#kudos to the staff and crew

[jmdbjk]

Mental gymnastics...

I am flipping out. That's all. Just my brain doing cartwheels and whatever those things are called where you flip between those high bars and let go for a breathless second and then grab onto reality again. Or this...

Too much Olympics these past few weeks I guess... anyway.

WARNING: POSSIBLE SPOILER ALERT! I may or may not mention scenes in detail and their outcomes during these long rambling messy posts beginning with the next sentence.

Before I get into it... kudos to the staff for keeping up with these two and for suffering many extremely anxious moments as Jimin and Jungkook drove themselves through NYC, as Jungkook and then both Jimin and Jungkook rode the motorcycle through traffic, and the few heart stopping moments when JK flipped his kayak over and then they took off down the river alone before staff caught up with them. Not to mention probably looking up the nearest ER/urgent care facility in case Jimin got too dehydrated from his bout with the stomach bug.

Seriously though, their lives and global headlines had to flash before their eyes when JK disappeared underwater under that kayak... so big applause for the staff/production crew for not shitting THEIR pants thirteen times too.

So here are some of my thoughts. I'll begin with the first episode...

Episode 1:

In the opening scene, I'm assuming this is Antoya Korean BBQ restaurant. They were talking about JK's sore throat and that he had to visit a medical facility. Jimin kept on about it. It seemed like JK's "stop babying me" attitude bubbled up a little bit. Let them be them. As you can see, JK adjusted Jimin's beanie so he could see his eyes. They were fine.

Pause and reflect: they didn't know what to expect with this idea of a travel show. The moment above happened on Thursday evening, July 13. Both of them were working. Jimin was still working on his concepts, photos, MV and whatnot, planning to finish everything for Muse in the coming months. Jungkook had a full schedule for promoting Seven which was dropping the next day. He had to get up early for Good Morning America concert in the park.

I'm stating all this for point of reference. Nothing is static. JK was in work mode: he had a performance the next day and also not feeling well himself. Jimin had been on a plane for 14 hours. Just keep these things in mind before jumping to conclusions.

In the next scene (the next day) back at the hotel after JK's done with his performance and when he's packing to go on this trip he's all in and ready to go. Hurry up Jimin!

Jimin asked him how the live performance went. As we know, the GMA live performance was mostly rained out. Before the storm came through, they quickly pre-recorded the performances before it would have been time for the live broadcast and then shut it down. Jungkook had to be driven quickly to the studio to be interviewed to fill the leftover time in the program that more of his live performance would have taken up.

Hearing Jungkook say "this isn't my first rodeo" was never going to be on any bingo card in my lifetime.

I don't know what he was scribbling on that iPad but it looked geometric. He was focused. Maybe it was something for the next week's performance, maybe it was a sketch for music show staging, trying to recreate that flower archway they saw at Antoya the night before? maybe he was doodling in Canva... we don't know.

Me either, Jimin... (this was the first of all the hilarious gems that begin to shower down on us).

They are both known to be perfectionists when it comes to their work. And we know they've also both performed when feeling less than 100% on that stage. Jungkook realized there were circumstances beyond his control and he took it in stride.

FYI, in New York City, they stayed at the Loews Regency on E. 61st Street in Manhattan. It is between Madison Ave. and Park Avenue and not far from Central Park. Swanky. The suite looks like the 2-bedroom "Park Avenue Suite" and runs $2100 a night... gasp. Yes, its the same suite where JK did his live after his rained upon GMA appearance. During this live he mentioned being poked with needles, IV's and shots in the butt as well as teasing us with what would become Are You Sure:

No, I don't think Jimin stayed in this suite with JK. Jimin's room had a smaller bathroom and a shower curtain instead of a glass shower door. Staff with camera woke him up.

To be that beautiful when rolling out of bed... anyway, I digress...

It truly was unplanned and spontaneous as if they were doing this with the idea of "let's try it and see if it can be viable." Even Jimin wasn't sure if any of this could be aired.

Once they got in the Jeep they started to find their groove. Being alone, just them, was what they needed. They could focus on what was ahead of them. The driving moments were some of the best for me.

We eventually learn that Jimin wasn't feeling well and I'm certain this is what Jungkook was telling Yoongi during that episode of Suchwita, along with the elbowing in the nose.

Seems like Jimin's stomach trouble started when they were at the first restaurant, the burger place. The bathroom visits continued at the brewery and into the evening at the campsite.

Jimin had some sort of stomach bug that kept him on the toilet a lot and he ran a little bit of a temp. I am sad that he wasn't feeling 100% when they were on the yacht the next day but he still seemed to enjoy it enough to find the humor in his situation. He was a real trooper.

It sure didn't stop him from eating. My man was very brave in that regard. Me... no way I'd be stuffing my face with a big greasy burger when at any moment I might need to make a run for the toilet.

They get back on the road and these are the moments that I wait for:

After arguing in satoori about who is the worst driver between them, they start shopping at Dick's.

And get recognized...

After shopping excursion at Dick's, they finally head to High Nine Brewery...

Jimin's first sample wasn't to his taste (again). His taste buds were probably a little off since he had the stomach thing going on... but JK's eyebrows say that his sample was pretty good.

They finally settle on a hard seltzer and a pale ale and relax for a little bit. Jungkook is still wondering what would make good subject matter to film. They are truly making it up as they go...

Jimin proceeds to explain and an interaction happens and I am not sure what to think about it:

I am going to end this post here because they are now on their way to the kayaks and that segment deserves its own post and I have too many screen shots of it to fit in this post.

[These are all my own opinions about what I am seeing and hearing them say and from what I am observing from the video. It's ok if your opinion is different from mine.]

[raviosrupees]

My parent rates LU Link's based on first impressions

[warning foul language, mention of alcohol, and my parents very negative impression of Wars !!! note this is my parents impression based off of the LU concept sketches + descriptions. a lot of em aren't accurate]

TIME

Very God of War, Kratos. PTSD Link.

when all the others are hanging out he's in the cups. He fought the moon? Sounds about right. Everyone else is talking and goofing off and he's got the thousand yard stare.

No one talks about how he cant get a full nights sleep. Please let him nap. Maybe let the owl take a nap too.

*stares at him for a very long time, before taking a sip of mimosa*

TWILIGHT

blond hiccup [httyd] very viking. Humble? Hiccup. Animal whisperer? Does he have a dragon? he turns in to a wolf? good for hiccup. getting over a complicated relationship? ...... h-

OH HE HAS GOATS? I love goats! Love this guy.

WARRIORS

Ah, douchy paladin! Yeah he's got the hip flex, he knows he's the shit. Very prideful? Of course you are. Leader type? Women problems? Not surprised. [said they most wanted to punch this one]

"This one writes himself. On Reddit forums"

FOUR [their 3rd fav]

"eeny meeny hippy genie" They've got the weird flowy scarf hat, they're super tiny! Dwarf.. chaos gremlin-- No that's a changeling! I don't think that's actually a Link, I think they faked their way in. Not that I blame them, its a pretty cool crew to be a part of. Spy for the fae realm.

WILD

5th grade school photo link. He's really excited for his first day of school and has a planner for all of his classes.

Good at navigation? Kudos for being a good boy scout.

Her 2nd favorite.

WILD

"Legolas Link" he likes to run on snow, flip his hair back + forth and shit talk dwarves [changeling doesn't like that]

"takes any questioning of his princess too personally? Why are they questioning his princess in the first place? *squints* Why is he so upset? Feel like maybe we need some codependency therapy-

IDENTITY CRISIS DUE TO MEMORY LOSS???? oh no, there we go, the therapy- INSECURE? THE ONLY ONE THAT FAILED? Dude, I think douchy paladin needs to take him to therapy-, maybe it'll convince him to get some too.

Proceeds to go into a rant about his sheikah tech being called weird magic: "Why are they calling his magic weird? That's rude ! They need to have more open minds, no wonder he's insecure! He just needs to feel confident and supported in his new environment and they're not being very supportive right now!"

*orders another mimosa*

LEGEND [their favorite]

"We've got stoner wizard link..." "Which one?" "He's wearing red, and like a fancy staff with a ball at the end for walloping on people who say he's not a real wizard" He just smacks em and says duh yes I am, but usually he doesn't bother with it bc he's too chill.

He's the Millenial of the linked universe. "Chooses not to be a leader type? 'Nope, Im good, just here for a paycheck not a promotion. Some PTO would be nice. Another adventure? He'd rather start a commune"

"Seems unaffected by his adventures?" Uhh he is though. He's just delusional about it now.

HYRULE

Classic link [true] silent generation, nobody acknowledges him. "just happy to be included," mistaken as a hobbit.

"He's actually a traveler, never stays in one place" "Ah so post adventure Bilbo baggins, who wants to see mountains again."

*starts singing "the road goes ever on and on"*

SKY

Foppy link. Fabulous haircut, cape swooped over one shoulder with the gorgeous coloring, contrasting belt-- he knows color schemes way too well, he could be in project runway.

"Not the leader type? Sure he's too busy worrying about fabric swatches. Views the master sword as a blessing? Yeah, I bet he does."

Very confidently decided his Zelda is a beard.

[p-redux]

Everyone from that boat were at the same hotel. Please investigate better. It was a corporate event and all were there. Does that mean he is dating every woman on that boat? No.

I am all for your side of this fandom, but your “detective” work needs work!

Ohai shipper in disguise...hahaha

The one who needs to investigate better is YOU. My Peak Challenge is based in Los Angeles. The staff is based in Los Angeles. Yes, it was a staff event, but since they live in Los Angeles, there was NO need for anyone who lives in L.A. to stay at a hotel. DOH. The ONLY ones who stayed in a hotel were the out of towners: Sam Heughan from Scotland and Susie Evans from Texas.

Let's look at some of the main guests on the Marina Del Rey boat video posted a few days ago with the My Peak Challenge crew.

I won't post a pic of Alex Norouzi because everyone already knows he lives in Los Angeles.

But here is Melanie Raymond, the woman who posted the Marina Del Rey video on her Tik Tok account. This is her role in My Peak Challenge 👇

Here is her Tik Tok account. Where does she live? LOS ANGELES. 👇

Even Sam's long time Scottish friend, Marina Campbell, who was also on the boat NOW lives in Los Angeles aka in SoCal aka Southern California. 👇 Kudos to her for talking like a native now. As an aside: People outside of SoCal say Cali. People in SoCal NEVER say Cali. You can tell someone IS NOT from California if they refer to it as Cali. It's SoCal, dudes. Or I guess if you're in Northern California, it's NorCal. It might as well be a different state though. Now you know.

Here is Melissa Polson, the ONLY one that was on the boat that follows Susie Evans. And she ALSO lives in Los Angeles. Here she is at SoFi Stadium, yes IN Los Angeles. 👇

Here is another MPC crew member who was on the boat. Guess where he lives? LOS ANGELES. 👇 Anon, are you seeing a pattern yet?

My Peak Challenge crew live in Los Angeles. None of them stayed at a hotel, let alone Shutters On The Beach in Santa Monica, one of the MOST expensive hotels in Los Angeles. The MPC crew drove from wherever they live in L.A. to Marina Del Rey where the boat was docked, partied, and then drove home...in Los Angeles.

The only ones who were not from Los Angeles and stayed at a hotel were Susie and Sam. And as I said in a previous post, there is NO reason for Susie to have stayed in a $5,000 a NIGHT suite all by herself. If she was visiting L.A. for whatever reason, and was friends with one of the MPC crew, she would have stayed at one of their houses OR stayed at a $200 a night hotel, like a normal person. But NOPE, our Texas darlin' most definitely stayed in The Beach House $5,000 a night Suite at Shutters On The Beach in Santa Monica 👇 And so did...

One fine, golden, delicious Scotsman named Sam Roland Heughan. 👇

There's the detective work, my friend. 🤷‍♀️😘

[signediza]

Step By Step EP 2

It felt awkward going from flirty Jeng and Pat last week to today's harsh criticism, pressures, work overload, tears, and underappreciation. But, I hope EP 3 would bring back the mood. I'm still in love with the premise and development.

Hugs to dear Pat - I feel he somewhat struggles to accept correction, & that's due to the tone it's delivered to him. So I don't blame him. Looking at the way Nan corrects him and the way Jeng does, the difference is clear. Jeng keeps explaining, rather than showing. I also think Pat's workload is too much. He's making presentations and delivering them, taking notes, attending events he's probably shouldn't.

Jeng, CHILL. Employ another staff if the boy can't do all that you want. I know you're under stress too, but putting pressure on those who are helping as much as they can isn't helping. I'll accept the excuse for Jeng cuz, he was supposed to shut down the marketing depart. & lay off everyone as suggested by his father, but he doesn't want. So while he's trying to make it work, he's keeping them all employed. He's under pressure. But, he needs to tone it down and work with Pat as a team (trust his input and his words). I don't know how it works, but I feel he's assigning too much for Pat. For an employee still on trial, what does he expect? And the boy is enthusiastic about his job in a toxic workplace environment with no encouragement or assistance to improve in areas he's failing till Nan took an interest in helping him more than she was assigned to

Kudos to Jeng though for reprimanding Ying and making Pat feel seen and understood, with a bit of advice - but no one is truly calm or finds it easy to be calm when they've had it and in that state. Emotions are high at that time. He could have gone further in lashing out. Jeng is also under a lot of pressure from his father who's the CEO of the department's struggle. So, he's lashing out his frustration at Pat too. But, he would have gone further in investigating what goes on with Ying and her crew

Get you a bestie like Ae ready to throw hands for you & have your back - they better not let her come in contact with Ying.

"Mr. Jeng has a really bad mouth"

"Seniority is so annoying"

"He made my baby bro cry so many times I need to teach him a lesson." She was even ready to fight her husband for not supporting Pat fully, LOL

Oh, Honey, that doesn't look like an anonymous review enough, you just reviewed or described you and your boss's working atmosphere/relationship, and he will know. He also started the review with "My Mnanager." Plus, you're drunk my darling, LOL. You're either getting fired or commended for your guts, cause he lowkey might like it and his diligent contribution in the department. He wrote that review in English. He's the only one fluent enough to write in English amongst his colleagues, and no one else would write a review in English other than him. XD

[moonstone27ls]

The Owl House Finale..

Warning spoilers....

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You’ve been warned.....

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.....Oh and warning of opinion. I ask no hate, disagree okay but I don’t want a fight. This is my opinion/my thoughts....

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Spoilers...........

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Last one............

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............ You’ve been warned....

First of all kudos to Dana Terrace and the animation team. Sooooo many amazing moments, its no wonder she had to take a break. Given the crunch time Disney put her on, she had to work SO hard to get what she wanted/or needed to make this finale great! Just everything was perfect! I was on the edge of my seat and all I wanted was for Luz and everyone to be okay (except maybe Belos... screw you Philip 8B)

Anything that surprised me... I guess that someone was right that it was a titan in that realm Luz saw. I also admit was somewhat surprised the Collector didn’t really know about what happened in regards to King’s species. Though it makes me wonder... what happened to their siblings. They mentioned them when Luz died... so ... what became of them...

Though speaking of Luz’s death... why did she die when touched by whatever that attack was by Belos? Buttt... not Raine? I mean granted he used it as an attack but the attack/fungi whatever was affecting Collector and they were genuinely worried for Eda when it spread. I mean I’m not complaining I wanted Raine to live for Eda. But I’m... “how come Raine wasn’t affected?” Raine was just put under restraint?oO

I admit Luz’s death really got me. On so many levels for her heart. And the irony, cause the Collector was only trying to do what she advised him on. (no not blaming him just saying big picture cruel irony). But also dang was somewhat impressed when Eda and King went beast mode on Belos for that.

And just random was also impressed that Amity was able to wake up/or fight that toy spell the Collector put on them. I dunno just did pointed out that Amity is stronger than she’s given credit as a witch. Luz’s ultimate titan magic/witch mode was both beautiful and AWESOME! Just fantastic design.

Loved King’s dad, lol. Feel like in another life King’s dad could had been roomies with Eda. LOVEDDDD the epilogue, just was glad to see Luz did finish school and got a writers scholarship :). Though.. seeing that Hooty photo... does that mean the human world knows about the demon realm? Or did they just do more visits now that the portal’s fixed. Also Hooty anime eyes so cute:3!

Also was happy that she and Vee graduated together. Because that meant Camila adopted Vee and loved her just like her own child. And omg they had a photo of Stringbean in a cute pet hat XD! Classic... though who was Vee playing baseball/or softball with... Masha? Loved everyone’s grown designs:). And the Flapjack tattoos so sweet:3 !

Sooo happy for Hunter that he’s got a happy ending. And I assume a family with both Darius and the Clawthorne’s. NO ONE will not convince me he’s become part of both families. And his new Palisman is a bluejay, sweet! Uhh thought it was funny/cute Lilith considered putting a disco room? (that corner was hard to read). That we also got to see her Raven harpy design? (she is a raven right?oO). 

Also loveedddd her quinceanera party they did. A very Owl House style Cinderella dress complete with that adorable mouse XD. Loved how the Bat Queen has one of her kids going emo/goth?.  Was I shocked the magic was returning/glyph wise... no. Not really magic’s not exactly nature. But it makes me think of that Jurassic Park quote “life finds a way”.

Also HUNTLOWWWWWWWWWW!! Haha sorry/not sorry.

That being said did I see anything I wanted done differently or wished could had been changed. Don’t get pissed I LOVED the finale. But I can admit it was rushed. But I’m also noting that I AM NOT blaming Dana Terrace or the crew/staff... who do I blame? YOU DISNEY! I FUCKING BLAME YOU!! AND I WILL CONTINUE TO BLAME YOU UNLESS YOU DO RIGHT BY THE CREATOR/AND STAFF.

Moving onnn... I’m just gonna say what I wish could had been done. Again I do not blame Dana Terrace. I know Disney did her an EXTREME wrong and she was not even given a PROPER third season. Unlike her other tv shows... like Big City Greens.. who got a fourth season and a movie >3>. I know she was crunched for time and was just dealing the hand that was given to her.

So to start....

I’m gonna bite the bullet and I admit the finale instantly made me wanna see ships explored/or finished.

Like Alador’s marriage... we never saw Odalia so I’m gonna assume he divorced her. And its clear the children have nothing to do with her but still wanted some clarity.

Also... was there suppose to be a hint of Darius/Alador.... I dunno. Felt like there was. I’m not against the idea. Could have gone with the flow that they were rivals/with chemistry. Plus heyyy new stepdad for Hunter.

Also... whats Steve’s relationship with Lilith? No not like ship... I think he’s too young(ages aren’t my strongest suit unless clarified better). Was he suppose to be her Luz?oO

Kinda wish The Blight twins could had been explored... would had like to had known Ed’s date who were theyyy...

Also what was Viney/Jerbo’s relationship. I don’t even care if they weren’t dating. Just was dying to know the story of why she was so pissed at him to call him traitor once oO

And hate to be the dummy but did Eda/Raine get married? oO I didn’t see a ring.. or do they do something else for Demon World?

Would Gus had found an love interest? Or Vee? Or Lilith... again I’m biting the bullet ship idea wise. Or were Gus and Lilith suppose to be asexuals? (will get to Vee later)

Wish we could had known MORE about the Coven Heads. We got a little but not much. I don’t even know why Vitmir wanted the throne? I guess I get why with Terra and Adrian dude.

We also don’t know what became of the rest of the Coven

How did Kikimora go from hating the group to putting her feelings aside and helping Lilith?

What became of the Bat Queen and the palisman during Collector’s brief reign. I never saw them turned into toys...also would Luz ever find her owner. Part of me almost wonders if it was originally the Titan(aka King’s dad)

Speaking of which wish he and King could had met.

In addition... IS NO ONE GONNA TALK ABOUT HOW A HOOTY THING IS IN HIS EYE?!!Was that suppose to hint he made Hooty? Was Hooty there for him to guard King?

What became of Collector’s family? Are they the reason that Owl curse got spread.... What was that final print in Collector’s book... felt like they avoided that for a reason would it had summoned them? Or caused more harm?

Also why haven’t Eda/Lilith been free of the curse? I assume since Alador is finding a way to undo the draining spell, that means its possible for them to be free as well.

Anything else...

I admit I wanted to know more of what became of Caleb... Yes I know the rumor was Dana Terrace wanted to do a prequel going into his and Philip’s background... but Disney is a moneygrubbing little worm.... so unless they think they’ll make more money out of that.... I’m not holding my breath. Would have liked to know what became of his wife/girlfriend Evelyn? Were fans right is she the ancestor of Eda’s family. 

And I’ll address an elephant in the room... Philip himself. I do feel his ending was a bit rushed for the finale. Yes he gave us a fight but his literal end felt... sorry “Starvstheforcesofevil/ Ludo” set. Kinda mooted if you get my drift..... what would I had wanted? 

I admit I dunno... Unlike some of the fandom I have mixed feelings with Belos/Philip. On one hand he’s an amazing/ EVIL villain. On the other hand... I don’t have a lot of sympathy for him. I had more for the Collector. Now again this could had been because Terrace had more planned and that was crushed due to Disney. Its just I dunno how to explain it... I did see the possiblity of a “oh redeemable villain” it was done with Andrias from Amphibia... but Andrias had more hesitation even in his actions.... Belos didn’t really have that. We weren’t given a Darth Vader ending where he regrets or we see his “spirit”. And while I do think even if she wanted a prequel... I don’t think she was mincing words with us as fans. When she had King’s father call him out on his behavior. We can see what triggered/pushed him all we want. But at the end of the day, Philip gave up his humanity. 

He quit caring, he may have been innocent once. But he threw it away for Christian radicalism, angry that his brother wasn’t following the script, and was willing to commit MASS genocide for it. At most I think those visions of his brother and the golden guards were the closest he had to coming to terms with his past and chose to ignore it. I dunno what I would have liked for his ending... maybe see that his plans would always fail? Maybe see a spirit of Caleb call him out one more time? Or I dunno something other than a simple stomp 8B. I dunno at most all I can say... would have LOVED to see Camila hit him for hurting her child.

Also... I do wish if the series had continued Vee could have been involved more. I feel like from that tarot card reading from Masha. That it wasn’t just aimed at Luz, I feel like the story hinted she would be involved with this story/fight against Belos.

see Vee/Masha end up together. Sorry/not sorry but they felt like role reverse Amity/Luz.

Wish Luz could have made friends with more humans, feel like due to the obvious storyline she wasn’t given a chance to bond with the new kids/or Masha’s camp friends and they felt like they were important. Heck they could have helped her. I think but thats my opinion.

I WANTED A HUNTLOW KISS!!! buttt I’ve learned from anime it isn’t all about the kissing. Just acknowledging can be enough. I think thats why we didn’t see Raeda kiss... or did I miss that?oO

Hmm I think thats it. Again no hate please. Will delete if I do 8B.

I am gonna miss this show and wish we had more. //le sigh//

Again thank you Dana Terrace and the cast/staff of Owl House for making that the best show! I wish we could have had more. 

[richardsondavis]

So I have just finished watching the live action One Piece.

Not bad. I'll give my thoughts below. Spoilers, sort of.

So we start with Romance Dawn

So to just give how much I know about One Piece. I read the manga and have read all the parts of the East Blue saga and safe to say, Arlong Park and Baratie were my favorite arcs ever. Especially, Arlong Park.

So with that said, Romance Dawn. Luffy meets with Koby who saves Koby from Alvida. That's how it went but I did wonder how they were going to get Alvida thin as shown in the anime and manga. I actually thought that it might've caused an uproar with the woke crowd but in the end, she's still fat and did team up with Buggy in the end, which happened. Fun.

I don't have much to say. This was the beginning. It's to test the waters. And if you like what you see then yeah, you are in for a ride.

Next is:

The Man in the Straw Hat

Buggy the Clown. One of the first major enemies that appeared in One Piece. Let me tell you, the actor who played Buggy gave it his all and he is one of the best things that happened. Fantastic work by the actor. Kudos to him!

The crew gets captured by Buggy and all that. A lot got cut out like Zoro having this sword fight or some such. Memory is a little hazy but I am making this after binging the show so do forgive. Nothing really bad happened here. Buggy is just very menacing. He's like Joker. He's exactly like Joker.

Moving on, we got:

Oh god, Usopp. Ussop's arc, man! Tell No Tales is about Usopp and fuck me if it wasn't the worst shit I've seen. This kind of crap took too long. It shat on a lot of Ussop's character. He is a shot, a marksman and the fact that he ain't got his friends nor the epic showdown between Kuro and his crew against the Straw Hats is just damn disappointing. A lot was cut out. This will feel like a test for some because it gets boring to slog through this crap. This arc could've been done better but goddamn. This was a memorable arc from the manga but this was butchered in love action.

Next we have a continuation of the Ussop arc but with Sanji's backstory now. It's still as insufferable as the last episode but Sanji's past is not bad. Could've been done better. All I can say. Epic fight between Sanji and the other members of the staff that was with Kuro who were not in the anime nor manga I believe. So yeah.

Next up Baratie. Holy shit. This was it. The Sanji arc. I didn't really get my hopes up but two things were done here that made me consider this as the best live action anime adaptation. Sanji's backstory and Sanji's goodbye.

Suffice to say, both were done so well, so damn well that I cried. I cried when I read the scene in the manga and now I cried when I saw it in live action. My god. It's so wonderful.

I do see some folks comment that Sanji should've bowed to Zeff when he left Baratie but to me the bowing never really was the point. It was that Sanji was crying and said his thanks. Sanji crying while saying goodbye was the highlight of that scene for me and the live action delivered. We also get Mihawk and a look on Arlong. So there's that.

Just a continuation of the Zeff, Sanji Arc stuff. Said what I need to above.

Arlong Park. The arc that I said would be the basis of whether I would consider this to be a good live action. They should be thankful that they chose to put Sanji first before this because the emotional scene from Nami was fucking shit. It was shit. That's what it was!

THEY FUCKING RUINED THE EMOTIONAL SCENE OF ARLONG PARK!!!!!!! FUCK!!!!!! THEY BETTER BE THANKFUL THAT SANJI CAME FIRST AND THAT HIS ARC WAS MY SECOND FAVORITE. IF NOT, I WOULD HAVE CONSIDERED THIS TO BE AS SHIT AS THE REST OF THE LIVE ACTION TRASH!!!!!!

I'm just damn mad at how they just meh-ified it. Nojiko's actress was awful. Woman can't act and her child counterpart was equally awful. It was the arc I was waiting for the most but it didn't deliver. The emotional scene of the Arlong Park arc was the goat! THE FUCKING GOAT AND THEY BUTCHERED IT! FUCKING HELL!

I'm just peeved man.

A continuation of the Arlong Park Arc. Fight scene was meh. Garp's fight with Luffy is kinda neat though so I'll give them that. Damn.

Anyway after all that, I'll give this series an 8.5/10.

BECAUSE OF SANJI'S ARC THAT'S WHY!!!!!

Thanks for reading and I wish you a wonderful day!

[rossandthemagnificentgaypirates]

OFMD FIC REC

It’s an ao3 adaptation of a Twitter thread fic about modern day blackbonnet+crew, and it’s absolutely magical. The author did a great job characterizing and I really loved how the story played out!! I highly recommend it. The story gets explicit towards the end, if necessary those sections are very easy to skip while still understanding the plot if you want to. No notable trigger warnings other than sexual content and bird violence. It’s a LOT tamer than the show lol. Let me know if I should tag anything else! Pls leave kudos on it if you like it.

—

Rating: Explicit

Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply

Relationships:

Blackbeard | Edward Teach/Stede Bonnet (focus of fic)

Oluwande Boodhari/Jim Jimenez

Black Pete/Lucius Spriggs

Characters: Stede Bonnet, Blackbeard | Edward Teach, Oluwande Boodhari, Jim Jimenez, Black Pete (Our Flag Means Death), Lucius Spriggs, Roach (Our Flag Means Death), Buttons (Our Flag Means Death), Wee John Feeney, Frenchie (Our Flag Means Death), "Calico" Jack Rackham, Israel Hands, The Swede (Our Flag Means Death), Mary Allamby Bonnet, Alma Bonnet, Louis Bonnet

Additional Tags: Alternate Universe - Canon Divergence, Stede Bonnet Loves Blackbeard | Edward Teach, Blackbeard | Edward Teach Loves Stede Bonnet, Idiots in Love, Alternate Universe - Modern Setting, Alternate Universe-English Canals, Friends to Lovers, Angst with a Happy Ending

Summary: Recently out and divorced Stede Bonnet buys a canal side pub and narrowboat, despite having zero experience with either. Along with his rag tag pub staff and the boys from the boat works across the canal, he's carving out a little space where he feels he belongs. Ed Teach, a blues pianist who's lived on his narrowboat in London for years, is burnt out from a long tour and a bitter break up. He decides a boat trip North is just what the doctor ordered to clear his head and find the music again.

(This is NOT my fic!!!! Do not give me credit for it!!!! I just enjoyed reading it enough to want to share with the class.)

[mala--draws]

my school has done a production of a monster calls and it was absolutely fucking amazing.

there were minor changes including genderswaps but for the most part, they felt super natural and i don't have enough kudos for the production, tech and overseeing staff as well as the crew who did amazing.

notes:

- connie (conor) is amazing. her screams were haunting and her sobbing genuine and so real. irene's actor was amazing as well made really made me feel for them, the "i know everything you want to say" scene has and will stick with me. there's a scene where she throws chairs and pieces fucking break off. her screams stick with me.

- the subversion of the monster came initally as a shock but really reframes the entire play. its prescence when connie was most scared was comforting and scarily real, and reminds us that life is unpredictable and messy and nothing will necessarily make sense but we continue. we fucking continue.

- this production had a system of ropes and a harness, as well as stilts that the monster used. the sfx and makeup team did stupid well. at some point, ends of the rope are taken and repeatedly slammed into the floor– it made it harder to hear the monster's dialogue but god it worked as intended.

- harry. Ohmyfuckinggod harry, harry's actor did fucking amazing. he does come off merely as a bully but it goes deeper, the scene where he simply picks up connie's stuff wordlessly was haunting. his realisation of connie's fear, the way the actor threw himself onto the floor was lasting. my ears were metaphorically ringing.

- again, just kudos. so many fucking kudos, i am so proud of my friends and the crew behind it all. y'all, i'm excited for next year's production.

[623duck]

2023.05.20

ドキュメンタリー映画『世界で戦うフィルムたち』

本日より、池袋シネマ・ロサにて劇場公開です。 そのほかの劇場は順次公開してまいりますので、続報をお楽しみに。 ーー Documentary film "The Night Before Upheaval"

The film will open today at the Ikebukuro Cinema Rosa. Other theaters will follow in due course, so please look forward to further updates.

【あらすじ】

世界に向けて挑戦を続ける若手映画監督・亀山睦木が、日本映画の未来を模索した実録ドキュメンタリー。

亀山監督は自身の監督作「12ヶ月のカイ」を110以上もの海外の映画祭に応募し、現地の声を聞くためアメリカからヨーロ���パまで足を運んだ。その道のりを追い、キャストやスタッフの思いを込めた作品を1人でも多くの観客に観てもらうべく奮闘する亀山監督の姿を映し出す。

さらに亀山監督は、日本を代表する俳優・寺島しのぶ、ハリウッド���品も手がける清水崇監督や北村龍平監督ら映画関係者にインタビューを敢行。世界で活躍する日本人の経験や、若手監督・俳優のリアルな苦悩が本人たちの言葉で語られる。 ーー 【STORY】 This is a true-life documentary by Mutsuki Kameyama, a young film director who continues to challenge the world, in search of the future of the Japanese film industry.

Kameyama submitted their film "12 Months of KAI" to over 110 overseas film festivals, and traveled from the U.S. to Europe to hear the voices of local audiences. The film follows Kameyama's journey and their struggle to get as many viewers as possible to see their film, which is filled with the thoughts and feelings of the cast and crew.

They also interviewed leading Japanese actor Shinobu Terajima, as well as directors Takashi Shimizu and Ryuhei Kitamura, who have also worked on Hollywood productions, and others involved in the film industry. In their own words, they speak of the experiences of Japanese filmmakers working around the world and the real-life struggles of young directors and actors.

【出演】

北村龍平 谷垣健治 清水崇 深田晃司 片山慎三 祐真キキ / 寺島しのぶ 松本卓也 宇賀那健一 戸田彬弘 野本梢 加藤綾佳 石橋夕帆 田中大貴 皆川暢二 中屋柚香 中垣内彩加 工藤孝生 岡田深 大石菊華 今村左悶 カン・ハンナ Michael A Stackpole Neilson Black Louis Savy 掛尾良夫 矢田部吉彦

【スタッフ】

監督：亀山睦木 企画 : noadd プロデューサー : 浦野大輔 吉野匡志 鈴木遥 山田百合菜 アソシエイトプロデューサー : 吉丸佳予子 音楽 : 今村左悶 イラスト : カタユキコ キャスティング : 本間祐樹 ( スカリー ) 神原健太朗 門田治子　 ヘアメイク : 清水彩美 光倉カオル (dynamic 所属) スタイリスト : 中井綾子 (crepe 所属) モーショングラフィック: 小野越生 整音・音響効果 : 松野泉 製作・配給 :ノアド株式会社　 助成 : 文化庁「ARTS for the future! 」補助対象事業 ーー 【Interviewee】

Ryuhei Kitamura, Kenji Tanigaki, Takashi Shimizu, Koji Fukada Shinzo Katayama, Kiki Sukezane / Shinobu Terajima Takuya Matsumoto, Kenichi Ugana, Akihiro Toda, Kozue Nomoto Ayaka Kato, Yuho Ishibashi, Daiki Tanaka, Youji Minagawa Yuzuka Nakaya, Ayaka Nakagochi, Kosei Kudo, Jin Okada Kikka Oiwa, Samon Imamura, Kang Hanna Michael A Stackpole, Neilson Black, Louis Savy, Yoshio Kakeo, Yoshi Yatabe

【Staff】

Director：Mutsuki Kameyama Producer : Daisuke Urano, Tadashi Yoshino, Haruka Suzuki, Yurina Yamada Associate Producer : Kayoko Yoshimaru Music : Samon Imamura Illustlation : Yukiko Kata Casting : Yuki Honma (SKALY), Kentaro Kanbara, Haruko Monda　 Hair and Make : Ayami Shimizu, Kaoru Mitsukura(dynamic) Stylist : Ayako Nakai(crepe) Motion Graphic : Essei Ono Sound Design & Effects : Izumi Matsuno Produce & Distribution : noadd Inc. Supported by Agency for Cultural Affairs「ARTS for the future! 」

[mrdeath]

"Mmph."

He drinks tea himself to wake his own ass from the grave, waiting for Hawk to figure out what the waking world was.

Long nights into longer days, and they had a flight left for the evening. Hunk worried his lip over the edge of his cup, Nighthawk gawked,  “Nobody would give you the benefit of the doubt that you banged the Grim Reaper,” he offers, counterpoint and tired. 

He was right. The people that actually knew who he was outside of his mask and lenses gave him as much space as possible and worried looks for themselves. They were never really friends, either.

The motherfucker that kills everyone around him for a living. Kind of. Inadvertently, usually. The Grim Reaper isn’t named idly, but a lot of the fear was earned by his ability to remind someone that he could kill them.

A step forward or even a hard look was usually enough to send somebody running. Reputation’s a hell of a thing.

Kudos to Nighthawk for being just oblivious or ballsy enough to sit at a table with him in the first place. He’d make a joke about getting his affairs in order, but it seemed tasteless enough with Grin turned to ash, to let it lie.

He rubbed at an eye to get the sleep out of it.

The mint’s relieving. He savors it and collects his jacket, the key card, and the minimally packed duffel they saddled on him with and leads them both out of his room. Umbrella's retreat would go on with two less employees to suck the poor excuse of a morale booster down. Fine by him. He preferred the road.

“You should go get whatever you need. Car’ll be here in an hour.”

And he’d be waiting in the lobby thinking about what medication to shirk today. It’s a dreary day and shitty flying. Ten hours of it. He popped everything but the painkiller with morning tea and egg broth. He looked a lonely sight with a cup of tea and at least twenty feet between him and the nearest person.

Nighthawk nodded and left to get his things- also minimally packed as this retreat was impromptu, and not really well thought through. The company dime could take care of anything he needed, as far as he was concerned. He did end up taking the little soaps and shampoos that were in the room, stuffed them in the duffel. Hotel staff would have to throw them out anyway, he was sure, so may as well just take it. He slung it over his shoulder and made his way down to the lobby- grabbing a complementary breakfast, and just a little more coffee. A little under an hour of waiting, and a few more helpings of the do-it-yourself waffle batter, and the valet arrived. Very professional, and terse. The ride was all business down to a nearby airfield, where the rest of their crew was waiting. Military grade transport vehicles set up a perimeter in the private section of the field, USS personnel, both technical and military, were at work suiting up and setting up their flight. As they were told to exit, Nighthawk took a look at what he would be flying. On the outside it looked like a personal transport jet- one of Umbrella’s custom aircraft. Half of the jet that was dedicated to “passengers“ was refitted to have an on board biohazard containment set up, the other half dedicated to military personnel and armory. On the ground, in a sectioned off area, the perimeter had set up a decontamination unit. He could see other techs dressed in hazmat suits carefully loading a cylindrical chrome plated container on board. That’s G. The Golgotha virus. He scanned down on the field- There were four others suited up. He saw the distinct orange fatigues and helm of the USS pilots. As well as three USS ground troops dressed in greys and blacks. They were armed to the teeth as per usual. An Umbrella Tech leads them to the transport vehicles- their gear is provided for them. Issued anew from the shitshow that was Raccoon. “Suit up,“ they were commanded. Nighthawk dressed into his fatigues and gear, donning his gloves, helmet, sidearm, tactical knife. He secured everything together and put in his respirator, breathing in the new filtered air. He was given two spares. Hunk dressed in his peculiar manner. He never wore the Umbrella logo. Always simple black fatigues, wearing a gas mask and helmet that seemed outdated for the rest of the USS’s gear. Those red lenses were just the right saturation to appear glowing. Seeing that on a dark night? You’d think you’d really met the Grim Reaper. Better pray Mr. Death isn’t sent after you.

When modern medicine failed to do the trick, Raul's family always had a few back-ups. A tub of petroleum jelly mixed with menthol and camphor to do the trick... and it always worked (or at least, it was always insisted that it worked). Maybe it did, or maybe by the end of the whole ordeal, Hunk's body was just about given in to the exhaustion.

Either way, they pass out with barely four hours to sleep.

Hunk's up first, and wakes Nighthawk. Starting awake, and blinking blearily around the room, the smell of coffee pulls his focus... then to the digital nightstand alarm clock that was minutes before it was set to go off. He grunts, going ahead and turning it off. No use in waiting for it to make noise if they were both up. He swings his legs out and stands up, stretching and taking the coffee put on the stand to drink it. Hunk didn’t say anything, and it was a very deliberate, and kind gesture. Hawk lets the drink bring him into focus and clears the sleep from his eyes with the back of his hand before actually taking a moment to look at Hunk.

This is the first time he'd seen him practically done up since carting him to Umbrella's hospital facility after Raccoon City. Freshly shaved, and hair clipped down to an even length on the sides. No more shadows, and he could see the lines of the scar that adorned his cheek clearly.

He looked like Hell before, and now he looked maybe a bit more like Purgatory. Just a beat up, enduring and patient guy. "Well, good morning, Mr. Death," he chirped, “Buen día, guapo. Looking alive, I see. You clean up good."

He gives a pointed glance and once over to Hunk, before tossing the empty cup into the trash, going to the sink to wash his face with cold water, shaking off the last remnants of tiredness.

Blotting his face with a towel, he mutters, “Pack and head out, meet the valet- and transport the Grim Reaper himself-" he set the towel down, “Alright. Back to work... First day as Alpha Team's pilot, official."

[berrychanx]

Tokyo Mew Mew New EP 13 Anime VS Manga + Analysis

There’s some major differences from this episode from the anime to the manga Despite them not appearing now doesn’t mean we won’t see that scenario in other episodes< SCENES WERE ALTERED FROM THE MANGA TO FIT IN THE ANIME STORY TELLING

the manga starts with Ichigo waiting for Aoyama to finish his kendo practice, since they started dating a day ago (anime wise) imo it’s too soon for this, let their relationship develop a bit more. Besides episode 9 kinda already gave us this scene

The other pages its about the ticket concert Aoyama got for him and Ichigo, also already showned in s1. After some pages we cut to Ichigo in the cafe where the girls wonderw hy she’s acting so strange, the anime chnaged this and instead has her bff wondering what happened and instead have the mews snap her back into reality.

Where then introduced to Aoyama entering the cafe, which happened in episode 9

So back to the anime cutscenes

Instead of being an aquarium date as a couple the anime changed it into volunteer work with kids, which i give them kudos for. Since the anime was announcened that the director said in an interview that the crew wishes for this reboot to help younger generations care for our planet.

This works perfect for this two characters and gives Ichigo a goal or at least something for her to think about as a job career.

Adding in enviromental information for the viewers and specially to educate younger generations.

I really loved this Aoyama like It can mean, foreshadowing, as if deep blue is becoming self aware

OR That we as humans, homo sapiens species, s houldn't take the planet for granted just because we're the dominant species

Aoyama Masaya character role was always the one to educate the viewer/reader about the enviroment, rda, protection etc. I guess he’s the JP counterpart of captain planet?

Meanwhike Kish attacks

I love how the anime made the whole situation more dangerous. Why civillains, especially kids, in danger, the staff acting getting everyone in to safety. while the manga everyone knew what to do and where to run XD

Ichigo is left behind, the lights go off and the scenario suddenly changes

The least thing you could expect xD

I love this mini filler moment, instead of suddenly attacking her with the intetion of finishing her, kish acutally enjoys a forced date with ichigo

Him telliing her, they plan to extinguish humanity also only comes very late in the manga

This is only brought up at later volumes, imo it was a great idea to insert it early into the plot

She also transforms much later, after this reveal which is brilliant

Meanwhile in the manga we never see what Aoyama’s doing, I presume he wasn’t allowed to return back the aquarium. But the anime at least depicts him searching for Ichigo The manga makes the battle scene be very fast, Ichigo defeats some small fishes and gets throwned out of the window by a huge fish

The anime at least make her and the mews fight the chimeras before falling

She’s the catch by this mysterious person

And just like in the manga they’re stopped by an angry Kish

, in the manga Kish accepts defeat pretty well and just  vanishes, meanwhile in the anime he’s ready to fight back for ichigo before Pie and Tart appear and take him awya

For now Ichigo doesn’t wonder if the Blue knight is Shirogane, tghere’s time for that

In fact i can see this whole “who’s the blue knight” arc being the plot for this season or other non-original episodes.

She rushes to go see Aoyama who must be worried sick

And this is where the comparision ends, While in the manga she rushes to go meet Aoyama and notices her collaris missing, <- Which i can see having its own episode.

Next week will be an original episode focused on Minto

[padawansubscription]

Kintsugi.

Pairing: lyutsifer safin x gn!reader

Summary: the kitchen is your safe place until it isn’t.

Word Count: 1.4k

Warnings: angst, anxiety

A/N: help! i’m a simp for safin and also really bad at science 🥲 been meaning to write this bad boy for a while now, so kudos to me! and as always, feedback is appreciated (even if it’s anonymous).

p.s. there’s no fluff. but it is a beginning. and no, i didn’t forget about boba. i’m just really, really bad at planning...

1:17 AM

It was one of those nights.

With a sigh, you shoulder the doors open, one hand holding a mug, the other pocketed for warmth. It's awfully cold, but you suppose that's the nature of a kitchen after dark. You pass by the pots and pans, taking your usual route. Faint echoes alert your presence, light footsteps pitter-pattering across the cold concrete floor, followed by the shuffling of your lab coat.

The kitchen was vast, and when empty, ideal for taking a break. The key was to come in after 1:00 AM. By then, the staff and cleaning crew were long gone, leaving the place spotless to a fault. And while employees weren't prohibited from entering the kitchen, it was heavily frowned upon, a lesson you learned from your second visit. It's why you don't turn on the lights, opting to walk in the dark, guided by the faint glow of the exit signs above. There were "landmarks" to your route; first, the closet, then the sinks, and around the corner was—

A kettle, on the stove, with a fire going.

You freeze. Wide eyes search around but to no avail. Who's making tea at 1:00 AM? Your mind races for an answer. None of your colleagues are awake. Maybe security? Though, you didn't peg them as the tea-type. No offense to Primo. No, all offense to Primo. Bracing yourself, you call out. "Hello?" Silence. A moment passes before you take a tentative step. 

The kettle was traditional in its shape, round with a top handle. It was ceramic and black and—

You realize there's more to its side. Trails of gold spanned across its edges, diverging and meeting at various points. Like lightning, you muse, enamored. To call it beautiful would be an understatement. And it didn't help that the gold gleamed with the fire. You reach for the lid.

"Kintsugi."

Your heart nearly gives out, and you applaud yourself for not screaming then and there. Heart pounding, you register the voice—the accent—and pale as his steps near you.

Lyutsifer Safin walks into the light, and it's no wonder you missed him. He wore his signature navy coat and black sweater, making him nearly impossible to see in the dark. And maybe that's the point. You step aside as he approaches the kettle, also mug in hand.

"I'm sorry, sir. I didn't realize you were here, I—"

He raises a hand. Relax. "Why are you in the kitchen, doctor?" He asks, not nearly as chastising as he was curious. He notices your mug.

"Um, water, sir." 

"Water," he repeats, pouring his tea. It smells good even from this distance. "As far as I'm aware, there is water in the office and your quarters." To this, you nod. "So why come all the way here?"

"It helps me think," you admit, albeit hesitantly. "The walking," you gesture around, "and the silence, it helps me think outside of the box sometimes. I hope that's okay..."

He lets out a soft 'ah.' "It seems we come here for the same reason. Here." He hands you his mug.

You stare at the mug, brain processing—

"An exchange, doctor."

Still processing, you hand over your mug for his. "What is it, sir?"

"Tea."

If you didn't feel dumb before, you did now. Nodding, you blow your tea, averting your gaze in favor of the mug.

Despite his polite, though reserved, manner, you were wary of his presence. Whispers of his reputation painted him as a cruel, unforgiving man. "Try not to stare," your colleague warned, "or else you'll disappear like the last guy." So you did, avoiding his eyes every time he visited the office, only listening in from the sidelines as he spoke to your supervisor. Granted, he rarely paid mind to you or the others. You wouldn't be surprised if he didn't know your name.

"I didn't poison your tea if that's what you're thinking."

You jump, eyes flickering to his before returning to the mug. Has he been watching you this whole time? "Excuse me?"

"You haven't had your tea yet."

"Oh no. I didn't- I-" You give up. You take a sip.

Satisfied, he turns and pours himself a cup, setting aside the kettle but keeping the fire alive.

A hum escapes you. "This is good!" You marvel, perhaps a little too excited. Fuck, this was actually delicious. You didn't know tea could even taste like this. It tasted clean without any artificial flavor, light yet rich in its experience. You take another sip. "Is it jasmine?" You ask, noting the familiar floral scent.

"Among other leaves. A personal recipe."

"Wow. You should consider opening a shop, sir. I don't think I've had tea this good before," you chuckle without thinking. Wait, was that too much? Regret slowly washes over you, dampening your mood. You anxiously glance his way, but he sips his tea, seemingly unbothered by your comment.

"Tell me, doctor." His gaze returns to you. "How long have you been on the island?"

"A little over two years, sir. Dr. Fukunaga recruited me in the winter."

"And you know him from your time at the CIA."

So he did know you. "I- yes," you swallow, hyper-aware of your clammy hands. Why were you sweating so much? "He was the head of our research department. Much like how it is right now." Fuck, can he hear you swallow? Maybe he did poison your tea.

He sets down his- your mug. "He mentioned you were working on the new strain."

"Yes. I was hoping to look into something," you hesitate, "but we're still early in our research. Though, we should have something by this week." You quickly add for reassurance.

"And what is this idea of yours?"

"I- It's premature to say. And Dr. Fukunaga hasn't approved it yet, so we're—"

"Doctor." 

He doesn't continue. He's waiting, you realize. Cautiously, you lift your head, surprised to see his grey eyes. Weird, you always thought they were brown for some reason. And like a victim of Medusa, you found yourself staring back, unable to break away from his gaze.

"Humor me."

"This strain has a set of toxins we haven't seen in the other nightshades. I mean, it's still closer to the Atropa belladonna than Petunia, but it's different. I think we can use these toxins to make a-" your face flushes as you rub the back of your neck, "for lack of better words, a truth serum."

 Safin tilts his head, his brows furrowing by a fraction. "We already have truth serums."

"Not quite." Your bite your lower lip. "We have serums that render our subjects vulnerable and easy to manipulate. Sometimes they tell the truth, sometimes don't, they tell versions of the truth, and that's because they no longer have ownership of their memories."

"Then we torture." He shrugs as if this was an obvious alternative.

"We can..." you agree, "but torture involves tools, time," you count with your fingers, "as well as the right person and threat. It isn't the most accessible method. And it can be damaging in the sense that the subject is aware of the information they hold, same with the truth serum you mentioned. But with this, with the new serum, they won't. We don't have to break down a person to get to the truth. They'll give it to us of their own volition. And it'll be free from external influence, the unaltered, absolute truth." You smile, the excitement within you bubbling exponentially. "Sir, we can revolutionize the interrogation scene!"

Safin covers his mouth, but you catch the way his lips quirk, and your smile falters. He thinks you're a joke. Clearing your throat, you add, "hypothetically, it'll lower the subject's inhibition without any noticeable side effects. Like being drunk, but without the slurring and hangover."

His hand remains by his mouth as his eyes roll in contemplation. A moment passes before you mutter, "you disapprove."

His eyes snap to yours. "You are confident despite your lack of experience with this strain."

"I am hopeful," you emphasize. "I believe it's worth looking into."

He squints his eyes, making an expression you couldn't quite read. Was he impressed? Disappointed? 'We can revolutionize the interrogation scene!' Ugh, you internally cringe. And who's to say it'll even work? Stupid. Stupid. STUPID! You hold his gaze, trying your best to appear confident, as you slowly die on the inside, swimming in self-sabotage.

Safin's smile returns. "Then let us hope Dr. Fukunaga sees its potential." He collects his mug (technically, your mug, but does it matter anymore?) and moves past you, heading to the exit. You wait as his footsteps fade away and the door closes behind him.

You sigh. Dejected for reasons unknown, you turn off the stove, wallowing in the darkness.

[bloodredfootball]

I give kudos to the Japan NT staff/crew...

Someone had to go to the matches with handful of papers, had to sit down and make the cranes (of all sizes too!) and write the most neatest sign in different languages...

just class.

[stanley578]

The voice actress of Amethyst is in The Owl House

Holy shit! I did not expect this at all!

Michaela Dietz provided the voice of Vee the Basilisk in the 10th episode of season 2, Yesterday's Lie. Vee is the impersonator of Luz in the human realm and I totally forgot about the Basilisks. It's been a really long while since this species was touched upon.

Last time was the season 1 episode, The First Day, where the Greater Basilisk impersonated as the inspector so she can enter Hexside and feed the magic of students and staff. I never would've guessed that Vee, fka Creepy Luz, is of the same species. That revelation is just 🤯.

Besides that, we saw a glimpse of the statues of two men. One of them has the same hair length as Philip Wittebane. Plus, more info was revealed by Jacob, the curator who gives off Ronaldo Fryman and Kent Mansley vibes.

He said, "In the 1600s, this was a peaceful colony until tragedy struck. Two brothers were lured into a realm of evil by a real witch, never to be seen again." I have a feeling that Belos and Philip are the brothers depicted in the statues and the book owned by Jacob. On the other hand, the real witch might be The Collector.

I know that I keep on saying this but goddamn, The Owl House just keeps getting better and better. I can't wait for the remaining 11 episodes of season 2. The second half is where shit is going to get real.

As always, kudos to Dana Terrace and her owl crew for creating a groundbreaking animated series that not only has amazing character development and storyline, but also promotes accurate LGBTQ+ representation. Now, we're on a midseason hiatus.

On a side note, it’s revealed that Eda’s pseudonym during her time in the human realm is Marilyn. The name of Grunkle Stan’s ex-wife is Marilyn Rosenstein. This proves the theory made by many that Eda is indeed the ex-wife of Stan.  🤯

[philippslahm]

i am a neutral party and yet i am uncontrollably shaking

now imagine being one of his teammates

kudos to the film crew, the by standing players and the staff doing their best to protect him being exposed in a state like that

[canyouhearthelight]

The Miys, Ch. 128

This is another chapter that I started with one intention and it kind of dragged me the other way. I started with what Miys says at the beginning as a kernel, and...

Yeah, avoiding spoilers, you get...*waves frantically* this.  Which I am excited about seeing where it goes.

Kudos to @baelpenrose​ and @mustachebatarts​ for this chapter. You’ll both understand when you read it :)

Tyche nodded sleepily as Alistair handed her a cup of coffee, mirroring my own struggle to wake up.  It was the beginning of Alpha shift - roughly 6:30am Terran Pacific NorthAm time - and we were starting our week with an extremely rare mission brief. Parvati and Hannah seemed either anxious or excited - possibly a combination - as the last brief they had received was ship-wide when we announced the lighting changes. Neither of them had ever been in one of the Council-only meetings that preceded such announcements.

Due to the growth on the Council - both among administrators and among Mentees - it wasn’t feasible to hold this meeting face to face in the room ordinarily used for such things. As a result, each Councilor was joining from their respective office, along with auxiliary staff who needed to be privy to the information discussed. For someone like Grey, that would be themself, Antoine, and their current admin, Nora. In my case, it was everyone who reported to my office.

“Has everyone joined?” I asked in my role as Parliamentarian for this meeting.  No one liked the position, so it rotated.

“Still waiting on Huynh, Charly, and Ivan,” Eino replied.

“We’re here!” an entirely-too-awake voice greeted.

Ignoring the laugh that Alistair and Hannah were suppressing, I forged ahead. “That’s everyone then. Good Morning, Council. Today is January 23rd, 2051 Terran-relative time, 45th day of Von cold season Year four Pre-Colony. We are currently two Terran years from Von. Miys has requested that we gather this morning for an important mission update so that we can prepare. Miys, you have the floor.”

“Thank you, Wisdom. Good day, Human Council.” I couldn’t tell if Miys had practiced or was operating on multiple minds, but the resemblance to a human public-speaker was startling. “As stated by Councilor Wisdom, the Yjq is currently two Terran years from your destination. We requested to address you in order to advise that navigational adjustments will be necessary within one Terran year of the planet you call Von.”

Murmurs erupted on the conference, but no one actually interrupted, so Miys continued. “Due to the density of systems in this portion of the Galaxy, the final Terran year of the journey cannot be made at our current speed.  The Yjq will need to drop out of relativistic space and complete the remaining leg in realspace.”

“How does this immediately impact the human population?” Grey asked first, hardly letting Miys finish their statement.

“With the sensors operational, there should be no noticeable difference in the transition,” came the answer. “However, there will be the introduction of potential physical hazards once we are in realspace.”

After a pause of silence, Xiomara spoke up. “Are you talking about the potential of being attacked?”

“Galactic law prohibits acts of violence against aide or rescue vessels.”

I heard an explosive snort before an extremely dry voice joined in. “Miys, that is the opposite of an answer,” Evania argued. “And we all know that criminals are famous for their adherence to the letter of the law.”

An alert chirped on my data band, and I almost choked when I saw Arthur’s message: “Oh, I LIKE her…”

“Once we are no longer in relativistic space, the Yjq is due to rendezvous with an Ekomari escort within thirty Terran days.”

“And what is the tactical benefit of that escort?” Evan pushed.

Rather than Miys, Charly responded. “Ekomari are very aggressive, but even more bound by a code of honor.  They view preying on the weak - including rescue and aide vessels - the most disgusting behavior imaginable.  This extends to the point of stopping their own attacks once the enemy is considered defeated.”

“Only an extremely overconfident or suicidal crew would try to go up against an Ekomari squadron that is escorting us,” Arthur finished.

“That is satisfactory. No objections.”

Approval in her tone, Xiomara launched the next question. “What about the thirty days we won’t have an escort? What is normally done on that leg of the journey?”

“Optimally, there is no such period during such a relocation.” I heard every person in my office inhale with dread at that statement. “During this time, there is always an increased concern that pirates and scavengers will attack in an attempt to be the first beings with artifacts from the newly present species.”

“Souvenirs… They want us for souvenirs…” Tyche muttered.

“We will discuss our options once we have all the information,” I stated loudly, trying to keep the meeting going before everyone panicked. “Miys, what other information do we need to know about the final year of the journey?”

“Once we are in realspace, long distance scans and data mining operations will begin for more accurate information regarding Von.  This information will be communicated to the entire Council so that any changes or updates to colony plans may be adjusted and finalized.  That is all for now.”

“Thank you Miys. You may remain in the meeting, as we may need your input regarding Galactic regulations, statistics, or laws.”

“Of course, Wisdom.”

I nodded and took a deep breath. “Xiomara, I’m pretty sure that you and Evan have a lot to say on the matter at hand.  Are there any objections to Health and Safety taking the floor?”

After a round of negatives, I conceded the floor. “Thank you, Sophia. Council, clearly there is a pressing matter in our future, here at the end of a tumultuous era, just as our goal is in sight. We cannot allow thirty days of risk to derail us now. For all that we have striven to show humanity as capable of peace and change, we now need to reach down to the roots of our very existence and ensure that we will not be undefended in that month.”

“Miys, the Ark is equipped with scouting probes and evacuation shuttles,” Evan followed. “What are the chances that we can repurpose those into our own small squadron for defensive purposes.”

“Doing such would invalidate the protection the Yjq is afforded by Galactic Law.”

“Excuse me, what!?” I sputtered, completely caught off guard.

“Hospital ships are only protected so long as they are incapable of defense, to prevent opposing forces from attacking each other under the guise of aide,” Charly explained in a mournful tone.

Evan and I groaned heavily. “At least tell me that the odds of any attackers completely blowing up the ship are low?”

“They would only be able to do so by detonating our drives from the inside.  To do so from the exterior would require more force than a coronal ejection from a white dwarf star.”

That was reassuring at least.

“So we would be safe as long as they don’t board the ship,” Arthur acknowledged.  I could see where his next question was going, but Evan beat him to it by a mile.

“Since we are not Hujylsogox, and are only the cargo of the Ark, there are no prohibitions against us defending ourselves in the event of a forced boarding, correct? Only you, yourself, would not be able to fight back.”

“This is correct, Commander Josue. I am not allowed to interfere in such a matter.”

Interesting wording.  Noah was telling us, as officially as allowed, that it would not fight the intruders, but also would not stop us from any actions we took. I smiled as I felt a confirming nudge in the back of my mind.

“Well, those weapons demonstrations were certainly not just for fun,” Huynh growled.  I could hear Charly cackling in the background before he confirmed to her that, yes, she can play with the construction exos.

“Let’s be organized about this,” Xiomara insisted. “For those comfortable with helping defend, we need to set up anti-boarding drills to start six months out at the latest. For those on the ship who are against violence, sort them into who can provide medical aid and who needs to do evacuation drills.  Eino, Arthur - can you assist Sophia’s team with that?”

“We can,” Eino confirmed, echoed by Arthur.

Parvati and Hannah glanced at each other silently before the former jumped in. “I recommend that at least one person with weapons training is assigned to each evacuation group, as a worst case defense.”

“I second that,” Xiomara agreed in a clipped tone. “Any objections?” A brief, silent pause. “Good. Add that to the strategy.”

“Miys, we need a list of what species are most likely to be found on pirate vessels.  Knowing their biology will go a long way to developing defense strategies,” Arthur requested.

“I like it,” Evan approved. “Ekomari may be honorable, but humanity has survived this long because we aren’t ashamed of taking cheap shots.”

“It is safe to assume that boarding parties will not have electromagnetic vision, as it has been advised that it is quite rare in the galaxy,” Grey pointed out. “We can use this to our advantage, most likely.”

“If we’re lucky to be in the light part of the cycle…” Tyche muttered.

“Administrator Reid has a point,” Pranav admitted, startling her. “If we are in the dark part of the cycle, we will be at a distinct disadvantage.”

“The lights are artificial,” Huynh sighed. “We can turn them on.”

“If I may interject,” Miys responded. “It is not as simple as you seem to believe to increase the light emitters on the entire Ark, Councilor Huynh.  The drain on the ship engines could permanently damage them.”

I could feel Charly’s eyes rolling in my soul when she picked up from there. “We can try to make some plans for that contingency. Pranav does have a point.”

“So that’s anti-boarding drills, evacuation drills, aid teams, threat assessment, and at least a start on evaluating where we stand from a defensive perspective. Once Sophia, Eino, and their offices coordinate who is which group, we’ll pull back up to determine who will be leading which initiatives,” Xiomara recapped. “Sophia, anything else we need to cover?”

“I think that’s the priorities right now,” I confirmed, effectively ending the meeting.  Once I closed out the channel, I turned to those in my office. “So, how do we feel about this?”

“Like you are going to be in one of the evacuation groups, stuffed as far back in the ship as possible,” Tyche stated drily.

“If we get boarded,” I pointed out. “It may not happen.”

“Madam Reid, you are on this ship.”

I scowled at Alistair before turning to Parvati and Hannah. “Reach out to Arthur and Eino to schedule that meeting.”

Hannah looked unsure. “Why are they being loaned to us for this? Eino’s a Councillor.”

The door of my office hissed open and the rhythmic thud of boots walked in. “Because your office, specifically Tyche, handles all ship staffing, while I am being used for physical ability assessments, and Eino literally has nothing to do as head of Education in all this.” Arthur nodded his head in thanks when Alistair handed him tea.

I just pointed at him and nodded. “Besides, this way Xiomara is indirectly involved.” I glanced at Parvati before winking. “It was a clever move, I have to admit.”

Parvati smiled and shook her head. “I can’t even say you’re wrong. That’s exactly why she did it, honestly, on all counts.”

“And that is part of it, too.” Tyche waved. “Work more closely with your fellow future Councillors, and you learn to read what they aren’t saying.  Our office works very closely with Xio’s and Grey’s, so we have to know how best to keep that going.”

Arthur just held his arms wide and shrugged. “I have to respect Xiomara’s tendency to keep her fingers on all pulses.  She’s almost as bad as Sophia that way.”

“Hey!”

“It’s true,” Alistair sighed. “You are profoundly nosy.”

Hannah groaned and threw her head back. “We are never going to be on the Council at this rate.”

“Excuse me?? That’s the point of all this!” I gestured around my office energetically.

“Yes, because you will totally retire,” Hannah said slowly, nodding her head like I was a toddler. “Of course you will, Sophia. We all know it…”

Parvati snickered, covering it badly. Arthur gave me a pointed look, and I could hear him repeating ‘obsessive, compulsive perfectionist’.

I was saved, for certain, weird values of salvation, by Tyche.  She just glanced down at her nails, studying them, before calmly glancing at me. “Charly is dangerously close to getting approval from Sebastian for her proposal of kink night at the Undine.  Think really hard if you want to be on the Council for that, Sophia.  It would be an event, meaning it would come to this office.”

“Yep, retiring soon,” I squeaked.  Laughter erupted around me as my face heated up. “I’m all for sex positivity, but I just can’t fathom the logistics of that. Nope. Not gonna be me. Y’all have fun. Enjoy. All yours.”

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