#name: I Was Mistaken as a Genius Actor | Explore Tumblr posts and blogs

bookmazon · 8 months ago

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I was mistaken as a monstrous genius actor 1

" I am resigning.”

In the cramped CEO’s office, a rather tall man declared decisively.

“I have organized the tasks I was in charge of so that there will be no problems. I’ll stop here.”

A man revealing his intention to resign with great calmness. Short hair with a strong impression. His name is Kang Woo-jin. Looking at him, the CEO, who looked like a pudgy toad, laughed in disbelief.

“Ha! You’re going to quit? You fool! Do you think the design industry here is as vast as China? It’s so damn narrow here. What will happen if you quit rashly? Do you think changing jobs is easy? Huh?”

The CEO blurted out complaints mixed with annoyance and mockery. However, Kang Woojin, who stood there calmly, didn’t respond.

‘Job change or whatever, it’s none of your business now, you toad bastard.’

Right now, he just wanted to go home as quickly as possible. The company Kang Woo-jin was about to leave was a very common design company with about 20 employees.

It was a company that was among the smallest businesses, and one that had a horrible reputation.

From high school to college and until now, Kang Woo-jin, who has been designing all his life, was in his fourth year in this damn company. He is now 27 years old.

‘Looking back, I have nothing but crappy memories.’

Although it’s a design company, the nature of a small business meant that aside from design work, there were countless other chores. Moreover, overtime was frequent. Overtime pay? They hardly gave any, and weekend work was common.

Annual leave? What is that, oh- a tea to be boiled and eaten?

And so, Kang Woojin had reached his limit. And today. On Monday morning. Woojin exploded as soon as he saw the toad-like CEO.

Hell, I don’t care, let’s yell it out.

Honestly, Kang Woo-jin had his resignation letter prepared two years ago. Everyone probably feels the same. Anyway, the toad-like CEO, who was glaring at Kang Woo-jin, waved his hand dismissively.

“Ha… unbelievable. Yeah, yeah, get lost, get lost. There are plenty of guys who can do as much as you. Don’t come in from tomorrow.”

At this, Kang Woo-jin replied as if he had been waiting.

“Yes, understood. And please send my unpaid overtime pay and severance pay properly.”

“Hey, you.”

“I’ve roughly calculated it. CEO, I don’t want to make a big deal. Well then.”

Once he made up his mind, words flowed easily. Whispering to himself, Kang Woo-jin politely said goodbye to the toad-like CEO and left the office. Soon, cheers and encouragement poured out for Kang Woo-jin. They were the employees. Well done, I’m jealous, and so on. One of the employees close to Kang Woo-jin approached him.

“I’m envious of your escape. But what are you going to do now?”

What am I going to do? Well. To be honest, he was worried. What will he live on in the future? However, Woo-jin, who decided to set aside his worries for today, replied nonchalantly as he moved to his seat.

“Honestly, I don’t think I’m going to do design anymore. I have a working holiday visa, I’m thinking of maybe going there.”

“Working holiday? Where?”

“Australia.”

So, a few dozen minutes later.

Kang Woo-jin stared blankly at the monitor, his chin resting on his hand. A wave of lost motivation washed over him, now that his resignation had been confirmed.

Then.

-Swoosh.

The weary-faced Kang Woojin picked up his phone. The screen showed unread messages and the time.

→February 3, 2020

→10:22 AM.

Has only 30 minutes passed? Time seemed to stand still. At that moment,

-Bang!

Suddenly, the office door swung open and the toad-like boss rushed in with a red face.

“Hey!! Kang Woojin!”

The shout was undoubtedly directed at Kang Woojin.

“Just get out of here now! I can’t stand the sight of you!!”

At the same time, Woo-jin was cheering inside.

‘This is perfect, I should be thankful.’

***

A week later, in Kang Woo-jin’s one-room apartment, around noon.

Kang Woo-jin lived in the Suji area of Yongin city. His studio apartment was, well, the neatly hung clothes on the wall, was surprisingly tidy. He seemed to be someone who keeps things tidy,

In the middle of such a studio,

“…”

A bum is sprawled out, fast asleep. Of course, it’s Kang Woo-jin. His appearance was the exact opposite of his neat apartment – he looked like a total bum. He was still wearing the padding jacket he wore when he went out yesterday, and his hair, which he had carefully styled, was now disheveled.

Worse yet, there was a strong smell of alcohol every time Kang Woo-jin exhaled. It was due to the heavy drinking he had with his friends last night in celebration of his resignation.

About an hour passed in this state.

“······Ah- shit.”

The bum who had woken up from his sleep, or rather, Kang Woojin, mumbled and groaned while lying down.

“Ugh··· my head’s splitting.”

Holding his head with both hands, Woojin looked around. Huh? Home? How did I get home?

“I remember······going for a second round.”

Everything after that was a blank. His memory was erased. He tried hard to recall the shattered remnants of yesterday, but to no avail. Was it because it had been a while since he had drunk so heavily? Kang Woojin exhaled a long sigh mixed with the smell of alcohol. He gave up trying to remember.

“Huh- I don’t know, I must have somehow made it home.”

Woojin immediately opened a food delivery app. From the moment he opened his eyes, he was craving Mul-Naengmyeon (cold noodle soup). Hangover cure, was the first thing on his mind.

At that moment.

-ring, ring.

The phone with the delivery app opened vibrated with a long vibration. It was a call. The caller was one of Kang Woojin’s closest friends, also a member of last night’s drinking party. His friend’s name was Kim Daeyoung. Subsequently, Kang Woojin, still lying on his side, held the phone to his ear.

“Hey-”

At Woojin’s dying voice, Kim Daeyoung laughed over the phone.

“Listen to your voice? You sound like you’re about to drop dead? Kekeke, but you managed to get home alive, didn’t you?”

“Hey, how much did we drink yesterday? I feel like my insides are paralyzed right now.”

“You don’t remember??”

“Yeah. I have no memory of last night.”

Hearing the answer, Kim Daeyoung immediately cursed.

“You idiot. You disappeared all of a sudden while we were drinking yesterday. For about 30 minutes. We were seriously thinking about reporting you missing. What were you doing then?”

“Seriously? How would I remember? But why are you calling?”

“Ah- shit. Then you probably don’t remember our conversation from yesterday either? You promised to go with me for an interview.”

Interview? Kang Woojin slowly scratched his chin. He had no memory of it.

“Suddenly, what interview? You’re working well at your company, aren’t you? Are you trying to change jobs? Are you crazy? That’s a medium-sized company, right?”

“No, wow – this guy really. It’s not a company interview, it’s the ‘Super Actor’ preliminaries!”

The ‘Super Actor’ that Kim Dae-young mentioned was a variety show that had recently gone into production. The broadcasting station was SBC. As the title suggests, it was an audition variety show aimed at discovering hidden stars, and they had been heavily promoting it for a month.

Regardless, Kang Woojin, who tilted his head, asked his phone.

“‘Super Actor’? Are you trying to get on that? Are you planning to switch careers to acting?”

Kim Daeyoung, over the phone, spat out another curse.

“No! You idiot! Ah, it’s so frustrating. I told you yesterday…sigh- So I thought, why not just submit some documents and a video for fun? And I passed the first round.”

“Oh- Really?”

Kang Woojin’s friend, Kim Daeyoung, had acting as a hobby. On weekdays, he worked at a company and on weekends, he attended a theater club. Of course, Kang Woojin knew about this as well.

“I guess they’re accepting just about anyone. Judging by the fact that you got in.”

“Shut up. Anyway, tomorrow morning is the first round of evaluations and interviews. Even though it’s not an official shoot, I’m nervous, so I asked you to come with me.”

“So, I said ‘okay’ to that yesterday?”

Ah, such a crazy thing. Here, Kang Woojin quickly changed his tune.

“I was drunk, my friend. I wasn’t myself yesterday. Why would I go there? What would I do there? Aren’t you going to work tomorrow?”

“That’s for me to handle. You just need to stay by my side and give me some moral support. They said I could bring family or friends. You just have to wait outside while I’m being interviewed.”

“·····I’m not feeling it today.”

“Hey! You’re unemployed anyway! After it’s over, we’ll have pork belly and soju! As much as you want!”

“Hmm-”

Kang Woojin hesitated slightly. At this point, Kim Daeyoung added.

“Hong Hye-yeon will be one of the judges tomorrow!!”

-Freeze.

Kang Woojin, who had momentarily paused, his eyes lit up.

“···What? Who?”

“Hong! Hye! Yeon! You might be able to see Hong Hye-yeon.”

“For real?”

“Really true. I stake my life on it.”

Hong Hye-yeon. She was a top actress who was doing well at the time. A universally acknowledged actress in every man’s imagination. That Hong Hye-yeon as a judge? Soon, Kim Daeyoung explained over the phone.

“Each episode of ‘Super Actor’ has different judges, and one of them is, who was it? Anyway, it’s because of some famous drama PD (Production director/ Program Director). Hong Hye-yeon is working on a project with that PD. It’s just a one-time thing, so yeah.”

“How do you know that?”

“Just search for it, you moron. It’s there in the articles. Anyway, there’s also our friendship, right? Huh? Come with me.”

At this point, Kang Woojin, who had just got up, answered with a determined look on his face.

“You should have mentioned friendship earlier.. So, my friend. What time tomorrow?”

It was a crazy change in attitude.

***

The next morning, Wednesday, February 12th.

The time was around 10 o’clock. The place was the Art Center of SBC building in Mokdong. Kang Woojin and Kim Daeyoung, both clad in padded jackets, entered the five-story building with a detached building vibe. For reference, Kim Dae-young looked impressive. He was similar in height, over 180 cm, to Woojin, but had a more solid upper body.

Anyway.

“Wow- There are so many people.”

Kang Woojin was amazed. And for good reason. The Art Center lobby was already packed with people. There were dozens of guidance staff members at the entrance, and participants were pouring in. At least 200 people, wasn’t it? However, this was only the tip of the iceberg.

Kim Dae-young explained the reason.

“I guess about 30% have arrived? I heard that the first audition of ‘Super Actor’ is divided into different time slots.”

“So, you’re saying that at least 600 people are coming today?”

“Of course. You should watch TV sometimes.”

“I don’t care, it has nothing to do with me.”

Anyway, after completing the information confirmation procedure with the guide staff, Kang Woojin and Kim Daeyoung walked down a corridor full of participants, following the placards and hand gestures of the staff. Then, they entered a room with a sign ‘Waiting Room 1′ on the door.

-Creak.

Inside, plastic chairs were densely arranged in a wide space, and more than half of them were already occupied. It was then that Kang Woojin pointed to an empty chair with his index finger.

“Hey, let’s sit there.”

“Okay.”

As soon as they took their seats, Kim Daeyoung, while touching the number attached to his chest, took a deep breath.

“Whew- Whoo- Damn, I’m so nervous.”

Regardless of whether that was the case or not, Kang Woo-jin, who seemed indifferent to others’ affairs, unzipped his padded jacket and crossed his legs.

“Hey, you’ve been doing theater as a hobby for quite a while, haven’t you? More than 3 years, wasn’t it?”

“Right.”

“But you’re nervous? Doesn’t your club do stuff like free performances?”

“Shut up! Is this on the same level as that?”

“What’s the difference? It’s all acting. I don’t know a damn thing about it, but you should at least try to feel like it’s the same level. You might become a top actor through this variety show.”

Soon, Kim Daeyoung let his imagination run wild.

“Damn… I just thought about it and it gives me goosebumps.”

While grinning, Kim Daeyoung suddenly looked around at the dozens of participants and clutched his stomach.

“Ah- Hey, I need to take a dump. And it feels a bit soggy.”

“You’re crazy. When is this interview or audition starting?”

“I don’t know, I heard that when the staff calls, we go in.”

“Then ask and get back quickly. Don’t shit yourself while acting.”

However, as if such a scene was unacceptable, Kim Daeyoung jumped up and rushed to a female staff member standing at the entrance of the waiting room. After a brief conversation, he ran out into the corridor.

Looking at his friend, Kang Woojin muttered.

“What a waste.”

He sank deeper into the plastic chair. After about 10 minutes? Kang Woojin, frowning, checked the time on his cell phone. Kim Daeyoung’s return was taking too long.

“Why isn’t that crazy guy coming back?”

It was at this moment.

“Kim Daeyoung, Kim Junsu, Kim Taejung!”

At the front of the waiting room, a male staff member called out to the participants filling the plastic chairs.

“Kim Daeyoung, Kim Junsu, Kim Taejung!!”

Was this in order of name? His friend Kim Daeyoung’s name was called first. Thanks to that, Kang Woojin was slightly flustered when the other participants started to move forward.

Soon.

“Excuse me.”

Kang Woojin raised his hand and called the staff.

“Sorry, my friend Kim Daeyoung is currently in the bathroom… Sorry. I’ll go and get him right now.”

“Ah, he’s in the bathroom? Hmm, just a moment. You’re his friend, right?”

“Yes.”

The male staff member spoke something into the intercom around his neck. What was interesting was that he chuckled at some reply. A mischievous grin characteristic of variety show staff. It looked like they were up to something.

Then, the male staff member spoke to Kang Woojin.

“Then would you like to go in first instead of your friend?”

“Excuse me?”

Are you crazy? Kang Woojin frowned.

“Me?”

“Yes. Your friend is the first one and if things stay this way, Kim Daeyoung will be automatically disqualified. If he’ll be back soon, you can go in and hold a seat. When Kim Dae-young comes, we’ll guide him.”

So, he means it’s better to have someone rather than an empty seat? Well, Kang Woo-jin didn’t quite understand, but he sighed slightly thinking about his friend.

“Where should I go?”

A short while later.

Kang Woojin had arrived at the end of the corridor. There were two other participants seated on a makeshift chair by the door, and Kang Woojin was guided into the room.

Soon.

‘Wow-’

Woojin was impressed when he saw the inside of the room. It was somewhat decorated, unlike the previous waiting room. A straight desk in front had the logo of ‘Super Actor’. There were two large cameras on the left of the desk, and small cameras were installed on the ceiling and elsewhere.

There were about ten staff members.

Among them, a woman in her late thirties, with a short haircut, approached Kang Woojin. With a mischievous smile on her face.

“You’re Kim Daeyoung’s friend, right?”

Soon, Kang Woojin, who was looking around the room, nodded his head a bit.

“Yes. I’ll call my friend right away.”

“Okay. Take this, and please sit on the chair over there.”

The woman handed Kang Woojin a thin stack of papers and pointed to a chair placed conspicuously in front of the straight desk.

“That’s your script? Today’s task is improvisational acting, so you’ll read the script briefly and then show us your acting right away. You can read it while waiting for your friend if you’re bored.”

“Ah- Yes.”

“And the judges will be here soon.”

At this, Kang Woojin confidently asked.

“Excuse me, is Hong Hyeyeon among the judges?”

The woman’s smile became even wider.

“Yes, she is. But you cannot ask for autographs or take pictures.”

Awesome, Kang Woojin felt a burst of anticipation. He managed to hide his excitement with a subtle smile, and sat down in the only chair.

And then.

-Swoosh.

While dialing Kim Daeyoung, he glanced at the script on his lap. It was an unconscious action. This insignificant piece of paper meant nothing to Woojin.

However.

“Why isn’t this guy picking up… Huh?”

While looking down at the script, Kang Woojin hesitated.

“… What is this?”

Kang Woojin, looking precisely at the space next to the script. Why? Because something strange was visible. How should I describe it? It’s square, about the size of an A4 sheet of paper, with a pattern that looks like a whirl of black and gray. It was obviously strange.

Because of that.

“…”

As if bewitched, Kang Woojin slowly moved his index finger. He wanted to poke this strange thing. Then, Kang Woojin cautiously, pressed his index finger into the center of the swirling square.

The problem occurred next.

“Eek!

He was sucked into something.

___________________

Not my book translate

By me

#books #korean #system stuff #manga #bookblr #korean actor #slice of life #morden #celebrities

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cherrygirl-28 · 2 years ago

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How would you describe L? it's okay if you don't wanna answer.. Just asking because it's um his death day.

Hello anon!

I wasn't planning to post anything in particular about his death day since it makes me sad. Basically, I was planning to write about his personality through my eyes, even if it wasn't his death day.

Anyway let's get started!

If I had to say five adjectives to describe L, I would say he's a genius, risk taker and brave at the same time, shy and above all sweet.

The truth is that he's a complicated character like everyone in DN. His character isn't black and white. He's presented as an eccentric detective who neglects his personal hygiene, which shows he's passionate about what he does. However, we see he's a man with a sharp mind. You can't easily fool him. That's how every detective should be.

I also think he would have been very good friends with Hercule Poirot. You see, I read a lot of Agatha Christie and I have noticed a lot of similarities between L and Poirot. If their stories took place in the same time period, they would've become great partners.

Ohba himself describes him as "slightly evil" but I believe he means it in a good way. He respects human life even if circumstances don't allow him to respect it as he much as he should. And well... I could say why he tied up Misa in an almost inhuman way, or why he tells "lies", but I don't think it's necessary. The account @my-one-true-l explained it much better. I completely agree with the statements. Here's the link: https://www.tumblr.com/my-one-true-l/189990755859/can-we-talk-about-l-he-is-canonically-viewed-by

He also has an odd sense of humour that not many can understand.

Example: "Bang! If I was Kira you'd be dead right now." Meaning the police officers should be more careful about introducing themselves to strangers.

Likewise, he's direct in his words. He'll tell you what he thinks even if it's harsh.

Of course, what I admire most about his character is his bravery and courage. If I was him I'd be like: "please no, I love my life. Don't get me involved with this! I don't wanna die!" or something like that. We could also call him risky since many of the things he does are considered "unnecessary". For example, when he went public on TV and challenged Kira to kill him, was risky. He had the protection of anonymity with his face covered, but it was still risky since he still didn't know much about Kira. He only knew he needed a name to kill but not the details about shinigami eyes and such.

As for the movies, I think both the director and his actor Kenichi Matsuyama did a very good job. They went from 10 to 20. Like they upgraded him. The same goes for Light of course! I disagree with the choice of him dying, but it was needed for the plot. It's weird when you think about it because I didn't really like him at first, but by the time the series was over I missed him! 😅

Since I mentioned the movies, I could say that L: change the world is canon, but on the other hand, we don't see that happening in the manga, and also L dies before finishing the case. While in L: change the world he dies after finishing it. Am talking about this particular film since it's my favourite of the four DN films. (Netflix adaptation doesn't count!)

Anyway, we see the human side of L and understand he's not a robot. He has a heart too, it just isn't beneficial for him to show personal feelings when it comes to such a difficult case as Kira's.

There's even a scene in the book where when Maki is kidnapped by the Blue ship, L tries to save her and in the end, finds out what it's like to lose someone you love. I don't remember what exactly happens, but I think he holds Light's watch and says: "let's explore the world of nothingness together" or something like that. The point is that under other circumstances they could have been friends with Light if he hadn't found the death note. L knew he was Kira but maybe deep down in his heart, wanted to be mistaken about his suspicions. Just maybe...

I don't ship them but it makes me emotional anyway... 😢😢

So, to summarize: I'd say L is eccentric but genius. Cold on the outside but sweet on the inside. Bold and brave but also funny. I think these are the main features that made me root for him! 💕

#death note #l lawliet #answered ask #l change the world #ryuzaki #i love him #rambling thoughts

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vivithefolle · 4 years ago

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Hi Vivi, can you share some thoughts on the "Hermione deserves to be/should have married to XYZ because she is way too good for Ron" mentality of this fandom??

I’m gonna copy-paste a Quora answer of mine, because recycling is important!

Claiming that Ron is “out of Hermione’s league” is a statement rooted in sexism, classism and probably a bunch of other -isms.

It might seem like I’m just throwing buzz-words around but let me explain.

First off, the sexism.

Oh, the sexism.

As I’ve pointed it out in yet another one of my answers (I’m so sorry for drowning you all in a plethora of links), Ron is very much a female-coded male character.

Ron is emotional, wears his heart on his sleeve, has anxieties and inadequacies, walks off in order to cool down, has a temper, puts other people before his needs, and pretty much adopts Harry when he rescues him in the second book. He’s the Heart of the Trio: he doesn’t rely on sole logic, he can believe something without proof, he is sensitive and thus is the easiest to hurt emotionally.

Whether you call it a “beta male”, a “wuss”, “defying gender roles” or a “soft boy” is your own business, but the core of it is that Ron doesn’t meet the standards for people’s vision of a “desirable” masculine figure.

The little things Ron quietly performs in the books - when he helps Harry into his pyjamas in Chamber of Secrets because Harry’s arm is bloop; when he’s worrying about Hermione’s whereabouts in Prisoner of Azkaban; when he helps Harry unwind after his visions in Goblet of Fire; when he puts food onto Harry’s plate and wakes him up from his nightmares in Order of the Phoenix; when he beams that Hermione was “perfect, obviously” when she passes her Apparition test - all those caring gestures don’t seem like much, but if you bother to think about it, they paint an enormous picture.

Who gets Hermione to stop overworking while making her feel good about her accomplishments? Who comforts Harry from his nightmares and cares for him in the dead of the night, when nobody is awake? Who makes sure his friends are healthy and happy? Who wards off the dark and depressing thoughts, be it with his fists or a joke?

It’s Ron.

When you think about it, “traditional masculinity” in Harry Potter is as much frowned upon as “traditional feminity” is - which sometimes bites Rowling in the butt when you remember how she obviously seems to consider that Hermione and Ginny are the only desirable kind of girls.

Vernon Dursley? The entrepreneur “king of the household” prejudiced suburbian middle-class Dad? Fits in the usual tropes of traditional masculinity.

Dudley Dursley? The typical “boys will be boys” spoiled middle-class only child who’s the apple of his parents’ eyes and even takes up boxing, as if he wasn’t traditionally masculine enough.

Draco Malfoy? See Dudley, but toss in “upper-class posh aristocrat bully who doesn’t like to get his hands dirty so he has henchmen do it for him because he’s too rich for this sh-t”, would remind you of a few Christian Greys or Gatsbys.

Dolores Umbridge? Oh no, cat pictures, decorative plates, talks to teens as if they’re babies and PINK, SO MUCH PINK!!! So disgustingly feminine!!

Rowling very much frowns upon traditional gender roles - with Molly Weasley being an exception because Rowling feels very strongly about being a mother, and relates to Molly a lot.

Right - so, being a beautiful mess of paradoxes and contradictions (a “soft boi” who also punches bullies in the face, a fussy mother-hen who swears like a sailor, a tall athlete with badass scars on his arms who’s nurturing and sweet; in short, a wonderfully human character), Ron is obviously going to be a polarizing character. You painfully relate to him and get defensive when he’s criticized, you feel his characterization hits a bit too close to home so you hate him, or you disregard him completely because you can’t see anything “special” about him…

Now, onto another very, very sexist point that is often made.

People say that Hermione “deserves better” than Ron, often claiming that they “aren’t intellectual equals”, then citing Harry (who is mistaken as being some sort of slumbering genius but honestly, the kid is really a bit daft) or Draco (since apparently, being rich must equal to being intelligent) or, god forbid, Snape (because he’s a teacher and teachers are meant to be clever).

Soooo, I could go the loooooong way and pull out all the receipts that prove that none of these characters are perfectly intellectually matched to Hermione…

Or I could go the long way and simply give you this: this obsession with finding an “intellectual equal” for Hermione reflects the mentality of “women are not allowed to be better at something than their husband”.

Yep.

A woman has to be all-around pretty good at everything, whereas a man has to be the absolute best in his area of greatest competence (surely better than any puny female!) with a help-meet there to compensate for his weaknesses. People are very, very uncomfortable when Ron and Hermione reverse this dynamic. Hermione is extremely intelligent and dedicated to intellectual pursuits, but is complete pants at things like self-care and people skills. Ron is bright enough to keep up with her and strong in her areas of weakness.

Even if Ron was as dumb as a sack of rocks (he’s not), his other virtues are more than enough to “justify” Hermione loving him. (Because she needs an excuse?) But no. A woman has to be with a man who outdoes her in her area of greatest strength. - credit to @lytefoot

People don’t want Hermione to be with a man who’s her “equal.” They want her to be with a man who can be The Man so she can know the contentment of being The Woman.

But, with this sexist line of thought, how do we justify how Ron is supposed to be such a bad match for Hermione? Because if it was just about mere sexism, Romione would surely be more popular. Imagine! Ron happily raising the children, being a house-husband and proud of it, while Hermione is out there fighting for justice in the wizarding world! What a power-couple, defying norms and gender roles and not being the least bit conscious of it, prime OTP material for sure! So why do people still want Hermione to put Harry, Draco, or god forbid², Snape in Ron’s place? Is this an irrational hatred of redheads? An Harmionian’s delirious wet dream? A failure to separate the actors from their characters?

It’s all this and, quite frankly, something more: the inherent classism that comes with Ron’s status as an explicitly working-class coded character.

I know, I know, “Vivian! Calm down with the buzzwords, you’re starting to sound like an online pretend-feminist magazine!”

Or “Come on, people who don’t ship Ron and Hermione together aren’t all sexist or classist!”

Of course, of course! I know that! I’m not implying that!

But some of the “reasons” why they claim that Ron and Hermione can’t work - are extremely classist in nature, that’s just it!

Come on, think about it! What are the Number Ones arguments people always pull against Ron? Or the most common Ron-bashing tropes (look at fanfics and watch the number of stories that use at least one of those)?

Ron is stupid/mediocre

Ron is lazy/useless

Ron resents his wife’s hard work/success

Ron is a homophobe

Ron is a drunkard

Ron (the big prude who at 16 had never kissed a girl and sees a first kiss as the prelude to a wedding) is massively oversexed and cheats on Hermione with anything that moves

Not only do these “reasons” completely ignore ALL OF RON’S CHARACTERIZATION - except for the “lazy” bit but come off it, all teenagers are lazy and Hermione’s the exception to the rule - but it matches perfectly with the negative stereotypes associated with working-class white men in fiction.

It’s also very funny to note how many (assumedly middle-class or financially secure) fans look down on Ron for being “whiny” or “greedy” when he expresses the desire to have money of his own, or blame his parents for “not knowing when to stop” or “being irresponsible”, or even look down on them for being “too proud to accept help”!! Also how shocked people are when Ron dares to stand up for himself when Hermione or Harry act badly towards him. How dare this country boy not listen to the wisdom of his social “betters”?

So, obviously, because our Heroine can’t go with a Nasty, Mediocre Working-Class Man, she must be paired off with someone of Proper Status: say, a Hero that was raised in a middle-class home and might be a bit psychologically damaged but it’s nothing all those gold coins in his vault can’t fix; or this Rich Posh Aristocrat who actively rooted for her death, he’s a little bit eccentric and has some exotic pet-names to call you, but I’m sure you’ll learn to love him and will unearth the gold coins in his bank account… I mean, the heart of gold that lies within the surface; oh, why not a Way Too Big An Age Difference Teacher if you’re looking for a “cultured man” who has zero things in common with you; we can also bring Convenient Plot Device Famous Rich Foreign Athlete if you want some diversity and you don’t feel original!

But we can’t - oh, we mustn’t let her be with this Terrible Working-Class Boy! His brothers are fine, they have money, they have jobs, so they’re obviously Not As Mediocre. But let our precious Hermione be with this Just-Got-Out-Of-School hooligan? She can’t possibly be in love with him! You’ll see darling, you’ll get bored eventually! He’s too mediocre for you, you deserve a man who outclasses you - I mean, who can provide for you! You’re a fragile little flower who scars people for life when she’s not happy with them, what makes you think that this boy can possibly handle you even though he’s done so for the past seven years?

You wanted it, you got it.

People are shallow, have misconceptions about Ron’s character that they are unwilling to correct or use classist and sexist arguments to try to make it so that either Ron is the Devil himself / Hermione is a higher kind of being that can only orgasm if sufficiently “intellectually stimulated” / what-have-you.

#vivi answers #ask #ron weasley #hermione granger #romione #ron weasley defense squad #ron weasley defence squad #sexism #classism #hp meta #fandumb #hp fandom

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mothmanhamlet · 5 years ago

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so this is from @arri-aspects ‘s challenge thing where you take a playlist and turn it into tss aus, so here they are (Under the cut b/c even though I only used 1/5 of my playlist its Long) (Sorry if these end up more fic idea than au)

1. Mr. Brightside by The Killers - mistaken identity au, (roceit) Actor! roman has to follow a mystery man who has taken his identity and begun to live out his life.

2. 18 by Anarbor - Boyfriend for hire au (moxiety), Broke Virgil is hired by Patton to be his boyfriend to piss off his homophobic parents when they suddenly become interested in him after kicking him out.

3. Guillotine by Jon Bellion - Secret boyfriends au (Loceit) Logan has overbearing parents and big dreams but he hides his secret rebellious bf from everyone (that sounds so cheesy lol)

4. Young Volcanoes by Fall Out Boy - outcasts au (any/no ships) In a small town, outcasts Virgil, Patton, Logan, Roman, Remus, and Dee run wild in the streets and solve mysteries sometimes

5. I’m Not a Vampire by Falling In Reverse - Supernatural au (any/no ships) a human named Thomas moves into an “abandoned” house with Ghost! Patton, Werewolf! Roman and Remus, Vampire! Virgil and Logan, and Demon! “Deceit”

6. Sad Song by We The Kings- music soulmates au, (Royality, analogical) Every soulmate knows a part of a song by heart that only their soulmate(s) know the rest to. Feat. jazzy singer Roman, dancer Patton, Pianist Virgil, Violinist Logan, and jazz club owners Dee and Remus

7. The Good, The Bad, and The Dirty by Panic! at the Disco- Con artists au (Any/no ships), a group of con artists band together to pull the heist of the century, robbing a megacorporation casino chain that’s threatened to fuck everyone’s lives over for good.

8. Goodnight Moon by Go Radio - Runaway gods au (Analogical) Logan runs away from home and encounters Moon God! Virgil.

9. Crazy = Genius by Panic! at the Disco- Circus au (Dukceit?) Welcome, one and all, to Dorian’s Circus for the Mad (That totally isn’t the hub for a criminal underground what do you mean). Danger, excitement, and fire awaits. Lots of fire. Now featuring Ringleader Dorian, Sword swallower/fire breather/whatever-we-need-him-for-this-time Remus, and Acrobat/Dancer Roman

10. Blue Lips by Regina Spektor- Washed up roommates au (Logince) Logan had a steady job and was set to move up the ranks in a company he hated. Roman was the heir to that same business. Both end up as roommates after quitting on the same day, trying to figure out their new lives as semi-starving artists (Or, astronomers, in Logan’s case)

11. Primadona by Marina (Previously Marina and The Diamonds)- Hollywood au (any/no ships). The sides (+ extras like remy and emile) work on the set of the same movie. Newbie! Virgil stands no chance against the hordes of famous people.

12. Womanizer by Brittany Spears- con artist + famous au (Prinxiety), Con artist! Virgil has set his mark on famous diva and womanizer Roman. He is determined to make sure it’s impersonal.

13. Iris by the Goo Goo Dolls- angel/demon au (Moceit) Demon! Deceit falls for Archangel! Patton, turning Patton’s views on demons topsy-turvy. Romeo and Juliet but with less death and more immortal pining.

14. Applause by Lady Gaga- Night Club au (Any/no ships), Thomas owns a night club and made the horrible mistake of hiring exclusively chaotic employees. Dj! Roman, Bartenders! Dee, Virgil, and Remy, Cooks! Remus and Patton, Manager! Logan, and Security! Emile

15. Misery Business by Paramore- Cheating au (Any/no ships) One guy is dating Dee, Virgil, Roman, Logan, and Patton without telling any of them, so they decide to take their revenge.

16. Bad Romance by Artist vs Poet (Cover)- Dark cupid au (Roceit) Cupids aren't supposed to have any feelings of their own. Neither are sirens. This all changes when Cupid! Roman meets Siren! Deceit

17. Derniere Danse by Indilla- Dance au (Logince) Logan is an extremely focused ballerina who is married to his career. He then meets boisterous ballerina Roman and they are forced to compete against each other.

#sanders sides #sanders sides au #I will happily expand on any of these upon request #in fact please someone force me to expand on some of these I never know what to write #roceit #moxiety #loceit #royality #analogical #dukceit #logince #moceit #prinxiety #tss #I don't know why these are all so shippy

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descendantofthesparrow · 5 years ago

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Daughter of the Honorable Thief – Harry Hook x reader – part 4 – pranks and daggers

Harry Hook x Daughter of Robin Hood!Reader

key

h/c- hair color

e/c- eye color

h/l- hair length

s/c- skin color

y/n- your name

clothing reference:

---(y/n) POV---

Later that night, you snuck around the dorm building, searching for mals room, with Elizabeth (erza for short), daughter of Will Scarlet, at your heels.

“are ya sure about this hood? I mean, this is mal! What if she?!”

You turned to Erza, a grin on your face, “why are you doubting me~ she’ll never even know it was me!”

erza pouted, “im not doubting ya! im just saying that she might put the blame on Uma! And you don’t want that do ya?” she whisper-shouted at you.

You snickered and pinched her cheeks, she scowled and smacked your hand away, rubbing her cheek

“she's not gonna put the blame on Uma because Uma wouldn’t have thought of this~”

Erza raised her brow, confused “what exactly are ya plannen?”

You grinned like a shark, flipping open your messenger bag, and revealing the prank.

…

“holy shit hood yer evil!”

You cackled silently, as you arrived at mals dorm, and easily snuck in.

Soon finishing your work, you quickly exited the room and made your way to Mals locker, and hurriedly placed your prank in place, before relocking her locker and sneaking back to your room.

“you’re an evil genius Hood”

“why thank you Erza, I try~”

----

Mal woke the next morning, expecting it to be like any other day.

She was about to be sorely mistaken.

As she stepped out of her bed, she didn’t notice the colorful plastic balls surrounding her bed, she squealed as she stumbled back onto her bed.

“what the fuck?!”

Evie sprung up from her bed, blinking away the sleep from her eyes, “Mal? Is everything alright?”

Mal snarled, chucking a blue plastic ball across the room.

“someone decided it would be fun to surround my bed with those balls that go in ball pits and shit.”

Evie rubbed her eyes and glanced down, there was a cardboard barrier surrounding Mals bed, containing the plastic balls. She raised her brow, ‘well at least im not involved in the mess’ she thought as she glanced around her bed, seeing no border or plastic balls.

“well, at least they put a border around it so its easy clean up”

Mal sighed, still pissed but Evie had a point.

Lifting herself up off the bed once more, she stepped over the border and made her way into the bathroom.

As she brushed her teeth, she heard evie call her name

“Mal? You might wanna look at this”

“wha?” Mal leaned out of the bathroom, seeing Evie pointing at a picture of her and Ben, and….their faces were taped over with…. Nicolas Cages face.

“what. The. Fuck.”

Glancing over her other pictures, everybody's faces were taped over with Nicolas Cage's face.

“seriously what the fuck!!!”

Mal screeched as she gripped the frame and ripped off the faces.

Evie snickered silently in the background, walking into the bathroom to brush her own teeth.

“Uma is going to fucking pay.” Evie stopped, Uma? When did she come into the conversation?

“are you sure Uma did this?” Evie spoke through her toothpaste, leaning out the bathroom door

Mal whipped around, her eyes glowing green, “who else would do this!!??”

Evie shrugged “I don’t know but Uma doesn’t seem like she has the patience to do this, ya know, taping down Nicolas Cage's face on all your photos, and carefully placing a ball pit around your bed? I don’t know but that doesn’t seem like Uma, shed more go for ruining your hair or one of your outfits, not do something that can be easily reversed.”

Mals eyes softened, yeah, yeah okay, this isn’t something Uma would do, but if she didn’t do it…who did?

Evie sighed, knowing Mal was going through a mental list of cuprites, so she quickly intervened and gathered her clothes, tossing one of the plastic balls at Mals butt.

“come on M! its breakfast time and I don’t want to miss my French toast!”

Mal rolled her eyes and nodded, digging through her closet and quickly grabbing an outfit.

“Alright, im going to take a quick shower tho”

Evie nodded, already halfway done with her makeup, she had taken a shower the night before.

“Alright, see you in the café”

----

Mal sighed as she walked to her locker, leaning into Carlos's side with their arms locked, she had been strangely clingy to Carlos today, but he didn’t seem to mind.

Separating from him, she made her way to her locker, entering her combination, she opened it….only for her jaw to drop and a horse scream rip from her throat.

“what the fuck?!”

Her ENTIRE locker was COVERED in Nicolas Cage's face, mal just stood in furious silence as she stared at the hundreds of faces.

“holy shit mal” Carlos voice came from behind her, laughter behind his tone “someone is committed to a prank”

Mal huffed and grabbed her books, slamming her locker closed, placing her books in her bag, locking her arms with Carlos and Evie, and storming off to their first class.

---

Uma jumped in surprise when she heard mals scream. She whirled around and had to stop herself from bursting out laughing.

(y/n) had plastered Nicolas Cage’s face all over mals locker, holy shit!

“holy shit (y/n) went hard” she mumbled, not wanting Mal to hear her.

Harry and Gil turned at that when they saw it Gil just blinked in surprise, and Harry had to stuff his face in his bag to stifle his laughter.

“wow,” gil whistled, watching mal slam her locker closed and storm away.

“holy shite!! Lassie went ham!!” Harry finally let out his laughter leaning against his locker trying to catch his breath.

“Ya know mate if ya keep laughing like tha people are gonna think ya did the prank”

Uma turned to the new voice, and there was (y/n) and a girl with brown hair styled in an undercut, freckles dusting her face. Her amber eyes, sparkling with mischief.

“who are you?” Uma grumbled, smacking Harry's shoulder as he composed himself, taking (y/n)s hand and kissing it, she snorted and tugged her hand away, flicking his nose.

The girl smiled and bowed, smirking up at Uma, “Erza Scarlet, at yer service”

(y/n) patted Ezra's shoulder grinning at the three pirate teens, “yeah this is one of my childhood best friends, she's the daughter of Will Scarlet.”

Erza smiled, “Scarlet’s me and my dad's middle name, my full name is Elizabeth Scarlet O'Hara”

Uma, Harry, and Gil glanced at each other, odd name.

Erza winked “we’re from Georgia”

(y/n) nodded, gesturing to Erza with her hands, “shes deadly with her daggers, just like her dad”

“oh really~” Uma sang, raising her brow “how about you show us something?”

Erzas face brightened “gladly, Hood? can you?”

(y/n) rolled her eyes and turned to her locker, unlocking it and retrieving one of her compact bows, and an aluminum arrow. (yea I know, weird stuff to keep in your locker)

“whoa whoa whoa, wha is this?” Harry hurriedly asked, stepping forward slightly.

(y/n) sighed and flicked her arm, releasing the mechanisms keeping the bow folded, “don’t worry, she knows what she's doing, those daggers of hers are made of a Vibranium/steel alloy, ya know, the same stuff that captain Americas shield is made of? They can cut through anything, including my aluminum arrows.”

Harry nodded unsurely but backed up.

Erza grinned and stood several feet away from (y/n), “alright Hood ya know the drill, now fire an ‘arrow, straight at my ‘eart”

(y/n) rolled her eyes, loading her arrow. “are you sure about this?” Uma interrupted, now regretting asking for a demonstration.

Erza winked at Uma, “absolutely.” A flash of metal and her daggers spun around her palms, before stopping in her grip.

(y/n) sighed, drawing back the string, “ya know one day your gonna be too slow and im gonna get your heart”

(y/n) released her arrow, and in a flash of steel/Vibranium, the arrow was now in ribbons at Erzas feet.

Umas jaw dropped, along with Harry and Gils.

“holy fuck what part of Georgia are you from? Southcentral!?”

Erza smirked and sheathed her daggers, wiping her hands clean from the metal shavings.

“well,” (y/n) mumbled, collapsing her bow once more, storing it in her locker “that was fun, now I think its time for class.”

The sea three glanced at the clock on the wall and paled, only one minute to get to class.

“shit!!”

--- end of part 4 ---

Comment or message me for part 5

a/n: as I was writing this, I got the news that Cameron Boyce died, he was and is a loved actor and human being, and he will be missed, we loved the way he brought Carlos to life, and he will never be the same again.

Love you Cameron, and may your memory be a blessing.

--Audrey. R. P

#Descendents #descendants #disney descendants #harryhook #harry hook #descendants harry hook #harry hook descendants #harry hook x reader #harry hook imagine #Carlos De Vil #cameron boyce #may your memory be a blessing

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determinationisnotcrash · 5 years ago

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Conspiracy! Search Between the Lines of the Movie Script!

I wrote animated actor skits between the characters as a joke on the RP part of the @gbpack-discord , but then I thought about what kind of studio would allow the use of very real laser-shooting bone beasts in movies, as well as what kind of actors would stay around laser-shooting bone beasts, and this oneshot was born.

Impact and Soichiro belong to me.

Sabre and his brother (tentative name: Tsurugi) belong to @paddie-ut

Rigel and his brother (tentative name: Kaoru) belong to @skellepuns

Sabre helplessly clung for his life to the branch at the top of the prop tree like a stuck cat. “So this is how I die… Mum… Dad… Bro… I’m so sorry… You were right, I should have just stayed home doing Super Robot Wars recordings all along…”

Impact – or rather, the creature playing the role of the beastman’s body – kept trying to leap up at Sans, eying him hungrily like it had just discovered what it would have for its next meal.

From a safe distance (knowing well that trying to interfere himself would lead to being ripped in two), Impact’s voice actor yelled. “Hang in there, Sabre! You’ll be alright! Help is on its way! As long as you sit tight and don’t move-”

CRUNCH! CRUNCH! CRUNCH!

The raptor started munching on the tree, its massive jaws easily slicing through the thick material like butter! The skeletal actor facepalmed, feeling quite foolish for jinxing it.

On the other hand (or rather, paw), another actor decided he’d had enough of seeing his co-worker being chased around by beasts. With several heavy footsteps, Rigel dashed towards the raptor and tackled it, wrestling it to the ground.

In his base humanoid form, it would have been like throwing himself at a brick wall. But in that half-beast shape, not only did he have a lot extra weight to throw around, he had quite the solid constitution. The ravenous animal snapped and struggled like the beast it was, but it was completely pinned.

Just in time, the people Impact’s voice actor called over arrived! Rigel carefully handed it over, not releasing his grip until it was safely in chains.

Rigel turned upwards towards his friend, putting on what he hoped looked like a reassuring smile. “Alright, Sabre! It’s safe to come down now!”

The small half-Blaster slid down to the ground. Without a moment’s hesitation, he sprinted past the others and off the set.

“Sabre…? Wait! We’re not finished with this scene!”

***

Break Room

Sabre huddled in the break room, staring grumpily at nothing in particular. During this time, several staff passed by, such as the ones in charge of props and special effects, but it felt too awkward for them to talk.

This continued for about half an hour… before he was startled out of his sulk by the sound of a coin rolling into a vending machine slot. A claw-tipped hand holding a canned drink entered his field of vision. “Wanna talk about it?” Sabre followed the arm to see…

“You’re Rigel… no, your real name is…”

“My name really is Rigel. Rigel H. Aster. Yours?”

“Rigel H. Aster…?” Sabre’s face lit up at the familiar surname. “I know you! You’re one of the leads of Pink Dark Boy! And the main lead of The Silver Soul! As for my name… it’s also really Sabre. Sabre Midorikawa.”

Rigel’s smile remained on his muzzle, but his eyes slightly narrowed at the last sentence. “Heh, that is what I’m famous for. But Midorikawa…? The actor half the staff- no, half the world is practically in love with? Did you use connections to…? And hold on a sec, how can a blind man watch television?”

A green blush tinted the small Blaster’s cheeks. “O-oh, I’m not actually blind.” He lifted a handpaw and with a cartoonish POP sound, the socket-blackening lenses came out. “And yes, I would like to talk about it. I just can’t stand the Director’s choices anymore! I thought I had the resolve to keep coming here, no matter what, but now…”

The tall, bulky skeleton nodded, taking a sip of his own soda, but his eyes bugged out upon the unfamiliar flavour reaching his tongue. He looked down at the can. Grass Jelly…!? Then Sabre got…

“EUUUUGH!” Several splutters and coughs left the man’s maw, his entire face seemingly scrunching up. “This milk…! It expired years ago!”

“Sorry, I should’ve known not to trust in company import vending machines.” Taking both cans, the blue humanoid dragon poured them down the sink, before chucking the empty cans away. It was for the sewage plants to deal with now. He silently wished them luck. “…Anyway, people drop in and out all the time. I don’t think anyone would blame you for wanting to leave. Just one question I’d like to ask, first…”

Sabre felt uncomfortable, shifting under the dragon man’s gaze. “Depends what it is…”

“Why did you come here in the first place? Everyone around the world is aware of the Director’s extreme methods. His movies have a massive following, but he’s renowned on the streets as a terrible employer.”

The smaller Blaster’s eyes seemed to shift their focus to thin air, recounting a time that had already passed. “Can you keep a secret?”

Rigel nodded solemnly.

Sabre checked the area around him, before ushering Rigel into the restroom and locking the door. He sat down on the toilet, getting ready for a long explanation. “It’s the reason I chose to have my character be a blind man to begin with… And the reason why that ‘Impact’ creature the Director brought along makes me so uncomfortable. I’m not only an actor, you see…

“I do detective work on the side – anything from missing pets, goods, or people… to dangerous cases, involving things like human trafficking and drugs. Mind you, I don’t operate alone. The reason why I’m not beloved as a detective is that my brother Tsurugi is the figurehead of our operations.”

That name was enough to make Rigel’s hair stand on end… is what would have happened if he had any. Instead, his ectobody tensed up, going from the consistency of blueberry jelly to more firm agar jelly. “That Tsurugi… The Early Genius? You’ve gotta be pulling my leg!”

Sabre disproved him, taking out his wallet and revealing a photo of them together. “I’m dead serious.”

“N-no way…”

“Way. Tsurugi’s hailed as a genius and a fighter, but that isn’t entirely correct. He’s the combat expert who handles the battles, whereas I’m the discrete thinker. He shines in the light, whereas I loyally provide him with everything he needs from the shadows.”

Cogs in Rigel’s skull started to turn. “I see… but… wasn’t he recently…?”

A grimace formed on the shorter man’s face as he confirmed. “Yeah. It was a crime in my hometown…”

***

La Gias City, two months ago

“HAAAAAA…! TASTE THIS, MY SIGNATURE TECHNIQUE! HUNDRED STORM FIST!” With strength beyond that of mortal men, the skeleton let out a fist rush, the wind stirred up from each punch being enough to blow away all his opponents!

“Heads up, bro! They’ve got reinforcements coming from below!”

Tsurugi’s confident grin didn’t fade. “Is that so? Then…” He leaped into the air, a powerful aura flowing around him, before doing a one-hundred-and-eighty-degree spin and colliding straight into the wave of mooks coming from downstairs. “LIGHTNING KIIIICK!” The room around him illuminated brilliantly! In one fell swoop, they were all immobilised!

Sabre couldn’t help but grin upon witnessing his brother’s handiwork. He really was amazing…! “Alright, proceed! The ‘boss’ is at the top!”

“Roger that!” Tsurugi sprinted up the stairs, entering a large, grandiose office room. It looked almost like the huge, majestic boss’ offices he saw on television: larger than a personal office had any right to be, elaborate paintings on the wall, and the back wall being a transparent window showcasing the night city skyline. Within it… he came face-to-face with the enemy.

Shouting with bravado, the man pointed a finger at the human woman behind the desk. “Well then, you’re the one behind all this! Kidnapping all those poor schoolboys!”

“Of course~!” The Evil Eleanor giggled. “My desire is nothing more than to dominate the young. So rather than brutes and savages, those boys are used to create fine gentlemen! Gentlemen for me to do whatever I wish with!”

“Such dreadful desires…! Desires befitting of a supervillain! Therefore, you must be punished as one!”

Eleanor cackled like a witch, the laugh of an evil hag erupting from the otherwise beautiful face. “Just try and stop me, Tsurugi! Come, my loyal guard dogs!”

“B-bro…! Be careful! My console is picking up several extremely high energy readings right next to you!”

The paintings to the side opened up, revealing skeletal demonic creatures that looked like they crawled out of hell itself. Curved, goat-like horns. Maws filled with vicious, blade-like teeth. They were completely covered in wicked spikes, to the point where simply approaching one would cause physical harm. And the worst part was…!

Tsurugi had seen his fair share of criminals, but the eyes of these creatures? They were something far worse than even the scummiest of lawbreakers! These beings… they radiated pure evil. An unstoppable force of nature unbound by the laws of society or the modern world! The simple sight of them made the half-beast skeleton break out into a cold sweat.

“Ufufu~ Marvellous, aren’t they? I know you’re world-renowned for your close combat fighting style. These wonderful creatures are the ultimate counter!”

“Indeed…” Tsurugi took out a handkerchief and dabbed at his skull. “You have me beat… I truly have no way of countering with my Dragon Style CQC… However!” Determination ignited in his eyes. With a snap of the fingers, several airborne mechanical drones burst through the roof and from below. “You’re sorely mistaken if you think my hands and feet were my only weapons!”

Eleanor’s face contorting into all sorts of ugly expressions, she screamed, “DO IT! MAUL HIM!”

“FULL BURRRRRRRST!”

The world become awash with light… and when it cleared, there was nothing left of the demons but ash. The skeleton let out the breath he was holding. He didn’t say it out loud for obvious reasons, but those laser drones were experimental. There was an equal chance of them detonating and blowing him up.

Warily, he approached the soot-covered mastermind. “Now tell me, why did you kidnap all those boys? What meaning is there in taking innocent children away from their family and friends? Most importantly… where are they now!?”

The only response he got was a wad of spit in his face. “Fufufu… You foolish skeleton… because you had to play teen detective, you’re marked! ‘They’ will pursue you to the ends of the Earth, until you’re silenced! Guhhh…” The life faded from her eyes. Unfortunately, it seemed that was all the information he would ever be able to receive from her.

***

The next night, Midorikawa Household

Tsurugi shifted in bed uncomfortably, that woman’s words still bouncing around his skull. It was the wee hours of the morning, yet he was unable to sleep. They… they… who were they…?

The sound of the fridge opening and being messily rummaged through, for once, was welcome. Sabre! Someone he could talk to about this!

Tail wagging vigorously, he leaped out of bed and all but sprinted downstairs into the kitchen. The creature he saw there would be the last thing he would see for quite some time. “…Y-you’re-!”

SLASH!

***

Present Day

Sabre finished his tale, a lump in his throat. “He was taken completely off-guard. The fact that he managed to fight it off anyway while blinded, unable to use his equipment, and hurt by physical contact with it is impressive, but just what I’d expect of my bro.

“No damage is permanent… he’ll heal, thanks to the funding and technology we have… but it’ll be a while before he’s able to see or move properly again. For that purpose, he’s in hiding right now while recovering. We took the opportunity to fake his death for now.”

The Blaster shuddered again at the recollection. “I felt crushed by that. If it weren’t for me wanting my brother to have all the glory… He wouldn’t have been targeted. I tried to make up for it by coming here, but… I’m starting to wonder whether it’s even worth it, if simple situations like these nearly kill me. If I’m just causing more problems…”

Rigel attempted a comforting purr, patting his friend on the back. “Sabre… It’s admirable that you’re doing something like this. I… I have a secret to reveal, too.” He reached into his jacket pocket, pulling out a shiny golden badge. “I’m a member of the International Police. Kit is, as well.”

“What!? I thought that was just a thing in movies!”

Chuckling, the dragon gave a friendly wink. “That’s what they want you to think!” The amiable expression, however, disappeared as he continued his explanation. “There have been a lot of funds diverted to the Director and his projects, some through legal means, others through not-so-legal means. A lot of money laundering’s been going on.

“And additionally, there’s… you know, that… thing. ‘Impact’. I became familiar with creatures like it prior to coming here. I performed an infiltration in one of the Director’s secret labs with my brother. What I found was something terrible…”

***

Lightbringer Labs, one month ago

Rigel had to physically clutch his snout to prevent the vomit from coming out. “T-this is…!” Familiar footsteps quickly approached from behind him, causing his heart to leap into his throat. “Kaoru, don’t look-!”

Too late! His brother had already seen the awful sight. “N-no… No, no, no, no, no, no, no…!” Those children were…!

In contrast to the hi-tech, futuristic outer walls of the institute, this room looked like it belonged to a deranged cult. Strange symbols, coupled with indecipherable writing were drawn in red paint(…?) all over the walls and floor, and beaten, ragged-looking children were placed in the very centre.

Cloaked figures surrounding the circle chanted out harsh, disgusting-sounding words, as a large muscular figure approached the children. It slowly raised its blade, and…! And…!! The two brothers reflexively looked away, but the sound of the splatter and the scent of blood were enough to confirm what had happened.

The room was soon filled with a terrible atmosphere – one that made Rigel even more physically sick than he already was. He had to fight the instinct to just flee that rose within him. The waves of evil aura became stronger and stronger… and a ball of shadow coalesced at the centre of the room. One of the cloaked figures grabbed it before Rigel could get a good look at it… but it was skeletal. And moving.

A smile – not genuine in the slightest and more like the fake one of a dog’s or dolphin’s – spread across the face of the staff member next to them. “Remember, you signed the legally binding contract! If you speak a word of this classified information to the general public… You’ll soon join them.”

A voice in Rigel’s mind screamed at him to tear the man apart. But he knew that wouldn’t get him anywhere, and he had to bear it for now.

***

“Connections across the world, where they kidnap sacrifices… Labs, where they create hellbeasts… A movie, where they use real live hellbeasts… and, where they aim to portray said hellbeasts in a positive and affable light…

“I don’t know what the Director’s goal is, but it’s something sinister for sure. That’s why Kit and I decided to come here.”

This new information made Sabre’s head spin. Those children Tsurugi couldn’t save… and it was happening all across Earth…? After what felt like hours, though in reality it was a minute at most, the skeleton came to a decision. “…If the incident’s grown this large, then I have no choice but to keep going! My brother would have never turned a blind eye to an injustice like this! For my brother, and those poor children…”

Resolve starting to grow in his voice, Sabre continued, “We’ll beat that bastard at his own game! We’ll make a great movie, and find out what this Director is up to! Red, Doc, Mr Ignis, Magester, Ginger… maybe even that Soichiro guy who does lines for Impact! If we get them in on this as well, and use the creative control we’re allowed, we can foil the Director on all fronts!”

A grin spread across his face as the two of them left the toilet cubicle, heads held higher than anyone who had just taken a dump would look. Several stares went their way, but Sabre didn’t care at all. Just keep waiting, bro… soon, I’ll get to the bottom of this!

#undertale #gasterblaster au #gasterblaster sans #gasterblaster papyrus #my writing

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angelofberlin2000 · 6 years ago

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by Natalie Finn | Fri., May. 17, 2019 3:00 AM

When Keanu Reeves was asked the other night, "What do you think happens when we die?" interviewer Stephen Colbert probably wasn't expecting such a deep—or assured—answer from the movie star.

"I know that the ones that love us will miss us," the 54-year-old actor said sagely, rendering the Late Show host unusually speechless.

It was a sincere, thoughtful response—vintage Reeves, really—from someone who's had reason to think about such things.

"I haven't really thought about my career future, or what was going to happen, until really recently," he also told GQ in February. Asked why he started thinking about it, he replied, "Death!"

Watch https://www.eonline.com/videos/289305/how-keanu-reeves-training-for-john-wick-3-compares-to-the-matrix

How Keanu Reeves' Training for John Wick 3 Compares to The Matrix

The still eerily youthful-looking Reeves, who's back in theaters Friday in the third installment of the blockbuster John Wick franchise, has become a brand unto himself, the name "Keanu" signifying not just movie stardom but also a certain kind of performance and even a state of mind: chill, zen, blissfully checked out ("Sad Keanu" meme notwithstanding). His name—which has lent itself to a comedy about a cat and a recent hit song by Logic, and which of course a studio exec wanted him to change when he first came to Hollywood—does mean "cool breeze over the mountains" in Hawaiian, after all.

But still waters run deep, and despite being in the public eye for more than 30 years, he's one of the least-known people whose chiseled face you would recognize anywhere. Few play it as close to the vest as Reeves, who, though he does the occasional interview and shows up to fulfill his side of the bargain in promoting his films, does not talk about his personal life. And not in the way that most celebrities don't really talk about their personal lives.

As in, it's entirely unclear if he even has one, although—look at him—he must.

"I came to Hollywood to be in movies," Reeves told Parade recently. "I feel really grateful that I've had that opportunity, but I'm just a private person, and it's nice that can still exist."

He doesn't even publicize his charity work, but his causes include children's hospitals, fighting cancer, the arts and the environment.

"I always find it surreal that complete strangers come up and ask me personal questions," he told Parade back in 2008. "I don't mind speaking about work, but when the talk turns to 'Who are you?' and 'What do you do off-screen?' I'm like, 'Get out of here.' I've been in situations where people have felt they had a relationship with me or something and I didn't even know who they were."

Not that Reeves is an anti-star. He lives in the hills above West Hollywood, spent plenty of time enjoying the local nightlife in his youth and has starred in countless quotable action movies—and gets paid handsomely for them, enough so that he can take off and do passion projects like his first (and only, to date) directorial effort, 2013's The Man of Tai Chi, or show up unheralded on a Swedish sitcom (Swedish Dicks, now on Pop) or in any indie film he so desires, like the recent Destination Wedding, an acerbic comedy that reteamed him with Bram Stoker's Dracula co-star Winona Ryder.

He's perfectly congenial yet usually looks somewhat serious, but not because he's taking himself seriously—more as if he wants to answer even the most lighthearted of questions with respectful gravity. But hey, as Stephen Colbert just found out, if you ask Reeves a potentially loaded question, prepare to get an answer.

Asked by Parade in 2008 if he believed in aliens, because he was playing the alien Klaatu in a remake of The Day the Earth Stood Still, he replied, "Some days I do. Some days I don't. There's so much unexplained and unexplainable phenomena that's presented to us. But beyond that, the cosmos is so vast. We can't be the only sentient entity. It might not look like us, but it's going to be out there."

His signature Keanu cadence used to be mistaken for a sign of vacuity, but Reeves attributed however he came off in interviews to his overall discomfort with talking about himself.

"I've never played stupid to keep someone distant," he told Vanity Fair in 1995. "I don't play stupid. Either it's been a failure on my part to articulate, or my naivete, or ingenuousness, or sometimes it's the nature of the form... And you know, I find myself more able to give an explanation of a project five years later than in the middle of it. It's so present-tense! I can tell you how I feel, but its context is harder to explain... Sometimes when I'm interviewed I'm not ready to do that. So you say...'excellent!' And you know what, man? It's OK."

It certainly was.

Ted Theodore Logan, Johnny Utah, Jack Travern, Neo, John Wick: all characters that had to be played by Reeves. He's done everything from Shakespeare to sports flicks to A Scanner Darkly, and soon you'll be hearing his voice as Duke Caboom, a motorcycle-riding stuntman with a wistful backstory, in Toy Story 4, which will probably sneak in to top The Matrix Reloaded, which made $742 million worldwide, as his single highest-grossing movie.

"So I made Duke a little more gravelly but still tried to give him energy and a big personality," Reeves shared with Entertainment Weekly in March. "I just thought that Duke should love what he does. He's the greatest stuntman in Canada! I wanted him to be constantly doing poses on the bike while he was talking, to have this great extroverted passion."

He turned down Speed 2 to play Hamlet onstage in Canada. He was one of the first big stars who memorably jammed on the side with his own band, Dogstar, in the '90s and now he co-owns a custom bike shop called ARCH Motorcycle in Hawthorne, Calif, because he loves motorcycles as much as you think he does.

"Riding can be a place to think and feel. It's a way to work things out," he recently told Parade, noting that inclement weather doesn't stop him. "I like riding in the rain. It's a little more sketchy." He rides mainly alone, but he and the ARCH crew cruise Pacific Coast Highway on Sunday mornings.

And if motorcycles provide one soul-soothing salve for Reeves, acting provides another.

"In acting, you're constantly discovering new feelings and thoughts and exposing yourself to them," he told Parade in 2008. "I guess it could be considered psycho-therapy. All I know is that, as an actor, I can tell you a story that you'll listen to. Maybe it won't just entertain you, it might also teach you something. I think film has the power to change your life if you want to let it.

Combine his real-life inscrutability with his is-it-genius-or-does-he-just-do-the-same-thing-every-time approach to acting, and he's become more myth than man—and that, too, is a huge part of his appeal. He's just so Keanu.

"I don't own a computer and I don't e-mail," he said in the 2008

Parade

interview. "I'm fascinated by people who freak out when they don't get an instant response to an e-mail. It's like they expect as soon as they send an email to get the answer back and if they don't it's like awful. I just hope people won't totally lose the ability to write letters because it's a good way to communicate."

He preferred typewriters, Reeves said—and we can only hope he and Toy Story star Tom Hanks had a chance to talk about typewriters together.

"I only have good things to say about him," Swedish Dicks star Peter Stormare, who met Reeves doing Constantine in 2005, which led to the actor's role on his show, told GQ. "Once a year, we'll have a beer together and talk about life and things. He's very private. He leads his life the way he wants to lead it. And I guess it can be lonely sometimes. But I think he's just like me. There's a comfort in being alone sometimes, especially when you're working on something."

"We bonded over motorcycles, bass guitar, and Harold Pinter," Alex Winter, the Bill to his Ted, also told the magazine. "Reeves had a really good book collection."

Reeves was born in Beirut, to a Hawaiian father and English mother, but they divorced when he was about 2. Mom Patricia remarried in the US., but after that didn't work out she settled with a 7-year-old Keanu and his younger sister, Kim, who was born in Australia, in Toronto. Reeves reportedly hasn't spoken to his dad since he was 13.

"We were latchkey kids," he told Esquire in 2017. "It was basically 'leave the house in the morning and come back at night'. It was cool." But, he told Parade, "Even for a runaway English girl, my mother gave us a proper upbringing. We learned manners, respect for our elders, formal table settings. I also learned a nonprejudicial, nonjudgmental acceptance of other people."

His favorite part of school was doing plays and studying Shakespeare in English class, so he dropped out at 17 to try his hand at acting.

"My attendance record was very bad. I was lazy," Reeves told Vanity Fair. "I knew I wanted to act when I was halfway through grade 11, I guess, and school wasn't important."

His first acting job came on the Canadian series Hangin' In in 1984. Then he moved to Los Angeles and made his big-screen debut in the Rob Lowe-starring drama Youngblood in 1986. Later that year he won his first major role in the gritty teen crime drama River's Edge, which went on to win Best Feature at the Independent Spirit Awards.

So it was off to the races for Reeves, who in the next five years made a wildly diverse array of movies, including the very-'80s comedy The Night Before, Dangerous Liaisons, Bill & Ted's Excellent Adventure (and its sequel, Bogus Journey), Parenthood, Point Break and My Own Private Idaho.

He was very much living the fast Hollywood life, and it wasn't all charmed.

In 1993, River Phoenix died of an accidental drug overdose—another painful thing Reeves didn't want to talk about, but he spoke fondly of his friend and My Own Private Idaho co-star.

"I enjoyed his company. Very much," Reeves told Rolling Stone in 2000. "And enjoyed his mind and his spirit and his soul. We brought good out in each other. He was a real original thinker. He was not the status quo. In anything."

As for Phoenix's death, "It's something he thinks about all the time, something he never really talks about," a friend told People. "Friends know not to go there with him."

In 1994 his estranged father, Samuel, was sentenced to 10 years in prison for drug possession in Hawaii, but was released in two. "Jesus, man. No, the story with me and my dad's pretty heavy. It's full of pain and woe and fucking loss and all that s--t," he told RS around that time. In 1995, he told Vanity Fair, when asked why he didn't want to know more about his dad's case, "Why would I want to find out what I didn't know?" He called the situation "pretty incredible," and that was that.

Reeves has a massive scar on his abdomen from when he suffered a rupture spleen in a motorcycle crash while riding in L.A.'s Topanga Canyon in 1988. He went into a hairpin turn going about 50 mph.

"I call that a demon ride," he reflected to Rolling Stone. "That's when things are going badly. But there's other times when you go fast, or too fast, out of exhilaration...I remember saying in my head, 'I'm going to die.'"

"I remember calling out for help," he continued. "And someone answering out of the darkness, and then the flashing lights of an ambulance coming down. This was after a truck ran over my helmet. I took it off because I couldn't breathe, and a truck came down. I got out of the way, and it ran over my helmet."

Also while his star was on the rise, his sister Kim battled cancer for years starting in the late '80s. "He helped me through," she told Vanity Fair about her brother. "When the pain got bad, he used to hold my hand and keep the bad man from making me dance. He was there all the time, even when he was away."

Actor and Dogstar bandmate Roger Mailhouse told Rolling Stone about Reeves in 2000, "He's a really giving person. He'd give you his last shoe. Really smart, too. He's incredibly booksmart. He's a really interesting person who doesn't talk a lot of s--t."

Asked how his friend had changed over the past decade, i.e. the '90s, Mailhouse said, "I don't worry about him as much. I used to worry about him. Because I think of him as one of my best friends in the world, was he going to crash his motorcycle, or this or that. We did some wild things. I guess it's just growing up. I don't know—maybe it had something to do with River Phoenix, maybe. Losing someone close to him. But now I'm just proud of him. He's getting to do it the right way."

For years you'd be much more likely to see Kim or Patricia on Reeves' arm at a premiere or other big event—such as when he got a star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame in 2005—than any girlfriend, and the actor hasn't been publicly involved with anyone for years.

Not that he hasn't been linked to a bevy of his co-stars, including Sandra Bullock and Charlize Theron, but if he's in a serious relationship, it's not with a celebrity.

On The Tonight Show Starring Jimmy Fallon in 2013 he was wearing what anyone would take for a wedding band on his left ring finger, but no revelations ever sprang from that accessory choice.

When Parade asked recently if he remained a bachelor, Reeves replied (squirming a bit, according to the magazine), "Well, I'm not married."

Through the interviews he's given over the years, a theme running through them is the visible discomfort he starts to evince when the conversation veers toward the too-personal. And some topics are just off-limits altogether.

Reeves started dating actress Jennifer Syme after meeting her at a party in 1998 and they were expecting a baby together—but the child, a girl they named Ava, was stillborn at 8 months. They laid her to rest in January 2000, according to People, and broke up weeks later.

Read

Sandra Bullock Almost Starred in The Matrix Instead of Keanu Reeves

They remained close up until Syme, who suffered from severe postpartum depression, died in 2001 when she crashed her Jeep Cherokee into several parked cars on a L.A. street and was thrown from the vehicle. In 2002, her mother, Maria St. John, sued Marilyn Manson, who had thrown a party that Syme attended that night, for wrongful death, alleging he had given Syme the cocaine that an autopsy found in her system.

"After Jennifer was sent home safely with a designated driver, she later got behind the wheel of her own car for reasons known only to her," Manson, who knew Syme through filmmaker David Lynch and had worked with her on Lost Highway, said in a statement.

The rocker continued, "This lawsuit, which is completely without merit, will not bring back Jennifer's life. It serves only to reopen the wounds and the pain felt by all who loved Jennifer. It is a pity that St. John sullies her own daughter's reputation by filing this baseless claim."

They reportedly reached a settlement out of court, but Manson maintained he had nothing to do with Syme taking drugs that night.

Reeves has never spoken publicly about his relationship with Syme, which certainly fits right into how he was before, let alone since. But he grieved. And he eventually had something to say about that.

"I think, after loss, life requires an act of reclaiming," he told Parade in 2006. "You have to reject being overwhelmed. Life has to go on."

The actor continued, "Grief changes shape, but it never ends. People have a misconception that you can deal with it and say, 'It's gone, and I'm better.' They're wrong. When the people you love are gone, you're alone. I miss being a part of their lives and them being part of mine. I wonder what the present would be like if they were here—what we might have done together. I miss all the great things that will never be."

So he knew exactly what he was talking about when he told Colbert, "I know that the ones that love us will miss us."

Calling it "unfair" and "absurd," Reeves told

Parade

, "All you can do is hope that grief will be transformed and, instead of feeling pain and confusion, you will be together again in memory, that there will be solace and pleasure there, not just loss."

"Much of my appreciation of life has come through loss," he concluded. "Life is precious. It's worthwhile."

He said at the time that he would like to have a family, and reiterated the sentiment a couple years later, but Reeves told Esquire in 2017 with regards to "settling down": "I'm too… it's too late. It's over." Asked to clarify, he added, "I'm 52. I'm not going to have any kids."

Famous last words from a litany of 50-something men, and he was reminded of that. Reeves just said, "That's a whole other… But no. I'm glad to still be here."

"I'm every cliché," he continued. "F--king mortality. Ageing. I'm just starting to get better at it. Just the amount of stuff you have to do before you're dead. I'm all of the clichés, and it's embarrassing. It's all of them. It's just, 'Oh my God. OK. Where did the time go? How come things are changing? How much time do I have left? What didn't I do?' I'm trying to think of the line from the sonnet… 'And heavily from woe to woe tell o'er / The sad account of fore-bemoaned moan / Which I new pay as if not paid before.'"

"So, yeah," he added, reportedly with a smile. "I'm that guy."

In turn, Reeves can't help but come off as the solitary figure he so often plays in his films, from Constantine to The Matrix to John Wick. Heck, even Duke Caboom sounds a little melancholy.

At the same time, you're just as likely to see him in a romantic tear-jerker or a quirky comedy as a shoot-em-up. He's played heroes and hustlers, sweethearts and cruel villains, teachers and slackers, doctors and lawyers.

"For me, it's just continuing to be able to work with great artists and tell stories that people enjoy," Reeves told Parade. "I was always hoping, even when I was young, that I could do different things," he says. "I'm really grateful for that. I'm

Though he had no idea John Wick would be such a hit, Reeves was in top form in the 2014 action extravaganza as a retired hit man who goes on a revenge spree after gangsters kill the beloved dog that was a gift from his late wife.

It made almost $89 million on a reported $20 million budget. Sequel time!

"You hope and you dream but the reality is even sweeter," he told E! News in 2017 about the first film's surprise success when he was promoting John Wick: Chapter 2. "It's great to be involved in a project that has so much affection."

Chapter 2 made $172 million worldwide.

Now back for John Wick: Chapter 3—Parabellum, Reeves has revealed that he started training heavily about three months before filming began to get back into dynamo shape, and he still goes whole-hog (or horse, in this movie's case) in the action sequences, right up until a car runs into him.

"I'll do some fight scenes and then John Wick will get hit by a car," Reeves explained to Colbert on The Late Show, "and that's Jackson Spidell, who's an amazing stuntman." Spidell has been Reeves' stunt double in all the John Wick movies. "He gets hit by the car, then I'll get up from the car, then I'll do a whole bunch more of, like, gun-fu and whatever, jujitsu, judo—and then, if I get thrown off something, Jackson does his thing."

Even more exciting for some fans, however, depending on whether you like your Keanu dark or more dude-like, is the news that he and Alex Winter are finally set to start shooting Bill & Ted Face the Music, the much-discussed follow-up to 1989's Bill & Ted's Excellent Adventure and sequel Bill & Ted's Bogus Journey, which came out in 1991. The years-in-the-making comedy is tentatively due out in 2020.

And so on his latest press tour, Keanu Reeves left his usual trail of breadcrumbs. They may not lead you straight to his door, but they'll definitely keep you on the path.

#keanu reeves #Inside Keanu Reeves' Inscrutable Private World-Tragedy Motorcycles and Epic Movie Stardom

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zorlovinghue · 3 months ago

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Novel/Manhwa Recommendations

..... which you might not know exist, already know and read but got no other creature to talk about it, in shambles cuz there's little exposure, know but haven't read yet, don't know and might be interested, and etcetera etcetera.

==============================

Is It Bad That the Main Character's a Roleplayer

You see it right. From the cover and title alone, we know the MC is a chuunibyo with concerning level of emo. He is Demon Knight. Yes, that's what he called, I haven't read far so I'm not sure if the name will be revealed later on.

MC's characterization is, if you know Lee Hoyeol from [The Player Hides His Past], that's exactly him, except he had to do it himself, so the secondhand embarrassment is........ strong—

The setting and world building is great, the fighting scenes is clearly detailed and I especially love that every arc is elaborate. You can see the author put effort in their research and there's plenty of staggering inspiration on how close-combat scenes in specific background could be proceed–if you're an author looking for that exact thing, you can give it a shot and if you're a reader, this is magnificent and brilliantly done!

(The arc in the sea is quite long, there's pirate and stuff too if you're interested *ominous whisper*)

Poor guy wants to come back but have to be hero first. This give a new perspective on how transmigration story with MC who got normal (yes) background and family he cherished will become, the emotional tones is particularly deep for this one but the action did a wonderful job in balancing things out.

I was Mistaken as a Monstrous Genius Actor (adapted to manhwa)

You may be aware that I've been into this lately... And yeah I'm gonna babbling about this more.

MC's name is Kang Woojin. His parents still alive, he got a younger sister and three best buddies. All alive! Wow, no one's dead. This is not a transmigration, regression or reincarnation story either. I'm pleasantly surprised, which is ironic in and of itself.

He got a power that allowed him to enter the world of the script and live as the character he chooses to act on, both a blessing and a curse. Since most of them are dead in the end so he died multiple times too. His power gives proper carrot and whips, meaning although it was dizzying he was able to take a rest too, no fainting accident even if he's overworked to death.... So far! I'm nearing 300ish chapter and the novel had finished with 480 chapter, highly likely won't be any fainting accident.

What I love about this story is that the pacing is fast yet precise. Date, month, year... Name of the day and time, contrary to my initial fear of having this tedious, it's actually really helpful to have a fxcking crystal clear timeline! In Korean novel at that!

This is misunderstanding-based story, like the author directly and straight up telling the reader that

Is the main focus.

This story have more comedy, so although the story itself have emotional tones sometimes, it is less pronounced when it comes to the MC himself (the characters he acted on got better treatment bruh)– which can be either good or bad depending on your tastes, but if you prefer action more like me then this is actually a good thing. And, this is a novel where I can perfectly say that it utilizes sensory perceptions more than 'poetic' description, incredible for that!

Another thing, a sensitive one and I braced myself for this, is that the novel actually friendly. Vietnam, Japan, Hollywood... And French later on (i haven't reach that point yet). MC going abroad like he was taking casual stroll is everything. The 'passion' and 'competitive' spirit is the tamest and calmest I have ever found. You can clearly, clearly see the author did it as minimally as possible and overtime cleverly utilize the flow so the relationship between the countries is now welcoming, not just tolerated. The amount of scarcity for this is enough to warrant acknowledgement.

The Player Hides His Past (adapted to manhwa)

Lee Hoyeol here...! Been a while since I read the novel so I apologize in advance.

This is game-turn-reality story, you might already know from the title so I just want to say that one more time.

His character's name is Grandfell Claudi Arpheus Romeo, which he created on his early teens, another chuunibyo here. The story's world-building is great, the exploration of each arc is immersive and I love the emotional tones was clearly conveyed when it's due. It did a good job in adding depth and actually fleshed out the characters' existence excellently.

The fighting scenes, the strategies, and the executions are all great! It was amazing that even though the world building was quite complex it turned out brilliantly, so the dissonance is little to nothing and you can vividly portrayed the world of the characters.

Oh and, he is another MC with complete family. Goodness gracious, he's the youngest out of four siblings and have a niece too! It's the adorable part that I absolutely adore.

==============================

#thats all for now #lest it be too long #self indulgent #self indulgent post #novel recommendation #manhwa recommendation #i was mistaken as a monstrous genius #kang woojin #the player hides his past #lee hoyeol #grandfell claudie arpheus romeo #is it bad that the main characters a roleplayer #demon knight #might do a pt 2 if im feeling like it #oh and these three have a strong misunderstanding troupes #so actually three people who is similar yet distinctly different

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salamanderergfanfictions · 5 years ago

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Les Mis, snippets, Enjolras is an actor hired by C&C

Enjolras is the pretty face of the revolution, and not much else.

Enjolras is just the figurehead for the Les Amis because he's attractive, in reality he doesn't care about politics one lick.

Combeferre looked a little sickly after hearing Courfeyrac's plan. Not because it was one that was so farfetched as to not work, but because it was—

"It is genius," He admitted, "A figurehead, a mouthpiece, for our rebellion who does not actually know anything and keeps our identities secret."

Courfeyrac grinned, "And you have not even seen him yet, Combeferre, he is a spectacle."

"You have found someone already?" Combeferre questioned with surprise.

"Found and hired, my friend. He will come on the morrow," Courfeyrac started buzzing around the desk, fluttering papers in his hands and to the floor in his excitement. "He will perform our speeches in public and at the meetings, in return for food and lodging."

"And can you afford food and lodging for another person, Monsieur de Courfeyrac?"

Courfeyrac wrinkled his nose in disgust at the given last name, "That will work itself out in time, Combeferre. You have not seen this boy yet."

"He is a boy? No one on the street will stop to listen to a child, Courfeyrac."

Courfeyrac waved him off, "He is of age, though a few years younger than us. I found him playing a most deceiving Doña Sol. Hardly anyone knew he was not actually a woman, even forgiving the lack of bust in favor of his beauty."

"Ah," Combeferre exclaimed in enlightenment, "That is the main reason, is it not?"

Courfeyrac grinned broadly, "Who stops to look at a dead tree on the side of the road?"

"And who can resist one in full bloom?" Combeferre added. "Courfeyrac, I must say again, this is some form of genius. But can he act?"

"He is skilled as a performer as well, I have no doubt he will be a convincing orator for a rebellion. Do not fear, you will meet him soon."

"And what is his name?"

Courfeyrac beamed, "I thought we could call him ‘Enjolras’."

Grantaire rose from his seat, keeping eyes that only blurred slightly on the figure in red sitting on the floor. There was some special thread pulling Grantaire closer, one that had no power to string fabric, but could string people just as easily. Grantaire hoped he would be one of those people, though the man looked utterly untouchable as he closed his eyes in exhaustion and leaned against the wall, no doubt fully aware of the debate going on between the rest of the group despite not participating. Grantaire could no longer hold his tongue and so slid himself down on the floor next to the man with a grunt.

He licked his lips quickly, "If the Rights of Man—”

"Oh, I beg of you, do not speak to me any more of politics. I have got such a headache from the previous speech and cannot take anymore."

Grantaire raised his eyebrows, "So even the steadfast grow weary. I had not thought it possible."

The blonde snorted, "Anything is possible with enough stage direction. Monsieurs Courfeyrac and Combeferre are good directors."

"I must admit, I do not understand. Or, rather, I am beginning to understand and in doing so fall deeper into confusion."

"Give me a drink first," Enjolras said, nodding to the bottle in Grantaire's hand, pressing their shoulders together with a smile, "And I may choose to lend you a hand out of that pit of confusion.”

“I like ugly men,” Enjolras stumbled into Grantaire’s shoulder, letting out a loud laugh. He was quite drunk, as he often was after performing a speech or attending a particularly trying meeting, and Grantaire did not look comfortable at the situation. “They are much more honest than pretty ones."

"Fitting, as you yourself are quite pretty."

"Exactly,” Enjolras drank deeply from Grantaire’s bottle, having snatched it right out of the other’s hand. “Take me to bed.”

"I do not wish to."

"Liar," Enjolras blurted out, before his tone turned cajoling, "Take me out of this bar, let the cold air sober me up, and I will play your doomed revolutionary for you. Hm? How does that sound?"

"That...” Grantaire mulled over the word, “Does not sound appealing to me."

"Liar."

"You have mistaken my adoration for something else."

"And your longing glances? And your timid touches?” Enjolras smirked, “Have I mistaken those as well?"

"You have mistaken much, thrice you have called me a liar after proclaiming hideous men to be more honest. What say you to that?"

"I say I am very pretty," Enjolras answered haughtily, "And therefore not to be trusted."

"What a glorious trick," Grantaire greeted Combeferre as the other walked into the Musain, tipping his cup in salute. Combeferre's face turned into a frown and he paused his stride.

"A trick?"

"Oh yes. Your beautiful actor was good enough to tempt me into listening to him, I almost became a true believer," He winked. "Though I suppose this is something like Noel, discovering the face of Les Amis is a fake, a pretty mouth paid to siren people into listening on the street. It is manna for a cynic like me."

Combeferre swore under his breath.

"—when you spill our secret to anyone that asks!" Courfeyrac yelled, throwing his hands in the air in frustration. His coat and hair had already suffered, the former thrown in a corner, rumpled with sweat stains, and the latter wild from fingers pulling at it.

"You hired me to talk, is it any surprise that it is what I am best at," Enjolras shrugged, unfazed by the show.

"So what are we paying you for?”

"You pay for my acting skills, my ability to use my tongue and lips to tell pretty little lies from a script. Not my ability to keep secrets behind them.”

"So you reveal yourself to the drunken outlier of our group. You could not confide in someone else?"

"Grantaire will not tell anyone," Enjolras waved the concern off with a lofty hand and took another drink. "He is quite enamored and seeks to know me," Enjolras smirked delicately, letting his eyes drift to Courfeyrac as if awaiting the other's reaction, before finishing, "In the way of the Greeks."

Courfeyrac huffed in renewed frustration, pacing the floor in order to forget the public utterance of too intimate information, "This is comparable to telling your mistress of the problems in your relationship. Only trouble will come of it!"

"Is that a problem you have often, Monsieur Courfeyrac?" Enjolras questioned lightly, seeking to change the subject.

“Grantaire is good for nothing, he seeks to tear down our progress! One wine bottle at a time!”

“He is not that bad,” Enjolras waved Courfeyrac off, “He offers you no advantages, yes, but he does not hinder you.”

“And at the Café Richefeu? How was that not hindering?”

Enjolras leveled Courfeyrac with a stare and began to laugh, “I sent a drunk to talk to other drunks about something he has no interest in, of course he ended up playing dominos! I had no expectation of him completing his task.”

“He asked for a job, he asked to be useful.”

Enjolras scoffed, “He asked for Enjolras to think him useful. I told you, he is enamored, he craves Enjolras’ attention, his approval—Grantaire would happily stand in front of the National Guard if that was where Enjolras was standing as well. There is nothing more to him than wine and ‘Enjolras’,” He chuckled wryly. “He tells me great tales of Greek lovers in passionate and sprawling prose—were his face not so unappealing, he would have made an excellent actor—I have been compared to many of them, yet he never appoints one to himself. There comes a point in the evening when I must remind him I am not a statue or demigod, nor am I so upright, clean, and chaste. The last challenges me to find more and more creative ways of stopping his tongue, which is quite exhausting.”

"I hope your silence extends to those ways of stopping his tongue,” Courfeyrac muttered wearily, rubbing his head.

"He has fallen in love with the part," Enjolras said seriously, staring Courfeyrac in the eye, "It is this love that will keep him quiet. He admires 'Enjolras', disagrees with the rhetoric, of course, he is not here for revolution, but finds himself drawn anyways. I have played your part of pious, staunch student too well," Enjolras laughed, a bitter edge tingeing the words, "How sad that he has fallen in love with a lie. It is the role he wants to be with, yet can only settle for the actor."

There was a beat, and then, quite against his instincts and mostly out of curiosity, Courfeyrac questioned, "Am I right in assuming the actor similarly adores his audience?”

Enjolras shrugged, throwing out an answer that required him not to think too hard, "All actors adore their audience, receptive ones the most, without them there is no reason."

“And vice versa. Though that did not answer my question.”

Enjolras leaned back in his chair, making the effect of looking down his nose at Courfeyrac even more severe, “We are not friends, Monsieur Courfeyrac, we will not share hopes and dreams in the midnight hours, and if this revolution of yours comes to a head, do not count mine amongst it. I am here to be paid, I cannot spend your money if I am dead, and that is surely where I will end up if I continue playing this part.”

“Enjolras—”

“That is not my name,” The other man sneered, the waning candlelight no longer casting an appealing glow on his face, but deepening shadows that Courfeyrac had not even known were there.

End

#les miserables #les mis #enjolras #grantaire #combeferre #courfeyrac #grantaire/enjolras #snippets #I really liked this idea #but I couldn't take it any further #fanfic #salamandererg

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confinedmadness · 6 years ago

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Love O2O

This is about the 2016 Chinese drama starring Yang Yang and Zheng Shuang. I have not read the original novel. I have not seen the movie.

I finished the drama yesterday and enjoyed it a lot. When I watched the first episode, I actually thought I was watching the wrong video because suddenly I’m seeing all these people in traditional Chinese attire with all these weird powers. But I really grew to love the in-game scenes. I’ve described this drama as quirky when I was finished with a third of it and I still stand by it. It’s fun and refreshing and weird in all the good ways.

Wei Wei and Xiao Nai’s relationship was really nice to see. The trust in each other and their willingness to communicate despite awkward beginnings. I also love their mean streaks and just how coordinated they are in teasing others. Not to mention, I love their partnership both in-game and in real life. Xiao Nai lets Wei Wei fight her own battles, believing completely that she can handle it herself. The one time he intervened, he even apologized to her. I like how when Wei Wei decides to depend on Xiao Nai, it’s always because she knows she’s not alone rather than because she wants to take it easy. And I like how when Xiao Nai depends on Wei Wei, it is because he trusts her and not because he has no other choice.

I found it funny while watching and I still did after I rewatched it just now, but I also realized Xiao Nai’s stalker tendencies are pretty disturbing. Hahaha Though I do love how he uses his computer genius to protect Wei Wei and her reputation.

I like the fact that even though she usually calls him “Master”, Wei Wei uses Xiao Nai’s real name when she is serious. She used it when asking Xiao Nai how he knew about her, and when she was upset because of the “fight” with Er Xi. It’s the same way she also used “Nai He” in-game when she sincerely thanked him for cheering her up.

But no matter how cute they are, my favorite relationship in this drama -- romantic, platonic, familial, what-have-you -- is actually Wei Wei and Ban Shan’s. Perhaps it helps that the actors really did so well in bringing out a sense of comfortable friendship between them. They banter easily, both pretty chill and can be savage, and they care for each other. I don’t know. I love their scenes together so much even if they are pretty short. One of my favories is when Wei Wei brought up Ban Shan’s jacket (polo?) over him while he slept.

I came to really like Yang Yang because of this drama. However, I don’t know if it’s connected to me liking Wei Wei and Ban Shan’s friendship, but Niu Jun Feng stole my heart in this drama. <3 It’s okay, he can have it. <3 <3 <3

I’m pretty sad that Wei Wei is mostly just portrayed as a gamer in the drama. I’d hoped they would have shown more of her programming skills as well, seeing as she’s considered a genius student in computer science. She’s usually either just talked about as a great beauty or a skilled gamer. It’s a shame that her intelligence, which I thought they were trying to highlight in the first episode, was only very shallowly touched upon since.

Also, I hope this drama didn’t (doesn’t) perpetuate the mistaken belief that CS students learn about fixing laptops and computers. :| While it is true some CS students can do that, it’s mostly because of their self-study. Hardware isn’t really what computer science is about, even if it may be related.

At first, I liked Cao Guang. But he really became an annoying character. I was clapping so hard when Wei Wei finally put him in his place and made him realize his stupidity and selfishness. It was because of this that I didn’t even enjoy his romance with Er Xi. Plus, Er Xi was pretty annoying that one time, which didn’t help. Though I liked her overall.

The most annoying character for me, however, is Nana. Not only is she a fake, she also consistently caused heartache for Yi Ran and twisted her views. Yi Ran, for me, was very pitiable. She had absolutely no idea how to handle her feelings and was just dragged around by people who took advantage of her.

Another annoying character is Sleeping Butterfly. I didn’t really have much of an opinion about her right until the end during the clan meet up when she used Wei Wei. I said and I mean “used”. She lied to Wei Wei and used her to take some petty revenge on the other girls in the clan just because her boyfriend is a useless, unfaithful, womanizer. Wei Wei never wanted to show her identity. If I were Wei Wei, I would have stormed out. The hell I care if the rest of the clan think Butterfly was lying if that’s how she’s gonna treat me.

During their college days, I loved Wei Wei’s interaction with Ban Shan, Hao Mei, and Qui. Loved that they call her “Third sister-in-law” and I found it pretty funny when they keep reporting about her to Xiao Nai. I like that Xiao Nai has no problems with leaving Wei Wei in their company, and that Wei Wei is comfortable around them. Though, I had hoped Qui was more developed as a character. Pretty sad considering he had almost equal appearances with Ban Shan and Hao Mei at the start but only the latter two got focused on later on.

After the boys graduated, I loved her interactions with the employees in Zhi Yi and how they treated her. That company outing near the end is definitely one of my favorites. For all the times this drama showed obnoxious fangirls taking pictures and following Xiao Nai, I really thought the time for people to actually crowd over something was when an entourage of 4 cars went to pick Wei Wei up.

I’m sure I had a lot more to say and just can’t remember them at the moment. But really, this drama was great! I enjoyed it so much and I’m rewatching it now and will probably rewatch it again.

#posts #love o2o #微微一笑很倾城 #chinese drama #drama #cdrama #niu jun feng #zheng shuang #yang yang #review

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illuminatingcomics · 6 years ago

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Before you give up on capes can you describe the problems with Riri's egocentrism/smugness and that one "supervillain monologue" of Moon Girl? I hear people dig into things like that, but I never really understand why.

Anon istalking about the infamous flashback of Invincible Iron Man #8 where RiriWilliams wants a teacher to tell her dreams won’t come true so that she feelsmore driven, and when she doesn’t, just stands there and creepily stares at heruntil she gives in.

Long ass dissection + other questions underneath the cut

I have avery big problem with this scene for a couple of reasons. I decided to puttogether three, from less to more important:

1) Beyondeverything else, this is just Bendis trying to be funny in his usual way andnot delivering. Beat panels in of themselves are funny, even beat panels that arereused endlessly and continuously for pages and pages (Preacher comes to mind),but Bendis never has anything even remotely close to a punch line at the end ofthese scenes. It’s just a repeat of the “awesome facial hair bros” or whateverhe did on Iron Man. So, strike one, poor attempt at humor thatfails.

2) Itpaints Riri as really obnoxious and unpleasant. I’ve seen people argue that “kidsdo stuff like that”, well, I’m sure some kids do these things, and the onesthat do deserve to be smacked across the head for being such little shits. Italso portrays Riri as someone who cannot properly function if things don’t go exactlyhow they planned, and a person that MUST have someone opposing her to drive her.An actually interesting set of character flaws if properly used, but again,this is not the introduction of a character flaw, just a comedic scene thatdoesn’t deliver. Strike two, character is obnoxious.

3) Thisthird point is complex and sticky, and a lot more serious that the stuff Iusually post, so bear with me. I may be entirely talking out of my ass I recognizethat, but it disturbs me how Riri Williams mentions “the first female African Americanastronaut” without saying her name. I actually got curious, and looked up thestory, and it turns out it’s all true, and the astronaut name is Mae Jemison. link

Why doesn’t Riri say her name? It disturbs me, because it seems theastronaut ethnic background is the only thing Riri (and by extention Bendis)care about. Riri doesn’t seem to consider Jemison some kind of hero, she doesn’tseem to be inspired by her story, she just want to live through an identicalsituation to fuel a little movie she made up in her head. Jemison is just a prop,forgotten and discarded as soon as the scene ends. Riri doesn’t care about who the astronaut is, she cares about what she is, and how SHE can benefit from a similar set up.

I mean, isn’t it a bit fucked up that I had to google “first female African-americanastronaut” to find Jeminson, when I could’ve easily googled her name if it wasgiven to me? It reminds me how just a couple of years ago, a new female writergetting handed a series was announced just like that by media outlets “NEWFEMALE WRITER”. I understand that it’s important for people, representation andall that, but I’m certain the very protagonists of these announcements would’vepreferred their given name to be written in all caps on the headlines.

I guess itstuck out to me so much, because reminded me of an another article from acouple of years ago, written regarding Cyborg.

The maingist of the article was that western media dehumanizes and mechanises black men,primarily their body, and that Cyborg has been chosen by DC as the black guy topush (subconsciously or not) because he represents a perfect conflux of bad stereotypesand roles whites associate with black characters, namely the fact that he’s anathlete thus he’s a working mule all body and no brain, and he doesn’t have adick, so he’s all body and no brain yet he’s not sexually threatening for the whiteaudience… and he concludes this article by stating that now Cyborg will be portrayedand I quote “an actor that is atleast three shades lighter than Cyborg’s color in the comic books”…

So, after atirade on how the white man dehumanizes blacks, the author of the articledehumanizes actor Ray Fisher by 1) not stating his name, thus making him anonentity b) reducing him not even to a skin color, but a shade of it.

Again, I haven’t read a lot of issues of Riri’s series, perhaps I’mmistaken, and Mae Jemison is namedropped every other page of every other issue,but it seems to me Tony Stark is the one treated as her hero and inspiration. It just feels wrong to me. I’m justsome euro trash comicbook reader, but I think this scene would’ve been ahundreds times better if you simply added the name.

“That’swhat they said to Mia Jemison, the first African-american female astronaut”. Itdoesn’t sound that much more clunky than the line already was.

Strikethree, Riri is an egocentric that uses living people as props in an attempt tolive a story she made up in her mind.

On thesecond question:

Anon is nowreferencing a scene from the much missed Americaongoing written by Gabby River. In issue #2Lunella, AKA Moon Girl, a child genius, makes a cameo appearance to give alecture at America’sschool. Everyone in the book, at least everyone that the author wants us toconsider to be the good guy, including he main character is in awe in front ofthis speech. At one point there’s even an extra that some consider is meant to be an author self-insert,claiming that “Lunella is the truth”.

Ok, What’sthe problem with this lecture? Well, to make it really simple, here’s part of it, unedited (only Lunella’s name is removed when she’s referencingherself) but put in the mouth of other characters. See if you can spot theproblem.

We canenter long philosophical socio-political discourses on how villains have alwayssaid subversive things, and it’s all a scheme by the Illuminati to make theheroes the defenders of the natural order and portray anything deviating fromthat as evil and impure, but that doesn’t change the fact that a small child isgiving a speech about how society and rules that govern us need to be destroyed,and the supposed hero of our ongoing applauds that.

Hey anon, thanks… I saw the thread on /co/, hope you don’t take this the wrong way, but maybe next time give a little bit of context on who or why wrote that thing, because you confused quite a lot of anons there.

As for my webcomics, hey, don’t need to tell me, there’s >MAD MAGICHeromaker (on Tapas)

Krees don’t have powers of their own, Mar-vell was special and his abilities came from other sources, nega bands etc, can’t remember all his details, and Carol got his powers. That’s yet another retcon Stohl had to cram in to make everything work, kree genetics…

It’s worth mentioning yet another problem with Stohl run, how the Kree seems almost romanticized and nobilitated, while in fact they were a bunch of warmongering imperialistic assholes that fucked with other people DNA for kicks, and Mar-vell turning against them was a one in a million novelty showcasing his good soul… but I guess Marie Danvers did all that before him.

Dude, Jim Shooter is the guy that thought “Have Carol get pregnant by her own incest baby then exiled to another dimension while the Avengers are tots ok with it” was a perfect, harmless way to write the character out of a team book… instead, of, y’know, “She had other things to do and is not gonna be part of the Avengers anymore”.

Sad.

#riri williams #ironheart #brian michael bendis #moon girl #america #cyborg #marvel comics

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filmista · 6 years ago

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Phantom Thread (2017)

“What precisely is the nature of my game?”

That Phantom Thread would become Daniel Day-Lewis’s last achievement is no longer hot off the press. Reviewers also shouted out their praise about his performance as Mr. Woodcosck, so the brilliance of his performance is probably not news either.

Yet I’ll say it again: Phantom Thread is the icing on the cake of Day-Lewis' oeuvre, the lace finish on a sublime dress, the final button on the perfect sleeve.

But let’s be honest: he plays a complete and utter asshole. Woodcock is the type of man who already on the first date tells a woman that her breasts are too small. And when she replies "I know. Sorry," he responds without flinching:" No problem. It's my job to give you breasts ... if I feel like it. "

Mr. Woodcock is one of the most prominent fashion designers in post-war London in the 1950s. Following a common, but quite often true cliche about artists, Woodcock is also a tortured artistic “genius” who is willing to tinker on his countless sublime creations day and night, in eternal chase of perfection even if hurts himself and those around him.

Woodcock, not only makes high demands on his dresses, but his entire household also has to conform to his many rituals. Nothing can deviate from the normal course of events: tea is brought to you at specific times, asparagus is made with butter - not with oil and salt - and if you dare to disturb him during breakfast by too loudly spreading your butter, you can expect Woodcock's merciless, destructive anger.

This is the most likely fate for Alma (Vicky Krieps): angry glances at breakfast, painful, awkward silences and finally the intervention of Cyril (Lesley Manville), who will tell her to leave the house.

After all, this happens every time Reynolds Woodcock (Daniel Day-Lewis) takes a woman home. The rigid Reynolds is an incurable bachelor who never lasts long with any of his conquests. His work stands above everything else. Together with his sister Cyril, he runs the fashion house House of Woodcock; he is a couturier, she the business brain.

Alma meets Reynolds in a hotel by the sea, where she works as a waitress. Her interest is awakened by his *cough* “appetite”, he sees her as a muse with the ideal measurements. Alma is certain that Reynolds is not the strong man he pretends to be. She only needs to find and assess his weak spots.

Reynolds is a genius in his work, but also the biggest nitpicker in the world and not only in his work: he also expects pure perfection from the people who love him. Anyone who dares to deviate once he punishes.

His last name does perhaps not by coincidence coincide with Tom Cruise's battle cry from Magnolia: "Respect the cock!" Because Woodcock is also an alpha male in his own way: he thinks himself the center and master of the universe, at least his universe. But fortunately, his new muse Alma (Vicky Krieps) has arrived to change that - in a deliciously kinky way.

Until now there was little room for love in Woodcock's house. Girls came and went: they acted as a mannequin and companionship, but they were routinely dispatched by Woodcock's sister, Cyril, once he got bored with them.

The only woman in his life is his deceased mother, who taught him his trade and whose lock of hair he wears in the lining of his vest. That a romantic relationship still develops between the idiosyncratic Alma and Mr. Woodcock is, therefore, a surprise for everyone.

Somewhere halfway through Phantom Thread, something truly interesting happens: when Woodcock is about to get rid of Alma, once the magic has ended for him, the girl reacts differently than the women who came before her. She fights back, she protests, something that was unthinkable to him as for him a woman had to look pretty and preferably be quiet while she does that.

She transformed from a passive girl into a rebellious woman. And just like the caterpillar that turns out to be a graceful butterfly, her perspective also becomes a lot more attractive and interesting to us. Where she used to do everything to desperately please her lover, she gradually claims a place in the spotlights for herself. The roles are reversed. And as Alma had rightly assessed, Woodcock is really not that unwavering at all.

I wanted to have you to myself. You have me all the time. No! What are you talking about? I don’t! I… there… There are always people around. And if not, then there’s something between us. Something between us? Yes. What? Some… What? Distance! When did this happen? What happened to make you behave like this? Is it because you think I don’t need you? Yes. I don’t. Why that’s very predictable of you. Don’t act so tough. I know you are not

With Phantom Thread, Paul Thomas Anderson works out what he started with The Master (2012), his film about sect leader Ron Hubbard. And just as The Master didn’t deal with Scientology, Phantom Thread isn’t about fashion. Reynolds sketches at breakfast jots down a bust size and that's enough.

How vulnerable is a guru, is his question. To what extent does he put his own soul at stake? Just like in The Master, Phantom Thread a deviant follower presents themselves: the young woman Alma.

Different is that she has no history, not a hint of a background (we only know for sure she is from Eastern Europe) She meets him by chance. Moved by his own emotion, the fashion king decides to keep her as the umpteenth throw-away beauty. Or so he thought. But he is mistaken, as 'the master' was mistaken.

Reynolds gets his charisma from actor Daniel Day-Lewis in what is supposed to be the last film role of his career. I hope not, but let's assume that he means it. Then this is a farewell with a bang. Of course, he took sewing lessons for a year and can now make dresses like the best, that’s the sort of thing he always does.

More exciting is that he plays Reynolds with a subtle, fragility and vulnerability that is hidden behind a facade of what seems like impenetrable toughness, but can be broken through by the right woman.

When Alma tells him that she finds him a beautiful man, he rewards her with a smile. His narrow lips tremble as if they suddenly remembered what that was like, a kiss. That he keeps their relationship carefully platonic, is not surprising.

Luxembourgian actress, Vicky Krieps, who plays Alma, does anything but disappear as femme fatale in Daniel Day-Lewis’s shadow.

Just as she turns Woodcock's life upside down, she also knocks the viewer out with her mercilessly unpredictable, refreshing performance. Alma challenges Reynolds, threatens to knock him off his pedestal, punctures his swollen ego with his own needle. And strangely enough, that’s exactly what he was looking for.

Thus Anderson conjures up an immensely fascinating power game between man and woman on the screen. A sort of SM without whips, a hundred times more exciting than all the three Fifty Shades movies together.

It mainly takes place indoors and apparently little is at stake. Yet Anderson knows how to bring grandness, to this rush-driven power struggle between two stubborn lovers. He shows that sometimes within every relationship there’s a war, complete with attack tactics and shifting lines.

And all that with a sense of pure beauty that Reynolds Woodcock himself could learn from. Phantom Thread is the epitome of elegance, an endless succession of stylish costumes, decors and camera movements. Sewn together by the enchanting music of Jonny Greenwood.

The phantom thread is the phantom pain of the fashion designer. it’s the “ghost thread” the connection between him and Alma, that means the end of his power. That ghost image threatens every guru - in 'thread' 'threat' is also hidden. That threat will soon become real he knows it and we feel it. But how?

The key that Paul Thomas Anderson gives us is the green bridal dress. Reynolds designed it for an old heiress who is marrying probably for the seventh time or so. At the wedding party, the drunken bride falls with her head into her plate and no one pays her any attention, no one has even seen it. Except for Alma. She watches and cries.

You’d think out of pity for that overly rich woman and her heartbreaking redundancy. But no. Alma is crying for the dress. She is not worth it, she wails, we have to get it back! Moments later, in a merciless scene, she takes the dress off of the lavish bride and runs off into the London night with it. Reynolds runs after her. His answer? One of the only passionate kisses of the entire film.

Call me cynical, but that’s calculation (which indeed makes her a femme fatale, as I previously called her, nonetheless one that acts out of true love). Through this seemingly hysterical action, Alma finally has unlocked what she wanted all along his love: permanent access to his bed, heart, and mind, in other words, all of him completely.

But she also entirely gives herself to him in return. So if their love resembles a war, which I’ve previously compared it to the balance or ceasefire they achieve, is through each, in turn, surrendering to the other.

Through the trick with the green wedding dress, Alma conquered his body. Now his mind is still left. Another ruse, also with a wedding gown, a white lace one that pushes her breasts up, in almost strategic seduction, as if they were lying on a tray like the food Reynolds is such a lover of.

A mistake. Reynolds becomes very ill. His time is over and he knows it. He faints, takes the dress down with him, the powerless sleeves don’t catch him in his fall.

Alma is ready and plays with him a sinister game, hide-and-seek with death. This is horror without blood and Alma determines the rules. He knows this woman has him twisted around her finger. But what’s more, Reynolds is willing to play. They’re absolutely each other’s “sickly” match.

Who is she? The only thing we know about her, we realize, is that she likes to cook with mushrooms.

#the mushroom scene!!!#phantom thread #phantom thread 2017 #paul thomas anderson #vicky krieps #daniel day lewis #movies #films #longread #review #movie reviews #film reviews #movie review #analysis #movie analysis #cinema #filmista

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douchebagbrainwaves · 3 years ago

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OK, I'LL TELL YOU YOU ABOUT VALUE

To reproduce the quality of the insiders. Investors will try to prevent others from having time to decide by giving you an exploding offer, meaning one that's only valid for a few days. We learned this lesson a long time. But I'm letting you in on the secret early. I feel a bit dishonest recommending that route. And not only in intellectual matters. But it isn't working. By similar comparisons you can make enormous gains playing around in problem-space.

I'm going to call the situation I described in the first paragraph sounds like the sort of poking around that leads to new ideas you have on the fly. Deals are dynamic; unless you're negotiating with someone unusually honest, there's not a single point where you don't need money take some to grow faster, or new investors will emerge who do. But just two companies, Dropbox and Airbnb, account for about three quarters of it. Here. Civil liberties recently. And of course Euclid. But in fact you shouldn't. The terms will be whatever they turn out to be i/o-bound. You're short of money, don't spend it. But do we have to do what they did? You can't trust your intuitions. Of course, if you love life, don't waste time, because time is what life is made of.

If you're raising an angel round, the size of a motorcycle when you wanted to park it. They're already stuck with a seller's market, because of the huge amounts they raised at the end of the world that mean people don't rule, and that you'll get back to work. That's why people proposing deals seem so positive: they want you to sell them more of your company, but startups especially, because startups have the least time to spare for bureaucratic hassles. And that's one reason we like to believe in genius. My mother, who has the same model, diligently spent a day reading the user's manual to learn how to operate hers. Then the interface will tend to be outliers. That will increasingly be the route to worldly success. Raising $20,000 in capital to incorporate.1 Instead of working on things the eminent have made prestigious, work on things that interest you and increase your options, and worry later about which you'll take.2 Several founders said what surprised them most was the general spirit of benevolence: One of the most conspicuous trends in the last ten years the Internet has made audiences a lot more hardware startups.

On the whole, grad school is that you should study whatever you were most interested in. Stuff is an extremely illiquid asset. Another area in which you could easily surpass Silicon Valley is in America, at least. If I had to choose between two theories and one gives you an excuse for being lazy. Just continue running your company as if this deal didn't exist. The good news is, simple repetition solves the problem, but skeptical about the value of the work done by small groups. Since the IPO market was practically dead when it passed, few saw what bad effects it would have to be disciplined about assigning probabilities. I think they are often mistaken to feel sorry for themselves. Those are the only things worth having. There is hope for any language that gives hackers what they want till the last moment. I accumulated all this useless stuff, but that you can do anything if you really try. That problem is irreducible; it should be hard.3

So it is with hacking: the more ideas you'll have. So any difference between what people want and what you expect of yourself, and perhaps whether you want to work that the smell of dinner cooking. But as one VC told me after a startup he funded would only take about half a million unique visitors a month. There are few Jews left in Germany and most Jews I know would not want to move there. Not intelligence—determination. Is there a general rule, you can figure out some hack that will at least conceal the problem. A surprising number of people who do great things. If your numbers grow significantly between two investor meetings, investors will be hot to close, and if we raise a couple million, we can see clearly what a bottleneck Sarbanes-Oxley. Hacking is something you do with a gleeful laugh.4 This idea was strongest at Harvard, where there is nothing to buy, after all? Several founders mentioned specifically how much more interesting a democratic news site can be than mass-produced sitcoms.

Because how much you like chocolate cake. That sounds hipper than Lisp. You don't need to look in the manual much.5 Make a good car? Instead of working at a low angle of attack, build up speed, and we're willing to do something in an ugly way to get fast code is to have a plan to spend a specific amount. It's hard to design good libraries. And that's what the malaise one feels in high school, I now actively avoid stuff. Assuming your product doesn't experience the explosive growth that very few products do, everything from development to dealmaking especially dealmaking seems to take 2-3x longer than I always imagine.6 The best we can hope for is that when we interview a group and find ourselves thinking: they must be smarter than they seem. If this would be the norm. Suppress one, and you get paid a fairly predictable salary for working fairly hard.

Notes

The speed at which point it suddenly stops. I'm also an investor pushes you hard to make people richer. Which feels a lot of the next time you raise them.

I think all of us in the narrowest sense. This essay was written before Firefox.

The root of the aircraft is. That's not a programmer would find it more natural to expand into casinos than software, we could just multiply 101 by 50 to 6,000 per month. I remember are famous flops like the increase in trade you always feel you should make what they mean. They're still deciding, which is where the acquirer wants the business much harder.

The variation in wealth, and configure domain names etc. If you invest in syndicates. That may require asking, because they will fund you one day be able to formalize a small proportion of spam to nonspam was consistently very high, they won't tell you all the money right now. Icio.

On the other team. Imagine the reaction might be able to resist this urge.

Trevor Blackwell points out that this had since been exceeded by actors buying their startups. Enterprise software. 'Math for engineers' sucks, and the ordering system and image generator and the hundreds of thousands of small and then a block later we met Aydin Senkut.

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impressivepress · 4 years ago

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The Great Dictator movie review (1940) | Roger Ebert

“The Great Dictator” was the last time Charlie Chaplin played a little man with a mustache.

In 1938, the world's most famous movie star began to prepare a film about the monster of the 20th century. Charlie Chaplin looked a little like Adolf Hitler, in part because Hitler had chosen the same toothbrush moustache as the Little Tramp. Exploiting that resemblance, Chaplin devised a satire in which the dictator and a Jewish barber from the ghetto would be mistaken for each other. The result, released in 1940, was "The Great Dictator," Chaplin's first talking picture and the highest-grossing of his career, although it would cause him great difficulties and indirectly lead to his long exile from the United States.

In 1938, Hitler was not yet recognized in all quarters as the embodiment of evil. Powerful isolationist forces in America preached a policy of nonintervention in the troubles of Europe, and rumors of Hitler's policy to exterminate the Jews were welcomed by anti-Semitic groups. Some of Hitler's earliest opponents, including anti-Franco American volunteers in the Spanish Civil War, were later seen as "premature antifascists"; by fighting against fascism when Hitler was still considered an ally, they raised suspicion that they might be communists. "The Great Dictator" ended with a long speech denouncing dictatorships, and extolling democracy and individual freedoms. This sounded to the left like bedrock American values, but to some on the right, it sounded pinko.

If Chaplin had not been "premature," however, it is unlikely he would have made the film at all. Once the horrors of the Holocaust began to be known, Hitler was no longer funny, not at all. The Marx Brothers, ahead of the curve, made "Duck Soup" in 1933, with Groucho playing the dictator Rufus T. Firefly in a comedy that had ominous undertones about what was already under way in Europe. And as late as 1942, the German exile Ernst Lubitschmade "To Be or Not to Be," with Jack Benny as an actor who becomes embroiled in the Nazi occupation of Poland.

Chaplin's film, aimed obviously and scornfully at Hitler himself, could only have been funny, he says in his autobiography, if he had not yet known the full extent of the Nazi evil. As it was, the film's mockery of Hitler got it banned in Spain, Italy and neutral Ireland. But in America and elsewhere, it played with an impact that, today, may be hard to imagine. There had never been any fictional character as universally beloved as the Little Tramp, and although Chaplin was technically not playing the Tramp in "The Great Dictator," he looked just like him, this time not in a comic fable but a political satire.

The plot is one of those concoctions that makes the action barely possible. The hero, a barber-soldier in World War I, saves the life of a German pilot named Schultz and flies him to safety, all the time not even knowing he was the enemy. Their crash-landing gives the barber amnesia, and for 20 years he doesn't know who he is. Then he recovers and returns to his barber shop in the country of Tomania (say it aloud), only to discover that the dictator Hynkel has come to power, not under the swastika, but under the Double Cross. His storm troopers are moving through the ghetto, smashing windows and rounding up Jews (the term "concentration camp" is used early, matter-of-factly). But the barber's shop is spared by the intervention of Schultz, now an assistant minister, who recognizes him.

The barber (never named, just like the Tramp) is in love with the maid Hannah (Paulette Goddard, Chaplin's estranged wife at the time). And he is befriended by his former neighbors. But he and the disloyal Schultz are eventually put in a concentration camp, and then Hynkel has a boating mishap, is mistaken for the barber, and locked into the camp just as the barber and Schultz escape -- with Hynkel's uniform. Now the barber is assumed by everyone to be the dictator.

In the classic Chaplin tradition, the movie has a richness of gags and comic pantomime, including Hynkel's famous ballet with an inflated balloon that makes the globe his plaything. There is a sequence where five men bite into puddings after being told the one who finds a coin must give his life to assassinate Hynkel. None of them want to find the coin and there is cheating, but eventually -- see for yourself. And there is a long, funny episode when the dictator of neighboring Bacteria, Benzini Napaloni (Jack Oakie), pays a state visit. Napaloni, obviously modeled on Mussolini, eludes an attempt to make him sit in a low chair so the short Hynkel can loom over him. And when the two of them sit in adjacent barber chairs, they take turns pumping their chairs higher than the other. There is also a lot of confusion about saluting, and Chaplin intercuts shots of the two dictators with newsreels of enormous, cheering crowds.

In 1940, this would have played as very highly charged, because Chaplin was launching his comic persona against Hitler in an attempt, largely successful, to ridicule him as a clown. Audiences reacted strongly to the film's humor; it won five Oscar nominations, for picture, actor, supporting actor (Oakie), screenplay and music (Meredith Willson). But audiences at the time, and ever since, have felt that the film comes to a dead end when the barber, impersonating Hynkel, delivers a monologue of more than three minutes which represents Chaplin's own views.

Incredibly, no one tries to stop the fake "Hynkel." Chaplin talks straight into the camera, in his own voice, with no comic touches and only three cutaways, as the barber is presumably heard on radio all over the world. What he says is true enough, but it deflates the comedy and ends the picture as a lecture, followed by a shot of Goddard outlined against the sky, joyously facing the Hynkel-free future, as the music swells. It didn't work then, and it doesn't work now. It is fatal when Chaplin drops his comic persona, abruptly changes the tone of the film, and leaves us wondering how long he is going to talk (a question that should never arise during a comedy). The movie plays like a comedy followed by an editorial.

Chaplin (1889-1977) nevertheless was determined to keep the speech; it might have been his reason for making the film. He put the Little Tramp and $1.5 million of his own money on the line to ridicule Hitler (and was instrumental in directing more millions to Jewish refugee centers). He made his statement, it found a large audience, and in the stretches leading up to the final speech, he shows his innate comic genius. It is a funny film, which we expect from Chaplin, and a brave one. He never played a little man with a mustache again.

And now a memory. In 1972, the Venice Film Festival staged a retrospective of Chaplin's complete work, with prints from his own collection. On the closing night, his masterpiece, "City Lights" (1932), was shown outdoors in Piazza San Marco. The lights were off, the orchestras were silenced for the first time in more than a century, and the film played on a giant screen to standing room only.

When it was over, and the blind flower girl could see again, and she realized the Little Tramp was her savior, there was much snuffling and blowing of noses. Then a single spotlight sprung from the darkness and illuminated a balcony overlooking the square. A little man stepped out and waved. And we cheered and cheered.

Roger Ebert · September 27, 2007.

#film #Film Review #Charlie Chaplin #adolf hitler #the great dictator #roger ebert

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