn a part and learns a powerful lesson about gender roles” sounds good and there are a lot of jokes about a man learning the difficulty of being a woman. I also think there is a dangerously close tread towards implying that a man could do a better job being a woman than a woman can. However, it turns out to be more along the lines of women can be incredibly strong if they had the privilege and entitlements that men have. It was very progressive for the time. 

All of the actual female characters are played so weak and it is funny that this is the only place in which the movie actually won an Oscar (Best Supporting Actress for Jessica Lange). Terri Garr is especially weak and neurotic with her character being screwed over throughout the movie. It is really the only character that I have ever seen the actress play, so I don’t know if there was anything else that could have come from her. Jessica Lange finally gains enough confidence to step away from a comfortable but bad relationship, but she ends the film in a strange relationship with a guy that has been lying to her consistently the whole time she has known him. 

I have found as I have researched this film and actually rewatched it a couple of times that I really don’t like this movie beyond the premise and how novel it was for the time. The ending was awkward and the premise gag ran out of steam halfway through the film. So would I recommend it? Not really. The awkward gender bending was done better before in Some Like It Hot (1959) and after in Mrs. Doubtfire (1993), the challenge of switching gender roles was much better in Mr. Mom (1983), and the music was finally made tolerable in Tootsie the Musical. I would not recommend this film since it doesn’t hold up. Should it be on the AFI top 100? No. With movies like Dr. Zhivago dropped off the list, I don’t see why this one stayed on. It is a decent movie but the premise has been done better over and over again so it really does not stand up. At best, it was a reflection of how female roles were changing in society, but at worst it was a slightly funny single joke that ran for 2 hours. Really not something that deserves to be in the ranks of the greatest American movies. 

[moviechats]

First Reaction: Oscar Winners

Well another award season has come and gone. We started out bright and fresh, ready for what the season might hold for us. We’re now bitter, disappointed, and defeated knowing how it all ends. 

Let’s chat about my raw reaction after just finishing the train wreck of the Oscars. 

Let’s start with what I’m most disappointed about (you thought we’d start with the good stuff?? Got ya!) 

First of all, who didn’t vote for Glenn? WHO??? I want names!!

To be honest...I didn’t love “The Wife.” I wouldn’t watch it again. It was clearly a vehicle for Glenn Close to get an Oscar. She carried the whole film. But...I was totally 100% okay with that. I definitely wanted Glenn Close to get an Oscar, if nothing else as a symbol she should have won years ago. This seemed like the only safe bet (besides Marhershala, which I did start to doubt towards the end). So imagine my disappointment when she didn’t win. My gasp was deafening. I honestly went into such a deep depression when Glenn’s name wasn’t called that I didn’t even hear Olivia’s speech and barely watched the rest of the evening.

If this had been a different year, if Glenn hadn’t been nominated or they were both going after their first Oscar, I probably would have been okay with Olivia winning. She was fun to watch in the Favourite (a film I also won’t see again) and her slow descent throughout the film was interesting. But...I didn’t want this to be her year. Yes she was good and deserved the nomination. But she’s young and fairly new on the scene of major films. Glenn’s been around the block, she’s paid her dues and deserves the recognition. 

I’m seriously so upset about this. I’ll probably be depressed for the next few days. 

I guess I should balance this out with a part of the show I did like. 

The no host thing really played out well. I’ve been a champion of a host-less Oscars since, like, forever. Even before Kevin Hart was dismissed. It flowed well, even better than usual. There was no distraction with a host doing some stupid dance number and telling an awkward joke when we really just want to know who’s getting the first award. It didn’t go any quicker, but that’s fine with me. I expected to be there for four hours, as should everyone. This is the Oscars. It’s celebrating the best in film...all films....all aspects. It’s not going to be a short afternoon like the Indie Spirit Awards. This is the ultimate award show of the season. It’s the last time we’ll be celebrating these films before closing the chapter and moving on to next year’s crop. 

Let’s go back to what I hated.

Nothing will kill my soul harder than Glenn Close losing, but Spike Lee losing Best Director is a close second. Obviously Alfonso was the popular choice, having taken home basically every directing award this season (if not every one). But come on! Oscars are the time for upsets! Spike would have been the first African-American director to take home the trophy, in addition to his own personal record of never even being nominated before. I didn’t like Roma, and thoroughly enjoyed BlacKkKlansman, so the only real winner to me would be Spike. It had the makings of a perfect upset. The Academy really screwed me over, and I feel like all of them let me down. Every. Single. Person. 

I was overall happy with Rami wining Best Actor. Christian Bale was just as good, and I think if he’d done more press with the Academy, he may have beat out Rami. In an ideal world, they would have tied. I imagine Christian was a close second. 

Same goes for Regina and Mahershala. They were both decent. Not my personal choices to win, but I also don’t have any grudge against them either. For me, Regina’s win was more for her career as a whole than this particular role (which should have happened with Glenn!!). I love Mahershala but he’s already won recently, and I would have liked to see a first time winner (we could have had all first time winners this year). 

I am thrilled Spike won something, to me Screenplay is the most important award. Without words, what do you have? 

Also, something that kind of bothers me... Where was the cast of Bohemian Rhapsody? The only award show they were all actually at (that I can remember) was the BAFTA’s. I know Rami is the one nominated and technically it’s a movie about his character, but the rest of the cast was just as important. Couldn’t have Freddie without Queen. I know that’s not, like, a huge thing for most people, but it just kind of ticks me off. Justice for the Bohemian Rhapsody cast. 

I’m sure everyone’s like “okay this is great...but let’s talk Best Picture!” 

I have a complicated relationship. I really just wanted anything except Roma to win (Netflix films should not compete at the Oscars...try the Golden Globes) and I honestly didn’t think it was that spectacular compared to other films this year. So the fact anything else won is a little win for me. However, I would not have chosen Green Book. Yes, it starts out innocently enough and appears to be a pretty safe film about race relations. But given the recent controversies, especially regarding how Dr. Shirley was portrayed, it wasn’t the best choice for Best Picture. I, of course, would have loved to see BlacKkKlansman and to me it was the only one worthy of the Best Picture trophy. The backlash has already started, and I’m actually excited to see how this plays out. I hope some Academy voters explain themselves, because I’m disappointed in them. 

Welp. That’s it. I won’t say this is the end, because I’m sure you’ll be hearing some more from me about the disappointment of the Oscars. Stay tuned.

In the mean time, I’m already ready for next year’s buzz. Is it too early to start thinking about Oscars 2020? 

[enigmaticgale]

houshin engi 100 questions

ariana linked me this and as we all i know i physically cannot shut up about this series ever, so here we go

endgame spoilers below!! if anyone actually cares, lol

1. What is your name? inigo montoya. you kill my father. prepare to die. NO i’m yarrow but i can’t imagine anyone who reads this won’t already know that

2. When did you get into Houshin Engi? january 2012! so.... much later than everyone else i’ve met who’s already into it. i’m babby 3. Did you read it in Weekly Jump magazine? Or the tankoubons? Or both? i read the snoopycool scanlations on mangapark dot com. that probably wasn’t the original website but fuck if i can remember what it was 4. Do you own all 23 volumes? yeah, four times over lol. 5. Do you own Houshin Taizen? hell yeah 6. Do you have the special Houshin Taizen that came with Akamaru Jump? i hate that i know this is a thing now because i won’t rest until i add it to my collection  7.Do you want a Houshin Taizen 2 to come out? yeah put birthdays in it this time fujiryu you hack 8. Did you watch the anime? i’ve seen it twice but only remember one watch lol. i’ve seen the sub and i’ve probably watched the first two episodes 5 times in the dub trying to watch the whole series through. no dice. oh this is about the old anime. i’m only part of the way through the new one because my adhd kicks my ass daily

9. Did you tape record it? man when were these questions written lol. i don’t even know how old i was when the anime aired in the states. did it even air in the states 10. Give your honest opinion on the last episode. hey studio deen? what the fuck? the fuck was that? you bastards? 11. Do you own mp3s of the opening and ending songs? sure do!

12. Do you buy the soundtrack albums? i got both. and then the 2 character song cds. and then 3 of 4 drama cds 13. If you answered ‘yes’ to #12, what is your favourIte track? MAN that’s tough?? probably... chi-kou-go-itsu because when taikoubou is like “IKITERU” in the chorus i’m like. god it won’t let me upload an image here this website is BROKEN. i’m that one gif of that black woman crying and nodding and then she wipes away her tear

14. What Houshin Engi merchandise do you own? what don’t i own. i need to update that album actually 15. Have you ever bought any of the Senkaiden games? yeah i got both.  16. If you answered ‘yes’ to #15, which ones have you bought? i’ve considered buying a wonderswan so i can play them because god knows where the rom i found is but i can’t read jp for shit 18. Could you name all the characters in Houshin Engi? not off the top of my head in a list but if you showed me a picture there’s a 98% chance i’d be able to tell you who they are 19. Favourite male character(s)? youzen and taikoubou... my first fave was roushi. i also like fugen and shinkouhyou and kouyuuken “who’s kouyuuken” haha. he’s the longhaired shisei. yes yes, my tastes

20. Favourite female character(s)? yuukyou is my DORTOR, i love ryuuktisu and kibi too! also seiba.  21. Which is your favourite Taikoubou outfit? i don’t really have a preference! though if you made me pick it would probably be his first one. baby outfit

22. Your opinion on Youzen’s outfit during the fight against Jyoka? i’m emo over him wearing his daddy’s paopei but that’s more of necessity than of sentimentality huh 23. Your opinion on Fugen’s shoulder-revealing shirt? how does it stay ON!!!! 24. Have you ever imitated Dakki’s speech pattern? i’m a guy 25. If you could transform like Youzen, who would you turn into and what would you do? GOD DJESUS.... i’d make myself a foot taller. and also have blue hair. and cure my damn dysphoria . please i want this transformation ability so bad lol

26. Which act/chapter is your favourite? i love the whole manga but the sennin war arc gunches me the hardest 27. Which anime episode is your favourite? bold of you to assume that i remember enough about the anime to differentiate what happened in which episode 28. Which volume cover is your favourite? that’s hard!!!! ummm...... volume one. i like taikoubou 29. Which title — be it volume title, chapter title, or episode title — is your favourite? bold of you to assume i remember episode or volume titles. as for chapter title... there are a lot of great ones but one that always stood out to me is “Chuuoh, Son of Heaven”. idk why. i just like that aesthetic i guess. son of heaven

OH i also really like 141 and 142 which are “ A Blinding Light, A Deafening Silence, And Then...” “An Eternal Happiness” ^___T sennin war arc 30. Have you ever cried while reading Houshin Engi? bunchuu’s death gets me every time though my definition of “cry” is probably a bit. loose. my very first reread though, i had to get up from my computer and stop reading because i physically couldn’t see. musta been a day 31. Do you still buy the calendars? STOP TELLING ME ABOUT MERCH I DIDN’T KNOW ABOUT BECAUSE NOW I’LL HAVE TO BUY IT  32. If you answered ‘yes’ to #31, do you keep the old ones up? FUCKA YOU. yeah i’d display them somehow 33. What is your favourite quote, and who said it? “I learned the greatest courage is telling people my weakness. So I don't want to run anymore: not from you, not from myself!” by youzen. i also really like the line youzen has in the tournament arc where he says there’s no way he can lose because he has the powers of everyone he’s met but the quote i actually listed is more Feelsy 34. Do you have a favourite romantic pairing? hahahahahahahahahahahaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaa youbou. 35. Say anything you want about that favourite pairing? bold of you to expect coherency from me 36. Why are you into that pairing? nnMMBBmbmbbbb god i’m. gay. the tl;dr is i relate a lot to youzen and i love taikoubou a lot so it’s like self insert without the self insert lol. i’m really laying myself bare here in full sincerity 37. Have you thought of a perfect song for that pairing? What song, and by whom? yeah i gotta.... whole gotdamn playlist. please listen to it 38. Which houshined character do you want resurrected? here’s my postgame fic where everyone gets resurrected eventually. yes even all the rando youkai  39. Which character made you think “I’m glad s/he wasn’t houshined!”? probably..... youzen? or nataku. anyone who has a brush with death and then Wasn’t. 40. Which of the Konron 12 would you like to be scouted by? gyokutei!!!!!! 41. What are your reasons? *points at him* dad 42. Suupuushan, Kokutenko, Kokukirin. Who would you want to ride? kokutenko!!!! luv cat

43. Do you have any friends who like Houshin Engi? yeah!!! and i only had to bully a few of them into reading it. shocker 44. Who’s your favourite Jyuttenkun? kinkou seiba!!!  45. Did you like “Ennui Academy”? i want fujiryu to give me a full length ennui academy manga. this is only half a joke 46. What’s your favourite non-romantic pairing? BBBbbbb hmmm. i love yuukyou and her two dads and i also love youzen and gyokutei.... i’m suckerpunched by found family daily 47. Which do you like better; the Dakki Sisters or the Beautiful Sisters (Venus and Co.)? the dakki sisters  48. Do you want Roushi’s suit? depends on what i have to do to get it lol. but yeah i’m all about that lazy life 49. Name one paopei you want. i’m going to say all of them on account of being greedy and also bad at making decisions

50. What would you use it for? oh fuck. can’t make me go into work if i’m wrapped in rikukonhan’s void, right 51. Who is the strongest character, in your opinion? fukki if he’s got backup, jyoka if not 52. What is your reason? *points to the final volume* Observe 53. Which character makes you go, “I’ll never forgive him/her!!”? outenkun. basard 54. What colour do you like on Taikoubou’s hair? brown!!! my fave eye colour on him is green!! that wasn’t part of the question but i think that’s the cutest and best colour combo!!!!!! you can’t change my mind!!!!

i think fukki has black hair and blue/grey eyes. 55. Name a master-disciple combo you like. again, youzen and gyokutei suckerpunch me 58. Which is your favourite splash page? probably the very first one in chapter 1 cause i get all nostalgia over it. weh 59. Taikoubou + Outenkun = Fukki. Did you easily accept this fact? i wish i could tell you anything that i thought when i first read the manga but all my impressions are lost to time. i wish other people would remember that outenkun is a key part of the fukki equation and stop just treating him as taikoubou in a funny outfit lol. they’re different people, even if they’re similar....  60. Did the entrance of Fukki affect your opinion on Houshin Engi? again, i wish i could tell you, but 61. Do you think of Taikoubou, Fukki, and Outenkun as three separate people?

YES, AND YOU SHOULD TOO

62. Where on Taikoubou’s body do you think Outenkun’s paopei’s mark appeared? .....people talked about this? 63. Who would you want to be houshined by? dakki. if i have to die i want her to kill me, sexily. sorry for making you read those words 64. Who would do you want to houshin? outenkun but he’s off limits. ...i think anyone else i’d want to houshin already done and did it so 65. Which of Dakki’s many outfits is your favourite? bold of you to assume i keep track of them 66. Is Venus scary? no, she’s very cute!! shame on you!! 67. Which paopei made you go, “That’s terrible!!”? ay. uh. keiseigenjou is pretty spooky what with the “dakki uses this to mind control hundreds of thousands of people at once” 68. What is the colour of Chibi Youzen’s horns? dark dark brown imo 69. What cup size is Dakki? WHY AREY OU ASKING ME THIS-- oh it’s question 69. haha nice 70. Who’s your favourite Colourful Trio sennin? probably taiitsu! 71. Your opinion on the brand new sennin world? luv horai.... new home 72. What is Fukki’s hair colour in act 201? ....there was talk about this??  73. Ask yourself a question concerning Houshin Engi. can you ever stop fucking thinking about this manga 74. Your response to that question? no lol!!!!!  75. In your opinion, is Nentou in love with his half sister? in a completely innocent and platonic way, you fucking freaks! 76. Did the Sennin World War leave a deep mark on your heart? FUCK YEAH IT HURTS 77. Do you own any Houshin Engi doujinshis? oh yeah we got soup 78. Kichiku, hentai, yaoi, shounen-ai, general. Which doujinshi genre do you have the most of? shounen ai probably. i am, gay 79. Do you make Houshin Engi doujins? i would if i could, probably 80. If you answered ‘yes’ to #79, do you make doujins about couples? i would if i could!!  81. If you answered ‘yes’ to #79, the amount of Houshin Engi doujinshi circles is decreasing, but do you intend to continue yours? man what audience was this intended for 82. Who’s the easiest character to draw? youzen because he’s all i ever draw 83. Who’s the hardest character to draw? anyone who isn’t youzen 84. Have you ever done Houshin Engi cosplay? i wanted to cosplay roushi in high school but predictably never went through with the idea

85. If you answered ‘yes’ to #84, who have you cosplayed? man a lot of these could really be combined into one question huh 86. Does your website mainly have Houshin Engi in it? yeah cause it’s all i ever fucking think about 87. Is there a Houshin Engi fan you can’t forgive? Who and why? :) 88. What is Hanyoutai Youzen’s colour scheme? wh.... white hair, gold eyes, ???? hell if i know. bold of you to assume fujiryu would ever give a character a consistent colour scheme 89. If Nataku were to give you a ride, where would you want to go? nataku take me to court so i can get my legal name changed. idk?!? does this mean like in the sennin world?? anywhere Scenic

90. Which of Choukei’s outfits is the best? i’m longhairluvr69 but i think he looks cuter in his later outfit.... maybe if he’d kept his long hair and put it up in a bun?

91. Say anything about the most memorable scene in Houshin Engi. bold of you to assume i have a working memory 92. What do you think of the ending to Houshin Engi? I’M SAD. it’s a very satisfying ending though. 93. Have you imagined what happens after the series’ end? i got six years worth of headcanons for it, coming soon to a theatre near you 94. If you answered ‘yes’ to #93, give more detail. NO I’M TIRED. just read my fic 

95. Have you read Parallel World Houshin Engi? what, Another Story? yeah i’ve read it. 96. Do you own “Dramatic Irony”? yeah! milk junkie sure was a story, wasn’t it. 97. The series has ended, but is your love for the series still going strong? i will be on my deathbed still talking about this manga 98. Do you really think Fukki has nothing left to do in the end? well, he’s finished everything he Needs to do, but there’s a whole wide world left for him to explore!  99. Say anything you want about Fujiryuu. fujiryu i AM coming to japan and we WILL duel in an arby’s parking lot at 3am. there will only be one survivor

full seriousness i am alive and happy today because of fujiryu so if i ever do meet him irl i’d probably just start crying lol. 100. Any last words? read houshin engi!!!!

[consciousowl]

What Makes a Super-Achiever Break Down All Walls

You will find two kinds of super-achievers:

1) Those who become world-class in a particular field, breaking all records, doing what no one else has ever done,

2) Those who succeed at every objective they set out to achieve, including being an awesome human being.

You may have dreamt at one time or another of being one kind, or the other: A Steve Jobs who invented the iMac and the iPhone and irreversibly transformed six industries, as dysfunctional as he might have been, or a Richard Branson, who created 300 companies, has his own private island, is out to make a difference in the world, while making life a blast for everyone he touches.

You never imagined you could be like either of them.  Yes, you can!  In your own way, in your own world.​

Are You the Next Super-Achiever?

A super-achiever is in the Top 1%, of every size, shape and color. Gandhi was a shy, awkward young Indian who studied law in London only to get thrown out of a train in South Africa. Fifty years later, Gandhi brought down the British Empire. Helen Keller became deaf and blind shortly after her birth, only to end up humanity’s greatest spokesperson.

Super-Achievers are color blind. When I was born, Black people “knew their place” in American society. Now Black people lead in sports and in all the performing arts, as well as taking the highest office in the land. Malcolm X was thrown in jail for robbery, and through his insolence went into Solitary Confinement. In such a condition, Elijah Muhammad reached out to him, transforming him into a modern-day prophet who made the Black Muslims a household word.

Age is no problem. Colonel Sanders began his global chain of chicken stores with a simple recipe after he passed 65 as a retirement activity. Swami A.C. Bhakti Vedanta came to America in his 60’s with less than $100 in his pocket. He made the Krishna People stars of a whole new generation of Americans, and went on to build dozens of temples throughout the world.​

Do Achievers Believe In Walls?

The primary difference between you and me and the greatest super-achievers is that they know that walls are never really “out there,” they lie only in our heads. They consider walls a self-defeating concept which they refuse to entertain, whereas you and me all too often believe in the walls, that they are in any way real.

Walls are unexamined, unconscious beliefs. I don’t have what it takes to succeed. I don’t deserve to be totally happy. I am not enough to make a difference in the real world. There isn’t enough love to go around in the world. I better look out there for approval. If someone continually doles out heavy criticism, then they must surely care about me and wish me the best.

Louis Gossett, Jr. played against Richard Gere in An Officer and a Gentleman, winning an Oscar for Best Supporting Actor. When interviewed by the press, Louis, speaking for people of color, remarked that when he read the screenplay, he didn’t think of a Black drill sergeant, just a drill sergeant. Louis happened to be a Black actor, and committed to morphing into the best drill sergeant the public ever saw.

Achiever Personality: Choose to Be YOU!

What super-achievers have in common is the inclination to be their own best friend, to make the most of what they have. They are far too busy to spend time bemoaning their fate or agonizing over their limitations. Grandma Moses was widely acknowledged as a great painter at 100 years of age!

Super-achievers root shamelessly for themselves. When the Presidential race comes, they will vote for themselves, even if not a single other person joins them. When Muhammad Ali prepped to be the greatest heavyweight boxer the world has ever known, he psyched out his competition and the press by constantly maintaining that he was the greatest. It all seemed so vain… until he won!

The inspirational movie classic, The Right Stuff, had Scott Carpenter as the wannabe among the original team of Mercury astronauts. Scott had a silly joke that he would tell his wife and drinking buddies: “Who is the greatest pilot you ever did see? ...You’re looking at him.”  By the end of the movie, long after Alan Shepard and John Glenn’s highly publicized flights, Scott actually became the last Mercury astronaut, flying further and faster than any pilot who ever lived.​

Free Super-Achiever Class

Join this FREE class today! Click to learn more...

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Befriend Your Mind

Super-achievers appreciate their minds as powerful instruments that they can master. Their minds are a survival tool whose function is to keep them in the game. They recognize the mind is quite literal and thinks only in pictures. They respect their minds and refuse to dump garbage on them.

As the infamous computer saying puts it, “Garbage in… garbage out.”

The Law of Command reminds us, “Say only what you want. If you don’t want it, don’t say it.” You may say to yourself, “I hate my job. I can’t stand it. If I go in one more day, I think I will die.” This is an open invitation to your mind to make you desperately sick with the latest flu epidemic. That way, you may die in bed, but not at work!

Super-achievers continually choose between comfort and power. High-performance requires a willingness to think and act outside the box, to go way beyond your comfort zone. You can rewire your brain to associate pleasure with breakthrough success and pain with monotonous regularity. Tony Robbins pioneered the way with Neuro-Linguistic Programming, and the recent science of neuroplasticity has sanctioned it scientifically.

Mobilize Your Mind

While super-achievers genuinely like themselves and others, they never become self-satisfied. They are highly disciplined and totally committed to continuous and never-ending improvement. No less than George Lucas of Star War’s fame was chosen to give a Special Academy Award to Akira Kurosawa, who opened the entire world to Samurai movies with Rashomon. Lucas acknowledged Kurosawa, then in his last years, for never resting in his laurels, but continuously advancing the craft of filmmaking.

Knowing that the mind will always give you what you say you want, super-achievers put their brains to work by programming them, by continuously conditioning them. They will do whatever it takes to develop the mindset of a winner. They will not only continually exercise to keep physically in shape, they will also maintain an inner practice of observing their thoughts to gradually calm down the monkey mind.

Super-achievers make it their business to put passion and purpose together. They realize that we all have a mission, a vision and a message to offer the world, and they place a premium on discovering what that is. For many people, it may mean taking a year off after college and traveling around the world. They don’t take their talents and fascinations for granted. They are no strangers to books like Richard Bolles’ What Color Is Your Parachute?

Be a Super-Achiever in Your Own World

A great rabbi once advised his disciple, “You are not called to be Moses. You are called to be David. So be the best David you possibly can.”  Your goal in the fall of your life can be to triumphantly say to yourself and your loved ones, “I am the man / woman I have always wanted to be.”  Perhaps that is what Frank Sinatra meant when he sang, “I did it my way!”

Open yourself to endless possibilities by reminding yourself daily - “I am the man / woman I have always wanted to be.”

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You can be a super-achiever in your own world. That may or may not be THE BIG WORLD “out there.” We all drop stones into the pond and create ripples. Before long, they reach the other side. You can be in any condition in life, from a beautiful coed in a prestigious school to an aging exec temporarily laid up in a hospital bed. It doesn’t matter. You still have a job to do… to be 100%, even 1000%, YOU!

You are inherently divine, even when you vehemently deny it. This is what all those mystical traditions have been telling us since the dawn of history. Yes, you’re an animal, you’re a human, but you are also divine. As Dr. Deepak Chopra put it, divinity is hardwired into our brains.​

You know that you can be mean, selfish and petty. So what? God can be mean, selfish and petty… when He is expressing Himself through you. Yet nothing you think, say or do can erase His glory in you. So get to work forgiving yourself and lighting up your own world, the world He gave you to transform.​

To Be An Achiever Compromise No More!

Sometimes we all need someone to handhold us or spank us in order to switch gears. Marissa Peer is Great Britain’s greatest therapist, treating royalty, billionaires, Olympic athletes and movie stars. Out of this experience, she developed astounding insights and a rapid means of transformation and profound inner change. Marissa decided to distill her best insights, and put it all in an easily digestible form.

For example, Marissa found that what drives the 1% who don’t succeed in every area of their life, for example, a rock star who is wretched with his relationships, is the feeling “I am not enough… I better continually prove myself to the public, or they will see through my act and discover I am a total sham.”​

Marissa helps these talented people to discover that they really are beautiful inside, but they have been haunted by a vast store of negative energy and images from childhood. She makes the therapeutic injunction at the right time and place, reminding them, “YOU ARE ENOUGH.” You are magnificent just as you are.

When everyone actually gets this, their lives start coming together in magical ways. Check her out and see for yourself… by clicking on the image below.

What Makes a Super-Achiever Break Down All Walls appeared first on http://consciousowl.com.

[raceandspeculation]

Ripley the Hero

Zakary Kelley Dr. Smalls February 21, 2017 English 3690

Ripley the Hero

Ripley, the main protagonist and ultimate savior of the “Alien” franchise is a character the first of her kind. After watching the movies something that became apparent to me early on was the skepticism that is show towards Ripley (especially in the earlier movies), and her ability to not let her gender affect her getting things done despite others. She is second-guessed a fair amount and becomes a nuisance to ulterior motives that exist throughout the movie. For the time period seeing a female character as strong as her is very intriguing and long due. She breaks gender roles while still maintaining her femininity. There are a few key situations in the first two movies of the franchise that signify her as a hero and what she is capable of. In these situations we see; she as a character is the perfect mix of femininity (as seen in her motherly tendencies in the early movies) and being a character that transcends her gender and does not let it hinder her. Her treatment of Jonies and Newt in the first two movies exemplifies her as a women and her character identity. We see indications of how people are quick to second-guess her in both movies and how if people were to listen to Ripley many events could have either gone better or could have been avoided all together. Ripley is a strong female character that exudes femininity but at the same time is the badass hero that we are accustomed to seeing in movies such as these.

          Ripley possesses motherly tendencies throughout the first two films and they’re embodied through Jonsey and Newt. She risks her life for the sake of this cat and little girl and it really shows just who Ripley really is as a women and hero. In Amy Taubin’s essay The Alien Trilogy: From Feminism to Aids the motherly tendencies of Ripley are mentioned,” In terms of Ripley’s character, the trilogy works better when Ripley’s maternal desire develops gradually on screen rather than being realized in the back story. In the first film, she’s the career woman whose nurturing impulses are invested in her cat. In the second, she becomes the adoptive mother of Newt. In the third, having lost Newt, and with her biological clock running out, she discovers she’s pregnant – with an alien.” (Taubin 95) At the end of the day Ripley is a mother not just to her actual daughter (who is dead after Ripley’s rest in the hyperspace) but too these three characters. In the first movie Ripley’s care for her cat Jonsey ends up just being a taste of how strong her motherly tendencies are even though it may be the most revealing. Most people would not risk their lives for their animal in any case. People see their lives more important but not Ripley. She has the strong motherly notion to protect and protect she does. The level of care and selflessness that someone has to have inside of them to save a cat, risking life and limb is unheard of and really it really sets who Ripley is deep down inside. It’s her relationship with Newt in the second film that exposes fully her motherly tendencies. She sees Newt as her daughter and the lengths that she goes to save her throughout the film is breathtaking. From when they are locked in the medical unit with the aliens by Burke, to the very end where Ripley goes head on into the Mother Alien’s den to save Newt.  

These instances show just how motherly Ripley is but also just how strong a female she is. Her character just isn’t some generic cookie-cutter guy who saves the hot damsel in distress, but a strong woman who saves the ones who can’t defend for themselves. One last motherly instance that I feel is overlooked is her ultimate forgiveness of androids, in the first film she is pretty much screwed over by an android and it cost everyone their lives besides her own. She has no reason to ever consider trusting an android again regardless of what model they are or what their success rate is. But ultimately her motherly tendencies kick in and she lets herself trust an android. Instead of endangering her life the android played a major part in the ultimate escape, and even risked his own artificial life so that Ripley could defeat the Alien at the end of the second film. Her being able to forgive and lend trust to the android brings the idea that she is a natural mother full circle. Her motherly tendencies even almost kill her several times it also saves her, she could have tried to take things all on her own and she would have most likely perished for it. Ridley is a first in this genre and this is reinforced in an Article written for TheGuardian.com” by Xan Brooks when it is stated,” Before Ripley, the horror movie was a more ordered place. Here was a happy hunting ground in which young, sexually active women were there to be punished and the abiding image of motherhood was provided by mummified Mrs Bates in Alfred Hitchcock’s Psycho. Alien took a tired landscape and shook it up.” (Xan)  She is a strong feministic hero, with motherly tendencies unseen in heroes in films such as these. Ripley changed the genre, by making female characters in films such as these not just a sexualized joke. She adds seriousness to a genre plagued by masculinity and shows that a woman can also be the hero. Without Ripley who knows how long it would have taken to have a true strong female protagonist, who puts the situation on her shoulders and saves the day.  Ripley is the perfect mix of what it means to be a strong female hero; she retains her motherly tendencies but also shows that not just men can save the day.

Ripley’s ability to get out of danger and fight back is not only impressive and unheard of (for a female character of her time) but fully envelops her into a true hero.  There are a few instances in the first two movies that truly show how strong of a hero she is. The ending sequence of the first movie is in my opinion the finest moment of heroine. Her taking out the alien once and for all cemented her as a true hero and viable adversary for the aliens. Just like any other hero she’s tough and is able to think quickly despite the odds. She has a full hero package and her being a women is just the thing that wraps up her being so transcendent for the role. Her being able to take out a creature like the Alien is a feat in heroic acts. I believe that the alien is so much of a force against the feeble bodies of human beings that her being able to kill multiple is more than impressive. The impact that the alien had was described in an article by Pamela Gibson where it is stated,” This particular alien has an extraordinary fascination for audiences and academy alike. It can be understood as “monster from the Id,” manifestation of sexual terrors, reflection of xenophobic fears, or as this essay suggest, all of these and more, tied to the structures of power- the monstrous.”(Gibson 37) The alien is serious in the eyes of the viewer and seeing a woman such as Ripley slay several aliens is groundbreaking. The alien being such a dangerous threat makes her that much braver and stronger, not just to herself but to the viewer as well. Her actions in the second film only fuel the idea that Ripley is a true hero and not someone to be taken lightly. There are two instances that stand out the most in the second film. The first is the whole sequence of losing Newt and Ripley ultimately saving her. Her reaction to losing Newt again displays her motherly tendencies but shows her true hero. Fighting all the way through hell and back to save Newt, Ripley again is able to take out several aliens making her have an ultimate hero’s presence. The second scene is discussed by Taubin in her article and I do not agree with the statements that she makes about said scene.” However thrilling the entrance of Ripley in the power loader (she’s transformed into a cyborg), the image is immediately tarnished by the obviousness of her line, ‘Get away from her, you bitch’, addressed to the alien who’s about to do something terrible to the cowering Newt.”(Taubin 95) I believe that her saying the line fits the story and her character perfectly. It has already been established that she already views Newt as her daughter now and her saying that line furthers that notion. She is a female hero with all the traits of being tough and brave, but her being a woman lends to her being motherly even in the direst of situations. Her character needed a line like this and I do not see how anything was tarnished.

Ripley is a perfect concoction for a female hero; her ability to face the odds head on, too her strong motherly nature, she is what a female hero should be. Sigourney Weaver portrayed a strong female character that didn’t let her gender decide her placement in the movies.

Word Count: 1669

Works Cited:

Taubin, Amy. “The Alien Trilogy: From Feminism to AIDS.” Women and Film: A Sight and Sound Reader. Edited by Pam Cook and Philip Dodd, Temple University Press, 1993, 93-100. (e-reserve) 18 Feb. 2017.

Gibson, Pamela C. “‘You’ve Been in My Life So Long I Can’t Remember Anything Else’: Into the Labyrinth with Ripley and the Alien.” Keyframes: Popular Cinema and Cultural Studies. Edited by Matthew Tinkcom and Amy Villarejo, Routledge, 2001, 35-51 (e-reserve). 18 Feb. 2017.

Brooks, Xan “ The first action heroine” https://www.theguardian.com/film/2009/oct/13/ridley-scott-alien-ripley, 2009, October 12