#especially with the live action segments

[velvetjune]

Warlin Door having access to different worlds is already so good and compelling as a character, but it’s even more perfect that he’s presented as a TV host every time we see him, both with Night Springs and the talk show. He’s across different channels at all times, able to narrate and interact within the medium, but as far as we know, unable to change and mold the world around him like Alan and other artists in the dark place. It’s the perfect persona for him to have (and he better have a big role in that Night Springs DLC!)

[halfmaskshadow]

I personally think that the best way to enjoy a video game is to forge an emotional connection to the main character in a such a way that while playing you are near indistinguishable in such a way that you are simply them but more

So anyway that’s ive started hallucinating bats while playing Batman Arkham

[psychotrenny]

I love how the most vocal liberals on Tumblr are even more politically regressive than like your average Yankee lib. Like the other day I overheard this news program my parents were watching where they were doing a segment on the US elections (we do live in their empire after all). The part I heard was an interview with this Liberal who was vocally not voting for Harris because "We need to send a message to Washington. Genocide cannot go unpunished".

And I'm not saying this a great political position; any sort of engagement with bourgeois electoralism is clearly an ineffective way of attaining meaningful political change (especially in the conditions of the contemporary USA)* and in most situations you'd be better off spending your time and energy on other channels of political actions. But like, she was at least actually engaging with the political system she claims to support. "Pressuring your representatives into changing their positions by withholding your vote" is Liberal Democracy 101; a basic and (once you accept its basic premises) logically consistent part of the ideology. It certainly makes a lot more sense than "vote for your representatives no matter what and then psychically convert them through social media posts and pure belief". Like "vote blue no matter who" isn't just bad and Liberal; it's bad at being Liberal.

*this isn't even a conclusion you need to be a Marxist or super well read on theory to reach; simply paying attention to the course of internationally prominent political movements in the Liberal Democracies of the world should make the uselessness of electoralism pretty obvious

[txttletale]

sorry if you have answered a question like this before, but what do you think of critiques from liberals/other leftists whether they be calling themselves socialist, communist, or anarchist, on the "disastrous/genocidal" effect of a "glorious revolution" on populations like children, the elderly, and the disabled? would any revolutionary action necessitate destruction of infrastructure? what kind of conversations are being had among communists about protecting these vulnerable populations? i see a lot of stuff about not wanting to watch kids die in hospitals just for a power vacuum that could go the wrong way and stuff like that and i agree with wanting to protect these populations especially, but something about the conversation in general seems off to me, since kids are already dying all over the world because of the lack of access to healthcare because of things like usimperialism or the insane costs even for people living in the us and the supply chain is already showing many cracks because of climate change and capitalism, with no global "violent revolution" to speak of. am i missing something crucial here? what can i say to my fellow disabled friends who have these concerns, partially born from dealing with ableism in leftist spaces? -- thank you, a baby communist

i mean first of all yes, it is disingenuous to pretend that the most vulnerable people are not dying constantly under capitalism. secondly, revolutions do not usually involve blowing up hospitals and care homes for no reason.

but most crucially of all this entire argument relies on a childish view of revolution inspired by the most tedious reactionary propaganda--an understanding gained from shen yun and anastasia. communist revolutions (like any revolution!) don't happen in times of unremarkable peace and prosperity--they necessarily happen in times of mass discontent and instability, because that's when large segments of the population become radicalised!

genuinely, the best antidote to all these silly liberal ideas about revolution is to read about the history of real revolutions, socialist or otherwise. actual historical knowledge trumps mind palace hystericizing every time. i recommend walter rodney's the russian revolution: a view from the third world.

[bowandbrush]

sorry for patronizing you mutuals with my sudden avatar fixation!

having rewatched the series, I decided to check out the live action series out of curiosity (I jumped straight into the Kyoshi island episode, to see what the interaction between Sokka and suki was like. Yeah)

In the new series we have much more screen time with Suki and more story on her past, but it’s not written half as well as the original. I understand they’re trying to change some things up and erase sexist Sokka, but that was the entire point in the original story.

in the new version, Sokka just…stares a little and tries talking to her. Which is fine I guess. He’s impressed with her skill in fighting and devotion to being a warrior. It’s understandable, as he develops a bit of a crush after watching her in combat. Later discovering her training dojo, Suki just decides to train him. Out of nowhere. There are a fair amount of scenes and dialogue that insinuates she has a thing for him too, a lot. The entire training segment is just them standing close, tripping over each other, staring, etc. basically the same formula so many writers use to build tension between two characters.

It lacks substance. There isn’t much reason for them to like each other here. And for Pete’s sake, we don’t get to see Sokka wearing the traditional Kyoshi outfit!

In the original, Sokka saunters in with prideful arrogance, dismissing and underestimating the female warriors. Y’know, because they’re girls. This scene wasn’t being sexist, Sokka was. I still don’t understand why they erased this, because it was a very important character development.

When Sokka ‘demonstrates’ his combat skills, Suki sets him straight without a sweat. In humiliation, Sokka realizes how much how wrong he was about women and their strength. How disrespectful he was.

that gives him a reason to ask for training. For forgiveness, and to better himself. It’s also a great scene when we see Suki sharing her culture with him. Although she wouldn’t normally “train outsiders, much less boys”, she still gives him a second chance.

There is so much authenticity here. He grows to admire Suki as a fighter and as a person. For her kindness and forgiveness too, not just strength.

we can see Suki grow on Sokka, appreciating his unbreakable loyalty and bravery. As well as his silly demeanor. We all like funny guys!

It’s a really nice Strong and brave woman + smart and silly idiot duo, and I love it.

live action is just,,,watered down a lot. I don’t know what the live action series will do in the future. I don’t really care anyways. BUT what I really appreciate with Suki and Sokka is their vulnerability with each other.

nowadays, every “strong” girl is defined with outer works/action. That usually means no crying, no soft side, no fear. Especially if she’s in a relationship with a man. She has to be tougher than him. Because I guess vulnerable and defeated girls can’t be strong. At least, that’s the trope I see most often.

Suki is very strong, brave, and tough. But when the appropriate time comes, she lets herself be open and exposed. She can let her guard down and expose her inner pain, because she knows Sokka is there for her.

it’s perfectly normal and healthy for a man to be able fall apart in his girls’ arms. But I feel like that’s suppressed the other way around, because it displays weakness. And I guess we’re cancelling weakness in women now. Because of woke

[princesssarisa]

Shelley Duvall's Faerie Tale Theatre: The Complete Series

I'm sharing this playlist in response to the post that's been circulating today debunking the "urban legends" about Shelley Duvall.

I was shocked to learn that some people assume Duvall was "driven insane" by the trauma she went through filming The Shining, and think this was why she left Hollywood and became a recluse.

Now, I don't know all the details of Duvall's mental health struggles, but the myth that The Shining drove her into exile is total nonsense! She was active as both an actress and a producer throughout the '80s and '90s – especially in children's shows, as the post that's been circulating points out.

So to thoroughly debunk that urban legend, I've decided the complete episode playlist of the '80s TV series that may be her post-Shining magnum opus: Faerie Tale Theatre.

This series originally ran on Showtime, then was shown in reruns on the Disney Channel in the '90s. Most of the episodes were also released on VHS and later DVD. Each episode is a 50-minute live-action adaptation of a classic fairy tale or fantasy story, with a celebrity cast. Many of the episodes have quirky, irreverent humor, and jokes aimed more at adults than at kids, but they never quite cross the line into "fractured fairy tale" and have genuine heart too. I've written reviews in the past of Cinderella, Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs, and Sleeping Beauty. My personal favorite episodes are probably Cinderella and The Three Little Pigs, but they're all worth watching and were a mainstay of my childhood.

Duvall created and produced the series and introduces each episode in a host segment. In two episodes, she appears as the heroine: the Miller's Daughter in Rumpelstiltskin and the title role in Rapunzel. She also provides the voice of the titular bird in The Nightingale and briefly appears as Snow White's mother in the prologue of Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs.

If you like fairy tales, and if you never knew that Shelley Duvall's career still thrived in the '80s and want to see her work from that era, then watch this series!

[mdhwrites]

I’ve been watching Amphibia while studying. I should definitely do a rewatch during the summer, but it’s occurred to me that Amphibia’s strengths are criminally underrated.

Amphibia feels like a more focused show than TOH. It has its flaws ofc especially in Season 3, but Amphibia’s cast comes across as a lot more developed than TOH’s cast. I mean, Andrias got a dedicated flashback episode and Belos didn’t???

Amphibia’s execution of the found family trope is one of the best things I’ve seen in animation. In contrast, I always felt that King, Lilith, Eda, and the Hexside crew are plot devices to get Luz where she needs to go. Eda has some depth but generally speaking TOH never “got into their heads,” unlike with the Plantars, Sasha, Marcy, Grime, and Andrias.

And I gotta praise Amphibia’s ending!!! I wish more kids cartoons embraced the idea of permanent, bittersweet change. The idea of letting things go but not forgetting them.

So while I agree Amphibia is more focused, I actually don't think that's what the bigger difference is between TOH and Amphibia that I think needs to be highlighted. No, instead, I'm interrogate something you said: Does Belos not get a dedicated backstory episode? For that matter... Does he potentially get MORE time spent on backstory than Andrias?

Andrias literally only gets The Core and the King. He actually gets VERY little screentime, mostly because the effects of his cruelty are more important than what he does himself. So for backstory, he gets 11 minutes. MAYBE you could stretch to like 12 or 13 if you want to include hints to Lief but that's all post her time with him. So 11 minutes because Andrias only gets one segment, not two.

What does Belos get?

Well... I think everyone just forgets about Elsewhere Elsewhen. That IS backstory. That is previous characterization. It's not a flashback but it is still interacting with a Belos earlier in the timeline, like a backstory exposition dump or a flashback does. And interacting with Philip is the main purpose of the A plot of the episode, even if it takes a bit to get to him and then he dips out before the end.

As the author of the journal though, he also counts for backstory whenever passages of the journal are told to us. It's unreliable but it is still previous characterization. So stuff like Eclipse Lake and the end of Looking Glass Ruins adds a little here and there.

Then of course... What the fuck do you call Hollow Mind if not a dedicated backstory episode to Belos? The majority of the run time is literally go through his brain, and his memories, to show his rise to power. His backstory. And while there is technically a B plot, it doesn't take up much time so probably at least a third of the episode is spent on this and these are 22 minute episodes. If just two thirds get spent on backstory, that's more than Andrias gets.

So why doesn't it feel like that? Why does it feel like we get a VERY complete version of Andrias' backstory, despite seeing cumulatively three days in a row of his life, while it feels like we were never told Belos'?

Efficiency. Amphibia is a VERY efficient work. It crams a LOT into its run times. It's part of why the episodes are so satisfying because they actually manage to tell complete stories with morals, sometimes their own A and B plots in an 11 minute segment and actually move the characters forward a full step within the span of that time. It does this while also being hilarious and action packed, much more than TOH or, honestly, a lot of cartoons. Not every episode segment counts for this but ESPECIALLY the important ones do and The Core and the King should be taught in classes for how to get across a character's motivations and backstory in a nuanced, breezy way while also being DENSE. AS. FUCK.

In eleven minutes, we get a clear idea of the utopia that Andrias used to live in, the cost of that utopia, the pressures upon him as a prince, how deep his relationships are with two other characters, Lief gets some genuinely good characterization that helps explain her choice, a logical progression of events that matches with the sillier side of Andrias we know of, an escalation and then a climax. We can VERY clearly see what Andrias lost, what he is trying to get back, and why he would want it back on multiple levels, both societal, familial and even personal, that will motivate into being a MONSTER for a thousand years. All while still being a lot of fun and having some really great jokes. It introduces so many elements but it never feels bogged down by any of this. Instead, it chose the PERFECT moment to get across everything it needed to and left very few questions that you as an audience couldn't figure out yourselves. This also all while being explicit about much of the motivation and what not instead of relying on background details.

Which TOH can't claim for Belos. In Elsewhere Elsewhen, we see that Philip hates witches, that his journal is unreliable and that he has ALWAYS been an asshole and a manipulator. That's befitting who he will be but doesn't actually tell us jack shit. It also includes I guess how he met the Collector but that's moving plot, not expanding on your villain. Because the journal is unreliable, it tells us very little to nothing about him except for some reason he donated his journal to the people he fucking despised. Then Hollow Mind shows how he came to power... But not who he is. Not his motivation, what he actually wants to accomplish besides murder, etc. like that. The paintings in the background tell you far more just by being far more suggestive of what he's been through.

TOH is fucking awful when it comes to density. Most episodes, not even just Belos, have the problem of only taking half steps. Each of Belos' parts are those half steps. Revealing only one or two elements when it easily could have shown more to be more satisfying. As an example: Amphibia has a GREAT episode between Ivy and her mom about rebellion, the consequences of fighting what your parent wants for you, why they might do the things they do, etc. like that. In 11 minutes, we get a genuinely complex relationship between Ivy and her mom who haven't had much talk about each other or their relationship up until now. Meanwhile, TOH decides to focus on Luz being expelled for the episode about Amity and Odalia, meaning Amity is in like... Three, maybe five minutes of that episode? A full minute of that being the intro to the episode where she's just showing off the abomaton?

Because it isn't actually focused on Amity, the relationship between Amity and Odalia isn't actually explored. Because they can't explore that, they also need to now make Odalia cartoonishly villainous so as to fit the fact that Luz also spends very little time with her due to making the conflict be about Hexside so we have to waste some time with a stock standard montage of Luz, Willow and Gus trying to get back in. And by the end, what is the resolution between Amity and Odalia? "Get in my way again and I will kick your fucking ass."

Much deep. Very brave.

There's TONS of stuff like this where Amphibia is genuinely the work trying to do more interesting, more meaningful and deeper things than TOH and managing to do it in literally half the time. If not even less. That breakneck pace is part of what makes Amphibia feel like a kids show but it's also what makes it just more enjoyable to watch.

Which actually makes TOH fit in better with our current era of streaming television. TOH is constantly baiting you for the payoffs it promises. It keeps swearing that its elements are deeper than they appear so make sure to tune in next week because this SURELY can't be all there is to, right?

Unfortunately, that is all there is to it. And once you realize that and look at the show with that sort of lens, it starts falling apart. It's part of why TOH should be thankful it was shortened. It lets people more easily claim that it just needed another season. Another fourteen episodes. That TOTALLY would have solved all the problems with episodes that happened even before the shortening.

That is extremely rarely how this works everyone. Sorry.

======+++++======

I have a public Discord for any and all who want to join!

I also have an Amazon page for all of my original works in various forms of character focused romances from cute, teenage romance to erotica series of my past. I have an Ao3 for my fanfiction projects as well if that catches your fancy instead. If you want to hang out with me, I stream from time to time and love to chat with chat.

A Twitter you can follow too

And a Kofi if you like what I do and want to help out with the fact that disability doesn’t pay much.

[franollie]

pls pls talk about charlie’s brain being animated 🙏 i would love to hear

oh id loveee to talk about charlie’s brain being animated!!! sorry this took so long to get out i got in my head and couldn't put my thoughts in order for a while!!

animation is an art form that is constantly having to “fight” to be seen as equal to other forms of entertainment. it’s constantly being written off as being childish, lesser than, simple, etc. despite the fact that the medium has proven itself to be more than competent. MUCH LIKE CHARLIE!! there’s also something about charlie’s segment of “the gang saves the day” being a parody of Up, an animated children’s movie (a demographic that is always looked down upon by the industry) that just adds to the layers of being overlooked. Hell, the fact that the episode decides to parody that specific scene from Up adds to the themes because the opening montage in Up is regarded as one of the most moving scenes in animation. But, even then, it's seen as an exception, a rare moment of children's animation being worthy of academy attention. to quote the guardian, "one of the most extraordinary openings to a film, live-action or otherwise, noting that in the context of a larger film it: 'dares to risk alienating' the audience animated films are generally targeted towards, and threatens to topload the drama thereby making the rest of the film a letdown." And really that summarizes my whole point.

but theres more here than just being overlooked!! theres also the vibrancy of animation! the naive wonder and romanticization of mundane day to day life! all of these things are centric characteristics of charlie!!

children’s movies are usually very vibrant and colorful. charlie’s part in “the gang saves the day” is no exception to this! its a very bright and cheerful world. even the more somber scenes are made up of rich purples and blues rather than just tones of grey. and while i’m sure that the color choices in this part of the episode are just parodying Up, i like to think it means charlie’s worldview is simply brighter than the other characters especially when you compare the colors in charlie’s segment to the color grading in every other member’s.

while on the topic of charlies worldview, charlie sees the world in a very straightforward way for someone as unorthodox as he is (it’s part of what makes him such a fun straight-man in my opinion). in “the gang gets analyzed” dee’s therapist even comments on this! his explanations and reasoning behind his actions make sense when you follow his train of thought and understanding of life. veryyy much like how a lot of children's animation is very straight forward with their morals despite not always following "real world logic". people commit acts of heroism and they get love and a happily ever after. charlie saves the waitress, they live happily ever after.

charlie isn’t really a “wildcard” when you break down his character. he’s a very rational man operating with a dysfunctional brain. now. all of that being said, real people can’t follow his lifestyle and be half as functional as charlie is. rcg talk about how absurd and cartoony the whole gang can get, but charlie tends to get the major brunt of the cartoonification beam. so it only makes sense that his ideal world would literally be animated :)

sorry again for taking so long before finally getting around to this, and I apologize if it's unintelligible. charlie and animation is just one of those little things that makes me sooo insane. and unfortunately, the more insane i am about a topic the less sense i make. hopefully you got something interesting out of this though!!!!

[petervintonjr]

"I was working for Mr. T. L. Kearny on the morning of the day of the election, and did not think of voting until he came out to the stable where I was attending to the horses and advised me to go to the polls and exercise a citizen's privilege."

Good god, people. I sure misjudged a hell of a lot of you; it is obvious more studying is called for. Way more. As in, "lessons-that-may-soon-be-illegal" way more.

Since we're already fresh on the subject of elections, let's get right into it with a look at the life of Thomas Mundy Peterson. Born enslaved in 1826 New Jersey, Peterson and his family were later manumitted upon their owner's passing, and moved to Perth Amboy. Peterson married and worked as a custodian and general handyman at Perth Amboy's very first public school. Active in local politics, at the age of 46 Peterson had been a participant in a local ballot initiative to revise the town's existing charter; in this instance, whether or not to abandon their 1798 charter entirely and reincorporate as a township. (Spoiler alert: they did neither and became a city in 1844.)

On March 30, 1871, less than two months after the ratification of the Fifteenth Amendment, Peterson voted in favor of retaining the town's existing charter --thereby making him the very first Black American to cast a ballot in any kind of post-Civil War election.

But for one unsurprising anecdote about a white voter at the polling place crumpling up their own ballot in disgust at the sight, Peterson's civic action went largely unremarked-upon (in fact Peterson even went on to be elected to the local city council). It was as true then, as it is now, that local elections are where the most immediate consequences happen. But gradually over time, the symbolism and the larger historical impact of Peterson's quiet moment took on much greater national significance. In 1884 the community raised the equivalent of $1800.00 to present Peterson with a medal featuring Abraham Lincoln's profile in recognition of his milestone --this medal is now part of the collection of Xavier University. In 1989 the public school at which Peterson once worked (P.S. No. 1), was renamed after him.

====

And further to the above subject: Fascism is a hell of a drug, people. One really doesn't see it for what it is when it finally arrives --no concept of just what it is that you've invited into your lives, just because eggs are inconveniently pricey or because you'd rather your kids not be exposed to history lessons like this one. Fascism never merely visits; it takes up permanent residence. Our Black brothers and sisters (especially the sisters) understood that deep in their bones prior to the Civil War, during Reconstruction, during Jim Crow, and during the Civil Rights movement. The rest of us need to internalize that, too. The past 400 years aren't "just" Black history, as if it all only belonged to a specific segment of the population. It is our history. All of us; inextricably connected to it. If we don't study it and learn about it; if we pivot to the deliberate ignorance that fascism so gleefully celebrates, then we all lose.

Racism (and all its cousins: anti-Semitism, xenophobia, homophobia, etc.) has been emboldened, running unchecked --to say nothing of truly terrifying old-school misogyny. (And yeah, go look up the word misogynoir if you haven't already). Of more immediate concern we've got... what, 70 days or so? 70 days to recalibrate, retool, get at least some guardrails up. In that time interval, please reach out to one another --check on your communities and keep a close eye on local issues, not unlike Thomas Mundy Peterson. Offer what help you can spare. Lotta desperation and panic floating about; folks are afraid of losing a lot of things in 2025 and beyond --you know, minor trifles like health care, insurance, income, savings, civil rights, autonomy. They're going to be looking for a connection. If studying these Black biographies these past 4+ years has taught me one thing, it is that authoritarianism flourishes when people isolate --whether forced upon them or on one's own. The moment folks break that pattern and start connecting with one another, the bullies proveably take a cautious step back. (Notice I didn't naïvely use the word retreat.) So look out for one another and keep each other afloat; the bullies hate that.

In the meantime for my part I'm going to keep doing the two things I know I am legitimately good at: teaching and drawing. Therefore I'll keep providing this resource until I am forcibly stopped from doing so.

If you're new to this series, start here.

[book-of-baba-fett]

Clone X OC Week Day 3: Conflict

Captain Rex x Jedi!OC Talia Riva from Illicit Affairs

Whenever you have a Clone x Jedi relationship, conflict is inevitable. The clones' creation was in preparation for conflict, Jedi train their whole lives how to handle conflict in different ways. The war itself is a setting of conflict, so when I wrote Rex and Talia I always looked at different ways for it to play out. There were a lot of action sequences, but there were also arguments that come up naturally in relationships or even internal conflicts. Talia as a character consistently struggled with her identity among the Jedi, how she never felt like she was good enough especially in comparison to Anakin. For today’s addition to @clonexocweek, I wanted to include  a little snippet from a chapter of Illicit Affairs, where Rex’s proximity to Anakin and Talia on a mission brought this to a head:

Segment Rating is Mature, but overall fic is Explicit 18+

The Theseus System was located on the borders of the Mid and Outer Rim. Much of the system was uninhabitable, but it was home to Vakarus, a gas giant vital to much of the Galaxy’s Tibanna supply. Most commercial ventures preferred to trade with the mining colony on Bespin to fuel their hyperdrives, but in war time the control of such a substance could mean life or death for many star systems. The base on Vakarus was under Republic control due to pre-existing treaties, but the Republic had lost contact with the station a week ago. All signs pointed to a Separatist occupation, which left a hole in the Republic’s resources, which set them back in the war. The matter of taking Vakarus back wasn’t as simple as a simple siege; not only did they not want to risk damaging any of the mining facilities, but the planet’s orbital atmosphere also provided an unfitting atmosphere for attack. Vakarrus was surrounded by an asteroid belt, some of which operated as fueling stations or refineries to boost the business from the planet. These larger asteroids orbited the planet in enough of a frequency that they could be safely plotted between, creating a reliable path to the planet for smaller vessels, but taking a Republic Star Destroyer through the mass field wasn’t possible. With Separatists controlling the system, they had wasted little time setting up their defenses around the planet, including on these asteroid stations orbiting the planet.

Rex had been studying the map for a better half of the morning, memorized which stations were most heavily fortified and knew this would be a heavy battle for the Republic Navy, which was already decimated much at this point in the war. Ground troops wouldn’t see much of the action here, until the final siege of the base, but Rex still took it upon himself to be involved in the planning. That left the job of navigating the field, retaking the stations and coordinating the squadrons to Talia and Anakin.

“Our plan of attack is straightforward,” Talia announced to the briefing room as her eyes darted over the holographic map. Rex watched as she took a deep breath, straightened her shoulders, and returned her gaze to Anakin, who stood at the opposite end of the table. “We follow the nav path through the stations, bombers targeting out the Separatist anti-spacecraft artillery first then fighters following the path the take care of the Separatist forces. We take a methodical approach, station by station before we reach the mining facilities on Vakarus.”

Anakin’s eyes narrowed at the path lit up at Talia’s motions, “That could take days, time we don’t have on our hands.”

Talia frowned at him, but kept her composure, “It will take more time, yes, but we can’t risk a harsher assault and worse damage to the stations. And our destroyers can’t navigate through that asteroid field without blasting the stations.”

“Yes, we can’t risk damage to the stations, but if we take an alternative route,” Anakin started, pulling up a wider graph on the planet. With a wave of his hands, he highlighted one of the larger asteroids on the far side of the planet. “Our scouts reported the main Separatist stronghold, outside of the planet’s defenses, is on the asteroid IX-10. I’m suggesting I lead a squadron to the asteroid, if we knock out their defenses and comm systems we can clear a path straight to Vakarus for the rest of the fleet.”

“It’s ambitious but too risky,” Talia answered bluntly with a shake of her head, “You’re an amazing pilot and I’m sure you’ll get through unscathed, but your squadron will face heavy losses just navigating that part of the field. It’s not just the asteroids, the orbital pull of the planet is too strong, and there’s the debris of previous ships who have tried and failed. The shields of our basic fighters would be breached with a simple nudge.”

“And your path will cause just as many, if not more losses, by the time it takes you to reach Vakarus,” Anakin insisted. “Once the first station is attacked, the Separatist forces will be on high alert, reinforcing each station in the path. If we cut off the comms from IX-10, we’ll also cut off their ability to reinforce the stations.”

Talia exhaled loudly, planting both hands on the table as she leaned over, “Only if enough of your ships even make it there to take it out; this plan works best if we have the full force of our fighters coordinating the attack-“

“And the best way we do that is by splitting the field,” Anakin cut Talia off, his arms crossing as he stood his ground. “Besides, if we take IX-10, then we have a straight shot to the facilities on Vakarus. Your squadron should arrive just in time to back us up.”

Talia’s eyes flashed as she pushed herself off the table. She paced around, her tongue in cheek as she took in the charts. Her eyes darted to Rex with an expectant look, who now shifted uncomfortably in his boots. “Captain Rex, what do you think?”

Rex’s grip fumbled slightly on the helmet under his arms, his eyes leaving Talia’s face to example the map one last time in hopes it would help him find the proper words.

“The idea to approach the system station by station is a sound one, Sir” Rex started, each word level. Talia’s mouth opened as if she were about to confirm her correctness with Anakin, when Rex continued, “But General Skywalker is right, we stand the best chance by focusing on the station at IX-10 first. Plus, we’ll have the element of surprise if you attack the first depot, they won’t be expecting fighters to the main hub that quickly if they think we’re only attacking via the main route.”

Anakin nodded at his Captain then glanced smugly back at Talia. Rex returned the nod, before glancing back at Talia, who was avoiding his gaze and pursing her lips as she read the maps in front of her.

“Fine, we’ll do it your way then,” Talia said tensely, reorganizing the fighter rotations on the map to portray the dual assault, then she turned on her heels and exited the war room.

“D3, see what you can reroute to boost our shield regenerators,” Talia addressed the little droid buzzing around her starfighter as she sat in the cockpit. She had just gotten off a comm with Captain Storm, informing him that she would rendezvous back with the 412th before the cruisers made the lightspeed jump that would bring them into the Theseus system. Something she wouldn’t have had to do if they were coordinating the attack together as planned. Storm had caught the frustration in her tone when he commented positively on the plan, but Storm knew better than to press her on it now. At least before the battle; she was sure he would question her later.

The hangar was crowded with clones prepping their stations; engineers fueling up the fighters as Anakin and Rex briefed a group of pilots. Small squads for ground support were loading up dropships, and munitions were being carted around. Talia’s starfighter was just finishing fueling, and she was going through her own final checkups before departing. The perks of being on a different ship than her command was that she could usually maneuver in the hangar without being interrupted. Her fingers tapping along the control panel, she was impatient to leave this cruiser already. She just needed D3 to finish up and she could get out of here.

“General, do you have a moment?” Damn, she really should have closed the cockpit. Rex slowly stepped up to the side of the fighter, his eyes darting around them before returning to her, an imploring look on his tired face. With a sigh, Talia pushed herself up to step out of the fighter. Rex offered his hand to help her down, but she purposefully ignored it, calling on the force to guide her more gently as she jumped down.

“Yes, Captain?” She addressed him with a bit more rudeness than originally intended. At his furrowed brow, she turned to examine her ship, grabbing a rag and pretending to try and wipe off a blaster burn that had been there since the start of the war.

“You’re upset.”

Talia almost snorted. With all his keen skills of perception, that was all he could come up with. Still, she tried to hold in some of her bitterness.

“No, why would I be,” she answered a little lighter, turning around to face him again, her back leaning against the fighter. Rex always had this look as if he was trying to read every emotion on her face as he glanced at her, his honey eyes slightly narrowed at her still tight tone. He exhaled and glanced over his shoulder once more before continuing.

“I’ve served with General Skywalker for a long time, I know his plans can be risky but they always accomplish our goal,” Rex addressed simply, his tone softer than it would usually be talking about battle plans with her. “Besides, this way, there will end up being less heat on you and your men, making it a little safer-“

“I don’t need you diverting troops just for my safety.” Talia’s clipped tone came back as she couldn’t hold her glare.

“That’s not what I meant.” Rex held his hand up as he backtracked, “I just mean that while your squadron will have a harder run at the first depot, you’ll have less losses overall once the hub falls.”

“Yes, I know you agree with Anakin’s perfect plan.”

“I never said it was perfect, I agree it has its faults, but I trust General Skywalker with my life,” Rex retorted, his own words a bit short. ”And putting me on the spot between you two isn’t fair.”

“I wasn’t putting you on the spot, I was just asking for an opinion on strategy!”

“Which is fine, but you’re getting upset just because I don’t agree with you!”

“It’s not- that’s not it,” Talia sighed, trying to soften her gaze but she was still tense, her stomach gutted. “It wasn’t fair of me; I know, his plan makes sense in the larger scheme.”

Rex frowned, about to take a step closer but halted. “Then what’s-?”

“He just always has to show me up, doesn’t he?” Talia declared irately, pushing off the fighter. Before Rex could question her further, she snapped at him, “Do you know what it’s like, no matter how hard you try, no matter how good you are at something; there’s always someone better? That’s how it’s always been with Anakin. He showed up to the Temple, and in his first month mastered things that I took years to learn. He even already had a master, something I had to wait another three years for. No matter how hard I train, no matter how many battles I win, Anakin is always one step ahead of me proving he can do it better.”

She had to turn her head to the side, avoiding his eyes as she fought off the frustrated tears that prickled in the corner of her eyes.

“No one thinks that-“ Rex started, his voice soft and measured just to be interrupted this time by a huff of sarcastic laughter that Talia couldn’t hold in.

“You just picked his plan over mine; you know it’s better! And I know the Council thinks of it that way,” she continued ranting. “I mean, how could they not when they have their ‘Chosen One” to compare everything to. General Skywalker, leader of the Republic’s finest troops, compared to Talia who lost all her men on a recovery mission.”

“Talia,” Rex said lowly, eyes round in concern as he approached as much as he dared. “No one blames you for that; it was out of your control.”

Talia wiped her eyes with the back of her forearm before any tears could fall. She tried to turn away, but Rex gripped her forearm, only to drop it as a group of pilots patrolled by. With one last glance over his shoulder when they passed, Rex breathed in, stepping closer to Talia, and speaking even lower than before.

“Look, Talia. I love you. I’ve seen you do unimaginable things, and have seen how much your men respect and trust you. General Skywalker’s skills don’t take away from your own.”

Talia opened her mouth to spew off more arguments running through her brain when Rex took his chance to cut her off, his voice still calm and measured as he attempted to reassure her, “And just because I agree with him on this, doesn’t mean I don’t think you’re a great leader too.”

The kneading feeling in her gut subsiding a bit, Talia looked into his face again, into the calming honey of his eyes as he gazed back at her, the true image of support and admiration. She was about to express her thanks when footsteps approaching caused her to step back.

“You ready for this, Captain?” A clone with a standard crew cut, but an elaborate design of a nebula on his chest plate called out as he approached; Talia recognized him as Broadside, one of the pilots from Anakin’s Shadow Squadron. Fives strode by his side, his eyes rolling until they landed on Rex and Talia. Fives glanced at Talia, raising a brow, to which she just softly shook her head signaling not to worry about it.

“As ready as I’ll ever be,” Rex exhaled slowly, a slight irritation clipping his tone as he turned to face his brothers. Fives walked to his side, and nudged him in the side with his elbow.

“Told you before, Broadside, Rex can handle anything you karbakarse can,” Fives emphasized with a slap on his Captain’s back. “A few asteroids won’t change that.”

“Wait, you’re piloting on this mission?” Talia’s head snapped to Rex, her eyes narrowed as her heart skipped a beat.

Rex opened his mouth to explain but he was beaten to the punch by Broadside, “Just a fun competition between vode, and Rex here stepped up to the plate.”

“You’re piloting?” Talia repeated, not even masking her frustration. Broadside didn’t seem to notice, but Fives’ eyes were darting between Talia and a now tight-jawed Rex.

“I can handle it,” Rex answered stiffly, his face clearly saying to not press it more at the moment. But Talia didn’t care to, she didn’t have the energy to say all the words running through her mind at how reckless this was, on any mission save one this dangerous. Was it worth putting himself in danger just for some bet between brothers? With how Fives and Broadside were teasing each other, it seemed the concern was only in her mind, but that didn’t ease her irritation. Without another word, she turned back to her ship, and climbed back into the cockpit.

Rex turned to her, his mouth opening as another tired expression overtook his face, but she closed the cockpit before he could get them out. The men stepped back as she was signaled ready for takeoff, and she couldn’t fly off that ship fast enough.

When Talia was in the black void of space, she realized Rex had said he loved her.

[the-burd-lord]

Finally am confident enough to post my redesign of Charlie. Buckle up cause it’s a lot!

Kept her simple since I think her original design is kinda alright, but went with the doll aesthetic more.

Made her design simple enough for it to stand out in most any environment within Hell. Should probably have made a colored version for her, but I'm keeping the white and pink from her original design, but making her outfit yellow to compliment the reds of Hell and the blues of Heaven.

Here’s the newest design although I'm still fiddling around with different variations for the marks on her face, shown later in this post. Might lean towards stop motion look with how the mouths of the characters are always a separate segment from the face.

Eventually she goes from bellhop to more of a concierge roll as she gains more confidence in running the hotel, and eventually becomes the defacto ruler of Purgatory.

More on that later.

Also lil Lucifer resign too. Might make a whole post about him, but the basics are that I decided to go more “biblically accurate” angel for him.

He made Charlie's body, with Lilith drawing up the design for what she would look like. Overtime Charlie got to choose what she wanted to look like. She has accrued many bodies over her thousands of years of living.

Their relationship is close as although they don't see each other in person as often, Charlie always makes time to have at least one phone call a week with her dad. Especially with his worsening depression.

He doesn't fully believe in the hotel idea, but he’s willing to support his daughter anyway he can. Although he is hesitant when she requests to have an audience with Heaven as he knows how fickle they can be.

Especially when her first meeting with an angel is spent talking about rock bands.

I also changed up what Charlie is as not only is she a doll, but she is also the manifestation of “free will.” Spawned from Lilith and Lucifer’s union being an action that goes against "god's plan."

Although she barely remembers it, her actions caused Adam and Eve to eat the apple. She partially made the hotel out of guilt for condemning humanity, feeling as though she has to make it up to the sinners she condemned.

This makes her super hesitant to push the patrons to get help as although she knows that it'll help them in the long run it must fully be by their own free will to want to change. This hesitance also leads her to not fully interfere in their afterlives either, even when she knows a push is all they'll need.

She is able to literally be anyone or anything, and she is scared of this fact. Kinda getting decision paralysis. Also being that she is a being made out of pure energy this essentially means she's a bomb.

This is the result of what happens to her once her form is broken.

These are the old designs, went with a more streamlined look later.

Heavily inspired by the final form of the Princess from Slay the Princess. A game I highly recommend!

When in her "chimera form" she accidentally kills Adam, leading her to take him on as a guest at her hotel. It also leads her to convince Heaven and Hell to use Mount Purgatorio for her new liminal hotel. Kinda using Adam as a bargaining chip to show heaven that if angels can fall, then that doesn't mean sinners can't climb up the mountain to Heaven.

Overtime, with more horror influences I kept adding into her character and design I accidentally just made her into a creepy doll with some analog influences.

(It's almost like my subconscious is trying to tell me something 🤔)

Vaggie and her scary gf.

Decided to go for a more psychological route for Charlie’s abilities and personality. On the surface appearing normal, but still standing out in most environments because of her simplicity. That there's just something about her that doesn't quite fit anywhere.

Her character finally clicked for me after watching Paranoia Agent. She's not really based off any characters from the show, but some of the themes and imagery are baked into her character.

Along with the banger opening.

Eventually she builds her hotel in purgatory, and essentially becomes its ruler. Much to the chagrin of Heaven, who still only sees her as a demon. Even though she was technically born in the heavens.

Even though Charlie uses Adam as a bargaining chip they don't really care that he fell. But they don't want to be proven wrong either, so they reluctantly agree to the idea.

Also lil bonus of Charlie and Vaggie in nightwear. Gotta make another post for Vaggie, but I’m still working some things out with her story and character.

I apologize if so much of this post made no sense. I didn't realize how much I had written for Charlie. Although makes sense as she is supposed to be the main character.

I am happy to answer questions if y'all want more clarification.

[fatuismooches]

greetings!!! this is the first time i've ever shared my idea to anyone, kind of worry but guess that i have to share it with you because your writings are so good and i love how you execute scenarios and ideas (literally awake all night scrolling through your brainrot 😭😭😭😭)

let me tell you that fragile!reader and dottore is what keeps me awake at night i love them so much, i literally read everything in the tags, the fluff and angst is SOO GOOD NGL.

so, angst/ no comfort (because i love tormenting myself (⁠◠⁠‿⁠・⁠)⁠—⁠☆), fragile!reader and terminal lucidity - somebody suddenly became lively and conscious before their deaths. i see that you have written about fragile!reader whose memories are slowly deteriorating or slowly losing their eyesight. imagine one day, everything just come back...normal, the sudden recollection of memories, vision returned miraculously, no pain, no suffering, as if they were back to the days at Akademiya. they became gleeful, happy, full of live, no longer the gloomy, sick-ridden individual.

Dottore, of course, was surprised at this phenomenal, run more tests and check-ups just to be sure that we are actually healthy because there is no way we actually turn healthy after being sick in centuries. the segments however, especially Zandy, didn't think much about the whole ordeal. you are fine!! you can finally walking and running freely without being on life-support. your turn in health manage to turned them into a bunch of joyful, blue-haired maniacs with giddy, happy smiles on their lips.

we are fine for a few weeks, which also make Dottore himself believe that maybe, maybe his efforts have paid off, maybe our health have been stable, and maybe from now on, he could spend the rest of eternity with his beloved.

then we die (this is so mean i'm so sorry 😭😭😭😭😭). how they perish is completely up you but i'd preferably that they die in their sleep, a peaceful death. Dottore and the segments are... well, shocked is an understatement, their whole world have...gone, they'd question themself: how can this happen? you were fine in the past few weeks? In which Dottore blame himself the most, he shouldn't have believed that we were fine, he should have run more test, he should have been more cautious about the whole situation but now he completely felt... helpless, for the first time in millions of years. the only person who went thick and thin, the person that can tolerate him in the Akademiya days and the person that he can tolerate now have passed away.

(the ending is kind if short because idk what else to say since my vocabulary and grammar is rather limited. i hope this would be sufficient 😭😭😭😭😭 also looking forward on how you react to this. for now i'll just cry myself to sleep with this scenario while waiting for your work ❤️🥰)

- 🪷

It would come out of nowhere, no one expected it, no one believed it in the beginning. After all, over four hundred years of debilitating illness makes it hard for anyone to believe something good finally happened. But it does, when you first wake up you can feel that something is different - you definitely do some test runs in your room, picking up objects that were once too heavy for you, simple actions that no longer left you tired, no more aches or pains, it was marvelous. So obviously with your newfound energy, you sprint out to find anyone, hell even a random agent would do, because you're finally free. (You can already hear the voices of the segments - no running in the lab because of the very obvious dangers.)

Naturally, Dottore is very skeptical of this, yes, he does not trust how his heart beats at the sight of your glowing self putting on a little performance for him to show how healthy you are now, he can't bring himself to. He's witnessed how low you could become from the worst stages of your sickness, so although he's more than happy to see you well, the possibility of you falling back into such a state is very high. However he cannot find anything, and you don't show any visible signs either. Even so, he still watches you very closely. It's a feeling that always nags, one that may always nag him perhaps, the thought of you becoming worse. But he's not going to damper your mood with his thoughts, you should enjoy this.

Dottore and the segments would still scold you for your recklessness but realize that you are no longer sick and frail and they no longer have to fuss over your health. It's a very strange sensation that's hard to break out of since they've been doing it for so long. But it's good! You're happy! You're strong! You're the [Name] that was buried away, come to rise to the surface once more. Let's just say Zandy very much enjoys the piggyback rides. The checkups still persist as a general measure, but they always go smoothly. It seems there's nothing to worry about.

You would want to assume your role of his assistant once again right away - it's something you've been longing for, to be able to be useful to your lover just like how you once were. To live those days of banter and sharing fascinating knowledge and listening to each other's ideas once more. And so you do, Dottore's more than happy to let you, oh how he's missed you by his side so often. He's excited, he's ready to put the past four hundred years behind and move on, his mind already racing with the countless possibilities that have opened up now. Unfortunately, they don't come to fruition.

Perhaps you felt something wasn't right but it was already far too late - on the day of your death you acted like everything was normal, carrying out your new duties, but also with a lot of added affection, visiting each segment and Dottore and kissing them with all your love. They don't think much of it, you're usually affectionate like that. If only they knew that would be the last time they were embraced by you. Little Zandy too - it would be the last time you ever hugged him and listened to you read him a story. He'd be absolutely inconsolable after your death.

With you gone, the spark in his life would be gone. It would be the same routine of his duties and experiments and research, with nothing to ease his tension. Sure, he no longer has to spend lots of time finding a cure or producing medicine, but this wasn't the way he wanted it to happen. It's the same as when you were sleeping, except this time he no longer has the anticipation of you eventually waking up. Or does he?

Resurrection is a forbidden art, but he is Il Dottore, the one who has no problem sinking his hands into what should not be done, and he is Zandik, the one who loves you. If this world wants you gone so badly, then so be it. He will simply reach for your hand and pull you back to him every time, because even if it is lifeless, he will make sure it's warm once again.

[leftistfeminista]

– Speaking of freedom, a topic that all women’s organizations especially highlighted in the last period. What would you like to say about this?

–It’s true, in fact freedom is at the top of the demands of all oppressed class. The patriarchal system is imposed on women from home to workplaces, and when they don’t accept the slavery, they will be “punished” with death. Notice that the women on the streets say, “We want to live.” Previously while the demands for how they wanted to live were highlighted, now they say, “We want a world, where we are not killed!”. The attacks on women are at the highest level. Freedom is the need of all oppressed segments in the imperialist-capitalist system. Freedom is the most fundamental problem of all women in the male-dominated system and its our first demand. Our fight and resistance are already for freedom and for liberation.

We must firstly explain that the women who are punished by all kinds of patriarchal methods are not victims, but the subjects that will destroy this system. In every material of bourgeois media, women shown as a violent “poor”. Without action, thoughts; women are seen as a victimized object that is cursed, beaten, abused and murdered. In fact, the message is clear; You will be thankful all the time, if you cross the line you will be punished with any method listed above!

We have lots of duties at this point. What will be our response to this violence, it’s a must that to go to an organization which will work beyond just seeking rights within the legal boundaries. We are not denying or underestimating this sort of works, but we will not be able to achieve true freedom by staying within these boundaries. We cannot break this violence without using revolutionary violence.

KBDH established with the claim of being a united-military-political organization of women that will organize the violence of women which will target all patriarchal institutions. Its currently true that we are not where we wanted to be and expected from us. However, there are objective conditions to take the women on streets to the illegal struggle which will spread the women’s struggle to the next level. Until now, we have carried out actions targeting the institutions of the patriarchal system, we want to increase these actions.

Women were left defenceless, unarmed, unorganized, with definitions such as “naive”, “peaceful”, “far from fighting” and “beauties”. We don’t accept these beauties, because what is trying to be imposed by them is deepening the slavery. Our only demand is freedom. First, we must create the awareness of freedom. Freedom, comes from organizing. Our call is: “Let’s organize, let’s get armed, lets create the united women’s struggle and be liberated”.

– Finally, what would you like to say…

– We believe we have the power, anger and sacrifice in order to do what we have mentioned, as long as we realize our power. Because while we are being taken to the cremation, we are the witches that who walks towards it with smile, and we dare to put our heads under the guillotine in order to be equal. We are the ones holding the positions on the front in defending the Rojava Revolution. We are the fighters/martyred in the mountains. We are the ones on hunger strikes to break the isolation in prisons. We are the ones who doesn’t leave the streets during the most violent attacks of fascism. Because we are women, we will become more beautiful as we resist and become free as we dare.

[cipheramnesia]

The Menu, to me, is such a fascinating movie. I'm going to come back to it and watch the way it's filmed more carefully. but the first time through is such a tantalizing and layered discussion about work, wealth, and inevitably life under capitalism.

What I particularly love about it is that at a very surface level reading it offers a sort of "introduction to systemic inequality," an easy to swallow metaphor of humanity literally consumed by exploitation to the point of annihilation, wrapped around a peppy little survivor girl finale. For me, stripping away all the tasty deeper subtext, it still fulfills the most basic component of a popular film, which is "having a good time." You do not need to try and "get it," you can simply enjoy it by itself if you like.

However, as soon as we get into the finicky details of the movie, especially our "final girl," it starts to get really interesting because the initial surface metaphor starts to fall apart and demand a more complex level of thought. (This will feature some spoilers.)

What I find fascinating is that our protagonist is a sex worker. The entire grand metaphor proposed by our chief antagonist, the chef, is you can divide the world into the served and servers. He has arranged what he thinks is a perfect and flawless illustration of this grand truth, and one unforeseen change fully undermines his entire thesis. She's a worker who provides a service, she's someone getting served by workers in the process of that service. Her job and her life weaves between both worlds and although it's possible to make some larger sweeping generalization, to do so would take the nuance away from the lived reality of most people who are at once point or another both things. This undermining of the chef's thesis is very much the point of the movie, not to suggest there is no class or wealth inequality, but rather as an entry into moving past the surface level binary view of "haves and have nots" into a more complex idea of how wealth and power affects people in different places of the hierarchy.

The movie itself presents each new act as a new item on the menu, which is a well-considered choice, as each step forward reveals more information that builds the complexity of the ideas in the movie and whets your appetite to consider it further. The plot, the characters, and the action in the film progress in a way that mirrors the kind of experience the menus title cards before each segment are describing. The restaurant itself being totally isolated, with every employee committed to their jobs with a cultish intensity lays a groundwork for the production of the idea that individual lives are disposable not just in the literal sense, but metaphorically, a quick sketch of the modern expectations of a workforce by capitalist society to consider their personal lives as disposable in comparison to their jobs. Ralph Fiennes' casting as the chef adds a kind of metatextual level to the proceedings, as he himself is an aspirational actor for many other working actors in the film industry. The way he is worshiped by his devout employees while viewed as someone meant to perform on demand by his employers is the kind of deeper exchange that our modern hierarchy expects from us. You can find a higher place in the world so long as you are always willing to trade yourself to anyone who can afford to purchase you.

This level of exchange, where we as individuals are the actual consumable goods in some way is more at the heart of the Menu than a simple binary division of class. It is also the reason to have a protagonist who is, in a literally sense, her own medium of exchange. The surface metaphor of everything as transactional and finite is deliberately broken time and again, because the antagonist, a chef, is unable to see a world more complex than his own route of understanding it, through food and cooking. He sees everything as abstracted, consumable without any possibility of restoration, resources as something which can only be exchanged but never increased or distributed. He is not the villain in the movie, that role remains with characters like the stockbrokers, the old wealthy gentleman, and our protagonist's date for the evening. But he is the antagonist because of his fundamental idea of the world aligning with the villains (even while ostensibly there to kill them) and in conflict with the fundamentally reasonable position of our protagonist, that she ought to live.

I would enjoy dissecting The Menu scene by scene because there's simply so much going on in it, for me personally. I think there's something excruciatingly interesting to be said about the protagonist being a sex worker, in particular because the movie itself does not chose to view this in an exploitative way, but rather uses it to serve the larger idea that humanity cannot, in fact, be broken down into a consumable resource alone - that giving of yourself does not mean a loss to yourself. I also believe there is a distinct turning point in the movie where Ralph Fiennes sits down at a table, which is to me a huge change. It is the movie making an effort to draw a line under the real thesis, that even the antagonist who insists throughout the movie that he exclusively exists as one who serves, who gives himself up one bite at a time until he is exhausted, even he is someone who cannot exist in his own idea of a false binary.

The chef here is not wrong in recognizing the existence of exploitation, or even necessarily incorrect in his ideas of addressing it through violently usurping those in power. I would argue that overall the conclusion of The Menu doesn't disagree with the notion of hierarchical exploitation innate to modern society. If anything, it serves to illustrate even more how much this trend is ultimate a downward spiral of inevitable and total destruction.

However, it is a movie that is meant to be optimistic, a movie about hanging on to our human connections even when we have some exchange between each other. It's about caring for other people, caring about what they do for us, or caring about what we do for others. The conclusion, and our survivor girl, are a recognition of that hope and that potential which still exists.

(edited from bad casting memory)

[unhingedtiktoks]

Description: TikTok from user n0stalgiac. It's formatted as a news segment. He says "Nim Galuu surprised Olivia Rodrigo fans by joining her on stage during her Guts tour. The talking yellow glow worm from the 2013 Blue Sky animated film 'Epic' performed Chappell Roan's hit song Hot to Go, along with Rodrigo in front of a sold out crowd in Los Angeles, leaving audience members in attendance hashtag delulu for galuuluu. Immediately following the performance, Rodrigo announced that Nim Galuu would be replacing her in an upcoming reboot of 'High School Musical: The Musical: The Series,' currently titled 'High School Musical: The Musical: The Nim Galuu-sical: The Series: The Movie The Musical: Romulus.' This comes just a week after it was reported that Galuu would be taking over for Chappell Roan throughout the remainder of her Midwest Princess tour. When asked about his sudden rise in popularity in an interview with the Buca di Beppo newsletter, Galuu replied, 'The rings of knowledge...' That's literally all he said. It's also being reported that Disney's California adventure is considering having a Nim Galuu meet and greet experience at its Avengers campus beginning this fall. Upon the speculation of these rumors, Disney adults began lining up at every Disney park around the world awaiting the drop of any potential Nim merch. Disney parks chairperson Josh D'Amaro said this when asked about the rumors: 'Who the fuck is Nim Galuu? Is that like a Star Wars character or something? We can add him to Star Wars land if he is, but like honestly dude, I literally have no idea who you're talking about.' This statement has left fans disheartened and sick from dysentery, especially considering that the 2013 Blue Sky animated film 'Epic' is officially a Disney property after the company's acquisition of 20th century Fox. There are currently no plans for Nim Galuu to be included in Kingdom Hearts 4, nor have there been any announcement of Nim Galuu being named an official Disney princess. Nimheads everywhere are confused, wondering why Disney can make this happen..." It shows the live action Snow White "but not this." It shows Nim Galuu wearing Mickey Mouse ears at a Disney park.

[leopauldelr]

The beginner's guide to the Pretty Series

With the recent announcement of the new Pretty Series installment titled Himitsu no AiPri, it's about time the Pretty Series returned after over a year since the Waccha PriMagi! series finale. In celebration of the newest installment, let's take a quick history lesson about the Pretty series.

The Pretty Rhythm Saga (2010-2014) - The Pretty Series saga began on July 15, 2010 with the arcade game titled Pretty Rhythm Mini Skirt. Made by Takara Tomy and developer SynSophia, this arcade game pits players in the role of Prism Stars, performing Prism Jumps, and collecting Prism Stones.

While the one that started it all made a slow start, the folks from Takara Tomy wanted to do more with the Pretty Rhythm saga, and with that, a TV anime titled Pretty Rhythm Aurora Dream was made. Aired in TV Tokyo on April 9, 2011, for 51 episodes, this anime is the fruit of Japan-Korea collaboration thanks to Japan's Tatsunoko Production and South Korea's Dong Woo Animation. The TV anime is all about Aira, Rizumu, and Mion in their quest to take on the prestigious Prism Queen Cup.

As Aira Harune's journey to become Prism Queen is completed, Mia Ageha takes the baton as the star of the next Pretty Rhythm story; Dear My Future. Aired in TV Tokyo on April 7, 2012, for 51 episodes, Dear My Future centers on the rivalry between Prizmmy☆ and the K-Pop group PURETTY. Believe it or not, there are real-life versions of the groups as seen in the anime. There's even a live-action segment featuring Prizmmy☆ as well.

As Mia Ageha's road to Grateful Symphonia is well and truly over, Naru Ayase steps to the spotlight in the third and final chapter of the Pretty Rhythm saga, titled Rainbow Live. Aired in TV Tokyo on April 6, 2013, it features an original storyline unlike the previous two. It's about Naru, An, and Ito, who are working together at the Prism Stone Shop while trying to take good care of a mysterious girl named Rinne.

Although the Pretty Rhythm saga ended, the story continues with the KING OF PRISM spinoff films featuring male characters from the Pretty Rhythm saga. They even got a 2019 anime show as well showcasing the rise of the boys who would be Septentrion.

The PriPara saga (2014-2018, 2021~) After the end of the Pretty Rhythm saga,  the folks of Takara Tomy prepped up what it seems to be the second generation of the Pretty series. It's called PriPara and it aired on TV Tokyo in the Summer of 2014 and lasted for three seasons, four if you count Idol Time PriPara of course. This anime series centers on the life and times of Laala Manaka, a little girl who wants to be the best PriPara idol. Together with Mirei Minami and Sophy Hojo, they became SoLaMi Smile and they fought their way against the best idol teams of PriPara, especially Dressing Pafe consisting of Dorothy, Reona, and Sion, Tricolore, and Gaarmageddon, among many others. PriPara is a huge win for the people behind it and such success prompted the show to spawn four movies and outrageous merchandising rights.

In the spring of 2017, the next chapter of PriPara begins with three new main characters penning the final pages of this saga. Titled Idol Time PriPara, it's all about Yui Yumekawa, whose fateful encounter with Laala Manaka changed everything following an accident. With Nino Nijiiro and Michiru Kouda joining alongside, the MY☆DREAM trio made the best closure to this saga.

Although the PriPara TV series is finished, the story continues with Idol Land PriPara. First announced in December 2020, it was originally slated to be released in the spring of 2021 until it became subject to long gestation and delayed launch dates. It was released on August 17, 2023. It is the second official PriPara app game after the defunct PriPuz puzzle app game. This app game also features an original anime series set moments after the events of Idol Time PriPara. It introduces new characters such as Amari Katasumi, Mario, and Pololo, among others.

The Kiratto PriChan years (2018-2021) - Aired in TV Tokyo since April 2018 for three seasons, Kiratto PriChan is set in a world where fame comes from social media just like in the real world. It's about a group of girls who called themselves the Miracle☆Kiratts who are striving to become the best PriChan idols above the rest. For three seasons, we watched Miracle Kiratts taking on big challenges such as heated competition with rival teams such as Meltic StAr and Ring Marry, the jewel idol competition, saving the world, the road to the Queens Grand Prix, and saving the world...again, while they do what they do best; showcasing the world that they're the best PriChan sensations ever known.

PriMagi (2021-2022) - Waccha PriMagi! is the fourth installment of the Pretty Series that revolves around the lives of Primagistas striving to become the best of the best. The show is about Matsuri Hibino, a middle-schooler who dreams of being the best just like her idol, the legendary Jennifer Sumire Sol.

AiPri - After over a year of void, the Pretty Series has returned with the newest installment coming to TV Tokyo this April 2024. Titled Himitsu no AiPri, the new series stars Minori Fujidera as Himari Aozora and Sae Hiratsuka as Mitsuki Hoshikawa. For the first time in Pretty Series, the animation sequences were provided by OLM, the studio behind the Pokemon and Yo-Kai Watch anime series, while South Korea's Dongwoo A&E returned to cooperate for it.

Welcome back, Pretty Series! The world can't wait for the franchise's comeback show this April.