#love seeing people's reactions to media I love in general but it's always extra fantastic when they have new cool insight

[just-sg]

Yeah, cavaliers use rapiers because most necromancers lean toward physical frailty and rapiers are light enough for them to effectively hold and wield and rely more on precision, sure.

But while Gideon's two-hander is in-universe inherited, and good for contrast, and shows she's strong and is just generally Really Cool, I didn't realize until today that it's...

The lyctor recruitment forces Gideon to change from two to one.

Like that "could" be coincidence, but Tazmuir could have made Gideon's preferred weapon anything. Granted, it becoming a cross metaphor in HtN could also just be the main or only reason, but like... It's Tazmuir and everything is steeped in 32 levels of everything. Two becoming one...

[smallblueandloud]

some leverage: redemption reactions

i finished leverage redemption today! and i don't have anyone to talk to about it so, here we have my reactions for all eight episodes, both positive and negative. please feel free to reblog/comment -- discussions are what i'm here for! (under a cut because spoilers and also this ended up being 2k. whoops!)

EPISODE 1: the too many rembrandts job

the "aww, this guy is trying to pull his first heist! how cute" job

what they chose to do with nate was... interesting. it might just be that i read too many of those cracky "here's how they should explain nate's absence" posts, but i was expecting something funny. the grief permeating this episode -- it makes SENSE, but it was still weird. leverage doesn't usually have sadness like this. pain, yes, rage, certainly, but sadness? not usually

the way sophie immediately spots the signs of a con and slips into a character? phenomenal. i'm here for EXPERTS BEING EXPERTS and this show does NOT disappoint

harry wilson is a really solid character! most impressively, he's not flynn, which is impressive enough that i'm making a whole bullet point about it. i was worried that noah wyle was kinda a one-trick pony, but it appears not! good for him tbh

i'm LIVING for the ot3 moments in this episode. "what happened?" "we happened" YESSSSS!!! i wish we'd had more domesticity, but i know they did what they could

"he gets it from his father" FUCK!!!!!

the discussion about redemption in this episode is FANTASTIC but personally i am still delirious with excitement about "my nana leads a multi-denominational household" so expect those thoughts in 3-5 business days

EPISODE 2: the panamanian monkey job

the "flash electropop concert" job

BREANNA INTRODUCTION! i love her so MUCH, y'all. we only got to see her dynamic with hardison in this one episode, but man, it manages to be one of her best dynamics anyway. i just! i love her! i love the way the team works with her!

"in our field, you're one of the best. but there, you're the only one." god we have ELIOT/HARDISON rights and i am NOT OKAY. just!! them!!!!!! being supportive!!!!!! they have learned how to be sweet with each other! they work together so much better (in part because we're seeing them from harry's outsider pov instead of nate's insider pov, but STILL)

midway through this episode, i thought "huh, leverage always focuses on specific people, when really the problem is systematic, and pretending it's anything different is just an excuse to not fight for change". and then at the end harry talks about how the system itself is broken! i love knowing that john rogers and i were reading the same tweets last summer. it's a good feeling to trust the people making a piece of media

who let noah wyle speak spanish. whoever it was, they need to rescind their permission

god, the parker/hardison in this episode. THE PARKER/HARDISON IN THIS EPISODE! they KILL me friends they KILL ME!

also just like, hardison in this episode in general. he made a star trek reference! he made a doctor who reference! he decides there are other people who need him more! the way they wrote around gina bellman's maternity leave in s2 was good but this was phenomenal.

also i'm here for ot3 crumbs so "is this like the time when eliot wanted us to say no" is going on my ot3-is-canon conspiracy board

this is a tiny detail but eliot taking out the drone with a goddamn ORANGE was so good. he's so good at his job!! they're all so good at their jobs!! i know i literally just talked about this but AAA

EPISODE 3: the rollin' on the river job

the "sometimes you just want to rob a vault wearing a floofy dress, and that's valid" job

i did... not. like. how the villain in this one was an immigrant whose exploitable weakness was a "desperation" to be included in the upper crust. and the fact that they beat him with a literal southern belle who explicitly beats him BECAUSE her family has been in the area for "hundreds of years"? it just feels Iffy.

also iffy about this episode was breanna's characterization. it felt inconsistent. she feels inconsistent across the whole season, but this episode in particular... she tells harry she's only with the team because she's desperate, that she doesn't believe in hope, and then at the end of the episode she tells parker she wants to be there to change the world. and like, even in the first place, she's not here out of desperation! SHE asked to join the team! like, i can see how it all kinda fits together, but it just feels... inconsistent. idk. i think these scripts all could've benefited from an extra round or two of editing.

anyway! i loved the way they tied hardison into these episodes, even though aldis hodge couldn't be there. he has binders! breanna doesn't want to read them! parker did! he put in big letters, "when in doubt, trust the person in the van". i'm just so !!! about how much i love him and how much he loves his team and how much his team loves him. FOUND FAMILY, BABY!

all inconsistencies in breanna's characterization aside, i really liked her speech at the end. i know how she feels! it's really nice to have someone on the team who's from -- not my world, really, but a lot closer than any of the others. it's a nice feeling! i love her a lot. i hope her writing gets more consistent

lol, parker ate eliot's carrot cake. i love the parker/eliot rights we get in this show, they're so domestic and it's wonderful.

EPISODE 4: the tower job

the "hardison made his partners learn klingon" job

watching this episode was what made me go "they're not going to make us sit through a harry/sophie romance... right? right?"

i'm still not sure they're gonna let us avoid it but it COULD work so... i've decided to just not worry about it for now

i liked the number of ways the con goes wrong! it was fun to watch them work on the fly like that. i think them not having a dedicated Mastermind(tm) is a good watsonian explanation for their plans being pretty haphazard in general, but it's good, they think well on their feet

nate was a chessmaster. he had the whole situation in his mind from the beginning, accounting for every possible outcome. parker and sophie are much more adaptive, and it's cool to see. they can rely on their respective skillsets a lot more than nate could

a really solid episode! probably one of the strongest ones in the season. i liked it a lot.

(ALSO as mentioned above the klingon lines were fantastic and not just because they were a star trek reference -- every time eliot and parker both mentioned hardison, together, it added a year to my lifespan)

EPISODE 5: the paranormal hacktivity job

the "sophie was worryingly prepared to fake her death" job

i know why they characterized the client as a skeptic, i really do, and i loved the format of this episode, but also. But Also. she should've been a love interest for breanna and I'm Right.

having a girl's episode was the CORRECT choice. they do crimes in their free time! they fleece newbie, cruel criminals! it's so good!

it would've been cool to have eliot around for the assassin guy, but it was also cool to see the others take him out without having eliot to rely on. it's like getting to see how they'd take out eliot, if they were ever on opposing sides.

PARKER CANONICALLY USES SCRIPTS IT'S THE BEST THING EVER

breanna bristling about letting the criminal into the theater's electric system was so good god i love her so much. she knows hardware! i bet she likes to work with her hands. i bet she stims. i bet she has adhd

actually, sidenote, but i LOVE these headquarters. they look so nice! the stage is so nice! i loved having an episode set in and around it, it was such a good choice.

EPISODE 6: the card game job

the "FINALLY AN EXPLICITLY QUEER LEVERAGE CHARACTER" job

QUEER BREANNA QUEER BREANNA QUEER BREANNA QUEER BR

UNFOLLOW ME NOW THIS IS GONNA BE THE ONLY THING I POST ABOUT FOR THE REST OF TIME

GOD, what a good way to reveal it. it's fully about her! i love queer romances, of course i do, but i don't think i've ever seen a character come out without a romance being their reason for doing so (however indirectly). i still think she should've gotten a date with the client from 1x05, but i really liked this too.

this episode just felt like a love letter to fandom, and i love that. i love how much it shone through. i'm used to writers specifically going out of their way to make fun of fans and laugh at them, so it was just. really nice to have someone stand up and go, no, this is important for a reason! people love this for a reason! it MEANS something!

very fun to watch eliot swordfight. very fun to watch sophie recite a sonnet in her classic fashion. very fun to watch parker work at being a good mentor. breanna was so excited about the card game! they're all so good!

oh, and i guess harry's here too.

EPISODE 7: the double-edged sword job

the "harry is addicted to mobile games, which is a mood" job

hot take alert! i think this is the weakest episode of the season by a LOT. it needed so much more editing. it felt so disjointed, so all over the place. the plot was haphazard but in a muffled way, where you had no idea why they were doing what they were doing. the climax was sudden and didn't make any sense. it was just weird.

i'm not the person to comment on this but it feels kind of lazy to cast an east asian guy to play a socially-awkward tech genius. just a thought.

oh, of course jonathan frakes directed this episode. sometimes his stuff is really good but other times (ahem, ds9 3x02) it's disjointed and all over the place. i'm not even surprised it was him.

idk if i have anything else to say about this. oh! some of the team moments were great -- mostly involving eliot. i loved the moment of him recognizing the headshot, i LOVED the ten seconds of everyone teasing him. he and parker talked about the wellbeing of their friend, the woman whose ex tracked her down!

separate bulletpoint to say how much i LOVED his conversation with breanna outside the house. he's so good at reassuring! he could go deeper there, talking about being better than your worst day, but he knew when not to push! it was so good.

"first off, this guy can't TOUCH hardison" deserves its own bulletpoint because like. y'all. Y'ALL.

EPISODE 8: the mastermind job

the "eliot is more than just a pretty face" job

oh man this post is so much longer than i thought it would be. okay just one more episode and then i'm done.

the callbacks to original leverage were SO well done and made me feel emotions without feeling overbearing.

i didn't like the central premise -- that nate would share so many details with a random insurance agent -- in the first place, but i did like how it allowed them to bring back nate without actually hiring timerty mcasshole.

i liked eliot's insistence that he's more than just the muscle! he is, and it's really good to know, textually, that the writers do too!

me, watching the resolution of the episode: ah, yeah, insurance fraud. a classic!

harry bonding with his guard had "they don't even have dental!" energy and i am SUCH a fan. i know it was all for the con but also give me harry, unable to stop advising people, even when they're actively holding him hostage

parker! on the phone with hardison!!!! ADORABLE

is it just me or was someone else expecting the accountant's name to be something significant? with the way they led up to it, i was waiting for a "sterling" or something else. my sensors were pinging for another tara reveal. i'm still convinced we're gonna get this guy dramatically revealed in the season finale.

a really nice episode! i had a lot of fun with it. and now i want to rewatch the rashamon job, but tbh i ALWAYS want to rewatch the rashamon job.

and that's a wrap! overall, a fun season, i enjoyed it a lot. not as solid as original leverage, but it's the very beginning, and it was put together during a global pandemic, so i'm cutting them some slack. also levar burton is gonna show up at some point. that's a big reason of why i'm cutting them so much slack.

my personal ranking of the episodes is 1x04, 1x06, 1x08, 1x01, 1x02, 1x03, and finally last (and least), 1x07.

what did you guys think of the new season? what was your favorite episode? do you agree with any of my opinions? disagree with any? let me know, please, i'd love to discuss!

[popculturebuffet]

Reviews: The Stand: Captain Trips

Halloween Havoc rambles on!  I decided to read a Stephen King Classic via it’s comic book adaptation from Marvel Knights 4 and Afterlife with Archie scribe and future Riverdale showrunner Roberto Aguirre-Sarcasa. A deadly plauge sweeps across the US that kills in it’s wake while the goverment tries to cover it up. Because that’s not at all terrifingly close to home.  But as this pandemic creeps around the US we meet 5 dispearte people with a part to play in what the world becomes after the end: Stu, a hard nosed man who finds himself imprisoned by the government since he was next to patient zero for the outbreak and lived. Frannie, a young woman who finds herself pregnant and dealing with her disaproving mother and the babie’s less than ideal dad. Larry, a would be one hit wonder whose come home to new york to dry out and to let Stephen King go on for several pages about how much he fucking hates new york, because that was important. Nick, a deaf and mute teen drifter who finds himself subbing for a kind sherieff who sadly got the disease. And Lloyd, a dumb criminal who finds himself in jail after a robbery gone bad. And waiting in their dreams and the shadows for his acendency, the walking dude, Randall Flagg, evil itself. Waiting paitently for the soon dawning time of his ascendency. Spoilers and the review itself under the cut. 

So yeah i’m back to doing some comics reviews and I.. genuinely missed it. I did. I just needed to reajdust from doing one issue at a time to doing full arcs as well as get it in my head to do one.  And while I didn’t INTEND to review these, I ended up liking this series, at least for this mini, so much I couldn’t resist diving into them critically.  As for why I decided to read these comics it’s simple: i’ve never read the Stand but always wanted to. No real complex motives: I’ve liked some adaptations of King’s works with It: Chapter One being the reason I finally started watching horror movies after a good decade or two of avoiding them like the plauge, finally breaking down my squeamish cowardly barrier and opening up a greater world. Granted the sequel was a giant balloon parade of disapointment, but I can get to that some other day. Point is I like Stephen King: he seems like a decent enough guy, has had some good adaptations of his works and even the bad ones have some fun. Like this trailer for maximum overdrive where it’ shard to tell if it’s his tragic drug addiction or just him that’s responsibile for that wonderful delivery. 

So yeah, with little options to read the stand and the series out of print, I decided to dive into the comics because they seemed accurate enough from the way reviews had them and frankly before horror films, I really got into horror through comics, with my gateway there being Roberto Aguirre-Sacasa’s afterlife with archie. Many of you may know RAS, as i’m calling him so I don’t horribly mangle his namem, as the guy behind riverdale, sabrina, which is partialy based off his own sabrina comic and kathy keene, but before he became Archie’s golden boy, he was a writer at marvel, hence these mini series, and wrote the wonderful fantastic four series marvel knight’s 4, which I might cover at some point, which followed the four as they lost all their money and had to live like us normal folks. It’s really fucking good stuff and easily one of the best runs on the characters period. Afterlife with Archie is no slouch either so pairing both guys who brought me to the terrordance of horror seemed like a match made in heaven.  So that’s where we Stand, pun intended: I haven’t read the stand or watched the mini series, only know or remember some spoilers, and am walking into this blind but eager to see what happens. So if your willing to join me on the ride and on my fresh perspective, here’s Stephen King’s the stand by RAS and Mike Perkins.  Now since, at least at this early stage, The stand is divided up by the characters and what their going through as the virus hits, i’m going to cover this character by character, with an additional section on the progress of the pandemic itself and the government response.  Before I dig in I will say there is something I really love here: The Pacing. NOw I will grant it’s slow: By the end of this mini we only JUST meet big bad Randall Flag as the pademic and it’s goverment coverup both kick into high gear.  So why does it work? Simple: The characters. By opening up as the end of the world is happening instead of shortly before or after like most post apoclayptic stories, and focusing on each of our surivivors we get a real sense of who our heroes were before society collapsed as it collapses, and get to really care about them and WANT to see how they react to the end of the world and what they become. It justifies the series, and the book’s , massive length by using that giant stretch of time to get us invested in the cast and really want to see where this story goes. It’s really good storytelling and holds up really well. So with that out of the way, we can dive into the meat of the story itself. And before we can get to our protaganists, let’s get to the plauge itself 

THE OUTBREAK

The story starts with a soldier breaking out of quarantine after getting hit with a miltary virus, infecting his wife and child  while trying to go awol and dying.. thus starting the plauge known as Captain Tripps. It crashes into a small town gas station, where we met Stu, one of our heroes, more of him later and starts to slowly grip the nation as the book goes on.  The Goverment handles making a plauge that will end up dooming the human race.. by pretending it dosen’t exist, supressing the media, and cordening off whole cities and taking them over. An early attempt by the media to get the story out get the reporters shot horribly, and we get to see all the gore in this version. it’s not plesant but it’s a well done sequence. We get an even worse sequence where the general in charge of the facility captain tripps came from seeing tons of dead bodies in the cafeteria from their sceintests failed attempts at a cure, one of which is horribly bloated, and then shoots himself..... yeah I got nothing. Just.. wow. Good horrible stuff. 

So yeah tha’ts basically how it goes: the goverment can’t figure out how to stop it and tries desperatley to cover it up or downplay it instead.. and why yes our own goverment’ sbungled handling of coronavirus, with our own PRESIDENT, in the hospital right now, does make this extra chilling to me thanks for asking!  It SOMEHOW gets worse with the final issue as various media outlets rebel against the goverment  supression with tv, newspaper and radio all reporting on this despite the risk.. that comes true as the goverment STILL dosen’t learn their lesson and kills them all and we end as the virus only gets worse and the president urges everyone that it’s all fine despite teh mass bodies dumped into the sea and to just take some juice. Just.... just..... 

Yes exactly thank you Jon. It’s good stark horrible stuff, I just have no more commentary other than please make it stop. I will say however it’s well done stuff that lets the creeping dread seep in until it really hits fever pitch at the end. 

Stu Redman: 

As I mentioned, we meet Stu very early on, as he’s on site when patient zero crashes his car into a gas station.  Unfortuntely for him this gets him and hsi town swept up to a goverment black site where as seen above, he has no time for the bullshit their feeding him and is in no mood to actually cooperate till they actually talk to them. Which.. yeah it’s entirely resonable: the Goverment is holding him here against his will, refusing to tell him anything and asking to get samples from him. How does he know their not just going to shoot him the second their done with him? He dosen’t and given what we’ve seen this version of the goverment, and hell the real goverment do, yeah. Maybe blind trust needs to be earned rather than demanded. Just saying.  Stu gets his answers, that everyone else they brought in and thus his whole town is dead, and they don’t know how to stop the virus.. and that they don’t know where it came from but as the above makes clear, that’s a load of garbage. So Stu relcutantly and grumpliy coperates. He’s basically if Ron Swanson got freaky friday’d into nick millers body. 

Stu eventually gets taken to a diffrent facility after the jounalist thing and becomes even more coperative, as they start bringing in an armed guard every time someone visits him.. and Stu starts to get even more wary of this shit as it’s very obvious he’s become expendable, he uses those exact words, and by the end of this mini is plotting his escape. He also has dreams.. of iowa cornfields.. and a sinster man in black floating above them.  I like stu a lot: A hard nosed down to earth guy who dosen’t take shit, but is clever enough to know when to bite his tounge and bide his time, easily sussing out both why he’d been moved to a new facility and just how disposable he now is: He’s a man who will fight when needed but knows when to hold back and wait for it. He’s also a nice protaganist ot be our main viewpoint in the goverment sections and is easily my second faviorite. My faviorite is coming shortly. 

Frannie Goldsmith: 

Frannie is a college student who just ended up pregnant by her  boyfriend Jesse. She dosen’t want to marry him despite him offering.. and given his reactions to her telling him this are to whine “but you were supposed to be on the pill”, which she was and gave plenty of reasons why that may not have worked, and then give a loud , what was probably groaning “Aw hell” before proposting.. yeah good call. 

Frannie’s dad takes it well as he’s sad, but he understands and loves his daughter and wants to support her. Her mother.. is a selfish nightmare who bearates her for it, berates her husband, who usually backs down as Frannie is used to at this point, for standing up for her and then just for added terrible points physically abuses Frannie, who is PREGNANT, by slapping her hard. I know that can’t hurt the baby but fucking really.  Thankfully Frannie’s father decides even if he wont’ divorce the crone to stand up to her at least, and points out she really hasn’t been the same since Frannie’s brother died, igorning her up until the pregnancy and calling her out. She leaves in a huff defeated, and Frannie leaves to go stay at a hotel for a bit while tryign to find somewhere to stay, with her mom not wanting to talk to her and her dad insiting she come around.  Given her mother had signs of the virus earlier.. she dosen’t. She dies, Frannie, having come home to help her is devistated and we actually get a devistating if confusing bit as she hugs her dad and talks about eating the pie. Something lost in translation but the visuals cover well enough. And that’s where he story ends, though with a montage in the last issue, which is all we get of htem as the issue is focused on Flagg and the pandemic response instead. Not a bad move mind as it’s easily the best issue of the series, just a note.  Frannie is a likeable enough character, a strong woman who knows what she wants, wants to keep her baby and has decent enough family drama.. if well worn at this point but fraknly the book was written all the way back in the late 70′s so this is forgivable as it probably wasn’t AS common as it is now. Frannie has plenty of personality but her plot is one of the less intresting as it’s pretty easy to tell where it’s going in comparison to the other, more intresting plots going on around it. That said you still connect to frannie enough for it to not feel like a drag on the story and to feel important, so it’s not too bad a section. 

Larry Underwood: Larry Underwood is a musician whose also a bit o fa scumbag, using people and drugs like theres no tommorow and riding high, in both senses, off the sucess of his single.. a title that sums up the 70′s in a nutshell “Baby Can You Dig Your Man?”. Just.. it sounds like a parody song from SCTV... so in other words good job on making a goofy 70′s pop hit title stephen. Respect. 

But yeah a friend of Larry’s seeing he’s hit bottom suggets he had back to new york. Larry bunks with his mom who worries it’s too late for him to change from the scumbag he is now and that only a great catstrophe could do that. 

So yeah obviously it’s gonna, but we’ll likely see that as the series goes on. So mostly Larry’s segment is one incident of him having a one night stand that seems a bit overblown.. I mean it is scummy of him but her screaming “your not a good guy and what not as seen above just seems narmy as hell and utterly stephen king in terms of writing.. but the scene of him trying to convince himself she’s wrong after is really strong. Larry’s self doubt, self hate and wondering if he’s that bad is really strong stuff and really godo character stuff showing he is an asshole who uses people including his own mom.. but also genuinely DOSEN’T want to be that person but dosen’t know how. We also get a crushing bit where he calls for his friend who helped him only to find out not only is the guy in the hopstial but it’s getting bad. As the chapter ends larry looses his mom too.  The one real weakness of this bit is King goes on a bit of an author tract that’s kept via larry’s narration, which by the way I love how the books narration is kept REALLY damn well via the caption boxes, it’s really nicely done and a way to help keep some of the bits from the book while still taking bits out where necessary. It’s a nice touch. But back on point yeah.. Larry REALLY hates new york.. which to me translates as Stephen King REALLY hating new york, and wanting you to know how much he hates new york, how much the city was festering back then, how much of a crap hole it is, how it farts turds during thunder storms etc. IT’s likely trimme down from the text but boy does it feel unecessary> We get it, 70′s pre clean-up intiative new york was REALLY fucking awful. You didn’t like it there. But if you want to rant about new york for several paragraphs.. 

Like I get that he’s TRYING to make the point Larry dosen’t like new york and dosen’t fit in at home but instead of trying into his character arc entirely it just feels like an excuse for King to ramble about his hatred of new york. I’ts easily the weakest part of this mini series and I only think it was kept because RAS, as made clear in the question and answer sessions with marvel.com in the back of one of the issues, is a huge king fan and wanted to keep as much as possible. It’s the one time I feel the comic, and the story it’s retelling, really stumbled that bad. Thankfully with that rant over we can get onto my faviorite character

Nick Andros: Nick is easily has both the most unique narriatve and is the most intresting character to me. A mute and deaf teenage drifter, he goes from town to town finding work.. and between towns get beatup by a bunch of local assholes the ringleader of which is your standard Stephen King bully because depending on the kindness of strangers in a stephen king story is just asking for a beating.  Though oddly enough that ends up working as Nick finds himself in a jail cell with the local Sheirff and after getting a pad and paper, not only verifies he was working with someone in town, and who he is , but also who beat him down. And oddly for a king story since while he DOES have a heroic sheirff i’ve heard of, most of his law enformcent seem to be corrupt hicks at best, this one.. is a nice guy who makes sure the assholes that assaulted nick are brought in despite the ringleader being his wife’s nephew and knowing he’ll get no sex for a while because of it.. the narrative points this out because we needed to knwo that apparently. 

But said wife happily takes Nick in along with the Shierff while the sheirff takes 3/4 of the assholes in, with said nephew booking it out of town. But soon our kindly sheiff takes ill from the virus and Nick gladly fills in for him as his new deputy to make sure the idiots at the jail don’t starve. He continues this throught the book even as he looses his new family tragically due to the virus.. and soon his prisoners catch it too and clearly aren’t long for the world.  Nick is a THROUGHly likeable character. Just from body laungage it’s clear there’s a bit of an edge and a bit of harshness to him.. but he’s mostly just a good kid who goes out of his way to make sure three assholes who tried beating him to death get fed and watered, and wants to do the right thing despite the world crappign on him constnatly. He’s throughly intresting and his disablity is nicely portrayed, with him being portrayed as a normal guy who simplyg ot dealt a really crappy hand and does his best with it. Easily the best part of this mini, closely followed by the last issue but we’ll get to that in a second. We have one more character to get through. 

Lloyd Henried This bit will go fast since he’s only in two sections this mini but Lloyd is a dimwitted crminal who clearly gets a thrill from the crime sprees and murders he and his pal have done but also dosen’t murder inscreimatley. Unfortunatley his partner in crime does and Lloyd gets arrested after his first scene and hsi friend gets his face gunned off. Lloyd is last scene with his lawyer teaching him to lie. He’s basically just a dumb criminal at this point who likes thrills. Not a lot to dig into comapred to the other characters soooooo let’s move on to our final focus character and the focus of the final issue only, but hitned at before... 

Randall Flagg The breakout character of the piece, one of king’s most loved and most used villians. The Walking Dude. The Devil HImself. I had high expecations of this character with all that hype and he did NOT disapoint. 

Flagg is a mysterious supernatural drifter who dosen’t even know how long he’s existed but is evil itself. He makes anyone he passes feel nervous, glass crack and everyone uneasy, yet when needed can slip in and out of any extremist or hate group easily and hands out pamphliets for whatever will get people riled up the most, good cause or bad. and easily worms his way in and out of heavily armed groups and into women’s beds. My words do not do kings words put onto the final issue justice. They jsut impart he is evil, he is here, and he is about to RISE. And you’d better be prepared to run. After a few issues of only appearing in one dream.. we meet our antagonist and he is a lot. Throughly engaging, throughly creepy and throughly unesettling we get a full sense of who flagg is a drifter who SEEMS resonable enough when talking but just.. gets under your skin, yhou just feel.. WRONG around him. This one sequence REALLY got me excited to see what this bastard does. Not a lot elsse to say  throughly engaging creepy impressive villian who lived up to the hype and star of one of the best single issues i’ve read. No notes. 

So yeah overall.. I really love this story so far. Obviously I have a LONNNG way to go and 5 more mini series to go so I hope you’ll join me but the art is good, the decisions fantastic and the writing adapted well, clearly compressed but in a way that works. A fantastic way to read the story for a newcomer such as myself and if you can find it somehwer,e read it. Ill continue with it as hte month, or months probably, go on. Until then check back on my blog for regular ducktales coverage and some more halloween fun, hit up my asks if you have some comics you’d like to see me cover, and until next time, happy halloween. 

[angrykpoprants]

Bts paved the way for kpop idc what anyone says no one cared about kpop until BTS

I beg to differ, maybe for the late 2010′s and performing at award shows but not for kpop as a whole. However, this is always going to be a topic that always going to be two sided. And I full on respect your opinion, because I can see where its coming from. 

I’ve always felt like kpop was just a sub genre like a lot of other music, while its not mainstream and US artist will always have the upperhand in their home country kpop has a large enough following in the US, its just like that time were J-rock and J-pop was huge… btw does anyone remember Puffy AmiYumi?

I think the reason as to why it really looks like they were the ones who paved the way for kpop is because of the social media and fandom culture we have now, from 2005-2014 social media culture wasn’t like what it is today, I’m not even talking about fan interaction either, because I feel like there was way more fan interaction on twitter from the B.A.P members. 

Lets see the timeline of kpop/korean artist making headlines in America 

2005

Rain made headlines for being the first ever Korean artist to perform outside of Asia. He was also the first Korean artist to perform in the US, and let alone do a 2 hour concert. It’s one of the biggest Korean concert that was held in NYC. It even featured Pi Diddy, Omarion, and JoJo Levesque. This was the initial foot print that the hallyu wave had outside of Asia 

2006

Rain made headlines for because Time magazine listed him as one of the 100 most influential people in the world, to that Stephen Colbert invited him on his show and they did a parody of Way to Avoid the sun. 

The year that MTV made a special channel on American TV soley for kpop called MTVk

2007

Rain also again gained more american attention for being listed in People’s most beautiful people in the world

2008 

Bi Rain and Joon Park both were in Speed Racer, that was a big achievement for Korean Singers… just simply being able to graze the big screen. Rain more so than Joon got a good amount of attention, he even got some American interviews 

2009

Rain and Lee Joon were in Ninja Assassin. Rain made major headlines for again not only being in an American movie but this time actually staring in the movie and about how much training he did just for the movie. 

This was also the same year Korean actor Lee Byun hyun had his US debut 

GD at the time also got some attention after the alleged plagiarism between Heartbreaker and Right Round when Flo Rida performed with him

Wonder Girls made their American debut 

Wonder Girls were the opening act for the Jonas Brothers making the Jonas brothers one of the first American artist to work with a kpop group

BoA’s eat you up was released and played everywhere 

2010

Rain again made American attention by not only being nominated for an American award show but also winning MTV’s Movie Awards Biggest Badass Star beating Angelina Jolie, Chris Pine, Channing Tatum, and Sam Worthington 

Will.I.Am started to work with 2ne1 

2011

Bigbang gain global attention and celebrity clout after being the first kpop group nominated, attending and winning Best Global act at the MTV EMA’s beating Britney Spears in the process 

2012

Fantastic Baby went viral, reaction videos were popping up left and right. Fantastic Baby even played in some stores and I believe some radio stations 

Fantastic Baby was featured Glee 

SNSD had their American debut 

Wonder Girls made a American movie and JYP was featured in it (i know.. its cheesy)

This is the year of B.A.P’s debut where their debut album made it into the the World Album Chart at number 10 which was extremely rare at the time considering they didn’t even have a kpop section yet. 

Bigbang was on the Grammy’s front page twice 

Bigbang’s Alive world tour was the only full on sold out Kpop concert at the time, selling out not only in NA but SA and Europe, and were forced to add extra dates because the demand was extremely high, not to mention celebrities were showing up left and right to their tour stops 

This year was also Psy’s year which did bring attention to kpop and YG ent… regardless if Gangnam Style is a joke or not

The first Kcon was created 

GD also got international attention by showing up at PFW12

2013

B.A.P and Psy were featured on Grammy’s “Best of 2012″ making B.A.P the only kpop group on that page 

B.A.P’s first world tour for their US dates sold out in about an hour

Little Mix decided to join in on the Hallyu wave by doing a Korean version of Wings 

Will and Jaden smith met up with YG fam and Jay Park which brought attention to kpop beings that Jay wrote a song for their movie 

Will.I.Am and 2ne1′s collab was released

Anna Kendrick also wanted to get in on the Hallyu wave action by meeting up with f(x)

B.A.P performed in time square generating so much attention 

The year that Billboard gave themselves a kpop section because of the major Hallyu wave giving credit to B.A.P, 2ne1, and Bigbang for helping that chart exists 

Justin Bieber asked GD to feature at his concert in Seoul and proceed to tweet and IG about him 

Paris Hilton talked about GD being her favorite Korean artist

Paris Hilton tweeted about hanging out with GD 

Barbara Palvin talked about GD 

Choi Siwon went to the Met Gala 

Super Junior was invited to Oxford to talk about how they helped start the hallyu wave and the kpop attention in the US 

2014

Skrilex released his song featuring CL and GD 

B.A.P did a nickelodeon shout out 

I think this was the year that Exo got a lot of American attention too, but im not sure because im not an Exo-L

GD got attention just for showing up at Coachella 

CL signed with School Boy 

I am the Best was featured in a microsoft commercial 

2015

Emma Stone professed her love for kpop on American TV 

Fantastic Baby was featured in the Pitch Perfect trailer 

I am the Best was featured in a microsoft commercial again

Hyukoh’s Come and Goes gained international attention

2016

Far East Movement worked with Chanyeol and Loco

Jaden Smith tweeted about GD being is inspiration

Baauer released a song featuring GD  

Lil Yachty did his Bigbang tribute and has been know to be a fanboy of bigbang for a while

Epik High was the first Kpop group to perform at Coachella 

CL performed on James Corden 

I am the Best was featured in a microsoft commercial again

Hello Bitches was in a T-Moble commercial 

GD got international attention for being chosen as Channels ambassador 

2017

President Obama talked about the Hallyu wave and gave credit to shinee 

Tablo, Rain, and Kim Taehee were invited to the Grammys 

Jaden Smith tweeted about GD’s album 

Jay Park signed with Roc Nation 

DNCE talked about wanting to work with GD 

GD got international attention for is world tour 

2018

I am the Best was featured in a Kia commercial 

Hyukoh’s Citizen Cane was chosen to be in the Animoji comercial 

Hyukoh x Beats by Dre

Hyukoh was interviewed by Beats1

Taeyang got international attention for just getting married 

I would go more into detail by just tweeting about kpop but thats too much work to look for, kpop is a fad and it comes and goes. I kind of like what Hyukoh said about the whole Hallyu Wave/BTS thing they said “I think it’s really interesting and it’s fun to watch. Because of it, I think in some aspects were are benefitting from it, that’s really great. But nothing is forever, there will be some point when K-pop won’t be as popular. But because we’re not K-pop, I hope we stay popular even when K-pop is not.“

BTS did not start the hallyu wave, nor did they pave they way. They were just the first to walk on that new path which then inspired more to do the same and they were the first to win fandom based awards.

No matter what this will always be a topic is where some OG and new kpop fans clash, so yes, BTS is helping the Hallyu wave but they didn’t create the fad. I think the real Hallyu wave starter is Rain

[qqueenofhades]

The whole don't do what the audience expects blah blah blah is the main reason why the marvel movies done by the Russo brothers felt a little lackluster. It's also the reason why I became disappointed by the mcu. I find this way of storytelling problematic and shallow. It doesn't live up to the hype they build and doesn't withstand the test of time. A good story will drag you to it over and over again.

Ahahaha, well, having had a Long Ass Thing To Say about GOT, I guess I can say More Things about the MCU.

I had…. mixed reactions to Endgame. I also noted immediately that I had big problems with how the female characters were written, existing solely as bit-part supports to the male heroes, and how dirty they did Natasha in particular. Also, while I sympathize with not wanting the story to leak ahead of time, the spoiler paranoia for this movie was pretty beyond insane. If RDJ was the only cast member who got the full script, and the actors themselves didn’t know what was going on or who they were acting across from (aside from being told they were at a wedding with Tony’s funeral at the end, which… yeah), then just maybe the idea of having to outsmart the audience/keep them in the dark is a little out of control. I recognise that the MCU is at least as big a cultural property as GOT, but it’s still… a comic-book movie. A comic book movie that ended with a lot of aliens fighting superheroes with suits and flying horses and magic death jewels and whatever else. It’s not absolutely sacred inviolable stuff, here.

That said, while parts of Tony’s death did work for me and I didn’t think it was totally impossible, that was mostly thanks to RDJ’s acting rather than the overall writing for the movie. Why… why couldn’t he have survived? Why couldn’t he get to grow old with Pepper and officially adopt Peter and have him and Morgan be cute siblings and to actually get to rest after everything he had done? They already laid the tragedy on thick with the five years of post-apocalypse and getting to see everyone living with that and so forth. They didn’t also need to make Tony die in order to make it stick. I can see the bare-bones storytelling logic in defeating Thanos (who was a punk-ass villain to start with, but genunely terrifying in some ways, just for reflecting the sociopathic powerful white man identitype) requiring a cost/permanent death, but also… see above. Flying horses and super-suits and huge alien CGI battles. This is not remotely a “realistic” story. Nobody needs to go into a comic-book movie expecting some grimdark social commentary/homage to Realism. If anything, it has the liberty to be even more fantastic and to subvert the “People Need To Die/Suffer Horribly For Fiction To Be Realistic And Allow Sophisticated Cynical Modern People To Suspend Their Disbelief” axe that keeps getting ground.

Frankly, it seems as if all media for the past several years (thanks in no small part to the stratospheric popularity of GOT) has been competing to outdo each other in Grimdark Realism, while audiences beg, increasingly harried and Tired, to just let us have a happy ending once in a while. The thought has clearly been that happy endings are for old-fashioned sickly-sweet Disney movies and intelligent people these days want to Hurt over their fiction, and/or be battered repeatedly in the face with it. As anyone who has ever read my fics and/or yelled at me about them can attest, I am a big fan of conflict, drama, angst, and genuinely bad things happening in a story, and am often drawn to characters who are dark and flawed and have a lot of issues to work through and who mess up and make real mistakes, because all that is the messy, complex heart of a story and generates dynamic issues and compelling arcs. But the point is never to just have it happen and to leave it there and for it never to be dealt with. The point of those bad things and those messes is for it to be resolved in a way that, if not completely happy, at least makes sense and is emotionally resonant.

Basically, we are more aware than ever these days that the world is a nightmare and that horrible things happen to good people all the time. Part of the appeal of fiction is the notion that things can happen for a reason and be controlled and guided to an ultimate outcome and that a creator you trust won’t just put your favourite characters through the wringer and leave them there to make some pseudo-intellectual point about The Nihilism Of The World. That way we can experience stories and suffering and genuine high stakes and conflict and chaos, but have some undergirding rationale and to experience it as entertainment and escapism, rather than constantly be exhausted by media determined to be cleverer and Grittier than its audience. Human beings love stories and always have. But the happy ending going out of style in the last 5-10 years is… not a great development. Either it’s forced as a saccharine heteronormative nightmare that doesn’t serve the characters at all (see the Harry Potter epilogue, the Timeless Abomination) or it’s just thrown away entirely because we have to understand, as if we don’t know, that Bad Things Happen.

As a Steggy shipper, I admittedly had many feelings over Steve going back and getting to have a life with Peggy. But I could also see the point of the metas that argued the contrary and who wanted Steve to move on and face the world he had now (though I do 100% approve of Sam becoming Captain America and Steve getting to rest and passing the torch). It also did feel a little too much like See Look, No Homo with Steve/Bucky, even while they were patting themselves on the back for 5 seconds of a nameless extra talking about going on a date with a man. That is not and will never count as queer representation. So when we’re either getting exhaustingly boring and Straight ™ happy endings or none at all, that is also representative of a media that hasn’t really caught up to what audiences really want these days. Hence why, as many people have pointed out, fanfiction is so popular as entertainment right now. Fic writers love the characters and rarely write stories just to have them suffer pointlessly or not to develop the source material in any way. When you’re reading fic, you can have some confidence that the ship is going to get together and the bad things happen for a reason and the ending will not make you regret having started it or pants you over being involved at all. As long as media is trying to be Sophisticated ™ and smarter-than-thou and to pack in Plot Twists, it’s really never going to be satisfying, because honestly, there are very few creators that are both smart and empathetic enough to pull it off.

Anyway. Once again, I ramble. But yes.

[elcorhamletlive]

MCU Rewatch: Iron Man 2

(fair warning: this one got longer and more negative than I thought it would be)

I’m not sure if this is in the original dialogue, but the reproduction of the final scene of IM has Christine pointing out Tony hates bodyguards. That’s a nice info.

Fandom’s hot takes about Tony are always terrible, but looking at a guy who stands in front of a bunch of barely dressed women dancing in his honor and goes “I haven’t met anyone who’s man enough to go toe to toe with me on my best day” and saying “this character is female-coded”/”this character deconstructs toxic masculinity” is one serious “Delusion: Convince Yourself” moment.

That being said, I would be interested in reading a fic that ACTUALLY has Tony confront how much he projects toxic masculinity onto the world as a way to assure respect and how that shapes his relationships. If I go by canon, I can easily see Tony being more proprense to having a sexuality crisis/internalized homophobia than Steve, since the idea of being a “man” is so important to him. I’m not sure such a fic exists, though.

I’M SORRY I KNOW I’M HARPING ON THIS POINT but it just drives me MAD because the Iron Man franchise is by a mile the worst in the MCU when it comes to its treatment of its female characters so I want to bang my head against the wall when people act like, in terms of a gendered reading, Tony is meant to represent anything other than a very clear male fantasy. I mean, come on - the movie just cut through a few scenes from his pov and it actually had a close up on a random woman’s cleavage while Tony says “Oh, I remember you”. Like... COME ON.

This movie is like a walking argument against all my least favorite fanon!Tony tropes: where did people get that the media hates Tony?? It’s very clear that people like Christine are outliers, and the general public ADORES both him and Iron Man.

“I’ve successfullly privatized world peace” might be my least favorite Tony line ever, even more than the “I saw American citizens being killed” cringe-worthy moment in the first IM.

Okay, “if there’s one thing I’ve proven it’s that you can count on me to pleasure myself” is also a strong contender.

Tony going “oh yeah you should totally run the company WHAT AN AMAZING IDEA THAT HAS LITERALLY ONLY CROSSED MY MIND ONE SECOND AGO” and U immadiately showing up with a bottle of champagne and two glasses is absolutely adorable. Tony is totally an undercover romantic, even if his approach to it is terrible lol.

Tony searching for Natasha’s “qualifications” and enlarging a picture of her in lingerie is just... Wow. So many parts of this movie have aged very poorly.

Christine not moving her recorder when Hammer is like “maybe we should put this away” is amazing. lol One thing this rewatch is definitely giving me is a bigger appreciation for Christine in general.

Tony’s hair in this movie is just amazing. One of my favorites hairstyles of his for sure.

The case suit up is very cool, and the first battle with Vanko is pretty awesome, but I feel like the movie kind of sabotages itself because it spends so many scenes just building up Vanko and then when he actually attacks Tony stops him pretty easily, all things considered. I get that there’s a point to it, but it feels anticlimatic.

Oh Tony speaks french! I didn’t know that.

“I’ll send you a bar of soap.” So Tony making rape jokes it not just a Whedon thing. Welp.

Tony taking three hours to make an omelette is such a mood. lol

I kind of love the scene with Tony and Pepper on the plane. So much of this movie is Tony attempting to reach out to Pepper without ACTUALLY reaching out by telling her what’s going on, and it creates an interesting dynamic. He wants her, wants to be with her, but can’t bring himself to actually ask it, and therefore she can’t understand what he’s asking in order to accept it. This says a lot about how Tony handles love and feelings, I think.

I feel like this movie would have vastly improved if Vanko and Hammer had just been in cahoots from the beggining. So much time is wasted in setting up this alliance and it’s not like we learn anything about either character that we couldn’t have gathered otherwise. It’s like watching a version of IM with an extra half-hour of Obie allying himself to the Ten Rings.

Natasha breaking into a fighting stance the second shit gets real is a fantastic “blink-and-you’ll-miss-it” moment.

Ngl I really dislike the fact that Rhodey’s first suit up is all about baby sitting Tony, and not about himself. We barely get to see any of his feelings about taking the role as War Machine. And I feel like the way he takes the suit sends such a confusing message, because Fury and Natasha confirm to us Tony let him take it, and yet in the party scene... he doesn’t? Like, he fights back pretty heavily and it doesn’t seem at all like something he’s planned. I don’t blame people for thinking Rhodey stole the suit, because the entire party scene before Fury shows up frames it as such.

It’s WILD that this movie frames Howard deporting a person back to the Soviet Union as Howard being noble because Anton Vanko was “in it for the money”. Just... Wild.

In fact, the whole framing of the Howard issue is so weird. Tony and Howard’s relationship only comes up when Fury shows up, and that’s halfway through the movie, and then it’s supposed to be the Big Solution even though... It wasn’t really a theme until this point? 

Tony’s FACE when he sees the shield... and then he uses it to make everything “perfectly level”................ MY HEART

Sam Rockwell is a delight lmao. I love his dance.

The way people clap when Tony arrives is a stark contrast with the lukewarm reception Hammer got. Again: the public loves Tony.

I live for Natasha taking down every security guard in the time Happy takes to subdue one guy. Her moves are great (also, her curls are great - this is a great movie for hairstyles).

This Pepperony kiss is like. SO unwarranted?? Pepper has just learned Tony has been dying and keeping it from her?? And we don’t get any sort of emotional reaction about this or resolution about Tony’s inability to express his feelings??? They just... kiss and it’s all right, I guess?

“Get a roof” does make chuckle, though.

Aaand it’s over. That... that was a rough one, if I’m gonna be honest. This was one of my least favorite MCU movies the first time I watched it, and I hoped the rewatch could make me enjoy it more, but... this really wasn’t the case. I feel like this movie could have raised a lot of themes with its elements, but it just... doesn’t? Like, a lot of stuff happens, but very little actually advances the characters or their relationships. So much time is spent on setting up Vanko as this super badass villain, and then not only he’s easily defeated, but the whole “he’s carrying his father’s legacy just as Tony is” thing never goes anywhere. Tony is DYING, and then halfway through he isn’t, and although while he’s dying he pushes away both of the people closest to him, neither of them get to really have a reaction to this? Rhodey never actually finds out??? It just doesn’t work for me. Like, there are fun moments, and I get these characters and cast are enjoyable to watch doing basically anything, but the movie in itself is just... Meh.

[maiji]

Some thoughts on the new YYH OVAs

Lots of spoilers if you've never read the manga, slightly fewer spoilers if you have, but I talk about differences between the two so if you don't wanna know before you see it yourself SPOILER

The following is mostly observations on technical and visual storytelling things I find interesting. 

Voice acting. (I did amateur voice acting as a kid but I didn’t keep that up and obviously I’m super NOT a pro, so apologies if some of the following technical terminology use is not quite right.) Chiba Shigeru (Kuwabara) and Hiyama Nobuyuki (Hiei) are pretty consistent with their original voices from over two decades ago, which is pretty amazing in and of itself. Ogata Megumi (Kurama) and Sasaki Nozumu (Yusuke) have both drifted somewhat more noticeably for me.

In Ogata Megumi’s case, she's gotten so much more experience since her original breakout role, and is even more skilled at hitting and working through the tonal range/vocal register for a male character. This made it extra entertaining listening to TWO SHOTS since this is supposed to be a younger version of Kurama lol.

Sasaki Nozomu's voice seems to have changed a bit in the last decade or so. I hadn't been paying much attention to seiyuu stuff for a long time but I first really noticed a few years back when J Stars Victory VS came out (one of the Shounen Jump crossover fighting games) and I was watching trailers with Yusuke in them and was aurally thrown off. He had a pretty distinct voice with an unusual timbre that made me able to recognize him in almost anything I heard him in to the point where watching a Rurouni Kenshin OVA or hearing Cloud Strife yelling and grunting in Ehrgeiz made me go HEY THAT'S SASAKI NOZOMUUUUU!!!111. But I can't do it with his current take; it’s different. Or maybe I'm just old and out of touch now. lmao

Transitions and changes. 25 years later, animation technology has of course evolved hahaha. One thing I really noticed was how much more animation of the background it felt like there was compared to the original series, especially full-on rotations like when Kurama detects Hiei’s presence, or when Yatsude actually appears.

I'm fascinated by how things are adapted for different media and how the animators fill in the gaps between panels and sequences - I just love seeing what they come up with that didn’t exist in the original. So I was much more interested in Noruka Soruka than TWO SHOTS, the latter of which has already been tackled in other versions before. But all that said, and maybe this was a result of my expectations - I was actually pretty pleasantly surprised at the level of new tweaks they DID bring to the table in TWO SHOTS, and in some ways maybe more so than Noruka Soruka. I thought TWO SHOTS tackled adaptation challenges/changes exceptionally well. I also liked their decision to drop a less critical sequence (Maya's arrival at Yatsude’s) and give more focus to Kurama and Hiei's coordination during their fight VS Yatsude. And I really liked the use of colour! The contrast between the warm sunset palettes in Kurama’s “everyday” world/school life and the cold palette of the warehouse, for example. I found it really nicely executed. 

I had a lot of fun noting keyframes based on the manga, particularly parts that are flipped compared to the original panels. Decisions in comics paneling are generally based around how the artist wants to guide the eye for reading (e.g., characters facing towards the direction the reader is reading, like right to left in Japanese, help create forward momentum, while characters facing the the opposite way help to create mental pauses or slow the action down). It was interesting to note when the orientation changes in the anime, since animators are technically not constrained in the same way by that kind of composition consideration (albeit they still have others).

Other changes are often made to accommodate, or simply exist because of, the fact that animation has additional variables of sound and motion, and often things get exaggerated. For example, Kurama says something out loud instead of it being a thought in his mind as text on the panel; his reaction to something seems more overt because not only are we looking at his facial expression and a speech bubble going "Huh!" or whatever, we see the jolt of his head, the actual movement of his mouth, and hear the force in the startled exclamation, etc. I always find it very interesting to compare the directing with the additional factors now available. In some cases I still prefer the manga, perhaps because I tend to like subtle (boring...hard to explain... lol) things. For example, the intro with the guys wandering into Yatsude’s lair - I preferred the manga version where it cuts out as a straight on shot instead of the OVA where the camera has the motion of something zooming towards them from an angle that accelerates at the end. For me personally the former created a starker horror mood.

But I have to say what MOST impressed me about TWO SHOTS was probably Yatsude. I thought they did a fantastic job translating his design and fleshing out this character’s motion/movement quirks and attacks for full animation and giving him a really solid presence and weight.

As mentioned when Noruka Soruka was first announced, I was most curious how they would handle the ending since it actually concludes in the next chapter and was adapted for the anime's actual ending. And they... did it in possibly the most straightforward way possible. Which for some reason I didn't think was what they would do since I thought it would be too abrupt. Hahaha.

Some frivolous things that amused me:

Seeing Yusuke's bedhead rendered in anime yeahhh!

Seeing and hearing Yusuke talking to Enki on the phone while the latter is getting Salonpas applied lmao

Watching the takeover of the guards with the timer. Mainly the part where Yusuke and Kuwabara land on the guards after coming out of the Jigentou dimension cut lmao

Hearing the interpretation of what the parrot grass sounds like lmao

Seeing big Puu with ears. (Togashi forgot about Puu's ears or maybe consciously changed Puu's design or SOMETHING in nearly all the panels throughout the end of the story.)

The additional sequences in the evacuation scenes. The Easter eggs of Kuwabara's dad and another alien Hiei made me laugh. Especially because I’M PRETTY SURE THIS IS THE ALTA BUILDING

SEE 

(also while trying get this streetview Google maps tried to give me directions to this building from Canada lmao) 

 Also this part:

Me: “Who’s that dude?”

Me: “OH YeAH IT’S YUSUKE’S BODY.”

Me: “For god’s sakes Keiko can carry him herself AND run out of both a house on fire and an exploding stadium.”

Last but not least, Hiei using Kokuryuha made me laugh. This doesn't happen in the manga, but I understand the need since it's considered his signature move. I just found it really funny because it's technically such an OVERWHELMINGLY DESTRUCTIVE MOVE saved for only the utmost of opponents. At that proximity it probably would have immolated not only all the enemies but also all of the Spirit World people they were trying to save. So it was kind of like watching someone go "man there are a lot of annoying mosquitoes in this room" and then whipping out a flamethrower to get rid of them lmao

[wings-of-a-storm]

Do you remember how a lot of people were complaining about the fact that Skam France was doing promotions for the show? I actually love that they are doing it, especially when we get interviews like the Melty one where you can see how all in the cast is, how much it means to them and how proud they are of what they accomplished. It makes me love the show, the cast and the crew even more because you can see how much they love it and how wonderful they are. Nothing but love and respect for them.

Hi there, Anon! Why yes, I have seen a lot of mixed reactions over the weeks about the ‘real life’ promotions and ‘bts’ for the show. I’m personally a little indifferent but I can understand the full range of viewpoints. :)

The Skam days were certainly very sheltered for many reasons (not that that helped Tarjei much), but of course it made a lot of sense the way it was designed. It had a specfic purpose for the context of Norway. It was supposed to be raw. It was supposed to feel ‘real’. It was supposed to not contain the presence of adults. It was supposed to be a safe space for teens. And it was supposed to be found organically by its target audience, like the best kept secret. That is what made it so immersive and exciting. Promotion would have been counterproductive to the feel it was trying to generate.

I can’t speak for everyone but I did enjoy that type of storytelling in an era of media overexposure. It felt so creative and ballsy to try and remain as untouched and organic as possible. The word ‘verisimilitude’ comes to mind. But of course another factor was the channel it was on – it was state-funded, right? It didn’t have the same pressure of viewership and returns of investment as other channels?

For anyone coming from the Skam days to the remake era, the abundance of promotion for Skam France is a definite 180 and can be a little harder to adapt to. Particularly if what drew you to Skam in the first place was that hiding in plain sight type of raw storytelling.

The thing is though, every country has its own context. What worked for Norway, wouldn’t necessarily work for France. It depends on so many factors. I’m not French so I don’t know what the climate in France is like for their television production, but perhaps the grassroots approach just isn’t feasable. There may be too much category clutter for a ‘best kept secret’ approach. Even social media has grown a lot since the Skam days and is now overcrowded with influencers and advertising. To be successful, maybe France (and other countries) have to make more noise to compete in that oversaturation. Also, I am not a teenager/their target audience, so maybe fun instagram interviews is a real draw card these days as extra content.

My slightly rambly point is that we can’t expect France to be the same as Norway. Especially not several years after the fact. It exists in a different climate. These promotions might be unavoidable. And if that is the case, we may as well enjoy them! For those who prefer the traditional Skam era of storytelling, there are ways to avoid seeing these interviews (even though that may take effort). And for those of us who are indifferent or are loving all the extra content, then fantastic! We’re getting fed a hearty meal.

I think it is all about timing too. When I really think about it, I don’t think I would enjoy cast interviews as much if they were released after the season is over. It’s all about Lucas and Eliott right now so that is where my mood is; they are who I feel connected to right now. So while I am watching a beautiful love story unfold between two men, it is nice to hear about the actors’ passion for lgbt+ stories and to see these role models fight homophobia and stigma while their audience is already so invested. Strike while the iron is hot and all that. And, you know, since in this day and age grabbing someone’s attention in the long-term is difficult, I feel like these interviews will have a bigger impact on their audience if they are released alongside the show.

One last thing that comes to mind is that since the Skam format is about immersion, all of these interviews (both the fun and the more serious) don’t necessary take away from that but rather add a different type of immersion to the experience.

Just as you said, we get to see how the cast and crew cherish the show as much as us (and we get to see how the cast love the show so much, they even get their pets involved in references, hah!). Then since we also get to learn about all the details that go into the filming of it and role preparation, these extra details make you feel like you are part of that process, like you are privy to creative discussions and that it is everyone’s show. Hell, fans even get to join in the in-jokes with the cast like wishing ‘Papa’ David a happy birthday almost weekly, haha! When you feel connected to the people making this show (Skamily and all that), you feel part of it even more. It’s just a different type of immersion than the ‘characters are real and not actors’ version that came with og.

Plus, we’ve got a wonderful cast so it is always a joy to see their bond in real life. We’re so lucky they are choosing to share some of it with us. Group hug, everyone!

But yeh! It’s awesome that you’re getting so much out of the interviews and extra content. We are well fed, so no doubt there are more gems to look forward to. :)

[cabotcreekuniversity]

Dear Jasper Murphy as portrayed by MAR,

Congratulations! On behalf of Cabot Creek University, I am pleased to announce your admission for Fall 2017!

The academic and personal accomplishments reflected on your application for admissions are exactly what Cabot Creek University embodies and represents.

We cannot wait to greet you this coming school year.

Please [ check here ] for further instructions on accepting the offer of admissions. We look forward to working with you.

Name, Age, Timezone, Pronouns: Mar, Twenty-Three, Eastern Standard Time, She/Her

✯ IC Questionnaire ✯ Answer the following OOC about your character:

Character name: Jasper Murphy

List some jobs they had before coming to Cabot Creek University: ◣ᴛᴜᴛᴏʀ | 1995-2005◥  During his time in secondary and postsecondary schooling, Jasper spent quite a bit of his free-time tutoring his fellow students. He had a knack for explaining things, and since his scattered mind had no idea where he was going at the time, he knew just a bit of everything. This lead him to become an ideal candidate to teach at all levels, and made some nice cash on the side. ◣ʀᴇsᴇᴀʀᴄʜ ᴀssɪsᴛᴀɴᴛ | 2003-2006◥  Once he entered the days of his graduate program and studentship, Jasper became far too busy to do much else than work on his thesis and aid in the new project of his favorite undergraduate professor. Minus the restless nights and weeks spent asking the same questions over and over to various people, it truly was a dream. ◣ʟᴇᴄᴛᴜʀᴇʀ | 2006-2009◥  Jasper’s big break came when another Psychology Professor was due for maternity leave, and he was recommended to fill in her place as a temporary lecturer. Before then, Jasper had appeared as a guest or tutor to his superior’s classes, but never on his own. He knew teaching was his calling, and grabbed the chance by the horns. His status only went up from there. ◣ᴘʀᴏꜰᴇssᴏʀ | 2010-2017◥  Finally settling down into his own research, Jasper became a fully-fledged professor at a quieter University than his own Alma Mater. When it was time for a change — one that needed to be big — the furthest, most obscure opportunity Jasper could grasp happened to be in Cabot Creek, Vermont.

Briefly describe their teaching style and/or philosophy: Professor Murphy is a rambler, there’s no doubt about it. His lectures are questionably planned, although he does always somehow manages to cover all the correct material in the right amount of time. Yet he is horribly known to go off topic and discuss seemingly trivial things. Class discussions are his guilty pleasure, and more often than not he pulls others into these rambling sessions. You don’t raise your hand in Professor Murphy’s class, you just pop in your opinions and statements when he pauses. Those who speak too much or at inopportune times get hushed, with Professor Murphy slowly raising a finger to his lips, keeping a small smile there to prevent insult. This motion often leads to a little sauntering around the desks and aisles, until everyone settles down, and then the quieter students get asked for their input instead. If they state a lack of interest in answering, or as having no thoughts on the matter, Professor Murphy takes that as a challenge. The best way to describe the man and his class is as being interactive.

Does your character have any family that they currently live with?: Jasper certainly works to distance himself from everyone he knew before moving to America. This means that any family and friends were left behind in England. If they were ever to insist on visiting, he would lie about his whereabouts and find them elsewhere. In other words, no. He remains entirely independent.

Answer the following questions IC about your character. Feel free to use a gif to respond if you’d like:

What is an issue you feel most passionate about

      “MENTAL HEALTH, without question. I personally believe that years of suppressing invisible illness has really torn us into a miserable society, and that the stigma goes as far as to suppress those from seeking the help they need. It goes without saying that the wait times to receive said help can be horrendous in many countries at best.”

Describe your thoughts on social media?:

         “I FIND IT IMPOSSIBLY fantastic. If I wasn’t such an old geezer, I would make far more use of it myself. But I think the way it brings people together from even the greatest distances, and the instant insight you can have just by looking at someone’s social media, is more than phenomenal as a concept.”

What is your favorite fandom or movie or TV show or book series (choose one)?:

       “I HAVE, AND ALWAYS will always recommend one book to students and strangers alike to get started on any field of Psychology, and that’s Kahneman’s work with Thinking, Fast and Slow. I suppose that wouldn’t necessarily fit in your description of a fandomthough, would it? The Office might be up there for me. That, along with other parodic works like Community, can entertain me for hours.”

Opinion on love and romance?:

       “I FIND IT VERY natural to crave, and undeniably important in creating a healthy mental state in almost all people. Finding the right person, in so many words, is a very biological need, obviously, and more often than not — and don’t let anyone know I told you this — those who state disinterest in the fact are rarely speaking absolute truth in a healthy mindset.”

✯ Optional Extras ✯

Background:

Jasper grew up in an upper-middle-class family, and did a fair job at doing well enough in school and work to set annoying expectations for his three younger siblings. His father was a Mechanical Engineer, while his mother completed her studies to become a surgeon about three years after he was born.

Jasper had always been the helpful, selfless type, which created a strong bond with his family members.

He and his siblings attended an independent school for practically his entire youth, being able to afford it with a mix of bursaries and budgeting on his family’s part.

Jasper always knew he wanted to work is Psychology or something much less hands-on than his parents, much to their dismay.

He received a B.A., MPhil and Ph.D. at Cambridge University, all focusing on Psychology.

While his parents were incredibly well-off, they pushed for their children to be independant. In his youth, Jasper grew to be pretty materialistic and, trying to focus on his studies, didn’t appreciate his lack of funding.

During the years before moving to America, Jasper was in a long-term relationship with a woman he considered the love of his life. She died of Radioactive exposure the very month Jasper decided to move. For this reason, most of his family accepted his distancing and pitied him enough to leave him be.

Headcanons:

Jasper speaks Standard English with Received Pronunciation, as well as a hint of an old Dorset Accent from his, rather outdated, parents. He typically tries to hide this to pass as defaultly-British as possible.

He writes in cursive.

Jasper’s parents pushed a more ‘solid’ career path, so they didn’t take his desire to study Psychology too well. His constant switching between what exactly he was going to do after graduating didn’t help.

Speaking of which, these ideas included: social work, counselling, speech therapy, working as a psychologist, therapist and even market research analyst.

Jasper’s closet consists of sweaters, dress shirts, dress pants, and maybe three blazers and two pairs of jeans. He only has one piece of jewelry, that being a watch he wears constantly, and everything happens to be in varying shades of grey, brown and black.

Jasper seeks nothing more than to stay low on everyone’s radar, and curses any sort of extra attention.

Jasper’s surroundings are always incredibly clean and organized, if only because he uses maybe 3 appliances a day.

He prefers hard candy, because they make him feel occupied for longer periods of time.

His research often focuses of how certain emotions can affect a person in the long-run. More specifically, his current work is on the manifestation of guilt (huehuehue)

Plot Points:

I would love a moment where Jasper’s past gets intertwined in Cabot Creek somehow. Whether it be by a nosy student or coworker, on accident, or pure guilt, the emotional effect and reaction from him — not to mention the following turmoil and overall effect this would have on their relationship — would be way too fun to play out.

Of course, if he were ever to get found out or otherwise reveal something to someone, would it pin him as an immediate suspect? Would the trustee remain trustworthy to him when another crime happens?

Just his relationships in general, honestly. Seeing how his secrecy would affect otherwise pleasant friendships would be interesting to play out and watch as other characters react. Would they want to be nosier? Would they just shrug it off and let him do his thing? Push him to squeeze more information out? Guilt him into possibly lying? Snoop around themselves? Grow annoyed? Would it prevent him from forming any true bonds?

Mock Blog

[belletristbooks]

After finishing taping The Late Show with Stephen Colbert, Emma raced out of the Ed Sullivan Theatre and made her way through Midtown to meet Karah at the legendary Strand Bookstore for a conversation with the one and only Ariel Levy:

EMMA ROBERTS: It was interesting that you said during your conversation with Emily [Nussbaum] that The Year of Magical Thinking is the bible on grief because the last time Karah and I met up and chased after a writer at an event, it was Vanessa Redgrave and Joan Didion at St. John the Divine…Early that day, I had been at a photo shoot and they were like, "You're not going to make it to your book event," and I started crying, and I said, "I have to see Joan!" And she [Karah] was waiting for me outside, and we ran in laughing. So tonight I was at Colbert and I ran here and met Karah outside, and it was a Joan moment…

ARIEL LEVY: I just think it is the coolest, best thing in the world that you're putting your weight behind books.  It just makes me so fucking happy, I can't even tell you.

EMMA ROBERTS: We literally love books. I think that's been the strongest part of our friendship. We met through mutual friends, and it was one of those things where people thought maybe we wouldn't really become that close, but we ended up becoming really close because of...

KARAH PREISS: Books.

EMMA: ... a love for reading and just wanting to learn more, read more and ... she [Karah] really imposed such a reading list on me.

ARIEL: It's such a gift to writers that you guys are like, instead of using the power of social media to sell a handbag... KARAH: Tell her. EMMA: You tell her! KARAH: We said we want to do what Kylie Jenner has done to lip kits ... EMMA: ... for books. KARAH: For books.

EMMA: Well I know you said The Year of Magical Thinking obviously influenced you, but before, even when you were a teenager, what were some books that you remember that you fell in love with, or even just ... ARIEL: When I was a teenager I read some weird things. When I was in my early twenties, or when I was in college, I was super into Grace Paley, who I still love. Grace Paley, was super important to me always. I think when I was right out of college, I was reading Jeannette Winterson…I think that may have also been when I first started reading Joan Didion, actually, like Slouching Towards Bethlehem. And also Janet Malcolm, who's now my colleague, who I worship. I think probably the first thing I read of hers would've been The Journalist and the Murderer. But my favorite Janet Malcolm book is Two Lives, about Alice B. Toklas and Gertrude Stein. When I was at Wesleyan, there was no core curriculum, and I was very committed to having a canonical education, so I took a lot of Greek mythology and Victorian literature. But then when I was out of school is when I got ... I was really into short stories. I was really into reading short stories. I particularly love American short stories. I think we're good at that. I mean, not me, but other Americans who can make things up. EMMA: I love short stories. Would you write short stories? ARIEL: I can't. I can't think of things. I can only ... EMMA: I beg to differ after reading this book, I think you can ... ARIEL: I can only think of things ...I can't make things up. EMMA: Did it ever cross your mind to maybe rework this book into a novel and not write it as a memoir, or was it ... ARIEL: I probably should've so I wouldn't have hurt people's feelings as much, but... no, I really think of myself as a nonfiction writer. I think that's what I do. I'd feel like I was fronting if I was just like, "It's a novel!" EMMA: You'd maybe slip up in press, too. ARIEL: Yeah, I can't ... I just am not, I don't have it. Liz Strout told me that the way she writes is like a character comes to her, and she just sees it in her head and then she starts writing from that character's point of view. And Zadie Smith told me not that, but something enough close to that, that I'm like, there's a thing that is being a fiction writer, and it's not what I've got. I've got a desire to see the things in front of me and write about them, and try to convince readers that that's the world. EMMA: Yeah. Well, it's a gift. You do it really well. KARAH:  Very, very well.

ARIEL: How old are you guys? KARAH: I'm 27, and you're [pointing to Emma] 26 ... EMMA: I'm 19… ARIEL: Yeah, yeah, yeah. KARAH: I was just wondering, from when you were 20 up until now, how much have you grappled with domesticity versus ... your wild life?

ARIEL: A ton. A ton! ... in my twenties and my early thirties, that's all I thought about. I think I thought about all that stuff constantly, and I think that it's very much a human conflict, the fundamental human conflict between the desire for adventure and novelty and excitement versus the desire for stability and intimacy and safety. That's humanity ... But I think it's extra-complicated for women, because ... I think that men have been able to have both without much trouble for generations. And it's only recently that the world of adventure and being the protagonist in your own life is even available to us. So I think that this whole thing where people are like, "Can women have it all?" It's like, well no one can have it all, but the reason we're asking that about women is because, until recently, we didn't get to leave the bloody house! So of course we weren't out having adventures! Of course you didn't grow up reading stories, other than Pippi Longstocking ... it's always a boy. You had to learn how to project yourself into the male protagonist because it would be boring to always identify with the female sidekick. EMMA: Well, I think also it feels like it's being asked more and more now because ...the question is allowed to be asked louder, which is a good thing. ARIEL: I think that is a good thing, and I also think it's not untrue that being a mother is demanding in ways that are unique. Physically, for one thing. I mean, I think that pregnancy, breastfeeding, all the stuff that you have to do as a female animal as opposed to a male animal when you have an offspring, it's a different project, and it is ... just because I can't have children doesn't mean that you have to pick between being an adventurer and being a mother... all those women I was just talking about. Janet Malcolm, Joan Didion, many of my colleagues- ... they all have kids. They've all managed to do both. It just didn't work out for me. And that blows! That's a sad thing. And now I have so much extra maternal energy that I have an almost inappropriate reaction to younger women. Like, I'm like, "I want to raise you." I have a lot of extra maternal energy. EMMA:  ... you have hands that are ... like when you were talking up onstage, I was like ... ARIEL: I have the hands of a Muppet, it's true. EMMA: No, very ... comforting.

EMMA: When did you realize the title of this… ARIEL: The initial title I had in my mind was: To the Blue Sky and Back, because it was like, "to the blue sky and back adventure," but also the hotel in Mongolia was called the Blue Sky. EMMA: I love any reference to Blue. Bluets by Maggie Nelson is ... ARIEL:  Oh, it's a beautiful book. EMMA: ... the Rebecca Solnit Field Guide to Getting Lost, she talks about “the blue…” ARIEL:  And Joan Didion has Blue Nights. EMMA: Blue Nights. My eye starts twitching when I think about Blue Nights, literally. ARIEL:  But my editor convinced me, and I think she was right. She was like, "It sounds too dreamy..." Don't call it that. It's too dreamy." And I thought it was like, it should have a more aggressive title. EMMA: I also like it because The Rules Do Not Apply to some… that is actually a positive thing sometimes, like the rules don't apply to you, so it's kind of ... it's a little ironic at times, obviously in this [book]. ARIEL:  It's both. That's what I always look for with New Yorker profiles. I'm always trying to write about women who, like Edith Windsor, or Diana Nyad who swam from Cuba to Florida when she was 64 years old, just who are like ... "I'm just not going to be constrained by society's definition of women or the expectations of my gender." So I think it's a very positive thing. I mean, I don't think we'd have many of the advances we've had. You wouldn't have gay marriage, for example, if someone hadn't been like, "No, that's a bad rule. I'm not following it." But it's also the case that once you're like, "I'm free to do anything I want," you can get into the delusion that you have the power to do everything you want and that you can control things. Your life. KARAH: Well, I was going to ask you a follow-up about visionaries being narcissists, do you think that's ... ARIEL:   No. No! I don't think visionaries are narcissists, I think that it just happens to be the case that the Venn diagram of narcissism and the Venn diagram of visionaries intersects, and that they think the rules don't apply. So like Donald Trump doesn't think the rules apply to him, right? He doesn't have to tell the truth, disclose his taxes, have a press co-, he doesn't have to do anything a normal president has to do. That's bad. That's narcissism. But it's also true that Hillary Clinton thought the rules didn't apply. She was like, "I'm going to be the first woman president." So it's both a liberating, exciting, fantastic way to look at the world, and has the potential to be a perspective where you don't realize that there are limits to every life.

EMMA: I love the Lamar Van Dyke quote, you quote her in saying, where she's like, "We weren't all looking at our screens, we were actually doing stuff ..." I love that because I feel like, as much as I'm a part of social media and I like social media, and even starting this book club, social media is a huge part of it and we get that, but there is a love-hate relationship with it of when to step away and when ... ARIEL: When to be in the world and when to be ... EMMA: Exactly. So I was just wondering what your relationship is with social media and with your phone in general, and especially being a journalist… ARIEL: Well I use the recorder like you guys do a lot, so it's become important, like I always have it. EMMA: So what is your relationship with social media? ARIEL: Really, really glad you guys are helping me with it, because … I don't quite get it. EMMA: Honestly, I feel like I was so ahead of everything being a millennial, and now everyone who was a toddler is now a teenager, and so they know more than me, and now I'm the person that doesn't know anything. My sister's 16, so I'm like ... so now I'm the idiot. I was the genius, now I'm the idiot. You know how it goes. ARIEL: I know exactly. I read you say how you always like the book itself. EMMA: People make fun of me on trips because I'll bring a tote bag to the beach of all these books, and they're like, "Put it on your iPad!" and I'm like, "No, I want to see what I'm reading, I want to look at my ... I want to see it all, and I want to have my notes." Also, how many times have I gotten on a plane with one of my stupid friends whose iPad's dead, and I'm like, "Hm! I guess you're going to be bored the whole flight." That's a diss, by the way. That's my version of a diss. "Your iPad died, loser, you don't have a hard copy." ARIEL:  That's tough stuff. You pack a punch.

EMMA: Anyway. Karah? KARAH:  ... in the book, there's a line, I think basically where you had decided to have a child, and you said, "I decided that I no longer wanted to be ruled by wanderlust” and I don't know if this is because I'm neurotic, but I wonder, had you not been ruled by other things ... and I know maybe you were taking creative license ... but had you not been ruled by other things before that, and what are you ruled by now? As you've said, you know you're not going to have a child. What are the things that rule your life? ARIEL: The upside of having my whole life fall apart at such a speed that I was like, "The fuck is going to happen next? Is my apartment going to crumble?" I was just like, "This is getting ridiculous!" You know? The upside of that is that it left me like, "All right, I guess I'm just going to surrender to what happens." And because of that, I was able to be like, "I guess I'm going to keep emailing with this dude who is a doctor in Mongolia who lives in South Africa," and then eventually like, "All right. I guess we're in love!" Like, "All right, I guess I'm going to spend half my time riding horses in the mountains in South Africa." I didn't see that coming. So now it's like, I would say I'm a lot more open to whatever's coming my way, but also the thing that I was always ruled by was writing. That was always the A #1 priority and it still ... it's writing and ... the nice thing about my relationship with the person I'm about to marry is that he's got a lot of wanderlust too. It's not for nothing that we met in Mongolia, and we're back and forth between New York and South Africa and wherever, and it's like we can take this home that is each other on the road. My dream as a kid was always to be in a gypsy caravan, and I think you [looking at Emma] know where I got that idea. EMMA: “Emma Rose”

KARAH: I just want to say to people, I want to say to girls [grabbing The Rules Do Not Apply], I want to just be like, "Just go read this in the fucking corner and come back and talk to me." ARIEL: Well I wish you would do that. EMMA: Well we're going to. KARAH: We're going to do that. EMMA: I just want to show you something really quick. So last night I was deep ... I was watching interview after interview with you and reading all your articles just so I was prepared ... ... and then I was like Who did say you can have it all?" ARIEL:  Well, who did? EMMA: [Showing Ariel phone screen] "You are not connected to the internet." That's what came up! I typed it in, I said, "Who said you can have it all?" and my browser, it said, "You are not connected to the internet!” I was like ... yeah, I was like, "That's the answer. You are not connected to internet." ARIEL: Well there it is. EMMA: Witchery. 

[glimmerbugart]

Weekend Wrap Up and Highlights: Plenty of Art and Relaxation

Whew! A whirlwind of a winter break has just come and gone so quickly I can barely believe it! Why is it that vacations always seem to fly by but regular weeks just drag on and on?! I know I’m not the only one to think that. But boy, oh boy did we have a fantastic winter break packed full of fun, friends and family!

We started off the vacation week on Friday, Valentine’s day. Kids all had a lot of fun exchanging little treats and goodies with their buddies in school and at parties throughout the day. I’m not a big romance-y chick, but I do like to decorate and send out handmade cards to my friends as well as give little treats to my hubby and kiddos to celebrate the day. Honestly, I think of Valentine’s day as a day to show people you care, not just all the lovey dovey romance-y cupid stuff. Even though we should show kindness and appreciation every day for the ones we love, I think it’s nice to share a little extra something with those in your life that you truly appreciate and hold dear (like my high school girlfriend besties that I talk to about 100 times a day!)

The best part about this Valentine’s day though, was surprising my kids with a visit from grammy! They had no idea she was coming until they got home from school and she popped out at them. They couldn’t believe it! What a funny reaction they all had when each of them found out she was here. She even hid in the bathroom shower and popped out at the younger ones when they went in to wash their hands after school! Hilarious!

Following up that surprise, we spent the evening in Boston, eating at our favorite restaurant, enjoying delicious food and wine and having lots and lots of laughs. It was by far one of the best Valentine’s days I can ever remember having!

A few weeks back, my mother-in-law saved a few baby sheep from freezing temps after they were left by their mothers (who knew that sheep are often born in twins or triplets!). So little “Eva” has stolen our hearts as grammy has nursed her into good health so she can start on having a happy, sheepy life!

If you know me, you’ll know I absolutely adore sheep (you should see my house! I have tons of sheep decorations!) So painting sheep is one of my favorite subjects and when I saw a recent picture of little Eva, I was inspired to paint a mixed media piece loosely based on her.

Last week was so busy with going all over the place: Shopping, day trips to NH and Maine, movies, restaurants, arts and crafts, and of course, swimming! Every day there seemed to be tons of stuff we wanted to do while grammy was here, so we crammed everything into our calendar while she was here for the week. It was awesome, we had a ball, and everyone certainly slept good every night for sure. I know I definitely did, since I seemed to pick up the cold that everyone else in the household has already battled.

I worked on a few more pieces for a show that I have coming up in May, but really didn’t get much time to create since we were go, go, go the whole week!

One of the things that we did do that was pretty awesome was see the movie, “Little Women” in the theater. Have you seen it? Well, you should! I have to admit, it was pretty great to see my little hometown all over the big screen. They filmed a lot of the movie right here in Harvard, where Louisa May Alcott lived for a period of time. Seeing our General store, town hall and town common among other local spots was really cool and the kids got a big kick out of seeing all the sites we see on a daily basis in a popular movie!

While the week wasn’t terribly cold, it still was chilly so the kids were excited to spend several hours a day splashing around in the poo. Now that everyone is past the recent battle with colds (except me, who is just starting to come out of it!), they were loving the warm water and got a lot of time in the water this week.

Well, that’s it for now from here. We are back into the routine of homework, school lunches, reading and earlier bedtimes for the week. But we are all looking forward to the weekend for sure when we can kick back a little bit and enjoy some rest, relaxation and late sleeping!

[63824peace]

Wednesday, 12th of october 2005

Television programs receive broadcast extensions in autumn, or else they are canceled. This year's turn-around resulted in the cancellation of Nihon TV's Tuesday Suspense Theater. The show had been broadcasted for twenty-four years. It was television's second longest running show, outlasted only by TV Asahi's Saturday Wide Theater. What a disappointment!

Both programs featured series of two-hour dramas. No one of my generation ever missed an episode. We eagerly awaited each new installment to see how the drama would escalate. Of course, this was before we became adult contributors to society as members of the work force.

Serialized television shows us that traditional storytelling methods are outdated. They are too straightforward to offer useful social criticism. We will only have variety shows left if the old-fashioned shows go off the air. Television programs and games are alike ; each needs its audience.

We should still preserve some media and cultural artifacts that are uninfluenced by popular trends. People who share my temperament grieve the loss of a show that we grew up watching. Saturday Wide Theater remains on the air; the patriarch of television programs survives for now. I sincerely wish it well.

I watched the weather forecast this morning. The usual autumn rain front moves under the influence of high atmospheric pressure. The children who have eagerly awaited the athletic festival celebrated a victory this week. Typhoon-20 will still come ashore, but at least it seems that the sky will be clear this afternoon. I yearn to feel a pure autumn day.

We held our routine meetings this morning. I realized suddenly that I haven't seen Shin-chan in a while. I checked his work booth, but he wasn't inside.

Then I remembered he is on vacation.

The MGS4 team worked around the clock when we were preparing for TGS. They are taking the belated vacation that they missed during the August Bon festival. Everyone ought to be enjoying time with their families or lovers. They are making up for lost time. Because of the vacation, Mr. Nishimura hasn't sent feedback on my articles via our intranet server. I wrote my articles without his counsel this time, so I'm eager to learn his reactions. I expect that I'll owe him a few apologies when he returns.

I ate Yakisoba with pork, mushrooms, and oyster sauce at the Chinese restaurant Fuuton San Raakyo for lunch. I probably should have eaten udon. I have a comprehensive endoscopic exam scheduled for my stomach and intestines tomorrow. I ate udon last night though… no, excuse me. I ate Oudon for supper last night. Because I prepared for the exam last night, I wanted at least to enjoy Yakisoba for lunch today.

I received a pamphlet from my doctor's office that details my pre-exam preparations. It reads: "Please abstain from eating vegetables, fruits, and seaweeds prior to your procedure." I feel pretty fortunate that I dislike vegetables. I wonder though... was it okay to have eaten the mushrooms?

Mr. Shida came to the office this afternoon to perform the final check on the Existence disc. We started by watching and listening to it in the editing studio. He seemed to enjoy it more than he scrutinized it.

I have entrusted the remainder of the third disc's direction and structure to Mr. Shida. I also had requested that he write and edit the L Book that accompanied the limited edition of MGS3. The man knows more about MGS3 than even the MGS3 staff. He might be the only person after myself who knows the game so intimately.

The MGS team is a big family. Of course, specialized divisions focus on developing specific aspects of the games, such as the script, the visual designs, the programming, and the audio. As Director, I unify the various parts by giving orders that guide everyone along my vision. Leaders and supervisors manage each group from within, but the success of our work ultimately hinges upon my relationships with each staff member.

The game only becomes possible through direct relationships with each person working in each group. Intimacy grows between us. We discuss certain development details known only to the specific person and myself. For example, the scripting group usually understands the game better than anyone else. However, they don't know anything about how the audio works. They listen to the audio during the development process, but they aren't privy to the ideas that have laid the foundation for the audio's development. They have no way of knowing those conversations.

I don't know how other game developers work, but we make MGS through a honeycomb of confidential relationships.

Mr. Shida has conducted check-up interviews with almost the entire MGS staff for years. He even checks up on me. He knows our outfit down to the slightest details. He knows the whole staff as intimately as I do, so I have entrusted him with the Existence disc.

I have already supervised the whole process. I am confident that my collaboration with Mr. Shida will really make our work shine.

Mr. Shida and I finished our work in the editing room and proceeded to the sound room. I noticed a few flaws when I listened to the Dolby 5.1 Surround Sound output. Every time I review a certain scene I think, "That doesn't sound right. Maybe I'd rather do it differently after all." We don't have much time left. We wouldn't dare revise the disc's contents at this stage if the project were in the hands of an average producer.

My work as a game designer takes priority over my role as a producer, however. I grumbled to myself, "You know, I would really like to... well, I would love to change that, but... well, I guess we'll just have to leave it as it is." Mr. Shida kindly responded, "Why don't we tweak it a little?"

Even if our time is short, Kojima Productions' sound team is always ready to tackle new problems. Our true pleasure comes from doing the best work possible.

I will share my technique for cultivating this attitude with HIDEOBLOG's readers. It isn't good enough if a man must tell his staff, "Hey, fix this." I cultivate a specific work environment so that my staff naturally says, "Hey, let's fix this!" This attitude is any game's most crucial ingredient.

If any part of our development staff feels overstressed, chances are it's the programming team. They are responsible for debugging the game and creating the master copy. Sometimes our interactions become pretty tense.

Mr. Shida suggested that we go ahead and revise the audio, despite the size of the task and our time constraints.

"You said the right words!" I said in the Kansai dialect. "If you didn't think like that, I wouldn't have even let you in here. So you really think we can revise it at this stage?"

"Yeah, let's hit it. Let's push ourselves until we fix this thing and everyone goes home satisfied."

Mr. Shida is right. A truly good thing makes everyone happy. Everyone makes a huge effort. Kojima Productions' vitality spins upon one point: an unspoken consensus to make only things that are truly good and that improve everyone's happiness.

Preparation for our field training continues. Yesterday's carpenters have become today's outfitters. They are checking all of our field training equipment.

I realized that today is Wednesday, Kojima Productions' Longest Day. Everyone leaves the office at 5 P.M. today to watch a movie. We're all so busy this week that no one has even prepared to go home after the film.

I am unable to watch today's movie, but I have great movie-related news. MGS4's TGS trailer will officially show at the 2005 Tokyo Fantastic Film Festival. It will run in the Shinjuku Milano Theater at 10:30 P.M. on Saturday (October 15).

The MGS4 trailer will run as part of the special event celebrating the Tokyo Fanta's tenth anniversary. The event's theme is a dedication to the late Teruo Ishii's memory. And there's more! Shogo Ishii's film Crazy Thunder Road will run at the end of the dedication event. Shogo Ishii... one of the most revered men in the industry!

I will share a screen with Director Ishii... wow, what an honor! I can't even describe my delight. Sometimes we are blessed in this life beyond our expectations.

I picked up Depeche Mode's new album Playing the Angel on my way home. It was a quick grab, like a bird snapping something from the grass then barreling away.

The pre-exam preparation pamphlet says that I should have taken the laxative at 7 P.M. I arrived home a little later than that though. Around 8 P.M.I ate Su-udon at home ; udon noodles without anything added for taste. (According to the folks at the restaurant Tsrutontan, it should be Su-Oudon.)

After I ate, I took the laxative according to the pamphlet's instructions. I dissolved the Magukoloolu-P medicine into 150ml of water and then poured in the additive Rakisoberon. I mixed them up and gulped the whole concoction. I chased the laxative with three glasses of water. I felt as though I were an astronaut undergoing launch preparations.

I'm a typical Type-A personality. I like to follow procedures. I really had wanted to begin at the scheduled time.

I followed the next step at 9 P.M. and drank three more glasses of water. The laxative hadn't taken effect yet, so I decided to push it a little. I drank two extra glasses of water. I listened to Depeche Mode while I waited for the laxative to kick in.

The music is good... really good! I was a little anxious given the band's four year lapse between albums. Alan Wilder has left the group, but Playing the Angel really reminds me of Depeche Mode's glory days.

I'm kind of a dork, so Depeche Mode's music fits me. I love David’s voice and singing style despite the fact that I'm a middle-age man. I'll listen to Depeche Mode even if I'm Grandpa Kojima.

The laxative started working while I listened to the album. I followed the pamphlet's last step at 11 P.M.: I drank two more glasses of water. I was on my own after that, so I recited my procedure to myself. "One: drink some water. Two: listen to Depeche Mode. Three: use the restroom."

...I feel as though I have become a drainage pipe.

I think I'll stay away from Oudon for a while.

[motherandlawyer]

Running Remedy

Pre-pregnancy I used to run through my mental health issues. Running was my remedy, my therapy, and it was a fantastic one at that. It was a good way to get in some cardio, without spending too much precious time getting to the gym, etc. It worked so well when I had a busy work-day.

This morning I went on a three mile brisk walk. It wasn’t quite a power-walk, but it was faster than one would normally walk. I have done this a handful of times since Christmas, mainly because I am in the last stretch of pregnancy (due 6 weeks today), and also because I have a shiny new apple watch. Getting in my steps, innit!

I live in the countryside now and it was marvelous to see the sunrise as I walked. I really noticed it this morning, because I have previously taken work calls or spoken to family on my walks. This time around I walked, but listened to a podcast. Listening to a podcast is not very “me.” I don’t listen to a lot of radio either. I decided that I should listen to something entertaining, whilst walking. This would make the walk seem less boring in the hope that I would walk for longer. What a marvelous idea if I do say so myself.

After listening to this podcast, I have decided that I thoroughly loved doing so. I love to read and I think I love to listen too. I don’t care for TV, but I do watch the odd show on netflix and do enjoy films. The podcast was an interview with Bryony Gordon. I had heard of her, in that she is a journalist for The Telegraph, and due to her success in discussing mental health in the media. She worked alongside the The Duke and Duchess of Cambridge and Prince Harry, in spreading the word, through the charity Heads Together. She even ran a marathon for the charity last year. Fabulous achievement. She hadn’t ran a day of her life prior to committing to a marathon. Pure madness I say!

Bryony mentioned that when she opened up about her OCD in an article in The Telegraph, that the reaction was immense. So many people related to her mental health experiences. She suggested that “normal” was the minority. What is normal anyway? I don’t think I know of anyone in my life who hasn’t experienced some kind of mental health issue. Obviously some more than others, but it is truly amazing that we are generally opening up about our mental health, and it is becoming less of a taboo. I talk about it a lot and I know this has helped me. I have no shame of who I am and how I feel. Of course I have many days that I think I am a failure, but I am not ashamed of feeling this way. 

This morning’s podcast really made me think about the correlation between mental health and running. How I have ran through my issues, or ran to prevent my anxiety from rearing it’s ugly head. I remember when a therapist pointed out that it sounded like I workout to avoid facing my feelings. That was an interesting take on it and probably the reality of my situation in my late 20′s. I also drank a lot of alcohol to numb my feelings. I wasn’t an alcoholic, but when I drank, I often drank far too much. Depression featured, but I had no idea. I hadn’t labeled it.

I have came so far since then. I noticed the increase in my anxiety and or depression after I stopped running on almost a daily basis. Serotonin was keeping me going. I have always exercised, but I wasn’t doing as much extreme cardio. However, I was generally drinking less and in a better place. Then I had my baby at 30 and went through anxiety and postnatal depression. I am sure that because I didn’t exercise as such for the first 6 weeks, it didn’t help. I also was unable and certainly advised against moderate/extreme cardio. One has to heal. Gentle cardio didn’t give me the same fix. Sadly.

Admittedly I am scared s***less of postnatal anxiety and depression. I know I will need some form of exercise, even if just a long walk pushing baby. Some light yoga/meditation. Lots of self-care. I feel positive in that I will be able to recognise the symptoms. Anxiety is generally always there, but controlled by self-care, and depression is very foreign. My anxiety can cause my depression. Running helps tremendously, but I can’t run immediately after having a baby. 

In summary, running is marvelous. It is a fabulous fix for me and I have noticed it’s mental health benefits, particularly when coupled with yoga and pilates. Bryony Gordon mirrors my thoughts. Running gets addictive. We are addicted to the serotonin and how running that extra mile gives us that sense of achievement. Hear, hear! 

[paintingtheuniversebetter]

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Voting with Reactions

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[mattlewismedia-blog]

SWOT Analysis Questions

STRENGTHS

• What are your advantages? 

I feel that my two main advantages are that I really really what I do and that I have done for most of my life.

If I didn’t really enjoy what I do then I wouldn’t do it. I have such a love for creating images and stories. I am constantly watching videos, reading articles, consuming content to learn and better myself and my abilities. I’ve always felt that if I didn’t have this flare for creativity then I may as well have pursued a more dependable, stable career plan than freelancing in the film industry. I find my mind always thinking about framing and lighting, I cant walk downt he street without seeing a nice shot or spot of light and I hate not having my camera on me. I’m hoping this passion for film making will put me in good stead as I enter this industry.

When I was young I would borrow my parents camera on holiday and I still remember how satisfying I found it to capture an image and be able to choose the frame and the way you show the world. This has always been something I have loved doing and as I went through school I started to turn my photography into film making and soon realised that it was one of favourite ways to spend my time outside of school. In college I knew I wanted to operate camera in films and knowing this from a relatively young age meant I managed to get a lot of practice young. This has helped me in my career as I find shots come naturally to me and I can see in my head how I want something to look as I hear story or see a subject.

• What do you do well?

I see myself as a friendly, positive and easy to get along with person and I always see the best in people. I can’t see myself put in a situation where I couldn’t understand/empathise with with the people I’m with and I feel like this helps me a lot, not just when it comes to getting along with crew and talent, but also in choosing how I want to shoot my subject. I find, the better I can understand the subject, the better I can film them.

I also think I can turn story to visuals in my head with relative easy. I don’t see my self as a genius at what I do as I know I’m far from it. There is so much I want learn technically and so much room to grow but I’m able to know how I want to shoot a scene relatively quickly and I’m good at communicating that visual and hopefully how to achieve it. 

• Why did you decide to enter the field you will enter upon graduation? 

For a while now I have thought that I wanted to become a Director Of Photography but after working on a number of set I realised that I really enjoy being part of a bigger team and that I want to learn my craft more before I try and put myself in the position of a DP. Although I know that I want to be able to express my ideas and my vision, I also think it is important that I spend more time on set continue learning my craft and watching others to build my personal skillset. Its for this reason that I aim to train as a Camera Assistant after university. It’ll get me into the camera department and hopefully give me a chance to learn even more about how to shape and develop an image.

• What have been your most notable achievements?

I think my most notable achievement in terms of outside recognition has been winning Best Cinematography at ScreenTest 2017. This was a very bizarre experience and I’m very grateful for that recognition.

In terms of an achievement thats personal to me I would have to say the way in which I have grown and developed my confidence during university is something I am very proud of myself for.

• To what do you attribute your success? 

I would have to say that my self motivation and desire to be successful in film is what has allowed me to achieve what I have so far. I also think that being approachable and true to myself has played a bit part, especially when it comes to repeat business.

• How do you measure your success? 

If the clients happy then I’m happy. I don’t mind so much if I’m not 100% happy with the final project if the client is over the moon with it. If its not client based then if I can show it to someone and my work generates a reaction, even if its not the reaction I expected, then I have created something that someone has invested in and has been influenced by.

Ultimately I am very critical of my own work so often at the time I may not be completely chuffed with my own work but I find that it I look back at my work and see improvement in what I’m doing then I’m heading in the right direction.

• What is your greatest asset? 

Its hard to measure what is my signal greatest asset as I am professional and I believe that I know my craft relatively well but on a personal level I would have to say that my greatest asset is my ability to empathise and respond accordingly. I have become much more of a people person than I used to be and I’ve now come out of my shell a bit more which has helped me immeasurably. 

WEAKNESSES

• What could be improved? 

Time management. Time management is a constant battle. I can see improvements in my ability to keep an organised schedule but my tendency to say yes to everything has got me in trouble before. I try to never say no, especially to film work, as you never know where it could lead; however, sometimes I have to learn to be realistic about what I physically can or can’t do.

I also can and want to improve on my onset ability and my knowledge of camera and lighting. I feel like no matter what level I am at I will always need to improve on these things. If I ever stop wanting to improve these things then I wil have lost my passion for creating. I want to be the most efficient and on the ball AC that I can be and thats always something I am aiming to improve on.

• What do you do badly? 

I’m pretty rubbish at sound recording. I have never really been given the opportunity to learn as I am known as being a camera man and during my time at university I haven’t really strayed far from my camera / lighting department roles due to my confidence of what role I want to play. Due to this I have’t really looked into understanding the sound recordists job and my only knowledge of sound is what we have been taught in class and what I have learnt on set, like timecode jamming and how to work with a sound man. On a couple of occasions I have boom operated, an example of this is when I helped out as a runner on Peanetentia (a graduated film in 2016) and they needed a tall boom operator for some of the wide shots. This is the extent of my sound experience and I’m sure that more experience would only help me when working as part of a large team by knowing what the sound guys needed before they ask for it.

I’m also not as good as I could be at self promotion, I have confidence in my own abilities but when it comes to selling myself and my abilities to others I’m still more modest than perhaps I should be. I know that the creative arts is full of big personalities and I need to make sure I don’t get lost in the field.

• What should you avoid?

I should avoid being too nice. I know that sounds like an odd thing to say but I sometimes need to be more assertive about when I should or shouldn’t ask for pay for certain jobs, as well as making sure my voice is heard on set if I have a suggestion.

• What are your professional weaknesses? 

I feel on set I can sometimes play safe with lighting especially and I should try new things more. I’m starting to use more abstract colours and negative fill in my work to see what it is I really prefer. I guess it’s all about finding my style and that takes on set time and experience, both of which I am trying to get more of all the time.

OPPORTUNITIES

 • Where are the promising prospects facing you? 

During my time at university I’ve made some really good contacts with fellow freelances and some that are more established who may be able to find me work on smaller productions locally. I’ve also made contacts with some producers who are looking for camera man on documentaries which would be a great opportunity if that doesn't fall through. I’ve also been approached by one of my lecturers about potential shadowing work after university which would be fantastic so again, I’m hoping thats something that will help me make the contacts I need. I’m hoping that this extra time after studies will enable me to do more work than I’ve been able to during my studies as I’ve had to turn down a number of jobs due to not being able to commit to extra-curricular work.

• What is the "state of the art" in your particular area of expertise? 

Some of the most recent technology that is helping advance the camera department is the gradual availability of bigger sensor cameras including the new Red Weapon 8k camera which will have a knock on effect on lower model cameras. Advancements in Virtual reality films have brought it more towards the mainstreams attention as well as drone and grip technology advancing and becoming more widely available.

Although these things are knew the stables of the film industry remain strong. Companies such as Arri, Ziess and Canon are continuing to produce top of the range, reliable cameras and lenses to most big budget productions. 

• Are you doing everything you can to enhance your exposure to this area? 

I have liked every page on Facebook and Instagram that I can find that relates to technology I’m interested in as well as forums and other film groups. I’d say that 70% of my news feeds on both social media outlets are film related and I’m constantly being updated with all the latest in the things I care about.

In terms of hands on experience with the newest kit I’ve been very lucky that on my graduate film shoot we got our hands on over 40 difference state of the art lights from Arri lamps, HMI’s, Source Fours, Kino Flo’s, Arri Skypanels and much more. We shot on the Arri Alexa XT which is a currently staple of most feature films and is an absolute work horse in the industry; as well as getting our hands on a full set of Ziess Ultra Primes which was a fantastic experience as these lenses are worth more than I can fathom and really are top of the range at the moment.

• Would an MSc/MA or another graduate degree add to your advantage? 

I strong considered progressing onto a masters or film school for a while but after talking to people who have done both options and thinking about what I want to do I’ve decided I want to behind working as soon as possible as I think that will help my career more than an MA would.

• How quickly are you likely to advance in your chosen career? 

I am aware that it will likely take a long time to work my way up from a 2nd AC up trough 1st AC and then finally onto a DP but thats normal and thats actually what I want to do. I want to spend adequate time in each role to give me time to be the best possible in each role so by the end of it I know everything about how the camera department works and that’ll help me if I progress to being a DP.

THREATS

 • What obstacles do you face? 

Getting into the camera department is a very competitive job and I know its a job that many people aspire to do so I’m fully aware that I will need to be working at the best of my ability to ensure making good connections with colleagues and to get repeat business. I also want my social media to reflect my dedication to the industry and my cv to show be strong enough to stand out of the competition.

• Are the requirements for your desired job field changing? 

The basic requirements for an AC remain much the same as to how it’s been for years but now, in addition to all the usual jobs of an AC, you must also being able to help in the DIT process as it may be required of you to stay on top of this area as more and more data is being used in the digital age of film.

• Does changing technology threaten your prospective position? 

Changing technology is something that has to be embraced by the camera department and, due to the nature of the creative nature of the department, it would be hard to see technology as a threat to any position in the department. No matter how good cameras get, there will always be a need for operators, assistants and DP’s.

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Get the look: Perfect Parisian beauty

Brigitte Bardot, Lea Seydoux, and Marion Cotillard; what do all of them have in not unusual? They’re French – and appropriate beauty at that! We’re such large of how Parisian women pass about splendor and makeup in one of these clean and easy way that we’ve got rounded up some have to follow pointers to obtain the equal look.

Marion Cotillard works a fantastic ambitious lip

Prep your skin

To pull of Parisian beauty you want, to begin with, the aid of making sure your base is great it can be. Cleanse, moisturize and add the occasional face masks into your recurring, and ensure you operate a normal eye cream to maintain your peepers searching youthful. Our product pointers are; By Terry Cellularose Nutri-Pure Comforting Balm Cleanser, Darphin Hydraskin Light All-Day Skin-Hydrating Cream, and La Roche-Posay Hydraphase Intense Eyes, but of the path, there are masses more alternatives available from France. Choose your base

No clean-confronted appearance might be entire without a terrific primer and not anything screams French more than L’Oreal Paris Infallible Priming Base, as a way to deliver your pores and skin an easy and silky feel, ideal to pop basis on.

You’ll want to choose a foundation as near your herbal skin tone as possible, as the Parisian style is all approximately embracing your natural functions. Lancôme’s Miracle Cushion Compact not most effective give excellent coverage but it is also extremely lightweight, that means you may not appear to be you are caked in basis. It comes with an available sponge too, ideal for application. Go easy at the relaxation

A subtle touch of blusher is all that’s had to upload definition – simply enough to offer depth. If you really want to push the boat out and move absolutely Parisian, try Chanel’s Joues Contraste Powder Blush, or for a fair extra herbal touch pass for Guerlain Terracotta Joli Teint Natural Healthy Glow Powder Duo.

Now, the eyes are in all likelihood the most vital a part of this splendor look; move easily on the eyeliner and select a shade that does not make too much of an assertion, then practice a skinny line alongside the upper lashline for a comfortable finish. Neutral eyeshadows are also favored with the aid of Macbeth famous person Marion and co. And such tones emphasize their natural splendor even more, with only a slick of mascara to lengthen lashes.

With lips, you may go all out even though, but choose a sublime pink similar to the Parisians do. That’s without a doubt why you should keep eyes greater secure – pour over peppers any day in case you’re going French elegant! We love Estée Lauder Pure Color Envy Lipstick in Vengeful Red and Clinique High Impact Lip Colour SPF15 in Red-y to Wear.

All About Beauty

  Beauty is not skin deep. It’s attitude that separates the beauty from the crowd. “Looking at the beauty in the world is the first step of purifying the mind.” The beauty of a woman is not in the clothes she wears, the figure that she carries, or the way she combs her hair. The beauty of a woman is seen in her eyes because that is the doorway to her heart, the place where love resides. True beauty in a woman is reflected in her soul. A woman whose smile is open and whose expression is glad has a kind of beauty no matter what she wears. All women are beautiful, regardless of their looks. You just need to touch their soul with respect and appreciation for their inner beauty and you will be rewarded with joy. The heart is way more important than the package.

I love natural beauty, and I think it’s your best look, but I think makeup as an artist is so transformative. I would never like to endorse a fairness cream. I believe in natural beauty.

True beauty can’t shine through makeup. Many of us can’t even imagine our life without makeup. It sounds strange and even scary for many girls, thanks to media popularization of unrealistic beauty standards. To be beautiful without makeup?! Is it even possible?!

For many of us, it would be a big nonsense even to go to a supermarket with no makeup on.

Media often forces us to believe that a woman with no makeup on can’t actually look somewhat attractive or beautiful.

If someone wants to live a makeup-free life, or at least to be able to have makeup-free days, then it makes sense to put a little bit more effort into caring about the natural beauty of your face, hair, and body.

1) Feel beautiful (even without makeup) Yes, the first step to natural, makeup-free beauty is connected with your inner perception of yourself – your self-image. If a girl considers herself beautiful and is able to accept herself totally and unconditionally, then the whole world will feel the same about her. Yes, it’s that simple! But if you don’t feel comfortable and confident about yourself with no makeup on, try to adapt the new ‘natural’ image gradually.

2) Your skin is your everything! If you decide to lead a makeup-free life, it doesn’t mean that you need to completely let go of all skin care products. Many skin problems are actually related to the excessive use of makeup; skin tone becomes uneven because of the reaction of your body on a foundation, concealer or blush. If skin problems persist, get a professional advice of a dermatologist; it’s better to treat the problem straight away than to put it on hold into a waiting box. Some other tips for the beauty of your skin include: use facial masks 2 or 3 times a week (choose masks according to your skin type), and exfoliate your skin regularly (we are not only talking about exfoliating your facial skin, exfoliate your whole body.

3) Healthy eating and water Good food is important not only for the beauty of our skin but also for the overall health of our body.

We are what we eat, therefore healthy and balanced diet should be our faithful, lifelong friend.

Make sure you eat fresh fruits and vegetables every day, as well as healthy fats and proteins; these are so important for our beauty.

And, of course, our best friend is water! Try to drink about 8 glasses of water a day and also treat yourself with a green or white tea from time to time, because these are rich in antioxidants and will help your skin look fresh and young for a very long time, even without makeup.

4) Smile and love yourself A smile will instantly help you to feel and look pretty, even if you don’t have any makeup on!

As Audrey Hepburn once said: “The prettiest girl is the happiest one!” Smile every time you look in the mirror, smile to people you see on the street and, in general, let the smile be your favorite accessory – you will see how the whole world will start smiling back at you!

Love yourself. Accept yourself fully and completely. Love the way you look with or without makeup because you are truly unique and beautiful! Remember it!

5) What about your hair? If you want to look pretty with no makeup on – it’s important to take a good care of your hair and keep your hair color close to natural.

Try to keep your hair in great condition by using right hair care products that are suitable for your hair type, and do hair masks and oil treatments regularly. Nothing can be more beautiful than silky and shiny locks!

It became our daily ritual to wake up early and put on our “beautiful” makeup mask.

In this article, we don’t suggest that you completely let go and forget about taking care of yourself; on the contrary,

How do you feel about yourself inside? It all depends on you. Try to feel beautiful. Yes. Right now, in this very moment… Know that you are pretty!

Designing a Parisian Candy Shop Kitchen

    The atmosphere I was trying to achieve in this traditional kitchen was that of a 1915 Parisian Candy Shop. When I walked into the existing kitchen I was thrilled to find the basics would easily transition to the candy shop look. The wonderful “bones” of the kitchen included cream cabinetry with stainless classic handles and pulls, solid black granite countertops, deep crown moldings and finally excellent windows including a floor to ceiling bay window.

I must stress the importance of using classic styling, stone and high-end appliances in a traditional kitchen. These rarely date and can easily be “freshened” up. In the case of this kitchen, I took several steps to maximize the candy-shop kitchen while still adhering to a strict budget. I knew immediately I wanted the colors to be black, cream and murky rose. The walls received a new slightly pink based cream by Benjamin Moore called Butter Pecan. The trim painted in White Dove (always a favorite). The too modern stainless pulls and handles were removed and spray-painted matte black – voila – instant iron pulls!! This step alone saved thousands of dollars.