#what I'm consuming

[marksarmel]

What I've Been Consuming 04/31/23

Bitten by the Covid bug was I! It felled me, but I struggled mightily to consume and now I return, fatigued, but still bug-eyed and bug-eared. Read on my fellow insatiable media gluttons.

TV:

The Bad Batch - Episode 12 - “The Outpost”. While I’ve been loving Season 2 of the Bad Batch I wanted to review this episode singularly because it was full of so many good things. This episode focuses on Crosshair and the dark dark side of the Empire. And there is nary a Sith Lord in sight. And yes, I meant to use two darks in a row. This episode continues Crosshair’s arc in which he comes to understand the cruelty of the Empire and how their war machine shows no mercy, even to its own soldiers

Our favorite brooding clone, Crosshair, is being sent to help secure an outpost on Barton-4 that has been the victim of numerous raids. Before we get to the meat of the episode Crosshair witnesses a group of clones being forced into retirement. Another bit of evidence pointing to the Empire’s disdain of the clones. Crosshair observes this with little emotion, but we know it’s breaking down his already shaky belief in the Empire. Also, Lieutenant Nolan openly despises clones. Also, also, this guy is a total pain in the ass.

At the outpost Crosshair meets a broken down skeleton crew of clones who have been tasked with guarding unknown cargo at the outpost. Their leader, Mayday, is an aged veteran clone, with little respect for Nolan’s upturned nose. Mayday and Crosshair set out for a tour of the depot as Mayday explains that their equipment and infrastructure is long past its expiration date. And that his requests for updated equipment have been ignored. It’s not long before the outpost is attacked and after a brief skirmish that ends with a few dead clones (and Crosshair picking off a raider), Lieutenant, the Prick, Nolan sends Crosshair and Mayday out to recover the stolen cargo.

Things soon go sideways and our new duo find themselves sinking deeper and deeper into a hopeless situation. After another brief battle they discover the cargo that the clones have been guarding (and dying for) is newer updated equipment for new non-clone soldiers. The very same equipment that Mayday has been requesting be sent to them. Crosshair gets to add another entry into his pros and cons list for the Empire.

Before they can secure the cargo an avalanche nearly kills both men, but Crosshair manages to drag Mayday back to base. Lieutenant, the Ice Queen, Nolan, is none too happy to see the two broken soldiers arrive sans cargo and even refuses medical aid for the nearly dead Mayday, calling them both expendable. As Nolan rambles on pitilessly, Mayday dies. Nolan orders the nearly dead Crosshair back to work. Unfortunately for Nolan, (but goody for us!) he’s unaware that he’s talking to a clone that now gives absolutely zero fucks. Crosshair gives Nolan an early retirement courtesy of a blaster shot straight to the chest. He is quickly arrested by the new clones. There’s a sort of twisted parallel here to when Crosshair, upon orders, killed the defenseless Governess, and rebel to the Empire, Ames in “the Solitary Clone” episode. Here in this episode, Crosshair finds himself killing someone on the Empire’s side. Makes you think perhaps a better name for Crosshair would have been Crossfire, because he’s definitely trapped on both sides.

Crosshair awakens to find himself not in jail but in a somewhat cushier environment where he is greeted by Dr. Emerie Karr, the clone scientist that we met a few episodes back, who was part of the team holding the Kaminoan Lama Su captive. What she has in mind for Crosshair isn’t quite revealed, but whatever it is Crosshair is a clone forever changed.

This episode also had really spectacular animation. The snowy world of Barton-4 made me snuggle deeper into my blanket and Crosshair’s face ran the gamut of emotions throughout the story. Damn what a fine piece of work.

The Mandalorian - This season has been good to Mando so far. In a show packed with so many enjoyable characters, like Bo-Katan and Grogu and Greef Karga and the always welcome Amy Sedalia as Peli Motto and the Mandolorian convert it would be crazy to introduce a new storyline, but that’s just what happens in episode 3’s the “The Convert”. After a blistering opening where our trio of Bo Katan, Grogu and Mando barely escape Mandalore we are dropped into a brand new storyline that is honestly quite jarring. While it’s not technically a brand new storyline and I’m sure it will connect to the larger Mandalore story I was a bit bummed to have this episode spend so much time with a character that I had little interest in. Episode 5 “the Pirate” gets us right back to old times and gives us some great cameos as well. I’m still super high on this show so I can forgive a little excursion from our main storylines.

Chris Rock comedy special - Chris has always been a pretty steadfast comedian in my opinion so I was eager to see how he rebounded after “The Slap”. I wouldn't call this great, barely good. It lacks the sharp observations on racism, relationships and life that Rock normally hits. The setups seem to be there, but the punchines just don’t land that hard.

In the end he does go after Will and Jada and this is where things start to pick up. He’s open and honest and actually quite angry. He was bullied by a much larger, much more powerful man, in front of millions of people, why wouldn’t he be? Did he go too hard on Jada? Maybe, but Chris’ talent is words and that’s what he has to use to make his way in the world. It’s unfortunate that Will Smith, a man who is quite the wordsmith himself, chose to attack Chris physically, but love makes us all do strange things. Nobody wins here. Everybody loses.

The Last of Us - You can save the world, if only you give up your first born. While not quite Joel’s first born Ellie is enough of a stand in that Joel is completely unable to fathom giving her up. The final episode of this show continues wrecking our hearts and forcing us to watch these two become more and more emotionally anchored to each other. All this only to see them be hurt in ways much deeper than any physical wound. Joel goes full on John Wick Terminator Boss Level mode to save Ellie one last time, but it may not be what she would have wanted. This final decision is one that has already been debated since the first game came out, but the show's creators Neil Druckmann and Craig Mazin, Pedro Pascal and Bella Ramsay fill it with such emotional weight that it would be foolish to think that either side is fully right or fully wrong. Ultimately the trip this show took us on is one of super heavy emotional weight and I’m actually glad that I’ve got some time to recover before Season 2.

Superman and Lois - This show is good! During a battle wherein I finally was bitten by the Covid bug I had nothing to do but be miserable and watch tv. Superman and Lois popped up in my searches and my hazy mediciney fogged mind decided to pass the time with some mindless tv. Only this was anything but. First off this series looks fantastic. The pilot episode does a great job of quickly summarizing Superman’s early days and then quickly adds in something different. This series gives Superman kids, a set of twins, one of which may have powers and the other which is dealing with a very modern issue, social anxiety disorder. All of this sets up a new framework for Superman that feels both nostalgic and new. As I said earlier this show looks great and the opening episode gives us some truly iconic shots. Though it does lean a bit too heavily into the modern style of some shows by looking way too dark and desaturated, it doesn't take away from all the good things about this show.

MOVIES:

Shazam 2- Look, this movie was about what I expected it to be; light loose, fun and breezy. There are issues big and small with this movie and I’m sure some fans of the first one went in with high hopes that were soon dashed, but that is the state with DC right now. Here’s to hoping Mr. Gunn can work his magic going forward.

Overall my biggest issue is that the movie was either miscast or poorly written and most likely both.

MUSIC

Niia - I - Another artist I recently stumbled across on Spotify that turned out to be quite the gem. The soft and simple album opener is the perfect aural pallet cleanser for the rest of the album of groovy sultry jams.

Kimbra - “Save Me” -  Do you remember a little ditty “Somebody That I Used To Know” from a long time ago? Well Kimbra is the other singer on that song. I really didn’t keep with either artist after that huge hit, but I found this while rooting around. While the whole album is pretty listenable this moody hypnotic track grabbed me by my earstems and wouldn’t let go.

[time-to-write-and-suffer]

I love how on Tumblr, "media literacy" has become "Um, just because someone writes about this doesn't mean they're endorsing this. I hate all these media puritans ruining everything."

I'm sad to inform you that knowing when and whether an author is endorsing something, implying something, saying something, is also part of media literacy. Knowing when they are doing this and when they're not is part of media literacy. Assuming that no author has ever endorsed a bad thing is how you fall for proper gander. It's not media literacy to always assume that nobody ever has agreed with the morally reprehensible ideas in their work.

Sometimes, authors are endorsing something, and you need to be aware when that happens, and you also need to be aware when you're doing it as an author. All media isn't horny dubcon fanfic where you and the author know it's problematic IRL but you get off to it in the privacy of your brain. Sometimes very smart people can convince you of something that'll hurt others in the real world. Sometimes very dumb people will romanticize something without realizing they're doing it and you'll be caught up in it without realizing that you are.

Being aware of this is also media literacy. Being aware of the narrative tools used to affect your thinking is media literacy. Deciding on your own whether you agree with an author or not is media literacy. Enjoying characters doing bad things and allowing authors to create flawed or cruel characters for the sake of a story is perfectly fine, but it is not the same as being media literate. Being smug about how you never think an author has bad intentions tells me you're edgy, not that you're media literate. You can't use one rule to apply to all media. That's not how media literacy works. Sorry! Sorry! Sorry! Aheem heem. Anyway.

[tormva]

So Viktor can see the arcane, interact with it

But that is just one side of it

There's a message hidden within the pattern

And it's the void.

And that's what Jayce is able to see through

The other side of that coin

[weinersnarf]

Yorha android Miku, aka 39B

This drawing is the singular reason I have failed inktober. HOW could I concentrate on anything but this?? She has consumed me I fear

(Yes her sword is a leek version of Virtuous Contract. YES she is standing on a pile of leeks. YES I felt the leeks were too important to only mention in the tags.)

[egophiliac]

ENG PLAYERS I BESEECH YOU

I have been informed that you guys are getting part 4 of episode 7 tomorrow, which means we are FINALLY going to get the official romanization of Revaan's name, somebody please tell me because I need to know what it is.

like, yes, it's probably just Revan/Levan, but look, I'm sitting here with my finger over the button of all these Laverne and Shirley jokes and just waiting for the opportunity to deploy them --

[vellichorom]

you sick little animal, even death itself pities you.

[mystery-pixels]

last block party of the summer

[benevolenterrancy]

May your hardened heart be woken By the soft and distant song Of all you left here unspoken All the shards we keep stepping on - Take this body home Take this body home Call the wind, and let her know Take this life outgrown Take this broken soul Call the stars, call them all And take it high, take it far, take it home

[biggest-gaudiest-patronuses]

putting my prediction on record now that the coming decade is going to see the rise of viral-marketed fancy at-home water filtration systems, driving and driven by a drastic reduction in the quality of U.S. tap water (given that we are in a 'replacement era' where our current infrastructure is reaching the end of its lifespan--but isn't being replaced). also guessing that by the 2030s access to drinkable tap water will be a mainstream class issue, with low-income & unstably housed people increasingly forced to rely on expensive bottled water when they can't afford the up-front cost of at-home filtration--and with this being portrayed in media as a "moral failing" and short-sighted "choice," rather than a basic failure of our political & economic systems. really hope i'm just being alarmist, but plenty of this already happens in other countries, and the U.S. is in a state of decline, so. here's praying this post ages into irrelevance. timestamped April 2023

[pinksilvace]

ROTATING HIM IN MY HEAD AT AN ACCELERATING VELOCITY

[wordsinhaled]

it was really only a matter of time until edwardian payneland happened and what if i channeled maurice about it. just a little

-

Charles is the son of the groundskeeper at St. Hilarion's School for Boys while Edwin is a pupil there. And he can't help but notice Edwin—how he’s nearly always alone, or else being harangued by the cruel older boys who call themselves his peers.

Charles privately thinks they hardly seem equal to him in poise or grace or manner. They are boisterous, brash, crass, violent, all overlaid with a veneer of false propriety, but Charles can see the cracks in it. He knows that sort by how they are inside, and they cannot be like Edwin at all. No, Edwin Paine's got a sad, drawn sort of look about him that Charles can't help recognizing. This lonely boy who feels somehow kindred in a way he can't put a finger on, but is pulled to him all the same, though by rights he'd do better to keep his distance.

Edwin often sits by the lake by himself, to read, or to do his assignments in the shade of the trees. Picturesque as a painting, he is. One day Charles dares to approach him, though he knows the risk in it—prepared to be rebuffed, rebuked for his untoward attention to someone he is meant to ignore; but the boy does not turn him away.

And so they become friends. Tentative, and then less and less so.

Together they explore the school's sprawling grounds, all of whose surprising hiding-places Charles Rowland knows by heart, having wandered them himself for years and made them his own refuge. The woods become theirs; the shore by the lake theirs; the shade of the trees theirs. The attic, where no one comes to look for them in the dead of night, also theirs.

And then one day Charles notices a group of boys surrounding Edwin. The usual cadre, and they're posturing, their voices loud in the autumn air. They’ve ripped Edwin's penny magazine from his grip and are tearing pages out of it, scattering them to be plucked up by the wind. Charles can do nothing else but step in. He shouts at them to back off, puts himself between them and Edwin, and gets himself thrashed for his trouble—but they, at least, finally leave Edwin alone.

Edwin, for his part, cannot believe Charles would be so reckless for his sake. Charles has not yet mentioned to him that he is used to this sort of treatment, and sees worse at home. They sit together in the boathouse by the lake, cross-legged, close enough for Edwin to dab carefully at Charles’ split lip and bleeding knuckles.

“You should not have done that for me,” he chides, though it carries no heat. “What will happen now?” He thinks word is sure to get back to the school, and there will be a scandal. Those boys, who so vocally despise Edwin, will hardly be quiet in their outrage, their humiliation. Charles’ father might be relieved of his post, and then Charles’ family will have to leave St. Hilarion’s. That is how these things go.

And what was it all for? For Edwin? How could it have been worth it?

“Doesn’t matter, does it?" Charles is saying, when Edwin surfaces from his troubled thoughts. "Couldn’t let them treat you like that. They had you five to one. And that, just ‘cause you’re different. I know how it is.” Charles’ eyelashes are very long, and the light turns his eyes a warm, deep amber as he talks fiercely, insistently, in defense of Edwin.

It’s terribly forward, Edwin thinks. And, despite every misgiving, he welcomes it. No one has ever fought for Edwin before. No one has ever spoken about him with such conviction.

Then Charles seems to lapse into pensiveness. “You didn’t have to…” he says softly. "All this." He gestures, with the free hand Edwin isn’t busy wrapping up, at the little bottle of antiseptic, the scissors, the roll of bandages and the cloths, all spread out on the floorboards between them.

“Of course I did,” Edwin says.

Really, he had not given it much consideration. He had had only the presence of mind to memorize the sight of Charles kneeling in the dew-damp grass, angry gaze still spitting fire at the backs of Edwin’s retreating bullies. He’d had blood in his bared teeth, and the briefest flash of desire had seared through Edwin—to kiss him. Merely in thanks, perhaps, but still, to kiss him.

He would know the warmth of Charles’ mouth. Fleeting, forbidden, it would sear itself into his mind for ever.

Of course, he had done no such thing; for he could not. Instead, he’d done the only thing he could do—bent low towards Charles, and squeezed his shoulder once, as if to say, Wait here for me. I will come back to you.

And as he'd turned on his heel and gone off in the direction of the infirmary, leaving Charles there with dusk encroaching, Edwin had hoped Charles understood his gesture for the indelible promise it was.

[dailyloopdeloop]

DAY 109: happy birthday!

[leilohsstupidgaystuff]

You know what makes the Paris proposal even better for me? The fact that in DoFP (old) Erik says "All these years wasted fighting eachother. To have a precious few of them back." (Just quoted that out of my head, dunno if it's completly right) And now it's Erik who makes something different, than they did in the other timeline, which leads to them living together and not fighting eachother. I feel like something in him knew, what would happen if he wouldn't make a step towards Charles, that he would regret not spending more peacefull time with him, as if there was a echo of their other timeline.

[royalarchivist]

Tubbo: I swear to God, Chat - I promise you, if it's the last thing I do, I am going to break up Fit and Pac.

Mike passed the crown of #1 Hideduo hater to Tubbo, and Tubbo took that title very seriously.

[ Full Subtitle Transcript ↓ ]

-

Pac: I have a date with Fit tomorrow! You know the news, Tubbo?

[ Tubbo's Homophobic Arc ]

Pac: I got a date with Fit tomorrow!

Tubbo: You're - no... You're kidding..

Pac: Yeah, for real! Look - Mike shaved my hair you know, and gave me a new outfit so I can be like, sharp for tomorrow. ...You guys like it? You like it, Sunny?

[Judgemental silence]

Tubbo: That's so cool man, what he hell. That's fckin' sick.

Pac: Yeah, thank you! I knew it, I knew you'd- Oh, thank you, Sunny! I knew you guys were gonna love it, you know? I knew it.

-

Tubbo: I swear to God- I swear to God- We need to add homophobia to the QSMP, I swear to God- I swear to God-

-

Tubbo: Guys, I have to do everything in my power to break them up. What do you mean "no"?! This is awful, Sunny! This is awful!

Sunny: But why Pa?

Tubbo: THEY WERE NEVER MEANT TO GET TOGETHER! The stars told me so! They were never meant to actually get together!

Sunny: WHY PA

Tubbo: It's just wrong, Sunny! It's just wrong! I dunno how to explain it to you. It's just wrong!

Sunny: But it's loveeeee

Tubbo: ...If that's what you want to call it.

-

Tubbo: HOW IS THERE GONNA BE ENOUGH SPACE BETWEEN THEM FOR ME NOW, SUNNY?!

Sunny: You're telling me you've never been in love Pa?

Tubbo: Listen, it's just not right.

Sunny: But I like bodyguard Fit and driver Pac :(

Tubbo: I like them too! They're my best friends! But they can't be together.

Sunny: I think you are projecting

Tubbo: PROJECTING WHAT? HUH!?

Sunny: I will find you someone, Pa.

Tubbo: I DON'T WANT SOMEONE! I DON'T WANT SOMEONE IT ONLY SERVES TO DISAPPOINT ME AND GET MY HOPES UP AND LEAVE ME- LEAVE ME NOTHING BUT A SHELL! A SHELL OF A MAN!

-

Tubbo: Sunny - They're gonna hurt each other, Sunny- they're gonna hurt each other! And how will there be enough space between them for me now?

Sunny: Why would they do that if they care for each other?

Tubbo: People that care about each other, Sunny, hurt each other all the time! ALL THE TIME!

Sunny: But I care about you, and I don't hurt you.

Tubbo: No, that's different! That's different! The love that we have for each other is unconditional. Ok?

Sunny: Pa, I think you're just scared.

Tubbo: I'm not scared, I'm logical. All flags look red when you're wearing rose-tinted glasses.

-

Tubbo: [In response to Sunny talking about Aypierre's agreement to build her a statue] You already have a statue! [Sunny hits him] Ow!

Tubbo: What about the one Fit and Ramon made you for your birthday? [Tubbo has an idea] See? Do you think Fit would have time to do stuff like that if he's too- if he's too preoccupied with his little shag buddy? I don't think so! I don't think so!

Sunny: Wait.

Tubbo: See? You see what I'm saying? You see what I'm saying!

Sunny: You have a good point now

Tubbo: See? You under- yes, exactly! We HAVE to break them up! They can still be friends! Fck it, friends with benefits! But they cannot be together. We cannot let them.

Sunny: OK I'M IN

Tubbo: [Claps] I KNEW I COULD COUNT ON YOU! I knew I could count on you!

-

[Looking at fanart of Pac, Fit, and himself]

Tubbo: We- we have to split them up. We have to fckin' split them up. Oh, but I'm in this one! Oh, that's so-[Realizes it's him crying as a third-wheel] SEE?! SEE?! THEY KNEW! THEY KNEW! THEY FCKIN' KNEW! THEY FCKIN' KNEW!

-

Tubbo: [In a thick "red-blooded American" accent] Wha- I just don't understand why they have 'ta keep shoving it down our throats! Goddamnit! I JUST WISH IT WASN'T MY SMP! [He hits his desk and laughs]

-

Dono: Streamer becomes homophobic 'cause he can't get any

Tubbo:

Tubbo: Sunny, I'm just gonna need to brb for a moment.

Tubbo: [Stands up from his desk, walks away, and screams]

-

Tubbo: I swear to God, Chat - I promise you - if it's the last thing I do, I am going to break up Fit and Pac.

[uncanny-tranny]

Whenever people who are entrenched in diet culture talk about how terrible chemicals are, I just want to whip out this:

[strugglingsapphic]

Chloe is a heater so she has to sleep in shorts ( they're baby blue ofc) and a tshirt a lot, and red is absolutely FERAL over her because in the mornings Chloe wakes up and her voice is deeper and she looks so boyfriend (Red explains that it's a tiktok thing, Chloe still doesn't get it but she takes the title with pride) And it takes Red all the power in the world to not jump chloe's bones right then and there because they have somewhere to be in an hour and she cannot make them late (again) but chloe is RIGHT THERE looking like THAT and she can't stop staring. So when the blue haired princess knows exactly what she's doing to Red, when she's leaning over and using her voice to her advantage whispering "Nous aurons le temps pour ça plus tard, cerise" in the girls ear and then has the audacity to chuckle at Reds little whine? Nah all bets are off, they'll make time NOW.

Chloe's absolutely melts when Red picks out one of her oversized shirts to sleep in (And only her shirt too, Red knows exactly how chloe likes it when the shirt is not only her baby blue color but her legs aren't covered either so Chloe's sure she's won the lottery), and Chloe has to fight tooth and nail to keep her eyes anywhere but her girlfriend when Red sits in her lap as she moves to get out of bed. And when the shirt pools at her hips (In the way she know drives her blue princess mad, and if she made sure the shirt rode up on purpose that's between her and god) Chloe can feel their difference in temperature when she puts her hands on Red's thighs, she can feel the shiver that goes through Red when she places her palms on her hips, she can feel the contrast of Reds cold lips on her feverish neck, she can feel Red's knees tighten when she whispers french into her ear and goddamnit-

She never had a chance of getting out of bed when she woke up this morning and fuck it she doesn't care anymore, Chad has dipped on Chloe so many times for Audrey that she thinks it's time to return the favor because if she doesn't pay attention to her girlfriend right now she might just die.