#i started years ago and watched the first roughly 10 or 20 episodes

[drawing-pomni-daily]

can you please draw her in one piece? like litterally anywhere in one piece

day 34! how did she end up on the boat? she has no idea either!

[lesbianakaashi]

The Forgotten Shounen: Katekyo Hitman Reborn

This is not a “Why you should watch/read khr” or anything like that. This is just me going into the deep dive and throwing my findings at you. I’m making this because khr used to be my favourite series when I was 15 (I had plushees, posters, tradingcards, the art book etc) and now as an adult I constantly find myself baffled at how unknow it seems to be.

1. Okay first what is khr?

Katekyo Hitman Reborn! or just Reborn! is a series by Akira Amano which was published in Weekly Shounen Jump from 2004 to 2012 (with 42 volumes) and got an anime adaption which run from 2006 to 2010 on Tv Tokyo (with 202 episodes and one OVA).

2. What’s it about?

Khr is a parody of the italian mafia and plays in a world where the mafia is heavily influencial. The protagonist is the japanese middle schooler Sawada Tsunayoshi who is known as “No good Tsuna” because of his failing grades, general weak and cowardly personality and weak physics.

He becomes aware of the mafia world when a 2 year old baby called Reborn arrives at his house claiming to be the greatest hitman and declaring himself his home tutor. Reborn was send by the 9th head of the Vongola famiglia who is ready to retire and looking for a new heir. Which of course, is supposed to be Tsuna and now it's Reborns job to shape him into a worthy sucessor.

Tsuna rejects the violence of the mafia world and refuses the position as the 10th. Thanks to Reborn and his general craziness Tsuna meets different people and starts to make real friendships. Reborn wants 6 of those friends to be Tsuna's future guardians, basically a group of people which will be closest to him in the vongola famiglia. Tsuna might have no interest in those positions but the friendships he builds with them become really precious to him.

Reborns arrivial also brings in the enemies of the Vongola family which leads to Tsuna being forced to engage in battles. Generally Tsuna openly avoids fights and prefers to run away but will put himself in danger for his friends' sake or because of something Reborn did.

Through out the series Tsuna matures and gains strenght but he never becomes a power fantasy. He's just a guy with many flaws who grows through the human connections he makes.

Personally I think the relationship between Reborn and Tsuna is one of the best student teacher reltaionships in all of manga only topped by Mob and Reigen from Mob Psycho 100. Especially the last arc really underlines their unique relationship to me.

Furthermore, khr offers a new and unique battle system: The flames. I'm not gonna go into to too much detail but the general idea is that one fights with their dying will flame which basically turns off your the savety switch so you can fight with everything you have. The flames are seperated into different categories such as: sky, storm, mist, rain, sun, lightning and cloud and have different attributes asigned to each one. Tsuna's use of the sky flame and his transformation when using it is still one of my favourite shounen transformations to this day.

3. What happened?

The series did really well and then not so well over the course of its serialisation. After the manga got an anime adaption it increased in populairty and video games, light novels, and other products such as CDs were created based on the series. Reborn is one of the best selling series of Weekly Shōnen Jump and has sold around 30 Million volumes overall. It was and still is very popular in Japan but rather unknown in the west.

According to the article "The Rise and Fall of Weekly Shonen Jump: A Look at the Circulation of Weekly Jump" khr was the 10th bestselling series in Weekly Shōnen Jump, with a total of 7 million copies sold in 2007.

This number increasing to 15 milion in 2008. Which placed khr into the 4th best selling series of 2008 in Japan.

Between 2008 and 2010 those sales declined but still kept strong with khr as the 6th top selling manga in 2009, 8th best selling in 2010 and then 24th best selling in 2012.

In November 2014, readers of the Da Vinci magazine voted khr number 17 on a list of Weekly Shōnen Jump's greatest manga series of all time.

After the anime came to an apprupt stop in 2010 for unknown reasons the manga sells took a visible hit. (Apparently the studio wanted to put the anime on halt because they were busy with other projects and give Akira Amano time to develop her story but I couldn't find any source for this claim) Furthermore, the rushed last chapters of the manga in 2012 declined the popularity of the series even more. There's no offical statement as to why the manga was ended in such a way but it's reasonable to assume that Jump either cut it considering the decreasing sales or Akira Amano choose to end it for personal reasons.

Nontheless, Tsuna not being included in Jump Force (a fighting game where you can play as different characters from Jump) in 2019 even tho he made it in earlier Jump Stars games also underlines the decreased interest in the series.

Rumors on a reboot or anime adaption of the last two arcs surface from time to time but are genereally unlikely. Artland the studio which made khr has gone bankrupt around 2015-2016. It might be taken on by another studio but rather uncommen especially with such an old series.

4. Art style

The khr anime ended over 10 years ago and the old art style might not be appealing to newer audiences.

Especailly because the anime adaption follows Akira Amanos old art style which heavily developed within the years. Here a picture comparing characters in the new art style:

A modern anime adaption in the new art style would be aesthetically pleasing. It would probably look similiar to Psycho Pass since Akira Amano did the concept art for this series.

(My personal art student hot take is that both art styles are unique and fun. Up to this day Akira Amano still has my favourite art style and even if the amount folds in the characters clothing is a little extreme I love it dearly.)

5. Criticism

The show is not without flaws and even if I greatly enjoy it it wouldn't be right not to adress them.

Daily Life Arc:

A lot of people view the first 20 to 25 episodes as fillers and quickly lose intererst in the series. This is due to the fact that Akira Amano inteded the series to be a gag manga and focuses the first chapters on world building, character introduction and comical narratives. It's rumored that the decision to develop the story into a battle shounen was made because the sales weren't doing well enough at first. So the first chapters/episodes may seem titidious but are necessary for the story and the development of the characters. The tonal shift from a more gintama like gag manga to a darker battle focused story can also be offputting to some viewers.

Either way a lot of people blame this arc when discussing why khr never got an english dub or didn't end up on Toonami. I've also read that the manga never finished serializing in the north america. However, it finished in other western languages like german and spanish.

Censoring:

The anime censors A LOT. From Gokudera's smoking habit, Yamamoto's whole character arc which deals with heavy themes such as depression and suicidal thoughts. The general bloodiness of the manga was censored and sometimes whole chapters and characters were left out even if those were important to the devolopment of others.

Filler episodes:

Out of the 202 episodes the anime has around 29 filler episodes which makes roughly 14 %.

Sexism:

Even if Reborn was written by a woman most female characters are rather flat and their storylines often tied to a male character in one way or another.

Genereal things:

Khr, like many other long running series, is sometimes criticised for a lack of world building or unpopular narrative choices.

6. Hope?

Khr isn't exactly dead. As stated before the series is still very popular in Japan and still gets new merch pretty regulary. There are also petitions floating around for a reboot or a new anime season but those never get a lot of traction. Furthermore #Reborn2期アニメ化 (#Reborn2ndAnimation) used to get some traction on twitter not too long ago. Last year the Anime News Network did a poll on which anime the readers would like to see a rebooot of and khr placed second.

Either way here's a collection of recent khr things I could find.

- In 2018 a new bluray set was released in north america

- The khr stage play reached yet another new season

- A mobile game was released last year

- Currently ongoing anime cafe event called "Concerto di Vongola"

- Last month there was an event with the former VAs and stage play actors where they discussed their favourite khr episodes.

- There has been an increase in blind reacts to the openings on youtube which might bring in a new fan base. The biggest one I could find had around 90k views and was made in 2019. On this note check out the soundtrack. The first openeing Drawing Days by SPLAY still makes me go insane (but I'm biased of course)

There also renewed hope for a new season/reboot because Shaman King, Inuyasha and Bleach got anounced for new seasons after a long hiatus. It's important to keep in mind that the circumstances for those series are differnt tho. For example bleachs new anime is often tied to the immense success of the gatcha game.

7. Conclusion

Khr is a series which used to be a flagship for Weekly Shounen Jump and is deeply beloved by it's fans, especially in Japan. It influenced other shounen series like bnha. It would be nice to see it gaining a bigger fanbase in the west :)

[elsarah]

Favorite clips of s5

Thank you so much @smblmn​ for tagging me, I love the idea! While the season as a whole was kinda underwhelming, it was full of amazing clips and I do have a lot of favorites. Here’s my top 10 and a few honorable mentions. I tend to have one favorite clip by episode, except for episode 8, which I REALLY didn't like. I didn't rank my picks, I'll just list them chronologically.

And since I didn't have the opportunity this season, I'm also making gifs to illustrate my picks :) I need the practice, as you can see.

Ep.1: Samedi 0:25 - Le choc

One of my favorite things this season has been the symbolism and the metaphors around sound and silence. In the first episode, there were 2 occurrences: Arthur seeing Noée for the first time underwater at the pool and him looking in the street as snow falls and slowly realizing he's gone deaf. I thought this was an amazing idea and that it gave disability more depth and beauty.

And that look at the camera in the last seconds… And the piano music… It was so chilling.

Ep. 2: Jeudi 20:59 - La nuit de

Globally, the scenes at the association were my favorites, even though I have a complicated relationship with them. Before shooting started in October, someone from the crew promised they would invite me on set during the filming of these scenes, but they ended up breaking their promise. I try to be as drama free as possible on the internet so I didn’t talk about it publicly but now that the season has ended I’m like “Why should I bottle this up, I’m not the the one who screwed up and I’m still hurt about it”.

The first time I watched that clip in January, I was heartbroken. Not just because of the missed opportunity but because I realised I never got to experience what Arthur did; there was no association for me, no one. But I still have a really soft spot for this scene because it's just gorgeous. The aesthetic is incredible and I totally understand what Arthur feels (minus the alcohol). Overall, as bittersweet as it is, it's probably one of my top 3 scenes this season (and it looks like it's one of David's too, this man has great taste). I can’t help but feel for the teenager I was and I wonder how I would have felt watching it then.

Ep.3: Vendredi 13:12 - Check de frérot

Arthur and Basile's friendship was one of the highlights of this season, heck Basile WAS the highlight of this season. Basile and Arthur never shy away from hugs and I'm living for it. I'm so looking forward to see more of Basile in season 6 (since I guess we'll see more of his relationship with Daphné). I loved seeing him be so well-intentioned, despite his usual clumsiness. Seeing Paul in a more serious register (for instance when Arthur lashed out at the boys in episode 6) was delightful.

Ep 4.: Lundi 19:02 - Les entendants

This one also belongs in my top 3. This is the representation I was looking for when I learned Skam France would tackle hearing loss and deafness. It doesn't come in the same package for everybody, and I love that they tried to show it through so many different characters. The situations described here are universal among deaf people.

On a more personal note, I loved that the extras were actual deaf people and sone of them well known. The lady interpreting is Jennifer Lesage-David, co-director at IVT, and she helped David and Niels a lot this season. And the girl speaking about her relationship with her dad is Lulu, she has a YouTube channel with her sister where they raise awareness about hearing loss. The instagram post that was published that day also featured a lot of people I more or less know.

Watching this clip was an experience in itself. I was attending a conference that night about deaf TV archives. The clip dropped 2 minutes before it started and I had to wait for it to end to finally watch. It was excruciating. Also, half the staff of IVT was there and I actually ended up watching the clip in front them. There were like "Wait? Jennifer was in Skam?".

Ep.4: Vendredi 20:43 - Ma vie a changé

While I'm still sceptical about Noée falling in love with Arthur so quickly (this sign song is unambiguous), I think this is one of the most beautiful scenes in the whole series. I don't care very much about this being romantically coded, I just choose to focus on the sign song, because I'm so happy they featured deaf visual arts.

My friend and I spent hours trying to decipher what the song could be about and our interpretation differed a lot from Winona's original text but we loved doing this. David was curious to see how my friend would understand it (especially the part where Noée signs a growing love which she cradles) and he was so happy when she understood it right.

For those interested, here’s what we interpreted (roughly translated into English):

Like two souls lost in the storm, Swayed by the tide, Never really seeing each other Until ours eyes meet. Something is growing inside me, something new, That sets my heart beating. You take off my mask and the truth in your eyes, Fills my heart. Look at me, I also see you.

Ep.6: Mercredi 18:31 - Un simple bout de métal

Also one of the scenes I was expecting the most this season, especially when it transpired that Noée was a bit radical. Her letter echoes my own fears and I thought it was really on point. Arthur admitting he needs her made my heart melt, he's so lucky to have met her. And Winona was amazing in that clip.

Ep.7: Vendredi 20:31 - Sourd dating

Just like for "Un simple bout de metal", I was also expecting that scene. I like that they made Noée and Camille voice their opinion like both faces of the same coin. It was a great way to address cochlear implants as they're a sensitive topic in the deaf community. I think this is one of the most shining example of the research work they did. They could have just stopped at Noée’s letter. But since they had deaf actors like Lucas, who is also implanted and has faced prejudices from radical Deaf people in the past, they had to show implants were not evil and that the situation was more complex than just “Doctors who want to act as gods”.

Learning Noée’s backstory was also interesting, although I didn’t expect her to be an "ex-implanted" deaf. She explains that she learned sign language at the association, which can't be more than 3-4 years ago (and if you look closely in ep 3, when Arthur checks the website, she says she joined the association at its beginning), but there's no way Noée would have that proficiency in sign language in just 4 years of practice. Winona's fluency in sign language is clearly that of someone who grew up with it. I loved being able to notice these subtleties.

Like all the clips at the association, it was a joy to watch because of the atmosphere and the sign language. The deaf extras were lovely. I actually got to meet a few of them last month and had an amazing time with them.

Ep.9: Vendredi 20:17 - Choisir pour toi

Coline. singing. Do I need to say more? I like that both Noée and Alexia had their shining moment and as clumsy as the story got, I appreciate that the writers didn't try to pin one girl against the other and make one superior. Noée had her sign song and Alexia her own composition. And both were breathtaking. What really gets me in this scene are the colors. I'm a sucker for aesthetics.

And of course, it was great to see Alexia stand her ground and break up with Arthur. I have nothing but respect for her and I'm team Alexia + happiness all the way.

Ep.10: Lundi 10:04 - La même vie que vous

When Melchior, Laura and the brochure subplot was introduced, I was a bit wary because their introduction scene was really, really awkward (it wasn't very well tied at first). By their second scene, at Arthur's place, I was sold. It was great to address accessibility and show that there's no point putting people with disabilities in the same bag, because there are hundreds of them and the needs are different. What doesn't change is our wish to live our life at the fullest, just like abled people. And this scene was precious. Seeing Arthur endorse this new part of him and support his peers was everything.

Ep.10: Vendredi 20:47 - Le meilleur des mondes

I'm still very emotional about this scene. Like… I don't know what to say, the music still sends shivers down my spine.

Honorable mentions :

Ep.1: Mardi 11:59 - 3, 2, 1,…

One of the only things Robin told me about the season when I met him at IVT was that the first clip would drop on New Year's Eve at 11:59 p.m.. That date became a beacon during fall and oh you wouldn't believe how much I waited for that clip to drop and how much I was looking forward to it. And it freaking delivered. The atmosphere, the tense music, that first shot on the loudspeaker, the confetti clogging it gradually… That teaser was a masterpiece.

Ep.2: Like… the whole episode actually. The alarm clock concept was genius.

Ep.4: Samedi 10:15 - Nouveau style

One of these gorgeous clips without dialogues that still say lots.

Ep.5: Samedi 10:03 - Maîtriser le langage

Oh my, this one was so relatable and a joy to watch. Camille explaining that sign language and mimes are different, Arthur being that dimwit asking about swear words and being told off for speaking… Kuddos to the deaf extras who had to pretend they didn't know any sign language, it was so funny (looking at you, Enzo).

Ep.6: Samedi 8:30 - Mythos

Seeing Arthur lashing out at his friends was cathartic. He roasted them so well, I wished I had his ability to speak so well when I'm angry. A+ work.

Ep.6: Dimanche 14:41 - Envie de rien

Alexia being the real MVP, as always.

Ep.7: Samedi 2:15 - Pool Party

It’s strange, because even though a lot of the story went down in this particular episode, it must be one of my favorites, like… tied with episode 2. It has probably a lot to do with the fact there were mostly deaf characters and that they had so much fun together. It’s something I can relate do, the sheer joy of signing the night away, which is something I didn’t get to experience until very recently.

As gorgeous as the underwater scene is, I'm not a fan of Noée and Arthur's almost kiss. I picked this scene because I love the moment of sheer joy that follows; everyone joining in the pool and having fun together. And of course the rise of Camika. I know it's a bit convoluted to have the two openly gay guys fall for each other first time they meet but… it just worked so well.

Ep.9: Mercredi 21:34 - Frère

This clip was about to make the top 10 cut when I remembered about another one and I had to remove it. Just Basile being lovely Basile.

Ep.9: Jeudi 17:30 - T'es pas tout seul

This clip was so important, bless the nurse and bless Jérôme. I wish Jérôme was my audiologist, to be honest.

Ep.10: Samedi 13:39 - Maman

Arthur's mom was so lovely and I'm so sorry she had to go through this shit with her trashcan of a husband. I liked her relationship with her son and her reassuring him he's not like his father was very soothing. I wasn’t the biggest fan of Arthur at the end of this season and I appreciate he’s well looked after after what he went through.

Ep.10: Jeudi 17:46 - Recommencer

Just like "Nouveau style" from ep 4, it's another one of these silent clips that has lots of meaning. Arthur putting back his glasses, slowly accepting his life won't be the same and that he has to move on. Except now things are clearer. Skam France love its symbolism and while sometimes it's very poorly done (like the love triangle emphasizing on Arthur's balancing between two worlds), more often than not it's very compelling.

Now I want to rewatch everything, so see you soon I guess :)

[courage-a-word-of-justice]

HypMic 7 - 9 | Maou-jou 5 - 6 | Akudama Drive 6 - 8 | I7 s2 6 - 9 | Taiso Samurai 5 - 6

HypMic 7

I will never not laugh at the content advisory, haha.

I like Kazuha already. Too bad he’s probably evil…

Oh, is it the day of the DRB in the series already…? Or maybe, because it’s the qualifiers, BB and MTC’s match is on a different day to FP and MTR’s.

Oh? Does Tom know Jakurai well enough to call him “Jakurai-sensei”? (<- middle ground between “Jinguji-sensei/Sensei” and “Jakurai”) Also, Tom uses “ore”.

Ooh, Iris is a motorbike rider, eh? Interesting. I thought they (<- not sure if Iris is a “she” or “he” with a really weird name) were more of a Saburo-type and didn’t bother with things like that, based on their appearance. Update: Someone on Yahoo Answers said based on Iris’s watashi, she is a woman.

Typo fixed! Good job, anime staff! Update: I’m referring to “…darkest hour is just before the down” (sic).

…bukkorosu = “f***in’ slaughter ‘em”. It’s not wrong…it’s just the subbers really like to abuse the F word for MTC. But you knew that already if you got this far…right?

LOL, Ramuda wants to “scratch [Rex’s] back” (figuratively) to…get SNS views? Hahaha.

This Studio Alita is probably a reference to Shinjuku Alta.

Yotsutsuji!!! That was the one big spoiler I got before watching the episode today and I’m so happy I got to see him animated!

(One of) Irihatoma and Degarashi refer to Jakurai as “Jakurai-sensei” as well. Hmm, I never noticed. Update: That’s Degarashi, because Irihatoma speaks to Jakurai alone later this ep.

There’s 50% chance I’m getting this wrong, but I’m going to go out on a limb and say Kazuha is voiced by a veteran VA…one I already know about.

Doppo calls Kazuha by his first name…That upgrade means their relationship escalated quickly (or this is a quirk of HypMic in general, since I noticed most characters are on first name basis with each other). Also, it’s cute Doppo finally has someone in his corner. No other part of the franchise has one, to my memory. Update: It might actually be “Kazuha-kun”…but I’m still surprised though. Update 2: It’s both, actually.

I’ve listened to the phrase “some random guy” several times from Hifumi’s mouth and all I can figure out is the “yatsu” at the end. (Doesn’t help my ears blocked themselves up again, although it’s less than it used to be.)

Harumi Wharf.

R? On a helicopter landing pad?

…uh oh. I was right when I thought Kazuha was going to be evil. Also, Doppler shift/effect. Update: “Doppler” is clearly a pun on “Doppo”.

Hmm? “Hey, Doppo” from “yaa”…it doesn’t have a name referred in there. It’s a small but odd thing to do. (I remember a professional translator was complaining that people with intermediate Japanese were giving them flak for translating things “wrong”, but what I do here is analysis for my future and edificiation. I’m not here to knock down pro translators’ doors and demand a refund, because I’m trying to go pro to atone for my sins as a scanlator.)

The soundtrack’s slightly sinister tone, plus the fact I figured the culprit well before Doppo did, makes me slightly scared…for MTR.

I realised they skimped on the budget…this “hot off the car chase” line seems more like an MTC line, doesn’t it…?...Yeah, it’s almost word for word for MTC in DRB+. Maybe the subbers rushed and used this translation (this link I put here) rather than their actual lyrics…? I will have to get to the bottom of this. Update: Turns out the translation is slightly different, but…yes, there is reference to a car chase in the start of Shinjuku Style. (Sorry, I don’t know every lyrics of every song off the top of my head.)

…wow, this got really Doppo-centric. I’ve never seen the leader relinquish their position when it comes to “leading into battle” before. It just goes to show the staff really do pay attention to how popular Doppo is.

Note “Doppo” means “walk alone”, roughly speaking, hence the “solitary” line.

This song is very, very faithful to its original lyrics, because I was trying to look at Hifumi’s “mixing paint” line and it pretty much matches.

Hifumi’s “my men”, LOL.

Kazuha = “one leaf”, hence the “leaves” in one of Jakurai’s lines.

I cringe every time I hear screaming coming from this episode, y’know…?

…oh dear. MTC’s plot actually bled into MTR’s.

I already knew from browsing Twitter earlier today that Kizuna was going to become FP’s today, but hearing it is another matter entirely.

Kosuke Miyoshi is Kazuha. Apparently, this guy also voiced Mashirao Ojiro (the tail guy) from BnHA, but that’s his only major role…so I was right in that I knew him, but wrong in that he was, again, a relative rookie in comparison to most.

Apparently FP’s sign is a peace sign sideways to represent an F, but…it’s just a sideways peace sign to me…

…how is Dice’s bead ornament attached to him? Is it on his hair, on his ear, on the skin behind his ear…? I was trying to replicate his outfit and got stuck on how to represent it, so I ended up opting for trying (and failing) to do a small braid on the right side.

IWGP shows up this season…it’s the song with the “hoo!” noise BB perform in this episode.

LOL, “Dead men tell no tales” is a perfect saying for MTC.

Akudama 6

Is there a movie called “Brother”…? There’s apparently one that’s the plural of that, but not that itself.

If HypMic likes the F bomb, then Akudama like the S word.

I-Is it just me or is the choreography sped up at some points in this episode…? It’s a bit disorienting to come back to.

I thought the kid was a robot…but close enough.

Oh no! Why does the teacher always have to die for the student to become stronger???

Kairaku/shugi -> pleasure/doctrine (if I didn’t somehow misunderstand the shark’s kanji combo),

The part after the ED looks a little too long…keep watching.

The Japanese says “Lost Children”, but the English says “The City of Lost Children”, probably referring to this French sci-fi film.

I7 s2 6

I like how Gaku is taking special offence to Yamato’s comments about him being a playboy.

Re:vale-san. I never noticed until now.

“I’m already looking forward to it.” That’s how I would translate Tsumugi’s “I’m already excited”.

“…who could possibly complain?” – I think Mitsuki might.

The pun in the MEZZO show is that tai (group/squad) sounds the same as tai (want to ~). Rabbinsta is obviously Instagram + Rabbit (Chat?).

Oh my gosh! It’s the Yotsuba sister!

Mitsuki’s shopping trip OST is nice, man. This piano.

This episode has a really great sense of danger and foreboding for the future.

I7 s2 7

Perfection Gimmick. Never heard it in the anime before.

Even the ramen house’s name is a play on “Idolish7”.

LOL, Yamato sure turned that comment around.

The sign talking about beer says something about coupons below it. (It went by too fast and my CR app’s kinda fiddly, so I can’t really go back…)

Kimi to Ai na Night (pun on Idolish7, aka “AiNana”, again).

Mitsuki, no one hates you! You’re just imagining it all!

I7 s2 8

Momo hugely resembles Sasara, right down to the highlights on the hair…

“…you’re so handsome…” – I’m dying on the inside here, people! *laps up the BL pandering with a derpy smile on my face*

Banri and Tsumugi haven’t been focussed on lately…they’re clearly doing something regarding Banri’s ties with Re:vale, but I can’t quite figure out what that “something” is.

Why is there a basketball and a football in the back of the Takanashi office…?

Please don’t run in heels, Tsumugi…

“I love Idolish7!” - Ah, despite my quibbles, Tsumugi is good after all.

“making one’s best exertions” – Why do those words on the cup worry me a bit…?

Isn’t “I’m watching you” a creepy statement…?

Apparently Tamaki’s symbol is mp (mezzo pianissimo), hence Sougo’s words.

…my gosh! Aya’s foster father is Kujou?!

I7 s2 9

If I heard it right, Tenn’s line was “I can be your idol”, not “your prince”.

“Older Izumi” - …ah, poor Mitsuki.

“Damn you, sexy beast…” – LOL!

…aw, I think this is the first time my heart has been lightened by Tsunashi’s laugh. He’s a good boy.

The chibis…I’m still trying to get used to them…

As a song once said, “You can’t please everyone so you just gotta please yourself.” (Blah blah blah, something about garden parties…)

Takao what now???...okay, Takao Dayuu.

…You’re lucky that wasn’t Tenn doing Takao Dayuu. It would’ve been very “Gentaro does his courtesan voice” if it was.

Nagi doesn’t overpronounce things as much in this season. It’s…pleasant, actually. Give me more of that.

Nagi’s “Oh my god!” was hilarious.

Taiso 5

Ra (ら) and ro (ろ) look kinda similar in hiragana.

Even without the audio, I can guess the words were “yarubeki koto” (things you should do) -> shachihoko.

The texts are written in gyaru-moji. Gyaru-moji is basically indecipherable to anyone who doesn’t know how it works – kind of like the common teen vernacular, to be honest (LOL…?) – and so the subs actually kind of ruin the confusingness of it all, but they did slightly better when they went “UR”.

Movie shiritori! But…has it really been half a year since Leo started? I feel slightly robbed about that plotline with the Men in Black right now…(then again, HypMic is just as bad about important plotlines, if not worse, so…I’m going to be patient and not complain.)

July 5th…Rei is a Cancer…?

They’re…finally moving on this Men in Black plotline! I only complained two points ago! Thank you, staff, for listening to my complaints (…?).

Moon Land finished recently, so I wonder if I’ll lose interest in this anime from here on out…? There was a Pommel Horse Prince in that.

Moon Land taught me that gymnastics has a lot of skills named after their creators, much like the Aragaki previously. The score is out of 10 for both D (difficulty) and E (execution), meaning a 20 is the best you can do, but the judges can get really picky...

The word for “vault” literally means “leaping/jumping horse”…makes sense.

Some of these names are names I’m familiar with from Moon Land already…but I never remember what the skills look like.

…welp, Leo just proved he really is a ninja after all.

Dr Stone’s s2 had its ED announced to be “Koe?” by Hatena and “Yume?” here really makes a theme…does Hatena give all their song titles question marks on the end?

Taiso 6

Colour gangs? Like in IWGP?

It’s nice to see they’re (Jotaro and Rei) communicating properly for the first time in possibly this entire anime.

On the wall, that thing is an evacuation map…of some sort.

…I’ve always wondered: if a bird eats chicken, does that count as cannibalism?

This is like thw Makkachin incident all over again (in YoI).

“…there’s no reason for you to grin and bear it.”

…Leo and Jotaro, both are so dense! Boys *shakes head*.

BB? More like ET (LOL)!

Maou-jou 5

…I didn’t even notice the cast was all dudes bar the princess at this point.

Tatakau Onnatachi. It could mean “fighting women” or “female warriors”.

I’m still vaguely pissed that Kirito is here under my nose…darn Demon King!!!

One of the harpy’s recent worries was that she wanted to become friends with the princess…That’s kinda cute…

Didn’t Syalis already get the coffin that one time? Or did it get confiscated?

*eyes sparkle* Cloud…I’d like to sleep on a cloud…*dreamy look on face* Cloud.

This is basically Princess, ‘Tis Time for Torture in reverse.

Is it “make do” or “make due”…?

I don’t think I need to explain the joke where the harpy is happy.

Gendo pose!

I wonder if the bed or the sheets will talk to her (Syalis) someday?

Maou-jou 6

The New Gearbolt’s quote is “guruguru dokkan”, which is just a bunch of sound effects. It would translate to something like “whir-whir-thud”.

Underwear episodes are some of the worst episodes ever…they’re so juvenile…I dropped at least one series based on the underwear episode alone.

Ah! The seal on the ice monster’s shoulder! Too cute!

How can a mechanical princess mecha (…thing?) have worries?

LOL, never underestimate the hilarity of the teddy demons ganging up on the Demon King.

I like how the Japanese pointed out the demons only moved the princess.

HypMic 8

I thought the robberies were Kazuha’s doing…? Or is this a separate case?

Samatoki answering his phone with his feet up…LOL, there’s just something funny about it. It shows he’s just so badass, he can get away with it.

Riou’s hacking (?) skills come to the fore again. (Or is that listening to enemy intel?)

Ooh, Iris is sassy. I love her already.

…er, Samatoki? Blowing cigarette smoke into Jyuto’s face is just rude…

“…don’t hang up your gloves.” – Considering Jyuto has his red gloves…LOL.

What the heck is that backing track when the 2nd car moved out? That’s a cool track.

Ah! Iris is a Saburo-type…LOL, Saburo’s fake identity.

“a cop who’s in with the yakuza” - Wow, way to diss your own teammate, Samatoki.

For a guy who was only just in the water, Riou doesn’t even look wet.

“2 DIE 4” – Hmm? So did the anime staff know what Riou’s 2nd round song title was at the time…? Update: Judging by the name “Requiem” dropped in the next episode, I would say yes.

“…f*** the police…” - Wow, way to diss your own teammate, Samatoki. X2

Hmm? In Riou’s rap bit near the end, he goes “mad warrior” and that rhymes (in a very loose way of speaking) with “Mad Trigger”. The English didn’t keep that.

I remember seeing a spoiler which said that line (the one about slaves)…but seriously, Jyuto is such a “sexy revenge cop” (as someone once said – I think it might be Slug, or an anon to Slug) that literally nothing else seems to matter about him.

Why do they subtitle the laughing??? I still have no idea.

“Sgt. Iruma”? The guy just says “Iruma-san”. Is he a sergant or some other rank? Update: Yes. (As in, he is a sergant.)

I’ve never actually seen Ramuda sleep in a bed before, come to think of it. Does he not have a bed?

I would assume Gentaro is going…but he said he won’t be going, then negated that and then negated it again. Unless the 2nd time was him admitting it was a lie the first time…is he going or not???

“shinsetsu no human” – (Spoilers for later on/manga)…Yes, that’s actually what Ramuda says. It’s as if Ramuda subtly admits, right there, he isn’t human.

Nodo = throat…If this were translated more literally, it would sound pretty clunky.

“…rappa no inochi…paa!” – Yep, the subbers got the gist of the joke there.

Dice is basically a worm at this point…He’s squirming like one, anyway.

That “number of pips facing up” thing has got to be foreshadowing for something, y’know? Nothing in a story ever goes to waste. Also, it’s likely the dice are weighted or something…

…yep, there you go.

That voice Gentaro used for “I despise lies” was amusing…because it’s so different to his normal voice, and because Gentaro is a serial liar.

The 2nd song…which I already know is called “JACKPOT” from browsing Twitter earlier today…was a bunch of fun.

Udagawacho.

Hmm…emphasis on the candy. I wonder what that means? (<- already knows, I just want to keep it a secret from you, dear reader, if you don’t know it too)

ANIME SHOP is so clearly a pun on Animate, including the colours, that I can’t even…LOL.

FP’s Kizuna sounds distinctly different to the others…probably because of Ramuda. It’s mostly Ramuda carrying the tune there.

“Life is what you make it.” – Hmm, an interesting quote for sure.

HypMic 9

…welp, they don’t call it Fling Posse for nothin’.

I didn’t believe my ears, so I went and listened to it again. Sure enough, Ichiro calls Jakurai -san, not -sensei.

Ramuda’s normal voice! Things are getting serious~!

“Hifuming”? Is that a deliberate choice on the translators’ part? Or is it a mishearing?

…I’m laughing at how Samatoki called Ichiro a “hypocritical piece of s***”. I know the “s***” part is correct at minimum from the audio.

I believe Samatoki said -san, not -sama when he asked for an honorific. Hmm, interesting.

I knew this would get animated, but…I still can’t believe I’m watching it! Amazing…absolutely amazing.

If you’re wondering…yes, that long thing is her entire title and name. It’s said the name “Kadenokouji” is the longest Japanese surname in existence.

I remember reading a tweet earlier today that said somebody wanted “Altercation! Altercation! Altercation!” as a song title…and now I LOL, because the subbers made Gentaro say the exact same word.

Hmm…I only just noticed BB are the only ones with bags. They probably came last, but who took the others’ bags into Chuoku…? Update: Some of the others did have bags, I just never spotted them. For instance, Riou is carrying a large black rectangular bag, but Samatoki and Jyuto don’t have any. Jakurai has the bag from his TDD days.

The 2nd DRB brackets got announced today. BB vs DH, MTR vs BAT, FP vs MTC, rolling out across Japan (and Japan only due to COVID) in 2021.

“What happened between you and him?” - I was going “who?” in Cantonese (as I sometimes do), but turns out they’re just referring to Samatoki.

This is exactly as it played out in the drama tracks and manga…exactly what I was waiting for all this time! So good, dangit!

LOL, in the future, we will have camera drones working our concerts like they do in the DRBs…I think (?)

I wonder what Dice is thinking right now, seeing Otome on the screen…hmm…

…gah! Airhorn! Airhorn to the ears! *tilts to side due to sound*

I still kind of remember Slug’s take on the final battle…”The popo? More like the poopoo!” (or something like that). *sniggers*

The little barking bit after Jiro’s verse was…kinda cute, actually.

…ow, these are some burn-ass words. See? This is the power of the DRB!

…eh? Riou’s mic has his MC name on it. Don’t think I’ve seen that in any other part of the series.

Hoh, Riou even made references to Saburo’s character songs.

You can see “Hc” on Samatoki’s mic too…probably another case of his MC name, but partially obscured by his hand.

Aw, “Samatoki no sabaku toki” is a good lyric. Why couldn’t you try to keep that, instead of translating it literally to “judgement day for Samatoki”?

You can hear a thumping beat in the background when Samatoki prepares himself. That seems to be a similar way to how ARB treats this stuff.

“I’m THE Samatoki” – “Samatoki-sama da”.

I think it was really cool to show Samatoki handing the song over to Riou, but it also indicates there’s a disjunct in the lyrics that would cause such a thing. From this, maybe Riou is MTC’s weak link…?

Skeletons with katanas! Is that not cool?!?

…hey, that joined words thing Ichiro does…I would assume that’s what Rhyme Strike looks like in the HypMic universe?

Notice Samatoki took the word “signal” from Ichiro’s part and put it into his own one.

“Today is a good day to die.” – *eyes bulge* Oh…gosh. What a quote. Update: Someone theorised Ichijiku wrote these titles (the last 2), but someone else – like me – theorised this quote was what FP and M fans thought for this battle.

Akudama 7

…that’s one twisted kid.

Never threaten to kill a kid who can regenerate far better than you, Hoodlum.

Brawler is still in the OP…it’s kind of saddening to see him now.

I noticed a certain character appears on the Executioners’ hands if you pause at the right moment in the OP. It’s the first character in shori (management).

Bunny: set meal/Shark: roasted meat (yakiniku)

…This sounds a heck of a lot like the genbaku dome (Hiroshima Peace Park).

Bunny and Shark’s shirts together: Idiot -> Shark: Bone

Actually, this also reminds me of the Osaka Expo held in 1970. I loved writing about that event – it was just so fun to write about.

This anime is like Appare-Ranman’s sequel, except without the racing and crazy racial stereotypes (although there are still crazy stereotypes).

…whoa! This scene is going on the end of year list for sure. Just…have to remember this scene, where all the children disappeared, exists.

…”The City of Lost Children” is an apt title for this episode.

(HypMic spoilers!) I wonder if they’ll reveal that Ramuda is a clone in what’s left of the HypMic anime?

…oof, Doctor’s a filthy traitor!

Rule number 1 of fighting: never yell out “Smokescreen!” when the smokescreen is meant to cover you.

…LOL, dark censorship bar. Please wait for the Blu-Rays to see this scene uncensored.

What the heck?! The countdown went from 7 to 0 so fast!

Akudama 8

Black Rain, huh? *checks* It’s a movie about a pair of New York policemen who have to save a Japanese gangster from his death.

…don’t jinx it, Swindler!

Your brother isn’t on the moon, Sister. It’s just your dreams on there.

Notice “Neo Lake Biwa” actually has “Reiku” in its name, as opposed to, say, “mizuumi” or “ike” (the Japanese equivalent).

You can still see where Doctor stitched herself up.

What did Doctor “hold on to”?

Way to monologue through the whole morality thing… (<- not as satisfied as they would like from this scene)

I wonder if the seal is electronically tracked…

Tsubo = pot, vase…*thinks about drugs* (Not that pot.)

“…I’ll make you into a real man.” – More like a eunuch, LOL. (partially sarcastic)

I recall from Sarazanmai that “pair look” is the term for “twinsies” in Japanese.

Oh! Swindler kind of looks like the Executioner Boss now.

…I find it ironic that Swindler had long hair up until not too long ago.

Can to the eye! Ouch! That’s gotta be worse than a lightsaber…er, jitte to the eye!

This makes me wonder…was Courier a rich kid once…?

[nash-bby118]

Perfectly Perfect: Prologue (Self-insert fic)

Title: Perfectly Perfect

Rating: General for the time being. Maybe Teen and up later for possible swearing(Most likely) and sexy times(I doubt it though) but for now it’s G.

Relationship: Steelbeak x Self Insert Lexi

Genre: Family/Friendship and eventually Angst and Hurt/Comfort

Chapter Summary: Just a bit of backstory for my oc. Steelbeak will appear in chapter 1.

Other: This takes place shortly after the Double O Duck episode and in the year 2019. So the kids are 12 years old. Launchpad should be about 32 years old. I know Steelbeak is in his 20s but I’m going to bump him to be LP’s age. 5 year age difference(roughly) is a lot better to me than like 10 years. Since I think Donald and Della are about 36 or 37 now and she’s the same age as them.

Author’s Note: 

Here’s the other dumb idea I came up with when I was suffering from insomnia the other night. 

I was going to make her a bird but stuck with dog since the main family is all ducks and Duckworth is the only canine honorary family member/friend that I can think of. 

Also the title was between Perfectly Perfect and Lucky One both by Simple Plan. After listening to both several times on loop, I felt PP was the better choice. So there’s a fun fact.

Prologue(You’re here!) - Next Chapter 

During the summer and after her 6th Birthday, Lexi Lulu, a Dognose, moved from Ohio to Duckburg, Calisota.

Her and her family were fully moved in by the time she started Kindergarten at an expensive private school.

Lexi was always super shy and likely has social anxiety. But she still had friends back in Ohio. So having to make new friends at a new school that she never went to before was making her anxious.

To make things worse, she had to do speech classes due to her speech impairment. And as such, would leave during one of her classes every week to meet with the speech teacher. Usually it was during something fun like Gym or Art Class. But it was only once a week.

It was still the first week of school when a duckling named Della came up to her to see if she wanted to play. As the girls walked over to the little kitchen area, they introduced themselves.

“My name’s Della Duck!” Della said. “You weren’t in my preschool class, right? Or were you in the other one?”

“I’m Lexi. And no. I moved here during the summer.” Lexi replied.

“Oh cool! You’ll like Duckburg!” Della grinned.

As the two continued to talk and play, Della couldn’t help but notice something familiar to her.

“Hey do you do speech classes or something?” Della asked.

“Not yet. I think I’m suppose to start next week.” Lexi said.

“Okay. Maybe you’ll have that with my twin brother! He has a speech problem too. But you talk better than him. He’s in the other Kindergarten class though. I don’t know why they split us up both this year and last year.”

“I don’t know either. Does he have lunch at the same time as us?” Lexi decided to ask.

“Uh huh! You can eat with us and I’ll introduce you to him. You already have something in common!” Della nodded.  

Later at lunch, Lexi and Donald met and instantly hit it off. As they expected, they had the same speech class together too. It made them both feel better that someone else had a similar problem and insecurity.

----------------------

The years went by and they continued to remain best friends. She was actually at their Uncle Scrooge’s mansion so often that he took to calling her his niece too and allowed her to call him uncle.

When they were teens, she started going on all kinds of adventures with the three of them.

Donald started college about a year or two after high school and met Panchito and Jose. But Lexi and Della chose to keep going on adventures instead of college for a while. Scrooge decided to let Lexi move into one of the rooms in the mansion since she was going on adventures so often.

At one point, Lexi was in a relationship with Jose, but they mutually broke it off when they knew they couldn’t move permanently from their respective countries. So he moved back to Brazil sometime later.

A few years later when she, Donald, and Della were about 25, Lexi decided to go to college and take a break from adventuring. During that time, Donald had joined the Navy and even started going on adventures again while Panchito returned to Mexico.

The summer after her first year, Lexi’s niece was born. Months later in the following year, Della had three eggs. 

Fortunately, nothing happened to her brother or sister-in-law. Yet she was always watching her niece when they needed her to. Della took to helping more often when she found out about her own kids.

But when Della went missing after going into space, Lexi quit college.

The Ducks and McDucks had become like another family to her. With Della gone, Lexi knew Donald would need help raising the boys.

She tried to talk to Scrooge for months but he gave her the silent treatment. Or started yelling and threatening her. Simply misplacing his anger for what happened and taking it out on Lexi, especially after Donald took the boys and went no-contact.

Duckworth helped her move in with Donald for the time being since she was no longer welcomed to the mansion. But it made it easier to help Donald out while being under one roof.

As the kids grew up, she started being called Aunt Lexi by them. It started when her niece, Hailey, was over to play and called her it to get her attention. The boys asked if they could do the same since she was helping raise them and was basically their aunt despite not being related by blood or through marriage. Of course, they were fine with this. Lexi even saw them as her nephews too.

When the boys were about 5 or 6 and going to school, Lexi felt it was time to move out since the house boat was getting smaller as they grew older and bigger.

Lexi found a house nearby and began working from home so she watched the kids after school at her place since Donald, her brother, and sister-in-law worked until 5 or 6 PM.  

They were still mourning Della and Lexi was still upset at how her friendship with Scrooge ended. But overall, everything was fine now.

At one point, they noticed the boys introduce Hailey as their ‘cousin’ just like how Donald and Della did with her. So knowing the kids were getting along great was enough to make them happy.

Sure there were fights, but nothing more than the usual sibling or other relatives fights.

That said, they struggled with money since even though they weren’t living together, she was still paying Donald child support to help out. After all, she lived with herself and her turtle. That was barely two mouths to feed compared to his four. And Donald struggled with keeping jobs.

When the kids were 10 years old, Lexi had gone out of town to visit family back in Ohio with her parents and her brother’s family. So Donald needed a babysitter since she wasn’t home at the time. His only option? The uncle they haven’t spoken to in 10 years.

She was surprised when she returned home and found out that they had reconnected and Scrooge allowed them to move in with him. Especially after the house boat blew up.

Lexi went to visit one day when she was off work and her and Scrooge had a talk that they both knew needed to happen. He apologized for taking his anger out on her all those years ago. And even offered her old room to her so she can officially join the family again.

She gladly took it and moved in shortly after Donald and the boys did.

Soon, she discovered that she would quickly gain another niece that year in Webby. The following year after Lena was brought back, she started considering her as another niece too.

It was now 2019 and about a month or two after the Moonvasion happened. The aliens that stayed on Earth are living peacefully now.

After finding out she quit college to help raise her boys, Della more or less forced her to go back to school despite being in her mid-30s now.

So here she was at the library. Hailey, Huey, and Violet joined her since they made their own little book club. So while they looked for a new book to read and sat at a different table in her line of sight, she sat at a computer to do her homework.

[shakethispeare]

DARK : S1 - EP1 [ GEHEIMNISSE | SECRETS ]

NOTE: I'm only pouring my thoughts into this post. I'm taking notes every time I watch Dark since I heard the story-line is complicated. Also, my memories suck. It's not spoiler-free, of course. So, only read if you have seen this episode.

So, I have finally started watching this TV series. I was shocked to find that it had aired since 2017 because I've never heard of it before. It should have deserved the hype. What the fuck was I doing in 2017? Oh right, binging Game of Thrones.

Anyway, I've only watched the first episode, and I have to say, I am hooked, like a fish-getting-pulled-with-a-hook kind of hooked. The plot already nudges me in the head to start thinking and memorizing every single detail that will show up on the screen (although, I'm confident to say that I will most likely still miss some stuff). I'm sure that the makers of this series will drop valuable clues (subtle or not). Not to mention, a bunch of characters were introduced only in the first ten minutes and that’s when I feel like I have to start doing the connecting.

So, the episode starts with a grim quote:

Alright, in here, I can guess this is going to involve a series of flashbacks, probably one that is too many to count.

The date is 21st of June, 2019, and a man named Michael has a detailed mind-map filled with photos of, what I assume at first, would be the rest of the characters in the series (in other words, his neighbours). He had photos of them when they were young children and as adults. There were cuts of newspapers on a few of them too. And then, without saying anything, Michael commits suicide by hanging. But he leaves a letter with a warning that said, "Do not open before 4th of November, 10:13 PM."

JONAS KAHNWALD POV

Time-skip, the story now takes place on the 4th of November, 2019, roughly five months after Michael's death. It turns out he has a son named Jonas. I think Jonas suffers from depression after the passing of his father since it's shown that he took pills the moment he woke up. Then, Jonas goes out to meet his therapist named Peter Doppler. They both took a walk in the woods. Jonas was still mad about his father for not telling him why he committed suicide.

When he went to school, he meets his friend, Bartosz. Bartosz is currently dating Martha, who Jonas found shocking. The look he gave suggested something happened between them before. They attended the assembly where Katharina addressed Erik's issue and told everyone if they have any information regarding it, they should come forward.

Later on, Bartosz wanted to go to the cave rumoured to be where Erik hides his "stuff". Jonas was reluctant at first, but agreed to go with him eventually, Martha too. Then out of nowhere, Magnus overheard their conversation and insisted going with them to the cave.

That night, Jonas met with Martha first, who briefly discussed 'the thing that happened last summer'.

Shortly after, Magnus came, bringing along Mikkel.

Jonas and his friends continued to walk until they reach the cave, and Bartosz was disappointed not to find the weed there because Franziska had arrived first and claimed it. Interrupting Franziska's and Bartosz fight, a loud noise emitted from the cave, shocking everyone. Their flashlights go dark. Out of fear, they all ran. The last to run were Jonas and Mikkel. Jonas slipped and fell. He had a hallucination of his father covered in black liquid before starting to run again. But Mikkel was nowhere to be seen.

When he finally reached his friends, Mikkel was not with him, neither was he with his friends.

ULRICH NIELSEN POV

Ulrich's first seen having sex with Jonas' mother, Hannah. I assume a family affair is going on, and I was right. Ulrich has a family comprised of his wife, Katharina, who is a high school principal, and three kids, Magnus, Martha and Mikkel.

I feel like the dialogue above is significant towards the story. This is purely a hunch.

Ulrich works as a policeman along with a woman named Charlotte Doppler. We first see them together being confronted by Erik's parents, who admitted even though Erik used to run away before, he always returned. Ulrich thinks he ran away, but Charlotte thought otherwise, and she seemed to have set him off when she implied the situation is not the same as Ulrich's brother disappearance, which happened thirty-three years ago. Okay, so far, there have been two (prominent) people missing in Winden. I think they didn't have much luck in finding Ulrich's brother.

Ulrich's mother, named Jana claimed to have seen a creature roaming the woods, describing it to have a gigantic head. At this moment, I couldn't help but feel like this is some Stranger Things shit. Also, she found a snack wrapper his brother used to love before he went missing. Jana believes something is happening out there that their minds can not comprehend, and it's the same thing that happened 33 years ago. At this point, I'm starting to think, okay, what is up with 33 years ago?

When Ulrich heard the news that his son, Mikkel has gone missing, Ulrich ran into the forest yelling out his name. Dawn arrives, and he didn't find his son. Then, he heard a dispatcher's call claiming they found a child's body. Ulrich rushed to witness it. But after thoroughly checking to make sure it's Mikkel, it turns out the child wasn't Mikkel. I was also suspicious to see the child, because, based on his clothing, it wasn't the clothes Mikkel wore the night he went into the woods. Also, the child's eyes had burn marks for some reason. I’m suspecting it’s Ulrich’s brother. He has been missing for 33 years and if he died somewhere in between, he would not be the same age as Ulrich.

HANNAH KAHNWALD POV

When Jonas complained about the expired food and lack of electricity in the house, he yelled for his mother. His mother, named Hannah, was having sex with a man named Ulrich. I don't think Jonas knows about this. We'll see how this will fare in the future.

Hannah goes to the nuclear power plant with a large briefcase. It turns out she is a massage therapist and had massaged Aleksander, the power plant's director. He's worried about the nuclear power plant. He mentioned that it had been 33 years since the day he came to Winden. He looks like a bad guy to me. I don't think his work is clean. He gives off this Russian villain vibe who wants world domination. 

Hannah went to school to attend the meeting. She meets Katharina. Katharina hasn't completely suspect her cheating with her husband. She left quietly and went outside to smoke. She met Ulrich, who was on his way, but stopped to meet Hannah.

REGINA TIEDEMANN POV

Regina Tiedemann answers a phone call from her bank who has been in business with her hotel for 20 years. She explains the reason why her hotel's business isn't good lately was due to Erik's disappearance, but it sounds like the problem has been going on for longer than two weeks. Then, Regina became angry with the bank's representative and slammed the phone down. She also mentioned that she build her hotel business by herself without help.

In the meeting, Regina had disagreements with Katharina, and when she said that Katharina should "mind her own problems", Katharina looked offended.

Everyone in the meeting received a phone call at the same time. It’s probably because of the kids reporting to the police that Mikkel has gone missing.

INES KAHNWALD POV

The old lady who's ripped out of the Kahnwald Family picture turned out to be Ines Kahnwald. In here, I don't know who she is, and the episode didn't explore about her yet. However, when Hannah called her, it doesn't seem to be her mother, so I'm guessing it's Michael's mother? Maybe. Also, Hannah seemed to harbour hate for Ines. She has Michael's suicide note and has been waiting for the whole day just to read it. When Ines finally opened it at 10:13, the camera didn't show the contents of the letter, nor did Ines read it out loud. Later, she placed the letter back in a box and cried. Perhaps the contents of the note will be explored in future episodes. I'm dying to know what's written in it.

OTHER CLUES:

In Winden's Rest Home, an old man named Helge repetitively says "It's going to happen again. It's going to happen again. It's going to happen again." What's going to happen? He knows something.

Helge then walked out of the rest home heading somewhere, chanting the same words. Eventually, Helge arrived at the school and walked into the meeting. Charlotte stopped him. He asked if it was too late before being escorted out.

---

A man walked out of the cave wearing a raincoat with a hoodie. Who is this man? I feel like he's the reason why Erik's missing. He could have kidnapped Erik or something.

---

The scene that surprised me was when they showed Erik being held somewhere in a brightly-lit room with an electric chair in the middle of it. It got me thinking where he could be. Was he abducted? Or did he go there willingly? The episode ends with Erik tied to the electric chair, and his eyes are blocked by a metal covering.

---

Despite being a therapist himself, he seemed to be troubled with something and he’s keeping secrets from his wife. I’m looking at him as a major suspect though. Not sure if the other characters are going look the same way as I do.

MY THEORY:

So my theory is this. I think Erik is hidden somewhere in the cave and the only person who knows the ways of the cave is the man in a raincoat. The deceased child found in the woods probably met the same fate as Erik. I think he got kidnapped before, and then this man in the raincoat did some experiments on him, resulting in him dead. This situation doesn't look good for Erik, though. I have a feeling he's going to die.

Also, why is it that whenever the camera showed the cave or the nuclear power plant, a forbidding soundtrack starts to play. What the fuck is going on—

[clive-owen-and-the-knick]

THE KNICK: haunting quality of a fever dream from which you didn’t want to wake

Typhoid Mary and the birth of ‘contact tracing’ – as seen in The Knick Want to know why ‘tracing asymptomatic carriers’ works? Then watch Steven Soderbergh's brilliant, gory historical drama

“ But Thack laid on his back was the perfect fade to grey. The Knick had finished as it started: with the haunting quality of a fever dream from which you didn’t want to wake. “

New York has been paralysed by a wave of deaths, caused by a fast-acting and unrelenting infection. It strikes indiscriminately, targeting the wealthy as ruthlessly as the downtrodden. Scariest of all, this is a hidden killer. By the time you discover you’re sick, it’s often too late. Survival is a roll of the dice.

Such is life as apprehensively lived in Manhattan today, indeed in the rest of the world. Which may explain why we’re all glued to movies such as Contagion and Outbreak, and Netflix’s documentary Pandemic: How to Prevent an Outbreak. But it was also a key plot point from a little-watched television drama that ran in 2014 and 2015. A storyline that was, in turn, based on the real-life case of a lethal outbreak in New York at the turn of the century.

Steven Soderbergh’s The Knick was the prestige-TV equivalent of one of your five-a-day. And it came just three years after he directed Contagion, about a Covid-19-style outbreak. More importantly, it was about the birth of modern medicine: the painful and gory gestation of practices we take for granted now.

Yet the Knick (now available on demand through Sky) explores advances in brain surgery, anaesthetics, infant mortality rates and, most significantly from a 2020 perspective, the battle against infectious diseases such as typhoid and tuberculosis, which we see claim a baby in its cot.

The setting is a baroque New York hospital, The Knickerbocker (based on a real hospital in Harlem which finally closed in 1979). The year was 1900: a time when moustaches were huge, syringes even bigger, and surgery had more to do with lopped-off limbs than hip replacements.

The Knick was a period caper with a very modern pulse. Soderbergh used it as a vehicle to address such eternal themes as addiction, racism and the struggle between head and heart (not to mention the importance of a perfectly maintained ’tache).

It starred Clive Owen, one of the go-to-actors for tortured intensity, as a maverick surgeon with the fantastically old-fashioned name of Dr John “Thack” Thackery. We see him forge ahead in areas such as skin grafting (he grafts skin from a patient’s arm to her nose), placenta previa surgery and hernia repair. He was a pioneer working in a time of unprecedented medical advancement.

As was the real-life surgeon upon whom he was loosely based. William Halsted was the house physician at New York Presbyterian Hospital, where he introduced such innovations as patient charts, and invented the painful-sounding Halsted mosquito forceps – “a ratcheted haemostat to secure and clamp bleeding vessels”. And he married the first nurse ever to wear gloves during an operation. He was, in addition, addicted to cocaine and morphine (then legally available), requiring a minimum cocaine intake of three-grammes daily.

With the cocaine and the clamps and the great facial hair, you can see why he was irresistible to Soderbergh and The Knick’s creators, Jack Amiel and Michael Begler. Their fictional version of Halsted was a classic flawed anti-hero. In a just world, Thack would have joined the ranks of the small screen’s great “difficult men”, alongside Tony Soprano, Walter White and Don Draper.

Thack was portrayed by Owen as charismatic, enigmatic, permanently dishevelled and moderately racist (there are tensions early on over the hiring of African-American doctor Dr. Algernon C. Edwards). He also romped with prostitutes – as was the fashion at the time –  and began the day with enough cocaine to floor a camel.

With coronavirus bringing humanity to a stand-still, Thackery is ideal company for an extended binge-watch. The killer infection plot surfaces midway through the first of its two seasons. It doesn’t directly involve Thack. He is otherwise occupied taking drugs and cavorting with nurse Lucy (Eve Hewson, daughter of Bono).

Investigating the deaths are two second-string characters, Health Inspector Jacob Speight (David Fierro) and Cornelia Robertson (Julia Rylance), society lady and head of The Knick’s social welfare office. They discover all the households struck down with typhoid , a bacterial fever caused by a pernicious strain of salmonella, have one thing in common: a County Tyrone cook named Mary Mallon worked there.

But how could a cook spread typhoid, which cannot survive the high temperatures associated with preparing food? Eventually they work it out: she’s passing on the fever through her signature room-temperature dish of peach melba. This leads to another question: if she’s knowingly spreading typhoid all over the Upper East Side, why doesn’t she herself show symptoms?

The answer lies in a cutting-edge new theory: that some individuals carry and spread infection whilst themselves not developing symptoms. It’s a condition known as “asymptomatic”. Today, we all know what that entails, but at the time it wasn’t universally accepted within the medical profession.

Certainly, the characters in The Knick struggle to get their heads around it. “She must be a filthy thing and as sick as a cesspool,” Speight says to Robertson as they rush to stop Mary – “Typhoid Mary”, they’ve dubbed her – from serving another dose of lethal peaches.

How did they find her? By tracking down all those who fell ill, and then the people with whom they interacted, and overlaying the data points on a map of Manhattan. In other words, by “contact tracing” – a concept which might have sounded dreary a few months ago, but which today is on everyone’s lips.

In the final confrontation, they head her off at the kitchen, and she’s arrested attempting to flee. (Some might say that the American actress, Melissa McMeekin, should also be in the dock for her dreadful Irish accent, which suggests a heavy viral load of Darby O’Gill and the Little People.) Scientific ignorance, alas, wins the day. Just two episodes later, Typhoid Mary is freed, when the judge refuses to believe that someone could transmit a lethal fever while immune to its symptoms.

These are, more or less, the facts of the real-life case of Typhoid Mary, an immigrant from the Old Country estimated to have fatally spread the fever to more than 50 people (via her delicious ice-cream, however, not peach melba). Yet there was no Hollywood ending for her, despite press baron William Randolph Hearst helping fund her defence at trial. She avoided prison, as she does in The Knick, but the Typhoid Mary name followed her around. And, though she found work under a number of aliases, people continued to die in her vicinity.

Mallon was eventually sent back to North Brother Island in New York’s East River – where we she see her incarcerated in The Knick – and lived out the last 23 years of her life in enforced isolation. After her death from a stroke in 1938 at age 69, an autopsy revealed a gall bladder riddled with typhoid bacteria.

The Knick itself would submit to the inevitable after two seasons and just 20 episodes. And yet despite low ratings, it wasn’t necessarily an obvious candidate for cancellation. The critics loved it, and Soderbergh, one of the most instinctive filmmakers since Spielberg, made it quickly and cheaply for HBO offshoot Cinemax. (Incredibly cheaply, in fact, considering the realism with which he brought to life turn-of-the-century New York.)

He shot each 10-part series in just 73 days – roughly one instalment per week. That’s a decent clip when churning out a 20-minute sitcom. But to produce gorgeous prestige TV in that time-frame was remarkable. The Knick, which was shot on location in New York, looked incredible. While clearly set in the past, there’s something grippingly vivid and urgent about it. It’s the very opposite of starched, stagey period telly such as Downton Abbey and HBO’s own Boardwalk Empire.

That’s because Soderbergh filmed in natural light as far as possible. He was able to do so thanks to cutting-edge RED digital cameras, equipped with new “Dragon” sensors designed to work in low levels of light. Even when it was grim and gloomy outside, he could shoot using natural light. “Every once in a while, an actor would walk onto the set and say, “Are you guys bringing any light in?’” Soderbergh told Fast Company in 2014. “And we’d go, 'No, that’s it'.”This produced the occasional strange side-effect. Looking back over footage, for instance, Soderbergh would suddenly sense something amiss. He’d freeze the frame and zoom in. And there it was: because of the fading light, the actors’ pupils were massively dilated. 

Bravura directing was accompanied by powerhouse acting from Owen. As far back as his break-out 1990s hit Croupier, he was always a coiled spring when on screen. All that repressed tension spewed to the surface in his portrayal of Thackery, a brilliant man wrestling perpetually with demons. “It was very, very challenging and very, very demanding, and Steven [is] really fast and very concentrated,” Owen said in a 2014 interview with Indiewire. “We did the 10 hours in just over 70 days, or seven days an episode. There’s some incredibly difficult technical stuff there. All the operation stuff that’s logistically very difficult… Sometimes we’d shoot up to 13 or 14 pages a day."And yet, Soderbergh was supposed to have retired when he made The Knick. In 2012 the director of Out of Sight and Ocean’s Eleven had publicly stepped away from filmmaking. A few months later, he received a pilot script by comedy writers Amiel and Begler. His ambition at the time was to become a painter – a mission he expected to occupy all his free time over the next several years. “I was aware that the 10,000 hours required to become just good would take years of steady, applied focus,” he said. “I was basically ready to do that. I was taking painting lessons from [naturalistic wildlife artist] Walton Ford and having a great time learning things, talking to him and watching him work.”

When he read the screenplay for The Knick, and was riveted from the opening page. “I was the first person to get ahold of the script for The Knick and I just couldn’t let that pass through my fingers. It’s about everything I’m interested in. Everything. I was the first person to see it. And I thought, 'I have to do this'.”

Amiel and Begler had knocked around the industry writing disposable chuckle-fests such as the 2004 Kate Hudson vehicle Raising Helen. The idea for The Knick came when Begler had a turn of poor health. “I was having medical issues. I was researching alternative medicine, and was also frustrated,” he recalled to Indiewire in 2010. “I was thinking: What were my options 100 years ago? I can go online and find out so much different information now. Too much, even.

“But what do you do in 1900? On a whim, Jack and I just bought a couple of medical textbooks from eBay. We opened them and it was just incredible. And yes, it was a horror show. I couldn’t believe the things I was reading: people drinking turpentine to help a perforated intestine.

“My jaw hit the ground. The further we dove into this world, the more crazy s--- we saw. There was too much good stuff here. Once we saw that it was about medicine, then we started to look at what the world of 1900 was like. The world was changing so fast, with so much to play with.”

That “crazy s---” was searingly translated to the screen. The Knick is striking in that it’s set in a world only a few steps removed from ours. Thackery and his colleagues are recognisably modern doctors, not medieval quacks or shamans. Yet their practices also feel like butchery by another name. As antiseptically filmed by Soderbergh, The Knick often has the unflinching quality of an avant-garde horror film.

Thackery injecting cocaine into his genitals (all his other veins having collapsed) and performing a bowel operation using “a revolutionary clamp of his own design” are, for instance, among the highlights of the pilot. Episode four, meanwhile, sees the good doctor trying to save a woman from a botched self-administered abortion. The three-minute sequence contains more gore than all the Saw movies laid end-to-end.

The Knick finished in bravura fashion, too. As season two came to a conclusion, it was unclear if it would be renewed. So Soderbergh gave Thackery a wonderfully ambivalent send off. He recklessly attempts surgery on himself – without an anaesthetic – only for the experiment to go awry. There are a lot of entrails and lots of blood.

“My peripheral vision seems to be going… body temperature has begun to drop,” he says. “This is it… this is all we are.” And then his life flashes before him. Has the most brilliant surgeon of his era expired on his own operating table?

Soderbergh later revealed the plan was to kill off the character and that a third season of The Knick would have time-jumped to the 1940s (he wanted to film it in black-and-white). But Thack laid on his back was the perfect fade to grey. The Knick had finished as it started: with the haunting quality of a fever dream from which you didn’t want to wake.

https://www.telegraph.co.uk/tv/0/typhoid-mary-birth-contact-tracing-seen-knick/

[mahou-furbies]

2019 is almost over, and it's time for

The Dazzling Pink Precure were supposed to be handling the ceremony, but then unexpectedly had to go back to the drawing board for some design tweaks, so...

This is the magical girl media that has been consumed here on Mahou-furbies this year!

Anime

(Fresh Precure, Star Twinkle Precure, Invaders of the Rokujouma, Machikado Mazoku, Madoka)

Manga

(the original CCS & Clear Card, Magical Girl Site, Sailor Moon, Madoka Wraith arc, Homura revenge, Oriko Magica, Sakura Hime Kaden, Is this a Zombie?, Flying Witch)

(revisits to old familiar stuff don't qualify for an award unless I had forgotten everything about it)

Other notable stuff that happened over the year:

Before going to the awards, let’s say a few words about the artistic activity here at Mahou-furbies.

The "practise figure drawing while Precure is playing" project still continues! The experience is surreal, with Precure on one half of the screen, and a nude model with a 60 second timer on the other!

Honestly I don't see any progress myself but having watched roughly 3 seasons this way and 20 drawings per episode that's 1000 sketches, that has to count for something? I hope?

The Chibi project started and continues! According to my statistics that is 170 characters and 504 drawings (different outfits) total! Out of the 63 Main Cures (incl. Healin’ Good) 40 are finished. 

The Magical Girl Fusion drawing happened this year! It is the second most popular tumblr post I’ve ever made, and it still continues making its rounds, occasionally showing up as the most popular post of the day in my activity! It’s one of the few posts of mine I really like, I think it has both a good concept and execution, so I’m happy that it has received attention.

After the Fusion post, another chibi series has launched and these even smaller chibis have invaded all three of my other active blogs, and there is more to come to this blog as well... They’re cuter than the main chibi series, but the details aren’t as visible so they’re not going to completely displace it.

And then there’s of course the Dazzling Pink Precure, which has received outstanding support right from the beginning!

It is kind of amazing that whenever I post about them I often get some kind of feedback, when I think it’s more common that artists struggle to get recognition for their OCs while art of canon stuff gets more responses. So I’m very flattered by the interest they’ve received! And they have even been nominated for this year’s fancure awards (thanks to whoever nominated them) which is just incredible. The changes they are going through right now hopefully won’t have a meaningful impact on that since I only plan to alter some of the pink shades or make one skirt hem a little different or stuff like that, and the main concept should stay the same.

I also find it entertaining that Cure Fluffy who was created to be a parody of the spotlight-hogging pink protagonists got upstaged by an all-pink team.

But that’s it for the art life of Mahou-furbies, now let's start with the awards! 

Best henshin design goes tooooo

Tetty Goodgripp from MagiPro Black! I haven’t read it yet (I’m still at Jokers or Aces, whichever was the middle of the trilogy) but I do love this design.

Then, best team henshin design is

Fresh Precure! Though to be fair not a lot of teams this year... But a win is a win and I did rank them #1 in my Precure Team design ranking a few years ago.

Next, best powerup look is

Also Fresh! bonus points for implementing the powerup in a more interesting way than "new once-per-episode stock footage sequence in the latter part of the season" or "thing we see in the final episode for two and a half minutes"

The award for Best civilian design goes to

Cure Cosmo! Surprising for this monochrome a design, but the simple and stylish look is just so good.

Best school uniform is

Magical Girl Site! ...I know the common opinion of this series and kind of agree with it, but I just like the basic black sailor uniform ok?

Then best hair. That is

Cure Star’s ridiculous twintails! I love them!

Best magical item goes to

The Clear Cards! Sakura’s cards are already a fun item, and I like the transparent visuals.

Best Henshin scene is

Cure Passion’s transformation! I love the part where she sinks into water and the one where her earrings and tiara appear.

Best fan creation witnessed in 2019 goes to

Banban! Hero Precure by @aceaeite​! Great designs that work well both individually and as a team, and the designs are recognisable as both Precure and superheroes! Also I love the detail of the little sister not fighting with the rest of the girls and instead having her own adventures.

(link to source)

Then, Best relationship goes to

Love & Setsuna from Fresh! I don’t ship them, but I like them as sisters and Setsuna finding a loving family after all she had gone through was one of the best elements of the season.

The Best mascot of the year was

Chito from Flying Witch! I don’t really consider this kind of witch series to be a part of the magical girl genre, but it’s more fun to have more works on this list so... Anyway I don’t usually care much for mascots but Chito was cute and not annoying.

Best supporting character (i.e. not one of the magical girls) is

Kaoru-chan from Fresh! At times his existence felt a bit superfluous, but he was funny and it was nice that the girls had a supportive adult around to give advice.

Best visuals goes to

The colour palette in Cosmo’s intro! The use of colour really stood out to me. Not a lot of outstanding animation this year it seems... 

Next, Best audio!

The ending for Invaders of the Rokujouma! The song puts me in a happy place (and I also love the little logos for all the girls).

Then, Best scene is

Seconds 0:05 - 0:10 of Cure Cosmo’s attack! It just has such good lighting and music! (don’t care for the rest of the attack...)

Then, the Innovation award for a work that did something cool and new for the genre!

Honestly I don’t think I can give this to anything this year... Sakura Hime kaden had an interesting historical setting and Machikado Mazoku’s concept of having the friendly villain be the main character was amazing, but neither did anything worthwhile with these ideas so I don’t want to award them... Better luck next year!

Then a special award! While it would be all kinds of entertaining to also pick the worst hair, worst henshin etc I thought I’d focus on the positive. However we can’t get through this post without a little bit of bitching, so next is one Golden Mana Award for one thing that didn’t go quite the way I wanted in some way. And that isssss

The henshin designs in TMM Au Lait! I love the original TMM designs but these new boys apparently have no intention of even remotely following the old design ideas. Pah! 

Then the final awards. Best character of the year is

Cure Milky! Love her more serious and down-to-earth personality, she has a cute design in both civilian and henshin form, her voice is lovely and with a unique origin she brings some fresh air to Precure!

And finally, Best series of 2019 goes to

The first half that I’ve seen of Star Twinkle Precure! I haven’t seen all of it yet, but what I have has been a surprisingly positive experience, with a lot of great characters, exploring the space theme and changing the usual formula even a little. Hopefully the quality will remain strong!

Annnd with that we're all set for 2020! Plans and expectations are

Let’s see if I can make even one of these happen!

--

Art-wise I hope to be able to complete all main Cures for the Chibi series (though that also depends on if everyone’s 5-star-card dress will be revealed). But once they are finished there will be compilation posts, and I’m hoping to have some kind of bracket polling thing where we can all vote for the best 5-star-card dress. 

Then there’s the Dazzling Pink Precure, for who I’m currently trying to think of a story and will hopefully be able to put something out.

--

Alright, that was Mahou-furbies 2019. What were your highlights (or worst points) of 2019, and how does 2020 look in terms of magical girls?

[stormxpadme]

About the classic twin’s age

Because the misinformation keeps on showing up in the tag, first, here’s the information on Adora’s and Adam’s age in the classic cartoons on the official website.

People who claim that the main characters in the classic He-Man and She-Ra show are teenagers, are lying. They're using this argument to shit on the old show, claiming it sexualized teenagers. That blatant lie keeps being spread after some Mary Sue article once stated, classic He-Man was 16. Only they were talking about 2002 Adam who WAS 16. Classic He-Man wasn't. Well, and you know, since they're twins, you might actually be able to safely assume, She-Ra is his age.

- Adam was 18 when the original He-Man series started and had his 19th or 20th birthday at some point in the second season. Adora and Adam are broadly believed to be maybe 19, probably more 20 when The secret of the sword starts.

- She-Ra's old voice actor Melendy Britt told me once on Facebook, back then it was thought she was 19. Goes with the information in the link above.

- The Horde first attacked 20 years ago on Etheria. That is stated several times, out, aloud, by the characters in the classic She-Ra series. Only going by the cartoon, that's all the confirmation we need on Adora's age. Because Adora was taken as an infant shortly before the Horde attacked there ( http://darah.com/wp-content/uploads/2017/10/as2.jpg ). Going by the She-Ra and He-Man cartoon, she is 20 years old, just like Adam.

There's a slight wriggling room, alright. Some fans claim, based on fancanons and unofficial fanbibles, that the Horde was driven off Eternia years before the twins were born and that Hordak only returned years after to take Adora and then piss off again (http://he-man.wikia.com/wiki/Timeline_of_Eternia ; funnily enough, that one makes the twins even 22 years old when Adam finds Adora). These people claim that Hordak has had to built his base on Etheria first, so he could flee there when he was taking Adora. This would change the "20 years ago they attacked first"-statement of the cartoon, that's why I'm personally not too fond of the theory. But even if that was true (and so "20 years" is just a vague statement from the characters on the show, because it's been roughly that long), it doesn't change Adora's age. Because again, that one He-Man-episode stated clearly that Adam was 19 or 20 at the end of his series (it's hard to say if there's 19 or 20 candles on Adam's birthday cake), and the She-Ra-series started only after these events. Let it be 19 and a few months, that's still a more than legal age.

On top of all that, here's more evidence from the She-Ra cartoon that Adora is more than legal, assuming that the Horde DID attack 20 years ago as stated in the cartoon and that Hordak brought her with her right then:

- Castaspella is a school kid when the Horde attacks ( http://he-man.wikia.com/wiki/Shadow_Weaver?file=Young_Casta_and_Light_Spinner.jpg ). She's around ~28 at least, and if the Horde attacked earlier, as some fans claim, she's even older.

- Frosta is a competent empress and presented as sexually confident ( https://2.bp.blogspot.com/-kvpas96A8lU/VXPIivqry9I/AAAAAAAARJc/69xJ00MMLIU/s320/frosta%2By%2Bheman.jpg ). Not a teen.

- Glimmer was 4 or 5 when the Horde first attacked and took her father ( http://he-man.wikia.com/wiki/King_Micah?file=Blog_rob_micah_disappearance.jpg ). Her father is in prison for 15 years then. Assuming the war on Etheria lasted for a while before Bright Mooon fell as the last of the free Kingdoms (and that's when Micah went down), there's some wriggle room here, but she's somewhere at least around 18.

All these are canon facts stated 30 years ago. Watch the goddamn old series. Math, motherfucker, do you speak it?

And we can go even deeper than that. So. Return of the General. Put aside that this is once more a fabulous episode (I still want to ride Sunder to the Fright Zone and back), it gives pretty much the only hint we get at how much the She-Ra show actually lasted. Sunder met Mali in Unexepected ally at the end of S1, and here, at the beginning of Season 2, they got a kid. How old is that girl? She can say short but full sentences and run. Somewhere between 2 and 3? Let’s say 2 because I always hated the thought that Adora was stuck on Etheria forever. Slap 9 months pregnancy on that and round that year up with the last of Season 2. Then another year for most of Season 1. Again, He-Man most probably found She-Ra when they were 20. So I’m pretty comfortable with the thought that they are 24 at the end of the She-Ra series.

Oh, and just on a side note, their birthday is shortly before Earth Christmas.

[zachsgamejournal]

PLAYING: Star Wars: Jedi Knight - Jedi Academy

BEST GAME OF THE SERIES!

I’m kicking myself for not playing this game earlier. And I think of all the “Jedi Knight/Dark Forces” games, I could actually see myself playing this again.

So far.

The game let’s you pick missions, which is great. At first I was a bit unimpressed as the first level was very simple and contained. But the other levels were a bit more interesting. They even had a train level--which is my favorite type of level, ever! This was also a really good train level. Being that this is Star Wars, the train was of a very...abstract design. But allowed for a healthy mix of platforming and combat. I had blast the whole time.

The levels aren’t always small, but they do seem focused on a particular theme. The train level was...a train. But then there was a crash landing level in which I had to scavenge parts from another ship while being stalked by a graboid. The level was roughly the size of a football field, and required a lot of back tracking--but it was an interesting break from the rest. Some levels are a little more classic: walk down a bunch of hallways and defeat the bad guys.

After the “choose your own adventure” levels were done, there was a forced story level Hoth. You get to revisit the old rebel base: destroyed shield generator included. It was kinda neat!

Gameplay wise, I don’t know why they gave me a gun. The lightsaber boss. When I first started, I had trouble targeting enemies (it seems to swing above the crosshair). But now that I’ve gotten used to it, I can clear an area of enemies without taking a hit (mostly). And since I’ve been able to develop the force powers I want between missions, I’ve been able to build up my heal ability, making me pretty indestructible. There was a few times I switched to guns, just to try it, but it just didn’t compare to how easy it was to use the lightsaber.

Maybe later in the game, guns will be more useful, if not required. But because unlike previous games, you start with a lightsaber, it’s hard to feel a need to rely on guns.

The game feels easier. Maybe that’s because so many elements have been improved on. Obviously the lightsaber is more effective. From what I can tell, the guns have better hit-detection (while still having annoyingly slow moving lasers), and the AI is pretty stupid.

For the most part, the AI just stands there and waits to die. This isn’t much different from the other games, but when a Jedi knight busts in, there’s no contest.

The graphics don’t look as good. Jedi Outcast appears to have better textures, but I think it’s lighting as well. Outcast’s light has a lot of contrast between light and dark. It really adds to the tone. But Jedi Academy seems to use a flight even light across the whole level, which I think affects how nice it looks. I’m watching a playthrough of Outcast right now, and it’s clear that the lighting design was waaay better developed.

OH, there’s a mission that lets you ride a speeder bike (or whatever they’re called).

Storywise...who cares. The games haven’t been too amazing with story. At this point it’s mostly plot and the plot isn’t that good. Every mission starts with, “There’s a problem, go fix it.” Then you play for 10 to 20 minutes, and the game thanks you for fixing it. I think Dark Forces 2 was actually the most interesting of the stories.

Feels ages ago since I played it. I almost want to play it again. But I shouldn’t. I know it’ll just piss me off.

It’s strange, the game feels more simplified and less challenging, but it’s also more fun, engaging, and accessible. I wish the game had dialog scenarios. Every now and then it reminds me of the PC Episode 1 game, when you have to negotiate the price of ship repairs. I’d like some more non-combat gameplay.

not sure they’ll fix it after nearly 20 years...

[bloggingwithmamabear]

“Welcome back to another episode of Ada Talks! I’m excited that you guys are enjoying the series so far. So far, I’ve decided that the schedule for this series will be weekly if enough questions are sent in and if not then every two weeks. I hope that’s alright with you guys? There won’t be a specific day set but I’ll try my best to upload around the same time.”

“As I said in the previous episode, I’m likely to invite ‘guests’ to join me for an episode meaning you can also send in questions regarding them and their family as well as myself/my family. In this episode I have my husband, River, joining me! We will both answer the questions to the best of our abilities.”

** The questions below are all that were sent in this week. If you want your question to be answered feel free to send them in and they’ll be answered next time. **

Question 1; What is the most difficult and the most amazing parts of maternity? - @sjmaktub  

Ada Answer; “I’d have to say the most amazing part is when you first notice you have a little bump or when the baby starts to kick. It’s amazing knowing you’re carrying life inside of you. The most difficult? Probably the swollen ankles and not being able to move much near the end of your pregnancy.” River Answer; “One-hundred percent, the most amazing part would be feeling them kick. As you don’t have them growing inside you, it’s so astonishing realizing you’re actually going to be a parent. Worst would be dealing with Ada’s mood swings. You couldn’t watch anything together on the TV because she’d just cry at everything.”

Question 2; Not sure if anyone has asked before, but how was your labor experience? - @sjmaktub

Ada Answer; “With both pregnancies, my labor experiences were pretty different. Giving birth to Maddox was one of the hardest things I’ve gone through. Over 9 hours of contractions and labor to give birth to my first baby boy. Meanwhile, Lennon’s birth was super easy compared to most of the stories I heard about and my previous labor experience. I was only in labor with Lennon for an hour and a half, roughly. It’s so worth it though to have your little one in your arms.” River Answer; “Being the father, all I could really do was try to calm and support my wife throughout both labor experiences. I had my hand crushed both times but when I heard their cries I started crying myself. It was amazing.”

Question 3;  There are bound to be setbacks in every relationship, but there's always a way of finding common ground and getting through those rough patches together.. What would you say was the turning point in your relationship? Do you feel like any of you has done something that changed the way you perceive relationships and love life in general? Have you grown more understanding of each other? Have you ever had problems accepting the differences? If there are any? - @afterlifesims 

River Answer; “I think losing my mum kind of put setbacks in our relationship. I closed Ada off, drank and smoked weed more than I should have allowed myself too. I found myself.. drowning. But it was the day she was crying because she felt like a single mother that changed everything. Seeing the way she looked at me, it was like she was looking right through me. It broke my heart, it tore me apart. I vowed to never go down that path. I’m more understanding, accepting and thoughtful when it comes to my wife.” Ada Answer; “Other than that, I’d have to say that at the beginning of our relationship River was a major part in helping me get over my previous partner. As you may know, I dated Benjen for almost 2 years before I met River again. The relationship ended badly and I suffered a miscarriage in it. There was also another occasion where Benjen had come to my apartment, though I don’t like to speak about that. River was the only person I confided in after the incident. I felt safe and secure with River around. He protected me from him. He helped me through the emotional trauma as well as the physical trauma and stuck by me.”

Question 4; How did you deal with the pregnancies? - @greyfamilyvalues

Ada Answer; “It was a lot smoother with Lennon since I already knew how to handle everything including the labor. River was a major help throughout both pregnancies though, dealing with all my cravings and mood swings.” River Answer; “When I found out Ada was pregnant with Maddox I freaked out a little but I was excited to become a Dad. We had only been together a few months when Ada got pregnant so it all happened very quickly. With Lennon, it was easier due to him being semi-planned. We knew we wanted another baby but didn’t really decide then and there that we were going to try. We just let it happen naturally. I supported her 100% throughout both pregnancies.”

Question 5; What is your best memory together? Where was it? How old are you? - @greyfamilyvalues

Ada Answer; “It’s a tie between our night of skinnydipping in the ocean when we were 20/21 and his proposal a few years later.”  River Answer; “Probably seeing her again. I was roughly 21 or so, and I saw her at the party and just.. fell in love again.”

Question 6; Would you ever have Kelsey and I join you? - @greyfamilyvalues Answer; “Of course, I would! You girls are definitely going to be future guests in this series.”

Question 7; How do you deal with being away from your family? - @greyfamilyvalues

Ada Answer; “My family actually moved over to the US a few years ago to be closer to us and their grandchildren, though my brother lives a few hours away with his wife and children. I missed them a lot when I first moved here.” River Answer; “I didn’t deal with it well. It was a strain and made things really difficult.”

Question 8; Who are and how did you meet your closest friends? - Anonymous

Ada Answer; “Minus each other, I’d have to say; Neriah, Bridgett, Kelsey, Damon, Effy, and Val. I met Bridgett, Kelsey, and Damon in high school. Neriah I met through River and Val through modeling, and Effy when I first moved to Brooklyn.” River Answer; “My closest friend would be.. Mike and Dax? Mike and I met through Neriah and Ada. The husband crew, I call us. Dax, I met through Neriag as Zailey is her cousin, of course.”

Question 9; Have you ever thought about having more kids? - @greyfamilyvalues

Answer; “We both have spoken about it in the past and we do want to have more children in the future. We’re currently discussing some issues that will be featured in the next video update.”

Question 10; Who is the better driver? - Anonymous

Ada Answer; “River for sure.” River Answer; “Agreed.”

Question 11; Who is crazier? - Anonymous

River Answer; “Ada indefinitely.” Ada Answer; “Okay, so maybe it is me..”

“That’s all of this week's questions sent in from you guys! Thank you so much for joining me and I really appreciate your feedback in the comments below. Thank you so much for all of your questions and another thank you to my husband, River, for joining me this week! Next week I’ll be doing another solo video announcing some news that we’ve been keeping mainly to ourselves/family friends as well as answering more of your questions. That’s all for this week, Adios!”

[miki-agrawal]

From Carole Baskin to Leslie Jordan, the Unlikely Stars of the Quarantine

A look at the people and products who captured our imaginations (and, in some cases, our hearts) during a strange moment in history

Originally Posted On lamag.com By Paul Schrodt On May 17, 2020

It’s hard to think of the COVID-19 pandemic and its impact as anything other than a series of downturns: in global health, the economy, our cultural lifeblood, and moods. But as in any crisis, there are positives deserving praise. Dr. Anthony Fauci, unknown to many of us months ago, now has his own bobblehead—and deservedly so. But other experts and personalities—some with direct ties to the novel coronavirus, others who are delightful distractions—have captured our collective imagination. Here are 20.

Carole Baskin

Netflix’s zeitgeist-defining docuseries Tiger King is teeming with wilder-than-the-last characters, but one rises above the rest. Baskin—the 58-year-old former big-cat breeder turned conservationist and archrival/attempted murder victim of central subject Joe Exotic—sports an enviable feline-inspired wardrobe; coos her memed-around-the-world tagline, “Hey all you cool cats and kittens”; and prefers not to answer questions about her mysteriously missing ex-husband. A morally ambiguous figure for our uncertain times, she’s also sure to be one of Halloween’s most popular costumes—so stock up now on the fiercest tiger prints you can find.

Dua Lipa

The British singer, 24, didn’t want to release her second album, Future Nostalgia, into a pandemic—she announced its arrival with tears on social media. But its neo-disco bangers are exactly what a lockdown dance party demands, and the release is her first Top 10 LP in the U.S. She’s liberated the masses to move while (fabulously) self-quarantining with her model-celebrity-spawn boyfriend Anwar Hadid. But how hard is that?

https://www.instagram.com/p/CAayNagnmHF/

Ryan Heffington

Heffington, 46, had already been motivating Angelenos to hone their hip shaking 
at his Silver Lake dance studio, the Sweat Spot, but the Grammy-nominated choreographer has turned his Joshua Tree house into a makeshift gym space. For his five-day-a-week Sweatfest cardio class on Instagram Live, he coaches around 8,000 viewers at a time through unique moves. Fans are known to end sessions with a cathartic cry.

D-Nice

Born Derrick Jones, 
D-Nice had a moment as a hip-hop
 artist in the ’90s that
 quickly faded. But 
the 49-year-old DJ 
reached newfound fame streaming his live Club Quarantine sets from his downtown L.A. apartment, drawing hundreds of thousands of stay-at-home revelers, including Rihanna, Oprah Winfrey, Bernie Sanders, Joe Biden, and Michelle Obama. The funk-and-soul-heavy playlists are more than a sonic escape—they’re an act of communal transcendence against all odds.

Zack Fox

A previously undersung L.A. comedian and internet provocateur, Fox, 29, racked up more than 300,000 views with a stone-faced parody—which made perfect use of Three 6 Mafia’s “Slob on My Knob”—of Gal Gadot’s viral-for-all-the-wrong-reasons “Imagine” sing-along.

https://www.instagram.com/p/B98XjQ7AK9X/

Juan Delcan and
 Valentina Izaguirre


The local artist couple, based in View Park-Windsor Hills, illuminated the power of social distancing with their “Safety Match” viral video, in which animated matches light up in a row until one of them steps out of the way. Viewed roughly a million times, the contemporary art piece achieved what no government PSA could.

Alison Roman

The New York Times cooking writer (and native Angeleno), 34, had already achieved food-world stardom with two best-selling books before lockdown. Under quarantine, Roman’s simple yet flavor-packed recipes for dishes like caramelized shallot pasta—and her unfussy-but-particular Brooklyn boho banter—have become required reading and eating. Roman went from darling to pariah in May when controversial comments she made about Chrissy Teigen and Marie Kondo went viral. If only shallots made you immune to Twitter backlash.

Ina Garten

More than 3 million people on Instagram watched the tranquil Barefoot Contessa, 72, demonstrate how she keeps her “favorite tradition,” the cocktail hour, alive under desperate conditions. The Food Network star has been a rightfully beloved figure for nearly two decades, but her mixing a gigantic cosmo was a hilariously refreshing reminder of what a true treasure she is.

https://www.instagram.com/p/B-cJUwUpxbM/

L.A. tap water

You’re not good, we never loved you, and yet without gallons of overpriced filtered alkaline H2O, we’re suddenly overjoyed to guzzle you.

Bidet attachments

After hoarders cleared out the toilet paper aisles, the makers of bidet products began cleaning up with their water-jet-shooting self-cleaning devices. The brand Brondell saw a 300 percent spike in sales, while the cleverly marketed Tushy sold out entirely. The future may be wipe free.

Zoom

The video-conferencing platform—which has raised security concerns and provides the same service as FaceTime, Google Hangouts, and Facebook Messenger—has become a key part of life under quarantine. Zoom stock has jumped more than 100 percent since January.

https://www.instagram.com/p/CAAihoslm_O/

The brothers Cuomo

New York Governor Andrew Cuomo, 62, has been lionized for leading his state through the darkness. But his cute younger brother, 49-year-old CNN anchor Chris, stole plenty of shine when he 
tested positive for 
COVID-19 and 
without missing a
 beat continued hosting 
his show in self-isolation
from his basement. Despite regular potshots from 
right-wing critics, the younger Cuomo managed to come off 
as more sincere and urgent than ever. One NYC matchmaker says the duo are topping her “most wanted” list, beating out even the Jonas brothers.

Reply All’s “The Case
of the Missing Hit”


Podcast Reply All delivered a blockbuster with a mind-bending search for a song—which might not exist—that a man says got stuck in his head in the ’90s. A reflection of the unanswered questions inundating our lives, except with far lower stakes, the March episode has sparked a 35 percent increase in the show’s listenership.

Trolls World Tour

Universal’s Trolls sequel, with a bizarre rock-versus-pop premise and a message about cultural appropriation that will likely go over the heads of its intended audience (and perhaps that of star Justin Timberlake), set a record for the biggest debut for a digital release, topping every relevant platform during its opening weekend in April. The $20 two-day rental price seemed steep to some, but to parents with stir-crazy kids it was a bargain.

The Womanizer vibrator

With Tinder hookups on hold, we’re turning inward—and reaching for sex toys. This cheekily marketed device has seen
 a 152 percent year-over-year rise in U.S. sales thanks to quarantine orders. Its resonant new slogan for those hungry for pleasure: Stay home.

https://www.instagram.com/p/CAp1cWNpQz6/

Sourdough
bread


It’s a cliche at
 this point, but
 making it ourselves is truly com
forting, if not always Tartine level. No wonder more than 100,000 posts have been tagged with #crumbshot on Instagram.

The new class of badass reporters

Journalism is never more important than during a national emergency or the mass dissemination of misinformation. We happen to be living through both. A young crop of reporters in the White House briefing room—including Weijia Jiang of CBS, Kaitlan Collins and Jeremy Diamond of CNN, Yamiche Alcindor of PBS, and Kristin Fisher of Fox News—has resisted President Trump’s theatrical boasting and mugging, pressing for straightforward information and fact-checking on the spot.

Leslie Jordan

The 64-year-old veteran actor from Will
 & Grace and American Horror Story has amassed more than 3 million Instagram followers since March as a result of absurdist check-in videos in which he appears to be either very bored or very stoned. Pointing to his DIY painted toenails, he shares: “I messed this one up.” Relatable.

https://www.instagram.com/p/CAtA9Nfhat7/

My Year of Rest
 and Relaxation


Ottessa Moshfegh’s
 2018 best-selling novel, about a beautiful, lazy, pill-popping
 young woman who attempts a yearlong 
hibernation in a Manhattan apartment, had
 been celebrated at the time of its publication for its dark humor. Now its wit is hailed as beautifully horrific, as evidenced by the literary critics who are circling back to it. Vice declared of the book in one recent headline: “Blacking Out in a Juicy Couture Tracksuit Is a Lockdown Mood.”

The smart bike

Already a cult obsession, Peloton’s $2,245 souped-up stationary bike has never been more covetable as gyms lie dormant. The company’s stock bounced 50 percent in March, leaving an offensive Christmas-ad debacle in the dust. Cheaper competitors are also racing ahead. Echelon, whose bikes start at $839, reported a tenfold increase in sales the same month.

Tushy is a bidet startup which aims to replace toilet paper, Tushy was founded by Miki Agrawal.

[courage-a-word-of-justice]

Shield Hero 20 - 22 | Sarazanmai 7 - 9 | BSD 32 - 34 | Fruits Basket 8 - 9 | Demon Slayer 8 - 10 | OPM 20 - 21

Shield Hero 20

Motoyasu getting dragged by Filo was funny…not enough to get a proper laugh though. Just a smirk or two.

Stop narrating and just get on with it, Naofumi and friends…!

“I was saying we should fight together all along.” (from Itsuki) – Were you, now…? (skeptical)

Ass-pull! I call “ass-pull” at the power to swallow the phoenix flame! Seriously, when did the dragon get the opportunity to teach Naofumi how to do that???

How did Naofumi not die after losing so much blood…?

What does the Q even stand for in the queen’s name…?

Sarazanmai 7

The seagulls…so fluffy…

For some reason, I expect a fakeout, but then it never arrives…these boys are really connecting…

I found some kappa croquette thingy online, but it referred to a “Shiki City” which probably isn’t in Asakusa…

The shirt…Kazuki’s shirt says “frog” but I get the feeling it also means “return”.

Shirohasu water. It’s Irohasu in Japan.

Was the lyric to Kawausoiya (the otter song) “gonna take ‘em”…?

Nice ET reference, Sara.

Balls…not just sport entendre, but…y’know. The sort of humour I don’t like as much.

Ooh…Keppi is shaping up to be the bad guy. But what plans does he have? Am I speculating too much and is he being framed? Hard to know until next time…

BSD 32

When Kyouka is eating the sundae, she looks like the Tofu Kyouka from Mayoi…hmm.

Can I confess something? Before I saw the illustrations for s2, I thought Louisa’s hair was much darker than what it is in the anime…hmmm, indeed.

I don’t think we were ever told (in the manga or the anime) what Louisa’s wish was…

This bit with Fyodor…I don’t think it was in the manga.

Subarashi-sou is a pun on “it seems wonderful”. That wasn’t in the manga, but it’s a great pun (because it’s right up my alley).

Fitz laughing at the neighbour’s TV wasn’t in the manga either, but that’s just the anime director’s humour peeking through.

“Blalack Daniel’s”, LOL.

Ohh…a quick Google reveals TJ Eckleberg is from the Great Gatsby. In there, he’s an eye doctor, but here, he’s an engineer.

George B Wilson is also from the Great Gatsby…Here be spoilers, but…George dies in his original work too.

Manhasset is a place in New York…I assume it’s connected to the Great Gatsby as well…

Oh yeah! Random Poe moment. That’s in the manga, so Igarashi (or whoever’s responsible for the terrible humour) doesn’t have to fake that bit.

Cue “Objection!” by Fitz, lemme guess. Even if I know the outcome and how it was done, I’d like to have my memory refreshed (by stabbing in the dark…and making an Ace Attorney joke in the process).

I already know, without googling, that Tom Buchanan is part of Great Gatsby as well…

Bank of Amerigo…LOL.

Fruits Basket 8

“If you show up for the banquet now…”

“The banquet sounds just like the folk tale!” Honestly, subbers, proofread…

Haa-kun and Haa-san. No distinguishing between them (aside from honorifics), even though they’re two completely different people.

Hatori’s squinty face was…hilarious, to put it simply.

Oh…I forgot the dance seems to be something the animal of the year does. So if Yuki was 3 years ago, it makes sense Momiji is doing it this year.

Best seat in the house for a sunrise, huh?

Kimetsu no Yaiba 8

I’ve seen Muzan being described as “Demon Michael Jackson” and now I can’t get that out of my head when I see him…sorry.

Tsukihiko, huh? It translates to “moon’s radiance” or something like that. That name is appropriate for a bad guy, isn’t it?

This is the first time I’ve really listened to the OST (aside from the OP and ED), so it’s…really something.

Ooh, I didn’t realise until now, but Ufotable even imitated the paper Jump is printed on with the next-ep previews…

OPM 2 8 (OPM 20)

Er…I haven’t mentioned it for the past few episodes, but Suiryu is hotttttttt. (No? I said that? Okay, next step.) That’s basically the only reason why I’m watching anymore…I can’t seem to find anyone who thinks positively of this tournament arc enough to do reviews of it that I can read, which has made my own opinion of this beloved series go down the drain…Also, if you weren’t aware, my taste lies not in Suiryu’s huge bulk, but rather in the fact he’s got long hair.

Didn’t Suiryu get pierced in the abs??? Where’s the blood coming from his injuries??? Update: He does have injuries there, they’re just not bloody…that’s all.

The main criticism for OPM 2 is the fact that it keeps cutting between different events, so it’s hard to follow. Well, I’ve had worse (see Concrete Revolutio) so that’s why I’m still here.

People say that clothing changes you – say if you put on a new outfit, you feel like a new person. (Of course, that’s all glamorising and praising consumption, but that’s beside the point here.) I think that’s what’s up with Max and Snek.

Shield Hero 21

“…the Shield Hero is worshipped.”

Really? Boob jiggle, at a time like this??? (Context: Malty is getting th slave crest painted on her.)

Wait, was there ever a Shield Church???

Okay, that felt like a real seasonal ending. What the heck is going to happen in the last few episodes, I wonder…?

Sarazanmai 8

Chikai knows the real meaning of YOLO…heh. I’m only kidding…

To be honest, I think I like Toi best out of the main trio. I tend to like the boys in blue…and no, I don’t mean the otter police.

Kazuki’s service provider is “Kappa Phone”, LOL.

When Reo held up the gun, I was yelling, “Enta! Get it for him!” (i.e. take the bullet) I didn’t expect him to actually do it…

…and here I thought tragic yuri was common enough and we don’t have enough Tragic Yaoi Dudes…

Notably, Toi was registered on Enta’s phone as “Kuji”, while Kazuki is registered as “Kazuki” (katakana) on Toi’s.

Shots fired…!

Update: I didn’t notice this, but the evil dude with kamome written behind him (I think it’s in this episode, but it might have been in the last one instead) must be based on a seagull…because that’s what kamome means.

Bungou Stray Dogs 33 (BSD S3 Ep 8)

I think it was around here I stopped reading the scans, because the series was picked up legally anyway…but I can see the death flags for a certain Port Mafia man…one who stands at the top.

As expected…butt shot. Igarashi (or whoever’s responsible for that shot) likes butts, so between this and Sarazanmai…*imagines image of kappa!Kazuki holding a shirikodama* There’s absolutely no buts about it (LOL), there’s no shortage of butts this season.

“To think that the rabbit being hunted would show its face…” – I think it’s hard for you to say that, Akutagawa, when you yourself have no face in that frame…

Why are both Akutagawa and Fyodor Naruto running today???

“So you’re doing this for that woman.”

What is “Mukurotoride”? I don’t seem to remember…maybe I never learnt what it was. Update: Apparently a tower in Dead Apple is called Mukurotoride.

Conspiracy time! This book sounds like Kunikida’s Ability…so imagine if it were under Dazai’s nose the entire time…

Fruits Basket 9

I love how the synopsis for this episode goes, “Kyo fights Yuki, Yuki fights a cold…”

Hatsuharu’s wearing such an ostentatious fluffy jacket…LOL, I love it.

Holy cow (LOL), I forgot how old Hatsuharu is…so that means he’s 15-ish, right?

Come to think of it…I see Fruits Basket characters in Ro Te O, which I started writing at about this time in 2013. The Azrael of that time was a hybrid of Hatsuharu, Ritsu and Ayame, Tetsuya is basically Yuki and Ryou is Kyou…hmm.

Apparently, Shigure had in the 2001 anime a song that went like, “High school girls, high school girls, cute high school girls for me.” So that’s where it was??? (Context: I haven’t seen Fruits Basket 2001, but read the entire manga.)

Kimetsu no Yaiba 9

Recap time, recap time…so the lady’s in the back room and Tanjiro conveniently forgets the man is in the basement…? Wuh?

Moya was complaining about how repetitive this show can get when it comes to the script (i.e. it repeats itself because it doesn’t trust its audience, but I think that’s because this is originally serialised on TV week by week that people may forget if they’re not bingeing, taking notes or following the manga). I’ll talk more about that in my KnY collab post, I guess…

When Yushiro said “watch your back”…he really meant it, huh?

Temari are the balls, but kemari is when you kick the balls.

“…the eyeballs on his hands are creepy.” – LOL.

Shield Hero 22

The ep title just says “Hero Council”…not specifically that there are 4 of them.

My stream’s been buffering more than usual, so I went “like mother, like daughter” before Naofumi did…

It would’ve ben massively funny to hear Melty call Malty either “Trash” or “B****”…especially the last one, because that’s always a fun way to end a sentence (especially for a girl as young as her). Update: She does, but the way she does it isn’t as funny as I thought it would be (and she doesn’t end her sentence with her sister’s new name).

Wait, I thought they got rid of her slave pact??? I thought it was only for the duration of her trial that she needed it for.

L’Arc and that lady seem like they’re foreshadowing for later…hmm. Update: The next-episode synopsis says “yes”. So does that new visual.

Sarazanmai 9

I can’t believe this show’s almost over…That means I gotta get a move on with RobiHachi, but to be honest? Non-anime things are probably going to kep me busy until…a few days from now. So I’ll get RobiHachi watched then.

Characetrs are dying en masse in this episode, aren’t they??? I saw a spoiler that (well, SPOILER) Chikai’s gonna die, but I don’t know about Enta or Keppi…Update: To be honest, I thought Chikai was going to become the next monster – a gun monster, perhaps. Maybe now that I’ve finished the episode, he’ll become a real zombie. (Hey, see what I did there with the bolding…? How’s that for hiding spoilers, eh???)

Oh yeah…I forgot Enta’s sister was Kazuki’s teacher…

There was a sign behind Masa that said”Hinode Asakusa” – “hi no de” meaning roughly “under the sun” or “leaving the sun”.

Tokarev…? The gun? Gun monster, maybe? Is this a critique of the American gun…(exaggerated voice) Nah, can’t be…this is Japanese.

Lionel…Lionel…for some reason, that name in relation to soccer seems familiar...I just can’t put my finger on who it reminds me of, though. Update: Is it, perhaps, Messi…? Yes, I think that’s the guy I was thinking of…!

Aw…I’m not crying, you are…But these words were running through my head before Toi chucked the bag of money away and yelled, “F***!”: “Everything I do, I do it for you.” Isn’t that cute…?

Bungou Stray Dogs 34

“…one by one?” Junban means “sequentially”, so I don’t see why you have to use the phrase “one by one”. Or “one at a time” would also work.

Hardbank…to contrast Softbank (a phone company in Japan).

Face-stealing aliens strike again…(re: Atsushi)

Oh flip. This reminds me of my Kunikida fic…yeah, I bet you don’t remember it.

Hey, this dude! Apparently he’s from one of Kunikida’s stories. I really am approaching the end of what I know of canon…*gulp* Update: Oops, we already passed that part…

I wonder if the real Fyodor could play cello…? Or is this just a thing to make him ominous and villanous…?

The cross on the wall behind Kunikida…makes this show more like Eva than Kekkai Sensen…exquisite. Absolutely exquisite, isn’t it?

Another cool cross, behind Tanizaki!

What’s a tatamigatana? Also, I didn’t know other people could be synchronised using Doppo Poet and Ranpo’s deduction…

Does Kouyou mean (by “the one I most despise”)…Chuuya? Or herself? It’s definitely not Ace.

Kimetsu no Yaiba 10

Headpats for Yushiro as well! Headpats for everyone!

There’s a lot of Tanjiro being terrified in this episode…

Wait…Kizuki? I thought they were the 12 Moons? (Well, “tsuki” means “moon”, but then what’s the “ki”?) Update: The “ki” means “demon”, so the Kizuki are the 12 Demon Moons.

Being alone with the body…that’s always a scary thought in murder mysteries…for the people who dissect them to determine the cause of death, that is.

Considering the name of the episode is “Together Forever”…nup, I don’t see Nezuko and Tanjiro separating anytime soon…

The Kasugai crow is what happens when you can’t turn off your Google Assistant…or GPS…or Siri.

If Tanjiro knows the name of his crow, how do the crows get their names? Do their trainers (is that the right term for a crow breeder in this case…?) give them names?

OPM S2 Ep 9 (Ep 21)

LOL, that one shot of the ants…JC Staff really don’t care about this series, do they…?

I kinda forgot about Genos after a bit more than a week…sorry, I was watching other anime in between. (More than usual, at least. I started playing Chibi Tamago – a forum game for AniList where you collect badges for watching anime - that’s why.)

Did he (Pri-Pri Prisoner)…store his phone in his butt…?

[aion-rsa]

Warrior, Snake Eyes, and What’s Next for Andrew Koji

https://ift.tt/2FJNvrf

His first major role in a feature film Snake Eyes: G.I. Joe Origins was on the horizon, as well as the 2nd season of the Bruce Lee inspired Warrior where plays the lead. But then, Cinemax announced that they were no longer commissioning original shows to make way for the new streaming platform, HBO Max. The fate of Warrior remains unknown. And soon after that the pandemic hit, postponing Snake Eyes until 2021.

But then in September, Andrew got some great news. He was cast alongside Brad Pitt in a new David Leitch film called Bullet Train. Cinemax released Warrior Season 2 on schedule and new episodes will arrive through November when Bruce Lee would have been celebrating his 80th birthday. Koji spoke with Den of Geek about Warrior, Snake Eyes: G.I. Joe Origins, and much more. 

Den of Geek: What was your favorite Bruce Lee movie? 

Andrew Koji: Enter The Dragon is an obvious one. To be honest, I’m going to go with Game of Death. I know he didn’t finish it, but there was something about it. They did a 40-something-minute cut of the original of what they did and think there’s something really interesting there. I think that could make a great film nowadays. If you haven’t got Bruce Lee, it’s just not going to work. I’m going to go for that one just to be a bit different.

Oh, very good. No one’s ever answered that one. Interesting.

Nice!

Can you tell us a little bit about your martial arts background?

Yeah. I started martial arts growing up from around 10 to 20. I did Taekwondo…and my dad used to study Kyokoshin Karate. In the garden, he used to hold these sofa pillow kind of things for pads, and I used to kick them and he used to teach me those things. Then I got injured with Taekwondo, tore my ass in half – my gluteus maximus, minimus and all that – and then had to stop and change.

Read more

Culture

Bruce Lee Forever! Shannon Lee Reflects on Her Father’s Legacy

By Gene Ching

I went to Kung Fu because it had less kicks, because I found it hard to walk. And did some acrobatics on the side – not exactly what they call ‘tricking’ but kind of around that. Then I stopped around 20 and just dabbled with Jujistu and stuff, which I still want to go back to and study properly. But today’s circumstances don’t really cater towards rolling around with people.

For Warrior, I picked up Wing Chun, which I did a bit of that actually when I was younger, and then I studied lots of Taekwondo for Season 2.

When you were first approached to do Warrior were you tentative about being stereotyped as a Bruce Lee clone?

Oh, yeah. Totally. I moved away from martial arts almost because of that. I remember at the time, when I was about 18 or so, the only Asians that I saw on TV or film were all doing martial arts, you know?

So, I wanted to rebel against that and not do anything to do with it. I was like, ‘Screw that. Screw everything else I’ve been learning.’ I just want to become an actor. I just want to Daniel Day-Lewis the hell out of stuff, or maybe Joaquin Phoenix a bit more. I was definitely scared because of that aspect of that. I know I’ll probably get boxed in doing action things for a little bit, but I think I’ll be able to break out of it.

But also I think with Warrior, because that’s just an element of it, there’s so much story and the characters are so well done, I’m not too scared of it because of that, because they’ve done such a good job. If it was just a trashy, glossy, superficial martial arts show, then I’d be worried. But because it’s got a good story, interesting characters, it needs us to give good performances for it. I wasn’t too worried after that.

One of the things I really love about this show is the chemistry between Ah Sahm and Young Jun. Can you talk a little bit about how you and Jason Tobin bonded for that?

Yeah. Me and Jason, I think from the beginning, Season 1, we got on straight away because both of us have got strange stories, up until that point. I was ready to give up acting. Even though he’s playing Young Jun, he’s a bit older than me. He’s got a family with three kids so he was in a similar place, and he was just as grateful for the job, as I was, if not more so because he’s been in this game far longer than I have.

Better Luck Tomorrow, his first big film, was years ago. Jason, he’s a real artist. He’s got this independent film called Jasmine, which you’ve got to see, man. He made that himself. It’s phenomenal. Because he’s an interesting dude and he’s got an artist’s heart, we just got on really well. Hopefully, we’ll do a film together someday. 

Now, you’re adding Chen Tong for Hong into the cast. I really love the trio of you guys. 

He brought a lot lightness. After Bolo [Rich Ting] unfortunately died, and Young Jun’s going through stuff in Season 2, Jonathan [Tropper] was like, “We need a bit of lightness to this,” and Chen Tang, he bought that. He was great casting for that.

How’s your body holding up with all the stunts and fighting?

Now, it’s doing all right because I’m in lockdown. The six pack’s gone or the definition of Season 2 of it has gone. It definitely takes a toll as you’re getting older. I’m 32 now and I’m going to be 33 in November, and, to be honest, it’s probably in better condition than it was before I started in Warrior, because I was living a reckless life back then. I was drinking a lot. I was eating whatever I wanted and now it feels all right actually, in comparison.

What’s been your favorite fight scene so far?

We’ll, I’ve got to give a shout out to Mike Bisping because he took that kick like the absolute man, multiple times, to his face and there was no ego about it. He knew that he was part of helping Bruce Lee’s story come to life. I’ve got the utmost respect for someone like him who can put himself in the room and literally put his life on line. The character of Ah Sahm, he would tear into shreds. I’d let him do so because I’ve got respect for the guy. Doing that just on a man-to-man level, to be able to have the experience of kicking a British UFC champion in the face multiple times… I don’t think many people would be able to say they kicked a UFC champion in the face and lived. So, that was the highlight. He’s a great dude and a really interesting guy. 

Filming-wise, things started to really ramp up towards the end of season. The highlights we used for the Episode 10 fight, which was a very, very tough scene to shoot, but was absolutely magic. I almost collapsed at one point filming that, but then the next day came back, dig deep, and we managed to make the day and managed to get everything we need to do on schedule. I think we managed to capture some the magic that we felt and the energy. That was literally a life-experience highlight shoot, that fight scene. It was such a team effort. 

How does it feel being the lead actor in a series that’s predominately an Asian tale?

It’s an honor, in a way, to help bring this story to life. I think the best actors don’t think of themselves just as lead actors. Their vessel might be who they are, the lead, but the lead doesn’t work if the other performances aren’t there and if everyone else is falling apart.

Read more

TV

Warrior Season 2: What to Expect From the Return of the Martial Arts Drama

By Gene Ching

I’m just saying this, but I’m an actor and I’m very picky with my acting. I can’t help but watch a film or a performance and not pick it apart. Probably 90% of the time I’m like, “That was a bad moment. That was a weird one. That was whatever.” There’s obviously very few shows, personally, that I look at and go, “Wow, everyone’s really on point and this is really good.”

When I see Warrior Season 2 and I see these great actors; Kieran [Bew], Tom [Weston-Jones], Hoon [Lee], Joe [Taslim], et cetera, et cetera, I’m more honored that I’m amongst this cast. When I see their performances I’m like, “Whoa, these guys are good, because they’re nothing like this in real life.” It’s more that it’s an honor to be able to work alongside these people who are just so good at what they’re doing.

Warrior is so much of an immigrant tale, and here in America, of course, immigration’s become a big issue, and in the UK as well, how do you feel about the current politics of that and how that plays into Warrior being shown now?

There’s a lot of coincidental parallels to certain things; the climate of the world and certain people’s attitudes towards certain people. That wasn’t the intention of Jonathan or the writers at the time. I know that definitely immigration issues happen all the time, but I think it makes the show more eerily relevant, and it wasn’t even its intention. They were literally just trying to tell the story of what happened roughly at the time, make the best show that they could and use bits of history.

It’s eerie because in certain aspects it’s clear that we have not grown as humans and we have not learned certain things. Those are real things that happened back in the day in 1817 or around that time of the Chinese Exclusion Act. Real things. It’s eerie to the point of being a bit like, “Wow. We need to learn. We need to grow. We need to get better.” History’s going to repeat itself until we just get over certain things, I think.

Snake Eyes: G.I. Joe Origins got delayed to 2021. How do you feel about that? You’re all in the can for that one, right?

Yeah. I think there’s more reasons too. I’m fine with that. I think we did the best that we could on that one. I’m hoping that I brought the most layered Storm Shadow and realistic kind of Storm Shadow to screen, even though there’s only one guy before me. I think it’s the current climate. I think the film industry’s suffering quite a bit, I’m hearing. If it’s best for the film, for the audience, for people… I don’t think many people want to go to the cinema right now. So don’t release the film. It wouldn’t be a good idea.

I got to ask you about Bullet Train. Brad Pitt and David Leitch, that’s awesome. Congratulations on that.

Oh. Thanks, man. That’s surreal, that one. I never thought I’d be working with Brad Pitt, ever in a million years. He was a distant legend, an icon. He’s someone who’s inspired me on my journey with films. There’s been countless films that have inspired me, and he’s produced them as well. This guy – he’s going to go down in history as this huge Hollywood figure.

Also, bear in mind, the fame and all that that he’s got, as a man, how he’s composed himself – I mean I don’t know him personally. I haven’t met him yet either. But he hasn’t let it get to his head, it doesn’t seem. It seems he’s a cool, chill dude and he’s not about himself. As a man, I think that’s quite admirable. It’s really admirable to be in that position of power and not become an absolute douche and abuse power, which most people do. I respect that dude, absolutely.

Read more

TV

Warrior: The Historical Inspiration for Nellie Davenport

By Gene Ching

To get to work with him and then David Leitch who I know he’s made those million films before. Atomic Blonde, I liked, and Deadpool 2, I thought, was shot really amazingly. I’ve got a feeling he’s going to become something. Whether it’s this film or not, he’s going to do a masterpiece. He’s on his way to doing that, I think. Besides the box office billion-dollar film thing, besides from the business aspect that he’s done well with, I know he’s going to do something, or he will, or he’s doing something really good. He seems really cool so far. Warrior has helped me to be in this position to do this job, so I’m just bringing every skill that it taught me, and I’m bringing it to these ones in the future.

Man, Brad Pitt. I’m freaking out a bit. But, yeah. Brad Pitt, come on. I saw the article the other day. I was like, “What’s my face doing next to Brad Pitt’s? Nah. Nah. What’s going on?”

So, are you going to be ready for Season 3 of Warrior, if it comes around?

Yeah. Well, obviously, with the current climate it’s a lot less certain. All we know is if the fans make enough noise and help us by making that noise, it is in so many of our intentions to wrap this show up as I think it should. Not only for the show, the story, for the fans, but for that legend Bruce Lee. I think it deserves a conclusive ending.

It might be a story of Deadwood. It might be a story where it gets picked up, because it’s not like there’s someone up there going, “No, no. I don’t want you to make that.” It’s so many circumstances that come together that have led to the potential of not being Season 3. I think we all want to do it. We all feel like it needs to be done and it’s going to be in a bunch of our objectives to do that and to conclude it properly and fully when the time’s right.

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Warrior Season 2 can be seen exclusively on CINEMAX.

The post Warrior, Snake Eyes, and What’s Next for Andrew Koji appeared first on Den of Geek.

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[firefighterkingdom]

#12 – General President Harold Schaitberger | Special Edition – 2020 Election & More

SPECIAL EPISODE – We have General President Harold Schaitberger with us today! General President of the International Association of Firefighters since 2000. Harold A. Schaitberger is the ninth president in the IAFF’s 100-year history, and was the first to have been elected by acclamation in 2000. And in 2019 the IAFF endorsed Joe Biden for President – hear the reason why General President Schaitberger believes Biden is the best person for the job.

Robert Sanchez: All right. So we’re back with, FireFighter Kingdom. I’m your host, Robert Sanchez and my co-host, Vince Trujillo is here and we have a very special guest, a real treat for firefighters, which really needs no introduction. We have General President Harold Schaitberger. Thank you, Mr. President, for being with us today.

General President Harold Schaitberger: Robert, it’s great to be on your podcast. I’m looking forward to it.

Robert Sanchez: You know, we were just talking, sir. I’ve always thought of you as a great leader, how you always pick up the phone and talk to your locals across the United States and Canada. With 300,000 members, that’s amazing and I truly appreciate it. And I think that’s what makes you a great leader and second to none.

General President Harold Schaitberger: Well, I appreciate that, but I really feel like I’m the one blessed and privileged to be able to be part of the leadership team of this IAFF and every day, again, it’s just a joy to be able to work with all of our leadership, like yourself, all across 50 states, nine Canadian provinces, 3,600 local unions. So yeah, I look forward to it every day, to be able to engage all of you that are really doing the tough work out there in the field.

Robert Sanchez: Right. And I appreciate that, sir. So on this camera, we’re on the Zoom thing, where this COVID-19 really has us doing everything Zoom-wise, and so that camera, we put a better lens on there so I look skinnier from the last time I seen you. What do you think?

General President Harold Schaitberger: I think you really look very svelte.

Robert Sanchez: So real petite, right?

So, I did some driving on my way into this podcast this morning. I was just thinking, how amazing was you growing up and you working for Fairfax County, and just real quick? How did you get into even being a union leader in Fairfax County, starting at a young age?

General President Harold Schaitberger: I’ll try to make it a quick story, but it’s a it’s a long journey. It really started, Robert, when I was in my junior year in high school and not to be overly dramatic, but I had some challenging environment at home, and being raised by a single mom. And there was a gentleman, a friend of hers, that was a firefighter, Thomas A. Gaines Jr. And he gave me what became the opportunity of a lifetime. He gave me a chance to come to the firehouse, Station Eight, Annandale, Virginia, and live, and finish out my junior and senior year in high school at the firehouse. And it was an incredible experience because I got to be around all of you, and around that kitchen table. And it was at that point that I knew that’s all I ever wanted to do.

And I had had to wait till I was 20 years old. So I waited a couple of years working in a grocery store, then to go on the job in Fairfax County on August 1st, 1966. And it was the greatest moment in my life at that point. But it was a county in Virginia, that’s in the South at the time, still in the South, but really the deep South in those days, very anti-union, the department was run the old way, my way or the highway, there were no contracts, collective bargaining was actually illegal. There were really no grievance procedures. And so in a department of five or 600 firefighters, a handful of us decided in 1970, I’m four years on the job, watching the local unions in Washington, DC and Philadelphia and Pittsburgh, that we realized, “You know what, we should have a union.”

And in 1970 we did our work. The IAFF came in with a couple of staff members and we organized local 2068. And it was chartered in July of 1970, and I became the first president of that local. And that’s when I really began my IAFF journey, back in 1970, now some almost 51 years ago. I got a chance to run that local. I became, as you are, president of your state of New Mexico, I was three years later, elected president of Virginia, hopefully helped to build that state. And then in 1976, I was asked by the General President at that time of the IAFF, Howie McClennan, if I’d consider coming over to headquarters and helping to build a political and legislative operation. And that’s what I did. I started here, I’m in my office now, but I started this building at the IAFF International on June 1st, 1976. So that’s the Schaitberger journey into this wonderful union of ours.

Robert Sanchez: Yeah, that’s interesting, especially being that when you first started it, wasn’t a union department at all and you just turned it around. We all know, for those of us who have dealt with that for a little bit, we know how it is and how it can be tough. So I’m sure it was tough during that time, and I appreciate it. Even being, you’re 20 years as president now, roughly right. And just amazing how we have over 300,000 members, or 322,000 members and just, what was the driving force? How were you so successful in getting that many members in IAFF?

General President Harold Schaitberger: Well, Robert, as you know, no one person is responsible for any of the great success of our locals or our States or this international, but we all get to play an important role. And year 2000, when I was first elected General President, we had just about 200,000 members, and we wanted to continue to look for ways for firefighters all across the United States and Canada, not to try to get them into our union, but to provide the kind of representation to work and improve their careers, to make sure their benefits were strong. That if we built a successful union, that firefighters will want to be a part of the IAFF.

And in simple terms, that’s what we did. We built a number of very successful programs. We had a very successful legislative operation. We had built a incredibly important research operation, and education, and all the different components that made IAFF not just successful, but really improved the lives and the livelihoods of those men and women out there that are on the frontline every day. And that is really the simple truth to how we have grown over 120,000 members in the last 20 years.

Robert Sanchez: Right. Well, speaking about, like you just mentioned, some of the great opportunities that you’ve had for our members. Just even E18, the financial corporation, my God, we have the Center of Excellence, that’s been a huge success for firefighters across the nation. I personally know firefighters that went there and was very successful, helped them and their families, it helped their careers. And I think frankly, sir, I think it saved some lives, to be honest with you.

General President Harold Schaitberger: Well, and I think about some of the major programs that, again, that we’ve had success with, probably many of our members who rely on NFPA standards, for example, NFPA 17- 10, right? The stacking stamp. We passed that in 2001, and we had to organize and brought a thousand leaders to the NSFA convention in order to mandate and pass NFPA 17-10, that now became the standard to require adequate and safe staffing throughout the fire departments in the United States and Canada.

We created what’s called the Guardian Program. Many of our members wouldn’t particularly have a reason to know of that term, but our leadership understands that that Guardian Program we created was to guarantee and protect our leadership, that if they had an adverse action taken against them for doing their constitutionally guaranteed work as union leaders, that this union would bring its checkbook and its lawyers, and make sure that our members’ rights were protected. That terminations were put back to work, that demotions were given back their ranks, and to make sure that they would uphold, and more importantly protected, so they could continue to provide union leadership at the local level.

That was an incredibly important program for our union, that gave local leaders the confidence to know that, “If I step out on behalf of my members, and unfortunately I get a chief, or a city council, or a mayor who wants to take actions against me for doing my union work, that I know I’ve got this IAFF behind me.”

As far as the financial corporation, Robert, it was simply an idea to do three things, one, to provide good financial services to our members, good deferred compensation opportunities. It was to, quite frankly, take a little bit of bite out our adversary, ICMA. ICMA Retirement, International City Management Association, was managing our members’ money, using the profits to work against us on every single standard, code and legislative proposal. So we decided we’ll stand up our own company. Good services, take a hit at our, quite frankly, our enemy, and create a revenue stream for this IAFF. And it was 18 years ago that we started with zero participants and zero assets, and today we have $10.8 billion in assets and 160,000 participants, and generating millions of dollars every year into this IAFF of ours, and those dollars not coming out of our members’ paycheck. Another way to grow this union. Another way to grow this unit.

The Center of Excellence was our work to recognize the behavioral health challenges so many of our members face, the post-traumatic stress and to understand that they always used to be, “Hey, if you’re going to be tough, stuff it down. If you can’t take it, you’re on the wrong job.” Well, the fact of the matter is that our members have silent injuries. Our members have difficulty often time, at work, with family because of their emotional and their mental health challenges.

So yeah, this union said, “We’ve got to do more than just talk about it. We got to create something to really help our members.” That was the idea behind creating the Center of Excellence. Now, it’s been an unbelievable success. 2000 of our brothers and sisters coming through their treatment and being sent home to be able to enjoy their careers again, to keep their families together, and fortunately to stay alive, knowing that too many of our members find such despair that they decide that taking their own life is their only way out. No, this union created this structure opportunity and a benefit to save our members and to serve our members and to help them heal. It’s been an incredible success.

Robert Sanchez: It has been. I’ve had the distinct honor to actually tour … I made a special trip down there that actually toured to see where some of our members from New Mexico had benefited from the Center of Excellence. I went to tour it because I want to see where our members are going and what’s going on over there, just so I can come back and be an advocate for it. It definitely is a state of the art facility. I know members who went there and I could honestly say it saved their life because they told me it did. They come back or to their career in the fire service and to their family. As you know, General President, it’s not the firefighters that are the only ones suffering. All their families also do, at no fault to their own.

General President Harold Schaitberger: That’s right. Well, just know this, Robert. Take comfort knowing that we are in the negotiations right now for a facility property in Southern California because we’re going to be opening up our second Center of Excellence-

Robert Sanchez: Very nice.

General President Harold Schaitberger: So that we can better serve our members in the western part of the United States.

Robert Sanchez: Very nice. That’s good to know. What date do you think that might be coming or what year?

General President Harold Schaitberger: I think that probably … this whole COVID-19 environment is thrown some roadblocks in our work, but I’m going to say that I’d like to think the center will be up and actually running probably in about a year. Maybe late summer next year. We’re looking at the facility, we’re in negotiations with ARS, who’s our partner in these facilities, and I’m confident that we’ll be securing that property, but then we have to build it out and then we have to staff it. So I’m going to say, hopefully, it will be up and running in about a year.

Robert Sanchez: Good. Very nice. Just talking about helping out some of our New Mexico members, I can’t help but to mention everything that you and the IFF have done for New Mexico. I know that you take pride in making sure that your members have a seat at the table, especially the leadership in our state and across United States, but in New Mexico in particular because we have political action and what we’ve learned from the IFF and we use it in the state of New Mexico. And just what you’ve done for our legislature, making sure that we have a seat at the table. I appreciate that. We have a great governor here, Michelle Lujan Grisham, as you know, and she loves the IFF and she loves working with you so we’re real fortunate and I want to thank you for that.

General President Harold Schaitberger: Well, I appreciate that and I’m not trying to be facetious here, Robert, but I always ask our leadership, even though I know how it’s meant, but you don’t have to thank this IFF for what we do. You’re entitled to what we do. You’re a part of our union and you should expect this IFF is going to back your play, invest in your political opportunity, support your legislative efforts. That’s why we exist. I always recognize that no matter how largest the IFF is, here, Washington DC, big headquarters, where the real work is done is out there. Where the real work is done is out on the ground at our state legislatures and our city councils and our county governments.

General President Harold Schaitberger: This IAFF is responsible to provide every resource we can to all of you, the leadership out on the ground, to help make sure that you win many more victories than the few that you may lose and that you make use of every opportunity and defeat every challenge that comes your way.

So New Mexico is a kind of special place for me. I’ve had a lot of great friends. I go back a long time in your state, and it’s always been a pleasure to watch the growth and the success that you’ve experienced there in New Mexico.

Robert Sanchez: Well, thank you very much. I can’t help but mention, talking about the whole COVID thing. I mean, it’s down our throats every day and talking about politics, there in Washington, I know the IFF was able to assist in politics quite a bit for the COVID-19 stuff. I mean, we’re talking about money, protections, waivers that the IFF has done a great job doing. I mean, I know we were successful, but how was that working with politicians during this COVID 19-

General President Harold Schaitberger: Well, you have those that really are supportive and you have those who are difficult. For example, you mentioned the waivers, and I know you’re referring to the waivers for our SAFER program, which is basically the federal government grant program that we created, by the way. This IAFF passed back in the early 2000s. It’s simply as resources provided to local governments or keeping firefighters working and to hire more firefighters. The waivers came about because the original program required city governments to match the federal funds that required certain performance standards. It only lasted a certain period of time. We learned during the recession of 2010/11, that we needed to dispense with all those bureaucratic requirements and rules, that what our local governments needed was resources. Get the money out there to be able to bring firefighters back to work who were laid off, to prevent firefighters from being laid off that are being threatened by pink slips. And in those cases where departments really can grow, to help them grow.

Well, it took a pretty aggressive meeting with the acting secretary of Department of Homeland security, Wolf, to finally get him to agree to put the waivers in place. Most of our members will never fully understand. I understand that. What that means or how that even affected them. But we as union leaders know it was critical.

Robert Sanchez: Absolutely.

General President Harold Schaitberger: As far as the COVID moment, we worked with the federal reserve in order to make sure that 500 plus billion dollars was put into a local municipal liquidity fund to help our local governments that are going to experience a reduction in their revenues, to be able to meet their needs so that we don’t have to have firefighters threatened with losing their jobs. We work with Congress to pass the First Heroes Act. Excuse me, the CARE Act, which provided $150 billion out of local governments. Provided an additional a hundred million dollars for the SAFER program, and now working with Congress on this fourth COVID package called the Heroes Act that will provide possibly up to another $500 billion to local and state government.

All of this is to keep our governments up and running, to keep our governments that more times than not have to operate on a balanced budget. They can’t run a debt. So if revenues are down when the economy shrinks in so many ways as it has and businesses close up, people are losing their jobs and tax revenues shrink up. Well, governments have little choice, but find where they can cut. Too many times those cuts affect our members. So yes, we’re using Congress, we’re using the administration, we’re using all of our tools in order to try to help underpin the financial challenges that our local governments are beginning to face and will face over the course of the next many months.

Robert Sanchez: Oh, great. We’ve talked about before, we help those who … whoever helps us, we help them. As firefighters, we make sure if you’re not going to help us, we’re not going to have your back. So speaking to that, I mean, I want to bring up, in April, 2019, we endorsed Joe Biden for president. I hope it works out and he seems to be a great man and I know he works for firefighters.

General President Harold Schaitberger: Well, first of all, we’re never overconfident, but we’re very confident that Joe Biden’s going to be the next president of the United States.

Robert Sanchez: Right.

General President Harold Schaitberger: There’s no question in my mind that that’ll be the case. But why Joe Biden? I understand our membership, Robert. I know our membership. That’s why I said, I’ve been a part of this for 51 years and I’ve always said it. Our membership is like a perfect reflection of the political landscape in our country. We have Republicans, we have Democrats, we have conservatives, we have some progressives. We have independents that choose not to identify with a party and to be real honest, we have a lot of members that don’t like politics at all. They think it stinks.

Robert Sanchez: Absolutely.

General President Harold Schaitberger: But our responsibility is to know that everything ultimately is dictated in the political arena. Every decision that affects our country, our citizens, our children, our work, everything ultimately comes from-

Our work, everything ultimately comes back to. You can follow that thread, that everything comes back to a decision made by someone elected out of that political arena. Local government, state government, federal government. And so our job has always been to get into that arena, knowing that we’ve got a membership, that’s not going to universally agree with any single decision, but to do as a union what our principal is, and that is supporting those that support firefighters, supporting those who have a history of supporting us, yes, as a union, and then returning that loyalty. And it was a simple, easy decision for our executive board because Joe Biden had been supporting this union for 44 years. Joe Biden has led the charge on our behalf going back to the original enactment of the Public Safety Officers Death Benefit Program in 1976, and every program since. Every step along the way. He has not just signed on bills, but led the charge.

Our members make a lot over time, hundreds of billions of dollars. The fact of the matter, it took a guy named Joe Biden in 1986, to help change the law so that we were covered by the Fair Labor Standards Act.

Robert Sanchez: Right.

General President Harold Schaitberger: Because prior to that, firefighters weren’t.

Robert Sanchez: Right.

General President Harold Schaitberger: So he’s just got a solid track record of loyalty of this union, but more importantly to our profession. And it was on that basis that yes, we were proud to not not only offer our support and endorsement, but to be the very first to do so.

Robert Sanchez: Absolutely.

General President Harold Schaitberger: And the truth of the matter is, in that early January, this last January in Iowa, things got a little dicey, and followed by New Hampshire where things looked-

Robert Sanchez: Right.

General President Harold Schaitberger: … like maybe we’re in a little bit of trouble.

Robert Sanchez: It sure did.

General President Harold Schaitberger: And a lot of people were poking at us. I got a lot of friends that called and said, “Hey guys, get ready to go down the tube.”

Robert Sanchez: Right.

General President Harold Schaitberger: But we kept our faith and we stood tall. And the truth is, that we were part of keeping Joe Biden on life support.

Robert Sanchez: I agree.

General President Harold Schaitberger: And then South Carolina takes off and the rest is history. And now this week, probably it may be in a matter of hours, we’re going to find out who his vice-presidential pick is.

Robert Sanchez: Right.

General President Harold Schaitberger: And most of them in the running are very good friends of this IAFF.

Robert Sanchez: Nice.

General President Harold Schaitberger: So we positioned our union to help elect someone who’s going to be a great president for the nation, but is going to be a terrific president for firefighters and our profession.

Robert Sanchez: Right. That’s very good that with the IFF has endorsed Joe Biden, and was saying that is if you talk to other unions across the country, which we do, I’m a member of other union organization groups here, we’re pretty much the most diverse union as far as political wise anyways. I mean, like you said, we have the most Republicans, the most Independence, of course we have Democrats, so that’s definitely unique about the IFF.

General President Harold Schaitberger: I know I’m repeating myself, but I just think it’s almost like a perfect reflection of the political landscape in our nation. I mean, we have a very politically diverse union, and which is challenging at times, Robert. I suspect you experienced that yourself in New Mexico. That you’ll back a politician and you’ll probably have some members that are not in agreement with that decision.

Robert Sanchez: Right.

General President Harold Schaitberger: But that’s the great thing about our nation, right? And it’s the great thing about our union. And that is, everybody has a right to hold their own position and to support who they choose, but this union has a responsibility as a union to do what’s right on behalf of our profession.

Robert Sanchez: Absolutely. I mean, and with that said, I mean, I can’t help to mention about the COVID… I mean, I’m sure the George Floyd stuff that’s going around, the unrest that’s happening across our nation, and the men and women in the IFF and how they’ve done great serving the community, like always, never seem to let us down, and they’re going through the riots and trying to put out fires, or structure fires, and having people rioting right next to you. So I just want to give a shout out to the men and women in the fire service in the United States and Canada, just all the great work they’ve been doing for these with these unrest and riots.

General President Harold Schaitberger: They deserve that shout out. I tell you, they’ve been on the front lines. So many places they have faced great challenges, sometimes with their own safety threat, but they never blink. We always say, they never back down, they never back out. They do their job and it’s just such a joy to be part of this union that represents such honorable people that are out there doing the work that they do on behalf of their citizens every single day.

Robert Sanchez: That’s right.

General President Harold Schaitberger: I want to give a shout out too, Robert, if I may, on the show.

Robert Sanchez: Sure, absolutely.

General President Harold Schaitberger: A shout out to the staff of the IAFF. We’ve got about 180 of, I think, like the very best. Each in their own skillsets, each in their own professional capabilities. And when COVID-19 hit, we had to shut… I’m here basically by myself, except for a couple of construction workers, in this eight-story building because we had to send our staff, basically, out to work remotely. And there was a lot of question, whether how is it going to work? Was it going to be effective? Would we get all of our programs service? We would get everything out to our locals that they need, the challenges they’re facing. And I have to tell you, I am so amazed and so proud of our staff. They haven’t missed a beat.

General President Harold Schaitberger: We were transitioning from a headquarter operation to a remote operation seamlessly. They’d be able to set up so that they’re actually operating like they’re sitting at their desk here in headquarters, and they have been pushing out all the programs, and the services, and the resources, and the tools and the education, and certainly all of the toolkits related to COVID-19. Both the health and safety toolkit, as well as the economic toolkit. So yeah, we have a great union, but part of the heart of this great union also is an incredible headquarter staff. They’ve just been doing extraordinary work under pretty challenging situation

Robert Sanchez: Times. Yeah, I mean, I haven’t seen much at all, so I’ve always been amazed how responsive they are to all of our members. We have the local presidents call and assist a great operation that they’re still operating there in Washington remotely from over there operating. So that is good. Again, thank you for, for your leadership sir, especially in the 10 District. And we have Frankie Lima one of the great leaders in this 10 District and they can’t forget to-

General President Harold Schaitberger: He’s amazing.

Robert Sanchez: … mention him.

 General President Harold Schaitberger: I tell you, Frankie is amazing. That guy has done extraordinary work in this first term of his as a international vice president, and I don’t have tell you that the 10th District is operating at a very high level. He works to assure that all of you get everything you need to do your work, and he’s a great leader on our executive board and selfishly a great friend of mine,

Robert Sanchez: Right. I mean, we can stop to mention that the diversity that he makes happen in his 10 District. I mean, you have diverse DFSRs, and presidents, and diversity in California, Mexico, Arizona, and Hawaii. I might be biased, but 10 District is doing great.

General President Harold Schaitberger: It is doing great. You better be biased.

Robert Sanchez: Right. Well, thank you Mr. General President. So always have a community segment here on this IFFA Firefighter Kingdom podcast and we have Vince Trujilo. He helps out, and so he’s going to ask a few questions if you don’t mind.

General President Harold Schaitberger: Okay.

Robert Sanchez: So how are you doing Vince?

Vince Trujillo: Hey, good. Thank you so much for having me on, and especially in the special episode we have General President Schaitberger. And listening to everything that you’re doing over there, I appreciate that so much. It just seems that the history that you bring, what you’re doing to vie constantly for your membership and helping everyone out just seems like it trickles down to everyone that Robert’s been on. Just quality people that are being created out of some of the support they get from you, so I appreciate that. But I have a couple of questions.

General President Harold Schaitberger: Sure.

Vince Trujillo: So from a public’s perspective, I loved to hearing everything that you’re doing, the funds that you have, the foundations and all of the endeavors you’re going, and how you vie legislatively for everybody. And you said since you were in the 70s and you got started up in the unions, I was just going to ask, what was one of your favorite early memories of being in the union and kind of starting out then in the 70s?

General President Harold Schaitberger: I’ll tell you, one of the… We’re on air, so I’ll say it, but I usually try not to talk about myself too much because this union is a combination of so many leaders, and souls, and experiences. But to your question, Vince, I mentioned that when I helped to organize Local 2068, it was in a Southern environment, anti-union environment, no collective bargaining permitted. One of the first things we did as a new young local was able to pass a local ordinance that establish collect bargaining rights. And I, as a 25-year-old, relatively new-

Vince Trujillo: Wow.

General President Harold Schaitberger: … union president of a relatively new local union, was able to sit at the table across from our employers, the county government, and negotiate our first contract, the first public employee collective bargaining contract in the state of Virginia. So that was 1971, and so for everything, I’ve been privileged to be a part of and-

Everything I’ve been privileged to be a part of and to have some role in helping to move forward, that’s certainly a great memory, an achievement that I take a lot of pride in going back now almost 50 years.

Vince Trujillo: Wow. That’s impressive. I wouldn’t even want to compare to what I was doing when I was 25 years old and you’re getting the first collective bargaining agreement in Virginia. So congratulations on that. That’s amazing. Another question for me is that given what all you’ve seen in the landscape change over this last 40 years plus, what do you see the digital age having to play in how you connect with your members, how other presidents connect with their members and how it can keep members and the community involved?

General President Harold Schaitberger: Well, Vince, I think you know and sometimes I take a journey to answer your question, but we are very focused on how to better communicate, connect with our leadership, with our members, with the general public. That’s why we have such a comprehensive, strong, complex communication and media department. It’s one of the reasons why we decided as one of only two unions in North America to build and create our own broadcast quality studio, to be able to have our communication field staff that really is trained in how to utilize all of the new emerging, digital, social media platforms to create our communication training academy, where we bring in 50 leaders every year to give them the strong skillsets to understand how to be that voice back out in the field to their members that need to be better informed always, to the citizens that need to be informed on the various issues and challenges that our members are facing.

And then to create that training academy now at the state level. In the last 16 months, we’ve established our communication state and provincial training academy. So to your question, we’re trying to use everything from broadcast quality studio, our own production media team. We bought a media company, a union media company. So now this IAFF, you, our members own their own media production operation. They own their own broadcast quality studio.

We have a significant and a campaign strategical department that understands and is helping to expand the use of all the various platforms that are out there and how we have to understand how to deliver information and connect whether it’s our members, the politicians, or the general population.

Vince Trujillo: Oh, that’s great. Thank you so much for that. And we’re getting out there too. We’re like trying to learn and we’re getting Robert, got his podcast launched and we’re doing a really good job so far. I know that you have a podcast too. Do you want to give a shout out to that one?

General President Harold Schaitberger: Well, we do. And I give a shout out to Mark Truglio and Doug Stern who do a great job with our podcast, and trying to, again, provide this opportunity to select the various subjects that we think our members would be interested in. And as you’re doing, pushing it out, it’s just another vehicle. Another way to hopefully inform and connect with our members.

Vince Trujillo: Yes, that’s great. So we’re going to post links to that in our description and what we’re doing when we post this on our channels as well as when the YouTube videos come out as well. So thank you, General President Schaitberger for this and learning about everything you’re doing for your members. One of our couple of important points with our last question is that the public really needs to know in supporting.

You talked about endorsing Joe Biden because of all of the… I mean this goes back 40 years with Joe Biden too, so that was really an important note to know. And I think we’re going to take time to kind of pull that out into our website and our blog to say why this was important to support him. What does the public need to know right now based on the environment that we have with some states, some national politicians constantly seem to be fighting unions and talking about that. And as it gets into affecting first responders, teachers, some of our more basic… People in the public service that you should be supporting, what is important that the public knows going forward right now, especially with the election coming up, that we need to be educated for. And it doesn’t really matter, your political stripe. It shouldn’t matter as much when you’re supporting people like firefighters. So people like me and the public, what do we need to know that can be nonpolitical?

General President Harold Schaitberger: Let’s talk about… If we’re going to focus on it, it’s always a lot of things start at the top. It starts with the president of the United States. But it’s more than just Joe Biden being the president of the United States. It’s that, that is the person who will help to establish our entire federal government, the 13 federal agencies that are so responsible for every aspect of our nation and our citizens’ lives and future.

So when you’re talking about making this decision, I would want to make sure that the public knows more and more. Joe Biden really is middle-class Joe. It’s not just a title or a nickname, but he understands the challenge of working families. He understands what it’s like to be in a job where you got to come home and wash your hands and take a shower after work.

He’s had a lifetime of supporting our children in a strong education system. And he is a politician that has never shied away from using the word union. He’s proud to be supportive of union. It’s Joe Biden that you’ve heard so many times over so many years that the middle class built this country and the unions built the middle class. So what people need to understand is this is somebody who has faced his own personal tragedy. So he has real empathy for those that have a challenging environment or life, or have a sick child or parent.

So I think that’s the message that is getting out and that is connecting, but certainly for us in communicating, Joe Biden is going to support middle class, strong middle class, working families, workers, and believes that everyone should be organized by a union.

Vince Trujillo: Great answer. Thank you so much General President Schaitberger. I appreciate that. It was great getting to know you better and as a community member, I think so many of our community are going to benefit from learning about what you do and how you support the firefighters in a little bit more detail into that. So I appreciate that.

General President Harold Schaitberger: I appreciate it.

Vince Trujillo: I’m going to turn it back over to Robert. Thank you so much for being on our podcast.

Robert Sanchez: Well, thank you again, General President Schaitberger. It’s always an honor and a treat to have you on and always nice to talk to you and thank you for your leadership, sir, and the IAFF.

General President Harold Schaitberger: Thank you for what you do, Robert. You do a great job.

 Robert Sanchez: Thank you, sir.

General President Harold Schaitberger: Our members in New Mexico are really benefited by your strong work.

Robert Sanchez: Thank you, sir.

General President Harold Schaitberger: So know that I’ve got your back.

Robert Sanchez: We appreciate that. We know you do. So again, thank you.

General President Harold Schaitberger: So let me thank everybody for listening to Firefighter Kingdom on Apple and Spotify podcast.

Robert Sanchez: Perfect. This is our podcast. We have a couple of firefighters on from Allie from Hawaii. We have Dennis Lawson from Washington. So great IAFF supporters and members that are out there supporting this. So again, thank you again, sir.

General President Harold Schaitberger: Okay.

Robert Sanchez: And have a good day

General President Harold Schaitberger: All the best.

Robert Sanchez: Have a good day.

General President Harold Schaitberger: Stay safe out there.

Robert Sanchez: We will. Also, thank you, sir.

The post #12 – General President Harold Schaitberger | Special Edition – 2020 Election & More appeared first on The FireFighter Kingdom Podcast.

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[theincorrigiblemagpie]

Rishton Ka Chakravyuh - The Mother of All Recaps

Ugh so as some of you may have guessed, I stopped watching for a bit. This had nothing to do with the show going drastically downhill *cough*like-some-others-I-could-mention*cough* and everything to do with my life suddenly becoming a little too stressful to keep up with a convoluted daily soap like RKC.

Luckily, my faithful friend Juhi whom I had corralled into watching with me, and who is more dedicated than I am, kept up and also gave me regular text updates. And today, after having missed about 40-ish episodes, I finally sat down and watched bits and pieces and all of the last week’s episodes and can return to business.

The thing is, SO MUCH happens in any single given episode, it’s next to impossible to catch up completely if you fall too far behind. I’m going to do a listicle of important things that happened and ofc, my unsolicited opinions on them, and take it from here. This isn’t strictly chronological because a lot of the points happen at the same time and overlap back and forth, but this is roughly the order of things. I think I may not be able to keep up with daily recaps because I’m not sure I have the time and energy but I’ll do my best.

Just to give you some idea, I stopped watching around episode 24 and we’re on episode 72 now so in everything that follows has happened in 42 episodes (about a month and 3/4). 

1. There is a court order for a DNA test to conclusively deal with the matter of whether Anami is Baldev’s daughter or not. Anami AND Pujan try to fudge the test and end up cancelling each other’s fudging-efforts out and the court declares Anami to be Baldev’s legitimate daughter. (So much for Adhiraj’s “security” which was just Ila in disguise means demote this clodpole right away.)

2. Post-test Gayatri and Satarupa are obviously ecstatic but Vikram is unwilling to declare Anami heir because he’s a chauvinist pig and Baldev also refuses to acknowledge her because he’s useless like that. For some odd reason, Adhiraj also feels betrayed? Don’t ask me to explain the inner workings of men’s minds.

3. Anami decides to run away and makes a plan with the Pathaks and everything for all of them to leave North India altogether (a wise decision-- no good comes of living in N India, full offense to people who like living there). They hope to escape Lal Mahal’s sphere of influence. But then Anami discovers that Vatsalya was her twin brother, the same one she met on the ghats and saved, who later died in an accident. She’s devastated that she lost her twin before she had a chance to know him and decides that running away won’t give her closure or answers and she must stay and fight.

4. Gayatri and Satarupa team up to get acceptance for Anami but Vikram tries to thwart them every step of the way. On the other hand, Narottam manipulates Anami into sympathizing with him by showing himself as the unwanted, mistreated outsider of Lal Mahal. He IS nutty Sudha’s son and he’s effeminate because after birth he was given to a group of kinnars to bring up? And Sudha is locked in an asylum of some kind.

5. Satarupa, who hasn’t learned a jot about how to handle Anami, tries warning her against Narottam with the opposite result of Anami befriending both Narottam and sneaking off to meet Sudha and hang out with her. Narottam, as you may have guessed, is in league with Sudha to take over Lal Mahal and Royal Steel, which they see as THEIR inheritance and right.

6. Adhiraj and Anami have formed an alliance that was initially shaky with Adhiraj’s feeling of betrayal over the truth of Anami’s DNA test and also the fact that Adhiraj ordered a second DNA test secretly which Anami finds out about from jealous Ila. They decide to work together anyway to find out what happened to Vatsalya and keep Anami safe but they become actual friends and there is the whole creepy romance angle again. 🙄

*sigh*

7. Satarupa next bullies Anami into taking admission into the fanciest college in the city and attending classes there. Anami keeps showing up everyone who underestimates her from the Principal to snooty rich kids who are friends of Avdhoot’s. And in the process, becomes BFFs with Tanya who also attends the same college.

8. There is one very annoying side plot involving Tanya and Avdhoot who deliberately manipulates his way into her good graces and charms her because he knows she’s Dheeru’s daughter.

9. Dheeren Pandey aka Dheeru is Adhiraj and Tanya’s dad who has his own agenda against Lal Mahal (obv attuned to Adhiraj’s vengeful feelings). He used to be an employee of Royal Steel until something mysterious happened that he was made to take the fall for. We have flashbacks of him being dragged away by the cops while a smol Adhiraj and Tanya watch and sob. Presumably also related to the mother’s death.

10. With the lack of faith in Vikram and the future, the Royal Steel board was going to allow a hostile takeover by a third party but Dheeru who has somehow acquired 25% shares offers to bail out Vikram if he’s made a 50-50 partner. Satarupa backs him and forces Pujan, Kamini and Vikram to also.

11.That’s why Avdhoot is interested in Tanya. Even Pujan and Kamini think that if Avdhoot marries Dheeru’s daughter, his road to inheriting will become even smoother. I don’t believe anyone at Lal Mahal knows that the son is Adhiraj although Anami finds out that Tanya and Adhiraj are siblings (but she doesn’t know the Dheeru angle).

*takes a deep breath and continues*

12. Pujan and Avdhoot try to get rid of Anami by poisoning her and having her kidnapped but Adhiraj saves her at the last minute. He brings her home and also gets a court order saying that if there are further threats to Anami’s life at Lal Mahal and if she feels unsafe at all, the court will assume custody of her. They just make up any laws they like in this show.

13. Not only Satarupa and Gayatri but also Sudha and Narottam don’t want this. Sudha and Narottam see Anami as their ticket to the Lal Mahal throne. They believe that her do-gooding crusader side will make her fight tooth and nail for their haq and establish them at Lal Mahal.

14. Vikram keeps undermining Anami at every meeting and family thing and brings up Avdhoot as heir. He makes Avdhoot sit in on company meetings and tries to train him in business matters but Avdhoot is a right nincompoop and it FINALLY starts giving him second thoughts. Especially when Anami steps up to all occasions whether asked to or not, shows wisdom beyond her years, and generally is more competent.

15. Nervous about this, Satarupa and Gayatri plot to first get Anami interested in the business by using Vatsalya’s diaries and books and making it a mission of sorts for her, and then roping in Dheeru to train her. She sees through some of it and refuses to meet Dheeru but voluntarily starts reading Vatsalya’s business books and diaries. Just a side note to say Vatsalya had the makings of a good socialist and was just one step away from writing ‘Sieze the means of production!’ wrt to the Royal Steel workers. I’m on board for an Anami-led revolution where Baldev is guillotined FIRST.

16. Ofc she meets Dheeru anyway on the road where he saves a blind man from being run over by a bike and she teaches the biker a lesson about thinking of others. They both come away favourably impressed with one another.

17. Adhiraj catches on to Anami sneaking out at night all the time with Narottam and warns her to be careful. They concoct a story about Narottam seeing a psychiatrist at night and he appears to buy it. 🤦🏿‍♀️

18. Sudha and Narottam plant Naina in Lal Mahal by sending her to Satarupa with information about the dude who’d tried to kidnap Anami. Satarupa trusts Naina immediately (umm WHY) and when she asks for a job, assigns her as Anami’s security detail (what the actual fuck). Satarupa tries to torture the dude into revealing info about his master but he knows nothing as he was an anonymously hired mercenary. (Satarupa plays a frighteningly good mob boss in these scenes, as I’ve mentioned before.) Luckily, the paanwala-informer clues Adhiraj into Naina’s role and tendency to let Anami slip out so there is that.

*getting so tired*

19. Anami says she wants a Durga Puja at home and Vikram initially refuses because apparently there is a curse and every time they’d tries to do Durga Puja, something or the other has gone wrong. Satarupa and Baldev also do not want this because of Vatsalya’s recent demise. But Anami and Gayatri convince everyone and they decide to do the Puja dhoom-dhaam se. Anami claims all responsibility for the puja.

20. The upcoming puja appears to bring everyone closer and they’re all vaguely happy preparing for it. Ofc Pujan tries to sabotage it by loosening the screws of the palanquin that is to bring the idol in so that it falls and breaks. I’m reasonably certain that Anami will stop this somehow. Anyhoo, Dheeru is also invited. (I like how Vikram and Gayatri pretend absolutely NOTHING is wrong with Dheeru. Like they didn’t see him arrested, dragged forcibly from Lal Mahal years ago. Dheeru ofc has reason to appear pleasant. Baldev is upfront about his hostility and Satarupa is equally upfront about the fact that she doesn’t particularly like him but the compromise was necessary to keep Royal Steel intact and with them.)

21. One annoying cousin of Avdhoot’s appears from “Europe” or “America” (I’m vague on this) on the day of the puja and he’s basically a lecherous and aiyaash version of NK from IPKKND. He starts harassing Poonam right away. My god, literally all the men in this show are trash except for cinnamon roll, Vatsalya.

22. Dheeru, Adhiraj, Tanya are set to appear at Lal Mahal for the first time together. Both Poonam and Tanya ship Adhiraj-Anami and since it would be very OOC for either Anami or Adhiraj to daydream about one another, Poonam does the dreaming on their behalf like a dazed Gul-Khan-show-shipper. I see you, makers, I see you.

*falls down dead*