#What happened to his family and home shaped his entire life long goal and legacy

[artheresy]

In my mind

Yes exploring Yingxing's relationships with the High Cloud Quintet is so so nice, it's fun I love to think about them

And sure exploring his relationships with ppl from the Zhuming like his master General Huaiyan can be even better

But the need to explore his relationship to his family despite what little time he had with them is ingrained within me and I feel a tad bit insane thinking about it

Mhmhm hmm hmnm

[one-leaf-grimoire]

“TRIAD” chapter 1 and 2

I included the first chapter below and chapter 2 is on ao3.

Summary: Julius Novachrono, the 28th Wizard King of the Clover Kingdom, is dead. But the chaos that ensues is not the only thing he leaves behind. In order to preserve his legacy, a new widow prepares to claw her way to the top, despite the huge obstacles in her path. Meanwhile, a brand new threat rears its head, and perhaps the end is inevitable. This is just the first of many long, lonely nights, but she must embrace it and let go of her past if she is to undo the damage that's been done... even if that means forsaking the one thing that makes her human.

Chapter 1- the swallowtail

...

...

"You weren't born because I was born. The only reason I was born... was because I was meant to be yours."

How could you say such a thing? You're the greatest man in the world, yet you were mine... I didn't deserve you.

"They all need you. You won't be alone, I promise."

Alone... no, Julius. I'll be alone forever.

"Just promise me that you'll be alright?"

...

How is anyone supposed to promise that?

But the sun is setting. If I blink, I'll miss that one last look.

But still...

"I will become the Wizard King!"

If the sun is setting anyway... then I will be the one to look away.

I turn away from him, my robe flaring out, and walk off towards the light, the entire world melting away behind me.

Alone...

But I'm not alone, am I?

Thank you, Julius... for everything.

(two days after the attack)

The silence of this forest is comforting, yet so heavy. Well, maybe it's not the silence. The real thing weighing me down is the events of the past few days, the long nights without sleep, and the massive operation ahead of us. Many parts of the Kingdom were destroyed, lives were lost, and now the survivors feel nothing but fear. 

Ever since I woke up from my possession by a vengeful elf, I've worked tirelessly. Since so many magic knights seemingly turned against us, leaving the others scared and reluctant to act, it wasn't easy reigning them in and making them start the important clean up process. But somehow, they moved, and now piles of rubble have started to be cleared. Even a little progress is still progress, and there's been enough of it that I feel okay leaving the capitol for a short detour. There's something out in this woods that I need to retrieve.

I keep walking between the trees, looking around and scanning the area for signs of mana, a familiar mana. I should be able to sense it soon... if the magic actually stayed inside. It ended up not working, so maybe it accidentally just released his magic into the environment-

I halt, as a sensation hits me.

...never mind. There it is.

Nestled there among the trees, covered with vines, moss, and dirt, but still intact, is a strange magical device. It's large, taller than I am, shaped like a ball with a few divots in it. But it's most striking feature is that it's practically humming with strong magic, resonating as it's stored inside. I finally slow to a stop, staring at the object blankly, having achieved my objective.

This is it. The Swallowtail.

I'm pretty sure I'm the only person Julius told about the Swallowtail. It's an ancient device used to store mana, and it can be released by force or when a certain condition is met. Julius's magic mark on his forehead would dissolve upon his death, signalling the time he stored to be released. However, something must have gone wrong, because the magic is still inside.

And Julius... is dead.

When I raise my hand to touch the metal surface, laced with years's worth of moss, I realize how much my fingers are trembling. 

Julius... you feel so close. This magic is so warm...

My cheeks suddenly feel a spike of coolness. There are tears, now, tears that I've repressed for two days.

Please...

My hand splays over the surface. I can feel the time, 13 years worth, he said, living inside. Time that could have saved his life, but somehow refused to. But now, it would have a new purpose. I'm the only other person who can use this magic, so I'll take it.

Give me the strength to fulfill my promise. Give me the strength to face the future without you.

The mana starts to seep into me, causing my whole body to glow. I squeeze my eyes shut, more tears streaking down my face as the magic envelops me like a warm hug, seeping into my very soul, and combining with the magic I already have within me. I will always carry a shard of Julius's soul within me, but it's not the same as holding his hand, or listening to his voice, or just being held by him.

It makes more sense to me now... why I loved you so much.

You made me human, right? Even when I didn't feel like it.

So, give me the strength to keep being human.

Finally, the glow subsides, leaving just an empty, useless Swallowtail behind. With a sigh, I let my hand slide off of it as I step back. 

Thirteen years of time... I hold my hands up to look at them, wiggling my fingers slightly. There's a lot I can do with that... hopefully this will continue to come in handy.

Before I start my journey home, I sit down next to the Swallowtail and pull out my lunch, a single sandwich. While I eat, my mind wanders to the monumental task ahead of me, but also to the past that's brought me here.

It was about 8 years ago when I first met Julius. He happened to be passing my town while we were attacked by the Diamond Kingdom, an attack that left my father dead. I didn't know it back then, but my father carried a secret with him: He was a fugitive from a destroyed nation, living out his life here in the Clover Kingdom. He was part of a people called "Simulcians," a mysterious race that had the power to channel huge amounts of mana through marks on their body. Mine appeared on that day, allowing me to reach my magical potential at last. The source of that mana was something called a "Dyad," the result of an ancient spell that amplified the mana of two people by combining their magic and consciousness. It's weird, and very scary, but without it, I would have never gotten this far. And in the end, once I was strong enough... it was ecstasy. 

Julius and I... we formed a Dyad of our own. It's almost a sacred thing, the strongest yet most vulnerable a two people can be. Much like love itself... love is a beautiful thing, but now, it does nothing but hurt me.

Because he's gone. Julius will never come back, no matter how much I want him to.

However... there's still three pieces of him left. One is the shard of his soul lodged within mine. That soul is what gave me the ability to use his time magic, and over the years I have managed to make it my own.

And the second...

My hand comes to rest on my stomach, and I manage to smile despite the grief.

Thank god... I don't know what I would do, if I didn't have this baby...

It was against all odds that this new life was possible. After forming a Dyad, my body supposedly shut down all it's reproductive functions. And yet, a miracle occurred. It reminds me of years ago, when I was still a member of the Crimson Lions, when I thought I might be pregnant. Julius was overjoyed at the mere possibility of becoming a father, even if it was unexpected. It was his dream, to have a family with me. He would have been so happy now...

The last piece is the promise I made.

I will become the Wizard King.

I said it in a desperate attempt to get his approval one last time, to see him smile before we parted ways forever. Something to put him at ease before he passed.

But I still made the promise, and I'm going to keep it! I'll become the Wizard King, Julius, no matter how hard it's going to be.

I finally stand up to leave, brushing myself off and looking back at the Swallowtail one last time. 

... If only you had done your job.

Despite the baby inside me and the determination to achieve my goal, I can't shake the feeling of emptiness inside me. I would trade everything just to have Julius back at my side.

But, it's not like that's going to be possible.

So, I turn away, opening my blue grimoire. "Flame magic: Sun God's Leap."

Four pairs of small wings form around my body. I used to just have two pairs, but the elvish mana managed to push this spell further. With a single push, I shoot off the ground, accelerated to a speed near that of sound... just like Julius used to do.

For the time being, I would throw myself into my work, for the sake of this kingdom. But after that...

I'm prepared to do anything it takes to keep my promise.

[jbuffyangel]

Bigger Than The Friggin Universe: Arrow 7x22 Review (You Have Saved This City)

This one was hard to write. 

Goodbyes are always difficult, but when it’s goodbye to someone or something you love it’s particularly hard. I love Felicity Smoak. I love Olicity. I know you do as well. They are the reason we watch. Arrow delivered a spectacular season finale that felt like a series finale and it will be for some of you. 

Most importantly, they paid tribute to the character and love story that changed the show forever. Buckle up my friends and bring the tissues. This will be a long one. Felicity Smoak and Emily Bett Rickards deserve no less.

Let’s dig in…

Olicity, Original Team Arrow, Flash Forwards, and the Glorious Felicity Smoak

Changing up the format because this is going be a big smorgasbord of feels. I can’t think in sections because the writers just dropped kicked my heart into oblivion.

It’s all about the last twenty minutes right? Right. So let’s get to it. Honestly, I revved myself up for this episode. I was ready to go.

As if pure commitment to power through could protect me from the painful onslaught of emotions Stephen Amell and Emily Bett Rickards were about to bestow upon my soul. 

I was a fool. Nothing could prepare me for the last twenty minutes.

But then “You Have Saved This City” started moving fast. Like really fast. I blinked and we had blown through 35 minutes. I barely knew what happened! Oliver saved the city... I guess? 

It’s amusing we focused on this single goal for so long and once achieved it felt kind of... perfunctory. 

Saving the Star City was a plot point we were just waiting for the writers to pull the friggin trigger on and we knew they never would until the end. 

Arrow is a lot of things, but there’s never a lack of action in the series finale. It’s often incredibly frustrating because hugely important Olicity scenes are regulated to less than five minutes because ACTION.

“You Have Saved This City” was different. It felt like the writers were rushing through the episode to get to the Olicity scenes. They breezed past Oliver beating Emiko and The Ninth Circle. Those ungrateful twats known as the Star City Police Department and their equally annoying cohorts the citizens of Star City finally figured out Oliver is a good guy. The scene they pieced it all together though took less than three minutes. 

The writers wanted to focus on the emotional beats of the story because this was really their last chance to do so. Go big or go home. Fine with me.

It was great, but I started to panic. REALLY PANIC. The episode was moving waaaaaay too fast. This meant I had to say goodbye soon to a character I adore and a love story I have spent obscene amounts of time writing about. I wasn’t ready, but I was never going to be.

Oliver and Felicity tell the team they are going to leave Star City for a little while. The fact the city is safe and under the team’s protection is the reason they feel like they can leave. 

Source:  littlegirlinvisible

True, but also some nutcase from the Ninth Circle named Beatrice is still gunning for them. Who the fuck is Beatrice? Eh. Forget it. I don’t care.

The team ends the way it began with Oliver, Felicity and Diggle.  

Source: @plotbunnyshipper

Even though Original Team Arrow doesn’t get the focus and screen time we crave, they are and will always be the show. The chemistry between Stephen Amell, Emily Bett Rickards, and David Ramsey was discovered as Season 1 evolved. 

Arrow struggled to find its footing in the first season and it took many episodes for the writers to hit their groove with OTA, but ultimately they found the right path. 

Source: Paige

Original Team Arrow is the gravity which kept the show centered. Diggle talks about the legacy of heroes Oliver launched, but in truth it is the legacy THEY launched.

Source: Paige 

This is the moment I started to lose it because it didn’t feel like Diggle, Oliver and Felicity talking. It felt like David, Stephen and Emily. The lines between real and fiction began to blur as these actors said goodbye to Emily/Felicity and to the team they formed both on and off the camera. 

Source: Paige 

Stephen is wrecked. He giving it his all to hold it together and failing miserably. You aren’t the one leaving man! You still have another ten episodes to do with David! Honestly, though is anyone surprised? No. Stephen is the fuzzy marshmallow of this group. Don’t let the abs fool you. He is powerless against the power of Felicity Smoak and Emily Bett Rickards.

Oliver/Stephen, Diggle/David, Emily/Felicity also say goodbye the way they began. Original Team Arrow officially formed in Season 1 Episode 14 “The Odyssey.” Oliver Queen’s story, particularly in Season 1, was shaped from Homer’s Odyssey and this is the not remotely subtle nod. Moira shoots “The Hood” and Oliver turns to Felicity for help. She brings him home to The Foundry, to Diggle, and they work desperately to save Oliver’s life.

Felicity is overwhelmed by the blood and is deeply concerned she and John are Oliver’s only option for medical assistance. Diggle has seen a lot of war and trauma. He’s trained for this. Well mostly. There’s a moment when he reaches out to grab Felicity’s hand to reassure her. John’s other hand is keeping pressure on Oliver’s wound flat against his chest and close to the heart. I’ve often called Original Team Arrow the heartbeat of the show and this is the moment their perfect circuit formed.

Source: arrowdaily

David Ramsey honors that iconic moment by reaching for Emily’s hand across Stephen’s shoulders and placing his other hand on Stephen’s chest, right against his heart. This is the bond that brought the show together and held it together for the last seven years. Original Team Arrow is front and center in the home and legacy they built. Losing Emily and Felicity’s character means saying goodbye to the entity this trio formed through their wit, love, chemistry and loyalty. Stephen and Emily pretty much lost it then and there and I was right there with them.

I wrote this way back in Season 3:

Each member and relationship is a beat of this heart. Diggle is a beat. Oliver is a beat. Felicity is a beat. Their relationships with one another: Diggle and Oliver, Oliver and Felicity, Felicity and Diggle, and of course the trio, are beats as well. When we remove one of these characters or relationships the rhythm of the show is changed.

It’s unfathomable to imagine the show without all three and yet this is where we’re headed. All I know for certain is next season Arrow’s heartbeat will be irregular. It will be an echo.

Source: arrowdaily 

Felicity/Emily tries to comfort Oliver/Stephen by holding his arm tight and gently nuzzling his shoulder. 

Source: arrowdaily

(Because it’s bad y’all. Number One on the call sheet is going down by the head! MAYDAY MAY DAY!)  Felicity has an entire relationship with Oliver’s shoulder. 

This is incredibly well documented. Whenever she grabs on to his arm and kisses his shoulder it feels like she’s an anchor trying to hold a ship steady. Oliver is home and Felicity will sail with him anywhere. And he will sail steady with her by his side. It always reminds me of a line from Message in a Bottle, “A harbor where I am forever home.”

Source: arrowdaily

Felicity and Diggle disperse and Oliver is left alone in the bunker 

Source: arrowdaily 

just like he began, but worlds away from the person he used to be.  

He came back from Lian Yu broken and completely shut down emotionally, but it was through the unconditional love of these two people that Oliver’s soul was saved and he found his way truly home. The city is finally at peace because Oliver is at peace. Their journeys were always one in the same.

Source: arrowdaily 

I’ve always said Oliver Queen is like the sun Star City revolves around. His light ultimately saved the city. 

But now Oliver is leaving, and unbeknownst to him, it will be for 20 years. Star City will fall again in that time. When Oliver leaves he takes the light with him. The bunker going dark is an ominous foreshadow for the future.

Source: arrowdaily 

Diggle brings Mr. and Mrs. Smoak to the love cabin where they will bring their child into this world. 

Source: legends-of-today

The Ninth Circle is still gunning for them. We receive no other explanation other than Emiko made sure Oliver’s family will die. Oooookay then. Hiding it is! The truly bizarre piece of Season 7 is we knew exactly where Olicity was headed for a long time, but seeing it all play out is no less painful… or wonderful.

John brings them to the safest neighborhood in the world – it’s filled with ex CIA, ex ARGUS and ex. Listen, this ain’t nothin’. I grew up next door to a cop. It was fantastic. 

The Olicity love nest is one big safe house hand chosen by the man who loves and ships them the best. Oliver keeps insisting it’s only temporary despite the Ivy Town like bliss and complete military protection surrounding them. Ugh, my sweet summer child. The more you say “temporary” the more it becomes anything but. Can someone please explain the rules of television to my son? Thanks.

Source: Paige 

Oliver lets it slip they are having a baby girl and Felicity follows up with the name. Olicity bursting with excitement to tell John Diggle about The Princess That Was Promised is so on brand. He practically willed this kid into existence and no one understands that better than Oliver and Felicity. Diggle is appropriately jazzed. Representing the fandom to the bitter end!

But can we talk about this gender reveal though? This means at some point during all the crazy Oliver and Felicity had an ultrasound AND THEY DIDN’T SHOW US.

I accepted no triplets. I think I’m handling it pretty damn well don’t you think? But I draw the line at missing the ultrasound. We had time to listen Dinah bitch about her job 34,234 times this season, but there was no time to show the ultrasound???!!!! 

My head canon is Oliver was late and had to show up to the appointment in the Green Arrow suit.

This also means Felicity is around the 18 – 20 week mark. I don’t know if this actually tracks because I don’t want to do math. I am simply accepting it as fact. I might be dating myself though. It’s been 12 years since I popped out a kid and maybe you can find out gender sooner than 20 weeks. 

Source: Paige 

Felicity isn’t showing too much yet, but every woman is different. That’s probably just lunch. Also have you seen her abs? ANYWAYS IT DOESN’T MATTER BECAUSE THEY ARE HAVING A GIRL, HER NAME IS MIA AND JOHN DIGGLE KNOWS.

The city is saved so John tells these two crazy kids to focus on their family. Can I just say no one has actually qualified why the city is suddenly saved other than for the team declaring it so, but whatever they are giving me an Olicity love cabin. 

I am perfectly content with it because it’s what Oliver and Felicity deserve. Star City can go screw themselves.

We get our Delicity moment. It feels like Marc, Beth and the writers came up with an “Emily Bett Rickards Is Leaving the Show” To Do list to make sure I didn’t riot outside their houses. This was a wise plan. I commend them for it.

The truth is we never get enough Delicity. It’s one of Arrow’s great failings. Hell, we can summarize the whole problem as not enough John Diggle. The ONLY positive I see out of Season 8 is maybe this man will finally get a storyline, but I’m getting ahead of myself. 

Source: Paige 

Anywho, Felicity is preggo, emotional and hiding away with her husband in a love cabin for at least the next four months, so she gushes to John about how much she loves him and how he will always be family. Then Delicity gets their hug on. 

Source: Paige 

STAHP. I JUST REGAINED COMPOSER.

Oliver and Diggle’s brotherhood and friendship has always been more of a focus than John’s relationship with Felicity, but that doesn’t mean he is any less her brother too. He has protected Felicity and offered her wise Yoda advice particularly when it came to Oliver and she needed it most. 

And Felicity has given John the same love and friendship in return. Diggle and Felicity are their own precious beat in this show.

The hardest part of Season 7 was seeing the strain in their friendship. Diggle refusing to help Felicity free Oliver still enrages me and I don’t think the writers gave the characters an adequate amount of screen time to repair that damage. But it doesn’t erase the last seven years between these two. Families disagree, fight and disappoint each other all the time. It doesn’t mean you stop being family. John had Felicity’s back in the end and if she can forgive him then so can I.

This cracked me up. 

Source: Paige 

These dudes still have ten more episodes together. Nobody is getting teary yet.

Olicity is finally alone after John leaves and Oliver is looking at his wife like a snack.

Damn. This blows @callistawolf​’s holiday in Aruba, and my personal head canon, to smithereens. However, we rebound nicely because Oliver Queen aka The Sex God has exactly one thing on his mind. Never change your priorities dude because they are on point.

Source: olicitygifs 

I remember in the early days of Arrow when sex scenes made me want to claw my eyes out because he slept with every female other than Felicity the first two seasons. 

But then the glorious Season 3 happened, we met Celibate Oliver and then THIS HAPPENED:

Oliver channeling all his sexual energy into one woman the last four years is character evolution I am here for. I’m also here for pregnant belated honeymoon sex. HAVE AT IT KIDS. 

Oh man! I don’t get to watch? Arrow continually stomping on my voyeuristic needs is really not cool. What the hell do they think television is for anyways?

They fade out from the kiss and I swear to God I yelled, “DO A MONTAGE!” and y’all THEY DID. Most of the time when I yell things at this show I am ignored, but every once in awhile they do the thing I ask. 

I had very few expectations going into 7x22. I write the occasional fic, but I’m really bad at coming up with things I want Olicity to do (other than sex) or words to say. The best moments on the show for me and the lines I love the most are the ones I can’t come up with. I didn’t have any expectations for a montage and it was everything I could have hoped for and more.

It felt like a truncated Ivy Town only better. 

Oliver and Felicity’s time in Ivy Town was idyllic because they left the insanity of Star City behind and lost themselves in each other. But there were cracks in the relationship even then. Their time in Bloomfield is much different. Oliver and Felicity have been through the good and the bad in their relationship. They’ve seen the worst and the best in each other. They found a way to be heroes and build a family together. Oliver and Felicity choose each other.

If their choice is the tree then this montage is the fruit it bears. My father said in his toast on my wedding day that a marriage is built in the quiet and simple moments. These are Oliver and Felicity’s quiet and simple moments. 

Source:  olicitygifs

They share a peaceful night enjoying being in each other’s company, rocking in chairs on the porch, under the stars, discussing anything and everything.

They take a stroll in the backyard with sweet baby Mia. 

Oliver lifts his baby girl high in the sky and is the picture of perfect happiness. 

Source:  olicitygifs 

This is the life Oliver never thought he’d have. It was the quiet dream he kept to himself alone in that bunker, night after night, resigned to his fate.

Arrow is a story about a man learning how to live again and this is Oliver Queen truly living. 

Source:  olicitygifs 

He falls asleep peacefully with his daughter safely tucked in his arms, happily cooing as he slumbers. (This is a factual representation of parenthood btw). 

When Oliver returned from Lian Yu his home was a stranger to him and the horrors of the five years away followed him into his dreams. Sleep was as evasive as peace.

Bloomfield isn’t the city Oliver grew up in and the Queen mansion dwarfs this cabin, but it doesn’t matter because Felicity is home. She is the reason Oliver faced his nightmares, forgave himself, and stopped merely surviving while he waited for death. Felicity Smoak gave Oliver a reason to live. She pushed her way through all the darkness, so his light could shine through. And their love created more reasons to live.

Source:  olicitygifs 

Oliver returned from Lian Yu to fight a war not just in the city, but within him.  He fought, clawed, bled and sacrificed his way to heroism while losing nearly everyone he ever loved along the way. Oliver has no superpowers. He became a weapon by sheer force of will.  Lian Yu burned everything he was to the ground and from the ashes he rose. Oliver’s pain molded him into someone else… something else.

But being a vigilante wasn’t enough. Two separate personas weren’t enough. Cutting himself off from his humanity wasn’t enough. Oliver needed to be more… so much more. He had to merge the darkness and the light, the man and mask. Sometimes the only way out is through. Oliver fought his battles and won not just by surviving, but by embracing life. And life to Oliver Queen is Felicity Smoak.

Oliver’s catalytic moment is his father’s death, but he was so short sighted about what his father was asking of him. 

This was always about more than Oliver righting Robert’s wrongs. This was always about more than a list or villains or even the city. Before he took his own life to save his son, Robert asked Oliver to be a better man. But the person Robert imagined wasn’t the Green Arrow. The man Robert imagined was this:

Source:  olicitygifs 

This man doesn’t happen without Felicity Smoak. Oliver saved the city, built a legacy, and became everything his father asked of him because of her. Felicity’s love gave Oliver the courage to open up his heart again after everything he suffered. Her compassion helped Oliver forgive himself. Her belief made Oliver believe he could someone he never imagined.

Sometimes even superheroes need to be saved. Felicity is Oliver’s hero. She saw the best in him. She harnessed his light.  Felicity was his path from purgatory to peace.  Love was the way through. And now he’s here. Oliver Queen is every bit the man Robert asked him to be and every bit the man Felicity Smoak deserves.

The road was long, painful, filled with loss and mistakes, but the man I glimpsed when he smiled at beautiful computer tech is here. 

I couldn’t connect with Oliver until he met Felicity Smoak. When he smiled I remember thinking, “Oh there you are Oliver.” And this is the man I saw in that smile. This is who he was meant to become. We’ve waited seven long years, but Oliver Queen is finally home. The dream foreshadowed all those years ago came true.

Source: feilcityqueen

And he’s about to be torn from it again. Even though I know this separation is coming nothing can prepare me for the pain. That said, Arrow isn’t known for their subtle and before they rip my heart out the writers give us hope. The montage began with Oliver and Felicity sitting on the porch with two candles flickering between them 

Source:  olicitygifs 

and it ends with two candles as Oliver and Felicity prepare to sit down to dinner.

Source: Paige 

Twin Flames.

We can have more than one soul mate, but we can only have one twin flame. A twin flame is one soul in two bodies. We are fated to meet this person and when it happens it is like coming home. There’s a ying and yang balance and even though twin flames seem like opposites they are really the same deep down.

Twin flames come in and out of each other’s lives and the relationship can often be tumultuous. However, separation is an illusion because their shared soul will keep them linked forever.  Twin flame energy inevitably leads to reunion and the souls will join together in perfect unconditional love.

SOUND FAMILIAR?!!!!

This isn’t the first time two candles have been used to represent twin flames. Oliver and Felicity declared their love and slept together for the first time just before being separated forever. 

We know Olicity is about to be torn apart again and for a much longer period of time. However, the flicker of the twin flames is light in the dark. It is hope in despair. Oliver and Felicity are one soul in two bodies. There is no separation for any length of time or distance which will ever distinguish their love. Their reunion is inevitable. They are meant to be together. It’s fate.

But first they have to separate. 

Oliver hears a noise, grabs a knife and brandishes it against The Monitor’s throat in a stellar parallel to Mia doing the same to Felicity in “Star City 2040.” 

Source: ebett

The Monitor doesn’t have to say a word. Oliver knows immediately why he’s there. It’s heartbreaking because he thought he had more time.

I think Oliver saw the newspaper heading of The Flash’s disappearance at some point and figured he had at least until 2024. Due to some shenanigans on The Flash which I won’t get into other than IT’S ALL BARRY’S FAULT (well his daughter too, but mostly Barry), “Crisis” is happening sooner. 

It’s bad enough Oliver is sacrificing his happiness to save Barry and Kara, but now that speeding disaster zone of a human being stole an additional five years from him. Five precious years.

Oliver didn’t know the exact terms of the bargain he made with The Monitor at the time, but he’s informed he has to go save the multiverse. Or whatever. Yes, Felicity knew about the deal. He told her. That’s not something I even worried about while watching.

Source: Paige 

The Monitor also tells Oliver he’s going to die while trying to stop the inevitable. Nice. This guy is a real charmer.  The least he could have done is offer another bottle of wine before he obliterates Oliver and Felicity’s entire life.

Now, before anyone freaks, the rules of television explicitly state that when the writers say a character is going to die they are NOT going to die. The more this show talks about Oliver dying the better you should feel. IT AIN’T HAPPENING FAM.

Felicity ain’t having any of this. 

Source: Paige 

She protectively steps in front of her husband and tells The Monitor to go screw himself. THATTA GIRL BABY GIVE HIM HELL! Felicity giving zero fucks about saving Barry, Kara or the universe is such a big mood.

The Monitor assures Felicity he’s not going to harm either her or their daughter. MIA IS TOO IMPORTANT. Hahaha raise that neon spin off sign a little higher executive producers. Mars can’t see it yet.

Source: Paige 

It’s cool and all that The Monitor isn’t going to kill Felicity and Mia (thanks?) but it doesn’t really solve her Oliver problem. Felicity doesn’t give a crap about the spin off because she won’t be in it. The spin off can go screw itself just like Barry, Kara and the universe. NOBODY IS TAKING HER HUSBAND. 

Source: Paige 

He’s Felicity’s twin-flame-superhero-sex-god-father-of-her-children-chef-extraordinaire. Do you know how hard it is to find a man who cooks like Oliver who also looks like Oliver? I guarantee there isn’t another man like him in the multiverse. This poor man’s version of Thanos can fuck off.

Oliver, because he’s superhero Jesus now, gently tries to convince Felicity to back off. 

Source: Paige 

Hahaha, that’s cute. It’s never gonna happen big boy. Your woman is fierce. Remember when she slipped you a Mickey post coital to smuggle you out of Nanda Parbat? I do. It was awesome.  Speaking of, thirsty Oliver?

Source: blakelivey 

OMG YES!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! SO MUCH TRUTH!!!!

B*rry causes 99.9999999% of the problems in the DC Universe and suffers about 0. 0000001% of the consequences. In fact, Oliver suffers more from things B*rry does than B*rry ever has. A little death would be good for the kid. Consider it a growing experience. The world will be just FINE. Better even because we won’t have B*rry All*n jerking the timeline around. Diggle might get to keep all the kids he and Lyla have. The Flush deserves every bit of this comeuppance Oliver Queen. STAND ASIDE AND LET IT HAPPEN.

What about Kara?

She’s a lovely person, but I don’t watch her show anymore and my kid likes Hermione better now anyway. I am completely comfortable hanging her out to dry as long as Olicity gets to live their life in peace and happiness- even if it’s for a short period of time.

What about the universe?

Eh. Let the world hang Oliver. It’s cool man.  I’m about 51% sure I’ll go to heaven. Purgatory is for sure, so let’s roll the dice. Go sit down on the porch with your wife, raise your baby for the few months left, and we’ll all go out together in a blaze of glory. If you are taking requests because the world is ending then I would appreciate one more sex scene. Thanks buddy.

Source: blakelivey 

Honestly, the little headshake Oliver does when Felicity asks why it always has to be him says it all. Oliver has no answer for why the world is constantly screwing him over. So he slept with someone’s sister. Yeah, I know that was bad, but the man watched his father blow his brains out, was tortured multiple times, has been nearly killed every day for the last ten years, watched countless people he loves die, suffered a romantic horror show with L*urel, and put up with the Newbies & their bullshit for the last three years. Oliver has suffered enough.

Unfortunately, the Monitor tells Oliver he can save not only the lives of millions, but Felicity, William and Mia’s lives too. Damn it. Of course, he’s gonna go now. Even if he was comfortable letting the world go up in smoke (which I know he’s not) Oliver is not about to let his wife and children die.

Ruelle is playing and Oliver is walking into Mia’s nursery. Shiiiiiiiit.  This is going to rip out my heart. WHY CAN’T I EVER GET OBSESSED WITH A COMEDY?

I don't want to know Who we are without each other It's just too hard I don't want to leave here without you I don't want to lose part of me

Oliver is already crying, which means I am already crying. DID YOU HEAR THAT LYRIC? I think the only thing worse than Ruelle would be Sarah McLachlan at this point. These writers watched Buffy and it shows.

Source: olivergifs

Oliver looks into the crib at his perfect baby girl who is kicking, gurgling and not sleeping (factual representation of babies). He whispers “hey” the same way he’d whisper it to her mother whenever she was scared. 

This voice was how Oliver reassured Felicity. 

For so long it was the way he would tell Felicity he loved her without saying the actual words. Oliver whispers “hey” to tell Mia she’s safe. It’s his “I love you.” He can’t say the words or he’ll never leave. Oliver whispers “hey” because he can’t say goodbye.

Felicity is understandably disillusioned with being able to have a normal life. How can they if a caped alien agathokakological being is going to snatch their happiness away at a moment’s notice? This is a fair and accurate statement given the current state of events.

But what’s normal? It’s a relative term. Nobody is really normal. Sure, on the surface people look like they are living normal, everyday existences and to some extent that is true. But everyone has something they are dealing with. The something I deal with might be on a very different scale than the something you deal with, but nobody escapes this life without suffering. Nobody. And suffering always  obliterates our normal, everyday existence.

Oliver and Felicity want to sit on the porch, drink a glass of wine and be home to put their babies to bed every night. That’s a completely reasonable desire. It should be achievable even though their night gig is masked vigilantes. For a very long time it was achievable.

And yet it’s not because they are masked vigilantes. The needs of the many will always outweigh the needs of the few. This life Oliver and Felicity have chosen comes with a lot of benefits. They have found their true purpose. They help people. Oliver and Felicity even saved a damn city full of ungrateful twats.

But no choice is free of consequence. Life as a hero requires sacrifice.  Heroes put the needs of others before themselves. It’s what makes them heroes. You don’t hear me volunteering to save the universe do you? Hell no. Let it burn man! Make your peace with God everyone! I’m ready to go! I am not Oliver Queen and Felicity Smoak.  

Bloomfield was never the permanent plan. Oliver and Felicity always planned to go back to Star City and the bunker to fight another day. Felicity continued her life as Overwatch as she raised Mia. Oliver and Felicity are their best selves as Green Arrow and Overwatch, but it comes with significant downsides like danger anger, pain, loss and sacrifice. Their selflessness is what makes them heroes, but it costs them the very happiness they desire and deserve. Heroism is a bitch.

Of course, Oliver and Felicity have suffered enough. Of course, they deserve a happily ever after without any additional pain. Of course, they deserve to raise their family together for the next twenty years. But that’s not really the story Arrow is telling.

I mean… name one horrible thing that happened to Oliver that he truly deserved? He cheated on his girlfriend with her sister. So he deserved to watch his father commit suicide? Oliver was a drunken, whoring, layabout in his twenties. So he deserved to spend five years in hell tortured, beaten, fighting for survival and separated from everyone he loves? A lunatic forces him to pick between Sara and Shado and as punishment for that choice another lunatic murders his mother and lays waste to his city? Uh sure that’s balanced. These punishments don’t fit the crime. There’s nothing about Oliver’s story that is fair. It was never about fair.

Oliver Queen is an imperfect person. He tries and fails so many times, again and again. He is the perfect example of the disaster zone human beings can be while also representing the best of who we can be. He’s a murderer and a hero. Oliver is a sinner and a saint. He is light and dark like all of us.

But what I love most about him is his resiliency. He keeps fighting no matter what life throws at him. As does Felicity.  The truth is my friends; suffering is rarely “deserved.” There seldom seems to be a balance in the cosmic scale. I’ve witnessed terrible things happen to extremely good people. The fact they are good did not serve as a protective bubble from pain, although I naively at times thought it would.

If we’re all just doomed to suffer then what’s the point of being good? Why do bad things happen to good people? I believe we have to ask the right questions first and it’s never why. If the Lord Jesus Christ came down from heaven and explained to me in detail why the twins I miscarried had to be with him and not here on Earth with me, I’d still believe his decision was crap. There is no explanation God can give me which will make me understand why I had to lose two precious children. They belong here with me. Full stop. The Lord and I will just have to agree to disagree.

Why seldom leads to any answers. The question we should ask in the face of suffering is how. How do we survive this? How do I mold my body around this pain, become someone different, but not lose my soul in the process? More often than not suffering’s intent is to bring us to our knees. We aren’t supposed to be Pollyanna, although all the power to those who can. I believe we suffer so we understand we cannot survive alone. We need love. We need to reach out and for others to reach back. We need God. That’s how we survive.

I suppose that’s why I love hero stories. They are heightened and exaggerated reflections of suffering and survival. 

We watch these characters rise above loss, pain and darkness again and again. 

Not only do they survive, 

but they become a defining example of what selflessness, sacrifice 

and compassion look like.  

It doesn’t take a psychology major to understand why a girl, who has been in and out of hospitals her whole life, loves a character who has super strength, never gets sick and slays vampires. But Buffy’s story was not without pain. It was more often than not a story about pain.

I wish I could love selfish characters. I wish I could love stories where the biggest problem is solved in twenty minutes or less. I wish I could love relationships that are smooth sailing from start to finish and live happily ever after. I wish I could love stories like that, but I can’t. 

Those stories don’t resonate with me the way stories like Oliver and Felicity Smoak do because they aren’t a reflection of life. Pain and loss are as much a part of it as joy. I want to escape from life inside a story, but I also want it to give me hope. If these characters can survive their pain then maybe I can to. But that’s just me.

All I have wanted for Oliver and Felicity is for them to be happy, but that’s a fairly broad spectrum. I truly didn’t expect the suffering to stop until the final moments of this show and we aren’t there yet. Just look back on the ebb and flow of their relationship:

Oliver tells Felicity he loves her for the first time, but she’s kidnapped by Slade as a result of the confession. 

Oliver and Felicity go out on a date and the restaurant explodes.

They have sex for the first time and are separated forever (seemingly).

Oliver and Felicity get engaged and she is shot.

They get married after nearly being killed by Nazis.

Oliver is betrayed by his team 10 minutes after their wedding reception.

William is part of their lives, but his mother is dead and he’s kidnapped on a regular basis.

Felicity is pregnant, but Oliver’s psycho sister is trying to kill them with her wacko cult.

It’s a constant carrot, stick, carrot, stick, carrot, stick process. This is Arrow and it always will be. Oliver has finally saved the city. He’s more than earned a happy life with Felicity, their daughter and son. And now he has to sacrifice it all. This is the last thing Oliver and Felicity deserve, but this is why they are heroes. This wheel will keep turning until the final minutes of the show and only then it will stop. And we aren’t at the end yet.  

All Oliver has ever wanted is to keep the people he loves safe. It’s why he wore the mask to begin with. The idea of leaving Felicity alone with their infant daughter, knowing the Ninth Circle is out there and a hundred other dangers known and unknown to them, is crushing to Oliver. Their separation while Oliver was in Slabside did serve as a trial for what was to come. They had to discover who they were without each other. Oliver didn’t lose himself in the darkness once separated from Felicity. And she did whatever was necessary to keep her and William safe.

Source: feilcityqueen 

This is why Oliver is asking Felicity to make him this promise. There is nothing more precious to him than their children. The only way he can fight for the world is because he knows Felicity will fight for William and Mia every day. She will keep them safe. Oliver questioned the decisions Felicity made while he was in prison, but now he has her back completely. He knows she is strong enough to keep this promise. 

The promise is for Felicity too. If the worst happens and Oliver dies then their children, and the promise she made him, will give Felicity the strength to keep going… to keep fighting… to keep living.

Felicity makes Oliver a promise too. 

Source: @olicitygifs​ 

There is no amount of time or distance which will ever separate her love for him. They are one soul in two bodies. 

In the movie of The Count of Monte Cristo, Edmund is unable to buy his love Mercedes an engagement ring, so she wraps a string around her finger and promises to never take it off. When they come face to face again twenty years later, and even though she is married to the man who sent him to prison, the string is still on her finger. Felicity is making the same declaration. No matter where Oliver goes she will always be his wife and her devotion will never end.

Source: @olicitygifs​

I love that Felicity tells Oliver they are the best parts of each other. We’ve focused a lot on the impact Felicity had in Oliver’s life, and it was monumental, but he changed her too. Oliver opened up Felicity’s world. She found a strength she never knew existed, a purpose worth fighting for and a love worth living for.

Love wasn’t the finish line for Oliver and Felicity. Their relationship wasn’t the reward after all the struggle and hardship. Their love was the evolution. Oliver and Felicity inspired, challenged, changed and supported each other. They became heroes together. They are unique and interesting characters separately, but together they are magic.  Olicity brings out the very best in each other, which means they are living life to the fullest. This love makes life worth living… just as Diggle promised Oliver not so long ago.

And then the mic drop.

Source: @olicitygifs​

OLICITY IS BIGGER THAN THE FRIGGIN’ UNIVERSE. 

Oliver and Felicity are the OTPs of OTPs, the ship of ships and the story of stories. Olicity set the standard at infinity. No other love story will ever come close. At least not for me.

All the sorrow, sacrifice, joy and triumphs make Oliver and Felicity’s love story EPIC. In the immortal words of Logan Echol, “Spanning years and continents. Lives ruined and bloodshed. Epic.” Maybe their life isn’t normal, but it is extraordinary. This love will conquer all no matter how long it takes.

Source: @olicitygifs​ 

Whoa. I can do twelve pages just on this statement alone. WOW. These writers love shining a beautiful bright light on Olicity while simultaneously taking a crap on L*uriver. It’s truly a gift.

I am going to take some time to discuss this because this line is incredibly important. The writers are drawing a comparison to Felicity and Oliver’s past relationships for a reason. This is a deeply profound statement as Oliver reflects on the person he used to be and the person he is today.

Oliver shut down his emotions and became The Machine to survive those five years in hell. 

He told Felicity on their first date how he wasn’t able to see the humanity in other people when he returned home. 

He had shut off everything that made him human. 

Until he walked into Felicity’s cube and she sparked the light inside him. Then everything began to change.

But it was a very slow process. When we look back at Season 1 and Oliver’s behavior, his fear of being unable to love is quite prevalent. His inability to connect is crippling to his relationships with Thea, Moira and Tommy.

It’s even worse with the women he “dated.” Oliver was going through the motions in his relationships before Felicity. It was like he was playing a part. He mimicked what a relationship was supposed to look like without ever risking real vulnerability. There’s a wall inside Oliver and nobody knows that better than him. He had sex with these women, but Oliver wasn’t truly connecting with them and he knew it. No wonder Oliver believe he’d lost the ability to love.

Yes, even with Sara. The Original Canary will always be Oliver’s “perfect on paper” love interest. She was missing everything Oliver feared about a relationship with Felicity. I’m not just talking about the danger, even though Oliver’s fear for Felicity’s safety was high on his list of concerns. 

However, Oliver’s love for Felicity was like a raw nerve. It exposed all the vulnerabilities he worked so hard to protect. It took Oliver a long time to be ready for Felicity and he fought it nearly every step of the way. Loving Felicity reopened Oliver’s humanity, but that humanity came with the flood of pain he’d been trying to keep out.

Sara was a perfect path of avoidance because she was even more screwed up than Oliver, which says A LOT. The entire focus of their relationship was Oliver saving Sara. It was all about fixing her sins and brokenness. Saving Sara meant saving himself without having to bother with all the messy, uncomfortable and painful parts of his trauma. It was like putting a Sara shaped band aid over the gushing wound of his past. Not gonna work Handsome! Oliver also believed Sara was broken because of him. She was a manifestation of all his sins.

Oliver used these relationships like a mirror to reflect all the awful things he believed about himself. He failed Helena.  He wasn’t good enough for McKenna. He destroyed Sara. And L*urel was self hatred.

Din*h L*urel L*nce. Holy hell where do we begin? Every time Oliver talks about feeling undeserving of love he is referencing his relationship with L&urel. 

Hell, he told her that in the alien dream world. Real and sustaining love brings out our best selves, so it is impossible to feel undeserving of it. If anything it feels like the love you were always meant to find.

L*urel was the person Oliver believed he should love. He felt like something was wrong with him because he didn’t. Oliver decided to blow up his life rather than have an honest conversation with L*urel about it. This was a mistake he paid for and then some, but it didn’t mean Oliver’s feelings were wrong.

When he returned from the island his pursuit of L*urel was pursuit of self hatred. It was a continual cycle of chasing after her, trying to be worthy and failing. 

L*urel never missed an opportunity to tell Oliver he is a complete waste of a human being. And then the next week she’d be batting her eyes, panting and mauling him. 

I think Oliver became addicted to the cycle. When L*urel unleashed her vitriol and rage it confirmed every awful thing Oliver believed about himself. But redemption felt possible when L*urel showered him with affection and it was almost euphoric. He was stuck in this toxic cycle with her for a very long time.

Oliver’s pursuit of L*urel in Season 1 is much like his pursuit of his mission. He is chasing an illusion of love just like crossing off names on a list gave Oliver the illusion he’s saving a city. 

The reason he always talks about feeling undeserving of love when it comes to L*urel is because Oliver knew, deep down, she was chasing an illusion too. 

He knew the man L*urel loved didn’t exist. She loved who Oliver should be and not who he was. Oliver is L*urel’s “perfect on paper” love interest, but she never looked beyond the page.

L*urel: We decided to look for apartments together. I know it’s a big step but we’re ready. I think we’ll live together for a year, engaged for another and then –

Sara: Mrs. L*urel Queen.

L*urel: Maybe one day.

When love is unconditional we feel it. When love is conditional we feel it too. The illusion L*urel loved made Oliver feel like crap. He knew he’d never measure up.

If he let L*urel see who he really was then she would see him as less than. Which is worse – someone loving you for who you’re not or someone not loving you because of who you are?  It’s a tough call. No wonder Oliver got on the boat.

Not only was Oliver feeling undeserving of love, but he also felt incapable of love. This tells you everything you need to know about L*uriver. It was never about love. 

He was going through the motions with L*urel just like every other love interest. Oliver mimicked love, but he didn’t feel it. Not the way he should and, even back then, I think he knew that on some level. He was addicted to the toxic cycle with L*urel and what he wanted, more than anything, was to fix things with her. If he fixed everything with L*urel, if she forgave him and took him back, then it was like Lian Yu never happened. Oliver earns his redemption without having to look deep inside the pain. 

And none of that has anything to do with really being in love with L*urel L*nce. Furthermore, he’d be with a person who doesn’t really love who he truly is, which is exactly the kind of love Oliver Queen believed he deserved.

Felicity Megan Smoak is the antithesis of all of this. She is the first mirror to reflect all the good things in Oliver and slowly, bit by bit, he began to believe that reflection was true. The sheer force of her goodness was like a battering ram against the wall Oliver built inside himself. She cracked him wide open and all his light began spilling out. 

All the pain came with all that humanity and it hurt a lot, but Oliver was never alone. Felicity was always by his side. Her compassion made the pain bearable. It gave Oliver the courage to show Felicity who he truly was, the good, bad and awful, and he received unconditional love in return.

She was the first person to tell Oliver he deserved more. There was one inescapable truth Oliver couldn’t ignore. Oliver believes in Felicity Smoak. She is beyond reproach. Felicity is the best of humanity in Oliver’s eyes (and he’s right).  If that is true, and Felicity loves him, then maybe Oliver isn’t as bad as he thought. Even more importantly, she loves Oliver for who he is and not in spite of who he is. This is the difference between feeling deserving and undeserving of love.

Source: @olicitygifs​ 

This is what Oliver means when he says Felicity opened up his heart in ways he never thought possible. He repeats the words Felicity said the night she told Oliver she loved him for the first time. 

Felicity didn’t tell Oliver she loved him because it was her last chance. I mean… yeah it was, but that ignores the massive shift in Oliver’s behavior in 3x20.

Thea was near death and the pain brings Oliver to his knees. Thea was all he had left of his family. She was everything Oliver worked so hard to protect and he failed. 

Instead of pushing Felicity away like he has for most of Season 3, Oliver reaches out to her. He allows Felicity to take care of him. Oliver lets Felicity love him, truly love him, in all the ways he deserves and yet so adamantly refused to accept. And of course, Felicity reaches back. She tells Oliver not only how much she loves him but the profound impact he had on her life.

And that’s the point. Somehow amidst all the pain and suffering in life there is love. We must reach for it, particularly when our world seems darkest and the pain is too much to bear. If we can have a profound impact on one person, inspire his/her best self and make his/her life better by simply being part of it then our life will resonate long after we are gone.  We all deserve unconditional love. If we have to fall to our knees to find it then so be it because it makes life survivable. It’s why life is worth living.

This is gift of Olicity. This is the lesson their story teaches us. Unconditional love seems like such a simple idea, but it isn’t. It gets lost in all the noise of anger, blame, retribution, self hatred, selfishness and indifference. This is why we need hero stories. They serve as a reminder of who we should try to be. Maybe we can’t shoot a bow and arrow like Oliver Queen or hack computers like Felicity Smoak, but we all are capable of loving like they do. Arrow may be a little television show on an almost network, but Olicity’s love is a powerful example to us all.

It’s important to note Stephen is really starting to lose it here. We’re almost at Sarah Michelle Gellar “It’s not enough time!” level hysterics. 

For the love of God someone convince Emily to stay for another 10 episodes. Amell isn’t going to make it! Me neither fam. I honestly missed 95% of this speech the first time because I was sobbing so hard. 

And then he delivers the humdinger. 

Source: @olicitygifs​ 

There are three levels to an Oliver Queen line:

1. Swoon

2. Panty Dropper

3. Cardiac Arrest

This is a hardcore Level 3. It’s been nice knowing everyone! Cause of death: My Only Regret Is Not Telling You I loved You Sooner. Damn Oliver.

Felicity Smoak may be leaving, but lines like this can keep a fandom going for twenty years. Hell we could go fifty on this one. Think of the fics, gifs, artwork, metas and fan vids we can create from this line alone!

SO WHEN WAS SOONER OLIVER? Quite frankly, we could make a strong case for 1x03. Hell, I’m willing to argue for the 3x14 flashback too. One of the first metas I ever wrote was “When Did Oliver Fall in Love with Felicity?” and to this day it’s probably the most popular article I’ve written. It is my firm belief Oliver’s journey towards realization was slow and then it happened all at once. 

This line perfectly dovetails with all those moments because the truth is there is no right answer. Felicity Smoak evolved as Oliver’s true love as the show evolved and yet it was also destiny. Talent and chemistry met opportunity. The unexpected became the plan. That’s the magic of television.

This line reminds me of one from How I Met Your Mother.

“Hi. I'm Ted Mosby. In exactly 45 days from now you and I are going to meet and we're going to fall in love and we're going to get married and we're going to have 2 kids and we're going to love them and each other so much. ... I'm always gonna love you, til the end of my days and beyond. You’ll see.”

Oliver wants those extra 45 days or six months or two years or INSERT PERSONAL TIME FRAME HEAD CANON HERE. All he wants is more time with Felicity.

Source: @olicitygifs​ 

This is tooooo muuuuuuuch! 

Stephen and Emily are shattering my soul. By the way, Oliver finally said Felicity was beautiful! This has been in the fandom’s craw for a loooooong time and IT HAPPENED. (Marc and Beth check off #232).

As much as I love this line it is extremely painful because Oliver is acknowledging he won’t be around to watch Mia grow up. He’s accepted he’s going to die. 

But Felicity hasn’t. She makes her husband another promise and instills some hope in Oliver.  

Source: @olicitygifs​ 

Felicity Smoak is never wrong. If she refuses to accept Oliver’s fate then so should we.

One last I love you.

One last kiss. 

One last hug.

One last look. Memorizing every detail. This memory will have to last 20 years.

Source: @olicitygifs​ 

And then he’s gone. 

Felicity holds on for as long as she can until the distance breaks their hands apart.

And she is alone.

Life will always bring us to our knees my friends. 

Source: @olicitygifs​ 

It’s why our moments of joy are so precious. If you can glean one lesson from this love story I hope it is that.

Arrow did their very best to convince us Oliver is dead. Look guys! A grave!  

Source: olivergifs

Nothing short of a body, autopsy report and dental records will convince me of it. A headstone ain’t gonna cut it!

Felicity says goodbye to her children at his gravesite. 

Source: felicitysmoakgifs 

They’ve saved Star City in the future, but now Felicity & Co. is going on the run. She is putting the city in Mia, William, Connor and Zoe’s hands because they are ready. It’s time for the old guard to fade away and the new guard to step up.  

I don’t believe for one second Oliver Queen is dead, but I realized in this scene why Felicity has not gone out in search of him even though it’s been 20 years. Felicity couldn’t keep her promise to find Oliver until she kept the other promise she made him – to keep William and Mia safe.

All season we’ve watched Felicity struggle with letting go of her children and allowing them to be the heroes they are meant to be. 

Source: feilcityqueen

She knew it would be goodbye once William and Mia could protect themselves. Felicity has devoted her entire life to these children and sacrificed nearly everything – including finding their father. Felicity has been living the last twenty years torn in half as she faithfully kept all the promises she made to Oliver.

This is an impossible choice. If she stays with the children then she’ll never find Oliver. If she leaves to find Oliver then she can’t be with the children. And yet, Felicity made those decisions the last twenty years with grace and love.

I’ve always identified with Felicity in some way, but I probably feel the most connected to her in this scene than I ever have before. We’re supposed to raise our kids to be independent and contributing members of society, but they leave home when they become everything we’ve asked them to be. We spend our children’s entire childhood preparing them to leave us. It’s unbelievably difficult because all we want is to keep them close and hold on even tighter. The hardest part of being a parent is letting go.

And that’s what Felicity has done all season in the flash forwards. She’s held on as tightly as she could to William and Mia, trying to keep them out of the action and safe, but that’s not who they are. It’s not in their blood to stand on the sidelines. William and Mia are the children of heroes and now it’s their turn to carry on their parent’s legacy.  It’s time for Felicity to let go.

William and Mia are ready and the goodbye she’s been dreading the last twenty years is here. 

Source: smoakmonster 

As Felicity says goodbye she brushes the hair from Mia’s face just like Oliver brushed the hair from hers the last time they spoke. Oliver’s dream of Mia growing up to be as smart and as beautiful as her mom came true. She is everything Oliver could ever hope for and more just like William.  These children are his legacy.

Source: felicitysmoakgifs

Mia is heartbroken she never knew their father, which means she will get the chance in Season 8.  THESE ARE THE RULES OF TELEVISION OKAY?!

Source: felicitysmoakgifs 

Felicity solidifies Mia and William’s Season 8 arc by asking them to take care of each other (that neon spin off sign is flashing again too).

Source: felicitysmoakgifs 

 And now is the time we must say goodbye to Felicity Smoak and Emily Bett Rickards. 

Source: blakelivey

She was telling the truth when she told William and Mia she was going on a journey of her own, but it’s not as a fugitive on the run. 

Felicity waits in the middle of the road, the light of the moon streaming behind her like a flashlight guiding her on her journey, and The Monitor arrives. He is taking Felicity to Oliver.

Where she is going there is no return, which is why saying goodbye to Mia and William was so difficult. However, Felicity promised she would watch over them, so I’m thinking wherever she’s going isn’t completely cut off. The minute they “point of no return” then it automatically means the characters will return. Rules of television.

Felicity’s favorite story is The Wizard of Oz and this journey with The Monitor is like Dorothy leaving home for Oz. However, I prefer to think of it as Felicity leaving Oz for home because home is wherever Oliver is. There’s been sadness in Felicity’s eyes in the flash forwards because a piece of her is missing, but now her eyes are shining with light and joy. 

Source: felicitysmoakgifs 

The reunion she’s waited twenty years for is finally here. They are soul in two bodies and these twin flames will finally be together again.

I WAS SCREAMING!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! I couldn’t believe what just happened. I never expected Beth and Marc to give us Oliver and Felicity’s happy ending NOW. Yes, I know it happened off screen, but they are together. 

Hopefully, this multidimensional zone Oliver has been chilling in for the last twenty years looks a lot like Aruba and are having hot-we-waited-20-years-for-each-other sex.

Most of the time when an actor leaves a televisions show there are tons of loose ends and it’s vitally important he or she comes back for the series finale if there’s any chance of resolving the storyline happily. It is incredibly stressful as a viewer. 

But we don’t have to worry about Emily Bett Rickards coming back for the final season. I fully expect her to in the series final at least, but if it doesn’t happen for some reason then it’s okay. The writers planned for the worst case scenario and protected Olicity’s happy ending. 

This is a spectacular gift particularly for those who are saying goodbye to the series now.

I don't want to know what it's like to live without you

Don't want to know the other side of a world without you

Felicity twists her wedding ring, the symbol of her unending love and devotion to Oliver, and steps into the other side of the world to find her husband and fulfill her promise. 

She’s lived the last twenty years without him and she doesn’t want to spend another day without him. Felicity is going home to Oliver.

It’s the home we all found when Oliver brought a bullet ridden computer to the hacker with a ponytail and glasses chewing on a red pen. 

Source: felicitysmoakgifs 

Felicity Smoak and Emily Bett Rickards drifts out of our world with the same light and hope she drifted in with. Oliver may be my favorite character, but Felicity Smoak is the most important. 

There is no other actor or character who had more impact on the story and the trajectory of the show. Emily Bett Rickards came in as a day player, turned the show on its head, became the female lead and anchored the love story Arrow revolved around. THIS IS UNHEARD OF. IT DOESN’T HAPPEN. 

THAT IS PURE TALENT.

Even more importantly, the writers and Emily crafted a strong female character by embracing her humanity. Felicity Smoak is intelligent, witty, compassionate, brave, resilient, optimistic and honest. She makes mistakes (occasionally), but she always learns from them and it makes her a stronger person. 

This was never just Oliver’s story. It was Felicity’s too. She helped Oliver become a hero by being a hero in her own right.  She is a fictional character my daughter can look up to. She made me laugh, cry and ponder life as she wow’d me with her genius, heroism and open heart. That’s more than I could ever ask for.

Emily and Felicity Smoak brought the light to Arrow. 

She saved the show by becoming the show. It gave me a character and love story I will love for the rest of my life and for that I will always be grateful.

As for the future, Felicity essentially disappears inside a black star. The path home to Oliver is a black star. 

Source:  ebett 

No universe can disconnect the souls of this family. They will find each other again. We just have to wait and hope. 

Stray Thoughts

I care very little about anything else going on in the other 30 minutes, so I’ll just catalog my other rando thoughts here rather than create additional sections. Cool? Cool.

It really boils down to Emiko being ticked she didn’t get Queen Consolidated. Wow. My buddy Chris King really nailed it.

“He's trying to save you dumbass.” BEN TURNER GETS TO STAY. I’d exchange Ben Turner for Curtis Holt, Dinah and Rene in a heartbeat. IN. A. HEARTBEAT

Speaking of  Curtis. Keep it. Completely unnecessary having him in Emily’s last episode. 

Nobody really buys that Rene and Dinah should be part of the Mark of Four right? Good. Just checking. 

“Been there before." Never change Roy Harper. I love you just the way you are

“I wanted to be a Queen.” I didn’t really care about Emiko, but that line got me.

“Overwatch?” Annnnd Curtis answers. This is why he had to go. I HATE HIM.

Oliver saved the city and stopped Emiko by using over a decade of loss, pain and PTSD to therapy his sister out of her crazy. That’s kind of awesome.

The parallel of Mia and Oliver fighting was flawless. Probably one of the coolest stunts the show has ever done.

I’m here for Father/Daughter selfless crime fighting duo. I’m going to keep saying I need a spin off until I get it.  Source:  ghxstfoxgoddxs

Mia gets her Daddy’s bow, so the bird fans really need to stop with all the Canary nonsense. How they don’t understand she’s the Oliver in the future/new show is beyond me.

QUEEN SIBLINGS FOREVER! Source:  blackstargifs

The “let’s talk custody with William’s grandparents” line was weird. William’s whole storyline present and future was weird. Keeping William with his grandparents was meant to solely facilitate the Mia shocker and it will always be the piece of this storyline that does not work for me.

I seriously thought the fade out from Oliver’s grave would be the last of the flash forwards and I was going to be ticked because I didn’t want to do yet another season of “Is Oliver Dead?” Or “Is Felicity dead?” for that matter. SO OVER IT. I was completely overjoyed it was not the end of the flash forwards.

Can we all just finally agree the writers would rather chew their hands off than kill Felicity Smoak? Because it’s true.

L*urel isn't part of the Mark of Four. She gets a handshake because that's the same. This show is so savage with any version of her character. YIKES.

Rene lived! Shocker.

Felicity instructing John how to take care of the bunker is my level of OCD.

“I have to find a way to atone for that.” Sooo… you park it on a deserted island?

William asks how Roy ended up on the island and he pretty much says it’s a great story, but then doesn’t tell him. HILARIOUS.

Stephen dropped the bag on the stairs and looked like he was trying not to laugh as David finished his lines. The fact this is the best shot they had is further evidence of all the shots Stephen probably blew with all his feelings. Source:  legends-of-today

No Diggle in the flash forwards, so that’s something to look forward to for Season 8.

I have absolutely no idea how Season 8 is going to work. Is it going to be like the prison storyline and Oliver is just off on his own universe show while Diggle holds down the fort in Star City? Oooookay.

So much Outlander it ain’t even funny.

Are you alive? You just read a term paper on Olicity and Felicity Smoak. 

Thank you for your patience as I finished this review and thank you for reading it! 

To all those who are moving on thank you for visiting this blog, reading what I write, and helping me create a space for us all to enjoy a television show we love. I appreciate all the support and can never thank you enough. Feel free to visit any time because I’m not going anywhere! I have some fun things planned for this summer and of course there’s still 10 more episodes of Arrow in the fall. 

To those sticking around thanks for hanging with me until the bitter end.

Disclaimer: Any gifs on the blog are not mine. If you would like a gif removed from my reviews, please message me. 7x22 gifs credited.

If you’d like to support the blog, please buy me a cup of tea!

[ala-mhinyan]

XVIII :: Wilt

{{ Feat Mentions: The entire Pack, Past Lovers and friends. Too many to tag. }} {{ TW: Body Horror, Gore, Mentions of Child Sexual Abuse, Physical Abuse, Mentions of Adult Sexual Abuse and Detailed Character Death }}

The events depicted are one of the possible realities that COULD happen to C’arha and are not canon as of this moment. They may never be. We don’t know.

Please do not read this if visceral gore or the above skeeve you out! C’arha’s backstory is long, heart breaking and ugly. Read at your own risk!

The desert sand burns hot across her tanned skin, roused awake from her half conscious slumber against burning stone where no one can reach her. The Arms of Meed have always been a safe haven for those seeking religious refuge while the ever present eye of the Destroyer watches overhead. It has always been a place she can go where no one will find her--No one would try to. The Peaks is too big of a cemetery to find a patch of flowers wilting in the drought.

When you leave this world, what legacy will you leave behind?

The words roll around in the back of her barely conscious mind, haunting her dreams and creeping around the edges of her very awareness despite the shrouded veil she flings at it to force the distance. They remind her of her failures as a person--how in every avenue of her being there is but naught a thing she has left behind that they will remember her by. No songs. Ghosting memories of dances performed in the highlight of her joy. Her flowers will shrivel and perish without tending to. The ink she used to write her letters will fade. There will be nothing left of her to remind them that she existed but the lingering smell of fire and flowers.

Hot tears rush to her hazed eyes, falling freely and dripping onto sizzling stone beneath her head. She’s too tired to move into the peace and relief that is offered just ilms behind her in the form of a knotted tree that looms over most of the remaining structure. Light filters between lashes and blinds her no matter what direction she tries to turn her head. There is no escape from it.

Panic settles deep in her chest, curling up her throat and expelled in the form of a sob.

“Sen--i…”

He cannot find you. No one can.

Fear. Panic. Relief.

It tangles together into a motley that she gives the last of her strength to battle down, to push away and down. So she can rest. So she can recover.

The reaction is instantaneous; those feelings of fear, panic, elation, confusion, regret, resentment and rage manifesting itself within her breast. The sensation is hot and sharp, spreading throughout her body like a flash flood and bursting from her flesh like lightning. Skin cracks, splitting--vines that twist and curl around limbs to encompass her in a tomb of her own making. She wants to scream but its stolen from her, throat filled with the prickle of brambles as stalks bloom beautifully from the shape of her terror stricken maw. Blood fills her jaws in the spaces between the leaves and the flutter of petals too pristine to have been grown in a garden untended by human hands.

It hurts.

Flower buds flood from the holes in her nose, from the fluff within her ears, under her fingernails, out of every open cut or scrape she’s garnered over the past month. She tries to breathe in, to counter the pain by breathing through it and it only causes the blooms to accelerate their escape from their prison. Ocean waves of regret crash against her lungs, the useless flailing of too tired limbs that try to pull the flowers out from her throat getting forces aside by the sheer magnitude of how much that flows forth. A cold truth settles over her consciousness and she resigns herself to relax as much as she can while the inevitable continues on.

Within her mind she walks the path of her life; she remembers playing in the tribe on dusty rugs with sticks and rocks as if that where the best thing she’d ever done. She remembers the first kiss she shared with C’mune under the persimmon tree when she thought no one was watching. She remembers the first time C’tolemy called her princess and when he was brought into their home, the silent promise they made to each other under the light of the moon. The memory of the quiet night that Garleans burned the only place she had ever known to be home flitters around her as a butterfly just out of reach, it’s wings retelling the exact moment the gunblade slipped through her father’s neck and his blood splattered across her face--the weight of his own skull tearing the rest of the connected skin as his head falls to her feet. She remembers being taken on her mother’s bed by men twice or even three times her age who held the older woman tied by the wrist to watch them defile her daughter, the bodies of her eldest and middle son lying just arms length away.

The glass of her mindscape shatters, the shard ripping through flesh and spilling blood across her beautiful skin. She can only look down at herself with vacant eyes, the pain dulled to almost a whisper that licks at the back of her neck. A hand pushes aside the remaining glass, cutting cleanly through tendons until it carves against bone--then everything is lighter. She pays it no mind. She knows her fingers are gone.

The crack of her jaw brings her back from the memories, feeling the sudden pop as it dislocates and the flesh pulled as her lips split at the seams--pulled and pushed by the unrelenting pressure of the growing flowers. She cannot feel her hands or legs anymore but she can vaguely tell that they don’t belong to her any longer--that her belly is bloated and dissented until it pops like a balloon. Her innards grow thousands of holes in seconds, the bloom of stalks and flower buds growing from the blood within them into the most beautiful of deep red roses. Her lungs fill with flower petals. Her heart slows and slows and slows with the ever looming threat of her soon to be end. She closes her eyes and falls back into her mindscape.

Her disfigured body limps along the path, a steady goal in place--mind the only thing keeping her feet on the path before her. With each step she takes a glory of flowers bloom from beneath her feet and have wilted and died by the time she lifts that same foot to take another step. Her conscious mind is swarmed by more butterflies whos wings reflect the past in all of its ugly beauty.

She remembers being dragged by her ankle into a caravan--abandoned on the side of a road somewhere in The Lochs when the soldiers had had their fill of her body. She remembers being found by a fox-faced Roegadyn who promised he would take care of her and that everything would be okay, those large fingers brushing away the constant stream of tears. She remembers the exchange of gil, the ugly smiles, the blindfold over her eyes. She remembers waking up in a bunker, chained by her ankles and wrists to cement walls on a bed of straw and dirt. She remembers how the other chained women looked at her and tried to soothe the little girl that everything would be alright. She remembers the pain, the ache between her thighs and the flit of too-bright light filtering in from the cracks in the roof. She remembers the sting of lash. She remembers the words said to her for acting out. She remembers, for years, being nothing more than something to be used.

Her body doesn’t feel pain any longer, shock having settled in where the blooms continue to grow and grow and grow from everything left in her body. Petals and leaves push from around the edges of her eyes, slicing against sensitive muscle and blinding her permanently. There will only be so much time left… She can feel the curl of petals squeezing her ribs and starting to curl around the still-beating muscle in her chest.

Once more, she walks this path--butterflies flitting about her hair and resting on her skin. It tickles and she laughs out gently, feeling serene in this place where she is reminded of the torture of reality. Again, the memories play out; She remembers coming to Eorzea with no gil in her pocket and under the order from her mother to go live a better, safer life there. She remembers being homeless. She remembers starving. She remembers being despondent on the floor of the Quicksand while feet stepped over her and left her there to rot. She remembers Koto’ya. She remembers Ryusei and his betrayal that broke her heart and made her feral. She remembers the snake pushing her down onto water worn rocks, suffocating her under the rush of water while he had his fill of her body. She remembers how he beat her to the brink of death and later said he loved her.

She remembers meeting Bremwyda and how quickly they became friends that could share anything with one another. She remembers meeting her darkness and light, her beautiful, perfect Zareen. She remembers the day her beloved plunged a knife into her heart and twisted it until she was on her knees and begging to be spared. She remembers Ayanga and Dunrai in the basement of the Respite--she remembers the look of disdain in the Uyagir’s eye from her prank. She remembers Burkegan’s laughter, F’cannah’s betrayal, Delesta’s garb, Sana’s smile, Yekegan’s whisper, Anakari’s demand, Ganbataar’s foolishness. She remembers and remembers and remembers until she’s bloated and full with memories and more memories and more memories. She remembers Aveis’ grin, Twi’s smile, Kadour’s desperation, Kindoron’s fear, Kojhin’s elation, Berric’s terror, Rothgar’s advice, Eigengrau’s wish, Saia’s misstep, Saiun’s food, Luar’s giggle, Zurri’s smirk, Elodea’s taunt. She remembers brushing her fingertips across the palm of the first and last man she would ever call her husband and longed to call his name once more. She remembers and remembers and remembers until she can only see the the passing faces of loved ones circling about her with their smiles, laughter and joy.

She remembers her lovers, her family, her heart and soul. She remembers.

‘I love you.’

The flicker of a barely there smile from the Light Scale so far away, covered in blood and crowned in flowers is the last thing she sees before the world turns from black to white and a hand extends to her.

‘I love you.’

She reaches, clasping the hand tightly and falls within herself as she takes her final breath.

‘I love you.’

The body left behind erupts one last time in a rush of blooming, beautiful, perfect flowers that reach and reach and reach for the sky--towering high above the Arms of Meed and then collapse like a deck of cards. The area is swallowed by beautiful flowers that glitter and shine and will last a lifetime.

Even after all of the others have wilted away.

[frontproofmedia]

Jermell Charlo vs. Brian Castano Final Press Conference Quotes and Photos

(adsbygoogle = window.adsbygoogle || []).push({});

Follow @Frontproofmedia!function(d,s,id){var js,fjs=d.getElementsByTagName(s)[0],p=/^http:/.test(d.location)?'http':'https';if(!d.getElementById(id))(document, 'script', 'twitter-wjs');

Published: July 16, 2021

SAN ANTONIO – WBC, WBA, and IBF world champion Jermell Charlo and WBO world champion Brian Castaño met face-to-face on Thursday at the final press conference to preview their undisputed 154-pound world championship showdown taking place this Saturday, July 17 live on SHOWTIME from AT&T Center in San Antonio in a Premier Boxing Champions event. Thursday’s press conference also featured unbeaten Interim WBA Lightweight Champion Rolando “Rolly” Romero and former title challenger Anthony Yigit, who meet in the co-main event, and unbeaten middleweight Amilcar Vidal and veteran contender Immanuwel Aleem, who battle in the telecast opener at 9 p.m. ET/6 p.m. PT. The hard-hitting unified champion Charlo and the exciting Argentine Castaño will go toe-to-toe as all of the super welterweight championship belts are on the line for the first time in the four-belt era. The highly anticipated matchup will add to the long and storied history of major championship fights to take place in San Antonio. Tickets for the live event, which is promoted by Lions Only Promotions and TGB Promotions, are on sale now and can be purchased through www.attcenter.com. Romero vs. Yigit is co-promoted with Mayweather Promotions. Here is what the press conference participants had to say Thursday from San Antonio: JERMELL CHARLO “I’m excited to be fighting back in Texas, but I’ll fight anywhere. As long as everyone tunes in, they know what time it is. I’m more than ready. I’m excited and anxious to get in the ring. “This is a dream come true. I’ve wanted to be undisputed since I was a child because this is the highest you can reach in boxing. Being in this moment really makes me thankful to my whole team who helped me get to this point. “Now is the time that me and my brother finally get the opportunity to show the world what we’re worth. This is the moment for us. Opportunities like this don’t come around too often, so I have to go out there and take advantage. “I’m not old enough to think about the Hall of Fame yet. I’m just focusing on the right now. I have a goal to accomplish that will take 36 minutes or less on Saturday. I’ll look into everything else that this means after Saturday night. “I don’t have any pressure on me. I’ve been in this position so many times in my life. If I felt the pressure, I wouldn’t be in this moment. He has to come and do his thing. He has to put the pressure on me and avoid these bombs I’m throwing. “I can’t predict the future, but just know that I’m stronger and faster than I was before. I just feel like I’m ready. I have power in every punch I throw and I’m thankful for this opportunity to face another champion. “I have the don’t blink attitude for this fight. You never know what could happen at any moment of any round. I’ve knocked people out in just about every round. We’re both in good shape, so we’re going to find out who’s better Saturday. “A focused Jermell is the most dangerous Jermell there could be. I have different skill sets that I can implement in this fight no matter what Castaño does. I have a lot that I can do depending what Castaño brings. “My loss was just all part of God’s plan. After the controversial loss, I got right back in there for the rematch. I had jet fuel in me and went on to unify and now we’re going to keep going. There’s no stopping the show. “It’s dangerous for him to come forward and walk into shots. Most opponents that I’ve faced who’ve done that, I’ve put them out. We’ll see if he’s able to stand up to the power. “I put my life on the line to feed my family. I have a lot of things that I need the boxing world to understand before my career is over. You can see that I’ve always faced tough opponents. My mindset was always stay focused, so you don’t get cut, like in the NFL. You have to work hard so nobody takes your position. That’s how I look at it mentally. I’m in a great position, but I still have a lot more to prove.” BRIAN CASTAÑO “For me and my team, this is yet another opportunity to lift Argentine boxing up and add another star to that legacy. That’s what I want and I’m enjoying this moment. I promise that on Saturday night, I’m going to leave it all in the ring for everybody. “He has all the pressure on him being in his home state. I’ve been training so hard for nine months and I’m comfortable as the underdog. I always come in as the underdog, so I don’t feel any pressure. “When it comes down to it, if I have to lower my punch output to put more power on my punches, then I will. I don’t like to focus on past fights, because we have our own game plans for this fight. I have a plan to come out victorious Saturday night. “We have a war to fight on July 17. I’m not thinking about anything beyond that fight. My mind is fully set on becoming undisputed champion Saturday night. “I guarantee the fans are going to enjoy this fight and won’t leave disappointed. Both of us are going to do whatever it takes to come out victorious and that will make sure the fans will love this fight. “I want to make not only Argentina, but all of Latin America proud. That’s what I want to do on Saturday night. “In the end, I can only focus on what I’m going to do. If Charlo wants to be more finesse, I can deal with that, and if he wants to brawl, then by all means I will welcome that as well. “Seeing Argentina win the Copa America last Saturday night motivated me even more. Messi deserved his title, and he made the entire country happy. I hope that the party can continue a week later with an undisputed champion as well “Height and reach are the only similarities between Jermell and Erislandy Lara and Michel Soro. He’s his own man and he’s certainly a tough opponent to face.” ROLANDO ROMERO “I’m going to stop him in the first round on Saturday. I’m confident in what I say and what I’ll do in the ring. “I love fighting lefties. I prepared to face a southpaw first in Austin Dulay anyway. This camp has been amazing. I can’t even talk about all the times I’ve stopped people in camp. “Like every single time I fight, make sure you show up on time. If you show up late, you’re going to miss a knockout. “I’m just a different fighter from these other lightweights. You can’t prepare for me because I’m awkward. No one has ever seen my style before, plus I have power. “I’m just happy Yigit stepped up and took this fight. I’m used to people not taking fights with me. I can’t knock him on that. “I said I like fighting southpaws because they’re easier to hit, simple as that. Look at what I do to southpaws. I didn’t have to change my preparation at all with the change in opponent. A southpaw is a southpaw, it’s not like he’s Manny Pacquiao.” ANTHONY YIGIT “I’m not worried about my layoff from the ring. I’m always training and making sure that I’m in shape and ready for fights like these. “I fought for the world title once, so I know that people are going to try to bring me in last minute with my experience and try to catch me off-guard. I was already prepared for war, so everything worked out as planned. “If anything, 135 pounds is my real weight class. In Europe I’ve done quite well at 140, so I didn’t feel like I needed to come down. When I fought for the title I realized 140 may be too big for me. “I’m highly ranked at 140-pounds, so that’s just where I’ve been getting the best opportunities. Now I’m here, making my move to the States and there’s no better time for me to announce my presence. “Fans can expect a great fight Saturday. I’m going to get the win by any means. That’s why I’m here. I understand his confidence. We’re both here to win. This is the perfect co-main event to get people warmed up for the main event.” AMILCAR VIDAL “I have a great opponent in front of me. He has a good resume in his own right. So I’m focusing on what I can do, because we’ve put in all the hard work in the gym and you’ll see it all in the ring on Saturday. “With the effort that I put in to training camp, you can expect that I’m going to leave the ring victorious Saturday night. “I feel great, absolutely motivated and ready to give 100% on Saturday night. We know that we have a quality opponent in front of us, but I have proven my worth and my skills. That’s the reason I’m here. “We had a great training camp. It was hard and complicated at first to be so far away from Uruguay, because I’m very close to my family, but that’s part of the job. I am more and more motivated each day and I know that my family is supporting me from home. They are proud of me, for sure.” “I hope to be able to honor my country and raise our flag up high. Both of Uruguay’s world champions, Cris (Namos) and Cecilia (Comunales) called me to wish me all the best and tell me they believe in me too.” IMMANUWEL ALEEM “I’m looking forward to being a world champion and it all starts Saturday. Whatever he’s going to bring, I’m going to be ready. I have one of the best trainers in the game in Ronnie Shields in my corner. This is not going to be an easy fight for him. “I’ve been working with the champs. The best of the 154 and 160-pound division. So ring rust will not be a problem for me. “Expect a real fight on Saturday. Everyone knows that when you step in with me, it’s going to be a real fight. There’s no easy fights with me. “They want to see what Vidal can do in a big fight. We’ll find out if he has enough on Saturday, but no matter what, he’s in for a real test.” STEPHEN ESPINOZA, President, Sports and Event Programming, Showtime Networks Inc. "You don't need me to tell you how big this card is. This is the undisputed 154-pound title. That's all you have to say. We have six fighters up here with four losses between them. This is a high quality card from top to bottom. "The opening bout between Vidal and Aleem is a co-feature or maybe a main event on any other network. 'Rolly' Romero is one of the most entertaining fighters at lightweight and he's in against a tough substitute opponent in Anthony Yigit. "This main event is the best against the best. Jermell is the consensus number one fighter in the division and we're thrilled to have him back on SHOWTIME. But there’s another fighter who may have an argument about who is number one and that’s Castaño. This is a real fight and whoever emerges as the victor on Saturday night has earned the undisputed title.”

(Featured Photo: Amanda Westcott/Showtime)

[medschoolash]

Marriage, Babies, and Sucession: The Political Future of Westeros and it's Great Houses

WARNING: this is long as shit so read at your own risk lol

So after spending substantial amount of time focusing on the threat beyond the wall and the immediate battle for the iron throne, at the end of season 7 we finally get to down to the nitty gritty questions about the future of Westors and it’s great houses.

It’s an important question and something I expected to come up eventually because yes we know that if the NK isn’t defeated none of it matters. However, there is still that lingering question of what happens if/when that happens? Are any of these characters and houses set up for any real future/legacy or will all of this blood, pain, sacrifice, and tragedy be for nothing because all of their goals and houses die with them. Are our heroes and villains destined to fight for a political legacy and to save a humanity that they can not themselves add to? I don’t think so, so the question becomes, how will they add to it? What will their legacies be?

The first group of people who address this within the narrative are Jamie and Ceresi. In the premiere Ceresi goes on and on about the Lannister legacy and that’s why she’s doing what she’s doing, it’s what she’s fighting for but as Jamie points out there is no Lannister legacy. Unless Tyrion comes to reclaim his name and Casterly rock, the Lannister name and legacy dies with them. Ceresi’s fight for a legacy is incomprehensible to Jamie because they have no legacy to leave, he’s seemingly okay with that but Ceresi has apparently deluded herself into thinking there is one.

Ceresi is initially resistant to this idea but it must have been something she took to heart. Besides being the first to address this conundrum, Jamie and Ceresi are also the first to get a solution. Ceresi get’s pregnant again. It’s clearly planned and hoped for by Ceresi given how she jumped his bones this season. This prospect of fatherhood draws Jamie back to Ceresi when he’s starting to become disillusioned with her. The relationship is toxic but they have a chance to be parents again, Jamie can actually be a father this time. The Lannister name can carry on once more through their child. It means that their fathers years of work weren’t for nothing because his family legacy stays somewhat in tact. Jamie and Ceresi get something besides themselves to fight for. Having something else to fight for is an important theme for all of these character that I’ll come back to later

Ceresi also secures something that’s important for any stable kingdom going forward, an heir to the throne. This sorta changes the game for the entire realm.

Daenerys is the next character to have a potential legacy addressed. We get passing mentions of how the dragons are Dany’s children during the early part of the season but oddly enough it’s not addressed for her right away. Not even marriage is addressed for Dany right away even though she needs political allies. The prospect of marriage between Dany and Jon, who need a political alliance the most never comes up a single time in Dany’s camp of advisors.

A real conversation about Dany and her future legacy doesn’t happen until episode 6 when Tyrion decides to spring a conversation on Dany about succession. It felt random AF to me, but Tyrion has a point and is smart to ask the question. Dany insists on doing dangerous things that risk her life. If she does die, what happens to the war she’s been waging? She’s devoted her entire life to this goal, she’s accepted the loyalty of several other people who want to see her on the throne, but if she dies that will all have been in vain because all of her grand ideas about creating a new world and breaking the wheel die with her. Tyrion knows that even of Dany doesn’t die prematurely, eventually succession will come up. Dany taking the throne with no successor would send the realm into chaos and undo any progress she would have made. It also puts Dany’s potential actions in the realm in an interesting light. She has no one to pass a legacy to and no one to fight for. She'a not fighting for her family, she has no family. She’s not fighting for her children, she has none and will never have them. She’s not fighting for the future of House Targaryen, her house will die with her. She’s pretty much just fighting for herself, her own person goals and her own ego, and we know from experience with Ceresi that a monarch with nothing to loose is very dangerous for the realm. She seems to care about the greater good but what happens if she ever stops caring about it because she has no future stakes in the greater good? It’s something to think about and I think it’s something several characters like Tyrion and Varys, and even to an extent Jon, have already started to think about.

Like Ceresi, Dany is also resistant to to conversation about a dead end legacy. She doesn’t want to come to terms with the fact that her house, her mission, her life’s work die with her and I don’t blame her because it’s a tough thing to accept when so much of your identity is wrapped up in this cause. Her conversation with Tyrion is left unfinished and unlike Ceresi she appears to have no real prospect of a resolution.

Interestingly enough, for the first time Jon and his legacy also come up in that same episode. His talk of legacy is handled with a little bit more finesse and subtlety but it’s equally important. When Jon tries to give Longclaw, the Valryian steel sword that’s meant to be a family heirloom and a physical representation of family legacy, back to Jorah he declines. He tells Jon that he hopes it serves his children well. This is the first time Jon and the audience is made to think about his future after his war. As a brother of the nightswatch Jon had forfeited any chance at a legacy. He would die as a brother of the watch, never taking a wife and never siring children. But he’s not in the night’s watch anymore.

Since he left his only goal has been his home and the army of the dead, but Jon’s future is wide open if the living survives his war. If humanity survives Jon gets to start creating a legacy for himself, he gets to pass down Longclaw and his title the same way that Dany and Ceresi might get to one day pass down the throne that they sit on. Jon is the only one currently fighting who could care less about having a throne to sit on, so framing it around a throne and succession doesn’t work well for him. Jon doesn’t care about leaving his throne for his children and creating a Dynasty on his name. It’s much more effective to frame his legacy around something we know matters to him which is family, duty, and honor. Longclaw can be seem as a metaphor for all three of those things. Longclaw represents his duty to protect his family, Longclaw represents the honor of the man who gave it to him and his own father who once carried a Valaryian sword as a symbol of duty and honor. Longclaw represents his family, present and future, it even has his family sigil on it, the direwolf.

Interestingly enough the show plays the stark theme at the end of this conversation, alluding to the idea that Jon’s legacy is his family, his future is a Stark legacy. You can make a good argument that this is also an allusion to what Jon’s purpose for this fight is all wrapped up into one nice metaphor. Jon does feel compelled to fight for those who can not defend themselves, and in that way he and Dany are alike, but Jon isn’t ruled by his altruism. A lot of his motivation for fighting originally is for his brothers of the NW, the only family he felt he had at that point. It was his duty to fight for their survival.

This point is proven by the fact that at one point he actually gave up his fight. After his betrayal and resurrection Jon was exhausted and felt isolated from his brothers. So despite hardhome, despite knowing that’s coming Jon no longer felt like his life had a purpose. He had resigned himself to being a failure and was going to just travel south but that changed when Sansa comes to Castle black. Sansa is what gives him his new purpose. Sansa gives him stakes in the future of humanity again. He fights for their home for her and later for Bran and Rickon. He’s focused on the threat in the north again because it’s not just about him, this army of the dead is coming for Winterfel and Sansa and all of the people in the north who have put their faith and trust in him. It’s the knowledge of Bran and Arya’s return and the NK getting closer and closer to his home that prompts Jon to demand he be allowed to leave dragonstone. He initially wanted to go home to them not go on that hunt. He wanted to get back to the North to protect the people who matter most to him, his family. This is partially why many of Jon’s subsequent actions make little sense to me but that’s a diffferent meta for a different day.

So yeah Jon does have altruism as a motivation, but where he sets himself apart from Dany is that he has something else to fight for and even if it’s not consciously on his mind, he has a legacy to fight for. Perhaps this is why the writers deliberate made it so that Dany was not the person who ultimately saves Jon’s life. He saves himself from the freezing cold waters….and what does he reach out for as soon as he takes that first desperate breath….Longclaw. what Longclaw represents is what pulled him out of that water. Who get’s Jon to safety even at the expense of their own life….his uncle, a man motivated by the same sense of duty and family that Ned was motivated by and both of them shaped Jon into the man he is today and have given him the same innate and overwhelming sense of family duty. IMO whatever Jon’s legacy is, it has to be connected to his family, his Stark family. It’s too big of a part of him to not be.

So heading into the finale we have three leaders with three different motivations and potential futures:

1. Ceresi- a legacy and heir via her unborn child but no care for the rest of humanity.

2. Dany- without a legacy or heir but a renewed sense of altruism and a need for vengeance thanks to the death of one of her children at the hands of the NK.

3.Jon- an unclear legacy but a even stronger desire to protect his family and the realm from the threat of the NK.

In this episode the narrative finally takes some steps towards intertwining the legacies of all of these characters. Instead of just being obscure individual character ideas they start to merge and you get a picture of how they can possibly affect each and the political future of the realm once the dust settles.

Tyrion learns that Ceresi is pregnant in the finale. This revelation isn’t meant to just be about Tyrion realizing that he has another niece of nephew on the way. Tyrion finds out because it means Ceresi has an heir and a successor, the two things he was just talking to Dany about an episode ago. He’s start enough to know the advantage this gives Ceresi in the political game of thrones. The realm will always lean towards stability, heirs bring stability so Ceresi looks like the more favorable option against a queen who is already struggling to bring the people to her side of the fight. House Lannister has a future that House Targaryen appears to not have. I’m not sure what I think this will mean for Tyrion individually going forward BUT I am sure that Ceresi’s pregnancy has changed the politics of the game and has put Dany at a distinct disadvantage.

We also get a scene where Jon and Dany discuss her curse. Dany says once again that she can not have children and Jon appears to give her some hope that maybe the witch was lying to her. Most people would take this as sign that Dany will indeed get pregnant and even the playing field with Ceresi, giving house Targaryen a legacy that can continue on and giving Dany an heir for when she takes the iron throne. However I don’t think that’s what’s actually in the cards. A plot line like this is too obvious of a direction to make it convincing. I think they want us to think that Dany might be able to have children, but I don’t think it will actually happen for her. A magical baby from the union of Jon and Dany is too much of a complication for what they appear to be setting up with Jon and Dany (conflict), it’s logistically nonsensical given the war and Dany’s heavy involvement, and narratively it doesn’t fit with how I think these characters will end the story (that’s a meta for a different day). A surprise pregnancy for Dany is also something that would have to be in the books since it’s a big deal and I don’t see GRRM making dany get pregnant. The only use it has is making Jon angsty and continuing the Targaryen line through incest, which by his own admission was their downfall to begin with. If Jon wasn’t a Targaryen I would be more inclined to believe it’s a possibility but we know that he is one.

I also think that Dany ever having a heir is also not in the cards because of my next point: The prospect of a Jon and Dany marriage alliance has finally been brought up in the narrative. A marriage alliance would make sense for Jon and Dany….if Jon wasn’t a targaryen who is more than likely going to loose the North once word spreads of his bending the knee and his parentage. There are already several hurdles to their alliance right now without those things officially being a factor yet, but once they are revealed then shit is really going to hit the fan and it makes Jon’s position in the possible marriage alliance incredibly weak. If Jon looses the north then Dany can not marry Jon to claim it. There is also the fact that Jon gains nothing from the alliance since it’s not necessary for his biggest goal…defeating the NK. If a Jon and Dany marriage is on the verge of being rendered unideal already then a child from that union would be a bastard and serve no purpose besides possibly giving Dany an heir to a divided kingdom. The child wouldn’t be an heir to the north and therefore it looses it’s narrative ability to unite the kingdoms just like Jon and Dany’s marriage. I’m rambling a bit but you get what I’m saying here

Interestingly enough this the topic of a Jon and Dany marriage doesn’t come from Tyrion, who would be smart enough to think about this as a possible solution for Jon and Dany to seal their alliance…but it comes from Littlefinger and it brought up with Sansa. This nugget is important because this conversation is also tied to legacy and the iron throne for one of these characters, except that character isn’t Jon or dany….it’s Littlefinger himself.

Since LF has been fairly inactive this season it’s easy for forget that LF is playing for the Iron Throne. he let his endgame slip to Sansa last season. He wants the throne and he wants Sansa at his side. LF’s best path to gaining power is to propell Sansa to Queen in the North, the marry her. With her northern army and The Vale he can then be a contender to take the throne by conquest. That’s why Jon being named king was a dent in his plan and why he initially tried to turn Sansa against Jon. If Sansa became disillusioned with Jon and staked a claim over the north he could marry her. When this plan failed because he realized that the bond between Jon and Sansa is much too strong to be overcome by some manipulation, he changes gears and tries to convince Sansa that she’s the better leader and deserves the throne.

LF has been thinking about this a lot, and he’s one of the more forward thinkers in the game, so it’s no surprise that LF can see the Jon and Dany marriage alliance on the table. LF’s acknowledgement of a Jon and Dany marriage as it relates to Sansa is a huge deal, because narratively it sets Sansa up as being in the position to be the counter that marriage alliance.

Now I have my own shipper theories about why LF would talk about Dany’s beauty and what not but the key part it that. LF wants Sansa as queen but Jon has just given their kingdom to Daenerys, which Sansa does not want to happen. Then he plants the seed that Jon has feelings for Dany (which is unnecessary here unless Sansa is supposed to be jealous) and seeks to seal this alliance with a marriage, effectively shutting Sansa out or power completely. This situation leaves Sansa with few options if she’s going to keep the North…she has to go against Jon and have herself declared queen, making and a Jon and Dany marriage a dead end for Dany’s quest to seize control of the north and unite it with the south.

This officially positions Sansa in the narrative as the big roadblock to the idea of a Jon and Dany marriage that we have all speculated about for a while now. Sansa’s claim over the north has always been stronger than Jon’s, but she’s willingly forfeited that claim in favor of him. Now Sansa is in a position where she has to question if she should keep doing that because of Jon’s frustrating decisions. She’s also positioned herself as a strong and competent leader. The north already wanted to crown her queen but she passed. Now she has delivered The Vale justice for the murder of their Lord and his widow and she’s delivered justice to the north for all the loss they have suffered because of Ned being called south. She has almost complete control of The Vale all on her own now and she has the absolute loyalty and trust of her bannermen. Sansa is completely intertwined with The North and it’s going to be hard for Jon to do anything with Dany concerning marriage as long as Sansa is around. She’s been the key to keeping his armies from abandoning him while he’s been gone and she’s been the key to keeping him in power. Any move Jon makes can be effectively countered by Sansa and THAT’S the big deal, that’s what makes her position very powerful. That’s what LF was banking on using for his own ascension to the throne. It’s so obvious that he wanted to use the marriage alliance to make Sansa stake her claim then seal the vale for herself by marrying him, but she took him out of the game.

That leaves Sansa in the position of being the perfect counter to Dany’s power grab in the north. That means that Sansa is powerful, young, and unmarried……and perfectly set up to be the more advantageous alliance for Jon if he wants to have any claim over the north going forward. Because of Sansa, marrying Dany is a dead end of Jon and she is now the better option for the future stability of their kingdom.

When the war is over, if they all survive it, someone will have to contend for the throne aganist Ceresi. That someone will have to be able to provide more stability than Ceresi can provide while she’s carrying her heir. Someone will have to contend with the re emerging House Lannister. Dany is in the worst position out of all the alternatives politically, but House Stark. is in a good position to contend for at the very least their own independence thanks to Sansa and Jon. That means if Jon is to be the leader at the end of the day he has to choice to make. Will his legacy be that of a Targaryen with his Aunt? Or will it be the legacy of a Stark with Sansa? This question can also be posed as “which one will be the younger more beautiful queen to take all that Ceresi holds dear” *wink wink*

It’s clear to see which choice will end up being the most advantageous for Jon in the end, which is why my money is on House Stark. Tragically, House Targaryen will probably die with Dany and the fight for the IT will come down to House Lannister vs House Stark which funny enough is the feud is at the heart of the events most early bloodshed in the series (Thanks for the reminder Sansa). The first terrible act of this series was Jamie Lannister pushing Bran Stark from the tower, kicking off a series of events that lead to bloodshed, betrayal, and war. It makes sense that it all comes back around to these two houses in the end for a battle for survival and legacy.

As for who will win? Well my money is on House Stark of course. Winter is here and winter is a time for wolves.

[linkspooky]

A Romance of Three Kings

Despite being rescued from certain death, Urie seems less than happy. Note the dialogue exchange between the two of them. 

“An explanation, to you? You think I can forgive you like this?”

(....)

(No, I can’t. No, I can’t!!)

Urie ehoes the same sentiment of being unable to forgive him, and the elipses show a clear hesitance. 

Why does he say those things though, and what are we meant to take from Urie’s apprehension. 

If it’s Urie speaking then it also makes much more sense what he can’t forgive, them not showing up in time to save Iwaccho. As with Urie, his number one priority is not actually the war of succession which Marude, Matsuri and Furuta are all engaged in at the moment but rather the people directly around him.

It’s likely the grudge Urie holds is Marude and Matsuri’s own failure to act sooner. That if they had interfered earlier, Iwao would be alive and not bleeding his last out on the floor only comforted with the fleeting image of his old friend before death.

Emotionally Urie is robbed of any victory he might have felt in this scene because of the loss of Iwao. His number one goal was not his own priority but protecting that one man and Urie failed in the end, and not only that but Iwao is not even a sacrifice in taking down Furuta as Furuta managed to escape. 

Why is Urie uneasy with his own rescuers, and why does the expulsion of Furuta which should be an unambiguously good thing feel so empty and ambiguous a victory at the moment?

The formation of this third faction has been set up for awhile in the background. Marude mentioned specifically that it was Hide who tipped him off.

Amon mentions he has comrades on the other side of the island for Takizawa to retreat to.

Scarecrow is seen leaving the island much earlier.

It’s possible Amon might have interfered in Marude’s fight to protect him from Yoshitoki, considering the Ukkaku shape shards driven into his chest and the fact that it was claimed a ghoul attack was what did him in.

As Washuu have been shown incapable of producing any kagune, and also Amon has a tendency to lose control of his and destroy everything that is in sight. 

Marude also watched the Matsuri fight and suggested it might have been better off to let Matsuri succeed than Furuta, which is most likely the grounds for their current alignment. Scarecrow when saving Amon relies entirely on CCG Rc suppressant gas to deal with the ghouls guarding him, and beyond that calls him by name.

Then later on, Amon seems like he is about to tell Kaneki that Hide is still alive but when Kaneki says the news would only worry him more Amon stops.

Finally all of these distant plot pieces have come together, yet in their moment of true victory they were unable to defeat Furuta in any significant way only forcing him to retreat. It echoes a bit of the fight with Eto, as Furuta was backed into a corner and lost all of his allies yet still managed to escape and get exactly what he wanted by reuniting with the clowns and leading a slaughter of the clowns.

Perhaps because the true cathartic victory over Furuta is one that’s set up to happen with a uniting between human and ghoul forces. A true victory then cannot be achieved with only human forces raising their hands up against Furuta. Yet, somehow paradoxically we see the opposite happening. Even though this new insurgent group is headed by Hide, Kaneki’s own best friend, they seem to be operating in the shadow of Goat with no contact with them whatsoever.

The story has eluded to such a thing for a long time though. As Roma’s own simplistic view of the world as a stage show was disproven, then so too was her understanding of the conflict. This is no longer a fight merely between two kings on the opposite end of a chess board. 

The meta narrative of Tokyo Ghoul has always been about conflicting viewpoints, a tendency of people to simplify conflicts down to black and white. The CCG and Kaneki, both which carry such black and white views of the world have a floor colored in the same black and white, Kaneki in his mindscape, and the floor of the main office itself. 

When Kaneki tries only to think of ghouls and is told by Arima to fight for the side of ghouls, the black tiles fall off of his mindscape and a white sky is revealed. However, the blue sky he attempts to see is still not there. As Kaneki tries to force himself into the role of fighting only for ghouls, despite temptations and people left behind on the other side. 

It was always possible that this stagnated conflict between two opposite sides, black and white, Furuta and Kaneki, the extermination of all ghouls and a world where ghouls belong, was going to be interrupted by a third party. 

There was the unwillingness of several key members of what should have been Goat to accept a world full of ghouls, or that their previous thinking about ghouls may have been wrong. Most notably, Amon who said so point blank, and Akira who while empty of hatred did not know what to do to step forward.

Akira and Amon, rather than their own personal wrongdoings in the past and what they have done to ghouls, instead act as if they are now liberated from this conflict. At the same time they are unwilling to let go of the emotions they had in the past, they want the same purpose they had when they were investigators. To believe more than anything that they were not wrong. 

It’s an emotion that Marude shares in his realization of the Washuu’s deception, that those who have died so far for the conflict died for a meaningless one. That, just like Amon and Akira everything he has done so far is empty, even of purpose as its’s foundation was built on a lie.

Their reaction to this however, has not been to turn around and sympathize with ghouls, who were all this time the greatest victims of the lie. Eto writes an epic about ghoul rights and a nameless half ghoul fighting to reform a world against them, one that was written in sympathy to the ghouls who were born into tragic existences and pulls out the only detail relevant to him. That the Washuu were his enemy and were ghouls themselves.

When Arima is asked to describe the motivation for his master’s horrible and crude breeding project, he gives one much more sympathetic than anybody would have thought. One that is overlayed directly over Marude’s decision to shoot Yoshitoki in the head. 

Marude quotes Mado too, one of the most unsympathetically anti-ghoul characters in the series. The one whose legacy is part of the reason Amon and Akira are unable to grow properly, just before making the decision to shoot Yoshitoki in the head. 

The ultimate irony of Tokyo Ghoul has spelled out clearly for a long time that Mado’s intuition was not all that it was cracked up to be because he let himself be blinded by hate. There was nothing actually that remarkable about his death, the world did not necessitate it, he instead chose tormenting and murdering a fourteen year old girl for his kagune and ignoring a seventeen year old girl who was just begging her to empathize with her and understand her as his hill to die on.

Touka even points this out, did you really respect your father so much as a ghoul investigator, or did you simply want him to come home?

Which obviously conflicts Amon’s statement, that the world  gave them no choice but to do what they did.

Akira and Amon seem to regard themselves at this moment, more as observers and contemplaters than actual active participants in the fight. Marude might even share that to a degree as 

Amon showed up at the beginning of Rueshima with much fanfare but made absolutely no difference until towards the end. He suggests to Akira that they need to contemplate their emptiness as their path forward, even though Goat saved both of them and their layer currently has a sign with blinking neon lights saying that their redemption for what they did in the past is now helping create a better future for ghoul kind. 

Marude is similarly shown doing almost nothing to interfere in the clown raids that secured Furuta’s position of power, but instead commenting on only as an onlooker.

It’s not their actual position though, as Amon, Akira, Marude are all important people in the bureau who could change a lot of minds simply by speaking up. However, all three of them similiarly have lost their place to belong in the world. Not only that, but all of the previous motivations they fought for, the foundations were always built upon lies. 

If you look upon Hide’s current gathered forces, assuming Akira and Amon are or were going to be among them this theme repeats itself. Even Matsuri has lost the rest of the Washuu family which he belonged to, the chairman position of the CCG which he worked towards his entire life, and even to himself the place of masculine and heterosexual dominance that seemed to be his birthright. As he realized through all of this that he naturally does not fit the mould of a Washuu heir simply because of his feelings for Urie.

They lost their place in the world, but also cannot find a place in the world of ghouls that Goat now inhabits, so they band together instead. Not only are his forces made up of people who have lost their place in the world, but also of members who have a blinding nostalgia for the old days of the CCG. It’s revealed so in Amon and Seidou’s fight.

Even with everything they have learned, there is an urge within them to go back to the way things were in seemingly simpler days. When their actions simply were to protect Tokyo and they believed that they were in the right. 

One more thing to point out about this budding alliance is that almost every member is extremely anti-ghoul, and their anti-ghoul believes go conspicuously unchecked or unexamined by the story.

Akira and Amon are saved and basically hand held by Goat, but in the end do not agree to fight for their purpose. Moreso than that though, if you look at the emotional release in this scene, the person who was comforted was not the ghoul Hinami who was the main victim of the situation but Akira herself. Hinami barely got a word in about what she opened up to Ayato about.

Akira and Hinami’s scene, while somewhat touching on Akira’s end mainly happened for Akira’s benefit, with no attempt at all for reparations towards Hinami. 

Amon already said his feelings have not changed, and moreso he does not even accept his body as a ghoul. Even in the omake, Amon cannot even answer a direct question about whether or not he’s a ghoul.

As for Marude, his motivation to act has always been human lives. With his regret for failing to stop the breach at the cochlea, and his own later hatred towards Matsuri for being so wasteful with human lives in his bloody strategies.

Furuta’s phrase “peace on death” even comes from Marude originally as a war cry to exterminate all of the ghouls on the opposite side of the conflict. 

While Marude has of course grown since then and become more self reflective about the conflict and the loss of lives it deals in, and dropped a lot of his own cocky attitude or at least shown the doubt hidden underneath, his concern has been raised all of 0 for the lives of ghouls, he’s only motivated about human lives. 

Urie has not changed his sympathy towards ghouls even the slightest, and the only thing that motivated him to act once more was human lives being put on the line rather than ghoul ones. He was fine backing up the Oggai when it meant the extermination of more than 90% of ghouls in a single ward, dragging them out into the streets and letting them die bloody deaths. 

His own reading of Takatsuki’s book, basically calls the fact that ghoul’s have rights and emotions nonsense. For all of Urie’s progress in regards to himself, he has yet to even change his stance on ghouls one inch, and he has not even acknowledged that essentially for all intents and purposes he basically is a ghoul by this point. 

So here we have our group of terrorists, not a single one of them motivated in any way to fight for the actual victims of the Washuu’s violence, ghouls themselves. 

One of their key members even is a Washuu, and a mostly unrepetant one as well for the legacy of what the Washuu inflicted upon ghoul kind. Then what exactly is their motivation to fight if not for ghoul kind?

Marude as said before, has always been motivated mainly by minimizing the deaths that come with this conflict. Matsuri even commented to such, that Marude has stayed single his whole life because of his devotion to the CCG. 

The conflict is something that has permeated through Tokyo Ghoul since the beginning, the supposed natural conflict between humans and ghouls. Marude’s approach seems to be to minimize the loss of humans to this conflict, and also to fight for the right reasons. Urie’s has been to grow stronger so he can dominate it, achieve rank and glory so he can get what he wants from the conflict. Meanwhile Matsuri is somebody who loses himself in it entirely.

He enjoys it like a game, and delights when both allies and enemies die as long as those deaths manage to align in his favor. While Matsuri definitely has a sympathetic element to him by being forced to fit the mold of the Washuu which is entirely restrictive and also makes him repress his identity as a gay man, it’s important not to forget that he has been set up as an antagonist to everyone, and especially Sasaki’s brand of empathy from day one.

He saw nothing to comfort Urie when Urie lost Shirazu, he enjoyed the deaths of his allies if it benefitted him, and most important Matsuri has always known that his life is highly restricted but considers the power and achievement he gains as a result completely worth it. He says so point blank, that the restraints on him are necessary for him to wield the power that he does. 

If there’s something serious to be gleaned from Matsuri’s semi-ridiculous faux death at the end of the clown arc, it’s that Matsuri loses himself entirely in the conflict. 

Yes, Matsuri cares about Urie but it’s been far established that the reasons Matsuri cares about Urie is because of Urie’s own attitude as an investigator who cares nothing more about throwing himself into the conflict for rank and achievement. Urie’s restrictive framework which he sees the world through is shockingly like Matsuri’s. Even to the point where Matsuri just assumed Urie would understand him, even when clinging to the recently dead body of his former friend. 

The king’s conflict has always been this way though, reliant on figureheads and empty believes rather than the discussions which characters who want to change the world crave. 

Hide, and by extension Marude’s forces might lead us to finally the crowning of a third king. Something that has been foreshadowed since Amon’s awakening.

There are three containers marked: Re, foreshadowing that there will be three kings crowned. Kings one and two include Furuta and Kaneki, we might soon be seeing the entry of a third king.

Takizawa even explicitly compares Amon to Kaneki, as both are people he wants to be, famous heroes held up as figureheads. As that black and white way of thinking is the way Seidou saw things in the beginning, holding up individual investigators within the CCG as heroes to strive like becoming, but something he’s since moved away from. At least in recognizing that he can no longer fit the black and white hero mould, especially after failing to do so with Aogiri. 

With that king would introduce a third faction that fights for a status quo among the two extremes presented by both Furuta’s CCG and then Goat. 

Which would make the current predicted factions: Goat: Kaneki Ken, Take Hirako and the Garden Children, The former Members of Aogiri, The Re: Cafe Ghouls Hide’s Group: Hide, Marude, Akira, Amon, Urie Furuta’s CCG: Furuta, The remaining clowns, Juuzou’s Squad, The remaining Q’s, Mutsuki + Aura and the Oggai

With Kaneki fighting for a future that is secure for ghouls, because he has to at this point if he wants to raise a half ghoul child that does not turn into Eto 2.0. Furuta fighting to bring an end to all conflicts via one grand final swing of the scythe with all the hyper accelerationism he has been burning up in the CCG as of late. (Super Peace perhaps meaning death for all of them, both the humans and the ghouls).

Then finally a third group which fights for a return to the status quo. Perhaps a CCG that exists with the same duty, but not using Quinque, and not dependent on the Washuu, V’s, or even having it necessary ghouls be alive if they are moving past the need for Quinque.

While there’s no doubt in my mind Hide himself sympathizes with Kaneki, the only reason for Marude’s forces not lending their hand to Goat in what could have been a two pronged attack that would easily have saved both sides from tragedy is that they do not sympathize with the rest of Goat’s cause, that is the protection of those innocent ghouls who are again the primary victim of this conflict. 

We’re warned of such by Tatara early on in the setup for this current arc. People will continue to fight as long as they find reasons for doing so. 

If Furuta’s goal is to bring an end to the meaningless fighting via one giant double suicide, then Marude’s goal may be the antithesis of that. To return to the fighting with a better leader in charge, perhaps Matsuri, or perhaps just himself, so that the fight against ghouls can be conducted more ethically from now on.

As the series has told us from the beginning though, the bird cage is something that needs to be smashed if a new world is ever to be born, not simply made more comfortable. 

Perhaps then the reason this conflict continues to take from the characters present in Marude’s group, the loss of Iwao noticably affecting both Urie and Marude is a consequence for this. As long as they only fight for the side of humans, they will never fully be able to see why this conflict propagates itself and therefore the conflict will continue to take and take from them.

What’s required is not a military coup against Furuta, better technology, but rather perspective and understanding of both sides.

[sciencespies]

Crowdsourcing Project Aims to Document the Many U.S. Places Where Women Have Made History

https://sciencespies.com/history/crowdsourcing-project-aims-to-document-the-many-u-s-places-where-women-have-made-history/

Crowdsourcing Project Aims to Document the Many U.S. Places Where Women Have Made History

For nearly 30 years, Alaskan Ahtna Athabascan elder Katie John awaited resolution to her peaceful battle over Native subsistence rights. The legal dispute—centering on her family’s right to fish in Batzulnetas, a historic village and fish camp in Wrangell-St. Elias National Park—made it all the way up to the U.S. Supreme Court. The Court’s ruling cleared the way for the subsistence fishing rights of many Alaska Native to be included under federal subsistence protection. Although John died in 2013 before litigation was complete, her 2014 win was a victory for Native Americans everywhere.

Today, the fish camp remains a testament to John’s life work, and it represents just one of the many sites where women’s history and achievements happened, often with no official sign or record recognizing their importance.

Since mid-January, the National Trust for Historic Preservation has been crowdsourcing places like the fish camp for its 1,000 Places Where Women Made History, and the process to submit is simple. Anyone can log an online entry, which consists of a photo, as well as a short paragraph about the U.S.-based property and its location. “This is our way of bringing people together to tell us what are the places and stories that matter to them,” says Chris Morris, a National Trust senior field officer who’s spearheading the campaign. Through submissions from local preservation societies, community organizations, and everyday people, they’ve already compiled more than 750 sites. Some, like the fish camp, may not have much recognition of their role in history while others have been named National Historic Landmarks.

“Although 2020’s 100th anniversary of women’s suffrage is the impetus for this work,” says Morris, “we also wanted to use the project to fully honor those many female leaders related to American history and culture.”

According to Morris, the 1,000 Places project is part of a larger mission of the Trust’s to preserve women’s history. The Trust encourages local organizations to take direct action in preserving buildings and homes where women have “made a stand, raised their voice, and found the courage to change the world,” she says, and identifies historic sites that recognize women as part of its annual 11 Most Endangered Historic Places list, which in 2019 included the Excelsior Club in Charlotte, North Carolina—a once-thriving hub of the city’s African American social scene—and Nashville’s Music Row. The National Trust also operates 27 of its own historic sites at which they’re working to bring to light the many amazing women associated with these places. The Farnsworth House in Plano, Illinois, for instance, was designed by famed modernist architect Ludwig Mies van der Rohe, but it was native Chicagoan and doctor Edith Farnsworth who commissioned it. “So this year Farnsworth House is shifting its perspective to tell the story of the house from her point of view,” says Morris.

The ever-growing list of 1,000 Places Where Women Made History currently includes everything from homes where pioneering women once lived, buildings where specific events that involved them occurred, and where women-led accomplishments happened. It includes spots like the former home of prominent investigative journalist Ida Tarbell in Titusville, Pennsylvania; the historic Auditorium Theatre in Chicago, saved through a fundraising campaign led by Beatrice Spachner; and Trumpet Records in Jackson, Mississippi, the former work site of a young record producer named Lillian McMurry, who recorded both black and white artists during the height of Mississippi segregation.

“We want to reveal those sort of lesser-known and untold stories, because we recognize that women’s history is America’s history,” says Morris. “This crowdsourcing effort has been very successful in revealing such underappreciated tales, ones of women’s vision, courage and leadership countrywide. They make up the majority of our entries. They’re tales of thinkers, artists, scientists, entrepreneurs…those women who have really shaped the nation that we are today, and who continue to help us to move forward.”

One of the Trust’s main goals with this project is to help a new generation of Americans, especially young women, see their own potential in the history of these places, says Morris. “We also will encourage everyone who submitted an entry to consider applying for funding from our many grant programs,” she says, “to support the broader interpretation and long-term preservation of these places where women made history.”

Five Sites Where Women Made History

Here are six lesser-known sites in the U.S. where women made history. Most of them are recognized in the 1,000 Places project, and all are on the Trust’s radar for renovation and reuse in some capacity. Though each is in various stages of preservation and redevelopment, they’re all moving forward as a testament to women’s achievements and inspiration for new stories to come.

Marjory Stoneman Douglas House

(National Trust for Historic Preservation)

Located on a residential block in Miami’s upscale Coconut Grove neighborhood, this uninhabited wood-framed and T-shaped cottage has a special place in American history, as the former home of Marjory Stoneman Douglas, a journalist, author and conservationist known as the “Grand Dame of the Everglades.” (She may sound familiar, too, as the namesake of the high school in Parkland, Florida, where 17 people were killed in a mass shooting in 2018.) Douglas published her seminal book, The Everglades: River of Grass, highlighting Florida’s endlessly diverse subtropical wilderness and its need for ongoing preservation, in 1947. A month later, 20 percent of the Everglades’ southernmost portion became a national park. Douglas also founded the still-thriving Friends of the Everglades—an activist organization dedicated to protecting the landscape—in 1970, and often held meetings for conservationists at her Coconut Grove home, where she lived from 1926 until 1998. The Land Trust of Dade County currently oversees the property, which became a National Historic Landmark in 2015, and is working with other local and national preservation organizations for a reuse plan that continues Stoneman’s legacy as an environmentalist, while also being respectful of the community that surrounds it. One possibility, says Morris, is to use the property as a residency where scientists can come to continue their research on environmental issues and climate change.

Pauli Murray House

(National Trust for Historic Preservation)

Pauli Murray was both a civil rights and women’s rights activist, an author, lawyer and member of the LGBTQ community, as well as the first African American woman to be ordained as an Episcopal priest. She spent her formative years in this one-and-a-half-story home, built by her grandfather, alongside her grandparents and aunts—all of whom helped raise Murray. In 1944, this descendent of both enslaved laborers and slave holders graduated first in her class at Howard University. Murray later received a Masters of Law degree from U.C. Berkeley in 1945, and in 1947 was named one of 10 “Young Women of the Year” by Mademoiselle magazine. She was also a founding member of the National Organization for Women (NOW) Foundation, which tackles a wide range of women’s rights issues, from economic justice to reproductive rights.

Murray’s Durham childhood home has been a National Historic Landmark since 2016, and is both an entry on the National Trust’s crowdsourcing campaign as well as one of its National Treasures. The Duke Human Rights Center at the Franklin Humanities Institute runs the Pauli Murray Project, which oversees the property, renovated it and is preparing to open it to the public as the the Pauli Murray Center for History and Social Justice later this year.

Harada House

(National Trust for Historic Preservation)

In 1915, Japanese immigrants Jukichi and Ken Harada wanted to purchase a home in Riverside, but the California Alien Land Law of 1913 prevented them from doing so. Instead, the couple acquired their modest Lemon Street property by putting it in the name of their three young children—a move that soon became a focal point for the groundbreaking legal case California v. Harada. Under the 14th Amendment, the Haradas won the right to keep their 1884 home, though their lives would never be the same. In 1942, the entire family was relocated to Japanese internment camps where both Jukichi and Ken died. However, their youngest daughter Sumi returned to the Riverside home in the wake of World War II, taking in as boarders other Japanese families who’d lost their properties. Sumi resided at what’s now known as Harada House until 1998, during which time she preserved many of the home’s furnishings and fixtures, and kept a wealth of family heirlooms, including kimonos featuring the Harada family crest, personal letters and kitchenware. She also saved a message that her brother scribbled on a bedroom wall on the day his family was forced into a relocation center.

Today the Riverside Metropolitan Museum oversees the home, which Jukichi had transformed from a single-story saltbox into a multi-story space, and is working to both restore it and turn it into an interpretive center highlighting the Harada story—one of lost city rights, a fight against racial discrimination, and immigrants. The property has been a National Historic Landmark since 1990.

Doolan-Larson Residence and Storefronts

(Scott Hahn/SF Heritage)

On the famous San Francisco corner of Haight and Ashbury streets—the heart of the 1960s counterculture movement—stands the Doolan-Larson building, a mixed-use, multi-story property built in the 20th century. This Colonial Revival-style structure, which survived the city’s 1906 earthquake before being elevated to add storefronts, became home to San Francisco’s first-ever hippie boutique. Twenty-four-year-old Peggy Caserta opened this mod clothing store, called Mnasidika (its name a shout-out to The Songs of Bilitis, a French book of lesbian poetry from the late 19th century), in 1965 and ran it until 1968, during which time it was a pivotal part of the Haight-Ashbury’s counterculture scene. Caserta herself was bisexual—she was Janis Joplin’s lover until Joplin’s death in 1970—and according to Levi Strauss & Co., it was at Mnasidika that Jimi Hendrix developed his iconic Flower Child style. Caserta is also credited with convincing Levi Strauss to create bell-bottom jeans, which she then sold at Mnasidika and became a seminal part of ’60s fashion.

When the property’s owner Norman Larson died in 2018, he donated the Doolan-Larson building to San Francisco Heritage. Mnasidika’s original storefront—now a T-shirt shop—remains largely as it was during the Summer of Love. Though not yet on the list of places “Where Women Made History,” it is a part of the Trust’s National Treasures. San Francisco Heritage and other preservation groups are currently looking at ways to reuse the structure in telling the stories of San Francisco’s counterculture movement, including those of women like Caserta, as well as to highlight both its overall impact and continued relevance today.

Another addition to the National Trust’s 100 National Treasures list, Villa Lewaro was the summer home of Madam C.J. Walker (born Sara Breedlove), an early 20th century entrepreneur who made a fortune in developing hair products for African American women. Walker, who is considered the first African American female millionaire in the U.S., is the subject of the new Netflix TV series, “Self Made,” starring Octavia Spencer as Walker. Along with being a businesswoman, Walker was a philanthropist and political and social activist. She occupied the 34-room, Italianate-style Villa Lewaro from 1918 to 1919, and though it’s not currently open to the public, visitors can take a virtual tour of the estate led by Walker’s great-great granddaughter, A’Lelia Bundles. The New Voices Foundation—created to empower entrepreneur women of color— acquired the property in 2018 and is working toward turning it into a “think tank,” according to New Voice’s founder Richelieu Dennis, “to foster entrepreneurship for present and future generations.”

#History

[soph-goat-stories]

Zelda and the Land of Zorax

There was once a girl named Zelda. She was a very special girl. Not only chosen, but chosen as the next legend of Zeldax from the land of Zorax. Zelda was always a little calmer than most young people her age. She dressed casually and avoided making trouble. She usually thought to herself and was not outspoken about her opinions, though she did have them. The Elders in school would often encourage her to be open about her thoughts on the curriculum, even half-heartedly, though some of them didn’t believe the New Generation would have the opportunity to flourish in the future. 

The Little Man (his real name was Zeld) came down to the blue and green planet to speak to her of her tasks. Well, both up and down and through his own long journey. After lunch on her back porch, he appeared from the side of the house and confronted her. There was no way she could have known he was from another planet besides his mildly spiky facial features and odd smell. 

She responded to The Little Man with only questions and some staring, but after he committed to some probing, she agreed to follow him downstairs, underneath her home where the raccoons lived, and into a hidden door and further down dark, damp steps that creeked and buckled, nearly giving way to her. She felt her heart beat faster in anticipation and noticed how moist her face felt, but all-things-considered was alright. Being a rather athletic girl for those in her class, she could handle the unexpected climb about 100 feet down, and utilized the physical challenge to ease her mind, though Zelda never intentionally prepared for this journey. She was a little regretful not to ask how long it would take before they were already well on their way. The stairs seemed a lot easier to descend than climb.  

She and the Little Man finally finished. He told her her final goal was to find a mirror that she could reflect into and understand herself better. It was completely unique and she would be fully aware she found it, and it would tell her the secret to the land of Zorax. The least she could do was look. After all, she was the lucky chosen girl of the legend of Zeldax, and must maintain some strength to pass onto future legacies down the road. Again, this mirror would be plainly obvious, and it would be entirely possible to discover, though only after a long and winding journey. 

However for some reason Zelda was confused. Why would this Little Man leave me here, all alone, to find my way underneath the porch to god-knows-where, only to disappear again above my home? Why am I the chosen one? What types of terrain she was unaware of would she encounter? Was there anything underneath her home that would not be known from the green and blue planet? What was the purpose of this long, deep journey she must take, and what else unexpected will she encounter? Did she bring enough bottled water? Well, she had many more questions spinning through her head, but she luckily did not forget bottled water. It came in the canister dropped off from the morning by U.E.A-24. Zelda meddled at some of these questions and spurted out concerns for a few minutes in front of the patient Little Man. He was naive of the fact that she would be so concerned of all of this, not that any blame could be left on either of them. 

But rest your head. “Everything will be alright, just follow me through the second tunnel underneath the porch, the one with the green moss growing on the ceiling” said the Little Man. However little did they know this small journey, the one before Zelda would take herself, would take over three times longer than expected. They entered into a new sandy and dry cavity filled with bright yellow light as if inside a lightbulb. Wind whipped past their ears drowning them in noise, but they could see a dark pit about 50 feet ahead of them that must contain vegetation and thus water. They made their way over there, stopping once for some rest against the blizzard of sand and dust. Zelda had to squint to keep the dust out of her eyes. She sighed. Is this what I can expect this entire journey? It’s already greuling. But the Little Man must have heard her, and gave her a comforting pat on the shoulder. They continued. 

And so it began. The Little Man gave her a hug goodbye, a water bottle, a packet of lighters, and directions to the nearest green tree plot ahead where she could find a nice big trunk to rest onto. Zelda admitted the Little Man was at least somewhat trustworthy, and kind. Holding her breath, she stepped out into the desert space that she was recently unaware was just underneath her home. She mildly regretted the trip, but never felt a strong attachment to the blue and green planet to begin with, especially after hearing those concerns from some of The Elders. Zelda could at least get some alone time to grow as a person and forget about all the problems at home. 

…

Last time we left off Zelda was left alone by the Little Man resting upon a tree trunk in a desert-type arid space. Opening her eyes once again, she still couldn’t resist breaking a sweat. Among her was probably about 500 feet of windy and yellow sand and beyond that was unintelligible. It was an extremely sparse with barely any trees or vegetation, and mostly sand whipping up in small dumes with every gust of wind. She sneezed, and stood up. Now was an opportunity to actually think about the task given to her by the Little Man, telling her that she was the current Legend of Zeldax, and that she needed to find a unique mirror and stare into it to discover her place for her legacy, hinting that well that was just about everything she needed to know to understand herself. Zelda thought about Zeldax, and what that really was. She had no idea. With every minute passing she felt more alone and incredibly warm and itchy. Though the journey to this place with the little man was on the brink of being fun, and certainly enchanting, she was starting to feel nauseatingly uncomfortable with what was happening. She had enough sense to know she shouldn’t over-think any of this before reaching a place with more natural resources and hopefully an easy pathway to that dang mirror. 

Zelda took another walk for a couple of hours to enter into another dark and damper cavity which had a similar appearance to one of those large fibercrystal sewage pipes under her home city that dated back about 100 years. The other end of this tunnel was more narrow than the end she entered into, and about the size of a loaf of bread. A good size however to safely peer into, she dared look. In front of her about an arms length was another separated space that was indeed comprised of more trees and green herbs of sorts, and from what she could tell supported more advanced life. An animal with a shape similar to a cow but about the size of a cat was walking a little ways to the right, and though dainty and cute it was somewhat terrifying. From what she could tell there was a shiny substance covering its top half, and on the bottom half was a pattern of a few warm tones meeting to it’s head. 

It reminded her of the aging cat her family still owned a few hundred feet above her head. They kept it in just a few rooms, a small and stealthy creature with brown fur and dark eyes, and an animal that she swore was keener than her. Her family was actually breaking the law in keeping such an animal. Her parents said before she was born that the government banned keeping any domesticated animals and encouraged hunting them in order to bring down their population. After The Great Fall about 50 years ago domesticated animal populations skyrocketed, but because their meat contained traces of permethyol they couldn’t be hunted. Being a girl of about 13, Zelda felt a certain awe and inspiration from cats, knowing they were both illegal to keep and unconditionally opportunistic, incredible survivalists among all odds. She couldn't quite explain the rare but pleasant feeling of connecting with a non-human animal. 

This creature she saw was the only visible living thing there besides herself, excluding the audible chirping erupting all of a sudden. She thought to herself it was best not to lose sight of it. Meanwhile Zelda couldn’t even get through the small hole at this end of the tunnel without harming herself in the process, but she didn’t have a choice. She decided to step back and kick the hole numerous times to dent it, wearing down her thin shoes, but eventually thanks to the rust and bacteria already eating at it, she broke the hole into a bigger gap and thus could fit through it. Zelda then carefully slipped into this new forested section of this strange land underneath her home, and squatted next of the tunnel again, resting there and staring at her new companion for about 30 minutes, which was lazily eating herbs the entire time underneath some shade from a tropical-type of plant. Some forgotten cluster of trees swayed in the wind and helped her relax.

She then heard a sound of a large bird, and breaking out of this spell for a minute she dared look behind her. She saw a good sized group of about 40 beautiful blue-black birds spinning around a fat corpse, pecking at it, and calling to their group of her presence. Zelda got a peak at what they were eating at, it looked like a striped lump of glittery material with a bloody feline face. Her heart skipped a beat and somehow subconsciously she knew she had to get out of this place as soon as possible. But the tunnel was gone!

…

Zelda looked behind her again in search of the tunnel, or maybe even the mirror the Little Man told her about, but nothing was there. She immediately started running away from the pack of aggressive birds still flying in circles and screaming in angst. She was still located in this forested area but luckily contained open patches of space. This space was actually more of a void with gradient white flooring and kind of a foggy atmosphere. Though Zelda thought she knew enough about the physical properties of the world before this journey, nothing could possibly prepare her enough for her encounter with this space from the green and blue planet. At this point Zelda was running on her own adrenaline and not thinking very thoughtfully about where she was going, but stepped into this space that was about 100 feet in diameter intermixed between forest. The birds were no longer visible or heard, but something about this new place was easing her mind in a way, some kind of grey misty void, but turning into more of a sandy area without much of anything until the horizon. What was going through her head at this time would be difficult for anyone to comprehend without direct experience, but now Zelda again began to break a sweat. She was obviously terrified, but comically alone in such an inhumane area underneath her home. She began to think that her familiar Blue and Green planet made a lot more sense than she once thought. Running for a few minutes further towards the brightening horizon, she realized that something about this new region was serene and it actually began to calm her. Zelda always had an affinity for the desert and open space. She remembered taking trips to the desert to visit family friends at a Leftover Friends’ Camp out in Arizona a few times, in part to deliver water, and in part to reconvene and chat with familiar faces. Zelda took a moment to think about the mirror the Little Man explained, picturing it in her mind as essentially the oldest mirror that could have ever existed, with some kind of dull pearls lining the outside, smaller than a typical full-length mirror, and oval-shaped with a handle. The actual glass of this mirror would have to be worn and dull, dusty and scraped. Maybe there was some chance that that was what it really looked like and she would recognise it. Maybe the Little Man was right, that this mirror was somehow tied with herself and her prophecy. Somehow if this was true it would change everything she knew about the Blue and Green planet as well, or what some people still called Earth. 

Suddenly a person appeared near her, an upright shadowy figure breathing just as heavy as her. Night was falling in this region at this time, and as they approached her the face of this individual looked rough and old. They carried a luminous thin box on their belt beaming light on it’s corner. Zelda would never know that this person was alive before The Great Fall, even with the casual hints. She knew that before The Great Fall cell phones were still in use and on the market. She read something about that in school that around the time of the Great Fall there was one group of people called the Hacking Company (headed by two individuals Robot Mass and Tower Street) that broke into the cellphone networks and essentially hacked every individual cellphone user. They chose the perfect time for it, right at the end of Water Bill Season when most folks were scrambling to conserve their water rations. Mobile companies obstructed the production of these boxes for a few years while they struggled to figure out how to recalibrate their systems, but by this time cell phones were no longer popular, and especially at the time of the Great Fall more often than not people where dealing with problems closer at hand and came across near-death experiences more than before, so families and friends kept their companions close and formed new groupings without much focus on what was happening out of their communities. Once a good 30 or 40 years passed after the hack happened, few even remembered cellphone at all. 

Though Zelda would normally have been grateful for some company at this time, something about this person frightened her, maybe in the way in which their age and clothing style didn’t fit together, or maybe their look of determination and seriousness. They produced an aura unfamiliar in the least. Finally she approached this person and came to grips with her current situation. He opened his mouth and started to speak, but it was painfully difficult for Zelda to determine what he was saying. 

…

Zelda looked up again at this strange man. Who was he? He was uttering words familiar to her, but not exactly what she was used to. After about a minute of intense uttering from him, and only blank stares from her, she finally asked his name and why he was there. He responded in similar gibberish, and held up his phone with a code. Entering in the code of four digits, he wrote a note on the screen. It wrote “Lacey”. She was lucky to understand the writing. At least she could acknowledge him now. Zelda knew names were especially important in her community back home. Someone’s name indicated a personal strength of character, mind, or spirit. Zelda in Old English may have been a fictional adventure character. Zelda remembered that old conversation, not that it really meant much to her. Lacey sounded like lace. Maybe he was soft and intricate too. But he also seemed tough and trustworthy. So you are Lacey? Finally I know your name, my name is Zelda. I am here on some kind of journey, but it’s hard to explain.

“Huh?”

Zelda. She went on again to explain her purpose, but stopped when he finally turned away from her. There were a few uncomfortable moments of silence, and Zelda learned how to better empathize with his confusion, though still wanted his backstory. They uttered phrases to each other back and forth like this for a few minutes, until Zelda had enough, getting tired of nuances, and eager to hop into yet a new place. She sat down on the sand next to a rock where she rested her sack that held not unpleasantly warm water. She sat there near this man for a while, watching the edge of his tattered jacket sway in the wind, revealing the glowing phone on his hip where he entered the code, and a few beeps emerging from it. After about an hour of rest from pure exhaustion from both, Lacey decided to show her a new path. He led her through the great desert where they were into a brown valley with leaves scattered alongside the ground, and grey tree trunks everywhere under a billowing grey sky. It became a bit dark and chilly. Zelda shuttered, expecting something evil of sorts to happen to her along this path, but to her surprise nothing really happened besides the walk. They kept going into this valley and woods, where they heard hoots from owls and chirps from birds, meowing and barking of other creatures, and the like. Zelda always loved the company of animals, and the presence of familiar living things underneath the porch gave her hope for her future. The man took her through this wooded area for another hour or so, just on a slow but steady walk, brushing back some branches and vines in their way and stumbling here and there on rocks or thorn bushes. Some of the woods reminded her of recreational spaces at home where local children played games, and older individuals went for walks. She wondered if where this man came from people did the same. Of course communication was limited to only utterances of familiar words. 

Finally they came across a pathway into a greener and sunnier place, which opened up into remarkable rolling hills lined with a red-picket fence and a rugged soil pathway stamped out by years of pressure from feet and vehicles, though few recognizable markings. Lacey took her to this open and sunny space and guided her down the path and in and out of patches of woods for a little while. They saw a fork in the road and decided to turn left. They crossed a stream. Crouched under bunched of amber and orange leaves on low-hanging branches. They saw a cotton-tailed rabbit scatter out of their way, and packs of birds flying upwards and away. Zelda because a little less restless in this area, where she felt the comfort of the soft breeze and sunny beams of light shine on her in the open space, and the crunchy leaves under her thin soles in the woods. Lacey was kind enough to show her around the easiest paths, and she trusted him in his decisions to take them both somewhere safe and productive for her task. Though all of this was pretty random, Zelda couldn’t imagine that this man wasn’t somehow tied to all of this. She breathed a sigh of relief when he finally took her to a wooden cabin with a warm fire pit and bed to rest. Zelda drank some water. Something rang a smooth melody on his phone as soon as she shut her eyes to sleep. Lacy took the call and spent the rest of the night chatting away with familiar voices. 

[kingsmanxrp]

LOADING PROFILE…

MINABUCHI SEIKO WAS LAST SEEN IN SEOUL, SK.               CURRENT PROFESSION: JOURNALIST

THE FOLLOWING DETAILS ARE CLASSIFIED. PROCEED?

PERSONALITY

with those whom you share a mutual truthfulness, they will be inclined to see, hear, and acknowledge that you’re making an effort to unwind. it’s not so much the feeling of being cold, or stricken by the grief of others, but for the protection of your own privacy that allows you to live carefully as time is always a constant. you’re in no rush to define yourself in front of people, nor do you set yourself up to be in certain criterias that’ll make people comfortable around you. whatever goes, whatever happens and so forth. those who know you best will take your outgoingness with ease; toy around with many jokes and become unphased by your aggressiveness. you weren’t born to impress and create deceit for yourself in any essence of what your self-worth means to you. you pave your way through, diligently and unapologetically. you find peace while working and tending to mundane tasks in the background, and detests being shone in the limelight. at times of which you’re alone is when you work best, unbothered to the best of your abilities. although you are comfortable in your own company, sometimes that leads to messiness or procrastination.

you’re not particularly sure of what influences you to become reliable, or at least, search for means that’ll support your complications. you never sought out to be the person who does things based on spontaneity. you refuse to; you’re an honest and rational person that would rather take time to build practical expectations with goals. your ability to reason with reality is one of your most strongest traits, but it might become unfavorable to you if you allow yourself to become calculating and conservative. it doesn’t hurt to be a little secretive, once in awhile. just loosen up and see where fate’s passion should take you, rather than you attempt to control destiny itself.

your ability to have an appreciation for many things artistic has helped you look at the world in many perspectives, not just one. you realize that the same world, oftentimes, doesn’t deserve your openness in return for their harshness. having the capability to perceive beauty in many forms without merits, you may love people and things all too easily. with all your heart, you will find warmth in the most uncanny resemblances of something vile, merely deteriorating you with the vulnerability of emotion.

regardless, here you are, forbidding to other people how complex your values progress. when it isn’t an unjust state of mind that people condemn you to be lonely and secluded, but really, would like to be pleasant.

BIOGRAPHY

JAPANESE STUDENT SUBMITS HER ADMISSION ESSAY: SEE WHAT SHE HAS TO SAY IN AN ABUNDANCE OF OVER 1K WORDS.

all the other kids are writing about their profound experiences throughout their educational career, but who are we to stick to a single thesis? there’s two prompts: a thesis based on your educational gap statement, or you can turn in a paper about your personal life. think of it as your myspace profile but better. it took a considerable amount of time to settle for either prompt, since a good number of these starstruck hopefuls bullshit on their educational gap statement. we all know in university, you can only choose between two lifestyles out of the three you had in high school. your scholastic life, social life, and, perhaps, familial life if you still like your ‘rents. it’s cool though, nobody’s blaming you. sometimes we come running back to our parents in need of lunch money even at twenty years of age.

so, let’s roll this sucker out.

and that was just the brief monologue. the thoughtful writing has yet to be written.

in the best interests of whom may be reading this, the applicant’s name is minabuchi seiko. she’s a proud osaka gal (the people of tokyo despise her!), born in umeda to a predominant well-to-do household. to put in modest words, her family has had a long line of blood inheritance, old money folk. honestly, even she doesn’t know where the money comes from, but whether or not it was earned with fairness is a whole different story.

okay, so blatant storytelling in essays are kind of, or actually, pretty redundant and even speculates the fact that you have a low vocabulary repertoire. either that, or you really have been stolen of your literary imagination; some form of poverty stricken to the head, not with the wallet. let’s start over.

againー her name’s minabuchi seiko. she went to school all her life in osaka and decided that one day, she’s gonna let all her expectations from her parents define the rest of her livelihood. yeah, y’know, the typical story of a rich kid from an old money family even when you have no idea as to how the money rolls in. dad’s an old maybach lovin’ fellow with the fall/winter versace slacks, his holy grail go-to ready-to-wear pants. probably can’t even tell satin from silk! doesn’t look half as bad, if only he’d lose the beer belly from years of self intoxication poisoning. he managed to meet his old woman at some kind of gala back in the day, the 80s, an era where no country was saved from hairspray monstrosity. some say his great great grandfather was involved in the first world war as an agent, maybe as an ambitious trainee with little to no hand eye coordinationー which could probably be why he ended up shot in the head in great britain.

however, father was probably a no good, wealth lifting legacy. his hands were always perfect, never calloused. perfect hands don’t belong to somebody who has never worked in their lives.

how about we assume that seiko’s mom was a looker back then, yeah? even though she didn’t hail from a just as rich family, that didn’t matter. she was young, naive, a little feisty and that’s when dad knew that she was the one. and for whatever reason, we don’t know, nor do we really want to know; it’s not a prime aspect to shape the story. to put it simply, mum wasn’t a complete trophy wife. no. she lacked in some traits and dad thought that was wholesome and on some level, beautiful. she had ‘flaws’ or whatever that got mr. minabuchi excited. faux humility and a sense of conviction was all she really had. even still, seiko concluded that there was nothing beautiful about a clingy gold digger, but we can’t have everything, can we? though she’d be lying if she said that she didn’t appreciate her. thanks for the nose, mom.

we don’t know what’s romantic about coaxing a ditzy nineteen-year-old into marriage when you’re well into your mid-thirties, but, y’know. you’re not living to please everyone (also whatever tickles your fancy ‘cause she’s pretty sure she tickled his!). the folks of osaka are positive that the million dollar trust fund concept under dad’s belt got all her friends and family hot and ready. really inspirational. honestly, if father father can find love in a sleazy getaway in the corners of kitashinchi station, then so can you!

and this is when minabuchi seiko steps into the picture. they wanted kids but didn’t plan that just one night pursued from alcohol would have mum knocked up. she’s the eldest child among two others, making them a dandy, clean-cut, model family with a house too big for the land on the outskirts of the city. the gardeners came every two weeks, thursday afternoon at 3pm sharp. the pool cleaners are scheduled to pluck the dead larva and leaves even when nobody’s swimming and having hellish family gatherings. yet again, she still has all her index cards of distant relatives that she haven’t frequented. being the oldest has given the gal privileges of earning stuff first, but then again, is she really earning things if the spoon is silver? yeah, no. seiko never had to work for an entirety of her life. she didn’t even know what it meant, or what it felt to knowhow to work. probably washed one dish within a year after she turned thirteen, realizing what chores were. so here she is, protecting her younger siblings and pretending as though she’s the prototype daughter. she’s enrolled into a private grade school until mom (kinda looking like kudo shizuka if only she didn’t butcher her nose) chimes in with, “honey!”— all high pitched and concerning, gotta love mom. “we should send the kids off to an international school,” she says. “they can learn from real life experiences since they’re always comfortable at home.”

(making us sound like we’re some kind of archetypical nuclear experiment.) like, what is she? minabuchi seiko? why is mom so eager to live through her wannabe princeton dreams onto a girl who only wishes to be in sight of takeuchi naoko and matsuri hino?

seiko’s tossed into the horror of an international school, when actually, it wasn’t all that ugly and cracked up as she thought it would be. asides from being a fat four-eyed freak, she had two friends and lived a decent early childhood based on her family’s worth. it was cool, she guesses. it’s nice to travel away from a place she knew so long; from humble ol’ umeda to honmachi. even met a girl who was nice to her later as seiko continued failing, so if that’s not living, then she doesn’t know what living is. they’re still friends, by the way. on some new level gummy shit, perhaps.

at age 16 she’s already living fast and furious, aspiring to seize the world with the ability to compromise and persuade like a filthy politician. yes. she owned over 10 ferrets who all died peacefully while keeping a gpa that was sure to make her bound for yonsei university. no, her parents threw her into piano lessons since it’d be beneficial for her applications if she won a few competitions here and there— yes. you see, she was an ugly and fat kid with a plan. she was the oily skinned bitch who couldn’t put down the big mac, but she had her entire future mapped out.

maybe.. minabuchi seiko is a child from her great great great father’s counterpart. she lacked ambition to better herself and become an agent, thatmuch, she agrees. the thing was, her interest has embraced the world of academic endeavors and its many assorted curiosities. she was a lover of style and lifestyles, and her pen was always mightier than the sword.

boy, did she adore writing. she wrote on the canopies hanging above on a spring afternoon with a piplup plush besides her. she wrote on the dead agents from various field missions miles and miles away, been blocked out of group chats since that was all she keyboard smashed about. all her feelings are on paper, through and through, written in pen. whether she was either heartbroken or optimistic, determined or discouraged. oh, how her heart bleeds on endless journals!

and alas! flicker goes the damn light bulb: an eccentric writer slash journalist slash.. whatever she may be has been born.

[letterniece8-blog]

Black Films and Artists Thrive at 2019 Tribeca Film Festival

By NNPA News Wire Film Critic Dwight Brown

The 18th annual Tribeca Film Festival featured films, docs, shorts, TV, tech seminars and immersive experiences. It was a 21st century gathering place for filmmakers, artists and fans.  

Black films, directors, actors and artists shared the glory and attention with other contemporaries who were proud to have TFF as an international venue. As the festival inches towards the two-decade mark, it’s only getting better and maturing like a fine wine.  

Black Films, Filmmakers, Actors and Artists

17 Blocks (****) Life expectancy in the U.S. averages out to around 79 years of age. That statistic skews much lower in this poignant and profound documentary about a Washington, D.C. family that’s on a different path. In 1999, nine-year old Emmanuel is given a movie camera. He uses it to chronicle the exploits of his mom, older brother, older sister and extended family. His lens captures the love in the air, the danger outside and the hope he brings to his family for a son who could be the first in their brood to go to college. Drugs, gangs and violence lurk. Emmanuel’s destiny takes a turn that will leave viewers spellbound. Over a 20-year period, this family’s dynamics, conflicts, breath throughs and tribulations are recorded like an urban allegory. The span of time is reminiscent of the Oscar-nominated drama Boyhood. The soul of a young man gets an enduring legacy thanks to the power of film.

The Apollo (***1/2) The Apollo Theater was always so much more than a performing arts venue. Since 1934, it’s been a community center, talent scout hub, training ground for countless artists and a mecca that is destined to be both a shrine and a progressive cultural home—for years to come. Director Roger Ross Williams helms this ambitious project, Lisa Cortes is a producer and the perceptive writing by Cassidy Hartmann and Roger Ross Williams pays respect to the hall’s past and its extended family. The footage is most exciting when it depicts performances by legendary artists (Ella, Duke, Dinah, Billie), Motown (Smokey, Supremes, Temptations) and comedians (Moms Mabley, Richard Pryor). Veterans (e.g. Patti Labelle) share their anecdotes. The late Ralph Cooper recollects starting Amateur Night. Rarely has a history lesson been so damn entertaining.  

Burning Cane (***) And what were you doing at age 17? Phillip Youmans was writing his first script, which he turned into this Southern Louisiana melodrama about a mother (Karen Kaia Livers) who deals with an alcoholic adult son (Dominique McClellan), his boy (Braelyn Kelly) and a recently widowed and stressed-out preacher (Wendell Pierce). The sun beats down on this luckless family, who grinds itself into a deeper and deeper hole. Youmans’ premise and maturity go well beyond his years. He puts his characters in an angst that hovers over the entire production. For tone and drama, he gets an A+. For storytelling, a B-. For tech elements a C. The gritty feel is reminiscent of a John Cassavetes movie. Youmans’ cinematography needs developing; camera placement is questionable as is the lighting. If the footage has a Beast of the Southern Wild synergy, it’s because this movie’s executive producer, Ben Zeitlin, was that film’s director. 

Devil’s Pie—D’Angelo (***1/2) Lots of musicians attract a following, but D’Angelo’s fans can be classified as an avid cult with extremely good taste in soul music. Part of the Grammy winner’s mystique centers around his 14-year-absence from recording (Voodoo in 2000; Black Messiah in 2014), which stunned his admirers. That mystery, his childhood, resurgence, live shows, recording sessions and musings are on view in this wonderfully crafted homage. Home movies and photos depict his upbringing, influential grandmother and days as his church’s organist. Personal anecdotes reveal his problems with alcohol and drugs. Attesting to his musical savvy and eccentricities are Questlove, Dave Chappelle and Erykah Badu. Though many put D’Angelo in his own niche (R&B, soul, funk, sexy songs with a hint of jazz), Prince’s influence is quite obvious when the singer wails. Thank documentarian Carina Bijlsma for the candid glimpse at a musical innovator who should be called a genius. Get ready to tap your toes and sing along to “Brown Sugar.” 

Gully (*1/2)  Music video director Nabil Elderkin steps into the deep end of feature filmmaking and flounders. His technique is solid, especially the ways he moves the camera (cinematographer Adriano Goldman) around on evocative shots of palm tree-lined streets in Los Angeles. However, he’s wasted his talent on a misguided script (Marcus Guillory) that focuses on three unlikable and aimless adolescents (Jacob Latimore, Charlie Plummer, Kelvin Harrison Jr.). The trio go from playing violent video games to assaulting people on the streets—without any obvious motivation. Yes, they each have troubled pasts, but nothing that warrants physical attacks. Never believable. Never compelling. Pointless. Kids have excuses for making bad decisions. Adults, like the ones who made this repulsive drivel, do not. 

Inna De Yard: The Soul of Jamaica (***) Showing admiration for reggae musicians from the ‘70s and ‘80s is this very inspiring doc’s goal. Shot largely in the hills above Kingston, British director Peter Webber gives a comeback platform to senior reggae stars like Ken Boothe, Winston McAnuff, Kiddus I, and Cedric Myton. Long past their heyday but still able to sell a song. Their stories of past triumphs are riveting and it’s a joy to watch them record again. They’re backed up by young musicians eager to play with their heroes. Judy Mowatt, legendary former Bob Marley backup singer, is a revelation. Reggae music, like Jamaica, is all about peace and love. That’s the takeaway. That’s what the audience will remember about this rousing, heartfelt documentary. 

A Kid from Coney Island (***) We’re well-acquainted with basketball’s most successful players who soared into fame and fortune (Kobe, Magic, Michael, Larry, LeBron). We’re less familiar with hoop dream athletes who struggled. Stephon Marbury grew up in the Coney Island projects, where the only choices for rising above the fray was becoming a rapper, drug dealer or basketball player. Obsessed with the sport from a young age, he was influenced by his dad and brothers and nurtured by his older sis and mom. Steph was destined for greatness. He became a city champion, college star, draft choice and NBA legend. Only fate tossed him curve balls. Under the prying eye of doc directors Coodie Simmons and Chike Ozah, viewers watch a very talented man withstand the death of a parent, depression, a career that stalls and a surprisingly spiritual path to redemption. In this eye-opening and sobering documentary, we see how an eight-pound orange ball can take an inner-city kid to the other side of the world. More ups and downs and as exciting as the Cyclone roller coaster ride on Coney Island.

Lil’ Buck: Real Swan (***) The kids in Charles “Lil’ Buck” Riley’s low-income outer Memphis neighborhood flocked to the local roller rink at night and waited for the skating to stop and the dancing to begin. Jookin’ is the local dance form, akin to Crunking, Gangsta Walking and Michael Jackson’s stop-start-twirls. Lil’ Buck won a scholarship to a Memphis dance school, and added ballet to his mix. His blend of urban dance and classic technique is amazing to watch. Equally entrancing is this beguiling look at a young kid who blossoms as a person and a dancer. A career in L.A., performances with Yo-Yo Ma and touring the world are like a dream come true. Director Louis Wallecan doesn’t miss one step. Interviews with family, friends and admirers highlight a hybrid street dance, an art form created by an innovator who transcends life and description. 

Only (**1/2) What if? What if after the apocalypse a virus became a plague that only killed women? That’s the premise of writer/director Takashi Doscher’s ultra-modern and very scary sci-fi nightmare. The focus is on a couple, Eva (Freida Pinto, Slumdog Millionaire) and Will (Leslie Odom Jr., Hamilton) who survive indoors using hazmat suits to stave off danger. Every scene is as creepy as the premise. Nice performances from the two leads. Ugly cinematography (Sean Stiegemeier) done in shades of gray, greens and browns make footage dreary. Can’t say Dosher is an accomplished filmmaker—yet, but this movie hits a nerve. Also, coming from a male director there is a misogynist undertone that just doesn’t feel right. 

Recorder: The Marion Stokes Project (***) Saying she liked keepsakes is putting it mildly. Librarian, TV producer and political activist Marion Stokes had an obsession: capturing the news as it was depicted on TV. From 1979 (Iranian hostage crisis) to 2012 (Sandy Hook tragedy), she recorded newsfeeds from the networks on 70,000 VHS tapes. For an enlightening and somewhat somber history lesson, view this documentary to see how far society has evolved and what it has left in its wake. Documentarian Matt Wolf handpicks clips, adds in the essence of Stokes’ personality and interviews witnesses to her hobby. He creates a thought-provoking look at the upheavals, controversies and conflicts that have shaped this country. Racial and social issues come to the forefront.  

Roads (**1/2) Actor turned director and writer Sebastian Schipper (Run Lola Runand Victoria) examines immigration with this vibrant road movie. British teen Gyllen (Fionn Whitehead, Dunkirk) steals his stepfather’s RV while in Morocco and heads towards France to visit his father. Along the way, he picks up a fellow traveler, William (Stéphane Bak), who is from the Democratic Republic of Congo. It’s interesting to watch the way they are treated differently as they travel. Gyllen makes his anger known and is oblivious to danger. The more reserved William knows danger way too well and can smell it before it happens. Their divergent points of view and cultural differences speak more about race relations than a college course. A thoughtful script (Schipper and Oliver Ziegenbalg), nice performances from the teens. Final scenes that depict refugees’ confined lives in France are solemn. 

Skin (***1/2)  Tsotsi was the 2006 Oscar-Winner for Best Foreign Film and it chronicled the evolution of a hoodlum who seemed beyond redemption. This very daring and similar drama by writer/director Guy Nattiv is equally emancipating in its own way. Bryon Widner (Jamie Bell, Film Stars Don’t Die in Liverpool), a twentysomething skinhead is bullied by his adoptive parents (Vera Farmiga, Bill Camp) who are violent white supremacists. Life changes for him when he meets a single mom (Danielle Macdonald, Patti Cake$). It takes an even greater turn when he comes under the watchful eye of social activist Darlye Jenkins (Mike Colter, Luke Cage), whose foundation, One People’s Project, specializes in converting neo-Nazis. This is possibly the biggest character arc you will ever see in a film. Tense, suspenseful, dramatic, romantic and cathartic. Excellent performances from all in this stick-to-your-ribs true story. Watching human garbage turn into human beings can be extremely gratifying. Excellent. 

What’s My Name: Muhammad Ali (***) Oscar-winner When We Were Kings focussed on Muhammad Ali’s “The Rumble in the Jungle” match. Does this doc have that much majesty? Almost. Director Antoine Fuqua (Training Day) takes a more all-encompassing approach. Using never-before-seen archival footage, and with a great sense of pacing (editor Jake Pushinsky), Fuqua highlights Ali’s pinnacles and low points. He explores the champion’s social activism and personal life. Details about his entry into boxing, teenage years, relationships with Malcolm X and Sam Cooke are on the screen. The most surprising revelation is that Ali’s decision to flaunt a larger-than-life egocentric persona was influenced by the flamboyant wrestler Gorgeous George. Most of the memorable quotes come from Ali’s lips. It’s like he’s reaching back from the grave to remind us how brash and brave he was. Illuminating. 

Films of Note

After Parkland (****) Rarely if ever does a film put a lump in your throat and a tear in your eye for its entire length. Be prepared to be awed, humbled and inspired by the Parkland, Florida victims, survivors and activists. You’ve seen their faces on the news, now you get a close-up look at the people behind the headlines and the indomitable spirit they’ve collectively created that is bound to bring about change. The kids and adults are so bright and articulate that their words carry the film:  “Someone was hunting my classmates.” “Bullets shred anything in sight. Tissue, walls, desks, backpacks.” “We’re going to change the world.” Expert technique and sensitive filming by directors Emily Taguchi and Jake Lefferman make this an Oscar-caliber documentary.

Crown Vic  (***) The cop/crime/thriller genre gets a healthy dose of personal drama in this L.A.-based film noir that’s rough around the edges. First-time feature film director/writer Joel Souza pairs up two L.A.P.D. cops. The older crusty patrol officer Ray Mandel (Thomas Jane, Boogie Nights) shepherds the naive rookie Nick (Luke Kleintank, TV’s Bones) on an overnight shift. Meanwhile, two bank robbers/killers are on the loose. Mandel’s chilling words: “Take your badge off and put it in the glove box.” Their policing takes a turn towards the gutter. The beginning of the film is marred by too much dialogue in a claustrophobic patrol car, which kills momentum. Souza adds in a funny scene with a drunk lady, friction with undercover cops (Josh Hopkins, David Krumholtz) and a search for a missing kid to spice up the night. Jane is the glue and mortar. The dialogue is strong too. Mandel: ‘People Sleep peacefully in their beds at night because rough men do violence on their behalf.”  Someone call 911!

The Kill Team (**1/2) Dan Krauss made a doc about a true-life incident involving an infantryman in Afghanistan in 2010 who dealt with a commanding officer who was violent to innocent locals and his platoon too. He’s turned that project into a feature film, with varied results. Actor Nat Wolff plays the soldier and Alexander Skarsgård stars as the disturbed leader who doles out harsh reality to his men: “We kill people. That’s what we do. Do you have a problem with that?” The enlistee is in a quandary that could take his own life. How would you react? That intriguing premise saves the film. Edited down to 87 minutes (editor Franklin Peterson), the footage is never attractive (Stéphane Fontaine), the performances are only decent and the emotion never runs deep. Still, this film tells a powerful story.

Linda Ronstandt: The Sound of My Voice (***1/2) Singing in Linda Ronstandt’s family was as common as Sunday dinner, and she had the best voice, too. As a teen in a sibling folk group she developed a sense of harmony and a performance presence that kick-started her career in L.A. In the music industry, she stood out as a woman in a man’s world. She led her own band, made her own career decisions and went through a world-famous metamorphosis: Folk, pop, rock, soul, light opera, big band and Mexican folk music—she did it all. Directors Rob Epstein and Jeffrey Friedman bless the footage with childhood photos, concert video and insights by Dolly Parton, Emmylou Harris and Bonnie Raitt. The very well-read Ronstandt herself pipes in with anecdotes and philosophies that underline her intelligence shed light on her battle with Parkinson’s disease. A trip down memory lane, done to the tune of Grammy-winning songs by rock n’ roll’s first female superstar. A visual and audio retrospective that sticks with you. 

The Quiet One (***1/2) The meek shall inherit the earth—and other stuff. Bill Wyman, the quietest musician in the Rolling Stones, is a historian. Director Oliver Murray gives the group’s bass player all the room he needs to shed light on his role as the band’s sober member. Fortunately for Stones fans, he was an avid collector of footage, photos and other memorabilia. You could almost classify him as a hoarder, except his stunning collection is so damn neat and organized. He’s stockpiled his knick-knacks in the most orderly filing system with documentation so elaborate it would shame a librarian. Hearing him talk about his idols Ray Charles, Chuck Berry, Muddy Water and Howlin’ Wolf is heart-warming. Behind-the scenes details about the Rolling Stones’ tragedies, fiascos and creative process are equally fascinating. Oddly, the film does not cover Wyman’s controversial relationship with a teenager. Special shout out to Tim Sidell’s gorgeous cinematography and Anne Perri’s astute editing. Wyman is a quiet treasure and so is this doc.  

Woodstock: Three Days That Defined a Generation (***) “Well I came upon a child of God, He was walking along the road, And I asked him, Tell me where are you going, And this he told me…” Director Barak Goodman and his co-writer Don Kleszy take audiences behind the scenes of Woodstock to the muddy fields, horrible weather and peace/love vibe that became the legend of the occasion. It’s an event that has never been repeated successfully. Still, from the viewpoint of the common people who went, we get a new perception that those “highly” spiritual and heady days were more than a one-time phenomenon, they spawned a vibe that far outlived the concerts. On the stages, in this temporary city of 400,000 hippies, musicians like Richie Havens, CSN, Jimi Hendrix and the bunch look like heroes, though not as quite as gusty or adaptable as the venue’s stunned promoters: John Roberts and Joel Rosenman. Refreshing and a complete joy to watch in this day and age of hate mongering. 

Tribeca is building a solid reputation as a film festival that values diversity, inclusion and new voices. It’s a champ at spotlighting emerging talent from around the U.S. and the world. 

It’s no wonder black films, artists, their fans and others are supporting the fest with their work, participation and attendance. 

For more information about Tribeca Film Festival go to: https://www.tribecafilm.com

Visit NNPA News Wire Film Critic Dwight Brown at DwightBrownInk.com and BlackPressUSA.com.

This article originally appeared in the Charleston Chronicle. 

Source: https://www.blackpressusa.com/black-films-and-artists-thrive-at-2019-tribeca-film-festival/

[idolizerp]

LOADING INFORMATION ON NITRO’S LEAD VOCAL, LEAD DANCE CHOI DAEIN...

IDOL DETAILS

STAGENAME: Dane CURRENT AGE: 26 DEBUT AGE: 19 TRAINEE SINCE AGE: 18 COMPANY: Koala.T Music SECONDARY SKILL: Nunchucks 

IDOL PROFILE

NICKNAME(S): Face Genius, 반대인 - because he’s always doing the opposite of what people expect INSPIRATION: he looked up to gemini and 4ce who inspired him to pursue becoming an idol. SPECIAL TALENTS:

“impossible” to scare ( will walk through a haunted house laughing, is still during jumpscares, etc.).

is a better-than-average artist.

can read palms ( he can’t actually, but when he’s asked to for shows he predicts outlandishly fake futures ).

NOTABLE FACTS:

is quite active on social media.

is a 3rd dan in hapkido

studied abroad briefly in japan, and can speak conversational japanese

owns a cat named dal

enjoys photography, often has a polaroid camera on him when he travels

IDOL GOALS

SHORT-TERM GOALS:

his current goals are much of the same. to keep propelling himself forward as much as he can. to try and keep pushing nitro up and toward more popularity. they’re not a projectile missile of a group, not like atlas or olympus. but they’re getting there. putting koala.t back on the map. making a name for themselves. and after all this time, daein does want to do that. make a name for himself. for his group. scrawl out some kind of a legacy to leave behind. an imprint of who he is. music and all.

LONG-TERM GOALS:

daein want to find his place in the world. sometimes wants to feel more firmly planted in a reality that he can create. he’s interested in ghosts, but he doesn’t necessarily want to be one himself. he knows he wants to create an imprint with music, with nitro and by himself. he wants to push forward and come to terms with his own interests intermixed with the trajectory that koala.t wants to send him on. he wants to try and be somewhat picky with the projects that they push onto him, because despite nitro’s length in the industry thus far, he hasn’t yet grown to despise it in the same way he’s seen some of his peers do. and he doesn’t want that to happen, either. wants to keep careful balance on the wire of what his company wants, and what he himself wants. and then build a legacy from it. something he’s content with. something he can lean on when he outgrown the career path he’s chosen. is it feasible, in the long run? well, nobody really knows the answer to that one. but daein hopes it is.

IDOL IMAGE

daein in image and in role is used as a collector. he’s essentially a tool in fan outreach, something that had been pre-planned, from his place of birth to how his personality is shaped and used to the company’s advantage on screen. koala.t has built and launched his entire brand based off of this. daein is sure that they didn’t decide to put him into their new flagship group just because he was talented. whatever amount of talent he had was seen as a bonus. the valuable piece that daein holds is his appeal is, materialistically enough, his face and opportunity for widespread appeal based off of this and the easy way he’s able to endear himself to people. daein’s real value is his following, with his knack for drawing fans into nitro as a whole. that initial gateway point that catches at people’s attention.

in nitro, he’s the member people might point to and declare a stan attractor. the one who pulls interest into the group, even if they end up hopscotching off to bias another member in the end of things. so step one was to sell this image, a split between hardworking and 4d in a toned down, palatable sort of way. the kind of guy who was quick to talk, the kind of guy who was personable, who made you want to keep talking. who had no reservations chatting away to show hosts or describing nitro’s latest comeback. he had the sort of face that made people look, it was just daein’s job to make it stick after.

he was given a stage name, something that they decided fit with his concept more and might appeal to an international fanbase. was told which parts of his personality he was allowed to play up ( not being afraid of ghosts? great, let the members cling while you laugh during the haunted house daein, that’s great ), and those he wasn’t ( cut the sarcasm and macabre humor, we need to appeal to the thirteen year olds ). a dose of humor, a loud effect to his voice that’s often lost later when the camera clicks off. he wasn’t a boy next door, but he was a boy you found yourself staring at. interested in. styled in a peter pan, never grow up fashion with a mischievous bite underneath that pixie-dust appeal.

there’s more behind the lens. behind the glamour. but daein’s been in the industry long enough to know that you’re only supposed to share certain parts of yourself with the public. because for all the fans shout and clamor and say they’ll love you forever. love you no matter what. it’s a lie. all it takes is one new fact that rubs them the wrong way, and you’re passed over. petitioned out. at least when it came to him, koala.t looked to see what parts they had cast him for and pulled them to the forefront. not everything about daein’s image is fake. but it’s overplayed, exaggerated. sometimes to the point where he gets sick of himself. overlaid with white lies that settle better with the fans. stains hidden. an illusion of perfection - but sometimes it’s a nice feeling.

IDOL HISTORY

하나 born in seoul to on the edge of upper to middle class parents, daein’s life should have been easy. it, perhaps, has been. but that all depends on who you ask. they weren’t fit with golden spoons, but his father was a well respected dentist, and daein was expected to follow those pre-trodden footsteps in some manner or another. if not in the field of orthodontics, then in some other highly regarded career. lawyer, maybe. something that would allow for him to continuously climb that ladder of success, provide opportunities for the next generation in the choi family. it is apparent now, looking back, that daein has failed all but miserably in their request. his story could perhaps be seen as predictable in some ways. but who longs for freedom more than a bird beating itself against what it thinks a cage? daein saw the world stretched before him from behind the glass window, kept knocking himself against it headfirst until he could break free. trod over the idea of pre-conceived destiny (dentistry? ha!). rip himself as far away from expectations as possible. for better or worse, daein has built this life for himself.

둘 the first dream that daein remembers having was summarily rejected. a secondary hobby for when he had time. it wasn’t connected to the idol life, and it wasn’t his bridge into the industry. it was hapkido. he had a talent for it, in the way that some kids do, where they’re the leader of their small after school hagwon class pack. he might not have had the makings for a real athletic star, but even if he had, daein thinks they wouldn’t have really cared. somewhere around this point, at twelve or thirteen, daein started to learn that he loved to harbor things that he shouldn’t. dreams, thoughts, interests. he reached toward the taboo simply because it was out of bounds. even now he’s not sure if he forced his way into some of the interests he likes, some of the eclectic music he prefers, or if it was all just a happy coincidence. he decided he liked horror movies. he decided ghosts were pretty neat. so were polaroid cameras, along with cutting up a good portion of those pictures to piece together strange mosaics. which led him to liking art. twisted up, inky designs of strange proportions. sometimes drawn on paper, and sometimes his own skin. frowny faces and  lopsided eyes decorating kneecaps or the back of his hands. he liked skateboarding next, along with the sting of skinned knees. singing came a little later when he was pushing sixteen, seventeen. it’s really luck that daein managed to find a way to lean into one of his strange proclivities. if not for koala.t, where he’d have ended up is a grand mystery. maybe forced into becoming his father’s successor. maybe staring at the clock from behind the cash register at a convenience mart. but nobody cares about those maybes except daein at three in the morning.

셋 daein started studying abroad if only to slip out from underneath his parents thumb. they weren’t possessively controlling, but they were the type that decided that they knew best. they were the type to push him toward some kind of productivity. to cluck at what they decided were poor decisions or to ream him out for coming how too late. even if that last one might’ve been a completely normal parental reaction, while they weren’t shoved to an extreme end of the spectrum, his father was still a disciplinarian. he wanted daein to get his act together. to find a path and drill down hard into it. work himself for the sake of work and follow along in what society deemed as an acceptable career path in the natural progression of things. but daein didn’t want to follow that. there was just something in him that kicked back against it. so he lied, just a bit. decided to start telling them in the later years of high school that he was interested in politics. that maybe becoming a diplomat could be his far reaching ambition. so he took language classes, applied to schools, and when it came tie for his last year of high school he was temporarily relocated into japan on a language learning transfer opportunity he’d found. not that his time spent there lasted all too long. a total of one year. that was the amount of time spent away from home where his father would still talk to him.

넷 his time spent in japan really only served to give daein the makings of a conversationalist in another language and a slew of new interests that would last for an obsessive few months. he didn’t really become invested in politics. he decided he’d prefer not to be a diplomat after all ( and truthfully, he wasn’t very well suited for the job ). so when his study abroad term reached the end he didn’t reapply, he instead chose to come back home and continue his education in korea. back to a happy mother and a mildly frustrated father, because why couldn’t daein get his life together? to pick a path and march steadily toward it, just like he had? but then daein did just that. only it was the wrong path. he’s always found that rather funny. the constant demand to do, do, do, except! not that one. anything but that one. maybe that’s why he picked it. why he saw that flyer hanging up near a noraebang he frequented with his friends for a defunct entertainment company and decided to go audition. just because it was the stark opposite of what they wanted from him. something he knew deep down in his gut. but he’s always been like that. they’ve always known he has been. going against the grain. so he auditioned., and he got in. accepted the offer and started marching down that path. a path that would take him away from his parents, or at least his father, in the end.

다섯 at the time, being in koala.t didn’t mean much of anything. there were no current idols in their roster, the whole company in a strange place. who could tell if their next attempt at a pop group would succeed? so it was a little funny, a little interesting. if his friends questioned him, daein would point out that he ‘probably wouldn’t end up debuting.’ or if he did, maybe it would be some huge disaster. it wasn’t like they didn’t have a company building though, didn’t have a handful of other male trainees he was expected to train with. and train like it was a job, even if daein was still in the mindset of half seeing the company as a joke. his grades suffered. an ultimatum kicked in from his father, continued financial support if he separated from the company and what was viewed as a below their level ambition, or else he’d cut off the money. it’s clear that daein opted to stay at the company. his father made good on his word. the money stopped, daein technically took ( and is still on ) an academic hiatus, and managed to get himself part time work during his off hours for training. if nitro didn’t end up coming together, didn’t end up succeeding ( even if they never were on a very explosive scale ) then daein isn’t sure how his life would’ve turned out. other thoughts that only daein thinks about, but this time at four in the morning.

여섯 eventually, nitro debuted. he hadn’t trained for an exceptionally long time. but it was long enough where he made for a passable dancer, where they’d equipped him with enough singing technique that they could slap the label of vocalist onto him. truthfully, it was hard. a fact that daein is slow to admit to. he’s on the older end of things, and has always preferred talking to others about their own problems than his own. he likes the idea of advice. he likes trying to solve problems like puzzles, the right solution that will click into place. but not usually for himself. he wanted to be away from his parents and the life that they’d wanted out of him. and he was. identity has always been a confusing thing to daein, despite the fact that he was always throwing himself after one. sometimes he feels like it’s evaporating even further now, when it feels like parts of his identity are being stripped away. replaced by something else, something more enjoyable for nitro’s fans. this strange, ephemeral peter pan of a boy. forever lost in neverland, the option and memories of returning home fading and fading. maybe he’ll feel less divided about it if they ever disappear entirely.