#the MULTIPLE angles of the cake dive

[butterflysnowflake]

look nothing's more suspicious than massive pastries

Yep, just dive head first into the cake. Just like that, Wolfie.

[swampstew]

KillerCook Chapter 10

Welcome to Raven’s Reading Nook - a small corner of this blog dedicated to cozy story times. Join us in the family room as we sit around and browse our phones, and eat some Girl Scout cookies as we begin tonight’s story. Rated Mature for language. Minors DNI

“Almost ready guys?”

Affirmative voices responded to Killer as he tied his apron around his waist, preparing to go live. Wire adjusted the overhead camera mount for angles and fluid movement while Heat used his laptop to monitor and assist with the show’s channel.

“Last run down: we go live, I do my bit, the ingredients are presented, the rest of the crew helps mix, assemble, and decorate, we call in Kid and we start the party. Did I miss anything?”

Blank stares looked back at him, not answering until—

“Where’s your helmet Killer?” Dive pointed to his bare face.

“OH SHIT!”

A light knocking came from the kitchen door and Killer jumped, “NO ONE COME IN HERE! ITS FORBIDDEN!”

Silence took over as the person on the other side of the door didn’t answer or knock again. Instead, something was pressed against the wooden door, and multiple feet could be heard scurrying through the hall and away from the kitchen.

“Who else is in the house?” Killer asked after he quickly counted his crew.

“Distractions for the Boss,” Wire flashed him a thumbs up.

“…Which one of you invited the Straw Hats?”

“Killer its time!” Heat called out a minute before the hour.

“Shit, where’s my helmet?!”

Pomp was closest to the door and cracked it open before fully opening to bring in a box sitting on the floor. Inside, Killer’s helmet. A note attached to the front that read:

Sorry we took it. Wanted to see what it looked like with my hat. Jaggy already hit me and the lady in pink said to apologize. Save me some dessert please. Monkey D. Luffy

“I-whatever. As long as it doesn’t smell weird,” Killer grumbled, tossing the note in the trashcan.

Wire led the countdown, “Going Live in 3, 2, 1,” he mouthed the final number and pointed his finger at the chef to begin.

“Hey everyone! KillerCook here with a special announcement. It’s my #1 taste tester’s birthday! So today me and the crew are working together to make awesome desserts for the man who eats anything and everything!”

The crew walked through the camera’s focus as Killer introduced each one to the audience.

“Everyone is contributing, no spice or egg will be added by the same person as we all work together, quite possibly in peaceful harmony, to make this day as great as possible. As always, the recipes will be pinned to the top for anyone wanting to try it out at home. Keep the tags and stitches coming, I love seeing you all try these dishes and putting your own flair on them!”

Directing the procession with the crew, Killer had them walk in and out of the camera frame showcasing each ingredient as if it were a game show presenting the prizes to be won.

“We’re throwing the Captain a party so we need to make enough desserts for everyone AND him. Now Kid isn’t the type of guy who sticks to most traditions, just a few that he holds close to the heart. Birthday cakes he can go either way. To make things interesting, we’re not doing just One Cake. We’re going to make 3 desserts, and hopefully still have enough to satisfy everyone’s appetite and not leave ANY leftovers.”

Pulling out his tablet device, Killer showed the screen to his followers to share the desserts in mind. The sound of notifications pinging indicated that the poll was popping off. Heat gave Killer an enthusiastic whisper shout and lowered the background music so the audience could hear Killer better.

“I’m hearing a debate has broken out on whether or not two of the desserts are the same. Well kind of yes and no. Choux pastry technically is the branch family that makes both Profiteroles and Cream Puffs, HOWEVER – the difference is the filling, one uses custard and the other uses whipped cream and fruit. So technically different. Yes, I agree that a Chocolate Trifle is the clear ‘birthday cake’ replacement, but like I said, we need enough for everyone and Kid doesn’t love sharing.”

Killer motioned for Gig and UK to bring a massive serving dish into the camera’s focus.

“This is why we had to custom order this bad boy!” using a rag from his apron pocket, Killer wiped some fingerprints from the side of the bowl. “This is a pure crystal trifle bowl that can hold enough servings for 4 Kids! So I think we’ll be good. We’ll assemble the layers last to let the pudding and whipped cream chill for serving.”

The two men brought the bowl to a different area and out of the way as Killer brought out the first group of bakers.

“This is the Trifle Squad. Get to position,” the group composed of Reck, Dive, Jaguar, Pomp, and House moved towards the counter space nearest to the fridge. They began grabbing their ingredients and tools to begin baking when given the sign.

“This is the Cherry Squad, they have the fun bonus of mashing the cherries for our glaze outside. Speaking of, you can go do that now,” Killer pointed off camera. Mosh, Boogie, Quincy, Compo, and Disc J marched to their designation.

“Can’t forget about the [redacted] squad. And if you’ve been wondering about the recent use of censorship lately, well to be honest it’s all on you guys. There’s been an addendum to the social media contract that says we can’t say certain words or risk getting banned. So keep it PG-17!”

Haikei, Emma, Moai, Hop, and Papas made their way to the kitchen island with their respective mixing bowls and ingredients. That left only a few members of the official crew left.

“And last but certainly not least, the Rough Runners. Unlike the name implies, they will be our kitchen coordinators that clean dishes, bring us ingredients or tools we need to each other and from anywhere we keep them. Step up guys,” Killer motioned for the last members to come forward.

Hip, Oscar, Noe, UK, Gig, and Bubblegum stood in a line from descending order as they waved to the camera.

“Bubblegum and Gig also act as bouncers and security on the side and will also be the enforcers tonight as our parties tend to uh, get a little crazy,” Killer waved to the other tallest members of the crew that weren’t Wire.

“With the help of some local friends, the party is being set up in the backyard while we prepare the desserts for the birthday brute. Ideally, we all work in harmony to make the desserts at once. If we can manage that, well let’s just say there’s an underground betting pool that this is all riding on.”

The crew laughed as Killer joined them with his pastry hat adjusted on his helmet. Heat turned up the music playlist and Wire took over directing the live show so the chef could focus all his energy in his kitchen. Every crewmate had their moment of camera time as Wire woved between the bakers, the glazers, the runners, and Heat who entertained the community chatters as he ran polls and answered the text channel to keep the audience engaged.

As Killer prepared the doughs for baking, his commis chefs worked in their respective sections to make the glaze, whipped cream, chocolate sauce, bake the brownies, crush the No-reos, and do everything in between. Any time the groups found themselves with a few minutes to spare, they would huddle around Heat and talk to the audience as Wire filmed it.

“—And that’s cool and all but I wouldn’t mind becoming a tattoo artist, in fact I already do dotwork style but most people prefer other methods so no reason to stay in one lane,” Emma finished the rest of her water and handed the glass to Oscar. He threw her a dirty look before going to the sink.

“User_x58469: is directing this question to Papas: ‘are the tinted sunglasses indoors a statement’?”

“Yeah it’s a statement. A statement that says I need prescription glasses and I have style. [Redacted] off, I’ve got work ta do,” he grumbled, pulling his hoodie over his head and walked to the kitchen.

“He’s sensitive about his eyesight,” Heat tutted at the chat.

“And I’m sensitive about lingerers,” Killer loomed over the sizable group that had crowded around Heat and Wire. “It’s time to do the decorating, give me my show back!”

As the crewmembers ran to their stations, Killer tsked at his technical assistants before taking command of the camera once more.

“We’re in the last stretch! Now we get to the fun part, filling and putting together the layers. For the trifle, we’ll be taking turns layering the cooled pudding and whipped cream, the chopped up brownies, crushed no-reos, and chocolate shavings in the crystal bowl. We’ll also be filling the profiteroles with vanilla custard and drizzling the chocolate sauce on top once all the dough balls are filled. At the same time, we’ll be cutting the other half of the dough balls in half so we can layer the black cherry whipped cream between the two halves and top it off with some powdered sugar and a generous drizzle of black cherry glaze.”

Killer looked at his watch, “We’re making such great time that we’ll actually be done at the time the party starts which is just perfect. I have time for a few questions before I get back to supervising and layering.

“FreeBritney_MS: wants to know how difficult is chiox pastry, and if you need to be an advanced baker to attempt it.”

“Oh this is a myth! Its considered an advanced form of bakery but really all you need is patience and creativity. Most people fail between making the dough just right, or in the double baking process. Common mistakes I see are undercooking the dough, or having the structure fall when baking is done. I would advise working slow to see what your dough needs from you in order to bake exactly what you want. Don’t forget to poke a hole before the second bake, otherwise the inside won’t fully cook and get that flaky crispness its known for.”

Before long, the kitchen was relatively quiet as the music flowed and the crew took their time meticulously decorating each dessert. When they were done, they had created 300 pastries and probably the world’s biggest trifle.

“Without further ado, let’s bring in the man of the hour for his taste testing.”

Killer pressed the button under the counter to signal for Kid to come in. With a final grating of chocolate shavings on the trifle and making sure the sauces and glazes dripped in droolworthy fashion, he pushed a plate of desserts from the main bounty forward and motioned for the crew to move around to still be in the camera’s wide frame shot.

Everyone waited in anticipation as the thudding sound of boots echoed from the hallway. The door was pushed open, revealing a behemoth wearing an outfit fit for the King of Punks.

Kid was dripped out in black, ripped jeans with a mesh tank top that was partially covered by his beloved patched jacket. It had all his favorite bands, his own jolly rogers, and other inside jokes patched on the black dyed denim and spikes that ran down the collar and shoulders. At his waist, a checkered plaid half kilt that shrouded his legs but did not take away from his steel toed Doc Martens. His tufted hair was styled extra pointed, and his signature goggles were gone, in their place a simple paisley bandana keeping his long locks from his face.

Instead of his usual black guyliner, Kid had opted for a dramatic wing effect and complemented the look with a smoked red color that made his eyes glow. He had gone a little heavy on the highlighter dusted across his cheekbones and tip of his nose, but his red lipstick was immaculate as always. His golden piercings shone as if a hundred camera flashes were going off at his every movement.

The pièce de résistance was the massive wreath that rested against chest.

Massive whirls of meringue were piped together side by side to create the wreathe, and inside each of the piped nest shapes, there were tufts of meringue piped inside and on the outer rim of the nest to create a thick chain of meringue gears. The inner circle of the wreath was reinforced with solid layers of meringue to keep the shape stable, and in those flat surfaces, diluted food coloring had been used to paint a watercolor like design. The design looked vaguely like an eastern red dragon encircling the wreath itself. The gears were sprinkled with splashes of silver food coloring and edible gold leaf flakes placed on the outer rims.

A smirk was plastered on Kid’s face as he gently lifted the wreath from his chest, “Jealous of my bling?”

“Wh-what is it?” Dive asked.

Killer walked up to the birthday boy and lightly tapped his finger to the wreath, “It smells and looks like it’s made of meringue.”

“Damn straight it is. Gonna eat it later.”

“Oh that’s really cool, look at the detail,” Wire ran his fingers on the wreath for the camera and pressed too hard on one of the gears causing it to crackle and dent.

“WATCH IT! You break my wreath and I break your face,” Kid snapped, stepping past the curious hands to stand in front of the island countertop.

“It’s sturdy enough which means an expert made this,” Killer scoffed, “It’ll stay together assuming you don’t punch it or tug it.”

“Yeah yeah, what’d you make for me?”

“Excuuuuusssseeee me, Captain,” the chef regained his posture. “Made you this. Happy [redacted] birthday!” he flippantly pointed at the desserts.

“What’re you bitchy about?”

“I thought I was making your birthday dessert.”

“This isn’t dessert, Kill. It’s a tasty treat, from a tasty treat. Drop the dramatics.”

Like a switch had been flipped, Killer straightened his hat and cleared his throat, looking at the camera to continue his script.

“Aye aye Captain,” he said only a little sarcastically. “We present you with profiteroles, cherry cream puffs, and a chocolate trifle. We put together ‘specially for you.”

“Happy birthday captain!” the crew began cheering in the background as Kid smiled and nodded his head at them. He popped a profiterole in his mouth first.

“Oh damn that’s so good! I thought it was going to be cakier but the way it just crumbled and the custard to pastry ratio is just perfect!”

Killer nodded in approval as the others whooped.

Grabbing a napkin in his metal hand, Kid carefully ate the cherry cream puff, careful to not let it drip on his clothes. “I never knew cherry could taste this [redacted] good! The glaze has a tarty aftertaste but it hits so well after the whipped cream and pastry goes down. I really like those, make sure I get more of those.”

“Aye aye,” Killer went to section off a generous portion.

Balancing his mini dessert bowl in his hand, Kid took a precarious bite before a pleased smile spread across his face, “I really thought this would be too sweet but [redacted] [redacted] if that isn’t the best chocolate dessert I’ve ever had. The pudding and whipped cream layers are so light that its easy to just gobble this up. The brownie and no-reos go well with that sweet and salty balance, and just all together like this, I already said it but I’ll say it again, the BEST chocolate dessert, maybe in the history of ever. Great [redacted] job everyone!”

The crew swarmed Kid to individually wish him a happy birthday before the camera could get a clear shot of the Captain again. When they moved to the background and out of the frame, Kid grabbed Killer in a delicate hug that didn’t crush the sugary wreath.

“Thank you brother, it means a lot to me you went through this effort to make me something. You always do but it never ceases to amaze me.”

“Anytime little brother. We’ll always have your back, ride or die for life, we’re the Kid Pirates!”

The sound of howling and whistling overtook the music as the crew cheered for their nakama. They began tossing balloons around the kitchen and Killer took of his chef hat to replace it with a party hat. Suddenly, the sound of a young man’s voice cut through all the yelling.

“IS IT TIME FOR THE CAKE?!”

“Looks like we’re outta time! See you next time when I teach you all how to tackle the dreaded croissant. It’s not that hard, and like everything else I make, slays. This has been Faffaffaffa-Food with Killer.”

Live has ended.

Bonus: The comment section

Prop0$aline: How does a guy get a dessert order like that for my birthday? Asking for me. KillerCook: For a limited time only, I’ll be selling baked goods online! Scream_Maim_Fire: Siiiike, most state laws prohibit the sale of consumable goods. If you drive here that’s a different story. KillerCook: Please do not drive here. CabinHo3: From the bottom of all our hearts, happy birthday Captain!!! PunkNeverDied69: Thanks <3 Iwannabe_wherethepirates_arr: When is recruitment open??? FlamingHot420: Ehh…to be determined. Working on some…roadblocks at the moment.

Read on Wattpad | Read on AO3

[bestassignmenthelper875]

Operations Management: Tips for Student Success

An essential component of any company or organization is operations management. It entails process management to guarantee efficacy and efficiency in satisfying client demands. To thrive in this intricate and demanding sector, operations management students must have the appropriate methods in place. We will offer some helpful advice in this post to help students succeed in operations management.

Operations Management Assignment Help

Are you struggling with your operations management assignments? Here are a few tricks to make those challenges seem like a piece of cake:

Understand the Basics: Before diving into complex operations management concepts, make sure you have a solid understanding of the fundamental principles. Familiarize yourself with key terms, theories, and strategies to build a strong foundation for your studies.

Stay Organized: Operations management involves managing multiple tasks and responsibilities. Develop good organizational skills to keep track of deadlines, assignments, and project requirements. To keep up with your schoolwork, make a study plan and follow it.

Seek Help When Needed: If you find yourself struggling with a particular topic or assignment, don't hesitate to seek help. Ask your instructors, fellow students, or internet resources for help.  Getting support early on can prevent you from falling behind in your studies.

Apply Theory to Practice: Operations management is a practical field that requires hands-on experience. Seek chances to put abstract ideas to use in practical settings. Internships, case studies, and projects can help you develop valuable skills and insights into the field.

Keep Up: As new trends and technologies emerge, operations management is a sector that is always changing.  Take advantage of books, journals, and industry publications to stay up to date on the most recent developments in the field. The secret to remaining competitive in the field is constant learning.

Developing Critical Thinking Skills

One of the essential skills for success in operations management is critical thinking. Look at these Tips to Enhance Your Critical Thinking Skills:

Ask Questions: Challenge assumptions and seek to understand the "why" behind every process or decision. Inquiring deeply can result in a more profound understanding and creative solutions.

Analyze Data: Operations management involves analyzing large amounts of data to make informed decisions. Practice interpreting data, identifying trends, and drawing meaningful conclusions from the information available.

Think Creatively: Don't be afraid to think outside the box and explore unconventional solutions to problems. Creativity can help you devise innovative strategies to improve operational efficiency.

Collaborate with Others: Engage in group discussions, brainstorming sessions, and collaborative projects to gain different perspectives and ideas. Working with others can help you see problems from multiple angles and come up with creative solutions.

Reflect on Your Decisions: After making a decision or completing a project, take time to reflect on the process. Identify what worked well, what could have been improved, and how you can apply those lessons to future endeavors.

Conclusion

In conclusion, success in operations management requires a combination of knowledge, skills, and critical thinking abilities. By following the tips outlined in this article, students can enhance their understanding of operations management and excel in their academic pursuits. Remember to stay organized, seek help when needed, and continuously strive to improve your skills. With dedication and hard work, you can achieve success in operations management and make a significant impact in the field.

[bataddictedloony]

(i accidentally went into a tangent, forgive me)

Okay THANK YOU, I’m so sick of the only relationship people care about being the romantic kind. As if Arcane isn’t about - amongst other things - the relationships between family, siblings, found family, toxic family, mentor and mentee, friendship, soulmates and yes, romantic partners. Arcane is about how all kinds of relationships can intertwine into something undefinable. How all relationships can elevate you one moment, and completely wreck you the next (see: can anything be as undoing as a daughter). It’s about human connection, the importance of affection, romantic or not. Isha, Jinx and Sevika - blatantly not romantic - being just as important as the connection between Vi and Jinx, Jinx and Silco, Silco and Vander and Jinx’ mother, Mel and her mother, Jayce and his mother, Caitlyn and her mother, and also Caitlyn and Vi, Jayce and Mel, Jinx and Ekko, and Viktor and Jayce. They’re ALL important, all part of the Pilltover story, for better or worse.

And the fact that most fandom interactions I’ve had, is petty fights over whether jayvik is canon or not…. It’s just really disappointing. Congrats, you likely missed the entire point of the show.

It doesn’t MATTER whether they’re canon or not. It doesn’t even matter what the writers are saying. If you ship them, ship them to the moon and back, by all means! Write fanfics, draw fanart, be your truest artistic authentic self! Draw Jayce and Viktor having sex from multiple angles, I encourage it! I will like and reblog and maybe even save it in a neat little folder to use as reference for my own drawing practice, because i cannot draw those men to save my life.

If you think they’re the purest definition of platonic soulmates, you 100% have the right to do that, without getting harassed, or accused for being homophobic???? Within the limits of canon, platonic soulmates is completely valid. And even if it wasn’t, it’s still your universal right to freedom of speech to have that headcanon.

If you headcanon Viktor as Ace, that is also 100% your right. Maybe take a deep dive into whether or not you have a pattern of hc’ing disabled people as ace, ask yourself why you do that. But if not, fucking go for it! Speaking as an ace who’s also disabled: it’s fine. We exist. Sometimes it has nothing to do with our disability, sometimes it does. Sometimes sex fuckin hurts cus of our disability, and that can severely affect a libido. It’s fucking fine. Doesn’t make you deserving of harassment and being called ableist.

If you headcanon Jayce and Viktor as hyper-sexual, DO IT. Join the -at this point- thousands of fics on ao3! Bake the cake, I’ll eat it! More cake!

It’s not cus some people have a different headcanon than yours, that yours can’t co-exist. I headcanon multiple of these at the same time and I promise you, my life is more fun for it.

Okay, so apparently the reason people think one of the showrunners is homophobic is that stuff I just shared about Viktor being Ace and him and Jayce being written as loving each other platonically.

Apparently they think that's only to shut up shippers; because it's impossible that a character was intentionally written as Ace and not communicated well enough, and also people can't love someone unless it's romantic

I'm not the only one who finds a tad uncomfortable that claiming a character is ace and a relationship is meant to be platonic not romantic is seen as homophobia? Right

In a show with other canonical queer characters

[blackmissfrizzle]

No One Has To Know- Part 2

Part 1

Pairing: Angel Reyes x black!reader

Summary: The reader gets a real graduation party.

Warnings: Smut

A/N: I finally got my Girls in the Hood inspired fic out! I hope yall enjoy!

Now this was a party. Your best friend, Bryce surprised you with a graduation party the pool party edition. The only thing missing was your boyfriend and his friends. They had club business to attend to that had them running late.

Aisha, a fellow graduate was complaining about how she didn’t know how to ride dick, so you gladly volunteered to show her. On que, Shake That Monkey came on and you laid Aisha on the lounge chair. Getting on top of her you began twerking on her.

Bounce that ass up and down to the floor

Shake that shit till you can't no more

Twerk that monkey, lemme see you get low

Freak that nigga till your shit get sore

Too busy twerking on your friend, you didn’t notice that Angel and his friends arrived. Angel couldn’t believe what he was seeing. Your ass on display, eating up your bikini bottoms, moving up and down to the beat. You were definitely riding him later on tonight.

“FUCK IT UP!” You heard Letty’s voice cheer you on.

Turning around you saw the young girl, surprised at how she got there. Her dad beat you to the punch to questioning her. “Leticia, what the fuck are you doing here?!”

You couldn’t pay too much attention to the argument because suddenly you were picked up from Aisha.

“Where’s the clothes at, mi dulce?” Angel asked, biting your ear. There were too many eyes on his girl. He’ll pull his gun if he had to, he just had to do it secretly to keep the mood right.

“This is a pool party, Angelito. Clothes are unnecessary. In fact, you got too many clothes on.” You turned to tug at the ends of his kutte.

“It’s because I knew you wouldn’t be able to keep your hands to yourself.” Angel joked, sliding his hand to grab your ass.

Bryce walked past the two of you and forced drinks into both of y’alls hands. Apparently, you were too sober for her. Just as you were about to comment about how good the drinks were your song came on. You and Bryce ran towards each other, hyping the other up as you screamed the lyrics together.

Fuck bein' good, I'm a bad bitch (Ah)

I'm sick of motherfuckers tryna tell me how to live (Fuck y'all))

Angel stood behind and just watched. He loved just watching you be carefree. The pressure of being the perfect daughter not weighing on you.

Jumping in Angel’s face you began singing the lyrics towards him, dancing along to the song.

In the mall with him, I'ma have a ball with him (Yeah, yeah, woah)

Somebody call Rihanna, I'ma buy some drawers with him

He fuckin' with Thee Stallion 'cause he into wild women (He love wild women)

Put them legs on his head, now he love tall women (Yeah, yeah, ah)

You'll never catch me callin' these niggas daddy (Nope)

Angel smacked your ass as a warning to tell you to quit your shit. On multiple occasions you’ve called him daddy and he wasn’t about to let you act like you didn’t just because you were singing some lyrics.

The little smack you got, prompted you to twerk on Angel. You never really had this opportunity before and now that you can you’re loving it. You wanted to show off Angel as your man.

I'm a hot girl, I do hot shit (I do hot shit)

Spend his income on my outfit (On my outfit)

I don't text quick 'cause I ain't thirsty (I ain't thirsty)

These bitches mad, mad, they wanna hurt me (Ah, ah)

While sipping on your drink, you looked over your shoulder all innocently like you weren’t just making your ass clap against Angel’s erection.

Yeah, he call me Patty Cake 'cause the way that ass shake (Yeah, yeah, ass shake)

I'ma make him eat me out while I'm watchin' anime (Wow, wow, anime)

Pussy like a Wild Fox, lookin' for a Sasuke (Yeah, yeah, ayy, yeah)

The friction of his clothes and you twerking on him made Angel’s hard on unbearable for him. He had to get a little taste to hold him over for the rest of the party. Picking you up he led you into the house.

“Angel! Where are we going?” You wrapped your arms around his neck to secure yourself.

“Somewhere I can watch that ass shake on my dick.” Angel found the nearest bathroom and set you down on the counter.

Kneeling before you he ran his nose against your core, making you wetter than you already were.

Tugging on his hair, you tilted his head so he could look at you. “I thought you wanted to see my ass shake?”

Untying your bottoms, Angel stuck two ring adorned fingers inside of you. “Yeah, I do but first I wanna feel your legs wrapped around my head. Is that okay with you, baby?”

“Fuck yes,” you moaned, enjoying the feel of Angel’s fingers stretching you out.

There was no teasing. Angel dived in, eating your pussy like it was his last meal. He knew how to get you to a quick orgasm, and he was pulling out all the stops to get you there.

And sure, you love the head he was giving you, but right now you wanted to cum all on his dick. “Baby please I need you inside of me.” You tried to push away from him, but instead he wrapped his arm around your waist tightly and pulled you closer to him.

Angel’s tongue was expertly switching between flicking and sucking on your clit while fucking you with his fingers. Once he applied more pressure to your clit and angling his fingers, you reached your peak, beating on his back from how explosive the orgasm was.

Standing up to his full height, his beard and lips glistened from your juices. Crooking your finger, you beckoned Angel to bend down so you could get a tiny taste. The taste of your essence mix with Angel was heavenly like none other.

While kissing him, you unbuckled his jeans and pulled them down with his boxer briefs just far enough for his cock to spring out. You only got a couple of strokes in before Angel stopped you.

“Who am I?” He asked, his hand around your throat, lips ghosting over yours, and dick a half an inch away from sheathing itself inside of you.

“Daddy,” you whimpered, trying to scoot closer to his dick.

Angel lightly slapped your face. “Don’t forget it and don’t you say something stupid like that again. I don’t give a fuck even if it’s in a song.” Angel referenced to your sing along to Megan.

“Yes Daddy.” Normally you would be a bratty little shit, but Angel fucking you was the only thing you could focus on.

After slipping on a condom and turning you to face the mirror, Angel rammed into, making you cum on the spot. He rested his head on your shoulder and kissed it right before he bit it. “Make a fucking doctor’s appointment and get on that birth control, because after today you’re only gonna be coming on my cock with nothing between us. Understand?”

You nodded your head in agreement. Angel didn’t care that you didn’t give him a verbal answer, he was too caught up in how tight you felt around him.

“Shit, I don’t care if you don’t get on birth control. I could fill you up and you can have my babies. Do you wanna have my babies, mi alma?” Angel whispered against your ear, his deep voice sending shivers down your spine.

“Fuck yes, Daddy.” You looked back at him and he saw the fire in your eyes. He knew right now you would let him rip the condom off and shoot all up inside of you. The selfish bastard in him wanted to, but he remembered that you’re still young and that y’all had plenty of time to make babies later, so he kept the condom on.

Angel grabbed you around the neck and flushed your back against his chest. “Congratulations, graduate. I fuckin’ love you, you know that, right?” He asked, his lips peppering down your cheek.

Reaching behind you palmed his face. “I do, Angel. I love you too.” The sounds of your sex contradicted the softness of your proclamation of love, but soon the softness was replaced with roughness as Angel ordered you to cum with him.

Bishop was pissed and nervous. Him along with Taza and Hank came to the party to drop off a present for you. He didn’t expect to hear you and Angel having sex and now he wanted to rip Angel’s head from his shoulders.

“Calmese,” Hank advised his friend and president.

“I know in my head that she’s grown, and I can’t tell her anything, but hearing Angel fucking defiling my little girl is driving me crazy.” Bishop had to be careful holding the gift. He was so agitated he almost wrinkled the bag.

Taza slapped him on the back. “It’s ok. You’re going through 24 years worth of parenting in less than a month.”

“What if she doesn’t like it?” Bishop asked, now worried about the present instead of you and Angel. Both Hank and Taza assured to their friend that you would love your gift. It would no doubt become useful and it had a secret personal touch to it.

Seeing the older Mayans at the party, you drugged Angel along to say hi. “Hey, guys! Thank you for coming.” You hugged each man.

“We’re just dropping by. This is a little too young for us.” Bishop joked, fiddling with the bag in his hand. “Anyway, this is for you.”

Eagerly, you took the bag from him. You weren’t expecting a gift from him. Removing the tissue paper, you discovered your own helmet. Even though you were scared to ride Angel’s bike, you knew one day you would, and you would need a helmet of your own.

Jumping into Bishop’s arms you thanked him profusely.

To have his daughter in his arms warmed his heart even if she didn’t know the truth. “You’re welcome, sweetheart.”

Angel couldn’t hold back the tinge of jealousy. Of all the girlfriends the Mayans ever had, none of them ever gotten a gift from Bishop, especially a gift that’s meant to be given from a boyfriend.

“Angel, can I talk to you for a bit?” Bishop asked, not even waiting for Angel to agree before walking off.

Once they were ducked off in a corner away from everyone else Angel spoke up. “What’s up, prez?”

In full and president authoritarian mode, Bishop warned Angel. “Respect her, you understand me? Keep your dirty shit in private.”

What the fuck was this, Angel thought. The only time Bishop gave any of them shit about screwing around was when they were in the clubhouse bathroom and someone needed to use it. Other than that it was jokes all around. Did this have something to do with you being the mayor’s daughter?

Angel’s rebuttal died on his tongue when he saw Bishop’s face. There was no arguing with him about this at all. “Got it, prez.” Angel nodded his head in agreement and then left in search of you, secretly wondering if his president had a thing for his girl.

Tags: @angrythingstarlight​ @briannab1234​ @starrynite7114​ @marvelmaree​ @thickemadame​ @chaneajoyyy​ @woahitslucyylu​

[hrodvitnon]

After Mothra is done catching up with Monster-X while showering them with kisses, the pair begin to prepare for the lovemaking session to come.

They can't help but admire just how beautiful she looks, her fur is well groomed and fluffy while the rest of her body just looks regal in every way. No doubt a result of Goji's handy work to make her look as good as she can for them.

Doing it out in the open and in broad daylight feels a little weird after spending weeks on end only in the love nest. But alas, Monster-X positions themselves and Mothra in proper mating press while keeping eye contact at all times. That way they can focus only on her and care little for how exposed they are and truly make up for the wait.

Monster X's silhouette is ominous looming above her, even frightening at times, but their body language and gaze only hold love that turns Mothra to putty in their hands. They get right to work worshipping the Queen with their mouth, bringing her to orgasm multiple times on their tongue long before they penetrate her, and it's a little comical to Goji seeing Monster X's impressive member twitching impatiently. But soon enough they slip inside and Mothra cums again immediately feeling their cock fill her up after a long wait; this time they make love slowly, Monster X wanting their first orgasm to be an explosively virile one. When they're close to climax they carefully nibble through the fur at Mothra's neck and she realizes they intend to leave a claiming bite on her, so she gives them a better angle.

Soon after, Monster X cums -- and it's the biggest load yet, surprising even Goji (it rivals his own discharge in sheer volume), and when Mothra climaxes at the feeling of her lover's hot seed erupting inside her it causes a second wave of cum from Monster X's eager shaft. The lovers look down, and aside from the large mess of spunk caking their lower bodies, there's a visible swelling in Mothra's abdomen that wasn't there earlier. Monster X smirks handsomely, "All for you." They spend the afterglow with long kisses and tight embraces, and not even Goji wants to clean up that mess just yet; if Mothra's not pregnant after that explosion he can't imagine Monster X can possibly produce a bigger load than that.

Monster X is about to pull out for their regular royal cleaning, but Goji stops them. Not this time; he wants to see how many times they can cum without pulling out once and how much Mothra can hold inside her, after all she looks so pretty with her fur all dolled up and her belly full of seed. Why, she looks plump with her stud's babies already. That triggers both the feral fuck-machine in Monster X and Mothra's impregnation kink, and the lovers get to work making as big a fertile mess as physically possible. Goji growls in approval and no shortage of arousal at the sight, erection rock hard and eager for attention; fortunately he can smell Rodan's scent in the air and knows the bird will dive-bomb into the nest in his haste to pleasure his King if he has to. Monster X and Mothra are so focused on breeding they don't notice the blast of hot air rocketing over their heads as Rodan crashes right into Goji like a sex-starved female in heat.

Monster X: Look at you over there... think you'll be that thirsty for my dick?

Rodan: *AHEGAOOOOO*

The Vivienne half dabbled in some pet-play with an old girlfriend once, but hadn't thought much of it back then. Now Monster X takes absolute care in introducing this new thing to Mothra, as this is something reserved strictly for the "bedroom" and they would never in good conscience do anything that would demean, degrade or humiliate their beloved Queen, going so far as to establish a safe word if either of them suddenly gets uncomfortable. They agree to keep the pet-play simple. Suddenly Monster X smiles when they remember how Mothra grooming herself is a lot like how a cat does, and they begin the session with a request to be groomed by their "pet". Mothra happily agrees and begins to thoroughly clean her "master" using her long tongue, encouraged by gentle pets and scritches around her antennae. Monster X is standing but their knees buckle once Mothra reaches their cock and really begins to work her magic on them, the dark Titan craning their head back and moaning, "good girl".

Not one to be outdone, Rodan also puts himself to work servicing Goji's massive cock as the two males pleasure each other at the sight of Monster X slowly humping Mothra's mouth, bi-colored eyes rolling back and abs flexing with every thrust, tongue dangling out their mouth, panting and growling as their "pet" dutifully cleans them up. Soon Mothra pulls away and shows her back to "master," tail lifting to show how wet she is for them, and Monster X rewards her by getting into position, one hand gripping the silk leash. Rodan isn't sure if he cums from Goji's cock in his mouth or from the show.

Afterwards, Goji can't help feeling proud of how much Monster X's aftercare ability has improved.

[currywaifu]

𝐭𝐢𝐭𝐥𝐞: angelica flower 𝐬𝐡𝐢𝐩: miyoshi kazunari/reader 𝐫𝐚𝐭𝐢𝐧𝐠: sfw 𝐰𝐜: 1.1k words 𝐝𝐞𝐝𝐢𝐜𝐚𝐭𝐞𝐝 𝐭𝐨: Cerise 🍡 

𝐬𝐮𝐦𝐦𝐚𝐫𝐲: kazunari is a regular at the flower shop cafe reader works at, and he is in need of inspiration 𝐝𝐢𝐬𝐜𝐥𝐚𝐢𝐦𝐞𝐫: this work is a part of the flower shop event, a series of unconnected flower shop AU one-shots

The sound of the storefront door swinging open and a shout of your name indicated the arrival of your favourite regular customer.

“Heyho! You look cute today too piko☆” and if you weren’t already convinced, the cheeriness present as ever combined with his catchphrase solidified the man’s identity.

You turned around to greet him properly, somewhat surprised to find him standing alone. Weeks ago you would have been too timid to even talk to him outside of

“Kazunari-kun, you didn’t bring anyone with you today?” you asked, “it’s kinda weird seeing you alone.”

“Nyahaha! It just means I can spend more time talking to you one-on-one~♪” Kazunari said, a boisterous laugh escaping his mouth, a wider smile at the sight of reddening ears going unnoticed, before he answered you more seriously, “I have a sketch to do for class, but I keep getting distracted.”

You nodded understandingly. It was always hard for you to concentrate in a noisy place, so you understood his dilemma.

“Do wanna sit somewhere more secluded?” you pointed somewhere towards the back of the shop, “it’s usually where I stay when it’s not my shift, or if I’m, like, studying for class.”

“Woah! Special friendship perks?! Is this what you get when you’re BFFs with someone from the littest flower shop slash cafe slash totes aesthetic hang in Veludo?” he exclaimed, and you didn’t bother suppressing the laughter that he caused.

“I mean, technically anyone could sit there?” you pointed out with a giggle, but you left your spot from behind the counter to usher him there. “If you wanna get cosy, I’ll show you the best place to sit,” you offered, smiling as Kazunari cheered excitedly, almost bouncing like a cute puppy.

You led him to a table with a comfy loveseat, positioned beside a window that probably would’ve brought a glare of sunlight to the interior if it wasn’t a little late in the afternoon already. Unsurprisingly, he dives onto the armchair immediately; his bag of what you’ve come to know contained art supplies following suit.

“Nice, right?”

“Uhhh, hell yeah!” Kazunari sunk a little deeper into the chair, about to continue talking until you heard the store door open.

“Big OOF, you better—“

“Yeah, oh gosh, I haven’t even gotten your order yet?” you said a little hastily, “you going for the daily special cake again? With the complementary—“

“Yep yep! You know my tastes so well piko☆” he said with a grin, before shooing you off, “now go! You don’t want the chef to come out and scold you again~♪”

You laughed as you quickly ran back to the counter to entertain your new customer’s order, watching from the corner of your eye as Kazunari brought out his art supplies. You silently wished him well.

…

Your shift was nearly ending, and as the sky dawned a palette of pastel pinks and purples, the business and idle chatter of the shop settled down. Save for the “Cafe Music! Jazz & Bossa Nova instrumental music” YouTube playlist in the background, all was quiet.

Well, save for the sound of pencils against rustling paper from the back.

Knowing he would be too focused to spare you a glance, you peeked at him from your spot by the counter. When Kazunari was in work mode, he gave off a totally different vibe— and while on normal circumstances you’d think this side of his was just as charming, something was off based on his furrowed brows and the barely noticeable frown on his face.

After a second thought, you opened a cabinet behind you and got a small jar of candies. You usually reserved them for yourself throughout the times you needed some sugar for energy, but you figured Kazunari needed some more than you at the moment.

You knew he liked candy, so if you couldn’t help him with his work you could at least support him somehow!

“Kazunari-kun, how are you?” you asked, situating yourself beside his chair. With a small groan, he angled his sketchbook to let you look at it properly.

While you haven’t seen a lot of Kazunari’s stuff, you knew he was amazingly talented in multiple art mediums— be it traditional or graphic or anything else in the spectrum. Looking at what he drew so far, you could say that the idea and technique were definitely there, but it was a little lacking save for the centre of the page.

Kazunari clearly knew it, too.

“I’m Gucci mostly, but I think something’s off?” The blond said, “like a missing detail to make it less plain? Idk tbh.”

You pouted. You didn’t know what to add either, so instead you proceeded with your plan and showed him the small jar of candy.

“Sorry, I don’t know what I’d add personally, but I just wanted to give you something to…” you trailed off until you could phrase the rest of your sentence in a logical manner, quickly giving up on that. “Haha, I guess I just wanted to support you somehow?”

“Eh? You remembered that I loved candy?!” Kazunari exclaimed, immediately perking back up from his minor slump. “You’re so cute~! High-key lit! No, totes the GOAT!” His hand touched yours, the jar still on your palm as he opened the lid.

He immediately went for the green one, and you nearly laughed at how similar it was to his eye colour. As soon as he popped it in his mouth, the same bright eyes widened at you.

“Yo, this tastes funky— but I’m kinda digging it?” he said, continuing to figure out the flavour, “what is this?”

“It’s called candied angelicas,” you said, “we got a delivery of angelica flowers a few days ago, and apparently you can make candies out of the stem?”

“Angelica flowers?” Kazunari repeated, reaching to get another piece of candy, “never heard of her. She could be walking down the street, I wouldn’t know a thing. Sorry to this flower.”

You giggled, reaching into the jar to get a piece yourself, “You dummy! Apparently they mean inspiration and encouragement, so it’d be nice flowers to give~”

The blond gasped, grabbing your shoulders and shaking you in excitement.

“Wait, that might just work!!!”

“What- what’s gonna work?” you asked in confusion, watching him set down his art materials. He stood up so quickly you would wonder how he didn’t get whiplash if he didn’t immediately squeeze you in a tight hug.

What?

Though it had only been 5 seconds tops, him pulling away felt like minutes as he rewarded you with the brightest grin you’ve seen from him today.

“Ugh, you’re actually so??? The best??? I’m totally pumped up and inspired now!”

Well, maybe you didn’t have to understand right away. You were just glad you were able to help him.

“ thank you for your hard work today at the flower shop! here, feel free to take home these angelica flowers with you~ ”

【 angelica flowers 】 inspiration, creativity, encouragement

“ maybe you’d like some more flowers before heading home? ”

-ˋˏflower shop masterlistˎˊ- |  -ˋˏfic masterlistˎˊ-

[manjuhitorie]

Muro Festival, is a rock festival! Which invites newcomers, upcoming artists, veteran come-on-ers, and all hard song enthusiasts alike to celebrate. Named after Muro Kiyoto, who is the manager of a Shibuya concert venue. As an avid enforcer of music events he’s esteemed by many in the scene, so the event draws in people who are driven by the fuel of that pass. At least bands will comment “Muro fest is an adhesive (Arukara)” or “The number one trait of Murofes is that the performing bands have awesome strong connections even on the side, and that the essence of that friendship engulfs it (Wasure).“ or “Even if Murofest was hosted at a small park or a in the middle of the street or in Muro’s house or even in a public toilet, I would perform. I love Murofest (Mizuno Gii).” 

Anyway the performances are full of power! Full of summer heat! Full of maudlinism to soar like Muninn! Full of a favorite: there’s Hitorie’s dead pan heartfelt bassist, ygarshy! 

And you were able to watch it on a niconico livestream but...

 IT’S ENDED NOW

 I will preserve this post as a report.... Doubling as a source for various trivia....  I’m considering maybe if a fan makes a purchase of a Wasureranneyo album, or something of similar sentiment, and DM’s me a screenshot, I could share the recording... Even if you see this in a billion lightyears from now. Because sharing is caring, all around yeah!!!

You have to get niconico premium to watch it, which is only 540 yen. Nothing compared to the fest’s ticket fee of 10,000 yen (Plus airfare fee for us overseers). You can use foreign debit cards, or even Paypal… ! Much of the performances were locked up, only for Premium members originally even for those who were able to watch real-time, so there’s no regrets in seizing the now. Thumbs up. Live shows enhance a whole different essence, so more than listening to a J-rock playlist on Spotify I’d recommend taking a dive into this while you can!!

Not only can you upfront witness the air around their electric pickguards warp to their technique, you can see them hop and whomp and throwmp around! What chords they clench with their teeth, what lines they unleash from the pit of their lungs, what parts the band will huddle together for and what songs mean the world to them! Also the crowds reactions, I move when I see them move, in polysemy. If there’s any niche J-rock band names you’ve maybe been curious about, or just want to find some new indie J-rock, the artist line-up is here! LAMP ON TERREN: wowawawa’s best buddy ‘Dai-chan’ is in there… *Waves hand* TERREN were once scheduled for a joint live with perfect timing, so they brought a birthday cake for wowaka and they got friendly with Rie... or so they thought.. The next day SND was ready to beat the shit out of them on stage. But they’re all friendly now (I think)))) Arukara: They master the standard rock setup with wads of distortion, wah effects, while sometimes make instrumental songs with violin etc. even! They do podcasts! And they reinforce cats a lot. I recommend Chigirero.  majiko: Village Man’s Store: Who are the band with bright red suits, bright firey songs, and bright red lips who kissed Shinoda that one time - In seriousness I could recommend them though, they’re sweet with only a little taste of the sleazy!  KAKASHI are rejoiced by quite a few Hitorie fans I know. There’s CIVILIAN: A three-piece whom all graduated from the Tokyo School of Music Shibuya, the bonds roam, who also hosts Nanou HoehoeP, another past utaite like majiko. LEGO BIG MORL: Sukippara ni Sake: Who are swanky with Kachāshī-like dances to the stretches of never making a boring song. And so so many more! J-rock band names start to make more less sense the more I’m in here! Wahoo! A band named Hitorie performed two years ago, and there’s LEGO BIG MORL this year, which is hoisted up by the same manager as Hitorie, Mika Arara! The members separately will some participate in cooking shows(), some each do acoustic shows on their own accord, each ego-search, and their stoic songs together are bound to at least make your foot tap from their flavored textures. For this sake I’m eyeing up the band’s particularly memorable whiz named Hiroki Tanaka. Hiroki is not most notable for his #My ygarshy hashtag, but for the sake of this he is. Under the tag is either Hiroki posting a picture of him together with ygarshy or him commenting #My ygarshy on pictures ygarshy of himself with others. Or the “What? Are you a couple?” on ygarshy’s “It’s our 9th year anniversary” photo of him with SND… yg “Sorry.” In general ygarshy and Hiroki are friendly, they drink and vent together time to time.Also Hiroki and Shibata Takahiro, the character who comes in soon, have a unit called Takahiroki. Which is the two of them fused to make flurry, with only an acoustic guitar and a mic as their weapons even!  Their concerts tend to break the norms of the non-flamboyant J-rock scene, as they screw around with their power with no real point, just a joint to a jollity! Where as many J-rock shows will use screens of music visualizers to engross, Takahiroki will use the crowd by galvanizing them raise their signature rainbow towels or make explosive call-outs towards the flames of reality. Where many will use subdued dance to party, Takahiroki will chit-chat about food and females as they swing their limbs like spinning amusement park rides or dress as bartenders and drink . Though all rock shows are have their unique tricks and spirit, it’s nice to see it super shaken up also… I introduce these two for good reason! It’s background for what’s feautured in the niconico livestream! The band Wasureranneyo! That Shibata is on vocals and guitar, that Hiroki is on main guitar, our ygarshy is on bass, and Takayuki Tomita is on drums! Tomita is from a band called THE LOVE NINGEN, whom I’m not sure how came into relation with Shibata, but Wasurerannee yo is constantly borrowing members to fill it’s blanks due to . ygarshy has been consistent for more than half a year now! Hiroki also bounces in whenever he can an ex. Wasurerannee yo member once filled in for Love Ningen. They themselves most likely meet at festivals like this! Where similar bands get together under a sonic medium and spend the crepuscle ball. But I’m going back to ygarshy! Him! His performance is a spotlight!

the important part     THE SHOW    highlights 

Wasureraneeyo start at 1:27:28, end at 1:58:39. You can manually copy-paste, and it’s a whole 30 minutes action-packed. There's about 48 hours before a the single watch instance will expire, but it's possible to close the window and come back anytime between then.

The first 5+ minutes are rehearsal, they’re muted to give the live-goers an extra extra incentive. It’s still worth a peak to see how musicians will stroll as they test. They played their theme song and also a cover of Alexandros’ Wataridori there’s nothing worth hearing anyway right (*wails).

The rest is 100% worth the buck!  ●Shibata starts off by whimpering over an urge he needs to burst out, he needs everybody to cheer him on. When he Says “Miyamoto - Ryou!”, you have to shout “You can do it!” Note: Miyamoto and Ryou are a comedian duo, who just days ago were revealed to the victims of a corrupted corporation, who was holding absolute control over them. People have cheering for them to win better circumstances in the case. Yet the apologies and the press conferences have been fantasy football battles.... Ugh... It's a riot for sure though! Official news reports are here or here or etc. ●He gets everyone to wiggle their arms 90° angles above their heads “like we’ve gone crazy!” and shout a nonsensical “Yossoi hoi hoi!” chant! With the heat as the beat! yga just plays bass! ●He makes noise for his mom, multiple times throughout! His T-shirt even has his mom on it! Specifically a picture of 2 year old himself being embraced by his mother printed on it, with the word “Mother” metallically written on the back… Source from his past diary entry of him expressing his maternal love. I can’t believe this ygarshy no wonder you can’t help but smile a lot during these shows. ●He complains about the shitty time he “went out drinking when he two cute girls walked through the door in, ‘Oh, oh, oh!’ he thought, only for them to start chit-chatting about how small their boyfriend’s dicks are! What kind of damnation is this bullshit!” ●The lyrics are about that stuff anyway!! ●There’s also a special appearance from Kanata Takehiro, the vocalist of LEGO BIG MORL. Shibata bitches at him mid-solo because “Fuck you! All the girls are staring at you now damn it!” *He is actually popular in the band due to being good and cooking and math and being an overall goofball behind the gallantries. The original of Odore Hikikomori features Hiroki and Sekihan, of Happy Head NANIYORI also he was in the niconico scene a long time ago, both dressed in clothes that you may find very unlikely but 100% plausible. ●ygarshy smiles and then recalibrates his hair over his eyes to look like a dark souls boss faceless again. He holds his bass with the neck upwards, he’s reviving his high school orchestra club bass playing sensibility. Virtuoso. The high tempo of Wasureraneeyo’s songs is definitely on par with Hitorie’s, Rie's irregular metres, swapping, interchanging and 456 metres are monstrous, but the sheer volume of tutti and strumming in Wasure’s punk songs seems to be something else as well…! yganbare!! ●Also don’t worry about those missed minutes because Shibata crowd-surfs again. This time with cash in his hand a mission! Saying “I’m glad to be here! Take me to the cute beer darling!”, as he is driven by the hands of the compliantly ecstatic crowd towards a staff member waiting in the middle of the crowd, holding up your average beer! Shibata trades the cash for the cup, he orders everyone to gather under him, “I can’t stand up if you’re pushing my ass! Oh now I can thank you”, and at last he gains the support to stand up! On top of a crowd for God's sake he rises. To glug the beer like a food chain top predator of the wild. Then to slide back to stage while crying for his mom again.

●Hiroki physically shoves ygarshy around while they have the stage to themselves. Ahh how the tables turn, the kicker to the pushee. ●In his black robes ygarshy is just such a trance to witness play throughout… It’s really great in motion and as a whole I love dirty rock concerts. Music has to be heard, my lumberous lumpy text can’t convey those sound waves… So give it a watch if you may have free time to do so! Only if you can please!  Source for comments and some info: https://skream.jp/feature/2019/06/muro_festival_2019.php  More photos and videos can be found on their official twitter! Photos by Suzuki Kouhei woah...

[celluloidwickerman]

“What the Photograph reproduces to infinity has occurred only once: the Photograph mechanically repeats what could never be repeated existentially.” – Roland Barthes

Marcel Proust turns away. His head is facing straight to one side but is not quite distant either. It could be considered a picture in profile if not for the angle of his body, crumpled and unusually creating the illusion of multiple positions. He is an aleph of himself. His hand holds his lapel, the reaction of solid determination to not let the memories break upon him perhaps. I am on my third book of Proust’s In Search Of Lost Time or Remembrance Of Things Past depending on the translation (À la recherché du temps perdu) and already I feel compelled to write and discuss its ideas, its moods and its memories. Though resisting for a brief time, coming across a particular portrait of the writer made my resistance crumble. For here in one photo is so much of the books that I have read so far, over a 1000 pages in fact, seeming to me to be shot through the prism of this one, very particular image. Within it, I feel as if what is seen behind the eyes, scribbled down when lying in bed, is captured too; perhaps like a permanent zoetrope of lost loves, social calamities and faith in artistic endeavours.

So far, Proust has been sent back into his memories. As soon as this action takes place – that temporal sway backwards and forwards (between mistakes and hindsight) – I imagined the writer looking up from his paper and away in some sense. I could not place what it was specifically he was turning away from, but there was a sense that looking back meant something was put aside; as if one door opened only on the condition of closing another. It wasn’t a sense of the present that was closed off, for with the present provided the hindsight afforded which makes the novel so far astounding and life changing. So much is said about wisdom, as if wisdom has some tangible currency, but it genuinely is the best way to describe what is on the page. Proust not only accepts his past errors – so far, his placement of faith in high society that simply bores him with its ineffectuality – but positively dives into them and scours them for detail. He must be totally certain that his search for any sort of meaning for existence does not lie there before giving up and moving on.

So Proust is looking somewhere else and, by doing so, has turned away. The photograph, and photography in general, is a fitting medium for the writer. The best editions of the book understand this shared character of hazy, sepia memory and make use of it in their designs (the recent Penguin modern classics editions) whilst the worst, intimidated by the scope of the work, vie for abstraction (the previous Vintage editions). But photography, and this photograph in particular, understand the necessity and desire to engage with a wider perception of memorialised experience on some level; the repetition of the impossible to infinity as implied by Barthes. To turn briefly into its grain and fading light is both photography’s and Proust’s strength. But then, it is worth considering Gilles Deleuze and Félix Guattari’s suggestion, quite controversially, that Proust’s work relies not so much on some search for memory but some search for truth, with the Madeline cake in particular languishing in “redundancy.”

  Which direction is Proust really looking in then? For these philosophers, it is all encompassing, neither backwards nor forwards, simply a wider, fuller breadth of perception. Proust can only turn in circles rather than look back and away. But the photo shows him leaning away, not quite fully, but not facing us either. It is ambiguous as to its intentions. There are other photos of course, plenty in fact of the young man smiling towards camera, posing with family, enjoying a view here and there. But I return to this photo, its decorated chair, its elegance and simplicity, and wonder what the man can see; whether, in fact, his vision is a temporal 360 degree curve that renders his angle inconsequential. We, the viewer and the reader, could see it in some sense as looking away as we are really peering over his shoulder in his writing, but memories may have mirrored walls curving down to the ground. All may be potentially perceived.

Perhaps then, it is ultimately me, the reader, that Proust is turning away from. It is not a negative aspect or done so in haste, but he is instead enmeshed in the problems of his own wider perception of which the reader is only a small fragment of. “Do not regard me,” he is saying, “look to that and to this and beyond to all.” This may seem ironic considering the writer’s desire to somehow help his readers, fulfilling the role that his father, the medical man, ordained and was never quite satisfied with. Proust is opening up our direction of interest and that is enough as this lone action opens up everything. At first we feel to be looking back with him over his shoulders, a sleight of hand distraction for what seems a back-and-forth wander through the memories of one man. But the real memory, the all encompassing one so far achieved in what I have read, is in the act of writing itself; in the bed, surrounded by scrolls of text in which everything can and will pass by. For that is memory, whether looked at in the eye or ever so slightly turned away from. The zoetrope continues to spin, in either direction.

Marcel Proust Turns Away “What the Photograph reproduces to infinity has occurred only once: the Photograph mechanically repeats what could never be repeated existentially.” - Roland Barthes…

[getoffthesoapbox]

[FMP!IV] EPs 1&2 - Alone Together at the Edge of the Abyss

Wow, talk about a suckerpunch. I recently completed a rewatch marathon of Full Metal Panic’s first three seasons to prepare myself for the Invisible Victory, and I must admit some regret that I did. These first two episodes might have been easier to bear if I hadn’t just reminded myself of the journey these characters have taken to reach this point. As it was, my heart was completely shattered after I was done watching them, and so there’s nothing to be done but to hash it all out. There is so much to work through here.

It’s not normally my style to follow anime series closely via my blog, so I’m not sure how regular I’ll be (or if this all I’ve got in me) with any posts. I’ve also never read any of the source material, and I prefer to remain spoiler free on that, which means my thoughts will be based solely in what I have already seen. I really just want to process my reaction to the episodes rather than speculate on how the story will unfold (there’s no real point in speculation for a series like this that already has completed source material). 

Raising the Stakes

With so much to unpack in these two episodes, I don’t even know where to start. I guess we’ll start general and then get into specifics, maybe. First off, I think Episode 1 of FMP:IV is probably the best episode so far in all four seasons. I cannot get over how intense and tight the writing is, and how much it manages to achieve in such a short span of time. 

FMP:TSR left us in a relatively good spot for our lead couple, Sousuke and Chidori. I should think it’d be obvious, but I’m definitely on board the S.S. SouKana and have been since day one. Anyway, TSR left us in a good spot--Sousuke had set himself apart from Mithril and had found the place for his own heart to rest: with the woman he loves and in the life he’s built with her. At the same time, TSR had hinted that Chidori’s troubles were only just beginning, with most of her plotline from TSR remaining open-ended and in a troubling state of ambivalence. However, Chidori seemed to recover once she was reunited with Sousuke, and all was forgotten. But ever since TSR ended, I’ve been hoping to see the rest of the story Leonard’s character introduction promised, and here comes IV to save the day. 

It was an absolute delight to see we were going to pick up in IV exactly where we left off in TSR. But this also makes it all the more difficult to watch what’s inevitably coming--this appears to be an arc where both Chidori and Sousuke will be sorely tested, both individually and as a couple. The first episode hammers this home from multiple angles, and all I could think as each blow hit was how much this arc is going to hurt. It’s almost one of those arcs that you might be better off watching once the fifth season has started airing, haha. I don’t have that kind of discipline though. ;)

Our villains this season feel more credible than in the past ones, and the difficulties the characters will be going through seem far more visceral and gripping and organic than in the past. That, plus this season building on the previous three, is going to make for one hell of a tough ride. It feels like we’ve leveled up a bit in maturity, and the themes the narrative’s starting to address are more what one would expect from a story with such a premise. But let me go ahead and dig into the characters, since they’re where all the gold is.

Tessa - Laying down the Law

I’ll get Tessa out of the way first since I’m not a huge fan of her character, though I definitely appreciated her more in IV’s first two episodes than I have in most of the previous seasons. Tessa’s main flaw isn’t really her fault; it’s the writer’s fault--rather than writing her as a capable commander with her own life and love interests, she gets pulled into the harem hijinks for Sousuke which are completely unnecessary given how stunted his growth is as a person. A woman of Tessa’s rank and caliber shouldn’t even notice Sousuke other than as a subordinate, and it lowers the level of the story to have her switch from capable leader into fawning schoolgirl just because Sousuke is the “lead character.” It would have been different if she wasn’t a captain and was just window dressing on the ship, but the story wants us to take her seriously despite also trying to have its cake on the side by shoving her into the “clumsy simpering rival” role. 

My frustrations with Tessa’s general direction aside, FMP:IV definitely brought out her better sides, which I sincerely appreciated. We don’t see much of her in Episode 1, but I definitely enjoyed her first scene with Leonard (Leonard brings so much to this series). The scene with her uncle when the communication channels were on the fritz was one of the most intense in the episode, and I genuinely felt like the stakes had been raised significantly and that Mithril was in deep trouble. The set up from her sections really helped set the stage for how isolated Mithril is, and how even more isolated Sousuke and Chidori are because of that. 

Episode 2 is where Tessa gets to shine, though. She’s always at her best when she’s with her crew rather than butting into Sousuke and Chidori’s storyline, and this is readily apparent when she steps in to quell a mutiny among the mercenaries. Tessa acts as a mirror for Chidori this episode--while Chidori is clearly a sheltered girl who is dealing with war for the first time, Tessa is the other side of the coin: a young woman who is further down the road of battle than Chidori is and who has seen death firsthand. For Chidori, Sousuke’s battlefields are a fantasy world she enters periodically and then returns to her daily life, but for Tessa this is daily life. And in Episode 2, we see Tessa is more than capable of handling it. She threatens the life of the mercenary who is attempting to mutiny, and her threat is credible. You really believe it that she’ll shoot him if he keeps pushing. This again mirrors Chidori’s inability to accept the war conditions breaking out in her backyard--while Chidori is unable to separate wartime behavior from peacetime behavior, Tessa is fully prepared not only to see lives be taken, but to take one if necessary. 

I’m assuming Tessa will continue to act as a mirror for Chidori as this series rolls on--Chidori’s clearly meant to confront the horrors of war, and Tessa has already come out on the other side of that confrontation. Hopefully this mirroring is used to help Chidori’s character rather than for harem hijinks (I will definitely resent it if the story tries to imply Tessa is “better” for Sousuke because she’s in the military--there is no reason a military man can’t find happiness with a civilian woman and it’s not helpful to either of the girls’ characters to use their personal tragedies as point systems for which one is “better” for the boy they both like). 

Okay that’s enough on Tessa for now. On to more important things, like Leonard. ;)

Leonard’s Arrival - Diving into the Crucible

When Leonard first appeared and showed an interest in Chidori in TSR, it felt like the real story had finally settled into place. Unlike Sousuke, Chidori is a young woman who has lived a typical life and is reacting to unusual circumstances. Leonard offers her an atypical life and the seductions that come with such a life. Sousuke, on the other hand, fights to protect the life she’s leading currently, though he’ll follow her wherever she wants to go. Because Sousuke is a character who follows rather than leads, the narrative does best when Chidori is at its center--she is a character with strong convictions who is smart and able to butt heads with the villains while also falling prey to their psychological torment. This is the stuff good story arcs are made of.

There is just so much going on in the exchange between Leonard, Sousuke, and Chidori. Leonard clearly has an interest in both characters, though for now his focus is on Chidori. Needling Sousuke is just a bonus for him at the moment. 

What I found remarkable about his scene with the two of them is how much lies in the subtext. Chidori clearly hasn’t said a word about Leonard or Leonard’s forced kiss to Sousuke, which creates a barrier between her and him that wasn’t there before, and is something Sousuke actually notices. And unlike Sousuke’s own adventures away from Chidori, this barrier will have huge ramifications because Chidori has more emotional maturity than he does. When Sousuke doesn’t talk about things, it’s merely because he interacts with the world in a factual, logical way without taking emotions into account normally; if someone doesn’t need to know something, he doesn’t tell them unless asked, and then he’s completely honest--there’s no deceit in him. Chidori does not interact with the world this way--when she hides something, it’s because she has something to conceal. And secrets are snakes in a relationship--for Chidori to have them now is the first step toward creating a fissure between her and Sousuke that can then be exploited by their enemies and rivals.

The three of them jockey around each other, with Leonard knowing the most, Chidori having the next highest amount of knowledge, and poor Sousuke knowing jack nothing about anything and trying to protect Chidori anyway. This, unfortunately, allows Leonard to run circles around him. Leonard baits Sousuke into attacking him in order to make a point about the magnitude of the power difference between them. But the target of his psychological attacks is Chidori, with Sousuke as a side effect. 

Leonard is definitely Chidori’s villain, though likely she won’t get to defeat him. The scene sets up the conflict between them, and the temptation for Chidori. Leonard views himself as an “elite,” and he thinks Chidori (and likely his sister) should join him in that view. He tempts Chidori to switch her view of the people she loves and lives with every day from acceptance and appreciation to looking down on them. Chidori is likely going to be sorely tested by this, even if she’s firm in her dedication to viewing the people around her as worthwhile--her abilities and powers are growing at an alarming rate, and even if she doesn’t want to become separated from those she loves, a separation will likely occur if the growth continues. It reminds me a bit of Flowers for Algernon’s premise, where the more intelligent the experiment makes the main character, the further away from the people he cares about he grows. Chidori’s going to face a similar challenge here. 

But Leonard doesn’t stop with just tempting Chidori--he throws everything and the kitchen sink at her in order to get her. First he attempts to blackmail her (and this will be what works in the end)--he warns her that if she doesn’t come to his side willingly, the town she loves will suffer for it. Then he attempts to create a false intimacy with her by reminding her of the forced kiss, which will have the additional effect of widening the growing fissure between her and Sousuke. Isolating her from the people she cares about is likely going to be a key tactic of Leonard’s--if Chidori becomes dependent on him as the only one who can comfort and protect her, she will have to come to his side by default. If he can put enough doubt in her heart about Sousuke, he’s won half the battle. To accomplish this, he throws out one last barb. To a casual viewer, it might seem that he’s doing this for Sousuke’s sake, but given the staging of the scene--Chidori is the one who’s reactions are highlighted first--it’s clear these barbs are meant for her. He flat out taunts Sousuke about how unfair it is that he’s killed nearly a hundred people and is here living freely. This certainly will be something that haunts Sousuke’s character during this arc, I’m sure, but what’s really going to hurt Sousuke is what this knowledge is going to do to Chidori’s view of him. Chidori’s love and acceptance is what’s being tested here, not Sousuke’s “right” to live freely. If Leonard can get her to doubt Sousuke, he can worm his way in. Needling Sousuke and getting Sousuke to doubt himself is just an added bonus--it’s not the goal as far as I can tell.

Either way, I love what Leonard brings to the table and I’m so excited to see how everything plays out (even though I know it’s going to hurt). 

Sousuke - Navigating “Normal”

Sousuke’s got several challenges coming his way in this new arc of the story. His character has grown in leaps and bounds since the beginning--he’s found his place in life, he’s found a woman he wants to protect, and he’s decided where he wants to be for now. This is all wonderful development, but a new test must always arise. The new test comes in the form of how committed he is to his new growth, and whether he’ll slip back into old habits.

The former student council president neatly summarizes what I think is Sousuke’s new trajectory, as well as the key points of conflict that will arise for him. The ex-pres points out that Sousuke himself is in a good place, and is well on track to learning how to live a normal civilian life. The problem is the woman he has chosen for himself eventually won’t be able to fit into that civilian life, because her abilities are anything but normal. Sousuke’s challenges in this arc are going to be how to merge his violent past with his peaceful present and make the most of it while still being able to protect the woman he loves and help tether her to the normal civilian life they both want. 

The problem is, of course, that their relationship is going to fracture because of the challenges she’s going to be facing, which will make it harder for Sousuke to reach her, since he hasn’t fully leveled up in emotional maturity yet. Navigating the difficult minefield of psychological trauma and damage is a new challenge for Sousuke, and this is going to be one he needs to learn a bit of finesse in order to get right. 

On top of what the ex-pres brought up, we also have Sousuke’s past coming back to haunt him, but in an unexpected way--Sousuke’s ease with war and with killing is going to form a barrier between Chidori and himself, especially when Chidori’s personal life is thrown into upheaval because of it. In his conversation with the ex-pres, the specter of Sousuke leaving Chidori is brought up again. Now, we’ve already dealt with this from Sousuke’s end--when ordered to leave her, he did, and he regretted it bitterly. But this will be a different kind of separation--this will be Sousuke choosing to leave despite wanting to stay with every fiber of his being, for Chidori’s sake. If a new separation occurs, it will because Chidori either wants it or Sousuke senses it would be best for her mental state. This is yet another test he’ll have to overcome, because ultimately they both love each other and they should work through their problems rather than running from each other. 

The ex-pres’s “waystation” idea is probably going to be important because of this separation--when Sousuke decides to let Chidori go (for her sake), it will be because he has faith they’ll be reunited later. He’s going to bet on the waystation idea to allow her to regain equilibrium. However, this is going to backfire, because school is the waystation--not their relationship.

Chidori - Awakening

I am so excited about the focus on Chidori this season that I can’t even contain my enthusiasm. TSR was such a disappointment because Chidori wasn’t as involved (the ex-pres is right, this story is at its best when she’s at the center of everything ;D), so it’s an absolute delight to have her taking center stage for IV. 

Just like last arc was Sousuke’s growth arc, it is now Chidori’s turn. There is a lot of ground to cover with her. First, she’s going to have to grapple with her abilities and her reality as a Whispered. She’s going to have to deal with the fact that, as Leonard says, she is “special” and with that status comes certain perks as well as significant drawbacks. Chidori’s been in denial about how special she is ever since the story started, and now is the time for her to come to terms with what that means and what she needs to do about it. 

As if that wasn’t enough of a challenge, she also is being targeted and is at the center of why her normal life is about to explode. This kind of pressure is going to make her question whether or not she has any right to a normal life, especially when it results in harming so many people. We already see hints of this in Episode 2--after her brave denouncement of Leonard, she begins cracking immediately when she sees the results of her declaration: everyday normal people are now being involved in the terrorist battles between her side and Amalgam, and beyond that, her home and the places she’s lived near all her life are turning into a war zone because of her. People are going to die because she wouldn’t play along with Leonard. This is a huge burden for her to carry, and something she hasn’t had to face before because most of the kidnappings were child’s play in comparison to what Leonard and the other Amalgam members have cooked up this time. 

On top of this, she’s taking a second look at Sousuke. This is important for her to do in general anyway--before now, she hasn’t really “seen” Sousuke or tried to understand him. She doesn’t know his past, or what he’s done, or anything about him, really, other than the fact that he barged into her life and became dear to her through his ridiculous antics. Whenever she was in tough spots in earlier episodes in the previous three series, Sousuke was always her rescuer and her somewhat dense and oblivious crush. But now she’s going to see him with fresh eyes--Sousuke is not just a nice young man who likes guns, he’s a soldier who is desensitized to death and holds the lives of people he doesn’t know as lower than the lives of people he does know. This becomes readily apparent in Episode 2, when Sousuke drags Chidori away from the injured man in order to protect her, yet leaving the man prone with no one to call for help. With Chidori’s friends in danger in Episode 3, likely this will become more pronounced because Chidori will want to sacrifice herself to save her friends while Sousuke will want to sacrifice her friends to save her. She’s going to have to take a step back and reconsider him as a partner and as a love interest, because his values are a complete 180 from hers, and this is something she’s never truly grappled with before. 

Her arc is going to be so painful, but I care not. Bring it on anyway, show! 

Chidori & Sousuke - Love Blooming in Adversity

Anytime you get this much romance at the start of a series, you know you’re in for a world of hurt. These two are so sweet they make my teeth stand on edge. I’ve got to take the time to gush over the good stuff and why it’s so important for us to see this before shit hits the fan.

Sousuke and Chidori are in a new place after TSR--Sousuke has realized that Chidori is the one he loves, and they’ve come to terms with each other, even if it’s still unspoken. In IV, after mulling over the ex-pres’s parting words, Sousuke takes a huge step forward and asks Chidori to hold hands. This embarrasses both of them, but the whole scene is so freaking endearing because despite the embarrassment, neither of them wants to stop holding hands. Ugh. Kill me now. It’s too cute for this world. What I love about it too is that even though Sousuke’s not all that experienced as a lover, he’s firm and assertive at exactly the right moments. Boy’s got great instincts. 

The mood in the hand holding scene is clearly meant to lead to something more, especially given the UST in the elevator. They’re both adorably determined to see this thing through to its logical conclusion, and their similar wavelengths are utterly precious. These are reminders that these two, when they’re on the same page, are utterly unstoppable in whatever they decide to do. It also will make the story all the more heartbreaking when the inevitable fissure erupts between them. 

Sousuke’s little smile when he and Chidori link hands again, and Chidori’s responding glance are just HNNNNNGGGGG. I can’t even describe it, it makes me so happy. I just adore how clearly in love with Chidori Sousuke is. This is ridiculously rare for shounen-based stories, and it makes my heart soar. I also love how honest and assertive Chidori is; she’s a girl who knows what she wants and doesn’t have to pretend she doesn’t. She’s also got this wonderfully coy, assertive, muted sexiness that is so refreshing. 

Unfortunately, their date is canceled thanks to Leonard. When we see them again next, they’re in stakeout mode. This scene is heartwrenching in so many ways. We get to see how compatible they are as a functioning couple here. Chidori worries about Sousuke not sleeping and scolds him. Sousuke’s body language here is quite interesting--he looks away from her and doesn’t meet her eyes. Obviously part of this is due to him keeping an eye out for enemies, but some of it (perhaps unconsciously) is avoidance because he knows this isn’t a situation she wanted and he knows he’s pushing himself and that she won’t like that. 

Sousuke tells Chidori she’ll be safe once she’s squirreled away at Merida Island. Chidori’s first thought is whether they’ll be able to return home once the coast is clear. Sousuke clearly fears this won’t be possible, due to his own past with protecting the Whispered candidates before Chidori as well as due to the past incidents with Chidori herself. They argue a bit about her abilities, and it’s easy to see their mutual fears coming out here: he is afraid she will continue to be in danger no matter what they do, and she is afraid that her abilities will make her lose all she loves. 

What I love about this scene is Sousuke admitting that they can’t rely entirely on Mithril, because Mithril’s goals are antithetical to their own. He gives Chidori’s concerns and fears and desires full credit, which is utterly adorable. He doesn’t dismiss her wishes as silly or childish; he wants to find a way to grant them. When she complains about wanting to keep her life the way it is, he actually reassures her that he knows how important her current lifestyle is to her and that he feels the same as she does. It’s honestly utterly refreshing to see a couple in a story have a functional conversation like this, even while they’re both holding their own secret thoughts and fears, without the typical ridiculous misunderstandings these stories usually rely on. 

And at the end he almost asks her to run away with him. This is what really breaks my heart. He wanted to run away with her, this practical dense boy was able to come up with such a stupidly romantic, idiotic plan because he loves this girl too much to let her get swallowed up by Mithril or Amalgam or some other organization. She means so much to him, and he’s will to sacrifice whatever it takes to help her go wherever she wants to go. 

But even though he’s at this point, she’s not where he is yet. She needs to come to terms with him first, before they can reach a stage where they can take on the world and its systems together. 

Chidori & Sousuke - Comforting Banter

The comedy between these two has leveled up in IV. It used to be the comedy between them was just Sousuke doing something stupid and Chidori smacking him, but thanks to their relationship developing, we’re now at a point where slapstick isn’t necessary because their banter more than makes up for it. 

In Episode 1, when they’re walking home together and Sousuke just keeps saying “Yeah” when Chidori’s telling her story about Shiori’s latest boyfriend hijinks. It’s a classic bored boyfriend trope, and for Sousuke to display it is utterly adorable. (Of course, he’s not bored--he’s lost in thought, but the comedic timing is still there.) Chidori gets mad at him and tries to dig for what’s bothering him, but he shuts her down. 

There’s another cute little moment at the end of the episode when they’re in the car where Chidori makes fun of his rations. He’s so practical when he tells her to just deal with it. Their banter here makes them seem just like a fond married couple. She’s fondly exasperated while he’s stubborn and no-nonsense. It’s too cute for words.

The last moment before shit hits the fan is the great moment in Episode 2 after Sousuke crashes their car. He pulls Chidori out of the wreckage, and the two of them take cover behind another car. Chidori complains good-naturedly that she’s never going to let him drive her anywhere again. And Sousuke, rather than getting offended, immediately contradicts her and says that whether she likes it or not he’s going to be driving her if its for her protection. He’s not even going to humor her on this one, it’s so cute. 

These little scenes demonstrate the remarkable sync between these two characters, and the perfect ebb and flow of their dynamic. I’m endlessly amazed by how naturally they fit together, despite how different they are, and the many sides they bring out in each other. They really are a couple that embodies both the romantic ideal of love and the more practical idea of love--even in the midst of a “destined” romance where they understand each other without words, they still find ways to push each other and grow into better versions of themselves together. 

I think it’s so important that the story highlight these aspects of them in the first two episodes, because likely their relationship is going to be tested harshly in the coming episodes, and we’re going to need these reminders that they do have what it takes to make it through the storm. 

Chidori & Sousuke - Cracking Under Pressure

Unfortunately, despite all the reminders of how wonderful this couple is when they’re working together, all the flags are pointing toward them falling apart for a while. There’s still some more growth left to be done, and it’s mostly going to be on Chidori’s end this time. Her unfinished business from TSR is about to break out into the open. 

Chidori still hasn’t dealt with Sousuke abandoning her in TSR and what that meant for her. Sousuke clearly still doesn’t know what she went through while he was gone, and that’s going to be a pendulum blade above their relationship until it’s out in the open and resolved. 

Leonard’s appearance sets the stage for the faultlines to shift in their relationship. His appearance brings up not only the unspoken scene from TSR, but it also carries a reminder that Sousuke is not what he appears to be. This reminder is something that clearly hangs over Chidori for the remaining screentime of the first two episodes. We don’t see it unfold much in Episode 1, but a little hint of it is there: after Leonard leaves, Chidori begins trembling in the aftermath of the shock of seeing Leonard again. Sousuke attempts to comfort her by putting a hand on her shoulder, and she jerks away from him violently, something she never does. It’s a clear sign that the pain and hurt he caused her in TSR and the fears that grew within her during the time when he abandoned her have not been resolved. Deep inside her, she still feels she can’t rely on him for help. It’s easy to forget that in TSR, when she called Sousuke’s name to save her, it wasn’t Sousuke who answered her call--it was Leonard. And Leonard answered with death, bringing death into her life in a way it hadn’t been before. This is something she is going to have to grapple with, and something that’s going to be between her and Sousuke until it’s addressed.

Episode 2 establishes some new fissures forming between them. First, during the car chase, Sousuke is struggling to keep them alive during their fight with the Alastors. Chidori offers to take the gunner position to help him, but Sousuke fiercely refuses with uncharacteristic force. Chidori of course is confused by his vehemence, but it’s easy to see that he wants to protect her from the other side of killing--once that line is crossed, the psychological damage is permanent. So Sousuke’s motivation of keeping Chidori free of war and innocent of its effects forms another wall between the two of them. He wants to be the one who takes on all the burden of war, leaving her helpless and bereft in a misguided wish to protect her from what she can’t escape. 

The next crack forms when they’re escaping, and Sousuke opens fire in the middle of an intersection after they nearly escape death by car crash, traumatizing a group of local citizens who tried to help them. Chidori’s breakdown over Sousuke’s inability to value any life above hers begins at this point and continues when a cyclist gets caught in the crossfire between Sousuke and the Alastor. Chidori’s first instinct is to help the man, but Sousuke can’t allow them to rest because they’re still being pursued. Although Sousuke’s reaction is correct in this situation (Chidori standing around is just going to make wherever she’s standing a war zone), because he doesn’t explain to her that moving will help the man more than staying, she begins to have an emotional breakdown because the norms she’s used to are being thrown out the window left and right. 

When Gebo 9 arrives at last and takes out some of their pursuers, instead of feeling relieved, Chidori is dismayed. Sousuke, of course, is pleased to see the danger being taken down, and though this is how he’s always been, Chidori is now looking at him with a fresh perspective and is horrified by what she sees. She interprets his smile as delight in their enemies’ deaths, when really it’s just that he’s seen so much death and has lived through so many life-or-death battles that for him the loss of life is nothing compared to protecting the woman at his side. By the time Sousuke boards Al, Chidori can no longer process the war zone her life has become and has a complete breakdown. Even though she’s seen Sousuke fight armored mechs before, she’s never seen him fight people before (despite this being something he’s always done, as a soldier), and the sheer amount of killing she’s been exposed to in the span of what is probably only a few hours on top of seeing Sousuke in his natural element is too much for her to take in. She understandably flips out.

Even with all of this, I do believe she could have overcome her initial concerns if she’d been given space to breathe and think things through with Sousuke. Sousuke doesn’t blame her for freaking out or being distraught over the situation--this was something he’s been trying to protect her from seeing, because he knows firsthand how hard being in the midst of war is. But unfortunately we start to see the beginning of Chidori believing she’s responsible for everything and that if she’d only just done what Leonard asked her to, none of this would have happened. The ending of Episode 2 only serves to highlight that point--now those nearest and dearest to her have been caught up in mix. The pressure’s intense, and Chidori is cracking. 

Sousuke’s not going to be able to help her through this before she makes a drastic decision, and after that, it’s anyone’s guess (other than those who’ve read the source material of course) how they’re going to be able to fix what’s about to break. 

Whelp, guess we’ll find out in a few hours when the next episode is released, haha. That’s what I get for being slow on this one. ;) I do want to say, though, the opening and ending visuals are heartbreaking and gorgeous and I cannot wait to see everything they’re hinting at unfold. This is going to be fun (I hope). ;)

Until next time!

[cecilspeaks]

111 - Summer 2017, Night Vale, USA

A friendly desert community where the sun is hot, the moon is beautiful, and mysterious lights pass overhead while we lay open-eyed, watching it all.

Welcome to Night Vale.

The City Council reiterated for the 1874th consecutive day that the Dog Park is off limits for both dogs and humans. The fence is electrified and highly dangerous, et cetera. Hooded figures and all that. Since its construction, we have shied from and feared the Dog Park. The Dog Park is neither a park nor for dogs, so what does it even mean to call it a Dog Park? Why do we use language that means one thing to describe something that is entirely else? I don’t know what the word for that place the City Council calls the Dog Park, but I do know it’s time to start searching for that word, and once found, to use it boldly.

The angels – who I can know say are angels and will say are angels because they are angels- held a memorial for Old Woman Josie in her house. Everyone in town came, overcome with the feeling that finally, they could look at these beings and recognize them for what they were. Even the City Council attended the memorial, but refused to make eye contact with anyone. Of course, this positive concrete identification only led to more mysteries. For if these are angels, then where did they come from, and what does that mean for us? Even now we find that we cannot voice these questions. Not because we are not allowed, but because we cannot find the words to ask. Instead, we ate cake and drank coffee in the living room of Old Woman Josie, which was once just that, the place she lived. Now, it is only a room. One by one, we laid our hand on the angel’s hands, and in that moment of contact, each of us in turn found ourselves weeping.

As the party wound down, we all heard a soft pop outside. It was the lightbulb on Old Woman Josie’s porch, burning out.

A man who I know very well came into my house today, which is also his house. He laid his head with its perfect and beautiful hair upon my shoulder and crossed his arms over his perfect and beautiful lab coat. I embraced him. We are creatures of touch, humans. And we retrieve so much meaning and happiness from contact.

“I’ve become too complacent,” he said. “When I came here, I understood this town as scientifically fascinating. And then, gradually, it became my day to day life. I could no longer see the strangeness, but only my home.” “We are all guilty of that,” I said. “But I’m a scientist,” he said. “Well,” I said, “we have all been scientists at one point or another in our lives.”

Just a reminder to all the parents out there. Let’s talk about safety when taking your children out to play in the scrublands and the sand wastes. You need to give them plenty of water, make sure there’s a shade tree in the area, and keep an eye on the helicopter colors. I asked my best friend and brother, Steve, to talk me through which helicopters belong to which organizations. Obviously the black helicopters belong to the world government. Although I had not realized until Steve laid it out for me, how closely they are also associated with the lizard people. The blue ones are Sheriff’s Secret Police. The pink ones are the new Double Secret Police. And the ones painted with complex murals depicting birds of prey diving? [inhales sharply] Well, not even Steve knows what those helicopters are, nor what they want. On Steve’s chart, those are just labeled with the word “RUN”. And then a few hundred exclamation points.

A commercial airliner flying through local airspace disappeared today, only to reappear at the fifth hole of the Sagebrook Pines Private Golf Club and Bulk Supplier. This disrupted all golf activities badly, as well as scaring a family of four who were perusing bulk paper towels offered at a discount price in a nearby sand trap.

I feel, for the first time, that I can articulate that this airliner had flown into some other universe, those divisions being particularly thin here in our quaint little community. This also is the cause of things like dead relatives occasionally joining us for breakfast, or the shimmering skyscrapers and crowded cities that appear for flashing moments in the sky.

Of course, it also could be the handiwork of the East Night Vale Cacti, the basketball team at the new East Night Vale Elementary School. Those scamps are always pulling pranks. Could they transport a large plane through multiple universes? Who am I to say? But probably yes. For shame, East Night Vale! For shame!

My husband and our town’s friend and protector Carlos called a town meeting. He thought we hadn’t checked in with each other in a while and wanted us to have a moment where we came face to face, and saw those faces, and remembered that we are all real and all affect each other. Erika and Erika of the newly acknowledged angels brought corn muffins.. which were inedibly salty. They explained that angels just can’t get enough salt. Dana Cardinal was there, not as our Mayor but as a citizen, one who is so young for the responsibility that has been thrust on her. Tamika Flynn was there, not as a City Council member, but as a citizen, one who is so young for the responsibility she has seized with an army of loyal and extremely well armed teens. Please see my upcoming editorial on why millennials are always joining armed teen militias. Ugh, millennials!

Carlos reminded us that we are by far the most scientifically interesting town in the country, and we joined hands and nodded, because boy, don’t we know it!

We have clear eyes now. We see ourselves for who we are, but more importantly, we see each other. We are still a community.

The Night Vale Business Association is proud to announce the refurbishment of the Night Vale Harbor and Waterfront Recreation Area. Now you might remember that these facilities have always been absolutely beautiful, eco-friendly, and with a pedestrian-focused design. However, they have suffered poor attendance due to the complete lack of water in the desert. But this is where things have changed. The Night Vale Business Association said, in a press release that they drunkenly sung in unison out in my yard last night.

The recent problems we had with other universes intruding on our own resulted in a great deal of pain and loss. But it has left us with an ocean. This ocean is only visible from the Waterfront Recreation Area’s boardwalk, and viewed from any other angle, the area still appears to just be the usual sagebrush and rocks. Carlos said he doesn’t understand how this window into another world works, and warned that no one should attempt to touch the ocean, for we do not know what lurks within it. But, he said, there could be no harm in a sunset stroll along the boardwalk, listening to the soft hiss of the retreating waves.

The local chapter of the NRA is selling bumper stickers as part of their fundraising week. The stickers are made from good sturdy vinyl, and they read, “We genuinely do not value human life.” Cute!

Carlos and his scientists, like Louisa and Nilanjana, are renewing their investigation into the house in the development of Desert Creek, out back of the elementary school. The house that doesn’t actually exist. “It seems like it exists,” muttered Carlos, “like it’s just right there when you look at it. And it’s between two other identical houses, so it would make more sense for it to be there than not.” But he says, it is actually a doorway into another world, a world he himself was stuck in for a year. There seem to be secrets about that year he’s keeping to himself. Maybe some day we will learn what they are.

Lights seen in the sky above the Arby’s. Not the glowing sign of Arby’s, something higher and beyond that. One night years ago, two people scared and vulnerable and loving and ready came together for a quiet moment under that sky, and I pretended at the time to understand the lights. But a big part of recognizing the world for what it is is recognizing when you have no idea. Invaders from another world? Harbingers of future terror? A fragment of other universe, fading into our own above reasonably priced lunchmeat? Maybe any. Maybe all. Maybe none.

But here is what I do know: the lights are, among other things, a part of my memory and a part of my marriage, and a part of my love. They are a piece of my past and I don’t need to understand them to understand that. Ladies and gentlemen, the past is here, and it’s about a hundred feet above the Arby’s.

Carlos and Louisa say that the monitoring station near Route 800 is recording wild seismic shifts, even as our ground reminds completely still. He suspects that this might be because multiple universes are colliding, creating earthquakes that are undetectable in the third dimension. “Picture our worlds intertwining,” he said. “And here we are in the coil, the friction of every possibility coming into contact, shaking the very structure of chance and fortune,” he said. Well, submit an insurance claim anyway and see what you can get, right?

Listeners, the traffic. Police are issuing warnings about the ghost cars out on the highways, those cars only visible in the distance, reaching unimaginable speeds, leaving destinations unknown for destinations more unknown. It seems that the ghost cars have taken to drag racing on weekends, which poses a hazard to both pedestrians and other drivers. The police indicate that they will be arresting whatever beings drive these cars, as soon as they can figure out how to pull one over.

And now – The weather.

["Andromeda" by Airospace soundcloud.com/spairoace or on Spotify]

The sun didn’t set at the correct time today or any other day, Carlos and Nilanjana reported. They are quite certain about that. They checked several blocks. But, they said, the sunset was really beautiful, so at least there’s that.

Carlos still does not have any explanations, but he did suggest that while time is especially weird in Night Vale, time is weird anyway. Mostly people don’t notice in the rest of the world, because while time is weird there, it’s always weird in the same way, and so is mistaken for being remotely understandable.

It’s easy to forget in this hot, hot, desert climate, but things would actually be slightly harder for us without the sun. We know this because there was a version of Night Vale in some other universe in which the sun did not exist. And that version of Night Vale was teerrible. Ugh, just no good at all! Their street plan didn’t make a lick of sense, for one thing. There was no flow to any neighborhood! I’m glad I live in my sunny Night Vale, and not any other.

The City Council would like to remind you about the tiered heavens and the hierarchy of angels. The reminder is the council is grumpy that all of this is not forbidden knowledge, but due to the new laws, they are required to inform you that the angels have made all of that information available. Stop by the house where the angels live if you want to pick up a free packet outlining exactly how all of that is organized. While the packet itself is free, it is likely the angels will ask to borrow five dollars. They tend to do that.

Over at the Desert Flower Bowling Alley and Arcade Fun Complex, Terry Williams, its owner, reported the startling news that there is nothing under the pin retrieval area of lane 5. As you may remember, there has been a tiny city of warlike people under the bowling alley for several years now. Which has caused some trouble, although not a lot of trouble, because they were very tiny people. But now there is just a hole in the earth under the pin retrieval area, an empty space containing only my own memories of a night that someone I loved almost died, before I had a chance to truly love him. So good riddance to whatever that town was.

Carlos, perfect and beautiful, came into our studio during the break earlier and we ate lunch together out of Tupperwares. He had some sort of blinking box in his hand, covered with wires and tubes. When he put it close to the microphone it sounded like – well, like a bunch of baby birds had just woken up, really went crazy. He asked if I remembered it. He had brought it by on the first day we had met. He had told me that it tested for materials, but he wasn’t actually sure what materials it tested for. He had just wanted an excuse to come by and talk to me. “Anyway”, he said, “I thought it was a nice memento back when we were fumbling awkwardly toward this life we share.” “But,” he added, “it’s a real instrument that is detecting some actual materials of some kind, so there is a good chance that everything about this studio is deeply dangerous. Please, be careful.” Then we fed Khoshekh, the cat floating in one of the bathrooms here at the station. Carlos pointed out cats don’t float. I stared at Khoshekh, having never really thought about that. After a bit I said, “This one does.” Carlos smiled, petted Khoshekh between the eyes and went back to his work, and I went back to mine.

This is my work, listeners. My work is to speak to you all. To talk you through the day, to murmur you into the night. Settling in to be another clear and pretty evening here in Night Vale, this weird, weird, town. I hope all of you out there have someone to sleep through it with. I know I do.

Good night, listeners, Good night.

Today’s proverb: There is no proof you exist, only evidence. .

[teenforcedtobreed-blog]

The HERO2 Outdoor Edition - GoPro's Most Advanced HD Action Video camera Yet

GoPro Cam HD HERO2 Edition

The GoPro Video camera HD HERO2 is GoPro's next generation electronic camera and is the best one yet - outperforming its predecessor. It has an improved and sharper lens, is twice the speed and has more flexibility than the previous GoPro Hero camera. You may visit a Discounted Portable Products for a special discount for a Gopro action camera.

More sports filmmakers, expert athletes and primary lovers than nearly any other expert video camera on the planet make use of GoPro video cameras. The HERO2 Outdoor cam is the most sophisticated electronic camera available.

GoPro is the preferred electronic camera for savvy purchasers who look for a high-end professional experience. Everything from shooting undersea to sports images to film making to capturing wild life in a jungle or shooting a family vacation, the HERO2 Outdoor electronic camera is whatever a professional or novice has to do the job.

HERO2 Outside special features consist of:

Provides multiple HD video options 720p, 960p, or 1080p

3.9 x 3.9 x 9.6 inch still and camera

Wide 170 degree angle lens allows for entire imagery to be captured with just one shot

Several picture resolutions of 5MP, 8MP, and 11MP

A large angle lens is a common feature of a DSLR cam, but it's more engaging when integrated with a 1080p lens and an outside specialized representing the cam, and even more so when it's linked to the GoPro name.

The HERO2 or the initial HERO?

Because the HERO2 Outdoor is plainly far exceptional to the initial, it will be a disappointment for people who previously purchased the GoPro HD HERO - there is just no contrast and this most current variation greatly raises the bar. Its lens is two times as sharp, which allows for double frames to be caught in each taping against the HD HERO. It is indeed a notably exceptional version.

Is the HERO2 an undersea video camera?

The GoPro HD HERO2 Outdoor originally introduced as a waterproof model with real estate for up to 197 feet. That implies it's an underwater device - a diving essential. Some scuba divers have shown the camera requires some enhancement concerning waterproofing.

Resolution

Confirmed by the evaluations, the video is the very best function about the HERO2. Alternatives of HD video resolutions enhance the overall experience together with a sharper lens and exceptional motion capture speed. The picture resolution option enables the expert in you to experiment with artistic combinations, which shows how versatile and flexible this design can be. Never ever stress if you do not have sufficient area on your SD card since the HERO2 supports a 32GB SD card.

Easy sharing with friends

Using this camera is a piece of cake due to the language-based and basic LCD User interface which provides menus and icons. The camera's video might be transmitted to and seen on a Smartphone.

Market response to the GoPro HERO2 Outdoor

Producing state-of-the-art functions, the HERO2 is delighting in big success. These problems are currently being attended to and will be evident in the future upgrade by GoPro.

More sports filmmakers, professional athletes and primary lovers than practically any other expert cam on the planet make use of GoPro electronic cameras. The HERO2 Outdoor cam is the most advanced camera offered. Able to record a professional complete 170 degree large angle 1080 pixel video, and 11 megapixel pictures with an astonishing rate of ten pictures a 2nd, the HERO2 is the world's most modern, multipurpose and versatile cam around. No matter if you are contending for a magazine cover or merely catching a day full of special moments with good friends or household, the HD HERO2 Outdoor Edition is the video camera that is versatile enough to let you do it all.

The camera's video may be transmitted to and seen on a Smart device.

[ellieofmidnight-blog]

"Your an idiot, you know that?" With platonic midnightmoose?

FLUFF REQUEST (Platonic)

!!!!!! I’m not sure where you came from or why but!! Thank you so much! Here’s a thing that I was going to write like.. when this ship first came about and now I finally have an excuse to write it!

It was a relatively well known fact that Ellie was rarely allowed in the Asagao kitchens unless it was to supervise. And, even then, it was a bit of a risky manoeuvre, given her accident-prone track record. In fact, the first day Ian had met her, it had been while she was precariously balancing on her toes on the edge of an unstable chair to put something back on the highest shelf in the classroom cupboards. It was only a few days later that he’d taken it upon himself to become her caretaker when, as she was performing the same stupid stunt again, the chair had tipped and sent her awkwardly falling with it, before he dived in to heroically save her life.

She’d resented the title Ian had awarded himself but, in actuality, he could tell she didn’t mind it quite as much as she was letting on. The arguments between them had grown increasingly harsh as second year went on and bled into the third, the two of them growing less shy and awkward, and more abrasive, comfortable with each other’s boundaries. And equally comfortable with pushing them. From an outsider’s perspective, after being told on multiple occasions, it would have seemed as if the two of them were enemies, rather than close friends.

He sighed, leaning against the kitchen counter as he watched Ellie carefully cut up slices of apple, wincing every time she seemed to struggle getting the knife through the skin until it hit the board with a loud bang. “You’re gonna cut a finger off if you’re not careful.” Ian muttered, sliding onto the surface and letting his heels knock against the bottom of the cupboards, eyebrow raised as he inspected the pieces, “Is that blood on one of them?”

“What?” Ellie let out an exasperated sigh, although a small smile tugged at the corners of her lips as she turned the knife in her fingers before pointing the blade, “Well, if it isn’t, it’ll be your blood on it soon, if you don’t stop interfering.” He frowned, carefully setting a hand on her wrist and silently pushing it, and the offending weapon, back down to the board.***

“Look,” Ian looked up from his phone when he heard Ellie speak again for the first time in about ten minutes. She’d made it particularly clear that she’d wanted to make this apple… cake whatever by herself. Just to prove that she could do it. He didn’t like to cast judgement but… It was pretty obvious, just from this one experience and the state of the kitchen, that her skills weren’t exactly housewife material. She’d managed to work herself up into a state, visibly panicked about timing and trying to figure out how to weigh and measure five things at once. She wasn’t even a part of Hidden Block, but he was pretty sure she’d fit in well with the chaos. “If you’re gonna just… sit around,” She gestured vaguely in Ian’s direction, “Can you at least make yourself useful and pass me the milk? This is for your friends too, y’know?” 

He looked over at the fridge and groaned, eyes almost rolling back into his head, as he stretched an arm in the direction of the appliance, lamely sinking back into his previously hunched position after a couple of futile attempts, “Sorry, can’t reach.” He shrugged, turning his eyes back to his phone, “That’s too bad.” 

Ian caught the frown that appeared on Ellie’s face out of the corner of his eye and grinned, watching her dramatically slam the knife down on the counter and stride across the room, muttering under her breath. He caught the words “for fucks sake” and “dick”, and that was all it took for him to snort in amusement. Mission accomplished. 

***

It was as Ian was shoving work into his bag, after he’d given up making Ellie’s life a living hell to instead get a head start on a project, that he heard the sharp yelp bounce off the kitchen walls and, most likely, echo around the hallways outside. He dropped his bag onto the table and made his way over, covering the space in a stride and a half, “What the fuck did you do?!”

She made a small whine of both pain and annoyance, forefinger shoved in her mouth as she pushed past him to get to the sink, “Burnt my fuckin’ hand on the oven…” She muttered, nudging the tap on and sticking her hand underneath the running water, “But thanks for your concern.” 

For a moment, Ian wasn’t quite sure how serious she was being, until he heard the soft laughter bubbling from behind a curtain of dark hair, and he smiled, leaning forward against the counter to peer at her hand in the sink, “You’re an idiot, y’know that?” 

“Uh-huh, yep, you tell me often enough.” Ellie smiled, sighing and pushing her hair from her face, contorting her body at a strange angle to look up at him without having to remove her skin from its relief, “But I’m your idiot. So… I guess that makes this your fault. O guardian angel.” 

Ian snorted and he shook his head,  reaching over to splash some of the water in her face, before turning on his heel to head out, “Shut the fuck up.”

[car-loanz]

10 best Hollywood chase scenes you really must catch

Some of the most memorable scenes on screen involve chases. Pulse-quickening car pursuits with danger at every turn. Imperial troops on the tail of rebels and smugglers in a galaxy far, far away. Man vs. plane, with everything at stake. Whatever the scenario, they captivate us with elements of surprise, stress, sometimes comedy, and always top-notch action.

Here are 10 of the best chase scenes in Hollywood history for you to check out, and the fun trivia behind the epic entertainment.

  Fast Five (2011)

    The Fast and the Furious franchise is loaded with over-the-top car chases and “Fast Five” is no exception. In the finale, Dom (Vin Diesel) and Brian (Paul Walker) are racing through downtown Rio de Janeiro in their modified Dodge Charger SRT-8s while being tailed by the Rio police. The catch? Attached to the cars is a vault that belongs to Rio’s biggest crime lord, Hernan Reyes.

Trivia

Some of the downtown Rio scenes in the chase were actually shot in Hato Rey, Puerto Rico.

More than 200 vehicles were destroyed by the vault during filming.

Six versions of the eight-foot high vault were created with specific uses – some for close-up shots, others to drag through the streets.

  Mad Max: Fury Road (2015)

    Though the whole movie is one big car chase, the finale takes the cake with Furiosa (Charlize Theron), Max (Tom Hardy) and the Vuvalini tribe driving back to Citadel and clashing with Immortan Joe and his armies. The scene features vamped-up cars and plenty of weapons as the two sides speed through canyons and desert, battling each other to the death.

Trivia

More than 80 percent of the effects in the film are real, practical effects, stunts, makeup and sets.

The older actresses playing the Vuvalini did their own stunts.

The film used three identical war rigs based on a Czech all-wheel-drive military vehicle.

  The Dark Knight (2008)

    The first showdown between the Joker (Heath Ledger) and Batman (Christian Bale) does not disappoint. This memorable scene shows the Joker and his clowns chasing down and attacking Harvey Dent’s (Aaron Eckhart) convoy, which inevitably lures Batman into the fray, on his übercool Batpod. What ensues is an epic ride through the dark, underground streets of Gotham City as Batman attempts to capture the villainous Joker.

Trivia

The Gotham City license plates were based on Illinois license plates.

One very pricy IMAX camera was destroyed while filming the chase scene. It was one of just four in the world at the time.

As filming took place in downtown Chicago, citizens called police to report that “police” were in pursuit of a dark vehicle of an unknown make and model.

  Star Wars: Episode V – The Empire Strikes Back (1980)

    Pursued by four TIE fighters, Han Solo, Princess Leia, Chewbacca and C-3PO enter the Hoth asteroid field trying to lose Imperial ships while simultaneously avoiding massive asteroids. Not the easiest feat, even for Han. Mixed with comedy and fast-flying action, it’s here that Han utters the famous line, “Never tell me the odds.”

Trivia

The Millennium Falcon model was made much lighter than in the previous film in order to have the ship move and turn more fluidly.

During the scene, a pilot briefly can be seen bailing out with a parachute after the TIE fighter is hit by an asteroid.

When the Millennium Falcon first enters the asteroid field, the third asteroid to appear in the top-left corner is actually a potato!

  North by Northwest (1959)

    One of the most iconic scenes in movie history is when Roger Thornhill (Cary Grant) is attacked by a crop duster plane, while waiting for a meeting with the mysterious Kaplan, at an isolated bus stop. Alfred Hitchcock’s camera angles create panic throughout the scene as Thornhill ducks and dives for his life.

Trivia

The crop duster chase scene featured a real airplane while the scene in which the plane crashes into the fuel truck included large models of both the truck and plane.

The crop duster scene was meant to take place in northern Indiana, but was shot on location on Garces Highway in Kern County, California.

This scene inspired the helicopter chase in the James Bond movie “From Russia with Love.”

  The Bourne Ultimatum (2007)

  In the third installment of the Bourne series we find Jason Bourne (Matt Damon), still tracking down his true identity, in a high-speed, adrenaline-pumping pursuit through the streets and homes of Tangier, Morocco. This time Bourne is after Operation Blackbriar asset Desh Bouksani, and prevents him from killing Nicky Parsons (Julia Stiles), who has been helping Bourne.

Trivia

While filming in Tangier, the crew had to close down the busiest square in the city for several hours.

The meeting place Nicky chooses in Tangier is Café de Paris, which was a popular spot for spies and emissaries back in the day.

Because Tangier is a very crowded city, the flow of people was hard to control and the actors had to push through a crowd of locals, not extras.

  What’s Up, Doc? (1972)

    They don’t make them like this anymore. The 11-minute chase is relatively slow-paced by today’s standards, but perfectly choreographed for comedy. It features the two protagonists, Judy Maxwell (Barbra Streisand) and Howard Bannister (Ryan O’Neal), stealing four suitcases and being pursued by multiple characters all wanting their possessions back. Starting on a delivery bicycle in downtown San Francisco, the duo take their lives in their hands as they ride through Chinatown, down the steep inclines of Lombard Street, and end up crashing a stolen Volkswagen Beetle in San Francisco Bay.

Trivia

The chase scene cost $1 million to shoot, took 19 days and required 32 stuntmen.

Shots of the floating Volkswagen Beetle were a parody of the vehicle’s ability to float on water, which was shown in advertisements at the time.

The comedic scene was a spoof of the 1968 movie “Bullitt.”

  Point Break (1991)

    When federal agent Johnny Utah (Keanu Reeves) goes deep undercover to find bank-robbing surfers he finds himself chasing leader of the pack Bodhi (Patrick Swayze), who’s wearing a Ronald Reagan mask, through a Southern California neighborhood. It’s a high-paced and enthralling foot chase.

Trivia

Keanu Reeves observed real FBI agents in Los Angeles to study for his role.

Director Kathryn Bigelow used a stripped-down, hand-held 35 mm camera nicknamed the “Pogo-Cam” to film the chase scene.

Patrick Swayze, who usually did his own stunts, did not do the stunts his character performs while wearing the Reagan mask – they were carried out by a stunt double.

  The French Connection (1971)

    Detectives Popeye Doyle (Gene Hackman) and Buddy Russo (Roy Scheider) are on the hunt to intercept a massive drug shipment from France. Naturally, an awesome car chase follows. Popeye takes over a civilian’s car and goes after an elevated train, with the hit man aboard, through the streets of New York.

Trivia

Many of the near-collisions in the movie were real and unplanned since the chase scene was filmed without the proper city permits.

Gene Hackman did a lot of his own driving throughout the chase scene.

The most famous shot of the chase comes from a camera mounted on the car’s front bumper, giving a low-angle viewpoint.

  Bullitt (1968)

    For perhaps the best car chase scene of all time, “Bullitt” gives us a 10-minute pursuit, with unmistakable ‘60s cool, on the streets of San Francisco. Here, Frank Bullitt (Steve McQueen) is careering after criminals up and down busy roads in a green 1968 Ford Mustang Fastback GT. This full-throttle, tire-squealing scene became the inspiration for later Hollywood car chases.

Trivia

Steve McQueen made a point to keep his head near the open car window during the chase scene so audiences would know he was driving.

The car chase called for speeds of 75 to 80 mph but the cars actually topped speeds of 110 mph.

Filming the chase scene took three weeks and resulted in 10 minutes and 53 seconds of footage in the film.

  Sources:

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[placetobenation]

Welcome to Seinfeld: The PTBN Series Rewatch! On a regular basis, JT Rozzero, Aaron George, Andrew Flanagan, Jordan Duncan and Jason Greenhouse will watch an episode of TV’s greatest sitcom and provide notes and grades across a number of categories. The goal is to rewatch the entire series chronologically to see what truly worked, what still holds up today, what feels just a bit dated and yada, yada, yada it will be a great time. So settle into your couch with the cushions flipped over, grab a Snapple and enjoy the ride!

Best Character

JT: I liked Kramer the most here. The mail story was the best of the bunch and he had some strong delivery in multiple spots throughout the episode, including one of my favorite all time moments when he pops in the apartment and says that he called about the van. The dummy bucket stuff was funny too as was his showdown with the Postmaster General.

Aaron: It’s David Puddy for his ten seconds of screen time. He busts himself up with the Maytag man line then walks off towards immortality. What an indictment of this episode.

Andrew: It’s Kramer. I get the sense he’s partly on auto-pilot here, but he’s mastered the small touches so completely that the character always works. The “You said ‘a mailman I know’ and you’re a mailman I know!” line has always stayed with me, even coming from one of the weaker episodes. This isn’t the most ground-breaking performance, but it’s still worthwhile to recognize competence.

Jordan: I’ll go Kramer here. Even for a Kramer storyline, I felt the mail storyline was a stretch. So many episodes in the past have seen me struggle to choose because of so many good options, here it’s a case of trying to find anything I enjoyed.

Best Storyline

JT: The van had its moments but Kramer’s battle with the post office stands out here. It had the funniest lines and overall concept and I really liked he payoff the end with Newman being marched into far the Postmaster General. George’s cousin plot was creepy and The Wiz stuff was weak.

Aaron: George’s parents having enough of him takes the cake here. It’s as though they watched the show, saw the monster that they created and cut their losses. At first I was put off by the cousin dating, but then it struck me that it may be the most sensible relationship George has ever had.

Andrew: Definitely the post office stuff for me. George’s parents cutting him loose has an absurdist bent I enjoy, but they don’t explore the concept any further. The paranoid conspiracy movie pastiche, on the other hand, is the most fully realized idea this episode has to offer. And with Newman, Kramer, and the Postmaster General, this storyline has the best performances by far.

Jordan: As I type it out, the episode sounds fine. The post office stuff with Wilford Brimley was solid, the van stuff wasn’t terrible, and I didn’t even mind George desperate for his parents attention. Yet in execution – they all kind of fell flat? I’m going with Jerry’s van just for the scene where Kramer wants to buy it and asks about trades.

Ethical Dilemma of the Week

JT: Is being starved for attention reason enough to bang your cousin? Probably not if your cousin is Rhisa. I will let you sort out the rest.

Aaron: I’ve often wondered about incest. I guess my main question would be is there less of a stigma towards homosexual incest as opposed to heterosexual incest because of the lack of potential abominations? Countless men have fantasized about bedding twins with little regard to the damage those poor sisters would do to their souls. No one seems to bat an eye when two brothers dance the night away before a certain trip to a certain town. Why do we stand in the way of cousins, or sterile siblings? THEY ARE STERILE! If we let them own a cat together we should let them express their love in a free and horrific way.

Andrew: Is it OK to stop getting mail? Should citizens be able to opt out of government services they don’t personally care for? No. When did this segment turn into Libertarian Corner? Oh, so now I’m setting up strawmen in an argument with myself, am I? No YOU sound crazy!

Jordan: I would like to confess that I once went to a BBQ and saw a girl who I thought was smoking hot, only to be told that she was my cousin I had not seen for years. It was difficult to come to grips with, but thankfully, I maintained my dignity and did not flirt with my cousin. Nor should any of you.

Relationship Scale (Scale 1-10)

JT: Frankie Merman wants all of Jerry’s babies. The love AND lust in his eyes shone through anytime they were together. He got Jerry that van because he pictured them taking family trips to the country together every Sunday. Just tell him how you feel, Summer George! Relationship Grade: Van’s a Rockin’/Don’t Come Knockin’

Aaron: What’s grosser: Frank and Estelle christening the van or George banging his wine cooler infused cousin? Either one is preferable to Elaine and the God Damn Wiz. Relationship Grade: 0/10

Andrew: This episode is full of abhorrent couplings. But David Puddy remains a golden god. Relationship Grade: 0/Hoochie Mama

Jordan: If I can take any solace in this, it’s that Elaine Benes’ standards are so ridiculously low, that I have a legitimate shot with her. Seriously – The Wiz? Learn to love yourself, Laney! Relationship Grade: I’M NOT THE WIZ, AND I’M… AWESOOOOOME/10

What Worked:

JT: Whitey Fisk; “Jackbooted thugs” makes me laugh; What’s Jerry going to do with the old looking phone?; PUDDY~!; George scripting his calls to his parents is great; Jerry asking Elaine if the man she met was Whitey Fisk; What was Kramer’s original idea regarding the choke point?; I always enjoy how George reverts to the third person when he gets angry, such a fun callback for the rest of the series; Kramer’s brick line; Newman telling Violet to take her three hour break and his sweaty conversation with Kramer; Kramer walking in and saying “yeah I called about the van” is one off my all time favorite moments; Puddy trolling Elaine over The Wiz; The Bucket stuff is a funny running joke; Frank bringing back “hoochie mama”

Aaron: I like the creepy gravediggers who inhabit the park, especially the fact that there were potentially undressed ones the deeper into the woods you strode. The moment where Kramer realized that his “revenge” on Pottery Barn was fruitless was perfectly played. Rhisa just going for it with George was a fun twist.

Andrew: The whole Junk Mail storyline works for me. Kramer’s impotent revenge at Pottery Barn, the bricked up mailbox, the whole government conspiracy angle, and most of all the Postmaster General, gave me the most genuine laughs of the episode. David Puddy laughing at his own jokes at Elaine’s expense is great. I may be in the minority here, but Jack’s absurd strut with the Wiz crown makes me laugh.

Jordan: I popped big for Wilford Brimley. Long before he was simply “Diabetus” to today’s world, he was a legit actor. I always loved his voice. Him calmly talking to Kramer was both soothing and threatening. He did great. I also liked that Frank and Estelle are basically just done with George. The van seat lowering into a bed was a nice touch, as was George commenting that it was “a rockin'”.

What Didn’t Work

JT: Frankie Merman always looks like he just ran a marathon; I didn’t need the mental imagery of the Costanzas having intercourse; the immediate leap George makes to date his cousin feels a step too far for both him and the show; the coincidence that Jerry stumbled into the Wiz commercial just as they were talking about Jack was a bit too much; Why did George have to drive deep into the woods to execute his scheme; Jack doing that fucking Wiz dance, go get fucked

Aaron: What is going on with Elaine? Remember when she was picky with men? Sure she always dated but now she’s basically turned into a complete whore. She dumps her boyfriend at the mere hint of another man looking her in the eyes. That’s why Puddy’s Maytag man joke landed. It’s true! Ugh. What an awful turn for a once-great character. Why does callous Jerry suddenly care about ANYONE’S feelings? There is no way the guy who dropped “that’s a shames” left and right would give a living shit about some freak burying himself to death in a park. He had contempt for a bubble boy for Christ’s sake. Kramer’s whole production during the van sale made me want to vomit the compliments I lauded him with in countless of these things. Look no further than the preposterous Wiz dance for a terrific example of a guy having no idea what show he’s on.

Andrew: There are some fun, absurd ideas here that just don’t land. A park full of weirdos digging holes to lay in is a wonderful image, but somehow the episode can’t get the joke to land. Likewise, a son who’s only known withering levels of attention from his parents being “cut loose”, who then responds by trying to win them back, is a solid plot idea. And yet I’ve never given that story a second thought after the episode is over. It’s generally a bad sign when a show has a bad plot device (George’s parents agreeing to pick up the van from the woods), but the writers just lampshade it instead of fixing it (No parking meters out in the woods!). This is one of those episodes that feels rushed and unpolished to me.

Jordan: Full disclosure here, I am entering my thoughts after others have, and I scanned what JT wrote, and he sums it up for me. These stories sound OK on paper, but they seem to just dive right in. George going right to “I’ll date my cousin!” seems really far fetched, even for him. There was no escalation at all. To me, it was the same with Newman warning Kramer about getting rid of mail, it all just hits these big moments out of nowhere. Also, Jerry making fun of The Wiz after some of the things he’s worn FOR FREE is hypocrisy at it’s finest.

Key Character Debuts

– Frankie Merman

– Rhisa

Iconic Moments, Running Themes & Memorable Quotes

– “He was not the summer you. Besides, you had a summer me. Whitey Fisk, the guy who snuck you into Last Tango in Paris.” – Jerry “I made him up.” – George “So you never saw Last Tango in Paris?” – Jerry “No.” – George “Too bad. It was erotic.” – Jerry

– “Well… I’ve had it with these jackbooted thugs!” – Kramer “‘Pottery Barn’?” – Jerry

– “After dark? Please. At their age, that’s like swallowing stun grenades.” – George

– “So, this is beautiful. You, and Puddy, and this new guy, in a big pot of love stew.” – Jerry

– “Will you look at this? More catalogs! ‘Omaha Steaks’, ‘Mac Warehouse’, ‘Newsweek’?! I can’t stop all these companies, so, I’m gonna attack this problem at the choke point.” – Kramer “Stop the mail?” – Jerry “That’s… even better!” – Kramer

– “Where’d you get the bricks?” – Jerry “Jerry, the whole building is brick.” – Kramer

– “Oh, that’s it. They have gone too far. They keep pushing me, and pushing me. Now I got no choice but to go down there… and talk to them.” – Kramer

– “Ah, shut up, Jerry. My parents think they can ignore me. Heh heh. Well, they better think again.” – George “Oh, no. George, please. What are you going to do?” – Jerry “You remember my cousin Rhisa? I’m gonna date her.” – George

– “That’s pretty pathetic.” – George “I know. They’re not even related.” – Jerry

– “Oh, it’s fantastic. We were out in front of the post office today, and not one person went in.” – Kramer “It’s Sunday.” – Jerry

Oddities & Fun Facts

– Legendary actor Wilford Brimley portrays the Postmaster General

Overall Grade (Scale 1-10)

JT: This is another weak episode here in season nine. I really liked the mail saga and there was plenty of laughs but the other three stories never quite clicked. Frankie was a weirdo, George was a creep and Elaine was an idiot. I don’t mind that they are getting a bit over the top here in their final season but some of this stuff is way too much and just not believable after a certain point. The Kramer mail stuff is a bit nutty but in line with the character’s motivations. A man digging holes in Central Park when his feelings are hurt and George wanting to bang his cousin to get his parents’ attention just don’t resonate at all. They still seem to be figuring out what they want this season to be and hopefully it all clicks together soon. Final Grade: 5/10

Aaron: I think I hate this show now. The barely-recognizable characters suck, the performances are stiff and wooden and when Frank and Estelle can’t save an episode we’re in serious, serious trouble. Man the writing has become awful too. Everything used to feel organic. Everything used to feel like it would actually happen. How on Earth is Frank Costanza finding that van in the woods? The over convenient situations have reached an absurd point. Fuck the Wiz. Final Grade: 1/10

Andrew: This is not a good one. I have fond memories of the post office stuff, but otherwise it’s pretty much a dud. Final Grade:  5/10

Jordan: This feels like an episode where they had to come up with something for everyone, rather than just fit everyone into on e story. I liked the mail stuff with Kramer, and feel like they could have just built the entire episode around that story -easily bringing George and Elaine into it somehow. Instead, we have a huge swing and a miss with George and his cousin, another miss with Elaine and The Wiz, and if I’m being generous, a base hit with Jerry’s van. But it’s not memorable at all. Final Grade: 4/10

[tinymixtapes]

Music Review: Oneohtrix Point Never - Age Of

Oneohtrix Point Never Age Of [Warp; 2018] Rating: 3/5 “Time begins to emit a scent when it gains duration; when it is given a narrative or deep tension; when it gains depth and breadth, even space.” – Byung-Chul Han “One has to become a cybernetician to remain a humanist.” – Peter Sloterdijk That thirst, that desire. To present us multiple worlds that work indirectly, circuitously. To create sounds as sensing machines — shredding machines. To wander in a liminal or in-between space both fleeting and graspable, like the tangible heaviness of air on a humid day that fades after rain. Or fog lingering on the mirror after a hot shower. Or the dizzy feeling when blood rushes to your head after getting up too quickly. Age Of overflows with moments like that. Of caught between the between. Of experiencing two emotions at once. Of those that are twin-headed, two-hearted, bivalved. Connected, disconnected; utopian, dystopian. Even after multiple listens, the songs on Age Of have a strange not-yet quality built into how you access them; they still possess an airy, weightless, featherlike, and withdrawn quality, unable to reveal themselves completely, working through a hiddenness more than an exposure. They act sloppy, in an excessively casual manner, pockmarked and oozing with inconsistencies and anomalies, like the human body, and, more broadly, like humanness. They want to eat your brains, like “We’ll Take It” or throw you down the elevator shaft, like on “Warning.” But sometimes they wrap you in a warmth that only fairy tales can vivify, like on “Toys 2” or “RayCats.” In other words, for the first time, we’ve got a Oneohtrix Point Never record that’s a bit all over the place conceptually. It’s erratic. It doesn’t come with a grand concept. It eats its cake and vomits it up, too. There’s nothing wrong with the erratic quality; because of it, timelines and simulacra crisscross all about the record. A cyborg-sublime beckons for you to experience it. So do vast, elaborate, unnameable infrastructures ordinarily invisible to ourselves. (But for what purpose do these infrastructures come to fruition? And how do we experience them?) A historicity — straight from the timbre’s mouth — pours forth. Like the harpsichords on the opening track: how they conjure visions of knights throwing serfs into the jaws of moat-crocs for fun; cherubim circulating around the heads of choir singers; sculptures at rest in well-manicured, royal gardens. Woe be on us if we forget about all that Gruyere eaten in awesome grottos all about the Swiss Alps. Then, with one wave of a magic wand, the historicalness of the music vanishes and 2018 looms in. We’ve been here before. If Garden of Delete was at odds with the male body’s transformation during its adolescence, Age Of is at odds with the permanency of genre and the permanency of composition, hence why it sounds more like a compilation than an album. Case in point: OPN’s performances operate iteratively, treating his songs as fluidly mobile parts able to be assembled and disassembled as he sees fit, thusly confounding the frozenness of his records. Performing live, he allows sound to wiggle and jiggle; to fatten or soften or inflate or deflate; to become violently infected — via gut bacteria or nuclear sludge or botched field recordings — thereby changing the route and direction they take, and especially their behavior; to lead to other sounds that weren’t, and oftentimes couldn’t, be there, but now are, and by the constitution of their being, highlight another possibility, another window onto another landscape, another selfie from another angle, another spell cast in the Magic: The Gathering duel, another tweet written from the cryo-chamber. At its best, Age Of tiptoes around the idea of being completely one with timeliness. At its worst, it can’t get the motor up and running; the dopamine never transfers. It’s why, in a recent interview with The New York Times, he can admit that “things have to become other things, or else I feel unsatisfied and/or like a con man.” It’s also why, in that same interview, he says he “like[s] to take chaos and structure it so it has a kind of comprehensible pulsation.” Iteration keeps OPN’s dream of a comprehensible pulsation alive and healthy. The chaos and impermanency spawn cyborg-cowboys, alien-cowboys, grunge-guys sitting in dive bars wondering when’s liftoff. (Cue in the deadbeat bass riff of “The Station” for those dudes.) It’s why he favors anti-automation over quantifiability and, by doing so, forms an extreme resistance toward social media’s quantification of our desires and capitalism’s need to accelerate. The whole world can fuck with that resistance. Mark Fisher was right about capitalism when he wrote that it’s “an abstract parasite, an insatiable vampire and zombie-maker, [and] the living flesh it converts into dead labor is ours, and the zombies it makes are us.” Fuck being a zombie! Age Of suggests. Anti-automation also favors privacy over publicity, recuperation over speed. Because to be a musician — and I can add here, to be alive — is to view invisibility as a superpower. Music doesn’t have to participate in the language game of life. We are alive on Age Of’s aesthetic battlefield, in the trench of the unshackled referent, between the limits of timbre and the limits of how malleable that timbre is; between OPN’s ability to use the tools in his toolbox and his ability to hear something that isn’t audible yet has a toward-being-audible quality. It’s like a music that you can describe but not play, that nobody could play because of its impossibility, that can only be conceived through the temptation of just how out of reach it is. Again, we’re in that in-between. Because the album can’t be one complete thing, Age Of is its own archenemy; its own princess stranded in a high castle; its own climb up the Holy Mountain. A radical incompleteness haunts it. Moreover, a radical incompleteness completes it. Like when a relationship is a thing but not really a thing. Or when nothing goes as planned. Or our browser history: the mark of ourselves that we leave behind on devices. Or overheard conversations, at once ours and not ours. Or the space between another’s pain and your acknowledgment of it. Peeling the plastic cling wrap off an electronic screen. Wrapping a piece of blue cheese. Cracks in old leather. Dolly, the cloned sheep. Veggie burgers. Faux fur. Open secrets. Spanglish. Skin peeling after a sunburn. Traces of pheromone altering a bee’s flight trajectory. Because of its incompleteness, this album will stick with some but detract others. To just have the MIDI be a kind of scent-trail, to have the songs dawdle and lollygag: that’s OPN’s Achilles’ heel. All of their tracings and slivers and dregs and anti-memory and timbre-clouds of speculation and multi-scentedness and overloadedness and trauma and paranoia and violence and primal rush for communication and nuclear DNA and ugly feelings and sonic apophenia and extreme closeups and obsession with performance and intimacy and sloppiness and perfectionism and bizarre techno-sexual energy. All of that malfunctionality: where sound combusts, destabilizes, falls off, become unaware of itself and engages with unncanniness, paranoia, and ambiguity. It’s too much of too much sometimes. But sometimes it’s fucking amazing. Where does this lead, it coyly suggests. To another world than this, from a cut to coagulation. A fatty, sticky musicianship that forms a resistance against the techno-semiotic chains of automation that autocorrect our texts and organize our thoughts into the digital spaces we’ve come to accept. Then, as it always does with OPN, it goes back to the bodily: an auto-tuned voice embodying the dismembered and the fractal. A voice envious of the desire to be another voice — yet still being. A voice that functions as a sneak peek into its own existence. A voice like a Snapchat filter over your face, making it more attractive. Life’s muck; the memories of an Alzheimer’s patient; a relaxed hyperattention. And then back to the internet begging you to surf it, calling out to you, whispering. But where does this lead? The problem with Age Of is that it doesn’t make it immediately clear what it wants. That’s also its strength. Once again, we’re in that in-between. The songs have presence yet also reek of the absence of their own selves, of what they could have been. (This could have been a pop song, this could have been a theme song, this could have been the song played at our wedding, this could have been the song we bumped while driving in a spaceship through the galaxy.) Some of them resist the temptation of becoming an earworm, while others, like “Babylon” and “Black Snow,” have the desire to be one. Because if it doesn’t play in your head time and time again while you try to sleep, did you really listen to it? We need no prophets, we know what is coming, but can we live with that? The parking lots are infernos of yellow light. A green dragonfly glints with the blue of a cloudless sky, blending in with the lake’s edge, like an intro scene to the movie you’ve always wanted to star in. An invisible seed sprouted in the void attaches itself to your DNA while you keep on dreaming your surreal, magnificent dreams. That song you shouldn’t have listened to right before bedtime, just stuck. That internet search that never really ended. Your eyes, even when closed, bathed in computerized light. http://j.mp/2LeZSsk