#orion is what feminism needed

[soup-scope]

i come here to say that i think deacon should be banned from every woman in the vicinity for at least a decade

[elancholia]

In Early Modern China's nearest attempt at writing a Rick and Morty episode, the lads visit an all-female kingdom and get boypreggers by guzzling from the wrong stream. Luckily,

I see we're leaving nothing to chance here.

Pilgrim Sun suggests that the births, if unaverted, will take place via a painful tearing-open of the armpit, of all places. Journey to the West Research compares the chapter to an episode from the Mahabharata (in which a king mistakenly drinks holy water intended to give his wife a son) and the choice of birth canal to stories of the legendary sages tearing open their mothers on the way out. Compare and contrast.

Oddly, it's sort of unclear why Western Liang is like this. It doesn't seem like a matter of policy, they're not Amazons and they're practically exhilarated to lay eyes upon our boys. Yes, it's a "male-undoing mountain", but there's no other indication that either the stream itself or the women are sex-selective.

As far as I can tell, this place exists so that Tripitaka can refuse to have sex with the most desperate queen alive — certainly a betrayal of his cicada namesake, but a chance to demonstrate his extreme commitment to virtuous celibacy and family-renunciation while playing his general meekness for laughs.

All that notwithstanding, I think the kingdom and its inhabitants are treated with remarkable respect. Yes, yes, they're desperate for the yang, clearly, but it's also a normal, functioning kingdom of impressive wealth. It has women officials who fulfill all the usual functions of a Sinosphere state, and their capacity to do so is not really commented upon or made ridiculous, at least not in any way that's legible to me. It's just that their entire society temporarily reorganizes itself around getting their superlatively beautiful queen into bed with a shy, celibate monk who needs and wants nothing more than to have his passport* stamped. They want him to stay, marry, and be king. He is defined by compulsive journeying and rejection of his role as paterfamilias. Classic comedy. Compared to the Amazon mythos or Lysistrata, the whole thing actually comes across as less pathological.

*Really, it's a travel rescript — a letter presented to the local government and signed to guarantee safe passage. Securing the travel rescript is a convenient device to force the characters to interact with the weird politics of the kingdoms they pass through.

Note also that abortion is presented as an uncomplicated and uncontroversial good, but that's probably the non-Abrahamic default.

Obvious commentary on the ongoing FDA abortifacient controversy.

Fruit baskets!

Always the bloody Daoists

Fruit baskets

After their plan to get the passport signed and leave the bride at the altar flubs, Tripitaka is promptly and perhaps serendipitous kidnapped by an unrelated scorpion, but his commitment to semen retention is, once again, simply too powerful, though she tempts him with remarkable persistence and buns filled with human meat. (She ties him up at one point; I'm sure there's fanfic of these two.) Ms. Scorpion does, however, accomplish the nigh-unprecedented feat of landing blows on both Sun Wukong and Zhu Bajie in a fair fight, #feminism, before being destroyed by the Chinese equivalent of the constellation Orion (here appearing as a very large chicken).

I'm not sure what we learned from this one and I certainly don't have anything intelligent to add, but damned if it isn't funny.

[sharksmirk-reblogs]

I LOVE what they did with Elita in TF One! She's not an overly competent 1-note paper cutout (because people think that's feminism 🙄) - she *is* competent but also pushy, impatient, and short-tempered. When she tells Orion off here, it's not because she's a StRoNg FeMaLe ChArAcTeEr who don't need no man, it's because it's in her nature to be dismissive and independent. Like, she's what a *girlboss* would actually be like lol.

#growth

[monriatitans]

Ta-Da! List: Sunday, June 16th

The image was made in Canva; check it out at the [referral] link here!

I share my “Ta-Da! List” every day so everyone gets a daily update and I have a reminder of what I’ve accomplished.

To learn more about “Ta-Da! Lists”, and other ADHD life hacks, check out @adhdjesse’s book Extra Focus: The Quick Start Guide to Adult ADHD.

Abbreviations

- O&T: Opinions & Truth Blog - WGS: The Weekend Game Show - ASO: Artist Shout-Out - IG: Instagram - BMAC: Buy Me a Coffee - TDL: Ta-Da! List

Ta-Da! List

✧ June 15th: - on the bedroom setup: shared yesterday’s TDL to IG

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ ✧ throughout the day: - kept emails manageable - loaded the dishwasher - filled out today’s TDL

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ ✧ on the mobile phone: - YouTube: watched I’m Autistic, Now What?’s video “Autism Memes for When Your Life is Falling Apart (Like mine currently is)” - Hive: shared today’s ASO and Stream Announcement

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ ✧ on the bedroom setup: - WGS: finished sharing catchup announcement posts and the Stream Announcement to the WGS Ko-fi

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ ✧ on the office setup: - WGS: gave a human artist, TIVANIX, a shout-out by sharing it on O&T, Tumblr, and other social media; shared the Stream Announcement to The Titans’ Discord, IG, and other social media; prepared the ASO for tomorrow, June 17th - YouTube: watched, listened to, and/or began: 1. Jim Sterling’s videos “Grand Theft Awful”, “Bobby Kotick Is An Abusive Monster”, “Diablo Immortal: Activision Blizzard’s Latest Scam The Jimquisition”, “Scott Cawthon Simps Just Love To Hate”, “Exoprimal: A Great Game Pretending To Be Mediocre Garbage”, “Pokémon 2077”, and “Kotaku Was Right To ‘RUIN’ Zelda: Tears Of The Kingdom” 2. Orion Kelly — That Autistic Guy’s video “Autism, Humour & Sarcasm — What You Need to Know” 3. Philosophy Tube’s videos “Why Do We Remember War?”, “Racism, Law, & Politics (Race Part 1)”, “Islamophobia, Racism, & Feminism (Race Part 2)”, “Should People in Prison have a Right to Vote?”, and “How to Deal with Tragedy — Stoicism” 4. BlackBeltBarrister’s video “This is terrifying!” 5. Ginny Di’s video “5 backstory bad habits that drive your DM nuts” 6. Adam Conover’s videos “Elon Musk Is An Idiot (and so are Zuck and SBF)” and “Why We’re Still Trapped on Twitter” - Gaming: played “Final Fantasy XIV” - O&T: shared today’s TDL to various social media

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ ✧ chores and miscellaneous: - Food: had coffee, water, and cereal for breakfast and lunch; partner cooked potatoes and steak for lunch; had hot cocoa - Chores: washed the bedspread; started, then unloaded the dishwasher; swept the kitchen and guest bathroom; vacuumed partner’s office

—

Well, these are all the updates I had for today! Thank you for reading!

May every decision you make be *in the spirit of fairness* and may the rest of your day *NOT go to $#!7*!

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

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Watch MonriaTitans on Twitch, YouTube, and Rumble! For more about MonriaTitans, click here!

[newhavenrp]

Is that LIAM NEESON? No, that’s ARMAND ORION. The 58 year old OAK MOON - WEREWOLF ALPHA MALE is a POLICE OFFICER. If you ask their friends, they’re known to be GOOD, PROTECTIVE & COURAGEOUS, but beware, they’re also known to be TEMPERAMENTAL & STUBBORN. Their friends also say that they’re into DOMINANCE & DIRTY TALK  but don’t you dare trying SCAT, UROPHILIA, FEMINIZATION & VORE with them. 

Orion was a single child of a modest family; his father was in the army and held a good rank and would constantly remind his son that he too would join the military. At 7 years of age, he began his training under his father’s knight. He presented alpha during his training and began escalating the ranks until he reached knight himself. His parents were proud of him, he was a model citizen to be followed and imitated by others, his life was perfect. He had a mate, he had two sons, and he had everything he could ever need.

As knight, he began training other’s pups the same way he had been trained by the previous knight. Some lord’s happy omega was sending pups almost yearly. They sent 5 in total when they stopped. He wondered how they could handle so many pups, he remembers barely being able to handle his own two pups.

He had the privilege to train his own pups as well as others. Orion’s father never had that privilege, the privilege he did have today. He was proud of his job, of himself. He wouldn’t have chosen any other job in the world. He had a position of power and privilege. In the Royal City, that was everything and despite his own pride, he knew that not all was well in the city. He just didn’t know how bad things really were behind certain doors.

One day Taj approached him with disturbing news. His father, the happy omega that had 5 pups, was being abused. He couldn’t believe that, why would he believe that? So, he demanded proof and today he regrets demanding that proof.

He was smuggled into a house where a party was announced, except Taj and his siblings insisted this was no party. He understood why after what he saw that night. He left the house almost as soon or even faster than when he had arrived. He had demanded proof and Taj had delivered. Now it was his turn to be good on his word and help.

Orion arranged everything with the kids. He moved the guards, he had the kids under his command that day, and he had a carriage ready and some bare necessities for a trip. He didn’t know where he was sending this omega but anywhere was better than here right now. Taj smuggled Silas into the carriage and lead him out the gates where Remy, another of the kids, drove him out of the city as a special delivery. Everything was ordered by him, and everything had his signature, he knew the risk he was running, he knew but he still did it.

When the time came, he covered the kids even more. He took the full fall for it. He lost his job as a knight and his mate kicked him out of the house. He was called a traitor and was exiled from the Royal City. So, he made his way to Willowshire, the city where he had sent Silas hoping to see him alive and well. There, he thanked the gods for being assigned as a lumberjack instead of a guard. He wasn’t sure he could handle being one again. He didn’t complain, he was trying to live the rest of his life here in silence.

However, things would change again and he with part of the village was thrown into the future. Or so they were told. After the situation was explained he had little choice but to train to become a policeman, he already was half way there, and learning how to use guns proved easier than he thought it would be.

[stellarorion]

Is that [LIAM NEESON]? No, that’s [ARMAND ORION]. The [58] year old [BREATH OF FIRE - DRAGONBLOOD] [ALPHA] [MALE] is a [POLICE]. If you ask their friends, they’re known to be [GOOD], [PROTECTIVE] & [COURAGEOUS], but they urge you to be cautious because they’re also known to be [TEMPERAMENTAL] & [STUBBORN]. He's a TRAVELER of New Haven. Written by [DEVIL, 32, HER/SHE, EST]

BASIC INFORMATION

Name: Armand Orion

Age: 58 years old

Secondary Gender: Alpha

Occupation: Police

Family: 1 Mate in the Royal City, 2 kids in Royal City

Resident or Traveler: Traveler

APPEARANCE

FC: Liam Neeson

Height: 6'4"

Weight: 187 pounds

Build: Lean

Hair Color: Brown

Eye Color: Blue

NSFW

Position: Top

Kinks: Dominance & Dirty Talk

Anti-Kinks: Scat, Urophilia, Vore, and Feminization

Dick Size: 8.7"

Orion was a single child of a modest family; his father was in the army and held a good rank and would constantly remind his son that he too would join the military. At 7 years of age, he began his training under his father’s knight. He presented alpha during his training and began escalating the ranks until he reached knight himself. His parents were proud of him, he was a model citizen to be followed and imitated by others, his life was perfect. He had a mate, he had two sons, and he had everything he could ever need.

As knight, he began training other’s pups the same way he had been trained by the previous knight. Some lord’s happy omega was sending pups almost yearly. They sent 5 in total when they stopped. He wondered how they could handle so many pups, he remembers barely being able to handle his own two pups.

He had the privilege to train his own pups as well as others. Orion’s father never had that privilege, the privilege he did have today. He was proud of his job, of himself. He wouldn’t have chosen any other job in the world. He had a position of power and privilege. In the Royal City, that was everything and despite his own pride, he knew that not all was well in the city. He just didn’t know how bad things really were behind certain doors.

One day Taj approached him with disturbing news. His father, the happy omega that had 5 pups, was being abused. He couldn’t believe that, why would he believe that? So, he demanded proof and today he regrets demanding that proof.

He was smuggled into a house where a party was announced, except Taj and his siblings insisted this was no party. He understood why after what he saw that night. He left the house almost as soon or even faster than when he had arrived. He had demanded proof and Taj had delivered. Now it was his turn to be good on his word and help.

Orion arranged everything with the kids. He moved the guards, he had the kids under his command that day, and he had a carriage ready and some bare necessities for a trip. He didn’t know where he was sending this omega but anywhere was better than here right now. Taj smuggled Silas into the carriage and lead him out the gates where Remy, another of the kids, drove him out of the city as a special delivery. Everything was ordered by him, and everything had his signature, he knew the risk he was running, he knew but he still did it.

When the time came, he covered the kids even more. He took the full fall for it. He lost his job as a knight and his mate kicked him out of the house. He was called a traitor and was exiled from the Royal City. So, he made his way to Willowshire, the city where he had sent Silas hoping to see him alive and well. There, he thanked the gods for being assigned as a lumberjack instead of a guard. He wasn’t sure he could handle being one again. He didn’t complain, he was trying to live the rest of his life here in silence.

However, things would change again and he with part of the village was thrown into the future. Or so they were told. After the situation was explained, he had little choice but to train to become a cop, he was already halfway there and learning how to use guns proved easier than he thought it would be.

[thebad---catholic]

My problems with AOS

Well here I am, 10 years late with an opinion no one asked for, but I have to write this down and throw into the void so that I can be at peace. I’ve been salty about this film franchise for a very long time now. This will mostly focus on Star Trek (2009) with the other two movies sprinkled in.

1. Starfleet

Honestly where do I even begin? In TOS, Starfleet was modeled after the navy (idk how accurately, but Roddenberry was in the air force so I’m assuming he’d know how all that works). You can get a feel for the chain of command, and everything feels natural with character ages and things like that. There’s a procedure for everything.

AOS Starfleet feels more like a high school club than an interplanetary exploration organization. Jim is supposed to be twenty-five when he gets the rank of captain- after he was almost expelled for cheating. He has no idea how to operate or run a starship. TOS Kirk moved through the ranks of Starfleet and was promoted on merit and leadership skills- he worked for his position.

Why was Jim the only person who knew what was happening when Nero showed up? Was there any requirements to joining to Starfleet other than get on the shuttle? Why did the linguist not know the difference between Vulcan and Romulan when they’re the linguist? How did Pike bypass the chain of command to appoint Jim Kirk as First Officer which was an obvious show of favoritism to someone was about to be thrown out of the academy? Why the fuck was he allowed to keep the title of captain? What the fuck?

Speaking of Jim.

2. Jim Kirk’s Character

I...don’t like Jim’s character in this film. It’s not terrible for a younger version of Kirk, but like I said though, there’s no reason Kirk should be this young. And in this one he’s just kinda a douche.

We know from TOS that Kirk gets around, but he genuinely cares for his exes, and in general respects women. He uses sex appeal as a strategy, but more than anything this comes off as a subversion of the femme fatal trope bc Kirk is a man. In the movie, he’s just a standard action movie protag who has lots of sex just because.

The scene when the Orion woman says she loves him and he replied “that’s so weird” is just...so weird? Like I can’t imagine Kirk doing anything in that situation than backing off and explaining that he doesn’t feel the same way. The scene continues with him hiding under the bed when Uhura walks in. Watching how the camera angle makes Jim out to be a voyeur made me uncomfortable then and it still does. It could be explained that Jim is trying to figure out Uhura’s identity or that he’s listening in and people look at who they’re listening to but like...she was in her underwear. You shouldn’t look at people while they’re getting undressed, especially when they don’t even know you’re there? Is that a hot take? Apparently.

In TOS there’s this really nice scene in This Side of Paradise(S1E24) where the whole crew is high (again) and has abandoned ship, leaving Kirk to tend to things. We see Jim move around the ship with a little clip pad and make the proper checks. This is a captain who knows his stuff. That is the Kirk we should have seen if we’re going to see Jim become captain.

AOS kirk goes through a standard “stop being an asshole” arc commonplace for male protagonists, but this happens well past the point he should stop being an asshole. Either the AOS series should’ve been a prequel with Jim becoming captain at the end of the trilogy, or he should’ve been older with a completely different arc- maybe coming to terms with his rank? Imposter syndrome? Learning to trust his crew and building trust with them? Building a friendship with Spock and McCoy? There’s a lot to work with here.

3. Spock and Uhura’s relationship

Why. Like why. For what. Por Que.

I like giving Uhura a bigger role, I don’t like making her a love interest to do that.

It doesn’t make sense for either of their characters. Lieutenant Nyota Uhura, linguist expert who handles all transmissions to and from the enterprise- an icon of black women’s representation is now demoted to Spock’s nagging girlfriend. This bothers me more than a little bit.

It manages to make even less sense for Spock. A hallmark of Spock’s character is his duality. He struggles to combat his emotions and the human half of him. His repeating character arc in TOS is coming to terms with humanity while upholding the Vulcan way of life. Having him in an established romantic relationship before this arc is supposed to happen just makes for a boring romantic subplot about a relationship that shouldn’t happen and that I don’t care about.

TOS Vulcan culture is kinda shitty. Explicitly patriarchal and stuff, and also kinda racist against humans. The source of Spock’s inner conflict is not himself but a society that views him as lesser for being half human. However, one thing that I can certainly understand from a “logical” (logic in quotations bc racism and sexism is fucking stupid) people is ritualized arranged marriages. It just...makes sense to me that Vulcans would simply have their mates chosen for them and then marry that person and be done with it. Neat. Logical. Conformity.

This makes Spock and Uhura’s relationship even stranger. Why would Spock go so against conformity that he dates someone before he truly comes to terms with himself? Even if they throw out ponfarr and arranged marriage, it still doesn’t work but now it especially doesn’t work.

My personal theory is that Spock and Uhura’s relationship was established purely to make shippers shut up. It’s no secret Spirk is the most popular ship from TOS. I have no doubt they knew this while writing the movie. So to quietly wrap a no homo on Spock and Kirk’s friendship, they use Uhura as a prop to do so.

The teacher/student dynamic should only be relegated to fan fiction and the throwaway line about oral sensitivity makes me cringe. Every. Time.

4. McCoy

Karl Urbans performance is easily my favorite part of this movie. He captures DeForrest Kelley so well it hurts. He made Leonard Nimoy cry. His chemistry with Pine made McKirk go from the most underrated triumvirate ship in TOS to rival Spirks popularity in AOS. His scenes with Zachary Quinto are just *chefs kiss*.

So why doesn’t he have more of a role? The triumvirate is missing a third.

In particular, there’s a scene where Uhura, Kirk, and Spock make their way down to a planet to talk to a Klingon. I can’t remember which movie it was or why, but Spock and Uhura were bickering and Kirk remarks “can we do this later?”

The line was funny. It would’ve been golden if it was McCoy and not Uhura.

A fantastic performance by an underutilized character in a movie where that character should’ve been at the forefront.

5. Representation

I am skeptical of any movie that advertises diversity. Nonetheless, it made me happy to know Sulu was going to be gay. This is Star Trek after all, known for its diversity and large LGBT fan base, and an homage to George Takai who’s a gay man irl. So whatever.

The fact that I wasn’t expecting much says a lot about the current state of LGBT rep in media but this blink-and-you-miss-it shit is really starting to get to me.

I mean he jus- he doesn’t even give his husband a KISS. Like why.

6. Destroying Vulcan

WHY. Oh god why.

This isn’t Star Wars, JJ. We don’t do that here.

Imploding Vulcan was the most god awful shock value bullshit plot device I’ve ever seen in a movie and it was done entirely to make Spock sad. Besides the gaping plot hole of “why did Nero go back in time to destroy Vulcan when he could’ve just saved Romulus” I’m just grasping to find a purpose for this particular event. New fans don’t care at all about Vulcan while I was enraged that they would do Amanda that dirty.

It’s not just that they did that, it’s more that they did it like that. Vulcan’s destruction should’ve caused a federation wide meltdown as the biggest catastrophe in the entire franchise. If they were gonna make the stakes so pointlessly high, they should’ve treated the destruction of Vulcan exactly how they would treat the destruction of earth. There a million ways to treat that event with more gravity and million better plot lines that don’t involve G E N O C I D E

7. Miscellaneous petty bullshit because I’m a baby

-lower the fucking stakes Jesus Christ

-Don’t like the set. It’s bright and white and boring and gives me a headache. You don’t need a remake of the old set but like have fun ya know? Shit looks like an Apple store.

-Christine and I are the same in that we are both soft and are thirsty for Spock. Imagine my surprise to learn she wasn’t fucking there. Same with Janice but I’m more pressed about Christine. I don’t even remember the name of that blonde doctor lady who is Not Christine but i didn’t want her.

-The costumes in AOS look boring but still don’t feel like a uniform either. I deadass think Chris Pines outfit in the SNL skit looked better than the actual movie (minor adjustments needed)

-I didn’t notice this at first but someone pointed out that women’s uniforms don’t signify rank and now I can’t not see it. I don’t...think this movie treats women good? Or McCoy? Or just people who deserve better?

-Lens Flare

-I get why they did it but I don’t like that they misquoted the opening theme to say “no one” instead of “no man”. I probably wouldn’t have even notice except they gave the line to Uhura. Comes off as just a touch too “yay feminism” which is really rich coming from that treated Uhura like an object to be looked at when she wasn’t too busy being Spock’s emotional support gf, and completely cut two women from the main cast.

8. Conclusions

If I could describe these movies in one word it’d be generic. Which sucks because Star Trek far from generic.

They’re fun to watch but not think about. It was nice that I got to see a Star Trek movie in theaters. I just wish it as the same Trek I saw on TV.

[junkshop-disco]

lynx and orion pls 💕

lynx: what are 5 songs you love right now?

Ok I’m going IN:

1. Peggy Gou - Makes You Forget (Itgehane) 

Peggy Gou has been my obscure house DJ crush for years and then she let rip this total MASTERPIECE of laidback yet driving futuristic disco, presumably for the express purpose of making me imagine how great the soundtrack at our wedding would be and then cry. 

2. Yaeji - Raingurl 

This song is so freaking infectious, obsessed from first listen. It basically sounds like one of those super cool warehouse parties that only exist in films only she’s talking about her glasses fogging up. She also has a cover of Passionfruit. It’s Drake, but not annoying. Miracles DO happen. 

3. Tracey Thorn - Queen 

You want a slice of wistful yet still totally banging electro? Tracey. Thorn. One of my favourite ever voices (she was the singer in Everything But The Girl and for classic Massive Attack track Protection), made one of the all time best Christmas albums, and is back with her first real proper album in ages and when it lands you better believe I’m going to be a one-woman hype machine for it. From that album she also released this ode to feminism. 

4. Rina Sawayama - Ordinary Superstar

Need something to get you through the hard stretch between now and the Carly Rae Jepson Troye Sivan collab? You need Rina. Seriously. Everything your life has been missing. Just check out her entire album because it is POP PERFECTION and life’s too short to fuck about with mediocre pop music.

5. Kim Petras - Heart To Break

I know literally nothing about this artist, except that they leapt out of new music Friday last week yelling YOU LOVE ME NOW.

ETA: ok Spotify tells me they were also on my favourite track from the latest Charli XCX project and responsible for this synth-tastic wonder. 

BONUS: shout out my favourite goth darlings Pale Waves and their new one Heavenly which I’ve only heard twice so far but plan on getting properly obsessed with during the course of the evening. I’m also collecting my favourite tracks of the year as they’re released here if you want to play along. 

orion: what’s your favorite candy?

Already answered once but who doesn’t want to talk about candy?? Also quite into a dark chocolate with nuts in. Ideally hazelnuts. 

[aspiritualhealer]

Living In Harmony Butterflies and waterfalls In perfect harmony Reminding all of you About 5 D Major transformations are Happening Releasing everything you don't need Emotions and baggage you carry within Will be confronting you To begin again To heal, release, inorder To live your truths Balance is upon us Changing our stance Where finally divine masculine and femine Are getting their chance To become balanced within To a new place for all to begin Beauty and unconditional love Is what we will see As Gaia comes together Releasing all internal Stormy weather To a place we will reside Where we are free No longer needing to hide! Be joyous be free As we come together again In perfect harmony! Blessings and love I send to thee💖 By : AA Maxine Orion Star Emotional Healing Coach Poetic Channel Galactic Federation of Light https://www.instagram.com/p/CGXrAzVMLKg/?igshid=a9zplpn5hl78

[doomedandstoned]

It’s A Dark World, But There Were Sparks of Light In 2017

~By Justin Cory~

Photo by Alyssa Herrman of Foto Phortress

Making angry, dark, dissonant, morose music is a necessary catharsis...

Cheers! I am excited at the prospect of writing and contributing to Doomed and Stoned and honored they’d consider running something I wrote. 2017 was a rollercoaster of a year, though that is generally true of every year. After the tumultuous political campaigns of 2016 that engrossed even the most fervently apolitical of us out there, we all knew 2017 would hold a lot of anxiety and darkness. We were not wrong in our wary assumptions. In spite of that darkness and sometimes in direct response to it, 2017 was a great year for art and music. Certainly for those of us who crave dark, intense, and mournful art, there was much to be had. I have said this before in interviews I’ve given for my band, Usnea, but for me and many others, making angry, dark, dissonant, morose music is a necessary catharsis. It stands to reason that the more of that we are enveloped by, the more catharsis we tend to need.

CHELSEA WOLFE

Artistically, 2017 seemed to be a year where many of my favorite artists came back to the fore with more daring and bold statements than they had ever before. Chelsea Wolfe delivered a brilliant and brutal record full of massive sounds and upheaval. Hiss Spun is a much heavier album than any that have come before it, and while it was not unexpected to see her go this direction after Abyss, it has been beautiful and satisfying to watch the evolution of her and her band. I had the privilege of attending Psycho Las Vegas in August and she was one of the highlights of that whole festival, even though I’ve seen her several times before then.

I have very eclectic tastes, and so for much of the year I didn’t listen to as much metal, as I was consumed by the recording of Usnea’s newest record, as well as progressions involving my newer anarcho-death rock side project, Over. Towards the end of the year, I did finally catch up with some of the incredible metal records that came out.

SPECTRAL VOICE

Spectral Voice is probably my favorite of the bunch. I’ve been a fan of Paul Riedl’s output going back to his murky early work with Merkstave and Leech in Salem, Oregon and then catching up with renewed vigor to his contemporary releases with Blood Incantation and Spectral Voice. With Eroded Corridors of Unbeing, Spectral Voice deliver on the promise of all of those demos they put out over the last few years and some. They ratchet up the death metal tension and when the floor drops, the listener is pummeled into oblivion with their warped death-doom riffing. They are by far the most interesting band making death-doom at the moment and they provide an incredible update on the genre-defying legacy of diSEMBOWELMENT and Inverloch.

Eroded Corridors of Unbeing by Spectral Voice

UFOMAMMUT

In October, Usnea had the incredible fortune to tour on our new record with Ufomammut throughout Europe on their newest record, 8. Seeing them play the whole record night after night, one can’t help but fall in love with the psychedelic drone fever dream they weave. On their newest record, they have crafted a masterpiece of heady, massive music. I am biased, having toured with them in the US and Europe now, but I truly believe that their music is best experienced live. As good as their compositions are, seeing them live is being transported into their spaceship and taken on the otherworldly journey that they intend.

Ufommamut Live in Helsinki - Film by iceaxvideo

BELL WITCH

While we were driving across Northern Europe in the deluge of Autumnal rain, our friends in Bell Witch released their newest record, Mirror Reaper. So much of what can be said about that record has already been said. Hearing the album under those conditions for the first time was ethereal, but I didn’t really get to delve into the 83- minute long opus until weeks after we were back at home. When I did, I was moved beyond what I can write here will convey.

Mirror Reaper by Bell Witch

Beyond being a fan of Bell Witch, and a fan of pretty much everything that Dylan and Jesse -- and Adrian before him -- had recorded previously (Samothrace, Lethe, Sod Hauler, The Makai, Black Hole of Calcutta, among other exceptional bands), I am friends with all of them. We played our very first show with Bell Witch back in 2012. Being able to watch their evolution has been both brilliant and painful. Everything about this new record is an elevation of their craft, of the possibilities of extreme heavy music, and also a eulogy to Adrian Guerra. I loved that man, have many beautiful memories of him, and I hope that if there is another plane of existence, that he is listening to his old bandmate’s soulful work, and smiling uncontrollably. I don’t know what else to even say about this record; it’s that good and so hard to describe without getting choked up.

There is power in this storm, and we have the ability to tap into that power and actualize a better world.

LOSS

This year also saw long awaited new records by several other longtime personal favorites. I was blown away by the new LPs from Loss, Primitive Man, Godspeed You! Black Emperor, and Monarch! First, with Horizonless by Loss, one knows that they are going to be submerged beneath the crushing weight of anguish upon the first note. I really love this record and I hope that they will tour on it soon. I also hope that their singer has evolved beyond his crappy opinions of feminism in metal, but not knowing them personally, I can’t say.

Horizonless by Loss

PRIMITIVE MAN

Primitive Man, true to their name, unleashed an utterly beastly record with Caustic. There is no let up, just un-fuck-with-able, brain-rattling rage and fury. Ethan has one of the most depraved screams I’ve ever heard, and I love it.

Caustic by Primitive Man

GODSPEED YOU! BLACK EMPEROR

The latest manifesto from Godspeed You! Black Emperor fits perfectly in this year of global calamity and strife. As the virulent strains of nationalism and anti-immigrant/refuge scapegoating rear their depraved heads once again, having the intellectual clarity of Godspeed and the dynamic optimism of their music, however mournful at times, is encouraging. Even in the face of unthinkable darkness and with horrible aspects of history seemingly repeating themselves, Godspeed You! Black Emperor have this uncanny ability to remind us that there is power in this storm, and we have the ability to tap into that power and actualize a better world.

"Luciferian Towers" by Godspeed You! Black Emperor

MONARCH!

Capping my musical crushes here are Bordeaux’s Monarch! who return with Never Forever. With this record, they’ve tapped into the unforgiving brutality of bands like Thorr's Hammer and Burning Witch, while managing to imbue their newest record with the lightless atmosphere and crushing disorientation that only they could concoct. Even better is seeing them perform these dirges live. From delicate clean sections and choral vocal passages of deep melancholy to filthy dark doom riffage, this record is a monster.

Never Forever by MONARCH!

Art and music are a language older than words.

FESTIVALS

There are a few other rad things that I’d love to give shout-out to this year. Psycho Las Vegas, Northwest Terror Fest, Soul Crusher Fest and Blow-Up Helsinki were some of the best festivals I’ve ever been to and, along with Roadburn, are expertly curated. It is a great time to be a fan of this music when the passion and hard work of so many artists, promoters, sound engineers, and other persons are putting so much into these events for our community to enjoy and connect.

Usnea at Blowup Vol. III - Film by iceaxvideo

ART

This year also brought some amazing works of art into the world. In Finland, I found and fell in love with the artworks of Tekla Vály. The cover art of previously mentioned albums was also astounding, most notably Mirror Reaper by the artist Mariusz Lewandowski and Horizonless by Loss, whose cover artwork was painted by Adam Burke of Nightjar Illustration. I also love the painting that our good friend Orion Landau created for Usnea’s Portals Into Futility and I hope to work with him again.

'Lovers' by Tekla Vály

FILM

Film-wise, when I finally got around to seeing Blade Runner 2049, it far exceeded all expectations I had for it. I was expecting a cheesy Hollywood cash-in on the incredible legacy of the original film. What we got instead was a complicated update on the happenings of the world of replicants, the core question of humanity, and what it is to be a human being with a “soul.” I don’t want to post any spoilers so I will stop there.

In parting, these things and more are what inspired me in 2017 and beyond. For me, art and music are a language older than words. We communicate unutterable emotions and concepts with this language and we burn down the castles of tyrants, we stamp out the dens of ignorance, and we open ourselves to the possibilities and opportunities ahead, in spite of this dark world we inhabit through this communion of artistic expression that we share. I am not saying that I have any optimism to offer about the present or future fate of this world, only that I know what I will be doing to assuage the onslaught it provides and find some sense of purpose and meaning within it.

Justin Cory is a Portland-based musician, vocalist, and guitarist for Usnea and Over. This is his first piece for Doomed & Stoned.

[notesofarichlycolorednight]

1, 2, 5, 12, 26, 37, 54, and 70 from the Music asks please!

still ignoring hw wheeeeeeeee

1. A Song you’re ashamed of liking

uhhhh,,, i guess “one thing” 1d

2. Favourite lyrics

ohhhh this is a tough one i have so many

the rest is under a cut bc this gets long fam

and you call me up again just to break me like a promise // so casually cruel in the name of bein’ honest | “all too well” tswift

try to be my old self again, but i’m still tryin’ to find it | “all too well” tswift

i’m captivated by you baby, like a firework show | “sparks fly” tswift

i had the time of my life fighting dragons with you | “long live” tswift

‘Cause you’re the two best friends, this screw up ever had | “son of poseidon” pjo musical

i can’t focus. i stink at school. my ADD gets the best of me. dyslexia, not cool | “strong” pjo musical

i’ll make mistakes, but my own and it frees me | “bring on the monsters” pjo musical

and hey, could you take my hand, and could you carry me through no man’s land | “fight for me” heathers musical

it weighed just like a concrete, prom queen crown | “the me inside of me” heathers musical

they left me a myriad of scars | “the me inside of me” heathers musical

if no one loves me now, someday somebody will | “seventeen (reprise)” heathers musical

here’s what i say to the girl who was burning so brightly // like the light from orion above | “why stay?/a promise” next to normal

and you find out you don’t have to be happy at all // to be happy you’re alive | “light” next to normal

i am the one thing in life i can control // i am inimitable // i am an original | “wait for it” hamilton

dying is easy, young man // living is harder | “right hand man” hamilton

pray that hell or heaven lets you in | “ten duel commandments” hamilton

you knock me out // i fall apart | “dear theodosia” hamilton

the pieces that are sacrificed in every game of chess | “the room where it happens” hamilton

mother-FUCKING democratic republicans! | “washington on your side” hamilton

be careful with that one, love // he will do what it takes to survive | “burn” hamilton

take my hand // the night grows ever colder | “fantine’s death” les mis

i love him // but only on my own | “on my own” les mis

the rain that brings you here is heaven blessed // the skies begin to clear and i’m at rest // a breath away from where you are | “little fall of rain” les mis

drink with me // to days // gone by | “drink with me” les mis

here’s to you // and here’s // to me | “drink with me” les mis

do you hear the people sing? // lost in the valley of the night // it is the music of a people // who are climbing to the light | “epilogue (finale)” les mis

there was a railroad line on a road to hell // there was a young man down on bended knee // and that is the ending of the tale // of orpheus and eurydice | “road to hell ii” hadestown

with a love song // with a tale of a love that never dies // with a love song // for anyone who tries | “road to hell ii” hadestown

maybe there’s a way out of the cage that you live // maybe one of these days you can let the light in | “brave” sara bareilles

burn everything you love // then burn the ashes | “my songs know what you did in the dark” fob

i don’t know where you’re going // but do you got room for one more troubled soul | “alone together” fob

kiss me under the light of a thousand stars | “thinking out loud” ed sheeran

i’m on my way // driving at 90 // down those country lanes | “castle on the hill” ed sheeran

this road never looked so lonely // this house doesn’t burn down slowly | “it’s time” imagine dragons

okay i’ll stop there

5. Latest song that made you smile

“livin’ it up on top” hadestown it’s such a bop fam

12. saddest song you know

it’s a tie b/t “fix you” coldplay and “a thousand years” christina perri if you couldn’t tell i don’t get around music a lot

26. If you could get any lyrics tattooed, which would you choose

gah another hard one

i really, really like “i had the time of my life fighting dragons with you” so maybe that one

but i’d have to really think abt it

maybe “i am the one thing in life i can control” as well

37. A song that has a lot of meaning to you

another tie

b/t “brave” sara bareilles and “fight song” rachel platten

but even then i don’t feel like they fit to what the question is actually asking. no song immediately comes to mind so...we’ll just leave it at that

54. Favourite Disney song

noooo there are so many!!

but i love mulan

and so “i’ll make a man out of you”

70. Okay what’s the real answer to number 1

okay, okay

“what makes you beautiful” 1d

look fam i have no fucking clue as to what’s actually��hated and i don’t mean “i hate this bc teen girls love this and i need to distance myself from them bc i’m not like Other Girls(TM)” i mean like actually hated

oh i just thought of one!

“like i’m gonna lose you” bc meghan trainor is a piece of garbage,,, at the very least she needs to learn what intersectional feminism is

idk if this counts but uh here

many thanks!! ^_^

[laalratty]

Twice Upon a Time by Steven Moffat

Gaaaaaaaaahhhhhhh. That episode!!!

THE TENTH PLANET IS THE PREVIOUSLY ON DOCTOR WHO. Gah, they transitioned from Bill to David Bradley and from black and white to colour!!!

Oh I love this so much. THIS IS WHY I WATCHED THE TENTH PLANET EARLIER

OH MY GOODNESS

I MAY HAVE TEARS

He sounds so excited and full of wonder. 12 that is.

12 doesn't remember this.

Oh things have frozen in place and refuse to be put out of place.

'You trying to be funny?' BRILLIANT.

Well that's not normal for the trenches. And neither's that.

'Timeline error. There is a timeline error.' Yeah, kinda got that.

I like it when we see scenes from multiple perspectives.

Oooh a light.

I love the contrast between the 1st Doctor's view of earth and the 12th Doctor's.

'Have I been burgled?' lmao

'Always remember where you parked, it's going to come up a lot.'

WW1 vs The Great War. Oh his face. It would be pretty demoralising to have someone call it WW1 when as far as you're concerned it is the only world war.

WW1 guy is completely confused and holding a VHS.

1 is also confused at becoming 12.

It's a good thing this is at the end of 1's career not the start. Cos otherwise, 'let me help you' would actually mean, 'let me brain you with a rock.'

Oh 12's face. NURSING IS AN IMPORTANT PROFESSION AND SHOULD BE RESPECTED

You cannot say that 1.

Is 1 critiquing 12's TARDIS the reason why 2 is so good at saying, 'I don't like it.' HE PICKED IT UP HERE.

oh my goodness. YOU DID NOT IMPLY THAT POLLY DID ALL THE CLEANING ON THE TARDIS. 1!!!!

I'm with 12. STOP STAYING SEXIST STUFF 1. YOU'RE BETTER THAN THAT. DID YOU MAKE SUSAN AND BARBARA DO THE CLEANING???

Oh look, the TARDIS has been taken again.

The Doctor of war?

Oh my goodness, it's BILL!

A tear, laalratty?

Yep, out comes the sonic.

'Nobody imitates Bill Potts!'

Yeah, where's Heather? Oh memory issues. @knittedace I'm looking at you so hard right now.

Duplicate?

Yes 1, I’m not impressed with the sunglasses either.

Testimony? That doesn't sound good.

I was expecting 1 to stamp on the sunglasses.

Oh I love classic clips in newwho

VALEYARD!!!

Toclafane

Notice they didn't mention 5 taking Tegan and Turlough to the Eye of Orion to have a rest because they needed it.

Yay, escaping in 1's TARDIS.

SHUT UP 1!

Things you never expected to see - 1 in sunglasses.

Just what is in 12's browser history?

BIGGER THAN THE MATRIX!!??

BILL, PUNCH HIM!!!

Me too. lol.

Ooh, the Nightmare.

That looked like a Dalek.

'You're an arse.'

12 looked so horrified.

That was a glass hand, oh dear.

'They've really come out of their shell' lol.

Oh, THAT'S THE DOOMSDAY THEME!!!!!!!!

Both Doctor's afraid of regenerating.

Oh, mention of Cromer.

We haven't heard his name yet. I wonder if he's related to any of the UNIT lot.

What's in the tower?

Oh dear. What's happened to the soldier.

Uh oh, Erm, stay away from 1.

'I am not a good Dalek. You are a good Dalek.'

Rusty the Dalek. Sounds familiar.

'Good is not a practical survival strategy'. Hmm this sounds like a conversation he's had with Koschei back on Gallifrey.

Hey, New Earth.

'I don't really know what to do when it isn't an evil plan.'

For all his lifetimes, the older he gets, the worse with death the Doctor becomes.

I KNEW IT!!!!! LETHBRIDGE-STEWART!!!!!!

Silent Night. The tears.

Christmas Armistice. I totally have tears.

Wait, and that's Vale...! The music that 10 regenerated to. Nice to have 1 regenerate to it.

And we change back to the classic footage.

The hardest thing knowing the Doctor is letting them go.

Ugh, Clara, really.

And Nardole.

Doctor, you don't have to regenerate alone.

Is this a thing now where regnerate equals destroying the TARDIS.

Oh, off slips Capaldi's ring. Nice touch.

And the Doctor's Theme. JUST TO LET YOU KNOW THAT THIS IS THE DOCTOR!!!

'Oh brilliant.'

Nooooooo!!!!! So, On the whole I enjoyed it although the blatant sexism of 1 is far more overt than it actually was when he was on originally. If this is Moffat’s way of saying, ‘look how progressive and pro-feminism we are now’ THERE ARE BETTER WAYS OF SAYING IT THAN BY PUTTING DOWN AND EXAGGERATING WHAT HAS GONE ON BEFORE. It doesn’t make you look clever, just an idiot. I also wish it was actual Bill that we got rather than memory Bill. The story line was interesting was smacks slightly of Moffat doing stuff and then standing around saying, ‘look how clever I am.’ Like the memory stuff was interesting, but 5 has already said, ‘A man is the sum of his memories, you know. A Time Lord even more so.’

So the lessons learned are maybe a little redundant for the Doctor. I LOVED the references to the Tenth Planet. I watched that episode earlier today (and am really glad I did), and loved the way they morphed from original footage to David Bradley reshoots.

So for a score I’d give 7/10. He’s done worse episodes.

[furederiko]

"I won't let you... suffer the pain alone!" Kyuranger's 28th episode, conveys the tale of broken bond, and lost friendship...

- Let's get this right off the bat: POOR Balance!!! T_T... He wasn't around when Naga first succumbed into the darkness, so imagine his utter shock upon witnessing how his partner-in-crime (we'll get to this later) has become an evil, ruthless, brutal, and plain messed up person. Dark-Naga is completely different from his regular self, and this is the first time we get to see Balance gets deeply depressed. Even more so than that stolen-Birthday story... - Sure, the episode starts in a carefree and casual way. We see Balance utilizing the #43 Camelopardalis Kyu Globe to become a 'mechanical giraffe' and scout the area, while Dark-Naga is having fun with his newly found emotions through a practice fight with the Indavers (again, the actor is definitely having a blast). I also personally enjoy seeing Akyanba and Kukulga get along with one another, mirroring the bond between Ikagen and Madako nicely. But everything turns sour just 4 minutes in, and the cheerful mood has completely dissolves into a somber and melancholic tome. - Balance clearly arrives on scene with a belief that he could easily persuade Naga to the good side. That's how they've always been, right? But nope. If this is another show, the whole 'turning into evil' trope would be done and over with in just two episodes. This is Kyuranger we're talking about, and that's NOT how the show works. After declaring that the BN Thieves has now been disbanded, Dark-Naga doesn't pull any punches on his (former?) friends. He shoots Balance on the spot, intentionally injures his left thigh, and then tortures him with sheer glee. Balance refuses to react, resulting in an abusive scene that... well, rather disturbing to watch. I wonder how TV Asahi even allows this on a morning show? - It's a neatly choreograph, but devastatingly desperate fight scene. Once again, Dark-Naga is soooo close on killing the other Kyurangers with his 'Dark Galaxy' attack. This time around, a mysterious woman steps in to save the day. And it's a... female Naga! Hold on, I mean, a Naga-esque female individual from the Ophiucus system. She introduces herself as Echidna (obviously portrayed by Taiki Yamazaki, voiced by Ayumi Tsunematsu), and reveals more details about the same-faced inhabitants of her system. Trivia: In Greek mythology (nope, not the ant-eater one, nor... Sonic the Hedghehog's rival) Echidna is a half-woman half-snake 'She-Viper'. She's the mother of many mythical monsters such as Orthrus (that gave birth to Sphinx and Nemean Lion), Cerberus, Hydra, and possibly Chimaera. There's a 'mother angle' in her story. So can we assume this is just pure coincidence? Or is she actually Naga's mother? Hmmm... - Echidna's appearance is... well, a bit awkward to watch. Not because of the female voice coming out of Naga's lips, but mainly because it looks a bit out of sync. This is a common occurence in Tokusatsu, but I wonder why they don't just alter his actual voice with a sound editor? Also, design-wise, I think the production team made a minor miscalculation. IMO, they should've enclothed a 'female Naga' with a high-neck dress that fully covers the neck area. At least, give him a choker or something. The actor is what many generally calls 'pretty boy', so he CAN look and showcase Echidna's feminity just right. Yet it's also clear his adam's apple is still immediately noticeable in this dress style, and that would likely attract questions from audience. Especially observant nitpickers like yours truly LOL. With that said, her inclusion is still a much appreciated decision. It gives a good excuse to keep Naga's actor among the non-suit ones, without the need to hire a new artist. And similar to Dark-Naga's messed-up sassy gestures (that is always a delight to see), he's able to make us believe that Echidna's an entirely different character. - Echidna's exposition, leads to a deeper backstory for both Balance and Naga. And that's good. We FINALLY get to see how Balance met Naga for the first time! True to his trickster reputation, not only Balance ran into Naga when he was stealing a treasure from his planet, he also made use of Naga's pure desire for emotions to get away. On a whim! Yep, turns out things didn't actually start out in 'real' good terms for them. Back then, Balance was merely using Naga, turning him into a partner for his own selfish benefit. Not unlike Akyanba, huh? Nevertheless, it's a fated meeting that managed to change him for the better. Balance now actually cares for him and others in general! That's why Dark-Naga's berserking frenzy isn't just hurting Balance physically, but also scars him emotionally (if not all of us in general, of course). Balance is going to do anything to bring his BFF back, even if it forces him to engage in an intense heartbreaking duel with him. We've seen it teased in the preview, right? - I was initially pretty disappointed when Akyanba revealed that the key to bring Dark-Naga back to his senses, is to hurt him so badly. I admit, it IS a common thing for a Tokusatsu antagonist to foolishly state their Achilles heel. Even Kyuranger have done it before with a lesser MotW. I guess, I kind of expected more from this cunning villainess. Turns out, more is certainly what I'm getting. Televi's scans have already spoiled about this 'solution' before, along with the Gold-Silver fight, and Echidna's arrival. But what a pleasant surprise when those report (probably... intentionally?) left out the powerful twists that come as part of the actual package. - Contrary to popular assumption, Echidna isn't here to help Naga. She is sent to... eliminate him. Apparently, obtaining emotions is considered a massive threat in the law of Ophiucus system. OUCH!!! Echidna also blames Balance for 'swaying' him out of his planet. This is what I meant earlier by 'turning him as partner-in-crime'. Second, the Gold-Silver fight? Intense, but heartbreaking. I expected a Mexican Standoff-esque battle, but nope... Libra Gold doesn't want his BFF to suffer alone. So when he launches that rain of arrows using the #35 Sagittarius Kyu Globe, he's taking the fall WITH HIM. Aaaaawwww, the chills!!! But the episode saves the biggest twist of all. Hurting Naga badly to save him? LIES. That was nothing but lies. It's all Akyanba's trick to pit the Kyurangers against each other. She's merely toying with her enemy, trying to make them hurt one another. So disappointment is gone, because Akyanba IS a dangerous antagonist INDEED. - Worse thing is... according to her, Dark-Naga is beyond help. There's NO way he can be cleansed from darkness once he gains back his emotions. That means...? Aaaaaw!!!! T_T. I can already hear those devastated outcries reverberating throughout the Naga fanbase. Not to mention, Naga have always wanted emotions to make Balance happy! Putting the burden and guild on the Golden robot even more. If I didn't know any better, it seems the only ways to save Naga now are: defeat Akyanba to remove her curse/spells that unlocked Naga's emotions, and seal back the emotions he's been longing to have all these time. Those are NOT easy feats! Things aren't looking good in the present time. Fun fact: Can't believe it took me this long to realize one thing. Naga Ray's name is clearly a pun for either the Japanese word 'Nagare' which means 'to flow/washed away', explaining why he's easily persuaded; and also 'Nagareboshi' which means 'Shooting Star'. And we know how a meteor is called a shooting star, right? When it FALLS down on Earth. Suffice to say, Naga's fall to darkness has been written on his name. This character was already doomed from the get-go. And that rain of arrows is another really good metaphor to this too... - What's happening in the past doesn't fare better! 'Time Travel' team exits the time hole (healing Commander's Xiao's back in the process), and goes directly to witness Tsurugi's final fight against Don Armage. And it plays out exactly like Tsurugi's story, confirming several things: One, Tsurugi has been telling an honest truth all these time. As in, he's not dreaming or seeing illusions or alternate reality like some fans have theorized. Two, Kuervo sacrifices himself to protect Tsurugi from Don Armage's blow. So yeah, I think he's genuinely really dead, as we can only see Orion (who now has a face, more on this later) carrying Tsurugi to safety afterwards. Three, Don Armage is defeated... for REAL. Phoenix Soldier strikes him down (here's hoping we get to see that cool flaming winged attack again soon), blowing up his planet along the way. So HOW is Don Armage still alive till the present time? That side of truth is still shrouded in mystery. As if that's not enough, all of a sudden the ORION is under mysterious heavy attacks! Forcing Raptor to quickly warp off towards Earth. With Don Armage gone, WHO is attacking them then? - Before you dismiss that this time travel side is removed or unrelated, do remember one thing. Kyuranger had always run several plots in parallel, but they generally still share the same theme (examples: Stinger's route of vengeance crosses path with Champ, and the brotherhood parallel between Scorpio and Kotarou). Considering the current theme is about heroes/good person turning to the dark side, could it be foreshadowing the true identity of the new Don Armage? If we observe how Naga is Balance's best friend, we can see there's a parallel running in the past: Orion or Kuervo are Tsurugi's closest comrades too! Who do you want to bet as the real Don Armage, then? - Anyway, we're back in the present time. Akyanba walks away with a severely wounded Dark-Naga, leaving the fight to the giant Indavers. Since Ursa Minor SkyBlue has to tend for Balance, Leo Red uses Gemini Kyu Globe to duplicate Lupus Blue and Chamaelleon Green, so they can form a three-colored RGB Kyuren-Oh. What a NEAT trick! Even SkyBlue is surprised to see that this is possible. I don't think we actually need a mecha battle, but at least it's unpredictable. - Despite Echidna's firm statement that the only option to the Ophiucus Metal situation is to eliminate Naga, obviously 'Save Naga' team isn't going to give up just like that. Balance personally refuses to obey, and will do anything to rescue Naga. Even if he has to face Echidna for that. But that's when something unexpected comes up. Well, duh? This IS Kyuranger, so obviously it's one thing after another. Our present team senses an odd surge of time-paradox, and notices a distress beacon from the ORION. Has the spaceship really returned? - This is where the two time-crossed storylines come together in a shivering and shocking way. Because what Lucky and friends see, is NOT the ORION they've known all these time. It's a broken and aged ruins of the spaceship! Dang it, the goosebumps. Don't forget, there's a price for trying to break the rule of nature. A small alteration in the past will affect the flow of time and reality in its future... and this must be one! Does this mean, the real one is destroyed in the past?! Oh good heave, I hope not! But the scene that slowly shifted back in time... only confirms that concern. ORION has indeed crashed down on Earth, and its passengers are on the ground, wounded and unconscious. And standing in front of them, is none other than... Sir Orion!!! Fun fact: Orion is played by actor Kai Shishido, who is the son of legendary actor Joe Shishido. He's not new to Tokusatsu, having played DASH Captain Shigeru Hijikata in the 2005's "Ultraman Max". Looks like Shishido was added to the cast later on, because I don't think he was the actor we saw in Eris's story. That one was younger, smaller in figure, and has much lighter skin! Something that obviously a nitpicker like me would've noticed... LOL. It's a tad disappointing, because having felt familiar with his face, I've been really curious about that mysterious 'temporary' actor. Guess I won't be getting my answer anytime soon. But at the same time, I'm not complaining about Shishido. He DOES has a powerful presence worthy of an important character. Beside, if my theory of Orion being Lucky's biological father pans out, his surname would make for a perfect pun! The kanji means another, but 'Shishi' is 'Lion' in Japanese, right?

Overall: Oh wow, one surprise after another huh? Thank goodness we got a lighter episode last week, otherwise I don't think my heart is ready for such intensity to come every week. This episode left me with a bitter taste, which was both sad but good. Realizing that Naga can't actually be saved, felt like swallowing a bitter pill that refuses to go down the throat. It made me feel... hopeless. But such uneasiness could only land if audience deeply cares about him and Balance as characters, which is a really good thing. So call me hypocrite, but I'm glad the Dark-Naga arc isn't resolved too quickly. Otherwise I'd be quite disappointed. Thumbs up to the writers this time for a strong focus episode for Balance. Much needed praises also goes to the sound department, because once again, GREAT use of fitting BGM to amplify the scenes. The melancholic ones during Naga and Balance's heartbreaking moments worked gorgeously by adding shade and tint of sadness. I might have some minor nitpicks about this episode that affects my score, but overall, a truly excellent episode... Next week: Orion, oh ORION... PS: We're back to "Kyutama Dancing" as the ending theme, but this time Tsurugi has been added to the equation. Also, alongside teaser for the first Bluray Box set, the official trailer for V-Cinema "Episode of Stinger" has been aired. It's available online if you're curious about it.

Episode 28 Score: 8,3 out of 10

Visit THIS LINK to view a continuously updated listing of the Kyutama / Kyu Globes. Last Updated: September 5th, 2017 - Version 2.13. (WARNING: It might contain spoilers for future episodes)

All images are screencaptured from the series, provided by the FanSubber Over-Time. "Uchu Sentai Kyuranger" is produced by TOEI, and airs every Sunday on TV-Asahi. Credits and copyrights belong to their respective owners.

[secret-diary-of-an-fa]

Roll Out the Red Carpet: It’s Time for the Annual Secret-Diary Awards

TRIGGER WARNING: THIS FINISHES ON A REALLY BLEAK NOTE

So, with Xmas gone and just a few days until New Year, 2019 is staggering to a richly-deserved close.. which means it’s time to look back and hand out some entirely hypotherical awards to people and cultural products that don’t know I exist and wouldn’t care if they did. It’s fair to say this year has been a mixed bag of the transcendent and the appalling. Kind of like a sandwich bag full of ferrero roche and cat sick. Without further ado, it’s time to rummage through that bag and pull out the most succulent chocolates and the most nauseating lumps of vomit to give them their fifteen minutes of ill-founded notoriety.

The Jason Voorhees Award for Best New Horror Villain... ... Goes to the kid from Brightburn (who eventually becomes known as Brightburn himself, incidentally). In the 70s and 80s it was easy to grab attention as a horror movie antagonist, because there wasn’t a huge amount of competetion. Jason himself bludgeoned his way into the public’s heart and the collective cultural unconscious just by being unkillable and refreshingly workmanlike in his approach to homicide. Freddie grabbed attention with a nothing more than some surreal nightmare sequences and a glove with knives on it. Nowadays, the standard’s much higher. Luckily, Brightburn brought something fresh to the table: all the powers of Superman combined with the moral compass of a drugged-up rock musician. I, for one, look forward to his next murder project and/or concept album.

The ‘Dog With its Head Trapped in a KFC Bucket’ Award for Most Self-Defeating Move of the Year... ... Goes to the British public, who had an election this year in which they were invited to choose between a kindly older gent who wanted to renationalise the railways and ensure the survival of the NHS and a drivel-spouting upper-class buffoon who wants to destroy the NHS, destroy traveller communities, antagonise the E.U. and repeal the laws that protect against animal cruelty. The British people chose the upper-class buffoon, because (and I have to admit that I’m guessing here, but it’s an educated guess) THEY’RE GIBBERING FUCKWITS DEVOID OF BOTH COMMON SENSE AND EMPATHY.

The ‘I Told You So Award’ for Most Comprehensively Murdered Franchise... ... Goes to Terminator: Dark Fate. The Terminator films have always made intelligent use of both male and female leads, balancing the need for a feminine narrative voice against the fact that their audience are mainly there to see big manly, macho robots beat nine shades of crap out of eachother. In an effort to appear ‘woke’ (to use the parlance of today’s hot young bell-ends), Terminator: Dark Fate elected to sideline the big, manly macho robots in favour of three female leads, only one of whom was Jamie Lee Curtis. This failure to accept that the audience for the Terminator films is mainly men who want to imagine themselves as unstoppable robot killing machines pretty much lead to the film bombing at the box office. The lesson to be learned here is that NOT EVERYTHING NEEDS TO VIRTUE SIGNAL HOW GENDER-PROGRESSIVE IT IS EVERY FIVE MINUTES. Of course, media comentator types have been groping for literally any other reason the film might have failed miserably, but it’s a losing battle: I’m pretty sure even that one with Christian Bale made money, and that was bloody terrible. No disrespect to Dark Fate director Tim Miller, though: he needs to do something with his time in between Deadpool films and it might as well be going from ailing franchise to ailing franchise, putting them out of their misery like an endless succession of Old Yellers.

The Andrea Dworkins Dancing Naked On a Plinth Award for Best Actually Good Woke Movie... ... Goes to The Perfection (spoilers ahead), a film about two classical musician ladies taking a brutal and harrowing revenge on the misogynistic, overprivileged man who destroyed their lives. Easily one of the best films to emerge in 2019, it’s one of only two films I’ve ever described as ‘transcendent’ (unironically). The Perfection is shocking, brutal and feminist in a way that suggests that the writer might actually know what feminism is and what movie writing is- which makes it pretty much unique in the current era of self-consciously progressive films.

The Most Needlessly Elongated Process Award... ... Goes to the impeachment of Obvious Criminal Donald Trump, which is still going on at the time of writing. He worked with hostile foreign powers in order to cheat in his election, he’s boasted about sexually abusing women and he’s the most singularly incompentent, dangerous imbecile in the history of American politics. Just fucking arrest the guy already. How long does it take to get one flatulent old crook into a prison cell? Has he fucking superglued his feet to the floor of the white house or something? HURRY THE FUCK UP!

The Most Painfully Ironic Celebrity Death Award... ... Goes to Carroll Spinney, who gave movement and life the Big Bird and Oscar the Grouch puppets on Sesame Street then died of a degenerative, neurological movement disorder that slowly robbed him of the ability to move his own body. There’s not a lot I can do to make that funny, other than point out the bizarre irony of that coincidence. As far as I’m aware, he was a lovely man who brought joy to thousands of children and dim adults. Definitely worth raising a glass to this New Year’s Eve. It’s just sad for him that he died in a bleakly funny way and therefore ended up in my end-of-year roundup. What a way to finish a rich and fulfilling career. Poor bloke.

The Special ‘Band of the Year’ Award... Goes to The Orion Experience, who actually disbanded quite some time before 2019. However, I only discovered them this year, so I’m giving them the shoutout they so richly deserved, several years ago... when it might have helped. They’re great: a camp, New Romantic sound combined with clever lyrics and deliciously inventive song concepts make them one of the best modern bands I’ve ever had the good fortune to stumble across.

The ‘Chrissy Metz Goes on a Diet’ Award For Worst Thing to Have Happened to an Unsuspecting Planet... ... Goes to Hellboy (2019), which came out at the start of the year and set a high-sewage mark for general awfullness. It was a bafflingly, determinedly bad film in which characters simply stated their feelings rather than emoting, musical cues were misdeployed and wasted and the plot meandered from one bloated set-piece to another without ever feeling big or meaningful. To describe it as a shit-burg floating in a sea of lukewarm cum would be to insult shit and cum. I’ve had eight months and I still can’t get over how bad it is.

The Hellboy 2019 Award for Second Worst Thing to Have Happened to Unsuspecting Planet... ... Goes to Chrissy Metz’ diet. Yeah. She went on a diet. She’s shrunk. Don’t google it: it looks exactly as pathetic, miserable and depresing as you’d expect- another plus-size celebrity knuckling under to the pressure to lose weight and not even being good at it. If I’m ever famous, remind to use my position to elevate some actual motherfucking feedees to the status of cultural icons, just so we get some fat celebrities who actually stay fat.

The Arnold Rimmer Award for most Gratuitous Act of Cowardice... ... Goes to Prime Minister Boris “My Second Name Means Penis” Johnson, who, in the run-up to the election chose to hide in a fridge rather than be interviewed by Piers Morgan. This is particularly funny because Piers Morgan is a toothless, name-dropping suck-up who doubtless would have given the Prime Minister an easy ride while making big, goopy heart-eyes at him and fantasising about how he’ll be able to boast to his friends that he’s met BoJo, the Amazing Guffing Head of State. Maybe Johnson just correctly surmised that if he was in the same room as Morgan, the Craven Bullshit Density (or CBD) would be so high that the universe would implode.

The Dianne Abbot Award For Sexiest Older Black Lady in a Serious Cultural Product... ... Goes to Octavia Spencer, who played Psycho-Cougar Sue Ann in the psychological horror film Ma and who did a great turn as a emotionally manipulative, possesive, terrifying and yet strangely sympathetic borderline sociopath... whom I would definitely have had sex with, given half a chance.

The UK Postal Service Award for Most Delayed Cultural Event.. ... Goes to the arrival of Rick and Morty Series 4, which finally arrived on screens after years trapped in a nightmarish labarynth of production issues, rights negotiations and (admittedly justified) showrunner perfectionism. I haven’t seen it yet, since there’s a very good chance that 2020 will be a barren wasteland in terms of televsion and I want to make sure I have at least one good thing to binge-watch during the early months of the year. However, I’ll give you my hot-take when I do get round to viewing it.

The Brian Cox’ Strip Tease Award for Loveliest Thing to Happen in 2019... ... Goes to TV magician Justin Willman, who, towards the end of this year, gifted the world with a second series of Magic For Humans, probably one of the funniest and most inherently well-meaning street magic telly series ever invented. Speaking as a magician, I have to say it’s nice to represented in the world of televsion by a warm-yet-snarky gad-about rather than pretentious mumbling toss-mage David Blaine.

The Special Award for Most Confusing and Alarming Year of the Decade... ... Goes to 2019 itself, which offered political hope only to snatch it away; produced some amazing films while continuing to shit out virtue-signalling dreck at the same time; and generally massaged us with one hand while slapping us with the other. In many ways, it was a year that refelected human nature itself. Earlier this year, angry arsehole commuters beat the crap out of Extinction Rebellion protestors who were trying to raise awareness of our planent’s ongoing ecological crisis from the roof of a London Underground train. And that about sums up the dichotomy of the human race for me: enlightenment and knowledge climbing high in the hope of broadcasting its message, only to be dragged down by an endless ocean or irredemable thick cunts who’d rather be complicit in the slow death of civilisation than be five minutes late for a job they don’t fucking like. And that’s why 2019 gets a booby prize: it was a year that embodied the brief rise of brilliance from a sea of grime while reminding us of how little that actually helps. Cheers!

So that’s it for 2019. The death of culture, political acumin and possibly the human race continues, though with the occasional high-point thrown in just to keep things interesting. I’ll see you bastards when it’s when it’s time for my New Year’s Resolutions Blog. Sorry that turned a bit bleak at the end, but in fairness, that only happened because I live in a terrible country during a terrible time in history.

[womenofmena-blog]

Evaluation

For the longest time time women of the MENA region have been disempowered and treated in a way that has left us with no dignity. I refuse to see this continue and the more stories I read and the more research I do the more it breaks my heart. It is not just heart break, it is so much more; it is pure terror and anger! Anger towards all the young girls that have been victims of child marriage that could possibly lead to their deaths, to who have undergone FGM (female genital mutilation), to all the women who have had their own faith twisted and used against them, to a society that continues to belittle and control women. With all this anger comes determination, determination and hope for a better future.

 I was talking to my parents about my project and told them how I’ve decide to change my disaster from migrant workers in the Arabian Gulf to the issues concerning women of the Middle East and North Africa, which is a topic I am a lot more passionate about. The first thing they said to me was “Dina, why are you so determined to make us look bad.” Here it is again “stop making us look bad” a term I despised, as I do strongly believe that talking about what is wrong in a community you really do want to learn to love is not something that a person should avoid but instead you MUST talk about it, you must bring awareness to it and if that process has the people around you feeling uncomfortable then that is not a good enough reason to stop talking about it. I was privileged enough to be brought up in a sheltered life, I had no idea that all these disasters regarding women were even happening, I was so oblivious. When feminism was first brought up around me I thought it was way too extreme and something I did not personally need because I have had a comfortable life but slowly with time the more I knew the more invested I felt towards the cause.

  Let us go back to “stop making us look bad” and why I have heard it a lot when I’ve spoken about this project with friends/family. when it comes to talking about such issues where are criticizing ourselves and bringing light to them it then can easily be manipulated into working towards the agenda of the right-wing western conservatives to use in favor of spreading xenophobia and Islamophobia They will get to go like “look everyone did we not tell you that they are backwards and barbaric.”

 So how do we fix this problem? Awareness! Have people feel like they could easily Identify with these victims. Remind them these aren’t just a statistic but are people with normal live. people don’t like to be remained of their privilege since it can make some feel uncomfortable and feel some kind of guilt. Ease them into the conversation since no body likes to be shouted at and told that they’re wrong and ungrateful. Instead of constantly talking about an issues as a whole you might as well start to bring up real stories of real people. References: Sarah Wiggins & Jabbar Al-Obaidi. (2013). Journal of International Women's Studies. Women and Gender in the Middle East: Recognition, Reflection, and Realignment. 14 (2), 2.

Mona Eltahawly (2016). Headscarves and Hymens: Why the Middle East needs a sexual revolution. UK: Orion Books

Becky Harlan. (2015). Documenting Child Marriage for Over a Decade—and Still Going. Available: http://proof.nationalgeographic.com/2015/09/14/documenting-child-marriage-for-over-a-decade-and-still-going/. Last accessed 10th Jan 2017.

Malak Sekaly. (2016). ABAAD: SMASHING THE PATRIARCHY. Available: http://www.spiralmag.net/?p=10062. Last accessed 14th jan 2017.