#i have difficulties my whole life with feeling like a perpetual outsider <3 i need to work on that somehow

[scissorcraft]

i really want to make isat friends…

[letscuttothefeeling]

season three episode two

Before we get into the intricacies of this subpar episode, I want you to close your eyes, inhale, and reflect: is the guy you’re dating your boyfriend, or is he a father figure to you? Think about it. Now let’s cut to the feeling.

I don’t know about you, but seeing a groggy Old Man Ish clumsily lumber around in a backwards hat and a short-sleeved gorilla tee while holding his morning coffee made me immediately sick. And I’m just watching it on TV. Imagine being Madisson and waking up to that. Like, yes, this show is my sole will to live, but even I can’t stomach this. It really can’t get worse. Oh my God. Ish just described Brandon as “agro.” It did get worse. 

Thank god Ish is finally off my screen and I’m back to looking at G baby and BG. Appetite restored. Jared’s also there, so I’m unable to entirely recover from the Ish debacle, but I guess this is the best I can hope for. And may I just add that I am absolutely loving this playful “boys” scene? Seeing the guys boolin with their goon squad is bringing the vibes up big time. BG doesn’t even seem upset about Dadisson – in fact, he begins talking about a potential budding romance with Amanda! And just like that, we’re back on track.  

Strap in. The scene I’ve been waiting for. Dadisson’s reveal to her actual, biological father. Fade in. Jon, Madisson’s bio dad, is seated outside at a cute restaurant, completely unaware of the bomb that is about to explode in his face. As he looks up and sees his daughter walking over with her former producer, you can see the confusion setting in. Wait, what? Why is my youngest daughter walking in with Ish, the show’s old producer? Isn’t she supposed to be introducing me to her boyfriend? Oh, no . . . I think at that point, Jon must know, but he’s remaining willfully ignorant for as long as possible. And I get that, Jon. I do.

 Ish has this special oafish trudge that seriously makes him look like some sort of ogre and I am absolutely living for it. When the lovebirds take their seats, a dark cloud rolls over the Key. Reality sets in. Madisson starts telling her real father about her new Daddy, and my heart is racing. After establishing their respective ages, Jon takes a deep breath and calmly asks the most uncomfortable question your Dad could ever ask you about your boyfriend: “Is he a father figure to you?”

Let’s decompress. This has to be one of the rawest scenes on reality TV, so pour one out for Jon, who at this point was undoubtedly racking his brain trying to recall the exact moment he fucked Madisson up so badly that she now actively chooses to bang 50-year olds. I feel bad for you, Jon. Back to the show.

Madisson is crying, Jon is reeling over his mistakes, and Ish is trying to defend his relationship. As for me, I have one question: could Siesta Key have provided these poor souls with drinks before forcing them to do this on camera?

After that cringey scene, I’m more than happy to watch Amanda and BG have a SPICY meetuppé. Unfortunately, Amanda begins serving me really strange vibes and I’m kind of scared of her. There’s too much licking involved on this date and I’m not interested. Let’s cut to the next scene, where Madisson and Brandon meet to hopefully get closure.

Finally, we get a glimpse of the breakuppé timeline! If you remember correctly, Season 2 ended with us thinking we’d get a glorious Bradisson reunion in Season 3. Alas, we have Dadisson instead. Please don’t misconstrue this as a complaint, because it’s very far from that. I’m just a little confused as to how Dadisson came about, and apparently, so is BG. Madisson explains that after she moved to LA, she no longer felt connected to Brandon. Two months after breaking things off, she began taking to Ish. Brandon isn’t buying it. He’s convinced their relationship has been brewing for some time. Personally, I believe her. She’s never lied and I think Brandon is projecting his own issues onto Madisson. Thoughts?

Lots of tough conversations today – now we’re at Cara’s waiting anxiously for her to drop the news we all knew was coming from the moment she started dating Garrett. That she wants to break up. I think now is as good a time as any to unpack Garrett’s love life. Garrett. Get it together. The whole “hot but stupid” narrative is something the producers are pushing . . . right? You cannot possibly be this idiotic IRL. But love is blinding, I guess. Garrett was cheated on by Kelsey (with Alex), used by Juliette to make someone jealous (Alex), and used by Cara to piss off Kelsey and Juliette (and Alex.) Fool me once, shame on you. Fool me three times, and you can call me Garrett Miller.

 Okay, time for Kelsey and Juliette’s housewarming / rosé party! That had to be the whitest sentence I’ve ever written. The party begins and everyone seems to be in good spirits. Side note – I really applaud the film crew for catching everything that they do. They even got a short clip of Garrett having difficulty opening the front door and included it to perpetuate the very true belief that Garrett is actually a failed artificial intelligence robot project gone wrong.

Chloe arrives with a shot ski, but “Con Artist” Robby has to one-up her by bringing a TV. She’s convinced he’s bringing it to make up for how small his dick is. Boys, you heard it here first – don’t even THINK about bringing a TV to a party unless you want everyone to know how small your penis is! Madisson’s not even paying attention to Boring Robby’s embarrassing genital blunder because she’s too busy eyeing Amanda and Brandon. She even has the audacity to whisper, “I just hope he has the best intentions.” Right, because Ish definitely has the best intentions with you. Okay, Madisson.

 Notably missing from the soirée is Cara and my new favorite cast member, Victoria. Kelsey obviously vetoed Cara’s invite, so C and V decided to get a romantic relaxing beachside massage instead. Cara begins explaining that she’s only stringing Garrett along because he functions as her safety net. Meanwhile, at the party, Juliette is having to spell this out to simple Garrett. He looks glum. Suddenly, Garrett’s “unhappy hour” t-shirt seems much more fitting.

 Chloe and Amanda are in a corner, and shocker, they’re talking shit about Juliette and Robby. Juliette overhears, confronts them, and tensions rise. Chloe and Juliette step outside to discuss it further, and it becomes very apparent to me that Juliette is utterly plastered. Chloe is basically sober. What could go wrong?

 Everything! Chloe starts off by asking Juliette what she thinks about their friendship. Obviously, these two have a sordid past, but Juliette is literally too blackout to articulate anything, so Chloe’s immediately won this before it even really begins. Towards the end of the conversation, Juliette starts wagging her finger in Chloe’s face. Chloe slaps it away, so naturally, Juliette retaliates by PUNCHING HER IN THE HEAD. Juliette, I love you, and I’m normally on your side, but this is just not a good lewk. Chloe is straight chilling while Juliette attempts to rip out her extensions. So of course, Chloe looks like the normal one, and Juliette looks like she’s on The Bad Girls Club instead of Siesta Key. Hopefully, she’ll learn a lesson from this, because violence is never the answer!

Unfortunately, Juliette doesn’t learn that lesson! As soon as Amanda steps in to break up the fight, Juliette also tries to hit her. She also can’t understand why Amanda is being so harsh when Amanda was the one who punched Chloe in the face and broke her nose two years ago. Which I feel like is valid! Everyone is screaming, running around and fighting. Genuine chaos. Anarchy. The only person there who is remaining calm is Brandon. He is quite literally the human embodiment of Switzerland. Immediately I’m reminded of that part in Twilight’s third book, Eclipse, when Bella is forced to be the voice of reason and soothe the tensions between vampire Edward and werewolf Jacob. In order to fight the vampire army that Victoria’s newborn lover has created, the vampires and werewolves must put aside their inherent differences and join forces. If not, they could totally ravage Seattle, travel to the quaint town of Forks, and potentially eat Police Chief Charlie Swan!! By becoming a neutral Switzerland, Bella narrowly avoids this horrific fate. Like Bella, Brandon remains neutral in a time of utter disaster. Thanks, Brandon. But more importantly, thank YOU, Stephanie Meyer.

 Kelsey swiftly removes everyone from her home and starts looking for Amanda’s lost phone while Boring Robby hugs Juliette and tries to make her feel better about being the worst. And Kelsey standing around in the background after having to forcibly remove all her friends from her property while her roommate makes out with her boyfriend is such a vibe.

After Cara comes to the rescue to pickuppé the stranded party guests, the episode ends. Overall, I was pretty unhappy with this episode, but I feel that it was a necessary step to get us back in the right direction. I just miss Alex. He needs to return from Europe immediately. I’m tired of all of this girl drama and I want Boring Robby to become Interesting Robby. The next episode seems promising – but we’ll have to wait and see.

[71tenseventeen]

Take My Hand (Take My Whole Life Too)-9

Pt 1, Pt 2, Pt 3, Pt 4, Pt 5, Pt 6, Pt 7, Pt 8

Warnings for sexual content, male pregnancy, non-hockey Sid. Sid and Taylor’s ages have been altered to fit the story.

Perpetual credit to my betas, @queen-alia and @icosahedonist as well as the GC and @ljummen.

Sid’s having a rough day.

He was up half the night with the worst heartburn he’s ever experienced in his life. When he schlepped into the coffee shop at 5:30 this morning, he was already exhausted after getting less than three hours of sleep.

He’s sick and sore and exhausted all day but he pushes through because at this point he realizes this is just how he’s going to feel for the next seven months. He can’t afford to miss more work.

Even though his boss promised he’d get Sid out of there on time for his doctor’s appointment, Aubrey is late so he has to stay until she gets there. He only barely gets out with enough time to race to the appointment in his work clothes.

It really doesn’t get any better from there. Everything is rushed, as usual, and Sid spends more time with the nurse than with the actual doctor. She laughs when Sid brings up his nausea again and tuts at him. “That’s to be expected, kiddo. Pregnancy isn’t supposed to be easy.”

When he tells her his feet and ankles are already swelling and she distractedly tells him to drink more water, it takes everything Sid has not to snap at her. He leaves with no answers and gnawing frustration at their dismissal of him that, he’s sure, is because of his age.

He tries to schedule an ultrasound on the way out and is informed his meager student plan doesn’t cover that unless there are difficulties so he’ll have to pay out of pocket if he wants one.

By the time he gets back to his car he just wants to go home and crawl into bed but he can’t. He’s meeting Geno.

To make matters worse, Geno texted earlier and asked if they could meet at his place in Sewickley which means Sid has half an hour of driving ahead of him. He could have said no but this is important. Despite everything, Sid’s still afraid that Geno will change his mind, back out and leave him to deal with this alone. And maybe it’s pathetic but he just doesn’t want to be alone. Geno might be practically a stranger but he’s all Sid has.

So Sid does his best to pull himself together and makes the drive to Sewickley.

It’s harder than he expected. Besides being nauseated and sore, he’s just so tired. Twice on the drive he has to give himself a shake but he finally makes it.

Geno is waiting outside for him and waves as he pulls up. It’s a nice gesture but Sid hopes they don’t linger outside too long. Summer has hit hard in Pittsburgh and the oppressive heat is not doing anything good for his nausea. He feels his stomach lurch when he steps out of the car and is relieved when Geno immediately starts ushering him inside.

He thinks if he can get inside and cool down, he can hold it together.

Except apparently Geno cooked because as soon as they step inside, Sid is surrounded by the smell of freshly-cooked fish and that’s all it takes to send him racing to the bathroom.

Somewhere through the haze of sickness he registers Geno kneeling at his side, rubbing his back. It feels like it will never end but when he finally feels like he’s done, he slumps back against the cool wall as Geno wets a washcloth and wipes at his face gently.  It’s such a tender, caring thing, the type of thing he didn’t think he’d have anyone ever do for him and before he can stop it, tears are stinging at his eyes.

Geno stands first and then helps Sid up. At the sink he hands him a cup. “You okay to rinse?”

“I think so.” He really hopes Geno won’t notice the way his voice is wobbling.

“Okay. You rinse and I get you toothbrush, be right back.”

Sid follows Geno’s directions, trying so hard to pull himself together. He splashes water on his face and is trying to wipe at the gross spot on his shirt when Geno comes back with a new toothbrush and an old Pens tee and says, “Here, I bring you toothbrush and shirt to wear while I wash yours. Got rid of fish, too. We order out, anything you want, or I cook something for you.”

And that’s all it takes.

Sid looks at the shirt and toothbrush in Geno’s hands and bursts into tears.

Geno’s eyes widen with concern as he steps in close. “Hey, what going on? You okay? Why you cry?”

Sid shakes his head and sniffles hard. He’s not sure if he can explain even if he wasn’t weeping openly now.

“Okay, you not have to say but at least tell me, you okay?”

Sid nods with a hiccup.

“Not hurt anywhere?”  

Sid shakes his head and makes an embarrassing snorting attempt to sniffle. “I’m sorry, I’m so sorry,” he sobs and Geno pulls him close, loops an arm around his waist and starts guiding him in the direction of the living room.

“Nothing to be sorry for. It’s okay now. Whatever wrong, we find a way to fix. I promise.”

He didn’t know how badly he’d needed to hear words like that, to have someone comfort him but hearing it just makes him sob harder.

Geno eases him onto the couch and settles next to him, pulling him in close. He starts speaking in soothing tones and it helps even though Sid can’t understand anything he’s saying. He switches back to English long enough to say, “Going to be okay, Sid. I’m promise. I take care.” And Sid decides to take him at his word because he needs this so much right now so he lets himself slump into Geno’s arms and finally let out everything he’s been holding back.

It takes awhile but Geno sits with him until he’s relatively calm again. When he finally pulls away it’s to get tissues to offer to Sid. He disappears for a moment and reemerges with another wet washcloth and pauses just to make sure Sid’s okay with it before he gently wipes his face again. Once he’s done with that he settles in again and says quietly, “Will you tell me?”

Sid doesn’t have to ask what he means. “It’s just… It’s a lot of things.”

“I a have lot of time.” Geno’s soft smile sets Sid a little more at ease so he takes a sip of water and sighs before launching into the description of his day, the stress of being twenty one and pregnant, the issues he’s having with his doctor, the frustration of constant nausea and exhaustion— all of it. Once he starts it’s hard to stop and the only thing he holds back are his financial concerns because he doesn’t want Geno to think he’s asking for money.

Geno listens attentively, frowning here and there, nodding from time to time but he really listens and it means so much, Sid could almost cry again but he manages to hold it together.

When he’s finally finished dumping all his frustrations he looks up with wide eyes. “Oh god, Geno, I’m sorry.”

“Why you sorry? You not have to apologize for have feelings. This a lot to deal with! Lot of stress, lot of issues. I know we not together but not mean I’m not be here for you.”

Sid wants to protest but instead he nods and looks at Geno. “I don’t know what to say. It’s just been really hard and there’s no one really to talk to who gets it and just… Thank you.”

Geno offers him a soft smile. “Is how it should be, okay? You can always talk to me.”

Sid smiles and murmurs, “Thanks,” again and means it.

“You think you can eat something?”

“Probably. As long as it’s not fish.”

Geno laughs and shakes his head. “Okay.” He slips the long forgotten clean t-shirt into Sid’s hands with a smile. “You change, will feel better. I’m cook for you. Think you can handle chicken and noodle? Some veggie?”

Sid nods, feeling pitiful.

Geno’s right. Sid changes into the clean shirt and washes his face. After he brushes his teeth, he realizes he does feel better and he’s pretty sure it’s not just because he’s gotten a chance to clean up.

In the kitchen he finds Geno at the stove, stirring a large pot. “Is soup,” he says, smiling. “My Mama’s recipe. Always keep some in freezer. Best for making feel better.”

Sid feels a rush of affection at the sheer thoughtfulness of the gesture and he wishes he could do something, anything for Geno in return.

They watch TV as they eat together and it’s really nice. Geno doesn’t give Sid any crap for the amount of soup he inhales and waves him off when he tries to help clean up.

The last thing Sid remembers is Geno leaving the room to make tea. The next thing he’s aware of is Geno’s voice, low and deep, speaking softly. “Sid. Hey Sid.” He feels Geno’s hand, gentle on his arm and blinks his eyes open slowly.

“Geno?” he garbles out, struggling to keep his eyes open.

Geno smiles softly at him. “Got guest bed ready for you.”

“M’sorry. Didn’t mean to fall asleep. I should go.”

Geno frowns. “You too tired to drive, not safe. Stay here tonight. I get you up when you need to be, make sure you get to work on time.”

“M’off tomorrow.”

“Then you sleep in, I make you breakfast when you wake up.”  

Sid lets Geno help him to his feet and guide him up the stairs to the guest room where the covers are already turned down. “Sleep as long as need. I’m at end of hall if you need anything.”

“Are you sure this is okay?” Sid bites at his bottom lip. He’s so tired and all he wants right now is to lay down and sleep and sleep and sleep. But he doesn’t want to impose on Geno or overstep any boundaries.

Geno just smiles again and pats Sid’s arm. “Of course, okay. You sleep, I’m make best breakfast tomorrow, okay?”

“Thanks, Geno.”

“You always welcome here, Sid. Anytime, day or night. Mean that.”

Once he’s gone it takes Sid about ten seconds to shuck his pants before he melts into the fluffy bed. He’s asleep between one blink and the next.

Part 10

[misssingingintherain]

Untangling the Moral Mess of “Star Wars The Last Jedi”: Part I

AKA My thoughts on “Star Wars The Last Jedi” Activism and Representation through Race, Sexuality, and Gender Politics:

Feminism: Older Women who are not Carrie Fisher! Women of Color! Non-sexualized Asian woman who is not terribly skinny too! Women in power who don’t have to sacrifice their femininity to maintain authority! Everything seems great… until we get to Rey and/vs Kylo Ren. There is so much to unpack, I’ll be doing that in later things. For now, I feel like to pull off Rey’s change in mindset, there needed to be at least another week of interactions with her and Kylo Ren. The movie takes place over 3 days at most, and almost immediately after TFA as well. They needed more time, as exemplified in Sketches from Superheroes’ wonderful analysis found here (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=234SXSWgxLw&t=394s).

LGBTQIA issues: Once again, Finn and Poe have a great dynamic that I would love to see explored more. The supplementary material goes further than the text toward LGBTQIA representation (with Poe saving his mother’s ring for the right ‘partner’ rather than woman and Admiral Holdo being implied pansexual with her line ‘it’s a big galaxy’). However, we get to my sorest spot: Rose. I swear to god, I see one more post hating on her and I will release the full fury of the dark side on that unfortunate mother fucker.

My apologies for the brief lack of professionalism. And I understand concerns that her presence was to deter StormPilot/FinnPoe shippers. But there was always going to be another character added to the good guys to be the Lando of the team; as such, it also makes sense that she would have chemistry with Finn, as he is the Han Solo character of the new series. As for StormPilot shipping… this movie had the words “Finn. Naked. Leaking Bag” in it, so I think there is still plenty of subtext for us to enjoy, even if Disney is not yet ready for that next step, Capitalist Cowards that they are.

That brings us to the especially sore spot, AKA The Racial politics of TLJ: this one seems to have just about everyone divided.

Finn is still portrayed as a deserter in spite of having grown past this in TFA, with his storyline not having much of a ‘point’ in the movie.

Rose’s arc is nonexistent/entirely revolves around teaching a man (Finn) a lesson.

Poe is being stereotyped into a ‘hot-headed latino’ who is being talked down to by white women, who ‘the movie wants you to hate.’

All of these are valid readings.

However, I feel they are somewhat incomplete.

Finn was running to protect Rey, who he faced Kylo Ren for in TFA. It has been maybe a week since his desertion from the First Order. His arc and eventual attempted heroic sacrifice was about learning to fight for something bigger, not just fight for the few people he cared about. He probably should have had more time undercover on the ship, a longer fight with Phasma (especially that deleted scene where she guns down troopers he was convincing to defect), and more contrast between himself and Kylo Ren as duel main male characters in the series, but I’m confident he’ll get more screen time in the next movie.

As TV Tropes notes, “many [fans] were disappointed with the fact that after being built up so heavily as the Decoy Protagonist, Finn failed in his two major action scenes in the previous movie. Having him fight Phasma and giving him his own subplot seems to be an attempt to rectify this. Although it's somewhat undermined by his character being relegated to the C plot and superfluous to the main story” (http://tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pmwiki.php/YMMV/TheLastJedi).

Rose had arguably the most defined arc in the movie; she is so selfless, she is the one person Leia trusts to take care of deserters. Her sister gave her life for the Resistance and Rose was willing to give her life and others’ lives as well. Only after meeting Finn does she realize that a completely selfless path is also self-destructive and there is also merit in selfishness (which also works into Poe’s theme of retreat not always being cowardly). While it could have been pulled off better, I think their scene on Crait with the speeders is sweet. Their kiss was a little odd, but it’s also John Boyega/Finn, so I get the attraction on Rose’s behalf.

Of course, the big one is Poe Dameron…

I am probably not the best person to talk about this as I am half-white and half-Asian, but I personally do not feel he is particularly out of character. First time we saw Poe in TFA, he abandoned his mission to save the villagers and shoot Kylo Ren, almost getting himself, his droid, and the map caught. He was already shown to favor all-or-nothing tactics, also evidenced by his run on Starkiller base, which had high costs due to miscalculations of how well shielded the target was. Same happens against the dreadnaught, only this time with him disobeying direct orders, as well as getting most of his men killed.

Leia, who sees him as a surrogate son as well as a future successor and therefore treats him as such, slaps him and demotes when he gets others killed in his defiance. After rightfully demoting him, he then tries to mansplain the situation to Holdo when she’s in charge and refuses to accept that he messed up and that his actions have consequences like not being privy to the plan and having to follow orders. Upon first viewing of the movie, most people side with Poe as we also don’t understand why Holdo is withholding information. But when Poe is given information, he starts throwing things on the bridge (which he was banned from) not unlike Kylo Ren and then organizes a mutiny. Yet he faces no further disciplining and learns his lesson about when you should fight and when you should flee.

The difficulty is balancing what needed to be said with the character to do it with. It is a classic trope that heroes disobey direct orders for a risky mission and when they pull it off, they face no repercussions. Was Poe the correct character to subvert this story with, as hot-blooded latino is a harmful stereotype that persists to this day? Probably not, but this is also a lesson that needed to be taught and I don’t think any of the other characters would fit in with this lesson, as it wouldn’t work as well for someone of lower or no rank like Rose or Finn or Rey.

Concerning the overall socio-political economics and the commentary surrounding it… I like the Casino scene. I didn’t at first as like many I felt it was a pointless red herring, but then I realized it was the entire point of the movie. The last scene with the slave children regaling tales of Luke Skywalker and the force sensitive one gazing at the stars with Rose’s Resistance ring wouldn’t make any sense if it had been omitted. This section got at both Rose’s theme of “It’s not just fighting what we hate, it’s saving what we love” and Poe’s theme of “we are the spark that will light the fire that will burn the first order to the ground;” in order to keep that spark going they need to save and inspire people like the slave kids, not just destroy the enemy like the First Order. That’s what makes them the heroes.

People compare this sequence to the prequels and they’re right. Because as bad as the prequels were, they were also right in some parts. War is perpetuated by the military industrial complex. The biggest threat to democracy is not necessarily outside forces like terrorists or war, but internal ones like corrupt politicians chipping away at peoples’ rights until they have none left. Perhaps if more people had listened we wouldn’t be in our current political situation. Or maybe we would. Again, I think people’s dislike of it has a lot to do with pacing and energy, as everything with the resistance feels very urgent, yet Finn and Rose spend a lot of time ogling at the rich and on this side-quest that ends up hindering more than harming.

In general, I think a lot of this backlash has to do with the fact that our heroes are extremely flawed here. Luke almost killed his nephew and then abandoned the galaxy (The Jedi Way™). Poe and Rose believe in victory at all costs, not thinking about the next fight so long as this one is won, which gets a lot of people killed. Finn is still trying to run (if for more selfless reasons this time around). Rey put her faith in a man she barely knew… twice. For the first time in a long time, we have heroes making mistakes and as leaders, they are not the only ones who pay for it, which is jarring but perhaps the most realistic part of the movie.

A main theme of this movie is gambling and the risks vs the benefits, hence the scenes on the Casino planet and the focus on the Millennium Falcon’s dice; a lot of characters gamble with their lives… and they lose. Poe/Finn/Rose arguably gamble the fate of the Resistance on DJ and lose. Holdo and Leia gamble on their small transports going unnoticed by the First Order and them having allies they can fall back on and lose. Rey gambled on both Luke coming back and Kylo Ren turning and halfway lost both times. Snoke felt invincible since he can read everybody’s thoughts before they happen and didn’t realize he was gambling with Kylo Ren until he lost. Kylo Ren gambled with his whole family and got his power but is left kneeling on the floor of an empty resistance base, clutching a pair of dice that weren’t even there.

Overall, this movie is riling both the Alt-Right and the Social Justice advocates. I personally believe it still plays more toward the latter than the former (especially with how they show the Space!Nazis to be Butt Monkeys and ineffectual toxically masculine losers), but cannot and will not discount people who take issue with these portrayals. If I have said anything that is downright racist, sexist, and/or homophobic, please tell me and I will re-evaluate my position. For now though, I feel The Last Jedi is the next step in an ever progressing galaxy.

I may do more parts of this series, focusing specifically on Finn + Rose, Leia/Holdo vs Poe, Rey vs Kylo Ren, and/or Luke, but for now, these are my thoughts. Hope they do something for untangling this complicated halfway living in a long time ago while also in a time and place very here.

Pictures are from Dichos de un Bicho and Kat Blaque’s Facebook pages.

[canvaswolfdoll]

CanvasWatches: My Hero Academica

If there’s something I needed in my Anime Repertoire, it was a fun, pulpy Shonen Series.

I have selected My Hero Academia because frog girl.

Tsuyu Asui and the various tumblr posts she spawned is what drew my attention, and I was hearing good things about the series, so I thought I’d give it a go. Plus I’m catching it in the early stages, so there’s not too much of an archive to panic over. It’s a good time to get in.

I’m not one for long runners, since I enjoy definite start and end points.[1] Media designed to just go on forever, stuffed with filler and formula is a quick eject for me. And I’ve never been one for fighty man Shounen.

I couldn’t get into Dragon Ball Z, because I only caught brief segments, and those segments were the parts with Goku floating there staring down his enemy. Or Buu turning someone into a cookie and eating them. Contextless nonsense that was very unappealing.[2]

Naruto began it’s dubbed broadcast as I entered Middle School. However, those were troubled times of much grounding due to academic indifference, and I couldn’t be bothered to monitor the broadcast schedule. So I fell off the Naruto train… basically after the second episode.

I didn’t care about pirates enough to try One Piece, and Bleach seemingly left no cultural weight to enter the equation.[3]

However, these reviews are nothing if not a bizarre justification for making up for my misspent youth. Because yearning for the nostalgic past is what adulthood is for.

And I finally committed to Funimation’s streaming service, so, yay! More dubs for Canvas![4] Which leaves only the Viz stable to have difficulties with.

So… why does My Hero Academia succeed where it’s predecessors fail?

Likeable cast, mostly. While other self-perpetuating shonens have large casts with various interesting gimmicks, usually only one or two will resonate with the viewer, and there’s often little by way of character complexity or arcs.

Meanwhile, MHA has a cast that, oddly, are mostly characterized by positivity. There’s one or two grumpy loners, sure, but they’re handled with an almost parody tone, and the rest are actually nice kids you can appreciate.

And our protagonist, Deku, is notable for not being uniquely special. At the outset, he’s in the minority of people without powers. He eventually gains some, a decision I’m… conflicted on, but he gets superpowers by earning them.

Deku’s a tenacious fanboy, particularly idolizing the biggest hero in the world, wanting to follow the man’s example. However, as he doesn’t have a gift, he’s seemingly incapable of reaching that point.

Our hero takes this in stride, instead dedicating his attention to analyzing heroes and their methods. He’s a very clever and intelligent protagonist, and considering he’s following the trail of Naruto and freaking Goku, that defining trait is a refreshing departure.

Then he earns his chance at his dreams by being undeniably heroic despite being a squib.

Now there are obviously two sides to Deku inheriting All Might’s power:

One one hand, we miss the story of a muggle climbing his way up the ranks through sheer willpower and analysis.

But, with him getting All Might’s power, we instead see a young boy struggle with a power well beyond his control and capabilities.

While I’d prefer the Rock Lee route, the physical struggle of Deku literally destroying himself with every use of One for All, and the ramifications (risk of permanent damage and Deku needing to use it strategically) is a compelling narrative thrust in its own right, so I can’t complain too much.

The duality of All Might is an interesting sight to behold. In full hero mode, he’s nothing if not positive and encouraging. Outside of that persona, All Might is a little pessimistic and grumpy, but he still has a clear streak of good that’s never suppressed, even when he’s feeling sick.

It would’ve been easy and in line with established tropes to make All Might a lazy and harsh task master, but even when sending Deku through an excessively intense training regiment, All Might’s encouraging and positive, pushing Deku not for his selfish purposes, but because he honestly believes in Deku.

Then, after Deku goes above and beyond the task All Might set (clear out a stretch of beach), All Might tells his student to eat a strand of his hair, which is precisely the sort of thing I make jokes about when watching television.[5]

The even more amazing thing is that this positivity isn’t exclusive to All Might. The entire hero cast are positive and supportive people. Besides Bakugo, who’s the childhood friend turned rival character, no one specifically puts down anyone else. Every challenge and lesson has the whole of Class 1-A cheering each other on.

Even during the admission trials, where they’re literally competing against one another, you never see any character go out of their way to sabotage another.

Normally, it’s so easy to make the main character a total reject, give them a whole community of opposition and conflict. So it’s refreshing that everyone who wants to be a hero is a positive person.

It’s the same reason so many people gush over pages featuring Batman offering sympathy to others instead of punches. We want our heroes to be the best example of humanity, something to aspire to be.

Which is the exact philosophy that brings All Might to take Deku under his wing.

Then Bakugo, who’s introduced as a violent bully, wanting to believe heroics is his birthright, becomes mocked for being such a hothead. He’s got a powerful quirk, was number one for the admission test, but the rest of the class silently agree that they don’t wish to abide by his attitude. And it’s not even bullying Bakugo, but more gentle mocking and pushback against his egocentrism and violence.

Because the class are still children, but their nature shows a preference toward acceptance and teamwork, and an openness for redemption.  The class’s treatment of Bakugo is negativity towards his current actions, not the kid himself.

UA is structured to be a competitive environment, a whetstone to hone the next generation of heroes. You have to compete in a trial to get into the programs, teachers can expel whole classes, and you can lose your spot in class to someone in a ‘lesser’ course. However, even when the cast are explicitly telling one another they’re gunning for each other, it’s usually with a tone of ‘nothing personal, it’s just the situation,’ and there’s no hard feelings. No one resents anyone else, really, and there’s no hesitation to work together when the situation calls for it.

Which is important because this is a show for children, and it’s showing, by example, that intent and actions are a better defining trait than raw ability or natural born talent.

A lot of the quirks are explicitly underwhelming. Class 1-A runs the gamut between making explosions, nullifying gravity, sticky balls, being invisible, and having a tail, with various and unequal limitations. It’s not what you have that makes you good or evil, it’s what you do with it.

To further cement this, One for All is absurdly powerful, and after a training montage, Deku’s given a portion of the quirk. And that portion is so strong, so powerful, that even with the preparation All Might put him through, using it still physically breaks Deku.

Which means, while most Shonens are about the protagonist becoming stronger, working their way to being the best there is, Deku literally gets handed that strength in episode 4.  So, instead of growing powerful, Deku has to learn restraint and self control when using One for All.

Because being a hero isn’t about being better than everyone else, it’s about using what you have effectively to make the world around you a better place, with both physical abilities and personality.

Deku has the right personality and philosophy, he needs to learn how to use his power.

Bakugo knows how to use his power, but he doesn’t quite have the needed interpersonal skills or humility.

Thus why the two are the rivals.

The actual arcs do a good job of tracing old structures while also bringing in its own twists.

There is, of course, the introductory arc, where we’re introduced to the protagonist whose dream seems impossible to him, until a mentor figure steps in and grants him the one thing needed to proceed (A quirk for Deku, headwear for Naruto and Luffy). Then he meets his crush and turns a few low-grade rivals into allies (like you do) as he begins the journey to become the best… hero/ninja/pirate/grim reaper?[6]

Deku takes the entrance examine, which he technically failed, but he put in such a good effort that he was given bonus points so he could enroll at UA anyways.

Then we get a nice mix of Slice of Life and implied opposition from a mentor figure, who turns out to have been performing a secret test of character.

Next, the main cast is given their first field mission, which suddenly becomes a lot more serious than expected.

Which brings us to the end of the first season.

So, a quality that I find takes a series from good to great is its approach to balancing drama and comedy: namely, no one’s truly exempt from either. Naruto had shades of it, Fullmetal Alchemist did it to the hilt. Sometimes it’s well set-up jokes, sometimes it’s just goofy character designs.[7]

Class 1-A is filled with goofballs, and even though they serious up when a horde of villains crash their first rescue training mission, their personalities are able to leak a good amount of comedy where needed.

Then the entirety of the second season is dedicated to the required tournament arc. Which… okay, time for Canvas to zone out, right?

Well, no. Because My Hero Academia is pretty good at both dynamic combat and interesting situations. Further, the previous season already did a good job of establishing people’s powers, so there’s space to split the focus between showing fine details and solid character work.

UA’s tournament is actually a broadcasted sports festival, so the competition starts with a obstacle course, which revels in all the slapstick potential inherent. Deku also wins it by looking at the mine field that is the final obstacle, and says ‘Nah. I can use this.’

Good for our hero!

Then, the second event is a cavalry battle,[8] where Deku’s reward for winning the first event is getting a 10 million point bounty on his head. It’s so unfair it turns to the realm of parody. Which I’m all about.

The second event is thus a showcase of Quirk Synergy, more of Deku’s strategy and resulting counter strategies, and more slapstick. So that’s nice.

Since Deku soundly won the first round, our protagonist is getting diminishing returns for the rest of the arc.

The third event is straight up tournament battles, but with most of the cast already eliminated, so that saves time, and the show only really focuses on the big events, split between the second half of one episode and the first of another. Between those, there are match ups that are just squashes[9] and comedy.

The final winner is then Hannibal Lecter’d on the podium in a great mix of character drama (he didn’t like the way he won) and comedy (because the final winner has to be actively restrained and muzzled. That’s just silly!)

Then the cast picks out their codenames.

Which pretty much brings us even to where the dub’s gotten.

I’m having a good time with the show, and I look forward to more episodes. It’s going to be interesting to follow an anime episode by episode instead of marathoning the whole thing through. Let’s see if I can keep my sanity.

Kataal kataal.

[1] There are exceptions, mostly in the form of webcomics and Discworld. [2] Dragon Ball, meanwhile, had a youthful energy that drew me in. But it also aired infrequently so I never got totally invested. [3] Okay, I had a high school friend who was interested, much to the annoyance of another high school friend, who had a weak understanding of difference in media interests. [4] You had your chance Crunchyroll! [5] Seriously, ask Vulpin, it’s exactly my humor. [6] Again, never got into Bleach. [7] Depowered All-Might looks like a muppet. [8] A sport I’ve only seen in the context of anime, but should totally be more common. [9] Following a wrestling podcast may be helping me appreciate some of the meta-aspects of fight scenes.

[heyfunnie]

Mend The Marriage Review

Mend The Marriage Review

Mend The Marriage Review

Mend The Marriage Review

Mend The Marriage Review

Mend The Marriage Review

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=MMBZxhY-_GA

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=LR5pEhmY6DM

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=cMln0a021Q4

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=duAvITp1zsw

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-pU4flL2SBg

From Brad browning comes this well written well researched PDF format eBook that guarantees to alter the lives of married couples who have trouble getting along and who feel like what they have is crumbling. This can be the definitive work of a man who knows what he's talking regarding. We have a tendency to come back to the beginning of this review that has based most of its opinion from what we have a tendency to have been reading in terms of client reviews that are posted on the internet. We will deduce that the book which has been written to combat the stress and difficulty that a wedding comes with is indeed a masterpiece. Brad Browning who is the author can be credited with being insightful in the way that he approaches this explicit problem. We start by looking at what the book is about and what we tend to will do to use it to help ourselves in terms of what worth it has. two lovers hodling every other and holding a red love balloon The review has been broken into 3 main elements that will be examined when we take a look at the sneak peek, that is an exclusive chance I provide readers of my book reviews to seek out out precisely what they are obtaining when they buy this program that additionally contains videos. Who is Brad Browning? This can be a well-known marriage and relationships coach who has been in a position to induce the marriages of thus many individuals back in the road when they though that each one hope had been lost. He's clearly an knowledgeable whatever he is talking about and when you are taking a look at the content that he's providing, you'll see what I am talking concerning here. He is also the author of the bestselling book the Ex Factor which has enjoyed positive review and lauded as critics to be an insightful and should have when you wish to grasp how to mend broken relationships together with your ex. The start of the Book The book was written to help the couples who have been living together for long or have been married already and it contains a number of the most powerful and most effective techniques that can facilitate your 2 keep every alternative for as long as is potential to form sure that you are doing not hack prematurely or get uninterested with each alternative. couples seated outside a house In the system, you'll realize that the author Brad Browning can supply you some terribly sensible tips that will facilitate your get the best of everything that you would like when it comes to making the marriage last. The videos that he uploads on his YouTube channel can form a big half of what you may be learning here. The comprehensive guides will also have the simplest advice that you can get anywhere to make certain that after you handle the marriage, you are doing it with perfection. The Components of the Program These are a number of the things that you will realize in the program that will facilitate your get the droop of it and use it to help yourself in the entire process. They will guide you to the end of the strengthening of your marriage and you may fancy the advantages that this will provide you.     The Starting Video– this is the video that you may start with thus that Brad Browning will show you precisely what you need to be doing as a beginner in the program. Think of it as an orientation program and then you may be fine.     This is where you'll realize a detailing of all the marriage errors that you've got been committing and a stern warning and guide on how to stop them before you're able to the meat of what you're alleged to be doing. couples riding on a bike     The Forever Phase– this can be found within the PDF eBook and it will be detailing the things that you will want to do to induce the wedding back on course and to create positive that you do not have any negative memories which just end up destroying the good things that you have occurring. The book can be your comprehensive guide that will take you through the steps that you wish to understand in the best approach doable.     Mind Reading Technique– wouldn’t or not it's marvellous if you may recognize what your partner was thinking even without saying a single word? Well, that's what you'll learn here within the book. You may see what to try to to to make certain that you just anticipate the items that are going to happen and perpetually keep before the sport at all times.     The forgiveness technique– this is often where you may be taught the foremost integral part in any successful wedding, the art of being apologetic and being frank enough with what you are feeling in terms of being offended, forgiving and letting go of the things that just drag down what's an otherwise awesome wedding.     Dispute diffusion technique– this is often the most necessary part of creating certain that you are doing not sink the ship unknowingly by playing around or foolish in regard to what's happening around you. The disputes that arise need to be curbed before they'll escalate into one thing that can ultimately result in the breakups that we expertise in several marriages these days. The diffusion of a dispute involves one or both of you being humble enough to handle it maturely. a woman in bed trying at her husband in disappointment     Reverse psychology and sex– when you wish your marriage to be the sole source of happiness for your partner, it will be important that you employ a number of the reverse psychology techniques and different sexual innuendo that overwhelm your partner to the purpose that they solely come to you for maximum satisfaction and relief. Bonus Things That you just Get From This Program     The Video Series of the program can be accessible for you to observe Mr Browning speak regarding the items that matter the most among alternative tips that you will find very helpful.     The Infidelity Survival guide that takes care of all your faithfulness and trust issues comprehensively.     Kids and Divorce EBook that can take you through the motions of the divorce and a way to balance the kids issue well.     Cash Matters Guide that can facilitate your with the finances that may generally cause issues for you if they're not well taken care of. two kissing Final Verdict The means that this program works has put it in a position of undeniable usefulness and you'll realize that the wants you wish to possess fulfilled will be taken care of in terms of being educated on how best to stay your wedding afloat. It is positively price the get. >>> See The Special Worth <<< Execs • The author is an expert in his field as he has been doing this for years. Thus, you recognize that you can take his word for it when it matters the foremost. • All the issues of wedding are coated creating it one among the best written books about the marital institution and the way you'll keep everything afloat and still be ready to form the best out of every moment. • This can be a program that's method cheaper than marriage counselling and for people who will take it seriously, it can be the source of happiness and a prosperous marital life. • The approach that the information in the book has been structured can create it terribly straightforward to understand and you will don't have any bother with the language because it's been created easy. • The sixty day money back guarantee is one of the simplest things that this book has to supply. You'll have time to test its efficiency and then when you think that that it is a scam, you'll forever come back it. The book is also innocent once you look at the guarantee. • It comes in digital format and you may have ease in accessing the whole issue. All you have to do is get hold of it and you get the permission to download the whole thing to your device. Cons • Since the book is during the digital format only, you will find that if you are doing not have the ways that to access it, you will miss out. Conjointly, it can need you to twiddling my thumbs and terribly careful. Summary: From Brad browning comes this well written well researched PDF format eBook that promises to change the lives of married couples who have hassle obtaining along and who feel like what they need is crumbling. This is the definitive work of a person whatever he's talking regarding.

[trashcoyote-remade]

Mend The Marriage Review

Mend The Marriage Review

Mend The Marriage Review

Mend The Marriage Review

Mend The Marriage Review

Mend The Marriage Review

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=MMBZxhY-_GA

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=LR5pEhmY6DM

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=cMln0a021Q4

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=duAvITp1zsw

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-pU4flL2SBg

From Brad browning comes this well written well researched PDF format eBook which promises to alter the lives of married couples who have trouble getting along and who feel like what they have is crumbling. This is often the definitive work of a person who knows what he's talking regarding. We come back to the start of this review that has based mostly most of its opinion from what we tend to are reading in terms of shopper reviews that have been posted on the net. We tend to will deduce that the book which has been written to combat the stress and difficulty that a marriage comes with is indeed a masterpiece. Brad Browning who is the author can be credited with being insightful within the method that he approaches this specific problem. We start by looking at what the book is concerning and what we have a tendency to can do to use it to help ourselves in terms of what price it has. 2 lovers hodling each alternative and holding a red love balloon The review has been broken into 3 main parts that will be examined when we take a peek at the sneak peek, that is an exclusive likelihood I offer readers of my book reviews to seek out out specifically what they are getting once they get this program that also contains videos. Who is Brad Browning? This is a well-known marriage and relationships coach who has been in a position to induce the marriages of therefore many people back within the road when they though that each one hope had been lost. He's clearly an skilled whatever he's talking regarding and when you are taking a have a look at the content that he's providing, you will see what I am talking concerning here. He is additionally the author of the bestselling book the Ex Issue that has enjoyed positive review and lauded as critics to be an insightful and should have when you wish to grasp how to mend broken relationships together with your ex. The start of the Book The book was written to help the couples who are living along for long or have been married already and it contains a number of the most powerful and best techniques that can facilitate your two keep every other for as long as is potential to form sure that you do not split prematurely or get tired of something with each alternative. couples seated outside a house Within the system, you will find that the author Brad Browning can supply you some terribly smart tips that can help you get the most effective of everything that you need when it comes to making the marriage last. The videos that he uploads on his YouTube channel can form a big half of what you may be learning here. The comprehensive guides will conjointly have the most effective recommendation that you'll be able to get anywhere to make sure that once you handle the wedding, you do it with perfection. The Parts of the Program These are some of the items that you will realize in the program that can help you get the droop of it and use it to assist yourself in the whole process. They can guide you to the tip of the strengthening of your marriage and you'll enjoy the benefits that this will offer you.     The Starting Video– this can be the video that you'll start with so that Brad Browning can show you specifically what you would like to be doing as a beginner within the program. Think of it as an orientation program and then you will be fine.     This can be where you'll find a detailing of all the marriage errors that you've got been committing and a stern warning and guide on how to prevent them before you're able to the meat of what you are supposed to be doing. couples riding on a motorbike     The Forever Phase– this will be found in the PDF eBook and it will be detailing the items that you will need to do to urge the wedding back heading in the right direction and to make positive that you do not have any negative memories that just finish up destroying the good things that you've got happening. The book will be your comprehensive guide that can take you thru the steps that you need to understand in the most effective means potential.     Mind Reading Technique– wouldn’t or not it's marvellous if you'll understand what your partner was thinking even without saying one word? Well, that is what you'll learn here within the book. You will see what to do to form sure that you just anticipate the items that are going to happen and perpetually stay prior to the game the least bit times.     The forgiveness technique– this is often where you will be taught the most integral part in any successful wedding, the art of being apologetic and being frank enough with what you feel in terms of being offended, forgiving and letting go of the items that just drag down what is an otherwise awesome marriage.     Dispute diffusion technique– this is the foremost vital half of making positive that you do not sink the ship unknowingly by playing around or foolish in regard to what's happening around you. The disputes that arise would like to be curbed before they can escalate into something that can ultimately lead to the breakups that we have a tendency to expertise in many marriages today. The diffusion of a dispute involves one or each of you being humble enough to handle it maturely. a lady in bed wanting at her husband in disappointment     Reverse psychology and sex– when you wish your marriage to be the sole source of happiness for your partner, it can be important that you utilize some of the reverse psychology techniques and other sexual innuendo that overwhelm your partner to the point that they only come back to you for most satisfaction and relief. Bonus Things That you just Get From This Program     The Video Series of the program will be on the market for you to observe Mr Browning talk about the items that matter the most among other tips that you'll realize very useful.     The Infidelity Survival guide that takes care of all your faithfulness and trust problems comprehensively.     Youngsters and Divorce EBook that can take you through the motions of the divorce and how to balance the kids issue well.     Money Matters Guide that can facilitate your with the finances that may typically cause issues for you if they are not well taken care of. 2 kissing Final Verdict The means that this program works has place it in an exceedingly position of simple usefulness and you will notice that the needs you need to own fulfilled will be taken care of in terms of being educated on how best to keep your wedding afloat. It's definitely worth the purchase. >>> See The Special Value <<< Professionals • The author is an skilled in his field as he has been doing this for years. Thus, you know that you'll be able to take his word for it when it matters the most. • All the problems of wedding are lined making it one among the simplest written books about the marital establishment and the way you'll be able to keep everything afloat and still be ready to make the simplest out of each moment. • This can be a program that is method cheaper than wedding counselling and for people who can take it seriously, it will be the supply of happiness and a prosperous marital life. • The means that the knowledge in the book has been structured can create it very simple to understand and you will have no bother with the language as a result of it's been created easy. • The sixty day cash back guarantee is one in every of the best things that this book has to offer. You may have time to test its efficiency and then when you think that that it is a scam, you can perpetually return it. The book is also harmless after you take a look at the guarantee. • It comes in digital format and you'll have ease in accessing the full issue. All you've got to try and do is buy it and you get the permission to download the entire thing to your device. Cons • Since the book is during the digital format solely, you may realize that if you are doing not have the ways in which to access it, you will miss out. Also, it will want you to wait and terribly careful. Summary: From Brad browning comes this well written well researched PDF format eBook which promises to alter the lives of married couples who have trouble obtaining along and who feel like what they need is crumbling. This can be the definitive work of a person whatever he's talking regarding.