#favorite instance i have ever done: “he she they any is slash are not allowed.”

[infaethible]

WHY DOES ME BEING A USELESS FUCKING LESBIAN HAVE TO BE THE THING!

[bellatrixobsessed1]

I’ll Meet You At The Bottom (Part 29)

Two weeks had gone by and she hadn’t talked to him. Usually she would at least offer him a snide remark or two. At most her grudges usually lasted for a day or two. This time she held it. He started to think, then, that the princess only forgave him so easily in the past because she had no one else to rely on.  Now that she had four other people willing to engage with her, she didn’t need to forgive him. He was reeling all over again. Especially since in those two weeks and things were tense with the gang too. He had already been in a rocky place with Zuko. After his sister had lifted her shirt to display a trail of purple bruises over puffy, swollen ribs, it was over. To the surprise of Sokka and Azula both, Zuko refused to speak with him at all after that. Sokka was beginning to feel like an outsider, like the princess was taking his place. Katara was the only one who conversed with him like normal, but he found that he was no longer in the mood for conversation. After the first week of being side-lined and resented, he locked himself in his room. He hadn’t gotten far into his second painting at all but on a sort of overwhelming impulse, he slashed it up, she was no longer making him happy. He was willing to say that this time his misery was all her fault. He had done so much for her and she had taken everything from him. His friends, his support…those where the only valuable things. Yet he kept losing them in some way or another.

 He looked at the tatters of canvas on the floor.

She was one of those friends.

 Deep down he knew that his rage was rooted in hurt. Deep down he was certain that Azula’s grudge had the same core.

 Fresh out of fury to fuel him, Sokka threw himself onto his bed tossed his boomerang over and over and over again until the sound of knocking pulled him out of the pattern. It was probably Katara, come to deliver his meal. He didn’t have much of an appetite for it—a telltale sign that he wasn’t doing too well. He threw the door open—with a needless force—to find himself half right. “Here.” Azula thrust the food at him. He made no move to take it. “I didn’t have to bring this to you.”

 “Then why did you? You could have left it to Katara.”

 “Maybe Katara’s getting tired of hearing you complain.” Azula shrugged. “Things are dull without you. Zu-Zu’s well enough but he’s overprotective. Katara does a lot of coddling too. And they feed off of each other…”

 “So?” He asked.

 “You.” She started. “You know what to do. They don’t. I like you the most.”

 “That explains why you’ve been ignoring me.”

 “Well you’re completely infuriating and I hate you the most.” She set the platter aside and crossed her arms.

 “You only talk to me because you need me.” Sokka replied.

 “That’s not true, I don’t need you, I have other people now.” Azula shrugged. “But I want to talk to you.”

 Sokka could feel himself growing annoyed. She had been slighting him for two weeks and suddenly he’s her favorite. She wanted something and he wasn’t going to involve himself this time. He was ready to take her by the arm, give her a swift shove, and slam the door in her smug face. “Did you ever consider that I don’t want to talk to you.”

 “I did.” She replied, twirling her bangs around her finger. “And I decided that you did because you’re lonely.”

 He walked closer and she took a few steps back to accommodate. “You decided wrong.” With those steps she was no longer in his room and he was pushing the door shut. But she wedged her hand between the door and the frame, holding it open with the strength he forgot she had.

 “No, you decided wrong.” She forced the door open and squeezed inside, “you’re going to let me stay.”

 “This is my room!” He hollered.

 Undaunted she replied, “yes, and it’s in my palace.” She gracefully seated herself upon his bed and inspected her nails. She must have just had them done, they were filed nicely, clipped to the same length, and painted with a shimmery gold. She tapped one of those nails on his chin, “you need to shave.”

 “You need to get out of here and mind your own business!” He demanded.

 She gave a humored sniff, “I’m not the only person in this room who has a problem with that.” She stretched her arms and elongated herself on the mattress.

 “Don’t you have somewhere to be?” He asked.

 Azula shook her head. “Not until eight…” she was going to say more but he didn’t want to hear it.

 “Well then maybe you should get ready for that.”

 “I’m trying.” She replied.

 “In my room?”

 “It’s a festival and you’re coming with me.” She said it as if it were decided.

 “Take Toph or something.”

 She sat up and tilted her head as if she couldn’t fathom his rejection. Truth be told he wanted to say yes, but he wanted…what did he want? An apology? To hear her beg for it? No, he just wanted to be angry. He wanted to show her the cold-shoulder that she showed him. She wrinkled her nose, “I want to take you.”

 “Well I don’t want to go with, especially not with you.”

 He could see it in her eyes that she didn’t believe it. Not at first, not until she looked at the floor. The gold-orange dipped shreds that he hadn’t cleaned. He let her stare for a moment, watching a series of indistinguishable emotions flicker across her face. Without another word she left, slamming the door for him.

He slapped the heel of his palms against his hairline and fell back onto the bed. Why had he done that? He could have taken her to the festival and it would have been over then. Instead he kicked the dragon again and she had just curled her talons and stormed out.

 .oOo.

 Azula couldn’t place it at first what churned beneath the resentment.

 Rejection.

It wasn’t something she took well.

 She particularly wasn’t attuned to it coming from Sokka. Sokka who had always put up with her no matter how difficult she was being. And the torn up portrait on the floor didn’t do anything to soften the blow or help her self-esteem, something she was still working to piece together.

 “How’d it go?” Aang smiled hopefully. “Is he coming with us?”

 “Did you tell him that we’re not mad?” Katara asked.

 “I didn’t get that far.” Azula replied as Zuko muttered, “speak for yourself.”

 “Why are you mad, Zu-Zu?”

 “Look what he did to you.” He grumbled.

 “How about you get mad about your own problems instead of mine? For instance, Councilman Yano has been calling you ‘the Wussy Lord’ for the past three weeks.”

 “I’m dealing with him!” Zuko snapped. Clearly he was in a mood. It would seem like the last two weeks had been difficult for all of them. At least she could say that she had some high points, the morning beneath the red dragon maple stood out. It stood out and brought a fresh pang in her heart.

“I didn’t get to tell him that you’ve been all bothered because of the council. He thinks it’s his fault.”

 “It is! Partially.” Zuko grumbled.

 Azula couldn’t disagree, but she also had to admit that the other part had been her.

 “Well, maybe the festival will cheer him up.” Aang grinned.

 “Speaking of…”

 .oOo.

 She wasn’t used to having her hand held. In fact, Toph couldn’t remember a time when she allowed someone to hold it. But there under the festival lanterns she found her hand locked with Azula’s. She didn’t realize that the princess had such a sense of humor. “This festival won’t have fireworks, will it, Sparky?”

 Azula deliberately ignored the ‘pet name’. “All Fire Nation festivals have fireworks.”

 “Oh great.” Toph grumbled. “Looks like you’re going to have to cuddle me and protect me from the scary noises.”

 “Just take a lantern and get over it.” Azula shoved a lantern on a stick into her hand.

 “I’m sure I’d enjoy this festival a lot more if I could see it. Aren’t there any games.”

 “Well, this is a lantern viewing festival…”

 Toph threw her hands up, “why do you dullards even invite me to these things!?”

 Azula chuckled, “to hear your charming commentary of course.”

 “I’m expecting a very detailed description of every lantern that floats up.” Toph insisted.

 “I’ll do my best, love.” Azula stroked Toph’s cheek.

 Once again, the earthbender had to admit that the princess was good. If she didn’t know any better she’d almost say that Azula really was her lover. Much to Toph’s amusement, no one else seemed to know any better. The description of their faces that Azula gave would be better than any silly lantern imagery.

 “I smell cinnamon and hot icing.” Toph noted, she could go for a cinnamon roll or two. “Get me one?”

 Azula shrugged, “I might as well.”

 “Sweet.”

 By the time they left the stall Toph had a whole bag of cinnamon rolls, a box of mochi, and a fortune cookie to occupy her hands alongside the lantern. Agreeing to be the princess’ date was the best idea she’d ever had. She chomped on her cinnamon roll and, with her feet, scoped the area for something else to entertain herself with. A little way down the street she could hear excited whoops and frustrated curses. Her feet told her that it was some kind of festival game. “You’re good at things.” Toph looked at Azula.

 “Most things, yes.” Azula agreed. “What’s your point?”

 “Are you good at that?” She pointed at the stall.

 “Probably.” Azula shrugged.

 “I want a stuffed dragon.” Toph stated. “I actually need him.”

 Azula rolled her eyes, “you don’t even have the arm space for a stuffed dragon.”

 “But you do.”

 “I can go back to that stall and change that.” Azula replied.

 “I’ll give you a kiss if you win it for me, Sparky!”

 “I’ll win you three of them not to.”  

 “Really?”

 “No.”

 “Okay, okay but think of the possibilities!” Toph tried. “You see, if I have a stuffed dragon I can name it Zuko. And then when he starts going on one of his rants I can hold it up and bob it with each word and pretend like its talking. Do you know how annoying that would be!?”

 “That would be completely aggravating.” Azula answered. “I’ll have a stuffed dragon for you in a few minutes.”

 Toph smirked smugly and watched the firebender saunter up to the stand. By the end of the line of booths, Toph had not just a stuffed dragon named Zuko but a polar bear dog named Katara, a signing groundhog named Aang, and a penguin named Sokka. At first Sokka was going to be the polar bear dog but the penguin’s eye was sewn on lopsided making it look rather goofy. At once she knew that the penguin was Sokka. She convinced Azula to go back twice more and win her a wolfbat—which she named after herself—and another dragon that she started calling Sparky. She plucked a used sparkler stick off of the ground and put it in the stuffed dragon’s mouth. “Sparky, meet Sparky. He has a drug problem, see.” She pointed to the used sparkler. She could sense the princess staring at her. Toph howled with laugher, “any chance that’ll you’ll describe the look on your face right now?” She had a pretty good idea of it.

 “You’re hilarious, love.” She spoke flatly. Beneath that she could sense at least some amusement. Azula definitely had a better sense of humor than Zuko. One of these days she would remove that stick from his anus.

 Eventually the crowd began to thin as everyone migrated to the hillside for the firework display and the lantern release. Toph had little interest in it. The fireworks came first and, as much as she hated to admit it, she was jumping and starting the whole time until Azula found it in her fiery heart to start warning her when the next one was about to burst. The lanterns were awful in a different, duller way.Though Azula gave rather elaborate descriptions of the best lanterns, Toph still found herself bored, it was probably one of those things that she would have to see to actually enjoy. Catching onto her boredom Azula whispered, “You know what would really drive these people nuts?”

  “What?” Toph asked. As the lanterns began lifting around them Azula gave her a peck on the cheek, long enough to make onlookers do a double take, but short enough to prevent something ridiculously awkward. For the second time that night Toph nearly doubled over with laughter. Many of those who stared unblinkingly now rolled their eyes at the little prank. “Ah man, you’re a riot Sparky!”

 .oOo.

 Sokka could hear the bursts echoing across Capital City. Every now and again one would be mockingly bright enough to illuminate his room and remind him of what he was missing out on—what he could have been enjoying if he would have just accepted Azula’s peace offering. He flopped onto his side and tried to get some sleep but the continuous banging wouldn’t allow it. When it did fall silent between bursts the stark quiet of the palace was almost worse. Not a soul lurked in the palace, servants and guards alike were allowed the night off, after all the beginning of the summer solstice was a thing to celebrate.

 Eventually he gave up on sleeping and wandered aimlessly around the palace. At one point he stumbled upon the one other person in the palace. “Why aren’t you at the festival.”

 “Someone’s gotta guard this place.” Xanu sniffed. “Those new guards, they see a couple of pretty little fireworks and they’re chanting like kids for a day off.”

 “The older guards are there too.” Sokka pointed out.

Xanu grunted, “they’re lazy, the lot of them.”

 “I don’t think anyone’s going to break in here.” Sokka shrugged.

 “Even so, I don’t like festivals. Too much noise and not enough space.”

 Sokka could understand that.

 “Why are you still here? You don’t have a job to do.”

 “Too much noise, not enough space.” He lied.

 “It’s that princess isn’t it?” He asked. “I’m telling everyone, she’s trouble.”

 “She isn’t so bad.” Sokka replied. “Everyone here is trouble, have you talked to Toph?” Xanu’s cringe told him all that he needed to know. “I guess I’ll let you get back to guarding the place then.” Sokka left feeling no different, he didn’t know why he expected some deep and enlightening conversation from Xanu. At least he knew he wasn’t the only buzzkill around.

 Sokka couldn’t say when it happened but after a few more hours of pointless traipsing he found himself in Azula’s room. It smelled like her; cinnamon and pine, a touch of tea and the tang of smoke with a very faint trace of tobacco that still lingered. His heart clenched, he could feel butterflies swarming in his belly. He missed being in here. He missed talking to her. He sat on her bed, it had been made very neatly. He didn’t know if such was her doing or one of the serving personal. She still had a few books and scrolls scattered on the side of the bed she didn’t sleep on. Leaning against the dresser was his portrait of her. Suddenly he was unbearably tired. He curled himself onto her bed, only intending to rest for a few minutes. But the pillows had her scent too and it beckoned him to sleep.

 .oOo.

 Azula arranged her festival souvenirs upon her dresser. First set down a golden maneki cat-owl. Around it she arranged a few trinket coins (the ones she hadn’t spent on games), one of the lanterns that had fallen from the sky, a few sticks of sparklers that she and Toph had used, two intricate ruby and gold hair chopsticks, and a string of golden beads. She had made a point of buying a few new vases to both hold the other kick-knacks and replace the ones she had shattered during her fit. In the corner of her room, she set her lantern on a stick. A beautiful thing really; made of paper and with hand painted flames. All in all, she had a swell time.

She moved away from her new possessions and strolled to her bed, rubbing tired eyes. It had been a long day; she still longed for her tears. But at this point they weren’t consuming her every thought as they had been in the weeks prior. She still wished she had them though, at least a little something, she could only imagine how magical the festival would have been with the extra kick…

 Coming upon the bed, Azula narrowed her eyes. “Hey, dumbass, you have your own bed. Sleep in it!” He jerked awake with a surprised yelp. She almost laughed, but she had a feud to continue. Instead she crossed her arms over her chest. “Hurry up, I’m tired and I need to use that.”

 “Sorry.” Sokka mumbled, looking up at her with those puppy dog eyes. That look only worked for one person and that one person was TyLee.

 “You will be soon.” Azula didn’t budge.

 Sokka sighed, looking for all the world like she had just given him the worst verbal beatdown in Fire Nation history. She wouldn’t cave, not after he’d so blatantly picked at her pride. The sting of seeing the tattered painting still brought a flaming sensation to her stomach. Apparently, she wasn’t a subject worth painting after all. And after all of that pretty talk.

 “What are you doing in here anyways?”

 He rubbed the back of his head. “I don’t know. Nothing. It’s stupid.”

 “Yes, it is.” She agreed unrelentingly.

 He stood and hustled to the door, lingering to look at her lantern. “Did you have a good time?”

 “Lovely,” but it would have been better if you were there, “especially because I didn’t have to deal with you.” She didn’t know he was going to cry, if she did she might have spoken what was really on her mind. She rolled her eyes, “stop that, it’s annoying.”

 “Then make me stop.” Sokka hollered.

 Azula hesitated, “…I don’t know how.”

 Sokka laughed, the sort of laugh that chilled her. The laugh that so clearly resembled her own unhinged laughter. “Just—just talk to me.”

 “I am.”

 “Talk to me like you don’t hate me.”

 “I don’t hate you.”

“Then why are you still telling me to leave?”

 Azula shifted her weight, growing uncomfortable. She wanted to say something comforting but instead she reminded him of just who threw who out the last time.

 “I’m sorry.” He muttered.

 “Okay.”

 “Okay, it’s fine? Okay, you don’t care that I’m sorry?”

 “It’s fine.” She elaborated. “I guess.”

 His fingers grazed over her ribcage. “I didn’t want to do that. I just didn’t want you to have to start all over again.”

 Azula bit the inside of her lip and shifted again. “I don’t think I would have given it a second try…” So what was she trying to tell him? That she was glad he had manhandled her? “Maybe next time try throwing the pouch instead?” She couldn’t help the attitude that crept into her voice.

 “It was an impulse.” He ran his hand through disarrayed hair. Impulsive, she mused, that made two of them.

 “I suppose we’re a dangerous pair, aren’t we?” She half-smirked.

 Azula gave him the room to come closer. With visible reluctance he extended his arm, falling inches short of touching her until she indicated permission. He was hugging her tighter than usual, leaving her with the vague impression that maybe she should be doing the hugging. Tenderly, he caressed her ribcage, as though that could somehow take away the imprint of pain left there. For a considerable duration of time they stood like so. With the firebender awkwardly admitting to herself that she missed his touch. What that meant, was still just beyond her comprehension, but dancing much closer to it than ever before. “Why have you been so uptight lately?” She spoke, no longer wanting to dwell any further.

 The question caught him off guard, she could hear that much in his sputtering. “I-I don’t know. Because you…you’re feeling better and I’m not.”

 Azula furrowed her brows and cocked her head.

 “It seems like I’m the only one who’s completely fucked up anymore. You’re getting better…”

 “I’m not.” She cut him off. “Not completely.”

 “But you’ve been clean for what, eight weeks now?”

 “Do you think that the drugs were my only problems? What do you think pushed me to them Sokka?” She really didn’t mean to make it about her again, but Sokka was steering the conversation that way. He didn’t want to talk about his problems yet and if he was anything like her she’d have to claw it out of him.

 “You’re not alone anymore. Zuko cares about you. Toph has a lot of fun with you. Aang has always seen the good in you. Even Katara is warming up to you.” Sokka half-smiled.

 “People still think I’m a lunatic. People used to envy me, do you know how they look at me now?”

 ��Do you?” Sokka asked. “Because I think that you’re projecting.”

 “Excuse me.” His bluntness had a way of taking her aback.

 “I haven’t seen one person snicker or laugh at you since you stopped taking Ruby Tears.” Sokka replied. “Except for maybe Xanu, but he complains about everyone.”

 “He’s just mad that I kicked him in the balls.” She muttered.

 “That was you?” Sokka exclaimed.

 She allowed herself a small yet smug laugh.

 “So it’s settled then,” Sokka decided, “you know that no one lowly of you.”

 She almost told him that she did. But even then she wasn’t sure of that. There were days, wonderful days when she didn’t hate herself—or maybe she simply forgot about that hatred in the moment. Other days though, she couldn’t stand herself and she didn’t know why. For that she wanted to go back to the Ash Pit, something about it allowed her to forget herself. To forget her own standards. “That’s not it, Sokka.” She mumbled, reminded of the other thing that had been clawing away at her.

 “Okay, what else then?” He asked.

 She wished he hadn’t because it all came tumbling out before she could stop it. From the first stumbling journey to the Ash Pit to the next and every ass kicking in between. She told him of the rumble and the initiation beat down—of how terribly small it had rendered her. She told him of getting wildly wasted and, with deliberately less detail, of her night with Minho and Chan and then once again with Chan. Up until then Sokka hadn’t cringed at all. “No one is going to love me like that.” Azula finished. “Like Chan or Minho…” She was quite for a moment, but not long enough to let him reply. “No one wants to.”

 He was shedding the tears she could not. “I can.”

 Azula wasn’t sure that she heard him right, or that he had spoken at all. But the thing, the feeling that danced so close to her comprehension was now within grasp. And the fingers that unfurled in her mind reached out. She supposed it made sense.

Why his scorn her so much.

Why his company meant the world.

 She didn’t know in the faintest, how to reply. Maybe the response wasn’t meant to be verbal at all. Even so she never imagined that she would be the one to reach out first. But when his eyes seemed to double in size, she knew that he hadn’t been the one to kiss her.

 No, like most all of their fights and disputes, she had initiated it.

 Azula felt his hand on her head, and then one slide up her back. His lips were on hers longer than she expected them to be, he seemed to lean into her, dipping her back slightly. Still, it was to short. He pulled his lips away. But they remained close. It must have been only for a few seconds, but it felt longer, that they had stood with their foreheads touching. She could feel his breaths on her lips.

 This time she heard him very clearly. “I can.”

I was good this time, can I leave the Denny’s parking lot?

[s2he-gamewalkthrough]

Part 5: Defeating the Maka Yonshou (Again)

The title really says it all.

If you don’t know what this is about, please refer to this previous post.

[Any new comments by me will be designated by brackets.]

Back to where we left off last time...

The whale-shaped paopei, Kakoten, is attacking the town, for seemingly no apparent reason. If you've read the manga before, then you'll remember that these are the really devastating type of paopei that was used on the city of Zhou.

Oh hey, it's Youzen!

You don't get to read much of the convo between him and Tensho though, before you're rudely swept off to another area (I think) nearby.

Also, wow, the colors are really messed up here. [That’s not from my emulator, I think it was an intentional game design choice.]

And we get to see Nataku! Yay, it's like one big get-together party!

Unfortunately, the "reunion" doesn't last long, as you're immediately forced into a battle with a guy named Ma Reijyu and more of his annoying Kakotens. [The game forces you into a solo battle here between Nataku and this guy. You get to control Nataku.]

Wait... didn't Ma Reijyu get Houshined already? Anyway, just spam Nataku's third attack (a multi-hit attack), and when the Kakoten (the whale thing) gets destroyed, use your standard attack on Ma Reijyu (the... guy). Nataku's second attack is just a more concentrated attack that costs EP and only hits one enemy. You can use this to defeat Ma Reijyu faster, if you want, though it's not necessary and you'd want to save the EP for the Kakotens (which can respawn).

The Kakotens will go down pretty quickly--Ma Reijyu takes a bit longer to go down, and he'll probably summon another Kakoten during the course of the battle. Don't worry about the Kakoten so much; your main objective is to kill Ma Reijyu otherwise he'll just keep summoning more of them.

Nataku is pretty powerful, even this early in the game, so don't worry about him going down too much. I finished the battle in about 4-5 turns with the above strategy.

(I'll fully document Nataku's last two attacks later...)

After the battle, you're swept back to the village where Youzen and Tensho last left off their conversation.

(Youzen looks pretty cute here)

Anyway, he joins your party! Yay!

...My (Tensho's) level looks crappy in comparison here. orz.

Anyway, Youzen's action button allows him to transform Tensho's sprite into a different character. (Press the s key for the WS camp)

It's pretty fun to mess around with... You get random girl, random dude, another random dude, one of Ryuukitsu's disciples (I think it's Hekiun, judging by the hair), Hakkan (the turtle thing that guards the Houshindai), Hakutsuru Doji (the white crane yousei), a random yokai senin, and my personal favorite:

A sheep.

Yes, a sheep.

Just press the s key again to un-transform. I don't know if Youzen's transformation ability actually serves a specific purpose later in the game, as I've never really had to use it (except for my own amusement). We shall see...  Also, the characters are randomized, so it may take a while to get the one you want. There's nothing you can do about that unfortunately.

Going down from Tensho's house, you'll see this guy--the same guy who was talking to Nataku earlier. (I didn't cap that convo because I was lazy...) His name's Ma Reisei, and wasn't he also Houshined?

Going down again, and to the right, you'll meet TWO familiar faces--Ma Reikou (guy with umbrella) and Ma Reikai (guy with guitar). All together, including the Ma Reijyu guy you defeated earlier, they form the Maka Yonshou. But they were all supposed to be Houshined already, so what gives?!

Anyway, here's one of the rare instances where you can actually pick which boss you want to fight. You can either fight Ma Reisei, or Ma Reikou and Ma Reikai. (Ugh, too many "Ma Rei"s.) Ma Reikou and Ma Reikai are harder, obviously, so if you want an easier time, then go with the Ma Reisei fight.

You CAN NOT fight both Ma Reisei and then Ma Reikou and Ma Reikai, because after completing one battle, they will all run up in front of the palace, grouped together (along with Ma Reijyu, the guy we fought earlier using Nataku). But I'm getting ahead of myself here.

There are slight differences between the two battles, (which makes this chapter a bit of a pain to write...) If you choose to fight Ma Reikou and Ma Reikai, then Nataku will join your party then to fight them. If you choose to fight Ma Reisei only, then it's just you and Youzen on your own. I would personally choose to fight Ma Reikou and Ma Reikai, because you can get exp for Nataku there, which is nice. (He still leaves afterwards, though--but you'll meet up with him again soon enough.)

Either way, if you want to level up now, you're still free to. There's nothing holding you back from exiting the town and going back to either the cave or the spaceship area. (Though it's not really necessary, and its probably best to grind after Nataku joins anyway.)

In this walkthrough, I'll only be detailing how to defeat Ma Reikou and Ma Reikai, as Ma Reisei is pretty easy to defeat without any help. (Though if you do need a suggestion, then just spam both Tensho's and Youzen's standard attack until he dies and use Tensho's healing move as necessary.)

But I might as well just detail Youzen's attacks now:

His standard attack is just a slash with the Sansentou (his trident-looking paopei).

His second attack (costing 3 EP) is one where he sends Koutenken (the giant dog-thing) out to attack enemies. Maybe it's just me, but I personally have a hard time getting this attack to hit enemies, and the damage it deals is about the same as Youzen’s standard attack. So I rarely ever find it worth it to use.

His third move (costing 5 EP) is some kind of supporting attack... I don't know what it does but I think it cures status ailments?

His fourth attack allows him to transform into one of the bosses.

For now you can only transform into one of the members of the Maka Yonshou. (It's randomized which character you turn into, and it costs 20 EP too, so beware of that.)

Youzen's fifth move (costing 5 EP) allows him to analyze the enemy you're fighting, which is pretty useful, I guess; as the enemies/bosses don't come with a hit counter so you don’t know how much HP they actually have.

Anyway, back to actually getting the Maka Yonshou out of town.

(Hint/Tip: You won't fight them until you actually "talk" to them.)

And since I'm fighting Ma Reikou and Ma Reikai, Nataku joins the fray!

Okay, onto how to defeat these guys... They're not as easy as Ma Reisei, but they're not too difficult, either. Just spam Tensho's multi-hit attack, stick to Youzen's standard attack (since, as I've said earlier, his second attack doesn't do much damage for the EP it costs), and Nataku's multi-hit attack.

Ma Reikou and Ma Reikai have some pretty annoying attacks of their own, but just have Tensho heal when it's needed and you should be fine. You should preferably take out the umbrella guy first, as he'll tend to block your attacks. After taking him down, you can just use standard attacks to take the other one down. All in all it still took me less than ten turns to beat them. Everyone should get a level up from the exp.

Now HEAL! And SAVE! Nataku leaves your party temporarily, but he'll join you in the next battle. Like I said earlier, all the Maka Yonshou have gathered in front of the castle.

...I must admit, their color scheme of just black, white, and... maroon(?) does look nice when they're standing next to each other like that.

Talking to them will create this monster:

Annnnnd, now we have to defeat it. Nataku rejoins your party here, at full HP and EP. (If you're wondering why he didn't just stay in your party before, well, that's because of the "split path" the game employs here... since you can choose which boss you wanted to fight earlier.)

Anyway, just use Tensho's standard attack, Youzen's standard attack (and secondary attack, if you want), and Nataku's standard attack. And heal with Tensho when the need arises. Yeah... there's not much in the way of strategy right now... especially with your limited characters and attack moves.

The combined Maka Yonshou... basically has all the attacks of the four members separated--making for a pretty annoying boss battle. But it's still a lot less annoying than those to come. (Oh yes... a LOT less annoying than those to come...)

The most annoying part of the battle is when the monster uses some kind of status effect. It's even more annoying for me since I can't read Japanese.

Oh, you can also do "team" attacks now... One with Tensho + Nataku and Youzen + Nataku. Beware, though; as they cost EP from both characters involved, I think.

Anyway, the reason I don't mention team attacks in the above strategy for this boss is because they're not as effective as the standard attacks... at least, not at this level. You'll be doing much more damage with the characters attacking separately, plus your team attacks can still miss, meaning that when it does, your two characters will have basically lost a turn.

After all is said and done, the boss isn't that hard. So far, for boss battles, I still have been able to defeat the boss in around ten turns or less. And everyone should level up again! Yay!

But then we get thrown immediately into a cutscene. Apparently the monster isn't completly defeated yet, so Tensho goes and throws the meteor he found earlier in the spaceship at the monster and it... dies? Well, talk about your duex ex machina!

After some more talking, you're finally free to walk around again. And the town has returned to normal! And Nataku has officially decided to stay in your party! Yay again!

You really have no place to go at this point, so go back and talk to Ki Hatsu. (Insert WALL OF JAPANESE TEXT THAT I CAN’T READ HERE)

When you go to leave the palace, this cutscene will appear. (Mostly capping this pic for Yuukyo... Because she only really has two "faces" in the game...)

Oh hey, Mount Kongrong 2 has now opened up on the map!

To be continued...

[bwprowl]

Of course I’m talking about a big new release you’ve already heard about, but I’ve also got looks at a clever new Rider release and upcoming convention exclusives. There are also pre-orders on an anticipated artistic release, plus a couple of cute collectibles. Plus an in-hand look at a new toy that I’ve really been looking forward to. I hope you enjoy these Tuesday Night Toys!

New Stuff: Song of Storms

Look, I love Overwatch, and I love toys, so any new revelations of those two things converging is going to be discussable for me. But I recognize that the sheer popularity of the game means everyone *else* is talking about these things when they’re revealed too, so my weekly basis of bringing them up isn’t exactly on-point. But guess what, I don’t care! Blizzard has a huge rad new statue of my favorite character, D.Va coming out, and damn does it look nice! It’s seemingly in-scale with their previous Tracer, Widowmaker, and Reaper releases, accounting for its massive size and outlandish $450 price tag. I only wish I could justify dropping that much on a single item like this. As-is, I’ll just have to admire it from afar and wait for a figma release or something. And be super-jealous of any of you that do manage to buy it.

Bandai dropped a revelation of a cool, if maybe expected, kind of webshop exclusive. They’ll be selling the civilian, Ride Player version of the Kamen Rider Chronicle Gashat from Ex-Aid. Different from the retail one based on the version (current) Big Bad Kamen Rider Chronos uses, this one mimics the ‘retail’ version of the titular AR game, complete with a box like the one in the show (sans only a rating label, presumably for legal reasons). It’s a really novel idea, and were it the easier sort of thing to get overseas, I’d totally get one.

Also some revelations of exclusives for the upcoming San Diego Comic-Con from Bluefin. Among other things, they’ll be putting out Storm Collectibles’ action figure of ‘Hot’ Ryu from SFV. It looks good as all their figures do, and actually makes a case for getting *another* Ryu figure, given that this one doesn’t look the way he always does.

Another one they’ve got coming that caught my eye is the ‘Trans-Am’ version of the RG Gundam OO Qan[T] kit. You know me and the Qan[T].

Wishlist: Schrödinger’s Joke

Always love seeing what cute collectible crap companies in Japan come up with. For instance, check out these ‘Hacottishfold’ things form Kitan Club. They’re cute little kitties in boxes! I mean, not much to say other than how cute they are and how nice one or two would look in your work area. This set out in October is apparently the second set they’ve produced, and I can see whey they’d be popular. Look, they’ve even got little squish-beans on their feets!

In direct competition with those cats for cuteness is the king of Pokémon himself, Pikachu! There’s this set of mini-figures just out this month entirely based on the mousey mascot and his continued condimental love-affair with ketchup. It’s eight different PVC figurines featuring Pikachu with the overrated red stuff, including yes, that one scene from that one episode where his ketchup bottle got cut open and he cried about it. God damn do they have our number.

And the most clever figma line in yet keeps on rolling as the action figure version of Sharaku’s Otani Oniji III as Yakko Edobei is finally up for pre-order. This line always generates buzz when a new one comes out, and this is no exception. The extra upper body for ‘action poses’ is a treat, as is the fully posable lower body and the painting-style background. This is why toys exist.

On Desk: Gwentertainment

That Figure Complex line’s Marvel figures have always looks good, but I hadn’t seen one I’d really wanted to pull the trigger on until Spider-Gwen’s surprise appearance at Wonder Festival earlier this year. I love Gwen as a concept and a design, and this toy nailed it with its line’s characteristic flair. I immediately threw down a pre-order, and then had to wait.

“--IT’S BIG  AMERICAN CHEESEBURGER TIME!”

Like, I order so many toys these days that I’m generally used to just waiting for them to roll in while I get other new stuff, but this is one I was really looking forward to, I was anticipating and excited to get my hands on it. Thankfully, the figure delivers. I’ve owned plenty of Revoltech-based figures before, but this one is by far the most smoothly playable of them. It’s actually pretty light on those signature Revolver joints; just a few in the arms and legs, and they’re smaller and a good bit smoother than usual. Otherwise, this follows the jointy posable blueprint we’re used to with complex Japanese figures, with a few extra cuts and movement areas crammed in for optimal Spider-posing.

The big revelation is the shoulders. I don’t know that I’ve ever seen truly double-jointed shoulders before, and the freedom of movement they allow (required for Spider-people) is unprecedented here. They take a little pose-finagling to look ‘natural’ each time, but it’s worth it for the results. Sometimes you have to play around with forced perspective and so forth as well, but in the end you can get some incredibly dynamic looks.

‘Dynamic’ is a big key to this toy’s success. It just *looks* action-packed regardless of you move it; it radiates motion. There are some places in the sculpt that look a bit broken by the jointing, like the hips or the hood, but those get smoothed over just in how active the cohesive whole of the figure is. Yes, she looks like a toy sometimes, but she looks like a *fun* toy. The looks are accentuated by the production of the design itself. Both the black and the white have this cool metallic ‘sheen’ over them, they aren’t flat at all.

The raw style of this figure is communicated in her accessories as well, and she’s got quite a few. The webs are a big example of what works, I think. There’s one little shooty web that plugs into either of her web-shooting hands, but then also this big spirally one and a more modest curved one. Those can be held in her hands or plugged into the web-shooters for all sorts of options, and they add a ton of flair to however she’s displayed; it pushes her up to a more ‘diorama’ style of display. She’s also got alternate faces with different expressions in her eyes, including a delightful O_o face, as well as that ‘unmasked’ face. It’s actually a little less ‘anime’ than the promo pics made it out to be, coming across more, dare I say, Gurihiru-ish. It’s a cute bonus, at any rate. There’s also a cell phone, with is a neat inclusion, but it has a nasty habit of not staying in too tightly in the hand that’s supposed to hold it. It’s a delicate balance getting it in, limiting its usefulness.

She also has a stand, of amusingly figma-like style. There’s a sense of concession there, as if Kaiyodo’s just going ‘Yes, Max Factory’s stands work the best, so we just copied that’, but it does indeed get the job done. The real cool extra though, is the magnet base. It’s a little bit that can plug directly into Gwen’s back or to an extended bar, and then you can stick that to any metal surface! It’s a brilliant, downright necessary inclusion for a Spider-based figure, and you can do a lot of wall-crawling/sticking poses. Turns this into the type of figure you could just leave looking cool somewhere forever, if you weren’t careful.

Look, I could write pages about how cool slash fun this toy is, but I think you get the picture at this point. She’s a great toy of a great design, and actively makes me want more of these things. Might definitely look into ones like Venom and Wolverine now. At any rate, just know that Figure Complex Spider-Gwen comes highly recommended and if she’s caught your eye too she’s worth getting.

And I hope you liked everything else you saw today. Enjoy all that ‘til next time, everyone, and have fun!

[ramblesandmumblesofanerd]

Weekly Review: Samurai Jack Season 5 Episode 6

Warning: Lengthy Post Which Contains Spoilers

Previously on Samurai Jack…

The Scotsman leads three armies to the tower of Aku, only for the Shogun of Sorrow to almost immediately annihilate most of his men, including himself. His spirit persists, however, telling his daughters to regroup and find Jack. Meanwhile, the Samurai teaches Ashi the truth of Aku’s horrendous world and at the same time learns about a kidnapping that can still be undone. Ashi finds a way to free an army of children from a twisted form of mind control, only to have them fall to the ground unconscious. Jack, believing his interference has killed the children walks away into a green fog and vanishing alongside the Green Warrior.

We start 97 up in the sky, as Ashi rides an aircraft to Jack’s last known location. She has been desperately searching for her new mentor, and has thus made herself more conspicuous than normal. Two large, hooded figures attack her, proclaiming that the woman they believe to be a bounty hunter of Aku will not hurt the Samurai. Ashi insists that she doesn't want to hurt Jack, she only wants to find him before it is too late. The figures reveal themselves to be the Woolies, giant furry timid creatures from the earlier seasons. They tell their tale of how Samurai Jack saved them from enslavement, and how they have hailed him as a hero ever since. Afterwards, an employee aboard the aircraft tells Ashi they have reached Jack's last known location. Ashi gives her thanks before jumping off, and landing safely in the forest below.

Meanwhile, in a familiar looking pile of rubble, a set of robotic eyes blink open. It appears the robotic assassin from the very first episode of Season 5, Scaramouche has somehow survived, albeit as a decapitated head. He bounces with glee as he begins his long journey to Aku, anxious to tell him the news about Samurai Jack losing his sword. Remember, Aku does not know this, so if Scaramouche actually succeeds, Aku will destroy Jack with ease.

Elsewhere, Ashi continues her search for Jack only to bump into a tribe of archers who have fought numerous Beetle Bots, some of which now scurry away. They warn her to run if she is in league with Aku, but Ashi once more states that she is looking for Jack. The archers extend a hand in friendship, as any friend of Jack's is a friend to them. Ashi reluctantly accepts the gesture, not wanting to upset them though still unsure if she is truly the Samurai’s friend. The archers show Ashi their civilization, formed on the spire of a mountain. The place is vibrant, colorful and peaceful in spite of the earlier conflict. The archers proclaim that this place would not exist if not for Jack, showing her a flower covered tribute to their hero. They too tell a tale of how the Samurai helped them, and it is here where my professional demeanor must briefly withdraw.

*inhales*

OHMYGOD IT'S THE THREE BLIND ARCHERS! They are my earliest memory of Samurai Jack! For those not in the know, these guys found a well that could grant any wish. They wanted to be the most powerful warriors in the land, but the well made them blind monsters in the process. This was because the well was made by Aku as a trap for Jack. If the Archers didn't kill him, the well would. But, Jack managed to free the Archers from their curse and destroy the well with a pain-filled scream. That scene has stayed in my head for years and it is so awesome to see the Archers again after so long! This is of the the many reason why Season Five is so amazing to me, and it only gets better from here. But we’ll get to that in a moment.

*ahem*

Back to the actual story. As Ashi once more sets off on her quest, Scaramouche persists in his. He manages to find a boat that is heading for Aku’s domain, and is finally accepted aboard after a few comedic attempts. This leads to a joke that comes far out of left field, one that I do not want to spoil for the sake of newcomers. Let’s just say Season 5 isn't on Adult Swim for no reason.

Ashi, meanwhile, stumbles across a massive outdoor rave party. Once more she asks about Jack, only to be told of another instance of his heroism, only this time in song. Olivia, another character from the previous seasons, sings of how she and her people were once mind controlled through Aku’s twisted music, but were freed by Jack. Now she rebels with her people through music, as they dance throughout the night. Even Ashi is swept up in the beat for a brief moment before pressing on in her quest.

As Ashi continues into the night, she comes across a river, and remembers another cruelty of her mother. The High Priestess claimed that Aku was born of darkness (molded by it), so his Daughters must follow suit. How do they accomplish this? By being pushed into a pit full of smoldering ashes, making their skin black. Ashi cringes at the memory, and plunges herself into the water, scrubbing and scraping away the ashes until morning. She lets her hair down and crafts a new outfit out of the nearby foliage before continuing on once more.

Back on the ship, Scaramouche finds a phone booth, where he makes a collect call to Aku. Before he can tell his boss about Jack's sword, he is interrupted by a crowd of anthropomorphic dogs nearby. He rudely tries to get them to shut up, to which the dogs respond by tossing him overboard, which will no doubt hinder his progress if he is ever to make another appearance.

At a dingy bar on a rainy night, Ashi takes refuge from the storm. The bar is crowded with various warriors, all sporting their own kind of wounds. Ashi once more mentions the Samurai, but this time everyone around her laughs. It appears everyone in the bar was once an enemy of Jack's, even the bartender who was once known as Da Samurai, a wannabe warrior who once challenged Jack only to be defeated with ease. He has since hung up his blade and became a bartender. And then, another fangasm worthy cameo occurs…

OMAIGAWD IT’S DEMONGO!! He’s back!!! He must have escaped the Pit of Hate due to Aku not caring anymore! Another lesson for those not aware of the character; Demongo was one of Aku’s most powerful warriors in the original show. His gimmick was that whenever he defeated powerful warriors, he would enslave their essence and have them fight for him forever. This is why he has come to Da Samurai’s Bar, to find powerful warriors to capture. But upon seeing the sorry state of most of the bar patrons, he leaves while saying he has come to the wrong place.

Soon afterwards, Ashi steps out of the bar only to bump into a small girl with large eyes. She asks if Ashi is a friend to the Samurai. Ashi finally says yes, to which the girl points her in the direction of a graveyard before enigmatically disappearing.

In the graveyard, Ashi finds Jack in a trance-like state. She tries to talk to him, but the Green Warrior intervenes. It seems he was not a hallucination, but rather a spirit who has brought Jack to this graveyard to perform his last honorable act: sepukku or a Samurai’s Suicide. Ashi tries to stop Jack, but the Spirit won't allow it, as he attacks her while Jack holds a blade to his chest. Ashi tells him of all the wonderful things she has seen, and how he is responsible for all of them. The Spirit retorts that Jack is also responsible for all of the deaths, especially those of the children from the previous episode. Ashi not only retaliates by saying that the children actually lived, but that Jack has also saved another lost child: her. As the Spirit prepares to silence her forever, Jack slices him in half, his warrior’s spirit finally back for good. He marvels at her new look and tells her that the time has come for him to finally find his sword.

As you can no doubt tell, this was one of my favorite episodes of the season so far, which is saying a lot considering the quality of the previous episode being just as fantastic as this one. Not only were there so many easter eggs and cameos in this episode, but we also got the completed transformation of Ashi from blind assassin to enlightened ally. She has seen all of the good Jack has done in comparison to all of Aku's destruction, and has thus left behind her past both metaphorically and literally. One can say that her bath was like a baptism, washing away the ashes on her body and the sins of her past. Not to mention we finally get to see what the Green Warrior was after speculating for weeks, and I’m pleased to see that my theory about him representing Jack’s grief and pushing the Samurai to his death was at least partially correct. And now, with Jack’s fighting spirit truly here to stay, we're finally going to see what became of Jack's sword after the briefest of flashbacks in episode one.

If I do have to complain about the smallest of things, there are two aspects of the episode that are a tad lackluster. As much as I liked Scaramouche, I can't help but feel like his scenes were simple padding to keep the episode at a minimum time length. Not to mention that joke he told still throws me off a bit upon remembering it. Also, the appearance of Demongo was far too brief, and I feel like we might not see him again in spite of his newfound strength. But I suppose his appearance was meant to point out that there are few warriors of notable merit now that Jack has hacked and slashes his way to the top, making for a chuckle worthy joke.

In either case, I absolutely cannot wait for the next episode, same Samurai Jack time, same Samurai Jack place.

In the meantime, never stop rambling, TM

Reblogs are always appreciated. YouTube version: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7yiICspiisE

[keneerike]

The Definition of Patriotism: Anthem Demonstrations and Protests in The NFL

There's been a lot of talk surrounding the NFL demonstrations during pre-game ceremonies this year. A few readers asked if I had an opinion on them, so I'll weigh in.

- On Claims that Protests will Damage NFL Viewership:

Be they for anthem kneeling or anti-demonstration, anyone who claims they'll stop watching the NFL was a fringe fan to begin with. Ratings across digital platforms have never been higher.

If anything more viewers are tuning in to NFL games just to see what all the fuss is about.

It's just like the ratings for The O'Reilly Factor (while Bill was still on Fox News). Half of the people hate him, half love him, but everyone is there to see what he's going to say next.

Controversy will always sell.

How many Americans actually paid attention to the anthem before these protests started last season? Have you ever stood in your living room while the stadium singer belted out The Star Spangled Banner? Most viewers turned the channel knowing they had a few minutes to spare before kickoff.

Americans tune in to watch football, not commercials and political discourse. The game takes center stage---nothing else. As long as that experience remains intact, the league has nothing to fear.

The NFL is so popular that an entire cottage industry has sprung up to cover winter workouts of kids who aren't even in the league yet.

More Americans can name a top draft prospect than one of their state's senators. #Facts

The National Football League is a religion in America. It's not going anywhere.

- On Fan Reactions, "Patriotism", and Hypocrisy:

There's been a lot of condemnation of the players. Calls for them to be sanctioned, fired even, for not saluting the flag during the anthem.

"Firing" an NFL player, even if it were possible, makes no sense for owners. Not for something as inconsequential as a silent protest during pre-game activities. You can't just walk out on the street and find 220-lb guys who can tackle and run like these guys do.

The skills of a professional athlete are among the rarest and most valuable in our society. There's a reason they're paid so handsomely.

And before you mention "loss of sponsorship" as a reason to discard a kneeling player, remember that NFL games are routinely the most popular television program every week. If one company pulls its sponsorship in response to a vocal minority, there are ten other companies ready to slide in to that slot yesterday.

How else can you convince world-renowned performers to PAY the NFL for the right to perform during the Super Bowl? The audience for marquee NFL events is unparalleled.

The First Amendment grants them the right to kneel, just as it gives you the right to disparage them for doing so.

Of course, we all bear costs for what we do. If you engage in controversial activity, expect to deal with the fallout. Americans who jump on protest bandwagons may find that out the hard way.

A common response to players doing something fans don't like is to burn the "offending" player's jersey. Send a message to both the player and the team.

It's an irrational act, really, from fan(atic)s too wrapped up in their own self-importance.

Burning jerseys doesn't harm the team. They've already got your money from the sale; you're just slashing your nose to spite your face.

You may hurt the feelings of the player, but aren't you better than that? Did he personally do anything to harm you? Let hiim live his life---he doesn't owe you anything beyond a full effort on the field and being a decent human being off of it.

Your pyrotechnics are hypocritical as well. You're running with your First Amendment privileges to burn a player's uniform in effigy because he exercised his rights. Yet, you'd turn around and deny someone else that same accommodation because it doesn't jibe with your beliefs.

Euphemisms like "safe spaces" have been shoehorned into 21st Century lexicons to impose policial correctness and suppress free expression of ideas.That's a growing problem in America---we support free speech: as long as we agree with what you have to say.

Should you be fired from your job because your boss discovers you watch MSNBC or Fox News after hours? If you can do the job, you can do the job. To the extent that your views do not cost your organization money, you should be free to live your life outside the office as you see fit.

- On Trump Commenting on NFL Players and Demonstrations:

It's beneath the office of president to comment on these matters with such fervor. Calling for player finings, bucking long-standing tradition by disinviting championship teams expressing conflicting opinions; it's undignified.

Like many hypocrites---on both sides of the aisle---he's castigating demonstrators for availing themselves of the same rights he so freely enjoys himself.

Histrionics aside, Trump remains the favorite to win the 2020 election.

And that's not because of any landmark accomplishments in his first year in office; The other team still hasn't learned its lesson.

Besides the natural advantages of being an incumbent---united party resources behind you, no primary competition, national inertia---the same factors that kept Hillary Clinton from winning last year remain unaddressed.

Democrats are still blaming Russian boogeymen and a flawed political system for the 2016 loss instead of looking in the mirror. Finger pointing, unfounded claims of racism, and a seemingly-never ending chorus of complaining turned American voters off. The average white bread American voter doesn't want to be branded a racist or sexist without cause.

In an environment with a swelling tide of disenfranchised, disatisfied voters, a candidate free from the stains of "go-along-get-along" establishment politics had a real chance to win. Paired with the kind of name recognition he brought to the table, Donald Trump's campaign platform was one poised to upset the apple cart.

Believing she had enough electoral votes wrapped up, Clinton didn't even bother to visit some of the swing states. Her arrogance gave Trump the opening he needed to seize the oval office and he didn't waste the opportunity.

- On The Efficacy of NFL Demonstrations: Are We Making Any Progress?:

Like many protest movements, this one is long on ceremonial acts and short on plausible solutions.

The only way to wound the NFL is to stop buying tickets and merchandise, tuning in to games, and watching highlights on Youtube. That's how they make their money.

Sports betting brings in the dollars as well, an open secret the NFL prefers to shove under the rug.

The farce that is "amateurism" is also a major contributor. It's a low-cost feeder system for professional sports leagues and lines the pockets of many in and around the NFL.

If you want to break the NFL, these are the pillars you have to attack.

Good luck with that.

Let's explore the ethos behind this particular protest movement...

Shouldn't more people be asking whether boycotting the NFL because of racial iniquities or Colin Kaepernick not having a job is even a reasonable response? Will that actually strike a blow for civil rights or are people fooling themselves?

NFL rosters are nearly seventy percent black, most of whom epitomize the work ethic and dedication to excellence we tell our children to look up to. The rank-and-file is closer in stature to blue collar guys hustling in a 9-to-5 than those mythical 1%-ers people love to hate. Wouldn't boycotting league activities hurt them, too? Are those the wallets we want to lighten?

Too much demagoguery, not enough critical thinking.

The problem with this anthem movement, like most demonstrations, is that the players have no specific stated goal. "Awareness" is not precise enough, nor is "starting a conversation". Only the most dyed-in-the-wool bigots deny racism exists. Awareness is overrated. Problems don't get solved without actionable solutions and the first step to meeting a goal is defining the target.

Open discourse helps. Shaming people in to silence does not. Activists are too quick to dismiss detractors as racists, instead of encouraging an exchange of ideas. All intellectual-dishonesty does is stunt progress. We will not get anywhere if people are afraid to speak up.

If the goal of the anthem movement is to "eliminate racism completely", well, we can stop right there. 

As long as we live in an imperfect world, we will have imperfect people. We can chip away at the iniquities, enlightening the uninformed and ushering in a continous wave of understanding and accountability. The civil rights heroes of the pasts set an example of what can be accomplished with dedication, personal accountability, and a well-executed plan of action. Substantial progress was achieved and we no longer live in a country with government-sanctioned  discrimination and overt violent racial hostility.

Alas, the cognitive biases that lead people to lie, cheat, and steal beget sin against one's fellow man. Racism, sexism, ageism.....you can't legislate behavior. Humans are flawed and absent everyone deciding to drop their prejudices and be born anew, those behaviors aren't going away.

Sorry.

"We just want to start a dialogue."

Ok. And then what? We've been talking about racism since we landed a man on the moon.Talk is cheap.

Here are three steps to designing a protest movement that can stick....

1) You've got to identify specific problems, point out specific instances of wrongs. 

And don't selectively edit evidence to fit a narrative. Lay out all appropriate information and allow reasonable minds to come to a conclusion.

2) Then, out the bad actors. All of them, not just the ones who fit certain stereotypes.

Political correctness has to be checked at the door.

3) Parcel out blame. 

Who did what? Why? What could have been done by everyone involved to prevent this?

Learn more about designing effective protest movements here:

http://justtaptheglass.com/post/109205123403/slacktivism

Complaints of police brutality? I covered that here. 

When you're in the crosshairs, the best course of action is to be polite, yet firm. Know your rights and comply with lawful orders. You don't have to kiss the ring---as a civilian, the cops work for you, not other way around---but that's no reason to act up. Treat people the way you want to be treated. Many cops are decent enough, just wanting to do their jobs and go home. Minimize the hassle and you might catch a break.

It's not a rite of passage to square off with a cop, impugning his authority every step of the way, no matter how many selectively-edited videos you see on the news. What we see and hear renders lasting impact on how we think, instilling normative cues that determine how we interact with the world around us.  

This is another reason why consuming too much of the wrong media is a real threat to our society, much more than NFL players kneeling during the anthem or the contents of some politician's email server.

That's a cause we can all get behind. 

Too many knuckleheads double-down on idiocy, turning what would have been a minor infraction into a life-altering "this-could-get-me-fired" encounter.

If I learned anything from Road Rash, it's to make sure you can get away if you flee a traffic stop.

Treat police interactions like a flu shot: Hold still while the needle is in; endure the temporary pinch of pain; move on. Wriggling your arm during the injection can inflict serious damage.

Too many people antagonize the police, mouthing off to officers or flaunting their authority, as though their auditioning for internet fame. They think they can say and do whatever they want with no repercussions, as though free speech grants license to be a jerk.

All these political issues....we'd be better off spending time working on our own lives rather than fighting about some issue of middling importance. How much does some dude sitting on a sideline actually affect your daily life? Or what some politician says about [insert your favorite controversial hot potato] to rile up his fan base? Is publishing another angry comment on the internet going to solve the problem?

We fill the emptiness in our lives with television, or music, or fretting over the latest news to hit our feed. When we turn our attention inward, the silence can be deafening. Many of us struggle being alone with our thoughts, so we fill that space with media, controlled by entities who are all too ready to control that real estate.

This is what a mind without boundaries and direction looks like.

You can make a ton of headway if you behave rationally in a world increasingly-designed to distract, addict, and disorient. Know when to expend effort on issues that really matter and when to hit the "off" button.