#adar knows how to work the system

[dogblessyoutascha]

Happy Friday! Have the other place my brain went after reading the words “maid cafe Adar”. Thank you @pomgore for putting this in my brain.

[saudariel]

the playlist! my contribution to the adar prayer circle lmao 🕯️🕯️🕯️

heavy, aggressive alt/metal. lots of saudar vibes because i feel like their dynamic is so central to adar's arc. or what we've seen of it at least! some of the songs are purely vibes based, some are more based on lyrics. honestly i made this for gifmaking and for background noise when i'm at work but can't escape the Brainrot, so it's not a fully fleshed out character playlist, but i'll add more to it (if our man lives 💀)

enjoy! lyrics under the cut 👀

listen on Spotify here

moth // HELLYEAH

I've been cast out, sequestered Pushed the fuck around Blindsided, beaten Locked up and bound Always thought I was human But maybe I was wrong I've been treated like an animal Since the day I was born The wounds that I wear like the crown upon a king So heavy they lie with all the pain that they bring My life is full of longing, but for what I'll never know I've been drawn into the fire as I reap what I sow

blood // bad omens

There's no rest for the wicked There's not a home underneath the mud And we're all dead, so what's the difference Between a god and a loaded gun? I am the sun, rain, the ocean I am the flood, flames, the chosen It's in our blood, it's on our breath It's in the taste between life and death

soft spine // spiritbox

Soft spine, ascending up to meet my Eyes wide, I am a witness to your regicide The dissolution of your soft spine You all deserve each other You steal the echo from their ghosts You pick your teeth with sacred bones I hate the ones that love you And those who profit from you It's time to reap the tide you sow

god's image // mike's dead

If I was made in God's fucking image Is he as fucked up as I am? Is he sick like me? Is he sick like me? Is he sick like me? If I was made inside the holy system Where the fuck are all my friends? Only space to leave, only space to leave, only space to leave

DEAD THRONE // arankai

Look what you've done, all your skeletons have come to life On a dead throne, tell me how you sleep at night All your sins will be paid in blood a hundred times This isn't retribution, this is fucking regicide

alpha & omega // king 810

Welcome to the truth God made me in His image, who the fuck made you? You want my voice from me? You can have it just know I sound like this, because the Devil has my throat I make your insides shift, that is my gift The sea parts, and then comes the flood And men have died to make this, you can't imitate shit The talent I have, I paid for in blood

house of cards // deadlands

You may think that you have leverage But I'll lay this shit down Think that you're a high-roller Just a joker and a clown Under the gun You'll confess to all the wrongs you've done And when push comes to shove There's nowhere you can run

welcome to hell // mike's dead

I bet you thought that i was finished but I'm back at the gates I am back with the demons and embers and flames And I am not alone I brought a couple million souls So you can see for yourself I'm the king, I'm the goat As above, so below where the light is removed And your death is in bloom on the path seldom took I am here, I am now in the shadows of doom You can call this hell, but I call this home

counting bodies like sheep // a perfect circle

I'll be the one to protect you from Your enemies and all your demons I'll be the one to protect you from A will to survive and a voice of reason I'll be the one to protect you from Your enemies and your choices, son They're one in the same, I must isolate you Isolate and save you from yourself

necessary evil // motionless in white

Strip off the weight of mortality and check it at the door I'll show you the worst in me Blow out the candles, I need not a wish for I am everything Now crawl to my boots and lick (kneel before me) Imma have my cake and fucking eat you too It's my party and I'll die when I want to Die when I want to, die when I want to The monster you've made is wearing the crown I'll be the king and you'll be the clown I'll take the blame, parade it around You've made me the villain you can't live without

before i forget // slipknot

Stapled shut, inside an outside world and I'm Sealed in tight, bizarre but right at home Claustrophobic, closing in and I'm Catastrophic, not again I'm smeared across the page and doused in gasoline I wear you like a stain, yet I'm the one who's obscene Catch me up on all your sordid little insurrections I've got no time to lose, I'm just caught up in all the cattle I am a world before I am a man I was a creature before I could stand I will remember before I forget

black sheep // crown the empire

You kick me in the teeth, then pin me to the ground You take the sickest part of me and spit it out your goddamn mouth All my life I've been running with the black sheep Cast me out, watch me come back as king

exit wounds // bad omens

Raised by wolves in sheep's clothes that abandoned me But taught me to get up when I fall to my knees Man makes monster, monster kills man Taking your crown's always been part of the plan

villain arc // bury tomorrow

These walls can't hold us No prisoners Godless, no control I'll say it, "Fuck your halo" This world can't take us No prisoners, Godless evermore Fuck your halo Destined to go through hell For this fire inside of me I am labelled an enemy And I like the way it burns It's like they'll never learn

WAR // mike's dead

All of my life I’ve been yearning for violence I’d sell my soul just to burn in the riots All of my life I’ve been clinging to pain I need someone to blame For these thoughts in my brain Feel the blood on my chin I’ve been off of my shit don’t tempt me Feel the parasites in my skin Didn’t know I could feel this empty Who’s at fault, for my lack of resolve?

red // woe, is me

Now I'm free, you goddamned leech Fuck your pulpit, and fuck what you preach You may have the world at your feet But nothing in this life is concrete You’re self-indulgent at my expense So let me give you my two cents

power // king yosef

This being was made a long time ago I've peeled the wound and I let it show Change for better or worse Perpetuate pain 'til the flesh meets the Earth I've always been like this, it sits in my skin Reinvent myself, won't let you in You do all you can, I do all I want The things that make a man The things that make a God

crushed // deadlands

I'm done being seen as a motherfucking pawn You use and abuse me to get what you want I'm done being burned and a game that you play I'm so fucking sick I'll do it my way We'll do it my way The predator is now the prey Enough is enough Now you're the one who's fucking crushed

remember me // dal av, andy cizek

Amidst a violent night, there is a dying star Mired in lies and spite, it's fading from afar I used to chase the sun, now I'm afraid of it But if I'm honest, I never thought I would get this far I was a loaded gun, now I'm in front of one A catatonic cycle, over and over Am I alive? Am I a phantom? What was on fire is now but a fading ember Will I survive? Is there an answer? And if I die now, will anyone remember?

higher than death // 3TEETH

How should we die? Our beautiful freedom Can't keep it alive when you can't find the meaning Look at us now, beaten and bleeding I'm higher than death It's theft, everything they took from us And left lies, lies, lies What's left? Motherfucking selfish greed As they let us die

the hell i overcame // bad omens

Oh, did you really think the pain Would send me to an early grave? Did you think I couldn't break these chains After all the hell I overcame? God, please, forgive those who doubt me Forgot about me Then throw them down into the flames

burned at both ends // motionless in white

Nothing is like it was before I know not who I am anymore Chasing something that's behind me When will I be set free? Broken promises left to mend Burning the candle at both ends No light to find my way back home But I don't know where home is anymore The sinking ship has washed ashore

burned at both ends II // motionless in white

Leaving you behind left me aimless Staring in the mirror and I feel like I'm faceless The only thing I know is that I'd rather die Than live in a world where you still control my life The curse you left, it ends tonight Even if I have to tear out my insides Never again will this heart be your home I'll be happy as someone else Today, I found my open door I set my sights on something more I'm done reliving the pain you dealt me I'm sick of trying to take back time Today, I live for something more

[thephoenixandthecrocodile]

Thoughts on Episode 6 - Part 2

I didn’t realize one could just summon a sea worm, haha

Seriously, what the hell is wrong with Numenor’s legal system? XD

Poor Earien ☹ She just wants her father to comfort her, to acknowledge that he feels her pain. That hug nearly broke my heart

So basically Isildur’s stupidity kept both Elendil and Earien so distracted, they somewhat worked as father-daughter but now that he’s gone, they’ve lost the one thing uniting them and all their pain, loss, and anger is coming through.

Also, Elendil, can’t you see how much Earien loves you? She went to the woman she blames for Isildur’s death to save your life!

“What about my heart?” Just kiss already, Miriel and Elendil!

Disa, I love you so much!

I don’t know if the cape swish and interpretive dance was required to call the bats or if it was just Sophia having fun with the scene, but either way I adore it!

And it’s confirmed: Disa is canonically Batman in the Rings of Power universe

Also those bats are fucking huge!

Disa and Durin: official power couple of Middle-Earth

“They’ll be back and they will be more of them” Well, I guess you need to find more bats and soon.

My gods Miriel’s dress is fucking gorgeous! Whoever designs her wardrobe has been on fucking fire this season

I wonder if the kaiju creature was screaming, “AH IT’S MIRIEL. I LOVE YOU!!!”

“Strange worms tossing women out of the sea is no basis for a system of government.”

Seriously though MIRIEL IS MY QUEEN AND GODDESS. She’s such a bad ass and fearless. I love her so much.

Ooo Pharazon and the Palantir

Poor Adar already knows that Galadriel and Gil-Galad would gladly wipe him and his children out. He can’t fucking trust anyone

Soooo if Adar knows that Elrond has Nenya, then does that mean we’re getting an Adar/Elrond scene? I need Adar to have at least one scene with every cast member before he dies. It’s a requirement, JD and Patrick! You hear me?

Not sure what you thought you were doing there Galadriel revealing everything

So Adar basically emptied all of Mordor to take on Sauron?

One thing I really love this season is how paranoid everyone is about doing what Sauron wants, when doing nothing may even be worst. It makes us, as viewers, understand why Sauron is so dangerous even when he’s at his weakest (no army, no stronghold, etc.)

Poor Eregion ☹ Under attack and thinking their lord has abandoned them because he’s currently trapped in Sauron’s lala land illusion

Celebrimbor: Don’t mind me. Just drawing rings, lalala

Also, again Celebrimbor missing a siege because he’s so concentrated on his pet project is understandable.

Just drawing rings, lalala

Oh my god I died laughing when Sauron slid to the window and asked “How’s your progress” XD

Yes, Celebrimbor fight back and push that deceiver to the wall! You will not regret that later

It looks like Suaron hurt Celebrimbor when he grabbed his arm. Poor Brimby ☹

Sauron, you fucker. When bullying doesn’t work, time for some hocus pocus and flattery

God the relief on Celebrimbor’s face when he “sees” that everything’s “ok”.

“I came to Eregion, not because the Valar needed you. I did.” Knife stabbed directly into heart and twist. This is why Celebrimbor goes back to work. He is needed, he is needed by this majestic, scary, powerful being beyond anyone on Middle Earth. He is needed and wanted because he can make true beauty, beauty that will rival the most beautiful thing in the world: the Silmarils. Sauron is such a fucker for saying this to Celebrimbor, but also I need Celebrimbor and Annatar to have one on screen kiss before the end. Please?

Celebrimbor looks at Sauron so hopefully during this speech, it’s heart breaking.

And Feanor’s fucking hammer! Ahhhhh

That fucking transition from illusion to reality is fucking terrifying and amazing and I can’t believe it was all practical

And then you focus on Sauron’s footsteps and his welcoming of the attack with outstretched arms. Fucking beautiful

I’m really excited to see how JD and Patrick handle a siege. They obviously have big shoes to fill considering the siege of Minas Tirith and Helm’s Deep, but I’m excited. ^_^

[niennawept]

get to know me

tagged by my lovely friend @dwarveslikeshinythings <3; Sorry for the delay - I'm still catching up on my tag games.

PART ONE

are you named after anyone? Yes. I am named after a character in movie, but not because my parents liked either the character or the actress (they hated both). I'm named after this character because they wanted to be like her parents. Needless to say, I am not fond of my name.

when was the last time you cried?: genuinely don't remember, but it was probably either a) writing because sometimes I get overwhelmed by character's emotions or b) something reminded me fiercely of my late father and I just lost it for a minute.

do you have kids?:  Not unless you count dogs. I have two shelter pups.

do you use sarcasm a lot?: Mostly when asked to do something very simple. I will sarcastically refuse whilst doing the thing.

what’s the first thing you notice about people?: Vibes. I have a very vibes-based nervous system (thanks trauma).

what’s your eye colour?: This is complicated. I have central heterochromia, which means my eyes are two different colors within the same iris. So brown on the inside, mossy green on the outside, but you can't tell unless you get close so I say hazel even though it's not technically correct.

scary movies or happy endings?: Scary movies. I typically fall asleep with one on. After you've seen it a hundred times, even the sounds of screaming can become their own kind of comforting because it's always the same.

any special talents?: I don't know what to put here. I have a lot of hobbies, but I'm not sure I'd say I'm particularly talented at any of them. I can tie a cherry stem into a knot inside my mouth? Does that count as a talent?

where were you born?: The United States.

what are your hobbies?: Oh geez, uh. Sewing, cosplay, writing, baking, drawing, reading, singing, playing the ukulele, video games, DnD and other tabletop games, mead making, crocheting, gardening, painting, ... I think that's it. But I'm thinking of picking up book binding and tambour embroidery for elf reasons.

have any pets?: see above answer about kids. 

what sports do you play/have played?: Played basketball for years, not because I was good, but because I was tall for my age, but I stopped once the other kids caught up in height. I really loved track in Middle School, and I was a pretty strong sprinter, but I gave it up in HS to focus on my schoolwork.

how tall are you?: Five foot seven. I'm actually the shortest of all my cousins, lol.

favourite subject in school?: It changed a lot depending on my interest in what we were learning about. I have an abiding love of science and history. I'm also partial to poetry, despite being beyond awful at making it.

dream job?: living in the Star Trek future with a universal basic income, lol. People in Star Trek just do what they want to do for work and it all seems to work out fine.

PART TWO

first ship: I've mentioned this before and I'll mention it again probably but Kagome x Sesshomaru from Inuyasha (SessKag). Can't help it, my 14 year old brain latched on REALLY hard.

three ships: Been reading some Bagginshield lately and that's growing on me. Adar x Palariel (my OFC, super normal about this one, lol). Been thinking some Galadriel x Luthien (pre-Beren) thoughts lately - might heck around and write a one-shot someday. Can you tell I'm only thinking about Tolkien things these days?

last (current) song: "The Devil is a Gentleman" by Merci Raines.

last movie: House on Haunted Hill (1958) with Vincent Price. Featuring my favorite line from any movie: "Darling, the only ghoul in the house is you."

currently reading: I am listening to "Oathbringer" by Brandon Sanderson in audiobook form, reading "The Haunting of Hill House" by Shirley Jackson, "The Fall of Numenor" and "The Fall of Gondolin" (thanks people who voted in the poll) in physical form, and reading an epic-length Bagginshield fanfic digitally.

currently watching: uh... I'm partway through season two of Succession. And I watched the first episode of Picard, season three. I'm very bad at watching television lately. It requires too much energy.

currently consuming: orange spice tea, no sugar.

currently craving: I don't really have cravings very often. So nothing?

tagging: @somebirdortheother, @lady-of-imladris, @coraleethroughthelookingglass and anyone to whom this looks fun!

[pattarainn]

And yup, I already posted this on the human zoo clip on YouTube because some stupid comments saying Laura wasn’t the Dying Leader but Galactica herself.

I mean Galactica was still usable and wasn’t a wreck from the get-go tho. She was merely an old ship that the "Dying Leader" decided was better off retired and turned into a war museum.

Not even Kara—the supposed goddess Aurora guiding them to the Promised land with coordinates—because she was long dead before they even made it to the new Earth. It was Laura's death that confirmed they had truly reached the promised land.

And the survival of humanity all circles back to Laura's life:

- Her parents, both educators, influenced her career choice.

- Her distinguished career in education captured Adar's attention.

- Family loss led her to abandon teaching.

- Joined Adar's team.

- As Adar climbed the political ladder, she became Secretary of Education.

- She pitched the idea to turn Galactica into a museum.

- A clash with Adar led her to attend the decommissioning ceremony alone.

- A routine check revealed her terminal breast cancer diagnosis.

- The Cylon attack resulted in her unexpected presidency.

- Talked Adama into running instead of fighting.

- During the New Caprica arc, a brief break from cancer bought more time for herself and the Fleet to continue the journey.

- Resuming her presidency, her battle with cancer resumed, reaffirming her status as the Dying Leader.

- Several visions, induced by Chamalla extract, mirrored ancient oracles of Delphi.

- Her peaceful passing on the same day they arrived at the new Earth secured the planet as the Promised Land, and her role as the Prophet and the Dying Leader.

Even her relationship with Bill was destined. I can’t imagine his romantic connection working with anyone but Laura.

I feel for her, but Carolanne was merely a plot device – the link to lead him back to the military. The Metis giving birth to his children, who would play a crucial role in the mission, and the voice in his head.

He was always away, so his ‘a man of actions and a few words’ approach wouldn’t work because he wasn’t there in person for his first wife to express love through actions rather than words.

Unlike when he was with Laura, where he was allowed to take actions and show her how much he loved her. Thanks to the vastness of space, they couldn’t just run away after a fight, a tendency both of them had – him burying himself in military work and her shutting everyone out, working hard in the background like a wallflower.

Due to the failed marriage, he understood the importance of cherishing and protecting the love and the last chance he was lucky enough to have.

I know it might seem undemocratic for the head of the military to openly support only the government leader he favored, Laura, despite the election and the system.

And then, they happened to have exactly the same taste in literature, with him owning the book she wanted to read before the end of the world but didn’t have a chance to.

Let's be real, Bill, too, was created for Laura – born to be in the military so he could meet the Dying Leader, love her, and support her to ensure the mission would be accomplished.

This should be more than enough confirmation that Laura Roslin was indeed the Dying Leader, and no one can ever convince me that she was NOT THE DYING LEADER.

Sometimes, I wonder why it’s such a big deal for Laura and Bill to be in a relationship.

What would the fleet do if they learned that the president and the admiral were romantically involved? Would they congratulate them, or would there be screams for their breakup and resignations?

After all, they were all each other had left, and there was nothing more beyond the shelter of Galactica’s bulkheads. If the crew could get together – even Baltar was forgiven and had his own cult – couldn’t the fleet allow a dying woman to be peacefully and happily in a relationship with a man she found after the end of the world, the last love of her remaining days?

Every time I think about it, I feel so mad at our parents for squandering the limited years they could’ve spent together as a couple, all because of their so-called responsibilities, overthinking, and avoidance.

[bookclub4m]

Episode 129 - Non-Fiction Film & TV Books

This episode we’re talking about Non-Fiction Film & TV books! We discuss media about media, self-pity book purchasing, spoilers, and more! Plus: Kakapos!

You can download the podcast directly, find it on Libsyn, or get it through Apple Podcasts, Stitcher, Google Podcasts, Spotify, or your favourite podcast delivery system.

In this episode

Anna Ferri | Matthew Murray | RJ Edwards | Appleberry

Things We Read (or tried to…)

Shit, Actually: The Definitive, 100% Objective Guide to Modern Cinema by Lindy West

Ayoade on Top by Richard Ayoade

Movies (and Other Things) by Shea Serrano and Arturo Torres 

Soul Train: The Music, Dance, and Style of a Generation by Questlove

Springfield Confidential: Jokes, Secrets, and Outright Lies from a Lifetime Writing for The Simpsons by Mike Reiss, Mathew Klickstein

Hollywood vs. the Author edited by Stephen Jay Schwartz

Talking Pictures: How to Watch Movies by Ann Hornaday

The Disaster Artist: My Life Inside The Room, the Greatest Bad Movie Ever Made by Greg Sestero, Tom Bissell

Richard Ayoade Presents the Grip of Film by Gordy LaSure

Typeset in the Future: Typography and Design in Science Fiction Movies by Dave Addey

Typeset in the Future website

101 Movies to Watch Before You Die by Ricardo Cavolo

How to Watch Television, Second Edition edited by Ethan Thompson and Jason Mittell

Other Media We Mentioned

A Kim Jong-Il Production: The Extraordinary True Story of a Kidnapped Filmmaker, His Star Actress, and a Young Dictator's Rise to Power by Paul Fischer

Monthly Girls' Nozaki-kun (Wikipedia)

Cadillacs and Dinosaurs (Wikipedia)

Samurai Pizza Cats (Wikipedia)

My Pet Monster (Wikipedia)

The A-Team (Wikipedia)

Murder, She Wrote (Wikipedia)

Are You Afraid of the Dark? (Wikipedia)

Goosebumps (TV series) (Wikipedia)

Live from New York: An Oral History of Saturday Night Live by James Andrew Miller and Tom Shales

Saturday Night Live (Wikipedia)

The Kids in the Hall: One Dumb Guy by Paul Myers

The Kids in the Hall (TV series) (Wikipedia)

As You Wish: Inconceivable Tales from the Making of The Princess Bride by Cary Elwes

Adventures in the Screen Trade by William Goldman

Which Lie Did I Tell? More Adventures in the Screen Trade by William Goldman

The Fugitive (Wikipedia)

View from the Top (Wikipedia)

The Room (Wikipedia)

2001: A Space Odyssey (Wikipedia)

Alien (Wikipedia)

Star Trek: The Motion Picture (Wikipedia)

Blade Runner (Wikipedia)

Total Recall (Wikipedia)

WALL-E (Wikipedia)

Moon (Wikipedia)

House (TV series) (Wikipedia)

Battlestar Galactica (Wikipedia)

The Video Game History Hour podcast

Decoder Ring - The Soap Opera Machine

Shrill (TV series) (Wikipedia)

Love, Actually (Wikipedia)

List of Hallmark Channel Original Movies (Wikipedia)

33⅓ (Wikipedia)

Criminal Minds (Wikipedia)

Scott Pilgrim vs. the World (Wikipedia)

CSI: Crime Scene Investigation (Wikipedia)

Dredd (Wikipedia)

The Muppets (Wikipedia)

Top Gun (Wikipedia)

Kate Beaton’s Top Gun comics

Buffy the Vampire Slayer (Wikipedia)

Star Trek: The Next Generation (Wikipedia)

Armageddon Films FAQ: All That's Left to Know about Zombies, Contagions, Aliens, and the End of the World as We Know It! by Dale Sherman

Links, Articles, and Things

Library Punk episode 014 - Manga

Episode 128 - Plucky Kid Detective

Fanart!

Episode 104 - Entertainment Non-Fiction

Toy Galaxy (YouTube channel)

Lindsay Ellis (YouTube channel)

Amanda the Jedi (YouTube channel)

Jenny Nicholson (YouTube channel)

Every Frame a Painting (YouTube channel)

Postmortem: Every Frame a Painting by co-creator Tony Zhou

Welcome to the Basement

Pushing Up Roses (YouTube channel)

Jacob Geller (YouTube channel)

Letterboxd (Wikipedia)

Demi Adejuyigbe on Letterboxd

Sidewalk Slam - Episode 57 - AEW Revolution 2021 (YouTube)

Kakapo (Wikipedia)

Lego set

Diegesis (Wikipedia)

The Stranger (newspaper) (Wikipedia)

Chuck Klosterman (Wikipedia)

Hanif Abdurraqib (Wikipedia)

24 Film/TV/Video Non-Fiction books by BIPOC (Black, Indigenous, & People of Colour) Authors

Every month Book Club for Masochists: A Readers’ Advisory Podcasts chooses a genre at random and we read and discuss books from that genre. We also put together book lists for each episode/genre that feature works by BIPOC (Black, Indigenous, & People of Colour) authors. All of the lists can be found here.

All the Pieces Matter: The Inside Story of The Wire by Jonathan Abrams

“Indian” Stereotypes in TV Science Fiction: First Nations' Voices Speak Out by Sierra S. Adare

Ayoade on Top by Richard Ayoade

Contemporary Black Women Filmmakers and the Art of Resistance by Christina N. Baker

Horror Noire: Blacks in American Horror Films from the 1890s to Present by Robin R. Means Coleman  

The Hollywood Jim Crow: The Racial Politics of the Movie Industry by Maryann Erigha

Framing Blackness: The African American Image in Film by Ed Guerrero

Why Wakanda Matters: What Black Panther Reveals About Psychology, Identity, and Communication by Sheena C. Howard

Something Like an Autobiography by Akira Kurosawa

Our Gang: A Racial History of The Little Rascals by Julia Lee

The Films of Bong Joon Ho by Nam Lee

Moving the Image: Independent Asian Pacific American Media Arts edited by Russell Leong

Farewell My Concubine: A Queer Film Classic by Helen Hok-Sze Leung

Cinema-Interval by Trinh T. Minh-ha

Get Out: The Complete Annotated Screenplay by Jordan Peele

Where Do You Think We Are?: Ten Illustrated Essays About Scrubs by Shea Serrano, illustrated by Arturo Torres

Arab Cinema: History and Cultural Identity by Viola Shafik

Maori Television: The First Ten Years by Jo Smith

Shaded Lives: African American Women and Television by Beretta E. Smith-Shomade

Tribal Television: Viewing Native People in Sitcoms by Dustin Tahmahkera

Soul Train: The Music, Dance, and Style of a Generation by Ahmir Questlove Thompson

Sweet Sweetback's Baadasssss Song: A Guerilla Filmmaking Manifesto by Melvin Van Peebles

Reel Inequality: Hollywood Actors and Racism by Nancy Wang Yuen

I See Black People: The Rise and Fall of African American-Owned Television and Radio by Kristal Brent Zook

Also check out the booklist from our episode on Entertainment Non-Fiction.

Give us feedback!

Fill out the form to ask for a recommendation or suggest a genre or title for us to read!

Which zine do you most want to read? (Twitter poll)

RJ's zine about Love Actually

Anna's zine about Criminal Minds

Matthew's zine about Dredd

Check out our Tumblr, follow us on Twitter or Instagram, join our Facebook Group, or send us an email!

It’s almost time for our annual “We all read the same book” episode. So on Tuesday, July 20th we’ll each suggest and talk about one title and you’ll get to vote for which one we’ll read. (And yes, it will definitely happen this time.)

Then on Tuesday, August 3rd it’s time to jack in and download because we’ll be reading the genre of Cyberpunk!

[girlactionfigure]

Beautiful Inside and Out

She refused to take down the post.

Sarah Idan is a young Iraqi woman who represented her country in the 2017 Miss Universe competition. At a photoshoot related to the competition, fellow contestant Adar Gandelsman smiled shyly at Sarah. Sarah went over to say hello, and discovered that Adar was competing as Miss Israel. Adar was hesitant about revealing her nationality, fearing that Sarah would reject her, but instead, Sarah was warm and friendly. She suggested the two beauty queens take a selfie together, to show that just because their countries were at war, it didn’t mean they needed to be at war with each other.

After posting the selfie with the caption, “Peace and love from Miss Iraq and Miss Israel,” Sarah continued with several other pageant-related activities, then went to sleep without checking her phone. When she woke up, she had 40 messages and 50 missed calls. The Miss Iraq organization insisted she take down the picture immediately, and she was threatened with the loss of her crown and removal from the Miss Universe pageant. She insisted that her intentions were good, and she wasn’t supporting the Israeli government, just trying to show that the people of Iraq want peace. She posted this message of tolerance in Arabic, but the fallout was immediate.

Arab social media exploded with anger, with many people cursing Sarah, calling her a “Zionist shill” and worse, but she refused to take down the post.

Eventually, her entire family was forced to flee the country due to death threats. Sarah said, “People in Iraq recognized my family, they immediately knew who they were. And they were getting death threats. My mom was freaking out. I told her ‘Mom, just get out. Get out. I told her I’m sorry and asked if she wants me to leave the competition. I was ready to drop out right then.”

The whole experience was a wake-up call for Sarah about antisemitism in the Arab world. In an interview with David Suissa of the Jewish Journal, Sarah said, “It was crazy. I was so anxious at that time, but I knew what I was doing was right. I felt like I was on trial. I did not know there was antisemitism in the Middle East. I did not realize it was this strong in Arab countries. I began to hear all these stories about how the Jews were persecuted in Iraq and Iran and Egypt… I started reading a lot about the subject because if you want to make any statement – whether it’s on TV or an interview, a conference or something – I did not want to look like an idiot. The first act I took trying to make peace, I went to Israel with the American Jewish Committee.”

Sarah’s June 2018 visit to Israel “was a shock. The people who came to get my bags and the manager of the hotel, they were Arabs. They were Muslims. And I thought, What’s going on? I thought it was just going to be Jewish people. When I was in Haifa, it was during [the end of Ramadan] Eid [al-Fitr, breaking of the fast]. I noticed everyone greeted each other in both Arabic and Hebrew, and I thought that was wonderful. I see all these families – women wearing hijabs with their kids – walking together with Jews on the street. That’s something we never saw or heard about.”

Sarah went to visit her friend Adar Gandelsman in Jerusalem and was received warmly by the large community of Iraqi Jews there. Sarah said, “It actually felt weird – the people look like my people… Everything seems familiar to me.”

“I don’t think Iraq and Israel are enemies. I think maybe the governments are enemies with each other, but there are a lot of Iraqi people who don’t have a problem with Israel or with the Jewish people. There are a lot of Iraqi people on my side, and I believe they are happy I am here.”

Today, Sarah is focused on her new organization, Humanity Forward. She said, “We’re trying to rebuild relations between the Muslims and the Jews, Arabs and Israelis. First thing, we’re starting channels on YouTube and talking about politics and religion and history in Arabic. I want people to hear what they don’t hear on TV. They need to see what I saw.”

She also works with Save A Child’s Heart, an Israeli organization that brings children who need heart surgeries that cannot be performed in Iraq to Israel for treatment.

On June 26, 2019, Sarah gave a brave speech at the United Nations Human Rights Council in Geneva, Switzerland, and criticized media bias against Israel, and state-sponsored antisemitism in the Muslim world. She asked, “Why did the Iraqi government fail to condemn the threats, or allow my freedom of speech? The issue between Arabs and Jews goes beyond policy disagreements. It’s deeply rooted in the belief systems taught in Muslim countries, which are antisemitic… I’d like to remind Arab countries that today you share more common interests with Israel than the terrorist militias. Negotiating peace for both states isn’t betraying the Arab cause, but a vital step to end conflict and suffering for all.” On July 9, 2019, Sarah learned that Iraq planned to strip her citizenship because of her UN speech.

Sarah is a musician and songwriter who graduated from the Musicians Institute in Los Angeles, where she currently lives. She plays piano, guitar and harmonica, and sings in English, Arabic, Spanish, Portuguese and French. Sarah has performed numerous times on Egyptian television.

For courageously building bridges between Arabs and Jews, at great cost to herself and her family, we honor Sarah Idan as this week’s Thursday Hero.

Image: The controversial selfie, Adar Gandelsman (Miss Israel) on left; Sarah Idan (Miss Iraq) on right.

Accidental Talmudist

[blue-mint-winter]

BSG 4x19 Daybreak rewatch

I cried. This is the end of this epic journey, this is a goodbye to those amazing characters.

It’s really hard to talk about it in a calm and analyzing fashion, but I believe that the resolutions we got were fitting and satisfying.

What really struck me is that in the finale finally we reach a real unity between Cylons and humans. They now fight side by side as comrades and it’s not just the skinjobs, but Centurions too. Even Adama crosses the line he thought he’d never cross - he allows for Sam to be hooked up to systems in CIC, becoming a Hybrid for Galactica.

This episode does this really neat trick of showing us the life of certain characters before the fall. We see how certain events and decisions they made, seemingly random and insignificant, led their fate to Galactica and now.

The whole mission to save Hera - I like how it’s shown as this crazy, for volunteers only, last stand of Galactica, the last battle. But this irrational mission is the key, the visions and prophecies came to fruition there and Kara finally fulfilled her purpose and found the way to Earth.

I love the moment in which Kara puts in the coordinates she got from her father’s song and they jump. Incredible scene.

Hoshi becomes Admiral of the remaining Fleet. So he followed in his boyfriend’s footsteps in a way.

Hera is rescued thanks to Boomer. Boomer’s fate is just really bittersweet. We get a flashback of her when Adama gave her the second chance instead of throwing her out for doing a bad job as a pilot and how she said she owed him one. Returning Hera is Boomer paying that debt. She can become that person she once was, before all the betrayals - one of Adama’s kids. Boomer’s final choice is to side with humanity, with Galactica. But she still pays for all her sins with death by Athena’s hand.

I don’t really know how to feel about Athena killing Boomer. On one hand who else would be more suitable to do it, on the other hand maybe suicide would have been a better option? As a callback to S1 when Boomer was unable to kill herself because of her programming, if she overcame that now... However, Athena killing Boomer is the closest it can get to a suicide. They share those memories from before the attack on the Colonies. Athena is who Boomer could have been.

Gaius deciding to stay on Galactica in the last minute makes sense. I wonder why Head Six told him to go, to use his new political power and influence thanks to his followers in the Fleet. Maybe reverse psychology? Maybe she was testing him. Because he had to stay for everything to unfold in the right way.

I love Gaius and Caprica reconciling. It’s not hard to see that he chose to stay because she was staying. And for once Gaius didn’t listen to his self-preservation instincts, because something was much stronger - his love for Caprica Six.

Gaius’ flashbacks to how he met Caprica Six were wonderful. She became a witness to an argument between Gaius and his father who stabbed a nurse and I love just how it must have affected her. She thinks of Cylons as humanity’s children and then she saw this example of a father and son being so completely at odds, unable to understand each other, fighting.

Caprica Six finding a nice retirement house for Gaius’ father where he could be happy may have been part of her scheme to get access to defense mainframe, but I believe it was more than that. I think she would’ve been able to seduce it out of Gaius without that. Caprica through this good deed won Gaius’ heart, she saw and reached the man under the arrogant scientist. And how funny it was him who first used the “L” word. Gaius Baltar talking about love, than quickly backpedaling to cover up that he was actually open about his feelings for once.

Gaius’ role in the finale is what he does best - talking. This time his words reach CAVIL, so that he gives them Hera.

Turns out that Roslin’s opera house vision had one purpose only - so she’d hide Hera from Centurions in that one critical moment on Galactica. If she never had that vision, she’d never go out of sickbay to look for Hera and the child would’ve never gotten to Gaius and Six and CIC and there would be no ceasefire between Cavil faction and human-Cylon alliance.

Final Five scene. Oh wow. So Tigh offers Cavil resurrection tech for Hera and all Five have to combine their knowledge, but it also lets them know everything else about each other. And that’s when the hour of reckoning comes to Tory.

I have to say that on one hand I love that Tyrol had that Cally flashback, how she was on his side from the start. He loved her, maybe not like Boomer, but they built a life together, a marriage, she stayed by his side through some very tough times. Their relationship meant a lot to him, otherwise he’d never have grieved like he did. And Tyrol attacking Tory when he saw her memories of Cally’s murder is significant of that. All in all, after this season did Cally so dirty, I like that the last thing we see of her is a positive memory Tyrol had of her. And her death is avenged.

Ironic that Tory’s downfall was exactly as foreshadowed. She kept this big terrible secret and when it came out, it destroyed her. Gaius did warn her about it once. The secret of her affair with him destroyed Tory’s friendship with Roslin and her last real tie to humanity. But she didn’t learn anything from it, she never came clean about murdering Cally and so she paid the price.

This situation is also interesting when we look at Tyrol’s perspective. After Boomer’s last betrayal he lost all trust in Eights. “They’re just machines,” he says to Helo. Tyrol was once able to forgive Cally for shooting Boomer, he even married her, the killer of his first love. But what Cally did was out of love for him. She was fiercely devoted to him. Tyrol couldn’t forgive Tory for killing Cally, but what Tory did was pure calculated murder. She did it for her own selfish reasons. And even with Cally out of the way, Tyrol was not interested in a relationship with Tory which is something she must have hoped for. In the end he kills Tory in rage and then he swears off all women and lives alone in highlands on some northern island, away from people.

What all of this says about Tyrol is that in my theory he never had a real, deep love with Tory and he compensated by creating Number Eight. Boomer was his perfect woman. Pygmalion and Galatea, anyone?

I can’t help but feel that Tory was so alone. As a human all she had was her job and Roslin. She and Gaius just used each other, it wasn’t meaningful. She easily let him go. It seems in the end she fled from her humanity into giving her all to be a Cylon, but even then she continued being alone. She didn’t really become close with her fellow Final Five and she had no other friends, human or Cylon. I liked that in finale Ellen had a few moments with Tory, giving her some friendship, but it was too little, too late. Tory lived and died alone.

Because of Tory’s death the secret of resurrection is lost. Chaos erupts on the bridge but Cavil’s side is going to lose, so he kills himself.

We finally learn what happened to the mutineers like Racetrack and Skulls - they were imprisoned, but now they got drafted for this suicide mission to attack the Colony and rescue Hera. These two get shot down early in the mission, but when they drift dead in space, in just the right moment Racetrack’s hand falls down and hits the missile button and the Colony is blown up. This is the true end to Cavil’s faction.

I love how the show isn’t afraid of showing this higher power influencing people and events according to its plan. The moment when Caprica Six and Gaius see Head Six and Head Gaius is still one of my favourites. The whole vision coming true and Kara putting in the coordinates she took from the song and Racetrack’s missiles shooting at just the right time all aren’t an accident.

So they found Earth, our Earth, and they decide to settle all over the planet and start over with a clean slate.

Kara’s goodbye with Sam was just so touching. The dogtags, I love you, “See you on the other side.” Sam took the Fleet into the sun. And when Kara disappeared we know she joined him.

I love how Sam’s flashback about his search for perfection ties with his ending. By becoming a Hybrid he gained access to that higher plane of mathematics and launching the Fleet into the sun was him achieving that “perfect throw” he was looking for. Through the flashback we saw the deeper side of Sam than the jock. It makes so much sense why he’s one of the Final Five.

Everyone’s settling on Earth, Agathons are back to being a happy family. Ellen finally gets to be with Tigh full-time. Adama and Roslin go off to find a place for their cabin by the lake.

I got so emotional when Gaius said “You know, I know about farming.” This is a beautiful ending to his arc. Not only the skeptic became a true believer, also the man who once despised his upbringing, who wanted to be something more and better than a farmer, now goes back to his roots and it’s important and useful skill to have. He’s no longer ashamed of coming from Aerilon.

Adama and Roslin slayed me. I cried when she died and he put the wedding ring on her finger like in her visions from The Hub. I cried again when he sat by her grave and said that the sunrise reminds him of her. Wow. That love.

Roslin’s flashbacks give us one important insight into her - she literally had no life before Galactica. She lost all her family and her life became empty. She tried to fill it - a date with Sean didn’t work, so she threw herself into politics and Adar’s campaign. Galactica and Adama became her real home. As bittersweet is that they couldn’t have a fairytale perfect ending, I appreciate that Roslin died loving him and being loved in return. She brought them all to Earth as the Dying Leader. It was her time to rest.

Speaking of Earth, it looks like D’Anna really stayed on the nuked old Earth because she never showed up after that episode :(((

Lee and Kara. Their love is really tragic because they could never really be together. The flashback of their first meeting when she was Zak’s girlfriend and they almost cheated puts into focus that they were doomed from the start. All they had were those stolen moments, but something always got in the way, sometimes because of their own doing. In my eyes, Lee and Kara had a complicated love, because they were so many different things to each other all at once. I guess in a way Zak’s ghost always stood between them.

So in the end Kara’s like that pigeon, she annoyed Lee to no end so he smashed a few things chasing her and then she flew away when she wanted to and left him alone.

Okay, so maybe to some people tying up BSG to current times, Hera as the mitochondrial Eve, is controversial, but I think it’s pretty brilliant. Showing how people make robots again in real life now is not really as much about robots as about every other issue BSG told us about. Because we have it all here, right now, happening - torture, terrorism, war, slave labour, corruption, everything. By tying the story to our reality the viewers can’t just close it like a book, “it’s just a scifi, it’s fictional, none of it is real, let’s forget every lesson this show imparted because it has nothing to do with reality.” Wrong! Yes, it’s not real, but it talks about things that happen in real life. It shows us that when we only see the same-faced enemy, we forget that they are only human just like us. To avoid the mutual annihilation, we should strive to better understand each other, to find common ground.

So that’s it. This is the end of line. Farewell, BSG, one of the best frakking shows ever made.

[lindoig5]

Days 10 and 11   Sunday and Monday - Antarctica at last!!!

Sunday

Sunday dawned dismal and foggy, with sub-zero temperatures and thick snow laying around from overnight falls. A good day to stay inside, but it is amazing how quickly the weather changes down here.  One minute it is bleak and miserable, within 5 minutes the sun is shining brightly with not a cloud in the sky - and 10 minutes later, it is snowing again.  The snow we have had has generally been in fine flakes, but some of the flurries have been quite dense and sting quite sharply if you are out on deck at the time.

We had two more lectures that day – one on interpreting ice charts (fascinating) and another on polar photography.  It would have been great to capture that one on video and audio – it was really useful from the technical camera perspective although I don’t think I learned anything about the artistic side of the subject.  Dan was the presenter and he is a great photographer but there was so much information in his lecture that most of it got forgotten before he got to the end.

It amazes me that people don’t get the message – at least some of the most important messages.  We have been told repeatedly that the vacuum-operated toilets are very sensitive and ’if it doesn’t come out of your body, it doesn’t go in the toilet’.  There is a bin for toilet paper that is cleared regularly by the Russian staff, but people continue to put it in the toilets.  They have become blocked at least 10 times so far and nobody can then use the toilets, take a shower of wash their hands in the sink for an hour or two until the crew cleans and resets the system.  I few times it has just been a single deck, but most times, the whole waste disposal system goes down and that inconveniences everyone – sometimes quite seriously and for quite some time.  If only people would heed the warnings……

During the morning, we encountered 3 humpback whales and spent a wonderful hour or so in their company. They were obviously inquisitive and followed us around (when we weren’t following them) and everyone got some wonderful photos.  A truly unique experience and quite a few of us were somewhat overcome by the emotion of the encounter.  Such magnificent gentle giants and everyone was touched by the experience.  At times they seemed to be showing off for us, rolling over and diving – they were probably just enjoying their lunch, but it really did seem that they were consciously interacting with us – at least with the ship, even if not the humans aboard, but I really do think they were playing with us too.

By now, we were getting closer to Cape Adare, our first Antarctic destination and we had a series of briefings before dinner in preparation for the big moment around 3am on Monday.

Just for fun - a Southern Fulmar - one of zillions.

Monday

We got our wake-up call at about 3.45am, but quite a few people were already on deck by then.  As we approached Cape Adare, the sun started to rise and the brilliant white of the icebergs leapt out at us.  Seeing the retina-burning gleam of the bergs against the inky black clouds and orange-pink band of the dawn along the horizon was most spectacular.

Our first glimpse of Antarctica could hardly have been more dramatic.  The massive bluff at the Cape was mind-bogglingly spectacular with the 4200-metre precipice at the end of the peninsula towering over us and many giant tabular icebergs surrounding us, sometimes less than 20 metres away.  Many of the floes had Adelie Penguins saluting us as we passed and dozens of South Polar Skuas were patrolling the beach looking for a meal of some of the last remaining penguin chicks still there.  We sailed up and around the Cape looking for a possible landing site but the sea ice was tight-packed against the shore and a landing proved impossible.  We had good views of the penguins (but not as close as we had hoped) and there was a giant bull elephant seal sunning himself on the ice and a few leopard seals prowling, hunting for a careless penguin or three.  There are a couple of historic huts on the beach – the dilapidated remains of Scott’s last hut and the more substantial Borchgrevink one – plus some modern NZ scientists’ huts and equipment temporarily required while they are doing some restoration work there.  We pass the same area as we leave Antarctica and hope we will be able to land at that time.  (Borchgrevink was a German expeditioner and the first person to overwinter on the frozen continent.)

The landscape is utterly stunning – quite overwhelming – massive volcanic cliffs, hundreds of square kilometres of snow-covered peaks glistening apricot-orange to rose-pink in the early sun, eye-squinting white icebergs all around, and the massive black cloud-topped Cape Adare brooding over us all.  The emotion of the view got to quite a few people today – perhaps it’s just the fact that we are all in such a remote and awesome environment but it fired the emotions for quite a few of us.  I have already run out of adjectives so feel free to add your own – just make sure you scatter lots of superlatives in there too because whatever we jointly come up with will be a poor shadow of the real thing.

The sea ice prevented us from getting close to the shore so we sailed away and to the east, around the Cape to follow the peninsula south into the Ross Sea proper.  The coastline is stunning (or have I already said that?) with cliffs at least 300 metres high and snow-icing many hundreds of metres thick (and many hundreds of kilometres long) on top of them.  We sailed south for a few hours to the Possession Islands – again massive dramatic cliffs, giant icebergs, inaccessible vertical sea stacks and guano beaches home to a few more thousand Adelies.  We sailed around looking for possible landing places and some of the crew took a zodiac in search of a landing, but again the sea-ice defeated us and we were obliged to head further south.

The route we took paralleled the coast and it was one amazing vista after another all the way down. We passed quite a few islands, none for which we had landing permits even if we could have but the whole way has been adjacent to spectacular snow-laded mountains.  Utterly awesome and unlike anything we have seen before.

I spent a lot of the day sorting photos, identifying birds and writing my blog with occasional interruptions to view the coastline, check out some minke whales, eat a meal or two, visit the Bridge to photograph more birds and do a little reading – finished another book at last.  (I read at least six e-books while we were away: probably more than I would read in a year at home.)

Not sure what tomorrow will bring.  We have changed course at least twice more because planned landings proved unlikely or impossible due to weather, ice or wind conditions.  We got quite a bit of snow in the late afternoon so we are now heading for historic Terra Nova Bay and should reach there about noon tomorrow. It has a bad reputation for extreme winds, but hopefully, that may drive some of the snow away and allow a landing – but we will know that around lunchtime tomorrow.

[acepolh]

Escape from tarkov maps reddit 2021

#Escape from tarkov maps reddit 2021 Offline

The last entry on the list sums up the Escape from Tarkov experience. The player character flexes some rare gear, carrying a VSS sniper rifle complete with a PSO scope! It is awesome to see the game space recreated in real life. Next, we have a very creative submission by u/SharpHorizon, who created a Diorama set in an iconic EFT location, the inner factory office. Check out the detail put into the gun’s accessories and engravings! This would make a great wallpaper for any EFT fan. This is an especially impressive work as they are new to tablet art and completed the image in just three hours! The EFT player base is exceptionally talented. Next, we have another art post! U/SixOneZil posted some awesome 3D Fan art of their AR in Escape from Tarkov. Of course, that didn’t stop u/Thecountrymatt from creating this meme! This can be tedious and immersion-breaking, especially as the player character is meant to be a trained soldier! However, players understand the mechanic is intended to help those new to the game. Let’s hope this is a change that the developers can implement!Īfter each game reset or wipe, players have to redo “training” by re-examing items, including their weapons. What game wouldn’t benefit from a few more godrays, after all! Redditor u/Hero6152 put it best, “Wow this changes the feel of the game completely and I love it”. They have compiled a few different examples of how the game would look with different, dynamic Skyboxes, and they look incredible. This clip is an example of a very popular suggestion put together by u/eZstah. One of the best aspects of playing a game still undergoing development is the ability to suggest changes.

#Escape from tarkov maps reddit 2021 Offline

Luckily, developer u/trainfender confirmed in a comment that this bug only affected offline PVE mode. U/Khanny captured this clip of that very thing happening due to a bug with their ADAR setup, and the result looks pretty wild. Having no recoil on your gun could present a major advantage to a player in a system like that. Players have to hone their aim and learn to control the various weapons available. One of the major selling points of a game like Escape from Tarkov is realism. In the clip, he can be seen playing alongside his mother, who manages to snipe an opponent after a few attempts. But while some parents may see a problem, others can instead find an opportunity to bond! That seems to be what has happened here in this clip submitted by u/Genocides. More violent video games are sometimes a hard sell to many parents, and EFT can fall into that category. Of course, sometimes this is easier said than done! U/pimack created this funny meme of a map with his friends, which is a little bit less than helpful. One of the most important strategies for teams playing shooters on expansive maps like Escape from Tarkov is to develop easy and recognizable callouts for specific points on the map. Next, we are sharing some incredible community fanart! Redditor and artist 7PMu/brobot- shared this awesome pixel art that they made, depicting every gun currently available within Escape From Tarkov! EFT may be the farthest possible thing from a 2D handheld platformer, so it is cool to see the game’s assets presented in this style. If that’s the case, this is an example of both amazing skill and luck! As other Redditors called out in the comments on the thread, the bullet possibly scored the second kill via a ricochet. They managed to line up the perfect shot, taking down two separate opponents with a single bullet from their M61. Starting off our list with a literal bang, u/danesaur shared this incredible clip of themselves scoring a double kill. Curious to know more about the game and its community? Here are some of the best posts from the EFT community on Reddit found on r/EscapefromTarkov. Though the game has officially been in a beta state since 2017, it has gathered a large following of players and streamers. One of the best modern examples of this is Escape from Tarkov.Įscape from Tarkov, or EFT for short, is a multiplayer hardcore first-person shooter, still being developed by Battlestate Games. However, despite the influx of new choices, there is still a strong market for the assic realism-based hardcore shooter. The FPS market has had plenty of new flavor-of-the-month entries that have come and gone in the past few years.

[phoenotopia]

2018 May Update

Wow! End of May already?

For the past two months, we've been focusing on really finalizing the levels down to their very last details - and in a linear order starting from when Gale first wakes up. It's easy to fall into the trap of thinking you're further ahead than you really are. I thought of the levels as existing in a disconnected state - and by simply connecting them together - Viola! Done! Finished!

Not so.

In finally stitching the levels together, I've discovered there were still many in-between areas I hadn't yet accounted for.

(Upon leaving the first town, the player is free to travel anywhere they can reach)

(One example secret unmarked area accessible from the world map houses a Perro. There's a side quest to recruit Perros for your vacant coop back home)

And of the levels themselves, they're all receiving heavy rounds of polish. Here are some select areas from a build dating back last year vs. today's version:

(Forest trees and background received a major overhaul)

(since the game's art style doesn't rely on dark pixel outlines, every level requires a unique lighting configuration to ensure good visibility)

We're also not shying away from heavy refactoring and cuts to ensure smoother and more logical level flow.

(The dark Tomb section of Anuri Temple is now blocked off until the player obtains the Bombs)

Not even bosses are sacrosanct. The first Toad Boss has been a difficult point for me. He's challenging and his weak point is hard to telegraph. I've yet to see anyone discover his true vulnerability on their own in a blind playthrough. Unlike the demo presented long ago, the player will not have bombs this early on. And so, I've decided to push the Toad Boss deeper into the dungeon as a secret boss encounter. In his place, a special variant of the Slargummy (big slimes) now occupies the first boss role. 

NEW BOSS BATTLE MUSIC

On the topic of bosses, I've requested of Will a new boss battle score to breathe some freshness to the boss fights. And Will has delivered! (Listen to it here)

If you're a fan of the old boss battle song, rest assured that's in the game too as a hidden track.

(Faster Neutral attacks. This should display more smoothly at 60fps) 

COMBAT

The combat system is also receiving some refactoring. One of the most common feedbacks I've resisted was to make Gale's swing speed faster. I wanted slow and deliberate - in Castlevania fashion, with Belmont's slow windup before his whip lashes out, I designed for Gale to commit to an attack and be locked in her animation until the attack finished.

However, I've finally relented and removed the in-between animation frames leading up Gale's regular melee attacks. Her swings now fire off immediately and the combat feels snappier as a result.

Since Gale is more powerful with her speed boost, I've had to rebalance the capabilities of the player and enemies. Gale's charged attack now occupies a more distinct niche as a slow and heavy hitter - it cuts through enemy defenses. Gale's quick neutral attacks can rack up damage quickly but will also rapidly chew through her stamina. Jump attacks exist somewhere in-between.

I ended up loving this change! I think it introduces a better rhythmic flow to combat and expands the decision space - making battle more interesting overall.

LEVELS SIZE AND SCALE

We're deep in the middle of finalizing Chapter 2 right now, but with Chapter 1 done we actually now have a sort of measuring stick to see how much the game has grown. In the original flash game, all the levels from the beginning until the end of Chapter 1 was composed of 34 different level files.

In this reboot, all the levels from the beginning up to the end of Chapter 1 are composed of 85 different level files. That's 150% bigger! Chapter 1 is also the least changed of the chapters. I suspect future chapters will present even more favorably in this comparison.

Of course, this isn't an entirely valid metric since one level file could specify a huge throne room or it could specify a tiny storage room - they both count as one.

Still I'm confident we'll blow through the original game's measly 200 levels total. A big thanks to Pirate for drawing the tilesets. She also helps me set the tiles and light the levels. Those used to be jobs I handled exclusively but I've been learning to delegate more so that I have more time to program and design.

Still, juggling the tens of files simultaneously made me dizzy at times - our emails got so long we switched to a new system using google's online spreadsheets.

(A glimpse at our workflow. Each row handles one level. Levels highlighted yellow are in my court, and levels highlighted red are in Pirate's court. Updates stack to the right - each individual cell can get quite dense containing paragraphs of text)

(this update needed some yellow, so here’s a glimpse of Adar’s house from Ch 2)

BUG NAMING CONTEST WINNER

Finally, after 5 months we can conclude this contest. Thank you everyone for participating in the reddit thread and in email! In the end, I was sold on Swamp Selkie's submission to name the Queen "Ariadne" and to use the "-iad" suffix for all her children.

Miniad - combination of "minion" and "iad" Thorniad - combination of "thorn" and "iad" Blastiad - combination of "blast" and "iad" Toxiad - combination of "toxic" and "iad". I may change this to "Aciad" for "acid". Aviad - combination of "aviate" and "iad". I may change this to "Dartiad" or "Lanciad" for Dart or Lance.

I'll be reaching out to Swamp Selkie soon for their preferred naming details.

ROBOT NAMING CONTEST WINNER

For robots... I'll mull on these some more... I'm leaning towards in-house names. Still, thank you everyone for participating!

POTENTIAL PUBLIC SHOWING

The game has a new potential public appearance in the works. More details on that if/as it develops.

BAD NEWS : DELAYS

August of last year, I confidently stated that by that time next year the game would be out. Now that we're in the midst of finalizing chapters, it's easy to see from our current trajectory that we're not going to hit that mark. I have to acknowledge the failure brewing ahead. Game development continues to surprise me with its stubbornness to finish.

I apologize to everyone eagerly anticipating the game. Hopefully with these delays, we can craft the best game we can manage.

I suspect early next year will be the new launch date, but I'm hesitant to give a new concrete finish date since I always seem to miss them. In the meantime, I'll keep updating regularly so people can know it's on a good track. Next live check-in will be end of July.

FAN ART

I'd like to give a big thank you to Cody. G for his fan art of Gale and 66.

[psychic-timetraveler]

So I’ve been really into watching Preacher lately and Cassidy is my favorite character. Because of that, he became one of my main inspirations for Doug. Mostly the old as balls Irishman who doesn’t look a day over 30. I was inspired to write a little drabble with Doug, my adorable lil ginger Irishman, about his backstory.

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“So, I’ve been dying to know something.” Rose began, smiling to her favorite Irishman. Well, Doug was the only Irishman she knew, but still one of her closest friends in the organization. She could listen to him talk for hours on end.

He had been repairing her stasis gun that wasn’t firing properly when he finally decided to take a beer break. His feet were kicked up on the desk he was working on as he reclined back into his chair. The suit jacket he normally wore laid across the back of the chair, acting as a blanket from the leather on his back. All that was left was for him to take off his tie and he’d be at maximum comfort capacity for the rest of the cycle.

“What might that be?” He asked her, raising an eyebrow as he took a sip of his beer. Any more alcohol in his system and she’d barely be able to understand him with his thick accent still proud and prominent.

“How did a guy as young as you manage to get into this sort of position? I mean, you’re younger than Miss Blake and Q, how did you manage it?”

“What do ya mean? How I made it to be a knowledgable tech wizard at only about 175 years old?”

She nodded. “Yeah. If you don’t mind me asking, that is.”

He waved her off. “Not a problem, lass.” Doug readjusted himself and set the beer bottle on the table. Once situated in the chair, he began to roll up his shirt sleeves to his elbows. “Let’s see now… Where should I begin…” He trailed off, humming to himself as he rolled up the sleeves. “Well, obviously I’m from Ireland. Adare, more specifically. Nowadays it’s a little town but back in the day it was just a small farmin’ village. The nearest major city is Limerick.”

Finally his sleeves were rolled up to his elbows. He picked up his beer again and took a sip. Relaxing in the chair again he crossed his legs. “Year is 1848, smack dab in the middle of the Great Famine or as you’d know it as the Irish Potato Famine. Me dad was already gone off to find work elsewhere, leavin’ me to watch over me mum and eight younger sibling’s seein’ how I was the eldest male.”

“Yikes.” Rose cringed.

“Well, think of the time and place. It was how it was back then.” He shrugged and adjusted again. “Anyway. Me mum was dyin’ along side me two youngest sisters. So, here I am doin’ my best with everythin’ and tryin’ to appease the rest of the youngin’s. Jugglin’ a job that don’t pay worth a bloody damn, takin’ care of me family, and worryin’ about literally everythin’ else that was goin’ on in the country at the time.” He shook his head and swore in Gaelic under his breath. What he said was beyond Rose, but she knew it was bad when he finished off his beer and went to grab another one.

He cracked it open and took a long sip before continuing. “Flash forward about a month or so. Sisters are gone, mum’s barely hangin’ on, now me younger brother isn’t lookin’ good, and neither is me. It’s just a load of shite pillin’ up. So, me and me eldest sister are in the market one day doin’ errands when I see this strange lookin’ bloke.

“Odd clothes, messy hair, glasses, just an out of place lookin’ bloke. I go up to him and we start talkin’. Now, the thin’ about Ireland and the time period is that most of us were or are Catholics. As a Catholic, there obviously was no talk about same sex relationships. Did not do anythin’ there and then, regardless of impulses inside. Not that you want to hear about the dirty details anyway.”

“Not really but that’s still cute how you were willing to go against the church for him.”

He smiled. “Aye. I’d do anythin’ for that man. At the time, thin’s had to be on the down low. He was about, uh, I’d say thirty two and I was only about twenty two, around your age. I fell hard and fast. Couldn’t get this odd bloke out of my head for a good year and a half.

“So that amount of time goes by. We’re still dealin’ with everythin’, I lost most of my family by that point. There was me mum and four of us left. Mum wasn’t doin’ well and we were all surprised that she made it that long. Death was just a part of everythin’ else goin’ on. We sort of just had to accept it. I know it’s dark and twisted but, it’s history and history is dark and twisted.”

“I wasn’t denying it. I’m sure being there and reading about it in history books were totally different.” Rose shrugged.

“Aye, but that’s one of the thin’s that the history books got right. Thin’s weren’t goin’ well, still doin’ my best to raise and take care of me sibling’s. I’d just lost me job due to some lay-offs so thin’s weren’t goin’ good but there was still hope. We had God on our side and we were just prayin’ and doin’ our best.

“One day, this weird bloke that I remember seein’ comes back to my doorstep. It was late, everyone else was asleep and there was a knock at the door. Our house wasn’t big, no. It was a small three roomed shack if anythin’. So, tryin’ to be quite was key when it was late. Seein’ this weird bloke sort of cheered me up for a short period of time.

“So, he’s at the doorstep and wants to talk. I agree and we start walkin’ around the property. We’re talkin’ and he offers me a smoke. So, we’re walkin’ and smokin’ just having a nice chat. All of a sudden this bloke just turns to me and says that I need to go with him. Of course I wanted to say that I’d follow him to the ends of the earth if he asked, but no. I just say sure.”

“Awe.” Rose smiled.

“Oi, shut up.” He smiled, waving her off. “Anyway, I agree to go with this bloke. Suddenly, this poor pathetic lad from bumfuck nowhere Ireland was introduced to,” he made a gesture with his arms, “this. All of this.”

“I’d imagine that be overwhelming.”

“Oh much so. Very alarmin’ for a little while before Charlie takes me down to his lab and sits me down in the chair. Then, everythin’s clear. Now, at first, he didn’t program me for anythin’. Just opened my eyes to everythin’ about the Organization. With that, he gives me a choice. Either I can be programed to take over for computer programin’ and more of the mainframe work of it all, or just go to gadgetry. Charlie was doing everythin’ and was just overwhelmed. You think that man is stressed now, just imagine him before Lila and I came along. Then talk about stress.”

“Yikes. I can only imagine what he was like. Living off of energy drinks, seeing sounds, tasting colours. Ya know, the works.”

Doug nodded. “Oh yeah. He was bad. As soon as I was programed properly, everythin’ was smooth sailin’ from there. Now, mind you, when I was startin’ out I was still part time. When I was off duty, I spent most of my time here to avoid what was goin’ on back home. Lila, Charlie, and I were gettin’ quite close and just clicked so well.

“It had been almost seven years since I had gone that night when I returned for a visit. Charlie went with me for emotional support. Lila, for obvious reasons, decided to stay back. I don’t blame her. Back then, tourism was not really a thin’ so she would have really been out a place. So, just Charlie and I.

“I had found me sister.” He stared off into space for a moment as he continued to talk, almost as if it hurt him to recall this part of the story. “She’d lived through the epidemic and gotten married with a wee one of her own with another on the way. She took one look at me and just smacked me.

“She started yellin’ at me for leavin’ her to take care of our mum and younger sibling’s. At that time she was only fifteen. Poor thin’ had all the rights in the world to bloody well yell at me. When she’s done yellin’, she’s cryin’ and stares me straight in the eyes and tells me that the rest of our family is gone and she never wants to see me again. Again, I don’t blame her one bit.

“Some days I blame myself for not goin’ back sooner but, it’s hard to guess time here when it literally does not move. More like it creeps by slowly but still. Charlie always says that it wasn’t my fault and it couldn’t have been helped. I don’t know. Some days I wonder what would’ve happened if I would’ve stuck around and not come here.”

“Who knows. Could be dead, maybe alive. Well, you’d be dead now but still could’ve lived through that.”

Doug shrugged and took another sip of his beer. “Aye, yer right. Can’t change the past now. Eh, it’s not like I don’t go back home every so often. It’s nice to visit for a few days and just get trashed in pubs with the man I love.”

“What about the woman you love?” Rose asked, grinning to him.

“Ah, yes, the woman I love is busy explorin’ castles and other landmarks because she loves history. I lived through a good portion of it and just want to get drunk in a terrible pub, see a good Irish band play, get drunk, have a good shag with people I love, then call it a day.”

“Don’t have to worry about seeing family and what not.” Rose shrugged. “So that’s a plus.”

“The rules about full time are strange sometimes. I guess it’s different when you’ve been in the game for a long time. Who knows, I sure as shite doesn’t. I’m just a baby technical wizard not much older than ya and yer friend.”

“Do you know what set any of your mind off to how Charlie found you?”

Doug shrugged. “As far as I know, it was merely me just seein’ and talkin’ to Charlie that first day I saw him in the village. To everyone else, they thought it was right mad. Conversatin’ with no one. Just another crazed, bisexual, loon in the village, that’s all.”

Rose laughed. “That’s one way of looking at it.”

He chuckled. “Aye, but you learn to live with it. I’m the only one who was able to hold onto their accent. Constantly surrounding myself with Irish music and whatnot. I also go back a lot more than one may think, with or without my loves.”

“How come?”

“Eh, I just get a bit homesick. May have somethin’ to do with seein’ me sister after so long that one time. Who knows. I just like to get drunk in a pub sometimes. Hell, even when we go to visit Lila’s hometown in China I still find a trashy Irish pub to drink in. Just a little piece of home. These canned beers only take me so far.” He shook his can a bit before taking another sip. “Nothin’ beats a cold Guinness while an Irish band is playin’ their hearts out while a whole pub of drunken Irishmen are singing along in unison.”

“That sounds really cool actually.” Rose admitted.

“Maybe ya and Brad should come with me next time I go home. Could be fun.”

“Hell yeah it could.” She smiled. “So, Lila doesn’t mind you two running off?”

He shook his head. “Nah, not at all. She loves the history and catchin’ up on decades worth of fightin’ techniques and history that she’d missed while Charlie and I get drunk. As long as we’re with her at the end of the day to cuddle, she’s fine.”

“Awe, that’s adorable.”

Doug smiled and kicked back up from his reclined position. “I should get back to fixin’ this now. Almost done it seems.”

“You got a cool story, Doug.” She smiled to him. “You should write a book.”

Doug laughed. “With what spare time? I’m always buried in somethin’ or with my loves. Even when I’m with them I’m still workin’!” He shook his head. “Eh, who knows. Maybe someday.”

The two chatted casually about more positive subjects as he continued to fix up her stasis gun. Soon the it was all properly fixed up and firing properly once more. He was a wizard after all. A beautiful Irish wizard.

Doug stood up and slid back into his jacket. “Ya know, all that talk about goin’ home makes me want to get lost in a pub. Want to find yer friend and accompany me and Charlie?”

“I’d love to.”

Doug smiled. “Excellent. Meet in the transport room then.”

“Seems like a plan. Also, thanks for answering my dumb question and sorry if it opened doors you didn’t want to open again.”

He waved her off. “Don’t worry about it, lass. I’m not worried about it anymore. It’s in the past and we can’t live there, now can we?”

“I suppose not.”

“Exactly. But you can go back there to drink heavily to forget.” He smiled and patted her head. “As long as you’re with friends and loved ones, you can forget anythin’ with enough alcohol.”

“Hey Doug?”

“Yeah?”

“Your Irish is showing hard core right now.”

“Good. All the better to go home with.” He laughed, nudging her gently out of the room.

[magicallibary]

Unknown Connections

A/N: I might make a part 2 for this one; I don’t know! I can see how it would work so, we’ll see. That said, hope you enjoy and thanks for reading!

Word Count: 2367 Words  Warnings: I think there’s nothing :)

Summary: A young man starts taking care of a young kid, neither knowing about the child’s past.

It had all started a couple of years ago. A heat wave had been around for a few weeks and the thick, hot atmosphere was starting to affect everyone. Pools and beaches were filled to the brim with people trying desperately to cool down while air conditioning systems were being installed and turned on everywhere. The sun covered streets were becoming more and more empty as the days passed since people would much rather stay inside in front of their fan.

On one flaming night, a young adult named William was preparing himself for a long anticipated rest. A white tank top and a pair of loose shorts that ended right above his knees, covered his rough copper skin. As he walked to his room, a hand tangled in the short dark brown grass of his hair, the sound of a soft knock made his steps stop in a halt. He was about to ignore it and blame it on his imagination when the knock came again, louder this time. An exaggerated sigh fell through his pointy tipped lips while he turned towards his dark door.

Opening the door slowly, William prepared himself to greet whoever was at the other side, but he didn’t expect to find a young girl at his doorstep. For her apparent young age she had rather long hair that was colored a light brown similar of those of fallen autumn leaves, the color seemed to fade into the white of a cloud as the tips of the strands ended. A couple of black dots seemed to be scattered around the wrist of her left arm, that had a tone that could remind you of a silver necklace with highlights of the white tinted sand by the salty water of the beach that were being slightly hidden by the drops of sweat that fell from her forehead. William’s tall figure covered the girl with a shadow while his hazel eyes squinted as he caught her pair of jade green orbs. Her eyes were quite big compared to the male’s small pair and the intense green color of them contrasted the bright white shirt and light blue shorts she wore.

The older individual called out as he looked around for the girl’s guardian but ended up finding no one around. Deciding that he couldn’t just leave her there, William slowly made move to pick her up, making sure not to scare her in the process. As he held her small form, the hazel-eyed male noticed how much colder her skin felt compared to his own. Also, he was now made aware of a shiny necklace that hung around her neck, the name Eira on the jewelry.

“I guess that’s your name.” William whispered, a small smile began appearing on his face as he closed the door and he entered his house, the green-eyed girl in his arms. “Eira?”

That’s how it all had started. William had spent the following days calling and informing everyone he knew about the small girl, who’s name was Eira. Years passed, and the brown-haired male found nothing so he continued to care for Eira like a sister or a daughter. As she grew older, her appearance change a small bit, most noticeably was her curly hair. Her hair remained light brown but the hints of fading white tips were much easier to notice making it seem almost dyed. Truth was, he had grown quite fond of her and the company around the small house truly helped him, though he began noticing things about Eira and he began questioning whether all those things were there to begin with and he hadn’t noticed. One of those discoveries had been her skin temperature. She always seemed to be colder than anyone else, not by much, but it was different enough that the temperature change could be noticed. The other was much more alarming for William. When Eira turned thirteen, William began to make notice of a mark by her left wrist. At further inspection, he learned that it was a simplistic almost mandala-like design of a bird. The wings were extended and curled upwards so the were beside the head while the feathered tail was formed so it made its way away from her hand. William began panicking. Had Eira gone and paid for a tattoo? He began thinking back on the past weeks and found that they had spent every waking moment together, so, when had she done it? William’s chest tightened at the discovery, he didn’t know if he was truly mad at her and somehow he found a way to blame himself for the seemingly permanent mark on Eira’s wrist. That feeling banished and was replaced with curiosity and nervousness after speaking with her.

Eira hadn’t even noticed the drawing by her left wrist and worry laced her voice as he swore to William she hadn’t done anything, that it had been a surprise for her too. Of course, William had trouble believing this, until tears began forming on the edges of her jade eyes. The next couple of weeks were spent trying to find out how this mark came to be and, to none of William’s surprised, he had found absolutely nothing. As time continued passing, both William and Eira had grown to like the tattoo-like mark. Eira felt some sort of strange connection with it. She felt her heart beat slightly faster when someone, even herself, would run their fingers on top of the drawing. Everytime something would become too overwhelming, she would focus on the delicate patterns that made the bird image come together. Likewise, William learned to like the drawing, too. He quickly noticed how her skin was much colder on the place where the mark stood. Of course he had his questions about it, but he decided that those where better saved for another time. He simply reminded himself that one day he would find all the answers he wanted, for both himself and, also, for Eira.

And, one day, those answers did arrive.

One morning, William opened his curtains to find a snowy scenery before him. This alarmed the young adult since as recently as two days before, everyone was talking about a nearing heat wave. Turning on the television to watch the news, he found that no one was expecting the ongoing weather and it had seemingly caught everyone by surprise. Eira was extremely happy about the sudden temperature change, though. William’s strange day filled with weird surprises continued when he saw the short girl run around under the falling snowflakes in nothing but a mid arm sleeve shirt and loose pants. He attempted to dress her accordingly but she refused, claiming that the chosen clothes were too warm for her. At some point, William had to stop pushing Eira into the clothes and he began noticing how her body temperature remained constant no matter how long she stayed out in the cold snow for.

Soon, the night arrived, being colder than the day. William began preparing everything to send Eira and himself to bed, when suddenly he got interrupted by a soft knock. Flashbacks of the night he found Eira began playing in William’s head, noticing that the only difference between that night and the current one was the weather. He slowly reached the doorway and when he opened it, more similarities began rising inside his brain. A teenage girl was what he found by his doorway. She had tanned, tawny skin and was dressed in brown clothes. A long, black cloak reached her toes, her hands hidden in the pockets. She had big, hazel eyes but, by far the flashiest feature she had was her hair. The top of her head was dark, almost black, but where her neck ended the hair was completely orange. The different shades of the flame color mixed together, giving her a beautiful yet scary appearance.

“Where’s the girl?” She demanded, her voice deep, her face serious. Anyone could read her annoyance and desire to finish whatever she needed to do rather quickly.

“What girl?” Asked William, playing coy. He didn’t know why, but he had this strange feeling on the pit of his stomach that told him to be wary of her.

“Look.” The mysterious girl suddenly banged her hand on the wall next to the opened door, blocking the snowy scenery as she began getting closer to William. He, on the other hand, attempted pushing her away from the entrance of his house, still not trusting the flashy-haired girl. “I don’t have time for your little ‘I don’t know’ act, so are you going to tell me where she is or are we going to have to do this the difficult way?”

“Look,” he began, imitating her. “I really don’t know what you’re talking about and, even if I did, why would I trust you?” He raised his right eyebrow as he finished his question, clearly trying to end the conversation.

“You’re right, you shouldn’t trust me.” She pulled the other hand out of the coat pocket, revealing a shiny dagger with intricate orange designs that made it look like a feather on the side of the sharp object. She placed it near him threateningly. “But, I’d listen.”

Before she could say anything else, a voice interrupted her.

“Adara! Leave the man alone.” Another teenage girl said. She stood tall, her skin tone was similar to Eira’s one but the rest of her appearance was different. Her slightly below shoulder length hair was blue that faded into white and her eyes were matching, icy blue and large. She wore a white and blue combat suit with many gray belts and straps. The outfit had a collar than framed around her neck and the sleeves ended after the mid arm point. White fingerless gloves fitted her hands and high white boots started at her feet. On her left hand she held a dagger similar to the brown-dressed individual, but it was decorated with a light blue metal wing, similar to the one of a dragon. Beside her a teenage man stood. His maya blue hair was long and combed to the right. His eyes were the same color as the girl beside him. He wore a similar outfit just fitted for him and he, too, had the same blue decorated dagger.

“And why would I do that dear? He’ll have to tell me where your precious ‘half-sister’ is eventually.” The girl, apparently named Adara, used her fingers to make quotations.

“Can’t you see he doesn’t know?” Began the blue-haired male. “We can’t let you hurt him for no reason nor can we allow you to find the girl for that matter.”

“Well, Lixue, you always say something like that, don’t you? Plus, you need to know where she is and she has to be near for you two to intervene, otherwise you would’ve left me alone. Unless, you don’t know where she is. Then, it’s just a fight for who finds her first. How did you know we were coming anyway?”

“You fire phoenixes were always predictable anyway; you take your heat waves with you everywhere. We are more unexpected.”

Questions began filling William’s head. What was happening? He didn’t even know where to begin. Worry remained in his veins as he started realizing that everyone was talking about Eira.

“Whatever you say, Neve. Well, farewell dears, may the best find the girl.” Suddenly the figure that used to be the one of a female turned into the one of a bird. A medium bird colored in all the tones of a powerful fire flame. As the big wings fluttered away a small trail of yellow sparks stayed behind, burning out after a while.

“Sorry for that, William.” Apologised the girl.  “Despite everything we said, this whole event did surprise us at the beginning, but we’ve learnt to react quickly.”

“Who are you? How do you know my name?”

“Oh right, I’m Neve Icebound and this is one of my brothers, Lixue Icebound. We are ice phoenixes.”

“Ice phoenixes? What is going on?” William questioned himself.

“Well, you know Eira, right?” Neve began. “She was supposed to be our sister, but, a fire pheonix named Agni cursed her when she was born turning her mostly human. Of course, a few attributes remained like her cold skin but most of the main abilities were lost. Due to the danger we would bring her in her now more fragile state, we had to leave her with you but we gave her a mark so that we could find her, that’s the drawing by her wrist, if you’ve seen it. But now, she seems to be gaining power, quickly. And it isn’t any power, she seems to be stronger than both fire and ice phoenixes which has alarmed them, so they are after her. We are not sure if they want her dead or captured but we can’t allow either. Not just because she’s powerful but because after all she’s still originally our sister.”

Unknown to them, Eira heard the whole exchanged and they learnt this when she pushed passed William to see the other two individuals. Neve and Eira’s eyes locked together and tears began forming in the male sibling’s eyes at the sight of his growing sister.

“You two are really my siblings?” Asked the small voice of Eira.

“Look.” Said Neve, while kneeling to her sister’s height. “Give me your left hand.” The younger girl raised her hand, hesitantly. Neve grabbed her hand lightly and ran her thumb on top of the drawing of a phoenix on Eira’s wrist. Suddenly, the mark began glowing a bright blue color where it used to be black before it died down to its original color. 

A gasp escaped everyone’s mouth, all at once, as they shared an impactful silent moment. The two sisters embraced each other as the silence continued. Until, Eira broke the silence with her sudden concern, looking into her sister’s bright blues with her green orbs.

“Are the fire phoenixes going to hurt me?”

“No.” Answered Lixue, no hesitation in his strong voice. “We’ll protect you. Neve and I. We’ll protect both of you.”

[thephoenixandthecrocodile]

My thoughts on Rings of Power Episodes 4 and 5 before I watch Episode 6

Episode 4

Overall episode 4 is definitely a filler episode or b storyline episode and I’m fine with that. Sometimes, as a writer, you accept that that one chapter isn’t as strong as the rest. That being said I wonder if the scenes that make up this episode might have felt better pacing wise if worked into other episodes instead of cramming the filler all in one episode?

That being said, I love the developing relationship between Isildur and Arondir. I know Arondir has to die sometime between now and the end of the series because otherwise Isildur would have destroyed the one ring.

I also love Isildur’s developing arc where he seems to become a spokesperson for the southlanders to Numenor whenever he returns. I imagine both Elendil and Miriel and the rest of Numenor want nothing more to do with the southlands and I can see Isildur campaigning their cause, similar to how Boromir campaigns Gondor’s cause to Aragorn: “yes there is frailty in men but there is also strength and courage.”

Estrid as a character herself is meh, but what she represents is really interesting in context of the bigger story. You can’t expect everyone to be suicidally brave all the time. People want to survive. To paraphrase another franchise, “Just because someone stumbles and loses their path, doesn't mean they're lost forever.”

Oooh Isildur you’re such a disaster. Only you would stumble upon the bog of eternal stench

“We shall call this lunch.” XD

Rory Kinnear! As someone who is not a huge Tom Bombadil fan (don’t kick me out of the fandom), I was more excited that Rory Kinnear was in this show than the character he was playing. That being said, I liked his portrayal of Tom especially the mind games “Is anyone else with here with you?” “You’re here, right? At least I think you are.”

Also, I didn’t mention this last time, but the whole “no one can give you a name, it finds you” bit is so trans coded.

Also, Gandalf you have like ten million names, so don’t start XD

And I would die for that lamb, Iawain I think their name is.

Stoors! Future Hobbiton!

HOLY SHIT ENTWIVES!!!! The Ents have always been my favorite part of the Lord of the Rings universe and to see an Entwife! I want to cry!

I would die for Winterbloom. She can do and has done no wrong. I support her murderous rampage against all tree enemies

That scene with Arondir and Winterbloom: forgiveness takes an age. It had me near tears. And “do you think they know peace?” It was so beautiful and gentle and so Tolkienesque. It was absolutely perfect.

I’m really curious how Theo’s storyline is going to develop. I can see him becoming one of Isildur’s trusted knights. Season 1 I was convinced he’d end up as a nazgul, but this season I’m not so sure.

The bickering between Galadriel and Elrond was fun, but also put aside your pride and be friends again! You need each other!

Poor Elrond feeling responsible for Brimby’ fate ☹

 The barrow wrights were fun. It was cute that this was basically everything Peter Jackson cut out of the first half of Fellowship minus Glorfindel.

I swear Elrond’s hair grows poofier the more stressed he is

“According to lore…” Elrond, you big nerd

Not enough Adar this episode.

Episode 5:

Dwarves!

Argh, Durin III you drive me crazy. I want to like you but also you are a stubborn ass

Love the whispers that occur when Durin III takes one of the rings.

Also love that the dwarven ring is like crack for Durin III. Let me make a huge hole in the foundational way, let me introduce a new tax system, alienate all my allies by demanding half of their wealth in exchange for these awesome rings, and forgive my son while discounting his wife’s opinions all in one day

Also love the sheer terror in Durin IV and Narvi’s faces as Durin III almost brings down a foundational wall XD

And those dwarf miners are so me. Get to go home early? Don’t have to tell me twice

And that’s going to come back and bit them in the ass right? You can’t just weaken a foundational wall and expect nothing bad to happen, right? (I know nothing of construction, but I feel like that’s a bad idea)

That Khazad……DUM was pretty awesome

I love this idea of the resonating being a gift from Aule, a skill that has been passed down generations and is this time honored traditional that belongs to the dwarves and then these rings come in and try to replicate that power but whereas resonating is having a conversation with the mountain, the ring just pierces through the mountain and sees what the wear wants to see. It’s an interesting commentary on how outsider will try to appropriate indigenous skills without truly understanding its purpose or how it works or how it helps maintain balance within the ecosystem

Also can I say one more time for those who missed it DISA IS MY QUEEN AND GODDESS. I WILL DIE FOR HER

Sauron is soooooo done with this gathering it’s hilarious. He is me during any and every work meeting

Ah Brimby and Narvi having a moment together. So sweet

DOORS OF DURIN BABY!!!!

Guarded by a password known only to “friends”. Eh, eh, get it? Haha

So I know Sauron really left because he doesn’t care about the doors, but I also choose to believe he left because he was jealous of the banter between Celebrimbor and Narvi XD

Oooh this balcony scene is painful because of the levels of gaslighting.

“You don’t always listen. Once you have an idea set in your head” – god I’ve heard things similar to that so many times from my own abusers.

“It is a game you play, is it not? Sowing seeds in others’ minds and then convincing them that the fruit is of their own thought.” - Brimby is starting to get it, but too late. :(

Also I love that Celebrimbor is so fond and protective of his dwarf friends. “this is a night for dwarves” and then later when Sauron tries to cast doubt on Durin III’s character, Brimby says such a strong NO! So different from the relationship between dwarves and Elves in the third age, when an Elf would probably be more likely ot distrust Durin III instead of the rings themselves.

Celebrimbor may be a dwarf man but he does NOT like men (the race, not the gender haha)

Also love how queer the relationship between Celebrimbor and Annatar is. As much as I’d love to see an official queer couple in LOTR world, I also love how often Patrick and Payne queer-code things. They seem really open to the idea of queerness in Tolkien, so maybe we’ll see a queer couple some day?

Nine rings?! Yeah, it does seem like a lot, right? I thought so when I first read the poem XD

“Fine, I’ll do it myself” poutness activated!

Also, Brimby, dear, when did you lose control over your own forge? Do you even know how that happened?

Fucking Pharazon and Kemen. Hope a sea monster eats the both of you

Also Pharazon makes the most demented grandpa/santa claus face right before ruining his son’s life

Seriously who tells their son, “hey, did you know your mother said you were going to die horribly” while breast feeding you that one time? Like WTF? Would have felt bad for Kemen IF THE REST OF THIS EPISODE DIDN’T HAPPEN

Elendil, darling, what are you doing in the queen’s bedchamber in the middle of the night?

Also, I’m not usually a shipper, but every time Elendil and Miriel are in a scene together I’m like:

Also poor Miriel trying so hard to do what is right. Terrified to do anything that could jeopardize her people’s future

The chest touching, the arm grabbing, the hand touching. You two are soooo in love, you dorks

Fucking Kemen and Earien

I LOVE that Elendil spends this entire scene thinking, “can punch the kid. Think of what Miriel said. Really want to punch this kid. No, no. Keep calm, keep calm.” XD

Ok Earien and Elendil need some family counseling. They’re both grieving and so they’re lashing out but also “and yet overthrowing a queen earned you a promotion” and “you’re path is made of seawater” is soooooo cold, Elendil

I’m annoyed with Earien but I understand her and I feel bad for her. She’s truly alone because her Dad and oldest friend don’t do feelings and her brother is dead and the other one is Eru Iluvatar knows where. (also is anyone going to tell Anarion that Isildur is “dead”?)

But seriously, Earien, you can do better than Kemen

Gil-Galad’s vision!!!

Run, Elrond, run!

Edna Mode: No capes!

Disa! Disa! Disa, just let the rock go! It’s not worth it! You’re going to give me a heart attack!

Nothing bad can happen to Disa, you hear me Patrick and JD?

The Watcher? It has to be the Watcher right? I can’t see the Balrog hanging around a pool of water

Just thinking about Arondir’s relationship with the tree he had to cut down in season 1 and his conversation with Winterbloom and Disa’s personal relationship with the mountain and the importance of respecting your own environment and ecosystem

Also, it’s tragic how these rings bring so much hope to those who receive them/make them and we all know what they will truly wrought. The downfall of so many people/kingdoms

“Who set these restricts?!” Haven’t we all been there? We made rules ages ago and then we’re like wait who’s the mook who made these rules up? XD

Love the small panic about misplacing the ring and its heaviness

Durin IV will put up with a lot old man, but don’t you dare disagree with Disa! She is ALWAYS right

When will people LISTEN to Durin IV!!! FFS

Celebrimbor’s little anvil paperweight is so cute :3

Do you think Sauron was insulted when Mirdania called him stinky? XD

Also, I like the hint that even though Celebrimbor is “old” looking, he’s still got quick reflexes and prowess as he dodges and counters Mirdania’s attacks.

Also, that look on Celebrimbor’s face when Mirdania explains what they were doing. I think he is taken aback not just because of what they did but also because, potentially, that is something Annatar should have known was dangerous and how to counter the negative effects. They’ve made ten rings together already. Surely Annatar of all people should know how volatile and fussy mithril can be.

Also fucking Annatar being all, “we could really use your help” *puppy dog eyes*

Seriously WHEN WILL PEOPLE LISTEN TO DURIN IV

Also love that other people just call him Durin the younger XD

Sauron just doesn’t know how to flirt, does he? Let me compare you to my ex-girlfriend. That will win you over, right? Also, your boss is secretly that flaming, stinky thing you saw. Just trust me on this

“Meet again in a far green country under a sweet sunrise” *cries*

Elendil puts a clam for Isildur and it ends up being for Valandil *cries*

FUCKING KEMEN, YOU LITTLE SHIT!

“It’s in the way of the new aqueduct” Ok, that line reading made me laugh

HOW DARE YOU DESTROY THAT RELIC!! KEMEN YOU LITTLE SHIT

Elendil FINALLY punching the little shit

“May the Valar forgive me.”

Meanwhile the Valar are eating their popcorn and chanting: “punch the little shit. Punch the little shit.”

“Put it down, son” *cries*

VALANDIL NO!!!! KEMEN YOU LITTLE SHIT!!!

The washing away of the blood – just KEMEN YOU FUCKING PIECE OF SHIT!!!

So Isildur’s eventual return to Numenor is going to be realllllllllly awkward

“Just be mindful someone is not manipulating you” Sauron, you little shit

Poor Brimby, so terrified of questioning Annatar, but having to do it for his dwarf friends

And then Annatar’s all like, “While you lied, so it’s your fault.” Such a little shit

I really feel like Celebrimbor wants to say, “But I lie to my cousin all the time. It’s what family does, after all haha.”

I also love that Annatar’s like, well the dwarven rings were made under a cloak of deception and that’s bad, so let’s just finish the nine since we’re in hell anyway and Brimby’s just like, “Yes, the trauma and depression agrees with you.”

Poor Durin and Disa. They just want to do what’s right for their people and their king. :(

Also that need flourish to the dwarven theme kicks ass. Well down Bear McCreary

 Poor Brimby. Lashing out at his artists because he can’t come out and admit what he did and all that guilt and shame eating him from the inside out. He needs Durin IV to move in with him and call bullshit whenever Annatar speaks

“The nine must redeem us all” *Cries* You did nothing wrong, Brimby, except trust a random man who did an impressive lightshow and called himself a messenger from the gods. Yeah…that wasn’t your best moment haha

And then the trembling hands because he knows something is wrong, he just can’t figure it out and he knows he’s to blame but he can’t understand why. *cries*

Charles Edwards is going to break me in the next few episodes as we get closer to the end.

I love how Gil-Galad is like we can’t defeat both Sauron’s and Adar’s armies and that’s it. End of scene. It’s like, do you have a plan? Are you going to do anything besides look pretty and depressed?

Adar! Adar! Adar!

Why does Adar look so turned on by Galadriel holding a knife to his neck? XD

[divulgacion-alternativa]

Ben Ful Links | May 3/2021

Source: benjaminfulford.net

Ben Ful Links | May 3/2021:

The biggest thing visible is hyper-inflation emerging in the U.S.  This is something commonly seen during regime collapse.  The cause is the people behind the Biden avatar printing money like there is no tomorrow (for them it is probably true).  Government hand-outs exploded in March to an annualized $8.1 trillion, double the $4.1 trillion from February and $5 trillion above the pre-“pandemic” level of $3.2 trillion. https://www.zerohedge.com/economics/record-34-all-household-income-us-now-comes-government

This is what it has done to commodity prices over last year, even though the party has just barely started: Lumber: +265%, WTI Crude: +210%, Corn: +84%, Copper: +83%, Soybeans: +72%, Silver: +65%, Sugar: +59%, Cotton: +54%, Platinum: +52%, Palladium: +32%, Wheat: +19%, Coffee: +13%. http://themostimportantnews.com/archives/and-the-federal-reserve-is-trying-to-convince-us-that-inflation-isnt-a-problem

Supply-chain experts say they have never seen anything like what is now happening.

“There is a total, global log-jam; goods cannot be shipped in some cases; and supply-side inflation on a scale we have not seen for a long, long time looks imminent.” https://www.zerohedge.com/markets/rabo-we-are-edging-closer-biblical-commodity-price-increase-scenario

There is also a food shortage emerging in the U.S. with food prices rising and basic items like chicken meat running in short supply. https://www.zerohedge.com/markets/one-bank-warns-soaring-food-prices-will-lead-social-unrest

https://www.msn.com/en-us/money/companies/america-is-running-low-on-chicken-blame-covid-19-a-sandwich-craze-and-huge-appetite-for-wings/ar-BB1gcqVF?ocid=uxbndlbing

As of last December, one in seven U.S. households was suffering food shortages.  By January 41.8 million Americans were on food stamps — 13%, more than a year earlier. https://www.newsmax.com/newsfront/biden-food-stamp-programs/2021/05/02/id/1019794/

Meanwhile, all of the Biden funny money being handed out to appease the masses is also removing their incentive to work.  The situation has reached the point where McDonald’s franchises are paying people $50 just to show up for a job interview and convenience store chains are paying $500 signing bonuses. https://www.zerohedge.com/markets/whatever-it-takes-tampa-mcdonalds-exposes-americas-systemic-labor-shortage-forced-pay

https://www.zerohedge.com/markets/royal-farms-offers-500-signing-bonus-labor-shortage-intensifies

“How do we get enough drivers, I don’t know,” was the answer Covenant Logistics CEO David Parker gave analysts last week when asked about the labor shortage. https://www.zerohedge.com/markets/70000-part-time-driver

Uber insider Nathaniel Rothschild has given public hints – to those who pay attention – tweeting such things as:

“What if tomorrow the world changes as we know it?” and “The next crisis will hit you during your sleep, and you will wake up poor.  It will happen lightning fast.  Music is still playing.  Few do realize that every market is deep faked.  So prepare.  Buy physical #Gold and #Silver!!” https://twitter.com/NCJRothschild/status/1385303161448116230

Here is the avatar they are using for day-to-day interactions with the corporate propaganda media Jen Psaki, aka David Rockefeller’s grandson Mark Zuckerberg.

While some of this is certainly fear porn, there can be no doubt that some of these vaccines really are murderous.  In India, it has now become clear their recent breakout of “new variants” of Covid-19 was directly linked to vaccinations.  That is why India’s vaccine czar has left the country for the UK due to “unprecedented” threats. https://qz.com/india/2004105/serums-adar-poonawalla-has-left-india-amid-a-raging-pandemic/?utm_source=reddit.com

Then you have respected magazines like Scientific American noting how “influenza has disappeared,” but failing to reach the conclusion that it has disappeared because its name was changed to “Covid-19.” https://www.scientificamerican.com/article/flu-has-disappeared-worldwide-during-the-covid-pandemic/

In a sign this might be right, we are noticing more and more UFO and space opera stuff appearing in the “mainstream” corporate media.  Here is a sampling from last week, with even the New Yorker magazine getting in on the action.

https://www.dailystar.co.uk/news/weird-news/iss-cameras-film-mystery-v-23995955

https://www.thesun.co.uk/news/14572895/skinwalker-ranch-ufo-pentagon-cows-mutilated/

https://www.vice.com/en/article/5dbpea/scientists-spot-yet-another-unexplained-ring-shaped-radio-structure-in-space

https://www.the-sun.com/news/2793810/ufo-america-spy-failure-9-11-pentagon/

https://www.newyorker.com/magazine/2021/05/10/how-the-pentagon-started-taking-ufos-seriously

https://deadline.com/2021/04/ufo-fragments-in-possession-lockheed-martin-says-harry-reid-1234748095/

https://www.dailystar.co.uk/news/weird-news/navy-has-discussed-possibility-ufos-24015616

In any case, while the West is going through its nervous breakdown and seeing UFOs, the rest of the world is busy redrawing borders.  This is especially true in the Middle East.  The big story there continues to be the ongoing attempt by the Turks to revive the Ottoman Empire.  Here is the sort of talk they are publicly putting out:

“They are telling us to refrain from altering the post-World War I order, to remain as the West’s eastern front, to avoid any action that will bring the region to us and awaken the main axis of the Earth, which stretches from the Atlantic to the Pacific coasts.  Turkey is much more effective than all European Union countries put together…The West is no longer the world’s center.”

https://www.yenisafak.com/en/columns/ibrahimkaragul/how-exactly-is-turkey-threatening-the-us-the-threat-always-emanated-from-the-west-for-the-last-millennium-this-is-the-greatest-force-since-the-ottoman-empire-3571243

These words are being backed with military action in Libya, Iraq, Kazakhstan, Ukraine, etc. https://sputniknews.com/middleeast/202105011082775984-just-like-we-did-in-syria-turkey-to-build-new-base-in-iraqi-kurdistan-amid-anti-pkk-offensive/

The country with the most to lose is the Israeli crypto colony of Saudi Arabia.  “The Saudis have no more power even with all that oil, Then can’t ‘buy’ respect anymore,” according to the CIA.

In a desperate attempt to avoid a Turkish takeover, Egypt, Jordan, Saudi Arabia, and other Gulf countries have been trying to make peace with Iran.  “We are seeking to have good relations with Iran,” Saudi Crown Prince avatar Mohammed bin Salman told Saudi television this week

https://foreignpolicy.com/2021/04/29/saudi-arabia-iran-uae-mohammed-bin-salman-secret-talks-biden-withdrawal-pivot-middle-east/?mc_cid=b591f68c73&mc_eid=fee8fd8a4f

The Saudis need to make peace with Iran because the U.S. military is no longer willing to act as their enforcers.  That is why they are losing the war with Yemen’s Houthis and are in real danger of losing control over their oil fields.  The Yemeni people, who built 12 story tall buildings over a millennia ago, view the Saudis as upstart camel herders who just happened to get lucky with oil.  They want to return their historical place as the true powers in the Arab peninsula and will probably succeed in doing so.  The Saudi may soon get taken out of Arabia.

The other country that is losing its border war is the United States.  Sources along the frontier with Mexico say the border is disintegrating.  “I’ve never seen anything quite like this…it’s the Wild West on steroids,” says Goliad border county Sheriff Roy Boyd. https://www.theepochtimes.com/texas-counties-declare-disaster-over-border-crisis_3793402.html?utm_source=partner&utm_campaign=ZeroHedge

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[weddingdjassociation]

Paul Prenderville – Limerick Wedding DJ

Paul Prenderville – Limerick Wedding DJ is our featured Wedding DJ Association member this week. Based in Limerick, Paul is one of the most sought after DJs in Munster. Regularly playing at weddings in Clare, Kerry and Cork also. With over 15 years’ experience in the Wedding DJ industry,Paul knows exactly what it takes to make your night a huge success and one you’ll never forget.

You could say that Paul is around music 24/7 working also as a radio presenter on the most listened to radio station in Limerick, Live95. Paul has been with the station for over 20 years. You can hear him at various times during the week and also Saturday and Sunday afternoons from 2pm. His knowledge of music is second to know. Also a regular MC at fashion shows Paul knows exactly how to interact with any crowd.

This is quickly becoming the most popular package as it takes care of all your evening entertainment. Paul will be in constant contact with you to create the perfect party playlist for your wedding. He will ensure no stone is left unturned and will play all the music you love. He will create the perfect atmosphere to have your guests talking about it weeks and months after.

This package caters for all your music needs through your wedding day. Music is provided for the ceremony, drinks reception, during dinner and for the full evening. This means you only deal with one supplier for all your music needs and saves so much time trying to liaise with everyone. One phone call and you are set.

Catering for couples who want a live band but also a DJ. Paul will set up early on the night with your band so there is no interruption to proceedings. Once they stop Paul will start, there will be no gap between your band and DJ starting. Also has the added advantage that Paul will know exactly how to keep the party going into the early hours.

Paul is the DJ of choice and recommended by the 5 Star Dromoland Castle. A venue synonymous with hosting destination weddings. Whether you have 20 guests or 200 you are still guaranteed to have the same attention to detail as all other weddings. Wedding DJ in Limerick Paul has also played at destination weddings in Adare Manor, Ashford Castle and a host of other venues in the Limerick and Munster region.

When you book Paul for your wedding you are guaranteed a very professional and personal service. Paul is available to answer any and all of your questions and will be guaranteed to put you at ease on you Wedding Day. He is fully insured, has a top of the range sound and lighting system to bring your wedding entertainment to the next level. As well as that, he brings full back-up equipment, ready for any eventuality so your mind is always at ease leaving you to enjoy your special Day.