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ayankun · 5 years ago

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Ok, if you haven’t already (I say this to be polite, I know you haven’t) go put your eyes on this episode synopsis first. Why? Because it’s a good time. But mostly because I want you to be tangentially familiar with certain topics so I can better explain what happened to my brain while watching this one.

oh, right, this post is a synopsis of the VR Troopers episode 2x13 “Kaitlin Through the Looking Glass” btw

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Now that you’ve got this far, here’s some housekeeping before we start:

I watched this show sporadically as a kid and have very fond memories of it “being better than Power Rangers” but really didn’t know anything about it at the time. I am watching it as an adult partly due to nostalgia but mostly because I genuinely enjoy it. Not necessarily because of the reasons they intended, but, you know.

As an adult, with a different understanding of the world than when I was seven, I willfully misconstrue the main characters as being in a polyamorous relationship. OT3 baybee

On a similar tangent, Ryan “Trooper TRANSform” Steele is obviously trans. (transgent??)

Hell, maybe they all are. The more the merrier amirite.

They all call the Professor “Puhfessor,” so I will, too.

Still with me? Let’s begin.

(first up, though, the title sequence is over a minute long, when really they only needed like, maybe 15 seconds to get the point across. there is also a ton of footage used that portrays events that never occur and also the song is not catchy enough to warrant any of this and I love it)

So in Ryan’s flashback intro, he muses about how, as a kid, he felt the need to prove himself. He expresses this to his dad by asking when he’ll get a black belt, and his dad is a good supportive dad who tells him:

“It’s not the belt that’s important, son,”

Ryan’s dad says trans rights.

Ryan’s VO goes on to say "My dad taught me that it’s not outward appearances that really count, and that was an important lesson that would come in handy time and time again.”

Ryan really loves memories of his dad.

Which I think is a sweet lesson to learn when you’re young and other youngs (and olds) are going to give you crap about how you look, but it’s also hilariously phrased considering how superficial the concept of “outward appearances” is to this episode.

So we jump into things down at the ... Voice Underground Daily idk what the newspaper is called, I’m just trying to read the sign on the wall tbh. We’re at Kaitlin’s place of business, and Woody (I think his name is Woody LOLOL how many episodes have I seen) shows Kaitlin this front page article which appears to have the headline:

ZIKTOR DEFEATED AT CITY HALL -- NO TOXIC WASTE DUMPING AT CROSS WORLD PARK

Ok, a couple of things.

Kaitlin and Percy are just ... chilling out at the copy machine like they’re friends and this is where the cool kids hang out.

Which can’t possibly be true because the actual cool kids are there in the back, just reading newspapers like Actual Cool Kids do.

They’re an indie paper, right? How can they afford to print headlines that verbose? ... Or full color glossy, for that matter

THEY ACCIDENTALLY PLAYED THIS LIKE THEY WERE EXCITED ABOUT THE NEWS ITSELF AND NOT ABOUT KAITLIN DOING A GOOD JOB ON AN IMPORTANT FRONT PAGE PIECE

Environmentalism was No Joke in kids’ media in the 90s. I specifically remember learning the word “toxic” from a Power Rangers episode where Billy tested the lake water. I literally had to look it up.

and they say you can’t learn nuffink from tv

Anyway, part of the excitement is that this article is the follow up to an expose of Ziktor, also authored by Kaitlin, which inspired the city officials to veto his waste-dumping proposal. So we’re proud of Kaitlin for doing a good job at journalism and for protecting the world!

JB does what JB does best and attempts to arrange a date.

The line is, ��Hey, let’s celebrate!�� With lunch! At Hamburger Hutch” but I guess someone at Netflix got lazy for a second.

I forgot to mention, in my HC he’s our token ace (as my favorites often are), so he tends to go overboard with the romance. You don’t have to compensate for anything, JB!

Kaitlin appreciates the gesture.

But then Woody interjects and I let my adult sense of humor get the better of me...

come on, the man’s name is Woody I can’t be the only one with my mind in the gutter can I

Also the line is “I don’t want you boys filling up my star reporter” so what am I supposed to thINK

--WITH JUNK FOOD. Dodged an FCC bullet there.

So I just now gave it 2 seconds thought and the discrepancies with the subtitles probably have something to do with the expectation that children would be watching this show and can’t read that fast. BOY DO I NOT FIT THE DEMOGRAPHIC

Ok well.

Where Woody’s going with this is that he wants to impose a health shake on Kaitlin for godknowswhy. But it’s all good because as he todders off to get started on what will surely be a monstrosity, we get this ADORABLE moment where Kaitlin tries to get JB to come to her rescue.

She just runs up and grabs him. I’m all a-flutter.

But JB is of no help. Instead, he calls dibs on her fries.

There’s a weird, under-baked joke going on here that seems to be rooted in the idea that if one is dieting then others benefit from this self-sacrifice by gleefully picking up the slack? Anyway Kaitlin’s not on a diet? This vitamin shake angle literally came out of nowhere? Is against her will???

Just one burger, please. Protein style :<

et tu, Jeb??

Anyway, this weird exchange just passes the time to get Woody all set up. He turns on the blender and THE WHOLE WORLD STARTS SHAKING.

Percy runs over to be the hero, demanding Woody turn the blender off, while everyone else just rumbles around looking distraught and not practicing anything resembling safe earthquake response. Percy manages to get a hold of the blender, lifting it off the counter, and -- you guessed it -- the lid comes off and purreed-carrot-baby-food-looking goop gets all over his nerdy white button up.

The shaking stops. Percy’s very proud of himself (and disdainful of the others who didn’t come to his heroic conclusion). End scene.

I’ll be real. At this juncture, literally thought that the blender HAD caused a natural disaster, and it was just a wacky 90s gag that went on for far too long.

More on this story as it develops. We’re moving on.

How many cities in the world do you think have ominous buildings in them that aren’t secret headquarters for supervillains?

Our good buddy Karl Ziktor is reading -- wait for it -- Kaitlin’s article. It has a headline so long they had to dedicate the full front page for it. I’m pretty sure that’s not how newspapers are commonly formatted.

That is literally just a couple of newspaper clippings taped to a big piece of paper.

Oh he’s mad. He tells Juliet all about his evil plan for revenge, which is to “steal her virtual image and create a second Kaitlin Starr [that serves him]”.

Same, Juliet.

Off that yikes, a henchwoman comes in to appraise Ziktor of the status of phase one, which is underway. A so-called Stingbot is “in the basement of the Underground Voice” so that’s what the paper’s name is, anyway.

Anyway so Stingbot was the one responsible for the earlier tremors. And, yeah, I mean I know they were new cobbling stories together from old footage, but What The Hell do “sting” and “earthquake” and “outward appearances” have in common?

And that is how a Stingbot do.

My question is partially answered, in that Stingbot’s earthquakes are a distraction so that some skugs can plant the “Virtual Mirror Transmitter” on Kaitlin, which is the nefarious device that will create the aforementioned Kaitlin-2. Bold of him to assume that just because Kaitlin’s a woman that she 1) carries a purse 2) stores a mini pink mirror in the purse 3) will look at herself in the mirror unprovoked.

It’s such a wildly twentieth-century concept. Here in good ol’ 2020, I, for one, have not looked in a mirror in months.

Ugh more gross than this use of outdated stereotypes is this weird tongue thing Ziktor does while almost literally salivating after his upcoming revenge. You’ll have to go see it for yourself, I’m not going to watch it again to cap it.

(This guy gives his 200% to this role, though. What a legend. RIP Gardner Baldwin)

So Ziktor blue-skadoos into his virtual stronghold and gets an update from his generals. There’s this new guy that I’ve already also forgotten the name, and since he has a human face, there’s a lot of awkward cuts between him and his Japanese counterpart in the footage that’s already ten years old at the time. It probably looked great. I was an adult before I found out that Rita Repulsa was the original Japanese actress in the original dubbed Japanese footage.

Anyway, he looks great.

I think I read that for season 2 they had access to and/or recreated the costumes used in/matching the source material, so there’s a noticeable uptick in cool-looking sets with American actors wearing cool-looking costumes, like this one.

You said it.

That’s about it for this scene, but before we go to commercials, Grimlord says this nonsense: “I will destroy Kaitlin Starr with the one weapon she cannot defend against -- herself.”

Confirmed: Kaitlin is a deadlier weapon than, say, a homing missile. (she can defend herself from those)

Ok we’re back at the Underground Voice and there’s still an earthquake going on. Also, and let me tell you this with a large amount of regret of my life-choices, I’ve been sitting here for just about two hours and we are only five minutes into the episode (and that includes the minute long opening credits.)

Let’s roll!

JB gets off the phone with who knows who, having learned that there’s no earthquake registering anywhere, it’s a localized mysterious incident. Ryan recommends they clear the building “just to be safe.” My boy, why wasn’t that everyone’s first thought? Are they really just standing around waiting to be told? We had drills for this for a reason!

(Actually, I’m not sure where Cross World City is located. Maybe they’re not on a fault line and do not actually do drills)

In any case, there’s a brief PSA where Woody wants to collect his valuables to take with him, and everyone has to inform him that that’s ill-advised behavior in an evacuation scenario.

He responds in classic Woody nonsense, by putting on a captain’s hat and insisting he’ll go down with his ship. AND OUR BOY JB SAYS

He’s still thinking about that date.

LOOK. There’s no rule that says asexuals can’t make dirty jokes. Because we can and do. Let me have this.

So our heroes herd everyone out of the building and then stay behind to call the Puhfessor. Just as they get him on the computer, the earthquake stops.

It’s not all good news, though. The Puhfessor taps into some kind of impossible CC feed and they watch Stingbot undermining the structural integrity of the building. Stingbot, by the way, has one of those creepy child laughs that is insane. It’s so good.

Ryan decides to check out the basement himself while Kaitlin and JB keep everyone else outside. He finds some creepy janitors down there, and they head on up like creeps normal janitors.

Maybe they were just hotboxing down there.

Stingbot’s also in the basement! Who knows what he was doing down there, because

Murder hornet, colorized, 2020

Which is a weird thing to say until you remember the slight, throwaway “yummy!” he says earlier while drilling into the building. I had forgotten it in the 40 seconds it took for me to get from that moment to here.

Ryan insults Stingbot’s outward appearance, which is odd because I thought he learned that lesson as a kid. Either way, it’s time to

WE ARE V R

Only to spend about half a second on recycled footage just to have Stingbot go “lol, later loser.” Because those perfectly normal janitors are upstairs swapping Kaitlin’s purse mirror with the evil thing.

Can you imagine trying to pull a stunt like this today?

Outside, things have calmed down enough that JB thinks Ryan’s got it under control. He’s gonna go back in “to see if the building’s safe enough to reenter.” I know he knows it’s not a real earthquake, but also I don’t think I’d trust a non-professional to assess my office’s structural integrity.

Kaitlin’s going to join him, which causes Percy to pipe up, Pavlovianly ... just to chicken out and stay put. GOOD JOB PERCY. USING YOUR HEAD FOR ONCE I SEE.

(kids, don’t volunteer to check that a building is safe after an incident where its safety may be in question. it is not cowardly to leave it to Someone Who Knows What They’re Doing)

So JB and Kaitlin come back in to find the Normal Janitors shadily stealing a floppy disk from Kaitlin’s desk. (kids, a floppy disk is a real object that looks a lot like the “save” icon) BUT OF COURSE THEY’RE SKUGS SO JB AND KAITLIN HAVE TO THROW DOWN.

Let’s just say there’s a good thing they have an earthquake to blame all this property damage on.

JB’s a little snippy.

All he wanted was to go to lunch with his girlfriend and boyfriend.

The gold skugs do their fusion dance thing and turn into the oni-mask skug variant, which I’m assuming is a constraint of these later episodes where they used footage from a show that did not have the gold ones in.

FLIRTY BATTLEFIELD BANTER UGH I SHIP IT

Once that’s handled, we find out what Ryan’s been up to in the basement by himself this whole time.

Um. I’m not touching that one with a 10-foot ... wait.

Ohhhh

Ryan heads back up and swaps notes with JB and Kaitlin. Stingbot said that its work was done, so what exactly was it trying to accomplish? Ryan then runs from there outside to check on everyone else.

Kaitlin then decides she needs to freshen up, which is something I don’t recall her ever needing or wanting to do after any other natural disaster/fight portrayed on this show.

But look how cute they are with their mutual post-fight shoulder-pat. JB even gives her this cute little look as she darts off. He is smitten.

He is smote.

Kaitlin gets her mirror out of her purse, as planned, and checks herself out. You know. Like how woman do.

She gets it.

This is it! Grimlord’s chance to strike! He will have his revenge, Juliet, just you wait!

for great justice

We are treated to a brief bit of delightful 80s Japanese sci-fi, all flashing lights and chonky beep boop buttons. It works! A tastefully gendered laser light shoots out of Kaitlin’s mirror and STEALS HER FACE OFF HER FACE

FACE/OFF

The experience seems highly unpleasant, but she’s mostly ok...

But wait, who’s this ...

It’s not really the Mirror Universe unless someone gets a goatee.

Kaitlin’s freaked out, but we don’t have time to see her process what it was that just happened. More beep boop 80s lights (seizure warning much), and the virtual replica Kaitlin is 3D printed in Grimlord’s lair.

lol he’s got a play date

So this Kaitlin is the same exact person as real Kaitlin, with one major difference.

So this got dark, right? This is different from that time they cloned Ryan, because that was just a DNA clone man baby with evil sunglasses; this is actually Kaitlin, the person, just with some programming differences, who’s gonna go back out there and hurt her boys herself.

Needless to say, Grimlord is delighted.

Check out that disgruntled wall snake, tho. “I thought I was your lovely child”

Now Grimlord’s plan is to send Kaitlin into the wild with a device called the “fissicator” which is a “sTUn ray!!” (you have to hear him say it, it’s so good) as well as a thing that will reprogram the Trooper’s “contact disk.”

I didn’t mention it earlier, but that’s the disk that the janitors skugs were trying to steal, and it was also how Kaitlin called up the Puhfessor on her work computer. I’m pretty sure we’ve never seen it before and we never see it again. It’s Not A Thing.

So Kaitlin goes to Tao’s, where Ryan’s just chilling there by himself. I guess everyone was okay after the earthquake, then. (It is unclear how much time has passed) Maybe it’s been hundreds of years, because Ryan acts like he’s not sure who she is.

Wait, hold on. I did NOT pay close enough attention the first time, but -- either it’s much later the same day and/or they missed a scene. They’re still wearing the same clothes ... and Ryan says he thought she was heading (back?) to the paper ... and then she says ....

Ryan.exe has stopped executing

Wait so WHAT. What workout. We have not been to Tao’s yet this episode. ???

It’s really just a ruse to get Ryan to fight her, though. But also. Why need ruse? Evil clone? Just attack tho, right?

But also no NO. DONT attack. We’ve already seen JB be beat up by his evil clone boyfriend. It’s rough. (spoiler alert, this one’s gonna be rough, too)

So Ryan tries to let her down easy by saying he doesn’t have time -- and I can’t tell with this video quality, but I don’t think he’s wearing a watch but he does the “look at wrist” technique and it’s p good.

Kaitlin-2 refuses to be let down easy.

Them’s fightin words

Ryan ends up splayed out on the desk but seriously, now is not the time.

He rightfully wants to know what’s up, but she keeps taunting him to fight her. She takes the first shot, which he dodges and blocks before disengaging. Remember, kids, just because somebody picks a fight with you doesn’t mean you don’t have any other options!

She won’t stop coming for him, though, so he gets her arms pinned so he can try talking her down again.

This technique backfires.

no more mr nice kaitlin

So in the other clone episode, this scene was staged in a room full of people, and even though JB was blindsided, he and Ryan are ostensibly evenly matched. It wasn’t nice for JB, but at least someone was there to break up the fight.

This time though, Ryan’s been gently if firmly trying to diffuse a confusing situation where someone without his training is behaving irrationally and is going to get both of them hurt. So far his attempts to de-escalate have failed, and there is no deus ex intervention incoming.

AND THEN she goes and plays the superpowers card on him. Black belt or no, the whole point of having the Trooper alter ego is that they come with amazingly OP combat powers capable of defeating all manner of monsters.

And Kaitlin, a very very very dear close friend has just walked up out of nowhere and dropped a nuke on him.

Okay, so she throws him over a table, it’s the principle of the thing.

This overkill maneuver knocks him out cold. She lifts Ryan’s Trooper communicator (so he can’t call for help when he comes to -- omg this is so chilling) and then uses the fissicator to call Grimlord for further instructions.

Gotta catch ‘em all

New Kaitlin, who dis?

So he now wants her to steal the disk, reprogram the disk, and use the reprogrammed disk to break all the Trooper computer stuff. She reads his order back like

Close enough, I guess.

She gleefully moves on to her next task, leaving a helpless Ryan struggling and failing to regain consciousness. :<<<<<<<

At the paper, real Kaitlin gets a message from JB on her little Trooper video phone and secretly Trooper TRANSforms out of there from inside the darkroom. This was the point where I realized they had different ones! Hers and JB’s are red and white, while Ryan’s (that just got stole) is red/blue.

Also, you can just see under all those crayons, but that’s the “contact disk” that Kaitlin-2 is coming for. (how many crayons does a professional journalist need, anyhow?)

So there’s a joke in there were Percy sees Kaitlin go into the darkroom and then Kaitlin-2 walks in, and then also when he checks the darkroom, it’s empty.

Oh, so that means Kaitlin-2 successfully steals the contact disk, btw.

Back at Tao’s, Ryan has woken up and some how his backpack has, like, crawled down to see if he’s okay? Which is helpful because that’s how he is able to quickly identify that on top of assault, there’s been a robbery.

I hope she doesn’t delete my save files

And this was the moment (right now, doing the caps) that I realized the little phones are called VRVTs!

But seriously, imagine being knocked out cold by a loved one, with no reason, no hint at an explanation, and not only has she left you for dead, she’s taken your phone so you can’t call for help. He has no idea that she’s an evil clone!!!! This is a real tragedy of a thing. A gutting betrayal.

It looks like Ryan has his own contact disk, tho? And he uses this on Tao’s PC to call up the Puhfessor.

spelled it rong

Just as a note, this subtitle comes up WAY too soon, so for a couple of frames it just looks like some kind of meme. A++

Ryan starts to relate his traumatic experience to the Puhfessor, but luckily he’s cut off with the good news that his “sensors” somehow correctly identify Ryan’s assailant as Kaitlin’s virtual double.

geez, you guys, look at how Ryan deflates hearing this. I mean, it’s not great that he was probably concussed, but it’s a relief that his world still makes some kind of sense.

poor bb

Also, you can’t tell as much here, but there’s a really subtle punch in as the moment progresses, bringing us closer and making the moment more intimate as he grapples with this new information. There’s a lot of dumb half-assed stuff in this show, but I gotta call attention to the stuff that is excellent for any era.

Also it’s so efficient from a time-management perspective. Just look at the opening shot, which was a medium type establishing shot so you can picture Ryan in the space, but the PC’s right there for both the viewer and Ryan to reach. Then we slowly zoom in, which serves double duty in that it provides the appropriate emotional impact, and at the end we’re on a nice close up of Ryan as he jumps into action. Three shots with just one set up (and probably done in one take, with room to splice the PC shots in)! I’m very pleased with this.

Down to brass tacks

The Puhfessor ominously tells him that they have their own troubles and we go straight from there into some source footage of them fighting some skugs and what I think is General Ivar.

After about three seconds of that, we cut back to the lab, where Ryan busts in on Kaitlin-2 just as she’s hacking up a storm.

im in ur base, haxxoring ur mainframez

Kaitlin-2 shows him the contact disk, which is now “encoded with a self-destruct program” that she’s going to use to overheat the lab’s power core and destroy like all the things. Ryan is noticeably concerned, but Kaitlin-2 points the fissicator at him to get him to stay in line.

Ok ok ok ok so here’s where we get to the point where, when I watched this today, I fully turned away from whatever it was I was doing to go wwwwwwwwwwwwtf

Kaitlin-2 has a disk that will blow up the lab -- and there’s nothing Ryan can do to stop her--

huh

bruh what are you

bro srsly what

is happening

You’re trying to tell me that Ryan “killed his own clone with no ragrets” Steele is trying to make an emotional appeal to this clone in order to undermine her sense of purpose?

...did she ever think that Grimlord cared about her? As a person? I feel like that wasn’t in the contract when she was 3D printed with the sole purpose of serving her dark master, and she shouldn’t have any emotional reaction to this assumed expectation being challenged.

And .... did they ... did they read my other post? The one about wanting to keep the clone around ..... ??????

what is happening right now

Ryan leans hard into this “embrace your humanity” tactic and has the Puhfessor show them a live feed of JB and Kaitlin’s fight.

“...She sure could use our help...”

wait for it

When she balks, he gives her one last over the top inspirational blurb that despite of whatever it was Grimlord did to her, she’s still the same (good) person as Kaitlin.

It starts to sink it.

(also just check out these sweet eyelines, you can tell that the screen they’re watching is slightly to his left, sort of behind her to her right, which makes sense!)

He keeps at it.

Looks like it’s working? She starts to reconsider her whole existence ...

...considers Kaitlin’s ...

... moment of truth ...

And it works!

BUT IT DOESN’T STOP THERE YOU GUYS

“NOW GO HELP HER” RYAN COMMANDS

AND

OMG

CLONE KAITLIN-2 IS ALL

!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

I guess, I mean, obviously Ryan’s evil clone did that whole thing where he stole Ryan’s virtualizer and started flying the Skybase, so if this Kaitlin is the same as the other Kaitlin then obviously she’d be able to do this, too.

But like! She was the main villain until like four seconds ago, somebody who did Ryan dirty. Just another of Grimlord’s nefarious tools of warfare. And Ryan, a man who’s killed his own clone before, who took a beating from her only hours prior, is suddenly the bigger man who is capable of seeing past all that in order to turn an agent of his enemy. And to go do his job, no less!

This has never happened before. This show’s always been kill or be killed. There’s a good reason for this, and we’ll get to that in one moment.

But I like to think Ryan learned from his mistake. He didn’t even try to to connect to his evil clone. He just got beat up and went back for revenge. (I’m looking back at my caps for that episode, and it seems it was the Puhfessor’s idea to kill the evil clone, and maybe there was a MacGuffin reason why it was The Only Way, I forget.) Maybe he thought long and hard about the repercussions of his actions -- maybe he thought that, had he been able to better understand his evil self, that maybe that shadow version of him would have liked to have been given the benefit of the doubt?

At the end of the day, I can think whatever I want. But why we never get any other reformed villains until now is only because

It’s almost like they recycled footage from a different show(s) and just had to roll with the punches.

So then JB and the Kaitlins fight some skugs and there’s a big explosion and a lot of jumping. JB and Kaitlin get caught up with the SparkNotes version of who tf extra Kaitlin is and then they fight Stingbot, teleport to a quarry, you know, all the everyday stuff.

Back at the lab, Ryan’s feverishly trying to undo Kaitlin-2′s handiwork and keep the core from melting down. Can he do i-- well yes. He can and he does do it. Then he TROOPER TRANSFORMs away and ... flies off to fight ... some jets ... I guess?

pew pew pew

In the quarry, JB is going toe to toe with Stingbot. Stingbot has some cute little wasp drones that electrocute everyone. They’re having a good time out there.

it’s super effective

Ryan shoots some more jets ... JB dislodges his wasp and slices one off a Kaitlin with a sword ... the third one just .. pops off on its own *shrug*

Stingbot shoots some acid (oh he did that before, too, in the basement, but it was irrelevant) which evaporates a boulder ... Kaitlin goes back to her battlefield quips but they’re not nearly as flirty as the last time ...

JB gets out his lightsaber and GOES TO TOWN on the remaining bad guys. That thing makes the BEST wvungwvungwvung sounds, just btw.

And that’s it!

Almost.

Grimlord spends his obligatory seven seconds ruing the day he ever met a VR Trooper and swearing revenge.

ya it’s called being a parent

Turns out he still hopes that the two Kaitlins will destroy each other! Very optimistic guy, our Grimlord.

Back at ol’ HQ, JB and the Kaitlins stroll in and explain the sitch to Jeb. Kaitlin-2 seems fully reformed!

yee gurrl

But oh-hoho, does the Puhfessor HATE clones.

buzzkill, emphasis on kill

So it turns out, and I quote, “two Kaitlins cannot exist in the same reality.” I guess technically she’s not a clone, but a virtual double from the mirrorverse/VR land, so that kind of makes some sort of sense. This dimension is too small for the both of you!

The stakes are that if the two Kaitlins are not rejoined within 24 hours, both Kaitlins will byte the dust.

Oh no!!

This was the point where, having a pretty good internal clock as well as a refined sense of story structure, I literally smirked at the screen thinking “soooooooo what. you have like two minutes left and you’re gonna fix it in time for the credits. overdramatic stakes are overdramatic.”

AND

THEN

THE

KICKER

OH-HOHO

I WAS

SO WRONG

SAME THO?1

#VR Troopers #V.R. Troopers #episode synopsis #guys #I know this isn't the trendiest thing to do #but I love talking about things I love #and I love television #and nobody watches any of the things I watch #so I have to ramble here #don't expect me to stop any time soon #might as well unfollow now #also this literally took like 6 hours #what am I doing with my life

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flourchildwrites · 5 years ago

Note

Why are you 'on the fence' about the fullmetal alchemist big bang? I saw you say stuff about how it would be great to do one in your notes and now you changed your mind?

Hey, anon. Thanks for the ask.

Honestly, I debated whether I should answer this. However, I post enough stuff encouraging people to drop asks in my inbox. It felt wrong to ignore this ask because giving an honest response makes me uncomfortable. I guess the answer is complicated.

You’re right when you say I’ve been pretty vocal about wanting to participate in another FMA Big Bang since September or October of 2019. My interest goes back to the beta work I’ve been doing for @teaplease1717’s Ashes of Love and War, an awesome Todomomo fic for the Boku No AU Big Bang. Working on a big project like that was (and is) fun. Naturally, I wanted a piece of that for myself in one of my favorite fandoms.

I’ve been a spectator for so many big bangs, reverse bangs and open bangs, even events done with writing and soundtracks! Every year, I wanted to participate in Resbang (in particular), but there was something always holding me back, be it an existing longfic or my responsibilities. And then there’s that awful, nagging voice in the back of my mind which cautions that my fic might not be picked up by an artist.

Then what? Are the mods going to be like, “Too bad. Write a better story next time.”

I’ve heard the big bang horror stories. Well, maybe not horror stories, but if I had to write in isolation for six+ months, I might start talking to inanimate objects about my fic a la Castaway. “Wilson, have I used too many semicolons in this chapter? And when Riza is dancing with Roy in chapter six, should Roy, like, go for the kiss or is that not slowburn-y enough? I feel like we should torture them for at least two more chapters.” There’s an apple pie scented candle on the corner of my desk that would be a great candidate for this role. I will call the candle P’Tas, after my beta reader friends, lol. (Kinda a Star Trek-ish name.)

But aside from all that (as well as the fear that the sign-ups won’t be as anonymous as one might hope – I’d like to meet and collaborate with new people, not just see the popular writers get paired with the popular artists), the FMA Bang Bang has two rules that brought my enthusiasm to a screeching halt.

There is no limit on what kinds of things can be present in your fic sans the no minor/adult rule, no incest rule, and the no blatant NSFW rule, so if you’re going to write about triggering topics outside of those already not allowed in this event then please be mindful to tag each and every one as well as keeping the content PG-13.

And

Fanfiction should not have been posted anywhere before this event (even if it was only a few chapters, not the whole work).

😪

Two fun facts. Most of the ideas I have would be rated mature because they explore dark themes. My first candidate for an FMA Big Bang would be Original Sin, a post-canon fic about the war crimes trials that I have been thinking about for well over a year. My second choice would be the surprisingly fun Royai succubus AU I thought up for Witch, Please! But let’s be honest here; neither topic is PG-13, especially that succubus AU. Like, if you’re going to read or write a succubus AU, you know what you’re there for.

The second fun fact is that I posted my Fictober prompts for the purpose of testing new material. There are at least five serviceable chapter fic ideas buried in the prompts. I wanted to see how it would feel to write a random portion of it with zero pressure or commitment (and to gauge the response). While it worked as far as figuring out which ideas had potential, doing that has also made each of the ideas ineligible for the big bang.

Thus, my idea factory has been gutted, and where I was once really excited, I’m on the fence.

Part of me feels I should just devote my free time to developing my Todomomo ideas and, like, finish up my WIPs. Another part of me doesn’t want to give up so easily. Regardless, I’m painfully aware that I’ll be starting from scratch and working under an ambitious schedule. All it takes is another bout of sickness like I experienced earlier this year, and I’ll get too far behind. So, idk…

Bet that was more than you were expecting, anon. Sorry for unloading on this ask, but I kinda needed to vent a little bit. I really hope the FMA Big Bang does well. I hope it forges new bonds between fans and marries the benefits of the old school zine mentality with the accessibility and diversity of perspective promoted by online archives.

#you ask i answer #anon #big bangs #fma

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mellz117 · 5 years ago

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Nnnnnnngggghhhh it’s part 2 of Mellz plays KH2 on the PS2!

It’s been a while since I got around to working on this part but since we’re all in quarantine I thought I’d catch up on my commentary.

If this is your first time tuning in, why not check out part 1 before reading?? In there you’ll also find links to my commentary of KH1 and Re:CoM on the PS2

On that note, let’s continue shall we?

To recap. We lost some pics, we found some pics, Seifer is a bitch. We did odd jobs and fought bees, we got robbed at stick point. Roxas keeps having dreams that act as exposition dumps for anyone who hasn’t played KH1. Roxas met Namine and he followed her to the mansion but got lost on the way there and wrong warped to the Station of Serenity via sandlot. Oh, we fought this game’s version of the Darkside Heartless but this time it’s a wormy, white Nobody. I really, really hate it! Hayner thinks Roxas loves Seifer more than him because it’s the epitome of “it’s not what it looks like”. Today, we Struggle to rekindle our friendship.

The next morning? Afternoon? EVENING? Nobody knows because it’s always the same time of day from morning until night and from night until morning! The Struggle tournament is about to begin. Tensions still seem on the rise before the preliminaries start, Hayner has very little to say to Roxas at this time. I’m not ready at this point so I decide to delay the fight and talk the townspeople and fight Seifer once again for old time’s sake. Our combatants are relayed the rules and the first round is between Roxas and his best friend, Hayner. Both the boys are a little somber as the countdown starts. Roxas is still feeling guilty about yesterday, but Hayner doesn’t care. He’s not angry at Roxas, he’s been so quiet because he’s so concentrated on the tournament!

Battle ensues.

I win because that’s the only way to progress. Roxas and Hayner make up and be all cute again. The next fight is between Seifer and Vivi.

Rose: “This is like... any person fighting Yoda”

……..……..……..……..……..……..……..……..……..……..……..……..……..……..……..……..……..……..

Seifer got MESSED UP!

His pride after this was so squashed he DROPPED OUT OF THE TOURNAMENT, leaving Hayer in line for 3rd place. Seifer was willing to throw away a place in top 3 because he lost to blue Yoda.

I like how Roxas is ready to fucking pummel Vivi here AFTER time runs out. No mercy.

…oh my gosh it turns out this Vivi was a Dusk Nobody all along who could have seen that coming...?

*gasp* It’s HIM

My favorite bastard!

Axel: “Talk about blank with a capital ‘B’...”

Rose: “Talk about BITCH with a capital ‘B’!”

I love Axel to death in case you haven’t guessed that yet but that doesn’t mean I don’t ever drag him. He moves like a goddamn weasel. He’s as skinny as one too.

I win the fight because I’m the protagonist, and then DiZ shows his pretty face for the first time to our boy. Axel knows who he is? I’m guessing from Castle Oblivion? Unless there’s some Days stuff I’m not remembering. Things get weird again, DiZ and Axel call out Roxas’s name and their voices warp all funky and I remember getting secondhand embarrassment every time I watched this scene when I was younger!

Roxas has a mild freak out and calls out for his friends, poor thing. This seems to make everything normal. What passes for normal around here, sure... and the real Vivi falls face first onto the arena and has no recollection of ever participating. He didn’t. A Dusk just unceremoniously dumps his unconscious body off in the middle of a tournament. We then snag first place, but to add one more rank, as reigning champion, Roxas has to win against this Crispin Freeman motherfucker, obtain a special belt, and bragging rights for a whole-ass year.

My strategy? As long as I have more orbs than my opponent I win so I just hit Setzer once and run around the stage until time’s up. Not that I can’t fairly win against him. Is this the only time we get to fight Setzer? Seems kind of a waste to make a model and moveset if he’s got such a miniscule role.

We actually CAN fail this and still progress but I’m not a quitter. I’m gonna get Roxas that belt. So I did. The Twilight Town gang are once again sitting atop the clock tower, revel in Roxas’s victory, and each kid gets one of the crystals fixed to the trophy. ICE CREAM TIME! But Roxas is an idiot, the apple doesn’t fall far from the tree now does it? stands up in like, 2 frames, and slips off the clock tower to his death. Rest in pieces.

This scene ends and we see a young lady walking alone after school. It’s Kairi! This is my favorite version of her. So she and Selphie start talking about Riku, the island they used to go to all the time, and another boy nobody remembers.

IDK how this telepathy works, while Roxas is still falling in slow-motion there’s a three way conversation between him, Kairi, and Sora himself chimes in a bit. Roxas mistakes Kairi for Namine, Kairi corrects him, “you’re that girl he likes” he says, Kairi desperately asks for a name, Roxas tells her HIS OWN name, NO NO you dolt Kairi wants this other guy’s name, see this is how wingmanning works. Sora’s all like “gee thanks for remembering me. I’ll give you a hint”.

Kairi gently pollutes the ocean with a message in a bottle, somehow the bottle heads out towards the great unknown despite the tide coming IN? I would think the bottle would kinda just... float in one spot for a bit? Or at least back to shore.

Next we’re back in the computer room with DiZ and this black clad man, who we finally get to learn is Ansem. But uh... He ain’t tho.

……..……..……..……..……..……..……..……..……..……..……..……..……..……..……..……..……..……..

My least favorite part of Roxas’s part is coming up... OK OK OK so falling from great heights during battle is perfectly safe but falling off the clock tower could kill Roxas? Seems legit.

A’ight Olette is really cracking down on the summer homework and uh. They got no topic for their independent studies yet. This was me during most of my highschool career. Roxas suggests the weird stuff happening around HIM, because the world revolves around him (little does he know...) and Hayner shoots that idea down IMMEDIATELY. Turns out, they’re gonna search the town tomorrow for answers, the whole town’s gonna help out. How sweet! Roxas’s reaction here is so pure.

Wait so Roxas has been telling his friends about the dreams he’s been having? I would have liked to see that! Like, their reactions to them.

I went to check out the dart board and Rose starts laughing and says she read “examine” like how Namine is pronounced. Anyway, what is the gnag gonna study? The Seven Wonders of Twilight Town. *yaawwn*

……..……..……..……..……..……..……..……..……..……..……..……..……..……..……..……..……..……..

Oof, another example of “couldn’t care less” being misspoken as “could care less”. If you COULD care less that implies you already DO care. IT’S “COULDN’T CARE LESS”, RAIJIIN!!!

*fights Seifer one last time for good measure*

“The time has come! Our hunt for the Seven Wonders begins!” Pence is such a dork. I love him.

KNOW WHAT WOULD BE AN INTERESTING WONDER? IF THESE STAIRS ACTUALLY DID COUNT DIFFERENTLY UP AND DOWN BUT NO RAIJIIN IS JUST A DUNCE!

The Wall. These legitimate answers are lame as hell. Oh someone must have been throwing a ball oh but we know the truth.

The next “mystery” are voices in the access tunnels. It’s Vivi! But no, it’s probably not considering our track record. Now there’s 3. OH NO THEY KEEP MULTIPLYING! The real Vivi arrives and lets Roxas borrow his struggle bat so he can practice fighting by himself but oh wait... That was also a Dusk. These guys just... really don’t know when to quit. Aaaand this is where we stop for now. My capture card stopped recording. Or maybe it was just my imagination. Yes that’s right. I’m recoding this with COMMENTARY! I’m putting all my favorite parts into a compilation. Hopefully I’ll get those up on my channel soon.

Ta-ta for now! The sooner I finish this game the sooner I can move on to the remasters on PS4!

[PREVIOUS]

[NEXT]

#mellz plays kh2 #Kingdom Hearts Series #Kingdom Hearts 2 #square enix #Disney #mellz post

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pemdasblog · 4 years ago

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PEMDAS - 12•3•20

Open below for PEMDAS!

POLITICS/NEWS

Coronavirus

Case numbers this past week in the U.S.

New cases: 948,177 people

Hospitalizations: 98,691 people (on Dec. 1st)

Deaths: 8,476 people (almost three times the number of people killed on Sept. 11, 2001)

Case numbers this past week in the world

New cases: 3,449,295 people

Deaths: 59,579 people (in one week, the death toll is a number within the estimated range of deaths from the War in Afghanistan, a war that has been going on since 2001)

Vaccines

Genetic vaccines -- Vaccines that deliver one or more of the coronavirus’s own genes into our cells to provoke an immune response.

Pfizer - to distribute 6.4 million doses in U.S. by mid-December; found to be 95% effective in trials, but still needs final authorization in the U.S. before widespread usage; has been authorized for emergency use in the U.K.

Moderna - applied to FDA for emergency use authorization; could begin distribution as early as Dec. 21st

Biden’s Cabinet - New York Times

I’ll do my best to speak to the political actions for each cabinet nominee that I find favorable and those which I find questionable, but for now I’m leaning towards the side of questionable because most news sources are printing the favorable stuff already. You can basically Google each name, find a headline that names them as the Biden pick, and it will list their credentials.

Vice President: Kamala Harris 👩🏽

“Kamala is a cop” - Devyn Spring, in The Independent

Secretary of State: Antony J. Blinken 👨🏻

Former Deputy National Security Adviser (2013-2015) and U.S. Deputy Secretary of State (2015-2017) under Barack Obama

Co-founder of WestExec Advisors (see below)

Summary of his views with key U.S. global relationships - Newsweek

Russia: tough on them; believes in isolation and undermining of Putin/Russia to reduce their global power; sees a couple avenues of cooperation with Russia (such as extending New START)

China: wants to find opportunities to cooperate with China on things like arms control and climate change; won’t shy away from criticizing Chinese Communist Party’s abuses

North Korea: does not see possibility with denuclearization, so will focus instead on arms control

Iran: rejoin and strengthen the Iran nuclear deal (which he helped establish under Obama), which he believes will put us in a good position to push back against Iran’s other destabilizing activities

Afghanistan, Syria: “large-scale, open-ended deployment of large, standing U.S. forces in conflict zones with no clear strategy should end and will end under his watch,” but not quickly; believes some troops should remain

Palestine, Israel: supports the U.S. financial and military relationship with Israel; “Israel has never been—until now, unfortunately—a partisan political issue," he said in August. "And I think it's very bad for the United States and for Israel that someone tries to turn it into one.” He would restore U.S. assistance to Palestinian authorities but said it would not condition Israeli aid on its honoring international agreements and the two-state solution.

Secretary of the Treasury: Janet L. Yellen 🧑🏻‍🦳

First female Treasury Secretary

Former Federal Reserve Chair (the Federal Reserve is the central banking system of the U.S., responsible for many economic objectives, such as maximizing employment, stabilizing prices, and moderating long-term interest rates)

She is considered a “dove” to Wall Street (as opposed to a “hawk”) because she prioritizes unemployment over inflation. She also aligns mostly with Keynesian economic philosophy, which “seeks to preserve the system rather than overthrow it.” -- New Yorker, 2013 -- this New Yorker description of Yellen’s work pre-federal government work has solid info about her various economic beliefs, such as how Yellen supports higher minimum wages to reduce unemployment.

I couldn’t find much about how her ideology aligns with Leftist thought. She seems decent enough to me, but... idk economics. Here’s something in the Wall Street Journal about the challenges she’ll face entering the arena of politics.

Secretary of Homeland Security: Alejandro N. Mayorkas 🧑🏼‍🦲

First Cuban (and Latinx) Secretary of Homeland Security

Helped develop and implement the Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals (DACA) program, which allows children brought to the U.S. through “unlawful” means to have two-years safe from deportation in attempt to obtain a work permit

“In 2013, the DHS inspector general investigated Mayorkas for allegedly improperly granting visas under pressure from former DNC chair Terry McAullife and Tony Rodham, Hillary Clinton’s brother. While a report from the inspector general’s office said Mayorkas’s actions created “an appearance of favoritism and special access,” he was not sanctioned by the department.” -- Daily Beast

TBA: Secretary of Defense, Attorney General, Secretary of the Interior, Secretary of Agriculture, Secretary of Commerce, Secretary of Labor, Secretary of Health and Human Services, Secretary of Housing & Urban Development, Secretary of Transportation, Secretary of Energy, Secretary of Education, Secretary of Veterans Affairs

WestExec Advisors

Washington consulting firm founded by Antony J. Blinken and Michèle Flournoy.

Avril D. Haines (see below) was one of its former principals.

“By not directly advocating for federal dollars on behalf of their clients, they don't have to publicly divulge who is paying them and for what activities, such as the connections they make with government agencies, she said. But it is also impossible to assess the influence they have on federal expenditures.“ -Politico

Basically, we don’t know which companies fund this consulting firm, so the people coming out of it could have corporate interests or foreign government interests that we do not know about. There should be a demand that the people who worked here and/or the firm itself disclose this information!

Cabinet noms’ relationships to corporate interests - Democracy Now

Biden’s Cabinet-Rank Status and White House Staff

Chief of Staff: Ron Klain 👨🏻

a veteran political and policy operative well-known in Washington

has worked with Biden off and on since the late 1980s, when he served as a top aide to the then-chairman of the Senate Judiciary Committee

previously served as Biden’s chief of staff when he was vice president

took point on the Obama administration’s handling of Ebola

has been outspoken about President Trump’s response to the COVID-19 pandemic

was Executive Vice President and General Counsel of Revolution LLC, an investment firm launched by AOL Co-Founder Steve Case in 2005

buzz words like “big corporate law firm” and “worked as a venture capitalist” got me to this fact, but it’s pretty hard to Google... hmm!!

I’m going to keep my eye on this...

Office of Management & Budget Director: Neera Tanden 👩🏽

President of the Center for American Progress

apparently, she changed her Twitter bio, removing “progressive” from her bio and replacing it with “liberal”

she “hates the left” - Hasan Piker (a hot leftist who I like a lot, but I’m still gonna try to look up his claims)

Director of National Intelligence: Avril D. Haines 👩🏻

First female Director of National Intelligence

Played a key role in Obama’s “drone wars” as former Deputy Director of the CIA

“She approved an “accountability board” that spared CIA personnel reprisal for spying on the Senate’s torture investigators, and was part of the team that redacted their landmark report. After the administration ended, Haines supported Gina Haspel for CIA director, someone directly implicated in CIA torture, a decision that remains raw amongst progressive activists. Until late June, she consulted for the Trump-favorite data firm Palantir, which emerged from the CIA.” -- Daily Beast

National Security Adviser: Jake Sullivan 👱🏻‍♂️

Youngest person to serve as National Security Adviser

Held top positions at the State Department and in the Obama White House, playing a key role in negotiating the Iran nuclear deal

U.N. Ambassador: Linda Thomas-Greenfield 🧑🏿‍🦳

an American diplomat who served as the Assistant Secretary of State for African Affairs in the United States Department of State's Bureau of African Affairs from 2013 to 2017

following her work as a diplomat, Thomas-Greenfield became a senior vice president at Albright Stonebridge Group in Washington, D.C.

strong supporter of multilateralism (or, cooperation among several nations)

Special Presidential Envoy for Climate: John F. Kerry 👨🏼‍🦳

Worked in a top position at Bank of America, one of the largest financiers of fossil fuel development in the world. So like... can he not have this role?

Communications Director: Kate Bedingfield 👩🏼

in November 2011, Bedingfield started working at the Motion Picture Association of America (MPAA)

in May 2013, Bedingfield was named spokesperson and vice president of corporate communications at the MPAA

in 2015, Bedingfield was named communications director for then Vice President Joe Biden; she also held two additional roles in the Obama administration: director of response and deputy director of media affairs

after working in the Obama administration, Bedingfield returned briefly to sports and entertainment communications

Press Secretary: Jen Psaki 👩🏻‍🦰

Jan. 2009 - Dec. 2009: White House Deputy Press Secretary

2009 - 2011: White House Deputy Communications Director

2013 - 2015: Spokesperson for the United States Department of State

2015 - 2017: White House Communications Director

TBA: Environmental Protection Agency Administrator, U.S. Trade Representative, Small Business Administrator, CIA Director

EDUCATION - Topic suggestion from Justin Myhre: The Tuskegee Experiments

CDC Title: “The Tuskegee Study of Untreated Syphilis in the Negro Male”

The CDC page for the Experiments

offers a timeline of the events from 1895 to 2009

1895: at the Cotton States and International Exposition in Atlanta, Booker T. Washington describes his vision for Black economic development and gets “philanthropists” to come on board

this speech is known as the “Atlanta compromise” speech, with the compromise being “an agreement between African-American leaders and Southern white leaders in which Southern blacks would work meekly and submit to white political rule, while Southern whites guaranteed that blacks would receive basic education and due process of law” -- Wikipedia

the Expo was “designed to promote the American South to the world and showcase products and new technologies, as well as to encourage trade with Latin America” -- Wikipedia

2009: the last widow receiving Tuskegee Health Benefit Program benefits dies on January 27th

contains write-ups for how the study began, what went wrong, and how the study ended and reparations began

How the study began: the Public Health Service (a division of the executive branch’s Department of Health and Human Services that began in 1798 as a system of marine hospitals and grew into a larger system that was given its official title in 1912) along with the Tuskegee Institute (an HBCU in Alabama, established on July 4, 1881) “began a study to record the natural history of syphilis in hopes of justifying treatment programs for blacks”

in 1932, 399 Black men with syphilis and 201 Black men who did not have it (Wikipedia says that these men were “impoverished, African-American sharecroppers”) were told that they were being tested (without consent) for “bad blood” and were promised a form of health care

they were also told it would last 6 months but it ended up lasting 40 fucking years

this CDC page fails to mention that “the victims of the study included numerous men who died of syphilis, 40 wives who contracted the disease and 19 children born with congenital syphilis,” a fact from Oliver J. Kim and Lois N. Magner’s book A History of Medicine

What went wrong: in 1971, a panel was assembled and they “found that the men had agreed freely to be examined and treated. However, there was no evidence that researchers had informed them of the study or its real purpose. In fact, the men had been misled and had not been given all the facts required to provide informed consent”

1947: it is discovered that penicillin can treat syphilis, but none of the men are offered it

the men were never given the option to quit the study

How the study ended and reparations began: in October 1972, the panel stops the study; in 1973, the study “participants” and their families file a class-action lawsuit; in 1974, a $10 million settlement is reached in which the U.S. government agrees to paying for health care and funeral services of the “participants” (called the Tuskegee Health Benefit Program, or THBP); in 1975, wives, widows, and offspring received these benefits as well

“Study clinicians could have chosen to treat all syphilitic subjects and close the study, or split off a control group for testing with penicillin. Instead, they continued the study without treating any participants; they withheld treatment and information about penicillin from the subjects. In addition, scientists prevented participants from accessing syphilis treatment programs available to other residents in the area. The researchers reasoned that the knowledge gained would benefit humankind; however, it was determined afterward that the doctors did harm their subjects by depriving them of appropriate treatment once it had been discovered. The study was characterized as ‘the longest non-therapeutic experiment on human beings in medical history.’” - Wikipedia

on May 16, 1997, President Bill Clinton formally apologized to the study “participants” and their families

this study about the Legacy of the Tuskegee Syphilis Study makes the point that “Blacks are more reluctant than Whites to participate in biomedical research studies because of the infamous study of syphilis in men run by the U.S. Public Health Service from 1932-72″ -- there are very valid reasons to distrust the U.S. government with biomedical advancements, particularly for Black people

here is an article that connects the legacy of Tuskegee to fears around Coronavirus

now, does this mean we shouldn’t take the vaccine? no! but don’t shame people, particularly Black folks, for very reasonable distrust of the U.S. government!!!!!

this is also an interesting case of reparations given in modern times!

MEDIA (Other)

BOOKS - Tues. 12/8

Layla •• Colleen Hoover

A Universe of Wishes •• edited by Dhonielle Clayton

Mozart •• Jan Swafford

An Inventory of Losses •• Judith Schalansky, translated by Jackie Smith

The Book of Moods: How I Turned My Worst Emotions Into My Best Life •• Lauren Martin

Mercy: The Fair Lady, the Frost, and the Fiend (Vol. 1) •• Mirka Andolfo

When the Tiger Came Down the Mountain (The Singing Hills Cycle #2) •• Nghi Vo

Bag-Man: The Wild Crimes, Audacious Cover-Up, and Spectacular Downfall of a Brazen Crook in the White House •• Rachel Maddow & Michael Yarvitz

The Invention of Medicine: From Homer to Hippocrates •• Robin Lane Fox

The Mermaid from Jeju •• Sumi Hahn

MOVIES

Friday 12/4

76 Days •• limited theatrical & virtual cinema release

Directors: Hao Wu, Weixi Chen, Anonymous

Writer: Hao Wu

Premise: Set in the early days of the COVID-19 pandemic, this documentary captures the struggles and human resilience in the battle to survive the pandemic in Wuhan.

Run time: 1 hour 33 minutes

Rotten Tomatoes: 100% (46 reviews)

Metacritic: 83 (14 reviews)

Oscar buzz?

Best Documentary Feature: long-shot

All My Life •• theatrical release

Director: Marc Meyers

Writer: Todd Rosenberg

Starring: Jessica Rothe, Harry Shum Jr., Chrissie Fit, Jay Pharoah, Keala Settle

Music by: Lisbeth Scott

Premise: A couple's wedding plans are thrown off course when the groom is diagnosed with liver cancer.

Run time: 1 hour 31 minutes

Oscar buzz?

Best Picture: long-shot

Best Actor: long-shot (Harry Shum Jr.)

Best Actress: long-shot (Jessica Rothe)

Best Original Screenplay: long-shot (Todd Rosenberg)

Best Original Score: long-shot (Lisbeth Scott)

Ammonite •• premium on-demand

Director: Francis Lee

Writer: Francis Lee

Starring: Kate Winslet, Saoirse Ronan, Gemma Jones, James McArdle, Alec Secăreanu, Fiona Shaw

Music by: Dustin O'Halloran, Volker Bertelmann

Premise: Acclaimed paleontologist Mary Anning works alone selling common fossils to tourists to support her ailing mother, but a chance job offer changes her life when a visitor hires her to care for his wife.

Run time: 2 hours

Rotten Tomatoes: 68% (152 reviews)

Metacritic: 72 (34 reviews)

Oscar buzz?

Best Picture: good chance

Best Director: decent chance (Francis Lee)

Best Actress: great chance (Kate Winslet)

Best Supporting Actress: good chance (Saoirse Ronan), decent chance (Fiona Shaw)

Best Original Screenplay: decent chance (Francis Lee)

Best Production Design: good chance (Sarah Finlay, Sophie Hervieu)

Best Cinematography: good chance (Stéphane Fontaine)

Best Costume Design: good chance (Michael O’Connor)

Best Editing: decent chance (Chris Wyatt)

Best Makeup & Hairstyling: good chance

Best Sound: decent chance

Best Original Score: good chance (Dustin O’Halloran, Volker Bertelmann)

Another Round •• limited theatrical release

Director: Thomas Vinterberg

Writers: Thomas Vinterberg, Tobias Lindholm

Starring: Mads Mikkelsen, Thomas Bo Larsen, Magnus Millang, Lars Ranthe

Music by: Janus Billeskov Jansen

Premise: Four friends, all high school teachers, test a theory that they will improve their lives by maintaining a constant level of alcohol in their blood.

Run time: 1 hour 55 minutes

Rotten Tomatoes: 90% (59 reviews)

Metacritic: 72 (9 reviews)

Oscar buzz?

Best International Feature Film: submitted for Denmark

Black Bear •• theatrical release & premium on-demand

Director: Lawrence Michael Levine

Writer: Lawrence Michael Levine

Starring: Aubrey Plaza, Christopher Abbott, Sarah Gadon, Paolo Lázaro, Grantham Coleman

Music by: Giulio Carmassi, Bryan Scary

Premise: A filmmaker plays a calculated game of desire and jealousy in pursuit of a work of art that blurs the boundaries between autobiography and invention.

Run time: 1 hour 44 minutes

Rotten Tomatoes: 88% (52 reviews)

Metacritic: 81 (14 reviews)

Godmothered •• Disney+

Director: Sharon Maguire

Writers: Kari Granlund, Melissa Stack

Starring: Isla Fisher, Jillian Bell, June Squibb, Jane Curtin

Music by: Rachel Portman

Premise: An inexperienced fairy godmother-in-training tries to prove that people still need fairy godmothers.

Run time: 1 hour 50 minutes

Rotten Tomatoes: 67% (24 reviews)

Metacritic: 49 (6 reviews)

Half Brothers •• theatrical release

Director: Luke Greenfield

Writers: Eduardo Cisneros, Jason Shuman, Ali LeRoi

Starring: Luis Gerardo Méndez, Connor Del Rio

Music by: Jordan Seigel

Premise: Renato, a successful Mexican aviation executive, is shocked to discover he has an American half brother he never knew about -- the free-spirited Asher. The two very different half brothers are forced on a road trip together. masterminded by their ailing father, tracing the path he took as an immigrant from Mexico to America.

Run time: 1 hour 36 minutes

Rotten Tomatoes: 36% (11 reviews)

Mank •• Netflix

Director: David Fincher

Writer: Jack Fincher

Starring: Gary Oldman, Amanda Seyfried, Lily Collins, Arliss Howard, Tom Pelphrey, Sam Troughton, Ferdinand Kingsley, Tuppence Middleton, Tom Burke, Joseph Cross, Jamie McShane,

Music by: Trent Reznor, Atticus Ross

Premise: 1930s Hollywood is reevaluated through the eyes of scathing wit and alcoholic screenwriter Herman J. Mankiewicz as he races to finish "Citizen Kane."

Run time: 2 hours 11 minutes

Rotten Tomatoes: 88% (139 reviews)

Metacritic: 80 (38 reviews)

Oscar buzz?

Best Picture: top contender

Best Director: top contender (David Fincher)

Best Actor: top contender (Gary Oldman)

Best Supporting Actor: great chance (Charles Dance), good chance (Arliss Howard), decent chance (Tom Pelphrey), long-shot (Tom Burke)

Best Supporting Actress: favorite to win** (Amanda Seyfried), decent chance (Lily Collins)

Best Original Screenplay: top contender (Jack Fincher)

Best Production Design: favorite to win** (Donald Graham Burt, Jan Pascale)

Best Cinematography: favorite to win** (Erik Messerschmidt)

Best Costume Design: top contender (Trish Summerville)

Best Editing: top contender (Kirk Baxter)

Best Makeup & Hairstyling: great chance

Best Sound: favorite to win**

Best Visual Effects: great chance

Best Original Score: favorite to win** (Trent Reznor & Atticus Ross)

Mayor •• limited theatrical & virtual cinema release

Director: David Osit

Starring: Musa Hadid

Premise: This documentary follows Musa Hadid, the mayor of Ramallah, the de facto capital of Palestine, for two years.

Run time: 1 hour 29 minutes

Rotten Tomatoes: 100% (17 reviews)

Metacritic: 77 (8 reviews)

Minor Premise •• on-demand

Director: Eric Schultz

Writers: Justin Moretto, Eric Schultz, Thomas Torrey

Starring: Sathya Sridharan, Paton Ashbrook, Dana Ashbrook

Music by: Gavin Brivik

Premise: Attempting to surpass his father's legacy, a reclusive neuroscientist becomes entangled in his experiment, pitting 10 fragments of his consciousness against each other.

Run time: 1 hour 35 minutes

Rotten Tomatoes: 100% (17 reviews)

Nomadland •• theatrical release

Director: Chloé Zhao

Writer: Chloé Zhao

Starring: Frances McDormand, Jason Strathairn, Linda May, Charlene Swankie, Bob Wells

Music by: Ludovico Einaudi

Premise: A woman embarks on a journey through the American West after losing everything during the recession.

Based on: Nomadland •• Jessica Bruder

Run time: 1 hour 48 minutes

Rotten Tomatoes: 97% (140 reviews)

Metacritic: 97 (25 reviews)

Oscar buzz?

Best Picture: favorite to win**

Best Director: favorite to win** (Chloé Zhao)

Best Actress: top contender (Frances McDormand)

Best Supporting Actor: great chance (David Strathairn), long-shot (Bob Wells)

Best Supporting Actress: great chance (Charlene Swankie), decent chance (Linda May)

Best Adapted Screenplay: favorite to win** (Chloé Zhao)

Best Cinematography: top contender (Joshua James Richards)

Best Editing: great chance (Chloé Zhao)

Best Makeup & Hairstyling: decent chance

Best Sound: top contender

Small Axe: Red, White and Blue •• Amazon Prime Video

Director: Steve McQueen

Writers: Steve McQueen, Courttia Newland

Starring: John Boyega, Steve Toussaint, Joy Richardson, Neil Maskell, Stephen Boxer

Music by: Mica Levi

Premise: Spotlights the true story of Leroy Logan, who at a young age saw his father assaulted by two policemen, motivating him to join the Metropolitan Police and change their racist attitudes from within.

Run time: 1 hour 20 minutes

Rotten Tomatoes: 96% (48 reviews)

Metacritic: 85 (13 reviews)

Sound of Metal •• Amazon Prime Video

Director: Darius Marder

Writers: Darius Marder, Abraham Marder, Derek Cianfrance

Starring: Riz Ahmed, Olivia Cooke, Paul Raci, Lauren Ridloff, Mathieu Amalric

Music by: Nicholas Becker, Abraham Marder

Premise: A heavy-metal drummer's life is thrown into freefall when he begins to lose his hearing.

Run time: 2 hours 10 minutes

Rotten Tomatoes: 97% (118 reviews)

Metacritic: 82 (25 reviews)

Oscar buzz?

Best Picture: great chance

Best Director: good chance (Darius Marder)

Best Actor: great chance (Riz Ahmed)

Best Supporting Actor: decent chance (Paul Raci)

Best Supporting Actress: good chance (Olivia Cooke)

Best Original Screenplay: good chance (Darius Marder, Abraham Marder, Derek Cianfrance)

Best Cinematography: long-shot (Daniël Bouqet)

Best Editing: good chance (Mikkel E.G. Nielsen)

Best Makeup & Hairstlying: decent chance

Best Sound: great chance

Best Original Score: good chance (Nicholas Becker, Abraham Marder)

Tuesday 12/8

The Godfather Coda: The Death of Michael Corleone •• limited theatrical release

Director: Francis Ford Coppola

Writer: Mario Puzo, Francis Ford Coppola

Starring: Al Pacino, Diane Keaton, Talia Shire, Andy Garcia, Eli Wallach, Joe Mantegna, Bridget Fonda, George Hamilton, Sofia Coppola

Music by: Carmine Coppola

Premise: Coppola tweaks the little-loved final part of his Godfather trilogy as Al Pacino’s Michael Corleone tries to go into respectable business.

Run time: 2 hours 42 minutes

Rotten Tomatoes: 100% (11 reviews)

Metacritic: 74 (7 reviews)

Thursday 12/10

Funny Boy •• Netflix

Director: Deepa Mehta

Writers: Deepa Mehta, Shyam Selvadurai

Starring: Rehan Mudannayake, Arush Nand, Brandon Ingram, Nimmi Harasgama, Ali Kazmi, Agam Darshi, Seema Biswas, Shivantha Wijesinha

Music by: Howard Shore

Premise: Explores Arjie's sexual awakening from a young boy to a teenager who falls in love with a male classmate, just as political tensions escalate between the Sinhalese and Tamils in the years leading up to the 1983 uprisings.

Run time: 1 hour 49 minutes

Rotten Tomatoes: 100% (6 reviews)

Oscar buzz?

Best International Feature Film: submitted for Canada

Let Them All Talk •• HBO Max

Director: Steven Soderbergh

Writer: Deborah Eisenberg

Starring: Meryl Streep, Candice Bergen, Gemma Chan, Lucas Hedges, Dianne Wiest

Music by: Thomas Newman

Premise: A young man finds romance with a literary agent while taking a trip with the woman's famous aunt and her friends.

Oscar buzz?

Best Director: long-shot (Steven Soderbergh)

Best Actress: some chance (Meryl Streep)

Best Supporting Actress: some chance (Candice Bergen), long-shot (Dianne Wiest)

Best Original Screenplay: some chance (Deborah Eisenberg)

Best Cinematography: long-shot (Steven Soderbergh)

Best Editing: long-shot (Steven Soderbergh)

Best Makeup & Hairstyling: long-shot

Best Original Score: good chance (Thomas Newman)

TV SHOWS

Friday 12/4

Big Mouth •• Season 4 •• Netflix

Earth at Night in Color •• Season 1 •• Apple TV+

The Hardy Boys •• Season 1 •• Hulu

MacGyver •• Season 5, Episode 1: “Resort + Desi + Riley + Window Cleaner + Witness” •• CBS

Magnum P.I. •• Season 3, Episode 1: “Double Jeopardy” •• CBS

The Mandalorian •• Season 2, Episode 6: “Chapter 14: [tba]” •• Disney+

Mariah Carey’s Magical Christmas Special •• Apple TV+

Synopsis: Faced with a holiday cheer crisis, the North Pole knows there's only one person who can save the day: Santa Claus's great friend, Mariah Carey. Combining musical performances, dynamic dancing and groundbreaking animation, the undisputed Queen of Christmas jumps into action to create a holiday spectacular to make the whole world merry.

Appearances: Mariah Carey, Ariana Grande, Jennifer Hudson, Tiffany Haddish, Billy Eichner, Snoop Dogg, Jermaine Dupri, Misty Copeland, Mykal-Michelle Harris, The Peanuts Characters

Pokémon Journeys: The Series •• Part 3 •• Netflix

Selena: The Series •• Season 1 •• Netflix

Sunday 12/6

Euphoria •• special episode part 1: rue •• HBO

A Holly Dolly Christmas •• CBS

Synopsis: Performing from an intimate, candlelit set, Dolly will bring both powerful, faith-ﬁlled hymns and light-hearted holiday classics to help viewers celebrate her favorite time of year, as well as tracks from her new holiday album, A Holly Dolly Christmas. The beloved entertainer will share personal Christmas stories and faith-based recollections of the season to spread some much-needed joy and holiday cheer at the end of this challenging year.

MTV Movie & TV Awards: Greatest of All Time •• MTV

Host: Vanessa Hudgens

Performers: Sia, Steve Aoki, Travis Barker

Presenters: Neve Campbell, Sofia Carson, Lily Collins, Derek Hough, Jacob Bertrand, Peyton List, Xolo Maridueña, David Spade, Maddie Ziegler

The Real Housewives of Atlanta •• Season 13, Episode 1 •• Bravo

Shameless •• Season 11, Episode 1: “This Is Chicago!” •• Showtime

Your Honor •• Season 1, Episode 1: “Part One” •• Showtime

Monday 12/7

His Dark Materials •• Season 2, Episode 4: “Tower of the Angels” •• HBO

Nurses •• Season 1, Episode 1: “Incoming” •• Global TV

A Suitable Boy •• Season 1 •• Netflix

Wednesday 12/9

Dr. Seuss’ The Grinch Musical! •• NBC

Thursday 12/10

One Night Only: The Best of Broadway •• NBC

Host: Tina Fey

Performers: the casts of Ain’t Too Proud, Chicago, Jagged Little Pill, Diana, Jersey Boys, Mean Girls, Rent; Kelly Clarkson, Brett Eldredge, Patti LaBelle

Appearances: the cast of Harry Potter and the Cursed Child, Annaleigh Ashford, Lance Bass, Kristen Bell, Ron Cephas Jones, Jesse Tyler Ferguson, Peter Gallagher, Josh Groban, Jake Gyllenhaal, Sean Hayes, Nathan Lane, Camryn Manheim, Alanis Morissette, Jerry O’Connell, Leslie Odom Jr., Billy Porter, John Stamos, Aaron Tveit, Blair Underwood, Vanessa Williams, Susan Kelechi Watson

TIME Person of the Year •• NBC

VIDEO GAMES

Friday 12/4

Commandos 2: HD Remaster (Switch)

DARQ: Complete Edition (PC, PS4, XBO)

Dragon Quest XI S: Echoes of an Elusive Age - Definitive Edition (PlayStation 4, Xbox One, PC)

FIFA 21 (PlayStation 5, Xbox Series X/S)

Fire Emblem: Shadow Dragon & the Blade of Light (Switch)

Fitness Boxing 2: Rhythm & Exercise (Switch)

John Wick Hex (Xbox One, Switch)

Madden NFL 21 (PlayStation 5, Xbox Series X/S)

Suzerain (PC)

Tuesday 12/8

Call of the Sea (Xbox Series X/S, Xbox One, PC)

Destiny 2 (PlayStation 5, Xbox Series X/S)

Destiny 2: Beyond Light (PlayStation 5, Xbox Series X/S) – December 8

Doom Eternal (Switch)

Puyo Puyo Tetris 2 (PlayStation 5, Xbox Series X/S, PlayStation 4, Xbox One, Switch)

Ryte: The Eye of Atlantis (PSVR)

Shakes on a Plane (PC, Switch)

Swords of Gargantua (PSVR)

Temtem (PlayStation 5)

Wednesday 12/9

Woodsalt (Switch, PC)

Thursday 12/10

Brigandine: The Legend of Runersia (PlayStation 4)

Cyberpunk 2077 (PlayStation 5, Xbox Series X/S, PlayStation 4, Xbox One, Stadia, PC)

Haven (PlayStation 5, Xbox Series X/S, Xbox One, PC)

Orwell's Animal Farm (PC)

Sword of the Necromancer (PlayStation 4, Xbox One, Switch, PC)

DIRECT ACTIONS / DONATIONS

Donate to...

houseless encampments in Minneapolis

order a book through a Black-owned progressive independent bookstore

list for various cities

Minneapolis: order from Black Garnet Books

enjoyed a queer artist’s music this year? purchase their album on Bandcamp (even if you won’t listen to it on Bandcamp, who cares, just buy their music!!!)... aaaand Friday 12/4 is Bandcamp Friday, in which ALL of your money goes DIRECTLY to the artist... here are some recommendations from moi of who to support and listen to their music, is güd

BLACK SAILOR MOON •• Backxwash

Peaceful as Hell •• Black Dresses

ROSETTA •• Dua Saleh

“A Dead Cop Is A Good Cop” •• GOYACONNECT

BRAT •• NNAMDÏ

Beauty •• Patricia Taxxon

Read up!

abolitionist manifesto (MPD150)

Political witness

attend your city’s city council meeting -- i did this the other day virtually on this site... maybe your city has something similar!

ALBUMS - Fri. 12/4

Limbo (Deluxe) •• Aminé

Mrs. Clean

Zack & Cody (feat. Valee)

Gelato

Talk (feat. Saba)

Chicken (feat. Toosii)

Buzzin (feat. Unknown Mortal Orchestra)

Solid

Burden

Woodlawn

Kobe

Roots (feat. J.I.D & Charlie Wilson)

Can’t Decide

Compensating (feat. Young Thug)

Shimmy

P.I.M.P. (feat. Vince Staples & slowthai)

Riri

Easy (feat. Summer Walker)

Mama

Becky

Fetus (feat. Injury Reserve)

My Reality

Goosebumps [EP] •• Bastille

Goosebumps (ft. Kenny Beats)

survivin’

WHAT YOU GONNA DO??? (ft. Graham Coxon)

survivin’ (One Eyed Jack’s Sessions)

Goosebumps (One Eyed Jack’s Sessions)

Real Bad Boldy •• Boldy James & Real Bad Man

Real Bad Boldy

Light Bill Master (feat. Meyhem Lauren)

Thousand Pills (feat. Stove God Cooks)

Failed Attempt

Lil Vicious (feat. Eto)

On 10

Held Me Down

Street Shit

Good Food (feat. Mooch & Rigz)

Champion

We Know the Truth •• Drakeo the Ruler

We Know the Truth (feat. Icewear Vezzo & ALLBLACK)

20 Pieces

Too Famous

Fullys for Bullies (feat. Lil Mosey & Ralfy the Plug)

Punk Rock Bitch

Fights Don’t Matter

Energy (feat. Tee Grizzly)

Lil Boosie (feat. Stupid Young)

Hundiddy

In My Rear (feat. Da Boii)

Big Dogg (feat. Ralfy the Plug & Ketchy the Great)

Who Am I (feat. Desto Dubb & Rich the Kid)

Captions

Friday

Mardi Gras

Mr. Mosely Claps Back

John Madden (feat. RMC Mike, Rio Da Yung OG, Lil Yachty & Ralfy the Plug)

Polar Bear

Mariah Carey’s Magical Christmas Special •• Mariah Carey

[tracklist TBA]

Fresh Tapes 2 •• Patricia Taxxon

APJGHPLRKGH

THE WITCH IS DEAD

CHECKC

BAPBAP

SLAPJUG

WICKEDTRACK

THECREATURE

BATTLESHIP

A Very Poppy Christmas [EP] •• Poppy

I Like Presents

I Won’t Be Home for Christmas

Kiss in the Snow

Silver Bells

Nightmare Vacation •• Rico Nasty

Candy

Don’t Like Me (feat. Gucci Mane & Don Toliver)

Check Me Out

IPHONE

STFU

Back & Forth (feat. Aminé)

Girl Scouts

Let It Out

Loser (feat. Trippie Redd)

No Debate

Pussy Poppin

OHFR?

10Fo

Own It

Smack A Bitch (feat. ppcocaine, Sukihana, & Rubi Rose)

Smack A Bitch (Bonus)

SAWAYAMA (Deluxe) •• Rina Sawayama

Disc 1

Dynasty

STFU!

Comme des Garçons (Like the Boys)

Akasaka Sad

Paradisin’

Love Me 4 Me

Bad Friend

Fuck This World (Interlude)

Who’s Gonna Save U Now?

Tokyo Love Hotel

Chosen Family

Snakeskin

Disc 2

LUCID

We Out Here

Bees & Honey

Love It If We Made It (The 1975 cover)

XS (Live)

STFU! (Acoustic)

Bad Friend (Acoustic)

Chosen Family (Acoustic)

Comme des Garçons (Like the Boys) [Brabo Remix] ((feat. Pabllo Vittar))

XS (Remix) [feat. Bree Runway]

Bad Friend (Dream Wife Remix)

Wonder •• Shawn Mendes

Intro

Wonder

Higher

24 Hours

Teach Me How to Love

Call My Friends

Dream

Song for No One

Monster (with Justin Bieber)

305

Always Been You

Piece Of You

Look Up at the Stars

Can’t Imagine

Odin’s Raven Magic •• Sigur Rós

Prologus

Alföður orkar

Dvergmál

Stendur æva

Áss hinn hvíti

Hvert stefnir

Spár eõa spakmál

Dagrenning

Christmastide [EP] •• Tori Amos

Christmastide

Circle of Seasons

Holly

Better Angels

The White Stripes Greatest Hits •• The White Stripes

Let’s Shake Hands

The Big Three Killed My Baby

Fell in Love With a Girl

Hello Operator

I’m Slowing Turning Into You

The Hardest Button to Button

The Nurse

Screwdriver

Dead Leaves and the Dirty Ground

Death Letter

We’re Going to Be Friends

The Denial Twist

I Just Don’t Know What to Do With Myself

Astro

Conquest

Jolene

Hotel Yorba

Apple Blossom

Blue Orchid

Ball and Biscuit

I Fought Piranhas

I Think I Smell a Rat

Icky Thump

My Doorbell

You’re Pretty Good Looking (For a Girl)

Seven Nation Army

SINGLES

New Tracks

“Coco” •• 24kGoldn feat. DaBaby

“Better Days” •• Ant Clemons feat. Justin Timberlake

“Grove Elation” •• Bernice

“Swimming in the Stars” •• Britney Spears

“Matches” •• Britney Spears feat. Backstreet Boys

“Blame It On the Mistletoe” •• Ella Henderson & AJ Mitchell

“No Flag (en Français)” •• Elvis Costello avec Iggy Pop

“Keeps Me Running” •• Esther Rose

“Family Farm” •• The Hold Steady

“Real Shit” •• Juice WRLD & benny blanco

“Oh Santa! (Remix)” •• Mariah Carey feat. Ariana Grande & Jennifer Hudson

“Dark Side of the Party” •• Miss Grit

“Snow Day” •• shame

“Her Revolution” •• Thom Yorke, Burial, & Four Tet

“His Rope” •• Thom Yorke, Burial, & Four Tet

“Greener Pools” •• Witch Egg

“Santa Stay Home” •• U.S. Girls feat. Rich Morel

Covers

“Stay Home” (American Football cover) •• Anamanaguchi

“Our Anniversary” (Smog cover) •• Bill Callahan & Bonnie “Prince” Billy feat. Dead Rider

“Boris” (Melvins cover) •• BORIS with MERZBOW

“In the Bleak Midwinter” (Traditional English Christmas Carol cover) •• James Blake

“River” (Joni Mitchell cover) •• Margo Price

“Nobody Wants a Lonely Heart” (Arthur Russell cover) •• Muzz

Remixes

“Teenager (Robert Smith Remix)” •• Deftones

“The Ground Below (Royal Jewels Remix)” •• Run the Jewels feat. Royal Blood

New Tracks + New Music Videos

“Diazepam” •• Buke and Gase / So Percussion

“Paper Fog” •• Cory Hanson

“Unblu” •• Jenny Lewis & Serengeti

“Reason” •• Jordana

“Hindsight” •• Madison McFerrin

“Foxes” •• Midnight Sister

“Shortcummings” •• Sleaford Mods

youtube

“The Crack” •• Goat Girl

youtube

“Satisfied” •• The Staves

youtube

“Lemon Mouth” •• Tigers Jaw

youtube

“Creatures” •• Viagra Boys

Old Tracks + New Music Videos

“Savior Complex” •• Phoebe Bridgers •• directed by Phoebe Waller-Bridge

New Music Films

youtube

The Road to Miss Columbia: A Documentary •• Lido Pimienta

0 notes

theboykingofhell · 8 years ago

Note

can you tell me abt the journey you took to get where you are now in your acting? c:

sure bby!!!!

LOL THIS IS LIKE NOVEL LENGTH LEMME READ MORE THAT SHIT FOR YA

so omg like almost all of my passions i got into in elementary school (like i started writing in 3rd grade, i started rly getting into psychology at the end of 6th) so acting was originally like that… the way my brain works, it’s just natural for me to pursue my passions because i literally can’t conceptualize things i’m not interested in BUT i never considered it like a dream of mine to act professionally. it also never rly came to mind, it was just like… hi yeah i’m a writer and i liked to act!!

so i started rly young in school shows in lil small parts. i was never the lead in something lol never even got close but shit was fun to get involved in. this continued in high school, where i finally started taking some of the drama classes there.

here’s the thing tho… i sucked lol. HERE’S THE OTHER THING THO… it was rly RLY obvious to my teacher that i had a shitload of potential. i grew up HIDEOUSLY shy and withdrawn (80% of this is my dad’s fault lool) so oh man that stage fright was FUUUUUUUUN to try and work through. but my teacher there would confirm what i’d always thought - that i did have a talent, that this was something i was good at, i just had to learn to access what was in me.

i moved on to college then. my first college was a private school and i was technically a liberal arts major because i didnt know how to (and was also too lazy to) take the first steps as to what i rly wanted, but the original plan was acting/creative writing double major… (i eventually changed this to acting and psychology because FUCK english majors)… i didnt rly do much in that first school tho! in fact, i had to drop out because i had a psychotic break lmfao it was a rly RLY low point in my life and i was forced to take a mental leave and i was institutionalized and everything

that’s relavant because… when the leave was over, i was made to go to school again, but i didn’t think i could handle my first school. i hated my first school.. so i went to the community college near me and it CHANGED MY LIFE. the school is actually considered one of the best acting programs you can get around my area if i’m remember right, and even if that’s not still accurate, in my time there, we went to this annual theatre school we go to… they were giving out 20 awards… we, as the only community college there among ONLY private acting schools got FOURTEEN OF THEM BITCHHhhh. the teachers there were brilliant, SO passionate, SO driven, but also SO experienced because they were all professionals who were still actively working in the field!!! they taught us the basics of networking, the discipline and, I LEARNED STAGE COMBAT MY MOST FAVORITE THING but most importantly, how to be safe and open and vulnerable on stage.

two of my favorite moments in learning this was something called the ‘personal monologue’ and something called ‘shakespeare in the dark’.. since this post is getting long enough, if yall wanna know about these, i can talk about that in another post but… they taught me how to be intimate with the audience. and it taught me about the catharsis in acting. shakespeare in the dark in particular was the first time i cried on stage, and even now crying on stage is the ONLY way i can do it without having a horrible reaction to it because of my trauma. acting is super super theraputic for me at this point because i get to access and express emotions that i NEVER let myself do irl because it’s SAFE and ughnfdjgs it’s so good

i stayed in that community college for.. a shitload of time lol i ran out of classes to take cuz i was there for so long. eventually i finally summoned the balls to go to my current school!!!

so i transferred there in the fall, went through a semester of it, and there i met one of the best directors i’ve ever seen and came in contact with a BRILLIANT acting technique that. Holy. Shit. again, if you want me to talk about like… acting technique shit i can do that in another post cuz it’s a lot and it’s also a weird convoluted topic that idk if a lot of people know about outside of theatre (especially out of community theatre cuz i never see it applied there as much hhm). if i learned about vulnerability in the first school, my time here taught me about commitment and immersion. in the first school, i learned to be myself and let myself live through the characters emotional journies. in the second school, i learned to TRANSFORM into the character, completely and totally become them, and work naturally within that and.. most importantly.. to do that in a safe manner.

(again if i talk about techniques i’ll talk about the dangers of some of them but there are a LOT of rly psychologically unhealthy ways you can act which. of course. are some of my favorite ways to lol)

i only spent a semester there tho because…! my school has a partnership with this british school called lamda… which was, oh god, SUCH a brilliant school. so i entered in the program and studied abroad there…! so this is why i was in london from january until like LITERALLY LAST WEEK and holy fuck.

what lamda taught me: ummmm… how to party? mostly kidding lol but again, on one hand it was a beautiful reiteration on what we’ve learned and are always learning, like how to network and the different ways to do that (umm partying with actors is beautiful and important), how to express yourself on stage in same ways… but the things i learned were all about rly technical things that we don’t focus on in america… american acting focuses a lot more on realism, drawing on emotions, YOU AND HOW YOU AFFECT THE WORLD… british acting actually does more with physicality and the space around you an how the environment affects YOU and how YOU push back against it. they’re generally pretty similar, either way stuff like the psychology of the character, the physicality, the environment, they’re things you have to work with no matter WHERE you are, but american acting focuses inward looking out and british acting focuses outward looking in and it’s VERY interesting. so going there gave me more tools to work with and more ways to hone what i have difficulty with (like my vocal work is SHIT because i more or less have a speech impediment i gotta finish working through but that’s improved GREATLY)

i didnt mention all the shows i’ve done in the meantime but i’ve done one ACTUAL PROFESSIONAL SHOW before and by that i mean. i’ve done a bunch of things with my school and stuff no problem and that all counts in my acting resume but i’ve actually performed in nyc off-broadway on a STAGE in the LEAD ROLE and i got paid for it. so that’s when i started considering myself a professional actor. since schools USUALLY put you under a contract to not work during the school semesters, the summer is usually the only time i seek out stuff, so… i’ve done pretty much all the auditions i wanted to do this week and i’m just waiting back to see if i’ll be doing more professional things! i’m still a BABY though there’s a lot i don’t know and there’s a lot i haven’t experienced yet and rest in peace my ass because this year is my last year of training until i go to graduate school and i’m not READY FOR THE REAL WORLD WAAAAAAAAAH

uhhh BUT YEAH i hope that was interesting to read omg thank you for asking me bby ilysm!!!

#ACTING TAG #ACTINGGGGGGGGGG.... CLENCHES FIST #ok but note how i never actually went through the decision to become an actor like i s 2 g it just like #accidentally happened #tbh i'm only just realizing now like WAIT OH WHAT AM I DOING I'M AN A C T O R WHAAAAAAAT #Anonymous #ask tag

4 notes · View notes

joannalannister · 8 years ago

Note

How do you think the Wheel of Time series deals with feminism? On the one hand, we have many female friendships, female rulers, Rands love interests are more than love interests... On the other hand, there are situations in which menare abused by women, and it's treated as something funny (Mat's rape by Tylin comes to mind). And I hate that "man becomes a badass by accessing a power usually reserved to women" trope

Hi! There’s a lot to unpack here. I guess I would start off by saying that Wheel of Time isn’t perfect. For me, the things RJ did right outweigh the imperfections, and that’s why I enjoy it, but I definitely understand that that’s not the case for everyone.

It’s definitely true that in WoT, men are abused by women. In my opinion, RJ wanted to explore what it meant to have a matriarchal society, where you get a lot of women in positions of power, but you also get some women abusing those positions of power.

If you’ll let me turn this around for a minute, we could say something very similar about ASOIAF. There are (many) situations in which women are abused by men in ASOIAF, and sometimes, such as Drogo raping Dany, it’s not even critically examined by the text at all. Does that undermine the feminism of ASOIAF as a whole? Opinions vary on that topic. Most people argue that it’s not the presence of abuse in fiction that’s a problem, but how that abuse is depicted.

I don’t necessarily have a problem with authors who write abuse into their texts. For me, the issue is how an author depicts things like rape or abuse. Note that RJ wrote about rape and abuse happening to both men and women. For example, Morgause was raped repeatedly and it’s treated as something horrific. Rand’s horrible treatment by Aes Sedai is also treated very seriously by the text.

But like you mention, people like Elayne initially think Mat’s rape is something funny, and RJ could have written that better. However, before Mat and Elayne part ways in Ebou Dar, Elayne realizes she was wrong to think of it as funny, and she apologizes to Mat, and she even draws the analogy back to our own world for the reader, saying something like “Hey, if this was an old widower king doing this to a young girl, this wouldn’t be funny at all” and when I first read that in the late 90s, it made me think more about male victims of sexual violence, and how it’s not really funny. And RJ did this while still keeping it all PG-13 (tbh I think I might have read the Ebou Dar part when I was 12), so it isn’t something that I view as utterly terrible, even though I think that yes, it could have been better. However, I understand that not everyone feels this way about Mat’s rape, and I totally understand if that’s something that turns people off the series.

(I read AGOT maybe a year or two later, and Dany’s rape (which, like I said, isn’t critically examined in the text at all) only made me upset. It didn’t inspire any critical thought on the subject at all. So if you wanted me to rank them, I’d say ASOIAF is worse, given everything that it is and tries to be.)

I hate that “man becomes a badass by accessing a power usually reserved to women” trope

I’m not sure if I understand what you’re referring to here, but if you’re referring to the One Power, I’ve never viewed it this way. Saidin was always something that belonged to men, and in their hubris and unwillingness to work with the women, they lost this power. Over the course of the series, men redeem themselves and realize how they can’t go it alone and how important it is to work together, and they win it back. If we view the One Power as, like, the essence of life, how is that reserved for women? Isn’t that, like, our common humanity, and everyone should have access to it, and it was a great tragedy on the part of the men that they tainted it, and a great victory when they got it back clean? I guess I don’t understand the criticism here.

How do you think the Wheel of Time series deals with feminism?

When it comes to evaluating a piece of media, I don’t go into it with a feminist checklist, like, 1) Does this pass the Bechdel Test? 2) Does this pass the Mako Mori Test? 3) How many rapes are depicted, and to whom, and how? and so on and so forth.**

Instead, I ask myself, how does this piece of media make me feel? What does it make me think about? What impact or relevance does it have on my life? Art is a very personal, emotional experience, and that’s ultimately a major part of how I evaluate it.

Some time in the late 90s, maybe 1998 or 1999, I dressed up as Moiraine Damodred for Halloween. I got a fringed shawl embroidered with flowers, and a necklace from Claire’s that I pinned into my hair, and I raided my mother’s closet and found a blue and green long plaid taffeta skirt that tied with a big bow. I probably looked a mess, but I felt like I could do anything.

Characters like Moiraine and Nynaeve and Egwene and Elayne and Aviendha were amazing to me. They could be main POV characters in a fantasy story instead of sidekicks or minor characters. They got POVs. (Oooooh gosh, when the little girl I was first got to the Moiraine POV in book two, that was amazing.) Unlike characters like Daenerys Targaryen, Moiraine didn’t even have to be abused first!!!! Moiraine and Nynaeve could literally work to save the world!!!!! And they didn’t even need to be raped first to do it!!!

I liked reading about all of these characters. They were my friends. I liked reading about women who were leaders in their communities, who overcame obstacles, who grew up and performed miracles.

Is The Wheel of Time perfect? Fuck no. Rereading it as an adult, some parts of it feel very juvenile and simplistic to me. But hey, RJ was trying to keep it PG-13, whereas someone like GRRM is definitely not. I loved Wheel of Time when I was a kid, and I hated ASOIAF at that age. (Some books have to come along at the right time in your life.) Wheel of Time doesn’t stimulate my mind as much as it did when I was a little kid. It doesn’t always do well with a lot of issues that are very important to tumblr, because RJ was an old southern baby-boomer.

But Wheel of Time made me feel good about myself as a 13yo girl, and it gave me some great female role models that I still admire to this day. That’s enough for me.

***One of my all-time favorite movies, The Shawshank Redemption, passes none of these criteria. I’m probably forgetting somebody, but the only women I can remember are the pinups on the prison cell wall. It’s probably not feminist at all. But I don’t care. I like the emotions it inspires in me. I like how it makes me feel at the end. That’s all I want.

ASOIAF is probably more feminist than The Shawshank Redemption, idk. What I do know is that I don’t like how ASOIAF makes me feel sometimes. After reading about so many rapes, and so many dead mothers, and so many women being abused, ASOIAF makes me feel tired sometimes. ASOIAF makes me feel like the fantasy genre is unfair sometimes.

And sure, sure, we could talk about how ASOIAF is more realistic than Wheel of Time, we could talk about how ASOIAF has more complex female characters, whose problems more closely align with what real women relate to, and yada yada yada.

But ASOIAF makes me angry and sad and frustrated. Why doesn’t the Unnamed Princess of Dorne have a name, and how can I talk about her politics when I don’t even know her name? Why did so many women die in childbirth in GRRM’s world, when I did the calculations and it’s statistically unlikely for there to be that many? Why isn’t Dany’s rape examined more critically in the text? Where are the female friendships depicted on the page? Why aren’t there more lesbians, and I’m not talking about Dany’s situational homosexuality or Cersei raping Taena or the passing mention of Essie and Sylvenna Sand, and for that matter, why do Dornish women have to be depicted as exoticized and hyper-sexualized???? I’m angry and not in the “patriarchy in Westeros is dehumanizing and you should be angry about it” way that GRRM intended. I’m angry and sad at GRRM’s writing and his omissions and sloppy depictions, and how he could imagine what I consider to be the richest fantasy world I’ve encountered, but he couldn’t imagine things like the Princess of Dorne’s name!!!

Wheel of Time, for what it is, never made me feel that way.

#theswordofglass #replies #wheel of time #wot meta #wheel of time meta #rape tw #abuse tw #about me #personal #lannister thoughts

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