#contact outlook support

[helpoiinfoos]

How do I Contact Outlook Support

Outlook users may need to contact customer support from time to time for help. Microsoft Outlook offers several easy ways to contact customer service at 1-833-610-1318. People who need Outlook support often prefer to contact through a direct channel to communicate with a live agent. All networks that connect the Outlook customer service department contribute to receiving an appropriate solution to the problem from a technical specialist. The following describes the procedure to contact Microsoft Outlook customer support through various channels.

Services offered by Microsoft Customer Service (Outlook) Microsoft is an operating system that the company launched in 1974. It is one of the leading software companies and offers great products and services like Xbox, Microsoft suite, Outlook, cloud computing, and many more. Let's say you are a regular Microsoft user and you are having a problem. In that case, you will be happy to know that Microsoft customer support helps you with all the issues and some of the common problems faced by users are listed below.

The company will help you if you have any problems related to the installation. The software or products you purchased from Microsoft. If you did not receive a refund for a suspended subscription. Customer support also helps users who are facing issues like too many notifications and the software starts working slowly. You can call customer service for information about various Microsoft products and services.

[novlr]

I've read your post on manipulative characters, and it helped a lot! Could you explain how to write manipulated characters?

Creating a character who is under the influence or control of another is a challenging feat for any writer. To effectively portray this dynamic, it’s crucial to understand the manipulator’s goals and the methods they use to exert their influence. Let’s explore how a character’s dynamics might change when they are being manipulated.

Behaviour

Behave inconsistently with the decisions they would usually make.

Second-guess themselves or hesitate before acting.

Gradually change their behaviours to align more with the manipulator’s interests.

Show confusion or self-doubt.

Rationalise or defend the manipulator’s actions even when they are harmful.

Suppress their true desires to please the manipulator.

A declining interest in hobbies or activities that they once loved.

Signs of stress or anxiety, especially when the character is around the manipulator.

Increasingly isolating from their support network.

Making excuses for the manipulator’s behaviour to others.

Interactions

Unequal power dynamics, with the manipulator often interrupting or speaking over them.

A lack of reciprocal communication – the manipulator talks, the character listens.

Physical touch that seems controlling or guiding rather than comforting.

They are asked to keep secrets or lie on behalf of the manipulator.

Receive subtle threats or backhanded compliments from the manipulator.

Show an obligation to tend to the manipulator’s needs.

Are willing to compromise their morals under manipulative influence.

The manipulator may use personal information against them to keep them in line.

Have other characters note changes or express concern about their changed behaviour.

Have moments of realisation or clarity that are quickly squashed by the manipulator.

Body language

Closed off, with crossed arms or averted gaze.

Physical withdrawal or flinching.

Display nervous habits, like nail-biting, or fidgeting.

Make themselves smaller or trying to go unnoticed.

Have trouble maintaining eye contact.

Forced smiles or laughter to mask their true feelings.

Physical tension that doesn’t ease, even in supposedly relaxing environments.

Mimicking the manipulator’s body language subconsciously.

Physical exhaustion due to emotional strain.

Contrast in how they act around the manipulator versus others.

Attitude

A gradual erosion of the character’s optimism or hope.

Displays unwarranted hostility towards others.

Is overly apologetic, especially for things not their fault.

A shift from self-assuredness to self-deprecation over time.

A sense of helplessness that they struggle to overcome.

A fatalistic or defeatist outlook on their future.

A growing reluctance to make decisions independently.

Show internal conflict between their beliefs and the influence of the manipulator.

Repetition of the manipulator’s opinions as if they were their own.

A lost sense of identity through a disinterested or detached demeanor.

Positive story outcomes

An eventual recognition of manipulation as a moment of empowerment.

A journey towards reclaiming agency and self-worth.

Forming new, healthy relationships that contrast with the manipulator’s treatment.

Using their experience with manipulation to help others in similar situations.

The development of stronger personal boundaries and assertiveness.

Creative or professional achievements as they break free from manipulation.

Gaining insight and wisdom from their experiences.

Finding support systems that validate and uplift them.

A renewed sense of hope and direction in life post-manipulation.

Finds resilience and new strengths.

Negative story outcomes

Continued struggles with self-esteem and trust issues.

Setbacks and challenges in the aftermath of manipulation.

Potential for downward spirals as a result of the manipulative relationship.

A lasting impact of manipulation on the character’s relationships with others.

A psychological toll, such as anxiety or depression, that may linger.

Becomes wary of future relationships, romantic or otherwise.

Inadvertently emulates manipulative behaviours learned from the manipulator.

Might sabotage their own success due to ingrained beliefs planted by the manipulator.

Struggling to regain autonomy and make independent choices.

Increased tendency to isolate themselves to avoid being hurt again.

Helpful vocabulary

Coercion

Gaslighting

Subjugation

Compliance

Devious

Subtle

Undermine

Exploit

Domineering

Manipulate

Discredit

Influence

Contrived

Obedience

Suppression

Dependency

Guilt-trip

Intimidation

Passive-aggressive

Psychological warfare

[bloomzone]

Can you make a guide inspired by Jang Wonyoung ??

WONYOUNGISM:THE ULTIMATE GUIDE TO BE THE BEST VERSION OF YOURSELF ! ৎ୭ ॱ ₊ . *

PART 1

THIS GONNA CHANGE YOUR LIFE TRUST ME WONYOUNG EFFECT IS REAL !

CHAPTER 1

CONFIDENCE

Confidence, like that exemplified by Jang Wonyoung, is cultivated through a combination of self-awareness, self-acceptance, and proactive mindset. Firstly honey, it's crucial to understand and embrace your unique qualities, recognizing that what sets you apart is what makes you special. This self-acceptance forms the foundation upon which confidence can flourish. Secondly, practicing self-love and focusing on your strengths and accomplishments helps to build a positive self-image. Setting clear goals and working towards them provides a sense of purpose and direction, boosting confidence with each milestone achieved. Additionally, paying attention to body language—standing tall, making eye contact, and using open gestures—projects confidence to others and reinforces it within yourself. It's also essential to cultivate assertiveness, expressing your opinions and needs confidently while respecting others. Stepping out of your comfort zone regularly and embracing new challenges fosters growth and resilience, further enhancing confidence. Surrounding yourself with supportive people and maintaining a positive outlook on life can also contribute to confidence. Finally, learning from setbacks and viewing failures as opportunities for growth rather than personal shortcomings helps to maintain a resilient and confident mindset. Overall, confidence, like any skill, is developed through consistent practice and a willingness to embrace both successes and failures along the journey of self-discovery and personal growth.

CHAPTER 2

SELF LOVE

To love yourself, start by practicing self-care and self-compassion. Treat yourself with kindness, respect, and understanding, just as you would a dear friend. Don't be harsh on yourself Focus on your strengths, accomplishments, and unique qualities, and embrace your imperfections as part of what makes you beautifully human. Set boundaries to protect your well-being and prioritize activities that nourish your mind, body, and soul. Practice positive affirmations, gratitude, and mindfulness to cultivate a healthy self-image and inner peace

CHAPTER 3

SELF CARE

self care program idea !

self-care program inspired by Jang Wonyoung's approach:

1. Morning Skincare Routine (10-15 minutes):

- Cleanse your face with a gentle facial cleanser to remove impurities.

- Apply toner to balance your skin's pH levels and prep it for hydration.

- Moisturize your face with a lightweight moisturizer suitable for your skin type.

- Finish with sunscreen to protect your skin from UV rays.

2. Healthy Breakfast (20-30 minutes):

- Prepare a nutritious breakfast with whole grains, fruits, and proteins, such as oatmeal topped with berries and nuts or scrambled eggs with vegetables.

3. Exercise Session (30-45 minutes):

- Engage in a physical activity that you enjoy, such as dancing, jogging, or practicing yoga, to get your body moving and boost your mood.

4. Midday Relaxation Break (15-30 minutes):

- Take a break from your daily activities to practice relaxation techniques, such as deep breathing exercises, meditation, or stretching, to reduce stress and promote mental well-being.

5. Healthy Lunch (20-30 minutes):

- Prepare a balanced meal with lean proteins, vegetables, and whole grains, such as grilled chicken salad or quinoa bowl with roasted vegetables.

6. Afternoon Self-Care Ritual (30-60 minutes):

- Treat yourself to a pampering session with skincare treatments, such as a face mask or face yoga, followed by a relaxing bath

7. Quality Time with Loved Ones (1-2 hours):

- Spend time with supportive friends or family members, whether it's going for a walk in nature, enjoying a meal together, or simply having a heartfelt conversation.

8. Evening Wind-Down Routine (30-60 minutes):

- Unplug from screens and indulge in calming activities, such as reading a book, listening to soothing music, or journaling about your day.

9. Bedtime Skincare Routine (10-15 minutes):

- Repeat your skincare routine from the morning, cleansing your face to remove makeup and impurities, followed by toner, moisturizer, and eye cream. ( U don't need to use expansive shīt, look for what is good for ur skin !)

10. Quality Sleep (7-9 hours):

- Ensure you get enough restful sleep to allow your body and mind to recharge for the next day, aiming for 7-9 hours of quality sleep each night.

CHAPTER 4

STUDY

Studying effectively requires a combination of strategic planning, focused concentration. Start by setting clear goals and breaking down your study material into manageable chunks. Create a study schedule that allocates specific time slots for different subjects or topics, ensuring consistency and accountability. Find a quiet and comfortable study environment free from distractions where you can fully concentrate on your tasks. Use active learning techniques such as summarizing, teaching others, and practicing retrieval to reinforce your understanding and retention of the material. Take regular breaks to rest your mind and recharge, incorporating activities that promote relaxation and mental clarity. Prioritize self-care by getting enough sleep, eating nutritious meals, and staying physically active to support your overall well-being and cognitive function. Finally, stay organized, stay positive, and stay motivated by celebrating your progress and accomplishments along the way. By implementing these strategies and nurturing a healthy study mindset, you can optimize your learning experience and study more effectively.

CHAPTER 5

WORKOUT

To workout like Jang Wonyoung, it's essential to incorporate a combination of cardio, strength training, and flexibility exercises to support her active lifestyle as a performer. Wonyoung likely engages in cardio exercises such as dancing, jogging, or cycling to improve her cardiovascular endurance and stamina, crucial for keeping up with intense dance routines and performances. Additionally, she may include strength training exercises such as bodyweight exercises, resistance band workouts, or weightlifting to build and tone her muscles, enhancing her physical strength and stage presence. To maintain flexibility and agility, Wonyoung may incorporate stretching, yoga, or Pilates into her routine, which can also help prevent injuries and improve overall body awareness. It's important for her to listen to her body, rest when needed, and stay hydrated to support her recovery and performance. By adopting a well-rounded workout routine that combines cardio, strength, and flexibility training, Wonyoung can stay fit, healthy, and ready to dazzle audiences with her performances.

[dreamypisces888]

Indicators in Synastry chart that show Karmic bound or Soulmate or Twin flame!

Karmic/Past Life Indicators:

Saturn aspects between charts, suggesting lessons and responsibilities carried over from past lifetimes

Moon contacts, reflecting deep emotional ties and empathy bonded through previous incarnations

North Node conjunct Mars - this implies courageous missions undertaken together, with passions energizing your joint work to answer soul contracts.

North Node squares Venus - suggesting vulnerability has been a theme, but through cherishing each other unconditionally, developmental wounds may finally release their grip.

North Node also squares Neptune - shared illusions are being dismantled now so your true purposes can shine through to lift others' dreams as well.

Jupiter's trine indicates generous lessons learned through past committed partnerships that instilled outlook expansion.

Saturn's squares denote relationship stability challenges overcome in past to build trust where before vulnerability caused reactivity.

Uranus' dissonance represents awakening of individual needs that transformed codependency to interdependence through understanding each soul's electricity.

Chiron's opposition attests to healing wounds of abandonment through this bond by giving/receiving unconditional acceptance of one another as beloved healers.

The Part of Fortune contact connotes duties fulfilled through supporting one another's growth despite hardships faced side by side.

Soulmate Indicators:

Strong synastry involving personal planets like Venus, Mars and moon, showing intimacy on emotional, physical and intellectual levels

Aspects to Jupiter, bringing out the higher, expansive qualities of the relationship

Grand trine formation, allowing the connection to flow smoothly

Venus-Mars aspects: Trines, sextiles signify attraction, passion, compassion fueling the relationship.

Moon connections: Trines, sextiles seen to mutual Moon signs portray deep empathy, nurturing energies between partners.

Sun-Moon: Classic soulmate aspect with the Sun of one lighting up the inner being of the other.

Mercury patterns: Flowing aspects allow profound communication and intellectual understanding.

Grand water trines: Subtle, supportive emotional exchanges indicating souls long acquainted.

Grand fire trines: These energize and inspire through shared adventures, philosophies.

Grand cross with a focus: Formations symbolizing karmic purpose found together through challenges.

Multiple planets conjoining a point: Depicts strongly mirrored or complementary soul qualities.

Jupiter moon/venus touches: Foster abundance, trust and joy through good and difficult times.

Twin Flame Indicators:

Opposing charts with emphasis on polarity and balance

Planetary mirrors like Venus/Venus reflecting a profound recognition

Intense aspects between outer planets Uranus, Neptune, Pluto triggering spiritual awakening

Mirroring of Lilith placements pointing to a mission to heal ancestral wounds

North/South Node conjunction uniting your twin soul purposes

Strong Pluto aspects like conjunctions, squares: Indicates intense soul transformations experienced together.

Moon-Moon connections: Mirroring of each other's inner emotional landscapes.

Grand mutable T-squares: Formations that activate personal evolution through the relationship.

Sun-Uranus aspects: Bond awakens revolutionary qualities in each other's core identities.

Saturn-Saturn ties: Connections hinting at developing a mature spiritual partnership through difficulties.

Jupiter-Neptune: Expanding compassion and ability to creatively actualize shared spiritual visions.

Venus-Chiron: Healing each other's heart wounds through unconditional love expressed physically/creatively.

Mars-Mars: Dynamic actions challenging complacency drive evolution of passions together.

Moon-Node aspects: Deep ties to emotional life purpose resonating with soul's shared past/future.

Moon-Pluto: Intense emotional triggers that purge illusions through soul-baring intimacy.

[enlitment]

What’s the beef between Voltaire and Rousseau? I follow this person who pretends they’re Rousseau and they shit on Voltaire every other day…I’m so curious what is the lore 👀👀

Hi, first of all thanks for the ask! There's a lot going on, but I think it's quite entertaining, so if you have some time to spare to learn about a beef between two colourful characters from centuries ago, strap in!

(Also just decided I'll make two posts because there's so much to get into. Sincerely sorry, brevity has never been my strong suit.)

The genius leads Voltaire and Rousseau to the Temple of Fame and Immortality (from French Revolution period)

PHILOSOPHICAL DIFFERENCES (aka let's get the basics out of the way first)

I know that a lot of people (myself certainly included!) are mostly there to discuss the juicier stuff, but I think an overview of their general outlook on life is still important, if only to better understand the drama that went down between them.

This will of course be a gross oversimplification of quite complex philosophical problems. (I can almost sense my lecturers shaking their heads as I'm typing this.) Nonetheless -

The simplest way to describe their differences of opinion is that Voltaire championed reason and logic while Rousseau’s philosophy focused much more on feelings. (His personal life was like that as well. JJ prided himself in being in touch with his feelings, which I’m all here for, but sometimes it does really feel like he’s crying in the woods on literally every other page). Another key difference in their general worldview would be Rousseau’s optimism contrasted with Voltaire’s pessimism (probably best exemplified in Candide).

Voltaire essentially believed that human Reason, along with all the rapid advances in sciences and arts overseen by the 18th century would lead to a better life and a better society. Rousseau, on the other hand, in his famous essay First Discourse on Arts and Sciences that skyrocketed his career as a philosopher basically argues that people were originally good in their 'natural state' and it is the artifice of society that corrupted them and rendered them unhappy.

2. PERSONAL AND LIFESTYLE DIFFERENCES

This then very much ties into the differences between the two philosophers as people.

From Paris. Shout out to my friends who waited for me for five minutes before I got a decent angle.

Rousseau saw himself as a champion of the simple, humble life. In a personal letter to Voltaire, he claimed that the fact V spends his life surrounded by opulence, luxury, and insincere manners of the upper-classes is the precise cause of his misery. V in turn though that both Rousseau’s views and he as a person are a bit ridiculous. (Honestly? Fair. Lot of people did, especially among the upper-classes and 'men of letters' - a lot of which were former Rousseau's friends as well before he decided to go full cottagecore).

3. THE BEEF PART 1: THE (MOSTLY) GOOD

Voltaire contacted Rousseau after he read his famous essay The Discourse on the Origin of Inequality among Men in 1755. The letter itself is far from just patting Rousseau on the back. Voltaire does defend the arts, the sciences, and the human progress in general against Rousseau's criticism. I'm including this quote from it since it illustrates the typical banter of V that nonetheless has teeth:

as well as this quote (mostly because I think it's a banger line):

Letters support, refine, and comfort the soul: they are serving you, sir, at the very moment you decry them: you are like Achilles declaiming against fame (...)

Nonetheless, the tone of the letter is overall quite amiable. To me, it reads as playful criticism - critical, sure, but no open hostility at this point. He even invites Rousseau to come visit him at the end:

M. Chappus tells me your health is very unsatisfactory: you must come and recover here in your native place, enjoy its freedom, drink (with me) the milk of its cows, and browse on its grass.

[1/2] to be continued...

[tacticaltaxonomist]

The Commission page is easier to read HERE thanks to additional formatting.

Fanart and all original human/furry/creature characters welcome!

Price: 15-50€ (ca. 16-54$) OR Donate any amount (+1€/$) to a charity supporting Palestine.

Slots: Unlimited (Queue is public HERE)

Queue: 0

Price: 15-50€ (ca. 16-54$) depending on style and complexity (consider 15€ as 1h drawing)

Payment Method: Paypal or Kofi (no accounts needed)

Charity for art!

Donate any amount (+1€/$) to a charity supporting Palestine and get art. - send me a screenshot of your receipt (date, amount, charity) - art complexity depends on amount you donated, but i'll draw you at least something small! List of charities you can donate to: UNRWA https://www.unrwa.org/ Doctors without Borders https://www.doctorswithoutborders.org/what-we-do/where-we-work/palestine Defense for Children Palestine https://www.dci-palestine.org/ Palestinian Red Crescent Society https://www.palestinercs.org/en United Palestinian Appeal https://href.li/?https://upaconnect.org/ Heal Palestine https://healpalestine.app.neoncrm.com/ eSims for Gaza https://t.co/VtvHlIRdWs Care for Gaza https://twitter.com/CareForGaza Medical Aid for Palestinians https://www.map.org.uk/ ANERA https://www.anera.org/ Help Gaza Children https://helpgazachildren.notion.site/ Sulala Animal Rescue https://sulalaanimalrescue.com/ Palestinian Youth Movement https://palestinianyouthmovement.com/ BDS Movement https://bdsmovement.net/

Timeframe: 1 week once it's your turn in the queue, first come first serve. Need it by a specific date? Let me know! Specs: Digital art in format of a PNG image, average size is around 1500-3000px square. Need a specific size/ratio/format/dpi? Let me know! TOS: - Art will have a readable signature, but no watermark. - The signature may not be removed. - You may post the art wherever you'd like, with credit to my TH, Tumblr, or KoFi. - I can post the art wherever I like. - Digital art file only. - No refunds, unless I can't deliver. - Limited revisions at my discretion. - Won't draw sexually explicit art. Nudity ok! - May decline drawing gore designs. Inquiries welcome!

Contact: You can alternatively reach me via Email: tacticaltaxonomist at outlook dot com Discord: tactax Tumblr: tacticalTaxonomist / tactax-art Toyhouse: tactax

How to Commission:

1) Contact me by replying here, sending a DM, or via the alternatives in "Contact"

- What character do you want? - What do you want to pay? - What kind of art do you want (see examples below). - Tell me a pose / emotion / outfit / vibe / meme you'd like! - Tell me what coverage you want, like full body / half body / bust / headshot! - If you have no pose/emotion etc. in mind, please tell me about your characters vibes. If you don't give any information regarding pose, vibes, coverage etc when you contact me I will assume 'whatever' is ok, I will not dig for details.

2) Wait for me to confirm that I accept your commission! 3) Make payment. Easiest on Ko-Fi: Below 'Support tactax' enter 12, list your username and/or the characters name in the 'Your Message' box so I can identify you. (Charity option: Donate and send me a screenshot of your receipt, via email or Discord would be easiest. Do not post this publicly. On screenshot I'd like to see: date, amount, charity) 4) Wait your turn in the queue, and for art to be posted!

Pricing

I don't do a strictly-set price range, because different characters and coverage take different amounts of time! Just tell me what you want, and I can tell you if your budget works / I'll do it for less / I'll do it for more / where we can cut corners to make it fit what youre willing to pay :)

Art

This is also easier to view / get full sizes HERE, or right-click and 'open in new tab' to view bigger. And yk, this is my art blog :)

↓Memes (also say a style)

↓Icons/Tokens (also say a style)

↓Style: Doodle (very simplified, soft colors, chibi-ish)

↓Style: Sketch (no color, might have a few grey shades/highlights for distinction)

↓Style: Colored Sketch ( like sketch but with soft colors, slight shading/lighting for depth)

↓Style: Cellshaded Sketch (proper full color, usually a bit cleaner than just sketch / colored sketch, solid colors and cellshading, highlights, gradients, the whole thing)

[thegreatsinnamonroll]

I am immensely enjoying new people getting into HypMic (mostly on this hellsite fuck Twitter) but you poor babies. Oh my god. You have zero knowledge coming into contact with BAT and Dotsuhon. So here is, admittedly rather condensed, a lore drop and why BAT and DH are important:

Bad Ass Temple

Starting with Nagoya's fiercest, Bad Ass Temple represents courage, standing for what's right, and never backing down.

Their leader, Kuko Harai, is a Buddhist monk (in training), and despite his unconventional appearance and punk-like personality, he's devoted to his faith and friends. Before he was part of BAT, he made friends with Ichiro Yamada after an aggressive fist fight where they were evenly matched. They gained respect for each other and made a team called Naughty Busters. Kuko was eventually brainwashed into leaving Ichiro, after which he went back to school and got in trouble for fighting off bullies from a friend of his.

Jyushi Aimono is a visual kei vocalist for the band Argo Orchestra as well as chunni (like his seiyuu!). He had a deeply troubled past, his parents often ignoring him. Jyushi became extremely close to his grandmother, who made him a small toy pig he named Amanda. He took Amanda everywhere with him, even to school, but a former friend motivated by jealousy relentlessly bullied him and encouraged others to do the same. Eventually Jyushi's grandmother was killed as a result of their hazing, sending Jyushi into a massive spiral.

Hitoya Amaguni is a lawyer who's seemingly only motivated by money, however his true colors shine when he takes on bullying cases. His brother was bullied until it caused his death, and since then Hitoya has been hunting down the people who did it. He has an intense sympathy for Jyushi and Kuko, despite trying to appear as if he doesn't care. He took on Jyushi's case and landed his bullies in prison, as well as clearing Kuko of the charges put against him. Because of their connection, the three of them were able to form Bad Ass Temple under Kuko's guidance.

Dotsuitare Hompo

Dotsuitare Hompo, or Dotsuhon, is a team that always gets back up when they're knocked down, a team that keeps fighting to make their place even if the world is against them. They're fun and engaging, bringing the joys of Osaka to HypMic.

Sasara Nurude may not seem like a leader to the untrained eye, but digging deeper into the comedian's backstory reveals an odd intensity for someone who never stops smiling. Due to his parents' rocky marriage and messy divorce, young Sasara found comfort in comedy and making people laugh. That carried with him to college, where he met his then comedy partner, Rosho. The two took Japan by storm, but a nasty breakup shattered all of Sasara's dreams. He wasn't about to give up, going to Tokyo to get a new outlook, and meeting up with Samatoki Aohitsugi, who, at the time, reminded Sasara of Rosho. A second nasty breakup occurred when Sasara was brainwashed, and the comedian resurfaced later on as the leader of Dotsuhon.

Rosho Tsutsujimori both blends in and stands out. He suffers from intense gifted kid burnout from his parents pushing him in grade school, resulting in him gaining a violent streak that persists to this day. He entered comedy school and formed Dotsuitare Hompo with Sasara until his stage fright and mutual miscommunication broke them apart. Since then, Rosho found a career in not just being a teacher, but being someone who supports and nurtures young talent. Sasara returned to him to have him join the new Dotsuhon, though at first Rosho declined.

Rei is the lore holder here, being the man who developed the Hypnosis Mics and Ramuda Clones. His past is shrouded in mystery, but we know that he only works with the government because they are holding his wife hostage. He calls himself a conman, wickedly intelligent and crafty. He was able to get Dotsuhon together by scamming one of Rosho's students, provoking the teacher enough to get him and Sasara to admit they missed the other.

I tried to make this as basic as possible but feel free to ask about other tidbits, there's a LOT that goes on outside of the anime but it can be hard to find. Anyway I'm Emmet, your local lore keeper!

[roz-ani]

Izzy deserved to hear that from Ed.

That's Izzy's family. It's Izzy whom the crew loves.

That was Izzy's arc, not Edward's.

Now, please, don't get me wrong. It is a part of Ed's growth. Still, the main focus has always been his relationship with Stede and his identity. You can absolutely dive into the captain's relationship with his crew, but you don't replace a character's arc with another one's, especially at the last minute.

I understand the symbolism of Blackbeard "dying" with Izzy. The gatekeeping, gaslighting, feeding the persona of the world's greatest and most merciless pirate staying in the past... I am also fully convinced that Blackbeard's right-hand man actually passing away to achieve that was unnecessary.

What this season did for Izzy was absolutely incredible. That man abandoned his ego and changed the way he perceived power, respect, loyalty, and support for and because of a group of people he despised at the beginning.

His main purpose has always been looking after any crew he was a part of. He had more contact with them than the captain himself, especially aboard the Revenge when Blackbeard was going through his mental breakdown. In the first season, we saw Izzy wouldn't be the best captain, but he did have the experience and eventually learned how to look after his subordinates. All because he finally experienced proper care himself.

He got his heart broken in more than one way, yet managed to find his people, his family. Izzy finally got to know what real appreciation looks like. He got it from the people he initially mistreated. The crew decided to look after Izzy because "he's their dick". They stopped fighting after seeing him at his lowest. They made him a new prosthesis out of the figurehead of all things, showing the audience how they see him - the crew's protector, the spirit of the ship.

At first, Izzy kept pushing them away. Not out of hatred for them, but for himself. Because healing is difficult, it hurts, it takes incredible strength and willpower to admit to yourself that your environment is harmful and that you might be the problem as well. Especially when leaving it seemingly deprives you of your identity or purpose in life. Besides that, come on, it's Izzy Hands. A man who wasn't heartless, but also not "soft", as he would have most likely put it himself. He was still rough around the edges and cynical. However, after all this time he finally allowed himself to let go and feel comfortable, so some of that bitterness disappeared over time. I still don't believe he was fully healed, but he was on the right path.

Despite changing his outlook on life, Izzy was still respected. He knew what mattered and what to do and say to make sure his crew's issues were properly resolved.

Now, Ed's apology. At first I felt like there didn't need to be any deep talk between the first mate and his captain, because they understood each other well enough. That's not what communication is about though. It's not about taking something or someone for granted. Especially is the conflict escalates to such extent. There should've been more to that. They should've both had a conversation about their relationship and what made them bad for each other. Most importantly, how they could fix that and heal together. If that would require them to part ways, so be it. At least they'd separate on good terms. Now we can only speculate.

I would say my biggest problem is not with Izzy Hands dying. It's about how he died. Although I doubt I'd support this decision in season 3, at least it wouldn't be so rushed. There was no proper build-up to it. Izzy and Richard, of all people, had a deep talk about understanding piracy, a concept that is a base for one's actions. This was probably the biggest red flag, which tragically appeared in the same episode Izzy died. The crew didn't thank him or bid him farewell. He wasn't properly mourned. He was buried in the ground.

"You should've expected that. Things were going too well. A mentor character always dies after regaining hope". I have two HUGE problems with that.

First of all: a mentor character? I guess? For two, maybe three episodes at best? Izzy did meet some mentor archetype points. He was Stede's mentor for a bit, I mentioned his experience and position as the first mate, but I wouldn't say that's his main purpose. The writers did, but we're going to talk about it in a second.

Second of all: this was many people's comfort show. Especially when it comes to the LGBTQ+ community. I myself have praised this show for its take on communication and found family portrayal. It was fun, light-hearted, safe.

I understand the need to tell your story, I truly do. I know that people don't have the right to tell someone how to create, because the audience, especially the more pushy members, can be very often self-centered and don't know what's planned for a show's future. Except that these days you really have to be careful with how you plan your story with the corporations holding all the power - that's why we need to support the strikes. You need to be prepared to disclose necessary information in a proper way if needed. You need to pay attention to what you're portraying.

Now, I also believe that media literacy is dead (exaggeration) and people really can't for example understand that stories develop over time, seasons, or chapters unless they're consuming a media piece that has already run its course. They do have the tendency to take things literally and not search for the context.

Still, in the postmodern era of creativity, you need to know you don't hold all the power, despite not owning people anything. Your audience can interpret things on their own. What you believe to have no power or significance can mean the world to your audience. Remember how difficult it was for people to believe this show actually has LGBTQ+ characters and a love story in it? Or how the creator admitted he was surprised by the scepticism? I don't. Not only because I started watching the show quite late, but also because I don't consider myself to be a part of this community. It didn't mean so much to me, because I currently focus on different aspects of the content I consume. However, I know how they perceive media and their products. I may not have the same experience, but I know where theirs comes from. And I know that this show was just different. TV series, books, etc. do not belong only to the creators nowadays. Yes, they are their products, but they are made for an audience that has the right to individually approach and criticise them. And even though overinterpretation is a thing, there is no one right answer to certain issues.

BUT THEN AGAIN: THE MONEY. Was it the budget? I honestly have no idea. Perhaps it was, because literally everything is dependent on it these days...

See, we could argue back and forth about the behind-the-scenes, but I don't think I have enough knowledge of that. I also don't want to get into the topic of disability, suicide, abuse, etc., because I am not the right person for it, even though some of those things are a part of my experience. There are people out there who can give you their thoughts on their perception of Izzy's character and his significance in those areas.

I suppose my point is... I'm mad and genuinely disappointed. I can't remember the last time I was so attached to a character. I absolutely adored Izzy's character and was drawn to him in the first season. I related to him struggling with his toxic environment and finding a safe space. I was ready to see him become a captain. Heck, even if that wasn't planned for him, I still trusted the crew to let the character be happy after everything he's been through. Instead, I got this: "As long as you turn over a new leaf and heal, your death is a good one... Redemption equals no happily ever after... Remember that life isn't fair..." Aren't we tired of such narratives? What does it say about us and the media we consume? Isn't hypernormalisation of such issues exhausting?

I'm disappointed because I had hope. Even after getting betrayed by so many stories in recent years, I still had it. I had hope for a different character. Hope for a different show.

Edit: Just wanted to make something clear because I see more and more people focusing on Buttons sitting on Izzy's grave and David Jenkins liking a tweet about him being a witch. You could call me a hypocrite for pointing out people's lack of media literacy and not even considering the possibility of bringing Izzy back. That was my first thought. I would absolutely love for Buttons to do his magic and revive our man. There is something inside of me still holding onto that hope. I'm just really, really, REALLY tired of having hope in shows nowadays. I'm choosing to remain sceptical. Who knows, maybe I'll be positively surprised. Still, I stand by what I wrote: I think killing Izzy was unnecessary in the first place.

[baby-xemnas]

Even tho Bepo does make a few comments about female bears, i wonder if it is more of an automatic response than anything, maybe something like compulsive speciism like you mentioned. Like it’s not something at the forefront of Bepo’s mind but that’s what is expected, that a mink will be with another mink, so that informs what he says out loud. I can’t help but think about how Bepo left Zou at such a very young age too, bc as far as we know, Bepo has been around humans far longer than minks at this point, so i wonder how that would’ve impacted or shaped his development and outlook on such things? In other areas too, I wonder if Bepo felt odd coming back to Zou, seeing the differences between himself and other minks who grew up and stayed in Zou or stayed in closer contact to minks even if they weren’t living in Zou. All this in relation to LawBepo and Bepo’s immediate intense strong attachment to Law, it’s interesting to think about!

yeeee.....

its a single crumb of Bepo's presense on Zou during that arc but i did appreciate when it was noted that "Even though he is from here, he is still an outsider" like thats GREAT thats a bit of worldbuilding i really appreciate making characters behavior more believable - ye no shit...not only did this guy not live with them, disappearing as a kid - he brought humans with him too - he is a complete stranger to the island. imagine moving to a very different country in elementary school - all your formative years would be shaped in accordance to the new place. I love that they treated him like the stranger he is

and GOOD POINT ABOUT HIS INSTANT ATTACHMENT TO LAW like yes of course its logical that he would be appreciative of a person who saved him - but Bepo had ZERO apprehension towards Law and following Law to a strangers house.. ofc u can say that he is too naive and easily trusting but it mustve been so crazy to him to be like wow! not only humans exist (when they met bepo have gotten over that initial surprise and probably hid from adults til pensha found him and beat his ass) but there are nice ones too! yay!!!!!!!!! :D!!

its absolutely compulsive species attraction like "i'm supposed to find a bear mink" and he just thought that way the whole time growing up and didnt even consider humans - and that was fine because he was very busy loving and supporting law - thought didnt cross his mind...if he felt horny he just thought "oh well i cant do nothing about this! idk where bear women are at!"

i love thinking about how weird it felt to come back home (and like i talked abt before i love that bepo didnt go home because he wanted to fullfill his initial wishes to 1) find zunesha on his own - reason he learned navigation 2) find out where his brother go - no he went to zou because (as he himself probably suggested as it was a safest place) law ordered them to lay low somewhere....i love that so much, that law going off on his personal vendetta mission caused bepo to fullfil his personal dream - the one that he put away for so long BECAUSE what law became way more important.

There is a sense of shame and wrong priorities there - imagine that instead of being a sort of triumphant/celebratory visit home where you can boast look at me i'm a pirate like my big brother! No instead he comes home asking for help, for a place to hide, not only for himself but strangers to the island - and he himself is as much a stranger as the humans. oof.

Its hard to imagine he felt that comfortable around minks at first, it was a wishful thinking like here i am among my people - but they look at him (and rightfully so) like an alien - and bepo is too worried about law to care....he is not there to integrate back into society....these people are not his people anymore, his crew and law are his family now

its super interesting and i really am sour forever that we didnt get more about this aside from "he is still a stranger even if he is from here" line about bepo and others being quarantined to a single area - and that one moment where bepo says "even if im a stranger this is my island too" when they are about to help defend zou against beast pirates along with locals

[poisonhemloc]

Gabbro is lazy. No way around it. They’re in a time loop, aware of the time loop, and they’re spending the whole thing playing their flute in their hammock. 

But. If Gabbro wasn’t, they’d be a lot harder for us to find- always on a different planet. Since we have a traveler who also knows about the time loop, they have to be someone who won’t move around. But, they can’t be stranded- one, because there is an astronaut already stranded, and two, because the stranded astronaut can not be the other member of the time loop. Feldspar is in a difficult to reach place on purpose, because their spot in the Eye Coordinates puzzle requires them to be stuck and hard to reach.

Gabbro? You can go find Gabbro, first loop, knowing nothing about the game, easy. You’re actually pushed in that direction a little- Gabbro went back to Giant’s Deep to learn about the statue that just made weird eye contact with you, Hal tells you, maybe go talk to them? 

While you can feasibly go find Feldspar on your very first loop of the game while not knowing anything about it, it’s much, much lower odds. Like finding the Vessel first loop. 

So Gabbro, to fulfill what they need to be for the story, is lazy, and is not going to be getting up from their hammock for this, thank you. They’ve done their exploring- the quantum grove on Timber Hearth, they’ve been to Giant’s Deep at least once before the current trip and I will argue minimum twice before- they were just on the Statue Island, and now, they’re gonna stay put. 

So, why are they on Giant’s Deep? When it comes to relaxation… well, Ember Twin (if you’re not in a valley filling with sand) is calmer, the Hanging City isn’t in danger of falling or being hit with projectiles, the Attlerock has nothing dangerous going on, and they’re relaxing on a planet that periodically flings them into space. But they can’t switch places with Chert or Riebeck- there can’t be an astronomer* on Giant’s Deep due to the atmosphere, and Gabbro would be in the Hanging City, not signposting the crossroads like Riebeck needs to be (...that write up is coming I promise). And they can’t swap with Esker- the Attlerock is good to do nothing on, but Esker can’t have an effective ship-fixing base on the planet with the highest gravity in the system.

*Part of the. Our time buddy is lazy. Astronomer!Gabbro who becomes incoherent half way through the loop- and then shuts down entirely when they realize what’s going on? Not useful to the player. Archeologist!Gabbro who’s either scared of space and in a time loop or goes ‘nothing can kill me forever!’ and goes on an exploring spree? Also not great- we’re supposed to be the explorers here, not Gabbro. Adventurer!Gabbro who’s never in one spot is a pain to find- you won’t go talk to them nearly as much if you can’t reliably find them, and if you’re chasing them into areas you haven’t been, it means you’re not exploring the way the game is trying to get you to explore, chasing clues and old messages deeper and deeper, you’re just wandering into a late game area unaware of it’s significance because you’re looking for Gabbro. They’re moral support, your one other person who knows, so they can’t be useless to you or moving around. 

So. Giant’s Deep. I think Gabbro being there also helps incentivise players to come back. You can explore all the easy stuff on Giant’s Deep in a few loops- the islands you can see might take two or three, one for the cannon and one for the quantum tower, and a final one for the module. It’s the easiest, or at least the fastest, to explore after Timber Hearth (I know Dark Bramble has less and you can do everything in one to two loops, but, Dark Bramble has the entrance requirement of Anglerfish Outlook in the Sunless City and realizing how you can use that knowledge). The Twins and Brittle Hollow all have a lot of other stuff going on- two separate cities that are both big and practically require you to find the secret entrances before you can really get things done, plus other areas, and Ash Twin might be quick once you know what’s up but it has a lot to figure out with the towers and the warping and all, plus the Sun Station and the ATP. 

There are only two islands on Giant’s Deep that actually have Nomai stuff on them that you can find easily when you get there the first time- the other two are Gabbro’s island and the bramble island, and you don’t know about the tower of quantum trials your first time there unless you’re really a fan of your signalscope and the quantum fluctuation sounds. But, you’ll come back to it more frequently because your time buddy is there! Go talk to them! Think about quantum stuff ‘cause the game set up that Gabbro is the quantum expert no matter what Hornfels thinks! Maybe go find the tower on accident and despair that you can’t tell Gabbro about it.…

Gabbro is also the second clue in the beginning of the DLC, pointing you at the DLC, which. I’m not sure why Gabbro of everyone was chosen to start that- Chert makes sense too, being sent out to check on a satellite- except that Gabbro you can talk to at any point during the loop and get a coherent answer, and Chert. You can’t.

[geeta1726]

Jupiter in Virgo and Vargottama. Is Jupiter weak, strong or neutral?

Jupiter in Virgo and Vargottama indicates that Jupiter is placed in its own sign (Virgo) and also in the same sign in the Navamsa chart, which is known as Vargottama. Let's analyze the strength of Jupiter in this placement:

Jupiter in its Own Sign (Virgo): Jupiter is considered to be neutral in Virgo. While Virgo is the sign of Mercury, Jupiter's expansive and philosophical nature may feel somewhat restricted in this analytical and detail-oriented sign. However, Jupiter's positive traits such as wisdom, knowledge, and spirituality can still manifest, albeit in a more practical and analytical manner.

Vargottama: When a planet is Vargottama, it gains strength and stability. The fact that Jupiter is Vargottama in this case indicates that its influence is enhanced and it may express its qualities more prominently. It suggests that the significations of Jupiter related to wisdom, spirituality, guidance, and expansion are emphasized and well-supported in the native's life.

Overall, Jupiter being in its own sign and the combination of Vargottama indicates that Jupiter is strong and capable of giving positive results. The native may have strong moral values, philosophical outlook and may excel in fields related to education, teaching, counseling and spirituality. However, the exact strength of Jupiter and its overall impact will also depend on its position in the birth chart, aspects and conjunctions with other planets. If you want to know the combination of planets then for that you can use Kundli Chakra 2022 professional software. And also contact us. 8595675042

[ineedhjalp]

Aziraphale is Scared

The last look that Aziraphale gives Crowley in Ep. 6 is… weird.

They’re at a standoff, right? They’re ‘mad’ at each other, or at least in the simplest sense of the word. They’re on opposite sides.

The thing is: Aziraphale could have been looking at Crowley longer.

During the Bandstand Breakup, Aziraphale just stands there, stupefied, for quite a while. The key difference is Aziraphale’s outlook.

During the BB, Aziraphale is angry — not only at Crowley, but at everything. Heaven, Hell, everything. He claims that he doesn’t even like Crowley — this is a lie — and looks after him once he’s gone. It’s almost longing.

But.

In E6, Aziraphale had just been kissed. He actually told Crowley that he needs him — this is not a lie. You’d think that, after six thousand years of waiting just to acknowledge some sort of friendly agreement, he’d have been ecstatic.

But now, he’s devastated. Why?

Is it because he has to leave Earth? No. In the BB, Az was conflicted both by his feelings for Crowley — even if platonic — and his wish for normalcy on Earth.

But in E6, he’s conflicted by two different things, and it’s not what you think they are.

He wants to fulfill his angelic duty. In the bookshop, after Beez and Gabriel confessed, he tells Uriel that the angels haven’t done anything wrong. They won’t Fall.

Aziraphale has been terrified of Falling for the entire course of the show — except for when Crowley was an angel.

In a way, Aziraphale was happier when Crowley was an angel. He’s worried that no matter what he does, if he and Crowley are an us or not, he can’t be happy if Crowley isn’t an angel. Crowley’s Fall has made him the fussy perfectionist he is, scared of making mistakes.

The other reason, now.

Az and Crowley have had fights before. They’ve been fighting for six thousand years, maybe even longer than that. The worst part is, they’ve been loving for that long, too.

I think that he’s afraid that Crowley doesn’t know how much he loves him. I think he’s afraid that the demon will take his words for granted, and when they’re finally reunited, they’ll have to spend a long time trying to love each other again.

Again, he’s scared.

He wasn’t afraid of Falling during the BB — he thought that he was supporting Heaven, doing everything he could.

He’s scared to make eye contact, because to an extent, Crowley’s emotions are his own. They aren’t an us - they’re so closely intertwined that they are parts of each other.

That’s why he doesn’t hold Crowley’s gaze for longer.

He’s afraid e will have to face his own fears, but worse — through the eyes of the being he loves most in the universe.

After all, they could have been them.

[oinkinpigprince]

can i get a pim x transmasc!reader that's him trying to cheer you up from your transphobic family :( /nf

That’s sad, I’m sorry you’re going through it dawg. It’s hard living in a place where you feel like you have no support.

Pim x trans masc reader

Pim is really gender affirming, kinda to the point where it’s a little cringe but we love him for it

If you’re feeling dysphoric where you just don’t look right Pim will remind you no matter how you look, you’re identity is who you are at your core.

He’s really sad to see your family be so negative towards you, it’s weirding seeing such a great person come from a not so great source. It’s fine you two can be a family now :))!

Pim will do his best to defend you while still trying to be nice to your family, some battles you just cannot win so his first priority is getting you tf outta there.

If your family tries to contact you he very politely tells them to go away pretty please! And doesn’t let them near you unless you say it’s okay.

Likes to suggest different ‘masculine’ things for you two to do, like hiking, sports, maybe, maybe an adventure, in the magical, forest, that’s pretty manly, being an awesome adventurer :)))!!!

Or honestly just doing whatever you want to feel more better and get your mind off of things, like maybe, the enchanted forest?

But if you don’t want to go to the enchanted forest and you just want to sit and talk he’s happy to listen. He’ll try and be supportive, he understands not being enough

His parents also had many problems with him and his life choices, they may not have the same effect as yours but he can understand it in a way. Not living up to expectations of what you were meant to be

It’s hard man, he tries to have a positive outlook on it though! It’ll get better he just knows it

And he’s right, it will get better

[radical-revolution]

Let’s walk in nature and renew ourselves…

Current research supports the link between contact with nature and increased happiness, subjective well-being, and positive social interactions. There's also evidence that walking in nature may decrease mental distress and increase your sense of purpose and meaning, helping create a more positive outlook on life.

John Muir. "In every walk with nature, one receives far more than he seeks."

***

[runawaycarouselhorse]

Pinoko is such an interesting character and the most relatable fictional character to me... she's a character who is very funny and has an inspiringly positive outlook on life, despite her sad situation, but so much of the comedy about her is tragic when put into perspective of her origins, but she also remains one of Tezuka's most proactive and determined heroines, who perseveres, finds joy in life, and loves with all her heart.

She's determined, brave, speaks her mind, has a bit of a temper, and is a bit tomboyish by 1970's Japanese standards (hence the more playful version of her theme having the subtitle ~Tomboyish Candy~), but she's undeniably female and has many feminine interests. She's a homemaker, as well as a nurse-later-doctor.

She underwent painful rehabilitation to learn how to use her new (largely prosthetic/artificial body), a clear mirror to the main character, her beloved Black Jack.

Pinoko is not a one-note tragedy, despite her love being unrequited for most of the story (our biggest hint her feelings are returned or have a chance to be are in the intended-to-be-final-chapter which ended the original run of the mnaga, The SL Called Life, and that was a dream sequence featuring the most important people in Black Jack's life from his perspective), but her character is something of a tragicomedy.

*The manga is also more clear in showing her struggles as she adjusts to her new body, having trouble controlling her bladder early on, for instance. The anime spends time on her rehabilitation, but only in flashback form (in Karte 44), as the anime set many events later, so Pinoko can be present for all of the cases, whereas the manga showed us Black Jack before Pinoko's introduction, and even after, Pinoko isn't in every chapter… it's less linear in the collected volumes, which Tezuka opted be collected by theme, not chronological order. The hazy chronology is even lampshaded in one chapter! Although I do like that Pinoko goes from 18 to 21 years old as the story goes on...

Isn't it so funny how this little kid insists she's an adult? Oh, wait, she's actually an eighteen~twenty-one year old woman who was conscious and aware of everything around her, but could not move, only listening to everything her sister heard, developing similar ideas about how a woman should be, but could not affect the world around her (except through mysterious psychic powers which seemed to vanish when she could finally control a body of her own, which she used to protect herself and to speak, but went unheard by everyone except Black Jack, the first person to speak to her as a living human being).

Black Jack himself treats her like a child for years, until finally, he becomes more aware and even corrects patients who doubt her ("She's 20 and a gifted doctor.")

Isn't it cute how she insists she loves Black Jack and is his wife? Oh, she's serious, even Black Jack looks sad when he realizes the love letter she was writing was for him... how sad!

Except later, Black Jack insists to her sister, who demands never to be contacted again, saving Pinoko's life is just a one time thing, as she's getting married... he insists to her Pinoko will someday marry too. Pinoko, who had been so upset over the idea of being saved, preferring to die in a body that matches her age, which her underdeveloped organs cannot support for more than a few days, to a life in a childlike body that doesn't... finally smiles at the idea she'll marry Black Jack and dreams of embracing him (with a body that matches her age).

"The best wife a man could want." That's how he describes her in his dream in the intended-to-be-final chapter.

Isn't it cute how she keeps a funhouse mirror in her room in the manga? Oh, she hates to see her childlike body that doesn't match her age... again, she would have gladly died in a body that matched than continue to live on in this childlike one, but the hope of a wedding keeps her going. She loves Black Jack for saving her, giving her this new life, and wants to dedicate her life to helping him.

Isn't it funny how she's so clingy and jealous and always goes BALLISTIC over pretty women around Black Jack? Her clinginess & jealousy is likely rooted in abandonment issues and trauma, being rejected by her twin who she literally lived within most of her life, who wanted her dead...

Look how quickly she becomes subdued by Tetsu's lie, after previously losing her temper and throwing dishes, how pained, then sadly accepting she looks as she smiles, realizing she's being a burden (she's not, but Tetsu believes saying this might make her give up the search for Black Jack... for her own safety). A burden is the one thing Pinoko never wants to be. She cleans up before she leaves.

Her need to be self-sufficient in as much as she can despite disabilities (very small stature, underdeveloped nervous system, making her easily overwhelmed, as well as a speech impediment/lisp that never goes away)...

The manga, penned in the 1970's, shows Black Jack bribing schools to keep Pinoko enrolled, even if only in kindergarten, despite her meltdowns.

In the 2003 anime, reflecting better accomodations for those with disabilities... although an entrance exam is too stressful for Pinoko and causes her to be physically ill, special classes are set up just for her, meeting once a month, with custom uniforms, so she can be a high school girl like she always wanted to be.

(Explaining the tags: I'm autistic, I'm not implying Pinoko is, but she's just a clearly-written-to-be-disabled character and, as many perceive me as younger or less capable because of my disability, even though I am capable, just different, with childish interests and I have a lisp too... I relate to her very strongly. That's all.)

[henshinwolf89]

Zeiram 1 Retrospective

When it comes to Tokusatsu, it can be somewhat tricky to initially get into. With such a long history and back catalog, and an often 50+ episode long commitment, it can be daunting to newcomers. That’s why I usually say to find what appeals to you and go from there. Maybe find something that’s on the shorter side of things before trying to tackle the bigger ones. Standalone Tokusatsu movies can be a good starting point.

That leads me to suggesting one such movie series as a potential starting point into the larger world of Tokusatsu, the Zeiram series, which consists of two feature-length films and a six episode OVA. Zeiram was created by the insanely talented Keita Amemiya, an absolute legend in the Tokusatsu industry. Having worked on almost every major Tokusatsu franchise in some form at one point before creating his own series, such as the incredible Garo franchise, he quickly established himself as a unique visionary of the business.

Zeiram is Amemiya’s second film after Mirai Ninja, his debut movie in 1988, and began its life as a sequel to it before evolving into its own thing. The first Zeiram movie was released on December 21, 1991, and reportedly had a smaller budget than Mirai Ninja, thirty million yen, which is roughly two hundred thousand dollars. The entire film’s budget is apparently the cost of just a single episode of Garo! However, just because it had a smaller budget doesn’t mean that they skimped on the special effects. The film deploys an impressive array of special effects, ranging from amazing suitmation, puppetry, pyrotechnics, wire work, fight choreography, and even stop-motion animation!

The film stars actress Yuko Moriyama as Iria, a tough as nails intergalactic bounty hunter. Moriyama was a relatively new actress, having her start on a contact lens commercial for Seed Contact Lenses and mostly doing TV work. Moriyama was initially hesitant to play Iria, as she had no prior experience playing action roles, but enjoyed her experience as Iria by the end and came out with a very positive outlook. She wasn’t used to using guns or gun props and was pretty surprised by the impact of the model gun the first time she used it. She got used to it eventually as she knew Iria was a professional and needed to act the part. Soon, she found firing the guns to be really fun. Moriyama also stated having difficulty with the suit Iria wore. It’s bulkyness making her feel like a robot and bruising up her body quite a bit. She got used to it after a month. However, the suit was very squeaky and noisy. You could always tell when she was nearby, much to the amusement of the rest of the cast and crew.

The other two major characters are the two average working Joe electricians, Teppei and Kamiya, played by Kunihiro Ida and Yukijiro Hotaru, respectfully. Ida was in Amemiya’s previous film, Mirai Ninja, and is a varied actor being in the original Japanese version of “Shall We Dance?” Hotaru, on the other hand, is an accomplished stage actor and should be a familiar face to Tokusatsu fans. He played The Evil Emperor Diable in Bishoujo Kamen Poitrine, had a cameo as the suicidal man in Godzilla, Mothra and King Ghidorah: Giant Monsters All-Out Attack or GMK for short, and most famously played Tsutomu Osako in the Heisei Gamera trilogy, and Gonza Kurahashi in Garo. Hotaru and Amemiya are good friends, and they both have a tremendous amount of respect for each other.

Moriyama, Ida, and Hotaru all developed a great working chemistry with each other. Ida was very supportive of Moriyama, frequently psyching her up and giving her emotional support, while Hotaru often gave her acting advice. They did line readings together often and read through the script many times before shoots. They did this in advance as often as possible. Hotaru during shoots would hunch over to make himself look smaller in comparison to Moriyama, so Iria had a larger and more imposing presence.

Next up is Bob, Iria’s A.I. partner. Who is voiced by Masakazu Handa. He sadly died at the young age of 47 due to heart failure on August 26, 2014. Handa was a professional voice actor who also did a lot of narration work and announcement work at events like martial arts tournaments and sports games.

Finally, the titular monster, Zeiram, is played by suit actor Mizuho Yoshida, and the suit was made by famous sculptor and artist Takayuki Takeya. Yoshida’s first role was in Mirai Ninja, but he has played many Kaiju characters as well, such as Mother Legion in Gamera 2: Attack of Legion, Zedus in Gamera the Brave and Godzilla in GMK. In the Rebirth of Mothra movies, he played Desghidorah and Dagahra in the sequel. He has also provided motion capture work for video games such as the Tyrant from Resident Evil CODE: Veronica, Dylan in Dino Crisis 2, Dead Rising, and Onimusha. Most notably was the mo-cap actor for both Solid Snake and Naked Snake/Big Boss in Metal Gear Solid 1-3.

Amemiya drew many designs to find the look of Zeiram, an alien wearing a sedge hat. He settled on the look of a traveler from the Edo period, as he thought it would be scary to see someone like that in the streets in the middle of the night. The Zeiram costume was quite heavy, most of the weight being on the head with tension on the neck. According to Amemiya, Zeiram is female, but in the films, the characters use male pronouns, so I’ll be using gender neutral terms to refer to Zeiram. I mean, it’s a bio-mechanical alien. It probably doesn’t even fall into our human definitions of gender anyway.

But enough about the behind the scenes tidbits for now, let’s get into talking about the actual film!

The movie opens with an intense scene showing how dangerous Zeiram is. A group of armed men are brutally slaughtered by the ruthless alien. A bounty is placed on the capture of Zeiram, and Bob accepts the order and claims no one may interfere with Iria and Bob’s job. Next, we see Iria skulking through the streets of Tokyo, gathering supplies. Then we are introduced to Kamiya, who is elated to finally strike it big gambling on horse races. Kamiya is divorced, most likely due to his gambling habits. Teppei is next, trying to contact Kamiya about their next set of jobs. He wants to quickly get them done as he has a date with the company’s secretary, Yumi, something Kamiya teases him about.

I like Kamiya and Teppei. They’re just two average dudes that are about to find themselves in something extraordinary. They are the source of comic relief and provide a contrast to Iria’s stoic badass demeanor. Their hapless antics don’t distract or ruin Iria’s action scenes, and they even contribute tremendously to helping Iria. Honestly, they remind me of Val McKee and Earl Bassett, played by Kevin Bacon and Fred Ward from the movie Tremors.

Anyway, Iria and Bob’s base of operations are siphoning a lot of electricity, and so Kamiya and Teppei are called in to investigate. Iria and Bob are building a device to trap Zeiram in a place called the Zone. They need to use the Zone to capture Zeiram to avoid causing collateral damage to Earth’s environment and population. Bob says that they need this job to pay off debts racked up by Iria. After catching Zeiram in the Zone, the two electricians arrive, and Teppei accidentally stumbles into the Zone’s teleporter. Iria gives chase, and Kamiya invites himself along. This is where the movie primarily takes place in the Zone, where no other life is allowed in outside those permitted or teleported there.

Iria traps Kamiya in a protective barrier and goes off to pursue Teppei and find Zeiram. Unfortunately, Teppei encounters Zeiram first and is attacked. He flees, and Zeiram produces a creature called the Lilliput monster to give chase.

The smoke in the scene where Zeiram attacks Teppei with the Lilliput was created with oil at 2 o’clock in the morning. One of the first locations they shot according to interviews. People who hung their clothes out to dry had them covered in oil the next morning, Amemiya feels guilty for it and was sorry. The Lilliput monster was played by suit actresses Mayumi Aguni. Apparently, an early example of a woman playing a monster in Tokusatsu. It’s unfortunately difficult to find information online about female Kaiju actors. The only others I’m aware of are Yumi Kameyama as Super Gyaos in Gamera: The Guardian of the Universe and, of course, the popular and adorable Rie Ota as Baragon in GMK.

Back to the movie. Iria manages to track down Zeiram and lures it to a warehouse that she previously laid with booby-traps. She ensnares Zeiram in a wire trap and begins to gloat about her victory. Her confidence gets the best of her as Zeiram seizes the opportunity and surprises Iria with the parasite in it’s hat, and cutting itself free. Meanwhile, Teppei stumbles upon Kamiya frozen in the barrier. He attempts to free him. The fight between Iria and Zeiram rages on, as they exchange fire between each other. However, Bob warns that conventional weaponry is useless, so against Bob’s wishes, Iria reveals her battle armor and switches to hand-to-hand combat.

Iria’s armor proves effective as Zeiram’s payload of artillery is reflected. Zeiram chooses to fight with melee as well and begins to overpower Iria with shear might. Iria lures it to another trap, restraining it in place. Zeiram unleashes more Lilliput monsters to buy itself time to escape. Iria defeats the Lilliput monster, but Zeiram escapes its binding. Zeiram presses forward and corners Iria, but just before it can finish her off, she manages to finally trap it in the same confinement barrier she trapped Kamiya in.

With Zeiram in custody, Teppei finds Iria and requests she release Kamiya. Iria complies, and she explains the situation to the two men. Just as Bob is preparing to teleport everyone back, a Lilliput monster attacks the group. Iria defends the two but gets transported along with the monster, leaving the electricians behind with the frozen Zeiram. The scuffle with the monster damages the control panel, cutting off access to the Zone. Bob reveals it has also destabilized the Zone too, and not much time is left before it completely vanishes.

Waiting for Iria, Teppei rifles through Iria’s bags as Kamiya grows impatient. Another Lilliput monster attacks Kamiya, and Teppei uses Iria’s weapons to fight it off. In the struggle, Zeiram’s stasis pod gets damaged and releases it. The two electricians attempt to flee by hot wiring a truck. Unfortunately, Zeiram corners them and bites Kamiya’s arm with it’s parasite. They manage to shake off Zeiram and escape. It’s revealed that by consuming its victims’ DNA, Zeiram creates its clone monsters. It creates an imperfect clone of Kamiya, but it is unable to follow orders. In its rage, Zeiram kills the clone.

The scene where Kamiya gets attacked by Zeiram’s tentacle is one of the final scenes to be shot. The tentacle was controlled by wires, and the prop was quite short. They had to utilize camera tricks to make it look longer. After Zeiram removes its scarf, revealing its face, to make the Kamiya clone, its face seems reminiscent of the Predator. I wouldn’t be surprised if Predator played a role in inspiring Zeiram in some way.

The two electricians flee into a beer storage warehouse and attempt to defend themselves from Zeiram. The fight causes Teppei to get separated from Kamiya. Teppei is unable to locate Kamiya, escapes, and contacts Iria. Iria and Bob debate sending Teppei the Metis Cannon to fight Zeiram after Teppei resolves to make a last stand after he assumes Kamiya might be dead.

Teppei heads to the drop-off point on a motorcycle to retrieve the Metis Cannon, Zeiram intercepts, and corners Teppei. Suddenly, Kamiya returns to save Teppei with a construction crane. However, Zeiram overpowers it and knocks Kamiya out of the vehicle. Then Iria swoops into the rescue, armed with a bazooka. Iria unloads the bazooka’s only shot towards Zeiram, severely damaging its body. Zeiram discards its lower half, revealing its true body is the hat, and mutates into a more skeleton-like creature to continue pursuing our heroes.

The bike scene was shot in a plane hanger in Haneda Airport. Amemiya had no prior experience with shooting a scene with a stunt like this before and was worried about the safety of the actors. The wire connected to the stunt actor on the bike fortunately snapped off, had it not, Yoshida, in the Zeiram suit, would have been hit and seriously injured. The Zeiram skeleton showcases Amemiya and his teams talent at practical effects with an impressive display of both stop-motion animation and puppetry, bringing the creature to life.

The trio, with Zeiram in tow, flee through a maze-like web of rooms in search of the Metis Cannon to kill Zeiram. Iria stays behind to stall Zeiram, leading to her being flung out a window after damaging Zeiram with a grenade. Kamiya and Teppei find the Metis Cannon but struggle to put it together in time, Zeiram tracks them down and corners them. Iria locates them in the nick of time and quickly assembles the Metis Cannon and uses it to destroy Zeiram’s skeleton. She then captures Zeiram’s hat in a barrier.

Bob transports Kamiya and Teppei back to home base outside the Zone. Then, he brings back the captured Zeiram. Next, he attempts to bring back Iria. However, Zeiram breaks free, damages the transport device, and goes on the offensive once again mutating further. Iria is trapped within the Zone as it is collapsing. Bob instructs Kamiya on how to repair the transport device as Teppei attempts to hold Zeiram back with a makeshift wooden barricade. Zeiram breaks free and is poised to kill Teppei when Kamiya fixes the device, and Iria arrives to save the day by lighting Zeiram up with as many shots as it takes, finally killing it.

As the morning comes, the trio catch their breath and thank each other for everything. Iria cuts off two locks of her hair and gives it to Kamiya and Teppei as a way of saying thanks and for them to have something to remember her by. Bob then asks if the three could group up for a commemorative photo. As Bob snaps the picture, everyone smiles and credits roll.

Though Moriyama was inexperienced as an action actress, by the time of filming the final confrontation with Zeiram, she was completely in character. Amemiya found it easier to direct her, as she had become accustomed to fighting, and he had gained more experience as a director. Despite a few bumps in the road, the cast and crew had a pleasant experience with the movie. The only major problems were the weather, which seemed to be against them, according to Amemiya.

As for my thoughts on the film? I absolutely love it! I would wholeheartedly recommend it to anyone, whether you’re into Tokusatsu or just like monster movies or creature features, like Predator or Alien. I’d even recommend this movie to a Resident Evil fan! I couldn’t shake the feeling of being reminded of my love of the intense rivalry between Jill Valentine and Nemesis. I wouldn’t be surprised if this film played some role in inspiring Resident Evil 3, though I have zero evidence to back that claim. Zeiram even goes through several mutations, like a final boss from Resident Evil.

Even if you’ve never heard of Keita Amemiya’s work prior to this, chances are you’ve encountered his work vicariously through some games you may have played. Games like Hagane: The Final Conflict, Onimusha 2-3, Clock Tower 3, Genji: Days of the Blade, Final Fantasy 14, and Shin Megami Tensei IV. Like I said, he’s a legend of the industry, and he has fans all across the world.

If you’re interested, you can easily pick up a Blu-ray copy for a good price. It recently received a fantastic 30th Anniversary Edition re-release back in 2021 by Media Blasters. Go check it out! You won’t regret it!