#especially in that scene where he speaks to Wolffe

[hello-there-cyarika]

TBB S3E07 SPOILERS

I just had a quick thought:

You cannot and will not convince me that that shadow trooper telling Crosshair “You had your chance to be one of us. You chose the wrong side.” is not Tech being angry/upset/whatever that Crosshair chose the Empire over the Batch, not that he resisted conditioning to be a shadow trooper.

[umlewis]

How Hamilton dropped his Ferrari bombshell on Mercedes

After Formula 1’s long winter break, it has become almost a tradition for Mercedes boss Toto Wolff and Lewis Hamilton to meet in person for a friendly kitchen chat. It has been a chance for the pair to digest the events of the previous campaign, run through developments over the winter, and talk through aims and ambitions for the battle ahead. They were the perfect opportunity for the pair to spend a good deal of time together, better grasp each other’s mindset and get everything lined up as they battened down for the intensity of the season that lay in front of them. Speaking previously about the value of these meetings, Wolff had said: "I think at the end of the season is a good moment, where you can put everything on the table, some of the frustrations and undiscussed topics, and to reflect on them, and to analyse them and to agree or find out what actually happened." That annual get-together was scheduled for this Wednesday at Wolff’s Oxford home, with Hamilton having been at Brackley the previous day for a seat fitting with the 2024 car. From Wolff’s perspective there was every reason to think that this would be a chance to hopefully draw a line over the team’s struggles for the past two seasons and get ready for what is hoped is a renewed competitive charge thanks to Mercedes’ all new W15. But things did not turn out as anticipated and, instead, the key focal point of the meeting was Hamilton dropping the bombshell that he would be activating a release clause in his contract and had signed for Ferrari in 2025.

Almost simultaneously, Hamilton’s long-time confidante, Marc Hynes, who has recently returned to a more active role in the seven-time champion’s management, had arrived at Mercedes’ Brackley factory to deliver a formal letter to the team notifying it of the situation. Hamilton’s departure was now official and, despite the shock, the ball began rolling on managing the news prior to Thursday evening’s public confirmation of what was happening. While there have been suggestions that the January 31 date may have been significant as a cutoff point for Hamilton to activate any options he had, it is understood that this was not the case. Instead, events only played out this week because it appears that Hamilton wanted to let Wolff know face to face at the first opportunity he had, rather than do it through a phone call or via lawyers. Let’s not forget that when Nico Rosberg told Wolff he was retiring after winning the 2016 championship, he could not handle doing it in person, so did it via a phone call at the airport after they had spent hours together flying back to Europe. Getting things cleared up before the start of the season also made a lot of sense for Hamilton in getting the news out of the way as quickly as possible. If he had kept the Ferrari deal under his hat, knowing that whispers would inevitably get out, then he risked it turning into a season-long media frenzy that could have distracted from both his and Mercedes’ competitive focus. While there have long been rumours linking Hamilton to Ferrari, which previously had gone nowhere, Hamilton’s revelation that he had signed for the team is understood to have caught Mercedes by surprise. As the first rumours of Hamilton’s departure emerged, it was inevitable to think that things had perhaps been bubbling away for a while and that Mercedes had been trying to line up everything to keep its driver happy. The recent announcements that Wolff and technical director James Allison had extended their contracts were perhaps signs that the squad had been eager to make clear to Hamilton that there was long-term stability of senior management; however, it is understood that the Wolff and Allison developments had nothing to do with Hamilton, especially because there had been no indication at that point that there was a chance he could leave. It is also understood that there had been no behind the scenes issues that had triggered Hamilton wanting out, nor any concern about the progress of the W15 project that has offered some encouraging signs from the simulator. Instead, as Hamilton confirmed in the eventual Mercedes press release, this was simply about being the right time to move on. With Wolff and Mercedes’ senior management aware of the significance of Hamilton's decision, it made sense for the team to move quickly to get things lined up for the team and the public. Wolff called a meeting at the Brackley factory for 2pm on Thursday where every team member was encouraged to attend, and it was here, via video link as he was in Milan for a Mercedes engineering team meeting with Pirelli, that Wolff announced that Hamilton would be leaving at the end of the season. By this stage, despite no public comment from Mercedes and Ferrari, the news had already pretty much leaked out, before both teams made their announcements around 7 pm on Thursday night. Hamilton’s move to Ferrari is one of F1’s biggest shock stories for years and triggered one of the most dramatic news days we have had in a while, but it is a story that will excite grand prix racing for years to come, especially because how it plays out is anyone’s guess right now.

[mosswitch219]

Some thoughts on Bad Batch Season 3

SPOILERS

First off I want to say this is going to be a very unpopular opinion and if you liked the szn this probably isnt the post for u, but I feel I have to speak my mind.

Overall after watching season 3 I honestly feel let down and unsatisfied with the events and especially the ending.

1. Techs death is probably the biggest thing that frustrated me because when you kill a character off you should either have your other characters morn and grieve them and learn to accept the loss or bring them back.

However they didn't either of those, instead they pretty much forget he existed they barely reference him and only say his name like twice, it would be fine to show characters in denial about someone's death but it's more like the show is in denial. This is why many bad batch fans were expecting tech to come back, if you don't morn a characters death than the story arch feels incomplete a ppl will wait for it to "end".

Not to mention techs story didn't seem over he left on weird unfinished terms with Phee and it seemed like they would touch on it again but nope.

Also they introduced CX-2 and made it seem like he might be tech, such as having the same build and teasing the identity like it's important and like it will mean something and then at the end for CX-2 and all these super soldiers to mean absolutely nothing.

2. So many unfinished questions, I can't believe this is the end of bad batch and apparently the last clone show. Especially when we still don't know where tf Cody is and all we're told is that he's gone AWOL (mentioned like it will mean something in the future) and then we never see or hear anything about him again.

Then there's Wolffe obviously we know he's in Rebels but what happens between then and now?

Then there's Echo same as Wolffe what happens to him as we never see him fighting alongside rex in Rebels.

Then ventress she was introduced back and then she leaves and we never see or hear about her ever again, she didn't rlly add much they revived and went "look ventress is back" for one episode and then that's it she's no longer important all she did was say "yup omega has a high M count" and then left.

3. Omega and the other force sensitive children could have patched up the plot hole of "somehow palatine is back" by saying using omegas clone DNA that can sustain high levels of a M count and a force sensitive child they were able to figure out how to clone palatine or smth but no it all meant nothing and we never rlly knew what the tests where for even when they had a golden opportunity to reveal it when Rampart forces Nala se to tell him everything abt the experiments

Honestly season 1&2 were great and so I went into season 3 expecting the same amount of quality but I didn't get that. They usually tie everything together and I never felt unsatisfied or confused in szn 1&2 but I did in szn 3. I kept waiting for things to start to tie together especially when the had so many moment where it seemed like the scenes where there just to make things make sense but no they were all there for nothing.

I walked away from szn 3 thinking it must have been rushed or gotten a new writers team bc wtf was any of this, it was so out of character for the writers to make such bad decisions.

I understand if other people like the ending bc we don't usually get somewhat happy endings but this was more like a half-assed happy ending to me, I would have preferred a well written devastating bad ending but this is what we got instead and I am so disappointed. All I could think of szn 3 was about how angry, let down and confused I was and that it was a lame and made me feel meh.

[spacemagicandlaserswords]

The Clone Wars 4x10 ‘Carnage of Krell’ Reaction

OMG

I AM NOT OK

MY EMOTIONS

DOGMA

REX

WAXER

TUP

WHAT THE FUCK DID I JUST WATCH

Ok ok trying to get my thoughts in order. Even still, this is going to be all over the place.

Tup coming up with the idea of using the Umbara sarlacc monster to trap Krell was so damn clever.

The moment Dogma broke and realised he’d been betrayed just absolutely broke my heart. He thought he was doing the right thing the entire time. He was trying to do the right thing. He was trying to be good. Omg good soldiers follow orders nooooo now is not the time for that thought. 

Do we know what happens to Dogma? Please tell me we find out what happens to him.

Jesse’s shoulders are so broad. That shot of him from the back in his upper blacks in the brig was just, omg, sir why are you so broad?

WHY THE FUCK DID THEY PUT A MEDIC IN A FIRING SQUAD?! WHAT WAS KIX DOING THERE?! WHY?! WHAT KIND OF MESSED UP NONSENSE IS THIS?!

Also, they put Tup in the firing squad as well?! It seems like Tup and Dogma are close so I’m assuming their close or best friends or maybe batch mates but WHY WOULD YOU DO THAT?!

“Well, I’ve officially lost my sense of humour” Jesseeeeeeeeeeeee

I got the distinct impression that Jesse was much less impressed with what was happening than Fives, who seemed like he’d accepted his fate, until…

THAT ABSOLUTELY BADASS SPEECH! FIVES! You have all of my heart. All of it.

I kept mentally screaming “Where is Cody?!” during the scene where the 501st and 212th attacked each other until I realised that Waxer was in charge so of course Cody and Obi Wan aren’t there.

The whole scene where the clones attacked each other was just utterly heartbreaking. Emotionally destroyed. I was clutching my face and shaking and making pained noises and tearing up for pretty much all of this episode but that scene. Ugh. Omg. I do not have the words. I am completely devastated. The way Rex fell to his knees. The looks on all the clones faces. How the 212th clone Rex was holding fell to the ground. *sobs*

Waxer had a sticker of Numa on his bucket *WAILS*

And the tear right before he dies?! *SOBS*

I know it’s an “animated kids tv show” but it really made no sense that there were all these injured and dying clones and there’s no blood. Especially when Waxer was coughing and wheezing. That’s the point you’d expect him to be coughing up blood but there’s nothing. Also, Rex’s face when he asked Waxer who gave the order them to attack. It was so gentle and caring and sad.

Speaking of sad, the end where they’re all question what this is all for. They’re so right. So much pointless death and killing. 

Rex when he went down to execute Krell. Omg, you poor, poor man. So many emotions. He was struggling with so much. I know this is his line of “On your knees” comes from, and twice. And it was definitely a badass moment and I’m sure in time with further watching it’ll become one of those moments where if Rex said that to me in that voice I’d impale my knees through the floor immediately but at the moment I can’t separate it from the situation and what was happening. He was shaking.

I’m going to have to watch through these episodes again and do more of a live-blog style reaction to everything as I watch it, similar to 1x5 ‘Rookies’, 2x10 ‘The Deserter’, and the recent Wolffe episode, because I know I’m missing so much. But I also wanted to get this immediate first emotional reaction out first becomes omg ALL THE EMOTIONS

Of course the evil baddie starts monologuing. You could see his eyes turn yellow.

Ah, so this is the episode where the badass shot of Rex putting on his bucket while marching with a bunch of the 501st comes from. 

How did Fives, an ARC Trooper, not notice Dogma, who was in binders, had taken his blaster? And why did they take Dogma out of the brig in the first place? I may be reading into this way too much but I think mayhaps Fives (and Rex?) knew what they were doing? Maybe? Even I’m not sure reading that back. But Fives doesn’t dual wield like Rex, we’ve seen him very clearly use a DC-15 blaster rifle many times in battle. Though Wookieepedia says Fives “began using twin DC-17s like his friend Rex, though he continued [to] use the DC-15A from time to time.” and cited episode 4x8 ‘The General’ as the source for that quote. I think I’m just overthinking this now. Also, sobbing at that quote from Wookieepedia where Rex is referred to as his friend rather than Captain.

Waxer had tally marks on his armour too. Has Rex started a trend?

Who was the clone who reported to Rex at the end of the episode that Umbara had been taken? Was that Appo? He seemed very “generic standard clone”, with no different paint or tattoos or hair.

I’ve noticed that unless they’re specific characters, the rest of the clones (background clones? extras?) seem to be all the same. Which makes sense from an animation perspective, you’d just copy and paste (heh) the same model and save time by not having to customise every single one. Though I wish we could see some of that individuality in all of them, rather than just the main and supporting ones.

A lot of the lighting, especially of the clones' faces, is very stark, almost horror movie-esque. Like when you put a torch under your chin and tell spooky stories. 

Ok I’ve sort of run out of steam and fallen in an emotional heap now so I think that’s it for this and I’ll have to come back to everything in the re-watch. 

I’m going to go and curl up in a ball in the corner and cry or something now. Or I’m just going to watch it all over again.

[skellymom]

@thecoffeelorian

Warning...it's gonna be long...cracks knuckles...

Hubby and I had this conversation yesterday. Not just Crosshair. Omega hasn't gotten any emotional conversation/introspection regarding her medical trauma on Kamino/Tantiss/or the constant stress of a CHILD being pursued and possibly abducted by whomever wants her.

No handling of grief for Tech's death for anyone. Just a big negative space where he should be, some throwaway lines, everyone looking glum. Yes, grieving can look like this, but not how everyone handles loss...even if you are a clone. They are clones, not a hivemind.

I don't like bringing Ventress/Fennec back in this way...IF we even REALLY should bring them back at all in this series or at this point. Felt unnecessary. Some of the storytelling was cool (enjoyed the world building of SPACE LOUISIANA/fun fight scenes), but unnecessary as it didn't really further the plot very much.

Prefer 2 episodes of The Batch processing their grief with friends they made on Pabu than what we got. Shep (especially this man's calm/caring energy) and Lyana would have been amazing to help them along. Maybe introduce some supporting characters/villagers (more than Crosshair trying to ignore that nice lady on the boat who might have a thing for him). They all come together. Especially since the clones weren't emotionally given a playbook in which to grieve by the Kaminoans. The people of Pabu would be an important key to helping them establish grieving rituals and a support system to process.

Doesn't have to be sappy, just not totally avoidant. Feel S3 is being shoved through a strainer and missing deeper context/details of the clones emotions, new lives, etc.

THE BAD BATCH really needed a 4th season to give them the property humanity they deserved. This doesn't just include CF-99, but Cody, Fox, Rex, Wolffe, Howzer, Gregor, Fireball, etc (RIP to all our Clone Men, gone WAY TOO SOON!)

RIP Mayday, you got a whole episode of struggle and angst for the trauma you endured. Glad Crosshair was present for that. The rest of the clones need more time and development too. This would be such fantastic storytelling.

I demand more for our characters.

Shit...it worked for Andor...

PS...speaking of Andor (reference to the prison population character arcs): I would KILL to have had ONE episode of just the various clones being in their cells talking through the walls to one another. Maybe using hand signals to communicate, how they are in solitary. Kinda like some Orange Is The New Black kind of stuff.

SO MANY story arcs in this series that should be told. So much potential.

Since he's still NOT eating; still NOT sleeping; still NOT being checked for the obvious object poking out of the left side of his head; still NOT being confirmed that he doesn't have a chip that can reactivate; still NOT being asked what happened to him in Tantiss; still NOT being asked who he tried to save on Barton 4; still NOT being given a full check-up by AZI-3; still NOT receiving individual hugs from anyone but Echo; and still NEVER being asked what Tarkin did to him on Kamino...how did bringing Crosshair to Pabu fix anything???

@skellymom @lulalovez @intrepidmare @littlefeatherr @wolverina2002 @theosb0rnway @talesfrommedinastation @nimata-beroya @ladykagewaki @alabyte @eclec-tech

[nicodemuslily]

Diplomacy

Disclaimer: the following texts are a little bit special as you’ll see pretty quickly, because it’s just dialogues. When I imagine a story, it all starts with dialogues most of the time, then I write the text in-between (because dialogues are really important to help readers to dive in a story, I put them on paper as fast as possible after I thought about them, even if I write the story months or even years after). But, sometimes, I imagine dialogues with no connexion with any stories I’ve got in my mind. They help me actually to determine the temper of a character or to settle a crucial situation in the backstory of one or more characters. So I wrote them also, with a few lines to add some details that could be important to get the scene properly. But I’m pretty sure I won’t write the full story around (because that’s the way my brain is working: many ideas, few finished projects). I hope you’ll enjoy it anyway.

PS: the « Wolffe/Irdiz » note indicates that Wolffe is the first one to speak. I add this note when the first speaker is not obvious.    

___

Context: Pantorans are threatened because of their allegiance to the Republic. Riyo, who has to go to a symposium where numerous political figures are supposed to go, is escorted by the Coruscant Guard and Fox himself. Both are already together but no one knows. Riyo enters the ball room full of people and a famous minister comes her way, when Fox is standing on her back.

___

-        Senator Chuchi, it’s a pleasure to see you here with us.

-        I would not have missed this meeting at any cost.

-        Because of the threat above your head and your relatives, we would have understood your absence.

-        There is no way I will bow to these methods. And the Republic does what it’s necessary to afford me a protection.

-        One clone?

-        Commander Fox follows me personally to refresh every attempt of my enemies, but his brothers are not that far. They watch over me in a more discreet way.

-        I see. Speaking about clones, I have heard – and I hope to have been fooled – that you wish to ask for recognition of citizenship for all the Great Army of the Republic.

-        You can cease to hope because it’s the truth.

-        You can’t be serious.

-        Of course I am. Taking into account what those men are doing to preserve the Republic, I feel they deserve the right to be recognized as true members of it. More than some who obtain it without even asking for it, in my opinion.

-        Your crusade is meant to fail, Senator. No one will follow you in this war lost beforehand.

-        Why are you so certain of that, minister?

-        Because to be a citizen, you need to be part of the human race first.

-        They are humans.

-        Humans aren’t born on test tubes.

-        Does that supposed to mean that every child conceived in vitro until now must lose their citizenship?

-        It’s different. Clones are mass produced upon the DNA of a miscreant who never followed any rules. They don’t have any mother and they look exactly the same. It’s unnatural.

-        They don’t look like each other that much when you know them better. By the way, those men didn’t choose to be a copy of an outlaw. As so, it’s unfair to make them pay for something they are not responsible of.

-        They are machines anyway.

-        Of course not. Clones can think by themselves, are able to elaborate complex reasoning and to adapt themselves to many situations.

-        As droids actually.

-        Droids are programmed to pretend to think like humans.

-        As clones are programmed to obey orders, don’t they?

-        How could you compare those brave soldiers with empty shells of metal? Especially when one of them is standing in front of you.

-        What I have to fear about? I don’t think I’ll be wrong suggesting that he has received instructions to protect you at all cost. But, by now, you’re not under any attack for what I know. As so, he won’t do anything. Am I wrong… commander?

The minister approaches Fox to cross his gaze and to provoke him but, Fox doesn’t make any move. The minister has a nasty smile on his face.

-        Exactly like I said. Empty shells…

-        You should be ashamed, mister.

-        Less than you and your childish quest.

-        Granting dignity to men who risk their life everyday so as you can continue to eat as much overpriced appetizers as you want, it’s not what I call a childish quest.

-        They have been manufactured for this purpose, my dear. You’re feeling sorry for bedside lamps that, in less than fifteen years, won’t be part of our world anymore. Believe me, you will more efficient knitting mittens for your citizens.

-        …

-        Well, if you wish to talk again to a smart form of life, you know where to find me, Senator Chuchi.

The minister has a hideous smile and then, walks away calmly.

-        If I wish to talk with a smart form of life, minister, you would be the last person I’ll talk with.

Full of anger, Riyo finally turns back to Fox.

-        Please forgive me, commander, for this disgraceful conversation.

-        There is nothing to forgive, Riyo.

Surprised to hear her name, Riyo quickly understands that Fox shuts his comlink down so as his brothers won’t hear them.

-        You should put it on again. Your brothers will be worried to not hear anything for that long.

-        I shut it down after your last line to the minister.

-        So you let them heard all the non-senses this… this… this boor said.

-        I overall let them heard how much energy you used to defend us.

-        …

-        Because I want them to know how much our cause is important for you. So, the day I’ll introduce you to them, they’ll remember this moment.

Riyo smiles, blushing. She hesitates to take his hand and even to kiss him but feels the people staring at them around. She whispers the following words:

-        I love you.

-        [whispers too] I love you too.

-        You should put your comlink on again now.

Fox obeys and Riyo walks through other dignitaries.

___

A little bit of Foxiyo because they desserve it. /o/

This scene happened both in the original timeline and in my AU timeline (but Riyo only met Fox’ brothers in the second one). :)

If I found the strenght too, I’ll draw something about this scene. ^_^

[ironmandeficiency]

idiot’s array

pairing: kix / reader

word count: 1351

summary: during sabacc night in the barracks, you just thought you were going to win the game you were playing. too bad you didn’t account for kix playing one of his own.

request: “Lol I guess someone else had the wolffe bug too 😍, can I request kix with wiping away person b tears?”

a/n: i was in too happy of a mood to make this sad, so funny/crack is where i’m taking it!!! hope that’s alright, anon!! this can be read as a sister piece to “we (don’t) need a medic” if you want. also i discovered that sabacc is pretty similar to blackjack, which is cool. and another thing, i really should go to bed, it’s nearly 8am where i am rn and i haven’t been to bed

sabacc night in the barracks was the highlight of your week. it was time away from fellow mechanics and the prying eyes of higher-ups well spent in the arms of kix. it didn’t matter that you were absolutely terrible at sabacc, you just enjoyed being with your favorite medic.

“you gonna play a round with us, y/n?” jesse teased, nudging your shoulder with his from where you sat on kix’s right thigh.

“not a chance!” everyone thought it was the funniest thing, your lack of skills at the popular game. the premise was simple, just getting as close to 23 or -23 with your cards as possible without going over 23 or under -23. with your rotten luck, however, you would always end up at 24 and bomb out. no one knew how you did it (least of all you) but you learned quickly to not join in.

fives plopped down on the left side of you and kix, cards in hand. “c’mon, you sure? it’ll be fuuuunn!” he poked your shoulder to emphasize his point, a grin plastered on his face.

brothers started approaching the table until the game was filled to its max of eight players, spectators gathering around quickly. when the arc trooper was dealing, no one knew what would happen (fives probably didn’t have a clue either but he played it off well).

kix chuckled at the way your eyes rolled -he didn’t need to see your face to know that’s what you were doing- and wrapped his arms around your stomach, thumb slowly stroking the area. it was a habit he formed early on into your relationship, ever since the first time he held you and massaged away the cramps that had you awake at the asscrack of dawn. no matter where you were, if there was a way for him to be touching you, he would. fingers intertwined, a hand on your lower back, and his ultimate favorite: you in his lap without a care in the world.

“you di’kut, you know what happened last time i played!”

“yeah, is it bad that i want it to happen again?”

fives had ended up winning the pot, most of your credits taking up new residence in fives’s pouch. the jingling they made as they hit each other was the only motivation you needed to not play sabacc ever again.

plus, you enjoyed your spot as a spectator. best seat in the barracks.

the game was filled and fives began to deal. you mentally braced yourself for impending bullshit from fives and decided that today was a great day to tease your medic. kix picked up the cards he was dealt and the gears were beginning to turn in his head, the medic seeming lost in his own little world of sabacc.

“that hand doesn’t look too good, honey,” you smirked as you adjusted yourself on his lap, your boyfriend forced to move his legs to where you were perched upon both. this was the best position for your plan and he didn’t even realize that he played into your hands with how intensely he was studying the game.

one hand held his two cards close to him while the other kept its spot on your stomach, thumb still moving back and forth. his chin rested on your shoulder and he’d occasionally sneak a quick peck to your cheek throughout the game. it was really sweet and it almost made you feel guilty for the way you were inconspicuously pressing back against his lap every few minutes.

by the minute his grip around you got a smidge tighter, his pace quicker. he wasn’t a fool. kix knew the game you were playing and he knew it well. the man was an expert at playing the fool (he was surrounded by them, it rubbed off a little) and he was eager to see your face when you realized that you were the one being played.

to everyone’s delight and detriment, there was plenty of fives-brand ridiculousness. from hardcase blowing paper spitballs at his brothers from somewhere in the crowd (he learned last time that you were not to be trifled with) to spears braiding things into tup’s hair that the latter hadn’t been paying near enough attention to, laughter was abundant.

the round was coming to an end, the other players going around and calling out their final totals. you knew what kix’s was and your plan, when he began to say it, was to grind back against him with a bit more determination than was necessarily warranted. it was a bit cruel to tease him like this in front of his brothers, but it wasn’t like kix didn’t mess with you in front of them. you had yet to get him back after making the largest scene possible when you had simply nicked your finger while fixing an astromech, sneaking in a bit of groping in a way only a medic could get away with.

your chance for revenge had arrived. kix was opening his mouth to speak and you less than sneakily moved your hips against his lap but then-

“kriff, kix! stop, i- AAAHHH! kix!”

the bastard was tickling you! his cards were discarded to the floor as his chin dug into the juncture of your neck and shoulder, the hand around your waist beginning to join the assault as well. near laughter rang out from all sides at your demise as kix refused to let up on his attack.

“thought you could get one over on me, huh kar’ta?” kix’s voice was playful in your ear as he continued to move his chin, a shriek erupting from your throat at the strange sensation.

you continued to struggle in his hold but kix’s grip was solid durasteel. he had paused for a moment to enjoy the happiness from all sides but still kept his grip solid. “fives, help me dammit! get me- kix, i can’t breathe! kix!”

fives put his hands up in mock surrender. “i’m not getting involved, he could have a syringe up his sleeve for all i know!”

“you di’kut, he’s not wearing sleeves!” what you said was true; he was in a grease-stained tank top you had snagged from a fellow mechanic’s laundry a few weeks ago and kriff did you enjoy the view of his arms when he wore it. it’s the simple things in life that brought the most joy.

your laughter had stopped for a moment too long in the eyes of your boyfriend because he quickly resumed his assault with more vigor. tears had sprung to your eyes from laughing so hard, a few of them rolling down your aching cheeks.

you were completely out of breath by the time kix finished, the widest grin plastered across his face. a hand came up to cup your face, the pad of his thumb gently wiping away the tears under your eyes. his mocha eyes locked onto yours and you could feel the crippling love and fondness in that gaze alone. you could only hope that your own eyes reflected the same to him.

he seemed to be pondering something for a moment, the stillness of his body on yours making it all the easier for you to feel his heartbeat. soon he came to a decision, judging by the way his jaw set and body began to move. with admirable strength, he scooped you into his arms and turned his back on the sabacc game. his only thoughts were of you and some especially fun activities you could get up to while his brothers were mostly congregated somewhere far away from your quarters.

the sabacc round ended with jesse as the winner with a perfect 23. it wasn’t until fives bent to pick up kix’s dropped hand that he learned that the medic would have won the whole pot if you hadn’t distracted him. the three cards in hand were a two, a three, and the idiot, otherwise known as the only hand that could beat a 23.

you were going to pay dearly for your antics.

[letterboxd]

Truffle Hunter.

As Pig snuffles its way up Letterboxd’s best of 2021 ranks, Mitchell Beaupre hunts down writer-director Michael Sarnoski for a chat about some of the finer creative points of his Nicolas Cage-starring meditation on cookery and grief.

In a time when audiences know too many specific plot details of films months before they’re even released, the idea of a surprise sensation feels like a fleeting memory. Yet that’s exactly how one could describe Pig, the debut feature from director Michael Sarnoski. With minimal pre-release buzz and no flashy festival premiere, Pig is a film whose status has been created through sheer quality alone.

This is a true word-of-mouth smash, hailed by critics as one of the best films of the year, as well as quickly earning itself a high placement on our Top 50 of 2021. Jacob Knight praises the film as “an existential rumination regarding how people find meaning in a mostly meaningless world”, while Muriel declares it “the most unexpectedly wholesome movie I’ve seen in forever”. Not bad for a first feature.

Written by Sarnoski, from a story he developed with co-producer Vanessa Block, Pig opens on Rob (Nicolas Cage), a loner isolated in the woods with his truffle pig. Rob makes his living selling truffles to the eager and ambitious Amir (Alex Wolff), but when two people break into Rob’s home and steal his animal companion, he must do whatever it takes to be reunited with his only friend.

A rough day deserves a decent vin rouge.

While that setup led many to give Sarnoski’s film the moniker “John Wick with a pig” when the trailer dropped, the story ends up charting a course away from genre thrills and towards something else entirely. Pig is an exploration of grief, loneliness and compassion, featuring one of the finest performances of Nicolas Cage’s illustrious career.

Raised in Milwaukee, Sarnoski and co-producer Block met in college before working together on the documentary short The Testimony, which focused on the largest rape tribunal in the history of the Democratic Republic of the Congo. That film made it onto the shortlist for the 2016 Oscars, putting the two of them on a path that would lead to their breakthrough opportunity with Pig.

Sarnoski spoke with us about the origins of Pig, the long-term impacts of loss in his own life, the joy of hand-cranked pasta and Bruce Springsteen.

Congratulations on the film! How has it felt seeing this outpouring of love coming for your first feature? Michael Sarnoski: It’s been amazing. Everyone who made this movie felt for themselves that it was special, and we all put a lot of care into it. We also knew that it was a risk, a strange film we figured would hit right for some people, but then plenty of others would think it was boring and weird. We’ve been very pleasantly surprised that it’s a small minority of people who feel that way.

What was the seed of the story that would eventually sprout to become Pig? I had this image in my head of an old man in the woods with his truffle pig. There was something sweet and tragic about that. Then I began asking questions about who this guy is and why he’s out there alone in the woods. What’s his backstory? It all evolved from there.

While the first act inhabits that “John Wick with a pig” space that people were perhaps expecting from the trailer, the story then takes a swerve and becomes a somber, thoughtful character study. Could you speak about navigating that unique arc with your storytelling? We never set out to try and subvert that John Wick sort of genre. We knew that we were playing with that lone-cowboy idea of a film and some of those tropes, but we never wanted to poke fun at that or switch people’s expectations in some sense by choosing Nic to star. We never wanted to “surprise” people by making a quiet Nic Cage movie. It was always just about these characters, what this story is, what we’re trying to explore. I think if we had tried to be subversive it would have come off as hokey.

Silence plays a key part in the film, as so much is being said in those spaces between the dialogue and action. How did you want to utilize the impact of saying more with silence? From early on, we always knew it was going to be a very silent film, and that followed all the way through the edit. Some of us wanted that opening to start out the way it’s done in the movie, where it’s totally silent and the music only comes in at the very end, while others were worried that people would get bored with it. The argument against that was that if they’re going to get bored with that, then they’re going to get bored with the rest of the movie. So, we might as well just lean into it, and let them know what it’s going to be.

From there we gauged how we wanted to approach the silence throughout. There’s some beautiful music in the film that Alexis Grapsas and Philip Klein did an incredible job with that allowed us to bring this beauty and splendor into the scenes. But there were also a lot of really quiet moments where we wanted the audience to be focused on the faces of the characters, and really be feeling the space and letting the sounds of the forest, or wherever we were, come across.

Nicolas Cage, his knife skills, and cinematographer Patrick Scola.

Along with the faces, you focus a lot on hands in the film. Whether it’s in scenes of violence or making food, there’s a real emphasis on what hands are capable of. Where did the inspiration for that come from? Nic was very into the idea of conveying artistry through your hands. He spent a lot of time with local chefs to try and get the vibe of how they moved and how they worked. He was always practicing knife skills in his room. I was constantly waiting for the AD to come up and tell me that we can’t use Nic today because he cut off a finger, but thankfully that never happened. Nic really sold that emphasis on the hands. Those shots could have felt empty if it wasn’t for him. I still am surprised watching some of the little hand choices he made.

I remember there was one shot where we didn’t get it on the day. So, we set it up with his stand-in, and just had him wearing his gloves. We all watched it, and it just wasn’t the same. Nic agreed, and so we reset the entire thing just to get that one shot with his hands in there instead. It was totally worth it. He’s an incredible actor, and it comes through every part of him.

Cage is an actor with an almost otherworldly mythos about him, which allows people to sometimes forget what a tremendous performer he’s always been. What was your experience in building a relationship with him, not just as an actor, but also as a human being? I only have positive things to say. That’s not just a gimmick. From the moment he read the script, he was interested, and he really responded to the character. He was committed to bringing the script to life, and was extremely respectful towards everyone on set. He had no reason to respect me. I’m a first-time director. He could have been a total diva. He could have been whatever he wanted to be, and we still would have paid him and been happy with his performance.

He was very kind, and maybe some of this came from the character, but he was also kind of somber and quiet in general on set. At the same time, he can also be very playful and sweet, even though he was trying to remain in the mood of the character. He set the tone, in a way, for the whole crew. A crew could easily look at a first time director and decide to just slack off and scrape by, because I wouldn’t have even known the difference. The fact that Nic treated me and the material with such respect really trickled down, and was so valuable to the film.

We shot the whole thing in twenty days, so if there had been any weak link with someone not doing their job or not being totally on top of it, we would have been screwed. I credit a lot of that to Nic, and him treating this with an incredible amount of professionalism. I think that’s where a big part of his long career comes from. He’s an incredible actor, but he also takes the art form seriously, treating it as both an artist and as this being his job, knowing that you have to do both in order to get what you need across.

Do you have a favorite Nicolas Cage performance? Other than Pig, of course. There are so many incredible ones. I really love Moonstruck. I saw that a couple of years ago, right before we officially cast him, when I was going through some of his ones that I hadn’t seen. Part of it I think is because I’m half-Italian, and I felt like it was showing me a side of my life that I never realized because my Italian family is on the east coast, and we moved out to Wisconsin when I was very young. I never got to be a part of that kind of thick Italian family, and seeing that on screen gave me a taste of what that would have been like. I loved him in that role. He was the perfect balance of sincere and sentimental, and also over the top when he needed to be.

Grub’s up.

Speaking of being Italian, Pig gets deep into the transformative power of food, and of the right meal. Has food always been an important part of your life? Definitely. I’ve never worked in restaurants. The closest thing was when I worked at a snack bar at a summer camp, which was very fun and also kind of a nightmare in its own way. I think most of the importance of food for me came from when my grandma lived with us. It was after my dad passed away, when I was a little kid, and she became this sort of old Italian cook in the house who was using food as this language of love and also as a sort of control. It had a lot wrapped up in it, this sense that we’re going to have family dinners to prove that everything is fine.

I think any Italian family is that way, but especially in that situation, having that presence come into the house when I was a kid, it made food quite charged for me. It was both a form of bonding and love, but also that control. That was very important to me. As I got older she taught me how to cook some things, and I became interested in that. I had a lot of friends who were great cooks and taught me how to do different things. I’m not an amazing cook, but I love cooking.

I love that act of making something that’s about to disappear. I think if you can be okay with that, and put a lot of time and care into that, it’s kind of a therapeutic thing to do. Accepting transience is a big part of cooking.

What’s your favorite dish to cook? I would say over the pandemic I really got into making lasagne. I had my grandma’s old hand-crank pasta maker, so I was enjoying making my own pasta and lasagne with that. I don’t know if I could pick one favorite dish, but that is definitely one that contributed quite a bit to putting on the Covid pounds.

Rob (Cage) and Amir (Alex Wolff) discuss their business relationship.

There’s a scene in the film where Rob and Amir go to a restaurant and Rob has a conversation with the chef there, who used to work for him, about the idea of losing our sense of identity when we give up on our dreams in order to fill this role that society expects of us. Is that something that you personally connected with? Yeah, people ask me a lot about what I think of the high-end cuisine world, and I have to say that I wasn’t trying to solely express that this world is garbage and phony. I was looking at it as another kind of art form. Any time you have an art form that combines someone’s personal passion with some sort of economy there are going to be conflicts to navigate. Whether you’re a painter, director, writer, whatever, those are going to be things you have to juggle. How true to yourself are you going to stay?

For myself, I’ve definitely found that when I try to focus on doing something that I care about, that’s kind of all I have control over and that’s what I should focus on. Pig was that for me. This isn’t the kind of script that you write where you’re expecting a big payday. It’s this weird movie that for some reason really means something to me.

The scene climaxes with Rob saying the line, “We don’t get a lot of things to really care about”. What about this movie exemplifies the things that you really care about in your life? It’s so many things, and even more things came from going through the process of actually making it and falling in love with Portland. It’s become even more than what it was initially intended to be. I mentioned earlier that my dad passed away when I was a kid, and the most personal aspect of the film for me was exploring that idea of what grief does to us long-term.

As I’ve gotten older I’ve been watching how my family members changed the way they interact with the world and built their perception of the world around some aspect of grief. It’s not those immediate effects of shock or sadness. It’s how those things ingrain into your worldview. I became much more conscious of how I was doing that in my own life. That was the deepest, most general thing that I was bringing to it, and that I was exploring personally through the film.

As far as specific things that I care about, I think I have all the classic things. I care about my family, and my friends. I care about the world, which is why this year has been so devastating. I don’t have one single pig. I think we all have a few different pigs in our lives.

Director Michael Sarnoski on the set of ‘Pig’.

Another scene that really stands out is the one in which Rob returns to his old home and sits with this young boy, having a conversation about a persimmon tree that used to be there. Talk to me about the significance of that moment for Rob. One of the things I love about that scene is that it seems so simple, kind of quiet and basic, but it’s getting into a lot of different things. I will say one thing about that scene. That was the first scene that we shot on the first day of filming. That kid was great, but filming with a child on your first day of your first feature was very much a moment of wondering what I had gotten myself into.

That scene does a few things. I won’t get into spoiler territory, but for starters he’s going back to his old house, so it’s his first attempt to really look at his past in the face, and to acknowledge that. I like that in that moment this is also one of the first times that we hear him speak romantically of food, because those things are very tethered to each other.

We get both the sense that there was a past, a personal path that he left behind, but intricately involved in that was how he interacted with food and his art. It’s the first time that we hear him acknowledge who he was in a way that’s okay. He tells the kid his name, and he’s acknowledging his identity that he’s been trying to hide from or ignore. Through doing that, it’s engaging with his passions and how that tethers everything together. I also thought it was cute explaining what persimmons were to a little kid.

I’ve got to ask you about the use of Bruce Springsteen’s ‘I’m On Fire’ in a very meaningful moment. What made that the perfect song choice for that scene? Obviously, who’s singing it is very meaningful. I liked that song, though, because it’s different from the sappy direction we could have gone with that moment. There’s something very passionate about ‘I’m On Fire’, of course, and it’s a pretty sexual song. It’s really charged, but it also has this kind of ethereal quality to it that’s seductive in a non-sexual way. It washes over you, and it feels very mystical. This sounds so “film talk”-y, but I liked that meeting of that transcendent, abstract feeling with that immediate sense of passion and love and obsession.

Finally, what’s the film that made you want to become a filmmaker? Probably Sam Raimi, his first Spider-Man movie. That was the first time I realized what directors do. I had a very strong association with Spider-Man growing up as a comic-book fan, and I was seeing how someone was filtering their own understanding of this character. Raimi coming from his horror background and being into the nitty gritty filmmaking with practical effects and everything, I got this understanding of how a director touches a film and shapes it.

Related content

Steve’s list of pigs in film

Melissa’s list of films featuring food, chefs, bakers, restaurants, cooking, hospitality, hotels, wineries, grocers

Rachel West discovers Nicolas Cage is her most-watched actor of all time

Letterboxd’s Official Top 50 of 2021—Jack Moulton’s list

Follow Mitchell on Letterboxd

‘Pig’ is currently in US cinemas via NEON, and available to buy/rent on digital.

[kylermalloy]

my Thoughts on rebels

Now I don’t have any hot takes or any controversial opinions to put out here. Rebels is a simple show with a simple plot. There’s not a whole lot to analyze, but that doesn’t mean there’s nothing to enjoy. Sometimes all you need is a straightforward concept with lovable characters. So let me proceed to squeal about Dave Filoni’s second masterpiece, Rebels.

Spoilers abound!

Before I say anything else...

THEY HAD A BABY I haven’t stopped squealing.

Zeb Okay I’ll start with Zeb, for no particular reason. He was the only main character I hadn’t really heard about or seen much of before I started watching. In the first few scenes with him, I was afraid he’d become his stereotype—the thuggish gorilla who argues all the time, disobeys orders, messes up plans, and borderline betrays his friends. I was so pleasantly surprised when none of that happened. Maybe by virtue of being a kids’ show, these characters don’t have *edgy* or twisted nuances. Zeb is fiercely loyal. He likes smashing heads in and gets grumbly sometimes, but he’s never a hindrance. He’s not just “the muscle”; his ingenuity saves the day on more than one occasion. If anything, his nuances take him the other way—he’s incredibly sensitive and childlike in some ways. Being one of the last of his kind is a major plot point of several episodes, which brings so much depth to him and his psyche. It also informs SO MUCH on his relationship with Kallus. Speaking of...

Kallus I never, ever expected Kallus to be anything more than a season-long plot device. The fact that he stuck around and went through actual character development?? Amazing. The episode where he and Zeb are stranded together is gold. He’s got a sense of honor even as he works for the Empire, sparing the rebels as Zeb spared him. He develops a new set of ideals thanks to our heroes, and he begins to question and regret the things he’s done for the Empire—ethnic cleansing of Zeb’s Lasat people included. And that last scene of them in the epilogue? I’m not gonna lie, it was a bit shippy.

KANERA I know while the show was airing, fans were constantly asking when Kanan and Hera were going to get together. But for me, they seemed to be married from the first episode. Hera calling Kanan “love” and teasing him? Kanan constantly worrying after Hera while simultaneously believing in her ability to do...absolutely everything? Their parenting of Ezra, Sabine, Chopper, and even Zeb? Explicitly referring to them as “the kids” and themselves as “Mom and Dad”? Yeah, they’re married. And let’s not underplay their strengths as individual characters. Kanan—or Caleb—is exactly what you would expect of a Jedi whose training is only halfway complete. He’s cool and awesome, but also riddled with self-doubt and uncertainty. And Hera is the mature voice of reason this merry band of children so desperately needs—except of course when she’s the one rushing headlong into danger, whether to get a fighter prototype or to steal a family heirloom or to save a couple pilots in a suicidally risky move. She’s a perfect blend of mature reason and headstrong determination that makes a true rebel. (Wait a minute...she’s totally Katara! Maybe that’s why I love her so much.)

Now back to them as a couple! Most of the show did nothing to advance their relationship—further reinforcing my headcanon that things were always happening between them behind the scenes. Even though they became official canon in the last season, the appearance of their kid in the epilogue proves I was right—based only on what we saw, there was no time for them to make a baby. Of COURSE there were things going on behind the scenes. 😏 (I found the interview that explains exactly where Jacen came from, and I was equal parts ecstatic and freaked out.)

Did I mention THEY HAD A BABY???

Ezra So apparently there are people in the Star Wars fandom who hate Ezra? I guess I shouldn’t be surprised; Star Wars fans hate everything. Except the OT. If you hate the OT you’re a heathen. I can’t really think of a solid reason why people hate Ezra, except for the fact that he seems to be a Luke Skywalker analog. He’s a poor kid with Force sensitivities who gets adopted by a Jedi and becomes a venerated leader of the Rebellion. He also finds an oddball group of friends he comes to call family but eventually bids them farewell after the death of his mentor. They’re not carbon copies, of course—Luke’s an optimistic idealist; Ezra’s a cynic. Luke whines; Ezra snarks. Luke blows up the Death Star and defeats Vader; Ezra completes a series of far more complicated missions and defeats Inquisitors and Thrawn. Again by virtue of him being the star of a tv show instead of just three feature length movies, he gets a lot more time to have his adventures. Maybe there’s some resentment over him getting more screentime than Luke? Maybe it’s because I’m just Not a Luke Skywalker stan. I like him fine, but I don’t hold him up as some perfect saintlike hero. (I didn’t have any problems with his TLJ characterization.) The people who do need to rewatch the OT they hold so dear. Luke’s a beautiful drama queen and you all should love him for that. But I’m here to talk about Ezra! Listen, this child is a disaster and a half—just like Luke, just like Anakin, just like young Obi-Wan. There is nothing to not like about him—except that he reminds you of your favorite characters but he’s not them.

Clone Wars characters I initially started watching this show solely for the characters I already knew from Clone Wars. Ahsoka Tano has been my girl ever since I started watching Clone Wars, and I didn’t even consider watching Rebels until I knew they had undone her death. (If there was just ONE character they could needlessly save via time travel, they picked the right one.) At any rate, she’s perfect in this show. She’s more grown-up, more mature, but still retains that *young and plucky* spirit. (For the record, I usually hate the *plucky* characters. Somehow, she works for me. Maybe it’s because she doesn’t really do that annoying cocky smirk thing.)

But it’s not just Ahsoka. Rex survived! I’m so glad at least one clone (two? Wolffe?) made it out of the war okay. And he’s great here. His constant snarking with Kanan reminded me so much of his banter with Anakin (and I’m sure it reminded him of that too ;-; ) His presence on Rebels isn’t strictly necessary, narratively speaking, but it’s just a nice tie-in to the world we got used to in Clone Wars. It reminds us that this world with the Empire was once the world of the Republic, and there are still clones out there—even if there’s no place for them in this new order. This of course reinforces the tragic narrative of clones as sentient beings created for nothing but combat. And again, I commend both shows for making me feel that narrative so deeply!

Hondo and Maul were two of my favorite antagonists from Clone Wars, so seeing their multiple appearances here filled me with joy. Hondo cracked me up, as usual, and Maul’s farewell was touching and heartbreaking. I almost wish he were still around! There’s still his duel with Ahsoka in season 7 of Clone Wars... 👀 Honestly what surprised me most about those two were the way they were both presented as protagonists. Hondo especially, and Maul does become an antagonist again. But it really speaks to the way all paradigms in the galaxy have shifted after the Republic became the Empire. In Clone Wars, Hondo was portrayed as an annoying hindrance to our heroes. Now with the Empire as an adversary to our main characters, Hondo is an ally. An untrustworthy one of course, mostly in it for the money, but his interests usually lie with helping our heroes, not hurting them. Besides, nothing tops his relationship with Ezra. Their first meeting had me in fits: “You lied to me?? I KNEW I liked you!” (Also I forgot to mention the running gag of Ezra introducing himself as Jabba the Hutt? Genius. And hilarious, since some people actually believe him at first)

THEY HAD A BABY!!!

Thrawn I need to see this guy again. Whether in a continuation where we learn what happened to him and Ezra, or some other moment in time where we see him younger, rising through the ranks of the Empire full of ambition and ideas. He’s quietly menacing, always confident and meticulous. He does a great job of making the rebels feel helpless in their fight, needling their pressure points and taunting them—but he never makes the conflict personal to him. He always remains detached, just a guy doing his duty. He’s just there to pick up interesting art pieces. I love the way he’s acted—always quiet, cultured, practically whispering. I didn’t know he was voiced by Lars Mikkelson until after I watched, but that was a perfect choice. I found the Inquisitors a little flat as villains (antagonists, whatever) and the other Empire ministers and governors not very threatening. Thrawn was the perfect balance (lol) between interesting and a genuine threat.

MANDALORE For all of Sabine’s merits as a character, I love her most in the Mandalorian arcs. The episode where she comes into her power and wields the darksaber is one of my favorites. She’s not a traditional stern, stoic Mandalorian character. She’s a free spirit, incredibly creative and intellectual. Yet she’s also afraid of her mind and what she could create—for years she created weapons for the Empire to feed her hubris. Maybe that’s why she mainly sticks to painting throughout the series. :) Anyway. I look forward to the follow-up detailing her adventures with Ahsoka.

Chopper I rolled my eyes so hard when I first saw Chopper. Everything from his name to his design screamed “kiddie version of R2D2” and I was fully prepared to hate him. I don’t. He’s just like R2, in that every sentence he says sounds like it’s punctuated with about ten different swearwords. It’s hilarious seeing such a cute character being so surly and even threatening on occasions! Chopper kicks some serious butt. He even comes with a tragic backstory!

Lastly, I don’t think I’ve mentioned...

THEY HAD A BABY AND HE’S ADORABLE

[ccinagalaxyfaraway]

Oh my gosh I can't stop thinking about that chapter in "i take from you everything you allow" where Wolffe asks Plo if he's got a light for his cigarette and Plo just lights it with freaking force lightning. Could you do write a sequel to that or an extension of that scene? It's one of my favorite chapters in that fic

So that took a little longer than expected, but at last:

cigarettes and cilantro

from [ lit ]

1. 

Jedi die as easily as anyone else. 

The thought echoes in Wolffe’s mind. Jedi are not infallible. Shoot one, and he will fall over dead just like a trooper. There were so many bodies. He’d heard Generals Windu and Yoda speaking. One hundred eighty dead on the sands - and if they died like men, what else had he been taught that was a lie?

He throws his bucket onto his bunk. It rolls to a stop on top of his pillow, wobbling like a grave marker. He snarls and turns away from the macabre scene. 

His hands won’t stop shaking. They’re going to give him a Jedi. The vode have been called to action, and they’re going to give him a fragile, mortal Jedi who is not at all an invincible god, and he is going to watch his Jedi die on some battlefield because they die, that’s what they do, and Wolffe is only a man. He’s only a man, and his shaking mortal hands won’t stop shaking, damn the little gods.

He paces laps around the room. He wants to run, but outside the rest of his brothers are celebrating their first action in ten long waterlogged years, and he doesn’t want to spoil their mood, even if they are all deluded and he’s the only one who sees things as they really are. The restless energy crawls under his skin. He needs something, anything to make it stop. 

Bacara’s got that ARC vod who brings contraband in from off-world training exercises. The damn things smell like shit, but he swears they’re good for his nerves. It takes a few minutes to pick open Bacara’s footlocker and a few seconds to fish out the little paper box of cigarettes. The first breath burns, but he keeps at it and soon enough the tremors stop. 

It’s not quite enough to get rid of his sense of impending doom, but he thinks that nothing can do that anymore. They’re all living on borrowed time. There’s a blaster shot out there with his name on it, and it’s just a matter of when it finds him. 

2. 

There’s 576 troopers under his command, and 10 of them are still alive because their general is a reckless maniac. Plo Koon was supposed to be a nice, sensible High Councilor, not a walking mir’shupurla or’dinii like the 501st got, or a paklalatla diplomat like the 212th’s. 

Plo Koon is somehow even worse, because he goes about with his bad ideas and his silver tongue cheerfully. As if life is a game of cards in which he is the dealer rigging the results, and he won’t stop smiling about it. All that osik about Jedi serenity and wisdom was exactly that; Wolffe has yet to talk to a single vod whose jetti is as advertised. 

That alone would be enough to drive Wolffe to drink, except - 

Well, the whole jetti thing aside, he’s practically the picture of mandokar. He’s stubborn and an unholy terror on the battlefield, and so very pleased to be alive. If Jango could see him - well, he’d probably try to kill him, but if Jango heard his description, he’d approve wholeheartedly. And to say nothing of his loyalty; if any CC had allowed such a maneuver and risked their priority asset for troopers who really should have known better, there would be hell to pay. But the man took one look at the situation and went off to save his men simply because they were alive and needed the help.

The part of Wolffe that is predisposed to falling for people with mandokar is already bracing for impact. The part of him responsible for protecting his charge is getting ready to pickle his own liver. Since there’s not a drop of alcohol in sight, both parts are going to have to settle for chain-smoking. 

He’s got his own cigs now. Still crappy whatever’s-cheapest-and-available, but they get the job done. His standards, though low, do exist; he isn’t interested in cutting his already short lifespan materially shorter with death sticks. Bacara is a more understanding vod than, say, Fox, and didn’t kick up much of a fuss once his shit was replaced; now they swap complaints about their latest smokes. This one tastes even more like tar than usual and burns too quick.

He discards the remains of the cig and fishes out the next. A trooper - one of the lucky ones now singing the General’s praises - walks by.

“You okay, sir?” he asks.

“Just fine,” Wolffe grumbles, thumbing the wheel on his lighter for a spark. The shiny pauses.

“He’s really something, isn’t he?” he says. “The General. They said the Jedi were good, but I don’t think I really believed it. But he came back for us.”

“He did,” says Wolffe. “Don’t make him do it again,” he says, and takes a long drag. 

3. 

His General uses Force lightning, and he uses it to light cigarettes. If that isn’t a frivolous use of the Force, Wolffe doesn’t know what is. He should probably be more concerned than he is, but the calming effect of the tobacco has already settled in. 

He keeps going back to the moment Plo stepped in close, like a challenge, like an invitation, and the urge to get him up against the wall and make him show something other than his cool composure. There must be something under his facade of unshakable calm. He doesn’t have hair to pull, but his fussy, excessively draped robes would provide as good a handhold as anything. He’d resist, of course; the fight would be part of the fun, but they’ve already established that Wolffe is the better between them at hand-to-hand. Wolffe would win in the end.

They’d start with their usual exchange, short, sharp jabs to test one another’s guard, and then longer flurries as they warmed up. Wolffe would allow Plo to press forward, would draw him in slowly, gradually, until he was in throwing range. Plo would notice and fall back, and their dance would continue. And then Plo would tire, as he did without the Force, and he would slow, and maybe the first few times he lingered in range too long Wolffe would be lenient and allow him to escape, sliding just out of reach. But at the edge of his endurance, Wolffe would catch him and haul him down to the ground, hold him wrists to the dirt, pinned by Wolffe’s weight. And he’d lean in, their breaths mixing, and -

Ah, fuck. The cigarette has burned almost all the way down in the time that he’s been dreaming. He takes a last drag and shakes himself loose of the fantasy. It’s never going to happen anyway. 

4. 

He’s sitting outside watching the stars and the arm of the galaxy in the night sky. There’s nothing left to do for the night. Everything’s tucked in and the captains can take care of whatever petty issues might arise. He’s got himself an honest-to-gods night off, and he knows exactly what he’s going to do with it. 

Plo settles beside him, his robes brushing quietly against the grass, and obligingly provides a spark when Wolffe holds out a cig. The smoke curls unpleasantly in the air and Plo leans away, nose wrinkling behind his mask. It’s not especially poisonous to him; it just gets caught in the rebreather and takes forever to cycle out. Still he comes to join Wolffe when he has nothing to do except burn a pack. 

“The benefits outweigh the drawbacks,” he says when Wolffe asks. “I’d accept your company however it is offered.” He lies stretched out on the ground, head so close to Wolffe’s hip, one clawed hand resting at the hollow where his ribs end, the other absently spinning a flower that smells like cold. 

“You could ask me to stop,” says Wolffe. It’s just a pastime; he doesn’t get cravings. His hands don’t shake for lack of nicotine. But - why not indulge a little when tomorrow and its consequences may never come? Will likely never come, even, the way the war is going. 

Plo hums instead of giving an answer. “I think, when we return to the ship, I should like to plant a garden.”

“Oh?” There’s not very much room that hasn’t already been claimed. A corner in the bay area that used to be for shuttles. Maybe he could clear out a spot by the engines. Plants liked heat, right? 

Plo hums again. “I have not tasted kand in many years. It grows poorly away from Dorin.”

Wolffe resists the urge to comment. Dorin doesn’t share any of its creations well, present company included. In fact, Wolffe is convinced present company might have a few more working brain cells had he not convinced the Sages to convince General Windu to bring him to Coruscant. But Plo continues as though he can’t feel the sarcasm coming off Wolffe in waves. 

“It’s a shrub, you see. Maintaining the necessary environment through the first nonproductive seasons makes it an unattractive option for commercial off-world growers. Only a few attempts have been made, even by the Agri-Corp.”

“Seems like you might be better off trying something else,” says Wolffe. “Seems like a lot of work for something that you might never see.”

“Perhaps,” says Plo, and then he takes off on another tangent. 

5.

He’s thinking about tomorrow and all the days that come after, and he’s thinking about what being happy feels like, and mostly he’s thinking about Plo, because he can have Plo if he wants and he knows it, and he’ll take Plo even if he might lose him later, and the losing will hurt more than anything else ever could, but the not having is even worse. And each moment of having makes the possible Plo-less future even more terrifying, but also moves the future where he gets to keep Plo closer into reach, and that’s worth it, isn’t it? To have and to hold, and to keep reaching for the future that he wants. 

He’s thinking and Plo is coming to him, and he’s got a cigarette between his fingers, the last of the box. He bends it in half and bins it unlit. 

“Not to your taste?” Plo asks, falling into step behind him.

“Nah,” says Wolffe. “Think I’ve found something better.”

[redrobinhoods]

Age of Heroes | Chapter 5, Confrontation

AO3 Link | 2160 words (approx) | Prologue, Chapter 4, Chapter 6

Chapter Summary: The 104th arrives on Utapau as Obi-Wan and Bo-Katan prepare to tear Sundari apart in search of Maul.

“...The moment may be upon us. [...] For if I am correct, soon the Jedi and the Republic will no longer be the controlling interest in the galaxy.” - Darth Maul

Wolffe watched General Plo’s starfighter dock in the hangar from the bridge of the Venator. He was not in it. Plo Koon was somewhere in the city below, heading up towards the tenth level where Wolffe and the 104th would meet with him and Grievous’ forces. Wolffe drummed his fingers against the grey markings on his bracers as he waited for the signal from his general. If they moved in too early, Grievous would flee. They had to time this just right.

He reached for a thin tube he had attached to his belt and fumbled for another orange anti-inflammatory pill. He had told General Plo about the headache but was now regretting downplaying its extent. Of course, if he hadn’t then he may have been told this sit this battle out and he could’ve never done that. They had General Grievous and the Separatist leadership sitting right below their feet. Revenge was not the Jedi way, but he had never been instructed otherwise.

“Commander Wolffe.” He turned to see Sinker standing behind him. “We have received the order to engage.”

Wolffe nodded. “Are the boys ready for launch?”

“Just waiting on you.” Sinker’s helmet flitted down to the pill in Wolffe’s hand. “Still got that headache?”

“Yeah, you haven’t left yet.” Wolffe cracked a cruel smile as he popped the pill into his mouth and put his helmet on. He elicited a low chuckle from Sinker as the man fell into step behind his commander as they made their way to the waiting gunships.

“You know, you should lay off the caf. That may help your headache.” Sinker shot back as they made their way to the turbolift.

“And leave the rest of you to flounder around like pups? I think not.” Wolffe wished that he could’ve seen the look of indignation that he was certain was creeping its way across Sinker’s features.

“Awoo, sir.” Sinker deadpanned.

“That’s the spirit.”

When the turbolift doors opened again, Sinker followed Wolffe to the closest waiting gunship. Wolffe took a look around at the men inside as the doors sealed shut and the ship began takeoff. They were all bristling for a fight. They were always bristling for a fight, but this was personal. Wolffe looked through the slits on the side of the gunship at the rapidly approaching planet. He knew that he should say something to his men, but what to say what another matter.

“Sir, we’re dropping in thirty seconds.” Sinker had placed his hand on Wolffe’s shoulder to get his attention before speaking. Wolffe considered brushing it off for a moment but decided not to do so. He couldn’t cut himself off from his men, especially not Sinker and Boost.

“Very well.” Wolffe checked over his jetpack one last time before raising his comm to his helmet. “This is it, boys. The Republic is counting on us! Let’s make these clankers pay.” A horrible motivational speech, if he could call it a speech, Wolffe had never been as good as General Plo at inspiring moral amongst his brothers, but he got a few raised fists from the men around him and a few whoops over the comms.

When the gunship doors opened, Wolffe was the first one in the air.

---

Obi-Wan stood on the palace balcony looking down at the chaos below. The citizens of Sundari were being evacuated from their homes into shelters in preparation for the 212th to tear the city apart in search of Maul. He could sense the unease coming off of Bo-Katan, and when she turned away from the sight, he followed her.

“This occupation cannot last much longer. The people will not stand for it. I will not stand for it.”

“You asked for our help. My forces will depart as soon as we have captured Maul.” Obi-Wan didn’t mention that the 212th wanted to leave as soon as they had found their commander.

“At least we know from Almec that he isn’t trying to escape, but we still don’t know who else Maul wanted here. If I’d arrived five minutes earlier…” She clenched her fist in front of her in frustration.

“Let’s not dwell on what we could have done differently.” Obi-Wan kept his gaze on her as he pushed open the doors to the throne room. “Maul will surface soon and then you will have your opportunity to lead.”

“I agree.” Maul lounged on the Mandalorian throne as if it had been made for him. Obi-Wan reached out to stop Bo-Katan from rushing against the Sith, pulling her back by the pauldron. Then his gaze fell on the armored man seated on the floor beside the throne, hands cuffed behind his back.

“Cody.” Obi-Wan took a step forward, his previous caution nearly forgotten.

“I’m alright, General.” Cody tried to give Obi-Wan a reassuring look, but it was cut short with a shudder when Maul reached over to run a hand down his cheek. Obi-Wan took another step forward, he could sense Bo-Katan moving with him a half-step to his right.

“You heard the clone, Kenobi. He’s alright, I haven’t done any harm to him- yet.” Maul ignited one end of his lightsaber, bringing it to rest in front of Cody’s neck. Despite the immediate danger, Obi-Wan found his eyes drawn away to a nearly imperceptible motion. Cody had dropped his hand to his side opposite Maul, exposing an uncuffed wrist. As soon as his hand was there it was gone, and Obi-Wan brought his attention back to Maul. “And what happens next is up to you.”

There was the sound of explosions and Obi-Wan and Bo-Katan turned to see the throne room window light up with the flames. They shielded their eyes as the force of the blast shattered the windowpanes, sending shards of glass into the room.

“One of you might want to deal with that.” Maul brought the lightsaber away from Cody and gestured lazily towards the scene with it, eyeing Bo-Katan.

Obi-Wan turned to Bo-Katan. “Go, your people need you. I can handle Maul.”

She hesitated for a moment, then ran off to join the fight. As Maul had known she would.

“What do you want, Maul?” Obi-Wan snarled as her footsteps faded.

“Your cooperation.” Maul extinguished his lightsaber and lay the hilt in his lap. “Skywalker. I want you to call him, now, and bring him before me.”

Obi-Wan had been reaching for his lightsaber but stopped at the sound of his former padawan’s name. “What do you want with him?”

“He is the key to everything.”

“To bring balance to the Force?”

“To destroy. He has long been groomed for his role as my master’s new apprentice. You see, I have orchestrated this entire war to lure him here with you, to kill him.”

Obi-Wan couldn’t sense any deception from Maul, and yet, he couldn’t be right. This had to be a trick of some kind; one that Maul was playing or being played by. “That’s unfortunate, I’m afraid that I am unable to do that at the moment. He’s rather busy protecting the Chancellor.”

“Then it seems I was too late.” Maul shifted in the throne, holding his lightsaber hilt up to examine it. “But I still have you. I wonder how many people will die for you in this room by the end of our rivalry.” Maul’s lightsaber sprung to life in his hands as he swung it back towards Cody.

Obi-Wan ran forward. He found himself too far away to stop the advancement of the blade but tapped into the Force to give him speed. If he couldn’t save Cody, the least he could do would be to hold him as he died; as he had held Satine; as he had held Qui-Gon. He wondered how different his life would’ve been if he and his master had managed to kill Maul all those years ago on Naboo.

Cody’s scream echoed through the chamber. Obi-Wan tapped once more into the Force and leapt to his side, placing his blade between the commander and Maul’s lightsaber. Cody let go of Maul’s lightsaber hilt and fell back against Obi-Wan’s legs.

“Commander?”

“I’m alright, General. Barely scratched me. Hurts like hell though.” Obi-Wan looked down to see Cody’s hands pressed against his side. He could smell the melted plastoid and burned flesh now, but he could also feel the movement of Cody’s back with each breath he took. Maul had not taken Cody from him.

“I think I’ve changed my mind, Kenobi.” Maul rose from his chair, and Obi-Wan shifted to keep himself between the Sith and Cody. “I’m going to kill you, torture your commander to death, then hunt down and destroy your apprentice. And the Republic will thank me for it.”

“Not today, Maul. I am here to bring you to justice.” Obi-Wan brought his lightsaber up over his shoulder, preparing to strike.

“Justice.” Maul scoffed as he advanced towards Obi-Wan. “Justice is merely the construct of the current power base. A base, which, according to my calculations, is about to change. The time of the Jedi has passed. Sidious will rule the galaxy, and the Jedi will be powerless to stop him!”

Obi-Wan stepped forward to meet Maul’s advancing blade with his own. It was time for this to end. He kept himself between Maul and Cody as they exchanged blades. He couldn’t risk the Sith taking another swipe at his commander. Maul’s fighting was sloppy and ungraceful, unlike the quick acrobatic movements that he usually displayed. Ahsoka could’ve taken him easily. Cody, at full strength and armed with a lightsaber or two, may have even been able to defeat him. He wondered if something had happened to the man to unbalance him in the time since he had vanished from Mandalore. As they fought, he pushed Maul back into the center of the throne room. At one point he spared a look over his shoulder at Cody. The commander was laying on the floor where Obi-Wan had left him, eyes closed but breathing deep and steady. He would recover.

Obi-Wan’s lightsaber found Maul’s hilt and one red blade extinguished as Maul howled in fury. He redoubled his efforts, kicking and slashing at Obi-Wan with growls. He was nearly unhinged. The sounds of battle outside were fading, and that only furthered Maul’s rage.

“You’re all going to burn.” Maul hissed, kicking up glass shards towards Obi-Wan’s face. Obi-Wan waved them aside with the Force and reached out to take a hold of Maul’s lightsaber hilt. He forced the blade downwards into the floor and raised his lightsaber to Maul’s throat. Slowly, Maul released the hold on his lightsaber and it clattered to the floor. Obi-Wan raised his head to see the yellow-painted armor of the 212th, led by Bo-Katan, entering the throne room

“You don’t know what you’re doing, Kenobi, what you’ve already done. You’re all going to burn! We’re all going to die!”

“One day, Maul. But not today.” Obi-Wan reached down to pick up Maul’s lightsaber, twirling it in his hand as he stepped back to allow his men their retribution. As the stunned Maul was cuffed and restrained Obi-Wan felt a hand on his shoulder. He turned to see Cody, supported by two of his men and looking pale.

“Thank you, Obi-Wan.”

Obi-Wan reached out to squeeze Cody’s shoulder in return. “You’re welcome, Cody. Do get some rest, I don’t know what I’d do without you.”

“The same thing we always do, but much slower.”

“Peel, Crys, get him out of here. He seems to be developing delusions of grandeur.” Obi-Wan gave the trio a gentle shove towards the door and turned his attention back to Bo-Katan. They still had much to discuss.

---

Ahsoka thumbed lazily through the book Jocasta Nu had given to her. The initial excitement of paper had been short lived, and now Ahsoka found herself reading the same lines over and over except for when one of the clones stopped by and asked if they could touch it, perhaps with a snide remark about how their homework days were over. Some had been more interested than others. Jesse had sat on the arm of the chair and read over her shoulder for a while before he was called away, leaving her alone in the barracks common room.

She welcomed the distraction that was the beep of her comm. “Ahsoka.”

“Snips, Master Plo has just engaged General Grievous on Utapau.”

Her posture straightened as she sat up in surprise. “The Chancellor’s info was right?”

“It seems so. I’m on my way to brief him at the moment. Pass the news on to Rex, would you?”

“Of course. Good luck, Anakin.” She rarely used her master’s name when she spoke to him, but right now, it felt right. Hadn’t they and Rex had enough near-death experiences together to be allowed to speak on a first name basis from time to time?

Her comm beeped in acknowledgement, and she set off to find Rex.

[swodfilms20]

Jumanji Welcome To The Jungle

Directed by Jake Kasdan

Written by Chris McKenna, Erik Sommers, Scott Rosenberg, Jeff Pinker

Cast: Dwayne Johnon, Jack black, Kevin Hart, Karen Gillan, Nick Jonas, Bobby Cannavale, Alex Wolff, Madison Iseman, Ser’Darius Blain, Morgan Turner

Jumanji: Welcome To The Jungle is a remake of the original Jumanji (1995). It was directed by Jake Kasdan who gave us comedic gold such as Bad Teacher (2011) and Sex Tape (2014).

The film follows four high school teenagers that aren’t friends- but rather each starkly contrasting- who come across an old video game console and are transported into the game Jumanji and become their chosen game characters. It is soon discovered that in order for them to return back to the reality of the real world they must win, the game by surviving the levels. Along the way, they meet another teen who has been stuck in the game for the last 20 years named Alex Vreeke.

The film stars the adult's version of the teens Dwayne Johnson as Spencer/Dr. Smolder Bravestone; Jack Black as Bethany/Professor Sheldon; Kevin Hart as Anthony/Franklin Finbar; Karen Gillan as Martha/Ruby Roundhouse; and Nick Jonas as Alex/aircraft pilot.

Undoubtedly this film is pure comedic genius, it is captivating, adventurous, action-packed and there’s not a dull moment. The choice for the cast was brilliant in the way it cleverly created complete contrast for each character inside and outside of the game- which made it more exciting. Spencer (Alex Wolff) was great. He did the character justice, Spencer is shy, awkward, frightened of just about anything, but he has moments where he can speak up for himself. That all changed when he turned into Dr Bravestone we see him come out of his comfort zone but still hold the sentiments of  Spencer's traits.

Then we meet the two stereotypical popular high school students,  Anthony (Ser’Darius Blain) the jock who plays for the High School football team, he doesn’t care for anything besides football. Alongside Bethany (Madison Iseman) the all American pretty girl who portrays the self-absorbed popular girl that everyone admires- well some people envying her beauty and life.

Finally, we have Martha (Morgan Turner) who is practically the female version of Spencer- she is an intellectual, but she is more judgemental, stuck up as she shows ignorance towards others and doesn’t particularly trust people around her.

 What was awesome about the film is each character managed to present themselves and you could feel and see the great chemistry when together. Spencer (Alex Wolff)  from being small, shy, and unconfident to being the very impressive, charming, attractive, huge muscular of Dr Smolder Bravestone (Dwayne Johnson) was just brilliant he is practically an alter ego for Spencer. Seeing Dwayne Johnson play as Dr Smolder being great at everything was him playing himself to be truthful besides when he is emotional, sensitive and awkwardness but to quote Bethany “that is a man” the man can do no wrong. Spencer started to gain his confidence and grow into understanding that he is capable despite what Anthony may think of him he proved to himself that he can lead out of the crew Spencer/Bravestone is the most experienced as an avid player of video games.

Anthony (Ser’DDarius Blain) (sigh) he was a jerk, selfish doesn’t take any responsibility only caring about his reputation and football and using his former best friend to do his work to just stay on the team, and knowing the reason why he stopped being friends with Spencer was for his own self-promotion. Anthony transforms into Franklin Finbar (Kevin Hart) he seems to not have liked the idea that he didn’t have his abilities from reality instead turned into a small man, who he is Bravestone’s side quick making him adjust to not being the main attraction and the alpha male Kevin Hart was playing himself he is a comedic man so you would expect the laughs that in serious moments it was hard to take him seriously especially with his distinctive voice that is high pitched. But of course with Anthony’s personality coming through.

Bethany was a complete surprise from this gorgeous, phone addict (relatable in today’s society) and it’s all about me girl turning into a chubby middle-aged man (Sheldon Oberon) this was the best part of the whole film having Jack Black who is one of the best comedy actors there is play as a snobby, teenage girl was and is iconic. we see Bethany start to become very aware of herself and that the world doesn’t revolve around her.

Martha from being shy, and judgemental into being Ruby Roundhouse (Karen Gillan) who is an alter ego for Martha as she thinks that she isn’t attractive and that because of the way she is she isn’t accepted. Karen Gillan is an incredible talent from when she was in the BBC’s doctor who. She really got into the character of being this complete martial arts expert and dance fighter but being Martha at the same time with feeling uncomfortable with her outfit that was showing her body we saw Martha start to open up instead of being stiff and closed off being more accepting of others.

Let’s not forget about Nick Jonas who played as Alex Vreeke avatar/ Seaplane McDonough. Kudos to Nick Jonas played the character well, of course, seeing Jonas was reminiscing of many teenage hearts Bethany/Sheldon’s reaction was respectable when first seeing Seaplane. Having Bethany fall for Alex/Seaplane was great especially when being portrayed by Jack Black was phenomenal.

The villain Van pelt (Bobby Cannavale) threw the film a little off, wasn’t much of a stand out villain usually when there is antagonist you can feel their presence even if they aren’t in the scene. But you don’t get that in the film until the end when it’s him against the team. To be fair it did put more focus on the group and their mission and them being in a conflict situation we see them start working together having a friendship being built we see that at the end of the film when they are back to reality.

Overall Jumanji is worth the watch some may agree it was a surprising film. It was literally an all-rounder film with comedy, adventure, thrill-seeking. Could heart-harming and love be added to the table? why not it gave us everything.

[impressivepress]

Félicia Atkinson: A Closer Listen interview

Do you have a favorite piece of gear you’d care to talk about?  With this series, I try to not fetishize equipment the way that often happens but rather to try to demystify the creative process.

Some people have all this expensive stuff and produce nothing of interest, others use literal garbage or broken old things and produce beautiful soundworlds.  So, not necessarily from a technical standpoint, but as a piece of equipment that you’ve developed a kind of relationship with.

I like to collect stones from my travels, especially the ones I find on empty beaches or desert. I put them in my pockets, forgetting where they come from, and then use them during my show with micro contacts. Sometimes I just hold them during shows, they don’t make any sounds but they give me energy or at least the courage sometimes to stay silent or not add anymore sound to what’s already in the air. It’s difficult sometimes not to add more, you have break yourself somehow in order to keep the focus and sharpness.

I am fascinated by this image of you deriving inspiration from these stones, even when they are not making a sound. Do you have any early memories of sound, as listener or recorder, that stand out to you, that you draw inspiration from as you do with your found stones?

I think the first sounds I enjoyed were birds in the evening and trains passing. Especially just before nightfall. I am still always moved when I hear them. I leave not far from the station in Rennes and there are birds in my garden, and every day I feel still deeply touched by those sounds.

I seem to recall you’ve spent some time in the American southwest, a residency perhaps? Were you at Taliesin West? Can you talk a bit about your interest in the region?  Quite a contrast to Brittany, no?

We went to Arizona, California’s Mojave and Nevada, and also New Mexico quiet often. Each year since 2014 we do the LA Art Book Fair with Shelter Press and we manage to add some wandering time before or after, a kind of research time where I can record, see, draw,s  listen, write, paint…

We actually went to Taliesin West, and the Biosphere, and Arcosanti, but also to the Meteor Crater and the Petrified Forest. Arizona is Crazy! In New Mexico we visited Georgia O Keefe’s ranch and Agnes Martin’s room in Taos. It’s very inspiring.

There are so many contrast and different energies and people out there.

My relationship to those places is very intimate and I don’t know how to speak about it rationally; but let’s say my records Hand in Hand andCoyotes are my way of explaining and sharing my relationship to those environments.

But speaking of stones, you know Brittany is very rich in dolmens, monoliths and megaliths, that are sacred stones…

May I ask about your musical formation?  Did you study an instrument as a child, or play in more traditional bands in your youth?  How did your current practice develop? Can you describe what led your interest in making music? What is your musical background, both in terms of playing instruments and musical “scenes” which you were shaped by?

I studied harp and piano as a kid, listening to classical music mostly, but was very bored with « solfège » and music theory.

I remember learning « Methode Martenot » [an unconventional form of music pedagogy] that was more intuitive and based on rhythm and really enjoying it.

Also, some people came to my public elementary school to present to us the Structures Baschet by the Baschet Brothers and I was fascinated by them.

I grew up in Paris and my parents were listening to music all the time. My dad, who was working as a psychiatric nurse, was listening to Robert Ashley, Stockhausen and Pierre Henryand my mom, who was working as a librarian at the National Library to world music such as Yiddish songs, Cape Verdian music, Polish music…

I stopped playing music at the age of 14 when I discovered grunge music, Brit pop, indie rock and trip hop. I decided to keep on studying theatre instead. I even wrote a few plays.  I wanted to be a writer at that time and was writing all the time; poetry, novels… I destroyed everything I was really living in my imagination.

In those years (14-18), I was listing to music all the time and reading the NME, The Face Magazine, Les Inrockuptibles… I was a music fan, collecting images, reviews, of the bands I was adoring!

I was doing a lot of baby sittings all my teenage years to buy records and go to shows. (There is no age restriction in shows in France.)

I even went to Bristol when I was 16 with a friend to see where Massive Attack and Tricky where coming from, but we were so broke and young the only thing we could afford was to hang out in parks. But we really enjoyed it, Ahha!

Then in my twenties I was a fan of Sonic Youth, Cat Power, Bonnie “Prince” Billy, Smog, and Low and the voice of Kim Gordon showed me you can speak in songs. I still enjoy the mood those musicians were putting me in, the importance of the lyrics and the feeling of being very close and intimate to the singer. The energy, the experience.

Then I started writing a bit in French magazines such as Octopus and Mouvement about music, read The Wire Magazine, and thinking about it in a more theoretical way.

At the same time, I discovered in my late twenties improvised music, avant-garde music, going to see shows at Instants Chavires, Fondation Cartier, Centre Pompidou…. I studied at Les Beaux Arts de Paris and did a workshop with Christian Wolff that was very influential to me. I started listening to Luc Ferrari, John Cage, Cornelius Cardew, but also Jim O’Rourke, David Grubbs, Fennesz, etc… I started playing music, in different projects such as Strechandrelax with dancer Elise Ladoué and a spoken word project with Sylvain Chauveau.

Then, when, and then around 28 years old, under my own name and the moniker Je Suis Le petit Chevalier. With Je Suis Le Petit Chevalier I made a lot of tapes and CD-R on great DIY labels that really encouraged me to be prolific and use recordings as a kind of sound diary. I feel it was a very liberating time because there was no pressure. I was doing live shows that were very short, very loud and noise, I felt since at that time I was playing in talking audiences I had to be louder than the audience. It was like an exorcism. I really enjoyed that psych / synth DIY scene with labels such as Not Not Fun, Stunned, Digitalis, Ruralfaune, Kaugummi…

And then, in 2011 we created Shelter Press with Bartolomé Sanson and it changed a lot for me, knowing I had my own home to release my music and trying to shape things with more specificity and control.

I had a very important discussion when we were living in the Alps with Bartolomé with our friend Pete Swanson. I think he asked me something very basic, like «  what kind of music do you want to record » and it made me rethink the whole thing. I discovered also new composers, such Ruth White, or Moniek Darge and came back to Pierre Henry, Ferrari and Robert Ashley, and then I released A readymade ceremony, which is for me the volume 1 of a kind of new moment in my music, that I am still following now.

I’d like to ask about Shelter Press.  You’ve brought together quite a roster of artists, with some incredible aesthetic variety.  Shelter Press also publishes books and artist’s books. This feels very right to me, and isn’t something that is as common as one might think, as there is so much overlap between artists who produce work in small editions, whether it be music or books, but I’d imagine that the second decade of the 21st century has been a challenging time for such an endeavor.  Please, tell us more about Shelter Press, how you go about business, how you tie these various threads together.

Well, Shelter Press is 90 per cent run by my partner, Bartolomé Sanson, he is the captain,  holding the vessel on an everyday basis, thinking things ahead and making it possible; even though we take all the decisions together. I am more like the passenger, watching the GPS, looking at the window and tuning the radio accordingly to the drive…and making sandwiches!

It’s a lot of work to publish in the same time books and records, especially since he is handling creative direction, design, editorial, sales and shipping on his own

I think in many ways we often feel overwhelmed by work!

I can imagine!

But we are very happy and proud of what we put out: for example lately from the Ocean Scores of the artist David Horvitz to the latest Eli Keszler record, Stadium,  passing by a compilation of essays about utopian pedagogy (In The Canyon Revise the Cannon), the first record in ten years by Tomoko Sauvage, or the first album by CV & JAB in collaboration with artist Zin Taylor, etc…

We try to draw a kind of circle that links a kind of sparse but connected family.

We try to always meet people in real life before working with them, this is why we do not accept demos, we are not a dating app of some kind, a record doesn’t happen in one sec, it’s a slow process of exchange, not a fast delivery.

Metaphorically, we invite people to eat our table, and in that order, we like to know them first and then take our time to eat different courses and have a good conversation.

Shelter has just released Spectres, in collaboration with INA-GRM, in which you have a text. I’m looking forward to reading this, it looks fantastic.  Can I ask about how you understand the relationship between theory and practice in this context, between ‘research’ and the production of artistic works? You mentioned that in preparation of producing new works you have a period of absorbing various inspirations (books, films, landscapes, etc). Does the intellectualization of the process, as with this essay, come as part of the process or is it more removed (before, after)?

I just believe things are never isolated. Sometimes my ways of rehearsing is making a salad. I am very inspired by John Cage, Pauline Oliveros, Ana Halprin, or Alison Knowles in the way they embrace(d) the world as a whole. A walk in the forest could be a research.

More and more time passes more and more i believe there is not in one hand theory and in another practice, everything in embedded.

Right now I have a small child, we spend most of the day in the park under the trees, and observing an Atlas Cedar for an hour is for me a way of deep listening.

I understand more time since I started to do soft boil eggs, for example. They handle a very good duration I feel.

And music is about duration.

It’s an important stage. The thinking part is the moment where you allow yourself to stop producing, and look back and forward. What have I done? What am I gonna do?

What is around me? What is missing? What is too obvious? Who / what should I call? Where should I go? To whom am I connecting, referring,  in order to say/ show/ make what I feel /want?

I feel full of questions. I need to share those questions sometimes, and take the risk to make some hypothesis. It’s part of the game. Share your ideas and the risk to be wrong or boring.

Right now, for example, I have a small baby at home. My creative time is very limited, my hands being full all day with this little and wonderful person. Well, it allows me time to think and observe.

I go to the park with my baby, I go close to the Sequoias and Cedars of the park with him, I am not playing music, but I feel it is something that prepares me as much as a rehearsal to play shows or record later.

It’s about being alive. I don’t separate life and theory and creation. Each one is one hour of a whole day.

I feel close to John Cage again in that way. Picking up mushroom is also making music. Or making music is just a part of a bigger process.

I’ve only been able to read the first page of your essay in Spectres so far, but it concerns the voice. It seems to me that your work often foregrounds the voice (and the body, as in Hand in Hand). Can you tell me more about the role that your voice and language plays in your music?

I bring my voice with me. I record it and then, a double exists, and people are listening to the double, to this strange stamp called recording. I find it fascinating.

Language is an obstacle to fascination. It brings doubt and subjectivity. I use language to break the image and I use the voice to play with its plasticity and its ghost-like ability to be multiple, pitched, distorted, doubled or vanished. Voice is a wind that penetrates the ear and leave again and come back, it’s also a feminist embodiment of a flexible force.

I believe also in the power of hushing versus screaming. Getting closer to the ear where the shout push you outside. I believe in energies and flux through the voice and its recording.

The voice for me is interesting because it’s always with you. It’s also for me something that travels; from inside to outside, passing walls, staying recorded and filling a room while your body has always disappeared.

The voice is the metaphor of the spirit in that way. It can talk but in the same time stay difficult to understand. It brings images but also confusion. It’s like a stream or cloud. You can see in it or not, it can appear and vanish.

I am very fond of Robert Ashley or John Cage’s voices. Even if they passed away they are still speaking to me.

Sometimes I feel inspired by that, I want to talk to some listeners who are not born yet; at least to people I will never meet. Recording my voice is a way to travel in time and space.

One of the tensions Sound Propositions is concerned with is the difference between working as an artist in the studio (producing records and compositions in “fixed,” recorded form) and in performances.  Do you approach to a live situation in terms of improvisation as opposed to how you work in the studio?

Aha, I would say it is almost the opposite: I improvise way more in the studio than live

Most of the outtakes on my records are first takes with a lot of improvisation in it, whereas live I construct more the performance with diffusion and scheduled sounds.

I feel that the fact that the record is « fixed » allows many strata of improvisation, because you can pile up time on it, the record has to be played several time, and is recorded in that goal of fighting with age and time;  whereas a live event is meant to disappear and therefore has , in my opinion , to be anticipated ahead, so it’s strong enough to face such a rapid and short amount of time and existence; like fire works!

Perhaps working as a writer brings with it a similar tension?

Almost all the texts that are not borrowed from literature or cut ups from magazines are improvised, they “happen” to me when I record and then I convoke them again live.

Animals, or Twenties are Gone, the two books of poetry I made were written within the same process, very condensed and fast.

How does this vary between working solo and working (live or in the studio) in collaboration with others?

I don’t do that many collabs, but for example with Jefre Cantu Ledesmathe process was like a mail  correspondence : I send you this, you answer, I react, etc… we never recorded on the same room / continent!

We would conceptualize very little ahead but rather exchange links of records and books we like to read / hear. The connection and language was a very special way of listening that, I think, we have in common.

How do you approach or conceive of the process of musical composition?  Is it a studio-based practice for you?

It’s a slow process, very similar to the way I do art. First I read books, watch films, listen to music, walk in landscapes. Then some ideas and desires appear out of this contemplation. Therefore I start producing various materials: field recordings, melodies, modular patterns, voice…. and then I listen to everything and assemble, like making a bouquet of wild flowers, according and tuning sounds into this first hunch I had at the beginning. This « feeling » or « idea » that will be the shape makers of those drafts, that will give sense and cohesion.

I think of composition as way to create form in space, with layers, blanks, densities, perspectives and light.

Would you be willing to choose a recent or upcoming track and break it down, talk about its development, equipment used, etc?

This is impossible for me to answer, I never follow recipes, neither in the kitchen, nor in the studio.

I can explain what inspires me, the environment of a composition but  I’ve always been a bit skeptical about technique demonstrations. I find it often obviously masculine and even sometimes even shallow; like ooh look how much gear I’ve got.

I feel creation, wherever it’s music, literature or painting can be analyzed as an objet, of course,  but what the artist does can only be explained in terms of intention and context, that’s it. It’s always completely relative, because at the end, the listener might catch something very different, because he/she is a different person than the artist, at a different time, in a different place, and that’s the beauty of the artefact. To be able to travel, to be able to remain a mystery and in the same time, to be able to be explained and analyzed in many different ways. Like a diamond with different facets.

In fact, I feel rather the same. I don’t mean to imply that the particulars (of the studio or a particular track’s creation) should have some universal importance, or be instilled into some kind of hierarchy, such that readers might think, oh “this piece of gear or software would make my work better.” I absolutely do not subscribe to this idea, and I’m very much moved by work that comes from making do with what is available. (Arte povera artists, or the sculptures of Louise Nevelson for instance, or the artists I’ve profiled in the series).  So, yes, I absolutely agree (about cooking as well!), improvisation is key, and formulas are generally to be resisted. Art is not a recipe to be followed.  I also concur regarding the masculinist tendency of gear shots and demonstrations of skills, flexing in the studio and all that.  (I for one dislike FACT Mag’s On the Clock series in part for this reason.)

So perhaps the question is more pedagogical: what advice would you give to someone starting out to make music or art in whatever form?  

Take your time. Believe in small forms.

Be curious and imaginative. Don’t forget to have some humour and distance around you . it’s only music. It’ s just music.  and to paraphrase JL Godard what is «  une image juste / juste image »?

You evoke Godard, and I think there’s something pedagogical in all we absorb. So, I always like to ask about an artist’s favorite work outside of sound art or music. What books, visual art, plays, films, etc you are inspired by, or find common cause with? Are their artists working in other media (past or present) that you feel an aesthetic kinship with?

So many of them of course. I wish i could have seen the Anni Albers retrospective in London and the Hilma Af Kint retrospective in NYC. Both of those wonderful women are very inspiring for me. They are both masters of colors and shapes, and I could watch their work all day. Same with many other artists such as Ruth Asawa, Agnes Martin, Sophie Taeuber-Arp, Sonia Delaunay… Painting is source of every day joy for me.

I was lucky enough to catch the Af Klint at the Guggenheim while I was home for the holidays. What a revelation, when viewed all together in a space such as that. She knew her work would be misunderstood, so she imposed this long restriction on public exhibitions of her work. To think it’s taken this long for her work to be appreciated. Imagine what else is out there, still hidden.

What is on the horizon for you? What future projects can you tell us about?

Horizon is a line in the sky I am always contemplating and questioning. We never know.

I am currently composing a piece inspired by the work and persona of the painter Helen Frankenthaler for Atonal in Berlin this summer and another piece called Hedra Helix for Musica Sanae in Sokolowsko in Poland in August. [Episode 6 of the podcast includes an excerpt from her live performance at Musica Sanae in Napoli in May of 2019.]

I am gonna play at Le Poisson Rouge in New York in September and I’m working on the score of a dance piece by the choreographer Rebecca Chantinell in Stockholm.

Thank you so much.

~

by thenewobjective · July 5, 2019

[lightening816]

My Thoughts on Leap!

Last night, August 24th, 2017, I sat down to a pre-opening day screening of Leap!, a film that I found very refreshing despite what some might call its ‘simplicity’. In this case however, simplicity is good. Spoilers below:

  Elle Fanning plays a young orphan named Felicie, who lives with her life long best friend, Victor, played by Nat Wolff. She has dreams of dancing in the prestigious Opera Ballet School in Paris, and he dreams of becoming a great inventor. After they escape from their orphanage in Brittany, Felicie and Victor find Paris and go their separate ways. Victor finds a new friend and a job with him, assisting in the creation of the Statue of Liberty, while Felicie portrays herself as a wealthy snob of a ballet dancer named Camille La Haut. Eventually, she manages to become a pupil to Camille’s mother, Regine’s servant, Odette, played by Carly Rae Jepsen.

  The movie more or less describes Felicie’s struggles in her efforts and self confidence as she strives for the part of Clara in the next performance of The Nutcracker Suite. As a subplot, we have Victor’s interactions with certain Parisian townsfolk, and the mention of his time with the mysterious creator of the Statue of Liberty.

   So what makes this movie work? 

   Every now and then, you get these ‘feel-good’ animated films that have a few dumb moments, but because the tone is so hopeful and the writing advocates support for the main characters, it provides a breath of fresh air, that helps its viewers get away from the stress and bitterness we see in today’s world. Some may find the optimism too saccharine for their taste, and that’s understandable, but if you’re looking for something sweet and harmless after a long, tough day, this would be a good film to check out. 

   Good, but not great. 

   Leap! was originally a French Canadian film called ‘Ballerina’, and naturally, it has its original French audio version, but it also has an English dub that was NOT what I heard last night. The Canadian English dub for example, has actors like Julie Kahner and Bronwen Mantel, but for the American dub, we now have actors like Mel Brooks and Kate McKinnon. I love Mel Brooks, but I found the extra dialogue they gave him during the escape scene and his redemption scene to be a little off-putting and unnecessary. One of Kate McKinnon’s roles as Camille’s mother, Regine, also sounded out of place and awkward, especially in the climax as she looses it enough to chase Felicie to the edge of the Statue of Liberty.  

    That’s not to say the Canadian English dub is perfect either. Victor’s voice actor sounds much more like a grown man than Nat Wolff, and it really throws off his character. Thankfully, most of the other voices, like Maddie Ziegler as Camille, were enough to draw me back in. 

    Speaking of Camille, let’s talk about her. 

     Much like other animated wealthy girls like Trixie Tang from Fairly Oddparents and Pacifica Northwest from Gravity Falls, her snobby nature is a mask for a thought provoking personality that isn’t as superficial as she lets on. She is the product of a ‘Pageant Mother to Daughter’ relationship in which her Mother expects too much perfection and a strict, unloving kind of obedience from her, causing an unhealthy amount of stress as the movie progresses. Obeying and respecting your Mother is one thing; destructive criticism and pressure is another.

    What sets Camille apart from someone like Trixie Tang though, is her moral lessons; her eventual realization that effort and hard work need to be acknowledged when it is earned. Though she has been told all her life that most people are beneath her and should be treated as such, Felicie teaches her, in her own way, that it is merit and content of character that should matter in people, not status or breeding. When Camille sees Felicie’s passion and how well it paid off, she did right by her, allowing the birth of possibly Camille’s first and only friendship. Camille is a reminder that you don’t have to become consumed with bitter rivalries. You can respect your fellow competitors and feel no shame in it. 

    I love seeing twists to this popular girl troupe, especially in works meant for families because it suggests that the irredeemable sort we see in movies like Mean Girls 2, isn’t always the case. We can actually have a story, where bullies get the help they need to see the error of their ways, whether through wisely chosen words or through a series of events that encourage humility and understanding. 

   That’s part of makes Leap!/Ballerina work. Troupes that one thinks the movie is going down, are slightly tweaked to create journeys for Felicie and Victor that are distinctly their own. It doesn’t have to work out right away. Sometimes, you have to fall down twice instead of once before you get to where you’re going. Failure more than once is normal and OK because it teaches patience and endurance, which are tough lessons for anyone to learn. For Felicie, it took weeks, maybe months, not mere days like in some films. It’s not wrong to learn these values and allow time for them to sink in. 

      So with that said, what should one do about the differing English dubs? None of those two dubs are without sins, although I do think the Canadian English dub sounds a bit better. I recommend watching the American dub in Leap! first, so that one can be pleasantly surprised by the Canadian dub. I know I was.  

[ditbycharlotte]

Concepts

Week 4

Logos

What makes a good logo

Distinctive

Appropriate

Practical

Graphic and simple in form

Conveys a message

Logo Examples

By Alan Fletcher

This logo sets the feel of the brand and displays what the brand is about. It looks sophisticated and suggests high quality.

By Paul Rand

The work by Paul Rand is all very different in the brands that he has worked with, but they all have a similar look as he uses circles and circular objects in his work a lot.

By Wolff Olins

This is the logo for the London 2012 Olympics, I think that this design is clear and easy to recognise but other people might say the complete opposite as if you took away the location and the olympic rings you probably wouldn’t realise what its for.

By Bruce Mau

Here we have the logo for the sound company SONOS, which makes home sound systems, this message is clear on the image on the right but for the image on the left I think it would be more recognisable if it were different pieces of sound equipment or something similar to that.

By Stefan Sagmeister

This isn’t just the logo alone but I like the idea of the brand having tape as a promotional item as it is for a travel bag company and tape can is versatile and can be used for almost anything especially duck tape.

Personas

What is a persona?

A representation of a particular audience segment for a website / product / service you are designing.

Why do I need a persona?

Personas are based on real users. They help you understand who will actually be using your website, service or product and therefore can be used to make key design and functionality decisions during the UX process.

How do I create a persona?

- Speak to your client: Will often have some information or insights about their audience in the form of marketing information.

- Speak to users: Speak to the people who are likely to use it.

- Other sources: e.g. social media interactions.

Content?

A person’s goals on your website / service / product

A person’s motivations for using it

A person’s current pain points or frustrations

Some demographic data such as age/location/sex

A quote that captures their attitude in general, or towards the website / service / product

A short bio about their background

A person’s technical ability along with which devices they use and how often

Other brands or websites they may like

Personas for my posters

Week 5

Progress Review

At this point I have first taken photos of the City in the brief (Manchester) which I can then experiment with later for poster ideas, created mind maps to help identify and choose a theme and focal point for my posters which was also influenced by the research conducted into the areas needed (Mosi, First Industrial Revolution to Digital Revolution). Then looking at existing tripartite’s in the form of movie series’ to look at how they have a running theme throughout. From there then progressing to look at type and logos which could make or break my posters. Lastly at this point I have identified my demographic and created personas for them which illustrate what they want from my exhibition.

Existing Exhibitions

Exhibition Names

Tutor Progress Review

As we are at week 5 of the brief my tutor decided to see where we’re at this stage, in this session we spoke about my ideas and where I was at for both the Design Fundamentals (travel app) and Digital Innovation and Technology (Mosi promotion) brief.

It was here that thanks to the help of my tutor that I had decided on the exhibition name Fabric along with the slogan “Zooming in on industry” as my theme is about looking at industrial machines used in the making of textiles.

Poster Ideas/Theme

After identifying my themes that I would combine I then created a mood board which I could then use to produce initial poster ideas.

As my theme is machine based I started thinking about the loom scene from the film WANTED which is about a group of assassins that kill people whose names are coded into the fabric created by a loom. This idea interested me and made me think that maybe I could replicate this but instead of coding names showing famous people or Manchester inventions.

From here I started to think about textiles patterns.

Using the photos that I took during the Manchester walk, I can now use them for inspiration whilst experimenting with them.

Existing Posters (Good and Bad design)

When I went looking around other museums I picked up leaflets for things to look at the layout and information they contain as a reference point for my own posters.

Good Design

These are leaflets that I collected whilst at the IMW and the People’s History Museum and will most likely use as an aid to help me with my poster and information layout for this brief. What I think makes these examples of good design is the fact that the imagery used is relative to what the leaflet/poster is advertising/promoting. In addition to that the colour schemes and the use of hierarchy of text have been done very well in controlling and directing the users eyes to where the designers wants it.

Bad Design

This is a leaflet for the ‘National Football Museum’. What I think makes this bad design is the picture on the front of the leaflet as it is an image of two people kissing and I don’t see what this has to do with football other than the fact that she’s holding a book which looks like its about football, but if you read the text at the left it mentions passion underneath the word ‘Football’ so I guess that this is its link.

Week 6 (Halfway Point)

Logo

Initial Designs

Type Experiment

To start off my logo design I first need to experiment with different fonts to see what would work best with my initial ideas.

These are the 7 fonts that I will be using to progress with for my initial logo ideas.

Digital Renditions

The designs in the red boxes are the ones that I will continue to experiment with to get to my final logo design.

Logo Development

Im stick between these two variations of the same design so to help me decide I will further experiment with them to make a final decision.

Halfway Presentation

Feedback

Overview

Try creating posters with the material/ something relevant eg a portrait of Alan Turing using binary code. 

Lead the logo into the poster design and bring it round

Posters portraits of famous people from Manchester e.g Emmeline (Emily) Pankhurst (leader of the British suffragette’s), Alan Turing (father of theoretical computer science and AI) and James Hargreaves 

[emulatingrizal-blog]

Rodrigo Duterte: the Adolf Hitler of the Philippines (An Argumentative Paper)

Since Duterte took office in June last year, there has been an increasing drug-related deaths because of his promise to eradicate every drug pusher and drug lord until the end of his term in 2022. The research team of the Human Rights Watch claimed that this so-called “war on drugs” has led to the deaths of over 7,000 Filipinos who were mostly urban poor, killing alleged drug users. Alleged—technically speaking, the innocent people. Does that not ring a bell? Is it not Hitler-like? The holocaust approach? Rodrigo Duterte is the Philippine version of Adolf Hitler.

Holocaust, as defined by the Merriam-Webster Dictionary, is “the mass slaughter of European civilians and especially Jews by the Nazis during World War II.” This persecution of six million Jews is done by the Nazi community led by the infamous Adolf Hitler. Duterte and Hitler are very similar—particularly in their administrations’ cornerstone, Hitler’s “final solution” and Duterte’s “war on drugs”—in terms of their aim to eradicate threats to the society, the authority they possess in the country, and the large-scale support they are having.

President Rodrigo Duterte promised during his presidential campaign that the drug problem will be solved within three to six months. The elimination of the drug problem is said to consequentially solve crime incidents in the Philippines. The palace claimed in August 2016, three months into Duterte’s term, that the drug war lowered crime rate. PNP report showed that, comparing the statistics from last year, the crime rate went down by 9.8 percent—from 56,339 to 50, 817. However, various human rights activists and even the Church are against the extrajudicial killings coupled with this war on drugs and that there are other means of fighting drugs. This war on drugs killed those who were accused of being related to any drug activities, without due process. Kian Delos Santos, Carl Angelo Arnaiz, Reynaldo De Guzman—these were the names of the suspected drug users, nanlaban so they got shot by the police. Later on in the investigation, they were proven to be innocent. Duterte apologized but said that the war on drugs is assumed to have “collateral damage.” It is interesting to know that “almost all” of the victims of EJK were “either unemployed or have worked menial jobs.” Just like what happened during the Nazi regime, innocent people were also killed—Jewish people, Roma (Gypsies), and the handicapped, among others. They were considered as “serious biological threat to the purity of the German (Aryan) Race” (My Jewish Learning, n.d.). Germans think of themselves as racially superior over these groups of people—an assumption, just like how PNP assumed of Kian as a drug pusher, a threat to the peace of our society. In addition, the approaches are both brutal. To cite an example, the narrative of Pierre Seel, a 16-year old gay holocaust survivor, reflected how he was “arrested, tortured, and beaten, with no defense, without a trial”.  In the Philippines, Reynaldo de Guzman, 14, was found dead had been stabbed 30 times while his face was covered in packing tape—a macabre act of mutilation, the drug war signature.

Amidst the criticisms on this war on drugs, Duterte promised that he will protect the PNP with all of his power. Humans Right Watch has an 80-page report entitled “License to Kill: Philippine Police Killings in Duterte’s ‘War on Drugs’” where it was stated that Duterte condones vigilante killings and police misconduct related to the drug killings. In addition, there was an accusation against the PNP that they were paid for every killed drug pusher or drug lord. Some articles say that the rewards range from 8,000 to 15,000 pesos while other articles say that the minimum pay is 20,000 and the maximum is 50,000. The vigilante killings, which comprise of the two-thirds of the 7,000 deaths, are also said to be done by masked police officers. On the other hand, the Nazi community had the guts to kill the Jewish people because someone in power commanded them to do so. They are backed up by someone in power that is Hitler.

President Duterte is known for his group of supporter, the ka-DDS. House Speaker Pantaleon Alvarez, however, said that DDS means Die-hard Duterte Supporter and he admits that he is one of them. This group of Duterte supporters are all over social networking sites. They are in the comments’ section every time an online news article pop out about Duterte—always there to defend him. Hitler also had his own set of supporters. His supporters did not see Hitler as a politician, he was above politics. This explanation was further elaborated in the myth called that Fuhrer myth which says that Hitler is not seen as “power-hungry racist, but someone putting Germany and ‘Germans’ first.” So even Hitler had already conceded and committed suicide, this set of supporters still exist for him.

           In the end, the former German Dictator Adolf Hitler and his troop got defeated by Russians in a war. He then decided to commit suicide because he believes in the principle that death is better than dishonor. However, the casualties during his administration had been done. Approximately six million innocent Jews—man, women, and children—were already killed. Will we let the same thing happen to our country with Rodrigo Duterte as Adolf Hitler? Every day, an average of 32 people dies due to the war on drugs and the death toll is still increasing. We should not let the war on drugs continue to kill innocent lives. The Philippines should fight against the tyranny that is Duterte.

  References

Cruz, RG. (2016, December 17). Duterte: drug war to last till end of term. Retrieved from http://news.abs-cbn.com/focus/12/16/16/duterte-drug-war-to-last-till-end-of-term

Holocaust (n.d.). In the Merriam-Webster Dictionary. Retrieved from https://www.merriamwebster.com/dictionary/holocaust

Human Rights Watch (2017, March 2). Philippines: police deceit in ‘drug war’ killings.Retrieved from https://www.hrw.org/news/2017/03/02/philippines-police-deceit-drugwar-killings

Human Rights Watch (2016, August 1). “License to kill.” Retrieved from https://www.hrw.org/report/2017/03/02/license-kill/philippine-police-killings-duterteswar-drugs

Mijares, B. (2016, September 16). Alvarez: DDS means ‘die-hard Duterte supporters.’ Retrieved from one http://news.abs-cbn.com/news/09/15/16/alvarez-dds-means-die-hard-dutertesupporters

 Mogato, M. & Baldwin, C. (2017, April 18). Special report: police describe kill rewards, staged crime scenes in Duterte’s drug war. Retrieved from https://www.reuters.com/article/usphilippines-duterte-police-specialrep/special-report-police-describe-kill-rewards-stagedcrime-scenes-in-dutertes-drug-war-idUSKBN17K1F4

My Jewish Learning (n.d.). Nazi Germany 1933-1939: early stages of persecution. Retrieved from https://www.hrw.org/news/2017/03/02/philippines-police-deceit-drug-war-killings

Rauhala, E. (2017). The death of Philippine teen was supposed to be a turning point for president duterte. But youths keep getting killed. The Washington Post. Retrieved from https://www.stripes.com/news/pacific/the-death-of-a-philippine-teen-was-supposed-tobe-a-turning-point-for-president-duterte-but-youths-keep-getting-killed1.487116#.WbZ7QnV9nIU

Ridley, L. (2015, January 1). The holocaust’s forgotten victims: million non-jewish people killed by Nazis. Retrieved from http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2015/01/27/holocaust-nonjewish-victims_n_6555604.html

Romero, A. (2016, Auugust 14). Duterte’s drug war lowered crime rate, palace says. Retrieved from http://www.philstar.com/headlines/2016/08/14/1613405/dutertes-drug-war-loweredcrime-rate-palace-says

Sephton, C. (2017, April 21). Duterte denies police paid to kill criminals. Retrieved from http://www.skynews.com.au/news/world/asiapacific/2017/04/21/duterte-denies-policepaid-to-kill-criminals.html

Sun Star Cebu (2017, July 21). Duterte must try out other means of fighting drugs, says Palma. Retrieved from http://www.sunstar.com.ph/cebu/local-news/2017/07/21/duterte-must-tryother-means-fighting-drugs-says-palma-554265

Why did hitler kill himself? (n.d.). Retrieved from http://www.historyonthenet.com/why-didhitler-kill-himself/

Wilde, R. (2017, June 27). Find out who supported Hitler and why. Retrieved from https://www.thoughtco.com/who-supported-hitler-and-why-1221371

Wolffe, R. (2017, August 16). The president of the united states is now a neo-nazi sympathizer. Retrieved from https://www.theguardian.com/commentisfree/2017/aug/15/the-presidentof-the-united-states-is-now-a-neo-nazi-sympathiser

By Brianne Jovelle B. Blanco 2014-68540