#let's be real this is gonna be a Cynthia sweep

[silvermoon424]

iirc Alola doesn't have a pre-established Champion because the League is brand-new, with the player character being the very first Champion of the region.

[meganuzlockediary]

The Platinum Pokemon League

11/11/23

Aaron

Ok here goes nothing I hope I'm ready. Instead of starting with Houndoom I know that Yanmega is first and FAST so I send in Jolteon who can one shot with thunderbolt. This works perfectly meaning 1/5 is dowin already. In next is Heracross. I don't know what to expect here so I assume closs combat and switch into Gliscor. With the drop in Def that means Aerial ace OHKOs taking out a dangerous pokemon. Next in is Drapion and so I do a few calculations. We both 2HKO each other but I outspeed. I take the risk and I am right and two Earthquakes removes the drapion. Next in is Scizor, I switch to Bastiodon who tanks but I remember I can't toxic stall so I hope for a safe switch into houndoom which I get allowing me to outspeed and use flamethrower to OHKO both Scizor and Vespiquen. Not a walk over of a battle definitely needed thought but a success none the less.

Bertha

Ok Bertha! I start with Empoleon hoping for a bit of a sweep. Alas unlikely. Grass knot doesn't quite take out whiscash allowing it to get an earthpower. This means I probably can't survive an earthquake. Hippowdon comes in and sets up sandstorm. I go for surf anyway and get the OHKO. Gliscor comes in who can outspeed and take me out with Earthquake so I switch to my own gliscor avoiding it. We both use Ice fang but mine is first and freezes hers!!! She goes for a fill restore allowing me to heal lock and take her Gliscor out. Next up is Golem and it can't actually touch gliscor with its only move that would work being fire punch. So I earthquake to remove him. Rhyperior is last with a whole bunch of nasty moves including avalanche. Knowing its coming I switch back to empleon who eats it up and use surf to take it out. I get worried for a second that Sandstorm may save it but there was no need to worry. 2/4 elite members down.

Flint

Thank god not a terrible one! Finally I can sweep! Gliscor heads in vs Houndoom who is the worst he can face. I go for Swords dance to set up. Flame thrower does HALF DAMAGE! I'm shocked but now I'm fast and strong. I manage to OHKO houndoom and Magmortar. Infernape outspeeds scarily gets off a flare blitz which thankfully does not kill! only 23 hp off though. Earthquake can then OHKO the infernape and Flareon before rapidash who I do switch for as it goes for bounce. Empoleon goes in and can finish it with a slow surf. I'm pretty tense but I am happy it worked!

Lucian

Gosh, A lot of narrow misses so far the stress is up there. This time its time to pull in Froslass! I got choice specs from celestic townwhich should give me the edge. Doing so allows me to OHKO Mr. Mime. Bronzong comes in next who is super dangerous. My shadow ball does 50% damage and gets the sp. def drop which is very lucky because it uses calm mind! Another Shadow ball remove him. Next in is Espeon which is again and easy OHKO. Then comes in Gallade. I go for shadowball but cannot OHKO and take a real nasty Stone edge. I switch over to poseidon who can tank a second stone edge and chip away with surf. Here Gallade begins using drain punch and gets back a lot of health. I use this to pivot back into my very low froslass who is immune to the drain punch and can pull off the shadow ball to finish him off. Last in is the super fast Alakazam but also the only effective move Alakazam has on Froslass is psychic. So I switch to Houndoom, I must have not been thinking and press Flamethrower because Alakazam got burned and I can'r remember how. Knowing now that it will go to focus blast I can simply switch back and forth between froslass when Alakazam uses focus blast and Houndoom when he is using psychic and just watch the hp trickle down. Honestly type switching has been a blast this game.

Cynthia

Ok last one and I have no real plan here... surprisingly I'm not too worried now. I can let some go down but I'm scared I'm gonna fluff it!

Spoilers: I very nearly fluff it.

I start Bastiodon vs Spiritomb. I go toxic and slowly whittle the spiritomb down. Annoyingly she can out pace my damage thanks to full restores. After her first she switches out into Milotic which I cannot handle with Bastiodon and I really do not want to toxic thanks to Marvel scale. I switch to Jolteon who does about 50% damage with thunderbolt while taking the same from surf. Fortunately her second surf gets Jolteon down to 10 hp as I manage to finish Milotic off. With that comes in the dreaded Garchomp. I decide Oh! I know! I can use thunderwave to cripple it... its a ground type. I actually outspeed before going down to flame thrower. Dumb move but in the end I know Jolteon was going. I send in Empoleon hoping to get some damage with Ice beam. This is where I flunk I should use empoleon as earthquake bait and switch into gliscor, I decide to go for it and Empoleon is OHKO'd by Earthquake... Shit. Empoleon didn't have much use this battle anyway but would have been a solid back up pokemon. Down to 4 pokemon vs. 5 I switch into Gliscor. Fortunately Dragon rush only does about a third damage and two ice fangs from Gliscor takes Garchomp out! Win! Not over yet though. Togekiss comes in, Gliscor can't outpace much more damage but get a little chip on Togekiss he does go down to an air slash. I send in Froslass who finishes the job taking out togekiss before going down herself to Spiritomb. I deal a decent enough amount of damage to send in Houndoom. Annoyingly she heals but this means Houndoom can 2HKO to remove the creepy cauldron. This leaves two more with only a half health Bastiodon and Houndoom who until this point has been my weakest pokemon... but with lucario and Roserade left we just might do this!

I outspeed Lucario and OHKO!

I outspeed Roserade and... it falls into the red. Scared it's all over she only uses toxic! Another flamethrower OHKOs after Cynthia heals which means by the skin of my teeth I won!!!!

[crystalelemental]

@alphakuriboh Gonna try to do this shit again after my computer decided to just shit itself and Tumblr ate two fucking hours of work.  We’re aiming for 4200 points, but I’ll be writing as if you’re aiming for max points each fight.  The average needed is 850 per fight, so there’s tons of wiggle room.

Match 1: vs Kahili (sped up sync) Take Rosa, Bianca, and Giovanni.  Rosa takes point, and can buff special attack.  Giovanni gets crit to max in two trainer moves.  Bianca sets Psychic Terrain.  Giovanni has the ability to clear this entire stage in one sync nuke.  Rosa uses X Sp. Atk All, Giovanni trainer move, Bianca Psychic Terrain, X Sp Atk All, Giovanni trainer move, Giovanni sync.  If that doesn’t end it, Psychic spam until it does.  This is the only team that can blitz hard enough to clear in time.  You can use Sabrina here for +6 to special attack for Giovanni in two turns instead of +4, but he should be fine.

For conditions, take Physical and Special Damage Reduction, Atk/Sp Atk +1, No Status, Sync Buff +5, Atk/Sp Atk +3, No Stat Reduction, Ally Healing -5, Power On Hit +1, Gradual Healing, Atk/Sp Atk +5, Power on Hit +2, Ally Move Gauge -2.  If you’re having trouble, take away the Power on Hit effects.  That’s most likely to contribute to Giovanni just biting it instantly.

Match 2: vs. Acerola (status conditions) We have nothing to abuse status here, but to my knowledge, neither does she, and this is damage control.

Take Dawn, Sabrina, and Fantina.  Sabrina can buff both relevant stats for Fantina, speeding up her damage output substantially.  Acerola is physical here, so Dawn can siphon her attack, and buff the team’s defenses.  Sabrina could be used in the last match, but is honestly more optimal here.

For conditions, take Physical and special damage reduction, Atk/Sp Atk +1, No status, Def/Sp Def +3, HP +2, HP +4, Strength +3, Move Gauge -2, and HP +6.  This is an endurance contest, and more than likely Dawn can win as long as Fantina deals real damage.  If you’re still having trouble, take off HP conditions until Fantina clears before Dawn drops.

Match 3: vs. Olivia (don’t let allies faint) This is the best condition for her, because the two team suggestions use AoE.

First suggestion is Jasmine, Acerola, and Cynthia.  Cynthia gets really strong under Sandstorm, and while she buffs slowly, Earthquake is great damage.  You can’t take physical defense reduction due to no reliable crit buff, but you can take Def/Sp Def +1 instead.  That should be fine.  The Cynthia build is thankfully written up easily, and you can swap out the MPRs for sync damage nodes and the last Earthquake damage node.  Acerola is also precise, with no alterations needed.  Jasmine is also basically perfect, you just want Recuperation as needed.  Conditions should mirror the last match.

The second suggestion uses Maxie with Phoebe and Drake.  Phoebe buffs his offenses without him needing to, while Drake buffs defenses for a more sustained match.  They also provide the maximum buff from Maxie’s passive, which is fantastic.  Either condition works here; I don’t know what his damage output is like, but he might be able to Giovanni this one.

If either has trouble, same as before; lower HP conditions until it’s not a problem.

Match 4: vs. Molayne (special attacks are stronger) Again, two team options.

Team 1 is Lyra, Maxie, and SS Red.  If you decide to use Cynthia in the first match, Maxie gets sun, Lyra buffs really well in sun, and gets SS Red to max damage in two turns, where he fires off further boosted special attacks.  This run operates with the Giovanni setup.  As long as Red is alive and dealing damage, he can sweep.

Team 2 is Skyla, Ghetsis, and Anni N.  Skyla is a great defensive check on this map, while Ghetsis and Anni N can quickly debuff.  Ghetsis needs Double Down, and Anni N wants Devastation/Pecking Order for max sync nuke damage.  They can probably also take the Giovanni setup, but swap No Stat Reduction with HP +2.  Alternatively, they should be fine with the Match 2 conditions.

Match 5: vs. Hau (don’t let allies faint?) This is easily the hardest to plan for, because there isn’t a good option that gets 1500 easily.  But the team we’re going with is Sycamore, Lillie, and Lusamine.  Sycamore can buff Lusamine’s basic attack damage to max, but more importantly maxes out special defense, keeping the team alive.  If Lusamine’s damage output is good enough, she can survive sync and beat Hau while Sycamore stalls with Horn Leech.  The bad news is, I have no idea the best condition to set.  I think don’t let allies faint is the least devastating, because powering up special attacks or status for an AoE move with massive paralysis chance is bad, and faster sync is a nightmare for Lusamine.

Conditions are hard to assess.  You can try the Giovanni method and just lower offensive numbers until Lusamine is surviving, or try the sustained fight approach and lower HP until she’s KOing fast enough.  Dealer’s choice.

General Notes The only unit that might need boosted is Sabrina.  I say might because Dawn is pretty tanky, and if she’s taking the hits from Acerola well enough, then your sweeper might be fine with the buffs she provides pre-sync.  Also possibly Jasmine, but only if you go with the Cynthia team and she’s struggling to survive long enough.  Otherwise, everyone should be good.  SS Blue, Swimsuit Misty, and Kiawe are solid options to slot in as well, with Kiawe being notable for supporting Cynthia in her buffing endeavors, and packing Potion for healing support.  But that’s entirely dependent on your willingness to build some extra units.

I’d also just really like to push Toxic Stall again.  Koga and Lucy can pull it off, even if you don’t want BP Erika, who is the best Toxic staller ever.  Koga gets Toxic (at a 50% chance per hit), but no trap, so he needs Wallace support.  Lucy gets both conditions, but is inconsistent in both effects (Toxic 50% change, Wrap is inaccurate).  Base Leaf is a fantastic supporter, having two MPR on Potion and a sync that boosts all stats, including defenses.  Base Skyla is just as effective against physical opponents.  Janine is allegedly really good with Lucy of BP Erika, since she reduces the offenses of foes when they’re poisoned.  Jasmine and Dawn can do well against physical foes, buffing the whole team’s defense and being able to heal, Dawn a Full Restore, and Jasmine a routine heal on sync.  I find the Toxic stall units really worth investing in, because if an offensive team isn’t working out, they’re a relatively free win.

Conditions for Stall: Physical and Special damage reduction, Def/Sp Def +3/+5, HP +2/+4/+6, Crit Defense, Move Gauge -2, and either No Stat Reduction (if not using Janine or Dawn) or Atk/Sp Atk and Def/Sp Def +1 conditions.  It’s why I think BP Erika is the best unit to invest in with the BP tickets right now.  But, for 4200, the teams above should work just fine.

[mason-knight-retired]

follows X (but before X lol)

Every now and then, the universe gives you a gift, Mason has the barest wherewithal to think. It hands you everything you never knew you wanted - wrapped up in a stylish suit, a gold flecked eyes and six little words that change everything.

He stares at Ethan, his breath sharp on an inhale and held… held tight because he can’t have this so close, handed to him on a platter and have it taken away. Maybe it’s not real, maybe he is really just asleep on his bunk dreaming this while the stars pass outside, maybe Ajax had made good on his thinly veiled threats or maybe the fury finally wholloped him hard enough to hard to send him to the med bay-

But no, there’s no mistaking this reality or the tortured look on the face of the man in front of him. There’s no fight in Ethan now and Mason has never seen him so shattered, so weak but to Mason, he’s never been more beautiful.

“Ethan, I…” He shakes his head, raises a fist to his mouth and tries to blink back the sudden wetness in his eyes. His voice is so rough, tight through his throat when he tries to speak. “Ethan, I swear to god, this had better not be one of your games.”

There’s a flash in Ethan’s eye that Mason immediately regrets.

“If it was, do you really think I’d be here? I had to beg my way onto this ship. I’ve never been more serious about anything in my life, Mason, and that’s saying something.”

“You have to know…” Panic makes Mason’s hands tremble. It’s right there. Everything he’s never let himself dream to want. It’s right there in front of him for the taking. And suddenly he’s terrified. “You have to know how I feel about you. You do know, that’s why you broke it off and now? Coming here, saying this… god, Ethan, you have to know what this is going to mean to me. What I want out of this-”

Ethan’s mouth twist twists ruefully. “Kind of counting on it, actually… If you don’t hate me.”

“Hate you? Hate you?” Mason laughs incredulously, shaking his head. “You mean too much to me to ever hate you, god. I was pissed, yeah, but don’t… don’t fucking say it if you don’t mean it, Ethan. I don’t care if you don’t, I can live with that, but don’t lie to me.”

“I’m not. I swear, Mase. I love you,” Ethan says it again, like a levee has broken and he can’t keep the words inside him any longer. Like he’s desperate to make Mason understand. “I’m in love with you and I-“

The rest of Ethan’s words are lost under the crush of Mason’s mouth.

He doesn’t remember moving. He doesn’t remember crossing the tiny space between them, only that he couldn’t hold back from touching the man in front of him after being apart for so long - not for another second, not with those words and all that they mean hanging in the air between them. He grips Ethan tight, hands around his waist and in his hair, running over the muscles of his back until they settle against Ethan’s jaw – and hold him there. Ethan returns in kind, hands up to grasp at Mason’s face, with a strangled sound that vibrates up his throat into Mason's mouth.

The need that burns through him, the feeling of Ethan against him is like coming home. The shuddering of Mason’s universe settles and shifts and clicks back into all the places it should be.

Home. Here was his home.

“Ethan,” he whispers, pressing his forehead against Ethan’s when they’re finally forced to draw apart for air. He's not sure if it’s him that’s crying or if the sounds are from the man he’s about to offer his heart to. It doesn’t matter anyway, not when he finally has Ethan’s skin under his palms and his whiskey sweet breath on his tongue. “I love you too. I’m in love with you,” he whispers, peppering kisses between each phrase. “I love you, I love you, I love you.”

“Mase-” Ethan’s hands are on him then, hungry and insistent, like he’s been starving for too long. The grip on Mason tightens, hard enough to bruise but Mason welcomes the bite of pain, hopes there will be marks left behind even through the dermal weave of his skin to remind him of this moment. So he can trace them and watch them bloom and know that it’s not just a fantasy and that this is real, that Ethan is really here and not just a phantom of Mason’s unacknowledged wishes.

Mason tears his lips away long enough to suck in air and catch Ethan’s gaze. He cups Ethan’s head and presses their foreheads together. His heart is beating so fast, like it might burst out of his chest at any moment and his cheeks feel damp. He’s sure he tastes salt in their kiss. “God, I missed you.”

Ethan pulls him close and Mason tucks his face against Ethan’s jaw, breathing him in. “I missed you too. I couldn’t breathe without you.”

The wave is intense when it rolls over him.

“So, why?” Mason whispers helplessly then, the one thing suddenly plaguing him. Maybe it’s not the time, but he has to know, even if a little voice inside of him tries to scream its doubt. A small shudder ripples through him and he pulls back to search Ethan’s gaze. “Why did you break it off- If you knew I loved you, and you feel the same…” Mason thinks about the last few painful weeks. That they could have been avoided.

“It may come as a startling surprise,” Ethan drawls tiredly, but Mason catches the weary smile in his voice. The relief. His own heart becomes light with the knowledge Ethan is his now and the last of the secrets between them are gone. “But sometimes I’m not always the smartest person in the room.”

Mason’s lips suddenly twitch with mock suspicion as he leans back and eyes Ethan critically. 

“Alright,” he says teasingly. “Who are you really and what have you done with the real Ethan Sinclair? Did Cynthia send back a clone? Are there more of you? Because I might be into that-”

Ethan’s brows snap together in irritation and Mason finds himself pulled into another smothering hug to stop him talking. He swallows down his laugh, almost giddy now, high on life and and unstoppable, like a kid at the candy bar at party indulging in too many sweets and not even caring about the inevitable crash later because he knows Ethan will be there to catch him.

“Not even remotely funny, Huntsman.”

Mason allows himself to be stifled, just for a moment, before nuzzling against Ethan’s jaw and brushing his nose against the stubble there. He breathes Ethan in, reminds himself once again he’s not dreaming. He recognizes the struggle it took for Ethan to be here and takes comfort in the proof of it.

He presses a kiss to Ethan’s mouth in a silent apology, serious again.

“You were trying to protect me, I get it. But I never wanted protection from you, Eth. Never needed it until now. But fuck, promise me you won’t go back. Promise me you won’t ever go back. That’s not your home anymore.”

Ethan brackets Mason’s face with his big hands and stares into his eyes. “I know that now.”

“Good,” Mason lifts his chin, wanting another kiss but there’s a flicker of hesitation in the gold flecks he loves so much. “Ethan, what is it?”

Ethan glances away. “Mase, I can’t promise I won’t fuck it up-“

“One day at a time, Sabre,” Mason gives him a rueful smile, presses another kiss to the side of Ethan’s perfect jaw and grips his hips with his palms. He pulls Ethan against him, grinds slightly so Ethan knows just the effect he’s had on him, not that he could ever doubt it. “We’ll just take it one day at a time. Like we always do. It’s all we can do.”

Ethan’s eyes drift closed. “Marie could only get me forty two hours. Forty one now, probably.”

“It’s enough.”

“Is it?”

“Enough for you to show me just how much you mean it.”  

Ethan’s eyes go dark like Mason knew they would. The secret thrill that it only takes a few words to ignite the embers in the man in front of him. He hopes it stays like that between them always.

Mason draws Ethan close once again, cupping the back of his head as he sweeps his lips over his first in a gentle kiss that belies the heat already starting to spark inside him. He revels in the familiarity of Ethan’s embrace, the way their bodies align flawlessly to each other as though they had been created with the other in mind - perfect counterparts to a single whole. Even their biotics hum and flow in bone deep harmony around the edges of their skin. It’s Mason’s world made right, the equilibrium that had been so shaken until now settling and solidifying into something perfect and real and eternal.

There’s one, single fundamental truth that settles into his bones: He has everything if he has Ethan.

Their kiss deepens, and Mason shivers as fingers of desire walk up his spine and greedy hands pluck at clothing and tongues and lips hungrily sweep over skin. He’s inching his hands up under Ethan’s shirt when Ethan suddenly draws back, a frown on his face, like he’s heard something in the distance he can’t parse. Mason senses it too, a fraction of a second before the door hisses open.

“What the hell?”

Ethan blinks at the small whir and click of metallic feet. “Mase, is that a Loki mech with a plant stuck to it?”

The drone toddles in and Mason wants to groan. “I’m gonna kill all of them,” he mutters, gritting his teeth instead. “I finally get you back and now I’m being cockblocked by a plant with legs?! The fuck.”

He peers around the door, Ethan at his shoulder and of course, they’re all there, even the engineer, despite Nico’s valiant efforts to herd them all away. There’s a final holler from Ben at the end of the hall before silence descends and they’re left alone again.

Mason catches Ethan’s eye, a silent exchange travelling between them before their lips twitch. Ethan laughs then, the first real laugh in weeks and Mason catches the way it lights up Ethan’s face, savours it and files it away to turn over in his mind over and over for when their forty two hours are up.

His own smile is light when he reaches for Ethan’s hand and rubs a thumb over the back of his palm. Ethan’s fingers entwine with his and grip him back tightly.

“I suppose you’d better go say hi, or Ben’s timing might be a lot worse next time.”

[tocinephile]

The Morning After - The Year the Oscars Got it (mostly) Right Edition

The 92nd Academy Awards kicked off looking an awful lot like the Grammy’s with a splashy musical performance by Janelle Monae and Billy Porter, the first of a night’s performances/presenters/commentary designed to include all the groups it seemingly excluded in it’s nominees list. Meant to poke fun at themselves or a gesture delivered a little too overt and a little too late? Either way, I think in the end, the artistry of the South Korean-made foreign language film that swept the night’s awards won one back for every group that was overlooked.

Bong Joon-ho’s Parasite took home awards for Best Original Screenplay, Best International Feature, Best Director, and Best Picture, making it the first South Korean film to win in all these categories.  To do it all in a single evening is astounding.

Here’s a look at all the winners of the night:

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

Best Picture:

“Ford v Ferrari” — Walt Disney “The Irishman” — Netflix “Jojo Rabbit” — Fox Searchlight “Joker” — Warner Bros. “Little Women” — Sony Pictures Releasing “Marriage Story” — Netflix “1917” — Universal/Amblin Partners “Once Upon a Time in Hollywood” — Sony Pictures Releasing “Parasite” — Neon (WINNER)

Most deserving win of the night!!!  Of course many of us hoped Parasite could be the underdog to win it all, but a more realistic prediction to win would be 1917. Thrilled to be wrong on this one. 

Also, while I liked 1917 (more for its execution than story), even if Parasite had not been in the mix, I would have been rooting for The Irishman to win.

Lead Actress:

Cynthia Erivo, “Harriet” Scarlett Johansson, “Marriage Story”  Saoirse Ronan, “Little Women”  Charlize Theron, “Bombshell”  Renée Zellweger, “Judy” (WINNER)

I am also in full agreement with this category and with Renee sweeping this category this awards season as well.  

I have not seen Harriet, but if Renee hadn’t been in the race, Charlize would have been the best of the bunch.

Lead Actor:

Antonio Banderas, “Pain and Glory”  Leonardo DiCaprio, “Once Upon a Time in Hollywood”  Adam Driver, “Marriage Story”  Joaquin Phoenix, “Joker” — (WINNER) Jonathan Pryce, “The Two Popes”

Again, no question this was the right winner. If only every win didn’t mean we’d have to roll the dice to see what kind of acceptance speech we’d have to endure... While I didn’t appreciate being chastised for adding milk to my coffee, Joaquin closed out his remarks by quoting his late brother River and I thought that was beautiful.

Director:

Martin Scorsese, “The Irishman”  Todd Phillips, “Joker”  Sam Mendes, “1917”  Quentin Tarantino, “Once Upon a Time in Hollywood”  Bong Joon Ho, “Parasite” — (WINNER)

Another category that I thought the Academy would give to Sam Mendes, but nonetheless put my bets on Bong Joon-ho.  Some big competition in this category (except Phillips... sorry, I’m not saying he’s bad, but he has yet to prove to me he’s a contender).

Original Song:

“I Can’t Let You Throw Yourself Away,” “Toy Story 4”  “I’m Gonna Love Me Again,” “Rocketman” —  (WINNER) “I’m Standing With You,” “Breakthrough”  “Into the Unknown,” “Frozen 2”  “Stand Up,” “Harriet”

Talk about a year of forgettable film songs. I think I left the room for every one of these performances except Elton’s. Did I miss anything?

Original Score:

“Joker,” Hildur Guðnadóttir —  (WINNER) “Little Women,” Alexandre Desplat  “Marriage Story,” Randy Newman  “1917,” Thomas Newman  “Star Wars: The Rise of Skywalker,” John Williams 

As part of the montage for this category, the orchestra accompanies with each film’s original score. This segment, as they proudly pointed out, was being conducted a female for the first time in Oscar history (I’d like to shallowly add that she was also wearing the most amazing gold jacket to do it!). Now I don’t know if she also arranged it or whether she was just conducting, but I have to say, I don’t think the arrangement did the scores any justice whatsoever. 

Luckily they were not being judged on this particular performance, and Hildur Guonadottir once again took home the accolade for Joker. I agree with this win. Little Women and 1917 also had impressive scores.  Marriage Story didn’t particularly catch my attention, and while Star Wars’ themes will always be among my all time favourites, The Rise of Skywalker wasn’t particularly outstanding out of the saga.

Best International Feature Film:

“Corpus Christi,” Jan Komasa “Honeyland,” Tamara Kotevska, Ljubo Stefanov  “Les Miserables,” Ladj Ly  “Pain and Glory,” Pedro Almodóvar  “Parasite,” Bong Joon Ho — (WINNER)

If anyone else had won we would have rioted right?

Makeup and Hair:

“Bombshell” — (WINNER) “Joker” “Judy”  “Maleficent: Mistress of Evil”  “1917” 

Got this prediction correct, while not the most obvious frontrunner perhaps, a lot of subtle effort was put in to transform cast into their characters.

Visual Effects:

“Avengers: Endgame”  “The Irishman”  “The Lion King”  “1917” — (WINNER) “Star Wars: The Rise of Skywalker” 

It’s naive of me, but seeing 1917 win for Visual Effects almost takes away from my appreciation of the film in some ways because in my head, I’d still like to think of all films outside of fantasy and sci-fi as largely real. I know it’s not the case and that even your average period drama is created largely with effects these days, it can’t help but ruin the magic a little.

Also I had guessed Avengers: Endgame would win.

And we all think that The Irishman is on this list for de-aging technologies alone right?

Film Editing:

“Ford v Ferrari,” Michael McCusker, Andrew Buckland — (WINNER) “The Irishman,” Thelma Schoonmaker  “Jojo Rabbit,” Tom Eagles  “Joker,” Jeff Groth  “Parasite,” Jinmo Yang 

This entire list is on par with each other I think, with Ford v Ferrari just edging out the rest. Also the editing is what made the film so dynamic, there was little room for a bad cut, whereas the others might have little bit more room to err.

Many might disagree but I think Little Women should have been considered in this category.  The film’s editing choices was one of its main criticisms, but I think it actually made the film much more dynamic and differentiated it from previous adaptations.  (If only they’d used a bit more of The Irishman’s aging/de-aging effects)

Cinematography:

“The Irishman,” Rodrigo Prieto “Joker,” Lawrence Sher “The Lighthouse,” Jarin Blaschke  “1917,” Roger Deakins — (WINNER) “Once Upon a Time in Hollywood,” Robert Richardson

Agree! Cool camera work in 1917 for sure.

Sound Mixing:

“Ad Astra”  “Ford v Ferrari”  “Joker”  “1917” — (WINNER) “Once Upon a Time in Hollywood”

Um ok, if you’re going to split the sound categories between two films.  I would’ve said Ford v Ferrari for both.

Sound Editing:

“Ford v Ferrari,” Don Sylvester — (WINNER) “Joker,” Alan Robert Murray  “1917,” Oliver Tarney, Rachel Tate  “Once Upon a Time in Hollywood,” Wylie Stateman  “Star Wars: The Rise of Skywalker,” Matthew Wood, David Acord 

Agree. Hopefully everyone who wanted to see this film caught it in theatres, the sound was a huge contributing factor to the enjoyment of this film.

Supporting Actress:

Kathy Bates, “Richard Jewell”  Laura Dern, “Marriage Story” — (WINNER) Scarlett Johansson, “Jojo Rabbit”  Florence Pugh, “Little Women”  Margot Robbie, “Bombshell” 

Little surprise when Laura Dern swept this category, even though I maintain she wasn’t better than the rest. That said, I’m not sure who I would pick in her place, I say share the love between Laura Dern, Scarlett Johansson, and Florence Pugh (yes, I just said Amy March should get an oscar... I see the irony of this too)

Best Documentary Short Subject:

“In the Absence,” Yi Seung-Jun and Gary Byung-Seok Kam  “Learning to Skateboard in a Warzone,” Carol Dysinger — (WINNER) “Life Overtakes Me,” Kristine Samuelson and John Haptas “St. Louis Superman,” Smriti Mundhra and Sami Khan  “Walk Run Cha-Cha,” Laura Nix 

I didn’t see any of the shorts this year, my bad.  The winner sounds hella interestering!

Best Documentary Feature:

“American Factory,” Julia Reichert, Steven Bognar — (WINNER) “The Cave,” Feras Fayyad  “The Edge of Democracy,” Petra Costa  “For Sama,” Waad Al-Kateab, Edward Watts  “Honeyland,” Tamara Kotevska, Ljubo Stefanov 

I only saw American Factory and The Cave and I actually liked The Cave better.  That said I felt strongly that American Factory had the edge, for starters it was backed by the Obamas’ production company. I didn’t love American Factory but I do feel it’s a timely piece that shows two sides of the story, inevitable prejudices based on what we’ve become conditioned to physically, mentally, socially, and also how important it is that we try to overcome or build a bridge to find solutions for the greater good. 

Costume Design:

”The Irishman,” Sandy Powell, Christopher Peterson  “Jojo Rabbit,” Mayes C. Rubeo  “Joker,” Mark Bridges  “Little Women,” Jacqueline Durran — (WINNER) “Once Upon a Time in Hollywood,” Arianne Phillips 

For a historical drama, I really didn’t find the costumes of Little Women to be that spectacular (I’m having visions of The Age of Innocence when you say Best Costume), though a part of me knows the period films win more often than not. While I think Once Upon a Time in Hollywood is strong contender, Jojo Rabbit should have won.

Production Design:

“The Irishman,” Bob Shaw and Regina Graves  “Jojo Rabbit,” Ra Vincent and Nora Sopkova  “1917,” Dennis Gassner and Lee Sandales  “Once Upon a Time in Hollywood,” Barbara Ling & Nancy Haigh  (WINNER) “Parasite,” Lee Ha-Jun and Cho Won Woo, Han Ga Ram and Cho Hee

Yes! Once Upon a Time was a bit overrated (sorry Quentin) but this was one category where it really deserved to win, from the western sets, film studio lots, to the wardrobe and streets of the 60′s, lots of fun and spirit captured in the production design.

Best Live Action Short Film:

“Brotherhood,” Meryam Joobeur  “Nefta Football Club,” Yves Piat  “The Neighbors’ Window,” Marshall Curry — (WINNER) “Saria,” Bryan Buckley  “A Sister,” Delphine Girard 

Adapted Screenplay:

“The Irishman,” Steven Zaillian  “Jojo Rabbit,” Taika Waititi — (WINNER) “Joker,” Todd Phillips, Scott Silver  “Little Women,” Greta Gerwig  “The Two Popes,” Anthony McCarten 

I love that Taika Waititi is an Oscar winner. Also shouts to Greta Gerwig for making Little Women almost tolerable in her script! The Two Popes could not have been an easy adaptation either. Now can a comic book expert please tell me, how much of Joker is really from existing stories in comics, and how much was filled in by the writers? I understand why it was an adapted screenplay, but I feel like material like this almost completely open to interpretation and could easily be written anew as an original screenplay.

Original Screenplay:

“Knives Out,” Rian Johnson  “Marriage Story,” Noah Baumbach  “1917,” Sam Mendes and Krysty Wilson-Cairns “Once Upon a Time in Hollywood,” Quentin Tarantino  “Parasite,” Bong Joon Ho, Jin Won Han —  (WINNER)

Just for fun, my ranking of the original screenplay nominees from best to alright:

1) Parasite, 2) Knives Out, 3) Marriage Story, 4) 1917, 5) Once Upon a Time

Animated Short:

“Dcera,” Daria Kashcheeva  “Hair Love,” Matthew A. Cherry — (WINNER) “Kitbull,” Rosana Sullivan  “Memorable,” Bruno Collet  “Sister,” Siqi Song 

I keep hearing great things about this short!

Animated Feature:

“How to Train Your Dragon: The Hidden World,” Dean DeBlois  “I Lost My Body,” Jeremy Clapin  “Klaus,” Sergio Pablos  “Missing Link,” Chris Butler  “Toy Story 4,”  Josh Cooley — (WINNER)

I clearly didn’t watch any animated films this year because I didn’t even know there were new How to Train Your Dragon and Toy Story films released.

Supporting Actor:

Tom Hanks, “A Beautiful Day in the Neighborhood”  Anthony Hopkins, “The Two Popes”  Al Pacino, “The Irishman”  Joe Pesci, “The Irishman”  Brad Pitt, “Once Upon a Time in Hollywood” — (WINNER)

Overall, if Brad Pitt sweeping this category means I get to hear at least one great speech per awards, then I’m ok with this. My personal ranking:

1) Al Pacino, 2) Joe Pesci, 3) Tom Hanks, 4) Brad Pitt, 5) Anthony Hopkins.  I had to debate over Pacino and Pesci’s performances, I feel like this is one of the best problems in the world.

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

Prior to the start of the show, I made a mess of notes about who I thought would win, who I thought should win, and shared my Oscar Pool Picks which were based on a mix of the two... My Oscar pool are an extremely knowledgeable bunch, and with 18/24, it only put me in a 3-way tie for third place (there were also three winners who split the winnings), I need to move back to the baby leagues!

If you were following my Twitter (or care to check in hindsight...@palindr0me) I also shared a little additional commentary and photos of some of my favourite dresses of the evening. 

My personal top 3 moments during the Awards Ceremony were:

1) Every time Parasite won an award - Give this man all the statues he wants! lol

2) Billie Eilish’s rendition of Yesterday (I wish this was an actual recorded track so I could play it over and over)

3) When Eminem took the stage at the end of a montage to perform “Lose Yourself” and my phone exploded with all these messages of “ Whaaat is happening???” LOL! Believe me friends, I was as confused as you were.

Aaand, that’s a wrap on awards season! Looking forward to a new year and new decade in film!

[aliveandfullofjoy]

Oscar Predictions 2019: Pre-Fall Festivals

oh shiiiiiiiiit

So I usually post my first predictions of the year around August, and I was actually curious as to what my success rate has been, because at this point, everything is conjecture. So just real quick, for whoever cares:

August 2018: 6/8 in Best Picture (missed Green Book and Bohemian Rhapsody, LMAO); 4/5 in Director (missed Pawlikowski); 14/20 in acting categories -- so surprisingly not bad!

September 2017: 7/9 in Best Picture (missed Lady Bird and Phantom Thread); 2/5 in Director (missed Gerwig, Peele, and Anderson); 12/20 in acting categories 

July 2016: 5/9 in Best Picture (missed Hacksaw Ridge, Hell or High Water, Hidden Figures, and Lion); 2/5 in Director (missed Jenkins, Lonergan, and Gibson); 8/20 (WHOOO) in acting categories -- this year was rough, clearly.

August 2015: 1/9 in Best Picture (Jesus Christ, I literally only had The Revenant); 1/5 in Director (missed everyone but Iñarritu); 8/20 in acting categories -- BRUTAL

So chances are, most of these will be a bit wrong. But it’s still fun to try!

* All nominees listed in alphabetical order, NOT in order of likelihood *

BEST PICTURE 01. A Beautiful Day in the Neighborhood  02. The Farewell 03. Harriet  04. The Irishman  05. Jojo Rabbit  06. Little Women  07. Marriage Story  08. 1917  09. Once Upon a Time in Hollywood  10. Parasite 

I know, I know, ten nominees never happen in Best Picture anymore, but truthfully, I can’t decide what movies to drop. Harriet and Beautiful Day feel like they’re in similar boats, in that they’ll probably make good money (at worst) and get good-not-great reviews (at best) and could potentially make a play for an acting winner (Erivo and Hanks, respectively). The Farewell could end up being A24′s easiest push this year, especially since reviews are glowing and it’s doing really well commercially (and the narrative of being the first ever Best Picture nominee directed by an Asian-American woman is pretty strong). Little Women could be the #MovieEvent of the holiday season. Parasite is a wildcard, but I’m banking on Hollywood’s deep love for Bong Joon-ho (which is very real) and the film’s absolutely insane word-of-mouth potential. 

As for a winner: maybe Marriage Story? It seems like Netflix is gonna go all in on it this year, and both of its leads are potential winners in their categories. Maybe we have our first Big 5 winner since Silence of the Lambs. 

BEST DIRECTOR 01. Noah Baumbach, Marriage Story  02. Bong Joon-ho, Parasite  03. Martin Scorsese, The Irishman  04. Quentin Tarantino, Once Upon a Time in Hollywood  05. Lulu Wang, The Farewell 

Kind of going all-in on The Farewell and Parasite here, only because the next two contenders I can see breaking in are films that I’m not entirely sure about: Jojo Rabbit (Taika Waititi) and 1917 (Sam Mendes). Waititi has never had a film in the Oscar race before, but this could absolutely be his ticket, and considering he’s Fox Searchlight’s main priority, that bodes well. I’m not sure about if Mendes will feel like Dunkirk redux, but word on the street is that the direction is super flashy and made to look like one shot. 

Wang and Bong are, again, wildcards. Not certain Tarantino will last until awards season. Scorsese and Baumbach are only out if the movies are absolute bombs. 

BEST ACTRESS 01. Awkwafina, The Farewell 02. Cynthia Erivo, Harriet  03. Scarlett Johansson, Marriage Story  04. Saoirse Ronan, Little Women  05. Renée Zellweger, Judy 

Weird year for this category! I can absolutely see a scenario in which Erivo sweeps, but if Marriage Story takes off (and especially if Harriet ends up being an acting-only movie), I wouldn’t count out ScarJo. Not sure anymore about Awkwafina contending for the win. Ronan should be filler. Zellweger gets a “welcome back!” nomination for a movie with a yellow Metacritic score. 

BEST ACTOR 01. Antonio Banderas, Pain and Glory  02. Robert De Niro, The Irishman  03. Leonardo DiCaprio, Once Upon a Time in Hollywood  04. Adam Driver, Marriage Story  05. Joaquin Phoenix, Joker 

Yeah, I have no idea what to do about Joker. I personally don’t care about it right now, but it seems unwise to write it off. Banderas is a bit of wishful thinking, mostly because he’s never been nominated before and I’d love to have another Almodóvar movie at the Oscars, in whatever capacity. No clue who wins this thing -- Driver if Marriage Story is the real deal?

Next in line: Jonathan Pryce, The Two Popes

BEST SUPPORTING ACTRESS 01. Laura Dern, Marriage Story  02. Scarlett Johansson, Jojo Rabbit  03. Margot Robbie, Once Upon a Time in Hollywood  04. Meryl Streep, The Laundromat  05. Zhao Shuzhen, The Farewell 

Alright, I know Zhao isn’t gonna happen, but this category is weird right now, so let a fella dream! Really not sure what to do about Streep or The Laundromat, but it’s generally a bad idea to count her out when she has a movie in eligibility. If Erivo wins in leading, Johansson could win here, especially if Jojo takes off as a top BP contender. 

Next in line: like?? Florence Pugh, Little Women; Octavia Spencer, Luce; Annette Bening, The Report; Janelle Monaé, Harriet; Anna Paquin, The Irishman ????? I have no idea, lmao. 

BEST SUPPORTING ACTOR 01. Willem Dafoe, The Lighthouse  02. Tom Hanks, A Beautiful Day in the Neighborhood  03. Al Pacino, The Irishman  04. Brad Pitt, Once Upon a Time in Hollywood  05. Taika Waititi, Jojo Rabbit 

I don’t expect the Academy across the board to embrace The Lighthouse, but Dafoe has spent the last two years being the only nominee from his movies (and last year was a pretty big surprise), so I kind of see a scenario where he could actually end up winning, especially if Hanks gets snubbed (again) and Hollywood loses steam. I’m not gonna bet on that though, lol. 

And just for fun:

BEST ORIGINAL SCREENPLAY 01. The Farewell  02. The Lighthouse  03. Marriage Story  04. Once Upon a Time in Hollywood  05. Parasite 

BEST ADAPTED SCREENPALY  01. A Beautiful Day in the Neighborhood  02. The Irishman  03. Jojo Rabbit  04. The Laundromat  05. Little Women 

[clefaiiiry]

i’ve been listening to self-inflicted achromatic on repeat for like an hour now time to post a fic

Companion to this.

Title: Distortion

Fandom: Pocket Monsters | Pokemon (Main Video Game Series), Pocket Monsters: Diamond & Pearl & Platinum | Pokemon Diamond Pearl Platinum Versions

Word Count: 2,031

Characters: Akagi | Cyrus, Shirona | Cynthia, Hikari | Dawn, Saturn (Pokemon), Dr. Nanakamado | Professor Rowan 

Additional Tags: Friendship, recovery process, Japanese Names as Surnames, Suicidal Thoughts, Selectively Mute Dawn, (Not referenced in this particular fic but it's there), Implied Gingashipping, I guess????????????????????, not really???????????, onesided at the very most???????

AO3 Version

Distant shrieks of Seagull and the repetitive lull of the sea was all that permeated the silence. Late evening in Sunnyshore was always heavy, even in winter when the air grew drier and the sky was rarely seen in all its glory. Stargazing was impossible unless you went out to Route 222.

It wasn’t like he could leave the city this late at night. He shouldn’t have even been outside. If father found out...

He tried not to think about it.

Cyrus just focused on the sound of the waves, watching for any signs of Pokémon beneath the surface. The docks were old, no one would think twice if some kid fell in while playing around where he shouldn’t be.

He’d debated it a few times. It wouldn’t be too hard; the currents were brutal, and he wasn’t a strong swimmer. But he stayed put, going no further than dipping his toe in.

Sometimes he wished he had jumped.

The first week in the hospital was a blur. Any time he was awake, everything was so harsh and unbearable that the staff would increase his dosage until he went out again.

On rare occasion, Cynthia would be there when he woke up. She helped him breath, to steady himself in consciousness. It would never last long. Something would set him off again and she would have no choice but to call in the doctors.

He was never aware of what he was saying in those times. He rambled and babbled in a manner unbefitting of a man who convinced hundred to follow his every order. Disgust and humiliation pooled in his gut when Cynthia looked over him with pity.

He wasn’t sure when things started becoming more solid, but it must’ve had something to do with Cynthia increasing her visits. It was the only explanation he could provide.

One day, he finally woke up without the hefty nausea and migraine that had become commonplace over his time in the too white room. The scent of stale air and disinfectant was displeasing, but not overwhelming.

The bed complained as he pushed himself up, too fast, made his head swim for a few long seconds. Cynthia almost fell out of her seat, her Holo Caster barely being saved from the unsympathetic, hard floor.

“Cyrus, are you with me?” she asked, her voice oddly soft for a woman of her status.

All he could do was nod as she helped him adjust the bed so he could sit up properly. Cynthia’s expression was indiscernible.

“How much do you remember from the last few days?”

He shook his head. Cynthia sighed.

“You’re in Veilstone. Barry found you and Dawn in Turnback Cave.”

At the mention of the girl’s name, his eyes went wild and muscles tensed. “Where is-”

Soothing hands rested on his. “She’s fine. Dawn has a different room and Barry’s been taking care of her. I promise you she’s fine.”

Cyrus felt the pressure melt from his form. “That... that is good.”

“Not like you to be so worried about someone.” Cynthia’s tone was ice, her gaze hard.

He couldn’t meet her eyes. Why did the air feel so close all of a sudden? His breathing was getting uneven and his chest ached.

Cynthia was still talking but he’d stopped processing her words. It was only when she stopped that he realised he was shaking. How did that happen?

A shape descended on him and for a moment he was back in the other world. He tried to push back but it caught him and pulled him in. He thrashed, about to cry out when Cynthia’s voice brought him back down.

“It’s okay,” She said as she wrapped him in a hug, “You’re gonna be okay, Cyrus.”

When did he start crying?

Without Cynthia, his time in the pure white room would’ve destroyed him, that much he was certain of.

In the few hours a week she managed to steal between her Champion duties, she managed to keep him updated on the outside world and, more importantly, Dawn’s condition.

“Will they seriously not tell you anything?” She asked.

He shook his head, trying to adjust himself to allow Weavile to curl up on his lap. It hadn’t taken much for the hospital staff to allow him to keep his Pokémon, anything to stop him shooting awake in hysterical panic at two am was welcomed.

“Assholes...” Cynthia muttered, folding her arms across her chest.

Weavile chirped, nuzzling further into his trainer’s lap. Cynthia chuckled.

“Whenever I tried to feed them,” she started, reaching out to pet the Pokémon’s head, “they would get all pouty and stubborn until I told them you were okay.”

Cyrus blinked. “Really?”

That took her by surprise, needing a second to recover. “Of course! Pokémon always care, even if they’re trainer...”

She trailed off, but he could guess what she was going to say. Cyrus gave Weavile a small scratch behind it’s crown.

“I do not... understand...”

Cynthia sighed. “Well, you never beat them up or anything. I think they were just worried about you...”

Cyrus looked down to the snoozing Pokémon and felt his chest ache. Not in the suffocating way he was used to but... soft and warm.

He never wanted it to go.

The worst part of the hospital was the boredom. Unless Cynthia brought something in, there was little he could do to pass the time.

He’d stopped keeping track of days. Didn’t see the point. If anything of note happened, it would make its way to him eventually.

Any attempts made by the resident psychiatrists to get him to open up rarely ended well. They would try their best to tread around the most sensitive areas, but something would always manage to set him off.

He was thoroughly convinced they had given up on him.

The window was easy enough to open, a simple latch, then it slid upwards. It was a three-storey fall, but it didn’t bother him as much as it should’ve.

“If you wanted fresh air that bad, I might be able to convince them to let us in the courtyard.”

The soft voice behind him wasn’t Cynthia.

Weavile hopped off the bed, claws clicking across the floor as it ran over to greet the visitor.

Dawn crouched to offer pets. “Hey, wanna see what I got?” she asked the Pokémon. He chirped, pawing at her sleeve as she reached into the paper bag and took out a poffin. Weavile excitedly scoffed it down before she could say anything.

She laughed, straightening up as she crossed the room. “Want one? Lucas made them.”

Cyrus shook his head. She shrugged.

“More for me and Weavile,” she said as she offered another to the weasel Pokémon.

“Are you even allowed to be here?” Cyrus asked slowly. Dawn grinned.

“Shush, I snuck out. Couldn’t stand being in that room any longer so I asked Cynthia which room was your’s.”

Silence hung between them for a few moments before she started playing with her hair.

“Okay, I lied, Cynthia said you were feeling more down than usual so I wanted to keep you company for a while.”

Cyrus realised how hard he’d been gripping the windowsill and flinched slightly as he loosened his hands. Dawn frowned, but said nothing.

“What were you thinking?” She asked quietly, testing the waters. There was no point in trying to lie to her, she could always tell.

“Would this height be enough to end your life?”

Dawn was not nearly as disturbed than he expected her to be.

“I don’t think so, but you’d really hurt your legs. Not worth it unless you’re really desperate to stay here any longer.”

“I would prefer not to.”

She gave a gentle laugh. “I can’t wait to eat real food again,” she said as she crouched to shower Weavile with affection, “Remind me to show you this café in Eterna when we get out, I think you’ll like it.”

There was that warm ache in his chest again. He found himself smiling for the first time in years.

In retrospect, he supposed he should have made more of an effort to resume contact with Team Galactic... Or what was left of it. Cynthia and Rowan had told him that the organisation almost fell apart before the old commanders turned it into an energy company.

He wasn’t surprised to hear Saturn was leading the new Galactic. The young man had a knack for the humanitarian side of business. What he was surprised about, however, was how fast he’d been able to flip the image of Team Galactic into something the people of Sinnoh would be willing to trust.

“Devon helped them a lot, gave them a chance and they proved themselves to be valuable business partners,” Rowan had explained when Cyrus had brought it up, “there were rumours that the Hoenn Champion had arranged for it, but that has yet to be proved.”

Outside of the occasional worker passing on the street, he was unable to experience anything from the new Galactic first hand. Apparently Saturn had sent Dawn some flowers. She mentioned that they looked expensive but said nothing more on the topic.

Some part of him felt betrayed, but he quickly quelled the foolish notion. It wasn’t like they owed him anything.

Which was why he was even more confused with Saturn showed up unannounced. He hovered in the doorway and likely wouldn’t have ever entered if Cynthia hadn’t been there to shove him in.

After initially sweeping the room for an escape route, Saturn finally sighed and settled into a seat.

“There’s... no way to make this not awkward.”

Cyrus just hummed.

“You’re not making this any easier.”

“It was not my intention.”

Saturn scowled, letting out a huff. He started bouncing his knee.

After an eternity, he finally asked, “Can I punch you in the face?”

The sheer absurdity of the question caught him off guard. “I... Excuse me?”

Saturn cleared his throat and sat up straight. “Never mind, that was completely out of order-”

“If it makes you feel better.”

“What?”

“You can punch me in the face.”

For a long moment, Cyrus was certain that he had broken him. Saturn finally seemed to process the words and nodded slowly.

“Okay, right...”

Saturn flexed his fingers for a moment before curling one hand into a fist. Cyrus didn’t even see him wind back. Pain exploded in his jaw, instinctively reaching up to check for any serious damage.

“Good swing...” he muttered.

“Huh? Oh, thanks...” Saturn looked down at his hand and frowned. “I, urh... I’m sorry.”

Cyrus just shrugged. “It is the least I deserve.”

Words seemed to fail Saturn for the briefest of moments. “I mean... Yeah, honestly.” He let out a shaky laugh.

And they went quiet again. While the silence would’ve been simpler, Cyrus felt as though Saturn would faint if it lasted any longer.

“I... I am sorry,” he said, the words feeling alien on his tongue, “for everything. I am aware that a mere apology is not enough to excuse all that I have done, but it is all I can offer you for the time being.”

Saturn stared at him as if he’d grown three heads. Then he started laughing. Cyrus failed to find the humour.

“Sorry, sorry, it’s just...” Saturn’s eyes started to grow puffy, his breathing hitching in his throat. “I never thought I’d...”

The words melted away as the young man fought back against his emotions.

Acting completely on instinct, Cyrus reached out and placed a hand on his shoulder.

“It’s... It’s okay, you’ll be okay.”

Saturn blinked once, twice, then burst into full, ugly sobbing.

“This-” he hiccupped, “this is so unprofessional.”

“As you said, there is no way to make this... ‘not awkward.’”

Saturn hugged him. No hesitation, no second thoughts, just went straight for it. It felt... strange. More because it was unfamiliar than uncomfortable. Cyrus hummed, stiffly moving his arms to pat his back.

“Is... Is this just something people do for no reason?”

A dry laugh came from Saturn, though he didn’t look up. “Pretty much.”

“I see... This will take some getting used to.”

[disco-cola]

Jennie darling, what do you think about the groupie scene back in the day? in the 60's,70's and 80's . I don't know if you've watched it but there is a documentary about some of the most famous and iconic groupies such as Lori Lightning, Pamela Des Barres, Cynthia (the girl who inspired KISS's song Plaster Caster), etc. It's called "Let's Spend The Night Together". Also, do you have a favourite groupie?

oh man… sensitive topic. i used to really like it up until some time ago, then my opinion changed. i have read i’m with the band by pamela des barres, hollywood diaries by morgana welch, i’ve seen the 1970 groupie documentary which has miss pamela, cynthia and others in it, i’ve seen movies picking up that topic like “ich ein groupie” and “groupie girl” (both from 1970 if i remember right) and also watched the VH1 “let’s spend the night together” special, i even own an original 1970 copy of the “groupies and other girls” book which rolling stone published… the thing is, some of these girls, especially in the early 70s, were literal children. they were so young, let alone legal of age and most of the musicians having relations to them were several years older. people say “times were different, it was normal” and “girls like lori and sable starr knew damn well what they were doing and provoked it” but yeah… i don’t know. i’ve read a recent interview (it was shortly after bowie passed and suddenly all the hate and controversy about his early glam years and groupies came up again) last year from lori in which she assures she has no regrets and loved her life. i know that a lot of girls who were groupies back then earn good money sharing their juicy memories now, by writing books or appearing in documentaries. but i like to stick and be inspired by girls like marianne faithfull, anita pallenberg, uschi obermaier, bianca jagger, chris o’dell, pattie boyd and bebe buell etc. they were real parts of the inner circle and inspired the music and had a say in the scene and weren’t afraid to stand up for themselves and took no shit while still pursuing their own careers, they weren’t groupies, they were muses… (i have the biographies of uschi, marianne, pattie, bebe and chris.) i am by no means trying to smash groupies, that would be hyprocritical since i was once so fascinated by that culture and scene and would’ve slapped a bitch (like sable did so often to fight off other girls god it was insane) to be one myself and yes they definitely did have their influence on rock culture, no question, but i’ve completely grown out of that mindset glamorizing their lives. be your own woman and don’t define yourself over who you have shared a bed with one night, no matter how famous (i have read in an original 1973 issue of that groupie magazine star that a lot of those young girls did that, trying to outdo each other and there was a lot of jealousy and aggressiveness among them and i do not support that). for the majority of those girls their short-lived rock’n’roll romance did not end like it did for penny lane in almost famous and they were practically “used” for one night until the band left town and did the same thing the next night with new girls in another city. they left them broken-hearted and disillusioned. you know how that 1970 groupies and other girls book ends, what’s written on the last page? with quotes by two young groupies who said “i’m sick of being hurt. you keep thinking somebody is gonna come and sweep you up and carry you away.” “it’s a life with a lot of pain being a groupie. people just leave you, always leaving you, leaving you. most people think, maybe he’ll take me with him. i’m not going to get into that again.” and damn that really speaks for itself. the groupie scene of the 60s and 70s is in my opinion something that just gets really romanticized when in reality it was harsh and unmerciful and not all too glamorous or romantic.

[democratsunited-blog]

Andrea Stewart-Cousins on Democratic Unity and the ‘Value’ of Primaries

https://uniteddemocrats.net/?p=4059

Andrea Stewart-Cousins on Democratic Unity and the ‘Value’ of Primaries

Andrea Stewart-Cousins at the state party convention (photo: Samar Khurshid/Gotham Gazette)

While policies to prevent and punish sexual harassment were being decided in Albany during state budget negotiations earlier this year, four men led the closed-door talks: Governor Andrew Cuomo, Assembly Speaker Carl Heastie, Senate Majority Leader John Flanagan, and the leader of the now-defunct Independent Democratic Conference Jeff Klein. Even as female aides had some level of participation, there was a great deal of scrutiny of the absence of Andrea Stewart-Cousins, the leader of the Democratic minority in state Senate, especially given that Cuomo’s office had indicated she would be included.

“You would’ve thought you would’ve been able to get in a room and at least let her say something,” Stewart-Cousins said of her own situation during a recent episode of the Max & Murphy podcast from Gotham Gazette and City Limits. “Never happened.”

Stewart-Cousins called it a feature of “an institution that has institutionalized a lot of stuff,” and said that “breaking those norms are really, really difficult things to do.”

But breaking established ways of doing things is something of a pattern for Stewart-Cousins, who is both the first woman and the first African-American woman to be elected as the state Senate minority leader. Now, after post-budget reconciliation between the mainline Democrats she leads and Klein’s IDC, Stewart-Cousins is also in position to become the first woman and woman of color to be the majority leader of the Senate, depending on the results of the fall elections. They are elections she is becoming increasingly involved with, she indicated on the podcast, connecting the upcoming attempts to flip seats from Republican to Democrat as part of a “blue wave” sweeping the nation.

Stewart-Cousins’ frame for viewing the elections and potential Democratic majority in the Senate, and thus the Legislature given the party’s stranglehold on the Assembly, is the recent Senate reunification, pushing her, it seems, to be more forgiving, take the long-view, and look ahead, not back.

Exclusion from the anti-sexual harassment talks – and the state budget discussions in general – may be a thorny issue, but not one that poses a major point of contention between Stewart-Cousins and her colleagues.

“It goes back to the basic tenet: a house divided against itself can’t stand,” Stewart-Cousins said in response to a question of her possible frustrations with elements of the unity deal that was struck among her, Klein and Cuomo in April, and whether she trusts Klein. “How are we gonna do this?…I’m not gonna be sitting there having people somehow undermine the efforts that we have to be a team. That’s always been the case.”

There are still challenges to the notion of a unified Democratic front: each of the eight former members of the IDC is facing a primary challenge, and while the Democratic establishment has agreed to mutual support, a number of grassroots groups and a handful of elected officials are backing the challengers.

On the podcast, Stewart-Cousins emphasized that she has endorsed all incumbent Democratic senators, including those who were formerly part of the IDC, “so that people are very, very clear where I stand,” she said in response to a question of whether or not she would tell fellow party members to drop their support for the challengers. “I think that in and of itself sends a message.”

While she did not call primaries a bad thing, Stewart-Cousins further emphasized the importance of moving past former divisions in order for the party to function. “I think that’s over,” she said of the Senate Democratic division, “and it’s up to me…to give the kind of support and respect that I should be giving as the leader and as a colleague, and I believe that we set that tone,” she said. “There’s nobody coming in feeling less than, unworthy. There’s no recriminations.”

In response to a question of whether Cuomo – who has long been criticized for encouraging or at least tolerating the IDC’s existence – could have brokered such a unity deal earlier on, and thus possibly prevented the handicapped progress on key issues for the Democratic Party, Stewart-Cousins said, “Like I always say, he did make it happen….I don’t think he was terribly concerned about the situation because as far as we he was concerned, maybe it was manageable. I think it’s gotten to the point where it was looking unmanageable because of all the different factors, so he asserted himself.”

If the Democrats are able to obtain majority control of the state Senate in November, a policy agenda including action on immigration, climate change, voting and elections, campaign financing, reproductive rights, and more may move. Stewart-Cousins referenced pieces like the Child Victims Act and the Dream Act stagnating in the currently Republican-controlled state Senate. Additionally, Republican senators recently blocked Democrats’ attempts to see voting on the Reproductive Health Act and the Comprehensive Contraception Coverage Care Act – two pieces of legislation that would, respectively, enshrine in New York law the same reproductive rights under the Supreme Court’s Roe v. Wade ruling and mandate accessibility to birth control medication – when Democrats attempted to push them through late last month.

“There’s so many things that we could do in addition to, obviously, the things that we’re bringing up today,” Stewart-Cousins said.

For their part, Senate Republicans often seek to ‘warn’ New Yorkers of what full Democratic control of state government could bring. “The New York City politicians who think it will be easy to flip the State Senate and impose their radical agenda on the people of New York should take heed,” said Senate spokesperson Scott Reif, in an April statement. “Our Majority represents the checks and balances, and the real accountability that hardworking taxpayers need and deserve.  Without us it’s one party rule, higher taxes, runaway spending and New Yorkers will be less safe.”

Democrats first need to contend with reconciling the different wings within their own party, a division apparent in the challengers to former IDC members and to Cuomo. Stewart-Cousins has unique perspective, representing Senate District 35, an area that includes towns like Yonkers, White Plains, and Scarsdale, with a wide variety of Democrats and plenty of Republicans and party unaffiliated voters.

Asked which wing of the party she identifies with, Stewart-Cousins deemphasized the ostensible differences in her party. “I’ve been able to, I think, gain a perspective that a lot of people don’t have as it relates to governing,” she said, referring to her unique position as the first Democratic leader representing a district outside New York City in a hundred years. “Everybody pretty much wants the same thing. It’s not different. It’s how you deliver these things or how you’re able to characterize these things or how you react is really where the differences lie.”

On the question of primaries, like that Governor Cuomo is facing, Stewart-Cousins took a different approach from some others, like Lieutenant Governor Kathy Hochul. “I certainly have no problem with the fact that there’s a primary going on,” she said, responding to a question of whether or not the gubernatorial candidacy of challenger Cynthia Nixon is emblematic of the Democratic Party being a ‘house divided.’ “The conversations about the vision for New York and who should lead it are valuable,” she added.

For now, at least, Stewart-Cousins maintains a face of smiling unity toward Klein, who serves as her deputy, and the rest of the Democratic Party.

Asked if there’s a chance that party members pull another IDC-esque ploy in the coming years, Stewart-Cousins said, “The environment has changed and that’s why I think this unity works, because we’ve been to the other side. We know what that looks like, and I don’t know if anybody needs or wants to go back there again.”

[Listen: Max & Murphy Podcast: Senate Democratic Leader Andrea Stewart-Cousins]

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