#and Unfortunately my suspicious was proven Above And Beyond

[postmakerkiwi]

🌫️ Blue Mountaintops - Market Mesa 🔔

High atop the steep, flattened spires lies a sparse bazaar, a place for travelers to pop up shop, trade some wares, and leave just as quickly. The chill, howling winds may make the mountain seem uninviting, but stick around to see if the mesa's powerful bells can win you over.

photos via Moby Games

[hazard-and-friends]

Cat Update

Alright so, cast of characters: me, my girlfriend Jo, Hazard (3ish rescue mutt), Penny (2ish rescue moggy). Jo and Penny have their own apartment at the moment but will be moving in with Hazard and I at the end of July. Since Hazard goes on 2 months of crate rest at the beginning of July, we wanted to introduce them so the cat doesn’t become an object of extreme frustration and so I don’t tear my hair out with worry he’ll give himself an embolism.

Jo and Penny arrived yesterday morning around 9 am, which was when Hazard and I went for our walk. After our return, it took Hazard an hour to realize there was a CAT under the BED. He was keenly interested but not fixated, and he spent most of the day dragging a leash. We did our normal training and a couple of short walks. After a while he apparently forgot that Penny existed. (Which I was JUST FINE with.)

In the evening however, he remembered again and what had previously been normal interest turned into a spiral of frustration behaviors. He went through cycles of whining & barking, lunging, and tearing around the apartment trying to find a way I would let him at the cat. So out we went for a decompression walk--which failed, because a number of my neighbors have outdoor cats. Ugh.

So when I put him in his crate for the night, I was really shaken. I love this dog so much, but Penny was here first. If he can’t live with a cat, Hazard’s the one who would have to go. He crated fine and was reasonably quiet at night, due largely to me covering the crate so he couldn’t see the cat. He only whined when she was moving around, which I think is fair.

And the morning he was also neurotic to the point where I had to take him immediately outside and sit out there eating breakfast with him, because he wouldn’t calm down in the flat. We went for our walk, which he did well on! He came back tired out like normal, and behaved himself while I was showering. Before he could find the cat again, I threw him in the car and off we went to Petco.

Somewhere around 11 pm last night I had a brainwave about OTC calming supplements and how even if they don’t work, if I think they’ll work, I’ll be calmer and he’ll then be calmer. (Also, he needed more food.) So we got NaturVet Hemp Quiet Moments, he took 2 right away, and it was...better after that. Not perfect! But so much better. Part of that was also increased exposure to cat, and also I stopped holding him back on the leash and instead put his muzzle on.

And part was that, as you’ve seen, Penny relocated from under the bed to above the kitchen cupboards, and so I was able to let him investigate to his heart’s content without worrying about her.

They ended up having 3 interactions beyond, like, eye contact. I wouldn’t say they were great, but they do seem to be moving in a positive direction and I don’t think I’ll need to surrender him.

First, with Hazard in his muzzle, Penny came down off the cupboards. She stared at him, he lunged, and she hissed and swatted at him. She didn’t make contact but he recoiled anyway--and then lunged again. That time she returned to the top of the cupboards. Verdict: Good on Penny, who had proven she could stand up to a dog, but not great for Hazard--that was all predatory behavior.

When she came down again, she gave me enough warning to get him back in his muzzle (he’s not ready yet to wear it for long periods--honestly we were pushing it enough as it was), and also I got a hand around his chest. He sat reasonably calmly in my lap as she relocated back under the bed, but then began obsessing again. We went out for a short lap of the lawn, and unfortunately came back in right as Jo was persuading Penny that maybe the TOP of the bed was okay after all. Penny obviously vanished and Hazard returned to obsessing.

Having made some very quick plans about timing Penny’s departure, I took a wee bit of downtime while Hazard got one of his new bones (VERY exciting) and did other sorts of training (less exciting--dremel is still very suspicious). As he started to amp up again, we segued into properly doing LAT with Penny, and that was when the 3rd interaction happened.

He’d been doing so well, I took a step forward and promptly forgot how much leash he had. He took advantage, hit the end about 2 feet away from Penny. Penny, not unreasonably, hissed--but didn’t flee! Hazard recoiled just enough for me to reel him in and redirect him onto treats. And then, the best part, we were able to get back to work and calm him down enough to eventually get to the original distance--about 8 feet--and still looking back at me for treats.

So summary of what I learned: Hazard has a prey drive, and he will direct it towards an indoor cat. It is not an insurmountable problem. He can easily be redirected, and he will also take correction from the cat (albeit not for very long). He is a good candidate for LAT, and while I don’t know that he will ever be safe alone with a cat, the next month should put him in a good position to be calm in a crate with one around.

[trashyswitch]

Jackieboy Man’s Weakness

Jackieboy Man is being a show off...Marvin plans on giving Jackie a reality check by exposing his weakness. ;)

There were days when Jackieboy Man would become cocky. He would show off his flying skills as much as he possibly could, take people on little rides, and get his friends to challenge him on different things.

He had already been challenged to do certain things in a time limit to prove his speed, show off his highest jump, and show off how much speed he could make with his flying ability. However, Marvin knew something that most of the other egos didn’t know. Whenever Jackie gets distracted, his flying ability diminishes. You see, flying doesn’t take much thought. But flying at a certain speed/height takes lots of focus and determination. More often than not, Jackie forgets about this. So, it takes a little wake up call to help him remember that focus matters just as much as getting the job done.

As the day went on, Marvin started to come up with a plan. With some help from JJ, Marvin was able to learn how to make items appear in his hand at will. It took quite a few tries to get it, but he did eventually learn the trick. As a way to thank him, Marvin decided to tell JJ his plan beforehand, and let him have front row seats to the challenge. JJ's excited face was truly a sight to see. After some practice on his own, Marvin managed to learn how to manipulate the item in front of him, to wherever he pleased. After some more practice, Marvin felt ready enough to go ahead with the plan. Now, all he had to do was wait...

*A couple hours later*

Marvin was hanging out in the living room, playing with his deck of cards. From seemingly out of nowhere, a familiar gust of wind went by, and blew his cards right out of his hand. "Wassup Marvin, you adorable lil' sorcerer!" Jackie cheered, practically bouncing in front of Marvin.

Marvin sighed and rolled hie eyes. "Hi Jackie." Marvin said, slightly aggravated.

"Aww! Why the gloomy face? Did I knock the cards out of the poor magician's hands?" Jackie teased, squeezing his cheeks as he treated Marvin like a toddler.

Marvin turned his face away and used his hands to stop the magician's unnecessary actions. "Yes, you did. And since you knocked them out of my hand with your flying ability, you have to pick them up for me." Marvin ordered.

Jackie placed his right hand on his chest, and gave a proud smile. "With pleasure, your gracious majesty." Jackie replied, before continuing to fly. As the superhero flew around him, he picked up each and every card with unbelievable speed. In half a minute, Jackie had all 52 cards in a deck, and handed it to Marvin.

Marvin gave a small smile. "Thank you." He said, before taking his deck back to play with it.

"My pleasure, your kingliness." Jackie replied, making up a random word on the spot, to sound more devoted to his cocky role.

"Hey Jackie, I'm interested in something..." Marvin started, watching as Jackie lifted an eyebrow.

"What would you like to know?" Jackie asked, eager to answer just about anything.

"Do you ever get distracted during missions?" Marvin asked. Jackie put his finger on his chin, and tried to think.

Well, I have a few times. Like, distracted from my mission? Or distracted while flying?" Jackie asked, needing some clarification.

"The latter: Distracted while flying." Marvin replied, trying to stop his lips from forming a devilish smirk.

"Oh...Yes, many times. When I first started out, I used to get distracted by just about anything, and I would forget to focus on flying. However, I have practiced beyond what I need, to stop myself from making that mistake." Marvin said, confidence spilling out of his mouth as he spoke. Marvin finally let his smirk grow onto his lips, as his plan fell perfectly into place.

"Oh really? Have you proven this claim?" Marvin asked.

Jackie's eyes widened. "Uh-...well no..." Jackie confessed.

"Well, what are we waiting for? Let's test it out!" Marvin suggested.

"W-What? But, with what? How could we possibly test this out?" Jackie asked.

Marvin walked backwards a few steps, and held up his deck of cards. "Fly." Marvin ordered. Jackie did what he was told, and raised himself off the ground. "Now, I'm gonna throw some cards your way. If you can stay flying while these are hitting you, then you've beat the basics." Marvin explained.

Jackie nodded, and got himself ready. "Do your worst, magic man." Jackie said, risking it to seem confident in himself.

Marvin clicked his tongue. "You shouldn't have said that." Marvin sing-songed, before throwing his first card.

The card went right past him. "Whoa!" Jackie yelled as it went by and landed on the floor. Marvin threw another one, which hit his shoulder. "Ow! That hurts man!" Jackie yelled, rubbing his hit shoulder. A few more flew towards him. "What the- Stop! Hey! Marvin, I swear to the Christ above!" Jackie yelled, catching the last one with his hand. Jackie attempted to throw it back, but it only floated to the ground a couple feet in front of him.

"Ha! Even the cockiest superhero can't throw a card. How unfortunate." Marvin mocked, throwing another few cards at the superhero.

"Oh my GO-OW! You motherfu-AAH! My poor chest!" Jackie whined as his hands tried to defend his face from the flying cards.

"Come on, Jackie! We're not even through half the deck yet!" Marvin mocked, before throwing some more at him.

Every time a card hit the superhero, his body seemed to curl in on himself a little at a time. He was still flying, but in a ball rather than a straight line. This proved something to Marvin: He is more breakable than he lets on...After throwing a few more cards, he decided to place the rest of the deck onto the ground.

"Alright. I'm tired of using cards. How well can you fly when there's someone on you?" Marvin asked, before jumping onto Jackie's back. Jackie nearly lost focus, but managed to keep himself up in the air. "Is this comfortable for you?" Marvin asked.

The superhero below him, nodded. "This is fine. I can do this." Jackie replied.

"Okay. Try flying higher!" Marvin suggested. Jackie did what he was told, and tried souring up. However, with Marvin piggyback riding on him, it was a little tough.

"I think it might be a better idea if we did this outside." Jackie suggested. Marvin agreed, and let the superhero fly through an open window in the house. Once they were outside, Jackie turned himself into a horizontal position, to replicate laying down while flying. Marvin fixed his positioning, and got ready to strike. "Alright. I think this is much better. And you're not very heavy, so this'll be ea-aaAAH! Marvin! Be careful!" Jackie yelled, interrupting himself with a yelp. Marvin had squeezed Jackie's side while holding on, which was messing him up.

"What? All I'm doing is holding onto your sides!" Marvin argued, as his hands remained wrapped around Jackie's torso.

"I'm fine with you using my middle as grip. But don't move your hands too much." Jackie warned.

"What? You mean, like this?" Marvin asked, before lightly clawing at Jackie's sides for a couple seconds.

"YaaAA! Yehehes, like that! It's annoying! And distracting as all hell!" Jackie complained.

"Distracting, eh?" Marvin asked, lifting an eyebrow.

"Yes! Distracting! Hehehey! Gehehet your hands ohohohoff mehehe!" Jackie commanded, twitching and curling in to stop Marvin's evil fingers. However, nothing could stop him. Instead, Marvin changed his clawing motion to spider fingers. "Wahahahahaha! Stahahahahap it!" Jackie giggled, squirming as he floated in the air. In an attempt to knock him off, Jackie spun himself so that he was laying down and floating on his back. However, Marvin managed to hold on.

Marvin asked, lifting an eyebrow.

Marvin decided to give Marvin a break to breath and focus, while Marvin used Jackie's body as monkey bars to pull himself up onto the top of Jackie's torso. Believe it or not, Marvin was capable of climbing. He has had lots of practice from his childhood of climbing trees and walls, and was also part of his high school climbing competition.

"You'e planning something...I demand that you tell me what you're thinking!" Jackie accused. Marvin smirked and crossed his arms.

"Come on, Jackie! Don't like an element of surprise?" Marvin asked. Jackie clenched his teeth as he glared at the mischievous magic man. "Aww! Cheer up buddy. I'm not gonna hurt ya. Tell ya what: I'll let you in on a little hint..." Marvin said, before opening his right hand in front of him. with a flick of the wrist and a cloud of dust, Marvin made an object appear in his hand.

"...A feather? What are-...Oh...Wait, no! Marvin, I'm warning you! If you so much as touch me with that feather, I will fall onto the ground and bring you with me!" Jackie threatened.

Marvin squinted his eyes. "Would you, though?" Marvin asked, suspicious as to whether the superhero would go through with his actions.

"I...I can." Jackie replied.

”that’s right! You can, but you won’t! Cause the last thing a superhero wants to do, is injure the damsel in distress.” Marvin accused.

”Not if the damsel in distress is really the bad guy.” Jackie defended, glaring at the mischievous magic man.

”But you need the bad guy awake for interrogation! What’s the fun in interrogating a sleeping criminal?” Marvin asked.

”Doesn’t mean I wouldn’t leave him injure free.” Jackie defended once again.

”I guess that’s true.” Marvin said, putting away the feather, to give Jackie the idea that he was giving up. Jackie started to smile a bit. He’s falling for it! Marvin leaned into Jackie’s ear. “But you wouldn’t hurt a friend, would you?” He whispered, before shoving his hands into Jackie’s torso and squeezing.

“NaaaAAAAAAHH!” Jackie screamed, throwing his head back and laughing his heart out. Even though Jackie was fully clothed in his red suit, the thin suit didn’t lessen the ticklish feeling one bit.

“Wow! What a scream! You could alert the entire town with that scream!” Marvin reacted. Jackie tried to stop the man with his hands, but Jackie didn’t realize that lifting his hands would expose his armpits.

“Look at what we got here! An open opportunity! It would be a shame if I were not to take it!” Marvin thought out loud, before shoving his hands into Jackie’s armpits.

Jackie’s arms came crashing down, trapping Marvin’s hands in the process.

“Oh goodness gracious! It appears that my hands are trapped! I guess I’ll have to continue tickling here until you free my poor hands.” Marvin thought aloud, still wiggling his fingers in the spot for a while.

“STAHAHAHAHAP! HAHAHAHAHAHA!” Jackie shouted, squirming back and forth. Marvin started to notice that Jackie’s focus was swaying. He could notice this because Jackie’s flying body was starting to fall.

Marvin switched his tactics from wiggling on the armpits, to drilling his middle and ring finger into Jackie’s upper rib. Jackie’s squirming escalated even more! Bit by bit, Jackie’s focus was crumbling and bit by bit, his flying body would fall. The deeper he would drill, the more he fell. After a little more tickling, Marvin decided to give him a break so he could get his hands out. Jackie started to calm down, and realized just how much he had fallen.

“Thank you. Maybe...I’m not as invincible as I thought...” Jackie said, sighing.

“Hey! It’s okay to be a bit vulnerable sometimes. Everybody has to be sometimes.” Marvin explained.

“No, it’s not. I can’t be vulnerable. Not very often.” Jackie argued.

“But...why not?” Marvin asked.

Jackie sighed. “Because it’s not something people want to see.” Jackie started, before sitting himself up and fiddling with his hands.

“The thing is, superheroes are forced to be mentally and physically strong. They want us to keep up the reputation that we’re given, and never show our emotional and physical weaknesses. If we do, then bad guys will use them against us.” Jackie complained.

Marvin didn’t understand. Who was telling him this stuff?

“Who’s telling you all this? Who’s forcing you to hide your emotions?” Marvin asked.

“It’s not a who, it’s a what...and, the answer is society.” Jackie replied, biting his lip.

Marvin sighed. He never truly knew how much pressure Jackie was in. Not until now. Now, it sounds overwhelming and mentally draining.

“I uh...I’m sorry to hear that.” Marvin started, unsure of what to say.

Jackie gave a small smile. “It’s fine. But I do wanna know: can I get down now?” Jackie asked.

“Sure! Ya, go ahead!” Marvin replied. Jackie nodded and flew himself down to the grass-filled ground.

“I’m glad you understand. It’s hard explaining to some people how exhausting keeping up an ego can really be.” Jackie explained.

“Well...I want you to remember that despite your ability to fly, you’re still human. Humans make mistakes, and that’s okay. And one day, the world will see that as well.” Marvin reassured.

“You...you think so?” Jackie asked.

“Well, I don’t know if everyone will change their thoughts about it, but I know your close community will.” Marvin explained, pointing to the house.

Jackie turned his head towards Marvin and widened his smile a little more. “Thanks Marvin.” Jackie said.

“No problem.” Marvin replied.

“No, really! I rarely get this kind of advice.” Jackie explained, scratching the back of his head awkwardly.

“Do you wanna know something?” Marvin asked.

“Sure.” Jackie replied.

“Wanna guess how I know you’re a human being?” Marvin asked.

“Uh...I walk on 2 legs?” Jackie attempted, laughing at his own silly guess.

“Nope!” Marvin replied, before lifting his hands. “Though we’re not the only animal that’s ticklish, we ARE the only animals that laugh when tickled.” Marvin explained, wiggling his hands in the air to tease the man.

“Aw cohohome ohohon! Nohohot thihihihis again!” Jackie reacted, already giggling at the wiggling fingers.

“Come on! I wanna try out more spots!” Marvin replied. Marvin placed his wiggly fingers onto Jackie’s ribs, and played them like a piano.

“Hehehey! Wait! Nahahahaha!” Jackie reacted, giggling and squirming back and forth to stop the hands as best he could.

Marvin smiled and start scribbling and scratching on the ribs, and in the gallows between the ribs.

Jackie gasped. “MAHAHARVIIIIIHIHIN!!” Jackie yelled, using his hands to push Marvin’s away.

“Whaaaatt? What could you poooossibly waaaannt?” Marvin teased, stretching out his vowels to make fun of his friend.

“LEHEHET MEHE GOOHOHOHO!” Jackie yelled.

“But why? You look like you’re having so much fun!” Marvin argued.

“IHIHI AHAHAM, BUHUT-“ Jackie started. But, Jackie couldn’t finish his sentence, because Marvin had decided to move his fingers up up up, to the middle of his rib cage.

“NONONONONOOHOHOHOHO! EHEHEHAHAHAHAHA!” Jackie shouted, kicking his legs to try and get Marvin off him.

“Wow! I think this might be your worst spot yet!” Marvin exclaimed excitedly.

“IHIHIHIHI’M BEHEHEHEHEGGING YOHOHOHOHOU! PLEHEHEHEHEHEASE STAHAHAHAHAP!” Jackie shouted through his hysterical laughter. He was getting exhausted fairly quickly, and he was starting to feel tears of mirth build up on the sides of his eyes.

Luckily, Marvin noticed this and slowed his fingers to gentle tapping.

“Is that better?” Marvin asked. Jackie’s hysterical laughter had died down to comfortable giggling, and a big smile he couldn’t wipe off for the life of him.

Since Jackie was still exhausted, he couldn’t really talk. So, he nodded his head instead and soaked in as much air as he could through his giggling.

“Why ahahare yohohohou dohohoing thihihihis?” Jackie asked through his giggling.

Marvin smiled happily. “Because you were being cocky earlier, and it was getting annoying. I needed to remind you that you have flaws.” Marvin explained.

“Yahahaha...I dohohoho...” Jackie muttered, in an embarrassed tone of voice.

“But that’s okay. Again, you’re human. And, a ticklish one, at that.” Marvin mentioned, giving Jackie’s neck a little tickle.

Jackie let out a giggle and scrunched his shoulders. “Hehehehey!” Jackie said through his adorable giggles.

“You know, someone should try and fix that for ya. If a bad guy gets a hold of this information, you won’t last very long...” Marvin teased.

Even though Jackie’s face was already fairly red from the tickling, his face had managed to get even MORE red from the teasing! However, Jackie welcomed it and let himself giggle away. It’s been a while since he’s been like this, so he shouldn’t try to hide it...no matter how much he WANTED to hide it...

[dweemeister]

Deliverance (1972)

Different genres of film appeal or repulse people to differing degrees. I can stomach an average musical, but I find that I have little patience with an average modern-day action film. The reasons for that are numerous, to be described in another review. John Boorman’s Deliverance is an action-survival film that might seem out of place today – there are long stretches without dialogue or violence and it dares to examine its protagonists’ mindsets as they become victims of violence. Based on the best-selling novel of the same name by James Dickey, Deliverance is a solid entry into the action-adventure tradition. A harrowing film even after the violence has passed, it is nevertheless hampered by its controversial rape scene and reductive depiction of those in the Appalachian American South.

Ed Gentry (Jon Voight), Lewis Medlock (Burt Reynolds), Bobby Trippe (Ned Beatty in his film debut), and Drew Ballinger (Ronny Cox in his film debut) are four Atlanta businessman looking forward to a weekend canoeing down the Cahulawassee River (this river is fictional) before the river valley is flooded by a dam. In the opening minutes, Drew – a guitar player – spots an implicitly inbred boy (Billy Redden) at a gas station. The two share a duet of “Dueling Banjos”, in the film’s most famous scene.The men soon travel downriver, hoping to take in nature’s beauty and to escape from life’s responsibilities. Their desires, however, are shattered when Bobby and Ed are confronted by two men of the mountain (Bill McKinney and Herbert “Cowboy” Coward). For no understandable reason, Bobby – at gunpoint – is forced to strip his clothes. Ed is sexually assaulted as Bobby looks on. One of the rapists is killed by Lewis, unnoticed by the assailants, and the survivor runs deeper into the forest. The men resolve to head to their downriver destination, Aintry, as soon as possible.

The film’s infamous rape scene does not explicitly show the worst moments, but what is heard is horrifying enough. The cameras show Ned Beatty’s face, distraught and dirt-filled, for far too long. Burt Reynolds himself noticed the camera operators squirming away while director John Boorman continued. Disgusted, Reynolds stood in front of the cameras, asked Boorman why he let the scene run that long, and Boorman responded: “I wanted to take it as far as I could with the audience, and I figured you’d run in when it got too far.” The final cut of Deliverance lingers over the rape; for the audience’s sake, an implied or suggested assault would have been preferable and still respected Dickey’s adapted screenplay of his own novel. Boorman’s lack of restraint – even though some modern directors have even less restraint when presented with such a scenario – damages the film.

Since its release, Deliverance has helped solidify stereotypes about those who live in the American South and how Southern masculinity – bathed in humanity’s and nature’s violence – manifests itself. There is banter aplenty among the protagonists about their physical prowess; the weapons used in this film are phallic suggestions. Much of the pre-release promotion of Deliverance focused on Reynolds’ physicality and how Boorman’s direction pushed his four lead actors through physical pain and natural peril. The four leads, whose characters are from Atlanta, are distinguished from the mountainous locals they encounter at the gas station, during their trip, and in Aintry. Ed, Lewis, Bobby, and Drew represent a suburbanizing, “new” South – a departure from the increasingly urbanized and less white urban South.

In Deliverance, the suburban “new” South meets the Appalachian “old” South. The latter, accustomed to the wilderness surrounding it and wary of the former’s intrusions, is shown as humble and skeptical in Deliverance’s opening minutes to assertive and suspicious by the end of the film’s first act. Boorman depicts the Appalachian Southerners as backwards, their technology and understanding of the outside world decades removed from the present. Their paranoia, Boorman (a Brit who, in post-release interviews, showed little understanding of the poor white Southerners he encountered while making the film) will show, and aggressive territorial behavior can also be argued as self-defense. As Lewis explains to his friends about why they are going on this canoeing trip:

There ain’t gonna be no more river… You just push a little more power into Atlanta, a little more air conditioners [sic] for your smug little suburb, and you know what’s gonna happen? We’re gonna rape this whole goddamned landscape.

The rural Southerners in Deliverance can be interpreted as reacting against industrialized modernity and a white middle class, in defense of an individualistic naturalism that those in cities and suburbs cannot fathom. Their way of life, threatened by the damming project, is endangered – and most likely without their permission. Violence, when law enforcement is sparse, is an acceptable recourse to these people as is sexual assault, Boorman notes. And given how Boorman portrays the poor white men – snaggle-toothed, bone-thin, and underdressed – he is uninterested in providing any depth to these characters. Deliverance sides with the four middle-class whites, never affording the lower-class white characters anything more than their violent “nature.” These stereotypes that Boorman perpetuates are fixtures in how America media views lower-class white Southerners or, in common parlance, “poor white trash.” Look at the lengthy connections page on the films’ IMDb entry; notice how many films and television shows have featured footage or references to Deliverance without context. Numerous mentions and variations of the notorious “squeal like a pig” line appear when one character is threatening another with violence; a child with a banjo or a reference to “Dueling Banjos” brings up character’s fears or perhaps discussion of inbreeding and territorial violence.

Unfortunately, Boorman and Dickey’s approach to how the antagonists are portrayed works just as they want it to. The images that Boorman, cinematographer Vilmos Zsigmond (1971’s McCabe & Mrs. Miller, 1977’s Close Encounters of the Third Kind), and editor Tom Preistley (1965’s Repulsion, 1984’s 1984) summon play into a fear of the “other” – placing the antagonist above the protagonist during a frame, keeping the antagonists faceless by positioning them into the background, and wary glances from the four businessman towards the riverbanks as if looking for hidden threats. Not knowing what to expect from this film, I – in my first viewing – found myself unconsciously retreating to damning assumptions even in the opening moments as the Atlantan friends drive up to the gas station (nothing sinister happens at the gas station). My preconceptions have been shaped by various media, assisted (and not started) by Deliverance. In its bourgeoisie discomfort towards underclass whites, Deliverance has helped continue its dreadful ideas about “white trash” – treating them as an existential threat to urban-suburban prosperity and order. This anxiety, an offshoot of the Southern Gothic literary tradition, persists. This reality is, as the locals of Rabun County, Georgia (where this film was shot and where many of the film’s extras resided) will tell you, unfair.

Where Deliverance succeeds is in its psychological treatment of violence. The final twenty minutes of the film – where the men must contend with the police investigation and the personal, extralegal consequences of their actions – would be ignored by many other filmmakers. Beyond the physical acting required for the canoeing scenes and combat against their assailants, this is where the actors shine. Jon Voight is the standout in the closing act, even if Burt Reynolds somehow retains his charm in an otherwise grave moment. The actors convey their characters’ swirls of emotions oftentimes without saying a word in an excellent ensemble performance.

The canoeing scenes in Deliverance were shot on the Chattooga River, which divides northeastern Georgia from northwestern South Carolina. The series of rapids that the production shot on contain some of the most dangerous waters for canoers, kayakers, and rafters in the United States. Such is the Chattooga’s reputation that the likes of Marlon Brando and Henry Fonda backed out of roles when they learned about its rapids. A famous stunt of Burt Reynolds volunteering to send himself over a ninety-foot waterfall in a canoe was inspired by the fact that Reynolds believed that using a dummy was unconvincing. Reynolds break his coccyx on the way down. After returning from the hospital, Reynolds asked Boorman about how the new footage appeared. Boorman’s response: “Like a dummy going a waterfall.”

Whether or not one has seen Deliverance, this is undoubtedly an influential American film – especially how it portrays its Southern characters, the violence they sustain against each other, and the environment surrounding them. A technically effective movie, the stereotypes within have proven resilient before and long after its initial release. It is the film’s undoing and, because of how dominant these views are, its ballast.

My rating: 7.5/10

^ Based on my personal imdb rating. Half-points are always rounded down. My interpretation of that ratings system can be found here.

[sage-nebula]

Ace Attorney is clearly a satirized version of the Japanese criminal justice system, but proper satires are created not just to be humorous, but to highlight actual injustices and problems within society. They are created to punch up, not down, and that’s what Ace Attorney has done since the start.

Japan has a 99% conviction rate, and it is not because their detectives are superhuman who can somehow always be right when no other police force in the world is capable of such a thing. Instead, the 99% conviction rate is because:

In Japan, you are guilty until proven innocent. This is why, in the Ace Attorney games, you are fighting to prove your client didn’t commit the crime, and why you have to find who did commit the crime. “Beyond a reasonable doubt” doesn’t exist in the Japanese criminal justice system. Both in the eyes of the courts AND in the eyes of the general public, if you are arrested for a crime, it is for a reason, and that reason is because you are guilty. Therefore, in Japan, the burden of evidence is on the defense, not the prosecution.

In Japan, high importance is placed on repentance. This is really the only place where “honor” comes in. If you show enough remorse or guilt for whatever it is that you allegedly did, you’re likely to get a lesser sentence. For this reason, defense attorneys in Japan will often encourage their clients to sign confessions to crimes they didn’t commit, in order to get lesser sentences. Back when I was researching all of this for a fic I wrote, I read a first-hand account of an ESL teacher working in Japan who was arrested because store owners thought she was shoplifting. She was made to sign a confession saying she DID shoplift even though she didn’t, because her defense attorney said it was the only way to get her out of an extended jail stay. She was then “forced to resign” (i.e. fired) from her job because the school board thought she would make the district look bad, having that shoplifting charge on her record.

In Japan, you can be held for 23 days without being charged with a crime. The initial detainment period is 48 hours, but the prosecutors can request a 21-day extension from a judge who isn’t personally involved with the investigation, and these extensions are usually granted. During this time the detainee undergoes daily interrogations, and according to Japanese law, lawyers cannot be present during interrogations. This is another thing that rings true with Ace Attorney’s presentation, given that Phoenix is never in the interrogation room with his client while the police and prosecutors are grilling them.

In Japan, attorneys are hired at the expense of the accused. Japan does have court-appointed free counsel, but court-appointed lawyers aren’t appointed until after the indictment occurs. This means that if a person wants to have legal counsel before they are indicted for their crime, they have to pay for that expense out of pocket. If they can’t afford to, they are S.O.L. Additionally, since you can be held for 23 days without being charged (i.e. indicted), you may be in police custody for 23 days before you’re given legal counsel if you can’t afford to pay for it.

Unfortunately I initially researched this topic (and spent weeks doing so) around five or six years ago, so I no longer have my exact sources. And given that I am hungry and it is suppertime, I don’t want to spend the time to hunt them down again, haha. However, here are some links with information on what I described above: (link) (link) (link) Obviously this is not a full dissertation on the Japanese criminal justice system and is instead just a very brief overview, but it’s going to have to suffice because I want to go make dinner. TL;DR: Japan is a beautiful country and I love it with all my heart, I miss it every day of my life and I want to go back there so badly it hurts, but their criminal justice system is fucked and getting arrested there is the absolute last thing you want to do. Be on your very best behavior when you go to Japan, don’t look even REMOTELY suspicious, mind your business and be good, for your own sake.

Real lawyer plays Phoenix Wright Ace Attorney

[valeriemperez]

Not sure if you saw, but a filming notice was posted on Twitter saying that The Flash will be filming a flashback scene involving a superhero trying to save people on a bus. I would assume it's a flashback to the bus being hit when Barry came out of the speed force. Maybe someone tried to save everyone when it happened but we never saw it until now? Since I fully expect Dawn to be in the finale, maybe she was the superhero who tried to save them?

In before I’m proven wrong this afternoon! I definitely have the same theory as you, which is that we will learn Dawn (wearing her mother’s speedster outfit no less) tried to stop the passengers on the bus from being caught in the speed force energy in order to stop Devoe’s plan before it begun. Obviously she failed, lol.. The only thing that gives me pause is the phrase “from a villain,” because I don’t remember there being one there. But we’ll see!

Candice and JLM’s stunt doubles are filming in Devoe’s lair today. 👀

This was from yesterday, but it excited me! Here’s hoping that Iris and Joe jump into Devoe’s dimension as backup when Barry goes after him or gets taken.

I hated last nights episode, but I did love that Cisco had a nice storyline! I’m really hoping that Cisco takes up Breachers offer and becomes a bounty hunter. If Iris starts working on Central City Citizen, then that gives us two careers outside of Star Labs. Of course, they’d still be on the team, but we’d get to see them doing more. Do you think it’s a possibility?

The only reason I think Cisco won’t take the job is because it sounds like it would mean living on Earth-19. But if he manages to get the job while still living on Earth-1 and being a regular, then sure!

So yesterday that pursuit guy on Twitter said flash would be filming in studio Tues and Weds. A fan once again asked if H@rtley was filming and for a second time pursuit said he hasn’t seen him in a long time. Not saying r@lph won’t be in the finale but from 419-422 he def won’t be.

And we are blessed for it.

“Today’s weather forecast seems to be raining salty tears from haters and racists in your region. The cause of this appears to be the Flash Season Finale titled "We Are The Flash”. It is expected to be a long rainstorm for the next couple of weeks. Make sure to dress warmly, comfortably and wear protective rain gear with a big smile!“ Back to you, Tati.

LOL, it’s gonna be beautiful. Granted, I’ve heard the Thinker says “now we are the Flash” at one point in the comics to Wally, when he’s taken over his mind or something. So there might be a double entendre in the finale, but it’ll still go back to WA in the end.

KE (Marlize) was great last night and she seems like quality people. If we have to keep this stupid team and this stupid basement known as Starlabs, can we at least keep her after this season is over?

I vote yes!

I really do think the whole situation with Ajk caused the lack of consistency in the writing this season. I feel like this is the starting point of where Todd gained full control of the storyline so im hopeful these last few episodes will really make up for the season and could potentially put it over the top

Definitely agree about the lack of consistency. Fingers crossed Todd can right the ship in the last 6 episodes.

Totally agree about the writers not seeming as invested in Barry this season. He’s connected to the Speed Force, he dealt with the deaths of both his parents, and finally married the woman he’s been in love with for most of his life. They’re just not sure what to do with him besides using him to prop up another hero’s journey. But here’s hoping they delve into the Flash legacy stuff by the end of this season.

Writers often struggle with happy and fulfilled heroes, lol, but I am confident that shifting focus to the Flash family will help a lot.

I noticed Devoe/Marlize hasn’t kissed for a while. I mean they had no problem kissing when Devoe was in Dominic’s body but don’t kiss when he was in Becky or currently in Izzy. Do you think the TF writers or the actresses have a problem with it and that’s why there’s no kissing between them recently?

You’re right, it’s suspicious. Then again, we can’t be sure if someone has a problem with it or if they are avoiding it because Clifford drugging Marlize has unfortunately coincided with him inhabiting a woman’s body…

Truth be told for better or for worse I don’t think the heads of CW care that much about live ratings anymore. @rrow crashed and burned in the ratings and the network renegotiated another season for them. Other tv networks have noticed a huge drop in live ratings. Guess what I’m saying is live ratings don’t matter as much especially if you have strong streaming deals like the CW has.

True, as long as deals are in place and they get social media traction, CBS/WB will probably eat the loss. 

lol they don’t care about "falling ratings” look at arrow, keeps getting renewed despite lackluster ratings. the shows make them money, changing up the formula prob won’t happen

LOL, you and the anon above you are dream killers. But you’re right.

We were coming back from a month long hiatus with a lackluster ep that heavily featured Ralph so I knew ratings would be down…but damn. A .6/1.8 mil (if it holds) is a series low, isn’t it? The producers and the network need to start getting worried and reconfigure some things.

My hope is they understand Ralph is not appreciated and keep him gone. Beyond that, they just need to bring the heart back full-time.

Just wanted to say, that if the writers don’t feel Barry, who is the lead character, they need to get new writers. It doesn’t matter much how good or bad other characters are written when you sideline the lead like that. The general audience is attached to Barry, and now Ralph angers a lot of people, even those who liked him from the beginning. I hope the writers will realize that you can’t have the Flash show without actually telling Barry’s story and do better next season.

Right there with you.

Is it me or did Barry whine to Iris (like a child would) about being stuck in the air after Null’s attack? More kids foreshadowing…🤔?

LOL, I wouldn’t call that foreshadowing. But he was being childish there, it was cute.