#and if i succeed at the scene i need to do next i will seriously think about putting one together because it will be quite the feat

[thebramblewood]

Why is excitement over the idea of making a pose pack suddenly keeping me awake when I said I didn't think I was interested in doing another one?

[margareth-lv]

⛓️ When art and life become one ⛓️

I believe fairy tales have a great deal of therapeutic power. And there's nothing quite like a good story.

As I’ve written here a few times before, I first started watching Outlander in 2020 – a challenging year for us all. At that time, we all needed a good story to take our minds off reality. And to move into the catharsis that art offers. You can imagine my excitement when I realised that two actors (who were so obviously in love) playing the characters in the story were born around the same time as the characters they were playing.

James Alexander Malcolm MacKenzie Fraser, born on 1 May. Sam Roland Heughan, born on 30 April. Both Taurus, just like me. Claire Beauchamp Randall Fraser, born on 20 October. Caitríona Mary Balfe, born on 4 October. Both Libra.

And, as you might expect, in both the play and real life, she is older than he is. Isn't it wonderful how things just fall into place sometimes? There’s always something to ponder, think about and enjoy.

But it's been a while since we've seen joy in "enjoy." The Taylor Swift concert is the exception that proves the rule, here.

I'm getting tired of the low-level storytelling we've been presented with for a while now. This story is the worst of the worst. It’s a pretty poor selection of C, D, and E cinema.

And it's pretty sad how two people, who literally built their relative public recognisability on being the 'hottest couple on the screen', are now pathetically role-playing their supposed 'real love lives'. And neither of them succeeds. They're also pretty weak actors in their roles of romantic lovers (I'm thinking mainly of Sam here). Let me just say that they're not pathetic only when they're together. *** *** *** When I saw the blurry, embarrassing footage from this weekend's Giorgio Armani Tennis Classic (tagged #ad on Sam's Instagram), my first thought was that it was a spectacle for us, our Tumblr fandom. There's no one else who would be interested in something you have to look for with a magnifying glass, zooming in, spending long minutes stopping frames of film. Then I got reminded about the Wimbledon Tennis Championships back in July 2019 and another poor performances by 'bride' and her 'groom' a month before their 'wedding'.

Do you remember those pictures?

First wife, second wife, Claire Beauchamp Randall Fraser and Laoghaire MacKenzie, I mean, Evie Greenwood, a primary teacher.

You know, realism and art all blend together.

We first saw this kind of kissing being reduced to sucking on the partner's upper lip in what we were forced to think was Sam’s ‘real life’, and then we saw the same thing on screen.

And what about Sam's somewhat embarrassing performance in The Couple Next Door? Which other actor in that film has exposed themselves so much (and so pointlessly), in a literal sense?

How many of us thought Sam's performance in the erotic scenes in TCND was not sexy at all, but disgusting?

I did.

Wasn't that display of Sam's rhythmically moving buttocks as distasteful as his other performance a few weeks ago?

Seriously, I would never want my husband/partner/father of my children to behave like this. There's no money worth it. But maybe there is.

Sometimes I feel sorry for them, sometimes I don't. Sometimes I remind myself of how jealous Cait can be.

How on earth do they manage to live like that?

[3 July, 2024]

[kafus]

ever since liko lost in her battle against chili back in HZ056 i've been pretty passionate about wanting liko to win her future battle against grusha, partially because i just love her and want to see her win after such a heart-wrenching defeat, but also because i thought it would be good character writing - she loses, but learns to be passionate about battling in the process, and then she can apply that to her next major fight and win as a result. that was my thought process.

as HZ063 drew closer however, i started feeling like that maybe isn't what would happen - the way episodes have panned out, she hasn't really had any major battle training since her loss against chili (her joining roy with "awesome training" does not count LOL), and that massive cetitan and the type disadvantage started to really loom over the whole thing. but i still wasn't sure and by the time HZ063 came out this weekend, i genuinely had no clue what to expect, i just hoped the character writing payoff would be good, win or lose.

AND IT WAS!!! thank fucking god i love liko so much i need more really good liko episodes. i'm eating this up

first off: liko REALLY shows off what she learned from battling chili. honestly an absolute treat to watch. her level of increased confidence and focus honestly made me feel spoiled as a fan. never once did she take her eyes off the battle, she was not distracted by grusha being a hardass, and she's able to think through being pinned into a corner to turn the tides despite the odds stacked against her.

everything from the strategic switch to tebrim, to firing off magical leaf into huljukira's mouth, to grabbing tyltalis by the tail/feet... she's actually a really crafty and thoughtful battler when she sets her mind to it, which makes sense because her battle preferences are more to do with her mind than raw strength. even roy remarks "nice control" because she has notable precise control over her pokemon's actions. point is the payoff for her character development in her battle against chili was still present... despite her loss.

and man does this loss sting like a bitch after watching her perform so well... AND on top of that grusha is a complete asshole about it. like UGH it just hurts to watch. and frankly there's no excuse as someone in grusha's position to be treating students that way... but there is a reason. and the reason makes this episode super fucking interesting. i really like how it was handled, actually.

pretty much directly after a scene where grusha interrupts the trio having fun sledding with the arukujira, we're presented with grusha's backstory about why and how he quit snowboarding. the writing is essentially saying, here's grusha being a no-fun, shitty person, and here's why he's like that. (notably, the trio was doing something similar to snowboarding and had to dodge being injured themselves...)

what's important, though, is that we also find out that grusha didn't quit snowboarding because he was too seriously injured to ever do it again, just that it would be harder for him to achieve the same results he used to. he made a conscious, emotionally fueled decision to quit, because like the man says: he's harsh on everyone, himself included.

at this point, he is basically the opposite of liko, and to the general themes of most stories in pokemon. he is not an incredible pokemon trainer because of passion, in fact he only became a trainer after his snowboarding accident just so he'd have something to succeed at again. he is not an incredible pokemon trainer because of friends or adventure or any other reason than a desperation to reach the same artificial "success" heights that he did before his accident. not to say that he's inhuman - forgiving the arukujira that caused his injury, patting it on the head, and becoming its trainer, signals a sense of personal guilt over the situation, and the arukujira in question obviously likes him despite his behavior. but it's a very strong contrast to what liko learned in HZ056, with being connected with her pokemon through battle, and enjoying fighting tough opponents even though she could lose.

and it's important to note that even as far back as HZ056 itself, grusha was framed as a contrast to liko. he approaches her and his coldness (no pun intended) immediately slices into the atmosphere of the scene and liko's improved mood, and he implies that liko is weak for being happy after losing, because all he personally cares about is winning and being on top.

all of this is to say that grusha is in the wrong to fail liko, he's in the wrong to talk down to her the way that he does. and this is made clear by the writing! when liko loses and grows from it, grusha's there to say something negative about it. when liko is having fun with her pokemon and her friends, he sarcastically remarks that she must be "pretty confident" if she has time to "goof off." the man in the gym says that he could have kept snowboarding, but he quit, as opposed to liko who gets back up again. everyone thinks he's harsh and offputting.

and at the end when grusha fails her, even dot and roy are like, no, maybe he'll pass you or give you a second chance! because they (rightly) experienced those things and were able to grow from those experiences, so surely the same would be the case for liko? but no! and it's a shock to everyone!

the sound effect paired with liko's surprised face clearly indicates that this is supposed to shock the viewer just as much as it shocks liko and her friends.

and her friends are so surprised that they even try to argue with grusha about it!! it is unfair and wrong! and that's so fucking interesting!!! grusha is a flawed adult character, he's not part of the explorers but he's still treating liko wrongly as opposed to with the support that most of the adults in her life have given her, and he has a reason which makes him compelling, but not an excuse. for the type of show this is i am continually surprised by the complexity of some of the character writing, and this hits particularly well. liko's loss feels meaningful... and like setup for something.

to me, this episode seamlessly bridges off of liko's character development set in motion in HZ056, and also makes her character more clear through her contrast with grusha. i definitely don't think this is truly the end of this plot thread - whether or not liko actually gets to fight grusha again sometime in the future or something else, i definitely think liko will get to prove herself in some way, that pokemon battles aren't just about winning or losing and that grusha was indeed in the wrong. and i do hope she gets to fight grusha again or grusha gets to see her prove herself in the future, because it seems like the guy needs to learn to loosen up and have fun and be passionate, too.

i feel even more sure of this because amethio is in the upcoming episode (thank god, i missed him) and grusha parallels amethio in a lot of ways - they both work very hard to be stronger, but just because of a desperation to succeed, and they're both absolutely miserable and irritable as people because of it, though of course amethio's motivations for being this way are very different. i won't speculate too much about the next episode right now but i am hoping that this will be pointed out by the narrative in some way - an amethio episode coming right after this feels... intentional to say the least lol.

the intentional nature of horizons' character writing and its ability to follow through on things it sets up episodes ago never fails to impress me tbh. really good episode. i fucking love liko

[strawberry-shortcakey]

my defense of Caitlyn in wake of season 2

    Defending my wife rn 

    Lets get right into this mind you my spelling and punctuation are like non existent so yk

Starting off with the thing i feel people seem to not really understand is whats happening is shes being tugged in like 5 different directions struggling between her obligations to her family name the kiraman family is matriarchal this rests on her entirely she wants to maintain her mothers legacy yet theres the undeniable rage fueled by her mothers death and her feeling of failing all of piltover the feeling that if she had killed jinx before there wouldnt have been so many lives lost she feels ultimately responsible for everything in her life which makes that rage overpower her i mean most of the council civilians enforcers who she had been around her WHOLE LIFE. she feels all that weight in her heart and on her mind much like vi due to her trauma generalizes the people of piltover and enforcers cait blames zaunites and i feel its unfair to give vi a pass and not caitlyn shes trying to hold onto her morals she fights for avoiding innocents getting hurt until the memorial attack where it turns into more than an attack by jinx now an attack from multiples causing her to lose that part of her morals and the last pull is for vi caitlyn loves vi thats something i have never doubted for even a second i mean seriously she puts so much at stake for vi. People don't seem to see that her bringing vi before the council in season one couldve ended poorly for her it couldve reflected horribly onto her family if the council had decided not to hear her out. And on top of all of that shes trying to hold it together. We see her cry a few times but she doesnt ever really let it out i mean shes putting herself under that pressure part of her character has always been that she hates when things are just handed to her as we see in her scene with grayson when she gets upset at the mere idea of her parents paying off grayson to let her win and we confirm that stayed into adulthood when jayce offers her that job for him and shes offended at the mere idea and i feel part of her feels if she shows that pain shes in things are gonna be handed to her out of sheer pity something that would likely fuel her rage further and further.

Next topic is her being willing to kill isha if it meant killing jinx. Now i understand the shock of this how it feels “out of character for her” but it really isnt yes she has been openly against the idea of people getting hit in the crossfire but in her mind its 1 innocent for multiple innocents including her own mother. she also isnt the first character to directly or indirectly result in a child's death and she didnt even succeed so yk but anyway every single councilor is responsible for countless deaths of undercity children and families heimerdinger honestly the most responsible because yk like 200 years of  ignoring the undercity and can i also just mention vis switch up on her opinion season one jayce kills a kid when fighting at the shimmer lab and vi has the mentality “you did what needed to be done one life for like 100” yet when caitlyn finds herself in that same mindset vis all “whats wrong with you you're evil now” so uh yeah not an attack on vi just trying to expand on it throughout this i will make comparisons on how we excuse vi but attack caitlyn and why i think thats really telling of how people see her as a character only there for caitvi romance plot!! But anyway caitlyn had every fucking right in that moment mind you she also was running on adrenaline something that i feel a lot of people don't understand in that moment its often impulse you do the first thing to come to mind she was just fighting off sevika shes in that do or die mindset its kill jinx or people die people also don't understand how deep caits trauma around jinx runs we don't know what she was put through during the time between her abduction and the like final scene of season 1 also just yk the entire show. jinx is her personal trauma.

Now onto the caitvi argument in the tunnels lets loop back to the state of mind she was in shes pumped on adrenaline rage and fear. She feels a deep sense of betrayal much like jinx does when vi “picks cait over her” its that feeling of “oh so you care more about someone who deeply hurt me and a random kid than me.” that only fuels her rage/pain that is making her less and less of her core values. caitlyn gets on the defensive she makes a generalization Something once again we see vi do to caitlyn earlier with the oil and water speech which no doubt left a hole in caits heart something that will stick with her dare i even say that plays a part in why she no longer sees zaun and pilover as two sides of the same coin the person who helped her learn something so crucial suddenly saying “actually we are different piltover is all the same you're all horrible. We can never get along, you are not an exception” which no doubt shattered that view and helped cement the separation in her mind. The key difference is that vi didnt get physical cait pushed her and hit her with the rifle but like i said she's on the defense. Also ive seen people saying “oh well cait knows how shes traumatized by enforcers” to caitlyn that trauma is equal to the trauma of what jinx has done to her and honestly it is caitlyn has lost almost everything to this for the sake of what started off as her dreams of justice her need to prove herself has been what she feels like is the sole cause of the  downfall of piltover. Which is why i truly believe caitlyn is still herself that the development to her character logical and her actions fully explainable and defendable 

Little added thing it’s after getting compared to jinx that she hits vi I mentioned how that’s literally her main trauma jinx killed her mom and ruined her life I’d hit someone with a rifle over that too.

And thats all ive got for now lmk if i should cover more!! And i will be adding as arc 2 and 3 release!

[sulky-cabbage]

I once made a not so serious post about a possible parallelism between Megumi and Sukuna.

And....

Sorry but how do you keep Megumi trapped inside Sukuna and when Yuji reaches the depths Megumi starts saying this stuff

right after the chapter where Yuji was trying to reach Sukuna and show him the beauty of life without me thinking that what Megumi's saying is a hint to Sukuna's true buried (human?) feelings and maybe what he could never have?? (Or maybe not and he's just the antithesis of Megumi which is another form of parallelism)

Megumi's soul is trapped inside a curse!!!

let me rephrase that...

A "Blessing" is drowned inside the king of curses!!

A "Blessing" that he tried so hard to suppress by killing his love one(s)

This is the exact type of symbolism that sticks in my brain and I just can't ignore it.

Maybe it's a reach but I just can't brush it off!!

Yuji tried to save them both!!

Keep in mind the Ksitigarbha is also a guardian of children and a patron deity of deceased children and aborted fetuses.

Gege did repeat the scene where Satoru meets child Megumi but with Yuji this time!!

Satoru was trying to save Megumi and reach Sukuna but he failed. (Seems like Yuta's method of becoming Satoru also failed)

I didn't take the Yuji being Satoru's parallel seriously before but I think there's some merit to it now.. (especially after that panel of him with child Megumi, Really Gege?)

Yuta was also a gojo parallel (he literally became gojo) and his character was connected to the theme of love as well. (There is also that whole Rika= Geto thing)

Maybe Gege is showing us two types of students? the one that imitates his teacher, and the other one that does it in his own way and actually succeeds??

Reminds me of these images lol

It makes sense that Yuta is the one to carry Satoru's will and kill Kenjaku (a major villain) and maybe even get to bury geto's body and Satoru's body... maybe next to each other?👀

I imagine Shoko will be there too at the burial...

On the other hand we have Yuji dealing with the main villain (the other thing that Satoru wanted to do and failed)..

I can see Yuji having the ability to see the afterlife of others like Sukuna and Maybe he will guide Sukuna and Gojo (and the others?) to go North?

Honestly this correlation between Megumi and Sukuna is interesting I don't know what it is exactly but...

The fact that we found out that Gege planned for Sukuna to possess Megumi from the start but he was told to change it!!??

AND The cursed womb arc (which I think is the heart of the manga) where Sukuna rips Yuji's heart out and says he can live without it but the brat can't..

(Which was a very cool and symbolic way to subtly tell us the difference in their ideals)

I don't know if it still has the double meaning in Japanese... it probably does

The shibuya stuff and everything was to get gojo out of the story so Sukuna can possess Megumi (which is what Gege wanted all along) so he can repeat what happened in the cursed womb arc again but in reverse.

Also..... there's a possible parallel between Megumi killing Tsumiki and Sukuna killing Gojo?????

Gege gave Megumi a sister that's important to him (and literally does nothing with her) makes me think she was made only so she can get killed by Megumi's hands, but not before making her possessed by a woman who's obsessed with teaching Sukuna about love. (Right before his fight with Gojo mind you) and then connecting this love thing with his fight with gojo (possibly Sukuna's important person?) Bringing up yorozu's words again and again and again during the fight!!

He killed gojo while in Megumi's Body!! (He didn't need to do that!! Don't you find it suspicious that right after killing gojo he turns into his true form??????)

He only gets into his true form when he starts fighting Kashimo (who's kinda Satoru's true form in a way) and he uses the weapon Yorozu gave him on Kashimo!!

And then more talk about love ensued !!!!

And love was never brought up again!!

Honestly this whole thing is diabolical I don't know how Gaygay managed to cook this hard !!

I still have no idea how this is gonna end though.. is Sukuna really just evil? Will we ever get his backstory? Will Yuji be able to actually reach him and make Satoru proud?

[the-kingshound]

This is 'missing-my-siblings-hours' . So, here you go, Emyr's (Tried my best not to be ooc) (Which I think I am, and I'm sincerely sorry) if MC and Saraah really succeed in bringing him to Camelot:

When Emyr woke up, he didn't expected to have sliced cucumbers along his face, nor did he expect to seeing his older and younger brothers whisking some sort of a gooey mix, while excitedly muttering how much skin care they'd get to work on him after all these years.

And so, when Ghaven walked up to him and applying the mixture on him, Emyr did what others mostly seen on him. He doesn't move at all, too numb to fight back even within a dream that feels like long ago.

Until Saraah, with his own beauty mask still on, eyes stand out among the sliced cucumbers and awkward little braids that somehow reminds Emyr of the one MC used to do with his eyes, look at him with a blank expression, poked his daydreams.

"...Are you seriously thinking you're still just dreaming, my dearest brother who keeps him away from us?"

Saraah's always managed to poke on others nerves, and they're never been easy to get it away.

Instantly, Emyr crawls out his bed, pushing away both his brothers as he flings himself to the nearest window and opens it.

And that's when he knew there's no way back now.

Emyr looks down along the window. He watches as his oldest sister, Adrei, keeps tight hold of Mordred, the only young child he can think so living with the Queen, and there's Radel, his youngest brother, who seems to be in better and healthier states as before, given how he can heard the latter go out his way teaching flowers to their little nephew.

But what holds most is when he saw — the one and last of them all, the youngest one, his little sister who's been trying to get hold of him, who's still reach out despite his distance — appears among the garden.

Emyr always know she'd been beautiful. But nothing can't stop him from worrying back when Adrei's letters come through about her going on battlefields. He'd remember what's like back then for him, his mind goes through those eyes resembling of the purest pearl that always soothe him, when he's still young, and could get a firm hold of his little sibling in his arms.

Ghaven weren't surprised at all. When Emyr's stunned. They kept silence as Saraah sneaks back up to Emyr and offer painful but nonetheless comforting touches, "Yeah, yeah, I know too." His next words, though, ouch. "After all these times... Can't belive we're all together again, huh? Except for Osi—— OCEANA! I mean that boring kingdom in the old mermaid tale! OCEANA! Emyr, stop hitting me! Ah! Ouch!"

If isn't the fact Emyr's still too timid (they'd change it, given now where they are) to even commit a murder, Ghavem would've step in to stop them from a supposedly crime scene. Still, they moves up between both their brothers, and cast away Saraah who's now running off to join in the rest in garden.

He didn't spoke anything. Waiting patiently for Emyr.

"I... H-how did... Is the King——" How did I got here? Is the King aware of this? "W-What will... I can't... They'd got... Of me... S..." What will happen to them? What will happen to you and Saraah? I can't be here! They'd get me! You'd get killed because of me! Sent me back! "I... I... Ah——..."

Emyr crumbles at last. Luckily, Ghaven's there to make sure their knees wouldn't hurt much as they catch him as they gradually fall to the ground. Ah, Adrei'd lecture them on this, definitely. Being too harsh on the joke.

"To answer your questions." They pulls him up back to the bed and throws up every warm blankets from the one mother hen knight closed to their little one. "MC'd been plotting to get you here since the last time we all met. Ironically, your... former house, got some issues."

Emyr don't need to hear anymore to know what's been going around. So he decided to do the thing he's been good at. He closes his eyes, nodding off soundly in his found peace as Ghaven lights up a few candles.

Osia can screw off. Emyr thinks. She can't do no harm to him now that he's faraway than she'll ever think.

A-And... He'd like to hug everyone when he's awake.

(Sorry for grammatic mistakes =+

Aww omg that's so adorable... bestest of ways to start my day❤ Thank you so much for sending it, anon, I actually think Emyr was quite in character! Having all the siblings together is very nostalgic and makes me want to hurry and get them all to Camelot...

[teriri-sayes]

Reactions to Tsunami Stopper's Chapter 189

TL;DR - HD got excited and about to reach enlightenment when he saw CH's fight against Blood Demon. Raon couldn't solve the array formation, so they called Eru for help. Eru taught Raon a way to seal it, but Cale still had to stop the tsunami alone.

Excited Heavenly Demon A third of this chapter was all about HD and his thoughts about the battle against Blood Demon. There was also his analysis about Cale's DA and CH's new aura. And he came to the conclusion that reaching the Nature Realm was not the answer to becoming stronger. Rather, he would do it the way CH did.

It was interesting that he made CH his new goal to aspire to because CH was more similar to him than Cale. And all these thoughts of becoming stronger got HD so excited that if it were not for the current urgent situation, he would have gone to a quiet place and practiced his swordsmanship. I think it was also hinted that he was about to gain enlightenment. Seriously, Cale. How many murim people gained enlightenment because of you? 🤣🤣🤣

Panicking Cale Today, we got the rare scene of Cale panicking. Returning the core to the array formation did not work. Raon couldn't figure out the altered array formation. Fortunately, they managed to contact Alberu and Eruhaben to ask for help.

But Cale was still in panic mode at that time. He ignored Alberu's greeting and proceeded to demand a solution from Eruhaben. His way of addressing Eruhaben went from polite to informal, and he was even shouting in his panic. Goldie-gramps was bewildered to see this side of Cale that he stuttered in his answers. 😂

Cale's panic was justified. He knew that dealing with both the seal and the tsunami was extremely hard. Oh yeah, forgot the explanation about the tsunami. The altered array formation summoned a tsunami that was threatening to sweep away the entire island and even reach the mainland. So Cale now had to stop that tsunami. He's now a tsunami stopper and not a tsunami creator. 😉

Back to Cale's panic, he knew that dealing with the seal and the tsunami would not just end up with him coughing blood or fainting. Rather, he might even kick the bucket! And he couldn't pass it on to Raon because he did not want the young dragon to cough blood either!

Eruhaben's solution was to seal the array formation. Turns out that the altered array formation contained the power of a dragon plus the power of a world tree. Sealing was Raon's role because he was a dragon.

But poor Jungwon... In order for the sealing to succeed, they needed a suitable "sacrifice" that could handle the powers of a dragon and the world tree. And Jungwon's statue was perfect for it. Cale even patted Raon for coming up with that. So poor Jungwon... 🤣🤣🤣

The ending of the chapter was quite hilarious. It roughly went like this:

Eruhaben: Sealing is easy for Raon, but it will take some time. Cale: The plan is simple. I stop the tsunami as much as possible while Raon handle the sealing. CH & CJS upon realizing that Cale was going to buy time for Raon and stopping the tsunami alone: ... Cale: It's not like have a choice, okay? Water AP: Cale, let's do it. You can do it! It's really simple! Cale: ...Damn it!

Ending Remarks Next chapter will be about Cale stopping the incoming tsunami. The question now is, what will happen to Cale afterwards? Will he cough blood? Will he faint? Or will it be all of the above? 🤣 I guess we'll have something to look forward to on Monday. 🥰

[kindheart525]

What are Nee and Dur’s adult lives like?

I’m so glad you asked, thank you so much! I previously joked that Nee and Dur were “in and out of jail and fleeing from the law” as adults, but that’s not exactly true. In reality they’re doing very well, no longer going on grandiose Mr. Frog-style rampages that make national news but now settled down and running a humble little laundromat. They’ve really turned themselves around.

That’s what the public sees, anyway. The real story is that their antics got them in a lot of trouble that only mounted as they got older. Their habit of biting people as children evolved into serious criminal offenses as they entered adulthood, in a lifestyle that was not sustainable. See, their childhood idol Mr. Frog can get away with such extreme violence because he’s a beloved TV star and former President of the United States, but ordinary citizens like Nee and Dur don’t enjoy such immunity. It eventually came to a point where the law caught up with them and they were facing life in prison, or even the death penalty.

They got out of it, of course. Daddy Pim had to blow his life savings on legal fees, but he managed to get their life-ruining sentences whittled down to 5 years + community service, because money fixes everything in this society. However, the experience made both Nee and Dur realize that they couldn’t carry on committing crimes in the open like this, because Daddy Pim was now dry on legal funds and next time they wouldn’t be so lucky. Knowing his boys needed help getting back on their feet, Pim suggested they establish a charity or business of sorts that serves the community in a positive way, much like the Smiling Friends company does. It would teach them how to care for their fellow citizens and grow as critters, he reasoned. 

So here they are running a laundromat, helping the community keep their clothes clean while keeping their images clean. It totally isn’t a money laundering front. I mean, laundromat, money laundering? That’s too on the nose. They aren’t that dumb. And so what if customers randomly disappear sometimes? They just operate in a bad neighborhood! It’s just a coincidence that everyone who’s disappeared had a particularly bad experience with the laundromat, or perhaps expressed unfounded suspicion about the business’s integrity. All of that has nothing to do with Nee and Dur. No, the Pimling Brothers are better than that. They’ve changed!

In all seriousness, Nee and Dur could never truly live a life free of crime. They would rather die than be deprived of the thrill of immorality. After Pim inadvertently planted the seed, it was Nee’s idea to establish the laundromat and he is also the one who interacts with the public the most. He has a certain charisma that easily deflects suspicion and makes folks believe he’s trustworthy and innocent. It’s how he got himself and his brother out of trouble with their dad, teachers, and other authority figures when they were young, and the skill is still serving him well now. You’ll often hear of Nee offering free laundry services for the local fire department or paying for dinners for the local hospital staff. In this way he’s spreading smiles like Daddy Pim wanted, and he does genuinely enjoy it. Not enough to quit crime, but it’s a nice bonus. While Nee came up with the idea, Dur is the muscle behind it, working behind the scenes to keep things running, including engaging in all the shady business deals that are the true reason this laundromat exists. He’s the Saul Goodman type, able to weasel his way into all the best deals and to keep the exorbitant amounts of money flowing no matter how much he’s screwing over others. 

While Nee’s people skills would not amount to much without Dur’s undercover dealings, Dur would be nowhere without Nee’s ingenious ideas and excellent deflection skills that allow him to do the work he does without trouble. It’s what makes them such a great team, knowing exactly what the other needs to succeed without even having to say so. It’s that twin intuition. And of course, when their work makes it necessary to kill (the definition of “necessary” being VERY loose), they’re both all in just like their childhood hero, just with better cover-up skills.

Does Daddy Pim know what’s really going on? Or their sisters? How would this affect the Smiling Friends if the truth came out? None of that matters because they won’t get in trouble. They’ve learned from last time. Plus, their family members know better than to ask questions. Sure, Pim might start to worry a little when he reads an article about the latest unsolved murder in town, but that could have been anything. He ought not to be so mistrusting of his darling boys. They wouldn’t do that anymore. But if they did, he can’t save them this time, so he’d rather not know.

[asongofstarkandtargaryen]

Thoughts on Gotham war Batman 137 (part 2)

Bruce, I realise that you have a strick code however how are you gonna protect the city if you arrest every superhero that has a different view from yours? Not only is impossible to arrest all the batfamily members who disagree with you but even if you succeed, good luck trying to solve all Gotham's crimes only with Damian on your side.

( and on a personal level, fuck you Bruce for being so harsh on Tim after everything he did for you these past months. You are still my fav. superhero but your parenting skills need improvement)

About the fight between Bruce and batkids, I can get behind Bruce knowing their weaknesses since he's their mentor. Also, he learned some new stuff they aren't awake of yet and that makes sense too.

However, Bruce being able to win not against each of them individually but against Cass, Duke, Tim, Jason and Dick as a team seems too bad. It seriously downplays their skills. And comments like this show that the author really don't mind to make the rest of the bats look bad as long as. Bruce( and Damian I guess?) get to shine:

Nightwing's offense is sloppy? Since when?

I guess for now I'm gonna give the benefit of doubt to the scene of Damian punching Jason bc he caught him by surprise. In previous comics we've seen Jason dominating fights against Damian which is to be expected since Jay is both older and stronger.

Not the best start for the Gotham war and this issue doesn't do justice to plenty batfamily characters. I hope next issues will improve, tho I won't be surprised if they don't.

[neragufetta]

What now MHA?

I don't feel comfortable commenting on MHA chapters, since 1. I don't know Japanese 2. my ability to express myself in any other language is not that great either and 3. I'm all too aware that my approach to reading is generally superficial, missing the flavours and nuances of the story most of the time; however, this time, I feel the need to write down my confused thoughts on chapter #424 because it was amazing and I'm still overwhelmed.

So let's begin.

This chapter begins with Meryl's comment about the weather and how perfect is this detail already? Both for narrative coherence, since in the past All Might's blows managed to change the weather and Izuku has just managed to do the same, and above all for symbolic meaning, since the wind in MHA represents the will to change. With the sentence "We are expecting strong winds" Horikoshi suggests that society is undergoing a profound change and I love this method to build the lore.

Next scene, we witness the rapid reconstruction of the town, a moment full of optimism for everything will soon return as before…except Bakugo's physician brutally cut in telling us the exact opposite. This is another skilfully orchestrated, almost cinematic passage, and clarifies what Horikoshi's intentions are as he uses Bakugo's arm as a symbol of society. Bravo.

Another scene, we find Izuku regretting not being able to save Tenko, and I don't know about you but I love this aspect of Izuku, he knows that he has killed and, more importantly, has failed to save someone who, before being a villain, was a victim. How often does it happen that the protagonist of a shonen manga feels empathy for the main antagonist of the story? Izuku's regret once again reveals an emotional depth that we have come to know in MHA, one of the main reasons why I love this manga.

Although I didn't appreciate the many flash backs used by Horikoshi in the past, in this case I found it apt: Tenko's smile and “do your best” suggest forgiveness but also a warning: although Izuku failed to save Tenko, he still has a chance to save at least part of his ideal, which is to build a society in which LOV members are accepted and included, and Izuku has to work hard to succeed.

I will quickly skip to the final panels, where Shoto and Ochako appear, because in my opinion they reinforce the same concept: the death of AFO, Tenko and who knows how many other villains should not be considered the solution to the problem but should make us look with different eyes at the society that has embedded them in this role, to prevent something similar from happening in the future. We don't know who survived between Toga, Toya and Spinner but I fear that there will be more casualties, "perfect victory" does not exist in a war.

And now let's talk about the confrontation between Katsuki and Izuku, a confrontation that, if you happened to have come across one of my lists, you know how essential and awaited it was for me.

Well, it was totally different from what I expected, and far better in many ways. In Katsuki's crying there is everything, sorrow for his friend, who lost the dream of a lifetime, but also for his own (old? new?) dream of competing with each other. There is the regret of rejecting Izuku for so long and losing the chance to make up for it.

Izuku's reaction is no less poignant: first an attempt to defuse the situation (with the “Nacchan” panel) that has the opposite effect of reinforcing the seriousness of Katsuki's crying, then his confusion (“this is not like you”) and perhaps even panic that leads to his typical mumbling, attempting to analyze the situation and failing, in my opinion.

Although I appreciated All Might's words, we did not see Izuku fully grasp the meaning behind Katsuki's crying, also because it has now been more than a hundred chapters that Katsuki keeps opening up to Izuku, while the opposite has not happened yet and I am beginning to fear that it will not happen anymore.

Now what?

I suppose we will see people grappling with the aftermath of the war, trying to accept what has happened and possibly initiate a change.

Izuku, Ochako, and perhaps Shoto might share their regrets about their opponents, although I think we will rather see Shoto with his family.

I can imagine a final confrontation between Aizawa and Yamada regarding Shirakumo.

Then, if you allow me to dream wildly, I hope there is more left in Izuku than just the embers of the One For All: the importance of his sacrifice is paramount but, by now, there have been so many occasions where OFA went wild with nonsense that once more would not hurt and Izuku deserves a quirk.

Although it's totally unnecessary, I'm still hoping to finally find out about Deku's father (if only to rule out the “Dad for one” theory) just because Horikoshi once stated that we would see him and he don’t see him going back on his word.

Finally, I really hope to see Izuku and Katsuki holding hands, preceded perhaps by Izuku's response to everything that has happened between them. Their relationship has been an important element throughout the narrative, and I hope for a meaningful conclusion.

TLDR: This chapter was awesome, heartwarming and yet bittersweet, I can't wait to read the next one.

[runningwithmyeyesclosed]

I took such a long nap yesterday that when I woke up it was 10pm and I knew I wouldn't be able to get back to sleep. So what else could I do but start reading another fic??

Another Mask Behind You by lettered

Main Pairing: Harry Potter/Draco Malfoy

Pairing Type: Rich Harry/Sex Worker Draco

Type: Post Hogwarts - Shunned Slytherins

Spice: 9/10 (I think the sex is more intense than graphic but there is a lot and it's described so this gets the highest "spice" level I've given)

Word Count: 116,557

POV: Draco

My Summary:

After the war is over, Draco is forced to give up everything he knows. With no way to take care of himself, he is forced into sex work to make any sort of living. When Harry Potter hires an escort through his company, Draco makes a plan to bring Harry to his knees. Will Draco succeed, or will all the cards come tumbling down?

My Thoughts:

(This is going to be a long one fellas)

I have so many thoughts. Haha, so many of you (literally no one) may have been wondering how I choose my next fic. I quite literally just have a search saved for Harry/Draco, complete, descending by kudos. And as long as it's not one I'm saving for a rainy day (Harry Potter and welcome to the world of grey) or like a series I'm working myself up to (The Mirror of Ecidyrue) I read it. As I get further down the list, I'm skipping some based on tags that just aren't my cup of tea. This is all to say I DEEPLY considered skipping this one. The only reason I wanted to read it was because so far I've enjoyed everything I've read from lettered. I'm glad I didn't skip it.

I say all that but you need to seriously beware the tags, they are there for a reason. There were definitely parts that made me uncomfortable, but I believe they were meant to or at least it wasn't meant to be a good example of intimacy. With all that said.

I absolutely love the way lettered characterizes Harry and Draco. I can't get enough of Harry in them. I can't quite give it justice but I shall try to explain. Harry is so closed off. We can see, mostly through Draco, that Harry just can't communicate well or doesn't do it enough, but Draco always manages to push through. Or he does his best to. Draco makes me want to pull my hair out and also give him a huge hug but then push him in a pond. He is so dark and twisty.

I think the plot is a little darker than I am used to lol, but I think it was a good story, and none of the plot points feel forced. The character decisions seem to match what I would think they'd do in the particular position they were in. There were so many times where I wanted to be like "Harry just think from Dracos' perspective!" I did consume this fic at an unexpected pace, it being less than 48 hours since my last post. There were scenes that were heavy, but they weren't out of place, the story being what it was. I enjoyed this fic a great deal.

[muthaz-rapapa]

Hirogaru Sky Final Impressions (5/5)

Honestly, what were they going to do with those two weeks after 48 episodes? Have us wait until WonPre's broadcast? Yea right, lol

So the 20th installment of Precure is now officially finished and it feels both great and a little bit sad to say that since the bar has been readjusted quite high, we will probably need the 25th anniversary to get another season as awesome and well-written as HiroPre. [/harsh]

But that will be for something to worry about in the next five years.

So first, that finale!

Pretty much 5(ish) of the 6 last episodes was a whole arc dedicated to the most engaging lore Precure has ever given us to date.

Cure Noble is definitely entering the league of legacy Cures and perhaps as the one with the best story as well. How she went from princess-sovereign to becoming the very first Precure (in this universe, anyways) to helping pave a way for peace with her nemesis to laying out the foundation for the Cures who will succeed her in the future.

Yeap, Ellee-chan may have gotten a nice age-up bonus so that we can see her embrace her destiny and actually converse in something other than baby talk.

But it's more accurate to say that Ellee-chan/Cure Majesty's character arc is really Princess Elleelain/Cure Noble's instead.

Which is totally fine with me. Not only was Elleelain super interesting as a hero/protagonist in her own era but Kaiserin was...dear god.

Dear god, when have we gotten a twist that was this good and this dark by the series' standards? I felt we haven't touched this level of grim writing since Heartcatch and that was my first Precure season ever.

But seriously, it's impossible not to sympathize with Kaiserin and appreciate how much she contributed to the plot as well as this season's message that power is not what makes a hero, but the strength of one's heart that does.

Even her traitorous tutor, Skearhead, said she had what it took to become a hero (and maybe even Precure? oooh~), which just makes her fall into darkness more tragic.

But thankfully, she never lost her kindness and compassion, which was what ultimately allowed her to not only be saved but her wounds to finally heal after hundreds of years of suffering from the pain of betrayal Skearhead had inflicted on her.

And that her generals, who all turned over a new leaf, came back to the Undergu Empire to loyally serve her and make sure she isn't alone...

Good! This is so satisfying, I couldn't have asked for anything better! Kaiserin deserves her happiness after all she's been through!

But of course, that's not all because no Precure finale is complete without the last episodes dishing out the best combat scenes of the entire season and did it deliver, alright.

Uh-huh, uh-huh, uh-HUH!

The animation was absolutely stellar and not so overdone that it'd look more gaudy than cool. coughDeliPaPrecough

Moreover, the teamwork is what really sold the animation. As it should because Precure is all about that team effort brought on by personal growth, not a one-man show.

I loved how Wing, representing wisdom, was the one everyone trusted to get that barrier back up because it is a mechanism that he researched and developed to help everyone. It proves that boys don't need to fit into a specific mold of masculinity or genius to be a hero because in the end, those things don't matter. It's being true to yourself, your beliefs and your dreams and what you choose to do with those abilities that counts.

I loved how Butterfly, who is physically the strongest in the group, always takes on the tougher tasks such as facing the army of tedious mooks to let those younger than her forge a path ahead. She never forgets her responsibility as an adult to protect the kids but she also encourages them to move forward because she fully believes in them like a good adult would.

I loved how Majesty comes to understand that though she's meant to inherit Cure Noble's will and power and position as Skyland's princess, it's not her destiny to inherit Elleelain's loneliness. And the whole reason that she started out as a baby but was able to grow and become Precure was because she was surrounded by the right people who brought out that potential in her. For Ellee-chan, being with her friends and fighting alongside them was the bigger, more important destiny than her duty was.

Finally, the star duo of the show.

Sky was given stronger MC vibes than the other cast members but you can't deny that she wouldn't have gotten this far without Prism by her side.

Sora's idea of what it means to be hero expanded a lot because she became friends with Mashiro.

She has come to treasure Mashiro so much that when she was on the brink of losing her best friend, she let Skearhead corrupt her in order to have enough power to save that best friend. She was willing to sacrifice herself for someone important to her, which in a way, can be seen as an act of heroism (but only as a last resort, plz do not attempt).

And even then, Sky kept resisting from being taken over. Prism didn't even flinch when Sky aimed a punch at her. That's how much Mashiro believes in Sora, in the hero that Sora is. That even if Sora accepted darkness into herself to do the right thing, she won't ever let that darkness consume her into doing the wrong thing.

And the fact that it was Prism who had the ability to not only purify Sky but also heal Kaiserin's centuries-old wound. She's come a long way herself from the girl who used to think she was talentless, who didn't believe she had anything special going for her.

"You are good as you are now, Mashiro-san."

What Sora said was true until the very end. Mashiro didn't ever need to change. She was already good enough and she was always going to become even better than how she started out because she was always being inspired and supported by those around her and challenging herself to do things she initially hesitated on doing.

Now she's continually drawing new stories, even winning an award for one. Even her Prism Shot evolved and multiplied as an attack and it's all because she learned to believe in herself because all her friends believed in her.

This is essentially what sets Precure apart from the others, what makes it the major name it is in modern day mahou shoujo.

I cannot begin to describe how glad I am that the staff at Toei reinforced those aspects of friendship as well as the celebration of individualism in a milestone year. But I can definitely say with confidence that we can expect to see more well into the franchise's 30th anniversary as long they don't forget these two very crucial things.

As for me, I think this will be the last time I blog Precure on a "regular" basis.

I'll still continue to watch cuz hey, there's no reason for me to stop yet.

(and all the more reason to not stop if Satoru and Daifuku become the next two male Cures in WonPre OMGI'MSOGONNAJINXTHISAREN'TIBWUAHAHAHAHA!!!)

But my priorities have shifted so I gotta tend to those foremost. And as much as I enjoy the show, I feel like I'm always saying the same stuff over and over again anyway, just in different variations of it.

(also, something about WonPre tells me the next four years will be filled with hit-or-miss seasons so meh, I'd rather just follow it leisurely than get too invested and then disappointed)

On another note, I do have some personal rankings that I'd like to post some day. I was going to do it for the 20th anniversary but didn't have time to cuz life got way too hectic and busy but yea, eventually I'll have them up.

Just for fun, y'know.

Ok, that is all.

Thank you, my hero girls and boy! You made this season so wonderful hahahaha, good luck, WonPre for me and I can't be grateful enough for it.

Thank you for a beautiful anniversary! Let's aim for the next!

25th year with 100+ Precure!

Let's gooooooooooooo!!!

[bengiyo]

My School President Ep 3 Stray Thoughts

This show is giving me everything I wanted folks to get out of Lovesick the series. Last week we switched to Tinn's perspective and learned that he's just a nerd suffering from benign neglect that fell in love with a pretty boy with a nice voice that was kind to him once. We also learned that Tinn has unsuccessfully attempted to confess his feelings repeatedly for years. I love Tinn.

Now, after spending a whole episode anonymously helping the music club procure replacement instruments, he's committed himself officially to seeing Gun succeed in this competition in the hopes that maybe they'll date.

Gemini and Mark are fun together. Tinn is such a simp and it's endearing.

"When did he get here?" - "A while ago."

I like the scale of the villain of the current principal. She wants to cancel troublesome clubs, and I think demanding that slacker students perform academically isn't necessarily an unreasonable request of students who want permission to represent the school in a public competition.

We should be seriously concerned that the school building has a termite intrusion.

Holy hell they're so dense.

These marble tables are giving me Make It Right flashbacks.

Tinn's fantasies being consistently ruined by reality is actually such an important subversive creative choice. As fun and adorable as this all is, I'm glad young viewers are being subtly reminded that your fantasies will not always align with reality. Tiw reminding Tinn to focus on helping his crush is *chef's kiss*.

I love Tiw with my entire being. We haven't had a wingman this committed in a long time. He might be a winner for the NAMGOONG BEST BOY AWARD for 2022. I'm glad the rest of the music club affirmed that Tinn is a good tutor, but Gun has specific challenges with math.

I also like the fantasy sequences not only because they reveal how ridiculous and adorable Tinn is, it allows Gemini and Fourth to have more fun interactions before they get together.

Okay, but I actually think it's awesome that Tinn's parents still are attracted to each other and can express that in front of Tinn. That Tinn only laughs about it means this is normal for him.

This apartment does seem very nice.

Not sure why they don't just share the bed.

And now we're ballroom dancing. Tinn's going to implode.

Did Tiw suggest he watch Bad Buddy to flirt, and then diss Ohm and Nanon to highlight Mark (his actor) while the Bad Buddy intro theme played? Yes he did, and I am losing it.

Scrubb is actually good, so I totally get the fantasy about "Close."

They always seem to have fun with these Canon ads.

Tinn's dad is the hero we needed when we needed him.

I'm all for baby gays being delusional about their crushes, but not when it comes to knife safety.

I do like the joke about how silly "baby is a messy eater" is as a trope.

They all passed! I wonder if we'll get a side couple out of Tiw?

Fourth is really charming. Gun's appeal is plain in this pool scene.

Hey, Tinn's first attempt at flirtation! He didn't cover it with a "just kidding" either.

One of the benefits of the last episode was showing that Gun isn't totally oblivious if someone is making active choices. So, when Gun suggests that Tinn join him on the bed, I can't help but wonder if that's a bit of curiosity from the poolside hint of a confession and the nervousness about dancing.

I love this dancing fantasy. Really a lovely sequence.

Well well well, looks like Gun is starting to fall, too.

Ahh, it's time for third party complications next week.

[felixcloud6288]

Higurashi: Festival Accompanying Chapter 19

I'm genuinely surprised that Rika isn't drunk or trying to get drunk right now. I guess there's no point in doing so since she can't torment Hanyu by doing that.

Rika is genuinely being cheated here. In Massacre, we learned of the Three Rules and I mentioned at one point that the ultimate purpose of them was to destroy Rika's support network and hide Takano's involvement in everything. But then Rika and her friends managed to overcome the Three Rules, fought together, and discovered Takano was the one behind Rika's murder.

And even though the Three Rules are not behind this setback, Rika has been robbed of all the information she could have used for this loop. And she's beginning to wallow in the despair that Hanyu feared she would if they failed in Massacre.

And I bet she felt really cheated when Hanyu gave her the synopsis of Massacre. The moment Hanyu mentioned Teppei, Rika was speculating on who killed him that time and was utterly shocked that Rika's friends managed to appeal to the Child Consultation Center to save Satoko.

When Rika was speculating, she suggested Shion might kill Teppei. I wonder if that means she's done it before.

Massacre was a blessed world by Hanyu's account. It was the first world where everything just fell into place. The doubts that plagued Rika's friends didn't exist and everyone, especially Keiichi, was devoted to ensuring a tragedy didn't occur. And in that world, they managed to cleanse the stagnation and festering wounds that had plagued the village since the Dam Wars.

So how can Festival Accompanying even hope to compare to a world where everything fell perfectly in place? It does it by being forged by Rika and Hanyu's own hands rather than being a lucky happenstance.

All this time, Hanyu has been working to ensure everyone will be here for this final world. And all that's left is to help Rika bring everyone together.

It's an odd inversion of what happened at the end of Massacre. They lost because Hanyu didn't believe they'd succeed. And now Hanyu is the one having to convince Rika to believe - Believe in her friends; believe in herself; believe they will succeed.

During the Akasaka scene, I got hung up on trying to figure out who this guy is.

After a wiki dive, I found that he is "Old man from forensics". He's also the person from chapter 13 who told Ooishi about the drug addict killing Satoshi's aunt and then killing himself while in police custody.

One of the biggest reasons I think Akasaka was such an absolute failure last arc was because he listened to Rika's warnings a little too hard. From what I can deduce, Akasaka decided to head back to Tokyo as soon as or shortly after Rika warned him to do so and that stopped his wife from falling down the stairs and dying. But if that's the case, then Akasaka also likely never heard Rika's pleas for help.

But in this timeline, we have full confirmation that the events of Time Killing happened EXCEPT Akasaka decided to call Yukie at the hospital and ask her to be extra careful because of Rika's warnings and that resulted in Yukie not getting killed (although a hospital staff employee ended up getting seriously injured because of the loose stair tiles that would have killed Yukie). So Akasaka heard Rika's pleas for help.

The Atonement Akasaka was the first one to ever return to Hinamizawa, but he came back 20 years too late. The Massacre Akasaka was the first one to return to Hinamizawa when Rika needed him, but he was not equipped to help. But now Festival Accompanying's Akasaka will return and is able to help.

I keep going back to that Schrodinger's timeline idea because it's just fun to make wild and insane speculations that can never actually be proven. But I think Akasaka's situation is another instance of that.

We know from chapter 7 that Akasaka did come to Hinamizawa in this timeline and he fought Okonogi, but we weren't given any additional details on the matter. The next time we see him is when Rika Furude, the time traveler, managed to reach out to him for help and carried forward his feelings to this Akasaka.

I know the story shouldn't retread old ground which is why it didn't show how the Time Killing events played out differently, but I like to imagine that the only reason things ended far better in this timeline is because the Akasaka from another world responded to Rika's cries for help and it changed the timeline so Yukie would survive and Akasaka would be primed to help.

And what a mundane solution that was. The only thing that changed was Akasaka made one phone call to his wife.

Akasaka's recollection of what Rika said about the series of murders is a correct word-for-word repeat of what Rika says in Time Killing chapter 8 except for what she said for the 1979 and 1980 incidents.

Ooishi is married!?

How does Rika know that June 22nd is the day she'll die? The actual date of her death has actually varied somewhat over the series. She died on the 21st in Curse Killing; the 22nd in Cotton Drifting, Eye Opening, and Massacre; on or after the 24th in Abducted by Demons, and the 25th in Atonement.

In Abducted by Demons and Atonement, the Wild Dogs were following Keiichi and Rena respectively, so maybe Operation Apocalypse was delayed a few days because Takano wanted to kidnap them to use as one final test subject. But when they either died or were arrested, she moved forward with the operation.

The chapter ends with Takano and Nomura on a call followed by Nomura making a second call to someone else. Interestingly, between those two parts are a pair of bar lines that typically denote a time transition. One of those bars has a sort of staticky design while the other is pure black.

When seeing that moment, it actually made me feel like the scene was being abruptly interrupted before immediately cutting right back. I'm trying to imagine the scene without those two bars and they feel technically unnecessary since we're not doing a scene transition, but I also feel like the scene would be worse without them. Like, I saw those bars and the static one especially just made me pay more attention. It was kind of like when the background music noticeably shifts when something happens.

And in case you didn't realize that Nomura is just manipulating Takano, this chapter ends by proving it. The very first thing we see happen after her call with Takano is Nomura answers a different call using a different name.

Nomura or Takashiro or whatever she might call herself ultimately is just using Takano and the Hinamizawa Syndrome research as a power grab. If this succeeds, every faction that once sided with Koizumi will lose a great deal of influence leaving Nomura's faction as the top faction to control Japan.

She likely never agreed with Koizumi at all and was opposed to him politically (though she probably did support Hinamizawa Syndrome's military applications). And with the chaos from his death, she's found an opportunity to worm her way into the enemy factions and destroy them from within.

back

[traewilson]

So. I wanted to believe in Megalopolis. The promise of Megalopolis.

For those not in the know of cinema: Francis Ford Coppola started production awhile ago on a film he had been tinkering with behind the scenes for literal decades. His magnum opus. After years of studios refusing to finance his passion project, Coppola decided to make the film a Hail Mary throw; he would sell his winery and finance the film personally. This would be his first film ever, really, where Coppola would have true unrestrained creative freedom. The amount of control could only be compared to One from the Heart from 1981. He sold Megalopolis to the audience as an act of rebellion against the mainstream studio system, and I bought it.

I saw the film as potentially a turning point moment for the movie industry. Audiences are growing increasingly bitter with the products of the studio system. The workers within the studio system are getting abused en masse, resulting in mass strikes (based) and the studio system itself seems to be coming unglued, with colossal budgets that are just plain unable to be recouped short of a miracle, and an increasing disdain for the very concept of art and artistry displayed by the executives who act as lord and master of the industry; Alpha and Omega.

I saw Megalopolis as potentially a beacon of light for filmmakers to pursue. Sure, most people don't have access to Coppola's resources. But people can make films for essentially next to nothing and still be works of art and box office gold - the ideal for the movie business. Blair Witch Project is an obvious example - a budget in the range of $200,000 to $750,000 dollars; pulled in $248.6 million dollars. A more relevant example would be Skinamarink from 2022. Budget of a mere $15,000 dollars, pulled in $2.1 million at the box office. I also gotta shout out one of the true MVPs of American cinema, one Roger goddamn Corman (rest in peace king) who consistently made films that were very entertaining and could even be great at times (seriously, check out The Intruder; remarkable film), and only his very last Directorial effort cost more than $1,000,000 dollars. I wanted Megalopolis to succeed, and do gangbusters, in the hopes the movie industry would go through a drastic metamorphosis; a new era, a new American New Wave that could give us the next Spielberg, Scorsese, George Lucas, De Palma, the next Coppola.

In hindsight, I was naïve. In my daydreaming of an ideal world, I forgot the New Wave gave us the likes of Roman Polanski, a once-great filmmaker who was a belligerent bully on set who went on to rape his own child and flee to Europe rather than face justice for his crimes. It gave us Woody Allen, who made a film romanticizing pedophilia and then went on to groom and marry his own adopted daughter. It gave us William Friedkin, a truly great filmmaker who was a belligerent bully who didn't really give a shit who got hurt so long as the film got done His Way. Look up what happened to Ellen Burstyn on the set of The Exorcist. This was unacceptable. It gave us John Landis, an affable charming fellow in interviews, who was an absolutely loathsome tyrant on his film sets, who wound up killing Vic Morrow, Myca Dinh Le (aged 7,) and Renee Shin-Yi Chen (age 6) via a botched helicopter stunt, and then promptly addressed zero remorse and no apology for his criminal negligence.

I forgot how Coppola gave a certain filmmaker the money he needed to make his first full film, 1989's Clownhouse. Even gave him access to his house in Napa Valley for filming, and the same cameras George Lucas used to shoot American Graffiti. That director was Victor Salva, who went on rape the main star, Nathan Forrest Winters, repeatedly between shoots. Coppola ran defense for Salva, saying that he never saw anything, and besides, the age difference between them wasn't anything to write home about. Nathan Winters was 12. Victor Salva was 29. Coppola, undeterred, helped finance Salva's next film after he was released from prison. Coppola felt he served the time, so he deserved another chance. Salva was sentenced to three years in prison, which is bad enough, but he then went on to serve only 15 months of that service. Apparently, that's enough time for FFC.

I knew these things, and yet I foolishly thought he had changed; that he no longer held those beliefs. Well, now we know, that not only has Coppola not changed, he was much worse than we thought before.

Video was released today of Coppola groping female extras on the set of Megalopolis. There's audio of him cheekily announcing over megaphone, "Sorry if I come up and kiss you. Just know it's solely for my pleasure." These aren't accusations; there's video and audio of it. Unless it's all an elaborate AI fake, Coppola did this shit. I was livid. Legitimately infuriated. Betrayed in a parasocial sort of way. Because I realized, the vision I had for Megalopolis, what I saw in Megalopolis, and what HE saw in Megalopolis are two very different things.

Coppola didn't just want to defy the studio system. He didn't just want to make his film, his way. He wanted to be free of any and all responsibility for his actions. Working under a studio system has drawbacks, massive ones, but when someone oversteps boundaries, there are Some guardrails to ensure they're penalized for it, especially post-Weinstein; post-MeToo. Coppola's vision of artistic freedom isn't mine. His vision is liberation from all consequences; a laissez-faire libertarian wonderworld where he is the supreme master of his domain, and all underneath him are subject to his whims and desires. Alpha and Omega. Zeus descends from on high, shoots some footage, gropes an actress' ass, then ascends back to Olympus.

To anyone who, like me, was inspired by the promise of Megalopolis, and feels dejected that the reality of Megalopolis was a monument to the selfish, to the ego - make your art anyway. Make your art your way, but don't value your selfish whims over what's right. Don't mistreat your workers; don't abuse them. Artistic vision without compassion results in petty tyrants who are so drunk on their artistic legacy, they value nothing else. Don't fall for that trap. Find your way, make your art, don't let people push you around - but don't value your art over your fellow man; your ego over your fellow man. The Internet and the March of Progress has given people all the tools to make great art for relatively little. You don't even need to make things for a career! You can just make art for its own sake, with no sight for making it a career. Fuck it! Who's to say you can't make films, make video games, make novels, make comics, make anything you want just because you want to? If anything there's a strong argument to be made that monetizing the thing that makes you happy risks spoiling that thing.

[tea-with-evan-and-me]

(request for meeting Evan at a wedding. I'm not sure if this will be super long or in parts yet, but I think it's a good time to incorporate car sex? Yea. So, here goes nothing. Hope you enjoy!) edit: decided to do parts.

Part 1: my big fat bad attitude

"Bartender, can I please get something fruity and I will slip you 5 bucks if you make it strong for me" I wink at him. He's kinda cute when he smiles.

"Sure thing, darling"

Oh, boy. This is going to be a long night.

I'm at my cousin Megan's Lake Tahoe wedding. The weather is perfect this time of year for having an outdoor wedding. This one happens to be absolutely amazing. Fairy lights adorn the white canvas walls of the tent. The dance floor is beautiful with lights and flowers. The food and the DJ is awesome. The ceremony was stunning next to the lake. My cousin is stunning too.

She was so excited for me to attend because, aside from her parents and brother, most of my family was not going to make the trip from the Midwest to California. I figured this was a good opportunity, not only for a well deserved vacation featuring a destination wedding, but also because I was seriously thinking about looking for work while I was here. I needed a fresh start.

My aunt and Uncle said they would hold onto the place they had rented for my cousin when she moved out here for a few more months if I wanted to explore my options in LA. They knew my circumstances and are super generous people. Megan, of course, has already vacated the rental and moved in with her now husband. I get a pang of panic that my cousin, who is 13 years younger than me, is married now and I have been gutted and tormented by my supposed soon to be husband.

He was supposed to be here with me. We were supposed to get married in the fall. But, two weeks ago, I forgot an important document at home and went back to get it. That's when I walked in on my fiance fucking some bimbo from behind on the rug by our living room fireplace. My thoughts went from shock to smirking about the rug burn she's more or less already feeling on that carpet by now. I know it all too well. Back to shock and then seething anger. They didn't realize I was there cause they were so loud and he was pulling her hair. She sounded like a valley girl when she moaned and I thought how annoying that must sound to him. I cleared my throat and they both yelped and jumped a literal foot off the ground. The clumsiness of it all had me hysterically laughing. I was afraid to stop because I might have ended up going to jail that day if I did. She was his secretary. I made some joke about it not being 1950 anymore and told him to get the actual fuck out of my house. Now, here I am at this beautiful wedding and feeling like absolute trash.

The bartender hands me a tequila sunrise. I take a sip and it makes me choke a little. Perfect. I hand him a 10 dollar bill and tell him I'm gonna trust he will keep his excellent skills up for the remainder of the evening. "Anything for you, beautiful." Yea, yea. Keep it in your pants.

I turn on my heels, feeling giddy about my soon to be drunken state when I nearly collide with a handsome stranger. It was like a slow motion scene in a movie as we both try to grab the drink and right it before it crashes to the ground and shatters. He succeeds, although half of my drink splashes out the sides. Mostly landing on the floor. Some landing on his white shirt that, I now notice, is hugging his broad shoulders and muscular chest. It's now stained pink. We are both holding onto the to glass. Tequila covering our hands. Our hands are touching and we both have a surprised look on our faces. After a beat we both realize what we must look like and start laughing.

"Here, you got it?" He asks, kindly.

"Yea, Thanks." I say letting out a tiny chuckle

He walks over to the bar and grabs a stack of napkins. He makes sure he wipes down my glass and our hands and then cleans up the floor as best as he can.

"Dammit, I'm really sorry. Let me know when you are ready for another one and I'd be happy to grab it for you"

"Oh my gosh, no worries" I wave my hand at him as if to say no big deal.

"At least it's an open bar, right?" He smiles and I notice his dimples for the first time.

All I can do is nod my head. Fuck, he's gorgeous. Ok, thoughts go away. You are in no position to date right now. Politely excuse yourself. My brain is sensible. My vagina is not. I can feel that familiar pressure when you get turned on. Sigh. Oh well.

"Well I'm sorry your shirt is stained. You aren't in the wedding party, are you?" I ask.

"Oh, no. Just a friend of the groom. I'm not worried about it. I can always put my jacket back on. I'm just glad it didn't get on your pretty dress." He realizes he blurted that out and shakes his head. Blushing. Fucking adorable. I notice the style of his curly hair. It reminds me of something I can vaguely remember.

"Do I know you from somewhere?" I suddenly blurt out the question.

He gets kinda anxious. "Possibly. I'm an actor. My name is Evan."

"Wait, are you the actor that volunteered at the homeless shelter downtown and gave the kids acting lessons? My cousin volunteered there and that's how she met her husband."

He nods his head "Uh, yea. Yep. That was me" he says shyly.

"Megan told me how everyone was swooning over how sweet you were with the kids. That you were really patient and they looked forward to your class weekly. That's really amazing. I couldn't stop thinking about that after she told me."

He blushes and turns his head.

"Yea, I had to go away for work and then I just didn't have time anymore. I do miss it. It was fulfilling."

I smile and nod my head in approval "Very cool. Well, Evan, I'm Andrea and it's super nice to have splashed my drink on you. Maybe I will see you around."

"Ha! Nice to meet you too. Have a good night!"

I take my annihilated drink to my seat and I sit down and take a breath. Wow, that was...interesting.

______

"Hey Cousin!! Andrea!!" I hear my name over the loud music and look up. Megan is standing on the dance floor motioning me to come out. I start to get up when she holds her bouquet out and I realize a second before the DJ speaks that there is about to be a bouquet toss. Bonus. I sit back down and shake my hands in a "no thanks" gesture. That prompts my 5'2" cousin, dressed in her ball gown and stiletto heels, literally climb over a chair, march up to me, grab me by the hand and pull me to a standing position. "Get your motherfucking ass out there." Shit, she's a strong little thing. Yes ma'am.

Once I'm out on the floor and Megan's back is turned, I step out of the group and as far off to the side as I can. This, however,doesn't work. Did I mention she works with kids? Yea, she must have eyes in the back of her head. Because fuck if that bouquet doesn't shoot right at my face so hard I would have had to duck if I didn't have cat-like reflexes. Goddammit.

I catch it and hold it up with the most fake smile I could muster on my face as everyone cheers. My cousin walks by me and I swear I hear her mutter "fucking right" under her breath. As I'm walking back to my seat I catch a glimpse of the handsome, not so stranger, stranger standing between two tables smirking at me. I quickly look away and walk straight to the bar. Cute bartender winks at me and I ask if I can just get a straight shot of tequila. He hesitates, but only for a minute when he sees my face. He starts to pour it.

Just then they call the guys up for the garter toss. I'm thinking to myself that it's such an old fashioned thing to have at your wedding and why is she doing this to me, when the groom tosses it and I see a big veiny hand shoot up into the air and snatch it. What. The. Fuck. Evan turns in a circle until he finds me standing up at the bar and then holds his arm up, clutching the garter. I swear under my breath and smile at him. The DJ then asks if the bouquet and garter winners could kindly come to the center of the dance floor. Shit, fuck, I mutter. Then I grab my tequila, cheers it in his direction, and shoot it down.

(I will get to the next part sometime this afternoon!)

oh heyyy there 👀