#the fact that all the objects are either seen with them in the first shot or in that final reveal is very cool

[wonderholegifs]

Collecting useless bullshit

[narcjsistx]

𝐈𝐍𝐓𝐄𝐑𝐖𝐈𝐄𝐖... | sae, kaiser, rin

𝐌𝐘 𝐌𝐀𝐒𝐓𝐄𝐑𝐋𝐈𝐒𝐓 ; take a look, trust me!

plot: you get mentioned in one of their interviews, and he's sooo in love with you <3

— sae itoshi

That Sae didn't like interviews was a well known thing, even the journalists were a little worried when they discovered they had to interview him: although he was a prodigy, a talent never seen in years and years of soccer, he was objectively a thorn in the side, acidic and lethal in words as he was with his shots in the penalty area. All the journalists who had dealt with the Japanese prodigy could say, with absolute certainty, that a slap or being fired was less annoying

And today was no exception. ReAl had just won a very important Spanish cup, but one that Sae didn't actually know much about. They simply told him to be himself, and so he did: the result was a landslide victory against the Venezuelan team, 7-1. The match had been over for less than half an hour and he had already been surrounded by journalists, whom he had pushed away with little courtesy as he headed towards the locker room. But one journalist had insisted more than the others, and with a sigh, the boy had dedicated 5 minutes of his time to him

"Exciting victory today, isn't it? Spain had been aiming for this cup for years but they only won it when you had a place in the team" says the journalist, microphone pointed towards Sae. A man, a little further away, held a video camera on his shoulder, pointed towards them. Sae nods, turning away when he swears he hears someone call out to him in a familiar voice. The reporter continues talking, but Sae pays no attention: that voice sounded so familiar

"So that's a yes?" the reporter says, the microphone still pointed towards him. Sae doesn't even know what question he asked him, but the mere fact that he's still here trying to get information out of him bothers him. "What?" he asks raising an eyebrow, and before the reporter even says it, Sae knows it's about you

“Your girlfriend isn't here today, which is strange considering she's always present at your games, even when they're out of town” the reporter says, probably repeating the words he asked him earlier. Sae isn't even surprised by the question, he already knows what he wants to ask him and mentally thanks himself for not answering with 'yes' at the previous question "Is this a sign that you've broken up? There have been rumors for a while that the feeling between you two is over-"

"No. We have not broken up and at the moment, and even in the future, the option is not in mind for either of us" says the boy without thinking for two seconds, taking the edge of the microphone with one hand, so that his words they arrive very straight. The journalist is surprised

Today, for the first time since you've been together, you couldn't come to his game. You actually haven't seen each other in a while, at least a month, and all the speculation that you had broken up had reached Sae's ears. Everything seemed to fit, the perfect breakup after years of a perfect relationship and a wedding ring on the line that Sae had offered you months ago. Everything seemed to coincide with the end of one of the most talked about relationships of the moment

But the reality is that simply, for university reasons, you had to move to Italy for a few months. Sae often came to you, but couldn't stay for whole days due to training... and so, for just over a month, you hadn't seen each other. If the truth wasn't known, you would actually look like a couple who hated each other by now

“Would you tell us more about all the evidence that has been circulating for over a month?” asks the journalist, and the boy already knows in his mind that the interview will not end well if this damned journalist continues to be so interested in something that does not concern him

Sae sighs. He knows that, from your temporary home in Italy, you are watching him. He knows well that every word he is saying you are listening to him. And it's time to make things clear once and for all,or he thinks he's going crazy

"Y/n and I haven't broken up, it's not on our minds and wedding preparations are currently underway. I hate when people seem so interested in something that actually has nothing to do with them, but I understand that it's your job and that's why I'm holding back from going harder on it" says Sae in one breath "My future wife and I don't have anything remotely negative in mind for our relationship, so if you would do me the favor of mentioning her only when there really is a reason, I would be happy" says Sae, and the journalist is suddenly understanding why all his colleagues had told him to stay away from the Japanese prodigy "So, if you really have questions for me about my performance today, I'll try to answer. Otherwise, bye" he says, handing the microphone back to the man, who takes it completely speechless

The camera shows him leaving, hiding the journalist who is still speechless. The camera zoom focuses on the background of Sae's phone, which appears for a few seconds when the boy takes the phone while heading towards the locker room. A photo of you and him cheek to cheek stands out, a small smile breaking across the boy's face as you laugh. With only this proof alone, literally everybody could definitively say that you didn't break up

— micheal kaiser

Micheal was now used to interviews. Since he had actually become someone, someone relegated to Germany's biggest soccer club, interviews had become an everyday thing, like brushing his teeth or kicking the ball as hard as he could during training. He was good looking, he had charisma, he was definitely one of the most pleasant to interview on his team. If the interviewer was a woman he would crack a few jokes, something to make things more interesting. It was objectively flirting with them, but since you had officially become his girlfriend, he had put a stop to these things, out of respect for you

The room was well furnished, he was sitting on a sofa placed in front of the large windows, which gave a view of the great metropolis of Hamburg. You were with him, sitting behind the cameras on a chair placed there at random. He had insisted to the producers that you appear next to him during the interview, but it wasn't possible. His nose was still a little crooked knowing that they got you that beat up chair by sheer luck. You were his empress, the respect they had for him they had to give to you too, and it hadn't happened

He knew that you didn't really care that much, but your respect was something that, at least in front of him, they couldn't miss. But making a fuss just for this didn't seem right at the moment, at most he would have done it after finishing the interview

A woman enters the room, probably only a few years older than him, in her thirties. She looked familiar, and he wasn't sure why he had a bad feeling. The woman approaches, sitting on one of the armchairs next to him. They could have changed your chair for that armchair, why hadn't they done it?

"It's a real pleasure for me to interview you again. It's been a long time since the first time!" the woman says smiling, and from there Micheal finally understands why he felt like he knew her: a few years ago, before he even met you, he did an interview with this woman. The video had gone viral not for the questions, but for the way it was obvious the two of them were flirting with each other. Not that Micheal was really interested, it was just a habit before he met you

Before he can even say anything, a producer announces the start of the interview. The woman smiles at the camera, giving a brief introduction before moving on to a few questions: they are all things related to soccer, Bastard Munchen and the next match against Italy, which will take place in a few weeks. Micheal relaxes his nerves a little to see that nothing has to do with his private life, and turns around to see you from time to time. You smile softly at him, nodding as a sign that he's going well, really everything is going well

But Kaiser relaxed too soon, unfortunately. "Sooo, the internet world has been wondering this for a while... and now seems like the right opportunity to ask it! We're done with soccer questions anyway, right?" the woman says, chuckling, placing a stack of notes on a nearby table, picking up another. Kaiser tilts his head, and for a moment, he thinks these are the usual questions related to his relationship. Nothing new

"Our first interview was four years ago, when you weren't even dating yet. The internet world wondered for a long time if we were together!" the woman says, with a look that Kaiser recognizes: hoe. He turns to you and for a moment he reads some confusion on your face "The interview went so viral that everyone really thought it was a way to reveal our relationship to the world. But it didn't go that way, unfortunately" says the woman

If he wasn't live nationally and if the interviewer wasn't a woman, he would have already crushed her face with his fist. With what logic does she talk about something like that in front of you, his girlfriend? Where's the fucking respect they're supposed to give you but are lacking in every possible way? Everything is going wrong

“It sure would have been a fun thing to do and-” the woman says speaking casually, but the guy interrupts her “Schatz, could you come over here for a sec?” Kaiser says, shifting his attention solely to you, who finds yourself perplexed for a moment. He's breaking every rule possible, but he doesn't care. If he wants you next to him on national live broadcast, the producers will make you stand next to him on national live broadcast

You get up from the chair a little scared, walking among the producers who mentally and not curse Kaiser. You pass the woman who, with an annoyed look, stares at you. With slightly shaky legs you sit next to Micheal, who immediately grabs you putting his arm around your shoulders, pushing your hip against his. You try to smile as best you can in front of the camera, which records everything. Kaiser squeezes your shoulder slightly, and then turns his face back towards the camera "I don't rule out that that interview made me go viral everywhere for months and months, increasing my fame" says the boy "But my behavior was a bit wrong at the time, I was definitely giving attention to people who shouldn't have been..." says Micheal, and while you try to hold back a laugh, the interviewer opens her paralyzed mouth

Kaiser chuckles at the situation, then continues "The attention that I used to give to random people is now received by her, who deserves it all. The mere fact that she accompanies me everywhere is a valid reason to love her, right?" the boy says, squeezing your shoulder again, and you smile in love "She is simply better. It's not even a competition, because she would win before even starting. Maybe if my girlfriend had been the interviewer that time I would say differently now! Maybe I would have already married her, who knows" Kaiser says, and you tilt your head against his shoulder, leaning on him like you always do. You're so damn in love with him

If the producers and interviewer failed to give you respect behind the scenes and also with annoyance, Kaiser will make sure to prove your worth in front of the whole Germany

— itoshi rin

If there was one thing that distinguished Rin from his teammates, it was the ability to turn each of his interviews into a future edit that would become popular on all social media. He was famous, damn famous, every scene of his was edited by millions of people every day. His interviews, for his fans, were the best opportunity to make scenes about him

And since you had been dating, for a few years now, you had suffered more or less the same treatment as Rin. You often appeared in his interviews, you were loved by his fan base, and the edits about you that went as viral as those of your beloved boyfriend

"...the Australian defense this time had to face a much better prepared Japan than last match" says the interviewer, the microphone held out towards Rin. A match has just ended, obviously won by Japan: Rin is still sweaty, his legs slightly weak from running for practically the entire duration of the match. But he's not sick, he's simply tired and he just wants to kiss you

Of course you came to his game, taking a seat in the VIP section of the players' families. It's a habit that, as soon as the match is over, he comes to the VIP section to kiss you, but this time he couldn't: the journalists completely captured him, making it impossible to even move a few meters

"Yes. We decided to change the defense to prepare for Australia's top scorer, who couldn't do anything this time compared to previous matches" Rin replies disinterestedly, looking for you. There are just so many people, so many players or interviewers, but where the hell are you? Didn't something happen to you?

"It must also be said that Japan no longer has any problems in terms of strikers since you joined as an honorary member of the team" says the interviewer, and Rin nods without actually thinking much about what they told him. He just has a strange feeling, he doesn't understand why he isn't seeing you when it's never been difficult for him to find you in a crowd of people

"Any projects in mind at the moment? On a soccer level or on a personal level?" the interviewer asks, but Rin stops hearing him when, a few meters away from him, he sees you: you're a little lost, your gaze curious while you were probably looking for him too. It makes him somewhat tender to see you like this, but he is happy to know that all his doubts about whether something had happened to you are false

"Mr. Itoshi?" the man asks, but Rin takes a few steps forward, not enough to disappear from the camera lens, to signal to you that he's there. It doesn't take you long to notice, running like a little girl in his direction, hugging him as you wrap your arms around his neck, while he places his hands on your hips. "I couldn't find you!" you say laughing, holding onto your boyfriend who holds you close to him "It's the journalists' fault" Rin whispers, leaving a kiss on your cheek before remembering that he's in the middle of an interview. He turns just enough to see that the camera is now perfectly directed towards you, immortalizing the romantic moment between Japan's number one striker and his beautiful girlfriend. The edits will be crazy this time

You notice that the camera is pointed towards you, and a little embarrassed you try to smile without revealing the hint of discomfort "I'll be back later?" you say to your boyfriend, who before you can even finish the sentence, shakes his head as he grabs your wrist "No. You're coming too" he says walking back towards the station, squeezing your wrist affectionately. You follow him, a little embarrassed but it wasn't the first time it happened, so you had gotten used to it

Rin returns to his seat, his arm around your waist ignoring the fact that he almost slipped out of an interview. You stand next to him, your arm behind his back, smiling at the man who now knows both of them "Were you saying?" Rin asks, returning to the interview questions

"Oh, yeah yeah... any projects in mind at the moment? On a soccer level or on a personal level?" the interviewer asks again

Rin thinks about it for a moment. The plans are actually there. He must still become the best of the best, climb to the top and lead Japan to be the strongest team in the world. It simply has yet to break some of its limitations

But there are also other projects. He has to decide when to use that ring he bought more than a few months ago. He must understand when to kneel down and definitely ask you to become Miss Itoshi, his wife. These are mainly his most important projects at the moment

"I still have a lot to do, Japan has to become the most important and strongest team in the world, and maybe I will take on the role of team captain. On a personal level though... I don't know, I just want to continue what I already doing for a while… making her happy every day” Rin says, and you can swear you feel your heart explode

Your boyfriend isn't a big talker, you knew this even before we got together. But the facts speak, and he is doing exactly what he says: every day he makes you happy, and you couldn't be more grateful. His words may seem like nothing, but they mean a lot to you. You simply love him. The interviewer smiles. You turn to Rin and he leans down slightly to kiss you on the nose, making you giggle while the cameras film you

Maybe Rin could use that ring tonight, maybe?

[ghostradiodylan]

Probably a lukewarm take, but other than the (lack of an) ending, the Laura and Ryan scenes are some of the worst written and conceived parts of The Quarry.

And this is completely separate from whether Ryan is interested in Dylan (he is, but that's another post and not important to this rant) or Kaitlyn; even if Ryan had no other potential relationships in the game, even if Laura wasn't practically married to Max, wearing his ring around her neck the entire time they're talking, it still would feel flat to me because nothing about it is earned.

Laura is on a killing spree with the single-minded goal of saving Max. She genuinely believes the only way to do that is to kill Chris Hackett. Even if you've made her argue with Max to the extent that they can, they're still a strong unit when she goes out to solve this werewolf thing once and for all. Even if you don't believe in love think their relationship would survive all this trauma, she deeply believes she owes it to him to rescue him, that is her entire guiding ethos during the game.

Ryan is going with her to try to keep that from happening because Chris has been his friend and mentor for years. We know Ryan has an absent mother, unmentioned father, and a potentially turbulent family life, and he's been coming to HQSC for so long that it feels like home to him, that Chris and his kids feel like family. Laura has already killed Kaylee. Even if Ryan completely bought into the werewolf thing by now, that would be a tough pill for him to swallow, given his reaction to her death.

Then, they fall in the titular Quarry and suddenly have the option to express a completely unearned sort of camaraderie with each other. Why is Laura asking Ryan about his love life in the first place? The question about him being single makes sense as a dig, but it doesn't make any sense for her to ask about him being a 'brooding and mysterious loner' because... she hasn't actually seen him do anything brooding or mysterious? How did she even get that impression? If Laura's got some kind of borderline psychic intuition then this is really the worst possible use of that ability--she should have foreseen her need to go to that motel and stay the fuck out of locked storm shelters instead.

It doesn't make a lick of sense for her to say that Kaitlyn looks up to him either. She hasn't seen that. Hell, we as players haven't even seen that! Kaitlyn seems generally tolerant of but unimpressed by Ryan. She has the option to be impatient with him multiple times and even get the chyron that she's ‘losing respect’ for him if he suggests she take the gun and go after Nick instead. This seems like an objectively good idea, since she's a much better shot than Ryan, a fact which the game keeps telling us despite refusing to give her a gun until the last possible second, though maybe the concern is that she'd have to drag Nick back to the campfire herself. (Honestly, I think Kaitlyn could do it, I think she's like a mighty ant who can lift many times her own weight, but that's not what this post is about.)

Ryan, for his part, shouldn't really be willing to talk about any of this with Laura either. He canonically doesn't even want to talk to his coworkers about his animation school decision (in the office scene with Dylan and at the campfire with Emma if you choose truth like a lunatic) and he's known them for at least two months, if not for years attending the same camp. But he met Laura a few hours ago and is suddenly willing to spill his guts about who he does or doesn't have a crush on and who does/doesn't have 'the hots' for him, despite the only experience they have together being her leaving his friend of several years dead facedown in a pool and expressing a strong desire to kill his father figure? I simply do not buy it.

I'm not sure if this was supposed to go along with the relationship system that they scrapped or what (there's not a single shred of Ryan and Laura stuff in the datamine that I've been able to find), but all it really serves to do is muddy the waters by trying to force some level of intimacy on Ryan and Laura before the big confrontation at the Hackett House. But that confrontation itself should have been the thing that forged that intimacy between them and allowed them to go on to fight Silas together.

Overall, I think it's a major sign that the back third of the game got a very rushed and, frankly, bad chop job (which we know is true) and that they struggled to tie the resulting loose threads off in a way that made any kind of narrative sense. It's a shame, because the writing in The Quarry is actually way better than most people give it credit for, it just wasn't allowed to pay off in a lot of ways that clearly were intended.

[trashy-tries-writing]

I can just imagine Ravine healing himself like he’s in the far cry 2 and everybody just looking at him like “wtf???”

Like broken arm? Nah let me just readjust some bones and we’re good to go!

Sorry for the long wait but it's finally here! 😖 Okay I can see this happening 💀. Price is getting gray hairs because he never knows if Ravine is walking around with an injured bones or not. It's a charade for 141 to find out after the first time they saw him do it 😂. Thank you so much for this idea 🙂 Also to all precious Readers, anyone willing to help me understand the mw2 characters more? Like telling me what your opinion on what their dislikes and likes could be and maybe headcanons you guys have for them? I’m interested to learn/know :DD PS.: I apologize for any mistakes and wrong words I use, It’s been too long since I researched about MW2 and Military stuff 😅

Price has known Ravine for a few years now but the soldier still surprises him in ways that he would never imagine. When he believes he finally grasped the depth of the weapo- Ravine’s abilities, the man swoops in with something unpredictable that has the captain stare at him like he just told him Laswell is firing Price.

Well not after today that is. Now he welcomes situations that could only happen in dreams with open arms so he can spare himself some stress.

The mission was easier than some things they were ordered to do.

The objective was to seize the contents inside the briefcase, it didn’t matter if the briefcase was lost as long as they got their hands on what was inside it. 

Ghost, Ravine, Gaz and Soap approached the enemy base on the mountains on foot as they ambushed them. However the opponent was one step ahead, hiding inside a hidden cave and fled with a jeep down the mountains, making a quick escape as the soldiers shot down the rest of the man.

Soap cursed, hoping to pop a tire with his gun but it was for naught as the bullets were caught by the many trees the vehicle passed through. Gaz let Price know that the objective is making pace down the mountain.

The captain’s voice echoed through one of their intercom radios.

“Ravine, time to fetch.”

They barely tilted their heads towards the mentioned male when they find Ravine darting past them at high speed. Their confusion flip into understanding as they have never seen him run before.

“The rest of you, make your way down and keep a lookout for strays hanging around.”

A few minutes later, they locate the jeep slammed sideways into a tree trunk making it almost fold in two. They quietly roam the area and quickly spot Ravine emerging from the back of the ruined car with a hand holding onto the case.

And that’s where they currently find themselves in when it happened.

“Ooohhh that looks bad, are you okay?” Gaz takes the briefcase from his hands, eyes worriedly staring at Ravine’s slightly bent arm with the bone poking out it.

“Aye.”

Without warning Ravine grabs his broken arm, pushing the bone back inside his flesh. A collective groan of pain and disgust echoed through the mountain from his action. 

Soap lifts a hand and averts his gaze from the scene as Gaz holds the briefcase in front of his face. Ghost scrunches his face from underneath the mask as Price’s voice echoes through, questioning the sudden silence.

The were impressed, sure… but whAT THE FUCK?!?!!?

While they are trying to explain to Ravine that, for a matter of fact, it was NOT okay to push your own bone back into your arm and it shouldn’t have been his first response to the open wound. It was DEFINITELY NOT NORMAL either to use that said broken arm the minute he ‘fixed’ it.

I mean okay, they did find that kind of cool but they were seriously getting worried about him. His blood was running down his forearm, staining his clothes red and he’s standing there like it was a daily occurrence.

Ghost marches towards Ravine and pokes a harsh finger to his helmet with ‘Don’t try this shit again’ glare, making the tall man recoil his head from the push.

“Sit down you muppet and refrain from moving that arm around.”

On the other side inside Price’s office, the captain exhales loudly; it could be heard outside the room. “Of course he did that…” He’s aging so quickly that he’s hoping he won't wake up the next day with a full set of white hair.

He waits by the entrance, seeing the truck in the distance growing bigger each second. He pushes himself from leaving on the wall and sees Gaz, Soap and Ghost instinctively grab onto Ravine who seems to plan a visit to the doctor.

While Ghost’s pushing from the front, one hand locked with Ravin’s while the other pushed against his chest, Gaz and Soap are pulling and tugging the man towards the medical facility.

Price sighs and the soldier’s stop in their tracks when they find him standing beside them watching them try to wrestle Ravine into a checkup. The captain crosses his arms over his chest, his head tilted slightly and a silent conversation is shared between him and the giant of a man.

Ghost can feel Ravine’s hand flinch and shake as he unconsciously tightens his grip on the shorter male’s hand. The lieutenant turns his head back, observing his body becoming tense making him look bulkier than he was.

The trio is shushed away as Price and Ravine go on their merry way.

“Man, he must really hate doctors.”

Ghost’s eyes linger on Ravine’s back, feeling something amiss. He doesn’t push or ask for an answer but questions are filling his head especially due to the sudden heat he could feel from his hand that was locked with his.

They were hiding something huge that was related to the abnormality that was Ravine but there were too many potential answers to piece together, like a puzzle without edges and weirdly shaped pieces.

He was sure Gaz and Soap were thinking the same thing but they didn’t dare risk breaking whatever frail bond they had with Ravine.

Who was Ravine before he became Ravine?

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

If anyone wants to be tagged let me know :D

@livinglifebesticanlol

(Hope it worked, never tagged anyone before 💦) (Also sorry if my writing got bad, I haven't written for so long 😳)

[gayofthefae]

We've only seen a Mike and El kiss be shot intimately from Mike's perspective ONCE (I rewatched it before finalizing and would like to correct it to ZERO TIMES)*, at the Snow Ball.

Their first kiss was a wide shot then close from El's perspective. Their make-outs were all wide shots (Hopper's perspective), with him once leaning in in a closer shot in El's perspective before it cut back out to a wide. El kissing him in 3x08 was from his perspective for a moment, that's the closest, but we immediately cut away to a wide - something that I have heard many a note on "takes you out of the moment", and we can see his body language indicates that "intimacy" may not be what we were going for as close shots can also be used to indicate discomfort. One could also argue the closeup of her leaning in as simply a reverse shot to her intimate perspective the moment before. Then, of course, their airport reunion kiss. Famously distant, with I believe 4 extras crossing in front of the camera during the embrace.

Even the Snow Ball was a camera circling them not specifically for him, but it still was purposefully timed to include his perspective and chosen that way so I do include it.

It's just very interesting to note. We actually don't know how he feels about kissing her. We've been robbed of that information by only being shown a third party perspective.

Additionally, wide shots of kissing tend to make people uncomfortable. Naturally, it makes you feel less like you are one of the characters and more like a voyeur, watching your friends make-out. Or, in the show's situation, a father watching his daughter.

The wide shots of kisses elicit discomfort. The only times they're nice is when we see them in El's perspective and ONCE. Once. From Mike's.

*Correction here! 0 times. The shot of him leaning in is in fact in El's perspective at the Snow Ball and the kiss itself happens at about the midpoint. So the closest you can get to an objective shot AGAIN. It also doesn't last long enough to truly reach qualifying as an over the shoulder shot of El for Mike while they're kissing. I would probably say it qualifies just as he starts to pull away, ironically. To contrast, Lucas and Max's kiss is definitively in Lucas' perspective, with their hug afterwards definitively in Max's, despite using the same camera circling technique.

In conclusion, we have 0 data on how Mike feels about kissing El. Zip. Zilch. Nil. That absence of information is queer-coded as hell. In El's perspective, he does not make distinctly emotionally decipherable facial expressions and in his kissing her is not an intimate experience. If anything, it's a distant one.

Stranger Things is big on "learn the rules so you can break them". That seems to apply to cinematography too. I have been told if you use an ots shot you HAVE to provide the reverse shot. They do not do that. They're short kisses, yes. But they could technically make them a second longer or rather lengthen them in the edit by showing the lean in from one perspective and kiss from the other.

One last comparison, J@ncy's very first kiss is also quite short. But they get a shot and reverse shot right before and right after before they kiss again. Non ots shots are used often for kissing and "non-conversation" but even then, they are typically close: shoulder up. Mike and El have a history of having their entire torsos in the shot, making you feel like you're sitting on the edge of the bed watching them. Perhaps because Mike is not feeling it and as such, still completely aware of his surroundings? Who knows.

Either way, there are ways to do it and they have done it those ways. Slightly less objective by putting it in El's perspective when they wanted us to be on board for the first two kisses, but not in Mike's. Never in Mike's.

[originalaccountname]

There are some posts I've seen floating around that at the start Dazai may not of known that Chuuya wasn't a vampire which I kind of agree with. I'm at work currently so I cant double check but when he goes "that's a nasty trick you've pulled fydor" im pretty sure its in his thoughts?? To which why would he think that if he knew the whole time. I think dazai must of caught onto the fact Chuuya was faking it at somepoint but not sure when that would of been. Also at the end of the ep Dazai said he didn't have a plan. (I did watch the episode at just after 2am my time when it came out and then fell asleep afterwards so my memory could be not correct). I do think chuuya not being a vampire at all is a little disappointing tbh but this idea softens the blow. Would like to know your thoughts on this idea if you are open to sharing?

I'm in that category too, yes. I've left a few tags saying basically the same thing on some posts.

First, there are a few things the anime didn't answer (more than failing to justify Chuuya faking it since the start, there's Sigma's case about needing to help the ADA, which... didn't happen at all) so either we haven't seen the repercussions of this arc yet, or we got the shortened version of what the manga will offer. Which could work either way. (not ideal necessarily, but besides huffing what can we do huh)

Dazai not knowing though! Dazai did admit to his "plan" being to mostly adapt on the fly and trust his allies to help him back. He implied this prison break was one big trust fall. But that's how I've always interpreted Dazai's way of planning! I even made a post about it a full year ago!

Since Dazai knows Chuuya slowed down the elevator (which I can accept, Dazai's ability shouldn't affect random objects he touches, and Fyodor had told Chuuya through a comm to go finish off Dazai because he wasn't in the room), I assume that by then he was aware. Maybe not before though. Definitely not at first. Because this?

I refuse to believe was entirely scripted. Why is he acting? For Sigma? For corpses? I'm of the opinion that no matter what is going on through Dazai's head, his expressions are always genuine (ex: he might react with surprise at something he completely expected, if only because of how sudden it was, or when/how it ended up happening. Here? genuine distress.)

And I extend that feeling to Dazai having an emotional moment, complete with flashbacks, while "drowning" Fyodor and Chuuya. He did say he wasn't expecting to kill them that way, but perhaps it really was a moment of weakness triggered by concern or guilt.

I can accept Dazai having caught on during his face-off with Chuuya. That's Mr I-know-your-breathing-patterns we have here, so if they didn't high-five after the elevator crash-landing (still broke Dazai's leg), I would say Dazai knows physics enough to go "hold on" and connect the dots. So yes, that baiting of Chuuya, the light taunting, the bratty attitude he only really has with Chuuya, the angry YELLING and insults when Chuuya shot him in the shoulder? The destiny talk? Yeah I can re-contextualize those as Dazai over-acting his part. And then not being able to shut up after being shot in the head.

Maybe there's some reaching here, maybe this will not be totally accurate to the source material. But Asagiri does have a habit to write scenes from an outsider pov while knowing whats happening in the characters' heads and behind the scene, but then not give us that input directly. Never before today was it confirmed that Dazai improvises a lot in his plans. And yet! That's something I've believed in for a very long time.

This all could very well be covering Asagiri's poor decisions, but between this being the adaptation and bsd being an unfinished story, I have a hard time deciding at the moment how much of a poor decision this was. Maybe it's worth a raised eyebrow. Maybe it deserves some criticism in hope the author takes notes. Maybe this was an anime-original resolution due to time constraints (think of the Fifteen final fight). I can only raise concerns for now, and wait.

[morethansky]

***TBB SPOILERS**

Realized I never wrote up my thoughts on "Into the Breach," which was the first episode I've liked since "Extraction"!!! Probably because all I could think about was Echo for 72 hours afterward.

This episode gave me such Rebels vibes, and that's truly the highest compliment I could pay any Star Wars media. I present my case:

There's an objective laid out from the start that is a small but crucial piece of the larger plot. The beginning of the episode presents this problem, and by the end of the episode, that specific problem solved.

Everyone is competent, and every character gets to do something vital to the mission. Whether it's a small thing doesn't matter; it's the fact that if that character wasn't there to do that small thing, the mission might be screwed that matters.

The action is meaningful—it conveys something about the characters while also driving the plot forward—and there's suspense that ratchets up the tension. And then to diffuse it, there's humor, and each joke is funny, but it's not overdone.

Infiltration episodes are such a Star Wars staple, and it's a real shame that TBB hasn't had more of them. They tried to make up for it by putting THREE infiltrations into this episode lmao. The fact that they show one long-term infiltration, one short-term infiltration, and one super short-term infiltration is very clever and makes the writing feel cohesive and dynamic, something this show hasn't always been able to achieve.

Also important, they do both a space/flight mission and a ground mission (two of each, technically), which is something that always helps make an episode feel like it's set in the GFFA and not just, you know *cough* Space!Louisiana. Or Tatooine scene #700.

There's also some nice storytelling going on with the environment—they go from being outside on the cloud city (free) to inside a space station (trapped with enemies), and for Omega, inside a cell (in which she actually enters another cell, visually—her bunk). The wide outdoor shots make the close, indoor shots feel much more claustrophobic, which is exactly the atmosphere these particular indoor settings should be giving off.

Other thoughts and meta:

Daytime Tantiss is a good sign! Forecast: Not death?

Prison Break Omega is just such a good vibe, and this would just be so fucking cool...except we've literally already seen her escape once this season??? And it was already really well done??? This is like the flip side of my complaint that Omega was too helpless in the first season, and it was annoying how she constantly needed to be rescued. Now she's too competent and is always escaping lol. It just really, really cheapens the dramatic effect either escape could've had.

Needless to say, the Batch's driving purpose once again being that they're struggling to rescue Omega is just. I'm tired. If there are going to be two major captures and two major escapes this season, at least one of them needs to be a narrative flip!!! The Batch rescuing her at the front end of the season and Omega escaping herself at the end, or vice versa, would've made it much less repetitive (and stopped cutting the Batch off at the knees in order to show Omega's competency). Omega even gets captured in the same fucking way—she gives herself up in "Plan 99" and "Point of No Return"! Ughhhhh

Okay I swear I actually like this episode lmao, I just. Editor instincts.

Thinking about how Omega left Lula on Pabu and has essentially left Straw!Lula to Eva, and how it shows that she's shed her need for comfort and is now ready to provide that comfort to other children, which is very lovely. But I'm also worried about Lula and Tech's goggles being on Pabu, because there are only three thematic options here: Everyone returns to them (sanctuary), everyone leaves them behind (leaving the past behind), or Omega returns to leave more items, say a bandana or a Firepuncher (memorial). The link between Lula and the goggles is actually not that natural (unless you're a Techwrecker shipper like me :D), so I've been pondering this choice a lot.

The symbolism of everything inside Tantiss being in the shape of the Empire cog and every character within its walls being a cog of the Empire is so heavy handed...and I am here for every moment of it!!!

Truly did not expect Rampart to stick around for so long. He's going to be a main character in the finale at this point?? I like how he's like a Kallus foil here—despite being scapegoated by the literal emperor he's still loyal to the regime and takes such pride in it. A very Jennifer Corbett & Brad Rau–esque character.

The way that when Echo came down the ramp I literally said, "Oh, thank god."

Hunter and Echo doing the clone hand clasp (and not wrist clasp, you'll note) isn't as emotional given that we already know how strong their bond is at this point, but it's still nice to see this visual callback to the Batch respecting Cody so much despite him being a reg that Hunter would use this hand clasp to greet him. It's a great shorthand (ha) for Hunter's feelings, since he is particularly suspicious of outsiders, and Echo is now fully "one of his."

I really love the mirror of the scene when the Batch is in the cell on Kamino and they escape by breaking into the wall—Omega effectively does the same thing here. These are the satisfying kinds of repetition, rather than entire arcs!

Every time I think about the Tech-is-the-mustachioed-doctor theory I giggle. It would just be. So anticlimactic?? But absolutely hilarious.

The costume change is so unnecessary, buuut I'll be first in line to buy the variant figures! Also it's nice to see some canon clone armor painting after writing and reading so many fics about it!!

I really like Hunter sensing Rampart plotting and how it brings his powers even closer to Jedi precognition.

Not too much Crosshunt in this ep, but I like how in both shuttle scenes, Crosshair stands in a position that blocks Rampart from getting to Hunter in the cockpit (while Wrecker blocks Rampart from getting to the exit).

Not particularly significant, but I like the visual detail of Hunter, Echo, and Crosshair bracketing Rampart in a triangle and it looking like they're his bodyguards but them actually forming that position because he's their prisoner.

The way I screamed when Rampart tries to get Echo to say "sir" and he just says, "I don't think so." Echo did not go through everything he's gone through up to this point to take anyone's shit!!! And the way Rampart just takes it and looks down all ashamed is peak comedy to me. Even he sensed that he was treading on dangerous ground there. (Just for a second think about Fives on Umbara and how he refused to take Krell's shit from the very start...)

The commandos being on this space station (that's orbiting Coruscant??) makes me very sad because it kind of foreshadows a dark ending for the Tantiss arc by showing that the commandos are spread all over the galaxy. So even if they rescue all the commandos from Tantiss, it still wouldn't save all the others. In which case, writing wise, it feels way more unlikely for them to save the commandos on Tantiss at all.

Wrecker tapping his foot while scrolling through the comments on his AO3 account is very cute. Also in the last episode the mining foreman was on his datapad like a phone and I thought it was supposed to convey that he was lazy lol but maybe this sort of thing is just going to show up in SW a lot more now haha

The lieutenant demanding to know where the captain is is kind of silly because wasn't he the one to let him go inside?? Why would he be back at his ship? But I love me the Rebels-esque gag of knocking him out on the ship.

Everyone is screaming about Crosshair having faith in Echo getting them through, but I would also like to contribute the fact that Crosshair says, "You can't go alone." A very poetic line of dialogue because being alone in the Techno Union is what the Batch saved Echo from being, and it's what Crosshair chose to be for two and a half seasons of this show. Not wanting to be alone again was also what made him turn against the Empire! We also see this anxiety in the previous episode, where he (in that very ridiculous reveal) admits he doesn't want to go back to Tantiss (and be alone again).

ECHOOOOOO!!!! About fucking time they gave him another action feature!!! I rewatch that opening sequence in "Tipping Point" constantly. And not only that, it's a very character-driven action feature for once!!! We see him showcase what it means to be an ARC trooper and also what it means that he's "part-droid." A test I like to consider when I gauge the quality of action-ensemble media is, Could any other character have done that? In this case, the text is very loudly telling us absolutely not! Also the way he exudes confidence about it ("But I can") is also just. Super hot, 10/10

Tbh the Echo feature felt so out of place for this show that at this point I was suddenly filled with terror that he was about to die. Thank god he did not, but he's still separated from the others by the end, so it's not out of the question for something terrible to happen in hyperspace, and I do not want it!!! But altogether that was a badass third act and a very good episode!

[noirvette]

WE NEVER EXISTED

[band smau]

[THIRTEEN]

masterlist.

prev. | next.

Having the whole fiasco of figuring out the venue and then helping Kyle with his weird texter person problem, (of which he still hasn't bothered telling Stan about), and then a few surprisingly calm days, it's finally the day of the concert.

Nichole was loving the open venue, and was quickly styling herself away with simple tables and chairs a bit further out, having those separated by simple fences from the GA area. Currently, her theme for the night was orange and dark blue, the dark blue having some sort of shine when lights hit on them. It was absolutely gorgeous as you watched the test runs of the stage lights against them.

Kyle was doing a bit better, having gotten some sleep you could assume, and he's been busying himself all day by corresponding with another local yet small band that would be opening for you guys tonight. They had just shown up about 20 minutes ago and was going ahead with their sound check, which Kyle was graciously observing.

Clyde was..late again, however he did say he was going to stop and bring back food for everyone so you really couldn't stay mad at him, nor with him bringing back Kyle's favorite fast food, you're sure Kyle wouldn't object much either.

Stan was talking to the venue's owner and he definitely has never been more awkward in his life. At this rate, you're sure Kyle's gonna step over there and free Stan from the shackles of his poor social skills.

Craig, for once, has shown up to take pictures again, you can see him snapping away at some candid shots, those of which he'll probably use for his portfolio, beside him you're shocked to see Tweek, he doesn't tend to follow Craig that often to these rehearsal things, in fact Tweek doesn't come to the concerts much anyways, he attends a few, mainly to be with Craig. Tweek spots you and waves, you return the gesture and you can see Craig snap a photo of Tweek as you do so.

Giggling and turning your head away from them and staring back onto the open space, you let your mind wander again. You've been excited to perform, especially here in South Park, it's always been fun to perform here, the town surprisingly having been your guys' biggest supporters.

Bebe and Wendy should be showing up soon, in fact you wouldn't be surprised if Wendy was already here and you just haven't spotted her yet. Bebe was trying to get Red to come along, it had been a while since you've last seen her, quite literally it was about 3 months ago when you and the other girls managed to squeeze a sleepover day in all of your busy schedules.

Annie said she was coming when Nichole shot her a text, and if Annie is coming usually that means Red would be too.

Your phone dings, bringing you away from your thoughts.

Groaning you call out to Kyle, "Hey, Kyle?" He turns his head, "Heidi isn't showing anymore we can thank Cartman's stupid ass."

He frowns, "Again, is it the podcast?" Seeing you nod he continues, "He made her miss our last show in New York City because of that god awful podcast. Remind me, why is she in that again?"

"Because she feels bad for him or something, also something about how it was technically her podcast first and she'd rather die than let him get away with the rebranding...?" You scratch the back of your neck, tone overall sheepish for not really knowing why.

"Didn't he.. technically get away with the rebranding though? I mean he calls himself the 'creator' of it?" Kyle pointedly asks.

"Yeah I'm not too sure about the whole reasoning either, Kyle. Oh! Hey so Clyde also should be coming back in about an hour? Maybe now like 30 minutes, I'm not sure he texted me a while ago now."

"Well he better, his sound check is at 3:30.. and if he's not here, I'm telling you now, I am NOT stepping in for him."

"You're gonna totally step in for him don't lie to me."

Kyle gives you a deadpan stare before turning back around to helping the locals, leaving you giggling to yourself quietly for a bit.

"Hey, Y/n," Stan says, sitting next to you on the edge of the stage, "You ready for tonight?"

You look up at him, "Oh, yeah, I'm just bummed that Heidi can't make it because of Cartman."

"Yeah.. Wendy mentioned that like 3 minutes ago.. all because of a podcast episode. Christ.." Stan trails off, "Why is he even doing a podcast episode today? Most of the entire town is attending tonight, who's gonna be listening to his podcast?"

"Well..." You check your phone again, "Heidi says he's going live during the set change between the opener and us, and you know how long those take, people are gonna be on their phones and they're bound to tune in for a bit."

Stan runs a hand down his face, "He's always gotta do something shady, aside from that, how are you doing?"

"I've.. been good actually Stan thanks."

"No problem, I've been worried about you since.." He trails off, you never realized how often Stan trails off before in conversations.

You let out an airy laugh, "No worries, Stan, really and I appreciate you checking up on me. However, you should check up on Kyle, have you noticed how tired he's been looking recently?"

Stan throws his hands up in the air, "YOU'VE NOTICED!" He freezes and suddenly realizes how loud that was, coughing into his fist, face red with embarrassment, "Sorry just.. I've tried, Kyle hasn't been the most... comfortable with talking his thoughts and feelings out, you know that. He just... would rather throw himself into his work than let me in.. you know?"

You both watch as Kyle runs back and forth from the stage to the backstage, "Yeah I get what you mean."

"And I've tried! Really I have but he just waves me off and says nothing important is really affecting him and that he'll 'figure it out' God knows how.. he's never figured anything out, well, whenever it comes to his emotions at least."

You shrug in return, "You've let him know you're there for him.. I guess you're gonna have to wait until he comes to you."

Stan nods at that and the two of you sit in a comfortable silence.

Your phone buzzes and you open the notification without checking what the exact notification was for.

Groaning as you realize who tweeted you're about to swipe and close the app before realizing you were tagged in the tweet, over your shoulder Stan takes a peek, "Cartman? What does he want?"

Turning your phone off you shake your head in annoyance and Stan snorts, "What have you done to make Cartman tag you on twitter?"

"He's so delusional I probably pissed him off in a dream or something." You and Stan laugh.

"Y/N! Your guitars are here, can you make sure they're tuned and good to go? If you want you could start early on your preliminary soundcheck." Kyle breaks the laugh attack you and Stan are having.

You give him a thumbs up and he does one back, going back to whatever he was doing just now.

"Well, gotta get this done," You stand up and stretch, "See ya around, Stan."

"Peace."

TAGLIST: @captivq @kimiesstuff @bwljules @the-cooler-kira @1one1person1 @kenny-the-ken @neenieweenie @n0tangeliccc @frogindisguise @revzxn @mirophobic @gonefiishiing @musiclovebot @bootsieboo @bonez4brainz @s0l4riss @1996kj @sweetadonisbutbetter @scinclaitnoir

[animehouse-moe]

Undead Unluck Episode 6: Spoil

David pro might not be perfect, and the CGI might be arguably even more clunky than what Zom 100 is working with. But you have to admit, there's a lot of charm in this episode. There's also a lot of information, so plenty for me to talk about!

I'll get it out of the way first, I love how Yase and co are approaching the framing in UU. Wide shots that tend to place character and focus on the bottom or top third is very very fun, and they love playing around with those ideas to create interestingly spaced shots. It can be seen as a bold decision, but I think it's a really important one as it plays into the visual identity of the series while staving off boredom during exposition.

The art in general is just so damn bold. It really goes all out with what it has, and effectively considers the thought of "what is the most that I can do in this moment?", and it delivers incredible pieces.

Though I think the real icing on the cake is the first reveal for Spoil. Not the one that happens at the end of the episode, but the one that happens through the secondhand account of Union investigators, relayed to Fuuko and everyone.

It's just incredibly good, and proves you don't need scary imagery or jumpscares to really provide a sense of discomfort and unease. Really really great work that doesn't use zombies or Spoil as a crutch to express anything about the UMA, and plays directly into the best vehicle for horror: the imagination.

Alright, last piece about visuals, and it's David's 2D smoke. My god I love it, I can't fathom why other studios put their smoke through so many visual effects when you can produce incredible works like this. Getting to see how the smoke moves, it's just such an impressive feat of animation that so often gets overshadowed by composition and other visual effects.

Anyways, onto the story! There's a lot of really really interesting ideas that I'd love to explore here.

First of all, why was only a single corpse appearing in New York City? Obviously, some of them can have a will like the woman in this episode, but how on earth do you get from wherever Longing is to New York City without being spotted? Personally, I feel like it has something to do with Spoil, but I have no idea what the objective would be in placing a rotten corpse in NYC, when Spoil's ability is denoted to be a continuous activation ability within a set range. Not quite adding up, so I'm very curious to find out the reasoning behind its appearance.

Next up is Victhor, as Shen says. Gena was (as far as we know) the oldest of the Union members that are currently active and/or alive, but Mr. Know-It-All could also have been the source of that information. Regardless, Shen was told by someone at the Union about Andy's past, which insinuates the fact that Andy is repressing either that past, or a personality via the shard in his head. Considering the content of the ending, it's rather clear cut that his past was traumatic and something that he's fleeing from, so I'm very interested to learn more about these two Undead's that have been displayed.

And Shen just keeps layering on the explanations.

Shen calls UMAs "the very Rules themselves" which is interesting as it closes the rift between the idea of Rules and UMAs. Which makes building an image of the world leading up to this moment that much harder. Juiz references "Rules" in a separate context to how Shen explains them here, dropping the "UMA" association within her explanation to Fuuko in the prior episode.

Because of that, I'm not entirely certain that Rules and UMAs are one in the same, but it's hard to find the correct separation due to Shen's words. Do these Rules always exist, and UMAs are more like direct enforcers of those rules? It means that UMAs stem directly from whatever God exists, regardless. They are not a happenstance or byproduct of Rule in any capacity, like Negators might be. Though, at the same time, the idea behind the quests begs the question: where do negators come from?

They are a separate class from UMAs which "enforce" rules while Negators break them. They are also humans in comparison to, well, "angels" as the episode so eloquently references them. Having that imagery, and understanding that a god exists makes me think that there's multiple, or it's a case of betrayal or whatnot where one entity sides with humanity and the other is against it. The question is why that would happen in the first place, and how these entities settled on, or even agreed, to this concept of quests and Rules.

But that's a discussion for another time, let's talk about the little bit that a group of kids gives us!

All these children have much larger timers than what Andy and the others have, but why?

Furthermore, that many seconds (or about 2.5 hours) is far too short for the children to have survived on. So, do kids just get a longer timer from Spoil? That can't be it, because the children's ability to last for at least a full day would mean that Spoil's ability is entirely unbalanced. Alongside that, it can't be that Spoil assigns a different timer based on age, because we're shown a child in the crowd of zombies during the episode.

It also can't be because they're underground, as both Fuuko and Shen start with a 1,000 second timer. So it's something intrinsic to people, not necessarily children.

So, for the sake of argument, let's assume that every living entity is given a timer of 1,000 seconds before they spoil. How then, are you able to increase that timer, and what is it about these children that is different from the rest?

Well, the largest thing is that they're completely isolated from the rest of the zombies. But space from the zombies and Spoil itself wouldn't be effective, as I've already explained above.

You might argue that the children could move back and forth between the edge of Spoil's range, but that would still just incur a 1,000 second timer, and we don't even have a guarantee that exiting the range will prevent the spoiling or the countdown.

To that end, I might have just answered my own question about the rotten corpse in NYC. That corpse may have been the first to appear from Spoil, but exited Longing before his timer went off. That would mean that the timer was still incurred, as would be implied by the idea of a "curse", but would also mean that adults would be able to increase their timer through some method.

So it can't be something entirely exclusive to children if we open it up to that idea.

Everybody would be aware of their timer when it appears, but the question is whether or not they're aware of what it is. Does awareness of what the countdown implies change how it works? Did Spoil tell people what was happening when he first appeared in the town? Thanks to the woman Andy marries, we know that zombies understand what Spoil is and where he might be.

I'd argue that you might be able to explain that thanks to their "connection" to Spoil, but Andy doesn't get that information once he begins to spoil. That means that the woman knew what Spoil was prior to her zombification, but I have no way of knowing if that's the case for everyone else.

But, for the sake of this theory that's gone on far too long, let's make some bold assumptions. Spoil appears in town and announces that they're going to turn people into zombies. Panic ensues. People attempt to flee, children get stuffed in underground tunnels. A survey group appears and engages in a hopeless rally against Spoil's ability.....

I think that's it. The survey group did not take 1000 seconds to spoil like Andy did, but they would have had a timer for 1000 seconds all the same. Now, an even crazier assumption is that the zombies didn't kill that survey team (as we have no visual proof, nor do we see any zombies attempt to directly harm the group in this episode), which means they expired far faster than 1,000 seconds.

This means one of two things. Spoil can directly spoil someone in an instant, or the timer can also decrease. If the timer can also decrease, it continues down that rabbit hole of psychological interference.

And at that point, I would say the answer is hope. Hope that whoever stuffed the kids in the underground will return to save them. Or a lack of hope that as you see the people around you start to spoil, that you'll spoil as well. Or, hope that you got away from the zombie apocalypse, but then the hopelessness of that timer continuing to count down no matter how far away you flee.

Now, I can sit here and brag that I made some crazy theory, but I'd be pretty shocked if it comes out to be true. There's quite a few assumptions in this crazy rambling, and just as many black boxes to deal with. But, at the end of it, I think it's a pretty good attempt at explaining why timers can change.

Anyways, one last bit! The Rule vessels, as Spoil explains it.

Claiming that Negators are Rule vessels puts them in very interesting territory. My first question to this idea is, how can a rule vessel and a UMA exist at the same time? We have Unburn the negator, but also Burn the UMA. Are they symbiotic? But then, wouldn't that be the case for any negator out there? Could Andy's nature as the undead vessel be the root cause of the potential for a split personality?

I don't think it likely, but Unburn and Burn is the only example of both a Negator and UMA existing in this world at the same time, so I really want to see how that works, as it entirely shapes the concept of rules and negators.

Because you'd think that a rule must exist for a negator to exist, but that would imply the existence of a great many more UMAs that we as readers do not know about. It could be that they're locked up and in containment with Union, or that they're pacifists or non-sentient rules, but as far as we know, any UMAs that Union has subjugated or neutralized have been hostile ones towards humans (as they are expected to be, given their role), and there are countless UMAs that exist where we don't have any awareness or understanding of the existence of their Negator. So, not a whole lot to add to this idea (mostly because I already used all my brain power on the other theory), other than the fact that I really need to see what goes on with Unburn and Burn.

So yeah, a whole hell of a lot of writing, but overall a really great episode. I could spend all day picking apart this series, really.

[thisisevenharderthannamingablog]

Episode 7 Gun Scene AKA Give Kinn a (little) Break Please

I've seen lots of meta on the bathroom scene but not much on the precursor.

At the end of 6/6.5 they've cleared the air, established that they're still attracted to one another and that there are Emotions All Up In This Bitch. Kinn having gotten shot puts things on hold. You don't want to try to start a relationship while one of you is recuperating from blood loss etc. So we get some plot for a while, and shenanigans from Vegas and emotional abuse from Korn and pep talks from friends, and then we get the gun scene.

First of all, that hanging-up fake-out was cute AF. Second, Kinn sneaking into the minor house to see him was arguably dumb when there's a whole thing going on tomorrow. Totally worth it, though.

I don't think it's escaped Porsche at this point that Kinn doesn't generally attach value to objects. He's been around the house for a while now, would have noticed that compared to the rest of the family, Kinn's rooms are almost empty of personal touches. (See also, Life in Korn's Panopticon.)

[Aside: Being completely uninterested in objects is one way to perform being Rich as Fuck; you can always buy another one of whatever it is so who cares. I find it interesting how the things he does have tend to underline Kinn's physicality; he's all about the scents and textures, and that's a trait maintained during the sex scenes. An interesting choice in a purely visual medium. Later on, when they're dating, it's about experiences, not things. It seems like that's how it was with Tawan, too, so that's a core characteristic for Kinn.]

Back to loaning Porsche the gun. This gesture is deeply unusual, lets Kinn remind him that he cares without getting all mushy about it (got to keep his head in the game here). Porsche has that shy look.

[Aside: LITERALLY NO ONE in however many years he spent street fighting has ever told Porsche to come back safe. Chay loves him, but Chay needs him in a way that means even if he said the words, it couldn't be just on account of Porsche's value as a person.]

Kinn takes a visible breath before this next bit, takes the plunge and makes the conversation about sex. Bearing in mind that Kinn's usual mode since Tawan has been ordering off the escort menu, this has a fascinating-to-me mix of delicacy (yes! I mean it!) and directness.

First there's the conversational placement; it comes after the concern for Porsche's safety. Second, it's a blunt but not serious way to broach the subject. There's loads of physical space here, and they're alone; Porsche can back away or laugh it off if he's uncomfortable. He doesn't do either one; he keeps it playful, but his body language is let us say "engaged." That tongue motion, FFS. Wave good-bye to Porsche's heterosexuality as it disappears over the horizon. He isn't nervous about the idea or still angry about last time, is 100% DTF after the mission is over. They're close enough to kiss, not going for it, but you can feel the anticipation.

Porsche did ask for some words of encouragement. Be careful tomorrow, come back, and then we're going to do this right (and have a really good time) is pretty encouraging. Kinn's expression gets serious again; they both just melt into the softest of soft looks, forehead touch is my forever weakness. Because this is not just about sex. This is them about to embark on a relationship.

Which they manage to do after a Vegas-induced hiccup that lasts all of a minute and a half.

I think all of that setup explains a lot of Kinn's initial reaction in the bathroom scene; the fact that it was Vegas of all people explains the rest. As far as Kinn can tell in those first few seconds, he let down his guard and just got knifed in the gut for it, and he's got an emotional whipsaw going through the whole scene as he realizes that he jumped to the wrong conclusion. Also explains the rapid shift into sexytimes. It's not just that Kinn prefers actions to words, although he definitely does that; bro has literally been thinking about doing this all damn day. I hope he didn't have to try to focus on any work.

Final note - I'm not sure Kinn actually does have as much of a possessive streak as seems to be a common interpretation? He doesn't act like that about anybody else we see. His jealous streak is mostly focused on Vegas, and that's had a lifetime to accumulate. He has a competitive streak a mile wide (thank you Korn, now there's a man who treats people like possessions), and that does show up consistently with other people.

[wilkers1]

there was always something about games like the Portal series or games such as Data Wing that always stuck out to me as something that could be seen as an allegory to a narrative about abusive relationsips, and i'm not at all talking about the Companion Cube, i see that as something of a build-up to later scenes. something about the way you start out thinking you're cared for and blindly following instructions and forming opinions molded to someone else's will. i wish to build a game following that kind of narrative around the phrase "Because i told you so.", but i wanna take a slightly different approach.

looking back at the first time i played Portal, i liked how the way that new hazards were introduced felt like GLaDOS was looking to punish me for things i never did or fully understood at the time, or specifically in the first time where Turrets are introduced, the one part in particular where the two turrets are facing eachother, could be comparable to a double-bind situation -- the saying "dammed if you do, dammed if you don't" applies here, the kind of thing someone with power over you could do to make you keep guessing what they want, only for the objective to be that you just keep guessing while you submit to whatever they want you to do or think. likewise, the turrets facing eachother are an embodiment of that. they are difficult to deal with on their own because there's no reasonable way to possibly deal with them both at the same time, as you'll always get shot by the other either way. and to add insult to the injury, the first turret has a good view of you just enough to helplessly keep shooting into the glass where it would hit you had the glass not been there.

that shooting is the thing that keeps pounding into your head saying that you can't hide forever and you have to deal with this situation eventually.

except that you can deal with both turrets at the same time, you might be remembering. but have you ever stopped to think that there were never any cube dispensers up until that point? in fact, have you noticed that the first appearance of the cube dispenser was one showing up after that point, sabotaged into staying open? the only way you were able to deal with the turrets is that you were able to see you are not alone, and that there were people who actually risked their lives to gather those cubes and make sure you are be able to not hide forever behind that glass.

i want to explore more of a story like that. in Portal, not only do you already get nudged into the realization over time, but as you slowly come to the realizations of your surroundings, you also get distracted with the confrontation you're forced to put increasing effort into over time. in Data Wing, you always get to just be happy following whatever orders are given to you to keep on racing and delivering data, even if the motivations during that game were mostly void of malice throughout the story. and in Ace Combat 3: Electrosphere (the JP version), you slowly come to the realization of what your purpose is as you try new decisions, and also what others' motivations around you are, but aside from the little choices you make, no real power is actually given for you to challenge or influence anything you're doing in the longer term, so you always fulfill a purpose according to the will of the one taking care of you in the end and only get to realization after your purpose was already fulfilled as their creation.

a story i want to explore is along the lines of: how would one come to the realization that they are experiencing an abusive relationship when they don't have any frame of reference or morality about what an abusive relationship even is? what kind of purpose would someone like that be fulfilling, and what would bring them to have their opinions and motivations be aligned with their creator's?

you may also notice how i'm using the term "purpose" very loosely here, perhaps in a way that feels objectifying, because that is how i myself feel about what i think an abusive relationship often end up being. i want to make up an Ace Combat kind of gameplay in a way that the storytelling would feel more nuanced than a "go to this path" or "go to that path". i want to know and show a player about how could someone be able to find themselves in a situation like in Portal where they don't have the boxes laying around in a corner by someone else who already found out what's up. more importantly, i want to show a story where they themselves would be in the bliss of ignorance until they put active effort in wanting to know a story like this. the problem is that i don't know about those things myself, so i'd like to have some clue about how to put something like this together.

[buzzdixonwriter]

We Don’t Really Need To Exist [FICTOID]

He went hunting for deer and found the Truth.

Not a good trade.

He left home early on a frosty morning, heading deep into the wooded mountains surrounding the valley where he lived.

Though his family farmed there for generations, he felt called to hunting, to seeking our and tracking down and ultimately killing pretty.

He did so with no ill intent.  He took no pleasure in the animals’ fear or in whatever suffering they endured but death mercifully snuffed them out.

He frequently killed them with a single shot to the heart, causing them a moment’s shocked surprise before losing consciousness.

The bodies he dragged home, skinned and dressed them, using the hides for clothes and shoes, the meat for food.

Recently the animals retreated further and further into the woods, higher and higher up the mountains.

The hunter grumbled about this -- “More work for me dragging them back!” -- but stoically accepted it.

The further he got from his home, however, the more preternatural the woods felt. 

The mountains no longer looked familiar; rather strange peaks and craigs rose where never seen before.

The vegetation also seemed different from the familiar plants and trees around the farm.  The insect and bird sounds filling the air seemed alien and strange.

There seemed to be a disconnect between the human reality he knew and the reality of the woods around him.  He couldn’t put his finger on why, but it didn’t seem to him to be a false sensation.

Rather, it felt like he touched some deeper, more profound truth.

As he crested one ridge, he looked down and saw a deep valley below him.

At first it seemed made of gold, then he realized the hue came from dead grass.

He saw a oddly shaped multi-hued object floating in midair several feet above the valley floor.  Despite feeling dread at the sight of it, he climbed down into the valley to examine it more closely.

He guessed it to be about twenty feet across and forty feet high.  Its multiple facets appeared to be made of stained glass, each pane glowing with some spectral light from within.

It floated too high above him for him to reach it even if he took a running jump.

He wondered about taking a shot at it when a voice in his head said:  Don’t.

He looked startled.  Who am I? the voice reverberated.  I am that which cannot be named, I am the ultimate and the infinite, I am the only thing that truly exists.

“I exist,” the hunter said, not sounding at all convinced.

You merely think you think you exist.  You are but a figment of my imagination.  All that exists is a figment of my imagination:  This valley, these mountains, this land, this world, this universe.  Me and me alone.

He opened his mouth to protest but shut it again.  Deep in the core of his being he knew the words spoken to be true.

“I don’t exist?” he croaked.

You could never even have possibly existed.  You are a faction of a fraction of a figment.  You not only could have never possibly existed, but all you know does not exist either.

“No love?”

No love.  No hate.  No right.  No wrong.  No thing.  Nothing.

“I’ll tell the world about you.”

To gain what?  Further proof all is false, all is empty.  Chase the dragon’s tail, let it swallow itself.

Suddenly the hunter found themselves back among familiar woods, the roof of his home visible among the trees.

In the years to come, his family and friends all remarked on the eerie melancholy that descended on him when he returned from his last hunt.  They noticed he regarded life as tasteless and ashen, nothing worth living for, nothing worth dying for, just a nonsensical meaningless existence.

He never spoke of what caused such a profound and painful change in his outlook, and that caused those nearest him to fear him more.

While he could never find adequate words to convey his one inescapable truth to them, he knew it to be a fact.

Sometimes the abyss gazes back.

  © Buzz Dixon

[ririchanva]

First~ **hugs** I miss you Riri!!

// Wah! *hugs back* Kit-kaaaat~! I mishu toooooo xD Ahahahaha while you didn't really place any request, I thought maybe an Izuku one-shot might be a good way to start things :3 Anyways, here's one just for you (based on our past roleplays~)

Summary: As Usadori, Izuku Midoriya has seen many time-lines in order to figure out how to stop the supposed future that Shinso had come from. As he was looking into the many burrows in the warren, he spotted one where he...had a different family?

Contains: Spoilers from the Quirk and Miracles main story, but not necessarily canon to it. Time Shenanigans. Based on a Tumblr RP. Slight angst and fluff. Deku having the Bunny Miraculous. OCs that belong to @moonxsuncelestials

Word count: 1,221

Quickly.

I must find solutions.

Various ways to prevent the horrid future.

Those were in the mind of one Izuku Midoriya, holder of One-For-All and the student of All Might.

Although...that was not quite right.

While it was true he was the 9th wielder of a mysterious power accumulating past heroes that also were users of OFA, he was currently a different type of hero.

Training under Master Fu, Izuku was given a magical device called a Miraculous. An object that a frantic Hitoshi Shinso was reluctant to give him, but did not have any other options. Then again, Izuku understood why the brainwashing quirk user was hesitant. Izuku was a wild card of a tactician.

And so, under the hero name of Usadori, the green haired male was sitting in what seems to be a vast space that held portals of different timelines and sifting through all of them. Many that had a Chat Blanc flooding the world as he sat alone. Or many that had either himself or Kacchan turning evil...

As he was waving a hand one by one through these portals, he stopped at one that made him falter.

He saw himself but older...and he wasn't alone.

In fact, Usadori watched as he saw his young adult civilian self was walking inside what seemed to be a traditional looking home, almost resembling the Todoroki residence but much nicer...more warm and welcoming than what house his dear friend Shoto grew up in.

"Tou-san! Kaa-san! Jade! I'm home!" The other him on the other side of the portal called, looking around as he was taking off his shoes.

This confused Usadori for a moment because one, he knew his father was overseas for work...well, the bastard never returned home since his announcement of being quirkless at the age of four. The second thing was, who was Jade?

The rabbit user's question was soon answered in a form of a little boy running towards Izuku with a smile.

"Izuku-nii!" The little boy chirped as he soon was wrapping his tiny arms around Izuku's legs, giggling softly as blue eyes looked up at him happily, "You're home!"

"Yeah...I'm home, Jade. Aaaaand I come bearing gifts~" Izuku bent down and brought the little boy in his arms and chuckled, tapping the kid's nose before he looked around, "Where's our parents?"

“IZUKU XIAO LONG MIDORIYA GONG!”

Usadori jumped at the sound of a voice and blinked when his other self was paling for a moment, the little boy then having a cheeky smile on his face, almost as if saying 'ooh! you're in trouble now!'

Stomping into the foyer entrance where the two boys were at, came a tall figure with cerulean blue hair that is tied into a ponytail and deep, cat-like red eyes. And he looked miffed. While gliding wisp-like behind the man is another tall male that had a glowing enthral look to him, that matched for his sapphire blue hair and violet eyes. Usadori would think, 'They are a beautiful pair.'

A smile was on the angelic looking male that showed that he was also sort of upset about something, but holding it back as the first man marched over to Izuku, who placed the little boy down.

"...Tou-san, whatever I did, it is all Bael-san's fault--"

"Don't you be giving me lies, boy. We raised you better than that." The first male snorted as he folded his arms, showing the muscles he had, his aura reminding Usadori of Eraserhead for a moment, "You know you worried your Mother and I?"

Usadori frowned, looking at the portal further to where Inko Midoriya was, but there was no sign of her. This made the rabbit user close his eyes for a moment, thinking, 'Ah...perhaps this is a world where Inko was not his mother? And these two were his parents?'

That...is quite the world.

Usadori kept watching as he watched himself stuttering and waving his hands around with excuse after excuse, until the second male decided to move forward, giving a soft smile before saying with a strong voice.

"We are not angry--"

"Speak for yourself, Beloved--"

"Sai Gong, you better not be interrupting me right now..."

"...Sorry, Lapis, my love."

Lapis narrowed his eyes, making the other man raise his hands up in surrender as he smiled towards Izuku once more.

"While your father and I are worried from you once again running off with your friends in dangerous situations, I understand why you do it. Despite being involved with the family affairs, Izuku, I wish you would at least tell us before you up and vanish like that. It almost gave me a heart attack when your Uncle Yun had to call me that you almost got hurt during a mission?"

"I know, a-and I'm sorry Kaa-san. Really, I thought I'd be back before Jade's bedtime..." Izuku breathed out, but not before he felt arms around him and blinked as he then looked up to Lapis.

"We know you are growing into a strong warrior, Izuku, my darling. But you have to remember that you have a family that loves and worries about you now. What would Inko-san think, bless her soul, if she hears you are dragging yourself injured with broken bones?" Lapis then looked over at his husband and raised a brow, "Darling, get over here and hug your eldest!"

Sai Gong was quick too wrap his strong arms around both Izuku and Lapis, his anger gone as he then chuckled, "Your mother's right, Izuku. Next time leave a damn note or something before you go off like Toshinori, ya hear me? Or you're grounded."

"Tou-san, I'm twenty one, I'm no longer that high school boy you took under yours and Kaa-san's wings."

"You're still our boy, and that still makes you little in our eyes," Lapis teased, as he then picked up Jade and let the little one join in what seems like a family hug.

Usadori watched with a soft and somewhat envious look as he watched Sai Gong take Jade and walk away along with Izuku following him while talking a mile a minute about something that happened that day. They look like a proper family... Usadori would think bitterly, but then remembered that he still had his mom. So it seems this world's Inko Midoriya had passed on, at least according to Lapis' words.

Speaking of the man, Usadori had a strange feeling that Lapis could feel him because he stayed behind and looked over to where Usadori was, as if he could see him.

"...I know you're there and I know you aren't a threat...but whoever you are, I hope that you can find what you are looking for..."

Usadori almost opened his mouth to reply to Lapis but then shook his head. There...there was no way that Lapis could actually know that he was watching, right?

...Right.

Usadori was about to swipe the portal away to go and observe the next time-line, but almost froze when the voice spoke again.

"You have people that love you, Izuku. Whether it is your time or mine, let it be known that you are not alone..."

And with that, Usadori quickly made the portal disappear, the words still fresh in his mind and heart.

[chidoroki]

when we think about it, Isabella spent hours to make little Berny for Conny's birthday when she knew at this point that Conny would be shipped one month after this birthday

(she know who will be shipped in the three/four months to come, except if one of these kids made a spectacular progresses suddently, then… this kid is saved for a while i guess).

She spent hours to create a toy that was going to be cherished for only four weeks. and she probably did that for a lot of kids who has the same mont of time than Conny, some had probably more and some had maybe less.

She loves so much her kids and wants them to be happy so much.

For Ray she literally managed to obtain a cool watch that he still uses at almost 12 (and maybe he took it in the escape). He took care of it, he didn't use it for create the anti-trackers device, so he enjoyed the gift.

I dunno exactly how far in advance Isabella knew Conny was gonna be the next one to be shipped out (though she had to be aware it was only a matter of time since her her test scores were pretty low), so the fact Isabella went through all that trouble to make something for her is very sweet indeed. I say "trouble," but with Isabella being so skilled with everything, I can imagine she made Little Bunny fairly quickly.

I also love that Isabella decided to make Little Bunny from scratch rather than just order a bunny plush like all the other objects she gifted Ray as it gives that extra personal touch which really shows how deep her love is for these kids.

When ya say cool watch, are you referring to the pocket watch Ray often used during his time Grace Field? I.. never thought that it would've been another one of his gifts he received from acting as Isabella's watch dog. How did I never think of that..? I mean, it would make sense, yeah? Where else would he even get one if not from Isabella herself? I doubt one was conveniently lying around the house for him to take. Oh, I like this idea very much. (y'all, is this confirmed to be true anywhere about how/when he got the pocket watch??)

About whether or not he took it with him post-escape, I wondered the exact same thing and thankfully I was awarded with an answer during ch61. Unfortunately, I'm slow with realizing that these are two completely different watches, as the one he used at GF didn't open like this one apparently does. Sigh..

Okay so now I'm gonna ramble about something that's been on my mind recently due to me comparing some season two scenes to recent manga chapters, but the watch in the second season's OP has to be Ray's, yea?

The tracking devices Isabella & Krone use are silver, not to mention that we get a clear shot of Ray's during s1ep1. It also doesn't open up like the one used during the trip to Goldy Pond.

Of course what caught my eye are the several tiny scratches on the pocket watch seen in the Identity OP. Had I not gone back to check the first episode just now, I would've imagine the scratches could've been from the stick he used during ch181.5 or something, but since that event of him destroying his tracker takes place before the anime starts, that obviously can't be true. His extra chapter released way after season one anyways and he wasn't even shown using the pocket watch then either. This moment only came to mind because of how precise he timed Isabella's arrival.

Perhaps the damage is just there for dramatic effect. I dunno, just a random thought I've been wondering about. Oh, and the anime pocket watch also doesn't include the chain it has in the manga. I can't complain about that detail though since it's so minor and would've been an extra, unnecessary thing to animate.

I know the question started off with Conny and I just went on a whole Ray tangent and for that I apologize, especially considering it was Conny's birthday, aahaha. Well, I'm posting this a couple minutes late in that case but I was close!

[lightningandfireinmybones]

Naturally as I sit and process the last chapter and ending of tdopom, I want to know your thoughts-

First, Daemon…

Obviously, he’s incredibly heartbroken since losing Rhaenyra. But part of me wonders if he would concede so easily to Valaena & Aemond? He was very actively trying to kill Aemond despite being Val’s husband and all…

I just wonder what the future looks like for him and what role he plays? What his relationship with the whole family looks like? We saw a snippet but I feel like there’s more. Kings Landing would be a toxic place for him.

Second, Alicent…

She obviously knows Aemond murdered Aegon (as well as all of Aegon’s own atrocities). How does a mother handle one son murdering the other and then goes on to become King Consort?! Talk about a whirlwind. Aegon was no angel but, as a mother, I would think she would feel some type of animosity (or deep conflicting emotions) for Aemond for murdering one of her children and his own sibling 🤷🏼‍♀️

Perhaps I’m thinking too deeply here but I just feel like both these characters experienced immense loss & pain. Both are “troubled” to put it mildly…I don’t see either of them “coming quietly” if you get my meaning LOL

no bc you’re right!! It was a messy messy ending for both of those messy messy characters and I don’t think it ends cleanly, they’re not just magically on board

1. Daemon: daemon is daemon. He’s grieving rhaenyra and realizing what he’s fought for his whole life is worthless without his love and he’s getting his baby girl on that throne, even if it means the one-eyed twat has one too, but he is so broken emotionally that it’s not just over there

I imagine him and aemond and Valaena having a real bloody confrontation later when the grief has waned a little for daemon, and he’s now realizing he has contributed to aemond on the throne, it’s something i was thinking about for a one shot follow up

ESPECIALLY since they didn’t name him their hand (why would they?? It’s be suicide for aemond lmao), daemon has to struggle again with what his place is and his role in a monarchy and family he is no longer head of

But he does love his daughters. He does love Valaena. And rhaena and Baela and Aegon and viserys. Now he has to figure out how to let go of his own issues with aemond and the throne (which are really just issues he has with himself) and focus on being a not piece of shit father now

Unfortunately for him that includes not killing the man who his daughter loves, the same man who saved his daughter when he could not, bc Valaena would’ve died too in the fight with Hugh and Vermithor if aemond and Vhagar hadn’t interfered, he has to reconcile the two

I imagine after this mess of emotion and ego and rage is sorted he might be commander of the city watch again and lean into grandpappy of Valyrian knowledge role, but it’s not overnight, it’s YEARS of work

2. Alicent!!! Alicent has just had her son be murdered. Granted, he was murdered bc he actively contributed to the essential (for the purposes of the story and world) murder of her favorite child’s (or at least the most parentified child) baby, nearly the death of the love of her favorite child’s life

This is something that she would’ve been behind aemond for doing 1000% if it wasn’t aegon he was doing it to

Again, this maybe an explore later oneshot (I was actually picturing a convo between Alicent and Valaena similar To that one scene in season 1 of GoT between Robert and Cersei, the loaded one if you know what I’m talking about) but Alicent has now seen the destruction her actions have wrought: not only was aegon objectively terrible, he hurt aemond. Aemond is what she created, someone to inflict vengeance and fight for his family, but Valaena is now his family too and she has to come to terms with the fact that her son is his own person

And aemond has saved helaena and has always been there and was doing what ended up being best for the realm, even if it is shattering to Alicent, who has her own very complicated feelings for her idiot son aegon

And now she’s sort of breaking free of this role Otto and viserys have pushed her into, seeing rhaenyra dead (it’s my world she has romantic feelings for rhaenyra and nobody can stop me!!) and aegon dead and the realm near ruin and it has a direct tie to her actions, she can no longer deceive herself into thinking she has done what is right and honorable anymore

For the first time, Alicent is facing her own consequences but also her own path! She can chose what happens next! And it’s terrible and it’s horrible but i also imagine a part of her is somewhat relieved,,, she no longer has to play kingmaker or fit into a box of a perfect pious queen to have worth,,, aegon her rapist son is dead but aemond is king and helaena and daeron are safe,,, it’s a lot of hurt and confusion and it’s not just over like that, NOW she has to come to terms with Valaena as queen and the legacy that she has wrought as she heals from viserys and otto’s influence and rediscovers herself as a person separate from her children and her husband and her father

For all that, I guess the moral is that it’s not done and clean I just chose to focus on aemond and Valaena for the end chapter lololol

[atlanticcanada]

Tidal energy company blames DFO as it pulls out the Bay of Fundy

One of the companies trying to harness the power of the Bay of Fundy’s record-setting tides says it’s pulling its floating turbine platform out of the waters off the coast of Nova Scotia.

Sustainable Marine Energy Canada says the bureaucratic barriers put up by the federal Department of Fisheries and Oceans have essentially forced the company to pull the plug.

“Clearly, something is wrong here, and it needs to be investigated,” says Sustainable Marine CEO Jason Hayman. “It's either there's something fishy going on, or its just complete ineptitude.”

Hayman says the company put $60 million and five years of work into its turbines, which were the first to successfully put power into the grid in Canada.

Now, he accuses the DFO of standing in its way.

“It's really messed up, DFO should not be calling the shots on who gets tested and deployed,” says Hayman.

Sustainable Marine shared video with CTV News it says shows its Tidal Pioneer vessel towing the company’s PLAT-E 4.6 environmental monitoring platform out of Grand Passage to eventually be dismantled. The company says its PLAT-I 6.4 floating tidal turbine platform will be next.

Sustainable Marine’s turbines were the first to generate power into the Nova Scotia grid, says Hayman.

“We’re the first ones to actually deploy and put power onto the grid and actually receive payment from Nova Scotia Power for power,” he says, “so it’s quite bizarre.”

According to Hayman, the federal Department of Fisheries and Oceans has deemed the company’s horizontal turbines are “likely” to harm marine species.

“We don’t know how they’ve made that determination,” says Hayman, “despite the fact we’re using very conventional technology and there’s over 20 years of experience with this technology internationally, and no one’s ever seen a single marine animal or fish harmed in any way, shape or form.”

He says the department won’t show Sustainable Marine the evidence behind its claim.

When asked for a response, an official from the office of Fisheries and Oceans Minister Joyce Murray would only provide a statement.

“DFO has issued several Fisheries Act authorizations for these types of tidal energy projects in the Bay of Fundy, including 4 authorizations for this proponent,” writes Jeff Woodland.

He adds, “…an adequate monitoring plan is needed to evaluate impacts to fish and fish habitat in the higher flow environment in which the project is proposed. To date, adequate information has not been received from the proponent.”

But Sustainable Marine insists otherwise.

“We have given them so much information about our systems lack of effects on marine life,” he says, “as well as (pointing) them in the direction of other experts who could maybe help.”

In a province that has seen other tidal energy projects launch and sink over the of decades, the news generated frustration from Premier Tim Houston.

"Shame on the federal government,” says Houston in a video posted on social media Tuesday.

“You likely know from the media that the federal government is excited about reaching into your pocket and taking your money in the name of a carbon tax,” he continues, “…yet when faced with real opportunities, to make a meaningful positive change…like the one Sustainable Marine is creating, it’s shut down.”

In an interview with CTV News, Houston said he wanted to highlight the apparent discord between Ottawa’s carbon tax and Sustainable Marine’s experience with DFO.

“We just need the federal government to wake up on this, it's really ridiculous what's happened here,” he says.

“If their ultimate objective is really and sincerely to protect the planet and green the grid, then it's not through a carbon tax, it's actually through generating green energy through tidal, through wind, through solar, all these mechanisms,” Houston adds.

Meanwhile, the leader of the official opposition is calling on the Premier to get on a plane instead of pushing politics and targeting the carbon tax.

“I think his time would be a lot better spent going to Ottawa, getting the parties at the table, instead of making social media videos,” says Zach Churchill.

“He scrapped the alternative to the carbon tax that we had, which was a cap-and-trade program here in Nova Scotia,” he adds, “but instead of focusing on solutions for people, he’s more focused on politics.”

While Houston didn’t commit to paying a visit to Murray, he said his government has had contact with Ottawa at the federal level, and he has “raised it with a federal minister” because “this is something we were fearful about for a while.”

Over the past decade, five companies have been approved to conduct tidal energy projects off Nova Scotia shores.

Elisa Obermann, executive director of industry group Marine Renewables Canada, says this latest news is “disappointing.”

“This isn't a technology failure or financial challenge, it’s purely a regulatory challenge,” says Obermann, “so I think that would obviously raise concerns.”

Nova Scotia first introduced specific legislation to support tidal energy, the Marine Renewable Energy Act, in 2015.

But Obermann says similar federal legislation doesn’t exist, leaving only Canada’s Fisheries Act, which doesn’t specifically address the technology advancements in the industry.

The result, she says, is an industry left adrift.

“This isn't just about a project,” she says. “It's about how this project and the industry can also have a positive impact on fighting climate change or reaching net zero targets. It’s a challenge for DFO right now, but I think to solve it, governments need to come together.”

Hayman says unless the tide turns soon, Sustainable Marine’s future in Nova Scotia is now uncertain.

from CTV News - Atlantic https://ift.tt/lyhFSHf